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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Syntheses, structures, and ionic conductivities of perovskite-structured lithium–strontium–aluminum/gallium–tantalum-oxides

The ionic conductivities of new perovskite-structured lithium–strontium–aluminum/gallium–tantalum oxides were investigated. Solid solutions of the new perovskite oxides, (Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x})(Al{sub (1−x)/2}Ta{sub (1+x)/2})O{sub 3} and (Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x})(Ga{sub (1−x)/2}Ta{sub (1+x)/2})O{sub 3}, were synthesized using a ball-milled-assisted solid-state method. The partial substitution of the smaller Ga{sup +3} for Ta{sup +5} resulted in new compositions, the structures of which were determined by neutron diffraction measurements using a cubic perovskite structural model with the Pm−3m space group. Vacancies were introduced into the Sr(Li) sites by the formation of solid solutions with compositions (Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x−y}☐{sub y})(Ga{sub [(1−x)/2]−y}Ta{sub [(1+x)/2]+y})O{sub 3}, where the composition range of 0≤y≤0.20 was examined for x=0.2 and 0.25. The highest conductivity, 1.85×10{sup −3} S cm{sup −1} at 250 °C, was obtained for (Li{sub 0.25}Sr{sub 0.625}☐{sub 0.125})(Ga{sub 0.25}Ta{sub 0.75})O{sub 3} (x=0.25, y=0.125). Enhanced ionic conductivities were achieved by the introduction of vacancies at the A-sites. - Graphical abstract: Novel lithium-conducting oxides with the cubic perovskite structure (Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x−y}☐{sub y})(Ga{sub [(1−x)/2]−y}Ta{sub [(1+x)/2]+y})O{sub 3} provide a specific solid-solution region with various x and y values, exhibiting the highest ionic conductivity (1.85 S cm{sup −1} at 250 °C) for (Li{sub 0.25}Sr{sub 0.625}☐{sub 0.125})(Ga{sub 0.25}Ta{sub 0.75})O{sub 3} (x=0.25, y=0.125 in (Li{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x−y}☐{sub y})(Ga{sub [(1−x)/2]−y}Ta{sub [(1+x)/2]+y})O{sub 3}). The vacancies (☐) introduced into the A-sites contribute to the enhancement of lithium diffusion in the perovskite structure because of the enlargement of the bottleneck size and suppression of the interaction between lithium and oxygen. - Highlights: • The perovskite-structured novel Li–Sr–Al/Ga–Ta oxides were investigated. • The Ga cation offers a larger bottleneck by increasing the B−O bond length. • The greater conductivity was observed upon Ga-containing perovskite. • The ionic conductivity was improved by the introduction of vacancies into A-site.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Single crystal magnetic structure and susceptibility of CoSe{sub 2}O{sub 5}

The structure of CoSe{sub 2}O{sub 5} consists of one-dimensional ribbons of edge-sharing CoO{sub 6} octahedra bound together by polyanionic subunits of Se{sub 2}O{sub 5}. Previous work on polycrystalline samples reported a canted antiferromagnetic arrangement of the magnetic moments below the ordering temperature of 8.5 K. Here, we report a single crystal investigation using variable temperature and field magnetic susceptibility and low-temperature neutron diffraction to more precisely characterize the nature of the magnetic ground state of CoSe{sub 2}O{sub 5}. Contrary to previous reports, we find that the single crystal magnetic structure shows no canting of the antiferromagnetic ground state, and in the process have identified several field-induced changes to the magnetization. We discuss these results in the context of the revised magnetic structure and highlight the importance of crystal growth for the accurate characterization of these properties.

