Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Poly(triazine imide)

Poly(triazine imide) was synthesized with incorporation of Li⁺ and Cl^? ions (PTI/Li⁺Cl^?) to form a carbon nitride derivative. The synthesis of this material by the temperature‐induced condensation of dicyandiamide was examined both in a eutectic mixture of LiCl–KCl and without KCl. On the basis of X‐ray diffraction measurements of the synthesized materials, we suggest that a stoichiometric amount of LiCl is necessary to obtain the PTI/Li⁺Cl^? phase without requiring the presence of KCl at 873 K. PTI/Li⁺Cl^? with modification by either Pt or CoO_x as cocatalyst photocatalytically produced H₂ or O₂, respectively, from water. The production of H₂ or O₂ from water indicates that the valence and conduction bands of PTI/Li⁺Cl^? were properly located to achieve overall water splitting. The treatment of PTI/Li⁺Cl^? with [Pt(NH₃)₄]²⁺ cations enabled the deposition of Pt through ion exchange, demonstrating photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution, while treatment with [PtCl₆]^2? anions resulted in no Pt deposition. This was most likely because of the preferential exchange between Li⁺ ions and [Pt(NH₃)₄]²⁺ cations.     

Poly(triazine imide) with intercalation of lithium and chloride ions [(C3N3)2(NH(x)Li(1-x))3⋅LiCl]: a crystalline 2D carbon nitride network

Poly(triazine imide) with intercalation of lithium and chloride ions (PTI/Li⁺Cl^?) was synthesized by temperature‐induced condensation of dicyandiamide in a eutectic mixture of lithium chloride and potassium chloride as solvent. By using this ionothermal approach the well‐known problem of insufficient crystallinity of carbon nitride (CN) condensation products could be overcome. The structural characterization of PTI/Li⁺Cl^? resulted from a complementary approach using spectroscopic methods as well as different diffraction techniques. Due to the high crystallinity of PTI/Li⁺Cl^? a structure solution from both powder X‐ray and electron diffraction patterns using direct methods was possible; this yielded a triazine‐based structure model, in contrast to the proposed fully condensed heptazine‐based structure that has been reported recently. Further information from solid‐state NMR and FTIR spectroscopy as well as high‐resolution TEM investigations was used for Rietveld refinement with a goodness‐of‐fit (χ²) of 5.035 and wRp=0.05937. PTI/Li⁺Cl^? (P6₃cm (no. 185); a=846.82(10), c=675.02(9) pm) is a 2D network composed of essentially planar layers made up from imide‐bridged triazine units. Voids in these layers are stacked upon each other forming channels running parallel to [001], filled with Li⁺ and Cl^? ions. The presence of salt ions in the nanocrystallites as well as the existence of sp²‐hybridized carbon and nitrogen atoms typical of graphitic structures was confirmed by electron energy‐loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements. Solid‐state NMR spectroscopy investigations using ¹⁵N‐labeled PTI/Li⁺Cl^? proved the absence of heptazine building blocks and NH₂ groups and corroborated the highly condensed, triazine‐based structure model.     

EMK-Messungen in binären unsymmetrischen Salzschmelzen aus Strontiumchlorid und Alkalimetallchloriden

The EMF of cells with transference of the type Cl₂, C/MeCl ? SrCl₂? MeCl(x)/C, Cl₂ is measured in the molten mixtures SrCl₂? MeCl (Me ? Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs). From the EMF-values and values of aktivities from another independent methods the transference numbers of the cations Sr²⁺ and Me⁺ relative to the chloride ion in the molten mixtures SrCl₂? LiCl, SrCl₂? NaCl and SrCl₂? KCl are calculated. The values of aktivities for the systems SrCl₂? LiCl and SrCl₂? NaCl are calculated from cryoscopic analysis of the eutectic phase diagrams.     

Dechlorination of molten chloride waste salt from electrorefining via ion-exchange using pelletized ultra-stable H-Y zeolite in a fluidized particle reactor

Dechlorination of eutectic LiCl–KCl based electrorefiner (ER) salt is reported via ion-exchange reaction with protonated ultrastable Y-type (USHY) zeolite bound into mechanically fluidized 45–250 μm diameter particles. Evidence of exchange of cations from the salt (Li⁺, K⁺, and fission product cations) into the zeolite lattice replacing H⁺ ions was found based on a change in unit cell size, ICP-MS, XRD and TEM–EDS in addition to detection of HCl off gas. Ion exchange reaction was carried out at 625 and 650 °C, temperatures above the melting point of eutectic LiCl–KCl. Experiments were carried out to optimize zeolite drying temperature, estimate maximum ion-exchange capacity, and determine the thermal stability of USHY zeolite. The results indicate over 90% dechlorination can be achieved without zeolite structure collapse at 625 °C. This provides a promising route to stabilizing waste from radioactive chloride salts into dechlorinated waste forms for permanent geologic disposal.

