Enhancing Fullerene‐Based Solar Cell Lifetimes by Addition of a Fullerene Dumbbell

Cost‐effective, solution‐processable organic photovoltaics (OPV) present an interesting alternative to inorganic silicon‐based solar cells. However, one of the major remaining challenges of OPV devices is their lack of long‐term operational stability, especially at elevated temperatures. The synthesis of a fullerene dumbbell and its use as an additive in the active layer of a PCDTBT:PCBM‐based OPV device is reported. The addition of only 20 % of this novel fullerene not only leads to improved device efficiencies, but more importantly also to a dramatic increase in morphological stability under simulated operating conditions. Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (DSIMS) and TEM are used, amongst other techniques, to elucidate the origins of the improved morphological stability.     

Synthesis and pharmacological investigation of novel 4‐(4‐Ethyl phenyl)‐1‐substituted‐4H‐[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]‐quinazolin‐5‐ones as new class of H1‐antihistaminic agents

A series of novel 4‐(4‐ethylphenyl)‐1‐substituted‐4H‐[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]quinazolin‐5‐ones were synthesized by the cyclization of 2‐hydrazino intermediate with various electrophile. The starting material 2‐hydrazino compound was synthesized from 2‐ethyl aniline by a new innovative route with improved yield. When tested for their in vivo H₁‐antihistaminic activity on conscious guinea pigs, all the test compounds significantly protected the animals from histamine induced bronchospasm. The compound II emerged as the most active compound of the series and it is more potent (73.93% protection) when compared to the reference standard, chlorpheniramine maleate (71% protection), it showed negligible sedation (10%) when compared to chlorpheniramine maleate (30%). Therefore compound II will serve as prototype molecule for further development as a new class of H₁‐antihistamines     

Annulative π-Extension by Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Ketone-Directed C−H Activation: Rapid Access to Pyrenes and Related Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Annulative π-extension (APEX) reaction has become a powerful tool for the precise synthesis of well-defined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as nanographene, graphene, and other PAHs possessing unique structure. Herein, an APEX reaction has been realized at the masked bay-region for the efficient and rapid synthesis of valuable PAH, pyrene, bearing substitutions at the most challenging K-region. Rh^III-catalyzed ketone-directed C−H activation at the peri-position of a naphthyl-derived ketone, alkyne-insertion, intramolecular nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl-group, dehydration, and aromatization steps occurred in one-pot to effectuate the protocol. Employing this strategy, a two-fold APEX reaction on enantiopure BINOL-derived ketones provided access to axially-chiral bipyrene derivatives. The detailed DFT study to support proposed mechanism, and synthesis of helical PAHs like dipyrenothiophene and dipyrenofuran are other highlights of the present study.     

1-Cocycles on the group of contactomorphisms on the supercircle S1|3 generalizing the Schwarzian derivative

The relative cohomology H_diff¹(K(1|3), osp(2, 3);D_γ,µ(S^1|3)) of the contact Lie superalgebra K(1|3) with coefficients in the space of differential operators D_γ,µ(S^1|3) acting on tensor densities on S^1|3, is calculated in N.Ben Fraj, I. Laraied, S. Omri (2013) and the generating 1-cocycles are expressed in terms of the infinitesimal super-Schwarzian derivative 1-cocycle s(X_f) = D₁D₂D₃(_f)α₃^1/2, X^f ∈ K(1|3) which is invariant with respect to the conformal subsuperalgebra osp(2, 3) of K(1|3).     

Effect of gamma irradiation on X‐ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopy of Nd‐doped phosphate glass

X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Nd‐doped phosphate glasses have been studied before and after gamma irradiation. The intensity and the location of the white line peak of the L₃‐edge XANES of Nd are found to be dependent on the ratio O/Nd in the glass matrix. Gamma irradiation changes the elemental concentration of atoms in the glass matrix, which affects the peak intensity of the white line due to changes in the covalence of the chemical bonds with Nd atoms in the glass (structural changes). Sharpening of the Nd 3d_5/2 peak profile in XPS spectra indicates a deficiency of oxygen in the glasses after gamma irradiation, which is supported by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy measurements. The ratio of non‐bridging oxygen to total oxygen in the glass after gamma radiation has been found to be correlated to the concentration of defects in the glass samples, which are responsible for its radiation resistance as well as for its coloration.     

