Effects of Surface Defects on Adsorption of CO and Methyl Groups on Rutile TiO$_\text{2}$(110)

The interaction of reactants with catalysts has always been an important subject for catalytic reactions. As a promising catalyst with versatile applications, titania has been intensively studied for decades. In this work we have investigated the role of bridge bonded oxygen vacancy (O\begin{document}$_\textrm{v}$\end{document}) in methyl groups and carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption on rutile TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}(110) (R-TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}(110)) with the temperature programmed desorption technique. The results show a clear different tendency of the desorption of methyl groups adsorbed on bridge bonded oxygen (O\begin{document}$_\textrm{b}$\end{document}), and CO molecules on the five coordinate Ti\begin{document}$^{4+}$\end{document} sites (Ti\begin{document}$_{5\textrm{c}}$\end{document}) as the O\begin{document}$_\textrm{v}$\end{document} concentration changes, suggesting that the surface defects may have crucial influence on the absorption of species on different sites of R-TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}(110).     

H-Atom Transfer Reaction of Photoinduced Excited Triplet Duroquinone with Tryptophan and Tyrosine in Acetonitrile-Water and Ethylene Glycol-Water Homogeneous Solutions

Laser flash photolysis was used to investigate the photoinduced reactions of excited triplet bioquinone molecule duroquinone (DQ) with tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Tyr) in acetonitrile-water (MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O) and ethylene glycol-water (EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O) solutions. The reaction mechanisms were analyzed and the reaction rate constants were measured based on Stern-Volmer equation. The H-atom transfer reaction from Trp (Tyr) to \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} is dominant after the formation of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} during the laser photolysis. For DQ and Trp in MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O and EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solutions, \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} captures H-atom from Trp to generate duroquinone neutral radical DQH\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}, carbon-centered tryptophan neutral radical Trp\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}/NH and nitrogen-centered tryptophan neutral radical Trp/N\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}. For DQ and Tyr in MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O and EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solutions, \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} captures H-atom from Tyr to generate duroquinone neutral radical DQH\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document} and tyrosine neutral radical Tyr/O\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}. The H-atom transfer reaction rate constant of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with Trp (Tyr) is on the level of 10\begin{document}$^9$\end{document} L\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}mol\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}, nearly controlled by diffusion. The reaction rate constant of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with Trp (Tyr) in MeCN/H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solution is larger than that in EG/H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solution, which agrees with Stokes-Einstein relationship qualitatively.     

Structures,Energetics, and Infrared Spectra of the Cationic Monomethylamine-Water Clusters

The structures, energetics, and infrared (IR) spectra of the cationic monomethylamine-water clusters, [(CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O)\begin{document}$_n$\end{document}]\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} (\begin{document}$n$\end{document}=1\begin{document}$-$\end{document}5), have been studied using quantum chemical calculations at the MP2/6-311+G(2d,p) level. The results reveal that the formation of proton-transferred CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} ion core structure is preferred via the intramolecular proton transfer from the methyl group to the nitrogen atom and the water molecules act as the acceptor for the O\begin{document}$\cdots$\end{document}HN hydrogen bonds with the positively charged NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} moiety of CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, whose motif is retained in the larger clusters. The CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} ion core structure is predicted to be less energetically favorable. Vibrational frequencies of CH stretches, hydrogen-bonded and free NH stretches, and hydrogen-bonded OH stretches in the calculated IR spectra of the CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} and CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} type structures are different from each other, which would afford the sensitive probes for fundamental understanding of hydrogen bonding networks generated from the radiation-induced chemical processes in the [(CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O)\begin{document}$_n$\end{document}]\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} complexes.     

