Comparison of the Coordination of B12F122-, B12Cl122-, and B12H122- to Na+ in the Solid State: Crystal Structures and Thermal Behavior of Na2(B12F12), Na2(H2O)4(B12F12), Na2(B12Cl12), and Na2(H2O)6(B12Cl12).

The synthesis of high-purity Na2B12F12 and the crystal structures of Na2(B12F12) (5 K neutron powder diffraction (NPD)), Na2(H2O)4(B12F12) (120 K single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD)), Na2(B12Cl12) (5 and 295 K NPD), and Na2(H2O)6(B12Cl12) (100 K SC-XRD) are reported. The compound Na2(H2O)4(B12F12) contains {[(Na(µ-H2O)2Na(µ-H2O)2)]2+}∞ infinite chains; the compound Na2(H2O)6(B12Cl12) contains discrete [(H2O)2Na(µ-H2O)2Na(H2O)2]2+ cations with OH···O hydrogen bonds linking the terminal H2O ligands. The structures of the two hydrates and the previously published structure of Na2(H2O)4(B12H12) are analyzed with respect to the relative coordinating ability of B12F122-, B12H122-, and B12Cl122- toward Na+ ions in the solid state (i.e., the relative ability of these anions to satisfy the valence of Na+). All three hydrated structures have distorted octahedral NaX2(H2O)4 coordination spheres (X = F, H, Cl). The sums of the four Na-O bond valence contributions are 71, 75, and 89% of the total bond valences for the X = F, H, and Cl hydrated compounds, respectively, demonstrating that the relative coordinating ability by this criterion is B12Cl122- ≪ B12H122- < B12F122-. Differential scanning calorimetry experiments demonstrate that Na2(B12F12) undergoes a reversible, presumably order-disorder, phase transition at ca. 560 K (287 °C), between the 529 and 730 K transition temperatures previously reported for Na2(B12H12) and Na2(B12Cl12), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrates that Na2(H2O)4(B12F12) and Na2(H2O)6(B12Cl12) undergo partial dehydration at 25 °C to Na2(H2O)2(B12F12) and Na2(H2O)2(B12Cl12) in ca. 30 min and 2 h, respectively, and essentially complete dehydration to Na2(B12F12) and Na2(B12Cl12) within minutes at 150 and 75 °C, respectively (the remaining trace amounts of H2O, if any, were not quantified). The changes in structure upon dehydration and the different vapor pressures of H2O needed to fully hydrate the respective Na2(B12X12) compounds provide additional evidence that B12Cl122- is more weakly coordinating than B12F122- to Na+ in the solid state. Taken together, the results suggest that the anhydrous, halogenated closo-borane compounds Na2(B12F12) and Na2(B12Cl12), in appropriately modified forms, may be viable component materials for fast-ion-conducting solid electrolytes in future energy-storage devices.

Pressure-Induced Amidine Formation via Side-Chain Polymerization in a Charge-Transfer Cocrystal.

Compression of small molecules can induce solid-state reactions that are difficult or impossible under conventional, solution-phase conditions. Of particular interest is the topochemical-like reaction of arenes to produce polymeric nanomaterials. However, high reaction onset pressures and poor selectivity remain significant challenges. Herein, the incorporation of electron-withdrawing and -donating groups into π-stacked arenes is proposed as a strategy to reduce reaction barriers to cycloaddition and onset pressures. Nevertheless, competing side-chain reactions between functional groups represent alternative viable pathways. For the case of a diaminobenzene:tetracyanobenzene cocrystal, amidine formation between amine and cyano groups occurs prior to cycloaddition with an onset pressure near 9 GPa, as determined using vibrational spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and first-principles calculations. This work demonstrates that reduced-barrier cycloaddition reactions are theoretically possible via strategic functionalization; however, the incorporation of pendant groups may enable alternative reaction pathways. Controlled reactions between pendant groups represent an additional strategy for producing unique polymeric nanomaterials.

Hydrogenation properties of KSi and NaSi Zintl phases.

The recently reported KSi-KSiH(3) system can store 4.3 wt% of hydrogen reversibly with slow kinetics of several hours for complete absorption at 373 K and complete desorption at 473 K. From the kinetics measured at different temperatures, the Arrhenius plots give activation energies (E(a)) of 56.0 ± 5.7 kJ mol(-1) and 121 ± 17 kJ mol(-1) for the absorption and desorption processes, respectively. Ball-milling with 10 wt% of carbon strongly improves the kinetics of the system, i.e. specifically the initial rate of absorption becomes about one order of magnitude faster than that of pristine KSi. However, this fast absorption causes a disproportionation into KH and K(8)Si(46), instead of forming the KSiH(3) hydride from a slow absorption. This disproportionation, due to the formation of stable KH, leads to a total loss of reversibility. In a similar situation, when the pristine Zintl NaSi phase absorbs hydrogen, it likewise disproportionates into NaH and Na(8)Si(46), indicating a very poorly reversible reaction.

Potassium silanide (KSiH3): a reversible hydrogen storage material.

