scholarly journals High-Efficiency Electrocatalyst Phthalocyanine in Li/SOCl2 Batteries: From Experimental to Theoretical Investigation

Author(s):  
Liangting Chen ◽  
Xinyu Yang ◽  
Xiaoqing Wang ◽  
Guangfa Hu ◽  
Ronglan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Li/SOCl2 batteries, which are used in various fields due to theirs easy-carry and brilliant electrochemical properties, have attracted much research. However, the existence of the voltage hysteresis has limited further practical application of this tiny device. Herein, three series of nineteen kinds of metal phthalocyanine electrocatalysts with excellent electronic conductivity were synthesized to improve Li/SOCl2 battery performance. The structure of the catalysts was verified by infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis,. and these materials were used to develop the discharge time, output voltage, and discharge capacity of the Li/SOCl2 battery. With the addition of the phthalocyanine, the discharge time of the Li/SOCl2 battery lengthens by approximately 20%, and the voltage can be increased by 0.02~0.20 V. In addition, the actual battery capacity can also be raised by 20~50 %. Density functional theory was used to calculate the relationship between the metal center and catalytic activity and the results are in good agreement with the experimental which implies the electron density of the center metal is the key point in the electrocatalyst reaction.

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Taylor

Iron-technetium alloys are of relevance to the development of waste forms for disposition of radioactive technetium-99 obtained from spent nuclear fuel. Corrosion of candidate waste forms is a function of the local cohesive energy () of surface atoms. A theoretical model for calculating is developed. Density functional theory was used to construct a modified embedded atom (MEAM) potential for iron-technetium. Materials properties determined for the iron-technetium system were in good agreement with the literature. To explore the relationship between local structure and corrosion, MEAM simulations were performed on representative iron-technetium alloys and intermetallics. Technetium-rich phases have lower , suggesting that these phases will be more noble than iron-rich ones. Quantitative estimates of based on numbers of nearest neighbors alone can lead to errors up to 0.5 eV. Consequently, atomistic corrosion simulations for alloy systems should utilize physics-based models that consider not only neighbor counts, but also local compositions and atomic arrangements.


Author(s):  
Masato Ohnishi ◽  
Hiroshi Kawakami ◽  
Yusuke Suzuki ◽  
Ken Suzuki ◽  
Hideo Miura

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), there have been many efforts to develop various electronic devices and sensors. The authors have also validated the possibility of a highly sensitive strain sensor using popular resin in which multi-walled CNTs (MWNTs) were dispersed uniformly. It is, however, indispensable for clarifying how to change the electronic state of a deformed CNT for assuring the stable performance of the sensor because the reported sensitivity has ranged widely. In this study, the relationship between the deformation characteristic of a CNT under strain and its electronic conductivity was analyzed quantitatively. The analysis result obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed that the orbital hybridization was occured when the local curvature exceeded about 0.3 Å−1, inducing the decrease in the band gap. Based on the analytical results, a two-dimensional strain sensor was developed by applying buckling deformation-induced conductivity change of MWNTs by using MEMS technology.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed K. Awad ◽  
Mahmoud F. Abdel-Aal ◽  
Faten M. Atlam ◽  
Hend A. Hekal

Aim and Objective: Synthesis of new .-aminophosphonates containing quinazoline moiety through Kabachnik-Fields reaction in the presence of copper triflate catalyst [32], followed by studying their antimicrobial activities and in vitro anticancer activities against liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) with the hope that new anticancer agents could be developed. Also, the quantum chemical calculations are performed using density functional theory (DFT) to study the effect of the changes of molecular and electronic structures on the biological activity of the investigated compounds. Materials and Method: The structures of the synthesized compounds are confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 31P NMR and MS spectral data. The synthesized compounds show significant antimicrobial and also remarkable cytotoxicity anticancer activities against liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2). Density functional theory (DFT) was performed to study the effect of the molecular and electronic structure changes on the biological activity. Results: It was found that the electronic structure of the substituents affects on the reaction yield. The electron withdrawing substituent, NO2 group 3b, on the aromatic aldehydes gave a good yield more than the electron donating substituent, OH group 3c. The electron deficient on the carbon atom of the aldehydic group may increase the interaction of the Lewis acid (Cu(OTf)2) and the Lewis base (imine nitrogen), and accordingly, facilitate the formation of imine easily, which is attacked by the nucleophilic phosphite species to give the α- aminophosphonates. Conclusion: The newly synthesized compounds exhibit a remarkable inhibition of the growth of Grampositive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi at low concentrations. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized compounds showed a significant cytotoxicity against the liver cancer cell line (HepG 2). Also, it was shown from the quantum chemical calculations that the electron-withdrawing substituent increases the biological activity of the α-aminophosphonates more than the electron donating group which was in a good agreement with the experimental results. Also, a good agreement between the experimental FT-IR and the calculated one was found.


