Towards a consistent mechanism of emulsion polymerization—new experimental details

The application of atypical experimental methods such as conductivity measurements, optical microscopy, and nonstirred polymerizations to investigations of the ‘classical’ batch ab initio emulsion polymerization of styrene revealed astonishing facts. The most important result is the discovery of spontaneous emulsification leading to monomer droplets even in the quiescent styrene in water system. These monomer droplets with a size between a few and some hundreds of nanometers, which are formed by spontaneous emulsification as soon as styrene and water are brought into contact, have a strong influence on the particle nucleation, the particle morphology, and the swelling of the particles. Experimental results confirm that micelles of low-molecular-weight surfactants are not a major locus of particle nucleation. Brownian dynamics simulations show that the capture of matter by the particles strongly depends on the polymer volume fraction and the size of the captured species (primary free radicals, oligomers, single monomer molecules, or clusters).     

Charge recombination in organic photovoltaic devices with high open-circuit voltages

A detailed charge recombination mechanism is presented for organic photovoltaic devices with a high open-circuit voltage. In a binary blend comprised of polyfluorene copolymers, the performance-limiting process is found to be the efficient recombination of tightly bound charge pairs into neutral triplet excitons. We arrive at this conclusion using optical transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy with visible and IR probes and over seven decades of time resolution. By resolving the polarization of the TA signal, we track the movement of polaronic states generated at the heterojunction not only in time but also in space. It is found that the photogenerated charge pairs are remarkably immobile at the heterojunction during their lifetime. The charge pairs are shown to be subject to efficient intersystem crossing and terminally recombine into F8BT triplet excitons within approximately 40 ns. Long-range charge separation competes rather unfavorably with intersystem crossing--75% of all charge pairs decay into triplet excitons. Triplet exciton states are thermodynamically accessible in polymer solar cells with high open circuit voltage, and we therefore suggest this loss mechanism to be general. We discuss guidelines for the design of the next generation of organic photovoltaic materials where separating the metastable interfacial charge pairs within approximately 40 ns is paramount.     

24- and 26-membered macrocyclic diorganotin(IV) bis-dithiocarbamate complexes with N,N'-disubstituted 1,3- and 1,4-bis(aminomethyl)benzene and 1,1'-bis(aminomethyl)ferrocene as spacer groups

The potassium bis-dithiocarbamate (bis-dtc) salts of 1,3-bis(benzylaminomethyl)benzene (1,3-Bn-ambdtc), 1,3-bis(iso-butylaminomethyl)benzene (1,3-(i)Bu-ambdtc), 1,4-bis(benzylaminomethyl)benzene (1,4-Bn-ambdtc), and 1,4-bis(iso-butylaminomethyl)benzene (1,4-(i)Bu-ambdtc) were reacted with three different diorganotin dichlorides (R2SnCl2 with R = Me, (n)Bu, and Ph) in 1:1 stoichiometric ratios to give the corresponding diorganotin bis-dithiocarbamates. Additionally, the dimethyltin bis-dithiocarbamate of 1,1'-bis(benzylaminomethyl)ferrocene (1,1'-Bn-amfdtc) was prepared. The resulting complexes have been characterized as far as possible by elemental analysis, FAB(+) mass spectrometry, IR and NMR ((1)H, (13)C, and (119)Sn) spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, showing that the tin complexes are dinuclear 24- and 26-membered macrocyclic species of composition [{R2Sn(bis-dtc)}2]. As shown by (119)Sn NMR spectroscopy, the tin centers are hexa-coordinated in all cases; however, two different coordination environments are possible, as detected by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the dimethyltin derivatives of 1,3-Bn-ambdtc, 1,3-(i)Bu-ambdtc, 1,4-Bn-ambdtc, and 1,1'-Bn-amfdtc and the di-n-butyltin derivative of 1,3-(i)Bu-ambdtc, the metal atoms are embedded in skewed-trapezoidal-bipyramidal coordination polyhedra with asymmetrically coordinating trans-oriented dtc groups. In contrast, in the diphenyltin derivative 1,3-(i)Bu-ambdtc, the metal centers have distorted octahedral coordination with symmetrically coordinating cis-oriented dtc functions. Thus, for the complexes derived from 1,3-Bn/(i)Bu-ambdtc, two different macrocyclic structures were observed. In the dimethyl- and di-n-butyltin derivatives, the bridging bis-dtc ligands adopt U-shaped conformations, while in the case of the diphenyltin derivative, the conformation is L-shaped. Furthermore, two different macrocyclic ring conformations can occur, which differ in the spatial orientation of the substituents attached to the nitrogen atoms (Bn or (i)Bu). The dimethyltin derivatives of 1,4-Bn-ambdtc and 1,1'-Bn-amfdtc have cavities, in which aromatic rings are accommodated in the solid state.     

