1
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Ni H, Wu Z, Wu X, Smith JG, Zachman MJ, Zuo JM, Ju L, Zhang G, Chi M. Quantifying Atomically Dispersed Catalysts Using Deep Learning Assisted Microscopy. Nano Lett 2023; 23:7442-7448. [PMID: 37566785 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
The catalytic performance of atomically dispersed catalysts (ADCs) is greatly influenced by their atomic configurations, such as atom-atom distances, clustering of atoms into dimers and trimers, and their distributions. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a powerful technique for imaging ADCs at the atomic scale; however, most STEM analyses of ADCs thus far have relied on human labeling, making it difficult to analyze large data sets. Here, we introduce a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based algorithm capable of quantifying the spatial arrangement of different adatom configurations. The algorithm was tested on different ADCs with varying support crystallinity and homogeneity. Results show that our algorithm can accurately identify atom positions and effectively analyze large data sets. This work provides a robust method to overcome a major bottleneck in STEM analysis for ADC catalyst research. We highlight the potential of this method to serve as an on-the-fly analysis tool for catalysts in future in situ microscopy experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyang Ni
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Zhenyao Wu
- Department of Mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Xinyi Wu
- Department of Mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Jacob G Smith
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Jian-Min Zuo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Lili Ju
- Department of Mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Guannan Zhang
- Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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2
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Yu H, Zachman MJ, Cullen DA. Failure to Fail: Recreating Real-life Nanoparticle Degradation in Model Environments. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:419-421. [PMID: 37613205 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Yu
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - David A Cullen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
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3
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Unocic RR, Wang J, Tsai WY, Gogotsi Y, Boebinger MG, Yu H, Cullen DA, Veith GM, Williams AN, Zachman MJ. Understanding Interfacial Electrochemical Reactions through in situ ec-STEM and IL-Cryo-STEM. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:671. [PMID: 37613279 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Raymond R Unocic
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - John Wang
- A.J Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Wan-Yu Tsai
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Yury Gogotsi
- A.J Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Matthew G Boebinger
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Haoran Yu
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - David A Cullen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Gabriel M Veith
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Alexis N Williams
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
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4
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Amichi L, Yu H, Zachman MJ, Ziabari A, Arregui-Mena D, Guetaz L, David T, Saghi Z, Ghorbel A, Cullen DA. Investigation of Nanoparticle Degradation in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems through Automated Electron Microscopy. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:1742-1743. [PMID: 37613987 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lynda Amichi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Haoran Yu
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Amir Ziabari
- Electrification and Energy Infrastructure Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - David Arregui-Mena
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Laure Guetaz
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Liten, Grenoble, France
| | - Thomas David
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Liten, Grenoble, France
| | - Zineb Saghi
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Leti, Grenoble, France
| | - Adem Ghorbel
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Liten, Grenoble, France
| | - David A Cullen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
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5
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Zachman MJ, Williams AN, Kourkoutis LF, Cullen DA. Cryogenic FIB and (S)TEM for Energy Storage and Conversion Materials Research. Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:1705. [PMID: 37613955 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Alexis N Williams
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Kavli Institute at Cornell, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - David A Cullen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
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6
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Patil JJ, Lu Z, Zachman MJ, Chen N, Reeves KS, Jana A, Revia G, MacDonald B, Keller BD, Lara-Curzio E, Grossman JC, Ferralis N. Chemical and Physical Drivers for Improvement in Permeance and Stability of Linker-Free Graphene Oxide Membranes. Nano Lett 2023. [PMID: 37399449 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising membrane material for chemical separations, including water treatment. However, GO has often required postsynthesis chemical modifications, such as linkers or intercalants, to improve either the permeability, performance, or mechanical integrity of GO membranes. In this work, we explore two different feedstocks of GO to investigate chemical and physical differences, where we observe up to a 100× discrepancy in the permeability-mass loading trade-off while maintaining nanofiltration capacity. GO membranes also show structural stability and chemical resilience to harsh pH conditions and bleach treatment. We probe GO and the resulting assembled membranes through a variety of characterization approaches, including a novel scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy-based visualization approach, to connect differences in sheet stacking and oxide functional groups to significant improvements in permeability and chemical stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jatin J Patil
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Zhengmao Lu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - Ningxin Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Kimberly S Reeves
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - Asmita Jana
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Griselda Revia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Materials, Oxford University, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
| | - Brandon MacDonald
- Via Separations Inc, 165 Dexter Ave, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, United States
| | - Brent D Keller
- Via Separations Inc, 165 Dexter Ave, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, United States
| | - Edgar Lara-Curzio
- Energy Science & Technology Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - Jeffrey C Grossman
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Via Separations Inc, 165 Dexter Ave, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, United States
| | - Nicola Ferralis
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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7
