Improved Reversible Zinc Storage Achieved in a Constitutionally Crystalline-Stable Mn(VO3)2 Nanobelts Cathode

Rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are potential for grid-scale applications owing to their safety, low price, and available sources. The development of ZIBs cathode with high specific capacity, wide operating voltage window and stable cyclability is urgently needed in next-generation commercial batteries. Herein, we report a structurally crystalline-stable Mn(VO₃)₂ nanobelts cathode for ZIBs prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized Mn(VO₃)₂ exhibited high specific capacity of 350 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹, and maintained a capacity retention of 92 % after 10,000 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹. It also showed good rate performance and obtained a reversible capacity of up to 200 mAh g⁻¹ after 600 cycles at 0.2 A g⁻¹ under −20 °C. The electrochemical tests suggest that Mn(VO₃)₂ nanobelts impart fast Zn²⁺ ions migration, and the introduction of manganese atoms help make the structures more indestructible, leading to a good rate performance and prolonged cycle lifespan.     

Efficient Gating of Ion Transport in Three‐Dimensional Metal–Organic Framework Sub‐Nanochannels with Confined Light‐Responsive Azobenzene Molecules

1D nanochannels modified with responsive molecules are fabricated to replicate gating functionalities of biological ion channels, but gating effects are usually weak because small molecular gates cannot efficiently block the large channels in the closed states. Now, 3D metal–organic framework (MOF) sub‐nanochannels (SNCs) confined with azobenzene (AZO) molecules achieve efficient light‐gating functionalities. The 3D MOFSNCs consisting of a MOF UiO66 with ca. 9–12 Å cavities connected by ca. 6 Å triangular windows work as angstrom‐scale ion channels, while confined AZO within the MOF cavities function as light‐driven molecular gates to efficiently regulate the ion flux. The AZO‐MOFSNCs show good cyclic gating performance and high on–off ratios up to 17.8, an order of magnitude higher than ratios observed in conventional 1D AZO‐modified nanochannels (1.3–1.5). This work provides a strategy to develop highly efficient switchable ion channels based on 3D porous MOFs and small responsive molecules.     

Counterion-Trapped-Molecules: From High Polarity and Enriched IR Spectra to Induced Isomerization

We report extensive computational studies of some novel intermolecular systems and their properties. Recombination of alkali-halide counterions separated by a noncovalently trapped hydrocarbon molecule is prevented by significant potential energy barriers, resulting in unusual metastable insertion complexes. These systems are extremely polar, while the inserted molecule is strongly counter-polarized, leading to significant cooperative nonadditivity effects. The compression and electric field produced by the counterions favours isomerization of the trapped molecule via a significant reduction of the barriers to bond rearrangement, in a field-induced mechanochemical process. The predicted IR intensity spectra clearly reflect (1) formation of the insertion complex, rather than simple attachment of alkali halide, and (2) isomerization of the trapped molecule, thus allowing experimental access to these events.     

Effects of nuclear charge fluctuations on dilepton photoproduction

Fluctuations of dilepton production from two photon interactions γγ→l~+l~- are studied in semicentral and peripheral nuclear collisions.Based on the Weizsacker-Williams approach,electromagnetic(EM) fields generated by moving nuclear charges are approximated as quasi-real photons.As fluctuating EM fields in each collision event are hard to be measured directly in experiments due to its short lifetime,we study the dilepton photoproduction with fluctuating EM fields,which are crucial for the EM fields induced chiral and charged particle evolutions,and calculate the relative standard deviation of the dilepton mass spectrum with the event-by-event fluctuating nuclear charge distributions.This fluctuation effect becomes smaller in more peripheral collisions where the shift of proton positions is implicit for EM fields outside the nucleus.The uncertainty of effective impact parameter △b on the standard deviation is also studied,and its effect is around one-third of the effect of nuclear charge fluctuations when △b is taken as～1 fm.     

OCS分子在128 nm附近的光解动力学研究：S(3PJ=2,1,0)、S(1D2)以及S(1S0)产物通道

本文利用时间切片离子成像技术对OCS分子进行了真空紫外波段的光解动力学研究. 在四个光解光波长(从129.32到126.08 nm)下测量了硫原子解离产物S(³P_J=2,1,0)、S(¹D₂)、S(¹S₀)的速度影像，并从中清晰地发现了四个主要的解离产物通道：S(³P_J=2,1,0)+CO(X¹Σ⁺)，S(³P_J=2,1,0)+CO(A³π)，S(¹D₂)+CO(X¹Σ⁺)和S(¹S₀)+CO(X¹Σ⁺). 在实验影像中，产物CO分子的部分振动态结构能够得到分辨. 实验还获取解离产物总平动能谱，产物分支比和角分布. 对实验结果进行分析显示除绝热解离通道S(³P_J=2,1,0)+CO(A³π)之外，在其他三个产物通道中非绝热效应都起到非常重要的作用.     