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

Crystal Structure of Colloidally Prepared Metastable Ag 2 Se Nanocrystals

Structural polymorphism is known for many bulk materials; however, on the nanoscale metastable polymorphs tend to form more readily than in the bulk, and with more structural variety. One such metastable polymorph observed for colloidal Ag 2 Se nanocrystals has traditionally been referred to as the “tetragonal” phase. While there are reports on the chemistry and properties of this metastable polymorph, its crystal structure, and therefore electronic structure, has yet to be determined. We report that an anti-PbCl 2 -like structure type (space group P2 1 /n) more accurately describes the powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray total scattering patterns of colloidal Ag 2 Se nanocrystals prepared by several different methods. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that this anti-PbCl 2 -like Ag 2 Se polymorph is a dynamically stable, narrow-band-gap semiconductor. Here, the anti-PbCl 2 -like structure of Ag 2 Se is a low-lying metastable polymorph at 5–25 meV/atom above the ground state, depending on the exchange-correlation functional used.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Controlling Amphiphilic Polymer Folding beyond the Primary Structure with Protein-Mimetic Di(Phenylalanine)

While methods for polymer synthesis have proliferated, their functionality pales in comparison to natural biopolymers–strategies are limited for building the intricate network of noncovalent interactions necessary to elicit complex, protein-like functions. Using a bioinspired di(phenylalanine) acrylamide (FF) monomer, we explored the impact of various noncovalent interactions in generating ordered assembled structures. Amphiphilic copolymers were synthesized that exhibit β-sheet-like local structure upon collapsing into single-chain assemblies in aqueous environments. Here, the systematic analysis of a series of amphiphilic copolymers illustrated that the global collapse is primarily driven by hydrophobic forces. Hydrogen-bonding and aromatic interactions stabilize local structure, as β-sheet-like interactions were identified via circular dichroism and thioflavin T fluorescence. Similar analysis of phenylalanine (F) and alanine-phenylalanine acrylamide (AF) copolymers found that distancing the aromatic residue from the polymer backbone is sufficient to induce β-sheet-like local structure akin to the FF copolymers; however, the interactions between AF subunits are less stable than those formed by FF. Further, hydrogen-bond donating hydrophilic monomers disrupt internal structure formed by FF within collapsed assemblies. Collectively, these results illuminate design principles for the facile incorporation of multiple facets of protein-mimetic, higher-order structure within folded synthetic polymers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structure of the Photo-catalytically Active Surface of SrTiO 3

A major goal of energy research is to use visible light to cleave water directly, without an applied voltage, into hydrogen and oxygen. Although SrTiO 3 requires ultraviolet light, after four decades, it is still the "gold standard" for the photo-catalytic splitting of water. It is chemically robust and can carry out both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions without an applied bias. While ultrahigh vacuum surface science techniques have provided useful insights, we still know relatively little about the structure of these electrodes in contact with electrolytes under operating conditions. Here, we report the surface structure evolution of a n-SrTiO 3 electrode during water splitting, before and after "training" with an applied positive bias. Operando high-energy X-ray reflectivity measurements demonstrate that training the electrode irreversibly reorders the surface. Scanning electrochemical microscopy at open circuit correlates this training with a 3-fold increase of the activity toward the photo-induced water splitting. A novel first-principles joint density functional theory simulation, constrained to the X-ray data via a generalized penalty function, identifies an anatase-like structure as the more active, trained surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Physical properties and electronic structure of a new barium titanate suboxide Ba{sub 1+δ}Ti{sub 13−δ}O{sub 12} (δ = 0.11)

The structure, transport, thermodynamic properties, x-ray absorption spectra (XAS), and electronic structure of a new barium titanate suboxide, Ba{sub 1+δ}Ti{sub 13−δ}O{sub 12} (δ = 0.11), are reported. It is a paramagnetic poor metal with hole carriers dominating the transport. Fermi liquid behavior appears at low temperature. The oxidization state of Ti obtained by the XAS is consistent with the metallic Ti{sup 2+} state. Local density approximation band structure calculations reveal the material is near the Van Hove singularity. The pseudogap behavior in the Ti-d band and the strong hybridization between the Ti-d and O-p orbitals reflect the characteristics of the building blocks of the Ti{sub 13} semi-cluster and the TiO{sub 4} quasi-squares, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

A first principles study of structural stability, electronic structure and mechanical properties of beryllium alanate BeAlH{sub 5}