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Chhetri M, Wan M, Jin Z, Yeager J, Sandor C, Rapp C, Wang H, Lee S, Bodenschatz CJ, Zachman MJ, Che F, Yang M. Dual-site catalysts featuring platinum-group-metal atoms on copper shapes boost hydrocarbon formations in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3075. [PMID: 37244900 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38777-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Copper-based catalyst is uniquely positioned to catalyze the hydrocarbon formations through electrochemical CO2 reduction. The catalyst design freedom is limited for alloying copper with H-affinitive elements represented by platinum group metals because the latter would easily drive the hydrogen evolution reaction to override CO2 reduction. We report an adept design of anchoring atomically dispersed platinum group metal species on both polycrystalline and shape-controlled Cu catalysts, which now promote targeted CO2 reduction reaction while frustrating the undesired hydrogen evolution reaction. Notably, alloys with similar metal formulations but comprising small platinum or palladium clusters would fail this objective. With an appreciable amount of CO-Pd1 moieties on copper surfaces, facile CO* hydrogenation to CHO* or CO-CHO* coupling is now viable as one of the main pathways on Cu(111) or Cu(100) to selectively produce CH4 or C2H4 through Pd-Cu dual-site pathways. The work broadens copper alloying choices for CO2 reduction in aqueous phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjeet Chhetri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Mingyu Wan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Zehua Jin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - John Yeager
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Case Sandor
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Conner Rapp
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Hui Wang
- Institute for New Energy Materials and Low Carbon Technology, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Sungsik Lee
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Cameron J Bodenschatz
- Environmental Effects and Coatings Branch, NASA John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Fanglin Che
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
| | - Ming Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
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8
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Andris R, Averianov T, Zachman MJ, Pomerantseva E. Cation-Driven Assembly of Bilayered Vanadium Oxide and Graphene Oxide Nanoflakes to Form Two-Dimensional Heterostructure Electrodes for Li-Ion Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023. [PMID: 37216415 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c22916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Lithium preintercalated bilayered vanadium oxide (LVO or δ-LixV2O5·nH2O) and graphene oxide (GO) nanoflakes were assembled using a concentrated lithium chloride solution and annealed under vacuum at 200 °C to form two-dimensional (2D) δ-LixV2O5·nH2O and reduced GO (rGO) heterostructures. We found that the Li+ ions from LiCl enhanced the oxide/carbon heterointerface formation and served as stabilizing ions to improve structural and electrochemical stability. The graphitic content of the heterostructure could be easily controlled by changing the initial GO concentration prior to assembly. We found that increasing the GO content in our heterostructure composition helped inhibit the electrochemical degradation of LVO during cycling and improved the rate capability of the heterostructure. A combination of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction was used to help confirm that a 2D heterointerface formed between LVO and GO, and the final phase composition was determined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy were additionally used to examine the heterostructures at high resolution, mapping the orientations of rGO and LVO layers and locally imaging their interlayer spacings. Further, electrochemical cycling of the cation-assembled LVO/rGO heterostructures in Li-ion cells with a non-aqueous electrolyte revealed that increasing the rGO content led to improved cycling stability and rate performance, despite slightly decreased charge storage capacity. The heterostructures with 0, 10, 20, and 35 wt % rGO exhibited capacities of 237, 216, 174, and 150 mAh g-1, respectively. Moreover, the LVO/rGO-35 wt % and LVO/rGO-20 wt % heterostructures retained 75% (110 mAh g-1) and 67% (120 mAh g-1) of their initial capacities after increasing the specific current from 20 to 200 mA g-1, while the LVO/rGO-10 wt % sample retained only 48% (107 mAh g-1) of its initial capacity under the same cycling conditions. In addition, the cation-assembled LVO/rGO electrodes exhibited enhanced electrochemical stability compared to electrodes prepared through physical mixing of LVO and GO nanoflakes in the same ratios as the heterostructure electrodes, further revealing the stabilizing effect of a 2D heterointerface. The cation-driven assembly approach, explored in this work using Li+ cations, was found to induce and stabilize the formation of stacked 2D layers of rGO and exfoliated LVO. The reported assembly methodology can be applied for a variety of systems utilizing 2D materials with complementary properties for applications as electrodes in energy storage devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Andris
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Timofey Averianov
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Ekaterina Pomerantseva
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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9
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Zachman MJ. State-of-the-Art Electron Microscopy For Physical Sciences Research. J Vis Exp 2023. [DOI: 10.3791/64973-v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
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10
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Zachman MJ. State-of-the-Art Electron Microscopy For Physical Sciences Research. J Vis Exp 2023. [PMID: 37602848 DOI: 10.3791/64973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
ARTICLES DISCUSSED Moon, T., Colletta, M., Kourkoutis, L. F. Nanoscale characterization of liquid-solid interfaces by couple cryo-focused ion beam milling with scanning electron microscopy and spectroscopy. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (185), e61955 (2022). Ohtsuka, M., Muto, S. Quantitative atomic-site analysis of functional dopants/point defects in crystalline materials by electron-channeling-enhanced microanalysis. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (171), e62015 (2021). Miao, L., Chmielewski, A., Mukherjee, D., Alem, N. Picometer-precision atomic position tracking through electron microscopy. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (173), e62164 (2021). Unocic, K. A. et al. Performing in situ closed-cell gas reactions in the transmission electron microscope. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (173), e62174 (2021). Zheng, F. et al. Magnetic field mapping using off-axis electron holography in the transmission electron microscope. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (166), e61907 (2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory;
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11
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Ræder TM, Qin S, Zachman MJ, Vasudevan RK, Grande T, Agar JC. High Velocity, Low-Voltage Collective In-Plane Switching in (100) BaTiO 3 Thin Films. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2022; 9:e2201530. [PMID: 36031394 PMCID: PMC9561770 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ferroelectrics are being increasingly called upon for electronic devices in extreme environments. Device performance and energy efficiency is highly correlated to clock frequency, operational voltage, and resistive loss. To increase performance it is common to engineer ferroelectric domain structure with highly-correlated electrical and elastic coupling that elicit fast and efficient collective switching. Designing domain structures with advantageous properties is difficult because the mechanisms involved in collective switching are poorly understood and difficult to investigate. Collective switching is a hierarchical process where the nano- and mesoscale responses control the macroscopic properties. Using chemical solution synthesis, epitaxially nearly-relaxed (100) BaTiO3 films are synthesized. Thermal strain induces a strongly-correlated domain structure with alternating domains of polarization along the [010] and [001] in-plane axes and 90° domain walls along the [011] or [01 1 ¯ $\bar{1}$ ] directions. Simultaneous capacitance-voltage measurements and band-excitation piezoresponse force microscopy revealed strong collective switching behavior. Using a deep convolutional autoencoder, hierarchical switching is automatically tracked and the switching pathway is identified. The collective switching velocities are calculated to be ≈500 cm s-1 at 5 V (7 kV cm-1 ), orders-of-magnitude faster than expected. These combinations of properties are promising for high-speed tunable dielectrics and low-voltage ferroelectric memories and logic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trygve M. Ræder
