Nitrogen-Linked Hexaazatrinaphthylene Polymer as Cathode Material in Lithium-Ion Battery

Nitrogen-linked hexaazatrinaphthylene polymer ( N²-HATN ) as organic cathode material with low HOMO–LOMO gap was synthesized and was observed to possess reversible high capacity and unexpected long-term cycling stability. The pre-treated N²-HATN and pRGO combination demonstrated good structure compatibility and the resultant cathode exhibited a constant increment of capacity during the redox cycles. The initial capacity at 0.05 A g⁻¹ was 406 mA h⁻¹ g⁻¹, and increased to 630 mA h⁻¹ g⁻¹ after 70 cycles. At 0.5 A g⁻¹ discharging rate, the capacity increased from an initial value of 186 mA h⁻¹ g⁻¹ to 588 mA h⁻¹ g⁻¹ after 1600 cycles. The pseudocapacitance-type behavior is postulated to be attributed to the structure compatibility between the active material and pRGO.     

Studies of the characteristic frequencies of vapor-phase infrared spectra: II. The characteristic frequencies of ketones and aldehydes

Vapor-phase infrared characteristic frequencies of ketones and aldehydes have been studied. The CO stretching vibrations in vapor phase have higher frequencies than those in condensed phase. The shifts are about 20 cm⁻¹ for ketones and about 10 cm⁻¹ for aldehydes. Both ketone and aldehyde have an absorption band at the range 1300–1100 cm⁻¹, although their intensities are very different. This band was assigned to the CC stretching vibration of C(CO)unit.     

A Metal–Organic Compound as Cathode Material with Superhigh Capacity Achieved by Reversible Cationic and Anionic Redox Chemistry for High‐Energy Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Although sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), the electrochemical performances, in particular the energy density, are much lower than LIBs. A metal–organic compound, cuprous 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (CuTCNQ), is presented as a new kind of cathode material for SIBs. It consists of both cationic (Cu^II↔Cu^I) and anionic (TCNQ⁰↔TCNQ⁻↔ TCNQ²⁻) reversible redox reactions, delivering a discharge capacity as high as 255 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 20 mA g⁻¹. The synergistic effect of both redox‐active metal cations and organic anions brings an electrochemical transfer of multiple electrons. The transformation of cupric ions to cuprous ions occurs at near 3.80 V vs. Na⁺/Na, while the full reduction of TCNQ⁰ to TCNQ⁻ happens at 3.00–3.30 V. The remarkably high voltage is attributed to the strong inductive effect of the four cyano groups.     

A Sustainable Redox‐Flow Battery with an Aluminum‐Based,Deep‐Eutectic‐Solvent Anolyte

Nonaqueous redox‐flow batteries are an emerging energy storage technology for grid storage systems, but the development of anolytes has lagged far behind that of catholytes due to the major limitations of the redox species, which exhibit relatively low solubility and inadequate redox potentials. Herein, an aluminum‐based deep‐eutectic‐solvent is investigated as an anolyte for redox‐flow batteries. The aluminum‐based deep‐eutectic solvent demonstrated a significantly enhanced concentration of circa 3.2 m in the anolyte and a relatively low redox potential of 2.2 V vs. Li⁺/Li. The electrochemical measurements highlight that a reversible volumetric capacity of 145 Ah L⁻¹ and an energy density of 189 Wh L⁻¹ or 165 Wh kg⁻¹ have been achieved when coupled with a I₃⁻/I⁻ catholyte. The prototype cell has also been extended to the use of a Br₂‐based catholyte, exhibiting a higher cell voltage with a theoretical energy density of over 200 Wh L⁻¹. The synergy of highly abundant, dendrite‐free, multi‐electron‐reaction aluminum anodes and environmentally benign deep‐eutectic‐solvent anolytes reveals great potential towards cost‐effective, sustainable redox‐flow batteries.     

