Search Results
Synthesis and Characterization of Oxide Chloride Sr2VO3Cl, a Layered S = 1 Compound
2023, Sannes, Johnny A., Kizhake Malayil, Ranjith K., Corredor, Laura T., Wolter, Anja U. B., Grafe, Hans-Joachim, Valldor, Martin
The mixed-anion compound with composition Sr2VO3Cl has been synthesized for the first time, using the conventional high-temperature solid-state synthesis technique in a closed silica ampule under inert conditions. This compound belongs to the known Sr2TmO3Cl (Tm = Sc, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) family, but with Tm = V. All homologues within this family can be described with the tetragonal space group P4/nmm (No. 129); from a Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction data on the Tm = V homologue, the unit cell parameters were determined to a = 3.95974(8) and c = 14.0660(4) Å, and the atomic parameters in the crystal structure could be estimated. The synthesized powder is black, implying that the compound is a semiconductor. The magnetic investigations suggest that Sr2VO3Cl is a paramagnet at high temperatures, exhibiting a μeff = 2.0 μB V-1 and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions between the magnetic vanadium spins (θCW = −50 K), in line with the V-O-V advantageous super-exchange paths in the V-O layers. Specific heat capacity studies indicate two small anomalies around 5 and 35 K, which however are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering. 35Cl ss-NMR investigations suggest a slow spin freezing below 4.2 K resulting in a glassy-like spin ground state.
Persistent peri-Heptacene: Synthesis and In Situ Characterization
2021, Ajayakumar, M.R., Ma, Ji, Lucotti, Andrea, Schellhammer, Karl Sebastian, Serra, Gianluca, Dmitrieva, Evgenia, Rosenkranz, Marco, Komber, Hartmut, Liu, Junzhi, Ortmann, Frank, Tommasini, Matteo, Feng, Xinliang
n-peri-Acenes (n-PAs) have gained interest as model systems of zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons for potential applications in nanoelectronics and spintronics. However, the synthesis of n-PAs larger than peri-tetracene remains challenging because of their intrinsic open-shell character and high reactivity. Presented here is the synthesis of a hitherto unknown n-PA, that is, peri-heptacene (7-PA), in which the reactive zigzag edges are kinetically protected with eight 4-tBu-C6H4 groups. The formation of 7-PA is validated by high-resolution mass spectrometry and in situ FT-Raman spectroscopy. 7-PA displays a narrow optical energy gap of 1.01 eV and exhibits persistent stability (t1/2≈25 min) under inert conditions. Moreover, electron-spin resonance measurements and theoretical studies reveal that 7-PA exhibits an open-shell feature and a significant tetraradical character. This strategy could be considered a modular approach for the construction of next-generation (3 N+1)-PAs (where N≥3). © 2021 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
High-Quality Graphene Using Boudouard Reaction
2022, Grebenko, Artem K., Krasnikov, Dmitry V., Bubis, Anton V., Stolyarov, Vasily S., Vyalikh, Denis V., Makarova, Anna A., Fedorov, Alexander, Aitkulova, Aisuluu, Alekseeva, Alena A., Gilshtein, Evgeniia, Bedran, Zakhar, Shmakov, Alexander N., Alyabyeva, Liudmila, Mozhchil, Rais N., Ionov, Andrey M., Gorshunov, Boris P., Laasonen, Kari, Podzorov, Vitaly, Nasibulin, Albert G.
Following the game-changing high-pressure CO (HiPco) process that established the first facile route toward large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes, CO synthesis of cm-sized graphene crystals of ultra-high purity grown during tens of minutes is proposed. The Boudouard reaction serves for the first time to produce individual monolayer structures on the surface of a metal catalyst, thereby providing a chemical vapor deposition technique free from molecular and atomic hydrogen as well as vacuum conditions. This approach facilitates inhibition of the graphene nucleation from the CO/CO2 mixture and maintains a high growth rate of graphene seeds reaching large-scale monocrystals. Unique features of the Boudouard reaction coupled with CO-driven catalyst engineering ensure not only suppression of the second layer growth but also provide a simple and reliable technique for surface cleaning. Aside from being a novel carbon source, carbon monoxide ensures peculiar modification of catalyst and in general opens avenues for breakthrough graphene-catalyst composite production.
Tunable Circular Dichroism by Photoluminescent Moiré Gratings
2020, Aftenieva, Olha, Schnepf, Max, Mehlhorn, Börge, König, Tobias A.F.
