Enhanced thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS films via ionic liquid post-treatment

Thermoelectric(TE)energy harvesting can effectively convert waste heat into electricity,which is a crucial technology to solve energy concerns.As a promising candidate for energy conversion,poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)has gained significant attention owing to its easy doping,high transparency,and solution processability.However,the TE performance of PEDOT:PSS still needs to be further enhanced.Herein,different approaches have been applied for tuning the TE properties:(i)direct dipping PEDOT:PSS thin films in ionic liquid;(ii)post-treatment of the films with concentrated sulfuric acid(H₂SO₄),and then dipping in ionic liquid.Besides,the same bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide(TFSI)anion and different cation salts,including 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium(EMIM+)and lithium(Li+),are selected to study the influence of varying cation types on the TE properties of PEDOT:PSS.The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film treated with H2SO4EMIM:TFSI increase simultaneously,and the resulting maximum power factor is 46.7μW·m^-1·K^-2,which may be attributed to the ionic liquid facilitating the rearrangement of the molecular chain of PEDOT.The work provides a reference for the development of organic films with high TE properties.     

Synchronization mechanism of clapping rhythms in mutual interacting individuals

In recent years, clapping synchronization between individuals has been widely studied as one of the typical synchronization phenomena. In this paper, we aim to reveal the synchronization mechanism of clapping interactions by observing two individuals’ clapping rhythms in a series of experiments. We find that the two synchronizing clapping rhythm series exhibit long-range cross-correlations(LRCCs);that is, the interaction of clapping rhythms can be seen as a strong-anticipation process. Previous studies have demonstrated that the interactions in local timescales or global matching in statistical structures of fluctuation in long timescales can be sources of the strong-anticipation process. However, the origin of the strong anticipation process often appears elusive in many complex systems. Here, we find that the clapping synchronization process may result from the local interaction between two clapping individuals and may result from the more global coordination between two clapping individuals. We introduce two stochastic models for mutually interacting clapping individuals that generate the LRCCs and prove theoretically that the generation of clapping synchronization process needs to consider both local interaction and global matching. This study provides a statistical framework for studying the internal synchronization mechanism of other complex systems. Our theoretical model can also be applied to study the dynamics of other complex systems with the LRCCs, including finance, transportation, and climate.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Di-nuclear Uranyl Complex with Quinoline-6-carboxylate

Crystallography Reports - A di-nuclear uranyl complex with the formula of [(UO2)2(L)4(H2O)2]?4H2O (1) (HL = quinoline-6-carboxylic acid) was synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by...     

Polyoxygenated dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrrole-4,5-dione derivatives from the marine mangrove-derived endophytic fungus Penicillium brocae MA-231 and their antimicrobial activity

A new polyoxygenated dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrrole-4,5-dione derivative, pyranonigrin F (1), together with a related known compound, pyranonigrin A (2), were isolated and identified from Penicillium brocae MA-231, an endophytic fungus obtained from the fresh tissue of the marine mangrove plant Avicennia marina. The structures of these metabolites were determined based on comprehensive spectral interpretation and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1, and 2 showed potent activity against a broad spectrum of human-, aqua-, and plant-pathogens.     

Thermally driven self-healing PEDOT conductive films relying on reversible and multiple Diels–Alder interaction

Thermally healing capability of cracks and defects is important and urgent for the safe operation and life extending of electric materials and devices. Here, by the combination of thermally driven reversible Diels–Alder (DA) interaction and in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), a series of intrinsically conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/DA composites possess intrinsically self-healing property under low-temperature (reverse DA reaction at 100°C; DA crosslinking at 60°C) stimulus were achieved. The crosslinking DA bonding reactions are multiple from the co-existence of pre-synthesized macromolecular polyurethane attached DA units (PU-DA) and 2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-diol (DADOL) in the films. PU-DA involved in the polymerization process of EDOT to endow PEDOT with outstanding solution-processability, uniform film making, and structural self-healing capability, while DADOL was added to enhance the cross bonding between polymer chains. This work will accelerate the research and application development of intrinsically self-healing conducting polymers for commercial capacitors, antistatic coatings, implantable, printable electronics, and so on.     

Engineering of SnO2/TiO2 heterojunction compact interface with efficient charge transfer pathway for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Fabricating an efficient charge transfer pathway at the compact interface between two kinds of semiconductors is an important strategy for designing hydrogen production heterojunction photocatalysts. In this work, we prepared a compact, stable and oxygen vacancy-rich photocatalyst (SnO₂/TiO₂ heterostructure) via a simple and reasonable in-situ synthesis method. Briefly, SnCl₂–2H₂O is hydrolyzed on the TiO₂ precursor. After the pyrolysis process, SnO₂ nanoparticles (5 nm) were dispersed on the surface of ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets uniformly. Herein, the heterojunction system can offer abundant oxygen vacancies, which can act as active sites for catalytic reactions. Meanwhile, the interfacial contact of SnO₂/TiO₂ grading semiconductor oxide is uniform and tight, which can promote the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers. As shown in the experimental results, the hydrogen production rate of SnO₂/TiO₂ is 16.7 mmol h^?1 g^?1 (4.4 times higher than that of TiO₂), which is owing to its good dynamical properties. This work demonstrates an efficient strategy of tight combining SnO₂/TiO₂ with abundant oxygen vacancies to improve catalytic efficiency.     

Optimizing the electronic structure of Fe-doped Co3O4 supported Ru catalyst via metal-support interaction boosting oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction

Metal-support interaction(MSI) is an efficient way in heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis to modulate the electronic structure of metal for enhanced catalytic activity. However, there are still great challenges in promoting the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) simultaneously by this way. Herein, Fe-doped Co₃O₄ supported Ru(Ru/FeCo) catalysts are synthesized by MSI strategies to further improve the electrocatalytic activity and sta...     

Synergistic Pd/Cu-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective cascade Heck cyclization/borylation/cross-coupling

A cooperative Pd/Cu-catalyzed three-component cross-coupling reaction of alkynes, B₂Pin₂ and alkene-tethered aryl halides is reported. This reaction proceeds under mild conditions and shows broad substrate scope, providing a variety of heterocycles containing tetrasubstituted alkenylboronate moieties in synthetically useful yields with excellent chemoselectivity and regioselectivity. This transformation features the catalytic generation of β-borylalkenylcopper intermediates and their use in Pd-catalyzed Heck cyclization/cross-couplings. An enantioselective cascade cyclization/cross-coupling process has also been developed for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched oxindole bearing a tetrasubstituted alkenylboronate moiety.     

Cp2ZrCl2-catalyzed synthesis of 2-aminovinyl benzimidazoles under microwave conditions

A microwave-assisted general method for the synthesis of 2-aminovinyl benzimidazoles has been developed.Treatment of the 1,2-phenylenediamines and N-arylated/N,N-dialkylated 3-aminoacroleins with bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride(Cp2Zr Cl2) as the catalyst under microwave irradiation for 3–5 min followed by in situ Mn O2 oxidation afforded thirteen 2-aminovinyl benzimidazoles in good yields.