A Base‐Free Neutral Phase‐Transfer Reaction System

Although phase‐transfer reactions catalyzed by using quaternary ammonium salts are generally believed to require base additives, we discovered that, even without any base additives, conjugate additions of 3‐substituted oxindoles to nitroolefins proceeded smoothly in the presence of lipophilic quaternary ammonium bromide under water–organic biphasic conditions. The mechanism of this novel base‐free neutral phase‐transfer reaction system is investigated and the assumed catalytic cycle is presented together with interesting effects of water and lipophilicity of the phase‐transfer catalyst. The base‐free neutral phase‐transfer reaction system can be applied to highly enantioselective conjugate addition and aldol reactions under the influence of chiral bifunctional ammonium bromides as key catalysts. The structure of the chiral ammonium enolate intermediate is discussed based on the single‐crystal X‐ray structures of relevant ammonium salts and the importance of bifunctional design of catalyst is clearly explained in the model of intermediate.     

Ligand‐Free Palladium‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Coupling of Carboxylic Anhydrides with Arylboronic Acids

We report a new, effective and environmentally friendly protocol for selective aerobic oxidative coupling of arylboronic acids with carboxylic anhydrides in the presence of ligand‐free palladium catalyst. The aryl benzoates are obtained in good to excellent yields.     

Polypeptide‐b‐Poly(Phenyl Isocyanide) Hybrid Rod‐Rod Copolymers: One‐Pot Synthesis,Self‐Assembly,and Cell Imaging

Hybrid rod‐rod diblock copolymers, poly(γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate)‐poly(4‐cyano‐benzoic acid 2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐cyclohexyl ester) (PBLG‐PPI), with determined chirality are facilely synthesized through sequential copolymerization of γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate N‐carboxyanhydride (BLG‐NCA) and phenyl isocyanide monomers bearing chiral menthyl pendants using a Ni(cod)(bpy) complex as the catalyst in one‐pot. Circular dichroism and absorption spectra reveal that each block of the block copolymers possesses a stable helical conformation with controlled helicity in solution due to the induction of chiral pendants. The two diastereomeric polymers self‐assemble into helical nanofibrils with opposite handedness due to the different chiral induction of the L‐ and D‐menthyl pendants, confirmed by transmission electron micro­scopy (TEM). Deprotection of the benzyl groups of the PBLG segment affords biocompatible amphiphilic diblock copolymers, poly(L‐glutamic acid)‐poly(4‐cyano‐benzoic acid 2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐cyclohexyl ester) (PLGA‐PPI), that can self‐assemble into well‐defined micelles by cosolvent induced aggregation. Very interestingly, a chiral rhodamine chromophores RhB(D) can be selectively encapsulated into the chiral polymeric micelles, which is efficiently internalized into living cells when directly monitored with a confocal microscope. This contribution will be useful for developing novel rod‐rod biocompatible hybrid block copolymers with a controlled helicity, and may also provide unique chiral materials for potential bio‐medical applications.

     

Monolithically integrated 64‐channel silicon hybrid demultiplexer enabling simultaneous wavelength‐ and mode‐division‐multiplexing

A compact 64‐channel hybrid demultiplexer based on silicon‐on‐insulator nanowires is proposed and demonstrated experimentally to enable wavelength‐division‐multiplexing and mode‐division‐multiplexing simultaneously in order to realize an ultra‐large capacity on‐chip optical‐interconnect link. The present hybrid demultiplexer consists of a 4‐channel mode multiplexer constructed with cascaded asymmetrical directional‐couplers and two bi‐directional 17 × 17 arrayed‐waveguide gratings (AWGs) with 16 channels. Here each bi‐directional AWG is equivalent as two identical 1 × 16 AWGs. The measured excess loss and the crosstalk for the monolithically integrated 64‐channel hybrid demultiplexer are about ‐5 dB and ‐14 dB, respectively. Better performance can be achieved by minimizing the imperfections (particularly in AWGs) during the fabrication processes.

