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One of the holy grails in chemistry is to reconstruct some of life’s functions with synthetic materials. In this contribution, we demonstrate that “simple” macromolecular architectures such as dendritic amphiphiles, Janus dendrimers, thermoresponsive and hybrid organic-inorganic (co)polymers enable to mimic some of the functions of proteins for biomineralization, natural bactericides, biological membranes or the stimuli-responsive cytoskeleton.
UCST-type thermoresponsive polymers (i.e. that phase separate from solution upon cooling) present a tremendous potential not only in aqueous media where they can be used in drug delivery, diagnostic and microfluidic applications, but also in water/alcohol mixtures, where they can be used for instance in sensing systems for alcohol-soluble drugs. However, only a few thermoresponsive polymers have been reported that present an UCST in a relevant temperature range and “green” solvents such as water or ethanol.
In this context, acrylamide-based monomers can be very useful building blocks for designing novel non-ionic UCST-type polymers because of their hydrophilic nature (with the appropriate side chain) and propensity to form hydrogen bonds. We will present our latest results on the UCST-type thermoresponsive behaviour of acrylamide- and 2,6-diaminopyridine-based homopolymers and copolymers in water or water/alcohol mixtures, and give some insights about the rational design of UCST polymers relying on H-bonding.
Combining experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we study the conformational behavior of polyacrylamide (PAM) in aqueous alcohol mixtures over a wide range of temperatures. This study Shows that even when the microscopic interaction is dictated by hydrogen bonding, unlike its counterparts that present a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PAM shows a counterintuitive tunable upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-type phase transition in water/alcohol mixtures that was not reported before. The Phase transition temperature was found to be tunable between 4 and 60 1C by the type and concentration of alcohol in the mixture as well as by the solution concentration and molecular weight of the polymer. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed a UCST-like behaviour of the PAM in aqueous alcoholic solutions.
Additionally, it was observed that the PAM is more swollen in pure alcohol solutions than in 80% alcoholic solutions due to y-like behaviour. Additionally, in the globular state, the size of the aggregates was found to increase with increasing solvent hydrophobicity and polymer concentration of the solutions. Above ist Phase transition temperature, PAM might be present as individual polymer chains in the coil state (r10 nm). As PAM is a widespread polymer in many biomedical applications (gel electrophoresis, etc.), this finding could be of high relevance for many more practical applications in high performance pharmaceuticals and/or sensors.
The wear rates of self-amted alumina couples show that friction as well as wear is largely determined by the above mentioned hydro-thermal conditions. The presence of water and ist amount available in the surrounding system either in liquid or in gaseous from plays a key role for friction and wear behavior and cabe benefical for the tribological profile of steam degradation resistant materials. Hot steam enhances the tribo-chemical formations of oxides and hydroxides on MgO-ZrO2, alumina and antimony impregnated carbon.
Abstract: Hybrid silicon-based organic/inorganic (multi)block
copolymers are promising polymeric precursors to create
robust nano-objects and nanomaterials due to their sol–gel active moieties via self-assembly in solution or in bulk. Such nano-objects and nanomaterials have great potential in bio-medicine as nanocarriers or scaffolds for bone regeneration as well as in materials science as Pickering emulsifiers, pho-
tonic crystals or coatings/films with antibiofouling, antibac-
terial or water- and oil-repellent properties. Thus, this Review outlines recent synthetic efforts in the preparation of these hybrid inorganic/organic block copolymers, gives an
overview of their self-assembled structures and finally presents recent examples of their use in the biomedical field and
material science.