On the local representation of the electronic momentum operator in atomic systems

The local quantum theory is applied to the study of the momentum operator in atomic systems. Consequently, a quantum-based local momentum expression in terms of the single-electron density is determined. The limiting values of this function correctly obey two fundamental theorems: Kato's cusp condition and the Hoffmann-Ostenhof and Hoffmann-Ostenhof exponential decay. The local momentum also depicts the electron shell structure in atoms as given by its local maxima and inflection points. The integration of the electron density in a shell gives electron populations that are in agreement with the ones expected from the Periodic Table of the elements. The shell structure obtained is in agreement with the higher level of theory computations, which include the Kohn-Sham kinetic energy density. The average of the local kinetic energy associated with the local momentum is the Weizsacker kinetic energy. In conclusion, the local representation of the momentum operator provides relevant information about the electronic properties of the atom at any distance from the nucleus.     

The Uptake and Assembly of Alkanes within a Porous Nanocapsule in Water: New Information about Hydrophobic Confinement

In Nature, enzymes provide hydrophobic cavities and channels for sequestering small alkanes or long‐chain alkyl groups from water. Similarly, the porous metal oxide capsule [{Mo^VI₆O₂₁(H₂O)₆}₁₂{(Mo^V₂O₄)₃₀(L)₂₉(H₂O)₂}]^41? (L=propionate ligand) features distinct domains for sequestering differently sized alkanes (as in Nature) as well as internal dimensions suitable for multi‐alkane clustering. The ethyl tails of the 29 endohedrally coordinated ligands, L, form a spherical, hydrophobic “shell”, while their methyl end groups generate a hydrophobic cavity with a diameter of 11 Å at the center of the capsule. As such, C₇ to C₃ straight‐chain alkanes are tightly intercalated between the ethyl tails, giving assemblies containing 90 to 110 methyl and methylene units, whereas two or three ethane molecules reside in the central cavity of the capsule, where they are free to rotate rapidly, a phenomenon never before observed for the uptake of alkanes from water by molecular cages or containers.     

A New Proof of the Sharpness of the Phase Transition for Bernoulli Percolation and the Ising Model

We provide a new proof of the sharpness of the phase transition for Bernoulli percolation and the Ising model. The proof applies to infinite-range models on arbitrary locally finite transitive infinite graphs. For Bernoulli percolation, we prove finiteness of the susceptibility in the subcritical regime \({\beta < \beta_c}\), and the mean-field lower bound \({\mathbb{P}_\beta[0\longleftrightarrow \infty ]\ge (\beta-\beta_c)/\beta}\) for \({\beta > \beta_c}\). For finite-range models, we also prove that for any \({\beta < \beta_c}\), the probability of an open path from the origin to distance n decays exponentially fast in n. For the Ising model, we prove finiteness of the susceptibility for \({\beta < \beta_c}\), and the mean-field lower bound \({\langle \sigma_0\rangle_\beta^+\ge \sqrt{(\beta^2-\beta_c^2)/\beta^2}}\) for \({\beta > \beta_c}\). For finite-range models, we also prove that the two-point correlation functions decay exponentially fast in the distance for \({\beta < \beta_c}\).     

Nonlinear Chebyshev approximation to set-valued functions

In this paper, we give a characterization of best Chebyshev approximation to set-valued functions from a family of continuous functions with the weak betweeness property. As a consequence, we obtain a characterization of Kolmogorov type for best simultaneous approximation to an infinity set of functions. We introduce the concept of a set-sun and give a characterization of it. In addition, we prove a property of Amir–Ziegler type for a family of real functions and we get a characterization of best simultaneous approximation to two functions     

The phase transitions of the planar random-cluster and Potts models with $$q \ge 1$$ are sharp

We prove that random-cluster models with \(q \ge 1\) on a variety of planar lattices have a sharp phase transition, that is that there exists some parameter \(p_c\) below which the model exhibits exponential decay and above which there exists a.s. an infinite cluster. The result may be extended to the Potts model via the Edwards–Sokal coupling. Our method is based on sharp threshold techniques and certain symmetries of the lattice; in particular it makes no use of self-duality. Part of the argument is not restricted to planar models and may be of some interest for the understanding of random-cluster and Potts models in higher dimensions. Due to its nature, this strategy could be useful in studying other planar models satisfying the FKG lattice condition and some additional differential inequalities.     

2-Benzyl-2-methyl-2H-benzimidazole 1,3-dioxide derivatives: Spectroscopic and theoretical study

The spectroscopic behavior of 2-benzyl-2-methyl-2H-benzimidazole 1,3-dioxide derivatives in solution was studied in terms of electronic and nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H and (13)C NMR) techniques. The experimental spectra were compared to the theoretical ones, obtained at DFT level, proving that the compounds adopt in solution a bird-like conformational distribution. Also, theoretically this conformational distribution resulted the most stable in gas phase. Infrared spectroscopy was used to study solid state behavior identifying experimentally the N-O stretching near to 1380, 1365 and 1225 cm(-1) and the vibrational benzimidazole skeleton near to 1610 and 1590 cm(-1). The vibrational spectrum was satisfactorily described by DFT calculations funding the N-O stretching as a coupled vibration near to 1470, 1350 and 1285 cm(-1). The fragmentation that takes place in mass spectrometry was assigned for all of the new derivatives.