<Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetra</Emphasis>-EDOT substituted 3D electrochromic polymers with lower band gaps

A couple of novel electrochromic materials poly(2,3,4,5-tetrakis(2,3-hydrothieno[3,4-b]dixin-5-yl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrrole) (P(t-EDOT-mPy)) and poly(5,5′,5′′,5′′′-(thiophene-2,3,4,5-tetrayl)tetrakis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxine)) (P(t-EDOT-Th)) are electrodeposited via multi-position polymerization of their tetra-EDOT substituted monomers t-EDOT-mPy and t-EDOT-Th, respectively. Compared with the linear 2D structured poly(thiophene) (E _g=2.2 eV) and poly(2,5-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)thiophene) (E _g=1.7 eV), P(t-EDOT-Th) (E _g=1.62 eV) has the lowest band gap. Hence, we speculate that the band gaps of the two polymers, having 3D structures, are decreased in contrast to non-substituted polymers or bi-EDOT substituted polymers, thiophene and 1-methyl-1H-pyrrole. The results indicated that P(t-EDOT-Th) thin films are more stable and show higher transmittance amid two polymers, which may find their utilization in organic optoelectronics.     

Synthesis of New Cyclopenta[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]quinoline Derivatives

A series of new 11-(R-phenyl)-8,9-dihydro-7H-benzo[f]cyclopenta[b]quinolin-10(11H)-ones and 7,14-bis(R-phenyl)-2,3,9,10,11,14-hexahydrocyclopenta[2,3]quinolino[8,7-h]cyclopenta[b]quinoline-1,8(4H,7H)-diones were synthesized by three-component condensation of naphthalen-2-amine or naphthalene- 1,5-diamine with substituted benzaldehydes and cyclopentane-1,3-dione in one step through intermediate formation of unstable arylaminoketoenol.     

Synthesis of new aryl(hetaryl)vinyl-substituted benzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>]quinolines and 4,7-phenanthrolines

Previously unknown 1-[2-aryl(quinolin-2-yl)ethenyl]-3-[aryl(quinolin-2-yl)]benzo[f]quinolines and 3-aryl-1-(2-arylethenyl)-4,7-phenanthrolines were synthesized by reactions of 1-methylbenzo[f]quinolines and 1-methyl-4,7-phenanthrolines with substituted N-benzylideneanilines and N-(quinolin-2-ylmethylidene)aniline on heating in dimethylformamide in the presence of potassium hydroxide.     

Thermal polymerization of styrene: New data on the conversion dependence of the initiation rate

With the aid of new acceptors of free radicals usable at high temperatures (T > 100°C), the rate of initiation w _i has been measured experimentally for the thermal polymerization of styrene at 122.5°C in a wide range of conversions C = 0–80%. It has been shown that the value of w _i tends to increase in the course of polymerization transformation in agreement with the w _i = f(C) relationship calculated from the kinetic data on the thermal polymerization of styrene in the absence of counters of free radicals. Hypothetical reasons for this non-trivial tendency have been formulated. The experimental dependence w _i = f(C) has been measured for the first time and has been invoked to refine currently available mathematical models for the thermal polymerization of styrene that assume that w _i remains invariable in the course of polymerization transformation.     

Theoretical study on the fluorination of benzene with N-Fluoropyridinium salts in acetonitrile solution

The prominent roles of organofluorine compounds in various fields have aroused considerable interest in the development of new methods for carbon-fluorine bond formation. Electrophilic fluorination receives much attention. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to theoretically explore the fluorination activity of 12 N-Fluoropyridinium salts on the substrate of benzene in acetonitrile solution. Geometry optimizations and frequency calculations of the reactants, transition states, and products were performed at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level for the 12 fluorination reaction channels. Based on the optimized structure, all the stationary points have been corrected by the single point energy at a high-level of M06-2x/6-311++G (d,p). Four substituents were considered in this paper, they are nitro-, cyano-, chloro-, methoxy-, respectively. Three substituted sites (ortho-, meso-, para-) were also concluded. Based on the obtained potential energy surfaces information and analysis of substituent effect, the fluorination reaction channel of oNO₂NFpyr is most efficient due to the lowest reaction energy barrier; therefore, oNO₂NFpyr is a promising optimum fluorinating reagent among the studied 12 N-Fluoropyridinium salts.     