Ab initio calculations are performed to investigate the structural stability, electronic structure and mechanical properties of BeAlH{sub 5} for monoclinic crystal structures with two different types of space group namely P2{sub 1} and C{sub 2}/c. Among the considered structures monoclinic (P2{sub 1}) phase is found to be the most stable at ambient condition. The structural phase transition from monoclinic (P2{sub 1}) to monoclinic (C{sub 2}/c) phase is observed in BeAlH{sub 5}. The electronic structure reveals that this compound is insulator. The calculated elastic constants indicate that this material is mechanically stable at ambient condition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structures and magnetic properties of Co-Zr-B magnets studied by first-principles calculations

The structures and magnetic properties of Co-Zr-B alloys near the composition of Co{sub 5}Zr with B at. % ≤6% were studied using adaptive genetic algorithm and first-principles calculations. The energy and magnetic moment contour maps as a function of chemical composition were constructed for the Co-Zr-B magnet alloys through extensive structure searches and calculations. We found that Co-Zr-B system exhibits the same structure motif as the “Co{sub 11}Zr{sub 2}” polymorphs, and such motif plays a key role in achieving strong magnetic anisotropy. Boron atoms were found to be able to substitute cobalt atoms or occupy the “interruption” sites. First-principles calculations showed that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies of the boron-doped alloys are close to that of the high-temperature rhombohedral Co{sub 5}Zr phase and larger than that of the low-temperature Co{sub 5.25}Zr phase. Our calculations provide useful guidelines for further experimental optimization of the magnetic performances of these alloys.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Characterization of electronic structure of periodically strained graphene

We induced periodic biaxial tensile strain in polycrystalline graphene by wrapping it over a substrate with repeating pillar-like structures with a periodicity of 600 nm. Using Raman spectroscopy, we determined to have introduced biaxial strains in graphene in the range of 0.4% to 0.7%. Its band structure was characterized using photoemission from valance bands, shifts in the secondary electron emission, and x-ray absorption from the carbon 1s levels to the unoccupied graphene conduction bands. It was observed that relative to unstrained graphene, strained graphene had a higher work function and higher density of states in the valence and conduction bands. Furthermore, we measured the conductivity of the strained and unstrained graphene in response to a gate voltage and correlated the changes in their behavior to the changes in the electronic structure. From these sets of data, we propose a simple band diagram representing graphene with periodic biaxial strain.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Role of atomistic structure in the stochastic nature of conductivity in substoichiometric tantalum pentoxide

First-principles calculations of electrical conductivity (σ{sub o}) are revisited to determine the atomistic origin of its stochasticity in a distribution generated from sampling 14 ab-initio molecular dynamics configurations from 10 independently quenched models (n = 140) of substoichiometric amorphous Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}, where each structure contains a neutral O monovacancy (V{sub O}{sup 0}). Structural analysis revealed a distinct minimum Ta-Ta separation (dimer/trimer) corresponding to each V{sub O}{sup 0} location. Bader charge decomposition using a commonality analysis approach based on the σ{sub o} distribution extremes revealed nanostructural signatures indicating that both the magnitude and distribution of cationic charge on the Ta subnetwork have a profound influence on σ{sub o}. Furthermore, visualization of local defect structures and their electron densities reinforces these conclusions and suggests σ{sub o} in the amorphous oxide is best suppressed by a highly charged, compact Ta cation shell that effectively screens and minimizes localized V{sub O}{sup 0} interaction with the a-Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} network; conversely, delocalization of V{sub O}{sup 0} corresponds to metallic character and high σ{sub o}. The random network of a-Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} provides countless variations of an ionic configuration scaffold in which small perturbations affect the electronic charge distribution and result in a fixed-stoichiometry distribution of σ{sub o}; consequently, precisely controlled and highly repeatable oxide fabrication processes are likely paramount for advancement of resistive memory technologies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Crossover from disordered to core-shell structures of nano-oxide Y 2 O 3 dispersed particles in Fe

