I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[25166]
Open Access
Abstract: We present the synthesis of a novel binary metal oxide material: Ba7Mn4O15. The crystal structure has been investigated by high-resolution powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction in the temperature range of 100–300 K as well as by powder neutron diffraction at 10 and 80 K. This material represents an isostructural barium-substituted analogue of the layered material Sr7Mn4O15 that forms its own structural class. However, we find that Ba7Mn4O15 adopts a distinct magnetic ordering, resulting in a magnetoelectric ground state below 50 K. The likely magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms have been inferred from performing a careful symmetry-adapted refinement against the powder neutron diffraction experiments, as well as by making a comparison with the nonmagnetoelectric ground state of Sr7Mn4O15.
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Jun 2022
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Open Access
Abstract: The purification of light olefins is one of the most important chemical separations globally and consumes large amounts of energy. Porous materials have the capability to improve the efficiency of this process by acting as solid, regenerable adsorbents. However, to develop translational systems, the underlying mechanisms of adsorption in porous materials must be fully understood. Herein, we report the adsorption and dynamic separation of C2 and C3 hydrocarbons in the metal–organic framework MFM-300(In), which exhibits excellent performance in the separation of mixtures of ethane/ethylene and propyne/propylene. Unusually selective adsorption of ethane over ethylene at low pressure is observed, resulting in selective retention of ethane from a mixture of ethylene/ethane, thus demonstrating its potential for a one-step purification of ethylene (purity > 99.9%). In situ neutron powder diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering reveal the preferred adsorption domains and host–guest binding dynamics of adsorption of C2 and C3 hydrocarbons in MFM-300(In).
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Jun 2022
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Shanshan
Liu
,
Yinlin
Chen
,
Bin
Yue
,
Chang
Wang
,
Bin
Qin
,
Yuchao
Chai
,
Guangjun
Wu
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Xue
Han
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Sarah J.
Day
,
Naijia
Guan
,
Stephen P.
Thompson
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Landong
Li
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[29649]
Abstract: The development of cost-effective sorbents for direct capture of trace CO 2 (<1%) from the atmosphere is an important and challenging task. Natural or commercial zeolites are promising sorbents, but their performance in adsorption of trace CO 2 has been poorly explored to date. Herein, we report a systematic study on capture of trace CO 2 by commercial faujasite zeolites, where we found that the extra-framework cations played a key role on their performance. Under dry conditions, Ba-X displays high dynamic uptake of 1.79 and 0.69 mmol g -1 at CO 2 concentrations of 10000 and 1000 ppm, respectively, and shows excellent recyclability in the temperature-swing adsorption processes. K-X exhibits perfect moisture resistance, and >95 % dry CO 2 uptake can be preserved under relative humidity of 74%. In situ solid-state NMR spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction reveal two binding sites for CO 2 in these zeolites, namely the basic framework oxygen atoms and the divalent alkaline earth metal ions. This study unlocks the potential of low-cost natural zeolites for applications in direct air capture.
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Jun 2022
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B18-Core EXAFS
B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
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Yujie
Ma
,
Wanpeng
Lu
,
Xue
Han
,
Yinlin
Chen
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Daniel
Lee
,
Alena M.
Sheveleva
,
Zi
Wang
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Weiyao
Li
,
Mengtian
Fan
,
Shaojun
Xu
,
Floriana
Tuna
,
Eric J. L.
Mcinnes
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Martin
Schroeder
,
Sihai
Yang
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19850]
Open Access
Abstract: The presence of active sites in metal–organic framework (MOF) materials can control and affect their performance significantly in adsorption and catalysis. However, revealing the interactions between the substrate and active sites in MOFs at atomic precision remains a challenging task. Here, we report the direct observation of binding of NH3 in a series of UiO-66 materials containing atomically dispersed defects and open Cu(I) and Cu(II) sites. While all MOFs in this series exhibit similar surface areas (1111–1135 m2 g–1), decoration of the −OH site in UiO-66-defect with Cu(II) results in a 43% enhancement of the isothermal uptake of NH3 at 273 K and 1.0 bar from 11.8 in UiO-66-defect to 16.9 mmol g–1 in UiO-66-CuII. A 100% enhancement of dynamic adsorption of NH3 at a concentration level of 630 ppm from 2.07 mmol g–1 in UiO-66-defect to 4.15 mmol g–1 in UiO-66-CuII at 298 K is observed. In situ neutron powder diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, and electron paramagnetic resonance, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared spectroscopies, coupled with modeling reveal that the enhanced NH3 uptake in UiO-66-CuII originates from a {Cu(II)···NH3} interaction, with a reversible change in geometry at Cu(II) from near-linear to trigonal coordination. This work represents the first example of structural elucidation of NH3 binding in MOFs containing open metal sites and will inform the design of new efficient MOF sorbents by targeted control of active sites for NH3 capture and storage.
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May 2022
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
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Lixia
Guo
,
Xue
Han
,
Yujie
Ma
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Wanpeng
Lu
,
Weiyao
Li
,
Daniel
Lee
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Anibal Javier
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Martin
Schroeder
,
Sihai
Yang
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[30398]
Open Access
Abstract: To understand the exceptional adsorption of ammonia (NH3) in MFM-300(Sc) (19.5 mmol g−1 at 273 K and 1 bar without hysteresis), we report a systematic investigation of the mechanism of adsorption by a combination of in situ neutron powder diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy, and solid-state 45Sc NMR spectroscopy. These complementary techniques reveal the formation of reversible host-guest supramolecular interactions, which explains directly the observed excellent reversibility of this material over 90 adsorption-desorption cycles.