OCS经由F 31Π里德堡态生成CO(X1Σ+)+S(1D2)产物的波长相关性光解离

本文利用时间切片离子速度成像技术在134∽140 nm波段研究了OCS分子经由F 3¹Π里德堡态的真空紫外光解离动力学. 在选取的5个分别对应OCS(F 3¹Π, v₁=0∽4)的伸缩振动激发的光解波长，实验测得了来自CO(X¹Σ⁺)+S(¹D₂)产物通道的SS(¹D₂))实验影像，并获得了总平动能谱和CO(X¹Σ⁺, v)共生产物的振动布居及角分布. 结果分析表明OCS分子解离生成CO(X¹Σ⁺)+S(¹D₂)产物的过程经历了上态F 3¹Π 与C_?v和C_s构型的下电子态间非绝热耦合过程. 实验结果显示了很强的波长相关性：OCS (F 3¹Π, v₁)的较低转动激发态(v₁=0∽2)和较高转动激发态(v₁=3, 4)的CO(X¹Σ⁺)产物的振动布居和角分布具有显著差异，表明该解离过程中具有不同的解离机理. 本结果提供了振动耦合可能对真空紫外光解离动力学产生关键作用的相关证据.     

Study of water uptake in poly(ether ether ketone) irradiated by MeV O+ and Au+ ions

Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) was irradiated with 4?MeV O⁺ and 5 and 10?MeV Au⁺ ions to the fluences from 10¹² to 10^14?cm^?2 and then treated in 5 M/l water solution of LiCl for one month at room temperature. After drying and removal of LiCl surface contamination, the depth distribution of LiCl embeded in PEEK was measured by the neutron depth profilig method (NDP) sensitive to ⁶Li isotope. Embeded LiCl is believed to map distribution of water diffusing into PEEK interior. The results show that the PEEK irradiated to the fluences above 1.10¹³cm^?2 is prone to water penetration to the depths of few microns. On the pristine PEEK and that irradiated to lower ion fluences only a surface Li contamination is observed.     

A Structurally Robust Chiral Borate Ion: Molecular Design,Synthesis, and Asymmetric Catalysis

Catalysis by chiral weakly‐coordinating anions (WCAs) remains underdeveloped due to the lack of a molecular design strategy for exploiting their characteristics, such as the non‐nucleophilic nature. Here, we report the development of a chiral borate ion comprising an O,N,N,O‐tetradentate backbone, which ensures hitherto unattainable structural robustness. Upon pairing with a proton, the hydrogen borate acts as an effective catalyst for the asymmetric Prins‐type cyclization of vinyl ethers, providing access to structurally and stereochemically defined dihydropyrans. The key to selectivity control is the distinct ability of the borate ion to discriminate the prochiral faces of the acyclic oxonium ion intermediate and dictate the regiochemical outcome. We anticipate that this study paves the way for exploring the untapped potential of WCA catalysis for selective chemical synthesis.     

Brush‐First ROMP of poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers of varied length: impact of polymer architecture on thermal behavior and Li+ conductivity

The properties of polymeric materials are dictated not only by their composition but also by their molecular architecture. Here, by employing brush‐first ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), norbornene‐terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) macromonomers ( MM‐n , linear architecture), bottlebrush polymers ( Brush‐n , comb architecture), and brush‐arm star polymers ( BASP‐n , star architecture), where n indicates the average degree of polymerization (DP) of PEO, are synthesized. The impact of architecture on the thermal properties and Li⁺ conductivities for this series of PEO architectures is investigated. Notably, in polymers bearing PEO with the highest degree of polymerization, irrespective of differences in architecture and molecular weight (~100‐fold differences), electrolytes with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) as an Li⁺ source exhibit normalized ionic conductivities (σ_n) within only 4.9 times difference (σ_n = 29.8 × 10^?5 S cm^?1 for MM‐45 and σ_n = 6.07 × 10^?5 S cm^?1 for BASP‐45 ) at a concentration of Li⁺ r = [Li⁺]/[EO] = 1/12 at 50 °C. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 448–455     

A Voltage-Responsive Synthetic Cl−-Channel Regulated by pH

Transmembrane protein channels are an important inspiration for the design of artificial ion channels. Their dipolar structure helps overcome the high energy barrier to selectively translocate water and ions sharing one pathway, across the cell membrane. Herein, we report that the amino-imidazole (Imu) amphiphiles self-assemble via multiple H-bonding to form stable artificial Cl⁻-channels within lipid bilayers. The alignment of water/Cl⁻ wires influences the conduction of ions, envisioned to diffuse along the hydrophilic pathways; at acidic pH, Cl⁻/H⁺ symport conducts along a partly protonated channel, while at basic pH, higher Cl⁻/OH⁻ antiport translocate through a neutral channel configuration, which can be greatly activated by applying strong electric field. This voltage/pH regulated channel system represents an unexplored alternative for ion-pumping along artificial ion-channels, parallel to that of biology.