Here, molecular dynamic simulations of Y 2 O 3 in bcc Fe and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations were used to understand the structure of Y 2 O 3 nano-clusters in an oxide dispersion strengthened steel matrix. The study showed that Y 2 O 3 nano-clusters below 2 nm were completely disordered. Y 2 O 3 nano-clusters above 2 nm, however, form a core-shell structure, with a shell thickness of 0.5–0.7 nm that is independent of nano-cluster size. Y 2 O 3 nano-clusters were surrounded by off-lattice Fe atoms, further increasing the stability of these nano-clusters. TEM was used to corroborate our simulation results and showed a crossover from a disordered nano-cluster to a core-shell structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Pressure-induced structural transition in chalcopyrite ZnSiP 2

In this paper, the pressure-dependent phase behavior of semiconducting chalcopyrite ZnSiP 2 was studied up to 30 GPa using in situ X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy in a diamond-anvil cell. A structural phase transition to the rock salt type structure was observed between 27 and 30 GPa, which is accompanied by soft phonon mode behavior and simultaneous loss of Raman signal and optical transmission through the sample. The high-pressure rock salt type phase possesses cationic disorder as evident from broad features in the X-ray diffraction patterns. The behavior of the low-frequency Raman modes during compression establishes a two-stage, order-disorder phase transition mechanism. Finally, the phase transition is partially reversible, and the parent chalcopyrite structure coexists with an amorphous phase upon slow decompression to ambient conditions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Structural Transformation and Melting in Gold Shock Compressed to 355 GPa

Gold is believed to retain its ambient crystal structure at very high pressures under static and shock compression, enabling its wide use as a pressure marker. Our in situ x-ray diffraction measurements on shock-compressed gold show that it transforms to the body-centered-cubic (bcc) phase, with an onset pressure between 150 and 176 GPa. A liquid-bcc coexistence was observed between 220 and 302 GPa and complete melting occurs by 355 GPa. Our observation of the lower coordination bcc structure in shocked gold is in marked contrast to theoretical predictions and the reported observation of the hexagonal-close-packed structure under static compression.

phase transitions↗
DOE OSTI2014

Automating crystallographic structure solution and refinement of protein–ligand complexes

A software system for automated protein–ligand crystallography has been implemented in the Phenix suite. This significantly reduces the manual effort required in high-throughput crystallographic studies. High-throughput drug-discovery and mechanistic studies often require the determination of multiple related crystal structures that only differ in the bound ligands, point mutations in the protein sequence and minor conformational changes. If performed manually, solution and refinement requires extensive repetition of the same tasks for each structure. To accelerate this process and minimize manual effort, a pipeline encompassing all stages of ligand building and refinement, starting from integrated and scaled diffraction intensities, has been implemented in Phenix. The resulting system is able to successfully solve and refine large collections of structures in parallel without extensive user intervention prior to the final stages of model completion and validation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Novel complex MAD phasing and RNase H structural insights using selenium oligonucleotides

Selenium-derivatized oligonucleotides may facilitate phase determination and high-resolution structure determination for protein–nucleic acid crystallography. The Se atom-specific mutagenesis (SAM) strategy may also enhance the study of nuclease catalysis. The crystal structures of protein–nucleic acid complexes are commonly determined using selenium-derivatized proteins via MAD or SAD phasing. Here, the first protein–nucleic acid complex structure determined using selenium-derivatized nucleic acids is reported. The RNase H–RNA/DNA complex is used as an example to demonstrate the proof of principle. The high-resolution crystal structure indicates that this selenium replacement results in a local subtle unwinding of the RNA/DNA substrate duplex, thereby shifting the RNA scissile phosphate closer to the transition state of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. It was also observed that the scissile phosphate forms a hydrogen bond to the water nucleophile and helps to position the water molecule in the structure. Consistently, it was discovered that the substitution of a single O atom by a Se atom in a guide DNA sequence can largely accelerate RNase H catalysis. These structural and catalytic studies shed new light on the guide-dependent RNA cleavage.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