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Sulfide accumulation in oil reservoir fluids (souring) from the activity of sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) is of grave concern because of the associated health and facility failure risks. Here, we present an assessment of tungstate as a selective and potent inhibitor of SRM. Dose–response inhibitor experiments were conducted with a number of SRM isolates and enrichments at 30–80 °C and an increase in the effectiveness of tungstate treatment at higher temperatures was observed. To explore mixed inhibitor treatment modes, we tested synergy or antagonism between several inhibitors with tungstate, and found synergism between WO42–and NO2–, while additive effects were observed with ClO4–and NO3–. We also evaluated SRM inhibition by tungstate in advective upflow oil–sand-packed columns. Although 2 mM tungstate was initially sufficient to inhibit sulfidogenesis, subsequent temporal CaWO4precipitation resulted in loss of the bioavailable inhibitor from solution and a concurrent increase in effluent sulfide. Mixing 4 mM sodium carbonate with the 2 mM tungstate was enough to promote tungstate solubility to reach inhibitory concentrations, without precipitation, and completely inhibit SRM activity. Overall, we demonstrate the effectiveness of tungstate as a potent SRM inhibitor, particularly at higher temperatures, and propose a novel carbonate–tungstate formulation for application to soured oil reservoirs.

Lithium-metal deposition on graphite anodes limits the cycle life and negatively impacts safety of the current state of the art Li-ion batteries. Herein, deliberate interfacial modification of graphite electrodes via direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering of nanoscale layers of Cu and Ni is employed to increase the overpotential for Li deposition and suppress Li plating under high rate charge conditions. Due to their nanoscale, the deposited surface films have minimal impact (∼0.16% decrease) on cell level theoretical energy density. Interfacial properties of the anodes are thoroughly characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and spatially resolved mapping X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic measurements indicate that the Cu and Ni coatings form oxide upon exposure to an ambient environment, but they are reduced within the electrochemical cell and remain in a metallic state. Li plating is quantified by X-ray diffraction and associated electrochemistry measurements revealing that the surface treatment effectively reduces the quantity of the plated Li metal by ∼50% compared to untreated electrodes. These results establish an effective method using interfacial modification to achieve deliberate control of Li-metal deposition overpotential and reduction of lithium plating on graphite.

Fe3O4nanoparticles (NPs) with an average size of 8–10 nm have been successfully functionalized with various surface-treatment agents to serve as model systems for probing surface chemistry-dependent electrochemistry of the resulting electrodes. The surface-treatment agents used for the functionalization of Fe3O4anode materials were systematically varied to include aromatic or aliphatic structures: 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, benzoic acid (BA), 3-mercaptopropionic acid, and propionic acid (PA). Both structural and electrochemical characterizations have been used to systematically correlate the electrode functionality with the corresponding surface chemistry. Surface treatment with ligands led to better Fe3O4dispersion, especially with the aromatic ligands. Electrochemistry was impacted where the PA- and BA-treated Fe3O4systems without the −SH group demonstrated a higher rate capability than their thiol-containing counterparts and the pristine Fe3O4. Specifically, the PA system delivered the highest capacity and cycling stability among all samples tested. Notably, the aromatic BA system outperformed the aliphatic PA counterpart during extended cycling under high current density, due to the improved charge transfer and ion transport kinetics as well as better dispersion of Fe3O4NPs, induced by the conjugated system. Our surface engineering of the Fe3O4electrode presented herein, highlights the importance of modifying the structure and chemistry of surface-treatment agents as a plausible means of enhancing the interfacial charge transfer within metal oxide composite electrodes without hampering the resulting tap density of the resulting electrode.

Nanoenabled foliar-applied agrochemicals can potentially be safer and more efficient than conventional products. However, limited understanding about how nanoparticle properties influence their interactions with plant leaves, uptake, translocation through the mesophyll to the vasculature, and transport to the rest of the plant prevents rational design. This study used a combination of Au quantification and spatial analysis to investigate how size (3, 10, or 50 nm) and coating chemistry (PVP versuscitrate) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) influence these processes. Following wheat foliar exposure to AuNPs suspensions (∼280 ng per plant), adhesion on the leaf surface was increased for smaller sizes, and PVP-AuNPs compared to citrate-AuNPs. After 2 weeks, there was incomplete uptake of citrate-AuNPs with some AuNPs remaining on the outside of the cuticle layer. However, the fraction of citrate-AuNPs that had entered the leaf was translocated efficiently to the plant vasculature. In contrast, for similar sizes, virtually all of the PVP-AuNPs crossed the cuticle layer after 2 weeks, but its transport through the mesophyll cells was lower. As a consequence of PVP-AuNP accumulation in the leaf mesophyll, wheat photosynthesis was impaired. Regardless of their coating and sizes, the majority of the transported AuNPs accumulated in younger shoots (10–30%) and in roots (10–25%), and 5–15% of the NPs <50 nm were exuded into the rhizosphere soil. A greater fraction of larger sizes AuNPs (presenting lower ζ potentials) was transported to the roots. The key hypotheses about the NPs physical–chemical and plant physiology parameters that may matter to predict leaf-to-rhizosphere transport are also discussed.

