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Suppressed phase transition and giant ionic conductivity in La2Mo2O9 nanowires.

ABSTRACT: Improving the ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes at low temperatures represents a major challenge and an opportunity for enabling a variety of solid-state ionic devices for energy conversion and storage, as well as for environmental protection. Here we report a giant ionic conductivity of 0.20?Scm(-1), achieved at 500?°C, in the La2Mo2O9 nanowires with a bamboo-wire morphology, corresponding to a 1000-fold enhancement in conductivity over conventional bulk material. Stabilization of the high-temperature phase is observed to account for about a 10-fold increase in the conductivity. We further demonstrate that fast surface conduction in ?3?nm thick, partially ordered, surface 'amorphous' films, under strain on the curved surfaces of the nanowires (as a non-autonomous surface phase or complexion), contributes to an enhancement of the conductivity by another two orders of magnitude. Exemplified here by the study of the La2Mo2O9 nanowires, new possibilities for improvement of conductivity and for miniaturization of solid-state ionic devices by the careful use of one-dimensional nanomaterials can be envisioned.

SUBMITTER: Liu W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4595754 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Suppressed phase transition and giant ionic conductivity in La2Mo2O9 nanowires.

Liu Wei W Pan Wei W Luo Jian J Godfrey Andy A Ou Gang G Wu Hui H Zhang Wei W

Nature communications 20150918

Improving the ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes at low temperatures represents a major challenge and an opportunity for enabling a variety of solid-state ionic devices for energy conversion and storage, as well as for environmental protection. Here we report a giant ionic conductivity of 0.20 Scm(-1), achieved at 500 °C, in the La2Mo2O9 nanowires with a bamboo-wire morphology, corresponding to a 1000-fold enhancement in conductivity over conventional bulk material. Stabilization of the hi ...[more]

PMID: 26380943

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Project description:UnlabelledDirect measurement of multiple physical properties of Geobacter sulfurreducens pili have demonstrated that they possess metallic-like conductivity, but several studies have suggested that metallic-like conductivity is unlikely based on the structures of the G. sulfurreducens pilus predicted from homology models. In order to further evaluate this discrepancy, pili were examined with synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction and rocking-curve X-ray diffraction. Both techniques revealed a periodic 3.2-Å spacing in conductive, wild-type G. sulfurreducens pili that was missing in the nonconductive pili of strain Aro5, which lack key aromatic acids required for conductivity. The intensity of the 3.2-Å peak increased 100-fold when the pH was shifted from 10.5 to 2, corresponding with a previously reported 100-fold increase in pilus conductivity with this pH change. These results suggest a clear structure-function correlation for metallic-like conductivity that can be attributed to overlapping ?-orbitals of aromatic amino acids. A homology model of the G. sulfurreducens pilus was constructed with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa pilus model as a template as an alternative to previous models, which were based on a Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilus structure. This alternative model predicted that aromatic amino acids in G. sulfurreducens pili are packed within 3 to 4 Å, consistent with the experimental results. Thus, the predictions of homology modeling are highly sensitive to assumptions inherent in the model construction. The experimental results reported here further support the concept that the pili of G. sulfurreducens represent a novel class of electronically functional proteins in which aromatic amino acids promote long-distance electron transport.ImportanceThe mechanism for long-range electron transport along the conductive pili of Geobacter sulfurreducens is of interest because these "microbial nanowires" are important in biogeochemical cycling as well as applications in bioenergy and bioelectronics. Although proteins are typically insulators, G. sulfurreducens pilus proteins possess metallic-like conductivity. The studies reported here provide important structural insights into the mechanism of the metallic-like conductivity of G. sulfurreducens pili. This information is expected to be useful in the design of novel bioelectronic materials.

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Suppressed phase transition and giant ionic conductivity in La2Mo2O9 nanowires.

Publications

Suppressed phase transition and giant ionic conductivity in La2Mo2O9 nanowires.

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