2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 1045-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabaan AK Elroby ◽  
Kyu Hwan Lee ◽  
Seung Joo Cho ◽  
Alan Hinchliffe

Although anisyl units are basically poor ligands for metal ions, the rigid placements of their oxygens during synthesis rather than during complexation are undoubtedly responsible for the enhanced binding and selectivity of the spherand. We used standard B3LYP/6-31G** (5d) density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the complexation between spherands containing five anisyl groups, with CH2–O–CH2 (2) and CH2–S–CH2 (3) units in an 18-membered macrocyclic ring, and the cationic guests (Li+, Na+, and K+). Our geometric structure results for spherands 1, 2, and 3 are in good agreement with the previously reported X-ray diffraction data. The absolute values of the binding energy of all the spherands are inversely proportional to the ionic radius of the guests. The results, taken as a whole, show that replacement of one anisyl group by CH2–O–CH2 (2) and CH2–S–CH2 (3) makes the cavity bigger and less preorganized. In addition, both the binding and specificity decrease for small ions. The spherands 2 and 3 appear beautifully preorganized to bind all guests, so it is not surprising that their binding energies are close to the parent spherand 1. Interestingly, there is a clear linear relation between the radius of the cavity and the binding energy (R2 = 0.999).Key words: spherands, preorganization, density functional theory, binding energy, cavity size.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 486
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Zivković ◽  
Michiel Somers ◽  
Eloi Camprubi ◽  
Helen E. King ◽  
Mariette Wolthers ◽  
...  

Metal sulphides constitute cheap, naturally abundant, and environmentally friendly materials for energy storage applications and chemistry. In particular, iron (II) monosulphide (FeS, mackinawite) is a material of relevance in theories of the origin of life and for heterogenous catalytic applications in the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) towards small organic molecules. In natural mackinawite, Fe is often substituted by other metals, however, little is known about how such substitutions alter the chemical activity of the material. Herein, the effect of Ni doping on the structural, electronic, and catalytic properties of FeS surfaces is explored via dispersion-corrected density functional theory simulations. Substitutional Ni dopants, introduced on the Fe site, are readily incorporated into the pristine matrix of FeS, in good agreement with experimental measurements. The CO2 molecule was found to undergo deactivation and partial desorption from the doped surfaces, mainly at the Ni site when compared to undoped FeS surfaces. This behaviour is attributed to the energetically lowered d-band centre position of the doped surface, as a consequence of the increased number of paired electrons originating from the Ni dopant. The reaction and activation energies of CO2 dissociation atop the doped surfaces were found to be increased when compared to pristine surfaces, thus helping to further elucidate the role Ni could have played in the reactivity of FeS. It is expected that Ni doping in other Fe-sulphides may have a similar effect, limiting the catalytic activity of these phases when this dopant is present at their surfaces.


2011 ◽  
Vol 90-93 ◽  
pp. 1264-1271
Author(s):  
Xiao Feng Li ◽  
Jun Yi Du

The ground structure, elastic and electronic properties of several phases of NbN are determined based on ab initio total-energy calculations within the framework of density functional theory. Among the five crystallographic structures that have been investigated, the hexagonal phases have been found to be more stable than the cubic ones. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental results. The elastic constants of five structures in NbN are calculated, which are in consistent with the obtained theoretical and experimental data. The corresponding Debye temperature and elastic ansitropies are also obtained. The Debye temperature of NbN in various structures consistent with available experimental and theoretical data, in which the Debye temperature of δ-NbN is highest. The anisotropies of ZB-NbN, NaCl-NbN, CsCl-NbN gradually increases. For hexagonal structure, the anisotropies of ε-NbN are stronger than that of δ-NbN. The electronic structures of NbN under pressure are investigated. It is found that NbN have metallization and the hybridizations of atoms in NbN under pressure become stronger.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (30) ◽  
pp. 1650373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Xue ◽  
Yi-Ming Ren ◽  
Zheng-Long Hu

[Formula: see text] is a promising thermoelectric (TE) material for high temperature TE applications. This work systematically investigated the structural, elastic and thermodynamic properties of [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) by density functional theory. The calculated lattice volume is expanded with the increase of Ag content, but this expansion is anisotropic. The lattice parameter along [Formula: see text]-axis is linear expansion, and along [Formula: see text]-axis is parabolic expansion, which is in good agreement with available experimental data. The phase stability of [Formula: see text] alloy is studied by analyzing the formation energy, cohesive energy and elastic constants. Shear modulus, Young’s modulus, sound velocities, Debye temperature and the minimum thermal conductivity are obtained from the calculated elastic constants. The results show that Ag substitution could reduce the lattice thermal conductivity, which is helpful for improving the TE properties of [Formula: see text].


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