Determination of Cadmium in Plant Tissues by Electrothermal Atomisation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Matrix/Analyte Modification and Smith-Hieftje Background Correction

Abstract

Pressure decomposition in a microwave oven provides a rapid means of sample preparation for plant tissue analyses. The use of delayed atomisation cuvettes, Smith-Hieftje background correction and matrix/analyte modification enables accurate determinations of cadmium concentrations in plant materials to be made. However, care should be taken to restrict the concentrations of modifier used, as too high a concentration may lead to problems with both tube life and over-correction by the Smith-Hieftje background correction system.     

Pole placement controllers for linear time-delay systems with commensurate point delays

This paper investigates the exact and approximate spectrum assignment properties associated with realizable output-feedback pole-placement type controllers for single-input single-output linear time-invariant time-delay systems with commensurate point delays. The controller synthesis problem is discussed through the solvability of a set of coupled diophantine equations of polynomials. An extra complexity is incorporated to the above design to cancel extra unsuitable dynamics being generated when solving the above diophantine equations. Thus, the complete controller tracks any arbitrary prefixed (either finite or delaydependent) closed-loop spectrum. However, if the controller is simplified by deleting the above mentioned extra complexity, then the robust stability and approximated spectrum assignment are still achievable for a certain sufficiently small amount of delayed dynamics. Finally, the approximate spectrum assignment and robust stability problems are revisited under plant disturbances if the nominal controller is maintained. In the current approach, the finite spectrum assignment is only considered as a particular case to the designer‘s choice of a (delay-dependent) arbitrary spectrum assignment objective.     

Mechanochromic Delayed Fluorescence Switching in Propeller-Shaped Carbazole–Isophthalonitrile Luminogens with Stimuli-Responsive Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Excited States

Herein, the universal design of high-efficiency stimuli-responsive luminous materials endowed with mechanochromic luminescence (MCL) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) functions is reported. The origin of the unique stimuli-triggered TADF switching for a series of carbazole–isophthalonitrile-based donor–acceptor (D–A) luminogens is demonstrated based on systematic photophysical and X-ray analysis, coupled with theoretical calculations. It was revealed that a tiny alteration of the intramolecular D–A twisting in the excited-state structures governed by the solid morphologies is responsible for this dynamic TADF switching behavior. This concept is applicable to the fabrication of bicolor emissive organic light-emitting diodes using a single TADF emitter.     

CN-Modified Imidazopyridine as a New Electron Accepting Unit of Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Emitters

Two efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters were developed by utilizing CN-modified imidazopyridine as an acceptor unit. The CN-modified imidazopyridine acceptor was combined with either an acridine donor or a phenoxazine donor through a phenyl linker to produce two TADF emitters, Ac-CNImPy and PXZ-CNImPy. The acridine-based Ac-CNImPy emitter exhibited sky-blue emission with a CIE coordinate of (0.18, 0.38), whereas the phenoxazine-donor-based PXZ-CNImPy showed greenish-yellow emission with a CIE coordinate of (0.32, 0.58). A high photoluminescence quantum yield of 80 % was observed for the PXZ-CNImPy emitter compared with 40 % for the Ac-CNImPy emitter. Organic light-emitting diodes based on the PXZ-CNImPy emitter demonstrated high external quantum efficiency of 17.0 %. Hence, the CN-modified imidazopyridine unit can be considered as a useful electron acceptor for the future design of highly efficient TADF emitters.     

Fluorescence and Time-Resolved Delayed Luminescence of Porphyrins in Organic Solvents and Polymer Matrices

Porphyrin dyes fulfill an essential function in photosynthesis and are important in photodynamic therapy and in a range of electronic devices. Their spectroscopic characteristics may play a crucial role in these processes. The spectral properties of two porphyrin dyes: tetraphenylporphyrin and tetraphenysulfporphyrin in organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, methyl alcohol, and dimethyl-sulfoxide) and in polyvinyl alcohol and poly(methylmethacrylate) films have been investigated. Absorption, fluorescence, and microsecond time-resolved delayed luminescence spectra have been measured at room temperature. The existence of different aggregated dye forms in the ground and excited states has been demonstrated. The manifold of dye species depends on the solvent/polymer. In the case of the polymers, it also depends on the solvent used to coat the polymer film. Delayed luminescence spectra and decay times of the two porphyrins in the different solutions and in polymeric matrices suggest that different mechanisms of deexcitation of the singlet excited states may be responsible for their generation in these and other porphyrin dyes.     

