Towards the synthesis of MAX-phase functional coatings by pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposition with a Nd:YAG laser was used to grow thin films from a pre-synthesized Ti₃SiC₂ MAX-phase formulated ablation target on oxidized Si(1 0 0) and MgO(1 0 0) substrates. The depositions were carried out in a substrate temperature range from 300 to 900 K, and the pressure in the deposition chamber ranged from vacuum (10⁻⁵ Pa) to 0.05 Pa Argon background pressure. The properties of the films have been investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry for film thickness and stoichiometric composition and X-ray diffraction for the crystallinity of the films. The silicon content of the films varied with the energy density of the laser beam. To suppress especially the silicon re-sputtering from the substrate, the energy of the incoming particles must be below a threshold of 20 eV. Therefore, the energy density of the laser beam must not be too high. At constant deposition energy density the film thickness depends strongly on the background pressure. The X-ray diffraction measurements show patterns that are typical of amorphous films, i.e. no Ti₃SiC₂ related reflections were found. Only a very weak TiC(2 0 0) reflection was seen, indicating the presence of a small amount of crystalline TiC.     

Gravimetric and Colorimetric Determinations of Copper,Cobalt, Zinc and Mercury with 1-(2-Methylindole-3-Acetyl)-4-Arylthiosemicarbazide

1-(2-Methylindole-3-acetyl)4-arylthiosemicarbazides have been prepared and were used as reagents for gravimetric and colorimetric determinations of copper, cobalt, zinc and mercury. The synthesis of the same metal complexes of these thiosemicarbazides as a potential biological derivatives was also described.     

Electric field gradients at (111)In/(111)Cd probe atoms on A-sites in 211-MAX phases

The method of perturbed angular correlation (PAC) was applied to selected MAX phases with 211 stoichiometry. Radioactive (111)In ions were implanted in order to measure the electric field gradients (EFG) in the key compounds Ti(2)InC and Zr(2)InC to determine the strength and symmetry of the EFG at the In-site. Further PAC studies in the In-free MAX phases Ti(2)AlN, Nb(2)AlC, Nb(2)AsC and Cr(2)GeC were performed to confirm that the In probes occupy the A-site as well. The strength of the EFG, with a quadrupole coupling constant ν(Q) between 250 and 300 MHz in these phases, is quite similar to the ones found in Ti(2)InC with ν(Q) = 292(1) MHz and in Zr(2)InC with ν(Q) = 344(1) MHz, respectively. Different annealing behavior was observed whereas in all cases a linear decrease of ν(Q) with increasing measuring temperatures was found. The experimental results are also in excellent agreement with those predicted by ab initio calculations using the APW+lo method implemented in the WIEN2k code. This study shows in an exceptional manner that (111)In?→?(111)Cd atoms are suitable probes to investigate the local surrounding at the A-site in 211-MAX phases.     

Synthesis of Carbon/Sulfur Nanolaminates by Electrochemical Extraction of Titanium from Ti2SC

Herein we electrochemically and selectively extract Ti from the MAX phase Ti₂SC to form carbon/sulfur (C/S) nanolaminates at room temperature. The products are composed of multi‐layers of C/S flakes, with predominantly amorphous and some graphene‐like structures. Covalent bonding between C and S is observed in the nanolaminates, which render the latter promising candidates as electrode materials for Li‐S batteries. We also show that it is possible to extract Ti from other MAX phases, such as Ti₃AlC₂ , Ti₃SnC₂ , and Ti₂GeC, suggesting that electrochemical etching can be a powerful method to selectively extract the “M” elements from the MAX phases, to produce “AX” layered structures, that cannot be made otherwise. The latter hold promise for a variety of applications, such as energy storage, catalysis, etc.     

