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Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) based on phosphinine and thiophene building blocks have been synthesized with two different side groups. The materials are denoted as CPSF-MeO and CPSF-EtO where CxxF correspond to the covalent framework, whereas P and S are related to heteroatoms phosphorous and sulfur. MeO and EtO indicate the substituents, i.e. methoxy and ethoxy.
Their morphologies were studied by scanning electron microcopy and X-ray scattering. The absence of crystalline reflexes in the X-ray pattern reveal that both materials are amorphous and can be considered as glasses. Furthermore, N2 adsorption measurements indicate substantial Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area values pointing to the formation of three-dimensional pores by stacking of the aromatic 2D layer. An analysis of the porosity of both COFs showed a mean radius of the pores to be of ca. 4 nm, consistent with their chemical structure. The COFs form nanoparticles with a radius of around 100 nm. The thermal behavior of the COFs was further investigated by fast scanning calorimetry. These investigations showed that both COFs undergo a glass transition. The glass transition temperature of CPSF-EtO is found to be ca. 100 K higher than that for CPSF-MeO. This large difference in the glass transition is discussed to be due to a change in the interaction of the COF sheets induced by the longer ethoxy group. It might be assumed that for CPSF-EtO more individual COF sheets assemble to larger stacks than for CPSF-MeO. This agrees with the much larger surface area value found for CPSF-EtO compared to CPSF-MeO. To corroborate the results obtained be fast scanning calorimetry dielectric measurements were conducted which confirm the occurrence of a dynamic glass transition. The estimated temperature dependence of the relaxation rates of the dielectric relaxation and their absolute values agrees well with the data obtained by fast scanning calorimetry. Considering the fragility approach to the glass transition, it was further found that CPSF-MeO is a fragile glass former whereas CPSF-EtO behaves as a strong glass forming material. This difference in the fragility points also to distinct differences in the interaction between the 2D COF molecules in both materials.
The Na salt of chloroacetic acid is condensed in suspension. Furthermore,glycolic acid is condensed in bulk or in concentrated solution by means of SnCl2 or 4-toluene sulfonic acid (TSA) as catalysts. The temperatures are varied from 160 to 200°C and the time from 1 to 5 days. Low molar mass cyclic poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) is detected by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry in most PGAs. A predominance of certain cycles having an even number of repeat units is observed suggesting a thermodynamically favored formation of extended-ring crystals. Extremely high melting temperatures (up to 237.5°C)and high melting enthalpies are found for polycondensations with TSA in 1,2-dichlorobenzene.
Glycolide was polymerized in bulk with two cyclic catalysts − 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL) and 2-stanna-1,3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzepane (SnBiph). The monomer/initiator ratio, temperature (140 – 180 °C) and time (1–––4 days) were varied. The MALDI TOF mass spectra exclusively displayed peaks of cyclic polyglycolide (PGA) and revealed an unusual “saw-tooth pattern” in the mass range below m/z 2 500 suggesting formation of extended ring crystallites. The DSC measurements indicated increasing crystallinity with higher temperature and longer time, and after annealing for 4 d at 160 °C a hitherto unknown and unexpected glass transition was found in the temperature range of 170–185 °C. Linear PGAs prepared by means of metal alkoxides under identical conditions did not show the afore-mentioned features of the cyclic PGAs, neither in the mass spectra nor in the DSC measurements. All PGAs were also characterized by SAXS measurements, which revealed relatively small L-values suggesting formation of thin crystallites in all cases with little influence of the reaction conditions.
Glycolide was polymerized in bulk by means of four different ROPPOC catalysts: tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2), dibutyltin bis(pentafluoro-phenoxide) (BuSnOPF),zinc biscaproate (ZnCap), and zinc bis(pentafluoro-phenyl sulfide) (ZnSPF). The temperature was varied between 110 and 180°C and the time between 3 h and 7 days. For the few polyglycolides (PGAs) that were soluble extremely high molecular masses were obtained. The MALDI TOF mass spectra had all a low signal-to-noise ration and displayed the peaks of cyclic PGAs with a“saw-tooth pattern ”indicating formation of extended-ring crystallites in the mass range below m/z 2500. The shape of DSC curves varied considerably with catalyst and reaction conditions, whereas the long-distance values measured by SAXS were small and varied little with the polymeriza-tion conditions.
