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Wilke SK, Benmore CJ, Alderman OLG, Sivaraman G, Ruehl MD, Hawthorne KL, Tamalonis A, Andersson DA, Williamson MA, Weber R. Plutonium oxide melt structure and covalency. Nat Mater 2024:10.1038/s41563-024-01883-3. [PMID: 38671164 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01883-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Advances in nuclear power reactors include the use of mixed oxide fuel, containing uranium and plutonium oxides. The high-temperature behaviour and structure of PuO2-x above 1,800 K remain largely unexplored, and these conditions must be considered for reactor design and planning for the mitigation of severe accidents. Here, we measure the atomic structure of PuO2-x through the melting transition up to 3,000 ± 50 K using X-ray scattering of aerodynamically levitated and laser-beam-heated samples, with O/Pu ranging from 1.57 to 1.76. Liquid structural models consistent with the X-ray data are developed using machine-learned interatomic potentials and density functional theory. Molten PuO1.76 contains some degree of covalent Pu-O bonding, signalled by the degeneracy of Pu 5f and O 2p orbitals. The liquid is isomorphous with molten CeO1.75, demonstrating the latter as a non-radioactive, non-toxic, structural surrogate when differences in the oxidation potentials of Pu and Ce are accounted for. These characterizations provide essential constraints for modelling pertinent to reactor safety design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, IL, USA.
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA.
| | - Chris J Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Oliver L G Alderman
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
| | - Ganesh Sivaraman
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Matthew D Ruehl
- Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Krista L Hawthorne
- Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | | | - David A Andersson
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Mark A Williamson
- Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Richard Weber
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, IL, USA
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
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Wilke SK, Benmore CJ, Menon V, Smith D, Byrn SR, Weber R. Molecular structure of ketoprofen-polyvinylpyrrolidone solid dispersions prepared by different amorphization methods. RSC Pharm 2024; 1:121-131. [PMID: 38646594 PMCID: PMC11024667 DOI: 10.1039/d3pm00038a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) are a widely studied formulation approach for improving the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble pharmaceuticals. Yet, a complete understanding remains lacking for how specific processing methods may influence ASDs' molecular structure. We prepare ketoprofen/polyvinylpyrrolidone (KTP/PVP) ASDs, ranging from 0-75 wt% KTP, using five different amorphization techniques: melt quenching, rotary evaporation with vacuum drying, spray drying, and acoustic levitation with either a premixed solution or in situ mixing of separate co-sprayed solutions. The co-spray levitation approach enables on-demand compositional changes in a containerless processing environment, while requiring minimal pharmaceutical material (∼1 mg). The structure of all ASDs are then compared using high-energy X-ray total scattering. X-ray pair distribution functions are similar for most ASDs of a given composition (Rx = 0.4-2.5%), which is consistent with them having similar intramolecular structure. More notably, differences in the X-ray structure factors for the various amorphization routes indicate differing extents of molecular mixing, a direct indication of their relative stability against crystallization. Melt quenching, spray drying, and levitation of premixed solutions exhibit some degree of molecular mixing, while the co-sprayed levitation samples have molecular arrangements like those of KTP/PVP physical mixtures. These findings illustrate how X-ray total scattering can be used to benchmark amorphous forms prepared by different techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc. Evanston 825 Chicago Ave IL 60202 USA
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory Argonne IL 60439 USA
| | - Chris J Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory Argonne IL 60439 USA
| | - Vrishank Menon
- Materials Development, Inc. Evanston 825 Chicago Ave IL 60202 USA
| | - Dan Smith
- Improved Pharma West Lafayette IN 47906 USA
| | | | - Richard Weber
- Materials Development, Inc. Evanston 825 Chicago Ave IL 60202 USA
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory Argonne IL 60439 USA
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Wilke SK, Al-Rubkhi A, Koyama C, Ishikawa T, Oda H, Topper B, Tsekrekas EM, Möncke D, Alderman OLG, Menon V, Rafferty J, Clark E, Kastengren AL, Benmore CJ, Ilavsky J, Neuefeind J, Kohara S, SanSoucie M, Phillips B, Weber R. Microgravity effects on nonequilibrium melt processing of neodymium titanate: thermophysical properties, atomic structure, glass formation and crystallization. NPJ Microgravity 2024; 10:26. [PMID: 38448495 PMCID: PMC10918169 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00371-x] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The relationships between materials processing and structure can vary between terrestrial and reduced gravity environments. As one case study, we compare the nonequilibrium melt processing of a rare-earth titanate, nominally 83TiO2-17Nd2O3, and the structure of its glassy and crystalline products. Density and thermal expansion for the liquid, supercooled liquid, and glass are measured over 300-1850 °C using the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) in microgravity, and two replicate density measurements were reproducible to within 0.4%. Cooling rates in ELF are 40-110 °C s-1 lower than those in a terrestrial aerodynamic levitator due to the absence of forced convection. X-ray/neutron total scattering and Raman spectroscopy indicate that glasses processed on Earth and in microgravity exhibit similar atomic structures, with only subtle differences that are consistent with compositional variations of ~2 mol. % Nd2O3. The glass atomic network contains a mixture of corner- and edge-sharing Ti-O polyhedra, and the fraction of edge-sharing arrangements decreases with increasing Nd2O3 content. X-ray tomography and electron microscopy of crystalline products reveal substantial differences in microstructure, grain size, and crystalline phases, which arise from differences in the melt processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL, 60202, USA.