Hybrid materials have attracted growing interest during the last decade, particularly due to their extraordinary properties. Cycloalyphatic-epoxy oligosiloxane (CEO) resin was shown to be a good candidate as a barrier material for the encapsulation purposes. Incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles such as Boehmite (BA) into polymers was observed to modify their specific characteristics, in particular, thermal, thermo-oxidative and barrier ones. In this work, novel BA-embedded organic inorganic hybrid nanocomposite material was engineered by combining the advantageous properties of hybrid polymers and nanoparticle enhancement effect. Impacts of particles on the photocuring kinetics, degree of crosslinking and the resultant changes in the thermal properties of the cured films were investigated. CEO synthesis via condensation reaction was confirmed by 1H and 29Si NMR. The particle distribution within the films was verified by SEM including transmission mode coupled with EDX elemental analysis. Photocuring kinetics and thermal properties of the films were studied by in situ FTIR spectroscopy and DSC with TGA, respectively.
UCST-type thermoresponsive polymers (i.e. that phase separate from solution upon cooling) present a tremendous potential not only in aqueous media where they can be used in drug delivery, diagnostic and microfluidic applications, but also in water/alcohol mixtures, where they can be used for instance in sensing systems for alcohol-soluble drugs. However, only a few thermoresponsive polymers have been reported that present an UCST in a relevant temperature range and “green” solvents such as water or ethanol.
In this context, acrylamide-based monomers can be very useful building blocks for designing novel non-ionic UCST-type polymers because of their hydrophilic nature (with the appropriate side chain) and propensity to form hydrogen bonds. We will present our latest results on the UCST-type thermoresponsive behaviour of acrylamide- and 2,6-diaminopyridine-based homopolymers and copolymers in water or water/alcohol mixtures, and give some insights about the rational design of UCST polymers relying on H-bonding.
UCST-type thermoresponsive polymers (i.e. that phase separate from solution upon cooling) present a tremendous potential not only in aqueous media where they can be used in drug delivery, diagnostic and microfluidic applications, but also in water/alcohol mixtures, where they can be used for instance in sensing systems for alcohol-soluble drugs. However, only a few thermoresponsive polymers have been reported that present an UCST in a relevant temperature range and “green” solvents such as water or ethanol.
In this context, acrylamide-based monomers can be very useful building blocks for designing novel non-ionic UCST-type polymers because of their hydrophilic nature (with the appropriate side chain) and propensity to form hydrogen bonds. We will present our latest results on the UCST-type thermoresponsive behaviour of acrylamide- and/or 2,6-diaminopyridine-based homopolymers and copolymers in water or water/alcohol mixtures, and give some insights about the rational design of UCST polymers relying on H-bonding.
Vesicles self-assembled in water from natural and synthetic phospholipids (liposomes), amphiphilic block copolymers (polymersomes), and more recently amphiphilic Janus dendrimers (dendrimersomes) -5 as hollow soft structures in the nano size regime have attracted increasing interest as they can mimic primitive and contemporary biological membranes, and can be configured into biomimetic nanocapsules with application in nanomedicine such as gene, proteins and drug carriers or theranostics.
Compared to other amphiphilic structures, the molecular structure of Janus dendrimers can be precisely controlled: by using the vast range of tools from organic chemistry their size, architecture, density, generation as well as the number of end groups of the individual dendrons can be modified as desired.
Unfortunately, the controlled production of supramolecular aggregates made thereof is still a challenging task. Conventional batch-based techniques such as the solvent injection method or the film hydration method typically go along with a lack of control over self assembly/mixing and thus over size, morphology and size distribution of the vesicles.
The micromixer technology is a promising method for the controlled preparation of supramolecular assemblies as it allows control of mixing at microscale level. In addition, such microfluidic systems benefit from a high mixing efficiency, a low mixing time as well as from a reproducible and continuous production of soft nanoparticles. Herein, we report on the microfluidic-controlled self-assembly of Janus dendrimers as dendrimersomes and the impact of the mixing parameters on the self-assembly process.
One of the holy grails in chemistry is to reconstitute some of life’s functions with or within synthetic materials. In this contribution, we demonstrate that “simple” macromolecular architectures such as dendritic amphiphiles, Janus dendrimers, thermoresponsive and hybrid organic-inorganic (co)polymers enable to mimic some of the functions of proteins for biomineralization, natural bactericides, biological membranes or the stimuli-responsive cytoskeleton.
