Unsymmetrical Pyrene‐Fused Phthalocyanine Derivatives: Synthesis,Structure, and Properties

Novel pyrene‐fused unsymmetrical phthalocyanine derivatives 2,3,9,10,16,17‐hexakis(2,6‐dimethylphenoxy)‐22,25‐diaza(2,7‐di‐tert‐butylpyrene)[4,5]phthalocyaninato zinc complex Zn[Pc(Pz‐pyrene)(OC₈H₉)₆] ( 1 ) and 2,3,9,10‐tra(2,6‐dimethylphenoxy)‐15,18,22,25‐traza(2,7‐di‐tert‐butylpyrene)[4,5]phthalocyaninato zinc compound Zn[Pc(Pz‐pyrene)₂(OC₈H₉)₄] ( 2 ) were isolated for the first time. These unsymmetrical pyrene‐fused phthalocyanine derivatives have been characterized by a wide range of spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. In particular, the pyrene‐fused phthalocyanine structure was unambiguously revealed on the basis of single crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis of 1 , representing the first structurally characterized phthalocyanine derivative fused with an aromatic moiety larger than benzene.     

Polypyrrole Shell@3D‐Ni Metal Core Structured Electrodes for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Three‐dimensional (3D) nanometal films serving as current collectors have attracted much interest recently owing to their promising application in high‐performance supercapacitors. In the process of the electrochemical reaction, the 3D structure can provide a short diffusion path for fast ion transport, and the highly conductive nanometal may serve as a backbone for facile electron transfer. In this work, a novel polypyrrole (PPy) shell@3D‐Ni‐core composite is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of conventional PPy. With the introduction of a Ni metal core, the as‐prepared material exhibits a high specific capacitance (726 F g^?1 at a charge/discharge rate of 1 A g^?1), good rate capability (a decay of 33 % in C_sp with charge/discharge rates increasing from 1 to 20 A g^?1), and high cycle stability (only a small decrease of 4.2 % in C_sp after 1000 cycles at a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1). Furthermore, an aqueous symmetric supercapacitor device is fabricated by using the as‐prepared composite as electrodes; the device demonstrates a high energy density (≈21.2 Wh kg^?1) and superior long‐term cycle ability (only 4.4 % and 18.6 % loss in C_sp after 2000 and 5000 cycles, respectively).     

Bimetallic Covalent Organic Frameworks for Constructing Multifunctional Electrocatalyst

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a new class of crystalline porous polymers comprised mainly of carbon atoms, and are versatile for the integration of heteroatoms such as B, O, and N into the skeletons. The designable structure and abundant composition render COFs useful as precursors for heteroatom-doped porous carbons for energy storage and conversion. Herein, we describe a multifunctional electrochemical catalyst obtained through pyrolysis of a bimetallic COF. The catalyst possesses hierarchical pores and abundant iron and cobalt nanoparticles embedded with standing carbon layers. By integrating these features, the catalyst exhibits excellent electrochemical catalytic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with a 50 mV positive half-wave potential, a higher limited diffusion current density, and a much smaller Tafel slope than a Pt-C catalyst. Moreover, the catalyst displays superior electrochemical performance toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with overpotentials of −0.26 V and −0.33 V in acidic and alkaline aqueous solution, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². The overpotential in the catalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was 1.59 V at the same current density.     

Solid-state Electrochemistry of Gadolinium Hexacyanoferrate Modified Electrode and Electrocatalytic Properties of Gadolinium Hexacyanoferrate

