Flexible asymmetric supercapacitor with high energy density based on optimized MnO2 cathode and Fe2O3 anode

A flexible asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled using MnO₂ nanosheets/carbon fabric and Fe₂O₃/carbon fabric electrodes. By optimizing the reaction condition of the two electrodes, the device shows high energy densities and excellent flexibility.     

Synthesis of porous biocarbon supported Ni3S4/CeO2 nanocomposite as high-efficient electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors

Biocarbon-supported polymetallic composites (CAS@Ni₃S₄/CeO₂) were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal process. The as-prepared CAS@Ni₃S₄/CeO₂ materials integrated the advantages of transition metal sulfides (good conductivity), rare-earth metal oxides (excellent stability), as well as porous carbon with high surface area, thus exhibiting promising electrochemical performance in supercapacitor applications. Indeed, the optimal CAS@Ni₃S₄/CeO₂-150 composite displayed a high specific capacitance of 1364 F g^?1 and impressive cycle performance with capacitance retention of 93.81 % after 10,000 cycles. The calculation of capacitance contribution showed that the satisfying behavior of the electrode was a combination of the diffusion process and the surface capacitance characteristics. Furthermore, the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor (CAS@Ni₃S₄/CeO₂-150//CAS) delivered an ultrahigh energy density of 102.76 Wh kg^?1, which was better than that of the commercial activated carbon-based ASC device. This novel strategy might provide a new perspective for transition metal sulfide/rare earth metal oxide composite in the electrochemical energy storage field.     

In Situ Growth of MnO2 Nanosheets on N‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes Derived from Polypyrrole Tubes for Supercapacitors

Nitrogen‐doped porous carbon nanotubes@MnO₂ (N‐CNTs@MnO₂) nanocomposites are prepared through the in situ growth of MnO₂ nanosheets on N‐CNTs derived from polypyrrole nanotubes (PNTs). Benefiting from the synergistic effects between N‐CNTs (high conductivity and N doping level) and MnO₂ nanosheets (high theoretical capacity), the as‐prepared N‐CNTs@MnO₂‐800 nanocomposites show a specific capacitance of 219 F g^?1 at a current density of 1.0 A g^?1, which is higher than that of pure MnO₂ nanosheets (128 F g^?1) and PNTs (42 F g^?1) in 0.5 m Na₂SO₄ solution. Meanwhile, the capacitance retention of 86.8 % (after 1000 cycles at 10 A g^?1) indicates an excellent electrochemical performance of N‐CNTs@MnO₂ prepared in this work.     

Asymmetric supercapacitors based on high capacitance Ni6MnO8 and graphene

A fast, facile and cost-effective method is used to synthesize Ni₆MnO₈ electrode with high electrochemical performance. The supercapacitor based on Ni₆MnO₈ electrode exhibits excellent stability, high area specific capacitance and promising energy and power density.     

Boosting the Energy Density of Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitor with Three Dimensional Fe2O3 Composite Brush Anode

Flexible asymmetric supercapacitor is fabricated with three dimensional(3D)Fe2O3/Ni(OH)2 composite brush anode and Ni(OH)2/MoO2 honeycomb cathode.Particularly for 3D composite brush anode,a layer of thin Fe2O3 film is firmly adhered on a 3D Ni brush current collector with the assist of Ni(OH)2,functioning as both adherence layer and pseudocapacitive active material.The unique 3D Ni brush current collector possesses large surface area and stretching architecture,which facilitate to achieve the composite anode with high gravimetric capacitance of 2158 F/g.In terms of cathode,Ni(OH)2 and MoO2 have a synergistic effect to improve the specific capacitance,and the resulting Ni(OH)2/MoO2 honeycomb cathode shows a very high gravimetric capacitance up to 3264 F/g.The asymmetric supercapacitor(ASC)has balanced cathode and anode,and exhibits an ultrahigh gravimetric capacitance of 1427 F/g and an energy density of 476 W·h/kg.The energy density of ASC is 3-4 times higher than those of other reported aqueous electrolyte-based supercapacitors and even comparable to that of commercial lithium ion batteries.The device also shows marginal capacitance degradation after 1000 cycles'bending test,demonstrating its potency in the application of flexible energy storage devices.     

