Oligosiloxane Functionalized with Pendant (1,3‐Bis(9‐carbazolyl)benzene) (mCP) for Solution‐Processed Organic Electronics

A new oligosiloxane derivative (ODCzMSi) functionalized with the well‐known 1,3‐bis(9‐carbazolyl)benzene (mCP) pendant moiety, directly linked to the silicon atom of the oligosiloxane backbone, has been synthesized and characterized. Compared to mCP, the attachment of the oligosiloxane chain significantly improves the thermal and morphological stabilities with a high decomposition temperature (T_d=540 °C) and glass transition temperature (T_g=142 °C). The silicon–oxygen linkage of ODCzMSi disrupts the backbone conjugation and maintains a high triplet energy level (E_T=3.0 eV). A phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diode (PhOLED) using iridium bis(4,6‐difluorophenyl)pyridinato‐N,C² picolinate (FIrpic) as the emitter and ODCzMSi as the host shows a relatively low turn‐on voltage of 5.0 V for solution‐processed PhOLEDs, maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.2 %, and maximum current efficiency of 17.7 cd A^?1. The overall performance of this device is competitive with the best reported solution‐processed blue PhOLEDs. Memory devices using ODCzMSi as an active layer exhibit non‐volatile write‐once read‐many‐times (WORM) characteristics with high stability in retention time up to 10⁴ s and a low switch on voltage. This switching behaviour is explained by different stable conformations of ODCzMSi with high or low conductivity states which are obtained under the action of electric field through a π–π stacking alignment of the pendant aromatic groups. These results with both PhOLEDs and memory devices demonstrate that this oligosiloxane–mCP hybrid structure is promising and versatile for high performance solution‐processed optoelectronic applications.     

Reactivity of Oxygen Radical Anions Bound to Scandia Nanoparticles in the Gas Phase: CH Bond Activation

The activation of C?H bonds in alkanes is currently a hot research topic in chemistry. The atomic oxygen radical anion (O^?.) is an important species in C?H activation. The mechanistic details of C?H activation by O^?. radicals can be well understood by studying the reactions between O^?. containing transition metal oxide clusters and alkanes. Here the reactivity of scandium oxide cluster anions toward n‐butane was studied by using a high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer coupled with a fast flow reactor. Hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) from n‐butane by (Sc₂O₃)_NO^? (N=1–18) clusters was observed. The reactivity of (Sc₂O₃)_NO^? (N=1–18) clusters is significantly sizedependent and the highest reactivity was observed for N=4 (Sc₈O₁₃^?) and 12 (Sc₂₄O₃₇^?). Larger (Sc₂O₃)_NO^? clusters generally have higher reactivity than the smaller ones. Density functional theory calculations were performed to interpret the reactivity of (Sc₂O₃)_NO^? (N=1–5) clusters, which were found to contain the O^?. radicals as the active sites. The local charge environment around the O^?. radicals was demonstrated to control the experimentally observed size‐dependent reactivity. This work is among the first to report HAA reactivity of cluster anions with dimensions up to nanosize toward alkane molecules. The anionic O^?. containing scandium oxide clusters are found to be more reactive than the corresponding cationic ones in the C?H bond activation.     

Calcite Microneedle Arrays Produced by Inorganic Ion‐Assisted Anisotropic Dissolution of Bulk Calcite Crystal

Besides studies on the mineralization process, research on the demineralization of minerals provides another way to understand the crystallization mechanism of biominerals and fabricate crystals with complicated morphologies. The formation of ordered arrays of c‐axis‐oriented calcite microneedles with a tri‐symmetric structure and lengths of more than 20 μm was realized on a large scale for the first time through anisotropic dissolution of calcite substrates in undersaturated aqueous solution in the presence of ammonium salts. The lengths and the aspect ratios of the calcite microneedles can be tuned by simply changing the concentrations of the ammonium salts and the dissolution time. The shape of the transverse cross sections of the calcite microneedles obtained in the presence of NH₄Cl and NH₄Ac is almost regularly triangular. The tri‐symmetric transverse cross‐section geometry of the calcite microneedles could be attributed to the tri‐symmetric feature of rhombohedral calcite atomic structures, the synergetic interactions between electrostatic interaction of ammonium ions and dangling surface carbonate groups, and the ion incorporation of halide ions.     

A New Class of Tunable Dendritic Diphosphine Ligands: Synthesis and Applications in the Ru‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Functionalized Ketones

A series of tunable G₀–G₃ dendritic 2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl (BINAP) ligands was prepared by attaching polyaryl ether dendrons onto the four phenyl rings on the P atoms. Their ruthenium complexes were employed in the asymmetric hydrogenation of β‐ketoesters, α‐ketoesters, and α‐ketoamides to reveal the effects of dendron size on the catalytic properties. The second‐ and third‐generation catalysts exhibited excellent enantioselectivities, which are remarkably higher than those obtained from the small molecular catalysts and the first‐generation catalyst. Molecular modeling indicates that the incorporation of bulky dendritic wedges can influence the steric environments around the metal center. In addition, the ruthenium catalyst bearing a second‐generation dendritic ligand could be recycled and reused seven times without any obvious decrease in enantioselectivity.     

