Sandia Corporation

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Sandia National Laboratories

Chad Staiger

David R Wheeler

Blake A Simmons

Douglas A Loy

James R McElhanon

Kamyar Rahimian

Gregory M Jamison

Timothy M Long

Thomas Zifer

Travis Mark Anderson

Harry Pratt

David Ingersoll

Ganesan Nagasubramanian

Leah N Appelhans

Erica Marie Redline

Kyle Ross Fenton

Jeffrey C Foster

Mark D Allendorf

Mark R Vaughn

Nicholas Hudak

Christopher J Cornelius

Susan Lynne Rempe

Jeffery A Greathouse

A Keith Miller

Brad Howard Jones

Kevin Leung

Mangesh Chaudhari

Christopher Orendorff

Curatives and their resulting thermosets and other crosslinked polymers can reduce thermal expansion mismatch between an encapsulant and objects that are encapsulated. This can be accomplished by incorporating a negative CTE moiety into the thermoset resin or polymer backbone. The negative CTE moiety can be a thermal contractile unit that shrinks as a result of thermally induced conversion from a twist-boat to chair or cis/trans isomerization upon heating. Beyond CTE matching, other potential uses for these crosslinked polymers and thermosets include passive energy generation, energy absorption at high strain rates, mechanophores, actuators, and piezoelectric applications.

Crosslinked polymers with tunable coefficients of thermal expansion

Novel polymers are depolymerizable by metathesis of a cleavable unit. As an example, a series of linear and crosslinked polyurethanes were prepared that can be selectively depolymerized under mild conditions. Two unique polyols were synthesized bearing unsaturated units in a configuration designed to favor ring-closing metathesis to five- and six-membered cycloalkenes. These polyols were co-polymerized with toluene diisocyanate to generate linear polyurethanes and trifunctional hexamethylene- and diphenylmethane-based isocyanates to generate crosslinked polyurethanes. The polyol design is such that the ring-closing metathesis reaction cleaves the backbone of the polymer chain. Upon exposure to dilute solutions of Grubbs' catalyst under ambient conditions, the polyurethanes were rapidly depolymerized to low molecular weight, soluble products bearing vinyl and cycloalkene functionalities. These functionalities enabled further re-polymerization by traditional strategies for polymerization of double bonds. This general approach can be expanded to develop a range of chemically recyclable condensation polymers that are readily depolymerized by orthogonal metathesis chemistry.

Polymers depolymerizable by metathesis of a cleavable unit

A method for synthesizing a purified lithium (Li)anion binding agent (ABA-F)salt and the corresponding Li(ABA-F)are disclosed. The method includes dissolving a boron-based acid in a polar solvent to form a solution. The solution is refluxed to form an anion binding agent. A stoichiometric amount of a small fluorinated salt, such as LiF, is added to the anion binding agent to form a mixture. The mixture is subsequently crystallized to obtain a substantially pure Li(ABA-F)salt. Example purified Li(ABA-F)salts include Ox-Li(ABA-F), m-Li(ABA-F), and BF—Li(ABA-F). These purified Li(ABA-F)salts provide the benefits of increased battery thermal safety without loss of electrochemical performance.

Anion binding agent lithium salts for battery electrolytes

Organosilicon electrolytes exhibit several important properties for use in lithium carbon monofluoride batteries, including high conductivity/low viscosity and thermal/electrochemical stability. Conjugation of an anion binding agent to the siloxane backbone of an organosilicon electrolyte creates a bi-functional electrolyte. The bi-functionality of the electrolyte is due to the ability of the conjugated polyethylene oxide moieties of the siloxane backbone to solvate lithium and thus control the ionic conductivity within the electrolyte, and the anion binding agent to bind the fluoride anion and thus facilitate lithium fluoride dissolution and preserve the porous structure of the carbon monofluoride cathode. The ability to control both the electrolyte conductivity and the electrode morphology/properties simultaneously can improve lithium electrolyte operation.

