Liquid crystals for holographic optical data storage

A tutorial review is presented to inform and inspire the reader to develop and integrate strong scientific links between liquid crystals and holographic data storage, from a materials scientist's viewpoint. The principle of holographic data storage as a means of providing a solution to the information storage demands of the 21st century is detailed. Holography is a small subset of the much larger field of optical data storage and similarly, the diversity of materials used for optical data storage is enormous. The theory of polarisation holography which produces holograms of constant intensity, is discussed. Polymeric liquid crystals play an important role in the development of materials for holographic storage and photoresponsive materials based on azobenzene are targeted for discussion due to their ease of photo-reversion between trans- and cis-states. Although the final polymer may not be liquid crystalline, irradiation can induce ordered domains. The mesogens act in a co-operative manner, enhancing refractive indices and birefringences. Surface relief gratings are discussed as a consequence of holographic storage. Cholesteric polymers comprising azobenzene are briefly highlighted. Irradiation causing cis-trans-isomerisation can be used to control helix pitch. A brief mention of liquid crystals is also made since these materials may be of future interest since they are optically transparent and amenable to photo-induced anisotropy.     

Current developments in optical data storage with organic dyes

The main motivation for the development of digital data storage has been the improvement in play‐back quality and the increase in storage capacity. In 1982 Philips and Sony introduced the first technically and economically successful system based on this—the compact disc (CD) and a compatible player. A very broad diversity of optical data recording formats are available today, and a difference is drawn between prerecorded, recordable, and rewritable media. This Review gives an overview of the systems used, the main features of production, and then concentrates on the properties of the organic dyes that are used in recordable systems. Dyestuffs chemistry has gained the reputation of having become a mature field of activity. Is this prejudice or a justified swan song for dyestuffs chemistry? When applications in optical data storage are considered, it is evident that even today progresses such as CD‐R and DVD/R would not be feasible without functional dyes.     

Intensification of methane and hydrogen storage in clathrate hydrate and future prospect

Gas hydrate is a new technology for energy gas (methane/hydrogen) storage due to its large capacity of gas storage and safe. But industrial application of hydrate storage process was hindered by some problems. For methane, the main problems are low formation rate and storage capacity, which can be solved by strengthening mass and heat transfer, such as adding additives, stirring, bubbling, etc. One kind of additives can change the equilibrium curve to reduce the formation pressure of methane hydrate, and the other kind of additives is surfactant, which can form micelle with water and increase the interface of water-gas. Dry water has the similar effects on the methane hydrate as surfactant. Additionally, stirring, bubbling, and spraying can increase formation rate and storage capacity due to mass transfer strengthened. Inserting internal or external heat exchange also can improve formation rate because of good heat transfer. For hydrogen, the main difficulties are very high pressure for hydrate formed. Tetrahydrofuran (THF), tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) and tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) have been proved to be able to decrease the hydrogen hydrate formation pressure significantly.     

Materials for Optical Data Storage

The outstanding feature of materials research in the eighties has been the convergence of basic research and practical application, leading to ever shorter cycles of innovation. This is especially true of materials which form the basis of key technologies. The mass storage units of the next generations of computers will be based on optical processes having a storage density which exceeds that of all hitherto known storage techniques that are practicable from the technical standpoint. In view of the fact that since 1982 read-only memories in the form of compact discs (CD-ROM) have become very successful in the field of audio electronics, research and development are now concentrated on materials for write-once (WORM) and erasable (EDRAW) storage systems. Suitable materials for optical data storage are substances in which data markings can be recorded and deleted respectively using semiconductor lasers. Materials development is centered on the synthesis of infrared-absorbing dyes for WORM memories and the production of rare earth/transition metal alloys for magneto-optical data recording. An introduction to CD-ROM technology will be followed by an overview of the state of development of the most important storage materials which are currently available commercially, and then the properties of these materials will be discussed with reference to selected examples.     

双光子吸收有机材料及其在三维数字光存储中的应用

信息技术的发展要求存储器件必须具备超高存储密度、超快存取速率以及长存储寿命.而目前普遍应用的光数据存储的存储密度已经接近其物理极限.双光子吸收技术以其强的穿透能力和高的空间分辨率能够实现多层存储,存储密度高达10~(12)bits/cm~3,但能否开发出具有大的双光子吸收截面的材料成为制约其发展的一个重要因素.本文在综述近年来双光子吸收有机材料研究的基础上,介绍了双光子吸收有机材料在三维数字光存储中应用研究的最新进展.     

