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DOE OSTI2016

METAL DIFFUSION IN SMOOTHED PARTICLE HYDRODYNAMICS SIMULATIONS OF DWARF GALAXIES

We perform a series of smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies to compare different metal mixing models. In particular, we examine the role of diffusion in the production of enriched outflows and in determining the metallicity distributions of gas and stars. We investigate different diffusion strengths by changing the pre-factor of the diffusion coefficient, by varying how the diffusion coefficient is calculated from the local velocity distribution, and by varying whether the speed of sound is included as a velocity term. Stronger diffusion produces a tighter [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution in the gas and cuts off the gas metallicity distribution function at lower metallicities. Diffusion suppresses the formation of low-metallicity stars, even with weak diffusion, and also strips metals from enriched outflows. This produces a remarkably tight correlation between “metal mass-loading” (mean metal outflow rate divided by mean metal production rate) and the strength of diffusion, even when the diffusion coefficient is calculated in different ways. The effectiveness of outflows at removing metals from dwarf galaxies and the metal distribution of the gas is thus dependent on the strength of diffusion. By contrast, we show that the metallicities of stars are not strongly dependent on the strength of diffusion, provided that some diffusion is present.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1962

Performance Evaluation of Fixed- and Variable-Area Rocket Exhaust Diffusers Using Single and Clustered Nozzles with and Without Gimbaling

An investigation of exhaust diffusers used for altitude simulation in testing rocket engines was conducted with model diffusers and gaseous nitrogen as the working fluid. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects on performance of gimbaling clustered nozzles in a single fixed-area exhaust diffuser. A two-nozzle cluster was gimbaled in all attitudes in four different exhaust-diffuser configurations: (1) a straight circular tube, (2) a straight figure-eight tube, (3) a circular tube with a second throat, and (4) a figure-eight tube with a second throat. Gimbaling clustered nozzles had little effect on the operating pressure ratio for either straight-tube or second-throat diffusers, but caused a large increase in the starting-pressure-ratio requirements in some straight-tube exhaust diffusers. The performance of two or four clustered nozzles with no gimbaling was compared with single-nozzle performance on the basis of the ratio of diffuser area to nozzle-throat area. The performance was found to be dependent on the diffuser- to nozzle-throat-area ratio and independent of both the number of primary nozzles and the nozzle-area ratio. A separate investigation was also conducted to evaluate the performance improvement obtainable with a variable-area exhaust diffuser. This type of diffuser achieved a 26-percent reduction in starting pressure ratio, a 40-percent reduction in operating pressure ratio, and a 50-percent reduction in the overall diffuser length over the values attainable with a fixed-area second-throat diffuser.

ROCKET↗

DOE OSTI2010

In Situ Effective Diffusion Coefficient Profiles in Live Biofilms Using Pulsed-Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Diffusive mass transfer in biofilms is characterized by the effective diffusion coefficient. It is well-documented that the effective diffusion coefficient can vary by location in a biofilm. The current literature is dominated by effective diffusion coefficient measurements for distinct cell clusters and stratified biofilms showing this spatial variation. Regardless of whether distinct cell clusters or surface-averaging methods are used, position-dependent measurements of the effective diffusion coefficient are currently: 1) invasive to the biofilm, 2) performed under unnatural conditions, 3) lethal to cells, and/or 4) spatially restricted to only certain regions of the biofilm. Invasive measurements can lead to inaccurate results and prohibit further (time dependent) measurements which are important for the mathematical modeling of biofilms. In this study our goals were to: 1) measure the effective diffusion coefficient for water in live biofilms, 2) monitor how the effective diffusion coefficient changes over time under growth conditions, and 3) correlate the effective diffusion coefficient with depth in the biofilm. We measured in situ two-dimensional effective diffusion coefficient maps within Shewanella oneidensis MR-1biofilms using pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance methods, and used them to calculate surface-averaged relative effective diffusion coefficient (Drs) profiles. We found that 1) Drs decreased from the top of the biofilm to the bottom, 2) Drs profiles differed for biofilms of different ages, 3) Drs profiles changed over time and generally decreased with time, 4) all the biofilms showed very similar Drs profiles near the top of the biofilm, and 5) the Drs profile near the bottom of the biofilm was different for each biofilm. Practically, our results demonstrate that advanced biofilm models should use a variable effective diffusivity which changes with time and location in the biofilm.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Methane Diffusion and Adsorption in Shale Rocks: A Numerical Study Using the Dusty Gas Model in TOUGH2/EOS7C-ECBM