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Hirohisa Oda
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Brian Topper
- Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Tsekrekas
- Inamori School of Engineering at the New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 14802, USA
| | - Doris Möncke
- Inamori School of Engineering at the New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 14802, USA
| | - Oliver L G Alderman
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX, UK
| | | | | | - Emma Clark
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL, 60202, USA
| | - Alan L Kastengren
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Chris J Benmore
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Jan Ilavsky
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Jörg Neuefeind
- Neutron Science Division, Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Shinji Kohara
- National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | | | - Richard Weber
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL, 60202, USA
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
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Benmore CJ, Benmore SR, Wilke SK, Menon V, Byrn SR, Weber JKR. X-ray Diffraction of Water in Polyvinylpyrrolidone. Mol Pharm 2023. [PMID: 37306254 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00265] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PVP is a hydrophilic polymer commonly used as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations. Here we have performed time-resolved high-energy X-ray scattering experiments on pellets of PVP at different humidity conditions for 1-2 days. A two-phase exponential decay in water sorption is found with a peak in the differential pair distribution function at 2.85 Å, which is attributed to the average (hydrogen bonded) carbonyl oxygen-water oxygen distance. Additional scattering measurements on powders with fixed compositions ranging from 2 to 12.3 wt % H2O were modeled with Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR). The models reveal approximately linear relations between the carbonyl oxygen-water oxygen coordination number (nOC-OW) and the water oxygen-water oxygen coordination number (nOW-OW) versus water content in PVP. A stronger preference for water-water hydrogen bonding over carbonyl-water bonding is found. At all the concentrations studied the majority of water molecules were found to be randomly isolated, but a wide distribution of coordination environments of water molecules is found within the PVP polymer strands at the highest concentrations. Overall, the EPSR models indicate a continuous evolution in structure versus water content with nOW-OW=1 occurring at ∼12 wt % H2O, i.e., the composition where, on average, each water molecule is surrounded by one other water molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - S R Benmore
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004, USA
| | - S K Wilke
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004, USA
| | - V Menon
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004, USA
| | - S R Byrn
- Improved Pharma, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, USA
| | - J K R Weber
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004, USA
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Boland SE, Wilke SK, Scott JA, Schlossberg SM, Ivaschenko A, Weber RJK, Lipke DW. A hyperbaric aerodynamic levitator for containerless materials research. Rev Sci Instrum 2023; 94:2891476. [PMID: 37204284 DOI: 10.1063/5.0148455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
A hyperbaric aerodynamic levitator has been developed for containerless materials research at specimen temperatures exceeding 2000 °C and pressures up to 10.3 MPa (1500 psi). This report describes the prototype instrument design and observations of the influence of specimen size, density, pressure, and flow rate on levitation behavior. The effect of pressure on heat transfer was also assessed by studying the heating and cooling behavior of levitated Al2O3 liquids. A threefold increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient was estimated as pressure increased to 10.3 MPa. The results demonstrate that hyperbaric aerodynamic levitation is a promising technique for containerless materials research at high gas pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney E Boland
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA
| | - Stephen K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004, USA
| | - Jonathan A Scott
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA
| | | | | | | | - David W Lipke
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA
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Wilke SK, Benmore CJ, Ilavsky J, Youngman RE, Rezikyan A, Carson MP, Menon V, Weber R. Phase separation in mullite-composition glass. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17687. [PMID: 36271024 PMCID: PMC9587060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22557-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Aluminosilicates (AS) are ubiquitous in ceramics, geology, and planetary science, and their glassy forms underpin vital technologies used in displays, waveguides, and lasers. In spite of this, the nonequilibrium behavior of the prototypical AS compound, mullite (40SiO2-60Al2O3, or AS60), is not well understood. By deeply supercooling mullite-composition liquid via aerodynamic levitation, we observe metastable liquid–liquid unmixing that yields a transparent two-phase glass, comprising a nanoscale mixture of AS7 and AS62. Extrapolations from X-ray scattering measurements show the AS7 phase is similar to vitreous SiO2 with a few Al species substituted for Si. The AS62 phase is built from a highly polymerized network of 4-, 5-, and 6-coordinated AlOx polyhedra. Polymerization of the AS62 network and the composite morphology provide essential mechanisms for toughening the glass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL, 60202, USA. .,X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Chris J Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Jan Ilavsky
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Randall E Youngman