多维度信息记录与再现技术的进展

随着信息技术的高速发展和大数据时代的到来,有效存储和管理海量数据的要求对数据存储技术提出了严峻挑战。光存储技术在能耗、容量、成本、寿命、安全等方面的优势,使其正逐渐成为未来数据存储的主流技术。本文围绕光存储技术的维度展开论述,纵向介绍了几种常用的光存储技术。目前以光盘为代表的二维面存储技术,存储容量已接近其理论存储极限（23.5 GB/disc）;以双光子吸收技术、全息存储技术为代表的三维体存储技术,其存储容量相较二维存储技术提升了2~4个数量级;五维存储技术进一步扩展了数据存储的维度。可以预见,未来光存储技术会在大存储容量、超高存取速度、高性能存储材料、多维度存储技术等方面取得突破和进展。     

Intensification of methane and hydrogen storage inclathrate hydrate and future prospect

Gas hydrate is a new technology for energy gas(methane/hydrogen)storage due to its large capacity of gas storage and safe.But industrial application of hydrate storage process was hindered by someproblems.For methane,the main problems are low formation rateand storage capacity,which can be solved by strengthening mass andheat transfer,such as adding additives,stirring,bubbling,etc.Onekind of additives can change the equilibrium curve to reduce the formation pressure of methane hydrate,and the other kind of additivesis surfactant,which can form micelle with water and increase the interface of water-gas.Dry water has the similar effects on the methanehydrate as surfactant.Additionally,stirring,bubbling,and sprayingcan increase formation rate and storage capacity due to mass transferstrengthened.Inserting internal or external heat exchange also canimprove formation rate because of good heat transfer.For hydrogen,the main difficulties are very high pressure for hydrate formed.Tetrahydrofuran(THF),tetrabutylammonium bromide(TBAB) andtetrabutylammonium fluoride(TBAF) have been proved to be able todecrease the hydrogen hydrate formation pressure significantly.     

钠离子电池炭基负极材料研究进展

钠离子电池是目前新兴的低成本储能技术,因在大规模电化学储能中具有较好的应用前景而受到了国内外学者广泛的关注与研究。作为钠离子电池的关键电极材料之一,非石墨的炭质材料因具有储钠活性高、成本低廉、无毒无害等诸多优点,而被认为是钠离子电池实际应用时负极的最佳选择。本文详细综述了目前钠离子电池炭基负极材料的研究进展,重点介绍了炭质材料的储钠机理与特性,分析了炭材料结构与电化学性能之间的关系,探讨了其存在的问题,为钠离子电池炭基负极材料的发展提供有益的认识。     

酞菁高分子修饰及其光电性质研究进展

酞菁拥有高度离域的二维18π电子共轭体系、易于调变的分子结构、优良的热和化学稳定性和易于处理加工等特点,可以在很宽的范围内剪裁它们的物理、光电和化学参数,其潜在的巨大应用价值已受到科学与企业界的广泛关注和研究。与[60]富勒烯一样,酞菁分子也可以通过共价键合的方式引入到高分子主链或侧链形成不同类型的高分子,亦可得到诸如酞菁网状高分子和树枝状酞菁大分子等高分子材料;与适宜的高分子材料掺杂或共混能形成含酞菁的高分子复合材料。本文详细地介绍了近年来酞菁高分子修饰与光电性质研究进展。     

Embedding antimony nanoparticles into metal–organic framework derived TiO2@carbon nanotablets for high-performance sodium storage

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has been widely investigated as a candidate for anode materials of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its low cost and high abundance. However, the intrinsic sluggish ion/electron transfer rate hinders its practical applications for high energy density storage devices. In contrast, antimony (Sb) shows high specific theoretical capacity (660 mAh/g) as well as excellent electron conductivity, but the large volume variation upon cycling usually leads to severe capacity fading. Herein, with the objective of achieving high-performance sodium storage anode materials, TiO₂@C-Sb nanotablets with a small amount of Sb content (6.4 wt%) are developed through calcination Ti-metal–organic framework (MIL-125) derived TiO₂@C/SbCl₃ mixture under reductive atmosphere. Benefitting from the synergetic effect of well-dispersed Sb nanoparticles as well as robust porous TiO₂@C substrate, the TiO₂@C-Sb shows enhanced electron/ion transfer rate and predominantly pseudocapacitive sodium storage behavior, delivering a reversible capacity of 219 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g even after 1000 cycles. More significantly, this method may be commonly used to incorporate other alloy-based high-theoretical materials into MIL-125-derived TiO₂@C, which is promising for developing high-energy-density TiO₂-based energy storage devices.     