Electropolymerization of Metallophthalocyanines Carrying Redox Active Metal Centers and their Electrochemical Pesticide Sensing Application

In this study, modified electrodes were constructed with the electropolymerization of metallophthalocyanines (MPcs) carrying redox active metal cations and electropolymerizable substituents. Then these electrodes were tested as selective and sensitive electrochemical pesticide sensors. Incorporation of the redox active Co(II) (CoPc(MOR‐NAF)), Cl–Mn(III) (MnPc(MOR‐NAF)), and Ti(IV)O (TiOPc(MOR‐NAF)) metal cations into Pc cavity increased the redox activity of Pc ring. Moreover, redox active and electropolymerizable 5‐{[(1E)‐(4‐morpholin‐4‐ylphenyl)methylene]amino}‐1‐naphthoxy substituents (MOR‐NAF) on the Pc ring triggered coating of the complexes on the electrode surface with the electropolymerization reactions. Therefore, modified electrodes GCE/MPc(MOR‐NAF) were constructed with the electropolymerizations of MPcs. These electrodes illustrated reasonable redox activity and conductivity for the potential applications in different fields of the electrochemical technologies. Pesticide sensing measurements indicated that changing the metal center of the complexes significantly altered their sensing activities. Among the complexes, GCE/CoPc(MOR‐NAF) electrode behaved as the most sensitive and selective electrode and it sensed the parathion with good selectivity and sensitivity. GCE/CoPc(MOR‐NAF) electrode showed a wider linear range (0.075‐5.75 μmoldm⁻³) and smaller LOD (0.025 μmoldm⁻³) and higher sensitivity (3.46 Acm⁻²M⁻¹) for the parathion sensing. Although GCE/TiOPc(MOR‐NAF) electrode also sensed the parathion with a high sensitivity, its selectivity was poor and the linear range of this sensing was very narrow. Differently GCE/Cl–MnPc(MOR‐NAF) electrode only sensed eserine with reasonably sensitivity.     

Substituent effect on supercapacitive performances of conducting polymer‐based redox electrodes: Poly(3′,4′‐bis(alkyloxy) 2,2′:5′,2″‐terthiophene) derivatives

This work reports the synthesis of novel poly(3′,4′‐bis(alkyloxy)terthiophene) derivatives (PTTOBu, PTTOHex, and PTTOOct) and their supercapacitor applications as redox‐active electrodes. The terthiophene‐based conducting polymers have been derivatized with different alkyl pendant groups (butyl‐, hexyl‐, and octyl‐) to explore the effect of alkyl chain length on the surface morphologies and pseudocapacitive properties. The electrochemical performance tests have revealed that the length of alkyl substituent created a remarkable impact over the surface morphologies and charge storage properties of polymer electrodes. PTTOBu, PTTOHex, and PTTOOct‐based electrodes have reached up to specific capacitances of 94.3, 227.3, and 443 F g⁻¹ at 2.5 mA cm⁻² constant current density, respectively, in a three‐electrode configuration. Besides, these redox‐active electrodes have delivered satisfactory energy densities of 13.5, 29.3, and 60.7 W h kg⁻¹ and power densities of 0.98, 1, and 1.1 kW kg⁻¹ with good capacitance retentions after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles in symmetric solid‐state micro‐supercapacitor devices. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 480–495     

Donor-Flexible Bis(pyridylidene amide) Ligands for Highly Efficient Ruthenium-Catalyzed Olefin Oxidation

An exceptionally efficient ruthenium-based catalyst for olefin oxidation has been designed by exploiting N,N′-bis(pyridylidene)oxalamide (bisPYA) as a donor-flexible ligand. The dynamic donor ability of the bisPYA ligand, imparted by variable zwitterionic and neutral resonance structure contributions, paired with the redox activity of ruthenium provided catalytic activity for Lemieux–Johnson-type oxidative cleavage of olefins to efficiently prepare ketones and aldehydes. The ruthenium bisPYA complex significantly outperforms state-of-the-art systems and displays extraordinary catalytic activity in this oxidation, reaching turnover frequencies of 650 000 h⁻¹ and turnover numbers of several millions.     