A new electroactive polynuclear inorganic compound of rare earth metal, gadolinium hexacyanoferrate (GdHCF), was prepared and characterized using the techniques of FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), UV-Vis spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, and EDX. The results of ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, EDX, and TGA indicated that the prepared GdHCF sample had a stoichiometry of NaGdFe(CN)₆·12H₂O (when GdHCF was prepared in NaCl solution). The FTIR spectrum of GdHCF showed that there were two types of water molecules in the structure of GdHCF: one was the interstitial water (5 H₂O), which resulted from the association of water due to H-bonding, and the other was water coordinated with Gd (7 H₂O). The results obtained using XPS showed that the oxidation state of Fe and Gd in the GdHCF sample was +2 and +3, respectively. GdHCF was immobilized on the surface of spectroscopically pure graphite (SG) electrode forming the GdHCF/SG electrode, and the solid-state electrochemistry of the resultant electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammetric results indicated that the GdHCF/SG electrode exhibited a pair of well-defined and stable redox peaks with the formal potential of E^0′=(197±3) mV. The effects of the concentration of the supporting electrolyte on the electrochemical characteristics of GdHCF were studied, and the results showed that the value of E^0′ increased linearly with the activity of the cationic ion of the supporting electrolyte (lga_Na⁺), with a slope of 54.1 mV, which may become a novel method for determining the activity of Na⁺ in solution. Further experimental results indicated that GdHCF had electrocatalytic activities toward the oxidation of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA), and the electrocatalytic current increased linearly with the concentration of DA (or AA) in the range of 1.0–10.0 mmol·L^?1 (for DA) or 0.5–20.0 mmol·L^?1 (for AA).     

Nano-electrochemical detection of hydrogen or protons using palladium nanoparticles: distinguishing surface and bulk hydrogen.

The benefits of using nanoparticle-modified electrodes are exemplified through the electrochemical detection of protons and/or hydrogen. It is shown that a palladium-nanoparticle-modified boron-doped diamond allows voltammetric information relating to the relative roles played by the surface and the bulk metal to be obtained for the proton-hydrogen system at palladium surfaces which is not accessible using palladium macroelectrodes or microelectrodes.     

Surface morphologies of anthracene single crystals grown from vapor phase

The morphologies and lattice structures of anthracene single crystals grown from the vapor phase were investigated using optical microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction analysis. Common morphologies with hexagonal large planes were observed irrespective of crystal size. The observation of certain surface morphologies with a phase contrast microscopy revealed that the spiral steps originated from screw dislocations present on the (0 0 1) planes. Moreover, the center and edge of the (0 0 1) planes had large curvatures, similar to hills. Resultantly, quarter-monolayer (ML) steps were observed on the large and flat planes between both hills.     

Analysis of (π K<Superscript>+</Superscript>) and (K<Superscript>-</Superscript>, K<Superscript>+</Superscript>) hypernuclear production spectra in distorted-wave impulse approximation

We study the hyperon-nucleus potential with distorted-wave impulse wave approximation (DWIA) using the Green's function method. In order to include the nucleon and hyperon potential effects in Fermi averaging, we introduce the local optimal momentum approximation of target nucleons. We can describe the quasi-free Λ , Σ and Ξ production spectra in a better way than in the standard Fermi-averaged t -matrix treatments.     

Poly(phenylene vinylene)‐based copolymers containing 3,7‐phenothiazylene and 2,6‐pyridylene chromophores: Fluorescence sensors for acids,metal ions,and oxidation

A novel copolymer, poly(N‐hexyl‐3,7‐phenothiazylene‐1,2‐ethenylene‐2,6‐pyridylene‐1,2‐ethenylene) ( P3 ), containing N‐hexyl‐3,7‐phenothiazylene and 2,6‐pyridylene chromophores was synthesized to investigate the effect of protonation, metal complexation, and chemical oxidation on its absorption and photoluminescence (PL). Poly(N‐hexyl‐3,8‐iminodibenzyl‐1,2‐ethenylene‐1,3‐phenylene‐1,2‐ethenylene) and poly(N‐hexyl‐3,7‐phenothiazylene‐1,2‐ethenylene‐1,3‐phenylene‐1,2‐ethenylene) ( P2 ), consisting of 1,3‐divinylbenzene alternated with N‐hexyl‐3,8‐iminodibenzyl and N‐hexyl‐3,7‐phenothiazylene, respectively, were also prepared for comparison. Electrochemical investigations revealed that P3 exhibited lower band gaps (2.34 eV) due to alternating donor and acceptor conjugated units (push–pull structure). The absorption and PL spectral variations of P3 were easily manipulated by protonation, metal chelation, and chemical oxidation. P3 displayed significant bathochromic shifts when protonated with trifluoroacetic acid in chloroform. The complexation of P3 with Fe³⁺ led to a significant absorption change and fluorescence quenching, and this implied the coordination of ferric ions with the 2,6‐pyridylene groups in the backbone. Moreover, both phenothiazylene‐containing P2 and P3 showed conspicuous PL quenching with a slight redshift when oxidized with NOBF₄. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1272–1284, 2004