     

Non-ergodic effect of LiCl on the anionic polymerization of styrene in ether-solvents. Specific solvation of Li+ ions in THF solution and prevention of this effect by LiCl

In this work conductance measurements were performed on polystyryllithium PStLi in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the concentration range of 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ at various temperatures between −60°C and 20°C. The comparison with the other alkali salts shows that in these solutions Li⁺ gives specific interactions with partial electronic charge transfer from the solvent molecules, presumably of the formula LiS₄⁺. A quantitative treatment shows that at 25°C the extrapolated stabilization factor K_S is larger than 50000 but rapidly drops for the heavier alkali ions: 3000 for Na⁺, 200 for K⁺ and negligible for C_s⁺. Surprisingly, such a stabilization is not observed for LiCl, although the ionic radii of the anions are quite comparable. The conductances κ at given concentration C of the electrolyte are 100 times smaller. Furthermore the curves of κ² versus C exhibit in this case an important curvature whereas they are practically linear for PStLi. The absence of specific solvation for LiCl seems thus to be accompanied by the formation of triple ions. Due to the symmetry of the electrolyte the formation of both triple anions ClLiCl⁻ and cations LiClLi⁺ has to be considered. Moreover, the concentrations of these ions is then always much smaller than that of the neutral dimer LiClLiCl, even if the extent of dimerization of LiCl remains small. The triple ions therefore appear as related to the dissociation of the dimer. This means that through the intermediate formation of the neutral dimer the couples triple ion - counterfoil perpetually exchange an LiCl entity in the course of time: Li⁺ + ClLiCl⁻⇋ LiClLiCl ⇋ LiClLi⁺ + Cl⁻. Only in the dimer the central LiCl is in possession of the (negative) energy of the insertion bond. In the solution this bond can be attributed neither to ClLiCl⁻ nor to LiClLi⁺. These entities have to be considered as transient ones during the life-time of which the energy of the insertion bond is transferred to the medium or vice-versa and which possess the energy of the insertion bond only during half of their life-time. The energy of such entities is thus not unambiguously defined in the ensemble at a given time and the ergodic principle does not hold. Such transient species cannot be specifically solvated by the solvent molecules because this would prevent the necessary passage through the dimer form. It is therefore the dimerization of LiCl which opposes itself to the formation of LiS₄⁺ in the THF solutions. Quantitatively the problem can be treated by a thermodynamics based not on ensemble fractions but on time fractions. One considers that a given LiCl can only give solvated ions during a fraction ξ_C° of the time and that during the remaining fraction it participates in a dissociation process which passes through the formation of non-ergodic triple ions and neutral dimers. (1-ξ_C°)/ξ_C° is equal to K^aC^3/2/[(1 + K_S)K^do]^½ where K^a is the non-ergodic equilibrium constant governing the formation of dimers and higher aggregates and K^do the dissociation constant of LiCl in non-solvated ions. This non-ergodic treatment also allows to describe quantitatively the strange conductometric behaviour of ternary solutions of LiCl and PStLi in THF. The addition of amounts of LiCl in a mole ratio of 7/1 to a given solution of PStLi increases unexpectedly in a very spectacular way the conductivity and provokes the appearance of a non-linear term in the κ² versus concentration function. In fact this behaviour is due to the replacement of a LiCl entity in the dimers by a PStLi molecule, yielding mixed dimers LiClLiStP. The displaced LiCl molecules are again susceptible of ergodic dissociation and specific solvation of the Li⁺ ions which originate from this dissociation. Thus for the LiCl entities the time fraction ξ_C increases. Moreover, at higher concentrations the dissociation of the mixed dimers leads to an important formation of non-ergodic triple anions: Li⁺ + ClLiStP⁻ ⇋ LiClLiStP ⇋ LiClLi⁺ + StP⁻ where the entity LiCl constantly jumps in the course of time from an StP⁻ to an Li⁺ and vice-versa.     