Electrosynthesis of Highly Efficient WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}/Graphene (Photo-)Electro- Catalyst by Two-Electrode Electrolysis System for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Integration of non-noble transition metal oxides with graphene is known to construct high-activity electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reduction (OER). In order to avoid the complexity of traditional synthesis process, a facile electrochemical method is elaborately designed to engineer efficient WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}/graphene (photo-)electrocatalyst for OER by a two-electrode electrolysis system, where graphite cathode is exfoliated into graphene and tungsten wire anode evolves into V\begin{document}$_\textrm{O}$\end{document}-rich WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} profiting from formed reductive electrolyte solution. Among as-prepared samples, WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}/G-2 shows the best electrocatalytic performance for OER with an overpotential of 320 mV (without iR compensation) at 10 mA/cm\begin{document}$^2$\end{document}, superior to commercial RuO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} (341 mV). With introduction of light illumination, the activity of WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}/G-2 is greatly enhanced and its overpotential decreases to 290 mV, benefiting from additional reaction path produced by photocurrent effect and extra active sites generated by photogenerated carriers (h\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}). Characterization results indicate that both V\begin{document}$_\textrm{O}$\end{document}-rich WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} and graphene contribute to the efficient OER performance. The activity of WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} for OER is decided by the synergistic effect between V\begin{document}$_\textrm{O}$\end{document} concentration and particle size. The graphene could not only disperse WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} nanoparticles, but also improve the holistic conductivity and promote electron transmission. This work supports a novel method for engineering WO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}/graphene composite for highly efficient (photo-)electrocatalytic performance for OER.     

Experimental and Theoretical Study on Dissociative Photoionization of Cyclopentanone

The dissociative photoionization of cyclopentanone was investigated by means of a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RTOF-MS) with tunable vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation in the photon energy range of 9.0-15.5 eV. The photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves for molecular ion and fragment ions were measured. The ionization energy of cyclopentanone was determined to be 9.23\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.03 eV. Fragment ions from the dissociative photoionization of cyclopentanone were identified as C\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_7$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_8^+$\end{document}/C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_6^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_6^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5^+$\end{document} and C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4^+$\end{document}. With the aid of the ab initio calculations at the \begin{document}$\omega$\end{document}B97X-D/6-31+G(d, p) level of theory, the dissociative mechanisms of C\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_8$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} are proposed. Ring opening and hydrogen migrations are the predominant processes in most of the fragmentation pathways of cyclopentanone.     

"Dry" NiCo\begin{document}$_\textbf{2}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_\textbf{4}$\end{document} Nanorods for Electrochemical Non-enzymatic Glucose Sensing

A rod-like NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated and used for non-enzymatic glucose sensing. The NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} was prepared by a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequently treated in a commercial microwave oven to eliminate the residual water introduced during the hydrothermal procedure. Structural analysis showed that there was no significant structural alteration before and after microwave treatment. The elimination of water residuals was confirmed by the stoichiometric ratio change by using element analysis. The microwave treated NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} (M-NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}) showed excellent performance as a glucose sensor (sensitivity 431.29 \begin{document}$\mu $\end{document}A\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}mmol/L\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}cm\begin{document}$^{-2}$\end{document}). The sensing performance decreases dramatically by soaking the M-NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} in water. This result indicates that the introduction of residual water during hydrothermal process strongly affects the electrochemical performance and microwave pre-treatment is crucial for better sensory performance.     

Atomistic Mechanisms for Catalytic Transformations of NO to NH3, N2O,and N2 by Pd

The industrial pollutant NO is a potential threat to the environment and to human health. Thus, selective catalytic reduction of NO into harmless N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}, and/or N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O gas is of great interest. Among many catalysts, metal Pd has been demonstrated to be most efficient for selectivity of reducing NO to N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. However, the reduction mechanism of NO on Pd, especially the route of N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N bond formation, remains unclear, impeding the development of new, improved catalysts. We report here the elementary reaction steps in the reaction pathway of reducing NO to NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}, N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O, and N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, based on density functional theory (DFT)-based quantum mechanics calculations. We show that the formation of N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O proceeds through an Eley-Rideal (E-R) reaction pathway that couples one adsorbed NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with one non-adsorbed NO from the solvent or gas phase. This reaction requires high NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} surface coverage, leading first to the formation of the trans-(NO)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} intermediate with a low N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N coupling barrier (0.58 eV). Notably, trans-(NO)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} will continue to react with NO in the solvent to form N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O, that has not been reported. With the consumption of NO and the formation of N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} in the solvent, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism will dominate at this time, and N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} will be reduced by hydrogenation at a low chemical barrier (0.42 eV) to form N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. In contrast, NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} is completely formed by the L-H reaction, which has a higher chemical barrier (0.87 eV). Our predicted E-R reaction has not previously been reported, but it explains some existing experimental observations. In addition, we examine how catalyst activity might be improved by doping a single metal atom (M) at the NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} adsorption site to form M/Pd and show its influence on the barrier for forming the N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N bond to provide control over the product distribution.     

