Design Strategies for High-Performance Aqueous Zn/Organic Batteries

Organic electroactive compounds are attractive to serve as the cathode materials of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) because of their resource renewability, environmentally friendliness and structural diversity. Up to now, various organic electrode materials have been developed and different redox mechanisms are observed in aqueous Zn/organic battery systems. In this Minireview, we present the recent developments in the energy storage mechanisms and design of the organic electrode materials of aqueous ZIBs, including carbonyl compounds, imine compounds, conductive polymers, nitronyl nitroxides, organosulfur polymers and triphenylamine derivatives. Furthermore, we highlight the design strategies to improve their electrochemical performance in the aspects of specific capacity, output voltage, cycle life and rate capability. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future perspectives of aqueous Zn/organic batteries.     

Self-Assembly of Highly Stable Zirconium(IV) Coordination Cages with Aggregation Induced Emission Molecular Rotors for Live-Cell Imaging

The self-assembly of highly stable zirconium(IV)-based coordination cages with aggregation induced emission (AIE) molecular rotors for in vitro bio-imaging is reported. The two coordination cages, NUS-100 and NUS-101, are assembled from the highly stable trinuclear zirconium vertices and two flexible carboxyl-decorated tetraphenylethylene (TPE) spacers. Extensive experimental and theoretical results show that the emissive intensity of the coordination cages can be controlled by restricting the dynamics of AIE-active molecular rotors though multiple external stimuli. Because the two coordination cages have excellent chemical stability in aqueous solutions (pH stability: 2–10) and impressive AIE characteristics contributed by the molecular rotors, they can be employed as novel biological fluorescent probes for in vitro live-cell imaging.     

Two-Coordinate Copper(I)/NHC Complexes: Dual Emission Properties and Ultralong Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

As a kind of photoluminescent material, Cu^I complexes have many advantages such as adjustable emission, variable structures, and low cost, attracting attention in many fields. In this work, two novel two-coordinate Cu^I-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes were synthesized, and they exhibit unique dual emission properties, fluorescence and phosphorescence. The crystal structure, packing mode, and photophysical properties under different conditions were systematically studied, proving the emissive mechanism to be the locally excited state of the carbazole group. Based on this mechanism, ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) with a lifetime of 140 ms is achieved by selective deuteration of the carbazole group. These results deepen the understanding of the luminescence mechanism and design strategy for two-coordinate Cu^I complexes, and prove their potential in applications as ultralong RTP materials.     

北京大学分析化学系列小班阅读讨论课的教学实践

简介了北京大学化学与分子工程学院分析化学系列基础课(定量分析化学、仪器分析、中级分析化学)开展小班阅读讨论课教学的实践。     

Surface‐Regulated Rhodium–Antimony Nanorods for Nitrogen Fixation

Surface regulation is an effective strategy to improve the performance of catalysts, but it has been rarely demonstrated for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) to date. Now, surface‐rough Rh₂Sb nanorod (RNR) and surface‐smooth Rh₂Sb NR (SNR) were selectively created, and their performance for NRR was investigated. The high‐index‐facet bounded Rh₂Sb RNRs/C exhibit a high NH₃ yield rate of 228.85±12.96 μg h^?1 mg^?1_Rh at ?0.45 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), outperforming the Rh₂Sb SNRs/C (63.07±4.45 μg h^?1 mg^?1_Rh) and Rh nanoparticles/C (22.82±1.49 μg h^?1 mg^?1_Rh), owing to the enhanced adsorption and activation of N₂ on high‐index facets. Rh₂Sb RNRs/C also show durable stability with negligible activity decay after 10 h of successive electrolysis. The present work demonstrates that surface regulation plays an important role in promoting NRR activity and provides a new strategy for creating efficient NRR electrocatalysts.     

