SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “BATTELLE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LABORATORIES”
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Development of ions-TIP4P-Ew force fields for molecular processes in bulk and at the aqueous interface using molecular simulations
Monovalent ions such as alkalis and halides play essential roles in aqueous and biological systems; thus a proper representation of these ions is significant in explicit molecular dynamics simulations. In this study, we re-parameterize ions interaction potentials based on TIP4PEw water at 298K with the additive non-polarizable models. The charges of the ions were kept as +1 for alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+) and -1 for halides (F-, Cl-, Br-, I-). The experimental enthalpies of hydration were used to optimize the potential parameters. To validate the potential models, extensive molecular dynamics calculations were carried out to examine the bulk, interfacial, static structural and dynamical properties of the aqueous ionic solutions. These included radial distribution functions, angle distributions, velocity autocorrelation functions, diffusion coefficients, binding energies, mean residence time, surface potential, and potential of mean force. The computed results agreed with the experimental data and observations. LXD was funded by the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy. Battelle operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Role of Hydrophobic Surfaces in Altering Water-Mediated Peptide-Peptide Interactions in an Aqueous Environment
Using Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics within the density functional framework, we calculated the effective force acting on water-mediated peptide-peptide interaction between antiparallel β-sheets in an aqueous environment and also in the vicinity of a hydrophobic surface. From the magnitude of the effective force (corresponding to the slope of the free energy as a function of the inter-peptide distance) and its sign (a negative value indicating an effective attraction whereas a positive value an effective repulsion) we can elucidate the fundamental differences of the water-mediated peptide-peptide interactions in those two environments. The computed effective forces indicate that the water-mediated interaction between peptides in an aqueous environment is attractive in the range of inter-peptide distance d=7-8 Å when hydrophobic surfaces are not nearby. Due to the stabilization of the water molecules bridging between the two β-sheets, a free energy barrier exists between the direct and indirect (water-mediated) inter-peptide interactions. However, when the peptides are in the proximity of hydrophobic surfaces, this free energy barrier decreases because the hydrophobic surfaces enhance the inter-peptide attraction by the destabilization and ease-to-libration of the bridging water molecules between them. This work was supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy. Battelle operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Electronic origin of the dependence of hydrogen bond strengths on nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor hydrogen bonds in polyhedral water clusters (H 2 O) n , n = 8, 20 and 24
The relative stability and the characteristics of the hydrogen bond networks in the cubic cages of (H2O)8, dodecahedral cages of (H2O)20,and tetrakaidodecahedral cages of (H2O)24 are studied. The charge-transfer and dispersion interaction terms of every pair of the hydrogen bonds are evaluated by using the perturbation theory based on the locally-projected molecular orbital (LPMO PT). Every water molecule and every hydrogen-bonded pair in polyhedral clusters are classified by the types of the adjacent molecules and hydrogen bonds. The relative binding energies among the polyhedral clusters are grouped by these classifications. The necessary condition for the stable conformers and the rules of the ordering of the relative stability among the isomers are derived from the analysis. The O–O distances and the pair-wise charge-transfer terms are dependent not only on the types of the hydrogen donor and acceptor waters but also on the types of the adjacent waters. This dependence is analyzed with Mulliken’s charge-transfer theory. The work is partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Science Research of JSPS (SI, DA, MA). SSX was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Battelle operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy.
Streamlining and Refining FEDS Loads Models (Final Report)
The Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) software is a powerful buildings energy analysis tool developed by Battelle at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with support from numerous organizations including several within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). FEDS is used extensively throughout the federal sector to examine building energy efficiency potential and recommend energy saving retrofit projects. The focus of this CRADA was to update the foundation of the FEDS loads models, to improve the core functionality and calculation methods and position the building efficiency analysis software for continued growth. The broader intent was to increase FEDS utility and user satisfaction via improving modeling accuracy, facilitating development and making possible a wide range of new and desired capability enhancements. This report provides an summary of the various tasks performed under the CRADA.
