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Updated: May 18, 2026

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 17, 2017
Thermolysis and solid state NMR studies of NaB3H8, NH3B3H7, and NH4B3H8
Zhenguo Huang1, Mitch Eagles, Spencer Porter
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. zhao.199@osu.edu
Abstract:
In an effort to broaden the search for high-capacity hydrogen storage materials, three triborane compounds, NaB(3)H(8), NH(3)B(3)H(7), and NH(4)B(3)H(8), were studied. In addition to hydrogen, thermal decomposition also releases volatile boranes, and the relative amounts and species depend on the cations (Na(+), NH(4)(+)) and the Lewis base (NH(3)). Static-sample hydrogen NMR is used to probe molecular motion in the three solids. In each case, the line width decreases from low temperatures to room temperature in accordance with a model of isotropic or nearly isotropic reorientations. Such motions also explain a deep minimum in the relaxation time T(1). Translational diffusion never appears to be rapid on the 10(-5) s time scale of NMR.
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