Graphene-based electrochemical supercapacitors

Graphenes prepared by three different methods have been investigated as electrode materials in electrochemical supercapacitors. The samples prepared by exfoliation of graphitic oxide and by the transformation of nanodiamond exhibit high specific capacitance in aq. H₂SO₄, the value reaching up to 117 F/g. By using an ionic liquid, the operating voltage has been extended to 3·5 V (instead of 1 V in the case of aq. H₂SO₄), the specific capacitance and energy density being 75 F/g and 31·9 Wh kg⁻¹ respectively. This value of the energy density is one of the highest values reported to date. The performance characteristics of the graphenes which are directly related to the quality, in terms of the number of layers and the surface area, are superior to that of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.     

EPR and susceptibility studies on (ZnS)1-x(MnTe)x powders

(ZnS)1-x(MnTe)x luminescent powder samples with x=0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 were prepared by solid-state reaction method. EPR spectra were recorded at room temperature (300K) in the frequency range 8.8-9.6GHz for samples of all compositions. The line width (DeltaH) and the number of spins increased with MnTe concentration. Room temperature dc magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried out using vibrating sample magnetometer. Susceptibility of the samples increased with MnTe content.     

Green's function of the Brinkman equation in a 2D anisotropic case

The purpose of this paper is to obtain the Green's functionof the Brinkman equation in a 2D case of hydrodynamic anisotropywith respect to the permeability. The anisotropic nature ofthe permeability is assumed to be not space or time dependent.We use the method of Fourier transform which reduces the computationof the Green's function to the computation of the fundamentalsolution of a fourth-order partial differential equation. Thisresearch work has several applications in engineering and medicineto the motion of bodies in anisotropic porous media.     

Ru(x)Pt(y)Sn(z) cluster-derived nanoparticle catalysts: spectroscopic investigation into the nature of active multinuclear single sites

Cluster-derived Ru(x)Pt(y)Sn(z) nanoparticles are active catalysts in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The nature of the active sites has been elucidated by FTIR spectroscopy using CO and NO as probe molecules. A new metal carbonyl cluster precursor, Pt(2)Ru(2)(SnBu(t)(3))(2)(CO)(9)(μ-H)(2), has been synthesized to obtain a Ru(2)Pt(2)Sn(2)/SiO(2) catalyst, that displayed remarkably high levels of conversion and selectivities compared to other bi-and monometallic analogues. Spectroscopic comparisons with Ru(5)PtSn/SiO(2) indicate that both the nature and the stoichiometry of the metals play a key role in modulating the catalytic activities and selectivities. A multinuclear single-site containing Pt centers, which facilitate the hydrogen activation, coupled with a highly reactive Ru site, possibly involved in the nitrobenzene activation, can be hypothesized. The oxophilicity of tin helps with the anchoring of the nanoparticles, aids the dispersion of the other metals, and can play an important role in influencing the selectivity to aniline.     

Antifouling and antipredatory activity of natural products of the seaweeds Dictyota dichotoma and Chaetomorpha linoides

The seaweeds Dictyota dichotoma and Chaetomorpha linoides from the southeast coast of India were screened for anti-microfouling activity against biofilm bacteria, anti-macrofouling activity against brown mussels and feeding deterrence activity against the sea angel Monodactylus kottelati. The surface associated epiphytic bacteria were also isolated from seaweeds and screened for activity against biofilm bacteria. The acetone extracts showed a wide spectrum activity against biofilm bacteria and the algal metabolite was surface concentrated and non-polar in nature. The seaweeds also inhibited byssus production and attachment in brown mussels, and deterred feeding in the sea angel. The lower epiphytic bacterial number on the seaweed's surface compared to the surrounding seawater medium indicated selective inhibition or surface mediation. The epiphytic bacteria, which showed activity against biofilm bacteria, might also possibly play a role in seaweed defence strategies. The 50% deterrence of feeding activity at lower concentrations was not proportionate to the 100% inhibition concentration, which could be attributed to the adaptability of the fishes, an indication that the active substances are inhibitory in nature. This was further substantiated with the 100% recovery of mussels in a toxicity assay and the lower EC(50) values than LC(50) values in the mussel bioassay. The study indicates that the metabolites of both seaweeds have ecological significance and could possibly play a multifunctional role.