Side-chain fluorination on the pyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine unit towards efficient photovoltaic polymers

A series of new polymer donors (PT-PP, PT-2fPP and PT-4fPP) were synthesized based on alkylthiophene substituted benzodithiophene (BDT-T) and pyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine (PP) building blocks and the effects of fluorination on the polymer properties were explored. Photophysical properties, charge mobilities and morphologies of the three polymers have been intensively investigated. The results indicated that the introduction of the fluorine atom at meta-positions of phenyl substituted PP unit hardly affected their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level. More importantly, controlling the degree of side-chain fluorination in the polymers is crucial for optimizing the blend morphology. Three polymers showed different photovoltaic properties. The polymer solar cell (PSC) based on the single layer device structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PT-4fPP:PC71BM (1:1, w:w)/ZrAcac/Al demonstrates a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.61% under the illumination of AM 1.5G,100 mW cm-2, which is the highest value for PP-based PSCs.     

Cycloaminomethylation of dihydric phenols catalyzed by <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>- and <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>-metal compounds

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of 7,16,25-triaryl-7,8,16,17,25,26-hexahydro-6H,15H,24H-tribenzo[f,m,t][1,5,8,12,15,19,3,10,17]hexaoxatriazacyclohenicosines, 3,8-diaryl-2,3,4,7,8,9-hexahydrobenzo[1,2-e:4,3-e′]bis[1,3]oxazines, 3,9-bis(chlorophenyl)-3,4,9,10-tetrahydro-2H,8H-benzo[1,2-e:3,4-e′]bis[1,3]oxazines, and 2,9-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,2,3,8,9,10-hexahydrobenzo[1,2-e:6,5-e′]bis-[1,3]oxazines via cycloaminomethylation of pyrocatechol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone with N,N-bis(methoxymethyl) anilines in the presence of samarium catalysts.     

Alkoxy substituted benzodithiophene-alt-fluorobenzotriazole copolymer as donor in non-fullerene polymer solar cells

A new benzodithiophene(BDT)-alt-fluorobenzotriazole(FBTA) D-A copolymer J40 was designed and synthesized by introducing 2-octyldodecyloxy side chains on its BDT units, for expanding the family of the BDT- alt-FBTA-based copolymers and investigating the side chain effect on the photovoltaic performance of the polymer in non-fullerene polymer solar cells(PSCs).J40 exhibits complementary absorption spectra and matched electronic energy levels with the n-type organic semiconductor(n-OS)(3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-sindaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene)(ITIC) acceptor, and was used as polymer donor in the non-fullerene PSCs with ITIC as acceptor. The power conversion efficiency(PCE) of the PSCs based on J40:ITIC(1:1, w/w) with thermal annealing at 120 °C for 10 min reached 6.48% with a higher open-circuit voltage(Voc) of 0.89 V. The high Voc of the PSCs is benefitted from the lower-lying highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) energy level of J40. Although the photovoltaic performance of the polymer J40 with alkoxy side chain is lower than that of J60 and J61 with alkylthio-thienyl conjugated side chains, the PCE of6.48% for the J40-based device is still a relatively higher photovoltaic efficiency in the non-fullerene PSCs reported so far. The results indicate that the family of the BDT-alt-FBTA-based D-A copolymers are high performance polymer donor materials for non-fullerene PSCs and the side chain engineering plays an important role in the design of high performance polymer donors in the non-fullerene PSCs.     

Simultaneously improving the tensile and impact properties of isotactic polypropylene with the cooperation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-PP and <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-nucleating agent through pressure vibration injection molding

In this article, crystalline morphology and molecular orientation of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), random copolymerized polypropylene (co-PP) and β-nucleating agent (β-NA) composites prepared by pressure vibration injection molding (PVIM) have been investigated via polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Results demonstrated that the interaction between co-PP and iPP molecular chains was beneficial for the mechanical improvement and the introduction of β-NA further improved the toughness of iPP. In addition, after applying the pressure vibration injection molding (PVIM) technology, the shear layer thickness increased remarkably and the tensile strength improved consequently. Thus, the strength and toughness of iPP/co-PP/β-NA composites prepared by PVIM were simultaneously improved compared to those of the pure iPP prepared by conventional injection molding (CIM): the impact toughness was increased by five times and tensile strength was increased by 9 MPa. This work provided a new method to further enhance the properties of iPP/co-PP composites through dynamic processing strategy.     

