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Chemistry↗
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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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Understanding of three different polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based battery binders blends on graphene surfaces from first principles via DFT simulations
Binders play a crucial role in binding electrodes, current collectors, and conductive agents during battery manufacturing. The selection of the binders and their blends considerably affect various properties such as mechanical durability, adhesion performance, ionic/electronic conductivities, and solid electrolyte interface stability for lithium-ion batteries. In this work, polyvinylidene di-fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and lithiated polyacrylic acid (Li-PAA) were selected as the model binders, and their blends were studied on graphene surfaces. Further, among them, PVDF is hardly soluble in water unlike the other binders, so in practice, the blend of PVP:PVDF is not thought to be a proper combination. However, the PVP:PVDF binder has also been included because the purpose of this work is to calculate several electronic properties such as binding energies, intermolecular interaction energies, bond critical points, electron density, and the Laplacian of electron density at critical bonding regions of all these blends at the molecular level via density functional theory (DFT) simulations in order to evaluate and compare how is the interaction strength and bonding type of three different lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) binder blends on graphene surfaces. Most stable binder pairs and their binding mechanisms on graphene surfaces were studied. The delocalization of lithium in Li-PAA was studied with the presence of water.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Evaluating the Chemical Reactivity of DFT-Simulated Liquid Water with Hydrated Electrons via the Dual Descriptor
Modeling the various properties of liquid water, particularly its reactivity, has been a longstanding challenge for simulation methods. Recently, ab initio simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) have come to the fore as tenable methods for calculating the properties and reactivity of water, with varying degrees of success for different exchange-correlation functionals. In particular, hybrid-GGA and meta-GGA functionals have been shown to reproduce many of the structural, dynamical, and energetic properties of water to a high degree of accuracy relative to their computational cost. Here, we show that the dual descriptor (DD) measure of nucleophilicity and electrophilicity, which is sometimes used to elucidate organic chemistry reaction mechanisms, can also be used to characterize the reactivity of DFTsimulated liquid water. The DD is especially apt for understanding the reactivity of excess electrons with water as its calculation explicitly involves adding and removing an excess electron from a reference system. We use the DD to explore the reactivity of water simulated using three different DFT functionals: the LDA functional (LDA), a hybrid-GGA functional (PBE0), and a hybrid meta- GGA functional (SCAN0). Using the DD, we show that the SCAN0 functional with the standard 25% Hartree–Fock exchange produces simulated liquid water with many regions that are far more reactive than either PBE0 or LDA. To understand the implications of these highly reactive regions, we then add a strong nucleophile in the form of an excess electron and find that although PBE0 and LDA predict stable hydrated electrons, the excess electron reacts nearly instantaneously with SCAN0 water via proton abstraction to form a hydrogen atom and hydroxide ion. We show that the DD provides the ability to not only predict whether or not liquid water will react with a hydrated electron but also which particular waters will be involved solely from analyzing pure water configurations generated with each functional. We rationalize this result in terms of the known trap-seeking behavior of injected hydrated electrons, which are able to find the most electronegative region in bulk water. These results highlight the utility of the dual descriptor as a fast and interpretable method for investigating condensed-phase reactivity with excess electrons.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DFT simulation of the X-ray diffraction pattern of aluminum-ion-intercalated graphite used as the cathode material of the aluminum-ion battery
Many breakthroughs have been achieved in rechargeable aluminum-ion battery technologies in recent years. Most recently, operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations was reported to study the chloroaluminate anion (AlCl 4 -)-intercalated graphite cathode of the battery. However, there are quite a few discrepancies between the measured and simulated XRD patterns. This work is focused on the simulation of XRD patterns of graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) with DFT calculations. Our results reveal that both the geometry of AlCl 4 - in graphite and the gallery height of GICs are dependent on the intercalant density. At low intercalant density, the gallery height keeps constant, but at high intercalant densities, the gallery height is linearly related to the intercalant density. Our simulated XRD patterns are highly consistent with the measured operando XRD patterns. Not only do the angles of the peaks match very well, but also the relative intensities and the corresponding electrode capacities show reasonable agreement with the experimental results. The DFT simulation of the XRD pattern provides significant information on the stage index and the charge capacity of the GIC electrode.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DFT simulation of conductivity of the p-type doped and charge-injected cis-polyacetylene
Semiconducting conjugated polymers (CPs) have shown great potential in organic solar cells and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), due to their tunable electronic and optical properties. In this study, we compare computational predictions of electronic and optical properties of ensembles of cis-polyacetylene (cis-PA) multiple oligomers in two different forms (a) undoped cis-PA and (b) cis-PA doped by phosphorous fluoride (PF¯ 6 ) via density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid functionals. The comparison of undoped cis-PA under the constraint of injected charge carrier and cis-PA doped by PF¯ 6 shows that either doping or injection provides very similar features in electronic structure and optical properties. Doped and injected are similar to each other and different from the pristine, undoped PA. Computed results also indicate that the injection of charge carriers and adding p-type doping into the semiconducting CP model both greatly affect the conductivity. Furthermore, these observations provide a better understanding and practical use of the properties of polyacetylene films for flexible electronic applications.
