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An organic ionic plastic crystal (OIPC), methyl(diethyl)isobutylphosphonium hexafluorophosphate [P122i4][PF6], was investigated for CO2 and N2 absorption using molecular simulations. Ab initio calculations showed that both the cation and anion exhibit larger binding energy for CO2 compared with N2. The CO2 absorption, as calculated from classical molecular dynamics simulations, increased by a factor of 7.5 from 275 K to 325 K, while that of N2 showed low absorption at both temperatures. The simulations suggest that the significant increase in CO2 absorption at 325 K is attributed to a higher degree of disorder and increase in the free volume due to the gas/solid interfaces. While the ab initio calculations were helpful in identifying specific interaction sites on the constituent ions, the classical MD simulations elucidated the importance of interfaces in gas absorption studies in this material. The results show that the OIPC can be a promising material for CO2 separations from CO2/N2 mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using first-principles simulations, we predict a high-performance solid electrolyte with composition Na10GeP2S12 for use in sodium–sulfur (Na–S) batteries. The thermodynamic stability of its structure is established through determination of decomposition reaction energies and phonons, while Na-ionic conductivity is obtained using ab initio molecular dynamics at elevated temperatures. Our estimate of the room-temperature (RT) conductivity is 4.7 × 10−3 S cm−1, which is slightly higher than those of other superionic solid electrolytes such as β″-alumina and Na3Zr2Si2PO12, currently used in practical high-temperature Na–S batteries. Activation energy obtained from the Arrhenius plot (in the range 800–1400 K) is 0.2 eV, which is slightly lower than the typical values exhibited by other ceramic conductors (0.25–1 V) (Hueso et al., Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 734). We show that soft Na–S phonon modes are responsible for its thermodynamic stability and the lower activation barrier for diffusion of Na-ions. Finally, the calculated electronic bandgap of 2.7 eV (a wide electrochemical window) augurs well for its safe use in sodium batteries. Opening up a possibility for realizing RT operation of Na–S batteries, our prediction of a new phase in the Na–Ge–P–S system will stimulate experimental studies of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]