Stable and Active Oxidation Catalysis by Cooperative Lattice Oxygen Redox on SmMn2O5 Mullite Surface.

The correlation between lattice oxygen (O) binding energy and O oxidation activity imposes a fundamental limit in developing oxide catalysts, simultaneously meeting the stringent thermal stability and catalytic activity standards for complete oxidation reactions under harsh conditions. Typically, strong O binding indicates a stable surface structure, but low O oxidation activity, and vice versa. Using nitric oxide (NO) catalytic oxidation as a model reaction, we demonstrate that this conflicting correlation can be avoided by cooperative lattice oxygen redox on SmMn2O5 mullite oxides, leading to stable and active oxide surface structures. The strongly bound neighboring lattice oxygen pair cooperates in NO oxidation to form bridging nitrate (NO3-) intermediates, which can facilely transform into monodentate NO3- by a concerted rotation with simultaneous O2 adsorption onto the resulting oxygen vacancy. Subsequently, monodentate NO3- species decompose to NO2 to restore one of the lattice oxygen atoms that act as a reversible redox center, and the vacancy can easily activate O2 to replenish the consumed one. This discovery not only provides insights into the cooperative reaction mechanism but also aids the design of oxidation catalysts with the strong O binding region, offering strong activation of O2, high O activity, and high thermal stability in harsh conditions.

Selective Extraction of Thorium from Rare Earth Elements Using Wrinkled Mesoporous Carbon.

Liquid fluoride thorium reactors have been considered as replacements for uranium-based nuclear reactors, having many economic and environmental advantages. The production of thorium is usually accompanied by the separation of thorium from rare earth elements since the major thorium production mineral, monazite, contains other rare earth elements. The conventional manufacturing process involves a liquid-liquid extraction with organic ligands. There is a need to develop solid state absorbents with good reusability for metal ion separation processes. Porous carbon is particularly interesting due to acid/base resistance. A new absorbent, surface-oxidized wrinkled mesoporous carbon (WMC-O), has been prepared for the selective extraction of thorium ions from rare earth ions. WMC-O shows high selectivity for thorium adsorption due to the 4+ oxidation state of thorium. The distribution coefficient ( Kd) of the WMC-O for thorium from all rare earth elements is 2 orders of magnitude larger than that of surface-oxidized activated carbon (13 × 104 vs 35 × 102 at pH 2.15). WMC-O also shows a high adsorption capacity for pure rare earth ions ( Kd > 3 × 105). These features make WMC-O a promising absorbent for thorium extraction and rare earth ion recovery.

Modulation of Water Vapor Sorption by a Fourth-Generation Metal-Organic Material with a Rigid Framework and Self-Switching Pores.

Hydrolytically stable adsorbents are needed for water vapor sorption related applications; however, design principles for porous materials with tunable water sorption behavior are not yet established. Here, we report that a platform of fourth-generation metal-organic materials (MOMs) with rigid frameworks and self-switching pores can adapt their pores to modulate water sorption. This platform is based upon the hydrolytically stable material CMOM-3S, which exhibits bnn topology and is composed of rod building blocks based upon S-mandelate ligands, 4,4-bipyridine ligands, and extraframework triflate anions. Isostructural variants of CMOM-3S were prepared using substituted R-mandelate ligands and exhibit diverse water vapor uptakes (20-67 cm3/g) and pore filling pressures ( P/ P0, 0.55-0.75). [Co2( R-4-Cl-man)2(bpy)3](OTf) (33R) is of particular interest because of its unusual isotherm. Insight into the different water sorption properties of the materials studied was gained from analysis of in situ vibrational spectra, which indicate self-switching pores via perturbation of extraframework triflate anions and mandelate linker ligands to generate distinctive water binding sites. Water vapor adsorption was studied using in situ differential spectra that reveal gradual singlet water occupancy followed by aggregation of water clusters in the channels upon increasing pressure. First-principles calculations identified the water binding sites and provide structural insight on how adsorbed water molecules affect the structures and the binding sites. Stronger triflate hydrogen bonding to the framework along with significant charge redistribution were determined for water binding in 33R. This study provides insight into a new class of fourth-generation (self-switching pores) MOM and the resulting effect upon water vapor sorption properties.