Organosilicon-based electrolytes for long-life lithium primary batteries

A method including exposing a gas mixture comprising a noble gas to a metal organic framework (MOF), including an organic electron donor and an adsorbent bed operable to adsorb a noble gas from a mixture of gases, the adsorbent bed including a metal organic framework (MOF) including an organic electron donor.

Metal-organic frameworks for adsorption and separation of noble gases

Redox flow batteries including a half-cell electrode chamber coupled to a current collecting electrode are disclosed herein. In a general embodiment, a separator is coupled to the half-cell electrode chamber. The half-cell electrode chamber comprises a first redox-active mediator and a second redox-active mediator. The first redox-active mediator and the second redox-active mediator are circulated through the half-cell electrode chamber into an external container. The container includes an active charge-transfer material. The active charge-transfer material has a redox potential between a redox potential of the first redox-active mediator and a redox potential of the second redox-active mediator. The active charge-transfer material is a polyoxometalate or derivative thereof. The redox flow battery may be particularly useful in energy storage solutions for renewable energy sources and for providing sustained power to an electrical grid.

Polyoxometalate active charge-transfer material for mediated redox flow battery

The present disclosure is directed to synthesizing metal ionic liquids with transition metal coordination cations, where such metal ionic liquids can be used in a flow battery. A cation of a metal ionic liquid includes a transition metal and a ligand coordinated to the transition metal.

Synthesis of electroactive ionic liquids for flow battery applications

A portable, non-cryogenic, oxygen generation system capable of delivering oxygen gas at purities greater than 98% and flow rates of 15 L/min or more is described. The system consists of two major components. The first component is a high efficiency membrane capable of separating argon and a portion of the nitrogen content from air, yielding an oxygen-enriched permeate flow. This is then fed to the second component, a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit utilizing a commercially available, but specifically formulated zeolite compound to remove the remainder of the nitrogen from the flow. The system is a unique gas separation system that can operate at ambient temperatures, for producing high purity oxygen for various applications (medical, refining, chemical production, enhanced combustion, fuel cells, etc . . . ) and represents a significant advance compared to current technologies.

Hybrid membrane&#x2014;PSA system for separating oxygen from air

Two new surfactant molecules are reported which contain thermally labile Diels-Alder adducts connecting the polar and non-polar sections of each molecule. The two surfactants possess identical non-polar dodecyl tail segments but exhibit different polar headgroups. The surfactants become soluble in water when anionic salts are formed through the deprotonation of the surfactant headgroups by the addition of potassium hydroxide. When either surfactant is exposed to temperature above about 60&#xb0; C., the retro Diels-Alder reaction occurs, yielding hydrophilic and hydrophobic fragments or the aqueous solutions of the surfactants subsequently exhibit loss of all surface-active behavior.

Thermally cleavable surfactants

The present invention describes surfactants of formula (I), wherein R, R, and m are defined herein, processes for their preparation, and methods for their decomposition.

Method for preparing thermally cleavable surfactants without deprotonation

A class of surfactant molecules whose structure includes regularly spaced unsaturation in the tail group and thus, can be readily decomposed by ring-closing metathesis, and particularly by the action of a transition metal catalyst, to form small molecule products. These small molecules are designed to have increased volatility and/or enhanced solubility as compared to the original surfactant molecule and are thus easily removed by solvent extraction or vacuum extraction at low temperature. By producing easily removable decomposition products, the surfactant molecules become particularly desirable as template structures for preparing meso- and microstructural materials with tailored properties.

Metathesis depolymerizable surfactants

Thermally cleavable surfactants without deprotonation

Two new surfactant molecules are reported which contain thermally labile Diels-Alder adducts connecting the polar and non-polar sections of each molecule. The two surfactants possess identical non-polar dodecyl tail segments but exhibit different polar headgroups. The surfactants become soluble in water when anionic salts are formed through the deprotonation of the surfactant headgroups by the addition of potassium hydroxide. When either surfactant is exposed to temperature above about 60&#xb0; C., the retro Diels-Alder reaction occurs, yielding hydrophilic and hydrophobic fragments and the aqueous solutions of the surfactants subsequently exhibit loss of all surface-active behavior.

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Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Chad Staiger