基于密度泛函理论下O和Na掺杂单层h-BN的电子结构性质和光学效应的分析

基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法研究了O、Na单掺杂及O和Na共掺杂单层h-BN的形成能、电子结构和光学性质.结果表明:单掺杂体系中,O掺杂N位置、Na掺杂B位置时,掺杂形成能最低;共掺杂体系中,O和Na邻位掺杂,掺杂形成能最低.与单层h-BN相比,引入杂质原子后的体系禁带宽度均减小,其中O掺杂为n型掺杂,Na掺杂为p型掺杂,而O和Na共掺h-BN体系为直接带隙材料,有利于提高载流子的迁移率.在光学性质方面,Na掺杂h-BN体系与O和Na共掺h-BN的静介电常数均增大,在低能区介电虚部和光吸收峰均发生红移,其中Na掺杂体系红移最为显著,极化能力最强.因此Na单掺和O和Na共掺有望增强单层h-BN的光催化能力,可扩展其在催化材料、光电器件等领域的应用.     

Polymer Chainmail: Steric Hindrance and Charge Compensation of Anion-Doped PEDOT to Boost Stress Deformation of Compressible Supercapacitor

Conducting polymers with high theoretical capacitance and deformability are among the optimal candidates for compressible supercapacitor electrode materials. However, achieving both mechanical and electrochemical stabilities in a single electrode remains a great challenge. To address this issue, the “Polymer Chainmail” is proposed with reversible deformation capability and enhances stability because of the steric hindrance and charge compensation effect of doped anions. As a proof of concept, four common anions are selected as dopants for Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), and their effects on the adsorption and diffusion of H⁺ on PEDOT are verified using density functional theory calculations. Owing to the film formation effect, the doped PEDOT/nitrogen-doped carbon foam exhibits good mechanical properties. Furthermore, the composite demonstrates excellent rate performance and stability due to suitable anion doping. This finding provides new insights into the preparation of electrochemically stable conductive polymer-based compressible electrode materials.     

Symmetry-Broken Intermolecular Charge Separation of Cationic Radicals

A quadrupolar compound Pyr-BA with two pyrrole-type nitrogen atoms doped externally was prepared in this work. In high contrast with other π ionic radicals, its cationic radical Pyr-BA ⋅ ⁺ undergoes unusual symmetry-broken charge separation (SB-CS), generating the mixed valence complex of Pyr-BA^+1−q ⋅⋅⋅ Pyr-BA^+1+q , where q is the degree of charge transfer. Variable-temperature (VT) single-crystal analysis, absorption and EPR experiments all confirmed that aggregation and lower temperature would help to facilitate this SB-CS process. Gibbs energy calculations and gauge-including magnetically induced current simulation both validate that, for Pyr-BA ⋅ ⁺ , SB-CS behavior is more favorable than the conventional dimerization mode. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that shows solid single-crystal evidence for spontaneous SB-CS between identical ionic radicals. Such a unique phenomenon is of great significance both in terms of fundamental aspects and uncharted material science.     

Progress of Prussian Blue and Its Analogues as Cathode Materials for Potassium Ion Batteries

Environmental pollution and the energy crisis have promoted the development of clean energy as well as new-generation energy storage systems. Potassium ion batteries (PIBs) have emerged as a possible alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their abundant reserves, low cost, and impressive electrochemical performance. However, the search for suitable cathode materials has become particularly crucial. Recently, Prussian blue (PB) has been investigated as a potential cathode material for PIBs, which has an open three-dimensional framework to accommodate a large volume of potassium ions and adjustable composition for different applications. In this review, Prussian blue and its analogues (PBAs) and their application in PIBs were summarized detailly. We presented the composition, structure, potassium ion storage mechanism, preparation process of PBAs, and then focus on the performance optimization methods of the PBAs, including transition metal doping and conductive material adding into PBAs. Finally, the challenges as well as the outlook on the future development of PBAs were proposed for further application in this battery system.     

Surface Engineering of Titania Boosts Electroassisted Propane Dehydrogenation at Low Temperature

Electric field catalysis using surface proton conduction, in which proton hopping and collision on the reactant are promoted by external electricity, is a promising approach to break the thermodynamic equilibrium limitation in endothermic propane dehydrogenation (PDH). This study proposes a catalyst design concept for more efficient electroassisted PDH at low temperature. Sm was doped into the anatase TiO₂ surface to increase surface proton density by charge compensation. Pt−In alloy was deposited on the Sm-doped TiO₂ for more favorable proton collision and selective propylene formation. The catalytic activity in electroassisted PDH drastically increased by doping an appropriate amount of Sm (1 mol % to Ti) where the highest propylene yield of 19.3 % was obtained at 300 °C where the thermodynamic equilibrium yield was only 0.5 %. Results show that surface proton enrichment boosts alkane dehydrogenation at low temperature.     

