Molecular electronics at electrode–electrolyte interfaces

Four contemporary examples, all published in recent years, of studies of molecular electronics at electrode–electrolyte interfaces are reviewed in this opinion article. The first illustrative example involves the switching of the redox active molecular wire between redox states, with concomitant changes in molecular conductance. This example illustrates how molecular electronics at electrode–electrolyte interfaces can be used to analyse mechanisms of electron transfer, to distinguish electrolyte effects and to provide details not readily available from ensemble measurements. The second example shows that the fluctuations of molecular conductance of a redox active molecular wire can be followed as a function of electrode potential. This shows how the stochastic kinetics of individual reaction events at electrode–electrolyte interfaces can be followed. The third example demonstrates how electrochemistry can be used to control quantum interference in single molecular wires. The fourth example shows a single-molecule electrochemical transistor concept for well-defined metal cluster containing molecular wires.     

Vanadiumoxo–aroylhydrazone complexes: Synthesis,structure and DFT calculations

The aroylhydrazone Schiff base ligands (E)-N’-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L¹, (E)-N’-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L² and = (E)-N’-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide = H₂L³ gave the vanadium(V)oxo-aroylhydrazone complexes [V^VOL¹(OCH₃)(OHCH₃] (1), [V^VOL²(OCH₃)(OHCH₃]·CH₃OH (2) and [V^VOL³(OCH₃)(OHCH₃] (3) on reaction with vanadium(IV) oxide acetylacetonate. The complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods in the solid state (IR) and in solution (UV–Vis, ¹H NMR). Single crystal X-ray analysis was performed with 3. In methanol solution six-coordinated V^VOL³(OCH₃)(OHCH₃) was formed. V^IV was oxidized to V^v by aerial oxygen in the synthesis. In the VO₅N coordination sphere the alcohol oxygen lies trans to the oxo oxygen. The general V–O bond length order is oxo < methoxylato < phenoxidic < enolato < alcoholic. The complexes are mononuclear, but intermolecular O–H?N hydrogen bonding affords a zigzag chain. DFT calculations on complex 3 reproduced the geometric parameters, IR and UV–Vis spectroscopic data well in a reasonable range.     

Photophysics and electrochemistry relevant to photocatalytic water splitting involved at solid–electrolyte interfaces

Direct photon to chemical energy conversion using semiconductor–electrocatalyst–electrolyte interfaces has been extensively investigated for more than a half century. Many studies have focused on screening materials for efficient photocatalysis. Photocatalytic efficiency has been improved during this period but is not sufficient for industrial commercialization. Detailed elucidation on the photocatalytic water splitting process leads to consecutive six reaction steps with the fundamental parameters involved: The photocatalysis is initiated involving photophysics derived from various semiconductor properties(1: photon absorption, 2: exciton separation). The generated charge carriers need to be transferred to surfaces effectively utilizing the interfaces(3: carrier diffusion, 4: carrier transport). Consequently, electrocatalysis finishes the process by producing products on the surface(5: catalytic efficiency, 6: mass transfer of reactants and products). Successful photocatalytic water splitting requires the enhancement of efficiency at each stage. Most critically, a fundamental understanding of the interfacial phenomena is highly desired for establishing "photocatalysis by design" concepts, where the kinetic bottleneck within a process is identified by further improving the specific properties of photocatalytic materials as opposed to blind material screening. Theoretical modeling using the identified quantitative parameters can effectively predict the theoretically attainable photon-conversion yields. This article provides an overview of the state-of-the-art theoretical understanding of interfacial problems mainly developed in our laboratory.Photocatalytic water splitting(especially hydrogen evolution on metal surfaces) was selected as a topic,and the photophysical and electrochemical processes that occur at semiconductor–metal, semiconductor–electrolyte and metal–electrolyte interfaces are discussed.     

Electronic structure of hydantoin studied by He I photoelectron spectroscopy and MNDO quantum—chemical calculations

The He I photoelectron spectra of hydantoin, 1-methyl-hydantoin, 3-methylhydantoin and 1,3-dimethylhydantoin are reported. Displacement of the bands upon the N-methylsubstitution indicates that HOMO and the third highest occupied MO are localized on the nitrogen atoms, the former on the amidic nitrogen and the latter on the imidic one. The second and the fourth highest occupied MO's are oxygen lone pairs. The MNDO method provides the same picture.     