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
Probing the exact form and doping preference of magnesium in ordinary Portland cement clinker phases: A study from experiments and DFT simulations
Highlights: • The doping behaviors of Mg in OPC clinker phases were systematically studied. • About 1.3 wt% MgO enter OPC clinker phases by forming substitutional solid solutions. • In the 4 composed minerals, C{sub 3}S, C{sub 3}A and C{sub 4}AF can host more Mg ions than C{sub 2}S. • Mg ions prefer to replace Ca in C{sub 3}S, C{sub 2}S and C{sub 3}A while replace Fe and Ca in C{sub 4}AF. • Both the large structure distortions and formation energies governs the low solubility. A systematic study was performed to learn the exact existence form and doping behaviors of magnesium in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) clinker. Our results show that about 1.3 wt% MgO incorporates into OPC clinker phases by forming substitutional solid solutions while excess Mg accumulate and exist as periclase. Results from Rietveld refinement present a substitution preference in C{sub 3}S and C{sub 3}A over C{sub 2}S. More in-depth analyses from density function theoretical simulations show that in C{sub 3}S, C{sub 2}S and C{sub 3}A, the substitution occurs by replacing Ca while in C{sub 4}AF, it probably occurs by substituting Fe and Ca ions. The large structure distortions and sharp increase in formation energies with increasing MgO determines its low solubility. This work provides a clear understanding of the existence states and the intrinsic mechanism governing doping behaviors of Mg, thus should be very important in guiding the synthesis of OPC clinker by utilizing high-Mg limestone.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Revealing Elusive Intermediates of Platinum Cathodic Corrosion through DFT Simulations
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Chemistry↗
A first-principles investigation of point defect structure and energetics in ThO 2
The structure and energetics of charged point defects in thorium dioxide (ThO 2 ) have been investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) and phonon simulations. DFT simulations were performed under both zero-pressure and constant volume conditions. Termed as the free volume change of the point defects, the change in volume of the supercell has been computed in the zero-pressure case. Supercell expansion was observed with the increase of the (nominal) charge state of anion (O) interstitials and cation (Th) vacancies from neutral to its maximum. On the contrary, contraction of the supercell has been observed with anion vacancies and cation interstitials as the defect charge increases. The supercell volume change with respect to the charge state has been correlated with the resulting defect energetics. It has been observed that, as the defect charge increased, the internal energy and entropy of defect formation of the cation vacancies and anion interstitials were found to increase, while that of the cation interstitials and anion vacancies decreased. Here, the temperature dependence of internal energy and entropy has also been examined. It was found that, as the temperature increases, the internal energies of the formation of cation vacancies and anion interstitials decrease, while those of the cation interstitials and anion vacancies increase. An opposite observation is seen for the entropies of formation defects when above room temperatures.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Dynamic formation of preferentially lattice oriented, self trapped hydrogen clusters
Abstract A series of MD and DFT simulations were performed to investigate hydrogen self-clustering and retention in tungsten. Using a newly develop machine learned interatomic potential, spontaneous formation of hydrogen platelets was observed after implanting low-energy hydrogen into tungsten at high fluxes and temperatures. The platelets formed along low miller index orientations and neighboring tetrahedral and octahedral sites and could grow to over 50 atoms in size. High temperatures above 600 K and high hydrogen concentrations were needed to observe significant platelet formation. A critical platelet size of six hydrogen atoms was needed for long term stability. Platelets smaller than this were found to be thermally unstable within a few nanoseconds. To verify these observations, characteristic platelets from the MD simulations were simulated using large-scale DFT. DFT corroborated the MD results in that large platelets were also found to be dynamically stable for five or more hydrogen atoms. The LDOS from the DFT simulated platelets indicated that hydrogen atoms, particularly at the periphery of the platelet, were found to be at least as stable as hydrogen atoms in bulk tungsten. In addition, electrons were found to be localized around hydrogen atoms in the platelet itself and that hydrogen atoms up to 4.2 Å away within the platelet were found to share charge suggesting that the hydrogen atoms are interacting across longer distances than previously suggested. These results reveal a self-clustering mechanisms for hydrogen within tungsten in the absence of radiation induced or microstructural defects that could be a precursor to blistering and potentially explain the experimentally observed high hydrogen retention particularly in the near surface region.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Best practices for first-principles simulations of epitaxial inorganic interfaces
