The molecular-layer deposition of a flexible coating onto Si electrodes produces high-capacity Si nanocomposite anodes. Using a reaction cascade based on inorganic trimethylaluminum and organic glycerol precursors, conventional nano-Si electrodes undergo surface modifications, resulting in anodes that can be cycled over 100 times with capacities of nearly 900 mA h g(-1) and Coulombic efficiencies in excess of 99%.

Electrochemical supercapacitors utilizing α-MnO 2 offer the possibility of both high power density and high energy density. Unfortunately, the mechanism of electrochemical charge storage in α-MnO 2 and the effect of operating conditions on the charge storage mechanism are generally not well understood. Here, we present the first detailed charge storage mechanism of α-MnO 2 and explain the capacity differences between α-and β-MnO 2 using a combined theoretical electrochemical and band structure analysis. We identify the importance of the band gap, work function, the point of zero charge, and the tunnel sizes of the electrode material, as well as the pH and stability window of the electrolyte in determining the viability of a given electrode material. The high capacity of α-MnO 2 results from cation induced charge-switching states in the band gap that overlap with the scanned potential allowed by the electrolyte. The charge-switching states originate from interstitial and substitutional cations (H + , Li + , Na + , and K + ) incorporated into the material. Interstitial cations are found to induce chargeswitching states by stabilizing Mn-O antibonding orbitals from the conduction band. Substitutional cations interact with O[2p] dangling bonds that are destabilized from the valence band by Mn vacancies to induce charge-switching states. We calculate the equilibrium electrochemical potentials at which these states are reduced and predict the effect of the electrochemical operating conditions on their contribution to charge storage. The mechanism and theoretical approach we report is general and can be used to computationally screen new materials for improved charge storage via ion incorporation.

Previous work has shown that introduction of hexafluoroacetylacetone (Facac) units as nonstructural ligands for the zirconia-like nodes of the eight-connected metal−organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, greatly alters the selectivity of node-supported oxynickel clusters for ethylene dimerization vs oligomerization. Here we explore a related concept: tuning of support/catalyst interactions, and therefore, catalyst activity, via parallel installation of organic modifiers on the support itself. As modifiers we focused on para-substituted benzoates (R-BA − ; R = −NH 2 , −OCH 3 , −CH 3 , −H, −F, and −NO 2 ) where the substituents were chosen to present similar steric demand, but varying electron-donating or electron-withdrawing properties. Rbenzoate-engendered shifts in the node-based aqua O−H stretching frequency for NU-1000, as measured by DRIFTS (diffusereflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy), together with systematic shifts in Ni 2p peak energies, as measured by Xray photoelectron spectroscopy, show that the electronic properties of the support can be modulated. The vibrational and electronic peak shifts correlate with the putative electron-withdrawing vs electron-donating strength of the para-substituted benzoate modifiers. Subsequent installation of node-supported, oxy-Ni(II) clusters for ethylene hydrogenation yield a compelling correlation between log (catalyst turnover frequency) and the electron donating or withdrawing character of the substituent of the benzoate units. Single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that each organic modifier makes use of only one of two available carboxylate oxygens to accomplish grafting. The remaining oxygen atom is, in principle, well positioned to coordinate directly to an installed Ni(II) ion. We postulate that the unanticipated direct coordination of the catalyst by the node-modifier (rather than indirect modifier-based tuning of support(node)/catalyst electronic interactions) is the primary source of the observed systematic tuning of hydrogenation activity. We suggest, however, that regardless of mechanism for communication with active-sites of MOF-supported catalysts, intentional elaboration of nodes via grafted, nonstructural organic species could prove to be a valuable general strategy for fine-tuning supported-catalyst activity and/or selectivity.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a well-established technique for depositing nanoscale coatings with pristine control of film thickness and composition. The trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water (H 2 O) ALD chemistry is inarguably the most widely used and yet to date, we have little information about the atomicscale structure of the amorphous aluminum oxide (AlO x ) formed by this chemistry. This lack of understanding hinders our ability to establish process−structure−property relationships and ultimately limits technological advancements employing AlO x made via ALD. In this work, we employ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD) coupled with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis to characterize the atomic structure of amorphous AlO x ALD coatings. We combine ex situ and in operando HE-XRD measurements on ALD AlO x and fit these experimental data using stochastic structural modeling to reveal variations in the Al−O bond length, Al and O coordination environment, and extent of Al vacancies as a function of growth conditions. In particular, the local atomic structure of ALD AlO x is found to change with the substrate and number of ALD cycles. The observed trends are consistent with the formation of bulk Al 2 O 3 surrounded by an O-rich surface layer. We deconvolute these data to reveal atomic-scale structural information for both the bulk and surface phases. Overall, this work demonstrates the usefulness of HE-XRD and PDF analysis in improving our understanding of the structure of amorphous ALD thin films and provides a pathway to evaluate how process changes impact the structure and properties of ALD films.