Impedance Response of a Thin Film on an Electrode: Deciphering the Influence of the Double Layer Capacitance

The different contributions of the interfacial capacitance are identified in the case of passive materials or thin protective coatings deposited on the electrode surface. The method is based on a graphical analysis of the EIS results to determine both the passive-film capacitance in the high-frequency domain and the double-layer capacitance in the low-frequency domain. The proposed analysis is shown to be independent of the physicochemical origins of the frequency dispersion of the interfacial capacitances which results, from an analysis point of view of the experimental results, in the use of a constant-phase element However, for a correct evaluation of the thin-film properties such as its thickness, the high-frequency data must be corrected for the double-layer contribution. In particular, it is shown that if the double-layer capacitance gives a frequency-dispersed response, it is necessary to correct the high-frequency part for the double-layer constant-phase elements. This is first demonstrated on synthetic data and then used for the determination of the thickness of thin oxide film formed on Al in neutral pH solution.     

NHC‐Pd complex‐catalyzed double carbonylation of aryl iodides with secondary amines to α‐keto amides

A series of palladium–NHC compounds were prepared and their catalytic activity in the double carbonylation of aryl iodides to synthesize α‐keto amides were examined. Palladium complexes bearing mixed NHC–phosphine exhibited high efficiency for the double carbonylation reaction. The effects of different solvents, base, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO), pressure, various amine and aryl iodides were investigated. Both electron‐rich and electron‐deficient aryl iodides afforded the corresponding substituted α‐keto amides in moderate to good yields. A possible mechanism was also proposed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Resin with Low Melting Point

A liquid crystalline epoxy resin (LCE) having α-methylstilbene as a mesogenic unit and an ethylene-oxy unit as a spacer (DGE(C2-MS-C2)) was synthesized and characterized. DGE (C2-MS-C2) has a lower melting point (MP) compared to the diglycidylether of 4,4′-dihydroxy-α-methylstilbene (DGEDHMS). The curing of DGE (C2-MS-C2) with diaminodiphenylethane (DDEt) in a mesophase generated a liquid crystalline (LC) network, which have a more highly layered structure than DGEDHMS. The LC network showed extensively large fracture energy on a tensile test. Introducing spacers outside the mesogen unit promotes the mesogen unit to form a highly ordered structure, which enhances the versatility of LC epoxy resins.     

Hydroxy double salts intercalated with Mn(II) complexes as potential contrast agents

A series of Mn(II) aminophosphonate complexes were successfully synthesized and intercalated into the hydroxy double salt [Zn₅(OH)₈]Cl₂·yH₂O. Complex incorporation led to an increase in the interlayer spacing from 7.8 to 10–12 Å. Infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of the characteristic vibration peaks of the Mn(II) complexes in the intercalates' spectra, indicating successful incorporation. The complex-loaded composites had somewhat lower proton relaxivities than the pure complexes. Nevertheless, these intercalates may have use as MRI contrast agents for patients with poor kidney function, where traditional Gd(III)-based contrast agents cause severe renal failure.     

Misfit‐Layered Bi1.85Sr2Co1.85O7.7−δ for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction: Beyond van der Waals Heterostructures

Recent research on stable 2D nanomaterials has led to the discovery of new materials for energy‐conversion and energy‐storage applications. A class of layered heterostructures known as misfit‐layered chalcogenides consists of well‐defined atomic layers and has previously been applied as thermoelectric materials for use as high‐temperature thermoelectric batteries. The performance of such misfit‐layered chalcogenides in electrochemical applications, specifically the hydrogen evolution reaction, is currently unexplored. Herein, a misfit‐layered chalcogenide consisting of CoO₂ layers interleaved with an SrO–BiO–BiO–SrO rock‐salt block and having the formula Bi_1.85Sr₂Co_1.85O_7.7?δ is synthesized and examined for its structural and electrochemical properties. The hydrogen‐evolution performance of misfit‐layered Bi_1.85Sr₂Co_1.85O_7.7?δ, which has an overpotential of 589 mV and a Tafel slope of 51 mV per decade, demonstrates the promising potential of misfit‐layered chalcogenides as electrocatalysts instead of classical carbon.     