Gas production from shale gas reservoirs plays a significant role in satisfying increasing energy demands. Compared with conventional sandstone and carbonate reservoirs, shale gas reservoirs are characterized by extremely low porosity, ultra-low permeability and high clay content. Slip flow, diffusion, adsorption and desorption are the primary gas transport processes in shale matrix, while Darcy flow is restricted to fractures. Understanding methane diffusion and adsorption, and gas flow and equilibrium in the low-permeability matrix of shale is crucial for shale formation evaluation and for predicting gas production. Modeling of diffusion in low-permeability shale rocks requires use of the Dusty gas model (DGM) rather than Fick’s law. The DGM is incorporated in the TOUGH2 module EOS7C-ECBM, a modified version of EOS7C that simulates multicomponent gas mixture transport in porous media. Also included in EOS7C-ECBM is the extended Langmuir model for adsorption and desorption of gases. In this study, a column shale model was constructed to simulate methane diffusion and adsorption through shale rocks. The process of binary CH 4 - N 2 diffusion and adsorption was analyzed. A sensitivity study was performed to investigate the effects of pressure, temperature and permeability on diffusion and adsorption in shale rocks. The results show that methane gas diffusion and adsorption in shale is a slow process of dynamic equilibrium, which can be illustrated by the slope of a curve in CH4mass variation. The amount of adsorption increases with the pressure increase at the low pressure, and the mass change by gas diffusion will decrease due to the decrease in the compressibility factor of the gas. With the elevated temperature, the gas molecules move faster and then the greater gas diffusion rates make the process duration shorter. The gas diffusion rate decreases with the permeability decrease, and there is a limit of gas diffusion if the permeability is less than 1.0×10 -15 m 2 . In conclusion, the results can provide insights for a better understanding of methane diffusion and adsorption in the shale rocks so as to optimize gas production performance of shale gas reservoirs.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Adsorption of Water Monomer and Clusters on Platinum(111) Terrace and Related Steps and Kinks II. Surface Diffusion

Surface diffusion of water monomer, dimer, and trimer on the (111) terrace, (221) and (322) stepped, and (763) and (854) kinked surfaces of platinum was studied by density functional theory using the PW91 approximation to the energy functional. Monomer diffusion on the terrace is facile, with an activation barrier of 0.20 eV, while dimer and trimer diffusions are restricted due to their high activation barriers of 0.43 and 0.48 eV, respectively. During monomer diffusion on the terrace the O–Pt distance increases by 0.54 Å, about 23% of the initial distance of 2.34 Å. The calculated rate of monomer diffusion hops is in good agreement with the onset temperature of diffusion measurements of Daschbach et al., J. Chem. Phys., 120 (2004) 1516. Alternative monomer diffusion pathways, in which the molecule rolls or flips, were also found. These pathways have diffusion barriers of 0.22 eV. During dimer diffusion on the terrace, the donor molecule rises 0.4 Å at the saddle point, while the acceptor rises by only 0.03 Å. Monomer diffusion up to steps and kinks, with activation barriers of 0.11–0.13 eV, facilitate chain formation on top of step edges. The energy landscape of monomer diffusion from terrace to step to kink sites is downhill with a maximum activation barrier of 0.26 eV. A model for water adsorption is presented inwhichmonomer diffusion leads to concurrent formation of terrace clusters and population of steps/kinks, the latter consistent with the STMmeasurements ofMorgenstern et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 77 (1996) 703.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

DOE OSTI2016

Dissociative diffusion mechanism in vacancy-rich materials according to mass action kinetics

