Extra Silver Atom Triggers Room‐Temperature Photoluminescence in Atomically Precise Radarlike Silver Clusters

Luminescent metal clusters show promise for applications in imaging and sensing. However, promoting emission from metal clusters at room temperature is a challenging task owing to the lack of an efficient approach to suppress the nonradiative decay process in metal cores. We report herein that the addition of a silver atom into a metal interstice of the radarlike thiolated silver cluster [Ag₂₇(S^tBu)₁₄(S)₂(CF₃COO)₉(DMAc)₄]?DMAc ( NC1 , DMAc=dimethylacetamide), which is non‐emissive under ambient conditions, produced another silver cluster [Ag₂₈(AdmS)₁₄(S)₂(CF₃COO)₁₀(H₂O)₄] ( NC2 ) that displayed bright green room‐temperature photoluminescence aided by the new ligand 1‐adamantanethiol (AdmSH). The 28th Ag atom, which hardly affects the geometrical and electronic structures of the Ag–S skeleton, triggered the emission of green light as a result of the rigidity of the cluster structure.     

Discrepancy in the near-solute electric dipole moment calculated from the electric field

The electric dipole moment p ( r ) was computed as the integral of the permanent dipole moment of the solvent molecule μ( r ) weighted by the orientational probability distribution Ω( r ; O ) over all orientations, where O is the orientation of the solvent molecule at r . The relationship between Ω( r ; O ) and the potential of the mean torque was derived; p ( r ) is proportional to the electric field E ( r ) under the following assumptions: (1) the van der Waals (vdW) interaction is independent of the orientation of the solvent molecule at r ; (2) the solvent molecule and its electrical effect are modeled as a point dipole moment; (3) the solvent molecule at r is in a region far from the solute; and (4) μE( r ) ? k_BT, where k_B is Boltzmann's constant and T is absolute temperature. The errors caused by calculating near‐solute Ω( r ) and p ( r ) from E ( r ) are unclear. The results show that Ω( r ) is inconsistent with the value calculated from E ( r ) for water molecules in the first and second shells of solute with charge state Q = ±1 e, and a large variation in solvent molecular polarizability γ_mol(r), which appeared in the first valley of 4πr²E(r) for |Q| < 1 e. Nonetheless, p (r) is consistent with the values calculated from E (r) for |Q| ≤ 1 e. The implication is that the assumptions for calculating p ( r ) can be ignored in the calculation of the solvation free energy of biomolecules, as they pertain to protein folding and protein–protein/ligand interactions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Ruthenium carbonyl complexes with α-substituted oxime derivatives of terpenes as ligands

The reactions of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with oximes of α-substituted caran-4-one, lemonen-5- and pinan-3-one derivatives were studied. The reactions at elevated temperatures yield binu-clear complexes Ru₂(CO)₄L₂, with two ruthenium atoms bridging two terpenoid ligands (L) through the oxime groups and coordinated additionally to a nitrogen or sulfur atom of the NR₂ or SR groups respectively. The reactions carried out at room temperature in the presense of Me₃NO yield trinuclear complexes Ru₃(CO)₈L₂ with analogous coordination of the terpenoid ligands. In a solution at room temperature these clusters readily transform to binuclear complexes. The NMR spectroscopy shows the stereochemical nonrigidity of the complexes with the S-CH₂-Ph fragment: at room temperature in a solution the benzyl radical undergoes slow rotation about the S-C bond and a change of the conformation of carane and pinane carbocycles occurs more rapidly. The reactions with pinane and carane derivatives are stereospecific yielding only one of the possible diastereoisomers. More flexible limonene derivative form both diastereoisomers.     

Relating glass formation to eutectic composition in Cu100-xZrx alloy by molecular dynamics simulation

The relationship between eutectic compositions and glass-forming ability (GFA) in Cu_100-xZr_x (x = 8–83) system is studied by molecular dynamic (MD) simulation based on the embedded atom method (EAM). Local maxima of GFA occur in Cu₅₆Zr₄₄, Cu₄₇Zr₅₃ and Cu₃₁Zr₆₉ alloys, close to eutectic points in Cu-Zr binary phase diagram. The structural parameters indicate that the heterogeneous Cu-Zr pairs exhibit stronger and more stable interaction than that of homogeneous pairs. The small peak with a negative amplitude ahead of the main peak in S_CuZr(Q) also implies the preference of Cu-Zr pairs. The avoidance of Cu-Cu neighbours and Zr-Zr neighbours, which correspond to the prepeak prior to the main peak of S_CuCu(Q) and S_ZrZr(Q), leads to structural order on intermediate length scales. Perfect and defect icosahedra constitute medium range order (MRO) clusters by sharing atoms, which promotes the glass formation.     