One of the holy grails in chemistry is to reconstruct some of life’s functions within synthetic materials. In this contribution, we demonstrate that “simple” macromolecular architectures such as dendritic amphiphiles, Janus dendrimers, thermoresponsive and hybrid organic-inorganic (co)polymers enable to mimic some of the functions of proteins for biomineralization, natural bactericides, biological membranes or the stimuli-responsive cytoskeleton.
UCST-type thermoresponsive polymers (i.e. that phase separate from solution upon cooling) present a tremendous potential not only in aqueous media with applications in the field of drug delivery, diagnostic and microfluidic applications, but also in water/alcohol mixtures, where they can be used for instance in sensing systems for alcohol-soluble drugs. However, only a few thermoresponsive polymers have been reported that present an UCST in a relevant temperature range and “green” solvents such as water or ethanol.
In this context, acrylamide-based monomers can be very useful building blocks for designing novel non-ionic UCST-type polymers because of their hydrophilic nature (with the appropriate side chain) and propensity to form hydrogen bonds. We will present our latest results on the UCST-type thermoresponsive behaviour of acrylamide- and/or 2,6-diaminopyridine-based homopolymers and copolymers in water or water/alcohol mixtures, and give some insights about the rational design of UCST polymers relying on H-bonding.
UCST-type thermoresponsive polymers (i.e. that phase separate from solution upon cooling) present a tremendous potential not only in aqueous media where they can be used in drug delivery, diagnostic and microfluidic applications,but also in water/alcohol mixtures, where they can be used for instance in sensing systems for alcohol-soluble drugs. However, only a few thermoresponsive polymers have been reported that present an UCST in a relevant temperature range and “green” solvents such as water or Ethanol.
In this context, acrylamide-based monomers can be very useful building blocks for designing novel non-ionic UCST-type polymers because of their hydrophilic nature (with the appropriate side chain) and propensity to form hydrogen bonds. We will present our latest results on the UCST-type thermoresponsive behaviour of acrylamide- and/or 2,6-diaminopyridine-based homopolymers and copolymers in water or water/alcohol mixtures, and give some insights about the rational design of UCST polymers relying on H-bonding.
Using magnetic materials for energy conversion as an example, this lecture shows how X-ray tomography investigations can contribute to structure elucidation in composites and solid samples. The components are tested non-destructively in order to characterize cracks, pores and other defects and their influence on the functional properties three-dimensionally and in good time in the life cycle of the material. If you combine microtomography with other methods of magnetic material characterization, you can make unique statements about the structure and the functional properties.
Using magnetic materials for energy conversion as an example, this lecture shows how X-ray tomography investigations can contribute to structure elucidation in composites and solid samples. The components are tested non-destructively in order to characterize cracks, pores and other defects and their influence on the functional properties three-dimensionally and in good time in the life cycle of the material. If you combine microtomography with other methods of magnetic material characterization, you can make unique statements about the structure and the functional properties.
A novel cop olyme r based on supramolecular motif2,6-diaminopyridin e and water-soluble acrylamide, poly[N-(6-ace tamidopyridin-2-yl) acrylamide-co-acrylamide], was synthe-size d via rev ersible addi tion–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)polymerization with various monomer compositions. The thermo-respon sive behavior of the copolymers was studied by turbidime-try and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The obtained copolymersshowed an upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-typ e phasetransition behavior in water and electrolyte solution. The phasetransition temperature was found to increase with decreasingam ount of acrylamide in the copolymer and increasing concentra-tion of the solution. Furth ermore, the phase transition temperatureva ried in aqueous solutions of electrolytes according to the naturean d concentration of the electrolyte in accordance with theHoffmeister series. A dramatic solvent isotope effect on thetransition temperature was o bserved in this study, as the transitiontemperature was almost 10–12C higher in D2OthaninH2Oatthesame concentration and acrylamide co mposition. The size of theaggregates below the transition temperature was larger in D2Ocompared to that in H2O that can be explained by deuterium iso-tope effect. The thermoresponsive behavior of the copolymers wasalso investigated in different cell medium and found to be exhibitedUCST-type phase transition behavior in different cell medium.Such behavior of the copo lyme rs can be useful in many a pplica-tions including biomedical, microfluidics, optical materials, and indrug delivery.