We conducted two sets of diffusion-reaction numerical simulations using a finite difference method (FDM) in order to investigate fast impurity diffusion via interstitial sites in vacancy-rich materials such as Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) and Cu 2 ZnSn(S, Se) 4 (CZTSSe or CZTS) via the dissociative diffusion mechanism where the interstitial diffuser ultimately reacts with a vacancy to produce a substitutional. The first set of simulations extends the standard interstitial-limited dissociative diffusion theory to vacancy-rich material conditions where vacancies are annihilated in large amounts, introducing non-equilibrium vacancy concentration profiles. The second simulation set explores the vacancy-limited dissociative diffusion where impurity incorporation increases the equilibrium vacancy concentration. In addition to diffusion profiles of varying concentrations and shapes that were obtained in all simulations, some of the profiles can be fitted with the constant- and limited-source solutions of Fick’s second law despite the non-equilibrium condition induced by the interstitial-vacancy reaction. The first set of simulations reveals that the dissociative diffusion coefficient in vacancy-rich materials is inversely proportional to the initial vacancy concentration. In the second set of numerical simulations, impurity-induced changes in the vacancy concentration lead to distinctive diffusion profile shapes. The simulation results are also compared with published data of impurity diffusion in CIGS. And according to the characteristic properties of diffusion profiles from the two set of simulations, experimental detection of the dissociative diffusion mechanism in vacancy-rich materials may be possible.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Simulation of fission gas diffusion in UO{sub 2} by vacancy clusters

The low solubility of fission gas in nuclear fuel leads to inter- and intra-granular bubbles. These bubbles affect performance of the fuel rod and increase the fuel temperature through the increase of porosity in the fuel pellets and decreased thermal conductivity across the pellet-clad gap as gas is released into the plenum. The nucleation, growth, and inter-connectivity of the fission gas bubbles ultimately depend on the diffusivity of gas atoms through the fuel matrix. Using mechanisms and data previously established from density functional theory (DFT) and empirical potential calculations, diffusion and reaction models have been derived for xenon atoms, uranium atoms, and vacancies in the substitutional and interstitial locations. Although similar to previous models, the diffusion and reaction rates have been re-derived in a more robust manner. Previous studies have under-predicted the experimentally observed diffusivity of xenon atoms in UO{sub 2}, however it has been previously shown that by including xenon atoms bound to two vacancies, the calculated diffusivity approaches the measured data. The derived model for species diffusion and inter-species reactions has been implemented in the MARMOT phase-field code in a modular structure so as to capture the enhanced diffusion of xenon due to bound gas + vacancy-cluster movement. The MARMOT code allows for the diffusion, reaction, and source rates to be solved simultaneously, resulting in steady state or transient concentrations of each species, and ultimately the diffusion behavior of xenon atoms. By including the diffusion of clusters of different combinations of xenon and vacancies, the calculated diffusivity more closely captures the measured diffusivity of xenon when using preliminary parameters. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Diffusion and Flow of CO{sub 2} in Carbon Anode for Aluminium Smelting

Using a well-made carbon anode with the right porosity characteristics is essential to the successful operation of a Hall–Héroult cell. Bubble generation at this carbon anode and its contribution to the overall voltage drop in aluminum production holds significant potential for reducing overpotential and improving energy savings. This voltage drop is believed to be greatly influenced by the gas diffusion in the anode carbon, for which there are a limited number of measurements to correlate with the carbon anode properties. In the present study, the CO{sub 2} gas diffusion characteristics were first investigated via measuring anode porosity using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) for different samples with different permeability. Second, diffusion experiments were conducted by flowing CO{sub 2} gas into the anode sample at elevated temperatures (up to 960 °C). The impact of temperature, average pore size, and permeability on the diffusion coefficient was investigated. The diffusion coefficient was consequently calculated by curve fitting using diffusion theories. The value obtained varied from 1.38 × 10{sup −6} to 7.89 × 10{sup −6} m{sup 2}/s. A high diffusion coefficient was measured in the carbon sample with larger average pore size and higher permeability. It was found that anomalous diffusion behavior in the temperature range 600 °C to 960 °C was caused by convective flow effects, different diffusion mechanisms, and the Boudouard reaction for these carbon anode samples. Furthermore, by plotting the measured diffusion coefficient against average pore size and permeability, an increasing trend of diffusivity with an increase in pore size and permeability was observed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

