Ag-Cu Nanoparticles Supported on N-Doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} Nanowire Arrays for Efficient Photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} Reduction

Photocatalytic reduction of CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} into various types of fuels has attracted great interest, and serves as a potential solution to addressing current global warming and energy challenges. In this work, Ag-Cu nanoparticles are densely supported on N-doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} nanowire through a straightforward nanofabrication approach. The range of light absorption by N-doped TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} can be tuned to match the plasmonic band of Ag nanoparticles, which allows synergizing a resonant energy transfer process with the Schottky junction. Meanwhile, Cu nanoparticles can provide active sites for the reduction of CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} molecules. Remarkably, the performance of photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} reduction is improved to produce CH\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} at a rate of 720 \begin{document}$\mu$\end{document}mol\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}g\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}h\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document} under full-spectrum irradiation.     

Enhanced Crystal Quality of Perovskite via Protonated Graphitic Carbon Nitride Added in Carbon-Based Perovskite Solar Cells

The quality of perovskite layers has a great impact on the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, defects and related trap sites are generated inevitably in the solution-processed polycrystalline perovskite films. It is meaningful to reduce and passivate the defect states by incorporating additive into the perovskite layer to improve perovskite crystallization. Here an environmental friendly 2D nanomaterial protonated graphitic carbon nitride (p-g-C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}N\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}) was successfully synthesized and doped into perovskite layer of carbon-based PSCs. The addition of p-g-C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}N\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} into perovskite precursor solution not only adjusts nucleation and growth rate of methylammonium lead tri-iodide (MAPbI\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}) crystal for obtaining flat perovskite surface with larger grain size, but also reduces intrinsic defects of perovskite layer. It is found that the p-g-C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}N\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} locates at the perovskite core, and the active groups -NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} and NH have a hydrogen bond strengthening, which effectively passivates electron traps and enhances the crystal quality of perovskite. As a result, a higher power conversion efficiency of 6.61% is achieved, compared with that doped with g-C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}N\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} (5.93%) and undoped one (4.48%). This work demonstrates a simple method to modify the perovskite film by doping new modified additives and develops a low-cost preparation for carbon-based PSCs.     

3D Macro-Micro-Mesoporous FeC\begin{document}$_{2}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document}/Graphene Hydrogel Electrode for High-Performance 2.5 V Aqueous Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Distinguished from commonly used Fe\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} and Fe\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}, a three-dimensional multilevel macro-micro-mesoporous structure of FeC\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}/graphene composite has been prepared as binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. The as-prepared materials are composed of macroporous graphene and microporous/mesoporous ferrous oxalate. Generally, the decomposition voltage of water is 1.23 V and the practical voltage window limit is about 2 V for asymmetric supercapacitors in aqueous electrolytes. When FeC\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}/rGO hydrogel was used as the negative electrode and a pure rGO hydrogel was used as the positive electrode, the asymmetrical supercapacitor voltage window raised to 1.7 V in KOH (1.0 mol/L) electrolyte and reached up to 2.5 V in a neutral aqueous Na\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}SO\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} (1.0 mol/L) electrolyte. Correspondingly it also exhibits a high performance with an energy density of 59.7 Wh/kg. By means of combining a metal oxide that owns micro-mesoporous structure with graphene, this work provides a new opportunity for preparing high-voltage aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors without addition of conductive agent and binder.     

Gamma Ray Radiation Effect on \begin{document}$\rm{{Bi}}_{2}$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{{O}}_{6}$\end{document} Photocatalyst

