Electron transport and recombination in dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2 probed by photoinduced charge-conductivity modulation spectroscopy with Monte Carlo modeling

We present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation into the charge transport and recombination in dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2. We electronically probe the photoinduced change in conductivity through in-plane devices while simultaneously optically probing signatures of the charge species. Our quasi-continuous wave technique allows us to build data sets of electron mobility and recombination versus charge density over a wide temperature range. We observe that the charge density dependence of mobility in TiO2 is strong at high temperatures and gradually reduces with reducing temperature, to an extent where at temperatures below 260 K the mobility is almost independent of charge density. The mobility first increases and then decreases with reducing temperature at any given charge density. These observed trends are surprising and consistent with the multiple-trapping model for charge transport only if the trap density-of-states (DoS) is allowed to become less deep and narrower as the temperature reduces. Our recombination measurements and simulations over a broad range of charge density and temperature are also consistent with the above-mentioned varying DoS function when the recombination rate constant is allowed to increase with temperature, itself consistent with a thermally activated charge-transfer process. Further to using the Monte Carlo simulations to model the experimental data, we use the simulations to aid our understanding of the limiting factors to charge transport and recombination. According to our model, we find that the charge recombination is mainly governed by the recombination reaction rate constant and the charge density dependence is mainly a result of the bimolecular nature of the recombination process. The implication to future material design is that if the mobility can be enhanced without increasing the charge density in the film, for instance by reducing the average trap depth, then this will not be at the sacrifice of comparably enhanced recombination and it will greatly increase the charge carrier diffusion lengths in dye-sensitized or mesoscopic solar cells.     

Dynamic equilibrium formulation of the oligopolistic market problem

The aim of this paper is to generalize the oligopolistic market equilibrium problems when the data depend on time. We present results regarding the existence of solutions to such problems. Moreover, we show that continuity regularity results hold, and we use them in order to numerically solve the dynamic equilibrium problem.     

Dynamic spatial price equilibrium problem: regularity results and computational procedure

In this paper we consider the dynamic spatial price equilibrium problem and the associated evolutionary variational inequality. In particular the regularity of equilibrium solutions is studied and a method for solving the dynamic spatial price equilibrium problem is presented. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of both enantiomers of 3-hydroxy- and 3-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid

Ethyl (S)-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionate (S)-2 was obtained by the asymmetric reduction of ethyl 3-phenyl-3-oxopropionate 1 with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ATCC 9080). The kinetic resolution of racemic ethyl 2-acetoxy-3-phenyl-propionate rac-3 with the same microorganism, gave after hydrolysis ethyl (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionates (R)-2 and (S)-2 which were converted by a straightforward series of reactions to the enantiomers of 3-amino-3-phenyl-propionic acids (S)-6 and (R)-6. The asymmetric reduction and hydrolytic kinetic resolution were also tested with several other whole cell systems under a variety of conditions.     

Product integration for volterra integral equations of the second kind with weakly singular kernels

We introduce a new numerical approach for solving Volterra integral equations of the second kind when the kernel contains a mild singularity. We give a convergence result. We also present numerical examples which show the performance and efficiency of our method.

     

New synthesis and X-ray diffraction study of a polymeric form of Ag(I) dithio-o-toluato, [Ag4(S2C-o-C6H4CH3)4]n

The title compound was synthesized by CS₂ insertion in the C-M bonds of the corresponding AgLi ate organomental compound. It contains flattened tetrahedral Ag₄ units, connected in polymeric chains by intermolecular Ag...S interactions. Two Ag atoms and three S atoms are in a distorted square pyramidal arrangement around each silver atom. The crystals are tetragonal, space group 14₁/a witha=23.706(2) andc=12.934(2) Å. The structure was refined toR=0.032 for 889 reflections.     

(n-C5H5) (CO)2W{n3-C5H5[(n-C5H4)2Fe]} - ein neuer Fe und N enthaltender Zweikernkomplex

(η-C₅H₅)(CO)₂W[(η³-C₅H₅)(C₅H₅)₂], I, containing two tilted five-membered rings, is converted into the bridged ferrocene derivative (η-C₅H₅)(CO)₂W{(η³-C₅H₅)}[(η-C₅ H₄)₂Fe]} II by successive reaction with Na and FeCl₂.     

Synthesis of alpha-acyl-functionalized azacycles by Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alpha-alkoxyboronates with lactam-derived vinyl triflates

Alkoxydienyl- and alkoxystyrylboronates were used for Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with lactam-derived vinyl triflates. The hydrolysis of the coupling products with alkoxystyrylboronates provided the corresponding alpha-acyl-substituted 3,4-dihydro-(2H)-pyridines and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydroazepines in good to high yields. The hydrolysis of the coupling products with alkoxydienylboronates, performed in the presence of Amberlyst 15, resulted in a Nazarov-type cyclization that afforded hexahydro[1]pyrindin-7-ones and 3,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-(2H)-cyclopenta[b]azepin-8-ones. This methodology represents a novel and efficient procedure for the preparation of these classes of azacyclic compounds.     

Monomeric azaheterofullerene derivatives RC59N: influence of the R moiety on spectroscopic and photophysical properties

We have synthesised nine monomeric azaheterofullerene (AZA) derivatives, RC(59)N, with a wide variety of different side chains R and investigated their spectroscopic and photophysical properties in toluene and o-dichlorobenzene (ODCB). Measurements include their ground-state absorption spectra, molar absorption coefficient (epsilon(G)), fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields (Phi(F)), singlet-state lifetimes (tau(F)), triplet-state absorption spectra, triplet molar absorption coefficients (epsilon(T)), singlet oxygen (Phi(Delta)), and triplet state (Phi(T)) quantum yields. The replacement of a carbon by a nitrogen atom in the C(60) sphere strongly affects most of the spectroscopic and photophysical properties. The chemical nature of the R moiety has definite effects on these properties in contrast with minor effects on the chemical nature of the addends in [6,6]-ring bridged monoadduct methano[60]fullerene derivatives. These effects concern properties of the ground state, singlet excited state, and triplet states of our nine RC(59)N derivatives and in particular the values of photophysical parameters epsilon(G), epsilon(T), Phi(Delta), and Phi(T), which are significantly lower than those of analogous monoadduct [6,6]-ring bridged methano[60]fullerene derivatives.