Diffusion coefficients of transition metals in fcc cobalt

Using first-principles density functional theory (DFT), we calculate the diffusivities of 32 different solute elements—all transition metals, together with Al and Si—in fcc cobalt within the formalism of the five-frequency model. For self-diffusion in fcc cobalt, we compare the accuracy of various approximations to the exchange-correlation energy functional of DFT in estimating the activation energy, and find that only the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) approximation agrees well with experimental reports and all other functionals largely overestimate it. Our calculations also show that an accurate estimation of the self-diffusion coefficient requires explicit calculation of the effective jump frequency and vacancy formation entropy via phonons. Using accurate self-diffusion data and scaling all solute-related attempt frequencies with respect to the attempt frequency for self-diffusion using a simple relation involving the atomic mass and melting temperature of the solute yields solute diffusivities in excellent agreement with experiments, where such data is available. Additionally, we find that large solutes spontaneously relax toward the nearest neighbor vacancy to relieve the misfit strain, and the extent of this relaxation correlates negatively with the migration energy. Thus, in general, larger solutes have lower migration energies and diffuse faster than smaller solutes in fcc cobalt. However, extremely large solutes, e.g., group III elements Sc, Y, Lu, tend to be trapped in an energy valley located halfway toward the vacancy, and monovacancy mediated diffusion may no longer be valid in such cases. Finally, for all the solutes considered, we systematically tabulate the diffusion-related quantities calculated—diffusion prefactors, migration and activation energies—constructing an extensive and accurate first-principles database for solute diffusion in fcc cobalt.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Hydrogen Diffusion in Slit Pores: Role of Temperature, Pressure, Confinement, and Roughness

Diffusion of hydrogen (H 2 ) is important to understand the leakage risk and transport behavior for H 2 geologic storage. We applied molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the influencing factors of H2 diffusion in the slit pores of calcite, hematite, and quartz, owing to their abundance. It is revealed that the H2 self-diffusion coefficient increases with the temperature, regardless of the type of pore minerals. The diffusion of H 2 in the 20 nm slit pores falls into the bulk diffusion regime when the pressure is 10 MPa. The self-diffusion of H 2 decreases with pressure in all three types of slit pores, following a power law model with the exponents ranging from -0.825 to -0.964. Furthermore, the impact of confinement on H 2 diffusion is more pronounced for the slit pores with stronger interactions with H 2 -like calcite. The role of surface roughness in H 2 diffusion depends on the slit aperture. The rough surface enhances H 2 diffusion in the larger slit pores due to the enlarged effective pore space, whereas it weakens H 2 diffusion in the small slit pores due to stronger adsorption. These findings will fill the knowledge gap on the coupling effect of different factors influencing H 2 diffusion.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2016

Diffusion of biomass pyrolysis products in H-ZSM-5 by molecular dynamics simulations

Diffusion of biomass pyrolysis vapors and their upgraded products is an essential catalytic property of zeolites during catalytic fast pyrolysis and likely plays a critical role in the selectivity of these catalysts. Characterizing the diffusivities of representative biofuel molecules is critical to understand shape selectivity and interpret product distribution. Yet, experimental measurements on the diffusivities of oxygenated biofuel molecules at pyrolysis temperatures are very limited in the literature. As an alternative approach, we conducted MD simulations to measure the diffusion coefficients of several selected molecules that are representative of biomass pyrolysis vapors, namely water, methanol, glycolaldehyde, and toluene in H-ZSM-5 zeolite. The results show the diffusion coefficients calculated via MD simulations are consistent with available NMR measurements at room temperature. The effect of molecular weight and molecular critical diameter on the diffusivity among the chosen model compounds is also examined. Furthermore, we have characterized the diffusivities of representative biofuel molecules, namely xylene isomers, in H-ZSM-5. Our calculations determined that the ratio of the diffusion coefficients for xylene isomers is p -xylene: o -xylene: m -xylene ≈ 83:3:1 at 700 K. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate the different diffusivity between p-xylene and toluene is due to the molecular orientations when the molecules diffuse along the channels in H-ZSM-5 and provide deep insight into the effect of molecular orientation on its diffusivity.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Calculation of combined diffusion coefficients in SF{sub 6}-Cu mixtures

Diffusion coefficients play an important role in the description of the transport of metal vapours in gas mixtures. This paper is devoted to the calculation of four combined diffusion coefficients, namely, the combined ordinary diffusion coefficient, combined electric field diffusion coefficient, combined temperature diffusion coefficient, and combined pressure diffusion coefficient in SF{sub 6}-Cu mixtures at temperatures up to 30 000 K. These four coefficients describe diffusion due to composition gradients, applied electric fields, temperature gradients, and pressure gradients, respectively. The influence of copper fluoride and sulfide species on the diffusion coefficients is shown to be negligible. The effect of copper proportion and gas pressures on these diffusion coefficients is investigated. It is shown that increasing the proportion of copper generally increases the magnitude of the four diffusion coefficients, except for copper mole fractions of 90% or more. It is further found that increasing the pressure reduces the magnitude of the coefficients, except for the combined temperature diffusion coefficient, and shifts the maximum of all four coefficients towards higher temperatures. The results presented in this paper can be applied to the simulation of high-voltage circuit breaker arcs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Self-diffusion of protons in H{sub 2}O ice VII at high pressures: Anomaly around 10 GPa

