Strength of shock-loaded single-crystal tantalum [100] determined using in situ broadband x-ray Laue diffraction.

The strength of shock-loaded single crystal tantalum [100] has been experimentally determined using in situ broadband x-ray Laue diffraction to measure the strain state of the compressed crystal, and elastic constants calculated from first principles. The inferred strength reaches 35 GPa at a shock pressure of 181 GPa and is in excellent agreement with a multiscale strength model [N. R. Barton et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 073501 (2011)], which employs a hierarchy of simulation methods over a range of length scales to calculate strength from first principles.

Demonstration of the density dependence of x-ray flux in a laser-driven hohlraum.

Experiments have been conducted using laser-driven cylindrical hohlraums whose walls are machined from Ta2O5 foams of 100 mg/cc and 4 g/cc densities. Measurements of the radiation temperature demonstrate that the lower density walls produce higher radiation temperatures than the high density walls. This is the first experimental demonstration of the prediction that this would occur [M. D. Rosen and J. H. Hammer, Phys. Rev. E 72, 056403 (2005)10.1103/PhysRevE.72.056403]. For high density walls, the radiation front propagates subsonically, and part of the absorbed energy is wasted by the flow kinetic energy. For the lower wall density, the front velocity is supersonic and can devote almost all of the absorbed energy to heating the wall.

Probing the geometry and interconnectivity of pores in organic aerogels using hyperpolarized 129XE NMR spectroscopy.

Hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe NMR was used for the first time to probe the geometry and interconnectivity of pores in RF aerogels and to correlate them with the [resorcinol]/[catalyst] (R/C) ratio. We have demonstrated that HP 129Xe NMR is an ideal method for accurately measuring the volume-to-surface-area (Vg/S) ratios for soft mesoporous materials without using any geometric models. The Vg/S parameter, which is related both to the geometry and the interconnectivity of the porous space, has been found to correlate strongly with the R/C ratio and exhibits an unusually large span: an increase in the R/C ratio from 50 to 500 results in about 5-fold rise in Vg/S. Unlike conventional techniques, HP 129Xe NMR spectroscopy probes the geometry and interconnectivity of the nano- or mesopores in soft materials, providing new insights into the pore structure.

A mixed oxidation state, binuclear iron complex containing an unsymmetrically coordinating ligand. A ligand-induced switch in redox behavior.

Binuclear [FeIIFeIII(BMDP)(O2CPh)3](BF4) (1) was obtained by treating an acetonitrile solution of the fully reduced [FeIIFeII(BMDP)(O2CPh)(MeOH)1.5(H2O)0.5](BF4)2 with 5 equiv of benzoate and then exposing the mixture to oxygen. Examination of [FeIIFeIII(BMDP)(O2CPh)3](BF4) by X-ray crystallography reveals the localized, mixed oxidation state nature of the cation in the solid state. 1H NMR and magnetic susceptibility data for the new complex are also reported. In the absence of dioxygen and other oxidants, treatment of FeIIFeII(BMDP)(O2CPh)(MeOH)1.5(H2O)0.5](BF4)2 with excess benzoate results in the formation of [FeIIFeII(BMDP)(O2CPh)2](BF4)2, which has also been characterized by X-ray diffraction.