     

二维配位聚合物[Tb(1,4⁃bdc)1.5(phen)(H2O)]n的合成、晶体结构及对Fe3+离子的荧光检测

通过溶剂热反应成功合成出一种新型2D配位聚合物[Tb(1,4-bdc)_1.5(phen)(H₂O)]_n(1)(1,4-H₂bdc=对苯二甲酸;phen=菲咯啉)。对其进行了单晶X射线衍射、粉末X射线衍射、红外光谱、元素分析、荧光光谱表征。X射线衍射晶体学分析表明,配合物1结晶于三斜晶系P1空间群,2个相邻的Tb(Ⅲ)离子与4个1,4-bdc^2-通过—O—C—O—桥联成双核单元,并进一步通过1,4-bdc^2-桥联成二维层状结构。荧光实验证明配合物1可以通过荧光猝灭机制检测Fe₃₊,Ksv=8.39×10³ L·mol-1,检测限为0.017μmol·L^-1。     

原位制备具有增强光催化活性的S型Bi2Se3/g-C3N4光催化剂

光催化氧化是一种应用前景良好的环境治理技术.与絮凝、物理吸附和化学氧化等常见的方法相比,光催化氧化具有环境友好、氧化完全、方便和廉价等优势.特别是可见光光催化氧化,可利用太阳能中占比最高的可见光,在应用中更具优势.因而,探索可见光响应性能优异的光催化剂一直是光催化氧化领域的一个重要研究内容.硒化铋(Bi₂Se₃)是一种带隙(带隙宽度在0.3~1.3 e V)非常窄的半导体,能吸收全部波长范围的可见光和近红外光.此外,Bi₂Se₃还具有独特的金属表面态,其表面具有良好的导电性.这些特性使其在可见光光催化氧化领域具有很大的应用潜力.然而,由于Bi₂Se₃价带位置高,氧化能力很弱,其价带上的空穴在光催化反应中难以被消耗,导致空穴大量累积,并迅速与光生电子复合,大幅降低了Bi₂Se₃的光催化性能.因此,一直以来,Bi₂Se₃很少被用于光催化反应.如何充分利用Bi₂Se₃的光响应优势,制备出性能优异的光催化剂,仍是具有挑战性和吸引力的研究方向.本文采用预先制备的Bi2O3/g-C₃N₄复合物作为前驱体,通过原位转化的方法,将前驱体置于热的Se蒸汽中,使前驱体上的Bi2O3与Se蒸汽反应,完全转化为Bi₂Se₃纳米颗粒,从而制得Bi₂Se₃/g-C₃N₄复合光催化剂(Bi₂Se₃含量约为4 wt%).透射电镜结果表明,所形成的Bi₂Se₃纳米颗粒较均匀地分布在g-C₃N₄表面.表面功函数分析发现,Bi₂Se₃与g-C₃N₄结合后,它们的费米能级分别由原来的-0.55和-0.18 e V变为平衡时的-0.22 e V,可形成指向g-C₃N₄的内建电场,有利于形成梯型(S型)异质结.在此基础上,能级位移、荧光分析、结构计算和反应自由基测试等结果表明,Bi₂Se₃和g-C₃N₄之间形成了S型异质结.在可见光光催化降解苯酚的实验中,所制备的Bi₂Se₃/g-C₃N₄复合物的光催化活性明显优于单一的Bi₂Se₃和g-C₃N₄.结合比表面、孔结构、光吸收和荧光等对比分析,认为Bi₂Se₃/g-C₃N₄的这种S型异质结构在其光催化活性增强中起到了关键作用.在光照条件下,其g-C₃N₄导带中光生电子向Bi₂Se₃的价带迁移,并与光生空穴复合,从而使Bi₂Se₃导带上可保留更多的高活性光生电子参与光催化反应,由此Bi₂Se₃/g-C₃N₄的光催化活性增强.循环性能测试和光还原实验结果表明,所制备的Bi₂Se₃/g-C₃N₄复合光催化剂具有良好的稳定性.本文工作为高可见光吸收的光催化剂制备和性能增强提供了新途径和新视野.     