Preparation of hole transporting polymers by condensation polymerization of triphenylamine derivatives

Hole transporting polymers were prepared by condensation polymerization of triphenylamine and N,N,N',N'‐tetraphenylbenzidine (TPD) having alkyl group with aldehydes in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid. The obtained polymers had molecular weight higher than 10,000 and good film formation ability. It was found that the aromatic amine monomers were connected with aldehyde monomer at the p‐position of the phenyl group. TPD‐aldehyde polymers had almost the same UV absorption and redox potentials as those of TPD monomer indicating that the electronic structure of amine unit did not change by the polymerization. The hole transporting mobility was in the range of 10⁻³‐10⁻⁶cm²/Vs. The electroluminescent device consisting of ITO/TPD polymer/Alq/Mg‐Ag had a maximum luminance of 9000 cd/m².     

A Sustainable Redox-Flow Battery with an Aluminum-Based,Deep-Eutectic-Solvent Anolyte

Nonaqueous redox-flow batteries are an emerging energy storage technology for grid storage systems, but the development of anolytes has lagged far behind that of catholytes due to the major limitations of the redox species, which exhibit relatively low solubility and inadequate redox potentials. Herein, an aluminum-based deep-eutectic-solvent is investigated as an anolyte for redox-flow batteries. The aluminum-based deep-eutectic solvent demonstrated a significantly enhanced concentration of circa 3.2 m in the anolyte and a relatively low redox potential of 2.2 V vs. Li⁺/Li. The electrochemical measurements highlight that a reversible volumetric capacity of 145 Ah L⁻¹ and an energy density of 189 Wh L⁻¹ or 165 Wh kg⁻¹ have been achieved when coupled with a I₃⁻/I⁻ catholyte. The prototype cell has also been extended to the use of a Br₂-based catholyte, exhibiting a higher cell voltage with a theoretical energy density of over 200 Wh L⁻¹. The synergy of highly abundant, dendrite-free, multi-electron-reaction aluminum anodes and environmentally benign deep-eutectic-solvent anolytes reveals great potential towards cost-effective, sustainable redox-flow batteries.     

Isoniazid-sensing Behavior of a Hybrid Silsesquioxane and Cobalt Pentacyanonitrosylferrate-based Nanocomposite

A novel silsesquioxane and cobalt nitroprusside compound was prepared from octa(aminopropyl)silsesquioxane, resulting in a nanocomposite (ACCoN), which was then characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. The cyclic voltammograms of the ACCoN-modified graphite paste electrode indicated a redox pair with a formal potential (E^θ′)=0.38 V, assigned to the Co^(II)Fe^(II)(CN)₅NO/Co^(II)Fe^(III)(CN)₅NO redox couple. The ACCoN-modified graphite paste electrode was sensitive to isoniazid concentrations, presenting a linear response at a concentration range from 6.0×10⁻⁷ to 1.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, with limit of detection and amperometric sensitivity of 5.53×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ and 0.17 A/mol L⁻¹, respectively.     

Kinetics of oxidation of glycine and related substrates by diperiodatoargentate (III)

The reactions of diperiodatoargentate(III) with glycine and related compounds have been examined. The monoperiodatosilver(III) species acts as an active oxidant in comparison to that of diperiodatosilver(III) species. These reactions consist of three kinetically distinguishable steps-induction period, complexation and oxidation. Complexation of these substrates takes place with a second order rate constant of (0.2–1.6)×10⁴ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ whereas the redox process occurs at a rate of (0.3–6.0)×10² dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ except in case of cysteine with which these processes occurred by an order of magnitude faster. The rate of electron transfer from carboxylic acids to the silver(III) complex is observed to be several order of magnitude smaller in comparison to that of amino acids. Both the rate of complexation and electron transfer are influenced by the structure of the substrates. The aquated silver(III) species is found to be more reactive in comparison to the hydroxylated silver(III) species.     

