UV spectra of vinyl chalcogenides: Correlation with the photoelectron spectra

The electron absorption spectra of alkylvinyl chalcogenides (CH₂=CHEAlk, E = S, Se, Te) were analyzed with consideration of the photoelectron spectroscopic data. The following sequence of electronic transitions was found in their UV spectra:

High-entropy transition metal chalcogenides as electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion

High-entropy transition metal chalcogenides (HE-TMCs) are advantageous in electrocatalytic applications compared to other entropy-stabilized systems owing to the greater orbital extension and energetic match of p-orbitals in chalcogenides with d-orbitals of the transition metals providing additional space to tailor their electronic structure. The high-configurational entropy of HE-TMCs leads to stabilization of cubic rock salt, wurtzite-type and hexagonally packed 2D structures. Due to the multi-element nature of HE-TMCs, the synergy among different elements results in tunable d- and p-band positions. As a consequence, the adsorption energies of electrocatalytic reaction intermediates can be tailored to enhance catalytic performance in water splitting and CO₂ reduction. Furthermore, the entropy-stabilized disordered microstructural state of the material endows HE-TMCs with improved corrosion resistance. Despite recent advances in HE-TMC electrocatalysis, challenges such as identification and synthesis of efficient HE-TMCs as well as the identification of catalytically active sites and reaction mechanisms on HE-TMCs remain to be investigated.     

Helicate tris(aryl)carbinolates bearing pendant NR2 donors – a new family of supporting ligands for the synthesis of Sc3+ alkyl complexes

The reactions of aryllithium reagents o-LiC₆H₄CH₂NR₂ with (MeO)₂CO afford two new tris(aryl)carbinols bearing pendant-NR₂ donor groups in the side chain [o-R NCH C H ] COH [R = Me, R + R = (CH) ]. These alcohols feature helical chirality due to differently inclined aromatic fragments and are presented in a crystalline cell as two M and P enantiomers. Carbinol (R = Me) readily reacts with (Me3SiCH2)3Sc(THF)2 to give a scandium bis(alkyl) complex [(o-C₆H₄CH₂NMe₂)₃CO]Sc(CH₂SiMe₃)₂ featuring rigid binding of the alkoxy anion through a κ¹-O, κ²-N chelating coordination mode     

Colloidal Synthesis and Characterization of Molybdenum Chalcogenide Quantum Dots Using a Two-Source Precursor Pathway for Photovoltaic Applications

The drawbacks of utilizing nonrenewable energy have quickened innovative work on practical sustainable power sources (photovoltaics) because of their provision of a better-preserved decent environment which is free from natural contamination and commotion. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and application of Mo chalcogenide nanoparticles (NP) as alternative sources in the absorber layer of QDSSCs is discussed. The successful synthesis of the NP was confirmed as the results from the diffractive peaks obtained from XRD which were positive and agreed in comparison with the standard. The diffractive peaks were shown in the planes (100), (002), (100), and (105) for the MoS₂ nanoparticles; (002), (100), (103), and (110) for the MoSe₂ nanoparticles; and (0002), (0004), (103), as well as (0006) for the MoTe₂ nanoparticles. MoSe₂ presented the smallest size of the nanoparticles, followed by MoTe₂ and, lastly, by MoS₂. These results agreed with the results obtained using SEM analysis. For the optical properties of the nanoparticles, UV–Vis and PL were used. The shift of the peaks from the red shift (600 nm) to the blue shift (270–275 nm and 287–289 nm (UV–Vis)) confirmed that the nanoparticles were quantum-confined. The application of the MoX₂ NPs in QDSSCs was performed, with MoSe₂ presenting the greatest PCE of 7.86%, followed by MoTe₂ (6.93%) and, lastly, by MoS₂, with the PCE of 6.05%.     

Measuring Contact Angles at Copper Electrodes

Potential dependences of the angle of contact between perfluorodecaline C₁₀F₁₈ and copper, copper(I) sulfide, and copper telluride Cu₄Te₃ in 0.1 M CH₃COONa are measured. The data are in good agreement with the metal hardness measured in 1 M KOH. The uncharged-surface potentials (USP) for copper, copper(I) sulfide, and copper telluride equal 0.05–0.07, –0.02 to –0.04, and 0.05–0.07 V (NHE) in 0.1 M CH₃COONa. Studying the effect of Br^– ions shows that USP for copper and Cu₂S shift in, respectively, the negative and positive directions with an increase in [Br^–]. For copper telluride, USP shifts in the positive direction at low Br^– concentrations, and at NaBr concentrations in excess of 0.04 M, in the negative direction.     

