A variant of Shelah's characterization of Strong Chang's Conjecture

Shelah considered a certain version of Strong Chang's Conjecture which we denote , and proved that it is equivalent to several statements, including the assertion that Namba forcing is semiproper. We introduce an apparently weaker version, denoted , and prove an analogous characterization of it. In particular, is equivalent to the assertion that the the Friedman‐Krueger poset is semiproper. This strengthens and sharpens results by Cox and sheds some light on problems posed by Usuba, Torres‐Perez and Wu.     

A Theoretical study on the charge and discharge states of Na-ion battery cathode material,Na1+xFePO4F

Na₂FePO₄F is a promising cathode material for a Na-ion battery because of its high electronic capacity and good cycle performance. In this work, first principle calculations combined with cluster expansion and the Monte Carlo method have been applied to analyze the charge and discharge processes of Na₂FePO₄F by examining the voltage curve and the phase diagram. As a result of the density functional theory calculation and experimental verification with structural analysis, we found that the most stable structure of Na_1.5FePO₄F has the P2₁/b11 space group, which has not been reported to date. The estimated voltage curve has two clear plateaus caused by the two-phase structure composed of P2₁/b11 Na_1.5FePO₄F and Pbcn Na₂FePO₄F or Na₁FePO₄F and separated along the c-axis direction. The phase diagram shows the stability of the phase-separated structure. Considering that Na₂FePO₄F has diffusion paths in the a- and c-axis directions, Na₂FePO₄F has both innerphase and interphase diffusion paths. We suggest that the stable two-phase structure and the diffusion paths to both the innerphase and interphases are a key for the very clear plateau. We challenge to simulate a nonequilibrium state at high rate discharge with high temperature by introducing a coordinate-dependent chemical potential. The simulation shows agreement with the experimental discharge curve on the disappearance of the two plateaus. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A cost-scaling algorithm for minimum-cost node-capacitated multiflow problem

Mathematical Programming - Many practical integer programming problems involve variables with one or two-sided bounds. Dunkel and Schulz (A refined Gomory–Chvátal closure for polytopes...     

On the electronic structure and hydrogen evolution reaction activity of platinum group metal-based high-entropy-alloy nanoparticles

We report the synthesis of high-entropy-alloy (HEA) nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of five platinum group metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir and Pt) through a facile one-pot polyol process. We investigated the electronic structure of HEA NPs using hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which is the first direct observation of the electronic structure of HEA NPs. Significantly, the HEA NPs possessed a broad valence band spectrum without any obvious peaks. This implies that the HEA NPs have random atomic configurations leading to a variety of local electronic structures. We examined the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and observed a remarkably high HER activity on HEA NPs. At an overpotential of 25 mV, the turnover frequencies of HEA NPs were 9.5 and 7.8 times higher than those of a commercial Pt catalyst in 0.05 M H₂SO₄ and 1.0 M KOH electrolytes, respectively. Moreover, the HEA NPs showed almost no loss during a cycling test and were much more stable than the commercial Pt catalyst. Our findings on HEA NPs may provide a new paradigm for the design of catalysts.

RuRhPdIrPt high-entropy-alloy nanoparticles with a broad and featureless valence band spectrum show high hydrogen evolution reaction activity.     

Molecular structure and properties of click hydrogels with controlled dangling end defect

In this study, controlled amount of dangling ends is introduced to the two series of poly(ethylene glycol)‐based hydrogel networks with three and four crosslinking functionality by using click chemistry. The structure of the gels with regulated defect percentage is confirmed by comparing the results of low‐field NMR characterization and Monte Carlo simulation. The mechanical properties of these gels were characterized by tensile stress–strain behaviors of the gels, and the results are analyzed by Gent model and Mooney–Rivlin model. The shear modulus of the swollen gels is found to be dependent on the functionality of the network, and decreases with the defect percentage. Furthermore, the value of shear modulus well obeys the Phantom model for all the gels with varied percentage of the defects. The maximum extension ratio, obtained from the fitting of Gent model, is also found to be dependent on the functionality of the network, and does not change with the defect percentage, except at very high defect percentage. The value of the maximum extension ratio is between that predicted from Phantom model and the Affine model. This indicates that at the large deformation, the fluctuation of the crosslinking points is suppressed for some extend but still exists. Polymer volume fractions at various defect percentages obtained from prediction of Flory–Rehner model are found to be in well agreement with the swelling experiment. All these results indicate that click chemistry is a powerful method to regulate the network structure and mechanical properties of the gels. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1227–1236     

Chiral Dinuclear EuIII,TbIII, and YIII Complexes Supported by P-Stereogenic Linear Tetraphosphine Tetraoxide

A P-stereogenic linear tetraphosphine tetraoxide, (R,R)- or (S,S)-dpmppm(=O)₄, was synthesized to prepare C₂ dinuclear M(hfa)₃ complexes (M=Eu, Tb, Y) as the first example of lanthanide(III) complexes with P-chiral multidentate phosphine oxides. The mononuclear M(hfa)₃ complexes (M=Eu, Y) with a P-chiral diphosphine dioxide, tpdpb(=O)₂, were also prepared, and comparison of their photophysical properties for the Eu^III complexes revealed that significant chiral induction from the P-chiral centers arises on the achiral M(hfa)₃ units through intramolecular π-π stacking constraint in the dinuclear system.     