The development of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document}-based materials has become one of research hotspots due to the increasing demands on high-efficient photocatalyst responding to visible light. In this work, the effect of high energy radiation (\begin{document}$\gamma$\end{document}-ray) on the structure and the photocatalytic activity of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} nanocrystals was first studied. No morphological change of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} nanocrystals was observed by SEM under \begin{document}$\gamma$\end{document}-ray radiation. However, the XRD spectra of the irradiated \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} nanocrystals showed the characteristic 2\begin{document}$\theta$\end{document} of (113) plane shifts slightly from 28.37\begin{document}$^{\rm{o}}$\end{document} to 28.45\begin{document}$^{\rm{o}}$\end{document} with the increase of the absorbed dose, confirming the change in the crystal structure of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document}. The XPS results proved the crystal structure change was originated from the generation of oxygen vacancy defects under high-dose radiation. The photocatalytic activity of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} on the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) in water under visible light increases gradually with the increase of absorbed dose. Moreover, the improved photocatalytic performance of the irradiated \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} nanocrystals remained after three cycles of photocatalysis, indicating a good stability of the created oxygen vacancy defects. This work gives a new simple way to improve photocatalytic performance of \begin{document}$\rm{Bi}_2$\end{document}W\begin{document}$\rm{O}_6$\end{document} through creating oxygen vacancy defects in the crystal structure by \begin{document}$\gamma$\end{document}-ray radiation.     

Delocalized \begin{document}$\pi_3^6$\end{document} Bond in OX\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} (X=Halogen) Molecules

OX\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} (X=halogen) molecules was studied theoretically. Calculation results show that delocalized \begin{document}$\pi_3^6$\end{document} bonds exist in their electronic structures and O atoms adopt the sp\begin{document}$^2$\end{document} type of hybridization, which violates the prediction of the valence shell electron pair repulsion theory of sp\begin{document}$^3$\end{document} type. Delocalization stabilization energy is proposed to measure the contribution of delocalized \begin{document}$\pi_3^6$\end{document} bond to energy decrease and proves to bring extra-stability to the molecule. These phenomena can be summarized as a kind of coordinating effect.     

"Dry" NiCo\begin{document}$_\textbf{2}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_\textbf{4}$\end{document} Nanorods for Electrochemical Non-enzymatic Glucose Sensing

A rod-like NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated and used for non-enzymatic glucose sensing. The NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} was prepared by a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequently treated in a commercial microwave oven to eliminate the residual water introduced during the hydrothermal procedure. Structural analysis showed that there was no significant structural alteration before and after microwave treatment. The elimination of water residuals was confirmed by the stoichiometric ratio change by using element analysis. The microwave treated NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} (M-NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}) showed excellent performance as a glucose sensor (sensitivity 431.29 \begin{document}$\mu $\end{document}A\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}mmol/L\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}cm\begin{document}$^{-2}$\end{document}). The sensing performance decreases dramatically by soaking the M-NiCo\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_4$\end{document} in water. This result indicates that the introduction of residual water during hydrothermal process strongly affects the electrochemical performance and microwave pre-treatment is crucial for better sensory performance.     

H-Atom Transfer Reaction of Photoinduced Excited Triplet Duroquinone with Tryptophan and Tyrosine in Acetonitrile-Water and Ethylene Glycol-Water Homogeneous Solutions

Laser flash photolysis was used to investigate the photoinduced reactions of excited triplet bioquinone molecule duroquinone (DQ) with tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Tyr) in acetonitrile-water (MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O) and ethylene glycol-water (EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O) solutions. The reaction mechanisms were analyzed and the reaction rate constants were measured based on Stern-Volmer equation. The H-atom transfer reaction from Trp (Tyr) to \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} is dominant after the formation of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} during the laser photolysis. For DQ and Trp in MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O and EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solutions, \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} captures H-atom from Trp to generate duroquinone neutral radical DQH\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}, carbon-centered tryptophan neutral radical Trp\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}/NH and nitrogen-centered tryptophan neutral radical Trp/N\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}. For DQ and Tyr in MeCN-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O and EG-H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solutions, \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} captures H-atom from Tyr to generate duroquinone neutral radical DQH\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document} and tyrosine neutral radical Tyr/O\begin{document}$^\bullet$\end{document}. The H-atom transfer reaction rate constant of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with Trp (Tyr) is on the level of 10\begin{document}$^9$\end{document} L\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}mol\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}, nearly controlled by diffusion. The reaction rate constant of \begin{document}$^3$\end{document}DQ\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with Trp (Tyr) in MeCN/H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solution is larger than that in EG/H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O solution, which agrees with Stokes-Einstein relationship qualitatively.     