Efficient Copper‐Catalyzed Direct Intramolecular Aminotrifluoromethylation of Unactivated Alkenes with Diverse Nitrogen‐Based Nucleophiles

A mild, convenient, and step‐economical intramolecular aminotrifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes with a variety of electronically distinct, nitrogen‐based nucleophiles in the presence of a simple copper salt catalyst, in the absence of extra ligands, is described. Many different nitrogen‐based nucleophiles (e.g., basic primary aliphatic and aromatic amines, sulfonamides, carbamates, and ureas) can be employed in this new aminotrifluoromethylation reaction. The aminotrifluoromethylation process allows straightforward access to diversely substituted CF₃‐containing pyrrolidines or indolines, in good to excellent yields, through a direct difunctionalization strategy from the respective acyclic starting materials. Mechanistic studies were conducted and a plausible mechanism was proposed.     

Copper‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Denitrogenative–Dehydrogenative–Decarboxylative Coupling of β‐Ketoacids with Trifluorodiazoethane: Facile Access to Trifluoromethylated Aldol Products

A novel copper‐catalyzed one‐pot cross‐coupling of β‐ketoacids with in situ generated trifluorodiazoethane has been developed. This reaction provides a direct and efficient method, in which one C?C bond and one C?O bond were formed in a carbenoid center with concomitant denitrogenation–dehydrogenation–decarboxylation, to afford trifluoromethylated aldol products. In several preliminary experiments, good to high enantioselectivities were also obtained.     

Semiconductor and Metallic Core–Shell Nanostructures: Synthesis and Applications in Solar Cells and Catalysis

Nano‐heterostructures have attracted great attention due to their extraordinary properties beyond those of their single‐component counterparts. This review focuses on a specific type of hybrid structures: core–shell structures. In particular, we present and discuss the recent wet‐chemical synthesis approaches for semiconductor and metallic core–shell nanostructures, and their relevant properties and potential applications in photovoltaics and catalysis, respectively.     

Cellulosic nanocomposite membranes from hydroxypropyl cellulose reinforced by cellulose nanocrystals

Cellulosic nanocomposite membranes were prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into a hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) matrix using a mixing/evaporation technique. CNCs were obtained from filter paper using the sulfuric acid hydrolysis method with the aid of ultrasonication. The relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties of the CNCs/HPC nanocomposite membranes was studied. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the CNCs were well dispersed in the HPC matrix, and the fracture surface demonstrated a fibrous characteristic. With increasing CNCs content, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the CNCs/HPC nanocomposite membranes gradually increased. At 5 wt% content of CNCs, the strength was increased by 525 % and the Young’s modulus by 124 % compared with pure HPC membrane. Moreover, the effect of the phase change of HPC on the mechanical properties of the CNCs_5wt%/HPC nanocomposite membranes and the corresponding mechanism were also studied.     

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from pine cone by microwave-induced ZnCl2 activation and its effects on the adsorption of methylene blue

In this work, activated carbon prepared from pine cone (PCAC) with ZnCl₂ as an activation agent under microwave radiation was investigated. The activation step was performed at the microwave input power of 400 W and radiation time of 5 min. The properties of activated carbon were characterized by N₂ adsorption Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that the BET surface area, Langmuir surface area, and total pore volume of PCAC were 939, 1,486 m²/g and 0.172 cm³/g, respectively. Adsorption capacity was demonstrated by the iodine numbers. The adsorptive property of PCAC was tested using methylene blue dye. Equilibrium data was best fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model, showing a monolayer adsorption capacity of 60.97 mg/g. The pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were examined to evaluate the kinetic data, and the rate constants were calculated. Adsorption of the dyes followed pseudo-first order kinetics. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy, enthalpy and entropy of dye adsorption were obtained.     

盐析剂——氯化钠存在下稀土含量的准确测定

分光光度法(Spectrophotometry)和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-AES)是常用的测定单一稀土含量的方法。但是萃取稀土过程中通常会加入盐析剂NaCl,萃余水相中大量钠离子所产生的光谱背景严重干扰了稀土含量的测定。考察了NaCl对稀土含量测定的影响,实验结果表明:在基体不匹配的情况下,只有当钠盐浓度低于0.08 mol·L-1时,分光光度法可以准确测定萃余液中单一轻稀土(La,Ce,Pr,Nd)及中稀土(Sm,Eu,Gd)的含量,但不能准确测定重稀土的含量;而使用ICP-AES法,在NaCl浓度为0.001~1.0 mol·L-1条件下无法准确测定稀土含量。因此,实验室宜采用分光光度法在基体不匹配的条件下测定轻、中稀土含量,重稀土在基体匹配的条件下用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法测定。