With 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL) and 2-stanna-1,3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzoxepane (SnBiPh) as catalysts ring-expansion polymerizations (REP) were performed either in 2 M solution using three different solvents and two different temperatures or in bulk at 140 and 120 ◦C. A kinetically controlled rapid REP up to weight average molecular masses (Mẃs) above 300 000 was followed by a slower degradation of the molecular masses at 140 ◦C, but not at 120 ◦C Furthermore, a low molecular mass cyclic poly(L-lactide) (cPLA) with a Mn around 16 000 was prepared by polymerization in dilute solution and used as starting material for ring-ring equilibration at 140 ◦C in 2 M solutions. Again, a decrease of the molecular mass was detectable, suggesting that the equilibrium Mn is below 5 000. The degradation of the molecular masses via RRE was surprisingly more effective in solid cyclic PLA than in solution, and a specific transesterification mechanism involving loops on the surface of crystallites is proposed. This degradation favored the formation of extended-ring crystallites, which were detectable by a “saw-tooth pattern” in their MALDI mass spectra.
Transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) are standards for thin film electrodes, providing a synergy of high optical transparency and electrical conductivity. In an electrolytic environment, the determination of an inert electrochemical potential window is crucial to maintain a stable material performance during device operation. We introduce operando ellipsometry, combining cyclic voltammetry (CV) with spectroscopic ellipsometry, as a versatile tool to monitor the evolution of both complete optical (i.e., complex refractive index) and electrical properties under wet electrochemical operational conditions. In particular, we trace the degradation of ITO electrodes caused by electrochemical reduction in a pH-neutral, water-based electrolyte environment during electrochemical cycling. With the onset of hydrogen evolution at negative bias voltages, indium and tin are irreversibly reduced to the metallic state, causing an advancing darkening, i.e., a gradual loss of transparency, with every CV cycle, while the conductivity is mostly conserved over multiple CV cycles. Post-operando analysis reveals the reductive (loss of oxygen) formation of metallic nanodroplets on the surface. The reductive disruption of the ITO electrode happens at the solid–liquid interface and proceeds gradually from the surface to the bottom of the layer, which is evidenced by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging and complemented by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping. As long as a continuous part of the ITO layer remains at the bottom, the conductivity is largely retained, allowing repeated CV cycling. We consider operando ellipsometry a sensitive and nondestructive tool to monitor early stage material and property changes, either by tracing failure points, controlling intentional processes, or for sensing purposes, making it suitable for various research fields involving solid–liquid interfaces and electrochemical activity.
A corrosion study is performed on six variations of titanium grade 5 (Ti6Al4V) samples. Samples are prepared in different conditions by variation of preanodization, postanodization, and picosecond-laser (ps-laser) surface treatment, while polished and anodized samples serve as reference. Microcones and nanosized periodic surface features are successfully produced on Ti6Al4V samples. The morphology and topography of the structures are visualized by scanning electron microscopy and white light interference microscopy. Furthermore, the relative electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) is determined for the ps-laser-treated samples. It is determined that the preanodized and laser-treated sample has 3.5 times larger ECSA than a polished sample, and that the laser-treated sample has 4.1 times larger area. Moreover, Tafel analysis is performed to determine the corrosion properties of the samples. It is shown that the corrosion resistance improves for both laser-structured samples after the anodization. To further study the surface of the samples, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements are conducted. The study indicates that the ps-laser-treated and anodized Ti6Al4V is suitable to be used for the fabrication of bone screws and plates due to its improved corrosion resistance as compared to nonanodized samples.
Polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are gaining attention as gas separation membranes. Nevertheless, they face limitations due to pronounced physical aging. In this study a covalent organic framework containing λ5-phosphinine moieties, CPSF-EtO were incorporated as a nanofiller (concentration range 0-10 wt%) into a PIM-1 matrix forming dense films with a thickness of ca. 100 μm. The aim of the investigation was to investigate possible enhancements of gas transport properties and mitigating effects on physical aging. The incorporation of the nanofiller occurred on aggregate level with domains up to 100 nm as observed by T-SEM and confirmed by X-ray scattering. Moreover, the X-ray data show that the structure of the microporous network of the PIM-1 matrix is changed by the nanofiller.
