Modeling η5‐C5Me4SiMe3 with η3‐C3H5 for DFT study of a tetranuclear yttrium polyhydrido complex [(η5‐C5Me4SiMe3)YH2]4

π‐Allyl (η³‐C₃H₅), a four‐electron donor, was used as a ligand model to replace η⁵‐C₅Me₄SiMe₃ in DFT calculations on the tetranuclear yttrium polyhydrido complex (η⁵‐C₅Me₄SiMe₃)₄Y₄H₈ containing a Y₄H₈ tetrahedral core structure, which may separate the four π‐allyl groups and hence suppress the allyl ligand coupling during the computation. In terms of the calculated core geometry, isomerization energy barrier, charge population, and frontier orbital features of the complex, the η³‐C₃H₅ ligand model is comparable to η⁵‐C₅H₅. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Recent Advances in Fullerene‐free Polymer Solar Cells: Materials and Devices

What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group? We focus on developing new organic photovoltaic materials and exploring their applications in photovoltaic devices. Based on the new materials, we can figure out the correlations among chemical strictures, optoelectronic properties, and photovoltaic behaviors. Our group originally demonstrated quite a few build blocks for making conjugated polymers for photovoltaic applications, some of them have been broadly used by the researchers in the field. How do you get into this specific field? Could you please share some experiences with our readers? I got into this field when I was a graduate student in 2002, just because my supervisor gave me a research topic for synthesis of new conjugated polymers. At that moment, as a fresh graduate student, I had no chance to say yes or no, but to do it. The field of organic solar cells is oriented by the new organic photovoltaic materials. In the past decades, the materials have been updated for a few generations, which promoted the device performance to be higher and closer to practical applications. We have to concentrate on the fundamental problems but also need to follow the pace of the filed. How do you supervise your students? In my opinion, the students need more specific projects to get into the field so as to be well trained at the beginning. In the later stage, I prefer to encourage them to find and creatively figure out the real fundamental problems. I used to give them a few questions: Why do you need to do this project? How to make a clear definition for the problem? Can you suggest a new and better approach to solve it? What is the most important personality for scientific research? Passion, perseverance and sense of innovation. What is your favorite journal(s)? The journals publishing the latest and/or systematic research works in chemistry and material science.     

Adsorption of 1,10-phenanthroline within a dodecanethiol monolayer: an approach to a switchable electrode surface

A simple method was used to prepare a "switchable" electrode surface by using self-assembled monolayers of dodecanethiol on a gold electrode. The dodecane-modified electrode was electrochemically inactive until the monolayer was soaked in solutions of 1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2'-bipyridine. The electroactive form of the electrode could be reverted back to the nonelectroactive form by rinsing the electrode. Surface IR results showed that both dodecanethiol and 1,10-phenanthroline exist in the mixed monolayer.     

Investigation on solvent casting films of surfactant-encapsulated clusters

The surfactant-encapsulated cluster (SEC) composed of a hydrophobic dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium (DODA) shell and an encapsulated hydrophilic polyoxoanion core can form casting films. The structure of the casting film is influenced by evaporation rates of organic solvent. When the casting films are prepared by slow evaporation of chloroform, the alkyl chains are considered to possess a partial interdigitation, and the interdigitated length is 1.6 nm. The casting film structure is characterized by scanning force microscopy (SFM), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).     

Tuning the Hybridization of Local Exciton and Charge-Transfer States in Highly Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Cells

Decreasing the energy loss is one of the most feasible ways to improve the efficiencies of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Recent studies have suggested that non-radiative energy loss ( ) is the dominant factor that hinders further improvements in state-of-the-art OPV cells. However, there is no rational molecular design strategy for OPV materials with suppressed . Herein, taking molecular surface electrostatic potential (ESP) as a quantitative parameter, we establish a general relationship between chemical structure and intermolecular interactions. The results reveal that increasing the ESP difference between donor and acceptor will enhance the intermolecular interaction. In the OPV cells, the enhanced intermolecular interaction will increase the charge-transfer (CT) state ratio in its hybridization with the local exciton state to facilitate charge generation, but simultaneously result in a larger . These results suggest that finely tuning the ESP of OPV materials is a feasible method to further improve the efficiencies of OPV cells.     