Thermal coefficient of linear expansion of non-crystalline chalcogenides in the As-S-Se-Te-I system

The object of the paper is an investigation of the glasses of the (As₂S₃)_x(AsSe_0.5Te_0.5I)_100-x. type for 65≤;x≤;95, using methods of thermomechanical analysis. Values of the thermal coefficients of linear expansion in solid and visco-plastic phase were determined. it was shown that introducing arsenic-sulfide in glass-matrix AsChI, i.e. (AsSe_0.5Te_0.5I), leads to an increasing stability of these glasses. The characteristic temperatures of softening Tg and the temperature of the beginning of deformation t_w increase by increasing content of As₂S₃. The analytical forms of dependence of four significant physical values α_g, α_l, Tg, Tw, as a function of As₂S₃ content in the structure of glasses were fitted. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ion Association in Lanthanide Chloride Solutions

A better understanding of the solution chemistry of the lanthanide (Ln) salts in water would have wide ranging implications in materials processing, waste management, element tracing, medicine and many more fields. This is particularly true for minerals processing, given governmental concerns about lanthanide security of supply and the drive to identify environmentally sustainable processing routes. Despite much effort, even in simple systems, the mechanisms and thermodynamics of Ln^III association with small anions remain unclear. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD), using a newly developed force field, provide new insights into LnCl₃(aq) solutions. The force field accurately reproduces the structure and dynamics of Nd³⁺, Gd³⁺ and Er³⁺ in water when compared to calculations using density functional theory (DFT). Adaptive-bias MD simulations show that the mechanisms for ion pairing change from dissociative to associative exchange depending upon cation size. Thermodynamics of association reveal that whereas ion pairing is favourable, the equilibrium distribution of species at low concentration is dominated by weakly bound solvent-shared and solvent-separated ion pairs, rather than contact ion pairs, reconciling a number of contrasting observations of Ln^III–Cl association in the literature. In addition, we show that the thermodynamic stabilities of a range of inner sphere and outer sphere coordination complexes are comparable and that the kinetics of anion binding to cations may control solution speciation distributions beyond ion pairs. The techniques adopted in this work provide a framework with which to investigate more complex solution chemistries of cations in water.     

稀土固体超强酸SO42-/TiO2/La3+催化合成丁酸异戊酯

The synthesis of isoamyl butyrate with isoamyl alcohol and butyric acid as reactants and rare-earth solid superacid SO₄^2-/TiO₂/La³⁺ as catalyst had been studied.The influent actors of reaction were investigated.The results showed that the appropriate conditions should be: Weight of catalyst was 0.5g (weight of butyric acid if 0.2mol); molar ratio of isoamyl alcohol to butyric acid was 1.8: 1; reaction time was 2.0 h; the taking water reagent (Toluene) was 15mL.The yield of isoamyl butyrate was about 99.0%.     

2D metal slabs in new nickel-tin chalcogenides Ni7−δSnQ2 (QSe, Te): average crystal and electronic structures, chemical bonding and physical properties

A systematic search for mixed low-valence, nickel-tin chalcogenides performed by establishing phase relations in the parts of Ni-Sn-Se and Ni-Sn-Te ternary systems resulted in the discovery of two new compounds, Ni_5.62SnSe₂ and Ni_5.78SnTe₂. Single crystals of both compounds were prepared by chemical transport with iodine and crystal structures were determined by single crystal X-ray investigation. The ED patterns for Ni_5.78SnTe₂ showed the presence of satellite reflections, which indicate a modulated structure with q≈0.4a^*. Average crystal structures of both compounds were determined to be of tetragonal symmetry (Sp.gr. I4/mmm, Z=2) with a=3.6890(8) Å, c=18.648(3) Å, R_w=0.0716 and a=3.7680(5) Å, c=19.419(4) Å, R_w=0.0832, correspondingly, and are isostructural to known Ni_5.72SbSe₂ and Ni_5.66SbTe₂. Measurements were carried out for both compounds with respect to thermal, electrical and magnetic properties. Ab initio band structure calculations were also performed to take a first glance into the electronic structure of such type compounds. The anisotropy of their band structure was found. Physical property measurements showed both compounds to be the anisotropic metallic conductors and paramagnetics. Calculated difference charge density maps revealed pairwise covalent and multicenter metallic nature of the d-metal—chalcogen and d-metal—p-metal interactions, respectively.