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Li X, Yang T, Zhou J. Synergetic ligand and size effects of boron cage based electrolytes in Li-ion batteries. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:11345-11352. [PMID: 35485961 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05230f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We explore the potential application of boron-based clusters as high-performance electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries using first-principles density functional theory. We use small and halogen-free ligands (such as CN, BO, NH2, NO2, and CH3) to replace H in closo-boron cages with different sizes to investigate the ligand and size effects. According to their geometric and electronic stability, Li+ dissociation energy in the lithium salt form, and electrochemical stabilities, we screen nine candidate electrolyte anions potentially overcoming the currently used electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries. We show that, when CH3 is used as a boron cage ligand, both the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels are high, ensuring their electrochemical stability against the oxidation (or reduction) reaction at the anode (or cathode). Solvent effects are also evaluated and high electrostatic screening was found to be favorable for practical usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Center for Alloy Innovation and Design, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Tao Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Non-Equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Jian Zhou
- Center for Alloy Innovation and Design, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
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Yuan Q, Rohdenburg M, Cao W, Aprà E, Landmann J, Finze M, Warneke J, Wang XB. Isolated [B 2(CN) 6] 2-: Small Yet Exceptionally Stable Nonmetal Dianion. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:12005-12011. [PMID: 34890205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We report the observation of a small, yet remarkably stable, metal-free hexacyanodiborate dianion [B2(CN)6]2- in the gas phase. Negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES) was employed to measure its spectra at multiple laser wavelengths, yielding a 1.9 eV electron binding energy (EBE) ─a remarkably high value of electronic stability and a ∼2.60 eV repulsive Coulomb barrier (RCB) for electron detachment. This rationalizes the observation of this dianion, although homolytic charge-separation dissociation into two [B(CN)3]•- is energetically favorable. Quantum chemical calculations demonstrate a D3d staggered conformation for both the dianion and radical monoanion, and the calculated EBE and RCB match the experimental values well. The simulated density of states spectrum reproduces all measured electronic transitions, while the simulated vibrational progressions for the ground state transition cover a much narrower EBE range compared to the experimental band, indicating appreciable auto-photodetachment via electronically excited dianion resonances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinqin Yuan
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Markus Rohdenburg
- Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wenjin Cao
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Edoardo Aprà
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Johannes Landmann
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute for Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis with Boron (ICB), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maik Finze
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute for Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis with Boron (ICB), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Warneke
- Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Xue-Bin Wang
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
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Fang H, Banjade H, Jena P. Realization of the Zn 3+ oxidation state. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:14041-14048. [PMID: 34477685 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr02816b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Due to unfilled d-shells, transition metal atoms exhibit multiple oxidation states and rich chemistry. While zinc is often classified as a transition metal, electrons in its filled 3d10 shell do not participate in chemical reactions; hence, its oxidation state is +2. Using calculations based on density functional theory, we show that the chemistry of zinc can fundamentally change when it is allowed to interact with highly stable super-electrophilic trianions, namely, BeB11(CN)123- and BeB23(CN)223-, which lie 15.85 eV and 18.49 eV lower in energy than their respective neutral states. The fact that Zn exists in +3 oxidation states while interacting with these moieties is evidenced from its large binding energies of 6.33 and 7.04 eV with BeB11(CN)123- and BeB23(CN)223-, respectively, and from a comprehensive analysis of its bonding characteristics, charge density distribution, electron localization function, molecular orbitals and energy decomposition, all showing a strong involvement of its 3d electrons in chemical bonding. The replacement of CN with BO is found to increase the zinc binding energy even further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Fang
- Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
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Zhong MM, Fang H, Deepika, Jena P. Super-electrophiles of tri- and tetra-anions stabilized by selected terminal groups and their role in binding noble gas atoms. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:21496-21500. [PMID: 34296724 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp01969d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Stabilization of multiply-charged atomic clusters in the gas phase has been a topic of great interest not only because of their potential applications as weakly-coordinating anions, but also for their ability to promote unusual reactions and serve as building blocks of materials. Recent experiments have shown that, after removing one terminal ligand from the closo-dodecacyano-borate, B12(CN)122-, the cluster can strongly bind an argon atom at room temperature. Bearing this in mind, here, we have developed more than a dozen highly stable tri- and tetra-anions using density functional theory (DFT) calculations with hybrid functional (B3LYP) and semi-empirical dispersion corrections. The interactions between the clusters and noble gas atoms, including Ne, Ar and Kr, are studied. The resulting super-electrophilic sites embedded in these charged clusters can bind noble gas atoms with binding energies up to 0.7 eV. This study enriches the database of highly-charged clusters and provides a viable design rule for super-electrophiles that can strongly bind noble gas atoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Min Zhong
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Hong Fang
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23238, USA.