- Department of PhysicsDTU Danmarks Tekniske UniversitetKgs. Lyngby2800Denmark
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNTNU Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNO‐7491Norway
| | - Shuyu Qin
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringLehigh UniversityBethlehemPA18015USA
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- The Center for Nanophase Materials SciencesOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Rama K. Vasudevan
- The Center for Nanophase Materials SciencesOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Tor Grande
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNTNU Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNO‐7491Norway
| | - Joshua C. Agar
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringLehigh UniversityBethlehemPA18015USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and MechanicsDrexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
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12
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Yu H, Zachman MJ, Reeves KS, Park JH, Kariuki NN, Hu L, Mukundan R, Neyerlin KC, Myers DJ, Cullen DA. Tracking Nanoparticle Degradation across Fuel Cell Electrodes by Automated Analytical Electron Microscopy. ACS Nano 2022; 16:12083-12094. [PMID: 35867353 PMCID: PMC9413405 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c02307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles are an important class of materials that exhibit special properties arising from their high surface area-to-volume ratio. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has played an important role in nanoparticle characterization, owing to its high spatial resolution, which allows direct visualization of composition and morphology with atomic precision. This typically comes at the cost of sample size, potentially limiting the accuracy and relevance of STEM results, as well as the ability to meaningfully track changes in properties that vary spatially. In this work, automated STEM data acquisition and analysis techniques are employed that enable physical and compositional properties of nanoparticles to be obtained at high resolution over length scales on the order of microns. This is demonstrated by studying the localized effects of potential cycling on electrocatalyst degradation across proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes. In contrast to conventional, manual STEM measurements, which produce particle size distributions representing hundreds of particles, these high-throughput automated methods capture tens of thousands of particles and enable nanoparticle size, number density, and composition to be measured as a function of position within the cathode. Comparing the properties of pristine and degraded fuel cells provides statistically robust evidence for the inhomogeneous nature of catalyst degradation across electrodes. These results demonstrate how high-throughput automated STEM techniques can be utilized to investigate local phenomena occurring in nanoparticle systems employed in practical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Yu
- Center
for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- Center
for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Kimberly S. Reeves
- Center
for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Jae Hyung Park
- Chemical
Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne
National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Nancy N. Kariuki
- Chemical
Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne
National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Leiming Hu
- Chemistry
and Nanoscience Center, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Rangachary Mukundan
- Materials
Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos
National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, United States
| | - Kenneth C. Neyerlin
- Chemistry
and Nanoscience Center, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Deborah J. Myers
- Chemical
Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne
National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - David A. Cullen
- Center
for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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13
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Li Y, Shan W, Zachman MJ, Wang M, Hwang S, Tabassum H, Yang J, Yang X, Karakalos S, Feng Z, Wang G, Wu G. Atomically Dispersed Dual-Metal Site Catalysts for Enhanced CO 2 Reduction: Mechanistic Insight into Active Site Structures. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202205632. [PMID: 35470950 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202205632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Carbon-supported nitrogen-coordinated single-metal site catalysts (i.e., M-N-C, M: Fe, Co, or Ni) are active for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) to CO. Further improving their intrinsic activity and selectivity by tuning their N-M bond structures and coordination is limited. Herein, we expand the coordination environments of M-N-C catalysts by designing dual-metal active sites. The Ni-Fe catalyst exhibited the most efficient CO2RR activity and promising stability compared to other combinations. Advanced structural characterization and theoretical prediction suggest that the most active N-coordinated dual-metal site configurations are 2N-bridged (Fe-Ni)N6 , in which FeN4 and NiN4 moieties are shared with two N atoms. Two metals (i.e., Fe and Ni) in the dual-metal site likely generate a synergy to enable more optimal *COOH adsorption and *CO desorption than single-metal sites (FeN4 or NiN4 ) with improved intrinsic catalytic activity and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Weitao Shan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Maoyu Wang
- School of Chemical Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Sooyeon Hwang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA
| | - Hassina Tabassum
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Juan Yang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Stavros Karakalos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Zhenxing Feng
- School of Chemical Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Guofeng Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Gang Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
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14
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Ul Hassan N, Zachman MJ, Mandal M, Adabi Firouzjaie H, Kohl PA, Cullen DA, Mustain WE. Understanding Recoverable vs Unrecoverable Voltage Losses and Long-Term Degradation Mechanisms in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c01880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noor Ul Hassan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Mrinmay Mandal
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Horie Adabi Firouzjaie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Paul A. Kohl
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - David A. Cullen
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - William E. Mustain
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
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15
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Zachman MJ, Fung V, Polo-Garzon F, Cao S, Moon J, Huang Z, Jiang DE, Wu Z, Chi M. Measuring and directing charge transfer in heterogenous catalysts. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3253. [PMID: 35668115 PMCID: PMC9170698 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30923-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Precise control of charge transfer between catalyst nanoparticles and supports presents a unique opportunity to enhance the stability, activity, and selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts. While charge transfer is tunable using the atomic structure and chemistry of the catalyst-support interface, direct experimental evidence is missing for three-dimensional catalyst nanoparticles, primarily due to the lack of a high-resolution method that can probe and correlate both the charge distribution and atomic structure of catalyst/support interfaces in these structures. We demonstrate a robust scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) method that simultaneously visualizes the atomic-scale structure and sub-nanometer-scale charge distribution in heterogeneous catalysts using a model Au-catalyst/SrTiO3-support system. Using this method, we further reveal the atomic-scale mechanisms responsible for the highly active perimeter sites and demonstrate that the charge transfer behavior can be readily controlled using post-synthesis treatments. This methodology provides a blueprint for better understanding the role of charge transfer in catalyst stability and performance and facilitates the future development of highly active advanced catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