KSi silicide can absorb hydrogen to directly form the ternary KSiH(3) hydride. The full structure of α-KSiD(3), which has been solved by using neutron powder diffraction (NPD), shows an unusually short Si-D lengths of 1.47 Å. Through a combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental methods, the thermodynamic and structural properties of the KSi/α-KSiH(3) system are determined. This system is able to store 4.3 wt% of hydrogen reversibly within a good P-T window; a 0.1 MPa hydrogen equilibrium pressure can be obtained at around 414 K. The DFT calculations and the measurements of hydrogen equilibrium pressures at different temperatures give similar values for the dehydrogenation enthalpy (≈23 kJ mol(-1) H(2)) and entropy (≈54 J K(-1) mol(-1) H(2)). Owing to its relatively high hydrogen storage capacity and its good thermodynamic values, this KSi/α-KSiH(3) system is a promising candidate for reversible hydrogen storage.

Tracking the Progression of Anion Reorientational Behavior between α-Phase and ß-Phase Alkali-Metal Silanides, MSiH3, by Quasielastic Neutron Scattering.

Quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements over a wide range of energy resolutions were used to probe the reorientational behavior of the pyramidal SiH3 - anions in the monoalkali silanides (MSiH3, where M = K, Rb, and Cs) within the low-temperature ordered ß-phases, and for CsSiH3, the high-temperature disordered α-phase and intervening hysteretic transition region. Maximum jump frequencies of the ß-phase anions near the ß-α transitions range from around 109 s-1 for ß-KSiH3 to 1010 s-1 and higher for ß-RbSiH3 and ß-CsSiH3. The ß-phase anions undergo uniaxial 3-fold rotational jumps around the anion quasi-C 3 symmetry axis. CsSiH3 was the focus of further studies to map out the evolving anion dynamical behavior at temperatures above the ß-phase region. As in α-KSiH3 and α-RbSiH3, the highly mobile anions (with reorientational jump frequencies approaching and exceeding 1012 s-1) in the disordered α-CsSiH3 are all adequately modeled by H jumps between 24 different locations distributed radially around the anion center of gravity, although even higher anion reorientational disorder cannot be ruled out. QENS data for CsSiH3 in the transition region between the α- and ß-phases corroborated the presence of dynamically distinct intermediate (i-) phase. The SiH3 - anions within i-phase appear to undergo uniaxial small-angular-jump reorientations that are more akin to the lower-dimensional ß-phase anion motions rather than to the multidimensional α-phase anion motions. Moreover, they possess orientational mobilities that are an order-of-magnitude lower than those for α-phase anions but also an order-of-magnitude higher than those for ß-phase anions. Combined QENS and neutron powder diffraction results strongly suggest that this i-phase is associated chiefly with the more short-range-ordered, nanocrystalline portions (invisible to diffraction) that appear to dominate the CsSiH3.

Unparalleled Lithium and Sodium Superionic Conduction in Solid Electrolytes with Large Monovalent Cage-like Anions.

Solid electrolytes with sufficiently high conductivities and stabilities are the elusive answer to the inherent shortcomings of organic liquid electrolytes prevalent in today's rechargeable batteries. We recently revealed a novel fast-ion-conducting sodium salt, Na2B12H12, which contains large, icosahedral, divalent B12H122- anions that enable impressive superionic conductivity, albeit only above its 529 K phase transition. Its lithium congener, Li2B12H12, possesses an even more technologically prohibitive transition temperature above 600 K. Here we show that the chemically related LiCB11H12 and NaCB11H12 salts, which contain icosahedral, monovalent CB11H12- anions, both exhibit much lower transition temperatures near 400 K and 380 K, respectively, and truly stellar ionic conductivities (> 0.1 S cm-1) unmatched by any other known polycrystalline materials at these temperatures. With proper modifications, we are confident that room-temperature-stabilized superionic salts incorporating such large polyhedral anion building blocks are attainable, thus enhancing their future prospects as practical electrolyte materials in next-generation, all-solid-state batteries.

Exceptional superionic conductivity in disordered sodium decahydro-closo-decaborate.

Na2 B10 H10 exhibits exceptional superionic conductivity above ca. 360 K (e.g., ca. 0.01 S cm(-1) at 383 K) concomitant with its transition from an ordered monoclinic structure to a face-centered-cubic arrangement of orientationally disordered B10 H10 (2-) anions harboring a vacancy-rich Na(+) cation sublattice. This discovery represents a major advancement for solid-state Na(+) fast-ion conduction at technologically relevant device temperatures.

Cobalt-catalyzed hydrogen desorption from the LiNH2-LiBH4 system.

A doping of 5 wt% CoCl2 considerably decreases the dehydrogenation temperature of a mixture of LiNH2 and LiBH4. More that 8 wt% of hydrogen can be released at ca. 155 degrees C. X-Ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy indicated the formation of metallic Co after ball milling CoCl2 with LiNH2 and LiBH4. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy measurements revealed that Co particles have poor crystallinity and are finely dispersed in the sample, which could lead to a high catalytic efficiency.