Engineered Anisotropic Fluids of Rare-Earth Nanomaterials

The self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles into well-ordered structures in the absence of solvents is generally hindered by van der Waals forces, leading to random aggregates between them. To address the problem, we functionalized rigid rare-earth (RE) nanoparticles with a layer of flexible polymers by electrostatic complexation. Consequently, an ordered and solvent-free liquid crystal (LC) state of RE nanoparticles was realized. The RE nanomaterials including nanospheres, nanorods, nanodiscs, microprisms, and nanowires all show a typical nematic LC phase with one-dimensional orientational order, while their microstructures strongly depend on the particles’ shape and size. Interestingly, the solvent-free thermotropic LCs possess an extremely wide temperature range from −40 °C to 200 °C. The intrinsic ordering and fluidity endow anisotropic luminescence properties in the system of shearing-aligned RE LCs, offering potential applications in anisotropic optical micro-devices.     

One‐Step Synthesis of Hybrid Liquid–Crystal ZnO Nanoparticles: Existence of a Critical Temperature Associated with the Anisotropy of the Nanoparticles

Zinc oxide nanoparticles were obtained from the hydrolysis of an organometallic precursor in pure hexadecylamine. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the final (anisotropic or isotropic) shape of the nanoparticles is strongly correlated to the existence of a critical temperature. This suggests that the organization of the fatty amines is a paramount parameter in this synthesis. Moreover, the final hybrid ZnO materials systematically exhibit a liquid–crystal smectic phase, whereas no liquid–crystal phase was observed in the pristine reaction media. This simple process is, therefore, a direct and straightforward method to synthesize liquid–crystal hybrid materials.     

Easy and General Synthesis of Large‐Sized Mesoporous Rare‐Earth Oxide Thin Films by ′Micelle Assembly′

Large‐sized (ca. 40 nm) mesoporous Er₂O₃ thin films are synthesized by using a triblock copolymer poly(styrene‐b‐2‐vinyl pyridine‐b‐ethylene oxide) (PS‐b‐P2VP‐b‐PEO) as a pore directing agent. Each block makes different contributions and the molar ratio of PVP/Er³⁺ is crucial to guide the resultant mesoporous structure. An easy and general method is proposed and used to prepare a series of mesoporous rare‐earth oxide (Sm₂O₃, Dy₂O₃, Tb₂O₃, Ho₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, and Lu₂O₃) thin films with potential uses in electronics and optical devices.     

Genetically Engineered Supercharged Polypeptide Fluids: Fast and Persistent Self‐Ordering Induced by Touch

Mechanically induced disorder–order transitions have been studied in fluid surfactant solutions or polymer thermotropic liquid crystals. However, isothermally induced ordered phases do not persist after cessation of shear, which limits their technological applicability. Moreover, no such stimuli‐responsive materials involving biomacromolecules have been reported although biopolymer liquids are gaining a lot of attention. A biological fluid system is introduced in which anionic polypeptides are complexed with cationic surfactants. The resulting fluids exhibited very sensitive isotropic–nematic transition triggered by shear. The formed liquid crystal was preserved after cessation of mechanical stimulus. Self‐ordering behavior of the material was achieved through water flow and finger pressing. The latter mechanical induction resulted in the formation of complex pattern that can be read out by birefringence, allowing the recording of fingerprint information.     

Co‐syndiospecific Alternating Copolymerization of Functionalized Propylenes and Styrene by Rare‐Earth Catalysts

The precise control of monomer sequence and stereochemistry in copolymerization is of much interest and importance for the synthesis of functional polymers, but studies toward this goal have met with only limited success to date. Now, the co‐syndiospecific alternating copolymerization of methoxyphenyl‐ and N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl‐functionalized propylenes with styrene by half‐sandwich rare‐earth catalysts is reported. This reaction efficiently afforded the corresponding functionalized propylene‐alt‐styrene copolymers with a perfect alternating sequence and excellent co‐syndiotacticity (rrrr >99 %), thus constituting the first example of co‐stereospecific alternating copolymerization of polar and non‐polar olefins.     

