“Dial-In” Emission from a Unique Flexible Material with Polarization Tuneable Spectral Intensity

The development of organic photoluminescent materials, which show promising roles as catalysts, sensors, organic light-emitting diodes, logic gates, etc., is a major demand and challenge for the global scientific community. In this context, a photoclick polymerization method is adopted for the growth of a unique photoluminescent three-dimensional (3D) polymer film, E, as a model system that shows emission tunability over the range 350–650 nm against the excitation range 295–425 nm. The DFT analysis of energy calculations and π-stacking supports the spectroscopic observations for the material exhibiting a broad range of emission owing to newly formed chromophoric units within the film. Full polarization spectroscopic Mueller matrix studies were employed to extract and quantify the molecular orientational order of both the ground (excitation) and excited (emission) state anisotropies through a set of newly defined parameters, namely the fluorescence diattenuation and fluorescence polarizance. The information contained in the recorded fluorescence Mueller matrix of the organic polymer material provided a useful way to control the spectral intensity of emission by using pre- and post-selection of polarization states. The observation was based on the assumption that the longer lifetime of the excited dipolar orientation is attributed to the compactness of the film.     

Molecular Encapsulation of Trimeric Chromium Carboxylate Clusters in Metal–Organic Frameworks and Propylene Sorption

Oxo-bridged trimeric chromium acetate clusters [Cr₃O(OOCCH₃)₆(H₂O)₃]NO₃ have been encapsulated for the first time in the mesoporous cages of the chromium terephthalate MIL-101(Cr). The isolated clusters in MIL-101(Cr) have increased affinity towards propylene compared to propane, due to generation of a new kind of pocket-based propylene-binding site, as supported by DFT calculations.     

Enhanced Solution and Solid-State Emission and Tunable White-Light Emission Harvested by Supramolecular Approaches

Organic luminescent materials with high quantum yields and/or white-light-emitting properties in particular play a crucial role in labeling and optoelectronic devices. In this work we have synthesized a new 2,3,6,7-tetramethoxy-9,10-di-p-tolylanthracene-bridged pillar[5]arene dimer with persistent mazarine blue fluorescent emission and much higher quantum yields in both solution and the solid state in comparison with its corresponding emissive linker without pillarene units, which exhibits typical aggregation-caused quenching. According to the fluorescence data and single-crystal analyses, their contrasting fluorescent performances can be rationally ascribed to their different stacking structures and intermolecular interactions. Three fluorescent guests containing different chromophores and/or terminal binding sites have also been synthesized to interact with the pillar[5]arene dimer to construct supramolecular ensembles with highly controllable luminescence, taking advantage of the stimuli-responsive properties of the supramolecular host–guest interactions. Intriguingly, multicolor fluorescence, including white-light emission (0.31, 0.35), which is in high demand, has been achieved by tuning the molar ratio of the host and guest and/or by changing the solvent system. This strategy holds great potential for the design and development of fluorescent materials with high quantum yields, controllable emission wavelength, and good stimuli-responsiveness.     

Hierarchical FeCo2S4@FeNi2S4 Core/Shell Nanostructures on Ni Foam for High-Performance Supercapacitors

The design of electrode materials with rational core/shell structures is promising for improving the electrochemical properties of supercapacitors. Hence, hierarchical FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ core/shell nanostructures on Ni foam were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method. Owing to their structure and synergistic effect, they deliver an excellent specific capacitance of 2393 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and long cycle lifespan as positive electrode materials. An asymmetric supercapacitor device with FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ as positive electrode and graphene as negative electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 133.2 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and a high energy density of 47.37 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 800 W kg⁻¹. Moreover, the device showed remarkable cycling stability with 87.0 % specific-capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹. These results demonstrate that the hierarchical FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ core/shell structures have great potential in the field of electrochemical energy storage.     

Analysis of F-53B,Gen-X,ADONA, and emerging fluoroalkylether substances in environmental and biomonitoring samples: A review

The persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) raise concerns for environmental and human health. This has led to the gradual phase-out from production and commerce of some legacy PFAS. Fluoroalkylether compounds (ether-PFAS) are among the fluorinated alternative chemicals that are beginning to be reported in impacted and background environments. Extensive monitoring activities were conducted since 2015–2019 to bridge knowledge gaps on the environmental fate and effects of ether-PFAS including F-53B (6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate [6:2 Cl-PFAES] and 8:2 Cl-PFAES), Gen-X (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid [HFPO-DA]), and ADONA (dodecafluoro-3H-4,8-dioxanonanoate). In recent years, advances in nontarget screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry have revealed the identities of other infrequently monitored ether-PFAS. In this critical review, we provide an up-to-date inventory of the structures of ether-PFAS discovered in the recent literature. Their environmental occurrence, fate, and effects are discussed on a comparative perspective with some legacy PFAS such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Information on the methods employed for the quantitative and semi-quantitative analysis of ether-PFAS is also provided, including sample preparation and mass spectrometry analysis, analytical performance, and limitations. In particular, the compiled database of MS/MS fragment ions (n = 111) can be useful in spectrum interpretation of novel ether-PFAS. The concluding remarks open on possible research avenues and the challenges that remain to be addressed.     