Functional materials for energy conversion are important technology drivers needed for the implementation of low carbon energy. Therefore, researchers commonly focus on improving the intrinsic properties of a functional material. However, for applications, the extrinsic properties are at least as important as the intrinsic ones. Consequently, it is important to investigate and understand the external and internal structure of semi-finished products and especially defect dependent properties. The extrinsic properties may change during application and the life cycle of the material as well as through processing and molding steps.
Our studies show how X-ray tomographic (XCT) investigations can contribute to structure investigations in composites and massive samples using the example of magnetic materials for energy conversion. The components are tested non-destructively in 3D in order to localize and characterize cracks, pores, inclusions as well as other defects and their influence on the functional properties and also “in-time” during the life cycle of the material. Exsitu and in-situ experiments performed with non-destructive XCT are predestinated to follow damaging mechanisms of materials under certain load conditions, atmospheres or liquids, e.g. went through several working cycles of a functional material. By combining microtomography with other methods of magnetic and classical material characterization, unique statements about the structure and the functional properties can be made.
From the applications point of view, sometimes complex, three-dimensional geometries are needed to fully exploit the functional properties of the materials, e.g. to ensure a high surface area for heat exchange. Since many functional materials are brittle and difficult to form, shaping is often a big challenge. In principle, additive manufacturing processes offer the possibility to produce complex, porous components from poorly formable alloys.
If all stages of additive manufacturing are accompanied by X-ray tomographic imaging, the process of finding the optimal parameters for material processing can be significantly accelerated.
Based on the quality control of the initial powder material used and also investigations of the shape and arrangement of defects within the molten structure and their relationship with the melting path scanning strategy, Xray tomography has proven to be an ideal tool for additive manufacturing, even for functional materials. Overall, tomographic methods are important tools for the development of functional materials to application maturity.
Challenges and opportunities in the bottom-up mechanochemical synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles
(2020)
Mechanochemistry is a promising alternative to solution-based protocols across the chemical sciences, enabling different types of chemistries in solvent-free and environmentally benign conditions. The use of mechanical energy to promote physical and chemical transformations has reached a high level of refinement, allowing for the design of sophisticated molecules and nanostructured materials. Among them, the synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles deserves special attention due to their catalytic applications. In this review, we discuss the recent progress on the development of mechanochemical strategies for the controlled synthesis of noble metal nanostructures. We start by covering the fundamentals of different preparation routes, namely top-down and bottom-up approaches. Next, we focus on the key examples of the mechanochemical synthesis of non-supported and supported metal nanoparticles as well as hybrid nanomaterials containing noble metals. In these examples, in addition to the principles and synthesis mechanisms, their performances in catalysis are discussed. Finally, a perspective of the field is given, where we discuss the opportunities for future work and the challenges of mechanochemical synthesis to produce well-defined noble metal nanoparticles.
The aim of this study is to develop nanometer-thin epoxy-based films on aluminium alloy AA2024-T3 as a model coating system for high resolution corrosion studies. Spin coating was used for the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of poly-(ethylenimine) (PEI) and poly([o-cresyl glycidyl ether]-co-formaldehyde) (CNER) bilayers. The film chemistry and the cross-linking process were characterized by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Ellipsometric data confirmed the linear increase of film thickness. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicate the improvement of the film barrier properties with increasing film thickness. Mapping of the topography and the volta potential was performed by means of scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM).