Laserphotochemistry by holographic grating experiments with quantum limited detection sensitivity and holographic optical information storage by photopolymer systems

Holographic methods are most widely known as techniques for producing three dimensional pictures. However, they can also be used to investigate photochemical and photophysical processes of molecules. Holographic gratings produced by cw and pulsed laser sources have been employed successfully in these investigations during the last decade. In this paper a newly developed holographic grating technique, called phasemodulated holography (PMH), is presented. With this technique for the first time a separated and simultaneous monitoring of the amplitude and phase gratings including the absolute signs of these contributions is possible. Thus, hologram formation mechanisms and the underlying photochemistry can be studied in great detail. This feature and an up to eight orders of magnitude improvement of detection sensitivity (quantum limited detection sensitivity) over conventional techniques makes PMH an ideal tool for the investigation of new materials for holographic optical information storage. This will be demonstrated for several examples i.e. photoactive molecules incorporated in polymer systems.     

A Memristive Element Based on an Electrically Controlled Single‐Molecule Reaction

The exponential proliferation of data during the information age has required the continuous exploration of novel storage paradigms, materials, and devices with increasing data density. As a step toward the ultimate limits in data density, the development of an electrically controllable single‐molecule memristive element is reported. In this device, digital information is encoded through switching between two isomer states by applying a voltage signal to the molecular junction, and the information is read out by monitoring the electrical conductance of each isomer. The two states are cycled using an electrically controllable local‐heating mechanism for the forward reaction and catalyzed by a single charge‐transfer process for the reverse switching. This single‐molecule device can be modulated in situ, is fully reversible, and does not display stochastic switching. The I–V curves of this single‐molecule system also exhibit memristive character. These features suggest a new approach for the development of molecular switching systems and storage‐class memories.     

Multiple storage of holograms in blocks of PMMA/MMA/Titanocenechloride

101 volume phase holograms are recorded at 514.5 nm by superposition in a 2.6 mm thick block of the polymeric system PMMA/MMA/Titanocenechloride. The sample has been rotated 0.1° between recordings. All volume phase holograms can be read out individually at the corresponding Bragg angles due to the high degree of angular selectivity in a thick storage medium. The holographic recording proceeds irreversibly. Hence a holographic write once — read only memory with very large storage capacity can be realized. The multiple storage capability of this optical recording medium is investigated experimentally.     

The Azobenzene Optical Storage Puzzle – Demands on the Polymer Scaffold?

Summary.  The basic mechanism of optical information storage utilizing the azobenzene photoaddressable moiety will briefly be introduced. A synthetically flexible polyester matrix covalently integrating cyanoazobenzene in regularly spaced side chains is particularly well suited for holographic storage. Notable figures of merits of thin film materials of liquid crystalline polyesters are: response time to laser light in the order of ns, storage capacity of 5000 lines/mm, high permanent (more than eight years) diffraction efficiency in the order of 50% or higher, and erasability. The implications of the nature of the main chain on polyester morphology and on the permanency of the induced anisotropy are discussed. Arguments for the design and methods of preparation of other very different polymer scaffolds supporting the cyanoazobenzene are elucidated. Whereas oligopeptides invariably form amorphous materials, both copolymethacrylates and dendritic or hyperbranched polyesters provide some materials that exhibit liquid crystallinity. However, none of these other scaffolds offer materials that allow long-lasting anisotropy to be laser light induced. Received June 23, 2000. Accepted (revised) August 18, 2000     

Freestanding film formed with Sb-nanoplates embedded in flexible porous carbon nanofibers as a binder-free anode for high-performance wearable potassium-ion battery

Antimony-based materials are considered as promising anodes for potassium ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and low electrode potential. However, the aggregation and bulk expansion of Sb particles in cycling will cause capacity attenuation and poor rate performance. In this paper, Sb nanoplates were designed to be embedded in flexible porous N-dopped carbon nanofibers (Sb@PCNFs) by a simple electrospinning deposition (ESD) method. In this structural design, Sb nanoplates of high capacity were employed as active materials, N-dopped carbon nanofibers were used to improve conductivity and structural stability. The introduction of pore-forming agent enables the nanofibers to possess porous structure, thus buffering the huge volume change and promoting the transfer of electrolyte/ions. More importantly, the freestanding film can be directly used as a working electrode, reducing the redundancy in the battery and the cost. Benefitting from the favorable structure, the freestanding flexible Sb@PCNFs electrode shows excellent potassium storage performance with a capacity of 314 mAh/g after 2000 cycles at 500 mA/g. This strategy of employing active material with high capacity in porous and conductive flexible nanofibers represents an effective method of achieving binder-free electrode with good electrochemical performance towards wearable energy storage devices.     

