Negative thermal expansion in NbF_3 and NbOF_2:A comparative theoretical study

Thermal expansion control is always an obstructive factor and challenging in high precision engineering field. Here,the negative thermal expansion of Nb F_3 and Nb OF_2 was predicted by first-principles calculation with density functional theory and the quasi-harmonic approximation(QHA). We studied the total charge density, thermal vibration, and lattice dynamic to investigate the thermal expansion mechanism. We found that the presence of O induced the relatively strong covalent bond in Nb OF_2, thus weakening the transverse vibration of F and O in Nb OF_2, compared with the case of Nb F_3.In this study, we proposed a way to tailor negative thermal expansion of metal fluorides by introducing the oxygen atoms.The present work not only predicts two NTE compounds, but also provides an insight on thermal expansion control by designing chemical bond type.     

富晶格位错的多孔铋纳米花高效电还原二氧化碳制甲酸盐※

二氧化碳转化已成为现今世界研究的热点. 本工作采用原位电化学转化的策略, 将简单溶剂热法合成的层状甲酸氧铋纳米花(BiOCOOH NFs)还原为带有大量晶格位错的多孔铋纳米花(p-Bi NFs). 研究结果表明, p-Bi NFs电催化二氧化碳转化为甲酸盐具有较小的过电位(436 mV). 在–1.8 V(相对饱和甘汞电极, vs. SCE)时, 甲酸盐的分电流密度(j_formate)高达24.4 mA•cm^-2, 法拉第效率(FE_formate)为96.7%, 且在超过500 mV的宽电位窗口内FE_formate超过90%, 并具有很好的稳定性. 该催化剂的高催化性能可归因于前驱体晶格坍塌和重构而形成特殊的多孔粗糙的微纳多级结构, 其表面富含晶格位错和缺陷等高本征活性位, 且具有较强的电子传递能力. 本研究为设计合成高性能的电催化二氧化碳还原产甲酸催化剂提供了新的思路.     

Large Enhancement of the Single-Molecular Conductance of a Molecular Wire through a Radical Substituent

The single-molecular conductance between two π-conjugated wires with and without a radical substituent has been compared. Specifically, methyl- and iminonitroxide-substituted 4-(biphenyl-4-yl)pyridine wires bound onto a porphyrin template were subjected to scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) apparent-height measurement at the interface between highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and octan-1-oic acid. Statistical analysis of the STM images revealed that the radical-substituted wire has 3.2±1.7-fold higher conductance than the methyl-substituted reference. Although density functional theory (DFT) calculation suggests that only 17 % of the SOMO is distributed on the wire moiety, the effect was significant. This study presents the potential of radical substituents to achieve high conductivity in molecular wires.     

有机张力半导体及其光电特性

分子张力作为空间设计的重要组成部分正成为调控有机半导体的重要手段。由于分子内产生的拉伸张力、扭曲/弯曲张力以及空间张力而导致p轨道排布重组和构型构象结构发生变化,最近各种几何与拓扑结构的高张力有机半导体材料相继被报道,这使得高张力有机半导体材料成为有机电子领域研究的焦点。为了进一步梳理分子张力在有机半导体材料中扮演的角色与价值,该综述从分子张力的类型、实验与理论量化以及可视化出发,总结了高张力共轭芳烃的分子设计策略、与其光电性能分子张力之间的关系,以及这类新兴材料在光电领域的应用。最后,对高张力共轭芳烃的研究前景进行了展望,阐述了该类材料所面临的机遇与挑战。     

Negative thermal expansion: Mechanisms and materials

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) of materials is an intriguing phenomenon challenging the concept of traditional lattice dynamics and of importance for a variety of applications. Progresses in this field develop markedly and update continuously our knowledge on the NTE behavior of materials. In this article, we review the most recent understandings on the underlying mechanisms (anharmonic phonon vibration, magnetovolume effect, ferroelectrorestriction and charge transfer) of thermal shrinkage and the development of NTE materials under each mechanism from both the theoretical and experimental aspects. Besides the low frequency optical phonons which are usually accepted as the origins of NTE in framework structures, NTE driven by acoustic phonons and the interplay between anisotropic elasticity and phonons are stressed. Based on the data documented, some problems affecting applications of NTE materials are discussed and strategies for discovering and design novel framework structured NET materials are also presented.     

掺锗提高VO2薄膜的相变温度机理研究

二氧化钒(VO₂)作为一种长久以来备受关注的新型可逆相变材料,发展潜力巨大,其相变温度(T_MIT)的调控一直是研究热点。本文主要利用锗离子作为掺杂离子探索其对VO₂薄膜T_MIT的影响,并尝试解释其内部作用机理。在约1 cm²大小抛光的氧化铝薄片上沉积了一系列含不同比例锗离子VO₂薄膜。研究发现锗离子作为掺杂离子确实有利于T_MIT的提高(本课题T_MIT最大可达84.7 ℃)。T_MIT提高的主要原因是锗离子的引入能够强化单斜态V-V二聚体的稳定性,进而增强单斜态的稳定性,使得低温单斜态向四方金红石态转变更加困难。     

Electro-assisted Molecular Assembly Giving Atomic-Scale Catalytic Active-Site Detection

The artificially accurate design of nonmetal electrocatalysts’ active site has been a huge challenge because no pure active species with the specific structure could be strictly controlled by traditional synthetic methods. Species with a multiconfiguration in the catalyst hinder identification of the active site and the subsequent comprehension of the reaction mechanism. We have developed a novel electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy to obtain a pure pentagon ring on perfect graphene avoiding other reconstructed structures. More importantly, the active atom was confirmed by the subtle passivation process as the topmost carbon atom. Recognition of the carbon-defect electrocatalysis reaction mechanism was first downsized to the single-atom scale from the experimental perspective. It is expected that this innovative electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy could be extensively applied in the active structure-controlled synthesis of nonmetal electrocatalysts and verification of the exact active atom.     

Conformational change-modulated spin transport at single-molecule level in carbon systems

Controlling the spin transport at the single-molecule level, especially without the use of ferromagnetic contacts, becomes a focus of research in spintronics. Inspired by the progress on atomic-level molecular synthesis, through first-principles calculations, we investigate the spin-dependent electronic transport of graphene nanoflakes with side-bonded functional groups, contacted by atomic carbon chain electrodes. It is found that, by rotating the functional group, the spin polarization of the transmission at the Fermi level could be switched between completely polarized and unpolarized states. Moreover, the transition between spin-up and spin-down polarized states can also be achieved, operating as a dual-spin filter. Further analysis shows that, it is the spin-dependent shift of density of states, caused by the rotation, that triggers the shift of transmission peaks, and then results in the variation of spin polarization. Such a feature is found to be robust to the length of the nanoflake and the electrode material, showing great application potential. Those findings may throw light on the development of spintronic devices.