The results indicate the presence of a homogeneous film structure, while the intermetallic phases can still be identified below the coating. The SKPFM Analysis confirmed that the model films are suitable for investigation of corrosion processes at the coating/metal interface.
Carbamazepine Dihydroxybenzoic Acid Cocrystals: Exploring Packing Interactions and Reaction Kinetics
(2021)
Herein, we present the mechanochemical formation of three new cocrystals containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient carbamazepine and dihydroxybenzoic acids as coformers (CBZ:2,4-DHBA 1:1, CBZ:2,5-DHBA 1:1, and CBZ:2,6-DHBA 1:1). Rietveld methods were used for three different purposes: (i) refining all structures solved using powder X-ray diffraction, (ii) performing a quantitative phase analysis of the diffraction data collected from ex situ mechanochemical reactions at different milling times, and (iii) determining the cocrystallization kinetic profiles. The rate of cocrystallization was found to be higher for the formation of CBZ:2,4-DHBA and CBZ:2,6-DHBA, reaching an equilibrium after 600 s of milling. In the case of CBZ:2,5-DHBA a short induction period of 20 s was detected prior to the start of the reaction and an equilibrium was reached after 1200 s. An empirical trend between the rate of cocrystallization and the structural complexity of the cocrystal product was found. The slowest cocrystallization rate observed for CBZ:2,5-DHBA corresponds to the crystal structure deviating substantially from the hydrogen-bonding motif found in the reactants.
High-throughput computations are nowadays an established way to suggest new candidate materials for applications to experimentalists. Due to new packages for automation and access to databases of computed materials properties, these studies became more and more complex over the last years. Besides suggesting new candidate materials for applications, they also offer a way to understanding the materials properties based on chemical bonds. For example, we have recently used orbital-based bonding analysis to understand the results of high-throughput studies for spintronic materials, ferroelectric materials and photovoltaic materials in detail. To do so, we have developed Python tools for high-throughput bonding analysis with the programs VASP and Lobster (see www.cohp.de). They are based on the Python packages pymatgen, atomate, and custodian. This implementation will be discussed within the talk. We also expect that these tools offer possibilities to arrive at new descriptors based on chemical bonds for materials properties.
We obtained concomitant dimorphic forms of Anthracene Schiffbase (N-(anthracen-9-yl methylene)-2,5- dichloroaniline) from hexane solvent. Two polymorphs can be differentiated by their morphology and mechanical properties. One form is long acicular type and elastically bendable while another form is block shaped and brittle in nature. Mechanical property is attributed to underlying crystal packing. Hirsh- feld analysis and energy framework calculations were done to corroborate structure-property correlation of two forms.
Nitrapyrin (NP) is applied to cultivated soils to inhibit the enzymatic activity of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), but its poor aqueous solubility and high volatility severely limit its application. β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) is commonly used to form inclusion complexes with hydrophobic molecules, improving water solubility and stability upon complexation. Here we report on the mechanochemical synthesis of the inclusion complex β-CD·NP, characterized via a combination of solid-state techniques, including exsitu and in situ X-ray diffraction, Raman and NMR spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The pure inhibitor NP was also structurally characterized. The β-CD·NP complex presents improved solubility and thermal stability, and still inhibits the enzymatic activity of AMO with high efficacy. All results indicate that the inclusion of NP into β-CD represents a viable route for the preparation of a novel class of inhibitors, with improved properties related to stability, water solubility, and good inhibition activity.
Mechanochemistry is increasingly used for synthesizing soft matter materials including metal organic compounds and cocrystals.1 The ever-increasing interest in this method is contrasted by a limited mechanistic understanding of the mechanochemical reactivity and selectivity. Time-resolved in situ investigations of milling reactions provide direct insights in the underlying mechanisms.2-4 We recently introduced different setups enabling in situ investigation of mechanochemical reactions using synchrotron XRD combined with Raman spectroscopy and thermography. The presented setup allows the detection of crystalline, amorphous, eutectic, and liquid intermediates. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the reaction mixture was found to be directly correlated with changes in the temperature profile of the reaction. The resulting deeper kinetic and thermodynamic understanding of milling processes is the key for future optimization of mechanochemical syntheses. In this contribution, we will discuss our recent results investigating the formation of (polymorphic) cocrystals and coordination polymers.2,3,5 Our results indicate that in situ investigation of milling reactions offer a new approach to tune and optimize mechanochemical syntheses.
