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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 145 records · Page 8

Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film as catalyst for solvent-free hydrocarbon oxidation

Graphical abstract: Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film possesses high catalytic activity and stability for selective oxidation of cis-cyclooctene. - Highlights: • Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film was synthesized by a facile and efficient chemical approach. • The Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film exhibits high catalytic ability for the selective oxidation. • The Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film possesses high structural and catalytic stability. - Abstract: We report a facile and efficient chemical approach for the controllable preparation of Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film using silicon quantum dots as SiO{sub x} sources. Au/SiO{sub x} composite thin film exhibits high catalytic activity (65.04% conversion based on cis-cyclooctene and 78.34% selectivity for 2-hydroxycyclooctanone) and stability for selective oxidation of cis-cyclooctene in the absence of solvent using TBHP as radical initiator and oxygen (in the air) as oxidant at 80 °C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of the SiO2 Support on the Catalytic Performance of Ag/ZrO2/SiO2 Catalysts for the Single-Bed Production of Butadiene from Ethanol

A ternary Ag/ZrO2/SiO2 catalyst system was studied for the single-step conversion of ethanol to butadiene by varying the catalyst composition (Ag, Ir, or Pt metal component, Ag/ZrO2 loading, and choice of SiO2 support) and operating conditions (space velocity and feed gas composition). Exceptional catalytic performance was achieved over a 1%Ag/4%ZrO2/SiO2-SBA-16 catalyst leading to 99% conversion and 71% butadiene selectivity while operating under mild conditions (325ºC, 1 atm, 0.23 hr-1). Several classes of silica (i.e., silica gels, fumed silicas, meoporous silicas) were evaluated as support, and SBA-16 was found to be the most promising. The nature of the SiO2 support was found to have a strong influence on both conversion and selectivity. Higher SiO2 catalyst surface areas lead to greater conversion due to increased Ag dispersion thus accelerating the initial ethanol dehydrogenation reaction. By independently varying Ag and ZrO2 loading, Ag was found to be the main component affecting ethanol conversion. Butadiene selectivity varied depending on the concentration of ZrO2 and acidic characteristics of the SiO2 support. A direct relationship between butadiene selectivity and concentration of Lewis acid sites was evidenced. Also, adding H2 to the feed had little effect on conversion while improving catalytic stability, however, selectivity to butadiene was decreased. Finally, catalyst regenerability was successfully demonstrated for several cycles.

ethanol, butadiene, biomass, single-step, SiO2, Ag↗

Highly active Pt/MoC and Pt/TiC catalysts for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction: Effects of the carbide metal/carbon ratio on the catalyst performance

We present that Pt/MoC and Pt/TiC(001) are excellent catalysts for the low-temperature water-gas shift (WGS, CO + H 2 O → H 2 + CO 2 ) reaction. They exhibit high-activity, stability and selectivity. The highest catalytic activities are seen for small coverages of Pt on the carbide substrates. Synergistic effects at the metal-carbide interface produce an enhancement in chemical activity with respect to pure Pt, MoC and TiC. A clear correlation is found between the ability of the Pt/MoC and Pt/TiC(001) surfaces to partially dissociate water and their catalytic activity for the WGS reaction. Finally, an overall comparison of the results for Pt/MoC and Pt/Mo 2 C(001) indicates that the metal/carbon ratio in the carbide support can have a strong influence in the stability and selectivity of WGS catalysts and is a parameter that must be taken into consideration when designing these systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Detection of random noise and anatomy of continuous seismic waveforms in dense array data near Anza California

We develop a methodology to separate continuous seismic waveforms into random noise (RN), not random noise (NRN) produced by earthquakes, wind, traffic and other sources of ground motions, and an undetermined mixture of signals. The analysis is applied to continuous records from a dense seismic array on the San Jacinto fault zone. To detect RN signals, we cut hourly waveforms into non-overlapping 1 s time windows and apply cross-correlations to separate RN candidates from outliers. The cross-correlation coefficients between different RN candidates fall into a tight range (i.e. 0.09–0.35), while cross-correlation coefficients of RN candidates with NRN signals (e.g. seismic or air-traffic events) are lower. The amplitude spectra of RN candidates have a well-defined level, while the amplitude spectra of other signals deviate from that level. Using these properties, we examine the amplitude spectra of moving time windows and cross-correlation coefficients with RN templates in each hour. The hourly RN is quasi-stationary and the results cluster tightly in the parameter space of cross-correlation coefficients and L2 norm deviations from the mean spectra of RN candidates. Time windows with parameters in this tight cluster are identified as RN, windows that deviate significantly from the RN cluster are identified as NRN and windows with values in between are identified as mixed signals. Several iterations on each hourly data are used to update and stabilize the selection of RN templates and mean noise spectra. For the days examined, the relative fractions of RN, NRN and mixed signals in local day (night) times are about 26 (42 percent), 40 (33 percent) and 34 percent (25 percent), respectively.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO 2 into CO at Small, Thiol-Capped Au/Cu Nanoparticles

The electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is a promising approach for converting fossil fuel emissions into environmentally sustainable chemicals and fuels. The ability to control the surface structure of CO 2 RR nanocatalysts provides an opportunity to tune product selectivity. Bimetallic gold–copper catalysts have been identified as emerging electrocatalyst candidates, but Cu incorporation typically lowers product selectivity compared with pure Au. Here we show sustained CO selectivity and activity up to 49% Cu content in small (<2 nm), thiol-capped Au/Cu nanoparticles (NPs). Bimetallic NPs containing 49% Cu selectivity converted CO 2 into CO with 100 ± 6% CO Faradaic efficiency and average mass activity of ~500 mA/mg during a 12 h electrolysis experiment at –0.8 V vs RHE. Au/Cu NPs synthesized without thiol ligands selectively produced H 2 , whereas larger (>10 nm), thermally dethiolated Au/Cu NPs produced a wider product distribution including H 2 , CO, and C 2 H 4 . Density functional theory (DFT) modeling of CO 2 RR and H 2 evolution at realistic, thiol-capped Au/Cu NP structures indicated that copper–thiol surface structures sustained CO selectivity by stabilizing key *CO intermediates while making *H binding less favorable. Calculations also predicted that removing a significant fraction of the thiol ligands would increase *CO binding strength such that desorption of CO product molecules could become the most thermodynamically challenging step. This result, coupled with increased *H stability on dethiolated nanoclusters, points to decreased CO 2 RR selectivity for small, ligand-free catalysts, which is in line with experimental observations from our group and others. Here, our results demonstrate that thiol-ligand surface structures can sustain the CO selectivity of bimetallic Au/Cu NPs and reduce precious metal requirements for CO 2 RR.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Fundamental Studies of the Reforming of Oxygenated Compounds over Supported Metal Catalysts

The main objective of our research has been to elucidate fundamental concepts associated with controlling the activity, selectivity, and stability of bifunctional, metal-based heterogeneous catalysts for tandem reactions, such as liquid-phase conversion of oxygenated hydrocarbons derived from biomass. We have shown that bimetallic catalysts that combine a highly-reducible metal (e.g., platinum) with an oxygen-containing metal promoter (e.g., molybdenum) are promising materials for conversion of oxygenated hydrocarbons because of their high activity for selective cleavage for carbon-oxygen bonds. We have developed methods to stabilize metal nanoparticles against leaching and sintering under liquid-phase reaction conditions by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to apply oxide overcoat layers. We have used controlled surface reactions to produce bimetallic catalysts with controlled particle size and controlled composition, with an important application being the selective conversion of biomass-derived molecules. The synthesis of catalysts by traditional methods may produce a wide distribution of metal particle sizes and compositions; and thus, results from spectroscopic and reactions kinetics measurements have contributions from a distribution of active sites, making it difficult to assess how the size and composition of the metal particles affect the nature of the surface, the active sites, and the catalytic behavior. Thus, we have developed methods to synthesize bimetallic nanoparticles with controlled particle size and controlled composition to achieve an effective link between characterization and reactivity, and between theory and experiment. We have also used ALD to modify supported metal catalysts by addition of promoters with atomic-level precision, to produce new bifunctional sites for selective catalytic transformations. We have used a variety of techniques to characterize the metal nanoparticles in our catalysts, including scanning transmission electron microcopy (STEM) to measure size and structure, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to measure atomic composition, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to measure oxidation state and metal coordination, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to study adsorbed species, laser Raman spectroscopy to probe metal oxide promoters, and temperature programmed reaction/desorption to study the energetics of adsorption and desorption processes. We have studied our bimetallic catalysts for the selective cleavage of carbon-oxygen bonds, and we have studied the effects of adding metal oxide promoters to supported platinum and gold catalysts for water-gas shift (i.e., the production of hydrogen by reaction of carbon monoxide with water). We anticipate that the knowledge obtained from our studies will allow us to identify promising directions for new catalysts that show high activity, selectivity, and stability for important reactions, such as the conversion of biomass-derived oxygenated hydrocarbons to fuels and chemicals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High-performance light-driven heterogeneous CO 2 catalysis with near-unity selectivity on metal phosphides