In situ One-Pot Fabrication of MoO3-x Clusters Modified Polymer Carbon Nitride for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Developing low-cost and high-efficient noble-metal-free cocatalysts has been a challenge to achieve economic hydrogen production. In this work, molybdenum oxides (MoO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}) were in situ loaded on polymer carbon nitride (PCN) via a simple one-pot impregnation-calcination approach. Different from post-impregnation method, intimate coupling interface between high-dispersed ultra-small MoO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} nanocrystal and PCN was successfully formed during the in situ growth process. The MoO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document}-PCN-\begin{document}$X$\end{document} (\begin{document}$X$\end{document}=1, 2, 3, 4) photocatalyst without noble platinum (Pt) finally exhibited enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen performance under visible light irradiation (\begin{document}$\lambda$\end{document}\begin{document}$>$\end{document}420 nm), with the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 15.6 μmol/h, which was more than 3 times that of bulk PCN. Detailed structure-performance revealed that such improvement in visible-light hydrogen production activity originated from the intimate interfacial interaction between high-dispersed ultra-small MoO\begin{document}$_{3-x}$\end{document} nanocrystal and polymer carbon nitride as well as efficient charge carriers transfer brought by Schottky junction formed.     

Imaging Photodissociation Dynamics of MgO at 193 nm

In this work, we used time-sliced ion velocity imaging to study the photodissociation dynamics of MgO at \mbox{193 nm}. Three dissociation pathways are found through the speed and angular distributions of magnesium. One pathway is the one-photon excitation of MgO(X\begin{document}$^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) to MgO(G\begin{document}$^1\Pi$\end{document}) followed by spin-orbit coupling between the G\begin{document}$^1\Pi$\end{document}, 3\begin{document}$^3\Pi$\end{document} and 1\begin{document}$^5\Pi$\end{document} states, and finally dissociated to the Mg(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_\textrm{u}$\end{document})+O(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_\textrm{g}$\end{document}) along the 1\begin{document}$^5\Pi$\end{document} surface. The other two pathways are one-photon absorption of MgO(A\begin{document}$^1\Pi$\end{document}) state to MgO(G\begin{document}$^1\Pi$\end{document}) and MgO(4\begin{document}$^1\Pi$\end{document}) state to dissociate into Mg(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_\textrm{u}$\end{document})+O(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_\textrm{g}$\end{document}) and Mg(\begin{document}$^1$\end{document}S\begin{document}$_\textrm{g}$\end{document})+O(\begin{document}$^1$\end{document}S\begin{document}$_\textrm{g}$\end{document}), respectively. The anisotropy parameters of the dissociation pathways are related to the lifetime of the vibrational energy levels and the coupling of rotational and vibronic spin-orbit states. The total kinetic energy analysis gives \begin{document}$D_0$\end{document}(Mg\begin{document}$-$\end{document}O)=21645\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}50 cm\begin{document}$^{-1}$\end{document}.     

Structures,Energetics, and Infrared Spectra of the Cationic Monomethylamine-Water Clusters

The structures, energetics, and infrared (IR) spectra of the cationic monomethylamine-water clusters, [(CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O)\begin{document}$_n$\end{document}]\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} (\begin{document}$n$\end{document}=1\begin{document}$-$\end{document}5), have been studied using quantum chemical calculations at the MP2/6-311+G(2d,p) level. The results reveal that the formation of proton-transferred CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} ion core structure is preferred via the intramolecular proton transfer from the methyl group to the nitrogen atom and the water molecules act as the acceptor for the O\begin{document}$\cdots$\end{document}HN hydrogen bonds with the positively charged NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} moiety of CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, whose motif is retained in the larger clusters. The CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} ion core structure is predicted to be less energetically favorable. Vibrational frequencies of CH stretches, hydrogen-bonded and free NH stretches, and hydrogen-bonded OH stretches in the calculated IR spectra of the CH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} and CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} type structures are different from each other, which would afford the sensitive probes for fundamental understanding of hydrogen bonding networks generated from the radiation-induced chemical processes in the [(CH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}NH\begin{document}$_2$\end{document})(H\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O)\begin{document}$_n$\end{document}]\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} complexes.     

