Designing spirobifullerene core based three-dimensional cross shape acceptor materials with promising photovoltaic properties for high-efficiency organic solar cells

The development of organic electron acceptor materials is one of the key factors for realizing high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs). Nonfullerene electron acceptors, compared to traditional fullerene acceptor materials, have gained much impetus owing to their better optoelectronic tunabilities and lower cost, as well as higher stability. Therefore, 5 three-dimensional (3D) cross-shaped acceptor materials having a spirobifullerene core flanked with 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole are designed from a recently synthesized highly efficient acceptor molecule SF(BR) ₄ and are investigated in detail with regard to their use as acceptor molecules in OSCs. The density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations have been performed for the estimation of frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis, density of states analysis, reorganization energies of electron and hole, dipole moment, open-circuit voltage, photo-physical characteristics, and transition density matrix analysis. In addition, the structure-property relationship is studied, and the influence of end-capped acceptor modifications on photovoltaic, photo-physical, and electronic properties of newly selected molecules ( H1-H5 ) is calculated and compared with reference ( R ) acceptor molecule SF(BR) ₄ . The structural tailoring at terminals was found to effectively tune the FMO band gap, energy levels, absorption spectra, open-circuit voltage, reorganization energy, and binding energy value in selected molecules H1 to H5 . The 3D cross-shaped molecules H1 to H5 suppress the intermolecular aggregation in PTB7-Th blend, which leads to high efficiency of acceptor material H1 to H5 in OSCs. Consequently, better optoelectronic properties are achieved from designed molecules H1 to H5 . It is proposed that the conceptualized molecules are superior than highly efficient spirobifullerene core-based SF(BR) ₄ acceptor molecules and, thus, are recommended to experiments for future developments of highly efficient solar cells.     

Insecticidal Activity and Free Radical Scavenging Properties of Isolated Phytoconstituents from the Saudi Plant Nuxia oppositifolia (Hochst.)

Chromatographic purification of the alcoholic extract from the aerial parts of the Saudi plant Nuxia oppositifolia (Hochst.), Benth., resulted in five isolated phenolic compounds. Two flavones, hispidulin (1) and jaceosidin (2), and the phenylethanoid glycosides, verbascoside (3), isoverbascoside (4), and conandroside (5), were identified and their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses. The insecticidal activity of compounds 1 and 2, in addition to 11 compounds isolated in a previous research (6–16), was evaluated against the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Four compounds displayed adulticidal activity with LD₅₀ values of 2–2.3 μg/mosquito. Free radical scavenging properties of the plant extracts and compounds (1–5) were evaluated by measuring the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate radical cation (ABTS^•+) scavenging activity. All compounds exhibited notable activity, compared with the positive control, l-Ascorbic acid. This study suggests that N. oppositifolia could be a promising source of secondary metabolites, some with lethal adulticidal effect against Ae. aegypti.     

Adsorption of acid dyes from aqueous solutions onto acid-activated bentonite

The adsorption of two dyes, namely, Acid Red 57 (AR57) and Acid Blue 294 (AB294), onto acid-activated bentonite in aqueous solution was studied in a batch system with respect to contact time, pH, and temperature. Acidic pH was favorable for the adsorption of these dyes. The surface characterization of acid-activated bentonite was performed using the FTIR technique. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the intraparticle diffusion model were used to describe the kinetic data and the rate constants were evaluated. The dynamic data fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model well and also followed the intraparticle diffusion model up to 90 min, but diffusion is not the only rate controlling step. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms and the isotherm constants were determined. The Freundlich model agrees very well with experimental data. The activation energies of adsorption were also evaluated for the adsorption of AR57 and AB294 onto activated bentonite.     

The determination of vanadium,molybdenum and tungsten by infrared spectroscopy

The infrared spectra of the 8-hydroxyquinolinates of molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten in the region 3–15 μ were investigated. It was found possible to determine the elements quantitatively, singly or in pairs, with an error of about 3%. Molybdenum was determined at 10.80 μ and 10.93 μ, vanadium at 10.50 μ, and tungsten at 10.61 μ or 10.90 μ.     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of 1-phenoxycarbonyl ethyl methacrylate monomer

