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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 109 records · Page 6

A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Cation and Anion Dynamics in Polymer–Ceramic Composite Solid Electrolytes

Polymer–ceramic composite electrolytes are promising for the application of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and improved safety. In this work, we employ temperature-dependent 7 Li and 19 F NMR to examine the chemical environment and the dynamics of Li + cation and triflate anion in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–lithium triflate (LiTf) polymer electrolyte and a composite electrolyte containing 55 vol % doped lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (LICGC). The line shape analysis and spin–lattice relaxation (T 1 ) measurements suggest both the Li + cations and the Tf – anions reside in two distinct environment: a mobile environment and an immobile environment. In the semicrystalline state, a large ratio (>70%) of immobile Li + and Tf – is observed. In the melt state, the ratio of mobile cations and anions significantly increases. With the presence of LICGC ceramic, an increased ratio of immobile Li + and Tf – and reduced mobility of the mobile components are observed, indicating that the ceramic negatively impacts the transport of both the cations and the anions. NMR characterizations are corroborated by conductivity results, which reveal that the intrinsic ionic conductivity of the polymer phase of the composite electrolyte was only 0.15 of the ceramic-free polymer electrolyte at room temperature. These results shed light on the challenges inherent to composite electrolytes with the goal of achieving both enhanced Li + transference number and ionic conductivity.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Delivering Robust Proton-Only Sensing of Hyperpolarized [1,2- 13 C 2 ]-Pyruvate Using Broad-Spectral-Range Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Pulse Sequences

Hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]pyruvate is the leading hyperpolarized injectable contrast agent and is currently under evaluation in clinical trials for molecular imaging of metabolic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. One aspect limiting broad scalability of the technique is that hyperpolarized 13 C MRI requires specialized 13 C hardware and software that are not generally available on clinical MRI scanners, which employ proton-only detection. Here, we present an approach that uses pulse sequences to transfer 13 C hyperpolarization to methyl protons for detection of the 13 C– 13 C pyruvate singlet, employing proton-only excitation and detection only. The new pulse sequences are robust to the B 1 and B 0 magnetic field inhomogeneities. The work focuses on singlet-to-magnetization (S2M) and rotor-synchronized (R) pulses, both relying on trains of hard pulses with broad spectral width coverage designed to effectively transform hyperpolarized 13 C 2 -singlet hyperpolarization to 1 H polarization on the CH 3 group of [1,2- 13 C 2 ]pyruvate. Finally, this approach may enable a broader adoption of hyperpolarized MRI as a molecular imaging technique.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Correlating Protein Dynamics and Catalytic Activity of a Model Hydrogenase Using Paramagnetic and Biological Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Rational catalyst design remains a significant challenge, with electronic structure, steric, and electrostatic effects known to contribute to activity. Recently, dynamics has been recognized as another factor that impacts catalysis, though identifying and predicting these effects has remained out of reach. Nickel-substituted rubredoxin (NiRd), a protein-based mimic of a hydrogenase enzyme, serves as a model catalytic system in which dynamics can be systematically investigated with respect to activity. While over 30 secondary-sphere mutants of NiRd have been shown to be catalytically active, no significant correlation was observed between the rates and catalytic overpotential or electronic structure, prompting questions about the protein-derived factors that modulate activity. Here, in this work, NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the roles of substrate accessibility, protein dynamics, and protein stability in controlling catalysis. Significant paramagnetic effects from the nickel center (S = 1) isolate the methylene proton resonances of the metal-coordinating cysteine residues. The sensitivity of resonance positions and linewidths to local environment offers an opportunity to study dynamical molecular changes around the metal center with high resolution. Machine learning algorithms were employed to identify correlations between the catalytic activity and the paramagnetic NMR spectra. These analyses revealed spectroscopic features of specific cysteine protons that report on catalytic overpotential and increased turnover rates, which are further supported by the results obtained using high-field NMR techniques. Collectively, these studies indicate the potential for multifrequency NMR techniques to resolve key contributors to catalytic activity and highlight the importance of local and outer-sphere dynamics.

Protein Engineering↗

SEDONA and ERDE: Portable Detection of Chemical Agents by Low Magnetic Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance [Slides]

Two spectrometer systems have been developed at LANL for hazardous and/or toxic chemical agent detection and forensic analysis: SpEctroscopic Detection Of Nerve Agents (SEDONA) is a portable bottle scanner; and Earth’s field Resonance Detection and Evaluation (ERDE) Devices are fieldable J-coupled Earth’s Field - NMR (EF-NMR) spectrometers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