Détermination par spectrophotométrie d'absorption du potentiel normal du couple Cu(II)/Cu(I) dans les chlorures alcalins fondus

The reaction Cu²⁺ + Cl^? ? Cu⁺ + $\text{1}\text{2}$ Cl₂ has been studied in three different solvents—LiCl—KCl (70–30 % mol), eutectic LiCl–KCl (58–42 % mol) and LiCl–CsCl (55–45 % mol) at different temperatures by visible and near i.r. spectrophotometry. Equilibrium constants are calculated. The standard potential of the couple Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ with reference to the standard potential of Cl₂/2Cl^?, as well as the thermodynamic quantities $\text{Δ}\text{H}$ and $\text{Δ}\text{S}$ in the range 400–600 °C, have been deduced.     

Strengthening Aqueous Electrolytes without Strengthening Water

Aqueous electrolytes typically suffer from poor electrochemical stability; however, eutectic aqueous solutions—25 wt.% LiCl and 62 wt.% H₃PO₄—cooled to −78 °C exhibit a significantly widened stability window. Integrated experimental and simulation results reveal that, upon cooling, Li⁺ ions become less hydrated and pair up with Cl⁻, ice-like water clusters form, and H⋅⋅⋅Cl⁻ bonding strengthens. Surprisingly, this low-temperature solvation structure does not strengthen water molecules’ O−H bond, bucking the conventional wisdom that increasing water's stability requires stiffening the O−H covalent bond. We propose a more general mechanism for water's low temperature inertness in the electrolyte: less favorable solvation of OH⁻ and H⁺, the byproducts of hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. To showcase this stability, we demonstrate an aqueous Li-ion battery using LiMn₂O₄ cathode and CuSe anode with a high energy density of 109 Wh/kg. These results highlight the potential of aqueous batteries for polar and extraterrestrial missions.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of ionic transport on molten Li–KCl interface

A molecular dynamics study is performed to determine the dynamics and transport properties of the ions on the molten interface between anode metal Li and electrolyte KCl. Radial distribution function of the ionic pair and the behavior of the mean‐square displacement (MSD) as a function of time (t) indicate that KCl and metal Li are in the molten state at 2,200 K in the canonical ensemble. The dynamics of the ionic transport are characterized by studying MSD for the centers of mass of the ions at different temperatures. Diffusion coefficient is evaluated from the linear slope of the MSD (t) function in the range of 0–500 ps. The MSD and diffusion coefficient of the Li⁺ ions are much larger than those of the Cl^? and K⁺ ions due to the difference in ionic characteristic. The transport process has been dominated by the Li⁺ ions on the molten interface and the Li⁺ ions are main charge carriers. The energy barrier of the Li⁺ ions transporting into the molten KCl is fitted to be 5.28 kcal/mol in the light of the activation model. The electrical conductivity of the Li⁺ ions transporting into the molten KCl are calculated from the Nernst–Einstein formula to be in the range of 0.2–0.3 S cm^?1. The current density resulted from the Li⁺ ions through the interface are estimated to be an order of 10⁶ A cm^?2, which may be the value corresponding to a larger concentration gradient of the Li⁺ ions. Simulated results at different temperatures show that the diffusion coefficient, conductivity and current density have increased with the temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Electrophilic catalysis in nucleophilic substitution reactions in ionic liquids

2-Chlorotropone was obtained from 2-tosyloxytropone in 88% yield in the recyclable ionic medium BMIMBF₄/LiCl. That Li⁺ acts as a Lewis acid was proven by the lack of reactivity of 2-tosyloxytropone, under the above conditions, on replacing LiCl with NaCl or BMIMCl, or using BMIMCl alone, or a BMIMBF₄/MeCN/KCl mixture. 2-Bromo- and 2-iodotropone were obtained along similar lines from LiBr or LiI, respectively, whereas LiF proved unreactive.     

The pair polarizabilities of Li+/Li+ and Cl−/Cl−

Ab initio SCF MO energies and pair polarizabilities are reported for the pairs Li⁺/Li⁺ and Cl^?/Cl^? over the ranges of internuclear separation which are of importance in molten LiCl. The shapes of the β(R) curves resemble those of inert gas diatoms. The Cl^?/Cl^? interaction is predicted to make a rather small contribution to those properties of molten LiCl which depend on $\text{α}$⁽²⁾(R), and a larger contribution to properties which depend on β(R). The Li⁺/Li⁺ interaction contributes almost nothing to the bulk polarizability.     