Abstract At an interface between two materials physical properties and functionalities may be achieved, which would not exist in either material alone. Epitaxial inorganic interfaces are at the heart of semiconductor, spintronic, and quantum devices. First principles simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) can help elucidate the electronic and magnetic properties of interfaces and relate them to the structure and composition at the atomistic scale. Furthermore, DFT simulations can predict the structure and properties of candidate interfaces and guide experimental efforts in promising directions. However, DFT simulations of interfaces can be technically elaborate and computationally expensive. To help researchers embarking on such simulations, this review covers best practices for first principles simulations of epitaxial inorganic interfaces, including DFT methods, interface model construction, interface structure prediction, and analysis and visualization tools.
Physics↗
How the choice of exchange–correlation functional affects DFT-based simulations of the hydrated electron
Hydrated electrons are anionic species that are formed when an excess electron is introduced into liquid water. Building an understanding of how hydrated electrons behave in solution has been a long-standing effort of simulation methods, of which density functional theory (DFT) has come to the fore in recent years. The ability of DFT to model the reactive chemistry of hydrated electrons is an attractive advantage over semi-classical methodologies; however, relatively few density functional approximations (DFAs) have been used for the hydrated electron simulations presented in the literature. Here, we simulate hydrated electron systems using a series of exchange–correlation (XC) functionals spanning Jacob’s ladder. We calculate a variety of experimental and other observables of the hydrated electron and compare the XC functional dependence for each quantity. We find that the formation of a stable localized hydrated electron is not necessarily limited to hybrid XC functionals and that some hybrid functionals produce delocalized hydrated electrons or electrons that react with the surrounding water at an unphysically fast rate. Here, we further characterize how different DFAs impact the solvent structure and predicted spectroscopy of the hydrated electron, considering several methods for calculating the hydrated electron’s absorption spectrum for the best comparison between structures generated using different density functionals. None of the dozen or so DFAs that we investigated are able to correctly predict the hydrated electron’s spectroscopy, vertical detachment energy, or molar solvation volume.
Ab-initio molecular dynamics↗
Fast Emulation of Expensive Simulations using Approximate Gaussian Processes [Slides]
Nuclear Computational Low-Energy Initiative (NUCLEI) collaboration uses Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations to predict the structure and binding energies of nuclei over a wide range of proton (Z) and neutron (N) numbers. The DFT simulations utilize a particular parameterization of a Skyrme energy density functional called UNEDF1 which depends on 12 free parameters that must be fit to data (M Kortelainen et al 2014). Fitting involves comparing (e.g.) predicted binding energies of nuclei to experimentally measured values. We use only binding energies as observables, but DFT with UNEDF1 will predict structure (shape) observables as well. In this work, assessing the capability of approximate GP emulators to balance emulator accuracy with computational speed to facilitate improved UNEDF1 calibration. Sparse GPs are straightforward to train and accurate. Calibration is not straightforward with MCMC (using MH or HMC/NUTS). We produced reusable software for continuing and building on this work as well as accessing and using Darwin cluster compute resources
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
Carbon Capture in Novel Porous Liquids
