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Russell E Morris

Publications and source records attributed to Russell E Morris.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Structure-directing agent location and non-centrosymmetric structure of fluoride-containing zeolite SSZ-55.

Single crystals of pure silica zeolite SSZ-55 were prepared using the fluoride route. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction at a synchrotron source revealed the framework structure of the material, but the unit cell (orthorhombic a = 12.905(2) A, b = 21.344(4) A, c = 5.1279(10)) is too small to accommodate ordered arrays of the organic structure-directing agent. Molecular modeling was used to simulate the docking of the structure-directing agent in the channels of the material, and this revealed a strong space-filling interaction with a number of possible orientations of the organic cation. The overall non-centrosymmetric structure of the solid (spacegroup C222(1)) was confirmed using second harmonic generation experiments.

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The ionothermal synthesis of cobalt aluminophosphate zeolite frameworks.

Ionothermal synthesis, the use of an ionic liquid as both solvent and structure-directing agent, has been used to synthesize three different cobalt aluminophosphate zeolites. Two of the materials are isostructural with solids prepared previously and have the AEI and SOD framework types. SIZ-7 is a novel zeolite structures that is closely related to the family of 8-ring zeolites consisting of the MER, GIS, and PHI frameworks. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of SIZ-7 indicates that the distribution of cobalt among the four possible tetrahedral sites is unequal.

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NO-releasing zeolites and their antithrombotic properties.

Transition metal-exchanged zeolite-A adsorbs and stores nitric oxide in relatively high capacity (up to 1 mmol of NO/g of zeolite). The stored NO is released on contact with an aqueous environment under biologically relevant conditions of temperature and pH. The release of the NO can be tuned by altering the chemical composition of the zeolite, by controlling the amount of water contacting the zeolite, and by blending the zeolite with different polymers. The high capacity of zeolite for NO makes it extremely attractive for use in biological and medical applications, and our experiments indicate that the NO released from Co-exchanged zeolite-A inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion of human platelets in vitro.

Fibrinolytic Agents↗

A solid-state NMR method for solution of zeolite crystal structures.

Since zeolites are notoriously difficult to prepare as large single crystals, structure determination usually relies on powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). However, structure solution (i.e., deriving an initial structural model) directly from powder XRD data is often very difficult due to the diffraction phase problem and the high degree of overlap between the individual reflections, particularly for materials with the structural complexity of most zeolites. Here, we report a method for structure determination of zeolite crystal structures that combines powder XRD and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in which the crucial step of structure solution is achieved using solid-state (29)Si double-quantum dipolar recoupling NMR, which probes the distance-dependent dipolar interactions between naturally abundant (29)Si nuclei in the zeolite framework. For two purely siliceous zeolite blind test samples, we demonstrate that the NMR data can be combined with the unit cell parameters and space group to solve structural models that refine successfully against the powder XRD data.

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Ionic liquids and eutectic mixtures as solvent and template in synthesis of zeolite analogues.

The challenges associated with synthesizing porous materials mean that new classes of zeolites (zeotypes)-such as aluminosilicate zeolites and zeolite analogues-together with new methods of preparing known zeotypes, continue to be of great importance. Normally these materials are prepared hydrothermally with water as the solvent in a sealed autoclave under autogenous pressure. The reaction mixture usually includes an organic template or 'structure-directing agent' that guides the synthesis pathway towards particular structures. Here we report the preparation of aluminophosphate zeolite analogues by using ionic liquids and eutectic mixtures. An imidazolium-based ionic liquid acts as both solvent and template, leading to four zeotype frameworks under different experimental conditions. The structural characteristics of the materials can be traced back to the solvent chemistry used. Because of the vanishingly low vapour pressure of ionic liquids, synthesis takes place at ambient pressure, eliminating safety concerns associated with high hydrothermal pressures. The ionic liquid can also be recycled for further use. A choline chloride/urea eutectic mixture is also used in the preparation of a new zeotype framework.

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The structure of phosphine-functionalised silsesquioxane-based dendrimers: a molecular dynamics study.