Improving Interfacial Electrochemistry of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Cathode Coated by Mn3O4

In this work the surface of LiNi\begin{document}$_{0.5}$\end{document}Mn\begin{document}$_{1.5}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} (LMN) particles is modified by Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating through a simple wet grinding method, the electronic conductivity is significantly improved from 1.53\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-7}$\end{document} S/cm to 3.15\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-5}$\end{document} S/cm after 2.6 wt% Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating. The electrochemical test results indicate that Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating dramatically enhances both rate performance and cycling capability (at 55 ℃) of LNM. Among the samples, 2.6 wt% Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document}-coated LNM not only exhibits excellent rate capability (a large capacity of 108 mAh/g at 10 C rate) but also shows 78% capacity retention at 55 ℃ and 1 C rate after 100 cycles.     

Three-Dimensional Diabatic Potential Energy Surfaces of Thiophenol with Neural Networks

Three-dimensional (3D) diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) of thiophenol involving the S\begin{document}$_0$\end{document}, and coupled \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\pi^*$\end{document} and \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\sigma^*$\end{document} states were constructed by a neural network approach. Specifically, the diabatization of the PESs for the \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\pi^*$\end{document} and \begin{document}$^1\pi\sigma^*$\end{document} states was achieved by the fitting approach with neural networks, which was merely based on adiabatic energies but with the correct symmetry constraint on the off-diagonal term in the diabatic potential energy matrix. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the neural network fitting for all three states were found to be quite small (\begin{document}$<$\end{document}4 meV), which suggests the high accuracy of the neural network method. The computed low-lying energy levels of the S\begin{document}$_0$\end{document} state and lifetime of the 0\begin{document}$^0$\end{document} state of S\begin{document}$_1$\end{document} on the neural network PESs are found to be in good agreement with those from the earlier diabatic PESs, which validates the accuracy and reliability of the PESs fitted by the neural network approach.     

Ag-Cu Nanoparticles Supported on N-Doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} Nanowire Arrays for Efficient Photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} Reduction

Photocatalytic reduction of CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} into various types of fuels has attracted great interest, and serves as a potential solution to addressing current global warming and energy challenges. In this work, Ag-Cu nanoparticles are densely supported on N-doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} nanowire through a straightforward nanofabrication approach. The range of light absorption by N-doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} can be tuned to match the plasmonic band of Ag nanoparticles, which allows synergizing a resonant energy transfer process with the Schottky junction. Meanwhile, Cu nanoparticles can provide active sites for the reduction of CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} molecules. Remarkably, the performance of photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} reduction is improved to produce CH\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} at a rate of 720 \begin{document}$\mu$\end{document}mol\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}g\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}h\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document} under full-spectrum irradiation.     

Photodissociation Dynamics of CS2 Near 204 nm: The S(3PJ)+CS(X1Σ+)Channels

We study the photodissociation dynamics of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} in the ultraviolet region using the time-sliced velocity map ion imaging technique. The S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_J$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) product channels were observed and identified at four wavelengths of 201.36, 203.10, 204.85 and 206.61 nm. In the measured images of S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document}), the vibrational states of the CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) co-products were partially resolved and the vibrational state distributions were determined. Moreover, the product total kinetic energy releases and the anisotropic parameters were derived. The relatively small anisotropic parameter values indicate that the S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) channels are very likely formed via the indirect predissociation process of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. The study of the S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) channels, which come from the spin-orbit coupling dissociation process of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, shows that nonadiabatic process plays a role in the ultraviolet photodissociation of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}.     

Physical Properties of Si2Ge and SiGe2 in Hexagonal Symmetry: First-Principles Calculations

We predict two novel group 14 element alloys Si\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}Ge and SiGe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} in \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22 phase in this work through first-principles calculations. The structures, stability, elastic anisotropy, electronic and thermodynamic properties of these two proposed alloys are investigated systematically. The proposed \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-Si\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}Ge and \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-SiGe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} have a hexagonal symmetry structure, and the phonon dispersion spectra and elastic constants indicate that these two alloys are dynamically and mechanically stable at ambient pressure. The elastic anisotropy properties of \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-Si\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}Ge and \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-SiGe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} are examined elaborately by illustrating the surface constructions of Young's modulus, the contour surfaces of shear modulus, and the directional dependence of Poisson's ratio; the differences with their corresponding group 14 element allotropes \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-Si\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} and \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-Ge\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} are also discussed and compared. Moreover, the Debye temperature and sound velocities are analyzed to study the thermodynamic properties of the proposed \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-Si\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}Ge and \begin{document}$P$\end{document}6\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}22-SiGe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}.     

