TiO(2) porous electrodes with hierarchical branched inner channels for charge transport in viscous electrolytes.

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) photoelectrodes with micro/nano hierarchical branched inner channels have been prepared by an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) technique and assembled to form dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Excellent penetration of ionic-liquid electrolytes and enhanced light harvesting in the longer wavelength region are realized within the composite-structure electrode, thus a better fill factor (ff) of 75.3 % and higher conversion efficiency (eta) of 7.1 % are obtained for viscous ionic-liquid electrolytes compared to pure nanostructured films. Hierarchical branched channels in the photoanodes can efficiently improve the transport properties of redox-active species in viscous electrolytes, which is demonstrated by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The incident monochromatic photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) shows that enhanced light scattering in the composite film is of benefit for light harvesting and thus for solar energy conversion efficiency.     

萘酰氨基修饰β-环糊精对几种荧光染料的分子识别

用光谱滴定技术分别测定了β-环糊精(1)、单-[6-(1-萘酰氨基)-乙基氨基-6-脱氧]-β-环糊精(2)、单-[6-(1-萘酰氨基)-二乙基二氨基-6-脱氧]-β-环糊精(3)在25℃时,pH为7.2、2.0和10.1的缓冲溶液中与几种染料分子形成超分子配合物的稳定常数Ks,并考察了pH=7.2时识别过程的热力学参数ΔH0和TΔS0。结果表明,pH为2.0和10.1时,静电、疏水和氢键作用协同贡献于超分子配合物的形成,如主体2与AR在pH=10.1时形成的Ks=7085;而pH=2.0时的Ks=1034。当pH=7.2时主-客体的尺寸/形状匹配、疏水作用和范德华力决定配合物的稳定性。主体2、3对AR、TNS和ANS的包结配位是放热过程,并给出较大的焓变(-ΔH0),对RhB主要表现为熵驱动过程。     

Intramolecular charge transfer in pyrromethene laser dyes: photophysical behaviour of PM650.

Absorption and fluorescence (steady-state and time-correlated) techniques are used to study the photophysical characteristics of the pyrromethene 650 (PM650) dye. The presence of the cyano group at the 8 position considerably shifts the absorption and fluorescence bands to lower energies with respect to other related pyrromethene dyes; this is attributed to the strong electron-acceptor character of the cyano group, as is theoretically confirmed by quantum mechanical methods. The fluorescence properties of PM650 are intensively solvent-dependent. The fluorescence band is shifted to lower energies in polar/protic solutions, and the evolution of the corresponding wavelength with the solvent is analysed by a multicomponent linear regression. The fluorescence quantum yield and the lifetime strongly decrease in polar/protic solvents, which can be ascribed to an extra nonradiative deactivation, via an intramolecular charge-transfer state (ICT state), favoured in polar media.     

Optical sensor materials for the detection of amines in organic solvents

A new optical polymer-based sensor was developed, which is able to recognize amines in organic solvents with high sensitivity. Thin polymer membranes were prepared and investigated, which contain a chromogenic functional dye (reactand) that shows a significant colour change during a reversible chemical reaction with the analyte. For that purpose the azo dye 4-trifluoroacetyl-4′-[N-(methacryloxyethyl)-N-(ethyl)amino]-azobenzene (CR-465) was synthesized, which contains a trifluoroacetyl moiety (receptor for interaction with amines) and in addition, a polymerizable methacrylate group. The methacrylate group links the dye covalently to the polymer matrix and the receptor recognizes the analyte via covalent binding. For immobilisation of the dye cross-linked methacrylate polymers with different composition were used. The highly cross-linked polymer network was stable against most organic solvents and exhibited enhanced stability against mechanical strain compared to plasticized PVC. The sensitivity of the reaction between the analyte and the dye was tailored by the choice of the solvent in which the analysis of the sensor layer was performed, with equilibrium constants for 1-butylamine ranging from 80 to 2000 M⁻¹ in chloroform and DMSO, respectively. In toluene as the solvent, sensor layers typically exhibited equilibrium constants of 100 M⁻¹ for 1-butylamine, 1300 M⁻¹ for 1,4-diaminobutane and 20,000 M⁻¹ for tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine. We have also investigated the cross-linked sensor layers with respect to molecular imprinting and did not find any enhancement in selectivity through imprinting in the presence of different analyte molecules.     