Stress Testing of the Philips 60W Replacement Lamp L Prize Entry
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy, worked with Intertek to develop a procedure for stress testing medium screw-base light sources. This procedure, composed of alternating stress cycles and performance evaluation, was used to qualitatively compare and contrast the durability and reliability of the Philips 60W replacement lamp L Prize entry with market-proven compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) with comparable light output and functionality. The stress cycles applied simultaneous combinations of electrical, thermal, vibration, and humidity stresses of increasing magnitude. Performance evaluations measured relative illuminance, x chromaticity and y chromaticity shifts after each stress cycle. The Philips L Prize entry lamps appear to be appreciably more durable than the incumbent energy-efficient technology, as represented by the evaluated CFLs, and with respect to the applied stresses. Through the course of testing, all 15 CFL samples permanently ceased to function as a result of the applied stresses, while only 1 Philips L Prize entry lamp exhibited a failure, the nature of which was minor, non-destructive, and a consequence of a known (and resolved) subcontractor issue. Given that current CFL technology appears to be moderately mature and no Philips L Prize entry failures could be produced within the stress envelope causing 100 percent failure of the benchmark CFLs, it seems that, in this particular implementation, light-emitting diode (LED) technology would be much more durable in the field than current CFL technology. However, the Philips L Prize entry lamps used for testing were carefully designed and built for the competition, while the benchmark CFLs were mass produced for retail sale—a distinction that should be taken into consideration. Further reliability testing on final production samples would be necessary to judge the extent to which the results of this analysis apply to production versions of the Philips L Prize entry.
Synthetic Atmospheric River Ensembles Generated by Deep-AR
This dataset contains 35,850 synthetic landfalling atmospheric river (AR) realizations generated by the Deep-AR two-stage deep-learning framework over the Northeast Pacific and U.S. West Coast. The archive contains 25 stochastic ensemble members for each of 1,434 held-out observed seed events. Each synthetic realization is initialized from conditions 48 hours before the corresponding observed AR landfall and is generated autoregressively at 6-hour intervals over a 144-hour period. Deep-AR combines a deterministic residual network (ResNet) that advances the large-scale atmospheric state with a Wasserstein generative adversarial network (WGAN) that produces stochastic, high-resolution fields. Each HDF5 file contains 0.25° gridded synthetic integrated vapor transport components (qu, qv), 10 m wind components (u10, v10), and 6-hour accumulated precipitation on a common 200 × 480 grid. The files also include coordinate and datetime arrays. This dataset supports AR hazard analysis, ensemble-based uncertainty characterization, precipitation-extremes research, and regional stress testing. Synthetic files follow the naming convention deepar.model.YYYYMMDD.HHMMSS.vNN.h5. YYYYMMDD.HHMMSS identifies the UTC initial-condition timestamp, which occurs 48 hours before the diagnosed observed landfall, and vNN identifies the zero-padded ensemble member, ranging from v01 through v25. Each synthetic file can be paired with its corresponding observed file by matching the initial-condition timestamp. The paired observed file follows the naming convention deepar.obs.YYYYMMDD.HHMMSS.h5 and is available in the separately registered oracle/deepar.obs dataset at https://wdh.energy.gov/ds/oracle/deepar.obs (DOI: https://doi.org/10.21947/3377671).
Observed Atmospheric River Events
This dataset contains observed landfalling atmospheric river (AR) events over the Northeast Pacific and U.S. West Coast used to initialize and evaluate the Deep-AR synthetic atmospheric river framework. It includes 1,434 held-out events whose observed records begin 48 hours before diagnosed AR landfall and continue at 6-hour intervals over a 144-hour event window. Each HDF5 file provides high-resolution 0.25° gridded fields of integrated vapor transport components (qu, qv), 10 m wind components (u10, v10), and 6-hour accumulated precipitation. IVT components and precipitation are sourced from EDARA; 10 m winds are sourced from ERA5. The records share a common 200 × 480 grid over the Northeast Pacific and U.S. West Coast and include coordinate and datetime arrays. These events support atmospheric-river hazard analysis, evaluation of synthetic event generation, precipitation-extremes research, and regional stress testing.