A Multiple Structure‐Design Strategy towards Ultrathin Niobate Perovskite Nanosheets with Thickness‐Dependent Photocatalytic Hydrogen‐Evolution Performance

Hydrogen production by catalytic water splitting using sunlight holds great promise for clean and sustainable energy source. Despite the efforts made in the past decades, challenges still exist in pursuing solid catalysts with light‐harvesting capacity, large surface areas and efficient utilities of the photogenerated carrier, at the same time. Here, a multiple structure design strategy leading to highly enhanced photocatalytic performance on hydrogen production from water splitting in Dion–Jacobson perovskites KCa₂Na_{n ‐3}Nb_n O_{3n +1} is described. Specifically, chemical doping (N/Nb⁴⁺) of the parent oxides via ammoniation improved the ability of sunlight harvesting efficiently; subsequent liquid exfoliation of the doped perovskites yielded ultrathin [Ca₂Na_{n ‐3}Nb_n O_{3n +1}]⁻ nanosheets with greatly increased surface areas. Significantly, the maximum hydrogen evolution appears in the n =4 nanosheets, which suggests the most favorable thickness for charge separation in such perovskite‐type catalysts. The optimized black N/Nb⁴⁺‐[Ca₂NaNb₄O₁₃]⁻ nanosheets show greatly enhanced photocatalytic performance, as high as 973 μmol h⁻¹ with Pt loading, on hydrogen evolution from water splitting. As a proof‐of‐concept, this work highlights the feasibility of combining various chemical strategies towards better catalysts and precise thickness control of two‐dimensional materials.     

Automated chromatographic separation coupled on-line to ICP-MS measurements for the quantification of actinides and radiostrontium in soil samples

The uranium (III) ions behaviour in fused 3LiCl–2KCl eutectic versus the Cl^?/Cl₂ reference electrode in the temperature range of 723–823 K on the liquid cadmium electrode by transient electrochemical techniques on the tungsten or molybdenum electrodes was studied. The mechanism of electrochemical reduction on cadmium cathode and the influence of temperature, cathode current density and the duration of electrolysis were studied. The activity coefficients and the base thermodynamic properties of uranium in fused U–Cd/3LiCl–2KCl system were calculated.     

Cellobiose as a model compound for cellulose to study the interactions in cellulose/lithium chloride/<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methyl-2-pyrrolidone systems

To investigate the solvent/solute interactions that take place during the dissolution of cellulose, cellobiose was employed as a model of the longer-chain cellulose molecule in a dissolution study of the cellobiose/LiCl/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) system, conducted using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), ¹³C, ³⁵Cl, and ⁷Li NMR spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements. For the LiCl/NMP system, FTIR and ¹³C NMR analyses of the NMP carbonyl moiety showed a strong dependence on the LiCl concentration, which suggested an association between the Li⁺ cations and the carbonyl groups of NMP. As the cellobiose molecules are dissolved in the LiCl/NMP solvent, the Li⁺–Cl^? ion-pairs in LiCl/NMP are dissociated. Strong hydrogen bonds are then formed between the hydroxyl groups of cellobiose and the Cl^? anions, resulting in breakage of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds of cellobiose. Meanwhile, the Li⁺ cations are further associated with the extra free NMP molecules. However, the NMP molecules do not directly interact with the dissolved cellobiose. Based on these results, we propose that our study is conducive to a more in-depth comprehension of the dissolution mechanism of cellulose in LiCl/NMP.     

Spectroelectrochemistry of EuCl3 in Four Molten Salt Eutectics; 3 LiCl−NaCl, 3 LiCl−2 KCl,LiCl−RbCl,and 3 LiCl−2 CsCl; at 873 K

Key electrochemical properties affecting pyroprocessing of nuclear fuel were examined in four eutectic melts using Eu^3+/2+ as a representative probe. We report the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical behavior of EuCl₃ in four molten salt eutectics (3 LiCl?NaCl, 3 LiCl?2 KCl, LiCl?RbCl and 3 LiCl?2 CsCl) at 873 K. Cyclic voltammetry was used to determine the reduction potential for Eu^3+/2+ and the applied potentials for spectroelectrochemistry. Single step chronoabsorptometry and thin‐layer spectroelectrochemistry were used to obtain the number of electrons transferred, reduction potentials and diffusion coefficients for Eu³⁺ in each eutectic melt. The reduction potentials determined by thin‐layer spectroelectrochemistry were essentially the same as those obtained using cyclic voltammetry. The diffusion coefficient for Eu³⁺ was the largest in the 3 LiCl?NaCl melt, showed a negative shift in the 3 LiCl?2 KCl melt, and was the smallest in the LiCl?RbCl and 3 LiCl?2 CsCl eutectic melts. The basic one‐electron reversible electron transfer for Eu^3+/2+ was not affected by melt composition.     