In nanophotonics, there is a current demand for ultrathin, flexible nanostructures that are simultaneously easily tunable, demonstrate a high contrast, and have a strong response in photoluminescent polarization. In this work, the template-assisted self-assembly of water-dispersed colloidal core–shell quantum dots into 1D light-emitting sub-micrometer gratings on a flexible substrate is demonstrated. Combining such structures with a light-absorbing metallic counterpart by simple stacking at various angles results in a tunable Moiré pattern with strong lateral contrast. Furthermore, a combination with an identical emitter-based grating leads to a chiroptical effect with a remarkably high degree of polarization of 0.72. Such a structure demonstrates direct circular polarized photoluminescence, for the first time, without a need for an additional chiral template as an intermediary. The suggested approach allows for reproducible, large-area manufacturing at reasonable costs and is of potential use for chiroptical sensors, photonic circuit applications, or preventing counterfeit. © 2020 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Segregated Network Polymer Composites with High Electrical Conductivity and Well Mechanical Properties based on PVC, P(VDFTFE), UHMWPE, and rGO
2020, Shiyanova, Kseniya A., Gudkov, Maksim V., Gorenberg, Arkady Ya, Rabchinskii, Maxim K., Smirnov, Dmitry A., Shapetina, Maria A., Gurinovich, Tatiana D., Goncharuk, Galina P., Kirilenko, Demid A., Bazhenov, Sergey L., Melnikov, Valery P.
The formation of a segregated network structure (wittingly uneven distribution of a filler) is one of the most promising strategies for the fabrication of electrically conductive polymer composites at present. However, the simultaneous achievement of high values of electrical conductivity with the retention of well mechanical properties within this approach remains a great challenge. Here, by means of X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dielectric spectroscopy, and compression engineering stress-strain curve analysis, we have studied the effect of a segregated network structure on the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of a set of polymer composites. The composites were prepared by applying graphene oxide (GO) with ultralarge basal plane size (up to 150 μm) onto the surface of polymer powder particles, namely, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TFE)), and ultrahigh-molecular-weight poly(ethylene) (UHMWPE) with the subsequent GO reduction and composite hot pressing. A strong dependence of the segregated network polymer composites' physical properties on the polymer matrix was demonstrated. Particularly, 12 orders of magnitude rise of the polymers' electrical conductivity up to 0.7 S/m was found upon the incorporation of the reduced GO (rGO). A 17% increase in the P(VDF-TFE) elastic modulus filled by 1 wt % of rGO was observed. Fracture strength of PVC/rGO at 0.5 wt % content of the filler was demonstrated to decrease by fourfold. At the same time, the change in strength was not significant for P(VDF-TFE) and UHMWPE composites in comparison with pure polymers. Our results show a promise to accelerate the development of new composites for energy applications, such as metal-free supercapacitor plates and current collectors of lithium-ion batteries, bipolar plates of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, antistatic elements of various electronic devices, etc. © 2020 American Chemical Society.
Thiophene-Based Conjugated Acetylenic Polymers with Dual Active Sites for Efficient Co-Catalyst-Free Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction in Alkaline Medium
2021, Borrelli, Mino, Querebillo, Christine Joy, Pastoetter, Dominik L., Wang, Tao, Milani, Alberto, Casari, Carlo, Khoa Ly, Hoang, He, Fan, Hou, Yang, Neumann, Christof, Turchanin, Andrey, Sun, Hanjun, Weidinger, Inez M., Feng, Xinliang
Although being attractive materials for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (PEC HER) under neutral or acidic conditions, conjugated polymers still show poor PEC HER performance in alkaline medium due to the lack of water dissociation sites. Herein, we demonstrate that tailoring the polymer skeleton from poly(diethynylthieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (pDET) to poly(2,6-diethynylbenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (pBDT) and poly(diethynyldithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]thiophene) (pDTT) in conjugated acetylenic polymers (CAPs) introduces highly efficient active sites for water dissociation. As a result, pDTT and pBDT, grown on Cu substrate, demonstrate benchmark photocurrent densities of 170 μA cm−2 and 120 μA cm−2 (at 0.3 V vs. RHE; pH 13), which are 4.2 and 3 times higher than that of pDET, respectively. Moreover, by combining DFT calculations and electrochemical operando resonance Raman spectroscopy, we propose that the electron-enriched Cβ of the outer thiophene rings of pDTT are the water dissociation active sites, while the −C≡C− bonds function as the active sites for hydrogen evolution. © 2021 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Charge‐Compensated N‐Doped π ‐Conjugated Polymers: Toward both Thermodynamic Stability of N‐Doped States in Water and High Electron Conductivity
2022, Borrmann, Fabian, Tsuda, Takuya, Guskova, Olga, Kiriy, Nataliya, Hoffmann, Cedric, Neusser, David, Ludwigs, Sabine, Lappan, Uwe, Simon, Frank, Geisler, Martin, Debnath, Bipasha, Krupskaya, Yulia, Al‐Hussein, Mahmoud, Kiriy, Anton
The understanding and applications of electron-conducting π-conjugated polymers with naphtalene diimide (NDI) blocks show remarkable progress in recent years. Such polymers demonstrate a facilitated n-doping due to the strong electron deficiency of the main polymer chain and the presence of the positively charged side groups stabilizing a negative charge of the n-doped backbone. Here, the n-type conducting NDI polymer with enhanced stability of its n-doped states for prospective “in-water” applications is developed. A combined experimental–theoretical approach is used to identify critical features and parameters that control the doping and electron transport process. The facilitated polymer reduction ability and the thermodynamic stability in water are confirmed by electrochemical measurements and doping studies. This material also demonstrates a high conductivity of 10−2 S cm−1 under ambient conditions and 10−1 S cm−1 in vacuum. The modeling explains the stabilizing effects for various dopants. The simulations show a significant doping-induced “collapse” of the positively charged side chains on the core bearing a partial negative charge. This explains a decrease in the lamellar spacing observed in experiments. This study fundamentally enables a novel pathway for achieving both thermodynamic stability of the n-doped states in water and the high electron conductivity of polymers.