Rapid Charge Transfer Enabled by Noncovalent Interaction through Guest Insertion in Supercapacitors based on Covalent Organic Frameworks

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been proposed for electrochemical energy storage, although the poor conductivity resulted from covalent bonds limits their practical performance. Here, we propose to introduce noncovalent bonds in COFs through a molecular insertion strategy for improving the conductivity of the COFs as supercapacitor. The synthesized COFs (MI−COFs) establish equilibriums between covalent bonds and noncovalent bonds, which construct a continuous charge transfer channel to enhance the conductivity. The rapid charge transfer rate enables the COFs to activate the redox sites, bringing about excellent electrochemical energy storage behavior. The results show that the MI−COFs exhibit much better performance in specific capacitance and capacity retention rate than those of most COFs-based supercapacitors. Moreover, through simply altering inserted guests, the mode and strength of noncovalent bond can be adjusted to obtain different energy storage characteristics. The introduction of noncovalent bonds is an effective and flexible way to enhance and regulate the properties of COFs, providing a valuable direction for the development of novel COFs-based energy storage materials.     

High capacity, reversible alloying reactions in SnSb/C nanocomposites for Na-ion battery applications

A new SnSb/C nanocomposite based on Na alloying reactions is demonstrated as anode for Na-ion battery applications. The electrode can achieve an exceptionally high capacity (544 mA h g(-1), almost double that of intercalation carbon materials), good rate capacity and cyclability (80% capacity retention over 50 cycles) for Na-ion storage.     

NiSe2 nanoparticles encapsulated in CNTs covered and N-doped TiN/carbon nanofibers as a binder-free anode for advanced sodium-ion batteries

Metal selenides are promising anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to the high theoretical capacity through conversion reaction mechanism. However, developing metal selenides with superior electrochemical sodium-ion storage performance is still a great challenge. In this work, a novel composite material of free-standing NiSe₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped TiN/carbon composite nanofibers with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in-situ grown on the surface (NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNTs) is prepared by electrospinning and pyrolysis technique. In this composite materials, NiSe₂ nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanofibers were encapsulated into CNTs, thus avoiding aggregation. The in-situ grown CNTs not only improve the conductivity but also act as a buffer to accommodate the volume expansion. TiN inside the nanofibers further enhances the conductivity and structural stability of carbon-based nanofibers. When directly used as anode for SIBs, the NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNT electrode delivered a reversible capacity of 392.1 mAh/g after 1000 cycles and still maintained 334.4 mAh/g even at a high rate of 2 A/g. The excellent sodium-ion storage performance can be attributed to the fast Na⁺ diffusion and transfer rate and the pseudocapacitance dominated charge storage mechanism, as is evidenced by kinetic analysis. The work provides a novel approach to the fabrication of high-performance anode materials for other batteries.     

Multielectron‐Transfer‐based Rechargeable Energy Storage of Two‐Dimensional Coordination Frameworks with Non‐Innocent Ligands

The metallically conductive bis(diimino)nickel framework (NiDI), an emerging class of metal–organic framework (MOF) analogues consisting of two‐dimensional (2D) coordination networks, was found to have an energy storage principle that uses both cation and anion insertion. This principle gives high energy led by a multielectron transfer reaction: Its specific capacity is one of the highest among MOF‐based cathode materials in rechargeable energy storage devices, with stable cycling performance up to 300 cycles. This mechanism was studied by a wide spectrum of electrochemical techniques combined with density‐functional calculations. This work shows that a rationally designed material system of conductive 2D coordination networks can be promising electrode materials for many types of energy devices.     

Laccase bound to cryogel functionalized with phenylalanine for the decolorization of textile dyes

In this study, amino acid functionalized poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacrylolyl-l-phenylalanine) [PHEMAPA] cryogel discs were prepared. In this respect, phenylalanine containing N-methacryloyl-(L)-phenylalanine methyl ester (MAPA) was polymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) without requirement of any activation step. Laccase bound poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-l-phenylalanine) [Lac-PHEMAPA] cryogel discs were applied for decolorization of Reactive Blue-247 (RB-247). The ability of Lac-PHEMAPA cryogel discs on dye decolorization was found to be as 90% in 2 h and even more within 4h. The decolorization activities of 86% and 73% were observed at relatively low (4°C) and high (60°C) temperatures, respectively. The effect of dye concentration on dye decolorization and 100% decolorization activity was achieved in dye concentration between 50–300 ppm. Lac-PHEMAPA cryogel discs maintained 80% of its decolorization activity after six cycles. Consequently, the PHEMAPA cryogel discs are promising materials for immobilizing laccase. The Lac-PHEMAPA has a rapid dye decolorization in a broad range of temperature. The preparation is furthermore very stable and activity is preserved during storage.