As the molecular mobility is fundamental for gas transport as well as for physical aging, the study includes dielectric investigations of pure PIM-1 and PIM-1/CPSF-EtO mixed matrix membranes to establish a correlation between the molecular mobility and the gas transport properties. Using the time-lag method the gas permeability and the permselectivity were determined for N2, O2, CH4 and CO2 for samples with variation in filler content. A significant increase in the permeability of CH4 and CO2 (50 % increase compared to pure PIM-1) was observed for a concentration of 5 wt% of the nanofiller. Furthermore, the most pronounced change in the permselectivity was found for the gas pair CO2/N2 at a filler concentration of 7 wt%.
Irradiation of solid surfaces with high intensity, ultrashort laser pulses triggers a variety of secondary processes that can lead to the formation of transient and permanent structures over a large range of length scales from mm down to the nano‐range. One of the most prominent examples are LIPSS – Laser‐Induced Periodic Surface Structures. While LIPSS have been a scientific evergreen for of almost 60 years, experimental methods that combine ultrafast temporal with the required nm spatial resolution have become available only recently with the advent of short pulse, short wavelength free electron lasers. Here, the current status and future perspectives in this field are discussed by exploiting the unique possibilities of these 4th‐generation light sources to address by time‐domain experimental techniques the fundamental LIPSS‐question, namely why and how laser irradiation can initiate the transition of a “chaotic” (rough) surface from an aperiodic into a periodic structure.
The LOBSTER (Deringer et al., 2011;Maintz et al., 2013 ,2016 ;Nelson et al., 2020 ) software aids in extracting quantum-chemical bonding information from materials by projecting the plane-wave based wave functions from density functional theory (DFT) onto an atomic orbital basis. LobsterEnv, a module implemented in pymatgen (Ong et al., 2013) by some of the authors of this package, facilitates the use of quantum-chemical bonding information obtained from LOBSTER calculations to identify neighbors and coordination environments. LobsterPy is a Python package that offers a set of convenient tools to further analyze and summarize the LobsterEnv outputs in the form of JSONs that are easy to interpret and process. These tools enable the estimation of (anti) bonding contributions, generation of textual descriptions, and visualization of LOBSTER computation results. Since its first release, both LobsterPy and LobsterEnv capabilities have been extended significantly. Unlike earlier versions, which could only automatically analyze Crystal Orbital Hamilton Populations (COHPs) (Dronskowski & Blöchl, 1993), both can now also analyze Crystal Orbital Overlap Populations (COOP) (Hughbanks & Hoffmann, 1983) and Crystal Orbital Bond Index (COBI) (Müller et al., 2021). Extracting the information about the most important orbitals contributing to the bonds is optional, and users can enable it as needed. Additionally, bonding-based features for machinelearning (ML) studies can be engineered via the sub-packages “featurize” and “structuregraphs”. Alongside its Python interface, it also provides an easy-to-use command line interface (CLI) that runs automatic analysis of the computations and generates a summary of results and publication-ready figures. LobsterPy has been used to produce the results in Ngo et al. (2023), Chen et al. (2024), Naik et al. (2023), and it is also part of Atomate2 (2023) bonding analysis workflow for generating bonding analysis data in a format compatible with the Materials Project (Jain et al., 2013) API.
Luminescence lifetimes are an attractive analytical method for detection due to its high sensitivity and stability. Iridium probes exhibit luminescence with long excited-state lifetimes, which are sensitive to the local environment. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is listed as a chemical of high concern regarding its toxicity and is classified as a “forever chemical”. In addition to strict limits on the presence of PFOA in drinking water, environmental contamination from industrial effluent or chemical spills requires rapid, simple, accurate, and cost-effective analysis in order to aid containment. Herein, we report the fabrication and function of a novel and facile luminescence sensor for PFOA based on iridium modified on gold surfaces. These surfaces were modified with lipophilic iridium complexes bearing alkyl chains, namely, IrC6 and IrC12, and Zonyl-FSA surfactant. Upon addition of PFOA, the modified surfaces IrC6-FSA@Au and IrC12-FSA @Au show the largest change in the red luminescence signal with changes in the luminescence lifetime that allow monitoring of PFOA concentrations in aqueous solutions. The platform was tested for the measurement of PFOA in aqueous samples spiked with known concentrations of PFOA and demonstrated the capacity to determine PFOA at concentrations >100 μg/L (240 nM).