| | - Victor Fung
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Felipe Polo-Garzon
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Shaohong Cao
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Jisue Moon
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Zhennan Huang
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - De-En Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Zili Wu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
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16
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Yu H, Zachman MJ, Li C, Hu L, Kariuki NN, Mukundan R, Xie J, Neyerlin KC, Myers DJ, Cullen DA. Recreating Fuel Cell Catalyst Degradation in Aqueous Environments for Identical-Location Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:20418-20429. [PMID: 35230077 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c23281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The recent surge in interest of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for heavy-duty vehicles increases the demand on the durability of oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts used in the fuel cell cathode. This prioritizes efforts aimed at understanding and subsequently controlling catalyst degradation. Identical-location scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM) is a powerful method that enables precise characterization of degradation processes in individual catalyst nanoparticles across various stages of cycling. Recreating the degradation processes that occur in PEMFC membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) within the aqueous cell used for IL-STEM experiments is vital for generating an accurate understanding of these processes. In this work, we investigate the type and degree of catalyst degradation achieved by cycling in an aqueous cell compared to a PEMFC MEA. While significant degradation is observed in IL-STEM experiments performed on a traditional Pt catalyst using the standard accelerated stress test potential window (0.6-0.95 VRHE), degradation of a PtCo catalyst designed for heavy-duty vehicle use is very limited compared to that observed in MEAs. We therefore explore various experimental parameters such as temperature, acid type, acid concentration, ionomer content, and potential window to identify conditions that reproduce the degradation observed in MEAs. We find that by extending the cycling potential window to 0.4-1.0 VRHE in an electrolyte containing Pt ions, the degraded particle size distribution and alloy composition better match that observed in MEAs. In particular, these conditions increase the relative contribution of Ostwald ripening, which appears to play a more significant role in the degradation of larger alloy particles supported on high-surface-area carbons than coalescence. Results from this work highlight the potential for discrepancies between ex situ aqueous experiments and MEA tests. While different catalysts may require a unique modification to the AST protocol, strategies provided in this work enable future in situ and identical-location experiments that will play an important role in the development of robust catalysts for heavy-duty vehicle applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Yu
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Chenzhao Li
- Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Leiming Hu
- Chemistry and Nanoscience Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Nancy N Kariuki
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Rangachary Mukundan
- Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, United States
| | - Jian Xie
- Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Kenneth C Neyerlin
- Chemistry and Nanoscience Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Deborah J Myers
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - David A Cullen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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17
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Li Y, Shan W, Zachman MJ, Wang M, Hwang S, Tabassum H, Yang J, Yang X, Karakalos S, Feng Z, Wang G, Wu G. Atomically Dispersed Dual‐Metal Site Catalysts for Enhanced CO
2
Reduction: Mechanistic Insight into Active Site Structures. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202205632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212013 China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Weitao Shan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15261 USA
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
| | - Maoyu Wang
- School of Chemical Biological and Environmental Engineering Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Sooyeon Hwang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY 11973 USA
| | - Hassina Tabassum
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Juan Yang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212013 China
| | - Xiaoxuan Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Stavros Karakalos
- Department of Chemical Engineering University of South Carolina Columbia SC 29208 USA
| | - Zhenxing Feng
- School of Chemical Biological and Environmental Engineering Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Guofeng Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15261 USA
| | - Gang Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
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18
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Zachman MJ, Yang Z, Du Y, Chi M. Robust Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Lithium in Battery Materials by Center-of-Mass Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy. ACS Nano 2022; 16:1358-1367. [PMID: 35000379 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c09374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The performance of energy storage materials is often governed by their structure at the atomic scale. Conventional electron microscopy can provide detailed information about materials at these length scales, but direct imaging of light elements such as lithium presents a challenge. While several recent techniques allow lithium columns to be distinguished, these typically either involve complex contrast mechanisms that make image interpretation difficult or require significant expertise to perform. Here, we demonstrate how center-of-mass scanning transmission electron microscopy (CoM-STEM) provides an enhanced ability for simultaneous imaging of lithium and heavier element columns in lithium ion conductors. Through a combination of experiments and multislice electron scattering calculations, we show that CoM-STEM is straightforward to perform and produces directly interpretable contrast for thin samples, while being more robust to variations in experimental parameters than previously demonstrated techniques. As a result, CoM-STEM is positioned to become a reliable and facile method for directly probing all elements within energy storage materials at the atomic scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Zhenzhong Yang
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Yingge Du
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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19
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Yang X, Wang M, Zachman MJ, Zhou H, He Y, Liu S, Zang HY, Feng Z, Wu G. Binary Atomically Dispersed Metal‐Site Catalysts with Core−Shell Nanostructures for O
2
and CO
2
Reduction Reactions. Small Science 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/smsc.202100046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Polyoxometetalate Science of the Ministry of Education Faculty of Chemistry Northeast Normal University Changchun Jilin 130024 China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Maoyu Wang
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
| | - Hua Zhou
- X-Ray Science Division Argonne National Laboratory Argonne IL 60439 USA
| | - Yanghua He
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Shengwen Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
| | - Hong-Ying Zang
- Key Laboratory of Polyoxometetalate Science of the Ministry of Education Faculty of Chemistry Northeast Normal University Changchun Jilin 130024 China
| | - Zhenxing Feng