Equilibrium Structure of Beryllium Dibromide from Combined Gas Electron Diffraction and Vibrational Spectroscopy Analysis

The molecular structure of BeBr₂ has been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction at the temperature 800(10) K. The conventional analysis yielded the following values: r _g(Be–Br) = 1.944(6)Å, l(Be–Br) = 0.068(4)Å, r _g(Br–Br) = 3.848(8)Å, l(Br–Br) = 0.109(3)Å, k(Be–Br) = 1.1(1.1) × 10^–5 ų, (Br–Br) = 2.1(1.0) × 10^–5 ų. Three models of nuclear dynamics were used to simulate the conventional analysis values—infinitesimal vibrations and two models, which take into account the kinematic and dynamic anharmonicity of the bending vibration. All models give similar values of bond angle, amplitudes, and shrinkage, excluding the harmonic model, which yields too low value l(Br–Br). The equilibrium bond distance r _e(Be–Br) = 1.932(11) Å was estimated, taking into account the anharmonicity corrections for stretching and bending vibrations and centrifugal distortion.     

Extra Silver Atom Triggers Room-Temperature Photoluminescence in Atomically Precise Radarlike Silver Clusters

Luminescent metal clusters show promise for applications in imaging and sensing. However, promoting emission from metal clusters at room temperature is a challenging task owing to the lack of an efficient approach to suppress the nonradiative decay process in metal cores. We report herein that the addition of a silver atom into a metal interstice of the radarlike thiolated silver cluster [Ag₂₇(S^tBu)₁₄(S)₂(CF₃COO)₉(DMAc)₄]⋅DMAc ( NC1 , DMAc=dimethylacetamide), which is non-emissive under ambient conditions, produced another silver cluster [Ag₂₈(AdmS)₁₄(S)₂(CF₃COO)₁₀(H₂O)₄] ( NC2 ) that displayed bright green room-temperature photoluminescence aided by the new ligand 1-adamantanethiol (AdmSH). The 28th Ag atom, which hardly affects the geometrical and electronic structures of the Ag–S skeleton, triggered the emission of green light as a result of the rigidity of the cluster structure.     

A NOVEL BINUCLEAR COPPER(II) COMPLEX: BIS[1,10-PHENANTHROLINE-N,N′-MALEATO- O,O′-COPPER(II)] DIMETHANOL TETRAHYDRATE

Abstract

A novel binuclear Cu(II) complex, [Cu₂(mal)₂(phen)₂]. 4H₂O. 2MeOH (phen= 1,10-phenanthroline, mal = maleato dianion), has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, solid-state ESR analysis and X-ray single crystal study. The complex consists of [Cu(mal)(phen)] subunits with two water and one methanol solvate molecules. The subunits show a distorted planar arrangement, existing in centrosymmetrically related pairs in the crystal packing. They have a distorted four-coordinate square-planar arrangement of N and O atoms about the central Cu atom; pairs of these [Cu(mal)(phen)] subunits form dimers by interaction of the fifth position on each Cu center with an O atom of a maleato ligand of the associated subunit with a Cu-Cu distance of 3.3425(9) å. The coordination around each Cu atom is best described as distorted square-pyramidal. The lattice water and methanol molecules are also confirmed by the TG study and IR spectra. The X-band solid-state ESR spectrum at room temperature exhibits an anisotropic feature with g′ = 2.24, g′ = 2.06.     

Thickness dependence of structural relaxation in spin‐cast polynorbornene films with high glass transition temperatures (>613 K)

The isothermal structural relaxation (densification) of a family of glassy polynorbornene films with high glass transition temperatures (T_g > 613 K) is assessed via spectroscopic ellipsometry. Three polymers were examined: poly(butylnorbornene) (BuNB), poly(hydroxyhexafluoroisopropyl norbornene) (HFANB), and their random copolymer, BuNB‐r‐HFANB. The effective aging rate, β(T), of thick (∼1.2 μm) spun cast films of BuNB‐r‐HFANB is approximately 10⁻³ over a wide temperature window (0.49 < T/T_g < 0.68). At higher temperatures, these polymers undergo reactions that more dramatically decrease the film thickness, which prohibits erasing the process history by annealing above T_g. The aging rate for thick BuNB‐r‐HFANB films is independent of the casting solvent, which infers that rapid aging is not associated with residual solvent. β (at 373 K) decreases for films thinner than ∼500 nm. However, the isothermal structural relaxation of thin films of BuNB‐r‐HFANB exhibits nonmonotonic temporal evolution in thickness for films thinner than 115 nm film. The thickness after 18 h of aging at 373 K can be greater than the initial thickness. The rapid aging of these polynorbornene films is attributed to the unusual rapid local dynamics of this class of polymers and demonstrates the potential for unexpected structural relaxations in membranes and thin films of high‐T_g polymers that could impact their performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 53–61     