Direct air capture (DAC) of CO 2 is one of the negative emission technologies under development to limit the impacts of climate change. The dilute concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere (~400 ppm) requires new materials for carbon capture with increased CO 2 selectivity that is not met with current materials. Porous liquids (PLs) are an emerging material that consist of a combination of solvents and porous hosts creating a liquid with permanent porosity. PLs have demonstrated excellent CO 2 selectivity, but the features that control how and why PLs selectively capture CO 2 is unknown. To elucidate these mechanisms, density functional theory (DFT) simulations were used to investigate two different PLs. The first is a ZIF-8 porous host in a water/glycol/2-methylimidazole solvent. The second is the CC13 porous organic cage with multiple bulky solvents. DFT simulations identified that in both systems, CO 2 preferentially bound in the pore window rather than in the internal pore space, identifying that the solvent-porous host interface controls the CO 2 selectivity. Additionally, SNL synthesized ZIF-8 based PL compositions. Evaluation of the long-term stability of the PL identified no change in the ZIF-8 crystallinity after multiple agitation cycles, identifying its potential for use in carbon capture systems. Through this project, SNL has developed a fundamental understanding of solvent-host interactions, as well as how and where CO 2 binds in PLs. Through these results, future efforts will focus not on how CO 2 behaves inside the pore, but on the porous host-solvent interface as the driving force for PL stability and CO 2 selectivity.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Crystal and Electronic Structures of A 2 NaIO 6 Periodate Double Perovskites (A = Sr, Ca, Ba): Candidate Wasteforms for I-129 Immobilization
The synthesis, structure, and thermal stability of the periodate double perovskites A 2 NaIO 6 (A= Ba, Sr, Ca) were investigated in the context of potential application for the immobilization of radioiodine. A combination of X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and DFT simulations were applied to determine accurate crystal structures of these compounds and understand their relative stability. The compounds were found to exhibit rock-salt ordering of Na and I on the perovskite B-site; Ba 2 NaIO 6 was found to adopt the Fm- 3 m aristotype structure, whereas Sr 2 NaIO 6 and Ca 2 NaIO 6 adopt the P 2 1 / n hettotype structure, characterized by cooperative octahedral tilting. DFT simulations determined the Fm- 3 m and P 2 1 / n structures of Ba 2 NaIO 6 to be energetically degenerate at room temperature, whereas diffraction and spectroscopy data evidence only the presence of the Fm- 3 m phase at room temperature, which may imply an incipient phase transition for this compound. The periodate double perovskites were found to exhibit remarkable thermal stability, with Ba 2 NaIO 6 only decomposing above 1050 °C in air, which is apparently the highest recorded decomposition temperature so far recorded for any iodine bearing compound. As such, these compounds offer some potential for application in the immobilization of iodine-129, from nuclear fuel reprocessing, with an iodine incorporation rate of 25–40 wt%. The synthesis of these compounds, elaborated here, is also compatible with both current conventional and future advanced processes for iodine recovery from the dissolver off-gas.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Elucidating correlated defects in metal organic frameworks using theory-guided inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy
Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) that incorporate metal oxide cluster nodes, exemplified by UiO-66, have been widely studied, especially in terms of their deviations from the ideal, defect-free crystalline structures. Although defects such as missing linkers, missing nodes, and the presence of adventitious synthesis-derived node ligands (such as acetates and formates) have been proposed, their exact structures remain unknown. Previously, it was demonstrated that defects are correlated and span multiple unit cells. The highly specialized techniques used in these studies are not easily applicable to other MOFs. Thus, there is a need to develop new experimental and computational approaches to understand the structure and properties of defects in a wider variety of MOFs. Here, we show how low-frequency phonon modes measured by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy can be combined with density functional theory (DFT) simulations to provide unprecedented insights into the defect structure of UiO-66. We are able to identify and assign peaks in the fingerprint region (<100 cm –1 ) which correspond to phonon modes only present in certain defective topologies. Specifically, this analysis suggests that our sample of UiO-66 consists of predominantly defect-free fcu regions with smaller domains corresponding to a defective bcu topology with 4 and 2 acetate ligands bound to the Zr 6 O 8 nodes. Importantly, the INS/DFT approach provides detailed structural insights (e.g., relative positions and numbers of acetate ligands) that are not accessible with microscopy-based techniques. Furthermore, the quantitative agreement between DFT simulations and the experimental INS spectrum combined with the relative simplicity of sample preparation, suggests that this methodology may become part of the standard and preferred protocol for the characterization of MOFs, and, in particular, for elucidating the structure defects in these materials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Toward first principles-based simulations of dense hydrogen
