Powder diffraction methods for studies of borohydride-based energy storage materials

The world today is facing increasing energy demands and a simultaneous demand for cleaner and more environmentally friendly energy technologies. Hydrogen is recognized as a possible renewable energy carrier, but its large-scale utilization is mainly hampered by insufficient hydrogen storage capabilities. In this scenario, powder diffraction has a central position as the most informative and versatile technique available in materials science. This is illustrated in the present review by synthesis, physical, chemical and structural characterisation of novel boron based hydrides for hydrogen storage. Numerous novel BH4- based materials have been investigated during the past few years and this class of materials has a fascinating structural chemistry. The experimental methods presented can be applied to a variety of other material

Sr3CrN3: a new electride with partially filled d-shells

Electrides are ionic crystals in which the electrons prefer to occupy free space, serving as anions. Because the electrons prefer to be in the pockets, channels, or layers to the atomic orbitals around the nuclei, it has been challenging to find electrides with partially filled d-shells, since an unoccupied d-shell provides an energetically favourable location for the electrons to occupy. We recently predicted the existence of electrides with partially filled d-shells using high-throughput computational screening. Here, we provide an experimental support using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray and neutron diffraction to show that Sr3CrN3 is indeed an electride despite its partial d-shell configuration. Our findings indicate that Sr3CrN3 is the first known electride with a partially filled d-shell, in agreement with theory, which significantly broadens the criteria for the search for new electride materials

High-pressure phase and transition phenomena in ammonia borane NH3BH3 from X-ray diffraction, Landau theory, and ab initio calculations

Structural evolution of a prospective hydrogen storage material, ammonia borane NH3BH3, has been studied at high pressures up to 12 GPa and at low temperatures by synchrotron powder diffraction. At 293 K and above 1.1 GPa a disordered I4mm structure reversibly transforms into a new ordered phase. Its Cmc21 structure was solved from the diffraction data, the positions of N and B atoms and the orientation of NH3 and BH3 groups were finally assigned with the help of density functional theory calculations. Group-theoretical analysis identifies a single two-component order parameter, combining ordering and atomic displacement mechanisms, which link an orientationally disordered parent phase I4mm with ordered distorted Cmc21, Pmn21 and P21 structures. We propose a generic phase diagram for NH3BH3, mapping three experimentally found and one predicted (P21) phases as a function of temperature and pressure, along with the evolution of the corresponding structural distortions. Ammonia borane belongs to the class of improper ferroelastics and we show that both temperature- and pressure-induced phase transitions can be driven to be of the second order. The role of N-H...H-B dihydrogen bonds and other intermolecular interactions in the stability of NH3BH3 polymorphs is examined.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure

Synthesis of a Bimetallic Dodecaborate LiNaB_(12)H_(12)with Outstanding Superionic Conductivity

Metal dodecaborates M_2/_nB_(12)H_(12) (n denotes the valence of the metal M), containing icosahedral polyatomic anion [B_(12)H_(12)]^(2−), have been attracting increasing interest as potential energy materials, especially in the context of hydrogen storage and superionic conductivity. M_2/_nB_(12)H_(12) are commonly formed as dehydrogenation intermediates from metal borohydrides M(BH_4)_n, like LiBH_4 and Mg(BH_4)_2, which are well-known as potential high-density hydrogen storage materials. The strong B−B bond in the icosahedral [B_(12)H_(12)]^(2−), however, is regarded to be the key factor that prevents the rehydrogenation of dodecaborates. In order to elucidate the mechanism as well as to provide effective solutions to this problem, a novel solvent-free synthesis route of anhydrous M_2/nB_(12)H_(12) (here M means Li, Na, and K) has been developed. Thermal stability and transformations of the anhydrous single phase Li_2B_(12)H_(12) suggested the formation of the high temperature polymorph of Li_2B_(12)H_(12) during the dehydrogenation of LiBH_4, while concurrently emphasized the importance of further investigation on the decomposition mechanism of metal borohydrides and metal dodecaborates. The high stability of icosahedral [B_(12)H_(12)]^(2−), on the other hand, favors its potential application as solid electrolyte. Recently, Na^+ conductivity of Na_2B_(12)H_(12) was reported to be 0.1 S/cm above its order−disorder phase transition at ∼529 K, which is comparable to that of a polycrystalline β”-Al_2O_3 (0.24 S/cm at 573 K) solid state Na-electrolyte. Mechanistic understanding on the diffusion behavior of cation and further improvement of ionic conductivity at a lower temperature, however, are important in order to facilitate the practical application of metal dodecaborates as superionic conductors

Exploring polymorphism and stoichiometric diversity in naproxen/proline cocrystals

We present naproxen/proline cocrystals discovered when combining enantiopure and racemic naproxen and proline. Using liquid-assisted grinding as the main method to explore the variety of crystal forms in this system, we found 17 cocrystals, of which the structures of only four of them were previously known. The naproxen/proline system exhibited multiple polymorphs of 1 : 1 stoichiometry as well as more rare cocrystals with 1 : 2 and 2 : 3 stoichiometries, two cocrystal hydrates and one cocrystal solvate. In situ ball-milling, used to monitor liquid-assisted grinding reactions, revealed that the solvent dictates the reaction intermediates even if the final reaction product stays the same. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data collected in situ upon heating allowed us to monitor directly the phase changes upon heating and gave access to pure diffraction patterns of several cocrystals, thus enabling their structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction data; this method also confirmed the formation of a conglomerate in the RS-naproxen/DL-proline system. Proline in cocrystals kept its ability to form charge-assisted head-to-tail N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds, typical of pure crystalline amino acids, thus increasing the percentage of strong charge-assisted interactions in the structure and consequently providing some of the cocrystals with higher melting points as compared to pure naproxen. The majority of drugs are chiral, and hence, these data are of importance to the pharmaceutical industry as they provide insight into the challenges of chiral cocrystallization

Versatile in situ powder X-ray diffraction cells for solid–gas investigations

Two multipurpose sample cells of quartz (SiO2) or sapphire (Al2O3) capillaries, developed for the study of solid–gas reactions in dosing or flow mode, are presented. They allow fast change of pressure up to 100 or 300 bar (1 bar = 100 000 Pa) and can also handle solid–liquid–gas studies