Researchers have successfully synthesized a new form of high-energy-density nitrogen material called cubic gauche nitrogen (cg-N) at atmospheric pressure, paving the way for safer and more efficient energy storage solutions.
As the key to unlocking the Nitrogen Council
Nitrogen is a unique element that has been an attractive candidate for high-energy materials. Under the leadership by Prof. Wang Xianlong from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences, cg-N has been generated at atmospheric pressure for the first time on it can be seen as milestone by the research team.
Cg-N is distinct from other forms of nitrogen due to the fact that all nitrogen atoms are bonded by N-N single bonds, which resemble diamond structures. This has made this material attractive as a high-energy-density compound that yields only nitrogen gas when it decomposes, which is expected to be a safer alternative other traditional high-energy materials.
A Breakthrough in Synthesis
One of the biggest difficulties in producing cg-N has been to synthesize it since stabilizing this material often requires extreme high pressures. Nonetheless, the group of researchers undertaking this research stood out by using a completely different method: namely plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), which in turn allowed them to produce cg-N under atmospheric pressure.
The success in the synthesis of NMC was due to precursor material. So instead of more toxic and explosive options, the team chose potassium azide (KN3) because it is less toxic and less explosive since potassium has very strong electron transfer capacity. This precursor enabled researchers to escape the carbon nanotube-limiting effect, the challenge preventing cg-N synthesis using PECVD until now.
Thermal stability tests showed that cg-N can survive to 760 K (487°C) then rapidly decompose, ensuring its feasibility for high-energy applications.
Conclusion
The realization of cubic gauche nitrogen (cg-N) under ambient conditions is a breakthrough for high-energy materials. Such high-energy-density and stable decomposition-heminitrogen material promises utility as a form of nitrogen in numerous new applications from cathodes to rocket propulsion systems. Such advances in energy and environmental technology not only demonstrate new novel uses for existing materials, but this research holds great promise for the delivery of more efficient and environmentally-friendly high-energy solutions – an exciting future pathway for tomorrow’s energy technologies enabled by PECVD with a safer precursor material from leading plasma experts.
