MOF‐on‐MOF: Oriented Growth of Multiple Layered Thin Films of Metal–Organic Frameworks

The precise alignment of multiple layers of metal–organic framework (MOF) thin films, or MOF‐on‐MOF films, over macroscopic length scales is presented. The MOF‐on‐MOF films are fabricated by epitaxially matching the interface. The first MOF layer (Cu₂(BPDC)₂, BPDC=biphenyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxylate) is grown on an oriented Cu(OH)₂ film by a “one‐pot” approach. Aligned second (Cu₂(BDC)₂, BDC=benzene 1,4‐dicarboxylate, or Cu₂(BPYDC)₂, BPYDC=2,2′‐bipyridine‐5,5′‐dicarboxylate) MOF layers can be deposited using liquid‐phase epitaxy. The co‐orientation of the MOF films is confirmed by X‐ray diffraction. Importantly, our strategy allows for the synthesis of aligned MOF films, for example, Cu₂(BPYDC)₂, that cannot be grown on a Cu(OH)₂ surface. We show that aligned MOF films furnished with Ag nanoparticles show a unique anisotropic plasmon resonance. Our MOF‐on‐MOF approach expands the chemistry of heteroepitaxially oriented MOF films and provides a new toolbox for multifunctional porous coatings.     

Stable and Highly Efficient Electrochemical Production of Formic Acid from Carbon Dioxide Using Diamond Electrodes

High faradaic efficiencies can be achieved in the production of formic acid (HCOOH) by metal electrodes, such as Sn or Pb, in the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, the stability and environmental load in using them are problematic. The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to HCOOH was investigated in a flow cell using boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. BDD electrodes have superior electrochemical properties to metal electrodes, and, moreover, are highly durable. The faradaic efficiency for the production of HCOOH was as high as 94.7 %. Furthermore, the selectivity for the production of HCOOH was more than 99 %. The rate of the production was increased to 473 μmol m^?2 s^?1 at a current density of 15 mA cm^?2 with a faradaic efficiency of 61 %. The faradaic efficiency and the production rate are almost the same as or larger than those achieved using Sn and Pb electrodes. Furthermore, the stability of the BDD electrodes was confirmed by 24 h operation.     

Evaporation loss of dissolved volatile substances from ice surfaces

Volatile acidic solutes were used to make dilute solutions, which were frozen by various methods. The concentration of solutes and the pH of the samples were measured before and after being frozen. When the sample solution is frozen from the bottom to the top, solutes are concentrated into the unfrozen solution (i.e., the upper part of the sample) due to the freeze concentration effect. Thereafter, concentrated anions combine with protons to form acids, and the amount of acids in the unfrozen solution increase as the ice formation progresses. At the end of freezing, the acid is saturated at the ice surface, and if the formed acid is volatile, then evaporation occurs. Frozen solutions were allowed to stand below 0 degrees C, where evaporation rates were obtained in the following order: formate > acetate > propionate > n-butyrate > chloride > nitrate. Except for nitrate, evaporation rates were enough to take place in frozen water of the natural environment (e.g., ice crystal, graupel, snow crystal, and frozen droplets). The relationship between the evaporation rate of volatile acids and their physical properties demonstrate that the evaporation rates of weak acids are faster than those of strong acids, and the evaporation rates among weak acids are the same as the volatility of weak acids.     

Charge‐Transfer Phase Transition of a Cyanide‐Bridged FeII/FeIII Coordination Polymer

Heterometallic Prussian blue analogues are known to exhibit thermally induced charge transfer, resulting in switching of optical and magnetic properties. However, charge‐transfer phase transitions have not been reported for the simplest FeFe cyanide‐bridged systems. A mixed‐valence Fe^II/Fe^III cyanide‐bridged coordination polymer, {[Fe(Tp)(CN)₃]₂Fe(bpe)?5 H₂O}_n, which demonstrates a thermally induced charge‐transfer phase transition, is described. As a result of the charge transfer during this phase transition, the high‐spin state of the whole system does not change to a low‐spin state. This result is in contrast to FeCo cyanide‐bridged systems that exhibit charge‐transfer‐induced spin transitions.     

