Use of surfactant in aniline polymerization with TiO2 to PANI-TiO2 for supercapacitor performance

Polyaniline sulphate salt titanium dioxide composite (PANI-H₂SO₄·TiO₂) was synthesized by chemical in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of TiO₂. The effect of anionic surfactant (sodium lauryl sulphate) in this reaction was also assessed. During the polymerization reaction, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is converted to dodecyl hydrogen sulphate (DHS) in the presence of acidic medium and gets doped onto polyaniline along with sulphuric acid dopant, i.e. formation of polyaniline-sulphate-dodecyl hydrogen sulphate-titanium dioxide composite (PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂). In the PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ composite, the presence of DHS is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and TiO₂ is confirmed by XRD and EDAX results. In PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ system, the nanoparticle of TiO₂ (10–20 nm) is uniformly embedded on nanofibres (20–60 nm) of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS, and some part of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS·TiO₂ forms core–shell morphology, wherein TiO₂ is in core and PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS in shell forms. Stability of PANI-H₂SO₄-DHS increases due to the incorporation of stable TiO₂. Utility of PANI-TiO₂ composite was carried out in supercapacitor cell system by performing cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic techniques in 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. Very low values of solution resistance, charge transfer resistance and time constant are obtained between 0.2 and 0.6 V. Initial specific capacitance values for the cell carried out at low and high current densities are found to be 280 and 205 F g^?1, respectively, and after 1,700 charge–discharge cycles, its retention in the specific capacitance values is found to be the same (65–66 %) with coulombic efficiency of 98–100 %. A capacitor can work even at a high discharge rate. The efficiency of oxidizing and doping power increases with the use of a surfactant. Moreover, the use of a long chain surfactant dopant containing polyaniline as an electrode material plays an important role to increase the performance of the supercapacitor by allowing the electrolyte to easily enter and come out from PANI electrodes.     

Zinc‐Catalyzed Borylation of Primary,Secondary and Tertiary Alkyl Halides with Alkoxy Diboron Reagents at Room Temperature

A new catalytic system based on a Zn^II NHC precursor has been developed for the cross‐coupling reaction of alkyl halides with diboron reagents, which represents a novel use of a Group XII catalyst for C? X borylation. This approach gives borylations of unactivated primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl halides at room temperature to furnish alkyl boronates, with good functional‐group compatibility, under mild conditions. Preliminary mechanistic investigations demonstrated that this borylation reaction seems to involve one‐electron processes.     

An Enantioselective Inverse‐Electron‐Demand Imino Diels–Alder Reaction

The imino Diels–Alder reaction is an efficient method for the synthesis of aza‐heterocycles. While different stereo‐ and enantioselective inverse‐electron‐demand imino Diels–Alder (IEDIDA) reactions have been reported before, IEDIDA reactions including electron‐deficient dienes are unprecedented. The first enantioselective IEDIDA reaction between electron‐poor chromone dienes and cyclic imines, catalyzed by zinc/binol complexes is described. The novel reaction provides a facile entry to a natural product inspired collection of ring‐fused quinolizines including a potent modulator of mitosis.     

Confinement of CuII–Phthalocyanine in a Bioinspired Hybrid Nanoparticle‐Assembled Structure Yields Selective and Stable Epoxidation Catalysts

Herein, we demonstrate that a bioinspired assembly of silica nanoparticles with polyamines as structure‐directing agents similar to that known for the biosilicification of diatoms can pave the way for the efficient encapsulation of sulfonated copper–phthalocyanine in a hybrid microcapsule structure, in which the organic component provides a capable environment for its catalytic activity in epoxidation reactions and the nanoassembled structure imparts stability.     