Formation and Reactivity of an Aluminabenzene Ligand at Pentadienyl‐Supported Rare‐Earth Metals

The half‐open rare‐earth‐metal aluminabenzene complexes [(1‐Me‐3,5‐tBu₂‐C₅H₃Al)(μ‐Me)Ln(2,4‐dtbp)] (Ln=Y, Lu) are accessible via a salt metathesis reaction employing Ln(AlMe₄)₃ and K(2,4‐dtbp). Treatment of the yttrium complex with B(C₆F₅)₃ and tBuCCH gives access to the pentafluorophenylalane complex [{1‐(C₆F₅)‐3,5‐tBu₂‐C₅H₃Al}{μ‐C₆F₅}Y{2,4‐dtbp}] and the mixed vinyl acetylide complex [(2,4‐dtbp)Y(μ‐η¹:η³‐2,4‐tBu₂‐C₅H₄)(μ‐CCtBu)AlMe₂], respectively.     

Catalytic Selective Dihydrosilylation of Internal Alkynes Enabled by Rare‐Earth Ate Complex

Hydrosilylation of alkynes generally yield vinylsilanes, which are inert to the further hydrosilylation because of the steric effects. Reported here is the first successful dihydrosilylation of aryl‐ and silyl‐substituted internal alkynes enabled by a rare‐earth ate complex to yield geminal bis‐ and tris(silanes), respectively. The lanthanum bis(amido) ate complex supported by an ene‐diamido ligand proved to be the ideal catalyst for this unprecedented transformation, while the same series of yttrium and samarium alkyl and samarium bis(amido) ate complexes exhibited poor activity and selectivity, indicating significant effects of the ionic size and ate structure of the rare‐earth catalysts.     

Rational Design of Mesoporous Metals and Related Nanomaterials by a Soft‐Template Approach

We review recent developments in the preparation of mesoporous metals and related metal‐based nanomaterials. Among the many types of mesoporous materials, mesoporous metals hold promise for a wide range of potential applications, such as in electronic devices, magnetic recording media, and metal catalysts, owing to their metallic frameworks. Mesoporous metals with highly ordered networks and narrow pore‐size distributions have traditionally been produced by using mesoporous silica as a hard template. This method involves the formation of an original template followed by deposition of metals within the mesopores and subsequent removal of the template. Another synthetic method is the direct‐template approach from lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) made of nonionic surfactants at high concentrations. Direct‐template synthesis creates a novel avenue for the production of mesoporous metals as well as related metal‐based nanomaterials. Many mesoporous metals have been prepared by the chemical or electrochemical reduction of metal salts dissolved in aqueous LLC domains. As a soft template, LLCs are more versatile and therefore more advantageous than hard templates. It is possible to produce various nanostructures (e.g., lamellar, 2D hexagonal (p6mm), and 3D cubic (Ia d)), nanoparticles, and nanotubes simply by controlling the composition of the reaction bath.     

Rare‐Earth Single Erbium Atoms for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

The solar‐driven photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ (CO₂RR) into chemical fuels is a promising route to enrich energy supplies and mitigate CO₂ emissions. However, low catalytic efficiency and poor selectivity, especially in a pure‐water system, hinder the development of photocatalytic CO₂RR owing to the lack of effective catalysts. Herein, we report a novel atom‐confinement and coordination (ACC) strategy to achieve the synthesis of rare‐earth single erbium (Er) atoms supported on carbon nitride nanotubes (Er₁/CN‐NT) with a tunable dispersion density of single atoms. Er₁/CN‐NT is a highly efficient and robust photocatalyst that exhibits outstanding CO₂RR performance in a pure‐water system. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations reveal the crucial role of single Er atoms in promoting photocatalytic CO₂RR.     