Experimental and Theoretical Study on Dissociative Photoionization of Cyclopentanone

The dissociative photoionization of cyclopentanone was investigated by means of a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RTOF-MS) with tunable vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation in the photon energy range of 9.0-15.5 eV. The photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves for molecular ion and fragment ions were measured. The ionization energy of cyclopentanone was determined to be 9.23\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.03 eV. Fragment ions from the dissociative photoionization of cyclopentanone were identified as C\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_7$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_8^+$\end{document}/C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_6^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_6^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_3^+$\end{document}, C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_5^+$\end{document} and C\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_4^+$\end{document}. With the aid of the ab initio calculations at the \begin{document}$\omega$\end{document}B97X-D/6-31+G(d, p) level of theory, the dissociative mechanisms of C\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}H\begin{document}$_8$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^+$\end{document} are proposed. Ring opening and hydrogen migrations are the predominant processes in most of the fragmentation pathways of cyclopentanone.     

Electrochemical Study on Hydrogen Evolution and \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}$\end{document}\begin{document}$_\rm{2}$\end{document} Reduction on Pt Electrode in Acid Solutions with Different pH

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is the major cathodic reaction which competes \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} reduction reaction (\begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} RR) on Pt electrode. Molecular level understanding on how these two reactions interact with each other and what the key factors are of \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} RR kinetics and selectivity will be of great help in optimizing electrolysers for \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} reduction. In this work, we report our results of hydrogen evolution and \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} reduction on Pt(111) and Pt film electrodes in \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} saturated acid solution by cyclic voltammetry and infrared spectroscopy. In solution with pH > 2, the major process is HER and the interfacial pH increases abruptly during HER; \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{ad}$\end{document} is the only adsorbed intermediate detected in \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} reduction by infrared spectroscopy; the rate for \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{ad}$\end{document} formation increases with the coverage of UPD-H and reaches maximum at the onset potential for HER; the decrease of \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{ad}$\end{document} formation under HER is attributed to the available limited sites and the limited residence time for the reduction intermediate (\begin{document}$\rm{H}_\rm{ad}$\end{document}), which is necessary for \begin{document}${\rm C}\rm{O}_\rm{2}$\end{document} adsorption and reduction.     

Three-Dimensional Diabatic Potential Energy Surfaces of Thiophenol with Neural Networks

Three-dimensional (3D) diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) of thiophenol involving the S\begin{document}$_0$\end{document}, and coupled \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\pi^*$\end{document} and \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\sigma^*$\end{document} states were constructed by a neural network approach. Specifically, the diabatization of the PESs for the \begin{document}$^1$\end{document}\begin{document}$\pi\pi^*$\end{document} and \begin{document}$^1\pi\sigma^*$\end{document} states was achieved by the fitting approach with neural networks, which was merely based on adiabatic energies but with the correct symmetry constraint on the off-diagonal term in the diabatic potential energy matrix. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the neural network fitting for all three states were found to be quite small (\begin{document}$<$\end{document}4 meV), which suggests the high accuracy of the neural network method. The computed low-lying energy levels of the S\begin{document}$_0$\end{document} state and lifetime of the 0\begin{document}$^0$\end{document} state of S\begin{document}$_1$\end{document} on the neural network PESs are found to be in good agreement with those from the earlier diabatic PESs, which validates the accuracy and reliability of the PESs fitted by the neural network approach.     