Gas-phase structure and conformational properties of copper (I) pivalate dimer (CuC5H9O2)2

The molecular structure and conformational properties of gaseous dimer of copper (I) pivalate, Cu₂piv₂, have been studied by gas electron diffraction (GED) at 413(5) K and quantum chemical calculations (DFT and MP2). The molecule possesses a planar eight-membered skeleton. Two conformers, “staggered” of C _2h symmetry and “eclipsed” of C _2v symmetry, were found for Cu₂piv₂ in the gas phase. The following geometric parameters of the skeleton ring and the tert-butyl groups have been determined from the GED experiment for the “staggered” form: r_g(Cu···Cu) = 2.520(8) Å, r_g(Cu–O)_ave = 1.871(4) Å, r_g(C–O)_ave = 1.273(3) Å, r_g(C–C)_ring-tert = 1.531(4) Å, r_g(C–C)_{tert-out-of-plane-ring} = 1.536(4) Å, r_g(C–C)_{tert-in-the-plane-ring} = 1.527(4) Å, r_g(C–H)_ave = 1.087(5) Å, (O–Cu–O) = 172.12°(3). Computations predict the internal rotation of the tert-butyl groups to be independent. The value of calculated Wiberg bond index for Cu···Cu testifies the existence of weak bonding between two copper atoms.

     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the effects of carbon dioxide on the interfacial bonding of polystyrene thin films

Fabrication of nanoscale polymer‐based devices, especially in biomedical applications, is a challenging process due to requirements of precise dimensions. Methods that involve elevated temperature or chemical adhesives are not practicable due to the fragility of the device components and associated deformation. To effectively fabricate devices for lab‐on‐a‐chip or drug delivery applications, a process is required that permits bonding at low temperatures. The use of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to assist the bonding process shows promise in reaching this goal. It is now well established that CO₂ can be used to depress the glass transition temperature (T_g) of a polymer, allowing bonding to occur at lower temperatures. Furthermore, it has been shown that CO₂ can preferentially soften a polymer surface, which should allow for effective bonding at temperatures even below the bulk T_g. However, the impact of this effect on bonding has not been quantified, and the optimal bonding temperature and CO₂ pressure conditions are unknown. In this study, a molecular dynamics model is used to examine the atomic scale behavior of polystyrene in an effort to develop understanding of the physical mechanisms of bonding and to quantify how the process is impacted by CO₂. The final result is the identification of a range of CO₂ pressure conditions which produce the strongest bonding between PS thin films at room temperature. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Influence of the polymer structure on the achievement of polar orientation in high glass transition temperature nonlinear optical polyimides by photo-assisted poling

We have used combinations of light, heat, and electrostatic fields to investigate the orientation of nonlinear azo-chromophores chemically incorporated into high glass transition temperature (T_g) polyimides. A number of nonlinear optical polyimides have been synthesized in which the interaction between the nonlinear optical chromophore and the polymer main chain was systematically altered to determine to what extent this steric interaction influences the orientation of the nonlinear chromophore. Chromophores in polymers may be oriented by a number of methods: (a) polarized light at room temperature (i.e., photo-induced orientation or PIO), (b) polarized light and electric fields (i.e., photo-assisted poling or PAP) at temperatures ranging from room temperature to the polymer T_g, and (c) electric fields at T_g (thermal poling). While thermal poling and PIO are usually possible, PAP depends strongly on the molecular structure of the polymer. Previously we have shown that PIO can be accomplished at room temperature in a system where the nonlinear chromophore is embedded into the polyimide main chain via the donor substituent, and this orientation can only be thermally erased at temperatures approaching T_g. In this article we show that, whereas photoisomerization can efficiently depole donor-embedded polyimides in a matter of few minutes at room temperature, PAP does not induce any polar order. This behavior is in marked contrast to a structurally related, side-chain, nonlinear polyimide, in which the azo chromophore is tethered via a flexible linkage to the polymer backbone. In this case some PAP occurs even at room temperature, while no PAP is observed for a donor-embedded system with a similar T_g. We suggest that the orientation during PAP below T_g in the side-chain polyimide is primarily due to the movement of the azo side chains, and there is a very little coupling of this motion to the main chain. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1669–1677, 1998     

Molecular structure of tris(acetylacetonato)scandium Sc(C5H7O2)3

Molecular structure of tris(acetylacetonato)scandium, Sc(C₅H₇O₂)₃, is investigated by gas-phase electron diffractometry. The main structural parameters of the molecule are evaluated. The average internuclear distances and angles correspond to C₃ symmetry. The chief structural motif is trigonal antiprisms of six oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen atoms with a scandium atom at the center. It is found that r_g(Sc-O) = 204.1(8) pm and r_g(C-O) = 124.7(4) pm. Translated fromZhumal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 633–639, July–August, 1998.     