Simultaneous Chain‐Growth and Step‐Growth Polymerization of Methoxystyrenes by Rare‐Earth Catalysts

The simultaneous chain‐growth and step‐growth polymerization of a monomer is of great interest and importance because it can produce unique macromolecules which are difficult to prepare by other means. However, such a transformation is usually difficult to achieve in one polymerization system because chain‐growth polymerization and step‐growth polymerization proceed by different reaction mechanisms. Reported here is the simultaneous chain‐growth and step‐growth polymerization of para‐ and meta‐methoxystyrenes catalyzed by half‐sandwich rare‐earth alkyl complexes, and the step‐growth polymerization proceeds by the C?H polyaddition of anisyl units to vinyl groups. This unprecedented transformation affords a new family of macromolecules containing unique alternating anisole‐ethylene sequences. In contrast to para‐ and meta‐methoxystyrenes, ortho‐methoxystyrene exclusively undergo syndiospecific, living chain‐growth polymerization by continuous C=C bond insertion to give perfect syndiotactic poly(ortho‐methoxystyrene) with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersity (rrrr >99 %, M_n up to 280 kg mol^?1, M_w/M_n <1.10).     

Voltage‐Driven Photoluminescence Modulation of Liquid‐Crystalline Hybridized ZnO Nanoparticles

Liquid‐crystalline hybrid nanomaterials have been obtained by grafting mesogenic units around luminescent ZnO nanocrystals of 5 nm in diameter. Modifying the mesogenic density around the inorganic core allows the modulation of the liquid‐crystalline behavior and its miscibility in commercial liquid crystal (LC). The strong blue photoluminescence observed for the hybrids can be modulated by applying a voltage on a LC cell containing commercial LC and 10 wt % of hybrid.     

Gelled Complex Fluids: Combining Unique Structures with Mechanical Stability

Gelled complex fluids are soft materials in which the microstructure of the complex fluid is combined with the mechanical stability of a gel. To obtain a gelled complex fluid one either adds a gelator to a complex fluid or replaces the solvent in a gel by a complex fluid. The most prominent example of a “natural” gelled complex fluid is the cell. There are various strategies by which one can form a gelled complex fluid; one such strategy is orthogonal self‐assembly, that is, the independent but simultaneous formation of two coexisting self‐assembled structures within one system. The aim of this Review is to describe the structure and potential applications of various man‐made gelled complex fluids and to clarify whether or not the respective system is formed by orthogonal self‐assembly.     

Rare‐Earth Oxide Nanostructures: Rules of Rare‐Earth Nitrate Thermolysis in Octadecylamine

The decomposed regularity of rare‐earth nitrates in octadecylamine (ODA) is discussed. The experimental results show that these nitrates can be divided into four types. For rare‐earth nitrates with larger RE³⁺ ions (RE=rare earth, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd), the decomposed products exhibited platelike nanostructures. For those with smaller RE³⁺ ions (RE=Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb), the decomposed products exhibited beltlike nanostructures. For terbium nitrate with a middle RE³⁺ ion, the decomposed product exhibited a rodlike nanostructure. The corresponding rare‐earth oxides, with the same morphologies as their precursors, could be obtained when these decomposed products were calcined. For cerium nitrate, which showed the greatest differences, flowerlike cerium oxide could be obtained directly from decomposition of the nitrate without further calcination. This regularity is explained on the basis of the lanthanide contraction. Owing to their differences in electron configuration, ionic radius, and crystal structure, such a nitrate family therefore shows different thermolysis properties. In addition, the potential application of these as‐obtained rare‐earth oxides as catalysts and luminescent materials was investigated. The advantages of this method for rare‐earth oxides includes simplicity, high yield, low cost, and ease of scale‐up, which are of great importance for their industrial applications.     