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Apr 2022
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Christopher
Marsh
,
Xue
Han
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Zhenzhong
Lu
,
Stephen
Argent
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Luke L.
Daemen
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Stephen P.
Thompson
,
Alexander J.
Blake
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23483, 11622]
Open Access
Abstract: We report the reversible adsorption of ammonia (NH3) up to 9.9 mmol g–1 in a robust Al-based metal–organic framework, MFM-303(Al), which is functionalized with free carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups. The unique pore environment decorated with these acidic sites results in an exceptional packing density of NH3 at 293 K (0.801 g cm–3) comparable to that of solid NH3 at 193 K (0.817 g cm–3). In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering reveal the critical role of free −COOH and −OH groups in immobilizing NH3 molecules. Breakthrough experiments confirm the excellent performance of MFM-303(Al) for the capture of NH3 at low concentrations under both dry and wet conditions.
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Apr 2021
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
I20-EDE-Energy Dispersive EXAFS (EDE)
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Longfei
Lin
,
Mengtian
Fan
,
Alena M.
Sheveleva
,
Xue
Han
,
Zhimou
Tang
,
Joseph H.
Carter
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Christopher
Parlett
,
Floriana
Tuna
,
Eric J. L.
Mcinnes
,
German
Sastre
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Hamish
Cavaye
,
Stewart F.
Parker
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Luke L.
Daemen
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Martin P.
Attfield
,
Yueming
Liu
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Buxing
Han
,
Sihai
Yang
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[2359]
Open Access
Abstract: Optimising the balance between propene selectivity, propene/ethene ratio and catalytic stability and unravelling the explicit mechanism on formation of the first carbon–carbon bond are challenging goals of great importance in state-of-the-art methanol-to-olefin (MTO) research. We report a strategy to finely control the nature of active sites within the pores of commercial MFI-zeolites by incorporating tantalum(V) and aluminium(III) centres into the framework. The resultant TaAlS-1 zeolite exhibits simultaneously remarkable propene selectivity (51%), propene/ethene ratio (8.3) and catalytic stability (>50 h) at full methanol conversion. In situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering coupled with DFT calculations reveal that the first carbon–carbon bond is formed between an activated methanol molecule and a trimethyloxonium intermediate. The unprecedented cooperativity between tantalum(V) and Brønsted acid sites creates an optimal microenvironment for efficient conversion of methanol and thus greatly promotes the application of zeolites in the sustainable manufacturing of light olefins.
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Feb 2021
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
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Xue
Han
,
Wanpeng
Lu
,
Yinlin
Chen
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Longfei
Lin
,
Weiyao
Li
,
Alena M.
Sheveleva
,
Harry G. W.
Godfrey
,
Zhenzhong
Lu
,
Floriana
Tuna
,
Eric J. L.
Mcinnes
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Luke L.
Daemen
,
Laura J.
Mccormick Mcpherson
,
Simon J.
Teat
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23782]
Abstract: Ammonia (NH3) is a promising energy resource owing to its high hydrogen density. However, its widespread application is restricted by the lack of efficient and corrosion-resistant storage materials. Here, we report high NH3 adsorption in a series of robust metal–organic framework (MOF) materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Fe, V, Cr, In). MFM-300(M) (M = Fe, VIII, Cr) show fully reversible capacity for >20 cycles, reaching capacities of 16.1, 15.6, and 14.0 mmol g–1, respectively, at 273 K and 1 bar. Under the same conditions, MFM-300(VIV) exhibits the highest uptake among this series of MOFs of 17.3 mmol g–1. In situ neutron powder diffraction, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirm that the redox-active V center enables host–guest charge transfer, with VIV being reduced to VIII and NH3 being oxidized to hydrazine (N2H4). A combination of in situ inelastic neutron scattering and DFT modeling has revealed the binding dynamics of adsorbed NH3 within these MOFs to afford a comprehensive insight into the application of MOF materials to the adsorption and conversion of NH3.
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Feb 2021
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Open Access
Abstract: Earth-abundant Mn-based oxide nanoparticles are supported on carbon nitride using two different immobilization methods and tested for the oxygen reduction reaction. Compared to the metal free CN, the immobilization of Mn oxide enhances not only the electrocatalytic activity but also the selectivity towards the 4e- reduction reaction of O2 to H2O. The XPS analysis reveals the interaction of the pyridine N species with Mn3O4 nanoparticles being particularly beneficial. This interaction is realized—although to a limited extent—when preparing the catalysts via impregnation; via the oleic acid route it is not observed. Whilst this work shows the potential of these systems to catalyze the ORR, the main limiting factor is still the poor conductivity of the support which leads to overpotential.
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Nov 2020
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Xi
Chen
,
Zhongyue
Zhang
,
Jin
Chen
,
Sergei
Sapchenko
,
Xue
Han
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Ming
Li
,
Inigo
Vitorica-Yrezabal
,
George
Whitehead
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Kunio
Awaga
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[22138]
Abstract: MFM-722(Pb)-DMA undergoes a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation to give MFM-722(Pb)-H2O via ligand substitution upon exposure to water vapour. In situ single crystal impedance spectroscopy reveals an increase in proton conductivity due to this structural transition, with MFM-722(Pb)-H2O showing a proton conductivity of 6.61×10-4 S cm-1 at 50 °C and 98% RH. The low activation energy (Ea = 0.21 eV) indicates that the proton conduction follows a Grotthuss mechanism.
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Nov 2020
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