Sperm Micromotors for Cargo Delivery through Flowing Blood
2020, Xu, Haifeng, Medina-Sánchez, Mariana, Maitz, Manfred F., Werner, Carsten, Schmidt, Oliver G.
Micromotors are recognized as promising candidates for untethered micromanipulation and targeted cargo delivery in complex biological environments. However, their feasibility in the circulatory system has been limited due to the low thrust force exhibited by many of the reported synthetic micromotors, which is not sufficient to overcome the high flow and complex composition of blood. Here we present a hybrid sperm micromotor that can actively swim against flowing blood (continuous and pulsatile) and perform the function of heparin cargo delivery. In this biohybrid system, the sperm flagellum provides a high propulsion force while the synthetic microstructure serves for magnetic guidance and cargo transport. Moreover, single sperm micromotors can assemble into a train-like carrier after magnetization, allowing the transport of multiple sperm or medical cargoes to the area of interest, serving as potential anticoagulant agents to treat blood clots or other diseases in the circulatory system.
In Situ Fabrication of Freestanding Single-Atom-Thick 2D Metal/Metallene and 2D Metal/ Metallene Oxide Membranes: Recent Developments
2021, Ta, Huy Q., Mendes, Rafael G., Liu, Yu, Yang, Xiaoqin, Luo, Jingping, Bachmatiuk, Alicja, Gemming, Thomas, Zeng, Mengqi, Fu, Lei, Liu, Lijun, Rümmeli, Mark H.
In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted a lot of research interest as they exhibit several fascinating properties. However, outside of 2D materials derived from van der Waals layered bulk materials only a few other such materials are realized, and it remains difficult to confirm their 2D freestanding structure. Despite that, many metals are predicted to exist as 2D systems. In this review, the authors summarize the recent progress made in the synthesis and characterization of these 2D metals, so called metallenes, and their oxide forms, metallene oxides as free standing 2D structures formed in situ through the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) to synthesize these materials. Two primary approaches for forming freestanding monoatomic metallic membranes are identified. In the first, graphene pores as a means to suspend the metallene or metallene oxide and in the second, electron-beam sputtering for the selective etching of metal alloys or thick complex initial materials is employed to obtain freestanding single-atom-thick 2D metal. The data show a growing number of 2D metals/metallenes and 2D metal/ metallene oxides having been confirmed and point to a bright future for further discoveries of these 2D materials.
Magnetic Hysteresis at 10 K in Single Molecule Magnet Self‐Assembled on Gold
2021, Chen, Chia-Hsiang, Spree, Lukas, Koutsouflakis, Emmanouil, Krylov, Denis S., Liu, Fupin, Brandenburg, Ariane, Velkos, Georgios, Schimmel, Sebastian, Avdoshenko, Stanislav M., Federov, Alexander, Weschke, Eugen, Choueikani, Fadi, Ohresser, Philippe, Dreiser, Jan, Büchner, Bernd, Popov, Alexey A.
Tremendous progress in the development of single molecule magnets (SMMs) raises the question of their device integration. On this route, understanding the properties of low‐dimensional assemblies of SMMs, in particular in contact with electrodes, is a necessary but difficult step. Here, it is shown that fullerene SMM self‐assembled on metal substrate from solution retains magnetic hysteresis up to 10 K. Fullerene‐SMM DySc2N@C80 and Dy2ScN@C80 are derivatized to introduce a thioacetate group, which is used to graft SMMs on gold. Magnetic properties of grafted SMMs are studied by X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism and compared to the films of nonderivatized fullerenes prepared by sublimation. In self‐assembled films, the magnetic moments of the Dy ions are preferentially aligned parallel to the surface, which is different from the disordered orientation of endohedral clusters in nonfunctionalized fullerenes. Whereas chemical derivatization reduces the blocking temperature of magnetization and narrows the hysteresis of Dy2ScN@C80, for DySc2N@C80 equally broad hysteresis is observed as in the fullerene multilayer. Magnetic bistability in the DySc2N@C80 grafted on gold is sustained up to 10 K. This study demonstrates that self‐assembly of fullerene‐SMM derivatives offers a facile solution‐based procedure for the preparation of functional magnetic sub‐monolayers with excellent SMM performance.