Synthesis and Opto-Electronic Properties of Cholesteric Cellulose Esters

Cholesteric materials display unique optical properties which can be exploited in opto-electronic applications such as light emitting diodes. The key feature is the position of the wavelength of the emitted light relative to the one of the selective reflection band. We have synthesized a set of cellulose derivatives displaying the cholesteric phase with the aim to investigate the correlation between chemical structure and properties. Phase transition temperatures, the chain packing, the wavelength of selective reflection but also absorption and fluorescence spectra were investigated as a function of the degree of substitution (DS), the nature of lateral substituents, the composition of doped systems and blends of different cellulose derivatives. Investigated were furthermore the degree of circular polarization of the emitted light for guest–host systems and for cellulose systems with chromophores linked by covalent bonds to the cellulose backbone as well as their performance in light emitting diodes. The conclusion is that the optical properties can be accounted for on the basis of the model of a one-dimensional photonic crystal. The limiting factor with respect to opto-electronic applications is the poor control of the uniformity of the helix formation and orientation.     

Y2O3和CeO2复合掺杂ZrO2纳米晶的制备与表征

以ZrOCl2.8H2O,Y2O3,Ce（NO3）3.5.5H2O为原料,NH3.H2O作沉淀剂,少量表面活性剂PE作分散剂,采用反向共沉淀-喷雾干燥法,结合物理、化学分散技术,成功地制备了Y2O3,CeO2复合掺杂ZrO2纳米粉末。通过DSC-TG,XRD,XPS,BET和SEM等方法对所制得粉末进行了表征。结果表明：以Ce0.1Y0.1Zr0.8O1.95化学计量比制备的多元氢氧化物胶体经过喷雾干燥处理后,在500℃基本完成水合氧化物的分解,577℃附近完成由非晶相向立方相的转变;经过580-1000℃煅烧后,CeO2和Y2O3已经完全固溶到ZrO2中,形成类质同相体,该粉末系列均属于立方相萤石结构;掺杂进入ZrO2晶格中的Ce呈＋4价形式存在;比表面积由22.0 m^2.g^-1（580℃煅烧）减至4.97 m^2.g^-1（1000℃煅烧）;SEM结果显示800℃煅烧的该粉末颗粒尺寸分布均匀,多呈类球状,且粒径在50-80 nm。     

A first-principles study of (R)- and (S)-PPA Molecules on Cu(111)

The adsorption of (R)- and (S)-2-phenylpropionamide (PPA, C(9)H(11)ON) molecules on a Cu(111) surface has been investigated using the density functional method with supercell models. The adsorption orientations of both (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules on the surface are the same: the phenyl rings are approximately parallel to the Cu(111) surface and positioned in the hollow sites, the amino and methyl groups occupy two-bridge sites, and the carbonyl occupies the top site. After the adsorption, the bond lengths in the two enantiomers are almost unchanged, but the changes for two dihedral angles show differences, especially for (R)-PPA molecule. The first angles between the (N,C9,C7) plane and the (C9,C7,C6) plane are 19.4 and 0.7 degrees for (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules, respectively, and the second angles between the (C8,C7,C6) plane and the (C7,C6,C5) plane are 74.8 and 0.4 degrees for (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules, respectively. The adsorption energies of (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules are calculated to be -34 and -26 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The simulated scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules on the Cu(111) surface display different features and are coincident with the experimental ones. The interaction between the adsorption molecule and the metal surface is found to be responsible for the discrimination of (R)- and (S)-PPA molecules on the surface.     

Mo(W)-Cu(Ag)-S簇合物的非线性光学性能研究

本文介绍了非线性光学性测试中的Ｚ－扫描方法。总结了Ｍｏ（Ｗ）－Ｃｕ（Ａｇ）－Ｓ簇合物的光限制效应、非线性吸收和非线性折射等光学性质。讨论了簇合物结构与光学性能的关系。     

Effect of La2O3／γ—Al2O3 Catalyst on the Activation of CH4 and CO2 to C2 Hydrocarbons under Non—equilibrium Plasma

In the reaction of methane and carbon dioxide to C2 hydrocabons under non-equilibrium plasma, methane conversion was decreased,but selectivity of C2 hydroxarbons was increased when using La2O3/γ-Al2O3 as catalyst. So the yield of C2 hydrocarbons was higher than using plasma alone. The synergism of La2O3/γ-Al2O3 and plasma gave methane conversion of 24.9% and C2 yield of 18.1%. The distribution of C2 hydrocarbons changed when Pd-La2O3/γ-Al2O3 was used as catalyst,the major C2 product was ethylene.