The Importance of Excited‐State Energy Alignment for Efficient Exciplex Systems Based on a Study of Phenylpyridinato Boron Derivatives

Understanding excited‐state dynamics is critical for improving the photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of exciplexes. A series of exciplexes based on conventional hole‐transporting materials as donor and newly developed phenylpyridinato boron derivatives as acceptor were investigated. High PL efficiencies were achieved in only some combinations, and a large difference in performance among combinations provided insight into nonradiative processes in exciplex systems. Furthermore, the triplet local excited states (³LE) of each donor and acceptor were found play an important role in triplet exciplex harvesting. Significant contributions from triplets were clearly observed when the charge‐transfer excited states (¹CT and ³CT) and ³LE were ideally aligned. We also demonstrated fine control of relative energy alignment via the concentration to improve the PL efficiency.     

Aggregation-Enhanced Emission and Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence of Derivatives of 9-Phenyl-9H-Carbazole: Effects of Methoxy and tert-Butyl Substituents

Derivatives of 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole were synthesized as efficient emitters exhibiting both thermally activated delayed fluorescence and aggregation-induced emission enhancement. Effects of methoxy and tert-butyl substituents at the different positions of carbazolyl groups on the properties of the emitters were studied. Depending on the substitutions, photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) of non-doped solid films of the compounds ranged from 17 % to 53 % which were much higher than those observed for the solutions in low-polarity solvent toluene. Compounds substituted at C-3 and C-6 positions of carbazole moiety by methoxy- and tert-butyl- groups showed the highest solid-state PLQY. Ionization potentials of the studied derivatives in solid-state were found to be in the short range of 5.75–5.89 eV. Well-balanced hole and electron mobilities were detected for tert-butyl-substituted compound. They exceeded 10⁻⁴ cm² (V×s)⁻¹ at electric fields higher than 3×10⁵ V cm⁻¹. Two compounds with the highest solid-state PLQYs showed higher efficiencies in non-doped organic light-emitting diodes than in the doped devices. Maximum external quantum efficiency of 7.2 % and brightness of 15000 cd m⁻² were observed for the best device.     

Twisted penta‐Carbazole/Benzophenone Hybrid Compound as Multifunctional Organic Host,Dopant or Non‐doped Emitter for Highly Efficient Solution‐Processed Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs

A new multi‐functional penta‐carbazole/benzophenone hybrid compound 5CzBP was designed and synthesized through a simple one‐step catalyst‐free C—N coupling reaction by using 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzophenone and carbazole as starting materials. 5CzBP is very soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF), which brings an environmentally friendly device fabrication for solution‐processed OLEDs instead of most widely used chlorinated solvents when 5CzBP is employed as the bulk‐phase of organic host or non‐doped emitter in the emissive layer. 5CzBP exhibits thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) characteristic with relatively high triplet energy of 2.60 eV and a low ΔE_ST of 0.01 eV. By using the new TADF material as organic host for another green TADF emitter, maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 12.5% has been achieved in simple solution‐processed OLED device. Besides, a maximum EQE of 8.9% and 5.7% was further obtained in TADF devices based on 5CzBP as dopant and non‐doped emitter, respectively. The simultaneously acting as efficient TADF host and non‐doped TADF emitter provides the potential guidance of the future simple single‐layer two‐color white OLEDs based on low‐cost pure organic TADF materials.     

Synthesis and electroluminescent performance of thermally activated delayed fluorescence‐conjugated polymers with simple formylphenyl as pendant acceptor

Formylphenyl has been demonstrated to act as an acceptor to construct thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter, and therefore a series of the TADF‐conjugated polymers with formylphenyl as pendant acceptor and carbazole/acridine as backbone donor are designed and synthesized. All polymers involve the twisted donor/acceptor structural moieties with the sufficiently spatial separation between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital as well as a small singlet/triplet splitting, and exhibit the legible TADF features confirmed by theoretical calculation and their transient decay spectra. The solution‐processed organic light‐emitting diodes using neat film of the polymers as emissive layer achieve excellent performance with the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 10.6%, the maximum current efficiency of up to 35.3 cd A⁻¹ and the low turn‐on voltage of 2.7 V. Moreover, the EQE still remains 10.3% at the luminance of 1000 cd m⁻² with the low driving voltage of 4.4 V and extremely small efficiency roll‐off. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1989–1996