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Gang Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
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20
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Zachman MJ, Madsen J, Zhang X, Ajayan PM, Susi T, Chi M. Interferometric 4D-STEM for Lattice Distortion and Interlayer Spacing Measurements of Bilayer and Trilayer 2D Materials. Small 2021; 17:e2100388. [PMID: 34080781 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202100388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Van der Waals materials composed of stacks of individual atomic layers have attracted considerable attention due to their exotic electronic properties that can be altered by, e.g., manipulating the twist angle of bilayer materials or the stacking sequence of trilayer materials. To fully understand and control the unique properties of these few-layer materials, a technique that can provide information about their local in-plane structural deformations, twist direction, and out-of-plane structure is needed. In principle, interference in overlap regions of Bragg disks originating from separate layers of a material encodes 3D information about the relative positions of atoms in the corresponding layers. Here, an interferometric 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy technique is described that utilizes this phenomenon to extract precise structural information from few-layer materials with nm-scale resolution. It is demonstrated how this technique enables measurement of local pm-scale in-plane lattice distortions as well as twist direction and average interlayer spacings in bilayer and trilayer graphene, and therefore provides a means to better understand the interplay between electronic properties and precise structural arrangements of few-layer 2D materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Jacob Madsen
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Pulickel M Ajayan
- Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Toma Susi
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
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21
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El Baggari I, Baek DJ, Zachman MJ, Lu D, Hikita Y, Hwang HY, Nowadnick EA, Kourkoutis LF. Charge order textures induced by non-linear couplings in a half-doped manganite. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3747. [PMID: 34145244 PMCID: PMC8213702 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24026-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The self-organization of strongly interacting electrons into superlattice structures underlies the properties of many quantum materials. How these electrons arrange within the superlattice dictates what symmetries are broken and what ground states are stabilized. Here we show that cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM) enables direct mapping of local symmetries and order at the intra-unit-cell level in the model charge-ordered system Nd1/2Sr1/2MnO3. In addition to imaging the prototypical site-centered charge order, we discover the nanoscale coexistence of an exotic intermediate state which mixes site and bond order and breaks inversion symmetry. We further show that nonlinear coupling of distinct lattice modes controls the selection between competing ground states. The results demonstrate the importance of lattice coupling for understanding and manipulating the character of electronic self-organization and that cryo-STEM can reveal local order in strongly correlated systems at the atomic scale. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy allows for the direct mapping of the local arrangements and symmetries of electronic order, providing a useful method for studying strongly correlated systems. They show this using the example of Nd1/2Sr1/2MnO3, a model charge ordered material.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David J Baek
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Intel Corp., Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Di Lu
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA.,Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yasuyuki Hikita
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA.,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Harold Y Hwang
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA.,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Nowadnick
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. .,Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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22
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Blum T, Graves J, Zachman MJ, Polo-Garzon F, Wu Z, Kannan R, Pan X, Chi M. Machine Learning Method Reveals Hidden Strong Metal-Support Interaction in Microscopy Datasets. Small Methods 2021; 5:e2100035. [PMID: 34928097 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202100035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Forming an ultra-thin, permeable encapsulation oxide-support layer on a metal catalyst surface is considered an effective strategy for achieving a balance between high stability and high activity in heterogenous catalysts. The success of such a design relies not only on the thickness, ideally one to two atomic layers thick, but also on the morphology and chemistry of the encapsulation layer. Reliably identifying the presence and chemical nature of such a trace layer has been challenging. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) performed in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), the primary technique utilized for such studies, is limited by a weak signal on overlayers when using conventional analysis methods, often leading to misinterpreted or missed information. Here, a robust, unsupervised machine learning data analysis method is developed to reveal trace encapsulation layers that are otherwise overlooked in STEM-EELS datasets. This method provides a reliable tool for analyzing encapsulation of catalysts and is generally applicable to any spectroscopic analysis of materials and devices where revealing a trace signal and its spatial distribution is challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Blum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Jeffery Graves
- Department of Computer Science, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, 38505, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Felipe Polo-Garzon
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Zili Wu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Ramakrishnan Kannan
- Computational Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Pan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
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23
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Possinger AR, Zachman MJ, Enders A, Levin BDA, Muller DA, Kourkoutis LF, Lehmann J. Organo-organic and organo-mineral interfaces in soil at the nanometer scale. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6103. [PMID: 33257711 PMCID: PMC7705750 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19792-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity of soil as a carbon (C) sink is mediated by interactions between organic matter and mineral phases. However, previously proposed layered accumulation of organic matter within aggregate organo–mineral microstructures has not yet been confirmed by direct visualization at the necessary nanometer-scale spatial resolution. Here, we identify disordered micrometer-size organic phases rather than previously reported ordered gradients in C functional groups. Using cryo-electron microscopy with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we show organo–organic interfaces in contrast to exclusively organo–mineral interfaces. Single-digit nanometer-size layers of C forms were detected at the organo–organic interface, showing alkyl C and nitrogen (N) enrichment (by 4 and 7%, respectively). At the organo–mineral interface, 88% (72–92%) and 33% (16–53%) enrichment of N and oxidized C, respectively, indicate different stabilization processes than at organo–organic interfaces. However, N enrichment at both interface types points towards the importance of N-rich residues for greater C sequestration. Historically it has been maintained that soil organic carbon (SOC) is stabilized through interactions with mineral interfaces. Here the authors use cryo-electron microscopy and spectroscopy to show that SOC interactions can also occur between organic forms in patchy, disordered structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela R Possinger