Creating Hierarchical Pores by Controlled Linker Thermolysis in Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Sufficient pore size, appropriate stability, and hierarchical porosity are three prerequisites for open frameworks designed for drug delivery, enzyme immobilization, and catalysis involving large molecules. Herein, we report a powerful and general strategy, linker thermolysis, to construct ultrastable hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (HP-MOFs) with tunable pore size distribution. Linker instability, usually an undesirable trait of MOFs, was exploited to create mesopores by generating crystal defects throughout a microporous MOF crystal via thermolysis. The crystallinity and stability of HP-MOFs remain after thermolabile linkers are selectively removed from multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MTV-MOFs) through a decarboxylation process. A domain-based linker spatial distribution was found to be critical for creating hierarchical pores inside MTV-MOFs. Furthermore, linker thermolysis promotes the formation of ultrasmall metal oxide nanoparticles immobilized in an open framework that exhibits high catalytic activity for Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions. Most importantly, this work provides fresh insights into the connection between linker apportionment and vacancy distribution, which may shed light on probing the disordered linker apportionment in multivariate systems, a long-standing challenge in the study of MTV-MOFs.

Role of Hydrogen Bonding on Transport of Coadsorbed Gases in Metal-Organic Frameworks Materials.

Coadsorption of multicomponents in metal-organic framework (MOF) materials can lead to a number of cooperative effects, such as modification of adsorption sites or during transport. In this work, we explore the incorporation of NH3 and H2O into MOFs preloaded with small molecules such as CO, CO2, and SO2. We find that NH3 (or H2O) first displaces a certain amount of preadsorbed molecules in the outer portion of MOF crystallites, and then substantially hinders diffusion. Combining in situ spectroscopy with first-principles calculations, we show that hydrogen bonding between NH3 (or H2O) is responsible for an increase of a factor of 7 and 8 in diffusion barrier of CO and CO2 through the MOF channels. Understanding such cooperative effects is important for designing new strategies to enhance adsorption in nanoporous materials.

Controlled Growth and Grafting of High-Density Au Nanoparticles on Zinc Oxide Thin Films by Photo-Deposition.

The integration of high-purity nano-objects on substrates remains a great challenge for addressing scaling-up issues in nanotechnology. For instance, grafting gold nanoparticles (NPs) on zinc oxide films, a major step process for catalysis or photovoltaic applications, still remains difficult to master. We report a modified photodeposition (P-D) approach that achieves tight control of the NPs size (7.5 ± 3 nm), shape (spherical), purity, and high areal density (3500 ± 10 NPs/µm2) on ZnO films. This deposition method is also compatible with large ZnO surface areas. Combining electronic microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, we demonstrate that growth occurs primarily in confined spaces (between the grains of the ZnO film), resulting in gold NPs embedded within the ZnO surface grains thus establishing a unique NPs/surface arrangement. This modified P-D process offers a powerful method to control nanoparticle morphology and areal density and to achieve strong Au interaction with the metal oxide substrate. This work also highlights the key role of ZnO surface morphology to control the NPs density and their size distribution. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate an increase of the ZnO photocatalytic activity due to high densities of Au NPs, opening applications for the decontamination of water or the photoreduction of water for hydrogen production.

In Situ Infrared Absorption Study of Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Silicon Nitride.

Despite the success of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) in depositing quality silicon nitride films, a fundamental understanding of the growth mechanism has been difficult to obtain because of lack of in situ characterization to probe the surface reactions noninvasively and the complexity of reactions induced/enhanced by the plasma. These challenges have hindered the direct observation of intermediate species formed during the reactions. We address this challenge by examining the interaction of Ar plasma using atomically flat, monohydride-terminated Si(111) as a well-defined model surface and focusing on the initial PEALD with aminosilanes. In situ infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that an Ar plasma induces desorption of H atoms from H-Si(111) surfaces, leaving Si dangling bonds, and that the reaction of di-sec-butylaminosilane (DSBAS) with Ar plasma-treated surfaces requires the presence of both active sites (Si dangling bonds) and Si-H; there is no reaction on fully H-terminated or activated surfaces. By contrast, high-quality hydrofluoric acid-etched Si3N4 surfaces readily react with DSBAS, resulting in the formation of O-SiH3. However, the presence of back-bonded oxygen in O-SiH3 inhibits H desorption by Ar or N2 plasma, presumably because of stabilization of H against ion-induced desorption. Consequently, there is no reaction of adsorbed aminosilanes even after extensive Ar or N2 plasma treatments; a thermal process is necessary to partially remove H, thereby promoting the formation of active sites. These observations are consistent with a mechanism requiring the presence of both undercoordinated nitrogen and/or dangling bonds and unreacted surface hydrogen. Because active sites are involved, the PEALD process is found to be sensitive to the duration of the plasma exposure treatment and the purge time, during which passivation of these sites can occur.

