Modification of spin crossover behavior through solvent assisted formation and solvent inclusion in a triply interpenetrating three-dimensional network

The 3D coordination polymer [Fe(4ditz)3](PF6)2.solv consists of three interpenetrating infinite networks. There are cavities between iron atoms of different networks, which are partly filled with solvent molecules. With a change of the solvent used during synthesis from methanol to ethanol, the magnetic behavior of the materials changes. Both show an abrupt two-step spin crossover from low spin (S = 0) to high spin (S = 2) with the methanolate curve lying 7 K higher and showing a small hysteresis. Single crystal and powder diffraction studies show that they both have the same structure, but in powder form, the methanolate slowly loses methanol to finally leave about 0.075 MeOH/Fe. In comparison, the bigger ethanol remains at 0.25 EtOH/Fe. These results, in conjunction with thermodynamic data, strongly suggest that the differences in magnetic behavior are largely entropic in nature. Possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Synthesis of a novel naphthalene-based poly(arylene ether-ketone) by polycondensation of 1,5-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2,6-dimethylnaphthalene with bisphenol a

Synthesis of 1,5-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2,6-dimethylnaphthalene ( 1 ), polycondensation of 1 with Bisphenol A, and properties of the obtained polymer were studied. Friedel–Crafts acylation of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene with 4-fluorobenzoyl chloride in nitrobenzene selectivity afforded 1 in 82% yield. X-ray single crystal structural analysis of 1 confirmed that the dibenzoylation proceeded regioselectively and two methyl groups sterically inhibited the coplanarity of the two aromatic planes. The polycondensation of 1 with Bisphenol A in toluene/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) mixed solvent in the presence of excess potassium carbonate as a condensation reagent was carried out at 180°C for 4 h to quantitatively afford the corresponding poly(arylene ether-ketone) (PEK) 3 with high molecular weight (M?_n～30,000) as a slightly yellow powder. As the reaction time was prolonged, both M?_n and MWD of 3 increased and the solubility of 3 in chloroform clearly decreased. By GPC-LALLS, M?_n of 3 obtained by the polycondensation for 16 h, was 85,000. The PEK 3 with high molecular weight was produced in a quantitative yield in a variety of solvents such as sulfolane. Water formed during the polycondensation hardly affected the yield and molecular weight of 3 , although a small molecular weight decrease took place. To evaluate the special effect of the methyl groups of 3 , polycondensation of 2,6-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)naphthalene 2 with bisphenol A was carried out for comparison and the corresponding PEK 4 was quantitatively obtained. Whereas 3 was soluble in ordinary organic solvents such as tet-rahydrofuran (THF), chloroform, and NMP at room temperature, 4 was insoluble in most solvents except for strong acids such as conc. sulfonic acid. The polymer 3 showed high glass transition temperature (238°C) and 5% weight loss temperature (457°C). Casting of the polymer from THF solution gave a transparent, tough, flexible, and amorphous film. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Discotic ionic liquid crystals of triphenylene as dispersants for orienting single-walled carbon nanotubes

Orient and conduct: Triphenylene-based discotic ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) with six imidazolium ion pendants can disperse pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). When the ILC is columnarly assembled, doping with SWNTs results in macroscopic homeotropic columnar orientation. Combination of shear and annealing treatments gives rise to three different orientation states, which determine the anisotropy of electrical conduction.     

Overall water splitting on (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) solid solution photocatalyst: relationship between physical properties and photocatalytic activity

The physical and photocatalytic properties of a novel solid solution between GaN and ZnO, (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)), are investigated. Nitridation of a mixture of Ga(2)O(3) and ZnO at 1123 K for 5-30 h under NH(3) flow results in the formation of a (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) solid solution with x = 0.05-0.22. With increasing nitridation time, the zinc and oxygen concentrations decrease due to reduction of ZnO and volatilization of zinc, and the crystallinity and band gap energy of the product increase. The highest activity for overall water splitting is obtained for (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) with x = 0.12 after nitridation for 15 h. The crystallinity of the catalyst is also found to increase with increasing the ratio of ZnO to Ga(2)O(3) in the starting material, resulting in an increase in activity.     