Decacyclene Radical Anions Showing Strong Low‐energy Intramolecular Absorption and Magnetic Coupling of Spins in a Hexagonal Network

Two salts of the aromatic hydrocarbon decacyclene, {cryptand[2.2.2](Cs⁺)} (decacyclene^.?) ( 1 ) and {Bu₃MeP⁺}(decacyclene^.?) ( 2 ), were obtained. In both salts, decacyclene^.? radical anions formed channels occupied by cations. However, corrugated hexagonal decacyclene^.? layers could be outlined in the crystal structure of 1 with several side‐by‐side C???C approaches. The decacyclene^.? radical anions showed strong distortion in both salts, deviating from the C₃ symmetry owing to the repulsion of closely arranged hydrogen atoms and the Jahn‐Teller effect. Radical anions showed intense unusually low energy absorption in the IR‐range, with maxima at 4800 and 6000 cm^?1. According to the carculations, these bands can originate from the SOMO‐LUMO+1 and SOMO‐LUMO+2 transitions, respectively. Radical anions exhibited a S=1/2 spin state, with an effective magnetic moment of 1.72 μ_B at 300 K. The decacyclene^.? spin antiferromagnetically coupled with a Weiss temperature of ?11 K. Spin ordering was not observed down to 1.9 K owing to spin frustration in the hexagonal decacyclene^.? layers.     

Flexible and Epitaxial Metal Oxide Thin Film Growth by Photoreaction Processing for Electrical and Optical Applications

This review summarizes the use of photoreactions that replace conventional heating processes for growing oxide thin films from chemical solutions. In particular, this review outlines key variables in photoreactions that affect epitaxial and polycrystalline thin film growth, including precursor materials, laser wavelength, laser fluence, and carbon. In addition, the features of the photoreaction process that can be controlled at a low temperature by oxygen non-stoichiometry are examined. Likewise, functions that are neither achieved by developing a gradient structure nor controlled by a thermal equilibrium reaction are detailed. Two new concepts are presented, known as photoreaction of nanoparticles (PRNP) and photoreaction of a hybrid solutions (PRHS), in which crystal nuclei are pre-dispersed in a metal–organic compound film. This method has successfully produced flexible phosphor films used as resistor or thermistor electronic components. Finally, thin film growth using different light sources such as flash lamps and femtosecond lasers (fs) is explored.     

Alkane Shape- and Size-Recognized Selective Vapor Sorption in “Channel-Like” Crystals Based on Thiacalixarene Assemblies

Alkanes composed of C−C and C−H show a low electric polarization, and therefore, there is only very weak interaction between alkanes and adsorbents. Thus, it is difficult to separate a specific alkane from a mixture of alkanes by adsorption. Here, two activated “channel-like” crystals generated from brominated thiacalix[4]arene propyl ethers, which adopt 1,3-alternate and partial cone conformations, recognize specific alkane vapors depending on alkane-shape and -size, sorting in three-type alkane guests such as linear, branched, and cyclic alkanes. Two activated crystals, which are prepared by removal of solvent upon heating under reduced pressure, incorporate branched and/or cyclic alkane vapors by a unique “gate-opening” mechanism via a crystal transformation in the process. Linear alkane vapors do not trigger gate opening and are not taken up by the activated crystals. The shape and size molecular-recognition properties of the activated crystals promises considerable usefulness for the separation of linear, branched, and cyclic alkanes.     

Cyclization from Higher Excited States of Diarylethenes Having a Substituted Azulene Ring

The cyclization reaction of diarylethenes having an azulene ring occurs only via higher excited states. Novel diarylethenes having an azulene ring with a strong donor or acceptor were synthesized and examined in these reactions. A derivative having an electron-donating 1,3-benzodithiol-2-ylidenemethyl group at the 1-position of the azulene ring showed photochromism, whereas neither a derivative having a π-conjugated electron-donating group at the 3-position of the azulene ring nor derivatives having a π-conjugated electron-withdrawing group at the 1- or 3-position of the azulene ring showed any photochromism. The photoreactivities of these compounds were explained by calculating forces and bond orders on the excited states using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD)-DFT.