Giant PbSe/CdSe/CdSe Quantum Dots: Crystal-Structure-Defined Ultrastable Near-Infrared Photoluminescence from Single Nanocrystals.

Toward a truly photostable PbSe quantum dot (QD), we apply the thick-shell or "giant" QD structural motif to this notoriously environmentally sensitive nanocrystal system. Namely, using a sequential application of two shell-growth techniques-partial-cation exchange and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR)-we are able to overcoat the PbSe QDs with sufficiently thick CdSe shells to impart new single-QD-level photostability, as evidenced by suppression of both photobleaching and blinking behavior. We further reveal that the crystal structure of the CdSe shell (cubic zinc-blende or hexagonal wurtzite) plays a key role in determining the photoluminescence properties of these giant QDs, with only cubic nanocrystals sufficiently bright and stable to be observed as single emitters. Moreover, we demonstrate that crystal structure and particle shape (cubic, spherical, or tetrapodal) and, thereby, emission properties can be synthetically tuned by either withholding or including the coordinating ligand, trioctylphosphine, in the SILAR component of the shell-growth process.

Reaction Mechanisms of the Atomic Layer Deposition of Tin Oxide Thin Films Using Tributyltin Ethoxide and Ozone.

Uniform and conformal deposition of tin oxide thin films is important for several applications in electronics, gas sensing, and transparent conducting electrodes. Thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) is often best suited for these applications, but its implementation requires a mechanistic understanding of the initial nucleation and subsequent ALD processes. To this end, in situ FTIR and ex situ XPS have been used to explore the ALD of tin oxide films using tributyltin ethoxide and ozone on an OH-terminated, SiO2-passivated Si(111) substrate. Direct chemisorption of tributyltin ethoxide on surface OH groups and clear evidence that subsequent ligand exchange are obtained, providing mechanistic insight. Upon ozone pulse, the butyl groups react with ozone, forming surface carbonate and formate. The subsequent tributyltin ethoxide pulse removes the carbonate and formate features with the appearance of the bands for CH stretching and bending modes of the precursor butyl ligands. This ligand-exchange behavior is repeated for subsequent cycles, as is characteristic of ALD processes, and is clearly observed for deposition temperatures of 200 and 300 °C. On the basis of the in situ vibrational data, a reaction mechanism for the ALD process of tributyltin ethoxide and ozone is presented, whereby ligands are fully eliminated. Complementary ex situ XPS depth profiles confirm that the bulk of the films is carbon-free, that is, formate and carbonate are not incorporated into the film during the deposition process, and that good-quality SnOx films are produced. Furthermore, the process was scaled up in a cross-flow reactor at 225 °C, which allowed the determination of the growth rate (0.62 Å/cycle) and confirmed a self-limiting ALD growth at 225 and 268 °C. An analysis of the temperature-dependence data reveals that growth rate increases linearly between 200 and 300 °C.

Performance Enhancement via Incorporation of ZnO Nanolayers in Energetic Al/CuO Multilayers.

Al/CuO energetic structure are attractive materials due to their high thermal output and propensity to produce gas. They are widely used to bond components or as next generation of MEMS igniters. In such systems, the reaction process is largely dominated by the outward migration of oxygen atoms from the CuO matrix toward the aluminum layers, and many recent studies have already demonstrated that the interfacial nanolayer between the two reactive layers plays a major role in the material properties. Here we demonstrate that the ALD deposition of a thin ZnO layer on the CuO prior to Al deposition (by sputtering) leads to a substantial increase in the efficiency of the overall reaction. The CuO/ZnO/Al foils generate 98% of their theoretical enthalpy within a single reaction at 900 °C, whereas conventional ZnO-free CuO/Al foils produce only 78% of their theoretical enthalpy, distributed over two distinct reaction steps at 550 °C and 850 °C. Combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry, we characterized the successive formation of a thin zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) and zinc oxide interfacial layers, which act as an effective barrier layer against oxygen diffusion at low temperature.

Functionalized metal organic frameworks for effective capture of radioactive organic iodides.

