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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Thermodynamic, Kinetic, and Physical Properties of Nb-U (Niobium-Uranium)

Based on an improved coupling between ab initio energetics output, phenomenological thermodynamics based on the CALPHAD (CALculation of Phase Diagrams) approach, and the use of the Thermo-Calc software, together with experimental data (whenever available), a thermodynamic assessment of the Nb-U alloy system was carried out. We made use of the full array of modern electronic-structure techniques based on density functional theory, including ab initio fully relativistic full-potential linear-muffin orbital method (FR-FP-LMTO), methods, the Scalar Relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Atomic-Sphere Approximation (SR-KKR-ASA), and the fully relativistic or scalar relativistic Exact muffin-orbital (SR- or FR-EMTO) method, both based on the Green function formalism that has the advantage of being able to treat chemically random configuration (i.e., solid solution) with the so-called coherent potential approximation (CPA). All electronic structure calculations were performed within the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) for the treatment of electron correlations. The results from this technology serve as input for CALPHAD assessment of phase diagrams

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ab initio and relativistic DFT study of spin–rotation and NMR shielding constants in XF{sub 6} molecules, X = S, Se, Te, Mo, and W

We present an analysis of the spin–rotation and absolute shielding constants of XF{sub 6} molecules (X = S, Se, Te, Mo, W) based on ab initio coupled cluster and four-component relativistic density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that the relativistic contributions to the spin–rotation and shielding constants are large both for the heavy elements as well as for the fluorine nuclei. In most cases, incorporating the computed relativistic corrections significantly improves the agreement between our results and the well-established experimental values for the isotropic spin–rotation constants and their anisotropic components. This suggests that also for the other molecules, for which accurate and reliable experimental data are not available, reliable values of spin–rotation and absolute shielding constants were determined combining ab initio and relativistic DFT calculations. For the heavy nuclei, the breakdown of the relationship between the spin–rotation constant and the paramagnetic contribution to the shielding constant, due to relativistic effects, causes a significant error in the total absolute shielding constants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation of Low-Spin MnIII Bis(scorpionate) Complexes

Six-coordinate Mn III complexes are typically high-spin (S = 2), however, the scorpionate ligand, both in its traditional, hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate form, Tp - and Tp* - (the latter with 3,5dimethylpyrazole substituents) and in an aryltris(carbene)borate (i.e. , N -heterocyclic carbene, NHC) form, [Ph(MeIm) 3 B] - , (MeIm = 3-methylimidazole) lead to formation of bis(scorpionate) complexes of Mn III with spin triplet ground states; three of which were investigated herein: [Tp 2 Mn]SbF 6 (1SBF 6 ), [Tp* 2 Mn]SbF 6 (2SBF 6 ), and [{Ph(MeIm) 3 B} 2 Mn]CF 3 SO 3 (3CF 3 SO 3 ). These trigonally symmetric complexes were studied experimentally by magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy (the propensity of 3 to oxidize to Mn IV precluded collection of useful MCD data) including variable temperatures and fields (VTVH-MCD) and computationally by ab initio CASSCF/NEVPT2 methods. These combined experimental and theoretical techniques establish the 3 A 2g electronic ground state for the three complexes, and provide information on the energy of the “conventional” high-spin excited state ( 5 E g ) and other, triplet excited states. These results show the electronic effect of pyrazole ring substituents in comparing 1 and 2. The tunability of the scorpionate ligand, even by perhaps the simplest change (from pyrazole in 1 to 3,5-dimethylpyrazole in 2) is quantitatively manifested through perturbations in ligand-field excited-state energies that impact ground-state zero-field splittings. The comparison with the NHC donor is much more dramatic. In 3, the stronger σ-donor properties of the NHC lead to a quantitatively different electronic structure, so that the lowest lying spin triplet excited state, 3 E g , is much closer in energy to the ground state than in 1 or 2. The zero-field splitting (zfs) parameters of the three complexes were calculated and in the case of 1 and 2 compare closely to experiment (lower by < 10%, < 2 cm -1 in absolute terms); for 3 the large magnitude zfs is reproduced, although there is ambiguity about its sign. The comprehensive picture obtained for these bis(scorpionate) Mn III complexes thus provides quantitative insight into the role played by the scorpionate ligand in stabilizing unusual electronic structures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

iSPECTRON: a simulation interface for linear and nonlinear spectra with ab-initio quantum chemistry software