Atomistic Mechanisms for Catalytic Transformations of NO to NH3, N2O,and N2 by Pd

The industrial pollutant NO is a potential threat to the environment and to human health. Thus, selective catalytic reduction of NO into harmless N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}, and/or N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O gas is of great interest. Among many catalysts, metal Pd has been demonstrated to be most efficient for selectivity of reducing NO to N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. However, the reduction mechanism of NO on Pd, especially the route of N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N bond formation, remains unclear, impeding the development of new, improved catalysts. We report here the elementary reaction steps in the reaction pathway of reducing NO to NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}, N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O, and N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, based on density functional theory (DFT)-based quantum mechanics calculations. We show that the formation of N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O proceeds through an Eley-Rideal (E-R) reaction pathway that couples one adsorbed NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} with one non-adsorbed NO from the solvent or gas phase. This reaction requires high NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} surface coverage, leading first to the formation of the trans-(NO)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} intermediate with a low N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N coupling barrier (0.58 eV). Notably, trans-(NO)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} will continue to react with NO in the solvent to form N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O, that has not been reported. With the consumption of NO and the formation of N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} in the solvent, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism will dominate at this time, and N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}O\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} will be reduced by hydrogenation at a low chemical barrier (0.42 eV) to form N\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. In contrast, NH\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} is completely formed by the L-H reaction, which has a higher chemical barrier (0.87 eV). Our predicted E-R reaction has not previously been reported, but it explains some existing experimental observations. In addition, we examine how catalyst activity might be improved by doping a single metal atom (M) at the NO\begin{document}$^*$\end{document} adsorption site to form M/Pd and show its influence on the barrier for forming the N\begin{document}$-$\end{document}N bond to provide control over the product distribution.     

Improving Interfacial Electrochemistry of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Cathode Coated by Mn3O4

In this work the surface of LiNi\begin{document}$_{0.5}$\end{document}Mn\begin{document}$_{1.5}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} (LMN) particles is modified by Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating through a simple wet grinding method, the electronic conductivity is significantly improved from 1.53\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-7}$\end{document} S/cm to 3.15\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-5}$\end{document} S/cm after 2.6 wt% Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating. The electrochemical test results indicate that Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document} coating dramatically enhances both rate performance and cycling capability (at 55 ℃) of LNM. Among the samples, 2.6 wt% Mn\begin{document}$_{3}$\end{document}O\begin{document}$_{4}$\end{document}-coated LNM not only exhibits excellent rate capability (a large capacity of 108 mAh/g at 10 C rate) but also shows 78% capacity retention at 55 ℃ and 1 C rate after 100 cycles.     

Hydrogen Generation from Water Splitting by Catalysts of Platinum-Based Clusters Pt3X (X=Al,Si, Cu) and CO Oxidation by Their By-Products

Reducing sizes of precious metals and utilization of the mixed small clusters of them as catalysts in reactions are important methods due to more active sites for higher catalytic efficiency. Based on first-principles calculations in this work, we found that the platinum-based clusters of Pt\begin{document}$ _3 $\end{document}X (X = Al, Si, Cu) which have the magic number 4 can effectively catalyze the water decomposition and hydrogen production in just one-step reaction process. The adsorbates of the H\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document}O@Pt\begin{document}$ _3 $\end{document}X clusters have strong absorption in the ultraviolet and visible regions with wavelength from 300 nm to 760 nm, indicating the sunlight can be used to drive catalytic hydrolysis for producing clean hydrogen. In addition, the O atom remains on the clusters after hydrolysis and can react with CO to form CO\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} in activation barrier of 0.34\begin{document}$ - $\end{document}0.58 eV, showing the recycling ability of the products after hydrolysis for eliminating the "poisoning'' CO by oxidation. Moreover, the formed CO\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} molecule can be detached from the Pt\begin{document}$ _3 $\end{document}X clusters at 323 K. Our results provide interesting guidance for practical designing the useful photocatalysts.     