Highly efficient capture of radioactive organic iodides (ROIs) from off-gas mixtures remains a substantial challenge for nuclear waste treatment. Current materials utilized for ROI sequestration suffer from low capacity, high cost (e.g. use of noble metals), and poor recyclability. Recently, we have developed a new strategy to tackle this challenge by functionalizing MOF materials with tertiary amines to create molecular traps for the effective capture and removal of ROIs (e.g. radioactive methyl iodide) from nuclear wastes. To further enhance the uptake capacity and performance of CH3I capture by ROI molecular traps, herein, we carry out a systematic study to investigate the effect of different amine molecules on ROI capture. The results demonstrate a record-high CH3I saturation uptake capacity of 80% for MIL-101-Cr-DMEDA at 150 °C, which is 5.3 times that of Ag0@MOR (15 wt%), a leading adsorbent material for capturing ROIs during nuclear fuel reprocessing. Furthermore, the CH3I decontamination factors (DFs) for MIL-101-Cr-DMEDA are as high as 5000 under simulated reprocessing conditions, largely exceeding that of facility regulatory requirements (DF = 3000). In addition, MIL-101-Cr-DMEDA can be recycled without loss of capacity, illustrating yet another advantage compared to known industrial adsorbents, which are typically of a "single-use" nature. Our analysis also shows that both physisorption and chemisorption of CH3I occur at the three amine-grafted MOFs. While chemisorption takes place at the amine functionalized sites, the amount of physisorption correlates with the MOF porosity. A possible binding site of amine-CH3I interaction has been identified via an in situ IR spectroscopic study. The results suggest that CH3I interacts strongly and directly with the tertiary nitrogen of the amine molecules. The CH3I uptake amount decreases as the amine chain length increases, in trend with the decreasing pore space of the corresponding framework. The strategy to build MOF-based molecular traps developed in this work not only leads to a new record-high performance for ROI capture, but also offers an effective way of systematically tuning the porosity by varying the length of functionalized amine molecules. This study also demonstrates that MOFs represent a promising new platform for selective capture and removal of radioactive nuclear waste.

Substrate selectivity in the low temperature atomic layer deposition of cobalt metal films from bis(1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazadienyl)cobalt and formic acid.

The initial stages of cobalt metal growth by atomic layer deposition are described using the precursors bis(1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazadienyl)cobalt and formic acid. Ruthenium, platinum, copper, Si(100), Si-H, SiO2, and carbon-doped oxide substrates were used with a growth temperature of 180 °C. On platinum and copper, plots of thickness versus number of growth cycles were linear between 25 and 250 cycles, with growth rates of 0.98 Å/cycle. By contrast, growth on ruthenium showed a delay of up to 250 cycles before a normal growth rate was obtained. No films were observed after 25 and 50 cycles. Between 100 and 150 cycles, a rapid growth rate of ∼1.6 Å/cycle was observed, which suggests that a chemical vapor deposition-like growth occurs until the ruthenium surface is covered with ∼10 nm of cobalt metal. Atomic force microscopy showed smooth, continuous cobalt metal films on platinum after 150 cycles, with an rms surface roughness of 0.6 nm. Films grown on copper gave rms surface roughnesses of 1.1-2.4 nm after 150 cycles. Films grown on ruthenium, platinum, and copper showed resistivities of <20 µΩ cm after 250 cycles and had values close to those of the uncoated substrates at ≤150 cycles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of films grown with 150 cycles on a platinum substrate showed surface oxidation of the cobalt, with cobalt metal underneath. Analogous analysis of a film grown with 150 cycles on a copper substrate showed cobalt oxide throughout the film. No film growth was observed after 1000 cycles on Si(100), Si-H, and carbon-doped oxide substrates. Growth on thermal SiO2 substrates gave ∼35 nm thick layers of cobalt(ii) formate after ≥500 cycles. Inherently selective deposition of cobalt on metallic substrates over Si(100), Si-H, and carbon-doped oxide was observed from 160 °C to 200 °C. Particle deposition occurred on carbon-doped oxide substrates at 220 °C.

General Strategy for the Design of DNA Coding Sequences Applied to Nanoparticle Assembly.