We introduce iSPECTRON, an open source (under the Educational Community License version 2.0) program that parses data from common quantum chemistry software (NWChem, OpenMolcas, Gaussian, Cobramm, etc.), produces the input files for the simulation of linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of molecules with the Spectron code, and analyzes the spectra with a broad range of tools. Vibronic spectra are expressed in term of the electronic eigenstates, obtained through quantum chemistry computations, and vibrational/bath effects are incorporated in the framework of the displaced harmonic oscillator model, where all required quantities are computed at the Franck-Condon point. The code capabilities are illustrated by simulating linear absorption, transient absorption and two dimensional electronic spectra of the pyrene molecule. Two levels of electronic structure theory, TDDFT (with NWChem) and RASSCF/RASPT2 (with OpenMolcas), are compared where possible. Acknowledgements: F.S., A.N., D.R.N., N.G., S.M, M.G. acknowledge support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division under Award Nos. DE-SC0019484, KC-030103172684. The Spectron code was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (Grant CHE- 1953045). This research benefited from computational resources provided by EMSL, a DOE Office of Science User Facility sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at PNNL. PNNL is operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the United States Department of Energy under DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-76RL1830.

Segatta, Francesco↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ab Initio Thermodynamic Model for Magnesium Carbonates and Hydrates

An ab initio thermodynamic framework for predicting properties of hydrated magnesium carbonate minerals has been developed using density-functional theory linked to macroscopic thermodynamics through the experimental chemical potentials for MgO, water, and CO2. Including semiempirical dispersion via the Grimme method and small corrections to the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof for the heat of formation yields a model with quantitative agreement for the benchmark minerals brucite, magnesite, nesquehonite, and hydromagnesite. The model shows how small differences in experimental conditions determine whether nesquehonite, hydromagnesite, or magnesite is the result of laboratory synthesis from carbonation of brucite, and what transformations are expected to occur on geological time scales. Because of the reliance on parameter-free first principles methods, the model is reliably extensible to experimental conditions not readily accessible to experiment and to any mineral composition for which the structure is known or can be hypothesized, including structures containing defects, substitutions, or transitional structures during solid state transformations induced by temperature changes or processes such as water, CO2, or O2 diffusion. Demonstrated applications of the ab initio thermodynamic framework include an independent means to evaluate differences in thermodynamic data for lansfordite, predicting the properties of Mg analogs of Ca-based hydrated carbonates monohydrocalcite and ikaite which have not been observed in nature, and an estimation of the thermodynamics of barringtonite from the stoichiometry and a single experimental observation.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2020

Shock compression of vanadium at extremes: Theory and experiment

Here, the equation of state (EOS) and shock compression of bulk vanadium were investigated using canonical ab initio molecular dynamic simulations, with experimental validation to 865 GPa from shock data collected at Sandia's Z Pulsed Power Facility. In simulations the phase space was sampled along isotherms ranging from 3000 K to 50 000 K, for densities between ρ = 3 and 15 g / cm 3 , with a focus on the liquid regime and the body-centered-cubic phase in the vicinity of the melting limit. The principal Hugoniot predicted from first principles is overall consistent with shock data, while it showed that current multiphase SESAME-type EOS for vanadium needed revision in the liquid regime. A more accurate SESAME EOS was developed using constraints from experiments and simulations. This work emphasizes the need to use a combined theoretical and experimental approach to develop high-fidelity EOS models for extreme conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Statistical error propagation in ab initio no-core full configuration calculations of light nuclei