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Akio Enders
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Barnaby D A Levin
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - David A Muller
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Johannes Lehmann
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. .,Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany. .,Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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24
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DeRocher KA, Smeets PJM, Goodge BH, Zachman MJ, Balachandran PV, Stegbauer L, Cohen MJ, Gordon LM, Rondinelli JM, Kourkoutis LF, Joester D. Publisher Correction: Chemical gradients in human enamel crystallites. Nature 2020; 584:E3. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2544-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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25
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DeRocher KA, Smeets PJM, Goodge BH, Zachman MJ, Balachandran PV, Stegbauer L, Cohen MJ, Gordon LM, Rondinelli JM, Kourkoutis LF, Joester D. Chemical gradients in human enamel crystallites. Nature 2020; 583:66-71. [PMID: 32612224 PMCID: PMC8290891 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2433-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Dental enamel is a principal component of teeth1, and has evolved to bear large chewing forces, resist mechanical fatigue and withstand wear over decades2. Functional impairment and loss of dental enamel, caused by developmental defects or tooth decay (caries), affect health and quality of life, with associated costs to society3. Although the past decade has seen progress in our understanding of enamel formation (amelogenesis) and the functional properties of mature enamel, attempts to repair lesions in this material or to synthesize it in vitro have had limited success4-6. This is partly due to the highly hierarchical structure of enamel and additional complexities arising from chemical gradients7-9. Here we show, using atomic-scale quantitative imaging and correlative spectroscopies, that the nanoscale crystallites of hydroxylapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)), which are the fundamental building blocks of enamel, comprise two nanometric layers enriched in magnesium flanking a core rich in sodium, fluoride and carbonate ions; this sandwich core is surrounded by a shell with lower concentration of substitutional defects. A mechanical model based on density functional theory calculations and X-ray diffraction data predicts that residual stresses arise because of the chemical gradients, in agreement with preferential dissolution of the crystallite core in acidic media. Furthermore, stresses may affect the mechanical resilience of enamel. The two additional layers of hierarchy suggest a possible new model for biological control over crystal growth during amelogenesis, and hint at implications for the preservation of biomarkers during tooth development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen A DeRocher
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Paul J M Smeets
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Berit H Goodge
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Prasanna V Balachandran
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Linus Stegbauer
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Michael J Cohen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Lyle M Gordon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - James M Rondinelli
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Derk Joester
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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26
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Zachman MJ, Hachtel JA, Idrobo JC, Chi M. Emerging Electron Microscopy Techniques for Probing Functional Interfaces in Energy Materials. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201902993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
| | - Jordan A. Hachtel
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
| | - Juan Carlos Idrobo
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USA
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27
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Zachman MJ, Hachtel JA, Idrobo JC, Chi M. Emerging Electron Microscopy Techniques for Probing Functional Interfaces in Energy Materials. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 59:1384-1396. [PMID: 31081976 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201902993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Interfaces play a fundamental role in many areas of chemistry. However, their localized nature requires characterization techniques with high spatial resolution in order to fully understand their structure and properties. State-of-the-art atomic resolution or in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy are indispensable tools for characterizing the local structure and chemistry of materials with single-atom resolution, but they are not able to measure many properties that dictate function, such as vibrational modes or charge transfer, and are limited to room-temperature samples containing no liquids. Here, we outline emerging electron microscopy techniques that are allowing these limitations to be overcome and highlight several recent studies that were enabled by these techniques. We then provide a vision for how these techniques can be paired with each other and with in situ methods to deliver new insights into the static and dynamic behavior of functional interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Jordan A Hachtel
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Idrobo
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Miaofang Chi
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
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28
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Choudhury S, Tu Z, Nijamudheen A, Zachman MJ, Stalin S, Deng Y, Zhao Q, Vu D, Kourkoutis LF, Mendoza-Cortes JL, Archer LA. Stabilizing polymer electrolytes in high-voltage lithium batteries. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3091. [PMID: 31300653 PMCID: PMC6626095 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11015-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrochemical cells that utilize lithium and sodium anodes are under active study for their potential to enable high-energy batteries. Liquid and solid polymer electrolytes based on ether chemistry are among the most promising choices for rechargeable lithium and sodium batteries. However, uncontrolled anionic polymerization of these electrolytes at low anode potentials and oxidative degradation at working potentials of the most interesting cathode chemistries have led to a quite concession in the field that solid-state or flexible batteries based on polymer electrolytes can only be achieved in cells based on low- or moderate-voltage cathodes. Here, we show that cationic chain transfer agents can prevent degradation of ether electrolytes by arresting uncontrolled polymer growth at the anode. We also report that cathode electrolyte interphases composed of preformed anionic polymers and supramolecules provide a fundamental strategy for extending the high voltage stability of ether-based electrolytes to potentials well above conventionally accepted limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehashis Choudhury
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Zhengyuan Tu
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - A Nijamudheen
- Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Florida A&M-Florida State University, Joint College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
- Materials Science and Engineering, High Performance Materials Institute, Florida State University, 2005 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
- Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, 110 North Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA
- Condensed Matter Theory, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, 77 Chieftan Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Sanjuna Stalin
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Yue Deng
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Qing Zhao
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Duylinh Vu
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jose L Mendoza-Cortes
- Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Florida A&M-Florida State University, Joint College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA.