The DNA-directed assembly of nano-objects has been the subject of many recent studies as a means to construct advanced nanomaterial architectures. Although much experimental in silico work has been presented and discussed, there has been no in-depth consideration of the proper design of single-strand sticky termination of DNA sequences, noted as ssST, which is important in avoiding self-folding within one DNA strand, unwanted strand-to-strand interaction, and mismatching. In this work, a new comprehensive and computationally efficient optimization algorithm is presented for the construction of all possible DNA sequences that specifically prevents these issues. This optimization procedure is also effective when a spacer section is used, typically repeated sequences of thymine or adenine placed between the ssST and the nano-object, to address the most conventional experimental protocols. We systematically discuss the fundamental statistics of DNA sequences considering complementarities limited to two (or three) adjacent pairs to avoid self-folding and hybridization of identical strands due to unwanted complements and mismatching. The optimized DNA sequences can reach maximum lengths of 9 to 34 bases depending on the level of applied constraints. The thermodynamic properties of the allowed sequences are used to develop a ranking for each design. For instance, we show that the maximum melting temperature saturates with 14 bases under typical solvation and concentration conditions. Thus, DNA ssST with optimized sequences are developed for segments ranging from 4 to 40 bases, providing a very useful guide for all technological protocols. An experimental test is presented and discussed using the aggregation of Al and CuO nanoparticles and is shown to validate and illustrate the importance of the proposed DNA coding sequence optimization.

Sensing the charge state of single gold nanoparticles via work function measurements.

Electrostatic interactions at the nanoscale can lead to novel properties and functionalities that bulk materials and devices do not have. Here we used Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to study the work function (WF) of gold nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on a Si wafer covered by a monolayer of alkyl chains, which provide a tunnel junction. We find that the WF of Au NPs is size-dependent and deviates strongly from that of the bulk Au. We attribute the WF change to the charging of the NPs, which is a consequence of the difference in WF between Au and the substrate. For an NP with 10 nm diameter charged with ∼ 5 electrons, the WF is found to be only ∼ 3.6 eV. A classical electrostatic model is derived that explains the observations in a quantitative way. We also demonstrate that the WF and charge state of Au NPs are influenced by chemical changes of the underlying substrate. Therefore, Au NPs could be used for chemical and biological sensing, whose environmentally sensitive charge state can be read out by work function measurements.

Low-Temperature Synthesis of a TiO2/Si Heterojunction.

The classical SiO2/Si interface, which is the basis of integrated circuit technology, is prepared by thermal oxidation followed by high temperature (>800 °C) annealing. Here we show that an interface synthesized between titanium dioxide (TiO2) and hydrogen-terminated silicon (H:Si) is a highly efficient solar cell heterojunction that can be prepared under typical laboratory conditions from a simple organometallic precursor. A thin film of TiO2 is grown on the surface of H:Si through a sequence of vapor deposition of titanium tetra(tert-butoxide) (1) and heating to 100 °C. The TiO2 film serves as a hole-blocking layer in a TiO2/Si heterojunction solar cell. Further heating to 250 °C and then treating with a dilute solution of 1 yields a hole surface recombination velocity of 16 cm/s, which is comparable to the best values reported for the classical SiO2/Si interface. The outstanding performance of this heterojunction is attributed to Si-O-Ti bonding at the TiO2/Si interface, which was probed by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) showed that Si-H bonds remain even after annealing at 250 °C. The ease and scalability of the synthetic route employed and the quality of the interface it provides suggest that this surface chemistry has the potential to enable fundamentally new, efficient silicon solar cell devices.

Surface and Structural Investigation of a MnOx Birnessite-Type Water Oxidation Catalyst Formed under Photocatalytic Conditions.

Catalytically active MnOx species have been reported to form in situ from various Mn-complexes during electrocatalytic and solution-based water oxidation when employing cerium(IV) ammonium ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidant as a sacrificial reagent. The full structural characterization of these oxides may be complicated by the presence of support material and lack of a pure bulk phase. For the first time, we show that highly active MnOx catalysts form without supports in situ under photocatalytic conditions. Our most active (4)MnOx catalyst (∼0.84 mmol O2 mol Mn(-1) s(-1)) forms from a Mn4O4 bearing a metal-organic framework. (4)MnOx is characterized by pair distribution function analysis (PDF), Raman spectroscopy, and HR-TEM as a disordered, layered Mn-oxide with high surface area (216 m(2) g(-1)) and small regions of crystallinity and layer flexibility. In contrast, the (S)MnOx formed from Mn(2+) salt gives an amorphous species of lower surface area (80 m(2) g(-1)) and lower activity (∼0.15 mmol O2 mol Mn(-1) s(-1)). We compare these catalysts to crystalline hexagonal birnessite, which activates under the same conditions. Full deconvolution of the XPS Mn2p3/2 core levels detects enriched Mn(3+) and Mn(2+) content on the surfaces, which indicates possible disproportionation/comproportionation surface equilibria.