A poly(L-lactide) with a trifluoroethyl ester end group and an average degree of polymerization (DP) of 50 was synthesized by ROP of L-lactide initiated with trifluoroethanol. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed an average crystal thickness of 13 nm, corresponding to 45 repeat units. This suggests that most crystallites were formed by extended PLA chains, and both flat surfaces were covered by CF3 groups. The crystalline PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of two catalysts: tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate, (SnOct2) or dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) (BuSnPhF). The chemical reactions, such as polycondensation and cyclization, proceeded in the solid state and were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. Under optimal conditions a large fraction of linear chains was transformed into crystallites composed of extended cycles. Additionally, MALDI TOF MS analysis of GPC fractions from samples annealed for 28 or 42 days detected chain elongation of the linear species up to a factor of 20.
The cleaning of aged silk fibers poses a common challenge in the conservation of textiles, since traditional cleaning techniques often yield unsatisfactory results or even harm objects. In this regard, cleaning objects with laser radiation is a promising addition to the range of available methods. Due to it being contactless, even brittle and touch-sensitive objects with disfiguring or harmful soiling could potentially be cleaned and therefore made accessible for research and presentation. Examples of treatment have sometimes shown spectacular results. Still there is some skepticism concerning the safety of this treatment for textile materials, which has been strengthened through previous 532 nm wavelength nanosecond laser cleaning studies on silk fibers. Taking these published results into account, the range of examined laser parameters has been extended in this study, from 532 nm nanosecond laser to 1064 nm nanosecond and even 800 nm femtosecond laser, reevaluating the effect of this treatment on the fibers. The physicochemical processes taking place on the silk fibers when cleaning with lasers are complex and still not fully understood. The aim of this project was therefore to bring more clarification about potential effects of those processes on the condition of silk samples treated with a set of different parameters for wavelength, pulse duration, energy density and number of pulses per spot. It also looks at the influence of the presence of soiling on the results. The analysis of potential effects was then carried out using statistical methods and advanced analytics. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and colorimetry technology provided the required insights to better assess the effects. Results show that laser cleaning of silk fibers, like most other conventional cleaning techniques, is not completely without risk, but knowing what the possible effects are helps making decisions on whether the benefits of the technique used justify these risks.
Here, we show that calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) can be directly, rapidly and reversibly converted to calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite) in high salinity solutions (brines). The optimum conditions for the efficient production of bassanite in a short time (<5 min) involve the use of brines with c(NaCl) > 4 M and maintaining a temperature, T > 80 °C. When the solution containing bassanite crystals is cooled down to around room temperature, eventually gypsum is formed. When the temperature is raised again to T > 80 °C, bassanite is rapidly re-precipitated. This contrasts with the better-known behaviour of the bassanite phase in low-salt environments. In low-salinity aqueous solutions, bassanite is considered to be metastable with respect to gypsum and anhydrite, and therefore gypsum-to-bassanite conversion does not occur in pure water. Interestingly, the high-salinity transformation of gypsum-to-bassanite has been reported by many authors and used in practice for several decades, although its very occurrence actually contradicts numerical thermodynamic predictions regarding solubility of calcium sulfate phases. By following the evolution of crystalline phases with in situ and time-resolved X-ray diffraction/scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the phase stability in brines at elevated temperatures was inaccurately represented in the thermodynamic databases. Most notably for c(NaCl) > 4 M, and T > 80 °C gypsum becomes readily more soluble than bassanite, which induces the direct precipitation of the latter from gypsum. The fact that these transformations are controlled by the solution provides extensive opportunities for precise manipulation of crystal formation. Our experiments confirmed that bassanite remained the sole crystalline phase for many hours before reverting into gypsum. This property is extremely advantageous for practical processing and efficient crystal extraction in industrial scenarios.