In Situ Observation of Directed Nanoparticle Aggregation During the Synthesis of Ordered Nanoporous Metal in Soft Templates
The prevalent approach to developing new nanomaterials is a trial and error process of iteratively altering synthesis procedures and then characterizing the resulting nanostructures. This is fundamentally limited in that the growth processes that occur during synthesis can only be inferred from the final synthetic structure. Directly observing real-time nanomaterial growth provides unprecedented insight into the relationship between synthesis conditions and product evolution, and facilitates a mechanistic approach to nanomaterial development. Here we use in situ liquid stage scanning transmission electron microscopy to observe the growth of mesoporous palladium in a solvated block copolymer (BCP) template under various synthesis conditions, and ultimately determine a refined synthesis procedure that yields ordered pores. We find that at low organic solvent (tetrahydrofuran, THF) content, the BCP assembles into a rigid, cylindrical micelle array with a high degree of short-range order, but poor long-range order. Upon slowing the THF evaporation rate using a solvent-vapor anneal step, the long-range order is greatly improved. The electron beam induces nucleation of small particles in the aqueous phase around the micelles. The small particles then flocculate and grow into denser structures that surround the micelles, forming an ordered mesoporous structure. The microscope observations revealed that template disorder can be addressed prior to reaction, and is not invariably induced by the growth process itself, allowing us to more quickly optimize the synthetic method. This work was conducted in the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. This research was funded in part by: the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientist and Engineers for I.A., the University of California Academic Senate and the University of California Laboratory fee research grant, the Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories, and the Chemical Imaging Initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
Idaho National Laboratory Materials and Fuels Complex Natural Phenomena Hazards Flood Assessment
This report presents the results of flood hazards analyses performed for the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and the adjacent Transient Reactor Experiment and Test Facility (TREAT) located at Idaho National Laboratory. The requirements of these analyses are provided in the U.S. Department of Energy Order 420.1B and supporting Department of Energy (DOE) Natural Phenomenon Hazard standards. The flood hazards analyses were performed by Battelle Energy Alliance and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The analyses addressed the following: • Determination of the design basis flood (DBFL) • Evaluation of the DBFL versus the Critical Flood Elevations (CFEs) for critical existing structures, systems, and components (SSCs).
Protein Scaffold Activates Catalytic CO 2 Hydrogenation by a Rhodium Bis(diphosphine) Complex
The utilization of CO 2 to generate chemical fuels, such as formic acid, is a potentially beneficial route to balance carbon emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The development of efficient catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation is needed to implement this fuel generation. In the molecular catalyst design presented here, we utilize covalent attachment of a rhodium complex, ([Rh(PN gly P) 2 ] + where PN Gly P is defined as P Et 2 -CH 2 -N( CH 2 CO 2 - )-CH 2 -P Et 2 ) to a protein scaffold, lactococcal multidrug resistant regulator from Lactococcus lactis, to create an environment around the metal center that can be used to control substrate delivery and therefore enable and improve catalytic activity. The reactivity of the rhodium complex and the synthetic metalloenzyme were characterized by high pressure operando NMR techniques. The rhodium complex in solution is not a catalyst for CO 2 hydrogenation. The incorporation of the molecular complex into the protein scaffold results in a gain of function, turning on CO 2 hydrogenation activity. The metalloenzyme displays a turnover frequency of 0.38 h -1 at 58 atm and 298 K; and achieved an average turnover number of 14 3. Proposed catalytic intermediates generated and characterized indicate the protein scaffold enables catalysis by facilitating the interaction between CO 2 and the hydride donor intermediate. Research was funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy. This structural work is supported as part of the Biological and Electron Transfer and Catalysis (BETCy) EFRC, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science (DE-SC0012518) to J.W.P. and O.A.Z. No competing financial interests have been declared.This work was performed in part using the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. The SSRL Structural Molecular Biology Program is supported by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research, and by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (including P41GM103393).
