Interfacial modification of organic photovoltaic devices by molecular self-organization

This feature article focuses on the relationship between the interfacial structures constructed by molecular self-organization and the properties of organic photovoltaic devices. The use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is reviewed for metal and metal oxide/organic interfaces, while surface-segregated monolayers (SSMs) are introduced as a new method for the modification of organic/organic interfaces. Research up to now has clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of the control of energy levels and other properties at the interfaces to enhance photovoltaic performance. The possibility of more precise control of the interfacial structures is also discussed.     

Preparation and catalytic performances of a molecularly imprinted Ru-complex catalyst with an NH2 binding site on a SiO2 surface

A catalyst surface with an active metal site, a shape-selective reaction space, and an NH(2) binding site for o-fluorobenzophenone was designed and prepared by the molecular imprinting of a supported metal complex on a SiO(2) surface. A ligand of a SiO(2)-supported Ru complex that has a similar shape to the product of o-fluorobenzophenone hydrogenation was used as a template. An NH(2) binding site for o-fluorobenzophenone was spatially arranged on the wall of a molecularly imprinted cavity with a similar shape to the template. The structures of the SiO(2)-supported and molecularly imprinted Ru catalysts were characterized in a step-by-step manner by means of solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR, XPS, UV/Vis, N(2) adsorption, XRF, and Ru K-edge EXAFS. The molecularly imprinted Ru catalyst exhibited excellent shape selectivity for the transfer hydrogenation of benzophenone derivatives. It was found that the NH(2) binding site on the wall of the molecularly imprinted cavity enhanced the adsorption of o-fluorobenzophenone, of which the reduction product was imprinted, whereas there was no positive effect in the case of o-methylbenzophenone, which cannot interact with the NH(2) binding site through hydrogen bonding.     

Effects of acrylic acid incorporation on the pressure–temperature behavior and the calorimetric properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous solutions

 We studied the effects of pH on the pressure–temperature dependence of coil–collapse transition for aqueous solutions of copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid (Ac). At low pressures, the transition temperature (T _tr) increased with pressure, but T _tr decrease with increasing pressure at pressures higher than 50–100 MPa. By increasing the pH, the transition contour shifted to a higher temperature. When the Ac content was increased, the effects of pH became more evident. From a calorimetric study at atmospheric pressure, ΔH _tr was found to become smaller by increasing the portion of the ionized residues in the copolymer. The ratio to the van't Hoff enthalpy changes became larger with an increase in pH, which indicated that the production of charge decreased the cooperative domain size. Received: 19 July 1999 /Accepted in revised form: 7 September 1999     

Association Model and Its Representation of Phase Equilibria and Excess Enthalpies of Alcohol, Aniline, and Acetonitrile Mixtures

An association model is presented to describe vapor–liquid equilibria,liquid–liquid equilibria, and excess enthalpies of binary and ternary liquid solutionscontaining alcohols, aniline, and/or acetonitrile using the concepts of linearself-association of associated components and of solvation between unlike molecules.Calculated results also show that the model works well in representing thethermodynamic properties for alcohol + aniline, alcohol + acetonitrile, andalcohol + alcohol mixtures.     

Cu-deposits on Mg metal surfaces promote electron transfer reactions

The enhancement of the electron transfer processes in the Grignard reagent formation-type ring silylation and the defluorination–silylation of perfluoroalkyl benzenes by Cu(0)-deposited Mg metal were confirmed. Microscopic analysis and substituent effects implied a different reduction process in the presence of Cu-deposited Mg metal than in the presence of bare Mg metal.     

Development of a stable isotope dilution UPLC‐MS/MS method for quantification of dexmedetomidine in a small amount of human plasma

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is a selective central α2‐agonist with anesthetic properties and has been used in clinical practice for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU) after operations. In this study, an analytical assay for the determination of Dex in a small amount of plasma was developed for the application to pediatric ICU trials. The quantification of Dex was constructed using the original stable isotope Dex‐d₃ for electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS/MS) in the selected reaction monitoring mode. A rapid ultra‐performance liquid chromatography technique was adopted using ESI‐MS/MS with a runtime of 3 min. Efficacious concentration levels (50 pg/mL to 5 ng/mL) could be evaluated using a very small amount of plasma (10 μL) from patients. The lower limit of the quantification was 5 pg/mL in the plasma (100 µL). For sample preparation, a solid‐phase extraction was used along with the OASIS‐HLB cartridge type. Recovery values ranged from 98.8 to 100.3% for the intra‐ [relative standard deviation (RSD), 0.9–1.3%] and inter‐ (RSD, 0.9–1.5%) day assays. A stable test had recovery values that ranged from 97.8 to 99.7% with an RSD of 1.0–1.9% for the process/wet extract, bench‐top, freeze–thaw and long‐term tests. This method was used to measure the Dex levels in plasma from pediatric ICU patients. In the clinical ICU trial, the small amount of blood (approximate plasma volume, 200 μL) remaining from blood gas analysis was reused and targeted for the clinical analysis of Dex in plasma. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A local interpolation scheme using no derivatives in potential sampling: application to O(1D) + H2 system

We recently proposed a local interpolation scheme, in which interpolant moving least squares (IMLS) and Shepard interpolation are employed to describe potential energy surfaces. This IMLS/Shepard scheme is used to interpolate quantum chemical potential energy surfaces for which analytical derivatives are not available. In this study, we apply the scheme to the highly exothermic O((1)D) + H(2) --> H + OH reaction and compare it with results based on Shepard interpolation using second-order Taylor expansions. An analytical surface is used to define the potential function so that errors in the interpolation function may accurately be determined. We find that the present scheme reproduces the correct reactive cross-sections more accurately than the Shepard scheme, and with rms errors for energy and gradients that are significantly smaller than those from Shepard interpolation. This occurs even though the present scheme does not utilize derivative and Hessian information, whereas the Shepard interpolation does. The Bayesian approach proposed by Bettens and Collins does not improve the IMLS/Shepard results significantly, although it does the Shepard-only approach. The accuracy of the IMLS/Shepard scheme is surprising, but can be explained by the more global nature of the interpolation.