Molecular dynamics modelling has been used to simulate the structures of phopshine-functionalised, silsesquioxane-based dendrimers whose excellent catalytic properties have been previously demonstrated. The effect of changing the chemical composition of the dendrimer branches is simulated. The results indicate that adding a methylene unit to a branch increases the overall size of the dendrimer but replacing a methylene unit with an oxygen atom decreases the size of the dendrimer. The size and shape of the dendrimers have also been simulated on changing the temperature and polarity of the solvent. The distribution of phosphine groups on the exterior has also been modelled and this suggests that all are available for bonding to catalytic metals in all the compounds.

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A severely interrupted germanate zeolite framework synthesised from isolated double four-ring units.

A new germanate zeolite framework has been prepared by first determining the reaction conditions required to prepare a molecular analogue of the zeolite double four-ring secondary building unit and then altering the conditions so as to encourage condensation of these units. The resultant material is a severely interrupted solid showing an unusual two dimensional channel system. It is also one of the most open frameworks yet discovered. The material was characterised using single crystal X-ray diffraction at a synchrotron source and solid state magic angle spinning NMR.

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An X-ray diffraction and MAS NMR study of the thermal expansion properties of calcined siliceous ferrierite.

Powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, combined with MAS NMR measurements, has been used to study the thermal expansion of siliceous zeolite ferrierite as it approaches a second-order displacive phase transition from a low-symmetry (Pnnm) to a high-symmetry (Immm) structure. Below the transition temperature, ferrierite exhibits positive thermal expansivity. However, above the transition temperature a significant change in thermal behavior is seen, and ferrierite becomes a negative thermal expansion material. Accurate variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the transition temperature and allow the changes in average atomic position to be followed with temperature. The results from the single-crystal X-ray diffraction study can be correlated with (29)Si MAS NMR chemical shifts for the low-temperature phase. At low temperatures the results show that the positive thermal expansivity is driven by an overall increase in Si[bond]Si distances related to an increase in Si[bond]O[bond]Si bond angles. However, in the high-temperature phase the Si[bond]O[bond]Si angles are approximately invariant with temperature, and the negative thermal expansion in this case is caused by transverse vibrations of the Si[bond]O[bond]Si units.

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Combined solid state NMR and X-ray diffraction investigation of the local structure of the five-coordinate silicon in fluoride-containing as-synthesized STF zeolite.

The local structure of the [SiO(4/2)F]- unit in fluoride-containing as-synthesized STF zeolite has been experimentally determined by a combination of solid-state NMR and microcrystal X-ray diffraction to be very close to trigonal bipyramidal. Because the fluoride ions are disordered over two sites, the resulting local structure of the [SiO(4/2)F]- unit from a conventional XRD refinement is an average between tetrahedral SiO(4/2) and five-coordinate [[SiO(4/2)F]-, giving an apparent F-Si distance longer than expected. The correct F-Si distance was determined by slow spinning MAS and fast spinning (19)F/(29)Si CP and REDOR solid-state NMR experiments and found to be between 1.72 and 1.79 A. In light of this, the X-ray structure was re-refined, including the disorder at Si3. The resulting local structure of the [SiO(4/2)F]- unit was very close to trigonal bipyramidal with a F-Si distance of 1.744 (6) A, in agreement with the NMR results and the prediction of Density Functional Theory calculations. In addition, further evidence for the existence of a covalent F-Si bond is provided by a (19)F-->(29)Si refocused INEPT experiment. The resonance for the five-coordinate species at -147.5 ppm in the (29)Si spectrum is a doublet due to the (19)F/(29)Si J-coupling of 165 Hz. The peaks in this doublet have remarkably different effective chemical shift anisotropies due to the interplay of the CSA, dipolar coupling, and J-coupling tensors. The distortions from tetrahedral geometry of the neighboring silicon atoms to the five-coordinate Si3 atom are manifested in increased delta(aniso) values. This information, along with F-Si distances measured by (19)F-->(29)Si CP experiments, makes it possible to assign half of the (29)Si resonances to unique tetrahedral sites. As well as determining the local geometry of the [SiO(4/2)F]- unit, the work presented here demonstrates the complementarity of the solid-state NMR and X-ray diffraction techniques and the advantages of using them together.

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