Searching new structures of beryllium-doped in small-sized magnesium clusters: Be2MgnQ (Q = 0, −1; n = 1–11) clusters DFT study

Using CALYPSO method to search new structures of neutral and anionic beryllium-doped magnesium clusters followed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, an extensive study of the structures, electronic and spectral properties of Be₂Mg_n^Q (Q = 0, −1; n = 2–11) clusters is performed. Based on the structural optimization, it is found that the Be₂Mg_n^Q (Q = 0, −1) clusters are shown by tetrahedral-based geometries at n = 2–6 and tower-like-based geometries at n = 7–11. The calculations of stability indicate that Be₂Mg₅^Q=0, Be₂Mg₅^Q=−1, and Be₂Mg₈^Q=−1 clusters are “magic” clusters with high stability. The NCP shows that the charges are transferred from Mg atoms to Be atoms. The s- and p-orbitals interactions of Mg and Be atoms are main responsible for their NEC. In particular, chemical bond analysis including molecular orbitals (MOs) and chemical bonding composition for magic clusters to further study their stability. The results confirmed that the high stability of these clusters is due to the interactions between the Be atom and the Mg₅ or Mg₈ host. Finally, theoretical calculations of infrared and Raman spectra of the ground state of Be₂Mg_n^Q (Q = 0, −1; n = 1–11) clusters were performed, which will be absolutely useful for future experiments to identify these clusters.     

An electron diffraction study of the molecular structure of 1,2-difluoroethane

The molecular structure of 1,2-difluoroethane in the gas phase has been determined by electron diffraction at room temperature. Only the gauche conformation was found, the dihedral angle F-C-C-F is 74.5°. The bond lengths r_g(1) are: r(C-C) = 1.535 Å, r(C-F) = 1.394 Å, r(C-H) = 1.13 Å. The valency angles are: α(C-C-F) = 108.3, α(C-C-H) = 108.3. The dihedral angle between the C-C-F and C-C-H planes is 113.6°.     

Correlated Coordination and Redox Activity of a Hemilabile Noninnocent Ligand in Nickel Complexes

The compound [Ni(Q_M)₂], Q_M=4,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐N‐(2‐methylthiomethylphenyl)‐o‐iminobenzoquinone, is a singlet diradical species with approximately planar configuration at the tetracoordinate metal atom and without any Ni?S bonding interaction. One‐electron oxidation results in additional twofold Ni?S coordination (d_Ni?S≈2.38 Å) to produce a complex cation of [Ni(Q_M)₂](PF₆) with hexacoordinate Ni^II and two distinctly different mer‐configurated tridentate ligands. The O,O′‐trans arrangement in the neutral precursor is changed to an O,O′‐cis configuration in the cation. The EPR signal of [Ni(Q_M)₂](PF₆) has a very large g anisotropy and the magnetic measurements indicate an S=3/2 state. The dication was structurally characterized as [Ni(Q_M)₂](ClO₄)₂ to exhibit a similar NiN₂O₂S₂ framework as the monocation. However, the two tridentate (O,N,S) ligands are now equivalent according to the formulation [Ni^II(Q_M⁰)₂]²⁺. Cyclic voltammetry reflects the qualitative structure change on the first, but not on the second oxidation of [Ni(Q_M)₂], and spectroelectrochemistry reveals a pronounced dependence of the 800–900 nm absorption on the solvent and counterion. Reduction of the neutral form occurs in an electrochemically reversible step to yield an anion with an intense near‐infrared absorption at 1345 nm (ε=10400 M ^?1 cm^?1) and a conventional g factor splitting for a largely metal‐based spin (S=1/2), suggesting a [(Q_M ^{. ?})Ni^II(Q_M^2?)]^? configuration with a tetracoordinate metal atom with antiferromagnetic Ni^II–(Q_M ^{. ?}) interactions and symmetry‐allowed ligand‐to‐ligand intervalence charge transfer (LLIVCT). Calculations are used to understand the Ni?S binding activity as induced by remote electron transfer at the iminobenzoquinone redox system.     

