High pressure phase transitions in organic solids II: X-ray diffraction study ofp-dichlorobenzene at high pressures

X-ray diffraction experiments onp-dichlorobenzene at high pressures show a transition at ～ 0.3 GPa, to a new phase, the diffraction pattern of which cannot be indexed on the anticipated low temperature monoclinic crystal structure. We have instead found an orthorhombic cell, very closely related to the low temperature monoclinic cell, for this new phase. This structure, which also occurs inp-diiodobenzene at ambient conditions, has cell constantsa =14.02,b = 6.06,c = 7.41Å andZ = 4. The space group is Pbca. This new phase has a non-β herring-bone structure, in contrast with the initialα phase which has aβ-structure with ribbon-like arrangement of molecules, with Cl-Cl contacts of ～ 4A between adjacent molecules. This implies that with pressure the halogen-halogen interaction in this compound plays a less dominant role in crystal engineering.     

The effect of modified layers on the performance of inverted ZnO nanorods/MEH-PPV solar cells

We fabricate inverted organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells based on vertically oriented ZnO nanorods and polymer MEH-PPV. The morphology of ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanorods/MEH-PPV hybrid structure is depicted by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively. It is observed that ZnO nanorods array grows primarily aligned along the perpendicular direction of the ITO substrate. The MEH-PPV molecule does not enter the interspace between ZnO nano...     

Asymmetric Catalytic Approach to Multilayer 3D Chirality

The first asymmetric catalytic approach to multilayer 3D chirality has been achieved by using Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings. New chiral catalysts were designed and screened under various catalytic systems that proved chiral amide-phosphines to be more efficient ligands than other candidates. The multilayer 3D framework was unambiguously determined by X-ray structural analysis showing a parallel pattern of three layers consisting of top, middle and bottom aromatic rings. The X-ray structure of a catalyst complex, dichloride complex of Pd-phosphine amide, was obtained revealing an interesting asymmetric environment nearby the Pd metal center. Three rings of multilayer 3D products can be readily changed by varying aromatic ring-anchored starting materials. The resulting multilayer products displayed strong luminescence under UV irradiation and strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE). In the future, this work would benefit not only the field of asymmetric synthesis but also materials science, in particular polarized organic electronics, optoelectronics and photovoltaics.     

Why Matter Occupies so Large a Volume？

The paper represents a rigorous treatment of the underlying quantum theory, not just in words but providing the underlying technical details, as to why matter occupies so large a volume and its intimate connection with the Pauli exclusion principle, as more and more matter is put together, as well as of the contraction or shrinkage of ＂bosonic matter＂, upon collapse, for which the Panli exclusion is abolished. From the derived explicit bounds of integrals of powers of the particle number densities, explicit bounds on probabilities of the occurrences of the events just described are extracted. These probabilities lead one to infer the change of the ＂size＂ or extension of such matter, upon expansion or contraction, respectively, as their content is increased.     

Optical study of the formation of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based fluorescent nanoaggregates

Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives possessing different sterically-hindered end-groups at position 7 of the heterocycle were studied and compared with respect to nanoaggregate formation ability by the reprecipitation method in aqueous solutions. The emergence of nanoaggregates with an increasing water fraction in THF/water mixture was traced by observing sudden changes in spectral and transient fluorescence dynamics accompanied by fluorescence efficiency turn-on. The aggregation induced emission with a maximal 20-fold emission efficiency enhancement was obtained. Tuning of the nanoaggregates sizes from about 50 nm to 600 nm by increasing the THF/water ratio was revealed by electron microscopy. Almost perfect spherical shapes of the nanoaggregates and their structureless fluorescence bands similar to those of their neat amorphous films suggested an amorphous-like nature of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based nanoparticles.     

Solid-Phase Organic Synthesis of Methyl Isoxazole-5-carboxylates Based on Wang Resin–Bound 1-Phenylselenoacrylate

A novel Wang resin–bound 1-phenylselenoacrylate reagent has been developed and used as dipolarophile for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with nitrile oxides to the regioselective synthesis of methyl 3-substituted isoxazole-5-carboxylates in good yields and purities.     

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of Co using Co(MeCp)2 precursor

Cobalt (Co) thermal or plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) was investigated using a novel metal organic precursor, Co(MeCp)₂, and NH₃ or H₂ or their plasma as a reactant. The growth characteristics, electrical and microstructural properties were investigated. Especially, PE-ALD produced Co thin films at low growth temperature down to 100 °C. Interestingly, the low temperature growth of Co films showed the formation of columnar structure at substrate temperature below 300 °C. The growth characteristics and films properties of PE-ALD Co using bis(η-methylcyclopentadienyl) Co(II) (Co(MeCp)₂) was compared with those of PE-ALD Co using other Cp based metal organic precursors, bis-cyclopentadienyl cobalt (II) (CoCp₂) and cyclopentadienyl isopropyl acetamidinato-cobalt (Co(CpAMD)).