New hydrophobic L‐amino acid salts: maleates of L‐leucine,L‐isoleucine and L‐norvaline

Crystals of maleates of three amino acids with hydrophobic side chains [L‐leucenium hydrogen maleate, C₆H₁₄NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), L‐isoleucenium hydrogen maleate hemihydrate, C₆H₁₄NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻·0.5H₂O, (II), and L‐norvalinium hydrogen maleate–L‐norvaline (1/1), C₅H₁₁NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻·C₅H₁₂NO₂, (III)], were obtained. The new structures contain C₂²(12) chains, or variants thereof, that are a common feature in the crystal structures of amino acid maleates. The L‐leucenium salt is remarkable due to a large number of symmetrically non‐equivalent units (Z′ = 3). The L‐isoleucenium salt is a hydrate despite the fact that L‐isoleucine is a nonpolar hydrophobic amino acid (previously known amino acid maleates formed hydrates only with lysine and histidine, which are polar and hydrophilic). The L‐norvalinium salt provides the first example where the dimeric cation L‐Nva...L‐NvaH⁺ was observed. All three compounds have layered noncentrosymmetric structures. Preliminary tests have shown the presence of the second harmonic generation (SGH) effect for all three compounds.     

A three‐dimensional cadmium(II) coordination polymer with unequal homochiral double‐stranded concentric helical chains

A homochiral helical three‐dimensional coordination polymer, poly[[(μ₂‐acetato‐κ³O,O′:O)(hydroxido‐κO)(μ₄‐5‐nicotinamido‐1H‐1,2,3,4‐tetrazol‐1‐ido‐κ⁵N¹,O:N²:N⁴:N⁵)(μ₃‐5‐nicotinamido‐1H‐1,2,3,4‐tetrazol‐1‐ido‐κ⁴N¹,O:N²:N⁴:N⁵)dicadmium(II)] 0.75‐hydrate], {[Cd₂(C₇H₅N₆O)₂(CH₃COO)(OH)]·0.75H₂O}_n, was synthesized by the reaction of cadmium acetate, N‐(1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl)isonicotinamide (H‐NTIA), ethanol and H₂O under hydrothermal conditions. The asymmetric unit contains two crystallographically independent Cd^II cations, two deprotonated 5‐nicotinamido‐1H‐1,2,3,4‐tetrazol‐1‐ide (NTIA⁻) ligands, one acetate anion, one hydroxide anion and three independent partially occupied water sites. The two Cd^II cations, with six‐coordinated octahedral and seven‐coordinated pentagonal bipyramidal geometries are located on general sites. The tetrazole group of one symmetry‐independent NTIA⁻ ligand links one of the independent Cd^II cations into 6₁ helical chains, while the other NTIA⁻ ligand links the other independent Cd^II cations into similar but unequal 6₁ helical chains. These chains, with a pitch of 24.937 (5) Å, intertwine into a double‐stranded helix. Each of the double‐stranded 6₁ helices is further connected to six adjacent helical chains through an acetate μ₂‐O atom and the tetrazole group of the NTIA⁻ ligand into a three‐dimensional framework. The helical channel is occupied by the isonicotinamide groups of NTIA⁻ ligands and two helices are connected to each other through the pyridine N and carbonyl O atoms of isonicotinamide groups. In addition, N—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds exist in the complex.     

Ferric Phosphate Hydroxide Microstructures Affect Their Magnetic Properties

Uniformly sized and shape-controlled nanoparticles are important due to their applications in catalysis, electrochemistry, ion exchange, molecular adsorption, and electronics. Several ferric phosphate hydroxide (Fe₄(OH)₃(PO₄)₃) microstructures were successfully prepared under hydrothermal conditions. Using controlled variations in the reaction conditions, such as reaction time, temperature, and amount of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), the crystals can be grown as almost perfect hyperbranched microcrystals at 180 °C (without CTAB) or relatively monodisperse particles at 220 °C (with CTAB). The large hyperbranched structure of Fe₄(OH)₃(PO₄)₃ with a size of ∼19 μm forms with the “fractal growth rule” and shows many branches. More importantly, the magnetic properties of these materials are directly correlated to their size and micro/nanostructure morphology. Interestingly, the blocking temperature (T_B) shows a dependence on size and shape, and a smaller size resulted in a lower T_B. These crystals are good examples that prove that physical and chemical properties of nano/microstructured materials are related to their structures, and the precise control of the morphology of such functional materials could allow for the control of their performance.     

The direct and inverse problem for an inclusion within a heat-conducting layered medium

This paper is concerned with the problem of heat conduction from an inclusion in a heat transfer layered medium. Making use of the boundary integral equation method, the well-posedness of the forward problem is established by the Fredholm theory. Then an inverse boundary value problem, i.e. identifying the inclusion from the measurements of the temperature and heat flux on the accessible exterior boundary of the medium is considered in the framework of the linear sampling method. Based on a careful analysis of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map, the mathematical fundamentals of the linear sampling method for reconstructing the inclusion are proved rigorously.