ESR spectra of radical anions — Products of the reaction of fullerene with alkali metals

The ESR spectra of the products of the reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with lithium, sodium, and potassium, including doping in time, were described. The formation of a radical anion with homogeneous reduction of fullerene by samarium iodide in solution was demonstrated.A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelemental Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117813 Moscow. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2809–2812, December, 1992.     

Products of reaction of fullerene C60 with fuming sulfuric acid studied by IR and ESR spectroscopy

The products of reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with fuming sulfuric acid were precipitated from a solution with water and triethylamine and studied by IR and ESR spectroscopies. A comparison of the obtained data with the spectra of fullerene, dimers C₁₂₀ and C₁₂₀O, and fullerene polymers produced by photopolymerization allowed the conclusion that fullerene polymers were formed by fullerene oxidation with fuming sulfuric acid.     

High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Anatase TiO2 Nanopyramid Arrays with an Oriented Electric Field

One-dimensional (1D) nanostructured oxides are proposed as excellent electron transport materials (ETMs) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs); however, experimental evidence is lacking. A facile hydrothermal approach was employed to grow highly oriented anatase TiO₂ nanopyramid arrays and demonstrate their application in PSCs. The oriented TiO₂ nanopyramid arrays afford sufficient contact area for electron extraction and increase light transmission. Moreover, the nanopyramid array/perovskite system exhibits an oriented electric field that can increase charge separation and accelerate charge transport, thereby suppressing charge recombination. The anatase TiO₂ nanopyramid array-based PSCs deliver a champion power conversion efficiency of approximately 22.5 %, which is the highest power conversion efficiency reported to date for PSCs consisting of 1D ETMs. This work demonstrates that the rational design of 1D ETMs can achieve PSCs that perform as well as typical mesoscopic and planar PSCs.     

Methane conversion by an air microwave plasma

Activation of methane is carried out by means of an air microwave plasma (2.45 GHz). The experiments cover the absorbed microwave power range 350–650 W (20–50 W cm³ with 17–62%, of methane in the gas mixture, with pressures of 10–66 mbar and flow rates of 140700 ml min¹. Methane, dioxygen, and dinitrogen consumptions as well as C₂ hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and dihydrogen yields are analyzed hr gas chromatography. The distance of methane addition from the end of the discharge plays an important role in the composition and the concentration of the products obtained. This distance mainly determines the energy concentrated in the active species of the plasma when they react with methane. A kinetic mechanism jar the activation and decay of inethane and for the formation of C₂ hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide is discussed based on the experimental results and kinetic data in the literature.     

外偶极电场作用下H2O,D2O和T2O的可逆分解电压

采用密度泛函B3P86方法和6-311++G(3df,3pf)基组,计算了在-0.05～0.05a.u.外偶极电场作用下,H2O,D2O,T2O,H2,D2,T2,O2的电子能量、核运动能量和熵值,在此基础上通过计算H2O(g)→H2(g)+O2(g)、D2O(g)→D2(g)+O2(g)、T2O(g)→T2(g)+O2(g)的焓变ΔH、熵变ΔS、Gibbs函数变化ΔG,最后得到了H2O,D2O,T2O的可逆分解电压Er.计算结果表明,外偶极电场存在时,H2O,D2O,T2O的Gibbs自由能变ΔG和可逆分解电压Er都有明显的变化,当外偶极电场正方向增加时,其Gibbs自由能变ΔG和可逆分解电压Er均趋于线性增加;当外偶极电场负方向增加时,其Gibbs自由能变ΔG和可逆分解电压Er均趋于线性减小;在相同外偶极电场作用下,Gibbs自由能变ΔG和可逆分解电压Er随H2O,D2O,T2O依次增加.     