Rational Design of Porous Structured Nickel Manganese Sulfides Hexagonal Sheets-in-Cage Structures as an Advanced Electrode Material for High-Performance Electrochemical Capacitors

The design of hierarchical electrodes comprising multiple components with a high electrical conductivity and a large specific surface area has been recognized as a feasible strategy to remarkably boost pseudocapacitors. Herein, we delineate hexagonal sheets-in-cage shaped nickel–manganese sulfides (Ni-Mn-S) with nanosized open spaces for supercapacitor applications to realize faster redox reactions and a lower charge-transfer resistance with a markedly enhanced specific capacitance. The hybrid was facilely prepared through a two-step hydrothermal method. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between Ni and Mn active sites with the improvement of both ionic and electric conductivity, the resulting Ni-Mn-S hybrid displays a high specific capacitance of 1664 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ and a capacitance of 785 F g⁻¹ is maintained at a current density of 50 A g⁻¹, revealing an outstanding capacity and rate performance. The asymmetric supercapacitor device assembled with the Ni-Mn-S hexagonal sheets-in-cage as the positive electrode delivers a maximum energy density of 40.4 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 750 W kg⁻¹. Impressively, the cycling retention of the as-fabricated device after 10 000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g⁻¹ reaches 85.5 %. Thus, this hybrid with superior capacitive performance holds great potential as an effective charge-storage material.     

A Multi-Wall Sn/SnO2@Carbon Hollow Nanofiber Anode Material for High-Rate and Long-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries

Multi-wall Sn/SnO₂@carbon hollow nanofibers evolved from SnO₂ nanofibers are designed and programable synthesized by electrospinning, polypyrrole coating, and annealing reduction. The synthesized hollow nanofibers have a special wire-in-double-wall-tube structure with larger specific surface area and abundant inner spaces, which can provide effective contacting area of electrolyte with electrode materials and more active sites for redox reaction. It shows excellent cycling stability by virtue of effectively alleviating pulverization of tin-based electrode materials caused by volume expansion. Even after 2000 cycles, the wire-in-double-wall-tube Sn/SnO₂@carbon nanofibers exhibit a high specific capacity of 986.3 mAh g⁻¹ (1 A g⁻¹) and still maintains 508.2 mAh g⁻¹ at high current density of 5 A g⁻¹. This outstanding electrochemical performance suggests the multi-wall Sn/SnO₂@ carbon hollow nanofibers are great promising for high performance energy storage systems.     

Multi-Electron Reactions Enabled by Anion-Based Redox Chemistry for High-Energy Multivalent Rechargeable Batteries

The development of multivalent metal (such as Mg and Ca) based battery systems is hindered by lack of suitable cathode chemistry that shows reversible multi-electron redox reactions. Cationic redox centres in the classical cathodes can only afford stepwise single-electron transfer, which are not ideal for multivalent-ion storage. The charge imbalance during multivalent ion insertion might lead to an additional kinetic barrier for ion mobility. Therefore, multivalent battery cathodes only exhibit slope-like voltage profiles with insertion/extraction redox of less than one electron. Taking VS₄ as a model material, reversible two-electron redox with cationic–anionic contributions is verified in both rechargeable Mg batteries (RMBs) and rechargeable Ca batteries (RCBs). The corresponding cells exhibit high capacities of >300 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹ in both RMBs and RCBs, resulting in a high energy density of >300 Wh kg⁻¹ for RMBs and >500 Wh kg⁻¹ for RCBs. Mechanistic studies reveal a unique redox activity mainly at anionic sulfides moieties and fast Mg²⁺ ion diffusion kinetics enabled by the soft structure and flexible electron configuration of VS₄.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of polypyrrole-coated poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole)

A new composite cathode active material, conductive polypyrrole (PPy)-coated poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole) (PDMcT) was prepared as a thin film via the surfactant template (TFST) technique. The formation of the uniform and well-connected film on the surface of PDMcT particles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM). By cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests, the coated composite showed a better electrochemical performance than PDMcT, such as enhanced redox processes and improved coulumbic efficiency, etc. The electrical conductivity of the material reached to 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ and an initial discharge capacity of 250 mAhg⁻¹ was obtained. Moreover, it showed a slower fading of discharge capacity than PDMcT when used as cathode material in secondary lithium batteries with liquid electrolyte solution.     

