Morphological and spectroscopic properties of thin films of self-assembling amphiphilic porphyrins on a hydrophilic surface as revealed by scanning near-field optical microscopy

We fabricated porphyrin thin films on mica surfaces from acidic aqueous solutions of the preorganized H-aggregates of amphiphilic porphyrins by the simple spin-coating method. The morphological and spectroscopic properties of the film were investigated by scanning near-field optical microscopy. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the preorganized structure in solution can be transferred as a thin film with a thickness of the monolayer level without losing their substantial structure and photophysical properties.     

Controlled hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene using alkylammonium formate

A simple and straightforward semihydrogenation of alkyne to alkene with triethanolamine and formic acid in the presence of PdCl₂ has been described. Although hydrogenation using formic acid as a hydrogenation source has been used in combination with amines previously, few reports are available concerning the associated reactivity. We demonstrated that reactivity changes depending on the type of amine used in the hydrogenation. Further, this reaction requires no strict time control, making it a useful tool in organic synthesis.     

Dissociative photoionization of Al2(Ch3)6 and Al2(Ch3)3Cl3 in the range 40–100 eV

Dissociation processes of the organoaluminum compounds Al₂(CH₃)₆ and Al₂(CH₃)₃Cl₃ have been studied in the range of valence and Al:2p core-level ionization by means of photoelectron–photoion and photoion–photoion coincidence techniques. The double-ionization threshold and the Al:2p core-ionization threshold of Al₂(CH₃)₆ are estimated to be about 30 and 80 eV

1 1 eV = 96.4853 kJ mol^?1.

respectively. The relative yields of the H⁺?Al⁺ and H⁺?CH_m,⁺ (m′ = 0–3) ion pairs are enhanced around the Al:2p core-ionization threshold of Al₂(CH₃)₆. The photoion–photoion coincidence intensities of Al₂(CH₃)₃Cl₃ are negligibly small throughout the energy range studied. The ratio of the relative yield of AlC₂H₆⁺ to that of Al⁺ increases smoothly through the Al:2p core-ionization and/or excitation region of Al₂(CH₃)₃Cl₃. The variation of the fragmentation pattern with photon energy is discussed in conjunction with the relevant electronic states.     

Nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys containing fourteen elements for water splitting electrocatalysis

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are near-equimolar alloys comprising five or more elements. In recent years, catalysis using HEAs has attracted considerable attention across various fields. Herein, we demonstrate the facile synthesis of nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys (np-UHEAs) with hierarchical porosity via dealloying. These np-UHEAs contain up to 14 elements, namely, Al, Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ti. Furthermore, they exhibit high catalytic activities and electrochemical stabilities in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media, superior to that of commercial Pt/graphene and IrO₂ catalysts. Our results offer valuable insights for the selection of elements as catalysts for various applications.

Nanoporous ultra-high-entropy alloys containing 14 elements (Al, Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ti) were obtained by dealloying. The products showed excellent electrocatalytic performance for water splitting in acidic media.     

Oxygen-binding to simple cobaltporphyrins combined with polyvinylmidazole

Reversible oxygen-binding was observed at low temperature for the poly(vinylimidazole-co-octyl methacrylate) complexes of the simple or planar cobaltporphyrins (CoP) such as cobalt-tetraphenylporphyrin and cobalt-octaethylporphyrin. The oxygen-binding affinity and rate constants were compared with those for the cobalt-picketfence porphyrin, a typical oxygen-carrier. The low oxygen-binding affinity for the CoP complexes was attributed to the enormously large oxygen-releasing rate constant.