Composites based on HDPE filled with BaTiO3 submicrometric particles. Morphology,structure and dielectric properties

Composites of high density polyethylene, HDPE, filled with submicrometric particles of BaTiO₃, BT, have been prepared. Uniform dispersion of the particles was achieved by high energy ball milling and subsequent hot pressing. Using SEM, FTIR, TGA-DTA and stress-strain tests, studies of the structural, morphological and mechanical features of the composites have been carried out. Frequency response analysis, dielectric strength and resistivity measurements were also performed to evaluate the final electrical properties as a function of the processing and the amount of BaTiO₃ particles. From the analysis of the microscopic structure, it can be deduced that any change in the properties of the materials must be solely ascribed to the presence of the BT particles. A balance between an enhancement of space charge polarization with the presence of BT and the existence of permanent dipoles associated to them might explain an initial increase in the dielectric losses with the BT content, and its later decrease at higher BT content. The observed decrease in resistivity and breakdown voltage when increasing the amount of BaTiO₃ can be explained by the lower resistivity of BT particles at room temperature and the growing accumulation of space charge.     

β‐Co(OH)2 Nanosheets: A Superior Pseudocapacitive Electrode for High‐Energy Supercapacitors

In this work, β‐Co(OH)₂ nanosheets are explored as efficient pseudocapacitive materials for the fabrication of 1.6 V class high‐energy supercapacitors in asymmetric fashion. The as‐synthesized β‐Co(OH)₂ nanosheets displayed an excellent electrochemical performance owing to their unique structure, morphology, and reversible reaction kinetics (fast faradic reaction) in both the three‐electrode and asymmetric configuration (with activated carbon, AC). For example, in the three‐electrode set‐up, β‐Co(OH)₂ exhibits a high specific capacitance of ∼675 F g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 1 mV s⁻¹. In the asymmetric supercapacitor, the β‐Co(OH)₂∥AC cell delivers a maximum energy density of 37.3 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 800 W kg⁻¹. Even at harsh conditions (8 kW kg⁻¹), an energy density of 15.64 Wh kg⁻¹ is registered for the β‐Co(OH)₂∥AC assembly. Such an impressive performance of β‐Co(OH)₂ nanosheets in the asymmetric configuration reveals the emergence of pseudocapacitive electrodes towards the fabrication of high‐energy electrochemical charge storage systems.     

Supramolecular chiral phosphorous ligands based on a [2]pseudorotaxane complex for asymmetric hydrogenation

A new type of supramolecular chiral phosphorus-based ligands was prepared from easily available monodentate ligands through complexation between dibenzylammonium salt and dibenzo[24]crown-8 macrocycle. Rhodium complexes with these supramolecular ligands were prepared, and the supramolecular bidentate ligand-containing catalyst has demonstrated better catalytic activity for all substrates, and higher enantioselectivity except for the ortho-substituted substrates than those obtained from the parent monodentate ligand in the asymmetric hydrogenation of α-dehydroamino acid esters.     

Engineering of yolk-shelled FeSe2@nitrogen-doped carbon as advanced cathode for potassium-ion batteries

Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) have become the most promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage system due to their abundance and low cost. However, previous reports focused on the intercalation-type cathode materials usually showed an inferior capacity, together with a poor cyclic life caused by the repetitive intercalation of large-size K-ions, which hinders their practical application. Here, we combine the strategies of carbon coating, template etching and hydrothermal selenization to prepare yolk-shelled FeSe₂@N-doped carbon nanoboxes (FeSe₂@C NBs), where the inner highly-crystalline FeSe₂ clusters are completely surrounded by the self-supported carbon shell. The integrated and highly conductive carbon shell not only provides a fast electron/ion diffusion channel, but also prevents the agglomeration of FeSe₂ clusters. When evaluated as a conversion-type cathode material for KIBs, the FeSe₂@C NBs electrode delivers a relatively high specific capacity of 257 mAh/g at 100 mA/g and potential platform of about 1.6 V, which endow a high energy density of about 411 Wh/kg. Most importantly, by designing a robust host with large internal void space to accommodate the volumetric variation of the inner FeSe₂ clusters, the battery based on FeSe₂@C NBs exhibits ultra-long cycle stability. Specifically, even after 700 cycles at 100 mA/g, a capacity of 221 mAh/g along with an average fading rate of only 0.02% can be retained, which achieves the optimal balance of high specific capacity and long-cycle stability.     