- Materials Science and Engineering, High Performance Materials Institute, Florida State University, 2005 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA.
- Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, 110 North Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA.
- Condensed Matter Theory, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA.
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, 77 Chieftan Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
| | - Lynden A Archer
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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29
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Zhao Q, Zachman MJ, Al Sadat WI, Zheng J, Kourkoutis LF, Archer L. Solid electrolyte interphases for high-energy aqueous aluminum electrochemical cells. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaau8131. [PMID: 30515458 PMCID: PMC6269156 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau8131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical cells based on aluminum (Al) are of long-standing interest because Al is earth abundant, low cost, and chemically inert. The trivalent Al3+ ions also offer among the highest volume-specific charge storage capacities (8040 mAh cm-3), approximately four times larger than achievable for Li metal anodes. Rapid and irreversible formation of a high-electrical bandgap passivating Al2O3 oxide film on Al have, to date, frustrated all efforts to create aqueous Al-based electrochemical cells with high reversibility. Here, we investigate the interphases formed on metallic Al in contact with ionic liquid (IL)-eutectic electrolytes and find that artificial solid electrolyte interphases (ASEIs) formed spontaneously on the metal permanently transform its interfacial chemistry. The resultant IL-ASEIs are further shown to enable aqueous Al electrochemical cells with unprecedented reversibility. As an illustration of the potential benefits of these interphases, we create simple Al||MnO2 aqueous cells and report that they provide high specific energy (approximately 500 Wh/kg, based on MnO2 mass in the cathode) and intrinsic safety features required for applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Zhao
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Wajdi I. Al Sadat
- Research & Development Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jingxu Zheng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lena F. Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 4853, USA
| | - Lynden Archer
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Corresponding author.
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30
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Zachman MJ, Tu Z, Choudhury S, Archer LA, Kourkoutis LF. Cryo-STEM mapping of solid-liquid interfaces and dendrites in lithium-metal batteries. Nature 2018; 560:345-349. [PMID: 30111789 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0397-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Solid-liquid interfaces are important in a range of chemical, physical and biological processes1-4, but are often not fully understood owing to the lack of high-resolution characterization methods that are compatible with both solid and liquid components5. For example, the related processes of dendritic deposition of lithium metal and the formation of solid-electrolyte interphase layers6,7 are known to be key determinants of battery safety and performance in high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries. But exactly what is involved in these two processes, which occur at a solid-liquid interface, has long been debated8-11 because of the challenges of observing such interfaces directly. Here we adapt a technique that has enabled cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) of hydrated specimens in biology-immobilization of liquids by rapid freezing, that is, vitrification12. By vitrifying the liquid electrolyte we preserve it and the structures at solid-liquid interfaces in lithium-metal batteries in their native state, and thus enable structural and chemical mapping of these interfaces by cryo-scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM). We identify two dendrite types coexisting on the lithium anode, each with distinct structure and composition. One family of dendrites has an extended solid-electrolyte interphase layer, whereas the other unexpectedly consists of lithium hydride instead of lithium metal and may contribute disproportionately to loss of battery capacity. The insights into the formation of lithium dendrites that our work provides demonstrate the potential of cryogenic electron microscopy for probing nanoscale processes at intact solid-liquid interfaces in functional devices such as rechargeable batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Zhengyuan Tu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Snehashis Choudhury
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lynden A Archer
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. .,Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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31
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Prasad B, Pfanzelt G, Fillis-Tsirakis E, Zachman MJ, Kourkoutis LF, Mannhart J. Integrated Circuits Comprising Patterned Functional Liquids. Adv Mater 2018; 30:e1802598. [PMID: 30015987 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201802598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Solid-state heterostructures are the cornerstone of modern electronics. To enhance the functionality and performance of integrated circuits, the spectrum of materials used in the heterostructures is being expanded by an increasing number of compounds and elements of the periodic table. While the integration of liquids and solid-liquid interfaces into such systems would allow unique and advanced functional properties and would enable integrated nanoionic circuits, solid-state heterostructures that incorporate liquids have not been considered thus far. Here solid-state heterostructures with integrated liquids are proposed, realized, and characterized, thereby opening a vast, new phase space of materials and interfaces for integrated circuits. Devices containing tens of microscopic capacitors and field-effect transistors are fabricated by using integrated patterned NaCl aqueous solutions. This work paves the way to integrated electronic circuits that include highly integrated liquids, thus yielding a wide array of novel research and application opportunities based on microscopic solid/liquid systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhagwati Prasad
- Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Georg Pfanzelt
- Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Michael J Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jochen Mannhart
- Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
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32
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Choudhury S, Wan CTC, Al Sadat WI, Tu Z, Lau S, Zachman MJ, Kourkoutis LF, Archer LA. Designer interphases for the lithium-oxygen electrochemical cell. Sci Adv 2017; 3:e1602809. [PMID: 28439557 PMCID: PMC5397139 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