- Science and Technology Division, Corning Incorporated, Corning, NY, 14831, USA
| | - Aram Rezikyan
- Science and Technology Division, Corning Incorporated, Corning, NY, 14831, USA
| | - Michael P Carson
- Science and Technology Division, Corning Incorporated, Corning, NY, 14831, USA
| | | | - Richard Weber
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL, 60202, USA.,X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
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Benmore CJ, González GB, Alderman OLG, Wilke SK, Yarger JL, Leinenweber K, Weber JKR. Hard x-ray methods for studying the structure of amorphous thin films and bulk glassy oxides. J Phys Condens Matter 2021; 33:194001. [PMID: 33540391 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/abe352] [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] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
High-energy photon diffraction minimizes many of the corrections associated with laboratory x-ray diffractometers, and enables structure factor measurements to be made over a wide range of momentum transfers. The method edges us closer toward an ideal experiment, in which coordination numbers can be extracted without knowledge of the sample density. Three case studies are presented that demonstrate new hard x-ray methods for studying the structure of glassy and amorphous materials. First, the methodology and analysis of high-energy grazing incidence on thin films is discussed for the case of amorphous In2O3. The connectivity of irregular InO6polyhedra are shown to exist in face-, edge- and corner-shared configurations in the approximate ratio of 1:2:3. Secondly, the technique of high-energy small and wide angle scattering has been carried out on laser heated and aerodynamically levitated samples of silica-rich barium silicate (20BaO:80SiO2), from the single phase melt at 1500oC to the phase separated glass at room temperature. Based on Ba-O coordination numbers of 6 to 7, it is argued that the although the potential of Ba is ionic, it is weak enough to cause the liquid-liquid immiscibility to become metastable. Lastly, high-energy small and wide angle scattering has also been applied to high water content (up to 12 wt.%) samples of hydrous SiO2glass quenched from 1500oC at 4 GPa. An increase of Si1-O2correlations at 4.3 Å is found to be consistent with an increase in the population of three-membered SiO4rings at the expense of larger rings.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, United States of America
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America
| | - G B González
- Department of Physics, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois 60614, United States of America
| | - O L G Alderman
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - S K Wilke
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL 60202, United States of America
| | - J L Yarger
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America
| | - K Leinenweber
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America
| | - J K R Weber
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, United States of America
- Materials Development, Inc., Evanston, IL 60202, United States of America
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Wilke SK, Lundberg RA, Dunand DC. Hierarchical Structural Changes During Redox Cycling of Fe-Based Lamellar Foams Containing YSZ, CeO 2, or ZrO 2. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2020; 12:27190-27201. [PMID: 32434318 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c05107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Several high-temperature energy conversion and storage technologies rely on redox cycling of Fe-based materials, including storage materials in solid-oxide Fe-air batteries and oxygen carriers in chemical-looping combustion. The materials' macroporosity necessary for gas flow is, however, irreversibly diminished during redox cycling due to (i) large volume changes during the redox transformations, (ii) foam sintering at elevated operating temperature (550-900 °C), and (iii) formation and growth of Kirkendall microporosity. To address these challenges, we use directional freeze-casting to create highly porous, lamellar, Fe-composite foams containing uniformly distributed sintering inhibitor (SI) particles-either Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ), CeO2, or ZrO2-at 0, 5, 10, or 15% of the solid volume. We characterize these foams before, during, and after redox cycling (Fe/FeO/Fe3O4, via H2O and H2) at 800 °C using operando synchrotron X-ray microtomography, metallography, and scanning electron microscopy. Shrinkage of the foam volume and formation of a gas-blocking shell surrounding the foam are reduced as the SI fraction increases. Volumetric shrinkage after the first five redox cycles is decreased from 66% (for pure-Fe foams) to 45% (for all Fe-composites containing 5 vol % SI). Foams containing 15 vol % YSZ show no volumetric shrinkage after five cycles, although, after 20 cycles, they have shrunk 53%. Post-cycling analysis reveals segregation of the SI particles to the cores of individual lamellae, surrounded by thick layers of sintered Fe on the lamellae surfaces. This segregation occurs due to Fe diffusion through FeO to the lamellae surfaces during oxidation, leaving behind the SI particles, which are then pushed into clusters by FeO/Fe3O4 contraction during reduction. The SI is thus rendered ineffective, which explains why foam densification is delayed (compared with pure-Fe foams), rather than fully prevented, after repeated cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Wilke
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Robert A Lundberg
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - David C Dunand
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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Brown EC, Wilke SK, Boyd DA, Goodwin DG, Haile SM. Polymer sphere lithography for solid oxide fuel cells: a route to functional, well-defined electrode structures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1039/b920973e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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