Structural band-gap tuning in g-C3N4.

g-C3N4 is a promising material for hydrogen production from water via photo-catalysis, if we can tune its band gap to desirable levels. Using a combined experimental and ab initio approach, we uncover an almost perfectly linear relationship between the band gap and structural aspects of g-C3N4, which we show to originate in a changing overlap of wave functions associated with the lattice constants. This changing overlap, in turn, causes the unoccupied pz states to experience a significantly larger energy shift than any other occupied state (s, px, or py), resulting in this peculiar relationship. Our results explain and demonstrate the possibility to tune the band gap by structural means, and thus the frequency at which g-C3N4 absorbs light.

Water cluster confinement and methane adsorption in the hydrophobic cavities of a fluorinated metal-organic framework.

Water cluster formation and methane adsorption within a hydrophobic porous metal organic framework is studied by in situ vibrational spectroscopy, adsorption isotherms, and first-principle DFT calculations (using vdW-DF). Specifically, the formation and stability of H2O clusters in the hydrophobic cavities of a fluorinated metal-organic framework (FMOF-1) is examined. Although the isotherms of water show no measurable uptake (see Yang et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011 , 133 , 18094 ), the large dipole of the water internal modes makes it possible to detect low water concentrations using IR spectroscopy in pores in the vicinity of the surface of the solid framework. The results indicate that, even in the low pressure regime (100 mTorr to 3 Torr), water molecules preferentially occupy the large cavities, in which hydrogen bonding and wall hydrophobicity foster water cluster formation. We identify the formation of pentameric water clusters at pressures lower than 3 Torr and larger clusters beyond that pressure. The binding energy of the water species to the walls is negligible, as suggested by DFT computational findings and corroborated by IR absorption data. Consequently, intermolecular hydrogen bonding dominates, enhancing water cluster stability as the size of the cluster increases. The formation of water clusters with negligible perturbation from the host may allow a quantitative comparison with experimental environmental studies on larger clusters that are in low concentrations in the atmosphere. The stability of the water clusters was studied as a function of pressure reduction and in the presence of methane gas. Methane adsorption isotherms for activated FMOF-1 attained volumetric adsorption capacities ranging from 67 V(STP)/V at 288 K and 31 bar to 133 V(STP)/V at 173 K and 5 bar, with an isosteric heat of adsorption of ca. 14 kJ/mol in the high temperature range (288-318 K). Overall, the experimental and computational data suggest high preferential uptake for methane gas relative to water vapor within FMOF-1 pores with ease of desorption and high framework stability under operative temperature and moisture conditions.

Room-temperature metastability of multilayer graphene oxide films.

Graphene oxide potentially has multiple applications. The chemistry of graphene oxide and its response to external stimuli such as temperature and light are not well understood and only approximately controlled. This understanding is crucial to enable future applications of this material. Here, a combined experimental and density functional theory study shows that multilayer graphene oxide produced by oxidizing epitaxial graphene through the Hummers method is a metastable material whose structure and chemistry evolve at room temperature with a characteristic relaxation time of about one month. At the quasi-equilibrium, graphene oxide reaches a nearly stable reduced O/C ratio, and exhibits a structure deprived of epoxide groups and enriched in hydroxyl groups. Our calculations show that the structural and chemical changes are driven by the availability of hydrogen in the oxidized graphitic sheets, which favours the reduction of epoxide groups and the formation of water molecules.

Diffusion of small molecules in metal organic framework materials.

Ab initio simulations are combined with in situ infrared spectroscopy to unveil the molecular transport of H2, CO2, and H2O in the metal organic framework MOF-74-Mg. Our study uncovers--at the atomistic level--the major factors governing the transport mechanism of these small molecules. In particular, we identify four key diffusion mechanisms and calculate the corresponding diffusion barriers, which are nicely confirmed by time-resolved infrared experiments. We also answer a long-standing question about the existence of secondary adsorption sites for the guest molecules, and we show how those sites affect the macroscopic diffusion properties. Our findings are important to gain a fundamental understanding of the diffusion processes in these nanoporous materials, with direct implications for the usability of MOFs in gas sequestration and storage applications.