Edge Capping of 2D‐MXene Sheets with Polyanionic Salts To Mitigate Oxidation in Aqueous Colloidal Suspensions

MXenes have shown promise in myriad applications, such as energy storage, catalysis, EMI shielding, among many others. However, MXene oxidation in aqueous colloidal suspensions when stored in water at ambient conditions remains a challenge. It is now shown that by simply capping the edges of individual MXene flakes, Ti₃C₂T_z and V₂CT_z, by polyanions such as polyphosphates, polysilicates or polyborates, it is possible to quite significantly reduce their propensity for oxidation even when held in aerated water for weeks. This breakthrough resulted from the realization that the edges of MXene sheets are positively charged. It is thus an example of selectively functionalizing the edges differently from the MXene sheet surfaces.     

Synthesis and characterization of copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and iron(III) complexes with two diamine Schiff bases and catalytic reactivity of a chiral diamine cobalt(II) complex

New transition metal complexes of Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Fe(III) of the ligands 6,6′-(1E,1′E)-(4,5-dimethyl-1,2-phenylene)bis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2-methyl-4H-chromen-4-one) H₂L¹ and 6,6’-(1E,1′E)-cyclohexane-1,2-diylbis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2-methyl-4H-chromen-4-one) H₂L² have been prepared and characterized using physio-chemical and spectroscopic methods. The results obtained for the complexes indicated that the geometries of the metal centres are either square planar or octahedral. Cyclopropanation reactions of unactivated olefins by ethyldiazoacetate (EDA) in the presence of [L¹Cu]·H₂O, [L²Cu]·2H₂O and [L²*Co]·2H₂O as catalysts were examined. The results showed that only [L²*Co]·2H₂O can act as a catalyst for the cyclopropanation reaction of unactivated olefins with very high selectivity (up to 99% based on EDA).     

Core level and valence band studies of layered Ti3SiC2 by high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy

The ternary compund Ti₃SiC₂ is a prominent representative of a new class of layered ceramics whose extraordinary physical properties has attracted much attention in recent years. Ti₃SiC₂ is electrically and thermally highly conductive, elastically rigid, lightweight, and maintains its strength to high temperatures. It is furthermore damage tolerant and oxidation resistant. We have studied fractured surfaces of coarse-grained Ti₃SiC₂ by means of photoelectron spectroscopy at the MAX-lab synchrotron radiation facility in Lund, Sweden. High-resolution C 1s, Si 2p, Ti 2p, Ti 3s and Ti 3p core-level spectra are reported and interpreted in terms of crystallographic and electronic structure. Valence band spectra confirm the validity of recent band calculations.     

Selective Homogeneous Palladium(0)-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Alkynes to (Z)-Alkenes

Zero-valent palladium precatalysts containing rigid bidentate bis(arylimino)acenaphthene ligands (shown schematically) facilitate the highly stereoselective homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of alkynes to (Z)-alkenes. Internal, terminal, aryl-substituted, and cyclic alkynes are suitable substrates, as are some enynes, which are chemoselectively hydrogenated to dienes. E=CO(2)Me; R(1), R(2)=4-OCH(3), 4-CH(3), 2,6-(CH(3))(2).     

Seventeen new 14- and 15-crown-formazans: their synthesis and evaluation in spectrophotometric determination of lithium

A number of new crown-formazans with 14 and 15 membered rings have been synthesized, characterized and investigated as selective spectrophotometric chelating agents for lithium. The effect of sodium ion concentration on the background lithium signal was studied. A comparative study for the sensitivity of these new crown-formazans in spectrophotometric determinations was studied and compared with those reported previously. The three new 14- and 15-crown-formazans 4a-c containing the pyridyl N-oxide at the formazyl carbon showed the highest selectivity to lithium determination in the presence of sodium ion.     

Applications involving the iodide ion: VII. Determination of small amounts of cerium(IV) and analysis of its mixtures with some metal ions

A simple, rapid, and reliable method for cerium(IV) alone; in presence of a variety of cations involving rare earths and iron (III); or in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures is given. By its aid 10^?3 down to 1.5 × 10^?5 mole of cerium(IV) were determined with requisite accuracy and precision. The potential breaks detecting the end points ranged from a maximum of 410 to a minimum of 100 mV/0.1 ml of 0.05 or 10^?4M titrant, respectively. Analysis of 15 mixtures using the present method together with other recommended procedures was always much less tedious or time-consuming than reported methods.