An electrochemical cell based on the reversible oxygen reduction reaction: 2Li+ + 2e - + O2↔ Li2O2, provides among the most energy dense platforms for portable electrical energy storage. Such Lithium-Oxygen (Li-O2) cells offer specific energies competitive with fossil fuels and are considered promising for electrified transportation. Multiple, fundamental challenges with the cathode, anode, and electrolyte have limited practical interest in Li-O2 cells because these problems lead to as many practical shortcomings, including poor rechargeability, high overpotentials, and specific energies well below theoretical expectations. We create and study in-situ formation of solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs) based on bromide ionomers tethered to a Li anode that take advantage of three powerful processes for overcoming the most stubborn of these challenges. The ionomer SEIs are shown to protect the Li anode against parasitic reactions and also stabilize Li electrodeposition during cell recharge. Bromine species liberated during the anchoring reaction also function as redox mediators at the cathode, reducing the charge overpotential. Finally, the ionomer SEI forms a stable interphase with Li, which protects the metal in high Gutmann donor number liquid electrolytes. Such electrolytes have been reported to exhibit rare stability against nucleophilic attack by Li2O2 and other cathode reaction intermediates, but also react spontaneously with Li metal anodes. We conclude that rationally designed SEIs able to regulate transport of matter and ions at the electrolyte/anode interface provide a promising platform for addressing three major technical barriers to practical Li-O2 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehashis Choudhury
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Charles Tai-Chieh Wan
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Wajdi I. Al Sadat
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Zhengyuan Tu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sampson Lau
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Michael J. Zachman
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lena F. Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lynden A. Archer
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Corresponding author.
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33
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Levin BDA, Zachman MJ, Werner JG, Sahore R, Nguyen KX, Han Y, Xie B, Ma L, Archer LA, Giannelis EP, Wiesner U, Kourkoutis LF, Muller DA. Characterization of Sulfur and Nanostructured Sulfur Battery Cathodes in Electron Microscopy Without Sublimation Artifacts. Microsc Microanal 2017; 23:155-162. [PMID: 28228169 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927617000058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries have the potential to provide higher energy storage density at lower cost than conventional lithium ion batteries. A key challenge for Li-S batteries is the loss of sulfur to the electrolyte during cycling. This loss can be mitigated by sequestering the sulfur in nanostructured carbon-sulfur composites. The nanoscale characterization of the sulfur distribution within these complex nanostructured electrodes is normally performed by electron microscopy, but sulfur sublimates and redistributes in the high-vacuum conditions of conventional electron microscopes. The resulting sublimation artifacts render characterization of sulfur in conventional electron microscopes problematic and unreliable. Here, we demonstrate two techniques, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and scanning electron microscopy in air (airSEM), that enable the reliable characterization of sulfur across multiple length scales by suppressing sulfur sublimation. We use cryo-TEM and airSEM to examine carbon-sulfur composites synthesized for use as Li-S battery cathodes, noting several cases where the commonly employed sulfur melt infusion method is highly inefficient at infiltrating sulfur into porous carbon hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barnaby D A Levin
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Michael J Zachman
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Jörg G Werner
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Ritu Sahore
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Kayla X Nguyen
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Yimo Han
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Baoquan Xie
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Lin Ma
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Lynden A Archer
- 3School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Emmanuel P Giannelis
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Ulrich Wiesner
- 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - David A Muller
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
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34
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Zachman MJ, Asenath-Smith E, Estroff LA, Kourkoutis LF. Site-Specific Preparation of Intact Solid-Liquid Interfaces by Label-Free In Situ Localization and Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Lift-Out. Microsc Microanal 2016; 22:1338-1349. [PMID: 27869059 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927616011892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) allows atomic scale characterization of solid-solid interfaces, but has seen limited applications to solid-liquid interfaces due to the volatility of liquids in the microscope vacuum. Although cryo-electron microscopy is routinely used to characterize hydrated samples stabilized by rapid freezing, sample thinning is required to access the internal interfaces of thicker specimens. Here, we adapt cryo-focused ion beam (FIB) "lift-out," a technique recently developed for biological specimens, to prepare intact internal solid-liquid interfaces for high-resolution structural and chemical analysis by cryo-STEM. To guide the milling process we introduce a label-free in situ method of localizing subsurface structures in suitable materials by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Monte Carlo simulations are performed to evaluate the depth-probing capability of the technique, and show good qualitative agreement with experiment. We also detail procedures to produce homogeneously thin lamellae, which enable nanoscale structural, elemental, and chemical analysis of intact solid-liquid interfaces by analytical cryo-STEM. This work demonstrates the potential of cryo-FIB lift-out and cryo-STEM for understanding physical and chemical processes at solid-liquid interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Zachman
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Emily Asenath-Smith
- 3Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Lara A Estroff
- 2Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- 1School of Applied and Engineering Physics,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA
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