Thiolated poly(ε-caprolactone) macroligand with vacant coordination sites on gold substrate: Synthesis and surface characterization

Surface-confined telechelic poly(ε-caprolactone) macroligand with two distinct functional groups per polymeric chain has been synthesized and characterized. The molecular microstructure of the macroligand with regard to the properties of the end-capped functionalities and with those on surface substrate has been studied by solution and surface analytical methods (i.e., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), grazing angle reflectance-Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (GA-FTIR), water contact angle measurements, and atomic force microscopy (AFM)) to elucidate the structure and properties of such multifunctional polymer on gold (1 1 1) substrate.     

Synthesis and characterization of multifunctional polymers via atom transfer radical polymerization of N‐(ω′‐alkylcarbazolyl) methacrylates initiated by Ru(II) polypyridyl chromophores

A series of poly(N‐(ω′‐alkylcarbazoly) methacrylates) tris(bipyridine) Ru‐centered bifunctional polymers with good filming, thermal, and solubility properties were synthesized and characterized. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N‐(ω′‐alkylcarbazoly) methacrylates in solution was used, where Ru complexes with one and three initiating sites acted as metalloinitiators with NiBr₂(PPh₃)₂ as a catalyst. ATRP reaction conditions with respect to polymer molecular weights and polydispersity indices (PDI) of the target bifunctional polymers were examined. Electronic absorption and emission spectra of the resultant functional polymers provided evidence of chromophore presence within a single polymeric chain. The thermal properties of all polymers were also investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and these analyses have indicated that these polymers possess higher thermal stabilities than poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) obtained via free radical polymerization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6057–6072, 2005     

Differentiating between Acidic and Basic Surface Hydroxyls on Metal Oxides by Fluoride Substitution: A Case Study on Blue TiO2 from Laser Defect Engineering

Both oxygen vacancies and surface hydroxyls play a crucial role in catalysis. Yet, their relationship is not often explored. Herein, we prepare two series of TiO₂ (rutile and P25) with increasing oxygen deficiency and Ti³⁺ concentration by pulsed laser defect engineering in liquid (PUDEL), and selectively quantify the acidic and basic surface OH by fluoride substitution. As indicated by EPR spectroscopy, the laser-generated Ti³⁺ exist near the surface of rutile, but appear to be deeper in the bulk for P25. Fluoride substitution shows that extra acidic bridging OH are selectively created on rutile, while the surface OH density remains constant for P25. These observations suggest near-surface Ti³⁺ are highly related to surface bridging OH, presumably the former increasing the electron density of the bridging oxygen to form more of the latter. We anticipate that fluoride substitution will enable better characterization of surface OH and its correlation with defects in metal oxides.     

Molecular structure refinement of a segmented thermotropic polyester containing an aromatic triad mesogen

The polymorphic behavior of a polyester consisting of an aromatic triad mesogen and a flexible spacer has been investigated. The effect of thermal and mechanical treatment on the appearance of two crystalline phases stable at room temperature is discussed. The molecular packing (triclinic cell, space group P1 ) and the morphological parameters of the crystalline phase stabilized by drawing process are evaluated and refined. The whole-pattern method, based on the analysis of the whole x-ray diffraction pattern from fiber samples of polymer, has been employed. The molecular packing resembles very much that of polyethylene terephthalate. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Microwave synthesis of polymer-embedded Pt-Ru catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell

Platinum-ruthenium nanoparticles stabilized within a conductive polymer matrix are prepared using microwave heating. Polypyrrole di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, or PPyDEHS, has been chosen for its known electrical conductivity, thermal stability, and solubility in polar organic solvents. A scalable and quick two-step process is proposed to fabricate alloyed nanoparticles dispersed in PPyDEHS. First a mixture of PPyDEHS and metallic precursors is heated in a microwave under reflux conditions. Then the nanoparticles are extracted by centrifugation. Physical characterization by TEM shows that crystalline and monodisperse alloyed nanoparticles with an average size of 2.8 nm are obtained. Diffraction data show that crystallite size is around 2.0 nm. Methanol electro-oxidation data allow us to propose these novel materials as potential candidates for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) application. The observed decrease in sulfur content in the polymer upon incorporation of PtRu nanoparticles may have adversely affected the measured catalytic activity by decreasing the conductivity of PPyDEHS. Higher concentration of polymer leads to lower catalyst activity. Design and synthesis of novel conductive polymers is needed at this point to enhance the catalytic properties of these hybrid materials.     