GLBRC Soil Yearlong Incubation 13C-SIP-Lipidomics
Data package for Lipids represent a dynamic, yet stable pool of microbially-derived soil carbon This data is published under a CC0 license. The authors encourage data reuse and request attribution by referencing the below citations for the data packages and associated manuscript. Please cite as: Rempfert KR, Bell SL, Kasanke CP, Kyle JE, Hofmockel KS. 2025. GLBRC Soil Yearlong Incubation 13C-SIP-Lipidomics. [Data Set] PNNL DataHub. doi: Rempfert KR, Bell SL, Kasanke CP, Kyle JE, Hofmockel KS. 2025. MSV000097435: GLBRC soil yearlong incubation 13C-SIP-Lipidomics [Data Set] MassIVE. doi:10.25345/C57659T3K Rempfert KR, Bell SL, Kasanke CP, Kyle JE, Hofmockel KS. 2025. Lipids represent a dynamic, yet stable pool of microbially-derived soil carbon. In Prep This data package consists of compound-specific 13C SIP-lipidomics data from a yearlong tracer incubation experiment designed to investigate microbial lipid persistence in switchgrass bioenergy crop soils. In order to explore how lipid structure may modulate the persistence of C in soil lipids, we leveraged soils from two sites (Michigan - sandy texture, Wisconsin - silty texture) operated by the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC). These sites had comparable climates, identical management practices, but contrasting soil textures, allowing us to assess the variability of lipid accrual or degradation in soils as well as provide insight regarding the degree to which edaphic properties may regulate the retention of soil lipids. Untargeted lipidomics analyses were performed to identify 13C-labeled lipids in the soil microbiome after long-term incubation. Soils were supplemented with 100 micrograms glucose per gram dry soil (99 atom % 13C or natural abundance for paired control) and incubated; samples were collected two months and one year after glucose addition. Lipid extracts (MPLEx) were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and identified using LIQUID. Calculation of isotopic enrichment of lipids was performed by targeted approach using TarMet to quantify lipid isotopologues and IsoCorrectoR to correct for natural abundance isotopes. Contents: Data package contents reported here are the first version and contain downstream analysis files for the raw LC-MS mass spectrometry files (.mzXML) deposited at the MassIVE database repository under accession MSV000097435 (80 experimental runs; 5.85 GB) | MassIVE DOI: 10.25345/C57659T3K. Support files include the additional data download 'Read Me' file containing data descriptor information. Reported data download contents are structured for compliance with project data sharing guidelines, community standards initiatives, and sponsor stakeholder policies supporting FAIR data principles. Data processing software, analysis tools, and data workflows are listed below corresponding to the host repository long-term location. Available Data Downloads (0.3 GB): "GLBRC soil yearlong incubation 13C-SIP-Lipidomics_readme.txt" - 'Read Me' data package content file (txt) "GLBRC_DataPackage_analysis files" - Data processing files (Rmd) and saved intermediate data processing outputs (rds, csv, xlsx) "GLBRC_13C_lipidomics_dataset.xlsx" - processed data in tabular format (xlsx) Linked Software: LIQUID LC-MS Analysis Software | 10.5281/zenodo.6459462 Lipid Mini-On Software Tools | 10.5281/zenodo.1492803 pmartR Omics Statistical Software | 10.5281/zenodo.6108667 xcms (v4.3.3) TarMet (v1.1.1) IsoCorrectoR (1.24.0) Funding Acknowledgments: This research was supported by an Early Career Research Program award funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) Genomic Science program under FWP 68292, FWP 07880 and EMSL Exploratory Research Project 51095. A portion of this work was performed in the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility sponsored by OBER and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is a multi-program national laboratory operated by Battelle for the DOE under Contract DE-AC05-76RLO1830.
Three-dimensional concentration mapping of organic blends
We quantitatively measure the three-dimensional morphology of mixed organic layers using high-angle annular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) with electron tomography for the first time. The mixed organic layers used for organic photovoltaic applications have not been previously imaged using STEM tomography as there is insufficient contrast between donor and acceptor components. We generate contrast by substituting fullerenes with endohedral fullerenes that contain a Lu3N cluster within the fullerene cage. The high contrast and signal-to-noise ratio, in combination with use of the discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART), allowed us to generate the most detailed and accurate three-dimensional map of BHJ morphology to date. From the STEM tomography reconstructions we determined that three distinct material phases are present within the BHJs. By observation of the changes to morphology and mixing ratio that occur during thermal and solvent annealing, we are able to determine how mutual solubility and fullerene crystallization affect the formation of morphology and long term stability of the material mixture. This material/technique combination shows itself as a powerful tool for examining morphology in detail and allows for observation of nanoscopic changes in local concentration. This research was supported in part by Laboratory Directed Research & Development program at PNNL. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.
A Mercurial Route to a Cobalt Dihydrogen Complex
Recent results by Heinekey and co-workers provide evidence for an unusual route to a cobalt dihydrogen complex. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences' Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.
