Bidentate Disilicate Framework for Bis-Grafted Surface Species

Recent advances in surface organometallic chemistry have enabled the detailed characterization of the surface species in single-site heterogeneous catalysts. However, the selective formation of bis-grafted surface species remains challenging because of the heterogeneity of the supporting surface. Herein, we introduce a metal complex bearing bidentate disilicate ligands, −OSi(O^tBu)₂OSi(O^tBu)₂O−, as a molecular precursor, which has a silicate framework adjacent to the metal (Pt) center. The grafting of the precursors on silica supports (MCM-41 and CARiACT Q10) proceeded through a substitution reaction on the silicon atoms of the disilicate ligand, which was verified by the detection of isobutene and ^tBuOH as the elimination products, to selectively yield bis-grafted surface species. The chemical structure of the surface species was characterized by solid-state NMR, and the chemical shift values of the ancillary ligands and ¹⁹⁵Pt nuclei suggested that the bidentate coordination sphere was maintained following grafting.     

Hierarchical Tubular Architecture Constructed by Vertically Aligned CoS2-MoS2 Nanosheets for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for establishing a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy system, but it is still a challenging issue. Herein, hierarchical tubular-structured CoS₂-MoS₂/C as efficient electrocatalysts are fabricated through a unique metal–organic framework (MOF) mediated self-sacrificial templating. Core–shell structured MoO₃@ZIF-67 nanorods are used both as a precursor and a sacrificial template to form the one-dimensional tubular heterostructure where vertically aligned two-dimensional CoS₂-MoS₂ nanosheets are formed on the MOF-derived carbon tube. Trace amounts of noble metals (Pd, Rh, and Ru) are successfully introduced to enhance the electrocatalytic property of the CoS₂-MoS₂/C nanocomposites. The as-synthesized hierarchical tubular heterostructures exhibit excellent HER catalytic performance owing to the merits of the hierarchical hollow architecture with abundantly exposed edges and the uniformly dispersed active sites. Impressively, the optimal Pd-CoS₂-MoS₂/C-600 catalyst delivers a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at a low overpotential of 144 mV and a small Tafel slope of 59.9 mV/dec in 0.5 m H₂SO₄. Overall, this MOF-mediated strategy can be extended to the rational design and synthesis of other hollow heterogeneous catalysts for scalable hydrogen generation.     

Site-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Fe3O4 by photoelectron diffraction

Fe 2p core-level photoelectron spectra of magnetite were measured using soft X-ray and hard X-ray, and its emission angle dependence was investigated. The photoelectron diffraction pattern from different atomic sites differs because the atomic arrangement surrounding each site is different. By selecting the forward-focusing-peak (FFP) directions characteristic to each atomic site and measuring the kinetic energy dependence of the FFP intensities at the Fe 2p core-level range, we succeed in detecting the variation of the peak intensity of Fe 2p core-level spectra at different emission directions. This result, consistent with recent results, suggests that the lower-binding-energy peak of the Fe 2p core-level spectrum may be assigned as the B site component.     

Radiochromic film containing spiropyran dye for dosimetry of low energy X‐rays

A composite film containing photochromic spiropyran dye 1 and BaFCl:Eu was developed for X‐ray dose measurement at a level of a few dozen gray (Gy). The reflectance intensity at selected wavelength, obtained from X‐radiation, can be satisfactorily related to the absorbed dose in the range of 0?30 Gy. The composite film shows significant color change in the visible region, and the sensitivity of the composite to the absorbed dose was achieved based on the high molar extinction coefficient of the photomerocyanine form of dye 1. For practical application, the photoinduced blue area indicates an X‐radiated area, and the initial pale pink area indicates an unexposed area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bulk-type all-solid-state batteries with mechanically prepared LiCoPO4 composite cathodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - All-solid-state Li batteries are suitable for the application of 5 V-class cathode materials that can provide high energy densities. However, it is hard to...