Mechanochemistry has emerged as one of the most interesting synthetic protocols to produce new materials. The development of mechanochemistry as a synthetic method is supported by excellent research by many groups worldwide in a wide range of applications. The potential of mechanochemistry is also reflected in the inclusion in IUPAC’s 10 chemical innovations that will change our world’.[1] Solvent-free methodologies lead to unique chemical processes during synthesis with the consequent formation of martials with new properties.2 In this contribution, we will discuss our recent results investigating the formation of (polymorphic) cocrystals, coordination polymers, metal oxides and metal nanoparticles.[3-8] We introduced different setups enabling in situ investigation of mechanochemical reactions using synchrotron XRD combined with Raman spectroscopy and thermography.
Superhydrophobic surfaces can be quickly formed with supramolecular materials. Incorporating low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) with perfluorinated chains generates xerogel coatings with low surface energies and high roughness. Here, we examine and compare the properties of the xerogel coatings formed with eight different LMWGs. These LMWGs all have a trans-1,2-diamidocyclohexane core and two perfluorinated ponytails, whose lengths vary from three to ten carbon atoms (CF3 to CF10). Investigation of the xerogels aims to provide in-depth information on the chain length effect. LMWGs with a higher degree of fluorination (CF7 to CF10) form superhydrophobic xerogel coatings with very low surface energies. Scanning electron microscopy images of the coatings show that the aggregates of CF5 and CF7 are fibrous, while the others are crystal-like. Aggregates of CF10 are particularly small and further assemble into a porous structure on the micrometer scale. To test their stabilities, the xerogel coatings were flushed multiple times with a standardized water flush test. The removal of material from the surface in these flushes was monitored by a combination of the water contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and coating thickness measurements. A new method based on image processing techniques was developed to reliably determine the change of the coating thickness. The CF7, CF9, and CF10 surfaces show consistent hydrophobicity and coating durability after repetitive flushing tests. The length of the perfluorinated side chains thus has a significant effect on the morphology of the deposited xerogel coatings, their roughness, and, in consequence, their hydrophobicity and mechanical durability.
The stability of materials is a very important property for materials discovery. In recent years, we have explored several approaches for advancing the prediction of the stability of crystals (e.g., classical chemical heuristics and machine-learned interatomic potentials). For example, we have assessed a famous chemical heuristic – the Pauling rules – regarding their usefulness for structure prediction. They are only of limited predictive power, i.e. the rules 2 to 5 only work for 13 % of all tested oxides. Furthermore, we have shown that machine-learned interatomic potentials can be used to predict phonon properties of a range of silicon allotropes accurately and, therefore, they can also be used to assess the dynamic stability of materials. To do so, we have developed new schemes to build reference databases for machine learned interatomic potentials.
Organic single crystals that combine mechanical flexibility and optical properties are important for developing flexible optical devices, but examples of such crystals remain scarce. Both mechanical flexibility and optical activity depend on the underlying crystal packing and the nature of the intermolecular interactions present in the solid state. Hence, both properties can be expected to be tunable by small chemical modifications to the organic molecule. By incorporating a chlorine atom, a reportedly mechanically flexible crystal of (E)-1-(4-bromo-phenyl)iminomethyl-2-hydroxylnaphthalene (BPIN) produces (E)-1-(4-bromo-2-chloro-phenyl)iminomethyl-2-hydroxyl-naphthalene (BCPIN). BCPIN crystals show elastic bending similar to BPIN upon mechanical stress, but exhibit a remarkable difference in their optical properties as a result of the chemical modification to the backbone of the organic molecule. This work thus demonstrates that the optical properties and mechanical flexibility of molecular materials can, in principle, be tuned independently.