We propagate the statistical uncertainty of experimental N N scattering data into the binding energy of 3 H and 4 He. Here, we also study the sensitivity of the magnetic moment and proton radius of the 3 H to changes in the N N interaction. The calculations are made with the no-core full configuration method in a sufficiently large harmonic oscillator basis. For those light nuclei we obtain Δ E stat (3H) = 0.015 MeV and Δ E stat ( 4 He) = 0.055 MeV .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Iron isotope evidence of an impact origin for main-group pallasites

Despite decades of work, the origin of pallasite meteorites has remained enigmatic. Long thought to be samples of the core-mantle boundary of differentiated asteroids, more recent studies have suggested a range of mechanisms for pallasite formation. These include olivine-metal mixing during a planetesimal collision and the intrusion of over-pressured core liquids into a planetesimal mantle. Establishing if the olivine and metal that comprise pallasites were once equilibrated at high temperature remains key to discriminating between these hypotheses. We determined the iron isotope compositions of olivine and metal in eleven main-group pallasites and found, in all cases, that olivine is isotopically lighter than metal. To interpret these data, we constrained the olivine-metal equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation with ab initio calculations and high temperature experiments. These independent approaches show that olivine preferentially incorporates the heavy isotopes of iron relative to metal. Our results demonstrate that pallasitic olivine and metal never achieved isotopic equilibrium with respect to iron. This precludes extended cooling at high temperature and is best reconciled with an impact origin for the main-group pallasites.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Spin-rotation and NMR shielding constants in HCl

The spin-rotation and nuclear magnetic shielding constants are analysed for both nuclei in the HCl molecule. Nonrelativistic ab initio calculations at the CCSD(T) level of approximation show that it is essential to include relativistic effects to obtain spin-rotation constants consistent with accurate experimental data. Our best estimates for the spin-rotation constants of {sup 1}H{sup 35}Cl are C{sub Cl} = −53.914 kHz and C{sub H} = 42.672 kHz (for the lowest rovibrational level). For the chlorine shielding constant, the ab initio value computed including the relativistic corrections, σ(Cl) = 976.202 ppm, provides a new absolute shielding scale; for hydrogen we find σ(H) = 31.403 ppm (both at 300 K). Combining the theoretical results with our new gas-phase NMR experimental data allows us to improve the accuracy of the magnetic dipole moments of both chlorine isotopes. For the hydrogen shielding constant, including relativistic effects yields better agreement between experimental and computed values.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structure of the glass-forming metallic liquids by ab-initio and classical molecular dynamics, a case study: Quenching the Cu{sub 60}Ti{sub 20}Zr{sub 20} alloy

We consider the question of the amorphization of metallic alloys by melt quenching, as predicted by molecular dynamics simulations with semi-empirical potentials. The parametrization of the potentials is discussed on the example of the ternary Cu-Ti-Zr transition metals alloy, using the ab-initio simulation as a reference. The pair structure in the amorphous state is computed from a potential of the Stillinger-Weber form. The transferability of the parameters during the quench is investigated using two parametrizations: from solid state data, as usual and from a new parametrization on the liquid structure. When the adjustment is made on the pair structure of the liquid, a satisfactory transferability is found between the pure components and their alloys. The liquid structure predicted in this way agrees well with experiment, in contrast with the one obtained using the adjustment on the solid. The final structure, after quenches down to the amorphous state, determined with the new set of parameters is shown to be very close to the ab-initio one, the latter being in excellent agreement with recent X-rays diffraction experiments. The corresponding critical temperature of the glass transition is estimated from the behavior of the heat capacity. Discussion on the consistency between the structures predicted using semi-empirical potentials and ab-initio simulation, and comparison of different experimental data underlines the question of the dependence of the final structure on the thermodynamic path followed to reach the amorphous state.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Machine Learning Applied to Zeolite Synthesis: The Missing Link for Realizing High-Throughput Discovery