Aggregation Behaviour of Some Reactive Dyes

The absorption spectra of aqueous solutions of monochlorotriazine reactive dyes, C.I. Reactive Red 9 and Reactive Orange 13 were measured in the presence of 5, 10, 25 and 50% (v/v) of ethanol, pyridine and dioxane-water mixtures and in varied concentrations of KCl, NaCl and LiCl. The varying position, intensity and shape of absorption bands are interpreted in terms of aggregation and disaggregation of dyes in solutions. The aggregation behaviour of the reactive dyes in solutions and in the presence of additives is related to their apparent deviations from Beer's law and aggregation numbers (N). The aggregation constant (K.) of the monomer/dimer equilibrium is calculated. Dyes in ethanol-water mixtures record a larger aggregation number and aggregation constant than in the presence of pyridine. Dioxane is classified as anon-polar solvent and hence has a more disaggregating influence. The value of the aggregation number and constant are increased with increasing salt conentration and the order of degree of aggregation is KCl > NaCl > LiCl related to the order of ionic radii of K⁺, Na⁺ and Li⁺ ions.     

Foreword

Electrochemical behaviors of U⁴⁺ in LiCl–KCl–UF₄ eutectic and deposition of U metal were investigated. It was found that the presence of F^? has influence on the diffusion of U³⁺ and U⁴⁺ as comparing to data obtained in pure chloride molten salts. Electrochemical deposition of U was carried out by using pulse current electrolysis. Characterization results indicate that U metal was obtained at the cathode, implying U metal can be directly deposited from LiCl–KCl–UF₄ eutectic in this case and the extractive ratio is calculated to be 98%. Our results demonstrate feasible separation of U from LiCl–KCl–UF₄ molten salt by electrochemical method.     

Highly sensitive fluorescence detection of chloride ion in aqueous solution with Ag-modified porous g-C3N4 nanosheets

The porous g-C₃N₄ (PCN) nanosheets are successfully synthesized and further modified with nano-sized Ag by a simple wet-chemical process. Interestingly, the Ag-modified porous g-C₃N₄ (Ag-PCN) nanosheets exhibit competitive fluorescence detection performance of chloride ion (Cl⁻) in aqueous solution. Under the optimized conditions, the concentration of Cl⁻ could be quantitative analyzed with the Ag-PCN in a wide detection range from 0.5 mmol/L to 0.1 mol/L, with a low detection limitation of 0.06 mmol/L. It is confirmed that the fluorescence of PCN could be effectively decayed by the photoinduced charge transfer via the adsorbed Cl⁻ for trapping holes, mainly by means of the time-resolved fluorescence and surface photovoltage spectra. The porous structure and modified Ag promote the adsorption of Cl⁻ on resulting Ag-PCN, leading to excellent fluorescence detection for Cl⁻. This work provides a feasible route to develop a fluorescence detection of Cl⁻ with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets in environment water.     

Lack of salt effect on the kinetics of the reaction SO2−4 + H3O+ → HSO−4 + H2O

It is found that the broadening of the 1100-cm⁻¹ line of SO⁻²₄, caused by increasing [H₃O⁺], is unaffected by addition of 4 M LiCl, NaBr, KCl and NH₄Cl. This finding is in line with the lack of influence of NaCl reported earlier. The significance of these findings, in terms of the reaction mechanism, is discussed.     

Oxoacidity reactions in molten LiCl+KCl eutectic (at 470°C): Potentiometric study of the equilibria of exchange of O2− between Al(III) systems and carbonate and water systems

The reactions between aluminium chloride and oxide anion were studied in molten LiCl+KCl eutectic at 470°C. For that purpose, a pO^2? indicator electrode made with a membrane in yttria-stabilized zirconia has been used and tested by means of a carbonate ion whose dissociation constant, 10^?2.15 atm, was determined. Then, the electrode has allowed us to obtain the formation constant of AlO⁺ (solvated by Cl^?) and the solubility product of Al₂O₃ (S): 10^10.7 and 10^?27.4, respectively (molality scale). The equilibrium constant of the following system: 2HCl (g)+O^2? agH₂O (g)+2Cl^? has also been determined: 10^?9.93 atm mol kg^?1. The conditional solubility of alumina in LiCl+KCl melt is discussed.