1,2-Bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2-ethanediol and 1,4-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2,3,4-butanetetraol PdCl2 complexes

The 1,2-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2-ethanediol (EH₂) and 1,4-bis-(2-benzimidazolyl)-1,2,3,4-butanetetraol (TH₄) ligands form 4-coordinate mono- and bi-metallic complexes with PdCl₂, respectively. In Pd(EH₂)Cl₂ the ligand acts as a bidentate through two of the nitrogen atoms. On the other hand, in Pd₂(TH₄)Cl₄ the ligand coordinates to two palladium atoms through both bis-benzimidazole nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms of the hydroxy groups, forming two different isomers. The complexes were characterised by analytical data, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductivity, and also by i.r., ¹H- and ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra.     

Cobalt(II)/(III) complexes bearing a tetradentate thiosemicarbazone: Synthesis,experimental and theoretical characterization,and electrochemical and antioxidant properties

New cobalt complexes, Co1 and Co2 , were synthesized starting from acetylacetone-S-methylthiosemicarbazone. The square planar cobalt(II) and octahedral cobalt(III) complexes were characterized by FT-IR, UV–visible, ¹H NMR, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopies and mass spectrometry. Frontier orbitals of the complexes were theoretically obtained to better understand the complex structures and intermolecular interactions. The electrochemical behaviors of Co1 and Co2 were investigated and the results were evaluated by comparing with each other and with similar published compounds to determine their possible usage in various electrochemical technologies, such as energy storage devices, electrocatalysts, and electrosensors. Metal-based oxidation at around 0 V and metal-based reduction at around −1.0 V indicated that these complexes are valuable for the proposed applications. By determining the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and the radical scavenging activity of the cobalt complexes, the compatibility between the antioxidant qualification, redox, and theoretical calculation results was discussed.     

Amphiphilic water soluble cationic ring opening metathesis copolymer as an antibacterial agent

Bacterial infection is a global problem, especially resistance acquired by bacteria against to antibiotics; there is urgent need for the development of antibiotics. Here, we proposed dendron-grafted polymers via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) featuring different with tailored hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity and cationic charges. Dendritic oxanorbornene derivatives were synthesized having two and six carbon linkers and their corresponding random and block copolymers were prepared having pendant pyridinium salt moieties via ROMP. In total, 12 different water-soluble dendronized cationic polymers featuring hexyl pyridinium moieties were prepared and investigated. Six carbon linker possessing triple charge density and hexyl pyridinium functionality each repeating unit copolymers exhibited high antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus). However, all the polymers were inactive against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli). Most of the copolymers are non-hemolytic (>HC ₅₀ = 1,000 μg/ml). It was also observed that, there is no significant effect between block copolymers and random copolymers keeping hydrophobicity and cationic charge density constant. Zeta potential was measured to investigate the mechanism in solution via the interaction of polymers with S. aureus, while scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements image confirms damage of the bacterial cell wall after implementation of biocidal polymer.     

A Thienothiophene-Based Cation Treatment Allows Semitransparent Perovskite Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency and Stability

Perovskite surface treatment with additives has been reported to improve charge extraction, stability, and/or surface passivation. In this study, treatment of a 3D perovskite ((FAPbI₃)_1−x(MAPbBr₃)_x) layer with a thienothiophene-based organic cation (TTMAI), synthesized in this work, is investigated. Detailed analyses reveal that a 2D (n = 1) or quasi-2D layer does not form on the PbI₂-rich surface 3D perovskite. TTMAI-treated 3D perovskite solar cells (PSCs) fabricated in this study show improved fill factors, providing an increase in their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) from 17% to over 20%. It is demonstrated that the enhancement is due to better hole extraction by drift-diffusion simulations. Furthermore, thanks to the hydrophobic nature of the TTMAI, PSC maintains 82% of its initial PCE under 15% humidity for over 380 h (the reference retains 38%). Additionally, semitransparent cells are demonstrated reaching 17.9% PCE with treated 3D perovskite, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies for double cationic 3D perovskites. Moreover, the semitransparent 3D PSC (TTMAI-treated) maintains 87% of its initial efficiency for six weeks (>1000 h) when kept in the dark at room temperature. These results clearly show that this study fills a critical void in perovskite research where highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells are scarce.     

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy study of polyvinylpyrrolidone-added polyvinylidene fluoride membranes: Investigation of free volume and permeation relationships

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were prepared via the phase inversion method from casting solutions containing PVDF, dimethylformamide (DMF), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as pore former. PVP was used in the casting solution in a range of 0–5 wt % and extracted. The effect on membranes of using PVP in the casting process was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, viscosity, and water permeability techniques. With an increase of PVP from 0 to 5 wt %, the PVDF casting solution viscosities increased from 858 to 1148 cP; the resulting PVDF membrane thickness increased; and the crystallinity of PVDF membranes decreased from 40.0 to 33.3%, which indicates that the addition of PVP inhibits the degree of crystallization in the PVDF membranes. SEM results revealed the shape and size of macropores in the membranes; these macropores changed after PVP addition to the casting solutions. The impact of structural changes on free-volume properties was evaluated using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) studies. PALS analysis indicated no effect on the average radius (~3.4 Å) of membrane free-volume holes from the addition of PVP to the casting solution. However, the percentage of o-Ps pick-off annihilation intensity, I₃, increased from 1.7 to 5.1% with increased PVP content. Further, increasing the PVP content from 0.5 to 5% resulted in an increased final pure water permeability flux. For instance, the 210 min flux for a 14% PVDF + 0.5% PVP membrane was found to be 3.3 times greater than a control membrane having the same PVDF concentration. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 589–598     

On Ideal Operators

Let E, F be Archimedean Riesz spaces. We consider operators that map ideals of E to ideals of F and operators T for which, T ^–1 (I) is an ideal in E, for each ideal I in F. We study the properties of such operators and investigate their relation to disjointness preserving operators.     

A Theory of Network Localization

In this paper, we provide a theoretical foundation for the problem of network localization in which some nodes know their locations and other nodes determine their locations by measuring the distances to their neighbors. We construct grounded graphs to model network localization and apply graph rigidity theory to test the conditions for unique localizability and to construct uniquely localizable networks. We further study the computational complexity of network localization and investigate a subclass of grounded graphs where localization can be computed efficiently. We conclude with a discussion of localization in sensor networks where the sensors are placed randomly     

Une hypothèse topologique pour le problème de la courbure scalaire prescrite

By topological arguments, we set forth sufficient hypotheses for a given function K, on a compact Riemannian manifold (M, g), to be the scalar curvature of a metric conformal to g.     

A hydrogen-sensitive analysis of the structure of deuterated liquid formamide

Structural investigations of deuterated liquid formamide were performed by using neutron scattering, ab-initio calculations and classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The recorded neutron data are analysed to yield the total structure factor S_M (Q), the molecular form factor F (Q), the distinct pair correlation function g_L(r) and particularly the deuterium-oxygen signature of H-bond interactions. Neutron scattering data, as well as recent x-ray studies, clearly show that the local order of the liquid is largely described by one dimer, two trimers and one tetramer. Molecular Dynamics simulations show that neutron scattering data can be reproduced by three different force fields.