Macromolecular Design Strategies for Preventing Active‐Material Crossover in Non‐Aqueous All‐Organic Redox‐Flow Batteries

Intermittent energy sources, including solar and wind, require scalable, low‐cost, multi‐hour energy storage solutions in order to be effectively incorporated into the grid. All‐Organic non‐aqueous redox‐flow batteries offer a solution, but suffer from rapid capacity fade and low Coulombic efficiency due to the high permeability of redox‐active species across the battery's membrane. Here we show that active‐species crossover is arrested by scaling the membrane's pore size to molecular dimensions and in turn increasing the size of the active material above the membrane's pore‐size exclusion limit. When oligomeric redox‐active organics (RAOs) were paired with microporous polymer membranes, the rate of active‐material crossover was reduced more than 9000‐fold compared to traditional separators at minimal cost to ionic conductivity. This corresponds to an absolute rate of RAO crossover of less than 3 μmol cm⁻² day⁻¹ (for a 1.0 m concentration gradient), which exceeds performance targets recently set forth by the battery industry. This strategy was generalizable to both high and low‐potential RAOs in a variety of non‐aqueous electrolytes, highlighting the versatility of macromolecular design in implementing next‐generation redox‐flow batteries.     

Rapid Charge Transfer Endowed by Interfacial Ni-O Bonding in S-scheme Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 and Imine Production

Cooperative coupling of H₂ evolution with oxidative organic synthesis is promising in avoiding the use of sacrificial agents and producing hydrogen energy with value-added chemicals simultaneously. Nonetheless, the photocatalytic activity is obstructed by sluggish electron-hole separation and limited redox potentials. Herein, Ni-doped Zn_0.2Cd_0.8S quantum dots are chosen after screening by DFT simulation to couple with TiO₂ microspheres, forming a step-scheme heterojunction. The Ni-doped configuration tunes the highly active S site for augmented H₂ evolution, and the interfacial Ni−O bonds provide fast channels at the atomic level to lower the energy barrier for charge transfer. Also, DFT calculations reveal an enhanced built-in electric field in the heterojunction for superior charge migration and separation. Kinetic analysis by femtosecond transient absorption spectra demonstrates that expedited charge migration with electrons first transfer to Ni²⁺ and then to S sites. Therefore, the designed catalyst delivers drastically elevated H₂ yield (4.55 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and N-benzylidenebenzylamine production rate (3.35 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). This work provides atomic-scale insights into the coordinated modulation of active sites and built-in electric fields in step-scheme heterojunction for ameliorative photocatalytic performance.     

Pulse radiolysis and cyclic voltammetry studies of redox properties of phenothiazine radicals

One-electron transfer equilibria between seven phenothiazines were characterized by pulse radiolysis, producing radical-cations via oxidation by Br₂^·− or (SCN)₂^·− radicals. The reduction potentials of the phenothiazine radicals were determined by cyclic voltammetry. As an independent check, the redox equilibrium between one phenothiazine and the redox indicator ABTS was investigated. The data establish phenothiazines as useful indicators for radical redox properties. However, there are potential problems of aggregation, additional reactions with Br⁻/Br₂^·− and reactivity of the radicals towards buffers or other nucleophiles.     

Self-Assembly of a Redox Active,Metallosupramolecular [Pd3L6]6+ Complex Using a Rotationally Flexible Ferrocene Ligand

A new ferrocene-containing [Pd₃( L_4EFc )₆]⁶⁺(X⁻)₆ ( C ⋅ BF₄ and C ⋅ SbF₆ where X=BF₄⁻ or SbF₆⁻) self-assembled double-walled triangle has been synthesized from the known, rotationally flexible, 1,1′-bis(4-pyridylethynyl)ferrocene ligand ( L_4EFc ), and characterized by ¹H, ¹³C and diffusion ordered (DOSY) NMR spectroscopies, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR−ESI−MS), X-ray crystallography and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The molecular structures confirmed that double-walled triangle cage systems ( C ⋅ BF₄ and C ⋅ SbF₆ ) were generated. C ⋅ BF₄ was shown to interact with the anionic guest, p-toluenesulfonate. CV experiments revealed that the triangles were redox active, however addition of the guest did not influence the redox potentials.