Hierarchical NiCo2S4 Nanotube@NiCo2S4 Nanosheet Arrays on Ni Foam for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanotube@NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays on Ni foam have been successfully synthesized. Owing to the unique hierarchical structure, enhanced capacitive performance can be attained. A specific capacitance up to 4.38 F cm^?2 is attained at 5 mA cm^?2, which is much higher than the specific capacitance values of NiCo₂O₄ nanosheet arrays, NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays and NiCo₂S₄ nanotube arrays on Ni foam. The hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructure shows superior cycling stability; after 5000 cycles, the specific capacitance still maintains 3.5 F cm^?2. In addition, through the morphology and crystal structure measurement after cycling stability test, it is found that the NiCo₂S₄ electroactive materials are gradually corroded; however, the NiCo₂S₄ phase can still be well‐maintained. Our results show that hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructures are suitable electroactive materials for high performance supercapacitors.     

A new easily accessible chiral phosphite-phosphoramidite ligand based on 2-anilinoethanol and R-BINOL moieties for Rh-catalyzed asymmetric olefin hydrogenation

A novel chiral phosphite-phosphoramidite ligand based on 2-anilinoethanol and R-BINOL moieties has been synthesized in one-pot. The ligand was evaluated in the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of α- and β-dehydroamino acid derivatives and dimethyl itaconate in three different solvents at 25 °C, at 1 or 50 bar of hydrogen pressure. The solvent and the pressure effect are discussed.     

Rheological investigation of the influence of molecular structure on natural and accelerated UV degradation of linear low density polyethylene

Metallocene and Ziegler-Natta (ZN) linear low density polyethylenes (LLDPEs) of different branch types and contents as well as linear high density polyethylene (HDPE) were exposed to natural and accelerated weather conditions. The degree of UV degradation of exposed samples was measured by rheological techniques and results were compared with unexposed polymers. Dynamic shear measurements were performed in an ARES rheometer in the linear viscoelastic range. The degree of enhancement or reduction in viscosity and elasticity was used as a measure of the degree of cross-linking or chain scission, respectively. The degradation results of LLDPE suggest that both cross-linking and chain scission are taking place. Chain scission dominated the degradation at high levels of short chain branching (SCB) and long exposure times. The degradation mechanism of m-LLDPE and ZN-LLDPE is similar; however, m-LLDPE showed a higher degradation rate than ZN-LLDPE of similar M_w and average SCB. ZN-LLDPE was found to be more stable than a similar m-LLDPE. Comonomer type had little influence on degradation. Dynamic shear rheology was very useful in revealing the influence of different molecular parameters and it exposed the degradation mechanism.     

Crystal structure and DFT calculations of Cp2NbH(SiIMe2)(SiFMe2): an asymmetric bis(silyl) niobocene hydride complex

An asymmetric bis(silyl) niobocene hydride complex, namely, bis(η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)(fluorodimethylsilyl)hydrido(iododimethylsilyl)niobium, [Nb(C₅H₅)₂(C₂H₆FSi)(C₂H₆ISi)H] or Cp₂NbH(SiIMe₂)(SiFMe₂), has been studied to determine the effect of the silyl ligand on the position of the hydride attached to the Nb atom. It has been shown that when a Group 17 atom is substituted onto one of the silyl ligands, there is a greater interaction between the hydride and this ligand, as demonstrated by a shorter Si…H distance. In the present work, we have investigated the effect when the silyl ligands are substituted by different Group 17 atoms. We present here the structure and DFT calculations of Cp₂NbH(SiIMe₂)(SiFMe₂), showing that the position of the hydride is located between the two silyl ligands. The results from our investigation show that the hydride is closer to the silyl ligand that is substituted by fluorine.     