Akin to single-site homogeneous catalysis, a long sought-after goal is to achieve reaction site precision in heterogeneous catalysis for chemical control over patterns of activity, selectivity and stability. Herein, we report on metal phosphides as a class of material capable of realizing these attributes and unlock their potential in solar-driven CO 2 hydrogenation. Selected as an archetype, Ni 12 P 5 affords a structure based upon highly dispersed nickel nanoclusters integrated into a phosphorus lattice that harvest light intensely across the entire solar spectral range. Motivated by its panchromatic absorption and unique linearly bonded nickel-carbonyl-dominated reaction route, Ni 12 P 5 is found to be a photothermal catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction, offering a CO production rate of 960 ± 12 mmol g cat –1 h –1 , near 100% selectivity and long-term stability. Successful extension of this idea to Co2P analogs implies that metal phosphide materials are poised as a universal platform for high-rate and highly selective photothermal CO 2 catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Protein interactions central to stabilizing the K[superscript +] channel selectivity filter in a four-sited configuration for selective K[superscript +] permeation

The structural and functional conversion of the nonselective NaK channel to a K{sup +} selective channel (NaK2K) allows us to identify two key residues, Tyr and Asp in the filter sequence of TVGYGD, that participate in interactions central to stabilizing the K{sup +} channel selectivity filter. By using protein crystallography and channel electrophysiology, we demonstrate that the K{sup +} channel filter exists as an energetically strained structure and requires these key protein interactions working in concert to hold the filter in the precisely defined four-sited configuration that is essential for selective K{sup +} permeation. Disruption of either interaction, as tested on both the NaK2K and eukaryotic K{sub v}1.6 channels, can reduce or completely abolish K{sup +} selectivity and in some cases may also lead to channel inactivation due to conformational changes at the filter. Additionally, on the scaffold of NaK we recapitulate the protein interactions found in the filter of the Kir channel family, which uses a distinct interaction network to achieve similar stabilization of the filter.

Sauer, David B.↗

Integrated CO 2 Capture and Conversion by a Robust Cu(I)-Based Metal–Organic Framework

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promise in both capturing CO 2 under flue gas conditions and converting it into valuable chemicals. However, the development of a single MOF capable of capturing and selectively converting CO 2 has remained elusive due to lack of harmonious combination of selectivity, water stability, and reactivity. For example, Cu(I)-based MOFs are particularly effective for CO 2 conversion, but they do not typically exhibit selective CO 2 adsorption and often suffer from instability in the presence of air and moisture. Developing a Cu(I) MOF that is stable under flue gas conditions while also capturing CO 2 from this mixture would likely afford a material capable of selectively capturing and converting CO 2 in an integrated pathway, which would represent a significant advancement in this field. In this study, we introduce NU-2100, an ultramicroporous Cu(I) MOF, which exhibits both selectivity for CO 2 adsorption and great stability even in the presence of moisture and air. Comprehensive evaluations involving exposure to air, oxygen, water, and varying temperatures reveal that NU-2100 demonstrates superior stability compared to other known Cu(I) MOFs. Utilizing adsorption isotherms and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TGA-GCMS), we establish the high selectivity of NU-2100 for CO 2 over common flue gas components, including water, nitrogen, and oxygen. Additionally, under mild reaction conditions (50 °C and H 2 :CO 2 = 3:1), NU-2100 exhibits CO 2 capture and catalytic conversion to formic acid with 100% selectivity. Furthermore, this study marks an important step towards the design of next-generation MOFs capable of integrated carbon capture and utilization (iCCU) under industrial conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Preliminary study of pilot lateral control of two light airplanes near the stall

For two representative light, single-engine airplanes the single-axis piloting task of controlling bank angle with combined aileron and rudder, and a two-axis task of controlling bank angle with aileron and sideslip with rudder have been studied. For these tasks existing divergence criteria have been applied to determine conditions for closed-loop stability for selected flight conditions near the stall; in addition closed-loop stability characteristics and airplane response to bank angle command were calculated. Results obtained from applying the divergence criterion and from calculations of airplane responses to bank angle command indicate that aileron-alone bank angle control is marginally acceptable at high angle of attack. Of the two rudder control techniques considered, rudder used with the aileron in controlling bank angle increasd stability and produced satisfactory responses; the combined bank angle and sideslip control task does not warrant further consideration because of the task difficulty and the small improvement indicated in airplane closed-loop response with this technique.