Magnetite, Fe3O4, holds significant interest as a Li-ion anode material because of its high theoretical capacity (926 mAh/g) associated with multiple electron transfers per cation center. Notably, both crystallite size and agglomeration influence ion transport. This report probes the effects of crystallite size (12 and 29 nm) and agglomeration on the reactions involved with the formation of the surface electrolyte interphase on Fe3O4. Isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC) was used to determine the parasitic heat evolved during lithiation by considering the total heat measured, cell polarization, and entropic contributions. Interestingly, the 29 nm Fe3O4-based electrodes produced more parasitic heat than the 12 nm samples (1346 vs 1155 J/g). This observation was explored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping in conjunction with spatially resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). SEM imaging of the electrodes revealed more agglomerates for the 12 nm material, affirmed by XRF maps. Further, XAS results suggest that Li+transport is more restricted for the smaller crystallite size (12 nm) material, attributed to its greater degree of agglomeration. These results rationalize the IMC data, where agglomerates of the 12 nm material limit solid electrolyte interphase formation and parasitic heat generation during lithiation of Fe3O4.

Metal (M) oxides are one of the most interesting and widely used solids, and many of their properties can be directly correlated to the local structural ordering within basic building units (BBUs). One particular example is the high-Ni transition metal layered oxides, potential cathode materials for Li-ion batteries whose electrochemical activity is largely determined by the cationic ordering in octahedra (e.g., the BBUs in such systems). Yet to be firmly established is how the BBUs are inherited from precursors and subsequently evolve into the desired ordering during synthesis. Herein, a multimodal in situ X-ray characterization approach is employed to investigate the synthesis process in preparing LiNi0.77Mn0.13Co0.10O2from its hydroxide counterpart, at scales varying from the long-range to local individual octahedral units. Real-time observation corroborated by first-principles calculations reveals a topotactic transformation throughout the entire process, during which the layered framework is retained; however, due to preferential oxidation of Co and Mn over Ni, significant changes happen locally within NiO6octahedra. Specifically, oxygen loss and the associated symmetry breaking occur in NiO6; as a consequence, Ni2+ions become highly mobile and tend to mix with Li, causing high cationic disordering upon formation of the layered oxides. Only through high-temperature heat treatment, Ni is further oxidized, thereby inducing symmetry reconstruction and, concomitantly, cationic ordering within NiO6octahedra. Findings from this study shed light on designing high-Ni layered oxide cathodes and, more broadly, various functional materials through synthetic control of the constituent BBUs.

It was recently reported that inclusion of Cu in Bi-modified MnO2 cathodes allowed over 1000 cycles at nearly the full capacity of 617 mAh/g-MnO2, at a high areal capacity of 28 mAh/cm2. To better understand the molecular mechanism by which Bi and Cu impart rechargeability, cathodes prepared by physical mixing of MnO2 and Bi2O3 were studied during initial discharge at an areal capacity of 57.4 mAh/cm2, both with Cu (MDBC) and without (MDB). These were compared to the base case with MnO2 only (MD). It is demonstrated that there are two distinct regimes of MnII production during the second electron regime of discharge. In standard MD cathodes, the first regime results in an amorphous product formed simultaneously with Mn3O4, while the second results in crystalline Mn(OH)2. When MnO2 is Bi-modified, crystalline Mn(OH)2 is formed in both regimes and Mn3O4 is absent. Bi and Cu are observed to have a structural effect on the a-MnOOH discharge intermediate. CuII is shown to be electrochemically active at the surfaces of MnO2 particles, reducing to CuI and Cu0. Reversible potentials suggest MnII would act as a redox mediator, reducing CuII. Fluorescence mapping provides evidence for occurrence of this phenomenon.