Reliable measurement of the size of polydisperse, complex-shaped commercial nanopowders is a difficult but necessary task, e.g., for regulatory requirements and toxicity risk assessment. Suitable methods exist for the accurate characterization of the size of non-aggregated, stabilized, spherical and monodisperse nanoparticles. In contrast, industrial nanoscale powders usually require dedicated sample preparation procedures developed for the analysis method of choice. These nano-powders tend to agglomerate and/or aggregate, a behavior which in combination with an innate broad particle size distribution and irregular shape often significantly alters the achievable accuracy of the measured size parameters. The present study systematically tests two commercially available nanoscale powders using different sample preparation methods for correlative analysis by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller method and differential mobility analysis. One focus was set on the sample preparation by embedding nanoparticles in carbon-based hot-mounting resin. Literature on this topic is scarce and the accuracy of the data extracted from cross sections of these particles is unclearly stated. In this paper systematic simulations on the deviation of the size parameters of well-defined series of nanoparticles with different shapes from the nominal value were carried out and the contributing factors are discussed.
This study investigates the mechanochemical reactions between AgBr 3-picolylamine and 4-picolylamine. The use of different stoichiometry ratios of the reagents allows [(AgBr)(n-pica)]n and [(AgBr)2(n-pica)]n to be obtained, and we report the new structures of [(AgBr)2(3-pica)]n and [(AgBr)2(4-pica)]n which are characterized by the presence of the following: (a) infinite inorganic chains, (b) silver atom coordinated only by bromide atoms and (c) argentophilic interactions. Furthermore, we studied the interconversion of [(AgBr)(n-pica)]n/[(AgBr)2(n-pica)]n by mechanochemical and thermal properties. The in situ experiments suggest that [(AgBr)(3-pica)]n is kinetically favoured while [(AgBr)2(3-pica)]n is converted into [(AgBr)(3-pica)]n only with a high excess of the ligand. Finally, the liquid nature of the ligands is not sufficient to assist the grinding process, and the complete reaction is observed with the addition of a small quantity of acetonitrile.
Although the use of noble metal catalysts can increase the efficiency of hydrogen evolution reaction, the process is still limited by the characteristics of the metal-hydrogen (M−H) bond, which can be too strong or too weak, depending on the metal employed. Studies revealed that the hydrogen affinity for the metal surface (i.e. H absorption/desorption) is regulated also by the potential at the metal nanoparticles. Through controlled periodic illumination (CPI) of a series of metal/TiO2 suspensions, here we demonstrated that an increase of the HER efficiency is possible for those photodeposited metals which have a Tafel slope below 125 mV. Two possible explanations are here reported, in both of them the M−H interaction and the metal covering level play a prominent role, which also depend on the prevailing HER mechanism (Volmer-Heyrovsky or Volmer-Tafel).
The usefulness of seven different Tin catalysts, Bismuth subsalicylate and Titan tetra(ethoxide) for the polycondensation of ethyl L-lactate (ELA) was examined at 150 °C/6 d. Dibutyltin bis(phenoxides) proved to be particularly effective. Despite the low reactivity of ELA, weight average molecular masses (Mw) up to 12 500 were found along with partial crystallization. Furthermore, polylactides (PLAs) of similar molecular masses were prepared via ELA-initiated ROPs of L-lactide by means of the four most effective polycondensation catalysts. The crystalline linear PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of these catalysts. The consequences of the transesterification reactions in the solid PLAs were studied by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicate that polycondensation and formation of cycles proceed in the solid state via formation of loops on the surface of the crystallites. In summary, five different transesterification reactions are required to explain all results.
A route to a ZrF4 catalyst active in room temperature Friedel–Crafts and dehydrofluorination reactions was developed via a fluorolytic sol–gel route, which was followed by a postfluorination step using a stream of CHClF2. The behaviour of different Zr(IV) precursors in a sol–gel reaction with anhydrous isopropanol/HF solution was investigated. The subsequent post-fluorination step was optimised in its temperature ramp and confirmed the necessity of a fluorination of the generated xerogels to obtain catalytic activity. The process is discussed in the context of the analysis of the materials using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The local structure of the amorphous catalyst was elucidated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS).