Copper(I)-catalyzed synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted isoindolin-1-ones from enamides via cascade radical addition and cyclization

Copper(I) catalyzed radical benzylation and cyclization reaction of tertiary enamides was investigated and 3,3-disubstituted N-Alkyl isoindolin-1-ones were obtained in moderate to good yields. In this reaction, two new C–C bonds were formed in one step with high atom economy. Possible reaction pathway for the formation of the products was also discussed in this paper.     

Improved efficiency of organic solar cells with modified hole‐extraction layers

The aim of this work has been to study the influence of modified hole‐extraction layers on the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) based on blends of poly (3‐hexylthiophene) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester. The hole‐extraction layers consist of poly (3,4‐ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) doped with different concentrations of bromine. Compared with pristine OSC without adding bromine to the hole‐extraction layer, the bromine‐doped OSCs show a 49% increase in the power conversion efficiency (from 2.12 to 3.16%), which could be attributed to the increase of electrical and optical properties of PEDOT:PSS films after the addition of bromine. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 50: 125–128, 2012     

Designing and Characterization of Biodegradable Multiblock Poly(L-Lactic Acid)/Polybutadiene Elastomers

A series of poly(L-lactic acid)/polybutadiene (PLA/PB) biodegradable multiblock elastomers was synthesized and characterized. A two-step process to prepare PLA/PB multiblock elastomers was applied. Melt polymerization was used to prepare poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) terminated with hydroxyl groups and, at the same time, hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) were employed to synthesize diisocyanate-terminated polybutadiene (ITPB). Then, PLA and ITPB were reacted with different PLA/PB weight ratios. Consequently, a series of PLA/PB biodegradable poly(ester-urethane)s with crosslinked chains was obtained. Swelling characteristics and crosslink density of the crosslinked elastomer were investigated. DMA was applied to characterize its thermal properties. The measurement of mechanical properties showed that a PLA/PB elastomer with adjustable mechanical properties was synthesized. Micromorphology, hydrophobicity, and degradability of the material were also characterized.     

Addendum to: Fabrication and characterization of graphene derived from SiC

<正>Addendum to:Science China:Physics,MechanicsAstronomy,2013,56(12):2386–2394doi:10.1007/s11433-013-5348-2The legends of the following Figures should be as follows:Figure 3 AFM morphologies and Raman spectra of a EG on a 2 inch SiC(0001)measured at five representative regions.(a)AFM Morphology reproduced from ref.[14]with permission from Science China Press and Springer publishing,(b)Raman spectra.Figure 6 SEM images of the VAGS.(a)Cross-section image of the VAGS;(b)and(c)are the top view images of the as-grown VAGS and the VAGS after top graphene layer removed reproduced from ref.[16]with permission from Wiley-VCH publishing.     

The sloshing of stratified liquid in a two-dimensional rectangular tank

The sloshing of inviscid liquid of stratified density in a rectangular tank is analyzed.As the flow is no longer irrotional,the governing equation is found to be quite different from the Laplace equation used for the liquid of constant density.In particular it contains terms of mixed temporal and spatial derivatives.The problem is solved based on the variable separation method and Laplace transform for the constant Vaisala-Brunt frequency.It is found that the stratification of density may have small effects...     

Kinetic and thermodynamic modeling of Portland cement hydration at low temperatures

Portland cement have to hydrate in cold climates in some particular conditions. Therefore, a better understanding of cement hydration under low temperatures would benefit the cement-based composites application. In this study, Portland cement was, therefore, kinetically and thermodynamically simulated based on a simple kinetics model and minimization of Gibbs free energy. The results of an evaluation indicate that Portland cement hydration impact factors include the water–cement ratio (w/c), temperature, and specific surface area, with the latter being an especially remarkable factor. Therefore, increasing the specific surface area to an appropriate level may be a solution to speed the delayed hydration due to low temperatures. Meanwhile, the w/c ratio is believed to be controlled under cold climates with consideration of durability. The thermodynamic calculation results suggest that low-temperature influences can be divided into three levels: irrevocable effects (<0 °C), recoverable effects (0–10 °C), and insignificant effects (10–20 °C). Portland cement was additionally measured via X-ray diffraction, thermal gravity analysis, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption test in a laboratory and comparisons were drawn that validate the simulation result.     

Synthesis and characterization of Li1.05Co1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O1.95X0.05 (X = Cl,Br) cathode materials for lithium-ion battery

In order to improve the thermal stability and dynamic performance of LiCo_1/3Ni_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ materials, Cl-doped and Br-doped materials were synthesized via the co-precipitation method. The morphology, structure, electrochemical performance and thermal stability were characterized by environment scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), charge–discharge cycling and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results show that all materials had a stable layered structure with α-NaFeO₂ and that Cl-doping slightly increased the size of grains. Both Cl-doping and Br-doping improved the high rate of discharge capacity, cycle-life performance and thermal stability, but Cl-doping was better than Br-doping in improving the material structure stability, dynamic performance and thermal stability.