Energy Band Alignment and Redox-Active Sites in Metalloporphyrin-Spaced Metal-Catechol Frameworks for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction

Two new chemically stable metalloporphyrin-bridged metal-catechol frameworks, InTCP-Co and FeTCP-Co, were constructed to achieve artificial photosynthesis without additional sacrificial agents and photosensitizers. The CO₂ photoreduction rate over FeTCP-Co considerably exceeds that obtained over InTCP-Co, and the incorporation of uncoordinated hydroxyl groups, associated with catechol, into the network further promotes the photocatalytic activity. The iron-oxo coordination chain assists energy band alignment and provides a redox-active site, and the uncoordinated hydroxyl group contributes to the visible-light absorptance, charge-carrier transfer, and CO₂-scaffold affinity. With a formic acid selectivity of 97.8 %, FeTCP-OH-Co affords CO₂ photoconversion with a reaction rate 4.3 and 15.7 times higher than those of FeTCP- Co and InTCP-Co, respectively. These findings are also consistent with the spectroscopic study and DFT calculation.     

(Yb3+, Mn2+) Co-doped CdTe nanocrystals with enhanced quantum yields and red-shift emission

We prepared the nanocrystals (NCs) of CdTe, CdTe:Yb, and CdTe:Yb, Mn vis water phase synthesis and examined their structural, morphological, and optical properties. All NCs have a particle diameter of about 2–4 nm, and the monodispersed, uniform spherical, cubic structure of the CdTe NC remains largely unchanged after the doping with Yb and Mn. According to the X-ray diffraction results, the CdTe, CdTe:Yb, and CdTe:Yb, Mn NCs all have a cubic structure, and the diffraction peak of CdTe:Yb NC is at a lower 2θ angle compared with that of the CdTe NC. With the CdTe NC as the reference, the UV–Vis absorption of the CdTe:Yb and the CdTe:Yb, Mn NCs exhibits a blueshift and a redshift, and the emission of CdTe:Yb and CdTe:Yb, Mn has a blueshift of about 12 nm and a redshift of about 73 nm, respectively. The CdTe:Yb, Mn NCs have higher quantum yields than the CdTe:Yb NC, and the quantum yield is the highest when CdTe is doped with 1:1 Mn²⁺/Yb³⁺. In addition, both the CdTe:Yb and CdTe:Yb, Mn NCs have a shorter fluorescence lifetime than the CdTe NC.     

The Shackling Effect in Cyclic Azobenzene Liquid Crystal

We demonstrate here a novel method for the design of liquid crystals (LCs) via the cyclization of mesogens by flexible chains. For two azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate derivatives, the cyclic dimer, cyclic bis(tetraethylene glycol azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate) (CBTAD), shows LC properties with smectic A phase, while its linear counterpart, bis(2-(2′-hydroxyethyloxy)ethyl azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate (BHAD), has no LC phase. The difference is ascribed to the shackling effect from the cyclic topology, which leads to the much smaller entropy change during phase transitions and increases the isotropic temperature greatly for cyclics. In addition, the trans-to-cis isomerization of azobenzene groups under UV-light is also limited in CBTAD. With the reversible isomerization of azobenzene groups, CBTAD showed interesting isothermal phase transition behaviors, where the LC phase disappeared upon photoirradiation of 365 nm UV-light, and recovered when the UV-light was off. Combined with the smectic LC nature, a novel UV-light tuned visible light regulator was designed, by simply placing CBTAD in two glass plates. The scattered phase of smectic LC was utilized as the “OFF” state for light passage, while the UV-light induced isotropic phase was utilized as the “ON” state. The shackling effect outlined here should be applicable for the design of cyclic LC oligomers/polymers with special properties.