Moul, M. T.↗

Programmable heating and quenching for efficient thermochemical synthesis

Conventional thermochemical syntheses by continuous heating under near-equilibrium conditions face critical challenges in improving the synthesis rate, selectivity, catalyst stability and energy efficiency, owing to the lack of temporal control over the reaction temperature and time, and thus the reaction pathways. As an alternative, we present a non-equilibrium, continuous synthesis technique that uses pulsed heating and quenching (for example, 0.02 s on, 1.08 s off) using a programmable electric current to rapidly switch the reaction between high (for example, up to 2,400 K) and low temperatures. The rapid quenching ensures high selectivity and good catalyst stability, as well as lowers the average temperature to reduce the energy cost. Using CH4 pyrolysis as a model reaction, our programmable heating and quenching technique leads to high selectivity to value-added C2 products (>75% versus <35% by the conventional non-catalytic method and versus <60% by most conventional methods using optimized catalysts). Our technique can be extended to a range of thermochemical reactions, such as NH 3 synthesis, for which we achieve a stable and high synthesis rate of about 6,000 μmol g Fe –1 h –1 at ambient pressure for >100 h using a non-optimized catalyst. Furthermore, this study establishes a new model towards highly efficient non-equilibrium thermochemical synthesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Autonomous stabilization with programmable stabilized state

Reservoir engineering is a powerful technique to autonomously stabilize a quantum state. Traditional schemes involving multi-body states typically function for discrete entangled states. In this work, we enhance the stabilization capability to a continuous manifold of states with programmable stabilized state selection using multiple continuous tuning parameters. We experimentally achieve 84.6% and 82.5% stabilization fidelity for the odd and even-parity Bell states as two special points in the manifold. We also perform fast dissipative switching between these opposite parity states within 1.8 μs and 0.9 μs by sequentially applying different stabilization drives. Our result is a precursor for new reservoir engineering-based error correction schemes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

The Integrated Reference Region Analysis for Parallel DFIGs’ Interfacing Inductors

Although the traditional design of doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs)’ interfacing inductors consider the peak ripple of the grid-side converter (GSC)’s output current, it does not consider the inductors’ impact on DFIGs’ smallsignal stability. Located in series between the GSC and the stator, the inappropriate selection of the interfacing inductor can easily result to system instability. Therefore, this paper first proposes the integrated reference region analysis for small wind farm's interfacing inductors to improve the traditional design method. Firstly, a new detailed parallel DFIGs’ smallsignal model that considers output currents’ coupling is built in d-q coordinate system with state-space approach. The model focuses on representing the operating states of parallel DFIGs in wind farm. Secondly, the linearized state-space matrix of parallel DFIGs is decomposed into nominal-value matrix and location matrix. Considering the traditional design requirements, the integrated reference region for interfacing inductor is proposed through spectral radius and bialternate matrix sum (BMS). Furthermore, it can provide better guidance for parameter selecting and stabilization method researches. Finally, the simulation and experimental results show that the proposed integrated reference region for parallel DFIGs’ interfacing inductors is accurate and instructive.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Electrochemical CO 2 Utilization: Scalable System Operation for Formic Acid Production

In recent years, research into the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 has grown exponentially. Formic acid (FA) has become a particular value product from CO 2 due to its versatility [1], optimal atom economy [2], and thermodynamic favorable [3]. FA can be produced electrochemically via a direct two-electron transfer process involving CO 2 with a proton source, requiring less energy input and fewer reaction steps than the conventional Kemira process. However, product selectivity, electrode stability, and low faradic efficiency due to increased resistance under constant current, remain key issues for CO 2 reduction to FA [4]. University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER) is currently investigating reactor designs to address the challenges associated with electrochemical CO 2 conversion to FA [5]. The current reactor system employs: (1) an organic-based charge carrier which shuttles charge directly to the catalyst to enable CO 2 reduction to FA; (2) novel electrode materials to mitigate large voltages and improve conductivity; and (3) a flow system which not only allows for the volumetric scale-up of both charge carrier and catalyst, but also decouples the charger carrier re-energized and FA production processes to protect the catalyst’s stability due to overpotential. Through careful adjustment of electrode, charge carrier, and electrolyte selection, cell resistances have decreased by over 15%, facilitating conduction necessary for effective CO 2 reduction to FA. The system uses a highly specific engineered catalyst, which has produced over 100 mM FA at a rate of over 10 mM FA/hour following the aforementioned electrode/charge carrier changes. System design considerations (flow rate, bulk volume) and modeling of the system will also be discussed.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