β-Technetium trichloride: formation, structure, and first-principles calculations

A second polymorph of technetium trichloride, β-TcCl(3), has been identified from the reaction between Tc metal and Cl(2) gas. The structure of β-TcCl(3) consists of infinite layers of edge-sharing octahedra, similar to its MoCl(3) and RuCl(3) analogues. The Tc-Tc distance [2.861(3) ?] between adjacent octahedra is indicative of metal-metal bonding. Earlier theoretical work predicted that β-TcCl(3) is less stable than α-TcCl(3). In agreement with the prediction, β-TcCl(3) slowly transforms into α-TcCl(3) (Tc(3)Cl(9)) over 16 days at 280 °C.     

Compton profiles and band structure calculations of IV–VI layered compounds GeS and GeSe

First ever isotropic experimental Compton profiles of GeS and GeSe are presented. Moreover, we present Compton profiles, energy bands and density of states (DOS) using Hartree–Fock, density functional and pseudopotential schemes. It is seen that the Hartree–Fock and density functional theories show a reasonable agreement with the experiment. The equal-valence-electron-density profiles show that GeS is more ionic than GeSe. We have also reported energy bands and DOS using full potential linearized augmented plane-wave method.     

Electronic structure and photoelectron spectrum Assignment of allene

In this paper a series of ab initio SCF and configuration calculations were reported forthe ground state and excited states X~2E, A~2E,~2B_2 and ~2A_1 of allene.For ground state X~2E Jahn-Teller distorsion was discussed and a twisted angle of 50° and a torsional barriers of 0.21—0.51 eVwere derived.Based on calculated results,the experimental photoelectron spectrum of allene has beenassigned.     

Ovalbumin at oil–water interfaces: Adsorption and emulsification

In this article, we study the adsorption of protein ovalbumin (OVA) at corn oil (CO), soybean oil (SBO), olive oil (OO), and water interfaces along with the emulsification of these oils in water. The dynamic interfacial tension (IFT) measurements show a reduction in IFT in the order SBO–water?～?CO–water?>?OO–water, with OVA adsorption being dominated by the free diffusion of OVA at the interfaces. CO–water, OO–water, and SBO–water emulsions cream with time. The cream phase consists of jammed closed-packed oil droplets due to depletion-induced inter-droplet attractions with higher G′ and G″ (～700?Pa) for emulsions with 1?wt% OVA.     

Vibrational sum-frequency generation at protein modified air–water interfaces: Effects of molecular structure and surface charging

Protein and surfactant modified air–water interfaces are an important model system for colloid science as many applications for example aqueous foams in food products rely on our knowledge and ability to tune molecular structures at these interfaces. That is because interfaces are a fundamental building block in the hierarchical structure of foam, where in fact the molecular level can determine properties on larger length scales. For that reason it is of great importance to increase our ability to study air–water interfaces with molecular level probes and to obtain not only information on coverage but also direct information on interfacial composition, molecular order, orientations as well as information on the charged state of an interface. Vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) is a powerful tool that can help to address these issues and is inherently surface sensitive. In this contribution we will review recent developments in the use of SFG for studies of biomolecules at aqueous interfaces and discuss current issues with the interpretation of SFG spectra from electrified interfaces. In order to guide interpretations from interface spectroscopy we invoke the use of complementary methods such as ellipsometry and zetapotential measurements of bulk molecules.     

Electronic structure calculations on RNO2 species,R = H,CH3, NH2, HO,and F

The relative singlet—triplet separations of five simple species of general formula RNO₂ has been estimated by GVB calculations with both double-zeta and polarized double-zeta basis sets. Electronegative substituents raise the calculated singlet—triplet separation. Qualitative aspects of these substituent effects are discussed.     