Modification of Extended Open Frameworks with Fluorescent Tags for Sensing Explosives: Competition between Size Selectivity and Electron Deficiency

Three new electron‐rich metal–organic frameworks ( MOF‐1 – MOF‐3 ) have been synthesized by employing ligands bearing aromatic tags. The key role of the chosen aromatic tags is to enhance the π‐electron density of the luminescent MOFs. Single‐crystal X‐ray structures have revealed that these MOFs form three‐dimensional porous networks with the aromatic tags projecting inwardly into the pores. These highly luminescent electron‐rich MOFs have been successfully utilized for the detection of explosive nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) on the basis of fluorescence quenching. Although all of the prepared MOFs can serve as sensors for NACs, MOF‐1 and MOF‐2 exhibit superior sensitivity towards 4‐nitrotoluene (4‐NT) and 2,4‐dinitrotoluene (DNT) compared to 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5‐trinitrobenzene (TNB). MOF‐3 , on the other hand, shows an order of sensitivity in accordance with the electron deficiencies of the substrates. To understand such anomalous behavior, we have thoroughly analyzed both the steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence quenching associated with these interactions. Determination of static Stern–Volmer constants (K_S) as well as collisional constants (K_C) has revealed that MOF‐1 and MOF‐2 have higher K_S values with 4‐NT than with TNT, whereas for MOF‐3 the reverse order is observed. This apparently anomalous phenomenon was well corroborated by theoretical calculations. Moreover, recyclability and sensitivity studies have revealed that these MOFs can be reused several times and that their sensitivities towards TNT solution are at the parts per billion (ppb) level.     

Conformational Control of Oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s with Intrinsic Substituent Electronic Effects: Origin of the Twist in Pentiptycene‐Containing Systems

Dependence of the backbone planarity of oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s (OPEs) on the intrinsic electronic character of substituents and on the nature of the solvent has been experimentally demonstrated with a series of center‐symmetrical five‐ring systems, pentiptycene‐pentiptycene‐arene‐pentiptycene‐pentiptycene, differing in the substituents on the central arene. In frozen 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), the adjacent pentiptycene units prefer to be in a mutually twisted orientation when the substituents are electron‐withdrawing (F and amido), resulting in a TPPT or TTTT conformation, whereas a planarized PPPP backbone is favored in the case of electron‐donating substituents (alkyl and alkoxy). The propensity to adopt the PPPP form is generally enhanced by replacing MTHF with either methylcyclohexane or mixed ethanol/methanol as solvent. These observations reveal that the twist between adjacent pentiptycene units in OPEs is a consequence of the electronic rather than steric effects of iptycenyl substituents. The electronic effect of iptycenyl substituents is manifested in decreased phenylene π polarizability as the net effect of both electron‐donating hyperconjugation and an electron‐withdrawing inductive effect. Variable‐temperature electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies are the critical tools for this work. Our findings provide important guidelines for conformational and electronic engineering of OPEs and for the design of novel iptycene‐based organic electronic materials.     

Can Low‐Valent Germanium Chemistry Be Practiced Under Ambient Conditions? A Tale of a Water‐Stable Yet Reactive Germylene Monochloride Complex

A germylene monochloride complex ((DPM)GeCl, 1 ) that is water stable was isolated for the first time. Interestingly, it reacts with cesium fluoride under ambient conditions (non‐inert atmosphere and water‐containing solvent) to afford water stable germylene monofluoride complex ((DPM)GeF, 2 ). Due to the usage of DPM (dipyrrinate) ligand, germylene monohalides 1 and 2 show fluorescence in the visible region at 555 and 538 nm, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 are the first fluorescent germylene complexes and were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The structure of compound 1 was also proved by single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies.     

Enhanced Thermal Oxidation Stability of Reduced Graphene Oxide by Nitrogen Doping

Nitrogen‐doped reduced graphene oxide (N‐doped RGO) samples with a high level of doping, up to 13 wt. %, have been prepared by annealing graphene oxide under a flow of pure ammonia. The presence of nitrogen within the structure of RGO induces a remarkable increase in the thermal stability against oxidation by air. The thermal stability is closely related with the temperature of synthesis and the nitrogen content. The combustion reaction of nitrogen in different coordination environments (pyridinic, pyrrolic, and graphitic) is analyzed against a graphene fragment (undoped) from a thermodynamic point of view. In agreement with the experimental observations, the combustion of undoped graphene turns out to be more spontaneous than when nitrogen atoms are present.