A Precious‐Metal‐Free Hybrid Electrolyzer for Alcohol Oxidation Coupled to CO2‐to‐Syngas Conversion

Electrolyzers combining CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) with organic substrate oxidation can produce fuel and chemical feedstocks with a relatively low energy requirement when compared to systems that source electrons from water oxidation. Here, we report an anodic hybrid assembly based on a (2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yl)oxyl (TEMPO) electrocatalyst modified with a silatrane‐anchor ( STEMPO ), which is covalently immobilized on a mesoporous indium tin oxide (mesoITO) scaffold for efficient alcohol oxidation (AlcOx). This molecular anode was subsequently combined with a cathode consisting of a polymeric cobalt phthalocyanine on carbon nanotubes to construct a hybrid, precious‐metal‐free coupled AlcOx–CO₂R electrolyzer. After three‐hour electrolysis, glycerol is selectively oxidized to glyceraldehyde with a turnover number (TON) of ≈1000 and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 83 %. The cathode generated a stoichiometric amount of syngas with a CO:H₂ ratio of 1.25±0.25 and an overall cobalt‐based TON of 894 with a FE of 82 %. This prototype device inspires the design and implementation of nonconventional strategies for coupling CO₂R to less energy demanding, and value‐added, oxidative chemistry.     

A Precious-Metal-Free Hybrid Electrolyzer for Alcohol Oxidation Coupled to CO2-to-Syngas Conversion

Electrolyzers combining CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) with organic substrate oxidation can produce fuel and chemical feedstocks with a relatively low energy requirement when compared to systems that source electrons from water oxidation. Here, we report an anodic hybrid assembly based on a (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) electrocatalyst modified with a silatrane-anchor ( STEMPO ), which is covalently immobilized on a mesoporous indium tin oxide (mesoITO) scaffold for efficient alcohol oxidation (AlcOx). This molecular anode was subsequently combined with a cathode consisting of a polymeric cobalt phthalocyanine on carbon nanotubes to construct a hybrid, precious-metal-free coupled AlcOx–CO₂R electrolyzer. After three-hour electrolysis, glycerol is selectively oxidized to glyceraldehyde with a turnover number (TON) of ≈1000 and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 83 %. The cathode generated a stoichiometric amount of syngas with a CO:H₂ ratio of 1.25±0.25 and an overall cobalt-based TON of 894 with a FE of 82 %. This prototype device inspires the design and implementation of nonconventional strategies for coupling CO₂R to less energy demanding, and value-added, oxidative chemistry.     

Synthesis and surface characterization of alkylthioacetyl-capped self-assembled monolayers on gold surface

A novel alkylthioacetyl-capped hydroxyethyl methacrylate monomer and its corresponding homopolymer have been synthesized and characterized. Direct chemisorption of these moieties have been carried out on gold-coated substrate and found to form a strong surface bonding. The surface coverage and the properties of the resultant self-assembled layers have been investigated by multiple surface characterization techniques (i.e. ellipsometry, GA-FTIR, XPS, AFM, and contact angle measurements). These analyses have all confirmed the occurrence of complete chemisorption reactions with typical n-alkanethiol self-assembled characteristics.     

Nanotemplating for two-dimensional molecular imprinting

A new 2D molecular imprinting technique based on nanotemplating and soft-lithography techniques is reported. This technique allows the creation of target-specific synthetic recognition sites on different substrates using a uniquely oriented and immobilized template and the attachment of a molecularly imprinted polymer on a substrate. The molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by AFM, fluorescence microscopy, and ATR-FTIR. We evaluated the rebinding ability of the sites with theophylline (the target molecule). The selectivity of the molecularly imprinted polymer was determined for the theophylline-caffeine couple. The molecularly imprinted polymer exhibited selectivity for theophylline, as revealed by competitive rebinding experiments. Fluorescence microscopy experiments provided complementary proof of the selectivity of the molecularly imprinted polymer surfaces toward theophylline. These selective molecularly imprinted polymers have the potential for chemical sensor applications. Because of its 2D nature, this novel chemical sensor technology can be integrated with many existing high-sensitivity multichannel detection technologies.