Singlet relaxation dynamics and long triplet lifetimes of thiophene-coupled perylene diimides dyads: New insights for high efficiency organic solar cells

In the active layer of organic solar cells (OSCs), the lifetime of triplet excitons is one of the decisive factors in the diffusion length and therefore has important impact on the power conversion efficiency of the devices. Herein, we have investigated singlet excited state relaxation dynamics and their triplet exciton lifetimes of two thiophene-coupled perylene diimides (PDI) dyads (2PDI-Th and fused-2PDI-Th), in order to provide a unique explanation in depth on their different performances in OSC devices. From the transient absorption (TA) spectra, the singlet excitons of 2PDI-Th form excimers in the time scale of 1.5 ps. Then the excimers go into the triplet state via intersystem crossing (ISC). In fused-2PDI-Th, triplet excitons are generated directly from the singlet excited excitons via the efficient ISC. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further support the formation of excimers. DFT results indicate that 2PDI-Th exhibits an H-typed molecular configuration which is beneficial to form the excimers, while fused-2PDI-Th gives a twisted X-shaped configuration in the optimized ground and excited state. In steady-state emission spectra, 2PDI-Th shows abroad and featureless spectral characteristics of the excimers with a decay time of 840 ps, which is much shorter than those of PDI (5.5 ns) and fused-2PDI-Th (3.3 ns). The triplet lifetime (67 μs) of fused-2PDI-Th is factor of 3 longer than that of 2PDI-Th (22 μs). These results demonstrate that ring-fused structure is an efficient strategy to eliminate excimer formation and prolong the lifetime of triplet excitons, which provides a new insight for design of optoelectronic molecules for high efficiency organic solar cells.     

用于荧光光谱测定的微量固体粉末样品制样优化*

为满足微量固体粉末荧光检测要求,采用薄层制样法,改变黏结剂种类、黏结剂的用量、涂层厚度以及后处理方法来进行其制样工艺优化。 结果表明:以聚乙烯醇做黏结剂、1∶5的固液比、在50 ℃烘干30 min、涂片次数3层的薄层制样优化工艺可满足荧光固体测样的要求。采用t检验比较固体样品池装样和薄层制样法的荧光检测结果发现两者无显著性差异,薄层制样优化工艺的需样量较样品池减少90%。     

无机纳米与多孔材料合成中的凝聚态化学

所谓凝聚态,一般意义上是指液态和固态,而凝聚态化学,即是在固相和液相中的各种化学过程。在无机材料,特别是无机纳米与多孔材料的合成制备中,凝聚态化学过程贯穿其中,几乎无处不在。在固相材料合成过程中,通过液相中的各种化学反应以获得目标固体材料的所需组分和物相,也许就是无机材料合成中一个最基本的凝聚态化学问题;而多孔如微孔或介孔材料合成中,更涉及伴随组分和物相形成过程中的孔结构形成与调控;进一步,在制备面向实际应用如催化剂和药物载体时,则在以上的各项要求之外,还必须考虑材料的表面活性位、缺陷等关键因素,以及颗粒尺寸、分散性和形貌等几何和物理特性。本文以无机氧化物为对象,讨论了无机材料在凝聚态化学合成过程中的几个侧面,包括纳米颗粒和粉体的化学合成方法,多孔材料的合成和多孔复相结构的合成调控,以及多级孔结构沸石的合成制备与催化性能,以期能加深对材料合成中凝聚态化学过程的认识,并期待以凝聚态化学为指导,进一步推动无机材料特别是纳米多孔材料合成的发展。     

Defect-induced anisotropic surface reactivity and ion transfer processes of anatase nanoparticles

Surface reactivity and ion transfer processes of anatase TiO₂ nanocrystals were studied using lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfone)imide (LiTFSI) as a probing molecule. Analysis of synthesized anatase TiO₂ by electron microscopy reveals aggregated nanoparticles (average size ~8 nm) with significant defects (holes and cracks). With the introduction of LiTFSI salt, the Li⁺-adsorption propensity towards the surface along the anatase (100) step edge plane is evident in both x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) analysis corroborates the site-preferential interaction of Li⁺ cations with oxygen vacancies and the thermodynamically favorable transport through the (100) step edge plane. Using ⁷Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shift and relaxometry measurements, the presence of Li⁺ cations near the interface between TiO₂ and the bulk LiTFSI phase was identified, and subsequent diffusion properties were analyzed. The lower activation energy derived from NMR analysis reveals enhanced mobility of Li⁺ cations along the surface, in good agreement with AIMD calculations. On the other hand, the TFSI^– anion interaction with defect sites leads to CF₃ bond dissociation and subsequent generation of carbonyl fluoride-type species. The multimodal spectroscopic analysis including NMR, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the decomposition of TFSI^– anions near the anatase surface. The reaction mechanism and electronic structure of interfacial constituents were simulated using AIMD calculations. Overall, this work demonstrates the role of defects at the anatase nanoparticle surface on charge transfer and interfacial reaction processes.     

Alloyed Crystalline CdSe1-xSx Semiconductive Nanomaterials – A Solid State 113Cd NMR Study

Solid-state NMR analysis on wurtzite alloyed CdSe_1−xS_x crystalline nanoparticles and nanobelts provides evidence that the ¹¹³Cd NMR chemical shift is not affected by the varying sizes of nanoparticles, but is sensitive to the S/Se anion molar ratios. A linear correlation is observed between ¹¹³Cd NMR chemical shifts and the sulfur component for the alloyed CdSe_1−xS_x (0<x<1) system both in nanoparticles and nanobelts (δ_Cd=169.71⋅X_S+529.21). Based on this correlation, a rapid and applied approach has been developed to determine the composition of the alloyed nanoscalar materials utilizing ¹¹³Cd NMR spectroscopy. The observed results from this system confirm that one can use ¹¹³Cd NMR spectroscopy not only to determine the composition but also the phase separation of nanomaterial semiconductors without destruction of the sample structures. In addition, some observed correlations are discussed in detail.     