Fabrication of PdSe2/GaAs Heterojunction for Sensitive Near-Infrared Photovoltaic Detector and Image Sensor Application

In this study, we have developed a high-sensitivity, near-infrared photodetector based on PdSe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/GaAs heterojunction, which was made by transferring a multilayered PdSe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} film onto a planar GaAs. The as-fabricated PdSe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/GaAs heterojunction device exhibited obvious photovoltaic behavior to 808 nm illumination, indicating that the near-infrared photodetector can be used as a self-driven device without external power supply. Further device analysis showed that the hybrid heterojunction exhibited a high on/off ratio of 1.16\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^5$\end{document} measured at 808 nm under zero bias voltage. The responsivity and specific detectivity of photodetector were estimated to be 171.34 mA/W and 2.36\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{11}$\end{document} Jones, respectively. Moreover, the device showed excellent stability and reliable repeatability. After 2 months, the photoelectric characteristics of the near-infrared photodetector hardly degrade in air, attributable to the good stability of the PdSe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. Finally, the PdSe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/GaAs-based heterojunction device can also function as a near-infrared light sensor.     

Location Effect in a Photocatalytic Hybrid System of Metal-Organic Framework Interfaced with Semiconductor Nanoparticles

We report an ultrafast spectroscopy investigation that addresses the subtle location effect in a prototypical semiconductor-MOF hybrid system with TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} nanoparticles being incorporated inside or supported onto Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, denoted as TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}@Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} and TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, respectively. By tracking in real time the interface electron dynamics in the hybrid system, we find that the interface states formed between TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} and Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} can act as an effective relay for electron transfer, whose efficiency rests on the relative location of the two components. It is such a subtle location effect that brings on difference in photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} reduction using the two semiconductor-MOF hybrids. The mechanistic understanding of the involved interface electron-transfer behavior and effect opens a helpful perspective for rational design of MOF-based hybrid systems for photoelectrochemical applications.     

DFT Study on the Catalytic Role of \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC(100) in Methanol Steam Reforming

In this work, we investigated the methanol steam reforming (MSR) reaction (CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}OH+H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O \begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}+3H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}) catalyzed by \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC by means of density functional theory calculations. The adsorption behavior of the relevant intermediates and the kinetics of the elementary steps in the MSR reaction are systematically investigated. The results show that, on the \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC(100) surface, the O\begin{document}$-$\end{document}H bond cleavage of CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}OH leads to CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}O, which subsequently dehydrogenates to CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O. Then, the formation of CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}OOH between CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O and OH is favored over the decomposition to CHO and H. The sequential dehydrogenation of CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}OOH results in a high selectivity for CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. In contrast, the over-strong adsorption of the CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O intermediate on the \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC(111) surface leads to its dehydrogenation to CO product. In addition, we found that OH species, which is produced from the facile water activation, help the O\begin{document}$-$\end{document}H bond breaking of intermediates by lowering the reaction energy barrier. This work not only reveals the catalytic role played by \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC(100) in the MSR reaction, but also provides theoretical guidance for the design of \begin{document}$\alpha$\end{document}-MoC-based catalysts.     

Redox Controllable Switch of Crystalline Phase and Physical Property in SrVO\begin{document}$_{x}$\end{document} Epitaxial Films

Transition-metal oxides have attracted much attention due to its abundant crystalline phases and intriguing physical properties. However, some of these compounds are difficult to be fabricated directly in film form due to the ease of valence variation of transition-metal elements. In this work, we reveal the reversible structural transition between SrVO\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} and Sr\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}V\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_7$\end{document} films via thermal treatment in oxygen atmosphere or in vacuum. Based on this, Sr\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}V\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_7$\end{document} epitaxial films are successfully synthesized and studied. Property characterizations show that the semitransparent and metallic SrVO\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} could reversibly switch into transparent and insulating Sr\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}V\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_7$\end{document}, implying potential applications in controllable electronic and optical devices.     