Periodic DFT investigation on the structure and properties of TNAD crystal

Density function theory calculations were performed at the GGA/PW91, GGA/PBE, and LDA/CA‐PZ levels to study the structures and properties of the crystalline TNAD (trans‐1,4,5,8‐tetranitrotetraazadecalin). The relaxed crystal structure compares well with the experimental data. Analysis on the band structures shows that the frontier energy bands are generally quite flat, and the energy gap between the highest occupied crystal orbital and the lowest unoccupied crystal orbital is about 3.4 eV, indicating that the crystal is an electrical insulator. All the atoms of TNAD make up both the lower and the higher energy bands. The projection of density of state demonstrates that the N? NO₂ bond is the most reactive region of the material. The lattice energy is predicted to be ?155.13 kJ/mol at the LDA/CA‐PZ level, consistent with the previous studies, whereas it is underestimated by the GGA/PW91 (?70.41 kJ/mol) and GGA/PBE (?74.33 kJ/mol). The optical properties under ambient condition were investigated, including dielectric function, absorption coefficient, and reflectivity. The calculated absorption spectra show a number of absorption peaks in the fundamental absorption region, which are believed to be associated with different exciton states. And the reflectivity spectra are mainly composed of four peak structures, where the magnitude changes in the order of GGA/PBE < GGA/PW91 < LDA/CA‐PZ on the whole. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

A novel synthesis, including asymmetric synthesis, of 2,4,4-trisubstituted 2-cyclopentenones based on the reaction of 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides with acetonitrile and its homologues

Reaction of 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides, which were synthesized from chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide and ketones in high overall yields, with cyanomethyllithium (lithium α-carbanion of acetonitrile) gave adducts in high to quantitative yields. The adducts were treated with LDA followed by lithium α-carbanion of the homologues of acetonitrile to give 3,5,5-trisubstituted enaminonitriles in good to high yields. Hydrolysis of the enaminonitriles under acidic conditions gave 2,4,4-trisubstituted 2-cyclopentenones in good yields. By using the optically active chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide and unsymmetrical ketones, this procedure gave the optically pure 2,4,4-trisubstituted 2-cyclopentenones. The scope and limitations of this method and the mechanism of the reactions are also discussed. These procedures offer a new and effective method for the synthesis of 2,4,4-trisubstituted 2-cyclopentenones from four components, ketones, chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, and its homologues.     

LaSeTe2-temperature dependent structure investigation and electron holography on a charge-density-wave-hosting compound

Single crystals of LaSeTe(2) have been prepared by reaction of the elements in a LiCl/RbCl flux at 970 K for seven days. Satellite reflections observed in diffraction experiments indicate the presence of an incommensurate lattice distortion, which is of the charge-density-wave (CDW) type. The modulated structure has been solved from X-ray data at 173, 293, and 373 K. LaSeTe(2) crystallizes in the 3+1-dimensional orthorhombic superspace group Cmcm(00gamma)s00 (No. 63.2) with lattice parameters of a=4.295(1), b=25.371(4), c=4.306(1) A (173 K), a=4.297(1), b=25.408(4), c=4.309(1) A (293 K), and a=4.309(1), b=25.481(6), c=4.321(1) A (373 K). The modulation vector q=(0, 0, 0.288) does not change over the temperature interval. Electron holographic investigations confirm the existence of the modulation and help to visualize the charge-density wave.     

Extensive conformational searches of 13 representative dipeptides and an efficient method for dipeptide structure determinations based on amino acid conformers

Conformations of peptides are the basis for their property studies and the predictions of peptide structures are highly important in life science but very complex in practice. Here, thorough searches on the potential energy surfaces of 13 representative dipeptides by considering all possible combinations of the bond rotational degrees of freedom are performed using the density functional theory based methods. Careful analyses of the conformers of the 13 dipeptides and the corresponding amino acids reveal the connections between the structures of dipeptide and amino acids. A method for finding all important dipeptide conformers by optimizing a small number of trial structures generated by suitable superposition of the parent amino acid conformations is thus proposed. Applying the method to another eight dipeptides carefully examined by others shows that the new approach is both highly efficient and reliable by providing the most complete ensembles of dipeptide conformers and much improved agreements between the theoretical and experimental IR spectra. The method opens the door for the determination of the stable structures of all dipeptides with a manageable amount of effort. Preliminary result on the applicability of the method to the tripeptide structure determination is also presented. The results are the first step towards proving Anfinsen's hypothesis by revealing the relationships between the structures of the simplest peptide and its constituting amino acids. It implies that the structures of peptides are not only determined by their amino acid sequences, but also closely linked with the amino acid conformations. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009     