High‐Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Anatase TiO2 Nanopyramid Arrays with an Oriented Electric Field

One‐dimensional (1D) nanostructured oxides are proposed as excellent electron transport materials (ETMs) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs); however, experimental evidence is lacking. A facile hydrothermal approach was employed to grow highly oriented anatase TiO₂ nanopyramid arrays and demonstrate their application in PSCs. The oriented TiO₂ nanopyramid arrays afford sufficient contact area for electron extraction and increase light transmission. Moreover, the nanopyramid array/perovskite system exhibits an oriented electric field that can increase charge separation and accelerate charge transport, thereby suppressing charge recombination. The anatase TiO₂ nanopyramid array‐based PSCs deliver a champion power conversion efficiency of approximately 22.5 %, which is the highest power conversion efficiency reported to date for PSCs consisting of 1D ETMs. This work demonstrates that the rational design of 1D ETMs can achieve PSCs that perform as well as typical mesoscopic and planar PSCs.     

Selective reduction of fullerene C60 by metals in neutral and alkaline media. Interaction of C60 with KOH

The reduction of fullerene C₆₀ by Zn and Mg in DMF was studied both in the presence and absence of KOH. Fullerene C₆₀ was reduced in these systems to form the C₆₀ ^n– (n = 1, 2, and 3) anions. The anions were detected by optical and ESR spectroscopies. It was found that Mg reduced C₆₀ to the monoanion, Mg/KOH and Zn reduced C₆₀ to the dianion, and Zn/KOH reduced C₆₀ to the trianion. Like KCN, potassium hydroxide adds to fullerene upon interaction with C₆₀ in DMF. The reaction of C₆₀ with KOH in benzonitrile was accompanied by the generation of the fullerene monoanion. A possible mechanism of the formation of fullerene monoanions in the presence of KOH is discussed. The degradation of the C₆₀ ^n– anions in air was studied.     

Property control of new forms of carbon materials by fluorination

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) based on the template carbonization technique were fluorinated in a temperature range 323-473 K by elemental fluorine. The fluorination of the carbon nanotubes results in functionalization and modification of pristine nanotubes with respect to adsorption and electrochemical properties. Selective fluorination of the inner surface of the carbon nanotubes, brings about a decrease in the surface free energy of the inner surface of the tubes and an increase in colombic efficiency of Li/nanotubes rechargeable cells in an aprotic medium. Electrochemical fluoride-ion doping of fullerene C₆₀ thin films (250-450 nm) was carried out in a fluoride-ion conductive solution, MeCN solution of 1 M Et₄NF·4HF. Galvanostatic oxidation yielded C₆₀F_ca.1-3 where fluorine exists as a semi-ionic species in the cavity surrounded by C₆₀ molecules without forming covalent CF bonds     

Sandwich complexes of Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb with cyclopentadienyl type derivatives of corannulene and fullerene C60: stability estimates and molecular and electronic structure prediction by the MNDO/PM3 method

The ability of cyclopentadienyl type derivatives of corannulene C₂₀H₁₀ and fullereneI _h -C₆₀ to form η⁵-π-complexes and the problem of their existence is discussed. MNDO/PM3 calculations of half-sandwich complexes η⁵-π-MC₂₀H₁₅, η⁵-π-MC₂₀H ₁₅ ⁺ , η⁵-π-MC₆₀H₅, η⁵-π-MC₆₀H₅ and sandwich complexes 2η⁵-π-M(C₂₀H₁₅)₂, 2η⁵-π-M(C₂₀H₁₅)₂, 2η⁵-π-M(C₆₀H₅)₂ (M=Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) were performed. For all systems studied, local minima were found on corresponding potential energy surfaces and the heats of formation, geometric parameters, and distributions of effective atomic charges were calculated. Sandwich complexes are most likely to exist with M=Si and Ge. The energy and geometric characteristics of η⁵-π-complexes of corannulene were compared with those of η⁵-π-complexes of fullereneI _h -C₆₀. It was concluded that the results of quantum-chemical calculations of sandwich type corannulene derivatives can be used for simulation of the geometry and electronic structure of analogous complexes of fullereneI _h -C₆₀. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1649–1656, September, 1999.