Fabrication of Melamine/Tb3+-Intercalated Polydiacetylene Nanosheets and Their Thermochromic Reversibility

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is one kind of the conjugated polymer with layered structure, which can serve as a host to accommodate the guest components through intercalation. In these intercalated PDAs, some of them were reported to have a nearly perfect organized structure and perform completely reversible thermochromism. Till now, these reported intercalated PDAs were made by only introducing a single component for intercalation. Here, we chose 10, 12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) as the monomer, of which the carboxyl-terminal groups can interact with either Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions or melamines (MAs). When the feeding molar ratio of PCDA, MA, and Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ion was 3:267:1, only Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions were intercalated though excess MAs existed. Such Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document}-intercalated poly-PCDA exhibited completely reversible thermochromism, where almost all the carboxyl groups interacted with Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions to form the nearly perfect structure. When the feeding molar ratio of PCDA, MA, and Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ion was 3:267:0.6, both Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions and MAs were intercalated. There existed some defects in the imperfect MA-intercalated domains and at the domain boundaries. The MA/Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document}-intercalated poly-PCDA exhibits partially reversible thermochromism, where the backbones near the defects are hard to return the initial conformation, while the rest, those at nearly perfect organized domains, are still able to restore the initial conformation.     

Location Effect in a Photocatalytic Hybrid System of Metal-Organic Framework Interfaced with Semiconductor Nanoparticles

We report an ultrafast spectroscopy investigation that addresses the subtle location effect in a prototypical semiconductor-MOF hybrid system with TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} nanoparticles being incorporated inside or supported onto Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, denoted as TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}@Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} and TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}/Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, respectively. By tracking in real time the interface electron dynamics in the hybrid system, we find that the interface states formed between TiO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} and Cu\begin{document}$_3$\end{document}(BTC)\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} can act as an effective relay for electron transfer, whose efficiency rests on the relative location of the two components. It is such a subtle location effect that brings on difference in photocatalytic CO\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} reduction using the two semiconductor-MOF hybrids. The mechanistic understanding of the involved interface electron-transfer behavior and effect opens a helpful perspective for rational design of MOF-based hybrid systems for photoelectrochemical applications.     

Photodissociation Dynamics of CS2 Near 204 nm: The S(3PJ)+CS(X1Σ+)Channels

We study the photodissociation dynamics of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document} in the ultraviolet region using the time-sliced velocity map ion imaging technique. The S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_J$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) product channels were observed and identified at four wavelengths of 201.36, 203.10, 204.85 and 206.61 nm. In the measured images of S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document}), the vibrational states of the CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) co-products were partially resolved and the vibrational state distributions were determined. Moreover, the product total kinetic energy releases and the anisotropic parameters were derived. The relatively small anisotropic parameter values indicate that the S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) channels are very likely formed via the indirect predissociation process of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}. The study of the S(\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}P\begin{document}$_{J=2, 1, 0}$\end{document})+CS(\begin{document}$X^1\Sigma^+$\end{document}) channels, which come from the spin-orbit coupling dissociation process of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, shows that nonadiabatic process plays a role in the ultraviolet photodissociation of CS\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}.     

Influence of Molecular Stacking Pattern on Excited State Dynamics of Copper Phthalocyanine Films

Photophysical processes occurring within organic semiconductors is important for designing and fabricating organic solar cells. Copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) is a typical electron acceptor. In this work, the triplet exciton lifetime is prolonged by altering the molecular stacking pattern of the CuPc film. For CuPc thin films, the excited state decays are mainly determined by the triplet-triplet annihilation process. The ultrafast transient absorption measurements indicate that the primary annihilation mechanism is one-dimensional exciton diffusion collision destruction. The decay kinetics show a clearly time-dependent annihilation rate constant with \begin{document}$\gamma$\end{document}\begin{document}$\propto$\end{document}\begin{document}$t^{-1/2}$\end{document}. Annihilation rate constants are determined to be \begin{document}$\gamma_0$\end{document}=(2.87\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.02)\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-20}$\end{document} cm\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1/2}$\end{document} and (1.42\begin{document}$\pm$\end{document}0.02)\begin{document}$\times$\end{document}10\begin{document}$^{-20}$\end{document} cm\begin{document}$^3$\end{document}\begin{document}$\cdot$\end{document}s\begin{document}$^{-1/2}$\end{document} for upright and lying-down configurations, respectively. Compared to the CuPc thin film with an upright configuration, the thin film with a lying-down configuration shows longer exciton lifetime and higher absorbance, which are beneficial to organic solar cells. The results in this work have important implications on the design and mechanistic understanding of organic optoelectronic devices.