Layered Sn-Au Thin Films for Increased Electrochemical ATR-SEIRAS Enhancement.

electrochemical attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (EC ATR-SEIRAS) is a valuable method for a fundamental understanding of electrochemical interfaces under real operating conditions. The applicability of this method depends on the ability to tune the optical and catalytic properties of an electrode film, and it thus requires unique optimization for any given material. Motivated by the growing interest in Sn-based electrocatalysts for selective reduction of CO to formate species, we investigate several Sn thin-film synthesis routes for the resulting SEIRA signal response.

Thermal stability and structural studies on the mixtures of Mg(BH) and glymes.

Coordination complexes of Mg(BH) are of interest for energy storage, ranging from hydrogen storage in BH to electrochemical storage in Mg based batteries. Understanding the stability of these complexes is crucial since storage materials are expected to undergo multiple charging and discharging cycles. To do so, we examined the thermal stabilities of the 1 : 1 mixtures of Mg(BH) with different glymes by DSC-TGA, TPD-MS and powder XRD analysis.

Fe(OAc)[EMIM]: Novel Iron-Based Acetate EMIM Ionic Compound.

We synthesized and characterized a novel iron(II) aceto EMIM coordination compound, which has a simplified empirical formula Fe(OAc)[EMIM], in two different hydration forms: as anhydrous monoclinic compound and triclinic dihydrate Fe(OAc)[EMIM]·2HO. The dihydrate compound is isostructural with recently reported Mn(OAc)[EMIM]·2HO, while the anhydrate is a superstructure of the Mn counterpart, suggesting the existence of solid solutions. Both new Fe compounds contain chains of Fe octahedrally coordinated exclusively by acetate groups.

Additive Destabilization of Porous Magnesium Borohydride Framework with Core-Shell Structure.

Design of interfaces with thermodynamic and kinetic specificity is of great importance for hydrogen storage from both an applied and fundamental perspective. Here, in order to destabilize the metal hydride and protect the dehydrogenated products from oxidizing, a unique core-shell structure of porous Mg(BH ) -based framework with a thin layer (no more than 5 nm) of MgCl additives on the surface, has been proposed and synthesized via a wet-chemical method. The local structure and electronic state of the present complex system are systematically investigated to understand the correlation between the distribution of additives and dehydrogenation property of Mg(BH ) .

Thermal Conversion of Unsolvated Mg(BH) to BH in the Presence of MgH.

In the search for energy storage materials, metal octahydrotriborates, M(BH) , = 1 and 2, are promising candidates for applications such as stationary hydrogen storage and all-solid-state batteries. Therefore, we studied the thermal conversion of unsolvated Mg(BH) to BH as-synthesized and in the presence of MgH. The conversion of our unsolvated Mg(BH) starts at ∼100 °C and yields ∼22 wt % of BH along with the formation of (closo-hydro)borates and volatile boranes.

Heterolytic Scission of Hydrogen Within a Crystalline Frustrated Lewis Pair.

We report the heterolysis of molecular hydrogen under ambient conditions by the crystalline frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) 1-{2-[bis(pentafluorophenyl)boryl]phenyl}-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (KCAT). The gas-solid reaction provides an approach to prepare the solvent-free, polycrystalline ion pair KCATH2 through a single crystal to single crystal transformation. The crystal lattice of KCATH2 increases in size relative to the parent KCAT by approximately 2%.

Runaway Carbon Dioxide Conversion Leads to Enhanced Uptake in a Nanohybrid Form of Porous Magnesium Borohydride.

Leveraging molecular-level controls to enhance CO capture in solid-state materials has received tremendous attention in recent years. Here, a new class of hybrid nanomaterials constructed from intrinsically porous γ-Mg(BH ) nanocrystals and reduced graphene oxide (MBHg) is described. These nanomaterials exhibit kinetically controlled, irreversible CO uptake profiles with high uptake capacities (>19.

Kinetic Enhancement of Direct Hydrogenation of MgB to Mg(BH ) upon Mechanical Milling with THF, MgH , and/or Mg.

Modification of magnesium diboride, MgB , by mechanical milling with THF, MgH , and/or Mg results in a lowering of the conditions required for its direct, bulk hydrogenation to magnesium borohydride, Mg(BH ) , by 300 bar and 100 °C. Following mechanical milling with MgH or THF and Mg, MgB can be hydrogenated to Mg(BH ) at 300 °C under 700 bar of H while achieving ∼54-71 % conversion to the borohydride. The discovery of a means of dramatically lowering the conditions required for the hydrogenation of MgB is an important step towards the development of a practical onboard hydrogen storage system based on hydrogen cycling between Mg(BH ) and MgB .