Precise management of soil phosphorus (P) to meet competing demands of agriculture and environmental protection can benefit from more comprehensive characterization of P speciation in soils. Our objectives were to provide spatial context for spectroscopic analyses of soil P speciation in relation to molecular‐scale species and landscape‐scale management of P, and to compare soil P‐species diversity from spectroscopic measurements at submicron and millimeter scales. The spatial range of ∼26 orders of magnitude between atomic and field scales presents a challenge to upscaling and downscaling information from spectroscopic analyses of soils. Scanning fluorescence X‐ray microscopy images of a 50‐μm × 45‐μm area of an organic soil sample showed heterogeneous distributions of P, Al, and Si. Microscale X‐ray absorption near edge structure (μ‐XANES) spectra collected at the P K‐edge from 12 spots on the soil sample exhibited diverse features that indicated variations in highly localized P speciation. Linear combination fitting analysis of the μ‐XANES spectra included various proportions of three standards that appeared in fits for most spots and five standards that appeared in fits for one spot each. The fit to a bulk‐soil spectrum was dominated by two of the common standards in the μ‐XANES fits, and a fit to the sum of μ‐XANES spectra included four of the standards. These results illustrate a gain in P species sensitivity from spatially resolved XANES analysis. Integrating spectroscopic analyses from multiple scales determines soil P species diversity and will ultimately help connect speciation to the chemical reactivity and mobility of P in soils. Diverse molecular‐scale species of phosphorus occur in a soil.XANES analysis at different scales connects speciation across scales.Microscale XANES spectroscopy analysis improves detection of minor P species.Bulk‐sample XANES spectroscopy analyzes major P species in a representative volume.

Nanoporous materials, especially those fabricated by liquid metal dealloying processes, possess great potential in a wide range of applications due to their high surface area, bicontinuous structure with both open pores for transport and solid phase for conductivity or support, and low material cost. Here, we used X-ray nanotomography and X-ray fluorescence microscopy to reveal the three-dimensional (3D) morphology and elemental distribution within materials. Focusing on nanoporous stainless steel, we evaluated the 3D morphology of the dealloying front and established a quantitative processing–structure–property relationship at a later stage of dealloying. The morphological differences of samples created by liquid metal dealloying and aqueous dealloying methods were also discussed. We concluded that it is particularly important to consider the dealloying, coarsening, and densification mechanisms in influencing the performance-determining, critical 3D parameters, such as tortuosity, pore size, porosity, curvature, and interfacial shape.

The increasing severity of pathogenic and environmental stressors that negatively affect plant health has led to interest in developing next-generation agrochemical delivery systems capable of precisely transporting active agents to specific sites within plants. In this work, we adapt Flash NanoPrecipitation (FNP), a scalable nanocarrier (NC) formulation technology used in the pharmaceutical industry, to prepare organic core–shell NCs and study their efficacy as foliar or root delivery vehicles. NCs ranging in diameter from 55 to 200 nm, with surface zeta potentials from −40 to +40 mV, and with seven different shell material properties were prepared and studied. Shell materials included synthetic polymers poly(acrylic acid), poly(ethylene glycol), and poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), naturally occurring compounds fish gelatin and soybean lecithin, and semisynthetic hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS). NC cores contained a gadolinium tracer for tracking by mass spectrometry, a fluorescent dye for tracking by confocal microscopy, and model hydrophobic compounds (alpha tocopherol acetate and polystyrene) that could be replaced by agrochemical payloads in subsequent applications. After foliar application onto tomato plants with Silwet L-77 surfactant, internalization efficiencies of up to 85% and NC translocation efficiencies of up to 32% were observed. Significant NC trafficking to the stem and roots suggests a high degree of phloem loading for some of these formulations. Results were corroborated by confocal microscopy and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping. NCs stabilized by cellulosic HPMCAS exhibited the highest degree of translocation, followed by formulations with a significant surface charge. The results from this work indicate that biocompatible materials like HPMCAS are promising agrochemical delivery vehicles in an industrially viable pharmaceutical nanoformulation process (FNP) and shed light on the optimal properties of organic NCs for efficient foliar uptake, translocation, and delivery.

The Sub-micron Resolution X-ray spectroscopy (SRX) beamline will benefit from the ultralow emittance of the National Synchrotron Light Source II to address a wide variety of scientific applications studying heterogeneous systems at the sub-micrometer scale. This work focuses on the KB branch (E: 4.65-28 keV). Its main optical components include a horizontally focusing mirror forming an adjustable secondary source, a horizontally deflecting monochromator and two sets of Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors as focusing optics of two distinct inline stations for operations requiring either high flux or high resolution. In the first approach, the beamline layout was optimized with ray-tracing calculations involving Shadowvui computer codes. As a result, the location and characteristics of optics were specified for achieving either the most intense or the smallest monochromatic beam possible on the target (1013ph/s or 1012ph/s respectively in a 500 nm or 65 nm focal spot). At the nanoprobe station, the diffraction limited focusing of X-rays is governed by the beam coherence. Hence, a classical geometric approach is not anymore adapted. To get reliable estimates of the Nanoprobe performances, a wavefront propagation study was performed using Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) code. At 7.2 keV, calculations show an intense (1012ph/s) 67 nm wide diffraction limited spot achieved with actual metrological data of mirrors.