The self-diffusion of ice VII in the pressure range of 5.5–17 GPa and temperature range of 400–425 K was studied using micro Raman spectroscopy and a diamond anvil cell. The diffusion was monitored by observing the distribution of isotope tracers: D{sub 2}O and H{sub 2}{sup 18}O. The diffusion coefficient of hydrogen reached a maximum value around 10 GPa. It was two orders of magnitude greater at 10 GPa than at 6 GPa. Hydrogen diffusion was much faster than oxygen diffusion, which indicates that protonic diffusion is the dominant mechanism for the diffusion of hydrogen in ice VII. This mechanism is in remarkable contrast to the self-diffusion in ice I{sub h} that is dominated by an interstitial mechanism for the whole water molecule. An anomaly around 10 GPa in ice VII indicates that the rate-determining process for the proton diffusion changes from the diffusion of ionic defects to the diffusion of rotational defects, which was suggested by proton conductivity measurements and molecular dynamics simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

On the Diffusivity of Moist Static Energy and Implications for the Polar Amplification Response to Climate Warming

Energy balance models (EBMs) have been widely used in a range of climate problems, but the assumption of constant diffusivity in the parameterization of the moist static energy (MSE) flux can be hardly justified. We demonstrate in this study that the diffusive MSE flux can be derived from the basic energy balance equation with a few tolerable assumptions. The estimated diffusivity is both spatially and seasonally dependent, and its midlatitude average is then tested against several scaling theories for the midlatitude eddy diffusivity. The result supports the diffusivity theory of Held and Larichev (1996) modified for the moist atmosphere, affording a dynamics-based parameterization of MSE diffusivity. The implementation of the parameterization in an EBM leads to an interactive MSE diffusivity that accounts for the midlatitude eddy response to climate forcing perturbations. Under a uniform radiative forcing, the EBM with a diffusivity so parameterized produces a weakening of the midlatitude diffusivity and a modestly polar-amplified surface temperature response as an inevitable outcome under the dual constraints of the nonlinear Clausius-Clapeyron relation and the temperature gradient-dependent diffusivity, even in the absence of any poleward amplifying radiative feedbacks. As the consequence of more isothermal temperature and reduced diffusivity, the variance of the midlatitude surface temperature also decreases with warming.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Effects of Moisture on Diffusion in Unmodified Wood Cell Walls: A Phenomenological Polymer Science Approach

Despite the importance of cell wall diffusion to nearly all aspects of wood utilization, diffusion mechanisms and the detailed effects of moisture remain poorly understood. In this perspective, we introduce and employ approaches established in polymer science to develop a phenomenological framework for understanding the effects of moisture on diffusion in unmodified wood cell walls. The premise for applying this polymer-science-based approach to wood is that wood polymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) behave like typical solid polymers. Therefore, the movement of chemicals through wood cell walls is a diffusion process through a solid polymer, which is in contrast to previous assertions that transport of some chemicals occurs via aqueous pathways in the cell wall layers. Diffusion in polymers depends on the interrelations between free volume in the polymer matrix, molecular motions of the polymer, diffusant dimensions, and solubility of the diffusant in the polymer matrix. Because diffusion strongly depends on whether a polymer is in a rigid glassy state or soft rubbery state, it is important to understand glass transitions in the amorphous wood polymers. Through a review and analysis of available literature, we conclude that in wood both lignin and the amorphous polysaccharides very likely have glass transitions. After developing and presenting this polymer-science-based perspective of diffusion through unmodified wood cell walls, suggested directions for future research are discussed. A key consideration is that a large difference between diffusion through wood polymers and typical polymers is the high swelling pressures that can develop in unmodified wood cell walls. This pressure likely arises from the hierarchical structure of wood and should be taken into consideration in the development of predictive models for diffusion in unmodified wood cell walls.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