| | - Deepika
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23238, USA.
| | - Puru Jena
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23238, USA.
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Rohdenburg M, Yang Z, Su P, Bernhardt E, Yuan Q, Apra E, Grabowsky S, Laskin J, Jenne C, Wang XB, Warneke J. Properties of gaseous closo-[B 6X 6] 2- dianions (X = Cl, Br, I). Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:17713-17724. [PMID: 32728676 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp02581j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Electronic structure, collision-induced dissociation (CID) and bond properties of closo-[B6X6]2- (X = Cl-I) are investigated in direct comparison with their closo-[B12X12]2- analogues. Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and theoretical investigations reveal that [B6X6]2- dianions are electronically significantly less stable than the corresponding [B12X12]2- species. Although [B6Cl6]2- is slightly electronically unstable, [B6Br6]2- and [B6I6]2- are intrinsically stable dianions. Consistent with the trend in the electron detachment energy, loss of an electron (e- loss) is observed in CID of [B6X6]2- (X = Cl, Br) but not for [B6I6]2-. Halogenide loss (X- loss) is common for [B6X6]2- (X = Br, I) and [B12X12]2- (X = Cl, Br, I). Meanwhile, X˙ loss is only observed for [B12X12]2- (X = Br, I) species. The calculated reaction enthalpies of the three competing dissociation pathways (e-, X- and X˙ loss) indicated a strong influence of kinetic factors on the observed fragmentation patterns. The repulsive Coulomb barrier (RCB) determines the transition state for the e- and X- losses. A significantly lower RCB for X- loss than for e- loss was found in both experimental and theoretical investigations and can be rationalized by the recently introduced concept of electrophilic anions. The positive reaction enthalpies for X- losses are significantly lower for [B6X6]2- than for [B12X12]2-, while enthalpies for X˙ losses are higher. These observations are consistent with a difference in bond character of the B-X bonds in [B6X6]2- and [B12X12]2-. A complementary bonding analysis using QTAIM, NPA and ELI-D based methods suggests that B-X bonds in [B12X12]2- have a stronger covalent character than in [B6X6]2-, in which X has a stronger halide character.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Rohdenburg
- Institut für Angewandte und Physikalische Chemie, Universität Bremen, Fachbereich 2-Biologie/Chemie, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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Wysokiński R, Zierkiewicz W, Michalczyk M, Scheiner S. Anion⋅⋅⋅Anion Attraction in Complexes of MCl
3
−
(M=Zn, Cd, Hg) with CN
−. Chemphyschem 2020; 21:1119-1125. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Wysokiński
- Faculty of ChemistryWrocław University of Science and Technology Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27 50-370 Wrocław Poland
| | - Wiktor Zierkiewicz
- Faculty of ChemistryWrocław University of Science and Technology Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27 50-370 Wrocław Poland
| | - Mariusz Michalczyk
- Faculty of ChemistryWrocław University of Science and Technology Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27 50-370 Wrocław Poland
| | - Steve Scheiner
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUtah State University Logan Utah 84322-0300 USA
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