Mechanistic insights into the shear effects on isotactic polypropylene crystallization containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-nucleating agent

The crystalline structures and crystallization behaviors of iPP containing β nucleation agent TMB-5 (iPP/TMB-5) were investigated by synchrotron radiation wide angel X-ray diffraction (SR-WAXD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized light microscope (PLM). It was found that α-crystallization lagged behind β-crystallization at normal temperatures, but the discrepancy reduced with increasing temperature. TMB-5 could not induce β-iPP when the nucleation agent is wrapped up with α-crystal that crystallized at high temperatures. The polymorphic composition of iPP/TMB-5 was susceptible to the introductory moment of shear. New crystallization process of β-nucleated iPP was proposed to understand the experimental phenomena which could not be explained by those reported in the literature. It was supposed that polymer crystallization initiated from mesophase, and the formations of iPP crystals involved the organization of helical conformation ordering within mesophase. It was proposed that the iPP melt contained mesophases with stereocomplex-type ordering of right-handed and left-handed helical chains which could be disturbed by shear or TMB-5, leading to different polymorphic structures.     

Morphology and thermodynamics of selenium-containing nanosystems: The effect of polymer stabilizers

Nanosystems based on zero-valent selenium and biocompatible polymer stabilizers (polyvinylpyrrolidone with molecular weight (MW) М _w = (10–55) × 10³, poly-N,N,N,N-trimethylacryloyloxyethylammonium methylsulfate with М _w = (30–250) × 10³ and polyethylene glycol with М _w = (1–40) × 10³) are studied by means of static and dynamic light scattering, and the resulting data are compared. Dense spherical multimolecular nanosystems are found to be formed. Morphological and thermodynamic characteristics of selenium-containing nanosystems, depending on the nature and MW of the polymer stabilizer, are determined. It is shown that the properties of nanosystems can be adjusted by varying the molecular weight of the polymer stabilizer.     

Synthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-substituted 1-hydroxypyrrolo[3,4-<Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>]indol-5,7-diones

General methods were developed of the synthesis of N-substituted 1-hydroxypyrrolo[3,4-f]indole-5,7-diones using as initial compounds substituted 6-nitroisoindole-1,3-diones and 5-nitro-4-phenacylphtalic acids.     

Synthesis and characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-/<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-methionine grafted PEDOTs for selective recognition of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine enantiomers

Two pairs of amino-acid functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) derivatives, namely, poly(N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-L-methionyl (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2’-yl)methylamide) (L-PEDOT-Boc-Met) and poly(N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-D-methionyl (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2’-yl)methylamide) (D-PEDOT-Boc-Met); poly(L-methionyl (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2’-yl)methylamide) (L-PEDOT-Met) and poly(D-methionyl (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2’-yl)methylamide) (D-PEDOT-Met) were synthesized via chemical oxidative polymerization of corresponding monomers. The structural characterization, spectroscopic properties and thermal stability of these monomers and polymers were systematically explored by FTIR spectra, Raman spectra, XRD spectra, UV-Vis spectra and thermogravimetric analysis. As chiral electrode materials, these polymers were employed to successfully recognize 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) enantiomers by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in sulphuric acid solution. The measurement results reveal that the tendency was hetero-chiral interaction between L-PEDOT-Met/PVA/GCE and D-DOPA, D-PEDOT-Met/PVA/GCE and L-DOPA, respectively. Also, the mechanism of chiral discrimination was discussed. All the results implied that the combination of electrochemical molecular recognition technology and chiral PEDOT materials can be a promising approach for chiral recognition and may open new opportunities for facile, biocompatible, sensitive and robust chiral assays in biochemical applications.     

Stability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-, <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-element diphosphates in water

The mean atomic Gibbs energies of formation of (Δ _f ? _at ⁰ ) of s-, p-, and d-element diphosphates have been calculated using ion increments of the Gibbs energy (Δ _f G ⁰). The diphosphate hydrolysis kinetics is considered, and a correlation between the Δ _f ? _at ⁰ values and the hydrolysis rate constants is presented.     