Polynitro Containing Energetic Materials based on Carbonyldiisocyanate and 2, 2‐Dinitropropane‐1, 3‐diol

New polynitro compounds containing a carbonyl biscarbamate moiety derived from the precursor carbonyldiisocyanate were synthesized. In addition, 2, 2‐dinitropropane‐1, 3‐diyl bis(2, 2,2‐trinitroethylcarbamate) and 2, 2‐dinitropropane‐1, 3‐diyl bis(2, 2,2‐trinitroethyl) dicarbonate, were synthesized using 2, 2‐dinitropropane‐1, 3‐diol as starting material. The compounds were characterized by using the analytical methods, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman), multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry. The thermal behavior was investigated with DSC measurements. The suitability of the compounds as potential oxidizers in energetic formulations was determined. The heats of formation of the compounds were calculated with GAUSSIAN 09. The detonation parameters such as the detonation pressure, velocity, energy, and temperature were computed using the EXPLO5 code. For a secure handling of the materials, the sensitivity towards impact, friction, and electrical discharge was tested using the BAM drop hammer, BAM friction tester as well as a small‐scale electrical discharge device, respectively.     

Cl原子与CH2SH自由基反应机理及电子密度拓扑研究

采用MP2(Full)/6-311G(d,p)和B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)找到了反应Cl＋CH₂SH→HCl＋CH₂S的两个可能的反应通道, 得到了各反应通道的反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物的优化构型、谐振频率. 对反应进程中若干关键点进行了电子密度拓扑分析, 讨论了反应进程中键的断裂、生成和化学键的变化规律, 找到了该反应的结构过渡区(结构过渡态)和能量过渡态, 发现了反应热与结构过渡区之间的关系.     

Self-assemblies based on [Cp2Mo2(CO)4(micro,eta2-P2)]-solid-state structure and dynamic behaviour in solution

Reaction of complex [Cp2Mo2(CO)4(micro,eta 2-P2)] (Cp=C5H5 (1)) with CuPF6, AgX (X=BF4, ClO4, PF6, SbF6, Al{OC(CF3)3}4) and [(Ph3P)Au(THF)][PF6] (THF=tetrahydrofuran), respectively, results in the facile formation of the dimers 3 b-h of the general formula [M2({Cp2Mo2 (CO)4(micro,eta 2:eta 2-P2)}2)({Cp2Mo2(CO)4 (micro,eta 2:eta 1:eta 1-P2)}2)][X]2 (M=Cu, Ag, Au; X=BF4, ClO4, PF6, SbF6, Al{OC(CF3)3}4). As revealed by X-ray crystallography, all these dimers comprise dicationic moieties that are well-separated from the weakly coordinating anions in the solid state. If 1 is allowed to react with AgNO2 and LAuCl (L=CO or tetrahydrothiophene), respectively, the dimer [Ag2{Cp2Mo2 (CO)4(micro,eta 2:eta 1:eta 1-P2)}2(eta 2-NO2)2] (5) and the complex [AuCl{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(micro,eta 2:eta 1-P2)}] (6) are formed, which have also been characterised by X-ray crystallography. In compounds 5 and 6, the anions remain coordinated to the Group 11 metal centres. Spectroscopic data suggest that the dimers 3 b-h display dynamic behaviour in solution and this is discussed by using the comprehensive results obtained for 3 g (M=Ag; X=Al{OC(CF3)3}4) as a basis. The interpretation of the experimental results is facilitated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations on 3 g (structures, energetics, NMR shielding tensors). The 31P magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra recorded for the dimers 3 b (M=Cu; X=PF6) and 3c (M=Ag; X=BF4) as well as that of the previously reported one-dimensional (1 D) polymer [Ag2{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(micro,eta 2:eta 1:eta 1-P2)}3(micro,eta 1:eta 1-NO3)]n[NO3]n (4) are also discussed herein and the strong dependence of the chemical shift of the phosphorus atoms within each compound on subtle structural differences in the solid state is demonstrated. Furthermore, the X-ray crystallographic and 31P MAS NMR spectroscopic characterisation of a new polymorph of 1 is reported.