Space-Confined Atomic Clusters Catalyze Superassembly of Silicon Nanodots within Carbon Frameworks for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Incorporating nanoscale Si into a carbon matrix with high dispersity is desirable for the preparation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) but remains challenging. A space-confined catalytic strategy is proposed for direct superassembly of Si nanodots within a carbon (Si NDs⊂C) framework by copyrolysis of triphenyltin hydride (TPT) and diphenylsilane (DPS), where Sn atomic clusters created from TPT pyrolysis serve as the catalyst for DPS pyrolysis and Si catalytic growth. The use of Sn atomic cluster catalysts alters the reaction pathway to avoid SiC generation and enable formation of Si NDs with reduced dimensions. A typical Si NDs⊂C framework demonstrates a remarkable comprehensive performance comparable to other Si-based high-performance half LIBs, and higher energy densities compared to commercial full LIBs, as a consequence of the high dispersity of Si NDs with low lithiation stress. Supported by mechanic simulations, this study paves the way for construction of Si/C composites suitable for applications in future energy technologies.     

Cu2O/TiO2-Bi2WO6三元复合催化剂的制备及光催化性能研究

采用水热法制备花状Bi2 WO6,并利用超声分散法制备了Cu2 O/TiO2-Bi2 WO6复合光催化剂,通过FESEM、XRD、XPS、FI-IR、UV-vis DRS和PL对光催化剂进行了分析和表征.表征结果证明:花状Bi2 WO6表面负载着碎片状的TiO2和立方体Cu2 O形成Cu2 O/TiO2-Bi2 WO6复合光催化剂;以短链脂肪酸(SCFAs)为牺牲剂,考察复合光催化剂的光催化产生氢气和烷烃的性能.实验结果表明:Cu2 O/TiO2-Bi2 WO6复合光催化剂以乙酸为牺牲剂,主要产氢气和甲烷,降解率高达91.82;;以丙酸为牺牲剂,产物主要是乙烷和丁烷,降解率高达90.70;;以丁酸为牺牲剂,除了氢气,甲烷,乙烷,丙烷,丁烷外,气体产物还含有一定量的戊烷,其降解率高达91.50;.结合反应液中间产物的成分进行检测,由此推断出光催化反应的可能机理.     

Effect of mechanical force on domain switching in BiFeO_3 ultrathin films

Ferroelectric polarization can be switched by an external applied electric field and may also be reversed by a mechanical force via flexoelectricity from the strain gradient.In this study,we report the mechanical writing of an epitaxial BiFeO3(BFO)thin film and the combined action of an applied mechanical force and electric field on domain switching,where the mechanical force and electric field are applied using the tip of atomic force microscopy.When the applied force exceeds the threshold value,the upward polarization of the BFO thin film can be reversed by pure mechanical force via flexoelectricity;when an electric field is simultaneously applied,the mechanical force can reduce the coercive electric field because both the piezoelectricity from the homogeneous strain and the flexoelectricity from strain gradient contribute to the internal electric field in the film.The mechanically switched domains exhibit a slightly lower surface potential when compared with that exhibited by the electrically switched domains due to no charge injection in the mechanical method.Furthermore,both the mechanically and electrically switched domains exhibit a tunneling electroresistance in the BFO ferroelectric tunnel junction.     

A New Approach to Develop a Standardized Method for Simultaneous Analysis of Astragaloside IV and Formononetin in Radix Astragali by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A new high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of...     

Flame-retardant effect of cross-linked phosphazene derivatives and pentaerythritol derivatives on polypropylene

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A phosphazene-based flame retardant (PBFA) was synthesized by hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and N-aminoethylpiperazine. To improve the flame retardancy...     

Molecular Acceptors Based on a Triarylborane Core Unit for Organic Solar Cells

Triarylboranes that exhibit p–π* conjugation serve as versatile building blocks to design n-type organic/polymer semiconductors. A series of new molecular acceptors based on triarylborane is reported here. These molecules are designed with a boron atom that bears a bulky 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl (Mes*) substituent at the core and strong electron-withdrawing 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydroinden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (IC) units as the end-capping groups that are linked to the core by bithiophene bridges. Butyl or butoxy groups are introduced to the bithiophene units to tune the optoelectronic properties. These molecules show nearly planar backbones with highly localized steric hindrance at the core, low LUMO/HOMO energy levels, and broad absorption bands spanning the visible region, which are all very desirable characteristics for use as electron acceptors in organic solar cell (OSC) applications. The attachment of butyl groups to the bithiophene bridges brings about a slightly twisted backbone, which in turn promotes good solubility and homogeneous donor/acceptor blend morphology, whereas the introduction of butoxy groups leads to improved planarity, favorable stacking in the film state, and a greatly reduced band gap. OSC devices based on these molecules exhibit encouraging photovoltaic performances with power conversion efficiencies reaching up to 4.07 %. These results further substantiate the strong potential of triarylboranes as the core unit of small molecule acceptors for OSC applications.     

Electrophilicity Scale of Activated Amides: 17O NMR and 15N NMR Chemical Shifts of Acyclic Twisted Amides in N−C(O) Cross-Coupling

The structure and properties of amides are of tremendous interest in organic synthesis and biochemistry. Traditional amides are planar and the carbonyl group non-electrophilic due to n_N→π*_C=O conjugation. In this study, we report electrophilicity scale by exploiting ¹⁷O NMR and ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of acyclic twisted and destabilized acyclic amides that have recently received major attention as precursors in N-C(O) cross-coupling by selective oxidative addition as well as precursors in electrophilic activation of N-C(O) bonds. Most crucially, we demonstrate that acyclic twisted amides feature electrophilicity of the carbonyl group that ranges between that of acid anhydrides and acid chlorides. Furthermore, a wide range of electrophilic amides is possible with gradually varying carbonyl electrophilicity by steric and electronic tuning of amide bond properties. Overall, the study quantifies for the first time that steric and electronic destabilization of the amide bond in common acyclic amides renders the amide bond as electrophilic as acid anhydrides and chlorides. These findings should have major implications on the fundamental properties of amide bonds.