Significant Enhancement of the Upconversion Emission in Highly Er3+-Doped Nanoparticles at Cryogenic Temperatures

Relatively low efficiency is the bottleneck for the application of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). The high-level doping strategy realized in recent years has not improved the efficiency as much as expected. It is argued that cross relaxation (CR) is not detrimental to upconversion. Here we combine theoretical simulation and spectroscopy to elucidate the role of CR in upconversion process of Er³⁺ highly doped (HD) UCNPs. It is found that if CR is purposively suppressed, upconversion efficiency can be significantly improved. Specifically, we demonstrate experimentally that inhibition of CR by introducing cryogenic environment (40 K) enhances upconversion emission by more than two orders of magnitude. This work not only elucidates the nature of CR and its non-negligible adverse effects, but also provides a new perspective for improving upconversion efficiency. The result can be directly applied to cryogenic imaging and wide range temperature sensing.     

Highly Efficient Decomposition of Perfluorocarbons for over 1000 Hours via Active Site Regeneration

Tetrafluoromethane (CF₄), the simplest perfluorocarbon (PFC), has the potential to exacerbate global warming. Catalytic hydrolysis is a viable method to degrade CF₄, but fluorine poisoning severely restricts both the catalytic performance and catalyst lifetime. In this study, Ga is introduced to effectively assists the defluorination of poisoned Al active sites, leading to highly efficient CF₄ decomposition at 600 °C with a catalytic lifetime exceeding 1,000 hours. ²⁷Al and ⁷¹Ga magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS NMR) showed that the introduced Ga exists as tetracoordinated Ga sites (Ga_IV), which readily dissociate water to form Ga−OH. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and density function theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that Ga−OH assists the defluorination of poisoned Al active sites via a dehydration-like process. As a result, the Ga/Al₂O₃ catalyst achieved 100 % CF₄ decomposition keeping an ultra-long catalytic lifetime and outperforming reported results. This work proposes a new approach for efficient and long-term CF₄ decomposition by promoting the regeneration of active sites.     

Synergic Electron and Defect Compensation Minimizes Voltage Loss in Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells

Sn perovskite solar cells have been regarded as one of the most promising alternatives to the Pb-based counterparts due to their low toxicity and excellent optoelectronic properties. However, the Sn perovskites are notorious to feature heavy p-doping characteristics and possess abundant vacancy defects, which result in under-optimized interfacial energy level alignment and severe nonradiative recombination. Here, we reported a synergic “electron and defect compensation” strategy to simultaneously modulate the electronic structures and defect profiles of Sn perovskites via incorporating a traced amount (0.1 mol %) of heterovalent metal halide salts. Consequently, the doping level of modified Sn perovskites was altered from heavy p-type to weak p-type (i.e. up-shifting the Fermi level by ∼0.12 eV) that determinately reducing the barrier of interfacial charge extraction and effectively suppressing the charge recombination loss throughout the bulk perovskite film and at relevant interfaces. Pioneeringly, the resultant device modified with electron and defect compensation realized a champion efficiency of 14.02 %, which is ∼46 % higher than that of control device (9.56 %). Notably, a record-high photovoltage of 1.013 V was attained, corresponding to the lowest voltage deficit of 0.38 eV reported to date, and narrowing the gap with Pb-based analogues (∼0.30 V).     

Pushing Up the Size Limit of Boron-doped peri-Acenes: Modular Synthesis and Characterizations

Heteroatom-doped peri-acenes (PAs) have recently attracted considerable attention considering their fascinating physical properties and chemical stability. However, the precise sole addition of boron atoms along the zigzag edges of PAs remains challenging, primarily due to the limited synthetic approach. Herein, we present a novel one-pot modular synthetic strategy toward unprecedented boron-doped PAs (B-PAs), including B-[4,2]PA ( 1 a-2 ), B-[4,3]PA ( 1 b-2 ) and B-[7,2]PA ( 1 c-3 ) derivatives, through efficient intramolecular electrophilic borylation. Their chemical structures are unequivocally confirmed with a combination of mass spectrometry, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Notably, 1 b-2 exhibits an almost planar geometry, whereas 1 a-2 displays a distinctive bowl-like distortion. Furthermore, the optoelectronic properties of this series of B-PAs are thoroughly investigated by UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy combined with DFT calculation. Compared with their parent all-carbon analogs, the obtained B-PAs exhibit high stability, wide energy gaps, and high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 84 %. This study reveals the exceptional ability of boron doping to finely tune the physicochemical properties of PAs, showcasing their potential applications in optoelectronics.