Pd-Fe nanoparticles as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We have synthesized new electrocatalysts for the O2 reduction reaction that does not contain Pt. They consist of carbon-supported Pd-Fe alloys and have very high oxygen reduction. The nanoparticles with a Pd:Fe molar ratio of 3:1 (Pd3Fe/C) show a higher mass activity than that of commercial Pt/C. The surface-specific activity of the Pd-Fe alloys is related to the Pd-Pd bond distance: the shorter the bond distance, the higher the activity. This new class of electrocatalysts promises to alleviate some major problems of existing fuel cell technology by simultaneously decreasing materials cost and enhancing performance.     

VACUUM-ULTRAVIOLET PHOTOACOUSTIC SPECTROSCOPY OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION AS A LIGHT SOURCE

Abstract— Photoacoustic measurements of biological materials such as DNA, lysozyme, squalene and yeast cells were performed for the first time in the vacuum-UV region above 150 nm using the gas-microphone technique and synchrotron radiation as a light source. The samples studied were in a form of thin film supported on a self-supporting collodion film. The results obtained for the phase of the photoacoustic signal were found consistent with the predictions from the simple one-dimensional theory. The signal amplitudes obtained as a function of the incident wavelength were interpreted as giving the absorptance (the fraction of the incident photon energy dissipated in the sample) spectrum.     

AxBAx‐Type Block–Graft Polymers with Soft Methacrylate Middle Segments and Hard Styrene Outer Grafts: Synthesis,Morphology, and Mechanical Properties

Novel copolymers with controlled architectures can function as new building blocks for well‐defined nanostructures on the basis of microphase separation, unlike conventional ABA triblock copolymers. A series of well‐defined A_xBA_x‐type block–graft copolymers consisting of soft middle segments (dodecyl methacrylate (DMA)) and hard outer graft chains (styrene (St)) were synthesized by ruthenium‐catalyzed living radical block and graft polymerization. NMR spectroscopy and size‐exclusion chromatography combined with multiangle laser light scattering confirmed the well‐defined structure of the A_xBA_x block–graft copolymers with backbones and graft chains of controlled lengths. Transmission electron microscopy and transmission electron microtomography revealed a series of morphologies for the copolymers. Morphological changes were observed from PSt “honeycomb” cylinders to lamellae and poly(DMA) cylinders with increasing PSt‐graft content, whereby the phase diagram was shifted significantly to lower volume fractions of the larger‐number component (St) relative to those of the corresponding ABA triblock copolymers. More specifically, poly(DMA) cylinders were observed even before the St content reached 50 wt %. The A_xBA_x and ABA copolymers with 17–30 wt % of St exhibited characteristics of a thermoplastic elastomer with tensile strengths of 1–6 MPa and elongations at break of 70–300 %. These mechanical properties can be related well to the microphase structures of the A_xBA_x and ABA copolymers.     

Mixed-metal pt monolayer electrocatalysts for enhanced oxygen reduction kinetics

We have synthesized a new class of electrocatalysts for the O2 reduction reaction, consisting of a mixed monolayer of Pt and another late transition metal (Ir, Ru, Rh, Re, or Os) deposited on a Pd(111) single crystal or on carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles. Several of these mixed monolayer electrocatalysts exhibited very high activity and increased stability of Pt against oxidation, as well as a 20-fold increase in a Pt mass-specific activity, compared with state-of-the-art all-Pt electrocatalysts. Their superior activity and stability reflect a low OH coverage on Pt, caused by the lateral repulsion between the OH adsorbed on Pt and the OH or O adsorbed on neighboring, other than Pt, late transition metal atoms. The origin of this effect was identified through a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, employing electrochemical techniques, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and periodic, self-consistent density functional theory calculations. This new class of electrocatalysts promises to alleviate some major problems of existing fuel cell technology by simultaneously decreasing materials cost and enhancing performance. Our studies suggest a new way of synthesizing improved ORR catalysts through the modification and control of the surface reactivity of Pt-based mixed monolayers supported on transition metals other than Pt. In addition to improving the ORR catalysts, co-depositing oxophilic metals may be a promising possibility for improving a variety of other catalysts.     