Five‐State Molecular Shuttling of a Pair of [2]Rotaxanes: Distinct Outputs in Response to Acid and Base Stimuli

In this study we synthesized two acid‐/base‐controllable [2]rotaxanes featuring aminodiazobenzene and aminocoumarin units, respectively, as chromophores and dibenzo[24]crown‐8 and dibenzo[25]crown‐8 units, respectively, as their macrocyclic components. Each [2]rotaxane contained N‐alkylarylamine (ammonium) and N,N‐dialkylamine (ammonium) centers as binding sites for their crown ether components. The absorption patterns of the chromophores were dependent on the position of the encircling macrocyclic component and the degree of protonation, with three distinct states (under acidic, neutral, and basic conditions) evident for each [2]rotaxane. The mixed [2]rotaxane system displayed stepwise and independent molecular shuttling behavior based on the degree of protonation of the amino groups in response to both the amount and strength of added acids or bases; as such, the system provided five different absorption signals as outputs that could be read using UV/Vis spectroscopy.     

Reversible photoswitching of ferromagnetic FePt nanoparticles at room temperature

There has been a great interest in developing photoswitchable magnetic materials because of their possible applications for future high-density information storage media. In fact, however, the examples reported so far did not show ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. From the viewpoint of their practical application to magnetic recording systems, the ability to fix their magnetic moments such that they still exhibit room-temperature ferromagnetism is an absolute requirement. Here, we have designed reversible photoswitchable ferromagnetic FePt nanoparticles whose surfaces were coated with azobenzene-derivatized ligands. On the surfaces of core particles, reversible photoisomerization of azobenzene in the solid state was realized by using spacer ligands that provide sufficient free volume. These photoisomerizations brought about changes in the electrostatic field around the core-FePt nanoparticles. As a result, we have succeeded in controlling the magnetic properties of these ferromagnetic composite nanoparticles by alternating the photoillumination in the solid state at room temperature.     

Highly emissive pi-conjugated alkynylpyrene oligomers: their synthesis and photophysical properties

We newly prepared para- and meta-linked alkynylpyrene oligomers and examined their photophysical properties. Oligomerization of monomeric building blocks was performed by CuI-promoted oxidative coupling reaction. The resulting oligomers mainly consist of 2-mer to 6-mer that were assigned on the basis of MALDI-TOF mass spectra, and the 2-mer, 3-mer, and 4-mer were isolated and fully characterized. From their absorption and fluorescence spectra, the para-linked oligomers were found to be somewhat pi-conjugated compared with meta-linked ones, and the fluorescence quantum yields decreased with increasing oligomer length (Phif = 0.79-0.55).     

Determination of gallium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with combined use of a tungsten-coated L'vov platform tube and a chemical modification technique

Tungsten-coated non-pyrolytic graphite (NPG), pyrolytic graphite (PG) and pyrolytic L'vov platform graphite (PPG) tubes were prepared, and their analytical performances were compared. The coating process simply involved injecting 100 μl of a sodium tungstate solution (0.01 mol l⁻¹) into each graphite tube, followed by heating according to a temperature programme similar to an atomisation cycle for the determination of gallium. This procedure for coating was repeated at least 12, 25, and 7 times towards NPG, PG, and PPG tubes, respectively. Among these tubes, the tungsten-coated PPG tube showed excellent performance for the determination of gallium. By combined use of a chemical modifier such as aluminium(III) or nickel(II) a detection limit (3σ) of 6 pg and sensitivity (1% absorption) of 3–4 pg were achieved. The practical potential of the proposed technique was demonstrated for the determination of gallium in several samples of alloys and fresh water.     

Vanadate garnet,Ca2NaMg2V3O12

The vanadate garnet Ca₂NaMg₂V₃O₁₂ (dicalcium sodium dimagnesium trivanadium dodecaoxide), synthesized by a floating zone method, has a notable structural feature in that the dodecahedral–dodecahedral shared edge length is longer than the unshared dodecahedral edge length. It is also noteworthy that the octahedral–dodecahedral shared edge length is as long as the unshared octahedral edge length. These unusual structural features are closely related to the weak repulsions between dodecahedral cations and between dodecahedral and octahedral cations.