Zeolites are microporous crystalline materials with well-defined cavities and pores, which can be prepared under different pore topologies and chemical compositions. Their preparation is typically defined by multiple interconnected variables (e.g., reagent sources, molar ratios, aging treatments, reaction time and temperature, among others), but unfortunately their distinctive influence, particularly on the nucleation and crystallization processes, is still far from being understood. Thus, the discovery and/or optimization of specific zeolites is closely related to the exploration of the parametric space through trial-and-error methods, generally by studying the influence of each parameter individually. In the past decade, machine learning (ML) methods have rapidly evolved to address complex problems involving highly nonlinear or massively combinatorial processes that conventional approaches cannot solve. Considering the vast and interconnected multiparametric space in zeolite synthesis, coupled with our poor understanding of the mechanisms involved in their nucleation and crystallization, the use of ML is especially timely for improving zeolite synthesis. Indeed, the complex space of zeolite synthesis requires drawing inferences from incomplete and imperfect information, for which ML methods are very well-suited to replace the intuition-based approaches traditionally used to guide experimentation. In this Account, we contend that both existing and new ML approaches can provide the “missing link” needed to complete the traditional zeolite synthesis workflow used in our quest to rationalize zeolite synthesis. Within this context, we have made important efforts on developing ML tools in different critical areas, such as (1) data-mining tools to process the large amount of data generated using high-throughput platforms; (2) novel complex algorithms to predict the formation of energetically stable hypothetical zeolites and guide the synthesis of new zeolite structures; (3) new “ab initio” organic structure directing agent predictions to direct the synthesis of hypothetical or known zeolites; (4) an automated tool for nonsupervised data extraction and classification from published research articles. ML has already revolutionized many areas in materials science by enhancing our ability to map intricate behavior to process variables, especially in the absence of well-understood mechanisms. Undoubtedly, ML is a burgeoning field with many future opportunities for further breakthroughs to advance the design of molecular sieves. For this reason, this Account includes an outlook of future research directions based on current challenges and opportunities. We envision this Account will become a hallmark reference for both well-established and new researchers in the field of zeolite synthesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Probing microhydration effect on the electronic structure of the GFP chromophore anion: Photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical investigations

The photophysics of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) chromophore is critically dependent on its local structure and on its environment. Despite extensive experimental and computational studies, there remain many open questions regarding the key fundamental variables that govern this process. One outstanding problem is the role of autoionization as a possible relaxation pathway of the excited state under different environmental conditions. This issue is considered in our work through combined experimental and theoretical studies of microsolvated clusters of the deprotonated p-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethylimidazolinone anion (HBDI{sup −}), an analog of the GFP chromophore. Through selective generation of microsolvated structures of predetermined size and subsequent analysis of experimental photoelectron spectra by high level ab initio methods, we are able to precisely identify the structure of the system, establish the accuracy of theoretical data, and provide reliable description of auto-ionization process as a function of hydrogen-bonding environment. Our study clearly illustrates the first few water molecules progressively stabilize the excited state of the chromophore anion against the autodetached neutral state, which should be an important trait for crystallographic water molecules in GFPs that has not been fully explored to date.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Theoretical rotation-vibration spectrum of thioformaldehyde

We present a variational calculation of the first comprehensive T = 300 K rovibrational line list for thioformaldehyde, H{sub 2}CS. It covers 41 809 rovibrational levels for states up to J{sub max} = 30 with vibrational band origins up to 5000 cm{sup −1} and provides the energies and line intensities for 547 926 transitions from the ground vibrational state to these levels. It is based on our previously reported accurate ab initio potential energy surface and a newly calculated ab initio dipole moment surface. Minor empirical adjustments are made to the ab initio equilibrium geometry to reduce systematic errors in the predicted intra-band rotational energy levels. The rovibrational energy levels and transition intensities are computed variationally by using the methods implemented in the computer program TROVE. Transition wavelengths and intensities are found to be in excellent agreement with the available experimental data. The present calculations correctly reproduce the observed resonance effects, such as intensity borrowing, thus reflecting the high accuracy of the underlying ab initio surfaces. We report a detailed analysis of several vibrational bands, especially those complicated by strong Coriolis coupling, to facilitate future laboratory assignments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