Atom transfer radical polymerization conditions with copper(I) bromide/2,2^′-bipyridine (Cu/2,2^′-bpy) as the catalyst system were employed for the homopolymerization and random copolymerization of 1-phenoxycarbonyl ethyl methacrylate (PCMA) with methyl methacrylate (MMA). Temperature studies indicated that the polymerizations occurred smoothly in bulk at 110 °C. Poly(PCMA)(polydispersity index=1.27) homopolymer was characterized and then used as macroinitiator for increasing its molecular weight. The homopolymerization of PCMA was also carried out under free radical conditions using 2,2^′-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator.The monomer and polymers were characterized by FT-IR and ¹H and ¹³C-NMR techniques. The glass transition temperatures, the solubility parameters and average-molecular weights of the polymers were determined. Thermal stabilities of the polymers were given as compared with each other by using TGA curves. Thermal degradation products of poly(PCMA)s obtained by ATRP and free radical polymerization were compared with each other by using ¹H-NMR technique.     

Iron(II)‐ and Cobalt(II) Complexes with Tridentate Bis(imino)pyridine Nitrogen Ligands Bearing Chiral Bulky Aliphatic and Aromatic Substituents: Crystal Structure of [CoCl2{2, 6‐bis[R‐(+)‐(bornylimino)methyl]pyridine}]

Iron(II) and cobalt(II) complexes ( 7 ‐ 15 ) based on new aldimine 2, 6‐bis[(imino)methyl]pyridine ( 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 ) and ketimine (2, 6‐bis[(imino)ethyl]pyridine ( 3 , 5 ) ligands with bulky chiral aliphatic or aromatic terminal groups have been prepared and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR‐, mass spectroscopy (EI), and elemental analysis. The complex [CoCl₂(BBoMP)]·¹/₂ CHCl₃ ( 13 ) (BBoMP: 2, 6‐bis{(R‐(+)‐(bornylimino)‐methyl}pyridine) crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell dimensions: a = 7.6603(11) Å, b = 28.3153(14) Å, c = 13.537(2) Å, V = 2908.1(6) ų, Z = 4. The coordination sphere around Co is distorted trigonal bipyramidal.     

Synthesis and characterization of some methyl complexes of palladium(II). Part 2(1)

Summary Dichloro complexes of Pd^II, [Pd(L–L)Cl₂], where L–L=1-(thiomethyl)-2-(diphenylarsino)ethane (S–As) or 1-(thiomethyl)-2-(diphenylphosphino)ethane (S–P) andtrans-[PdL₂Cl₂], where L=diphenyl(2-phenylethyl)-phosphine (PE), diphenyl(1-naphthyl)phosphine (PN) orN-methyl-2-thiophenealdimine (SN), have been prepared and characterized. The reactions of these complexes with MeLi were investigated. The dimethyl complexes [Pd(L–L)Me₂] (L–L=S–As, S–P) and [Pd(PE)Me₂] were isolated and characterized. Reaction of [Pd(L–L)Me₂] (L–L=S–As, S–P) with HCl affords the monomethyl derivatives [Pd(L–L)Me(Cl)]. In contrast to the Pt analogues, [Pd(L–L)Me₂] and [Pd(L–L)Me(Cl)] are relatively less stable than [Pt(L–L)Me₂] and [Pt(L–L)Me(Cl)].     

Factors Contributing to Solubility Synergism of Some Basic Drugs with β-Cyclodextrin in Ternary Molecular Complexes

Ternary complexes exploiting solubility synergism (SSn) between basic drugs and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in the presence of an organic hydoxy acid have been reported to provide the pharmaceutical technology with highly soluble ternary complexes, even with the least soluble β-CD. In this work, phase solubility techniques were used to study factors affecting SSn in aqueous solution, which may help in understanding the mechanism involved in ternary complex formation in solution, under equilibrium conditions. The equilibrium solubility of both β-CD and each of 8 structurally unrelated drugs were measured in tandem in the presence of different acid types at low and high pHs, and at different time intervals over a period of 1–40 days. The results indicate that SSn is evident regardless of acid type (organic and inorganic) at low pH, but the extent of SSn is acid type dependant and is limited by the drug salt solubility product constant (pK _sp). Among different drugs, no apparent trend exists between drug salt solubility and the extent of SSn, but lowering drug salt solubility by increasing pH depresses SSn. The results also reveal no apparent trend between the magnitude of the complex formation constant (K _ij) and SSn. For example, drugs of low K _ij values such as astemizole, cisapride and sildenafil do not show any SSn, yet ketotifen and pizotifen, which also have low K _ij values, exhibit substantial SSn. However, the solublizing power of β-CD represented by the slope of phase solubility diagram can be used as a marker for SSn (slopes exceeding 0.4 induce SSn).