Immobilization ofAzacrown Ligand onto a Fluorophore

Geometric immobilization of azacrown ligand onto a fluorophore is expected to change their binding properties toward ion discrimination. An immobilized azacrown ligand 1 onto anthracene fluorophore senses Al(III), Cu(II) and Ga(III) in ethanol among the metal ions examined. In 100% aqueous solution, ligand 1 shows large CHEF effects with Al(III) and Ga(III) and large CHEQ effect with Hg(II). By comparison, non-immobilized azacrown ligand 2 showed large CHEF effects with Al(III), Ce(III), Ga(III), La(III) and Zn(II) in ethanol.     

Ternary MIn2S4 (M = Mn,Fe, Co,Ni) Thiospinels – Crystal Structure and Thermoelectric Properties

A combined structural, magnetic and thermoelectric study of polycrystalline ternary MIn₂S₄ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) thiospinels is presented. All compounds crystallize with MgAl₂O₄-type structure. Rietveld refinement analysis confirmed that the preferred crystallographic position of transition metal element changes from mainly tetrahedral 8a for Mn to exclusively octahedral 16d for Ni (i.e. increase of the inversion parameter). Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed M-elements to possess 2+ oxidation state in MIn₂S₄. All these compounds order antiferromagnetically with Néel temperatures T_N ranging from 5–13 K. The studied thiospinels are n-type semiconductors with large values of electrical resistivity ρ > 0.6 Ω · m at room temperature. An increase of the inversion parameter leads to a reduction of the determined activation energies, as well as to a more disorder-like behavior of thermal conductivity. The highest thermoelectric Figure of merit ZT was observed for MIn₂S₄ with M = Fe, Ni, which adopt inverse spinel structure.     

Effects of Reaction Sequence on the Colloidal Polypyrrole Nanostructures and Conductivity

The relationship between nanoscaled morphology and macroscopic electrical conductivity of polypyrrole (PPy) nanostructures was qualitatively investigated. The PPy nanostructures were prepared via microemulsion polymerization using ionic surfactants. The morphology of PPy was influenced by both the type of ionic surfactants and reaction sequences; specifically, the PPy structures were highly influenced by the reaction sequence when anionic surfactant of SDS was used. By changing reaction sequence, a gel-like PPy was formed influencing on the macroscopic electrical conductivity. The results indicate that the macroscopic conductivity of PPy is affected by its nanoscaled structures as determined by the reaction conditions.     

Molecularly Tailored Lithium–Arene Complex Enables Chemical Prelithiation of High‐Capacity Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes

Prelithiation is of great interest to Li‐ion battery manufacturers as a strategy for compensating for the loss of active Li during initial cycling of a battery, which would otherwise degrade its available energy density. Solution‐based chemical prelithiation using a reductive chemical promises unparalleled reaction homogeneity and simplicity. However, the chemicals applied so far cannot dope active Li in Si‐based high‐capacity anodes but merely form solid–electrolyte interphases, leading to only partial mitigation of the cycle irreversibility. Herein, we show that a molecularly engineered Li–arene complex with a sufficiently low redox potential drives active Li accommodation in Si‐based anodes to provide an ideal Li content in a full cell. Fine control over the prelithiation degree and spatial uniformity of active Li throughout the electrodes are achieved by managing time and temperature during immersion, promising both fidelity and low cost of the process for large‐scale integration.     

A new imidazolium acridine derivative as fluorescent chemosensor for pyrophosphate and dihydrogen phosphate

A new acridine derivative bearing two imidazolium groups has been synthesized. This chemosensor displayed a large fluorescent quenching effect with pyrophosphate and a unique fluorescent enhancement with H₂PO₄⁻. The strong (C-H)⁺?X⁻ hydrogen bonding between the imidazolium moieties and anions is the key interaction for the recognition. The association constant of 1 with pyrophosphate was calculated as 4.9×10⁷ M⁻¹.     

New BODIPY-triazine based tripod fluorescent systems

A new tripod fluorescent system was developed, which bears a triazine core for combining three different functional groups, such as fluorophore (BODIPY), ligand, and auxiliary group. This concept was confirmed by photophysical properties due to the different auxiliary subunits.     

Anthracene derivatives bearing thiourea and glucopyranosyl groups for the highly selective chiral recognition of amino acids: opposite chiral selectivities from similar binding units

Two new anthracene thiourea derivatives, 1 and 2, were investigated as fluorescent chemosensors for the chiral recognition of the two enantiomers of alpha-amino carboxylates. Especially, host 2 displayed K(L)/K(D) values as high as 10.4 with t-Boc alanine. Furthermore, the D/L selectivity of hosts 1 and 2 is opposite, even though both hosts bear the same glucopyranosyl units. These intriguing opposite D/L binding affinities by 1 and 2 were obtained without/with H-pi interaction between anthrancene moiety and the methyl groups, which were explained by extensive high-level theoretical investigations taking into account the dispersion energy as well as the 2D-NMR chemical shifts.     

Development of Imidazoline‐2‐Thiones Based Two‐Photon Fluorescence Probes for Imaging Hypochlorite Generation in a Co‐Culture System

We designed and prepared the imidazoline‐2‐thione containing OCl^? probes, PIS and NIS , which operate through specific reactions with OCl^? that yield corresponding fluorescent imidazolium ions. Importantly, we demonstrated that PIS can be employed to image OCl^? generation in macrophages in a co‐culture system. We have also employed two‐photon microscopy and PIS to image OCl^? in live cells and tissues, indicating that this probe could have wide biological applications.