Showing 211 results for Author: Eugene Mamontov
Sep, 2026
Journal
Understanding how water behaves when confined within atomic layers of active transition-metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides is essential for uncovering the fundamental principles needed to engineer solid–liquid interfaces at the atomic scale. Yet, how lattice element chemistry and surface termination groups collectively regulate the structure and mobility of such i…
Sep, 2026
Journal
The mu-opioid receptor (MOR), a class A G protein-coupled receptor mediates opioid analgesia and remains a central target for pain therapeutics. While crystal structures of MOR exist, they provide limited insight into the receptor’s dynamic conformational landscape underlying function. Here, we engineered a thermostable water-soluble MOR variant (wsMOR) that retains native…
Aug, 2026
Journal
The increase in neutron flux at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), currently operating at 2.0 MW proton beam power, has created new opportunities for higher-throughput neutron scattering experiments while also increasing the importance of minimizing background scattering and optimizing sample-environment operations. To address these c…
Jun, 2026
Journal
Sodium iron phosphate, NaxFePO4, is currently one of the most promising cathode materials for sodium ion batteries. Here we employ a systematic approach using three neutron scattering techniques to investigate temperature dependent properties with a focus on the charge transfer processes. Two distinct Na+ diffusive motions are observed with quasielastic neutron scattering,…
May, 2026
Journal
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) promise step-changes in energy densities but suffer from poor cycle life due to unstable electrolyte-lithium interfaces. Conventional carbonate electrolytes exhibit excessive lithium-ion solvation and low oxidative stability, leading to rapid capacity loss. Herein, we report a rationally designed weakly-solvating cyclic sulfonamide, 1-trifluo…
Apr, 2026
Journal
Nanoconfined water exhibits unique properties compared to bulk water due to limited quantities, frustrated hydrogen bonding, and surface interactions, which are fundamental for energy storage and transport applications. We integrate machine learning–accelerated ab initio molecular dynamics with x-ray diffraction (XRD) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to systematicall…
Feb, 2026
Journal
Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) are an important family of electrochemically active 2D materials. MXenes combine high conductivity with hydrophilicity, making them attractive materials for many applications, including electrochemical energy storage, sensing, desalination, and others. In order to better understand the role of structure on MXe…
Nov, 2025
Journal
Mordenite ((Ca,Na2,K2)Al2Si10O24·7H2O) is a natural and synthetic nanoporous zeolite containing several channels of different sizes in its structure. Because of this, its structure provides an important opportunity to study the relationship between confined and ultraconfined water as these channels have sizes between those typical of these water environments. In this study…
Oct, 2025
Journal
Electrodes and electrolytes in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are crucial for their electrochemical performance, and fabricating these materials to achieve the desired properties for improved efficiency is challenging. A recent study published in Nature ( Nature 2024, 627, 101−107) outlined guidelines for designing an electrolyte using fluoroacetonitrile (FACN), a small-molecule…
Mar, 2025
Journal
The fundamental understanding of proton transport, specifically the Grotthuss-like mechanism, is critical for many technological applications. The present study presents a comprehensive analysis of proton transport in aqueous solutions of sulfuric and phosphoric acids using quasielastic neutron and light scattering, broadband dielectric spectroscopy, rheology, pulsed-field…
Mar, 2025
Journal
Melt reactive processing of lignin with nitrile rubber is a promising approach to synthesizing shape memory materials. The strong intramolecular interactions in lignin macromolecular structures, caused by π–π stacking in aromatic rings and hydrogen bonding, often result in large phase separation or low miscibility with rubbers. In this study, we investigated the chemical a…
Feb, 2025
Journal
A recently proposed wide-angle velocity selector (WAVES) device for choosing the velocity of detected neutrons after they have been scattered by the sample paves the way for inverted geometry neutron spectrometers with continuously adjustable final neutron wavelength. BWAVES broadband inverted geometry spectrometer proposed for the Second Target Station at the Spallation N…