Revealing the Effect of Surface Composition on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Fe Alloy Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Performance

The designs of efficient and inexpensive Pt-based catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are essential to boost the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, the highly catalytic performance PtFe alloys supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorating nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) have been successfully prepared via co-engineering of the surface composition and electronic structure. The Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst with moderate Fe³⁺ feeding content (0.86 mA/mg_Pt) exhibits 2.26-fold enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.38 mA/mg_Pt). Furthermore, the CO oxidation initial potential of Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is lower relative to Pt/C catalyst (0.71 V and 0.80 V). Benefited from the optimal surface compositions, the anti-corrosion ability of MWCNT, strong electron interaction between PtFe alloys and MWCNTs and the N-doped carbon (NC) layer, the Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst presents an improved MOR performance and anti-CO poisoning ability. This study would open up new perspective for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the DMFCs field.     

Event-triggered design for discrete-time nonlinear systems with control constraints

Nonlinear Dynamics - In order to solve the constrained-input problem and reduce the computing resources, a novel event-triggered optimal control method is proposed for a class of discrete-time...     

Observers Design for a Class of Nonlinear Stochastic Discrete-Time Systems

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - This paper mainly studied the observer design of Lipschitz stochastic discrete system. For the first time, generalized Lipschitz conditions are...     

Acridone-Based Host Materials for Green Phosphorescent and Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent OLEDs with Low-Efficiency Roll-Offs

By linking the carbazole unit to the nitrogen atom of acridone through phenyl or pyridyl, two compounds, named 10-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)acridin-9(10H)-one (AC-Ph-Cz) and 10-(5-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)pyridin-2-yl)acridin-9(10H)-one (AC-Py-Cz) were designed and synthesized. These two materials, characterized with highly twisted and rigid structure, good thermal stability, and balanced carrier-transporting properties, were employed as host materials for green phosphorescent and thermally activated delayed fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The carbazole group, despite its small contribution to the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) of these two materials, plays an essential role as an intramolecular host in energy delivering and improving the hole transporting ability of these two hosts. The incorporation of the electron-deficient pyridyl group as a linking group slightly improves the electron transporting capability of AC-Py-Cz. The green phosphorescent OLED (PhOLED) based on AC-Py-Cz exhibited excellent device performance with a turn-on voltage of 2.5 V, a maximum power efficiency and an external quantum efficiency (η_ext) of 89.8 lm W⁻¹ and 25.2 %, respectively, benefitting from the better charge-balancing ability of AC-Py-Cz host due to the presence of the pyridyl bridge. More importantly, all the devices based on these two hosts showed low efficiency roll-off at high brightness due to the suppressed non-radiative transition in the emitting layer. In particular, the AC-Py-Cz-hosted green PhOLED exhibited an efficiency roll-off of 1.6 % from the maximum next at a high brightness of 1000 cd m⁻² and a roll-off of 15.9 % at an extremely high brightness of 10000 cd m⁻². This study manifests that acridone-based host materials have great potential in fabricating OLEDs with low efficiency roll-off.     

Space-Confined Atomic Clusters Catalyze Superassembly of Silicon Nanodots within Carbon Frameworks for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Incorporating nanoscale Si into a carbon matrix with high dispersity is desirable for the preparation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) but remains challenging. A space-confined catalytic strategy is proposed for direct superassembly of Si nanodots within a carbon (Si NDs⊂C) framework by copyrolysis of triphenyltin hydride (TPT) and diphenylsilane (DPS), where Sn atomic clusters created from TPT pyrolysis serve as the catalyst for DPS pyrolysis and Si catalytic growth. The use of Sn atomic cluster catalysts alters the reaction pathway to avoid SiC generation and enable formation of Si NDs with reduced dimensions. A typical Si NDs⊂C framework demonstrates a remarkable comprehensive performance comparable to other Si-based high-performance half LIBs, and higher energy densities compared to commercial full LIBs, as a consequence of the high dispersity of Si NDs with low lithiation stress. Supported by mechanic simulations, this study paves the way for construction of Si/C composites suitable for applications in future energy technologies.     

Direct visualization of the nanoscopic three‐phase structure and stiffness of NBR/PVC blends by AFM nanomechanical mapping

The PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping based on atomic force microscope (AFM) is employed to first visualize and then quantify the elastic properties of a model nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) (NBR/PVC) blend at the nanoscale. This method allows us to consistently observe the changes in mechanical properties of each phase in polymer blends. Beyond measuring and discriminating elastic modulus and adhesion forces of each phase, we tune the AFM tips and the peak force parameters in order to reliably image samples. In view of viscoelastic difference in each phase, a three‐phase coexistence of an unmixed NBR phase, the mixed phase, and PVC microcrystallites is directly visualized in NBR/PVC blends. The nanomechanical investigation is also capable of recognizing the crosslinked rubber phase in cured rubber. The contribution of the mixed phase was quantified and it was found that the mechanical properties of blends are mainly determined by the homogeneity and stiffness of the mixed phase. This study furthers our understanding the structure–mechanical property relationship of thermoplastic elastomers, which is important for their potential design and applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 662–669     

Chemical versus Electrochemical Synthesis of Carbon Nano‐onion/Polypyrrole Composites for Supercapacitor Electrodes

The development of high‐surface‐area carbon electrodes with a defined pore size distribution and the incorporation of pseudo‐active materials to optimize the overall capacitance and conductivity without destroying the stability are at present important research areas. Composite electrodes of carbon nano‐onions (CNOs) and polypyrrole (Ppy) were fabricated to improve the specific capacitance of a supercapacitor. The carbon nanostructures were uniformly coated with Ppy by chemical polymerization or by electrochemical potentiostatic deposition to form homogenous composites or bilayers. The materials were characterized by transmission‐ and scanning electron microscopy, differential thermogravimetric analyses, FTIR spectroscopy, piezoelectric microgravimetry, and cyclic voltammetry. The composites show higher mechanical and electrochemical stabilities, with high specific capacitances of up to about 800 F g^?1 for the CNOs/SDS/Ppy composites (chemical synthesis) and about 1300 F g^?1 for the CNOs/Ppy bilayer (electrochemical deposition).     

Vinylic MIDA Boronates: New Building Blocks for the Synthesis of Aza‐Heterocycles

A two‐step synthesis of structurally diverse pyrrole‐containing bicyclic systems is reported. ortho‐Nitro‐haloarenes coupled with vinylic N‐methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates generate ortho‐vinyl‐nitroarenes, which undergo a “metal‐free” nitrene insertion, resulting in a new pyrrole ring. This novel synthetic approach has a wide substrate tolerance and it is applicable in the preparation of more complex “drug‐like” molecules. Interestingly, an ortho‐nitro‐allylarene derivative furnished a cyclic β‐aminophosphonate motif.