Functionalised Bicyclic exo‐Glycals by Alkynol Cycloisomerisation of Hydroxy 1,3‐Diynes and Hydroxy Haloalkynes

Functionalised bicyclic exo‐glycals are readily obtained by base‐catalysed (typically MeONa in MeOH) alkynol cycloisomerisation of ethynylated cyclic saccharides. Thus, base treatment of the phenylethynyl‐ and halogenoethynylated 1‐O‐acetyl‐ribofuranoses 22 – 24 and the 4‐ethynylated 1‐thioglucopyranosides 30 – 33 gave – after deacetylation – selectively the (Z)‐configured exocyclic enol ethers 26 – 28 (84–91%) and 34 – 37 (63–76%), respectively, resulting from a trans‐5‐exo‐dig cyclisation. The ring closure to the trans‐dioxahexahydroindans 34 – 37 is favoured by a concerted intramolecular protonation of the intermediate vinyl anion by the neighbouring HO C(3). Cycloisomerisation of the 6‐O‐acetyl‐4‐(phenylethynyl)‐1‐thio‐α‐D ‐glucopyranoside 39 occurred via the corresponding phenylethynylated allenes to provide the galacto‐configured (Z)‐ and (E)‐cis‐dioxahexahydroindans 40 (30%) and 41 (51%). Surprisingly, the HO C(4) unprotected α‐d‐ galactopyranosyl‐buta‐1,3‐diyne 15 and the β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐buta‐1,3‐diyne 51 (and its 2‐bromoethynyl analogue) undergo a 6‐exo‐dig ring closure to the 2,5‐dioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octanes 16 – 19 and 52 / 53 , respectively, the ring closure requiring a boat conformation (B_1,4 for 15 , ^1,4B for 51 ). Ring strain (anti‐reflex effect) prevents an alkynol cycloisomerisation of 4‐(phenylbuta‐1,3‐diynyl, bromoethynyl, or iodoethynyl)levoglucosan 56 – 59 , and 56 reacted by elimination to the hex‐1‐ene‐3,5‐diyne 59 (82%), while isomerisation of 57 and 58 led to epimeric mixtures of the haloallenes 60 (82%) and 61 (68%).     

Annealing effect on the ultrafast dynamics of Ag nanoparticles embedded in soda-lime silicate glasses

Ag nanoparticles embedded in soda-lime silicate glasses were fabricated by the ion-exchange technique. Effects of thermal treatment on the optical nonlinearity and ultrafast dynamics of Ag nanoparticles were investigated by applying time-resolved optical Kerr effect and pump-probe techniques. The results indicate that thermal treatment is an efficient method to improve the nonlinear optical performance of this kind of material.     

Implementation of a multiple round quantum dense coding using nuclear magnetic resonance

~~Implementation of a multiple round quantum dense coding using nuclear magnetic resonance1. Bennett, C. H., Wiesner, S. J., Communication via one- and two-particle operators on Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen states, Phys. Rev. Lett., 1992, 69(20): 2881-2884. 2. Mattle, K., Weinfurter, H., Kwiat, P. G. et al., Dense coding in experimental quantum communication, Phys. Rev. Lett., 1996, 76(25): 4656-4659. 3. Fang, X. M., Zhu, X. W., Feng, M. et al., Experimental implementation of dens…     

Novel soft chemical method for optically transparent Ru(bpy)3-K4Nb6O17 thin film

A unique guest-guest ion exchange method was developed for preparing a thin film of a nano-layered K(4)Nb(6)O(17).3H(2)O that possesses both (1) optical transparency and (2) ion-exchangeability under ambient conditions without calcination at high temperature. An optically transparent Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-K(4)Nb(6)O(17) hybrid thin film, a photoresponsive electrode, was successfully prepared by the guest-guest exchange method by use of the intercalation compound MV(2+)-K(4)Nb(6)O(17) as a precursor. The optically transparent Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-K(4)Nb(6)O(17) hybrid thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, AFM, IR, and UV spectroscopies, as well as elemental analysis. The electrochemical behavior of the ITO/Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-K(4)Nb(6)O(17) hybrid thin film electrode was studied; it also exhibits swift photoresponse in the visible region.