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Abstract: Solid-state ion conductors based on closo-polyborate anions combine high ionic conductivity with a rich array of tunable properties. Cation mobility in these systems is intimately related to the strength of the interaction with the neighboring anionic network and the energy for reorganizing the coordination polyhedra. Here, we explore such factors in solid electrolytes with two anions of the weakest coordinating ability, [HCB11H5Cl6]– and [HCB11H5Br6]–, and a total of eleven polymorphs are identified for their lithium and sodium salts. Our approach combines ab initio molecular dynamics, synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and AC impedance measurements to investigate their structures, phase-transition behavior, anion orientational mobilities, and ionic conductivities. We find that M(HCB11H5X6) (M = Li, Na, X = Cl, Br) compounds exhibit order-disorder polymorphic transitions between 203 and 305 °C, and display Li and Na superionic conductivity in the disordered state. Through detailed analysis, we illustrate how cation disordering in these compounds originates from a competitive interplay among the lattice symmetry, the anion reorientational mobility, the geometric and electronic asymmetry of the anion, and the polarizability of the halogen atoms. These factors are compared to other closo-polyborate-based ion conductors to suggest guidelines for optimizing the cation-anion interaction for fast ion mobility. This study expands the known solid-state, poly(carba)borate-based materials capable of liquid-like ionic conductivities, unravels the mechanisms responsible for fast ion transport, and provides insights into the development of practical superionic solid electrolytes.

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Abstract: The self-assembly behaviour and antimicrobial activity of two new designed amphiphilic peptides, R3F3 and R4F4, containing short hydrophobic phenylalanine (F) cationic arginine (R) sequences are investigated. The conformation of the peptides was examined using circular dichroism and FTIR spectroscopy, which show that they have a disordered secondary structure. Concentration-dependent fluorescence assays show the presence of a critical aggregation concentration (cac) for each peptide. Above the cac, small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show the presence of a population of twisted tapes for R3F3 and nanosheets for R4F4. The interaction of the peptides with model bacterial membranes comprising mixtures of the lipids DPPG [1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] and DPPE [1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine], was studied using SAXS and cryogenic-TEM. Analysis of the SAXS structure factor indicates that R3F3 interacts with lipid bilayers by inducing correlation between bilayers, whereas R4F4 interacts with the bilayers causing an increase in polydispersity of the vesicle wall thickness. Both peptides break vesicles with a 1:3 DPPG:DPPE composition, which is close to the ratio of PG and PE lipids observed in the lipid membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen responsible for serious infections and which has developed antimicrobial resistant strains. Both peptides show activity against this bacterium in planktonic form. Peptide R4F4 shows particularly strong bioactivity against this microbe, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value in the range of concentrations where the peptide is cytocompatible. It was further shown to have activity against other Pseudomonas species including the common plant pathogen P. syringae. Finally, we show that R4F4 inhibits the development of P. aeruginosa biofilms. This was examined in detail and a proposed mechanism involving binding of the signalling molecule c-di-GMP is suggested, based on circular dichroism spectroscopy studies and Congo red assays of extracellular polysaccharides produced by the stressed bacteria. Thus, R4F4 is a promising candidate antimicrobial peptide with activity against Pseudomonas species.

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Abstract: The search continues for nickel oxide-based materials with electronic properties similar to cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the doped infinite-layer nickelate NdNiO2 has strengthened these efforts. Here, we use X-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory to show that the electronic structure of LaNiO2 and NdNiO2, while similar to the cuprates, includes significant distinctions. Unlike cuprates, the rare-earth spacer layer in the infinite-layer nickelate supports a weakly interacting three-dimensional 5d metallic state, which hybridizes with a quasi-two-dimensional, strongly correlated state with 3 d x 2 − y 2 3dx2−y2 symmetry in the NiO2 layers. Thus, the infinite-layer nickelate can be regarded as a sibling of the rare-earth intermetallics, which are well known for heavy fermion behaviour, where the NiO2 correlated layers play an analogous role to the 4f states in rare-earth heavy fermion compounds. This Kondo- or Anderson-lattice-like ‘oxide-intermetallic’ replaces the Mott insulator as the reference state from which superconductivity emerges upon doping.

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Abstract: In recent years a considerable amount of effort has been put into a better understanding of the correlation of structure and electrochemical properties in Li- and Mn-rich NCM layered oxide Li ion battery cathode materials, such as the intensely investigated Li1.2Ni0.15Co0.1Mn0.55O2 composition. A gradual transformation from a trigonal R-3m layered structure towards a cubic Fd-3m spinel structure during electrochemical cycling results in an unwanted decay of the mean charge and discharge voltages, called ‘voltage fade’. This transformation proceeds via an interim phase, which is characterized by the local de-ordering of cations and the introduction of various lattice defects after the formation of the initially well-ordered material. In this study, these structural changes are studied in detail on a long-range atomic scale by synchrotron radiation powder diffraction as well as on a very-local atomic scale by 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. A structural reordering was induced by a mild thermal treatment (150 °C – 300 °C) in lithiated (discharged to 2.0 V) as well as in delithiated (charged to 4.7 V) electrodes, which results either in a partial recovery of the initial well-ordered state or in an intensification of the structural degradation towards a spinel-type cation ordering, respectively. The structural reordering thus obtained was again studied on a long-range and local atomic scale and correlated with the electrochemical properties. In order to complement the experiment an electrochemically highly fatigued electrode (300 cycles, discharged to 2.0 V) showing a pronounced voltage fade was thermally treated, which resulted again in a partial recovery of the initial well-ordered structure and its accompanying electrochemical properties. Finally, the results are summarized in a model explaining the influence of the local cation ordering, lattice defects and the oxygen sublattice on the electrochemical properties, such as the oxygen redox activity and the voltage fade.

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Abstract: Nanocomposites comprising metal organic frameworks (MOFs) embedded in a polymeric matrix are promising carriers for drug delivery applications. While understanding the chemical and physical transformations of MOFs during the re-lease of confined drug molecules is challenging, this is central to devising better ways for controlled release of therapeutic agents. Herein we demonstrate the efficacy of synchrotron microspectroscopy to track the in situ release of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) anticancer drug molecules from a drug@MOF/polymer composite (5-FU@HKUST-1/polyurethane). Using experimental time-resolved infrared spectra jointly with newly developed density functional theory calculations, we reveal the detailed dynamics of vibrational motions underpinning the dissociation of 5-FU bound to the framework of HKUST-1 upon water exposure. We discover that HKUST-1 creates hydrophilic channels within the hydrophobic polyurethane matrix hence helping to tune drug release rate. The synergy between a hydrophilic MOF with a hydrophobic polymer can be harnessed to engineer a tunable nanocomposite that alleviates the unwanted burst effect commonly encountered in drug delivery.