Developments in electrochemical processes for recycling lead–acid batteries

The lead–acid battery recycling industry is very well established, but the conventional pyrometallurgical processes are far from environmentally benign. Hence, recent developments of lead–acid battery recycling technologies have focused on low-temperature (electro)hydrometallurgical processes, the subject of this review, covering modified electrolytes, improved reaction engineering, better reactor design and control of operating conditions.     

Strategies to cure numerical shock instability in the HLLEM Riemann solver

The HLLEM scheme is a popular contact and shear preserving approximate Riemann solver that is known to be plagued by various forms of numerical shock instability. In this paper, we clarify that the shock instability exhibited by this scheme is primarily triggered by the spurious activation of the antidiffusive terms present in the first and third Riemann flux components on the transverse interfaces adjoining the shock front due to numerical perturbations. These erroneously activated terms are shown to counteract the favorable damping mechanism provided by its inherent HLL-type diffusive terms, causing an unphysical variation of the conserved quantity ρu both along and across the numerical shock. To prevent this, two distinct strategies are proposed termed as S elective W ave M odification and A nti D iffusion C ontrol. The former focuses on enhancing the quantity of the favorable HLL-type dissipation available on these critical flux components by carefully increasing the magnitudes of certain nonlinear wave speed estimates, while the latter focuses on directly controlling the magnitude of these critical antidiffusive terms. A linear perturbation analysis is performed to gauge the effectiveness of these cures and to estimate a von Neumann–type stability bounds on the CFL number associated with their use. Results from a variety of classic shock instability test cases show that the proposed strategies are able to provide excellent shock stable solutions even on grids that are highly elongated across the shock front without compromising the accuracy on inviscid contact or shear dominated viscous flows.     

Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from a Series of 3-Pyridylcarbazole Derivatives

Exploration of pure metal-free organic molecules that exhibit strong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is an emerging research topic. In this regard, unveiling the design principles for an efficient RTP molecule is an essential, but challenging, task. A small molecule is an ideal platform to precisely understand the fundamental role of each functional component because the parent molecule can be easily derivatized. Here, the RTP behaviors of a series of 3-pyridylcarbazole derivatives are presented. Experimental studies in combination with theoretical calculations reveal the crucial role of the n orbital on the central pyridine ring in the dramatic enhancement of the intersystem crossing between the charge-transfer-excited singlet state and the locally excited triplet states. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies apparently indicate that both the pyridine ring and fluorine atom contribute to the enhancement of the RTP because of the restricted motion owing to weak C−H⋅⋅⋅N and H⋅⋅⋅F hydrogen-bonding interactions. The single crystal of the fluorine-substituted derivative shows an ultra-long phosphorescent lifetime (τ_P) of 1.1 s and a phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ_P) of 1.2 %, whereas the bromine-substituted derivative exhibits τ_P of 0.15 s with a Φ_P of 7.9 %. We believe that this work provides a fundamental and universal guideline for the generation of pure organic molecules exhibiting strong RTP.     

Ionic Pd/NHC Catalytic System Enables Recoverable Homogeneous Catalysis: Mechanistic Study and Application in the Mizoroki–Heck Reaction

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are ubiquitously utilized in catalysis. A common catalyst design model assumes strong M–NHC binding in this metal–ligand framework. In contrast to this common assumption, we demonstrate here that lability and controlled cleavage of the M−NHC bond (rather than its stabilization) could be more important for high-performance catalysis at low catalyst concentrations. The present study reveals a dynamic stabilization mechanism with labile metal–NHC binding and [PdX₃]⁻[NHC-R]⁺ ion pair formation. Access to reactive anionic palladium intermediates formed by dissociation of the NHC ligands and plausible stabilization of the molecular catalyst in solution by interaction with the [NHC-R]⁺ azolium ion is of particular importance for an efficient and recyclable catalyst. These ionic Pd/NHC complexes allowed for the first time the recycling of the complex in a well-defined form with isolation at each cycle. Computational investigation of the reaction mechanism confirms a facile formation of NHC-free anionic Pd in polar media through either Ph–NHC coupling or reversible H–NHC coupling. The present study formulates novel ideas for M/NHC catalyst design.