Influence of Molecular Stacking Pattern on Excited State Dynamics of Copper Phthalocyanine Films

Photophysical processes occurring within organic semiconductors is important for designing and fabricating organic solar cells. Copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) is a typical electron acceptor. In this work, the triplet exciton lifetime is prolonged by altering the molecular stacking pattern of the CuPc film. For CuPc thin films, the excited state decays are mainly determined by the triplet-triplet annihilation process. The ultrafast transient absorption measurements indicate that the primary annihilation mechanism is one-dimensional exciton diffusion collision destruction. The decay kinetics show a clearly time-dependent annihilation rate constant with \begin{document}$\gamma$\end{document}\begin{document}$\propto$\end{document}\begin{document}$t^{-1/2}$\end{document}. Annihilation rate constants are determined to be \begin{document}$\gamma_0$\end{document}=(2.87\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.02)\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-20}$\end{document} cm\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1/2}$\end{document} and (1.42\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.02)\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-20}$\end{document} cm\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1/2}$\end{document} for upright and lying-down configurations, respectively. Compared to the CuPc thin film with an upright configuration, the thin film with a lying-down configuration shows longer exciton lifetime and higher absorbance, which are beneficial to organic solar cells. The results in this work have important implications on the design and mechanistic understanding of organic optoelectronic devices.     

Reaction Mechanism and Product Branching Ratios of OH+C2H3F Reaction: A Theoretical Study

Ab initio CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/6-311G(d, p) calculations of the potential energy surface for possible dissociation channels of HOC\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}F, as well as Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) calculations of rate constants, were carried out, in order to predict statistical product branching ratios in dissociation of HOC\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}F at various internal energies. The most favorable reaction pathway leading to the major CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}CHO+HF products is as the following: OH+C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}F\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}i2\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}TS14\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}i6\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}TS9\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}i3\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}TS3\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}CHO+HF, where the rate-determining step is HF elimination from the CO bridging position via TS11, lying above the reactants by 3.8 kcal/mol. The CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O+CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}F products can be formed by F atom migration from C\begin{document}$_\beta$\end{document} to C\begin{document}$_\alpha$\end{document} position via TS14, then H migration from O to C\begin{document}$_\alpha$\end{document} position via TS16, and C-C breaking to form the products via TS5, which is 1.8 kcal/mol lower in energy than the reactants, and 4.0 kcal/mol lower than TS11.     

F-(H2O)+CH3I Ligand Exchange Reaction Dynamics

Single hydration of the gas phase F\begin{document}$^-$\end{document}+CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}I\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document} I\begin{document}$^-$\end{document}+CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}F reaction allows to probe solvent effects on a fundamental nucleophilic substitution reaction. At the same time, the addition of a solvent molecule opens alternative product channels. Here, we present crossed beam imaging results on the dynamics of the F\begin{document}$^-$\end{document}(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O)+CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}I\begin{document}$\rightarrow$\end{document}[FCH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}I]\begin{document}$^-$\end{document}+H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O ligand exchange pathway at collision energies between 0.3 and 2.6 eV. Product kinetic energies are constrained by the stability requirement of the weakly bound product complexes. This implies substantial internal excitation of the water molecule and disfavors efficient energy redistribution in an intermediate complex, which is reflected by the suppression of low kinetic energies as collision energy increases. At 0.3 eV, internal nucleophilic displacement is important and is discussed in light of the competing nucleophilic substitution pathways that form I\begin{document}$^-$\end{document} and I\begin{document}$^-$\end{document}(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O).     

Low-Lying Isomers of (TiO\begin{document}$_{2}$\end{document})\begin{document}$_{n}$\end{document} (\begin{document}${n}$\end{document}=2-8) Clusters

Although there are diverse bond features of Ti and O atoms, so far only several isomers have been reported for each (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_n$\end{document} cluster. Instead of the widely used global optimization, in this work, we search for the low-lying isomers of (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_n$\end{document} (\begin{document}$n$\end{document}=2\begin{document}$-$\end{document}8) clusters with up to 10000 random sampling initial structures. These structures were optimized by the PM6 method, followed by density functional theory calculations. With this strategy, we have located many more low-lying isomers than those reported previously. The number of isomers increases dramatically with the size of the cluster, and about 50 isomers were found for (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_7$\end{document} and (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_8$\end{document} with the energy within kcal/mol. Furthermore, new lowest isomers have been located for (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_5$\end{document} and (TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})\begin{document}$_8$\end{document}, and isomers with three terminal oxygen atoms, five coordinated oxygen atoms as well as six coordinated titanium atoms have been located. Our work highlights the diverse structural features and a large number of isomers of small TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} clusters.