Effect of arrangement of the styryl fragment on the optical properties and complexation of mono-and bis(styryl)-substituted <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methylpyridinium perchlorates containing benzo-15-crown-5 ether moieties

Using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and steady-state and time-resolved electronic spectroscopy, the optical properties of mono-and bis(styryl)pyridinium perchlorates and their complexes with Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺ cations were studied. The stability constants of the complexes were determined using spectrophotometric titration. The formation of inclusion complexes for Mg²⁺ and sandwich type complexes for Ba²⁺ results in fluorescence enhancement and increases the lifetimes of the excited states of the initial bis-styryl ligands. The variation of position of the styryl fragment in the pyridinium aromatic ring gives rise to photochromic crown ethers with different optical and photophysical characteristics and is also an easy route to bis(crown-ethers) of symmetrical and unsymmetrical structure. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2092–2100, November, 2007.     

Some polyhydroxy azo–azomethine derivatives of salicylaldehyde: Synthesis, characterization, spectroscopic, molecular structure and antimicrobial activity studies

Some new substituted polyhydroxy azo–azomethine compounds were prepared by reaction of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane with (E)-2-hydroxy-5-(phenyldiazenyl) benzaldehyde and its substituted derivatives. The structures of azo and azo–azomethine compounds were determined by IR, UV–vis, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques, and/or X-ray diffraction studies. According to IR spectra, all azo–azomethine compounds adopt keto form in solid state. UV–vis analysis has shown the presence of keto–enol tautomerism in solution for all azo–azomethine compounds, except that for nitro substituted derivative, enol form is dominantly favored in solution. At the same time, above mentioned derivative compounds were studied in vitro for their antimicrobial properties. Among the phenylazosalicylaldehyde series compound tested, 4-phenylazosalicylaldehyde, 4-(3-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(2-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(4-fluorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(3-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde and 4-(4-ethylphenylazo)salicylaldehyde showed a weak antimicrobial activity only against gram positive bacteria. On the contrary, phenylazosalicylaldehyde series compounds were reacted tris(hydroxmethyl)aminomethane, that exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria, yeast and mould. Moreover, while the 2-{[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-ylimino]methyl}phenol did not show an inhibition on tested microorganism, the addition of phenyldiazine groups to 2-{[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-ylimino]methyl}phenol resulted in a strong increases in antimicrobial activity.     

Poly(4‐vinylpyridine) as the host ligand of metal‐containing chromophores for second‐order nonlinear optical active materials

Two formulas of grafted polymers with metal‐containing chromophores, potentially suitable for second‐order nonlinear optics applications, are described. Two chromophores were obtained from a tridentate ligand coordinated to Cu(II) or Pd(II) ions. The organometallic chromophore fragments were grafted to poly(4‐vinylpyridine) by the pyridinic nitrogen of the host polymer. Some qualities displayed by the new metallated polymers are remarkable: (1) a high value of the first hyperpolarizability coefficient of the chromophores, (2) a high content of the grafted chromophore in the polymers (up to 60 wt %), (3) a considerable increase in the glass‐transition temperatures (up to 240 °C), (4) good thermal stability in air (ca. 280 °C), and (5) good optical transparency of the films. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2987–2993, 2002     

Crown-containing styryl dyes

Styryl dyes containing a crown ether group and a heteroaromatic moiety with a sulfoalkylN-substituent (1a,b) undergo photocyclodimerization in acetonitrile in the presence of Mg(ClO₄)₂ to give only the typeA isomer of cyclobutane derivative (2a,b). The photochemical regio- and stereoselectivity of the cycloaddition is explained by self-organization of thetrans-isomers of the styryl dyes upon complexation with the Mg²⁺ cations into dimers with a fixed mutual arrangement of multiple bonds.For part 7, see ref. 1.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1449–1452, August, 1993.