GALACTIC WINDS DRIVEN BY ISOTROPIC AND ANISOTROPIC COSMIC-RAY DIFFUSION IN DISK GALAXIES

The physics of cosmic rays (CRs) is a promising candidate for explaining the driving of galactic winds and outflows. Recent galaxy formation simulations have demonstrated the need for active CR transport either in the form of diffusion or streaming to successfully launch winds in galaxies. However, due to computational limitations, most previous simulations have modeled CR transport isotropically. Here, we discuss high-resolution simulations of isolated disk galaxies in a 10{sup 11} M {sub ⊙} halo with the moving-mesh code Arepo that include injection of CRs from supernovae, advective transport, CR cooling, and CR transport through isotropic or anisotropic diffusion. We show that either mode of diffusion leads to the formation of strong bipolar outflows. However, they develop significantly later in the simulation with anisotropic diffusion compared to the simulation with isotropic diffusion. Moreover, we find that isotropic diffusion allows most of the CRs to quickly diffuse out of the disk, while in the simulation with anisotropic diffusion, most CRs remain in the disk once the magnetic field becomes dominated by its azimuthal component, which occurs after ∼300 Myr. This has important consequences for the gas dynamics in the disk. In particular, we show that isotropic diffusion strongly suppresses the amplification of the magnetic field in the disk compared to anisotropic or no diffusion models. We therefore conclude that reliable simulations which include CR transport inevitably need to account for anisotropic diffusion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Influence of strong Coulomb coupling on diffusion in atmospheric pressure plasmas

Ion diffusion in atmospheric pressure plasmas is examined and particular attention is paid to the fact that ion–ion interactions can be influenced by strong Coulomb coupling. Three regimes are identified. At low ionization fractions (x i ≲ 10 —6 ), standard weakly correlated ion-neutral interactions set the diffusion rate. At moderate ionization fractions (10 —6 ≲ x i ≲ 10 —2 ) there is a transition from ion-neutral to ion–ion collisions setting the diffusion rate. In this regime, the effect of strong Coulomb coupling in ion–ion collisions is accounted for by applying the mean force kinetic theory. Since both ion-neutral and ion–ion interactions contribute a comparable amount to the total diffusion rate, models (such as particle-in-cell or fluid) must account for both contributions. At high ionization fractions (x i ≳ 10 —2 ), strongly correlated ion–ion collisions dominate and the plasma is heated substantially by a disorder-induced heating (DIH) process associated with strong correlations. The temperature increase due to DIH strongly influences the ion diffusion rate. This effect becomes even more important, and occurs at lower ionization fractions, as the pressure increases above atmospheric pressure. In addition to ion diffusion, DIH affects the neutral gas temperature, therefore influencing the neutral diffusion rate. Model predictions are tested using molecular dynamics simulations, which included a Monte Carlo collision routine to simulate the effect of ion-neutral collisions at the lowest ionization fractions. The model and simulations show good agreement over a broad range of ionization fractions. Importantly, the results provide a model for ion diffusion, on a wide range of ionization fractions and pressures, solely considering the elastic contribution to the diffusion coefficient—as an illustration of how strong Coulomb coupling influences diffusion processes in general.

fast neutral gas heating↗

DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of moisture-dependent ion diffusion constants in wood cell wall layers using time-lapse micro X-ray fluorescence microscopy

Our future bioeconomy depends on increased utilization of renewable lignocellulosic biomass. Controlling the diffusion of chemicals, such as inorganic ions, within secondary plant cell walls is central to many biomass applications. However, insufficient understanding of intra-cell-wall diffusion within secondary plant cell walls is hindering the advancement of many lignocellulosic biomass applications. In this work, X-ray fluorescence microscopy was used to measure diffusion constants of K + , Cu 2+ , and Cl - diffusing through loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) cell wall layers under 70%, 75%, or 80% relative humidity (RH). Results revealed that diffusion constants increased with RH, the larger Cu 2+ diffused more slowly than the K + , and the Cl - diffusion constant was the same as that for the counter cation, indicating cations and anions diffused together to maintain charge neutrality. Comparison with electrical conductivity measurements showed that conductivity is being controlled by ion mobility over these RH. The results further support that intra-cell-wall diffusion of inorganic ions is a Fickian diffusion process occurring through rubbery amorphous polysaccharides, which contradicts previous assertions that intra-cell-wall diffusion is an aqueous process occurring through water pathways. Researchers can now utilize polymer science approaches to engineer the molecular architecture of lignocellulosic biomass to optimize properties for specific end uses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