Multiple Pentafluorophenylation of 2,2,3,3,5,6,6‐Heptafluoro‐3,6‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐oxazine with an Organosilicon Reagent: NMR and DFT Structural Analysis of Oligo(perfluoroaryl) Compounds

The reagent Me₃Si(C₆F₅) was used for the preparation of a series of perfluorinated, pentafluorophenyl‐substituted 3,6‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐oxazines ( 2 – 8 ), which, otherwise, would be very difficult to synthesize. Multiple pentafluorophenylation occurred not only on the heterocyclic ring of the starting compound 1 (Scheme), but also in para position of the introduced C₆F₅ substituent(s) leading to compounds with one to three nonafluorobiphenyl (C₁₂F₉) substituents. While the tris(pentafluorophenyl)‐substituted compound 3 could be isolated as the sole product by stoichiometric control of the reagent, the higher‐substituted compounds 5 – 8 could only be obtained as mixtures. The structures of the oligo(perfluoroaryl) compounds were confirmed by ¹⁹F‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, MS, and/or X‐ray crystallography. DFT simulations of the ¹⁹F‐ and ¹³C‐NMR chemical shifts were performed at the B3LYP‐GIAO/6‐31++G(d,p) level for geometries optimized by the B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level, a technique that proved to be very useful to accomplish full NMR assignment of these complex products.     

Electrochemical synthesis of layered manganese oxides intercalated with tetraalkylammonium ions

Thin films of birnessite-type layered manganese oxides with various interlayer spacings have been prepared on a platinum electrode by a one-step electrochemical procedure. The process involves a potentiostatic oxidation of aqueous Mn(2+) ions at around +1.0 V (Ag/AgCl) in the presence of tetraalkylammonium cations with different alkyl chain lengths. X-ray diffraction indicates that the films deposited with tetrabutylammonium (TBA), tetrapropylammonium (TPA), and tetraethylammonium (TEA) ions are composed of a single phase where unhydrated tetraalkylammonium ions are accommodated as a monolayer between manganese oxide layers. The interlayer spacing of the products increases in an order of TEA < TPA < TBA. The film deposited with tetramethylammonium (TMA) is a mixture of two phases relating to hydrated and unhydrated guest cations, the former being predominant probably as a result of less hydrophobic property of TMA compared to that of other tetraalkylammonium ions. The TBA(+)-intercalated Mn oxide film-coated electrode exhibits a good charge/discharge property in a KCl solution between 0 and +0.8 V. In this case, TBA(+) ions between the Mn oxide layers are rapidly replaced with K(+) in solution by ion exchange, accompanying a shrinkage of the interlayer. The incorporated K(+) ions as well as protons play an important role in the electrochemical conversion between Mn(4+) and Mn(3+) in the oxide layer. In the TBACl solution, the interlayer TBA(+) ions can be excluded electrochemically during the positive-going scan, concomitant with the oxidation of Mn(3+) sites. This causes an anodic current and the accompanying shrinkage of the interlayer. On the reverse scan, however, the compressed interlayer does not allow the incorporation of bulky TBA(+) ions from the electrolyte, with virtually no cathodic current observed. Such an obvious difference in electrochemical behavior between the two electrolytes can be recognized by considering that most of the Mn oxide surface is present inside the layered structure, not on the external surface. This indicates that the layered structure is formed over the entire film.     

The first ring inversion of pyranoses induced by bulky silyl protections at the 2- and 3-positions

The pyranose rings of the 2,3-bis-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-α- and β-d-glucopyranoses, and of the 2,3-bis-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-β-d-glucopyranose were in the ¹C₄ form. These findings indicate that the introduction of bulky silyl protecting groups at the 2- and 3-positions can flip a pyranose ring into the axial-rich chair form. Previous such ring inversions have been carried out by the silyl protections at the 3- and 4-positions.     

Carrier-envelope phase measurement by all-optical poling with a polar side-chain polymer

Dependence of all-optical poling efficiency on carrier-envelope phase (CEP) could be measured using photoisomerization of dye molecules which are covalently bound to a polymer main chain and have large difference in static dipole moment between the ground state and excited state. Increased chromophore density leads to an order of magnitude reduction in signal-detection time from a dye doped polymer. Analysis of all-optical poling experiments with CEP changes clearly showed the presence of polarization restoring force to zero polarization. This enables resetting of SH activity in the all-optical poling process to be used for fast response loop of CEP stabilization. Phenomenological model could explain well the difference in the growth-and-decay dynamics of poling between sample of dye doped in polymer studied previously and that grafted to a polymer main chain used in the present paper.     

Two-dimensional gauge theory and matrix model

We study a matrix model obtained by dimensionally reducing Chern–Simons theory on S³$S^3$. We find that the matrix integration is decomposed into sectors classified by the representation of SU(2)$\mathit{SU}(2)$. We show that the N  -block sectors reproduce SU(N)$\mathit{SU}(N)$ Yang–Mills theory on S²$S^2$ as the matrix size goes to infinity.