Structure Studies of the Extracellular Polysaccharide from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma</Emphasis> sp. KK19L1 and Its Antitumor Effect via Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis

An extracellular polysaccharide TP1A was purified from the fermented broth of Trichoderma sp. KK19L1 by combination of Q Sepharose fast flow and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography. TP1A was composed of Man, Gal, and Glc in a molar ratio of about 3.0:5.1:8.1. The molar mass of TP1A was about 40.0 kDa. Methylation and NMR analysis indicated that the probable structure of TP1A was [→4,6)-α-D-Glcp(1→6)-β-D-Galf(1→6)-β-D-Galf(1→2,6)-β-D-Galf(1→2,6)-β-D-Galf(1→2,6)-β-D-Galf(1→2,6)-α-D-Manp(1→2,6)-α-D-Manp(1→] with [α-D-Glcp(1→] and [α-D-Manp(1→6)-α-D-Glcp(1→6)-α-D-Glcp(1→] as branches. The antitumor study showed that TP1A was able to inhibit the cell viability of HeLa and MCF-7 cells. TP1A could arrest HeLa cells in G2/M phase and induce HeLa cell apoptosis. These findings suggest that fungal polysaccharides could be a potential source for antitumor agents.     

Preparation of a Polymer via Condensation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-Phenylenediamine with <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Xylylene Dibromide and Its Properties

Condensation of para-dibromoxylene and ortho-phenylenediamine in glass ampule at 150°С in an alkaline aqueous solution has yielded polymer with completely substituted N–H hydrogen atoms, capable of formation of polymeric cation-radicals. Complexes of this polymer and N,N,N',N'-tetrabenzyl-o-phenylenediamine with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Ag(I) have been obtained, and their structure has been studied.     

New conjugated poly(aryleneethynylenes) with main-chain photochromic units

New photochromic poly(aryleneethynylenes) have been synthesized on the basis of dibromodithienylmaleimide and bisacetylenes under the conditions of the Sonogashira reaction. Molecular masses and polydispersities of the poly(arylene ethynylenes) vary over the following ranges: M _w = 19 150–32 650, M _n = 12 000–19 200, and M _w/M _n = 1.47–1.70; the glass-transition temperatures are in the range 208–230°C; and the 10% weight-loss temperatures in air and argon are in the ranges 330–370 and 550–660°C, respectively. All poly(aryleneethynylenes) exhibit photochromic properties in both solutions and films. It has been shown that, when photochromes are incorporated into a polymer matrix, the efficiency of their photoinduced coloration diminishes, irrespective of whether they are fragments of macromolecular chains or components of polymer solutions.     

High-temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of pyrovanadate Pb<Subscript>2</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> and orthovanadate Pb<Subscript>3</Subscript>(VO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The heat capacities of Pb₂V₂O₇ and Pb₃(VO₄)₂ as a function of temperature in the range 350–965 K have been studied by the differential scanning calorimetry method. The C_P = f(T) curve for Pb₂V₂O₇ is described by the equation C_p = (230.76 ± 0.51) + (73.60 ± 0.50)×10^-3T ? (18.38 ± 0.54)×10⁵T^-2 in the entire temperature range. For Pb₃(VO₄)₂, there is a well-pronounced extreme point in the C_P = f(T) curve at T = 371.5 K, which is caused by the existence of a structural phase transition. The thermodynamic properties of the oxide compounds have been calculated.     

Stability of 3<Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-element cyclotetraphosphates in water

The hydrolysis kinetics of the anion in 3d-element cyclotetraphosphates is considered. The thermodynamic functions of formation (Δ _f H ⁰, Δ _f G ⁰, and Δ _f ? _at ⁰ ) of the cyclotetraphosphates are calculated using the ion increment method. A linear correlation is established between and log K Δ _f ? _at ⁰ for these compounds.     

Synthesis of 13-alkylbenzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>]isochromeno[4,3-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]indole-5,7,12(13<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-triones by reaction of 2-alkylamino-1,4-naphthoquinones with ninhydrin

Reactions of 2-alkylamino-1,4-naphthoquinones with 2,2-dihydroxy-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione afforded 13-alkylbenzo[f]isochromeno[4,3-b]indole-5,7,12(13H)-triones.