The ab initio amorphous materials database: Empowering machine learning to decode diffusivity

Amorphous materials exhibit unique properties that make them suitable for various applications in science and technology, ranging from optical and electronic devices and solid-state batteries to protective coatings. However, data-driven ex- ploration and design of amorphous materials is hampered by the absence of a com- prehensive database covering a broad chemical space. In this work, we present the largest computed amorphous materials database to date, generated from sys- tematic and accurate ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations. We also show how the database can be used in simple machine-learning models to connect properties to composition and structure, here specifically targeting ionic conductiv- ity. These models predict the Li-ion diffusivity with speed and accuracy, offering a cost-effective alternative to expensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Furthermore, the process of computational quenching amorphous materials provides a unique sampling of out-of-equilibrium structures, energies, and force landscape, and we anticipate that the corresponding trajectories will inform future work in uni- versal machine learning potentials, impacting design beyond that of non-crystalline materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Recommended direct simulation Monte Carlo collision model parameters for modeling ionized air transport processes

A systematic approach for calibrating the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) collision model parameters to achieve consistency in the transport processes is presented. The DSMC collision cross section model parameters are calibrated for high temperature atmospheric conditions by matching the collision integrals from DSMC against ab initio based collision integrals that are currently employed in the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) and Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) high temperature computational fluid dynamics solvers. The DSMC parameter values are computed for the widely used Variable Hard Sphere (VHS) and the Variable Soft Sphere (VSS) models using the collision-specific pairing approach. The recommended best-fit VHS/VSS parameter values are provided over a temperature range of 1000-20 000 K for a thirteen-species ionized air mixture. Use of the VSS model is necessary to achieve consistency in transport processes of ionized gases. The agreement of the VSS model transport properties with the transport properties as determined by the ab initio collision integral fits was found to be within 6% in the entire temperature range, regardless of the composition of the mixture. The recommended model parameter values can be readily applied to any gas mixture involving binary collisional interactions between the chemical species presented for the specified temperature range.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ab initio structure determination of nanocrystals of organic pharmaceutical compounds by electron diffraction at room temperature using a Timepix quantum area direct electron detector

A specialized quantum area detector for electron diffraction studies makes it possible to solve the structure of small organic compound nanocrystals in non-cryo conditions by direct methods. Until recently, structure determination by transmission electron microscopy of beam-sensitive three-dimensional nanocrystals required electron diffraction tomography data collection at liquid-nitrogen temperature, in order to reduce radiation damage. Here it is shown that the novel Timepix detector combines a high dynamic range with a very high signal-to-noise ratio and single-electron sensitivity, enabling ab initio phasing of beam-sensitive organic compounds. Low-dose electron diffraction data (∼0.013 e{sup −} Å{sup −2} s{sup −1}) were collected at room temperature with the rotation method. It was ascertained that the data were of sufficient quality for structure solution using direct methods using software developed for X-ray crystallography (XDS, SHELX) and for electron crystallography (ADT3D/PETS, SIR2014)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

High-pressure phase transition of alkali metal–transition metal deuteride Li 2 PdD 2

A combined theoretical and experimental study of lithium palladium deuteride (Li 2 PdD 2 ) subjected to pressures up to 50 GPa reveals one structural phase transition near 10 GPa, detected by synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction, and metadynamics simulations. We report the ambient-pressure tetragonal phase of Li 2 PdD 2 transforms into a monoclinic $C2/m$ phase that is distinct from all known structures of alkali metal–transition metal hydrides/deuterides. The structure of the high-pressure phase was characterized using ab initio computational techniques and from refinement of the powder x-ray diffraction data. In the high-pressure phase, the PdD 2 complexes lose molecular integrity and are fused to extended [PdD 2 ] ∞ chains. The discovered phase transition and new structure are relevant to the possible hydrogen storage application of Li 2 PdD 2 and alkali metal–transition metal hydrides in general.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