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In situchemistry of solid silver pyrazolates with ethylene gas, depending on the pyrazolyl ring substituents, stops at a trinuclear complex or leads to complete structure re-organizations producing dinuclear complexes as evident from PXRD data. 

Abstract Temperature limitations in nickel‐base superalloys have resulted in the emergence of SiC‐based ceramic matrix composites as a viable replacement for gas turbine components in aviation applications. Higher operating temperatures allow for reduced fuel consumption but present a materials design challenge related to environmental degradation. Rare‐earth disilicates (RE 2 Si 2 O 7 ) have been identified as coatings that can function as environmental barriers and minimize hot component degradation. In this work, single‐ and multiple‐component rare‐earth disilicate powders were synthesized via a sol‐gel method with compositions selected to exist in the monoclinic C 2/ m phase ( β phase). Phase stability in multiple cation compositions was shown to follow a rule of mixtures and the C 2/ m phase could be realized for compositions that contained up to 25% dysprosium, which typically only exists in a triclinic, P , phase. All compositions exhibited phase stability from room temperature to 1200°C as assessed by X‐ray diffraction. The thermal expansion tensors for each composition were determined from high‐temperature synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and accompanying Rietveld refinements. It was observed that ytterbium‐containing compositions had larger changes in the α 31 shear component with increasing temperature that led to a rotation of the principal axes. Principal axes rotation of up to 47° were observed for ytterbium disilicate. The results suggest that microstructure design and crystallographic texture may be essential future avenues of investigation to ensure thermo‐mechanical robustness of rare‐earth disilicate environmental barrier coatings. 

Substantial improvements in cycle life, rate performance, accessible voltage, and reversible capacity are required to realize the promise of Li-ion batteries in full measure. Here, we have examined insertion electrodes of the same composition (V 2 O 5 ) prepared according to the same electrode specifications and comprising particles with similar dimensions and geometries that differ only in terms of their atomic connectivity and crystal structure, specifically two-dimensional (2D) layered α-V 2 O 5 that crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group and one-dimensional (1D) tunnel-structured ζ-V 2 O 5 crystallized in a monoclinic space group. By using particles of similar dimensions, we have disentangled the role of specific structural motifs and atomistic diffusion pathways in affecting electrochemical performance by mapping the dynamical evolution of lithiation-induced structural modifications using ex situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy, operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements, and phase-field modeling. We find the operation of sharply divergent mechanisms to accommodate increasing concentrations of Li-ions: a series of distortive phase transformations that result in puckering and expansion of interlayer spacing in layered α-V 2 O 5 , as compared with cation reordering along interstitial sites in tunnel-structured ζ-V 2 O 5 . By alleviating distortive phase transformations, the ζ-V 2 O 5 cathode shows reduced voltage hysteresis, increased Li-ion diffusivity, alleviation of stress gradients, and improved capacity retention. The findings demonstrate that alternative lithiation mechanisms can be accessed in metastable compounds by dint of their reconfigured atomic connectivity and can unlock substantially improved electrochemical performance not accessible in the thermodynamically stable phase. 

Flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOF) can show exceptional selectivity and capacity for adsorption of CO2. The incorporation of CO2 into flexible MOFs that have Cu2+ coordination centers and organic pillar ligands is accompanied by a distortion of the framework lattice arising from chemical interactions between these components and CO2 molecules. CO2 adsorption yields a reproducible lattice expansion that is enabled by the rotation of the pillar ligands. The structures of Cu2(pzdc)2(bpy) and Cu2(pzdc)2(bpe), CPL-2 and CPL-5, were evaluated using in situ synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction at room temperature at CO2 gas pressures up to 50 atm. The structural parameters exhibit hysteresis between pressurization and depressurization. The pore volume within CPL-2 and CPL-5 increases at elevated CO2 pressure due to a combination of the pillar ligand rotation and the overall expansion of the lattice. Volumetric CO2 adsorption measurements up to 50 atm reveal adsorption behavior consistent with the structural results, including a rapid uptake of CO2 at low pressure, saturation above 20 atm, and hysteresis evident as a retention of CO2 during depressurization. A significantly greater CO2 uptake is observed in CPL-5 in comparison with predictions based on CO2 pressure-induced expansion of the pore volume available for adsorption, indicating that the flexibility of the CPL structures is a key factor in enhancing adsorption capacity.