Counter‐Intuitive Gas‐Phase Reactivities of [V2]+ and [V2O]+ towards CO2 Reduction: Insight from Electronic Structure Calculations

[V₂O]⁺ remains “invisible” in the thermal gas‐phase reaction of bare [V₂]⁺ with CO₂ giving rise to [V₂O₂]⁺; this is because the [V₂O]⁺ intermediate is being consumed more than 230 times faster than it is generated. However, the fleeting existence of [V₂O]⁺ and its involvement in the [V₂]⁺ → [V₂O₂]⁺ chemistry are demonstrated by a cross‐over labeling experiment with a 1:1 mixture of C¹⁶O₂/C¹⁸O₂, generating the product ions [V₂¹⁶O₂]⁺, [V₂¹⁶O¹⁸O]⁺, and [V₂¹⁸O₂]⁺ in a 1:2:1 ratio. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations help to understand the remarkable and unexpected reactivity differences of [V₂]⁺ versus [V₂O]⁺ towards CO₂.     

Compromising Science by Ignorant Instrument Calibration—Need to Revisit Half a Century of Published XPS Data

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is an indispensable technique in modern materials science for the determination of chemical bonding as evidenced by more than 10 000 XPS papers published annually. A literature survey reveals that in the vast majority of cases an incorrect referencing of the binding energy scale is used, neglecting warnings that have been formulated from the early days of the technique. Consequences for the data reliability are disastrous and decades of XPS work require revisiting. The purpose of this Viewpoint is to highlight the existing problems, review the criticism and suggest ways forward.     

Identifying critical states of hepatocellular carcinoma based on landscape dynamic network biomarkers

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the major histological form of primary liver cancer. It has usually reached the disease state once the patient is diagnosed since there are no specific symptoms in the early stages of HCC. This fact increases the difficulty of curing HCC. Recently, quantities of evidence have shown that many mathematical methods (such as dynamic network biomarkers, DNB) can be used to detect critical states or tipping points of complex diseases. However, it is difficult to apply the DNB theory to the clinic since multiple samples are generally unavailable for individual patient. This paper constructs a novel method based on landscape dynamic network biomarkers (L-DNB), which aims to detect early warning signals from cirrhosis state to very advanced HCC state in individual patient. The selected dataset contains multiple samples for each HCC state. A score that indicates the disease characteristics is calculated for each sample by RNA-seq data, and several scores constitute a distribution in the same state. Quantifying the statistical characteristics of these distributions and determining that low-grade dysplastic and high-grade dysplastic are the critical states of HCC. These results can provide scientific advice for early warning indicators and optimal treatment time for HCC.     

Visible light driven photocatalytic activity of ZnO/CuO nanocomposites coupled with rGO heterostructures synthesized by solid-state method for RhB dye degradation

Metal oxide frame works along with carbon materials have been attracting tremendous attention of researches as the potential materials for energy and environmental remediation. In the present work heterostructures of (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites were synthesized by solid-state method. The crystalline structure of the nanoparticles was obtained from the XRD analysis. Optical band gap of the ZnO nanoparticles (3.1 eV) is tuned to 2.8 eV in the synthesized (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites. Field emission scanning electron microscope images of the (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites revealed formation of well-developed flowers like morphology of (ZnO/CuO) nanoparticles on rGO sheets. Photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis of (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites show enhancement in the electron-hole pair separation and thereby diminishing electron-hole pairs recombination rates effectively. In the present work, the photocatalytic activity of the ZC₃G₁₅ ternary nanocomposites show 99% and 93% of degradation efficiency respectively against RhB dye and 4-chlorophenol for 20 min under visible light irradiation. Thus, the simple solid-state method provides the effective ternary nanocomposites heterostructures light harvesting material for energy and environmental remediation.     

Effect of sunset yellow dye on morphological,optical, dielectric,thermal and mechanical properties of KDP crystal

Herein, we describe the growth and morphology of well-defined dyed crystals of KH₂PO₄ (potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate; KDP) containing organic azo (sunset yellow; SSY) dye in the {1 0 1} & {0 0 1} pyramidal growth sectors. An understanding on selective dye inclusion in various growth sector of host crystal is proposed, which will help in designing novel tailor-made dyed photonic crystals. The structural analysis and the identification of various functional groups present in as grown KDP crystals were carried out using powder XRD, FTIR and Raman studies. Solid state transmittance spectra for dyed KDP crystals displayed three absorption peaks at 230 nm, 311 nm and 477 nm, which were blue shifted for SSY dye in KDP crystal relative to neutral aqueous solution of SSY dye. These blue shifts in the absorption maxima confirm the successful incorporation of sunset yellow dye into the pyramidal growth sectors of dyed KDP crystals. The band around 409 nm in the photoluminescence emission spectrum indicates a violet emission. SSY dye doped KDP crystals showed enhanced dielectric properties and thermal stability as compared to pure KDP crystal. The mechanical strength of the KDP crystals estimated using Vickers microhardness test was found to decrease with the increase in SSY dye doping.