Precise control of dry etching for nanometer scale air-hole arrays in two-dimensional GaAs/AlGaAs photonic crystal slabs

Precise control of highly anisotropic reactive-ion-beam-etching (RIBE) for GaAs/AlGaAs-based two-dimensional photonic crystals (2DPCs) is investigated in terms of the substrate temperature, T_s, ion accelerating voltage, V_i, and Cl₂ gas pressure, p. T_s is shown to influence the shape of the sidewall, while the balance of the physical etching dominated by the value of V_i and the chemical etching dominated by the value of p is essential for keeping smooth and vertical sidewalls of 100-nm-scale air-holes. 2DPC air-hole patterns are defined by an electron beam (EB) lithography machine and air-holes are dry-etched with the EB resist as an etching mask. The optimized balance between the V_i and p for 0.5-1.0-μm-deep air-holes results in the high-rate-etching regime given at V_i = 500 V and p = 8 × 10⁻⁴ Torr using a 650-nm-thick resist mask, while the optimized balance for 50-nm-scale fine air-holes results in the low-rate-etching regime given at V_i = 330 V and p = 5 × 10⁻⁴ Torr using a 350-nm-thick resist mask. In particular, the latter condition is essential for fabricating topology-optimized 2DPC air-hole arrays with the minimum air-hole-size of 50 nm or less. These process conditions definitely contribute to excellent measured transmission spectra in good agreement with the calculated one in a near-infrared range.     

A sensitive and selective method for determination of gold(III) based on electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry in combination with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction using dicyclohexylamine

A combined method with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) has been developed for determining gold(III). Dicyclohexylamine, a new extractant for gold(III), showed excellent performance in DLLME. Acetone was indispensable to the quantitative extraction of gold(III), contributing to decrease in hydration, decrease in the difference in the dielectric constants between the supernatant phase and the sedimented phase, and dissolution of a part of chloroform as an extraction solvent to the supernatant phase as well as improvement of dipersibility. In DLLME using a mixture of 1.0 mL of acetone and 100 μL of chloroform containing 50 mmol L⁻¹ of dicyclohexylamine, gold(III) could be extracted selectively and effectively from 8 mL of a sample solution in the presence of iron(III), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), palladium(II), and platinum(IV) at pH 1. The extracted gold(III) was determinable by ETAAS; the detection limit was 0.002 μg L⁻¹ (three times the standard deviation of the blank values, n = 8) as a gold(III) concentration in 8 mL of sample solution. The proposed method was applicable to the determination of gold in platinum metal and its alloy as well as effluent without any interference by the matrices.     

Flux-Assisted Synthesis of Y2Ti2O5S2 for Photocatalytic Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution Reactions

Photocatalytic water splitting is an ideal means of producing hydrogen in a sustainable manner, and developing highly efficient photocatalysts is a vital aspect of realizing this process. The photocatalyst Y₂Ti₂O₅S₂ (YTOS) is capable of absorbing at wavelengths up to 650 nm and exhibits outstanding thermal and chemical durability compared with other oxysulfides. However, the photocatalytic performance of YTOS synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction (SSR) process is limited owing to the large particle sizes and structural defects associated with this synthetic method. Herein, we report the synthesis of YTOS particles by a flux-assisted technique. The enhanced mass transfer efficiency in the flux significantly reduced the preparation time compared with the SSR method. In addition, the resulting YTOS showed improved photocatalytic H₂ and O₂ evolution activity when loaded with Rh and Co₃O₄ co-catalysts, respectively. These improvements are attributed to the reduced particle size and enhanced crystallinity of the material as well as the slower decay of photogenerated carriers on a nanosecond to sub-microsecond time range. Further optimization of this flux-assisted method together with suitable surface modification is expected to produce high-quality YTOS crystals with superior photocatalytic activity.     

Surface improvements of aramid fibers by physical treatments

The application of the low‐temperature plasma method, the excimer laser treatment method and the corona‐discharge method to aramid) were discussed, presenting an overview of current trends and developments in this area.