Novel technique to form electrode–electrolyte nanointerface in all-solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries

The electrode–electrolyte nanocomposites, where the nano-sized NiS electrode with large capacity was embedded in the 80Li₂S · 20P₂S₅ electrolyte with high Li⁺ conductivity, were successfully prepared by the mechanochemical method. Contact area of solid–solid interface between the electrode and the electrolyte was remarkably increased in the nanocomposites. All-solid-state cell using the nanocomposites as a working electrode exhibited larger capacity and better cycling performance than the cell using the electrode obtained by conventional hand-mixing of powders. The mechanochemical technique sheds light on a new formation process of electrode–electrolyte interfaces endowing solid-state batteries with high power density and high energy density.     

Liquid–liquid interfaces: studied by X-ray and neutron scattering

Major recent advances include the development of new experimental techniques that enabled the first precise measurements of interfacial widths at water–oil interfaces and of the ordering of surfactants adsorbed to these interfaces, studies of phase transitions and domain formation in surfactant monolayers, and studies of interfacial fluctuations confined by and coupled across thin liquid films.     

Theoretical picture of positive electrode–solid electrolyte interface in all-solid-state battery from electrochemistry and semiconductor physics viewpoints

All-solid-state battery has attracted significant attention as a promising next-generation energy storage. However, interfacial resistance of ion transport between the positive electrode and solid electrolyte is still a crucial issue for the all-solid-state battery commercialization. Although some mechanisms such as space charge layer and reaction layer effects have been suggested, the ionic and electronic behaviors at the solid–solid interfaces have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we address theoretical microscopic understanding of the interfacial ionics and electronics from the viewpoints of electrochemistry and semiconductor physics, in conjunction with the results of recent density functional theory calculations.     

Phenoxathiinsulphone derivatives–cyclodextrin interactions: induced chirality and TDDFT calculations

The inclusion process of phenoxathiin-10,10-dioxide and 2-CH₂Br-phenoxathiin-10,10-dioxide in α-, β-, γ- and 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrins was studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The dependence of the induced circular dichroism signal on the host concentration was analyzed in terms of a nonlinear model yielding the stoichiometry and the association constants of the complexes. Time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were used to rationalize the experimental data considering two aspects. Firstly, to support on theoretical grounds the experimentally observed achirality of the studied compounds that present two structural elements to confer chirality: the butterfly motion of the roof-shaped heteroring and the rotation of the CH₂Br group. In this last process, some favorable position of the bromine atom could influence the overall chirality. Secondly, the TDDFT calculations of the polarizations of the electronic transitions in correlation with the signs of the induced dichroic bands were used to establish the axial or equatorial way the guest is included in the host cavity.     

Synthesis and structure of a new polyoxometalate-based inorganic–organic hybrid and application as a chemically bulk-modified electrode

A new Keggin-type polyoxometalate-based inorganic–organic hybrid, [Cu(H₂O)₂(daphen)]₂[SiW₁₂O₄₀]·9H₂O (1) (daphen?=?5,6-diamino-1,10-phenanthroline), was hydrothermally synthesized, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectra, and thermal analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that in 1, [SiW₁₂O₄₀]^4? is a tetradentate ligand with its four terminal oxygens coordinating to four Cu(II)–daphen fragments to form a 2D sheet with (4,4) topology. On the basis of the insolubility of 1 in water and common organic solvent and its reversible multielectron redox processes, 1 was used to fabricate a bulk-modified carbon paste electrode (1-CPE) by direct mixing. Electrochemistry indicated that 1-CPE is stable over hundreds of cycles and possessed electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction reactions of nitrite.     

Electronic structure and OK α spectra of carbonyl-containing pentafluorobenzene derivatives

The OK spectra have been obtained for several pentafluorobenzene derivatives, using acetone as a reference molecule. The MNDO calculations have been performed for all the compounds under study, and simulated spectra have been plotted. The -interaction between the carbonyl group and the pentafluorophenyl ring has been shown to occur mostly in the system of inner molecular orbitals.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 314–318, February, 1993.     

Electronic structure and stability of anionic AuGen (n = 1–20) clusters and assemblies: a density functional modeling

Structural Chemistry - In the present study electronic structure and stabilities of cationic gold-doped germanium clusters, AuGen (n?=?1 to 20), and their assemblies have been...