A porous Cu(II)-MOF containing [PW12O40]3− and a large protonated water cluster: synthesis,structure, and proton conductivity

A proton-conducting metal–organic framework (MOF), {[Cu₄(dpdo)₁₂][H(H₂O)₂₇(CH₃CN)₁₂][PW₁₂O₄₀]₃}_n (where dpdo is 4,4′-bipyridine-N,N′-dioxide) (1), was synthesized by the reaction of CuHPW₁₂O₄₀·nH₂O and dpdo at room temperature. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis at 293?K revealed that 1 crystallized in the cubic space group Im-3 and presented a non-interwoven 3-D framework with cubic cavities and guest molecules. A large ionic water cluster H⁺(H₂O)₂₇, consisting of a water shell (H₂O)₂₆ and an encaged H⁺(H₂O) as a center core, was trapped in the cubic cavity of the MOF {[Cu₄(dpdo)₁₂(PW₁₂O₄₀)₃]^?}_∞. Thermogravimetric analysis suggests that 1 has high thermal stability, indicating that such a non-interwoven 3-D framework with cubic cavities is a suitable host for researching protonated water clusters. Its water vapor adsorption isotherm at room temperature and pressure shows that the water vapor adsorbed in it was 65.1 cm^3?g^?1 at the maximum allowable humidity. It exhibits good proton conductivities of 10^?5–10^?4?S^?cm^?1 at 100 °C in the relative humidity range 35–98%.     

Comprehensive 3D-RISM analysis of the hydration of small molecule binding sites in ligand-free protein structures

Hydration is a critical factor in the ligand binding process. Herein, to examine the hydration states of ligand binding sites, the three-dimensional distribution function for the water oxygen site, g_O( r ) , is computed for 3,706 ligand-free protein structures based on the corresponding small molecule–protein complexes using the 3D-RISM theory. For crystallographic waters (CWs) close to the ligand, g_O( r ) reveals that several CWs are stabilized by interaction networks formed between the ligand, CW, and protein. Based on the g_O( r ) for the crystallographic binding pose of the ligand, hydrogen bond interactions are dominant in the highly hydrated regions while weak interactions such as CH-O are dominant in the moderately hydrated regions. The polar heteroatoms of the ligand occupy the highly hydrated and moderately hydrated regions in the crystallographic (correct) and wrongly docked (incorrect) poses, respectively. Thus, the g_O( r ) of polar heteroatoms may be used to distinguish the correct binding poses.     

Poly(silarylene–siloxane)polyimides from allyl‐terminated oligoimides and hydride‐functional silarylene–siloxanes via hydrosilylation polymerization

This research was focused on the design and execution of new synthetic routes to low‐temperature‐curable poly(silarylene–siloxane)polyimides. The synthesis of individual oligoimide and silarylene–siloxane blocks was followed by hydrosilylation polymerization to produce crosslinked copolymers. The silarylene–siloxane and polyimide blocks were structurally characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography. The high‐temperature resistance of the copolymers was evaluated through the measurement of heat distortion temperatures (T_HD's) via thermomechanical analysis and by the determination of the weight loss at elevated temperatures via thermogravimetric analysis. Glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the silarylene–siloxane segments were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Hydrosilylation curing was conducted at 60 °C in the presence of chloroplatinic acid (H₂PtCl₆). The copolymers displayed both high‐temperature resistance and low‐temperature flexibility. We observed T_g of the silarylene–siloxane segment as low as ?77 °C and T_HD of the polyimide segment as high as 323 °C. The influence of various oligoimide molecular weights on the properties of copolymers containing the same silarylene–siloxane was examined. The effect of various silarylene–siloxane molecular weights on the properties of copolymers containing the same oligoimide was also examined. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4922–4932, 2005     

Radical-initiated homo- and copolymerizations of methacryloyl fluoride

The kinetics of methacryloyl fluoride (MAF) homopolymerization was investigated in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) with azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. The rate of polymerization (R_p) followed the expression R_p = k[AIBN]^0.55[MAF]^1.18. The overall activation energy was calculated as 74.4 kJ/mol. The relative reactivity ratios of MAF(M₂) copolymerization with styrene (r₁ = 0.083, r₂ = 0.14), and methyl methacrylate (r₁ = 0.48, r₂ = 0.81) in methyl ethyl ketone were obtained. Application of the Q–e scheme (in styrene copolymerization) led to Q = 2.22 and e = 1.31. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of poly(MAF) was 90°C by thermomechanical analysis. Thermogravimetry of poly(MAF) showed a 10% weight loss of 228°C in air.