Heterolytic Cleavage of Hydrogen by an Iron Hydrogenase Model: An Fe-H - - - H-N Dihydorgen Bond Characterized by Neutron Diffraction
Use of hydrogen as a fuel by [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzymes in nature requires heterolytic cleavage of the H-H bond into a proton (H+) and hydride (H-), a reaction that is also a critical step in homogeneous catalysts for hydrogenation of C=O and C=N bonds. An understanding of the catalytic oxidation of H2 by hydrogenases provides insights into the design of synthetic catalysts that are sought as cost-effective alternatives to the use of the precious metal platinum in fuel cells. Crystallographic studies on the [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzyme were critical to understanding of its reactivity, but the key H-H cleavage step is not readily observed experimentally in natural hydrogenases. Synthetic biomimics have provided evidence for H2 cleavage leading to hydride transfer to the metal and proton transfer to an amine. Limitations on the precise location of hydrogen atoms by x-ray diffraction can be overcome by use of neutron diffraction, though its use is severely limited by the difficulty of obtaining suitable crystals and by the scarcity of neutron sources. Here we show that an iron complex with a pendant amine in the diphosphine ligand cleaves hydrogen heterolytically under mild conditions, leading to [CpC5F4NFeH(PtBu2NtBu2H)]+BArF4-, [PtBu2NtBu2 = 1,5-di(tert-butyl)-3,7-di(tert-butyl)-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane; ArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]. The Fe-H- - - H-N moiety has a strong dihydrogen bond, with a remarkably short H • • • H distance of 1.489(10) Å between the protic N-Hδ+ and hydridic Fe-Hδ-. The structural data for [CpC5F4NFeH(PtBu2NtBu2H)]+ provide a glimpse of how the H-H bond is oxidized or generated in hydrogenase enzymes, with the pendant amine playing a key role as a proton relay. The iron complex [CpC5F4NFeH(PtBu2NtBu2H)]+BArF4- is an electrocatalyst for oxidation of H2 (1 atm) at 22 °C, so the structural data are obtained on a complex that is a functional model for catalysis by [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzymes. This research was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Changing the Mechanism for CO 2 Hydrogenation Using Solvent-Dependent Thermodynamics
A critical scientific challenge for utilization of CO2 is the development of catalyst systems that do not depend upon expensive or environmentally unfriendly reagents, such as precious metals, strong organic bases, and organic solvents. We have used thermodynamic insights to predict and demonstrate that the HCoI(dmpe)2 catalyst system, previously described for use in organic solvents, can hydrogenate CO2 to formate in water with bicarbonate as the only added reagent. Replacing tetrahydrofuran as the solvent with water changes the mechanism for catalysis by altering the thermodynamics for hydride transfer to CO2 from a key dihydride intermediate. The need for a strong organic base was eliminated by performing catalysis in water due to the change in mechanism. These studies demonstrate that the solvent plays a pivotal role in determining the reaction thermodynamics and thereby catalytic mechanism and activity. The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Combined Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Detection of a NiI•••H–N Bonding Interaction with Relevance to Electrocatalytic H2 Production
The [Ni(PR2NR’2)2]2+ family of complexes are exceptionally active catalysts for proton reduction to H2. In this manuscript, we explore the first protonation step of the proposed catalytic cycle by using a catalytically inactive NiI complex possessing a sterically demanding variation of the ligand. Due to the paramagnetic nature of the NiI oxidation state, the protonated NiI intermediate has been characterized through a combination of cyclic voltammetry, ENDOR, and HYSCORE spectroscopy. Both the electrochemical and spectroscopic studies indicate that the NiI complex is protonated at a pendant amine that is endo to Ni, which suggests the presence of an intramolecular NiI•••HN bonding interaction. Using density functional theory, the proton was found to hydrogen bond to three doubly-occupied, localized molecular orbitals: the 3dxz, 3dz2, and 3dyz orbitals of nickel. These studies provide the first direct experimental evidence for this critical catalytic intermediate, and implications for catalytic H2 production are discussed. Research was supported by the Max Planck Society (EPR, ENDOR, and HYSCORE spectroscopy, computational studies), and as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (electrochemistry, NMR spectroscopy). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for DOE.
Making a Splash in Homogeneous CO2 Hydrogenation: Elucidating the Impact of Solvent on Catalytic Mechanisms
Molecular catalysts for hydrogenation of CO2 are widely studied as a means of chemical hydrogen storage. Catalysts are traditionally designed from the perspective of controlling the ligands bound to the metal. In recent years, studies have shown that the solvent can also play a key role in the mechanism of CO2 hydrogenation. A prominent example is the impact of the solvent on the thermodynamic hydride donor ability, or hydricity, of metal hydride complexes reletive to the hydride acceptor ability of CO2. In some cases, simply changing from an organic solvent to water can reverse the direction of hydride transfer between a metal hydride and CO2. Additionally, the solvent can impact catalysis by converting CO2 into carbonate species, as well as activate intermediate products for hydrogenation to more reduced products. By understanding the substrate and product speciation, as well as the reactivity of the catalyst towards the substrate, the solvent can be used as a central design component for the rational development of new catalytic systems. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.