Effect of Polythiophene Content on Thermomechanical Properties of Electroconductive Composites

The thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of polymeric composites combined using polythiophene (PT) dopped by FeCl₃ and polyamide 6 (PA), in the aspect of conductive constructive elements for organic solar cells, depend on the molecular structure and morphology of materials as well as the method of preparing the species. This study was focused on disclosing the impact of the polythiophene content on properties of electrospun fibers. The elements for investigation were prepared using electrospinning applying two substrates. The study revealed the impact of the substrate on the conductive properties of composites. In this study composites exhibited good thermal stability, with T₅ values in the range of 230–268 °C that increased with increasing PT content. The prepared composites exhibited comparable PA T_g values, which indicates their suitability for processing. Instrumental analysis of polymers and composites was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

The Ising version of the t–J model

The t–J model is analysed in the limit of strong anisotropy, where the transverse components of electron spin are neglected. We propose a slave-particle-type approach that is valid, in contradiction to many of the standard approaches, in the low-doping regime and becomes exact for a half-filled system. We describe an effective method that allows to numerically study the system with the no-double-occupancy constraint rigorously taken into account at each lattice site. Then, we use this approach to demonstrate the destruction of the antiferromagnetic order by increasing the doping and formation of Nagaoka polarons in the strong interaction regime.     

Fourier analysis of scratches generated on m‐GaN substrates during polishing

Generation of scratches on surface of m‐plane GaN substrates due to polishing was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For epi‐ready substrates AFM images confirm a flat surface with the atomic step roughness while a lot of scratches are visible in AFM images for partially polished GaN substrates. The Fourier analysis of AFM images show that scratches propagate easier along {c‐plane} and {a‐plane} directions on m‐plane GaN surface. This observation is an evidence of anisotropy of mechanical properties of GaN crystals in the micro‐scale. This anisotropy is directly correlated with the symmetry and atomic arrangement of m‐plane GaN.     

Analytical protocol for investigation of zinc speciation in plant tissue

A specific procedure is proposed for investigating the chemical speciation of zinc (Zn) in plant tissues, viz., the extraction of Zn compounds from Plantago lanceolata L. followed by the chromatographic separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) identification of these compounds. In order to separate the Zn compounds, both size-exclusion (SEC) and ionexchange liquid chromatography (IC) were used in direct sequential and reverse sequential modes. In the direct sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes SEC separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the ion-exchange column. The molecular size distribution is evaluated by SEC coupled on-line to the UV detector. In the reverse sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes the ion-exchange chromatographic separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the size-exclusion column. The identification of Zn incorporated into the compounds is further performed using ICP-MS. This procedure is particularly useful in speciation studies when identification of the individual components of the element is problematic due to the lack of suitable standard substances, as is the case for Zn compounds. The proposed procedure facilitates assignment of the signals to the individual components of the fractions for both types of chromatography, thus rendering the chemical speciation of Zn possible when the lack of suitable standard substances impedes the identification of individual components.     

Nickel-Catalyzed 1,2-Diarylation of Alkenyl Carboxylates: A Gateway to 1,2,3-Trifunctionalized Building Blocks

A nickel-catalyzed conjunctive cross-coupling of alkenyl carboxylic acids, aryl iodides, and aryl/alkenyl boronic esters is reported. The reaction delivers the desired 1,2-diarylated and 1,2-arylalkenylated products with excellent regiocontrol. To demonstrate the synthetic utility of the method, a representative product is prepared on gram scale and then diversified to eight 1,2,3-trifunctionalized building blocks using two-electron and one-electron logic. Using this method, three routes toward bioactive molecules are improved in terms of yield and/or step count. This method represents the first example of catalytic 1,2-diarylation of an alkene directed by a native carboxylate group.     

Hot Branching Dynamics in a Light‐Harvesting Iron Carbene Complex Revealed by Ultrafast X‐ray Emission Spectroscopy

Iron N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have received a great deal of attention recently because of their growing potential as light sensitizers or photocatalysts. We present a sub‐ps X‐ray spectroscopy study of an Fe^IINHC complex that identifies and quantifies the states involved in the deactivation cascade after light absorption. Excited molecules relax back to the ground state along two pathways: After population of a hot ³MLCT state, from the initially excited ¹MLCT state, 30 % of the molecules undergo ultrafast (150 fs) relaxation to the ³MC state, in competition with vibrational relaxation and cooling to the relaxed ³MLCT state. The relaxed ³MLCT state then decays much more slowly (7.6 ps) to the ³MC state. The ³MC state is rapidly (2.2 ps) deactivated to the ground state. The ⁵MC state is not involved in the deactivation pathway. The ultrafast partial deactivation of the ³MLCT state constitutes a loss channel from the point of view of photochemical efficiency and highlights the necessity to screen transition‐metal complexes for similar ultrafast decays to optimize photochemical performance.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed 1,2‐Diarylation of Alkenyl Carboxylates: A Gateway to 1,2,3‐Trifunctionalized Building Blocks

A nickel‐catalyzed conjunctive cross‐coupling of alkenyl carboxylic acids, aryl iodides, and aryl/alkenyl boronic esters is reported. The reaction delivers the desired 1,2‐diarylated and 1,2‐arylalkenylated products with excellent regiocontrol. To demonstrate the synthetic utility of the method, a representative product is prepared on gram scale and then diversified to eight 1,2,3‐trifunctionalized building blocks using two‐electron and one‐electron logic. Using this method, three routes toward bioactive molecules are improved in terms of yield and/or step count. This method represents the first example of catalytic 1,2‐diarylation of an alkene directed by a native carboxylate group.     

Evaluation,Pitfalls and Recommendations for the “Water Layer Test” for Solid Contact Ion‐selective Electrodes

The “water layer test” is a crucial validation step of solid‐contact ion‐selective electrodes. It can confirm or contest the claim that the tested electrode is indeed a genuine solid contact electrode without an aqueous film between the ion‐selective membrane and its solid contact. Information about the presence of a water layer is essential for the interpretation of drifts in the electrode potentials commonly experienced with solid contact electrodes. Since its publication, the water layer test has been ubiquitously used, but without a standardized protocol the interpretation (or misinterpretation) of the test results led to uncertainties in the conclusions. Through both experiments and simulations based on theoretical models we have investigated the experimental parameters that can influence the results of the water layer test. We propose guidelines to minimize the possibility of misinterpretation of the results of the water layer test by considering the key factors that affect the shape of transients recorded during the water layer test. Most importantly, we emphasize the importance of allowing sufficient time for conditioning the tested electrode before the water layer test and providing adequate time for equilibration during the experiment. Using a thin ion‐selective membrane and thin solid‐contact layer for the tests is also recommended.     

Ni(COD)(DQ): An Air‐Stable 18‐Electron Nickel(0)–Olefin Precatalyst

We report that Ni(COD)(DQ) (COD=1,5‐cyclooctadiene, DQ=duroquinone), an air‐stable 18‐electron complex originally described by Schrauzer in 1962, is a competent precatalyst for a variety of nickel‐catalyzed synthetic methods from the literature. Due to its apparent stability, use of Ni(COD)(DQ) as a precatalyst allows reactions to be conveniently performed without use of an inert‐atmosphere glovebox, as demonstrated across several case studies.