Accurate knowledge of the properties of hydrogen at high compression is crucial for astrophysics (e.g., planetary and stellar interiors, brown dwarfs, atmosphere of compact stars) and laboratory experiments, including inertial confinement fusion. There exists experimental data for the equation of state, conductivity, and Thomson scattering spectra. However, the analysis of the measurements at extreme pressures and temperatures typically involves additional model assumptions, which makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of the experimental data rigorously. On the other hand, theory and modeling have produced extensive collections of data. They originate from a very large variety of models and simulations including path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations, density functional theory (DFT), chemical models, machine-learned models, and combinations thereof. At the same time, each of these methods has fundamental limitations (fermion sign problem in PIMC, approximate exchange–correlation functionals of DFT, inconsistent interaction energy contributions in chemical models, etc.), so for some parameter ranges accurate predictions are difficult. Recently, a number of breakthroughs in first principles PIMC as well as in DFT simulations were achieved which are discussed in this review. Here we use these results to benchmark different simulation methods. We present an update of the hydrogen phase diagram at high pressures, the expected phase transitions, and thermodynamic properties including the equation of state and momentum distribution. Furthermore, we discuss available dynamic results for warm dense hydrogen, including the conductivity, dynamic structure factor, plasmon dispersion, imaginary-time structure, and density response functions. We conclude by outlining strategies to combine different simulations to achieve accurate theoretical predictions that are based on first principles.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
High-temperature lean Cu alloys with Cr-to-Nb atomic ratio of 2
Two Cu-Cr-Nb alloys, denoted as alloy 1 (comprising Cu-0.89 at% Cr-0.42 at% Nb) and alloy 2 (comprising Cu-1.84 at% Cr-0.99 at% Nb), were produced through a series of manufacturing processes including vacuum induction melting, melt spinning, consolidation, brazing, and baking, with both alloys aimed at achieving a nominal Cr-to-Nb atomic ratio of 2. Microstructural characterization using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction identified the cubic C15 Laves-phase Cr 2 Nb as the dominant precipitate in both alloys, cross-validated by thermodynamic calculations and atomistic simulation-based density functional theory (DFT). Besides cubic C15 Cr 2 Nb, hexagonal C14-phase Cr 2 Nb and α-BiF3 cubic structured Cr 3 Nb were also observed in the alloys, including a coherent interface formed between the Cr 3 Nb precipitate and the Cu matrix. The hardness of the alloys increases, and the electrical conductivity decreases with increasing alloying addition content; two practical equations described the trends. Further DFT simulations revealed that the electrical conductivity (conductance) of the Cu/Cr 2 Nb interface is an order of magnitude higher than the intrinsic Cu high-angle grain boundaries.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Simulations with machine learning potentials identify the ion conduction mechanism mediating non-Arrhenius behavior in LGPS
Abstract Li 10 Ge(PS 6 ) 2 (LGPS) is a highly concentrated solid electrolyte, in which Coulombic repulsion between neighboring cations is hypothesized as the underlying reason for concerted ion hopping, a mechanism common among superionic conductors such as Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO) and Li 1.3 Al 0.3 Ti 1.7 (PO 4 ) 3 (LATP). While first principles simulations using molecular dynamics (MD) provide insight into the Li + transport mechanism, historically, there has been a gap in the temperature ranges studied in simulations and experiments. Here, we used a neural network potential trained on density functional theory (DFT) simulations, to run up to 40-nanosecond long MD simulations at DFT-like accuracy to characterize the ion conduction mechanisms across a range of temperatures that includes previous simulations and experimental studies. We have confirmed a Li + sublattice phase transition in LGPS around 400 K, below which the ab -plane diffusivity D a b ∗ is drastically reduced. Concomitant with the sublattice phase transition near 400 K, there is less cation-cation (cross) correlation, as characterized by Haven ratios closer to 1, and the vibrations in the system are more harmonic at lower temperature. Intuitively, at high temperature, the collection of vibrational modes may be sufficient to drive concerted ion hops. However, near room temperature, the vibrational modes available may be insufficient to overcome electrostatic repulsion, thus resulting in less correlated ion motion and comparatively slower ion conduction. Such phenomena of a sublattice phase transition, below which concerted hopping plays a less significant role, may be extended to other highly concentrated solid electrolytes such as LLZO and LATP.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