Design,Synthesis, and Self‐Assembly Behavior of Liquid‐Crystalline Bis‐[60]Fullerodendrimers

Bis‐[60]fullerodendrimers were synthesized by assembling [60]fullerene‐containing type I (terminal olefin) and type II (α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl olefin) olefins through the olefin cross‐metathesis reaction. The synthetic modular approach developed in this study allowed the preparation of mono‐[60]fullerodendrimers and their [60]fullerene‐free analogues. First‐ and second‐generation poly(aryl ester) dendrons carrying cyanobiphenyl mesogens were used as liquid‐crystalline promoters. The liquid‐crystalline properties were studied by polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering. In agreement with the nature and structure of the dendrimers, nematic, smectic, and multisegregated lamellar phases were observed. Owing to its versatility and tolerance towards many functional groups, olefin cross‐metathesis proved to be a reaction of choice for the elaboration of molecular materials with complex architectures.     

Pore‐Environment Engineering with Multiple Metal Sites in Rare‐Earth Porphyrinic Metal–Organic Frameworks

Multi‐component metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with precisely controlled pore environments are highly desired owing to their potential applications in gas adsorption, separation, cooperative catalysis, and biomimetics. A series of multi‐component MOFs, namely PCN‐900(RE), were constructed from a combination of tetratopic porphyrinic linkers, linear linkers, and rare‐earth hexanuclear clusters (RE₆) under the guidance of thermodynamics. These MOFs exhibit high surface areas (up to 2523 cm² g^?1) and unlimited tunability by modification of metal nodes and/or linker components. Post‐synthetic exchange of linear linkers and metalation of two organic linkers were realized, allowing the incorporation of a wide range of functional moieties. Two different metal sites were sequentially placed on the linear linker and the tetratopic porphyrinic linker, respectively, giving rise to an ideal platform for heterogeneous catalysis.     

Reversing Conventional Reactivity of Mixed Oxo/Alkyl Rare‐Earth Complexes: Non‐Redox Oxygen Atom Transfer

The preferential substitution of oxo ligands over alkyl ones of rare‐earth complexes is commonly considered as “impossible” due to the high oxophilicity of metal centers. Now, it has been shown that simply assembling mixed methyl/oxo rare‐earth complexes to a rigid trinuclear cluster framework cannot only enhance the activity of the Ln‐oxo bond, but also protect the highly reactive Ln‐alkyl bond, thus providing a previously unrecognized opportunity to selectively manipulate the oxo ligand in the presence of numerous reactive functionalities. Such trimetallic cluster has proved to be a suitable platform for developing the unprecedented non‐redox rare‐earth‐mediated oxygen atom transfer from ketones to CS₂ and PhNCS. Controlled experiments and computational studies shed light on the driving force for these reactions, emphasizing the importance of the sterical accessibility and multimetallic effect of the cluster framework in promoting reversal of reactivity of rare‐earth oxo complexes.     

Effect of Atomic‐Scale Differences on the Self‐Assembly of Thiophene‐based Polycatenars in Liquid Crystalline and Organogel States

Two series of polycatenars are reported that contain a central thiophene moiety connected to two substituted oxadiazole or thiadiazole units. The number, position, and length of the peripheral chains connected to these molecules were varied. The oxadiazole‐based polycatenars exhibited columnar phases with rectangular and hexagonal or oblique symmetry, whereas the thiadiazole‐based polycatenars exhibited columnar phases with rectangular and/or hexagonal symmetry. All of the compounds exhibited bright emission in the solution and thin‐film states. Two oxadiazole‐based molecules and one thiadiazole‐based molecule exhibited supergelation ability in hydrocarbon solvents, which is mainly supported by attractive π–π interactions. These gels showed aggregation‐induced enhanced emission, which is of high technological importance for applications in solid‐state emissive displays. X‐ray diffraction studies of the xerogel fibers of oxadiazole‐based polycatenars revealed a columnar rectangular organization, whereas a hexagonal columnar arrangement was observed for thiadiazole‐based polycatenars. Rheological measurements carried out on the samples quantitatively confirmed the formation of gels and showed that these gels are mechanically robust. The impact of an atomic‐scale difference (oxygen to sulfur, <2 % of the molecular weight) on the self‐assembly and the macroscopic properties of those self‐assembled structures are clearly visualized.