Crystalline molecular materials are usually brittle and are prone to break into pieces upon external mechanical force. This fragility poses challenges for their application in next-generation technologies, including sensors, synthetic tissues, and advanced opto-electronics. The recent discovery of mechanical flexibility in single crystals of molecular materials has solved this issue and enable the design of smart flexible device technologies. Plastic crystals can be deformed permanently. This behavior is based on anisotropic molecular arrangements and the existence of facile slip planes which allow a permanent motion within the lattice. In contrast, elastic crystals can be deformed, but regain the original structure when the force is removed. This phenomenon is related to energetically isotropic molecular packing. Here we report 4-bromo-6-[(6-chlorolpyridin-2-ylimino)methyl]phenol (BCMPMP) as a promising candidate for future waveguide technologies. It turns out that BCMPMP has two different polymorphs with distinct optical and mechanical properties. Form I crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca21 and shows brittle behavior. This structure exhibit very weak emission at 605 nm (λex = 425 nm) together with a low fluorescence quantum yield (Φ = 0.4 %). On the other hand, form II (monoclinic space group P21/c) has a large plastic regime and a bright emission at 585 nm (λex = 425 nm; Φ = 8.7 %). Based on its improved mechanical and optical properties, form II was explored as a bendable optical waveguide. Light was successfully propagated through a straight-shaped and mechanically deformed BCMPMP crystal. Depending on the light source, active or passive waveguiding could be achieved. So BCMPMP can also be used as a flexible wavelength filter.
Crystalline molecular materials are usually brittle and are prone to break upon external mechanical force. This fragility poses challenges for their application in next-generation technologies, including sensors, synthetic tissues, and advanced opto-electronics. The recent discovery of mechanical flexibility in single crystals of molecular materials has solved this problem and enable the design of smart flexible device technologies. Mechanical flexibility of organic crystals can be tuned by altering the weak interactions in the crystal structure, for examples through polymorphism. Here we report 4-bromo-6-[(6-chlorolpyridin-2-ylimino)methyl]phenol (BCMPMP) as a promising candidate for future waveguide technologies. It turns out that BCMPMP has two different polymorphs with distinct optical and mechanical properties. Form I shows brittle behavior under mechanical stress and exhibits very weak emission at 605 nm (λex = 425 nm) together with a low fluorescence quantum yield (Φ = 0.4 %).In contrast, Form II has a large plastic (irreversible bending) regime and a bright emission at 585 nm (λex = 425 nm; Φ = 8.7 %). Making use of favorable mechanical fexiblity and optical properties, form II was explored as a bendable optical waveguide. Light was successfully propagated through a straight-shaped and mechanically deformed BCMPMP crystal. Depending on the light source, active or passive waveguiding could be achieved. So BCMPMP can also be used as a flexible wavelength filter.
Based on the nature of the deformation, molecular crystals can be defined as being plastically (irreversible) or elastically (reversible)bendable. The mechanical response of crystals is thereby directly related to they structure.The structural elements required for a specific mechanical behavior are known, so that compounds with these properties can be synthesized by applying the rules of crystal engineering.
Kristalle sind in der Regel spröde und neigen dazu, bei mechanischer Belastung zu brechen. Dieses Verhalten schränkt ihre Anwendungsmöglichkeiten stark ein. Durch die Entdeckung von mechanischer Flexibilität in Kristallen wurde dieses Problem gelöst. Je nach Art der Verformung können Kristalle in plastisch (irreversibel) oder elastisch (reversibel) biegbar unterteilt werden. Die Verbindung 4-Brom-6-[(6-chlorpyridin-2-ylimino)methyl]phenol (BCMPMP) ist ein vielversprechender Kandidat für die Anwendung als flexibler Waveguide. BCMPMP hat zwei verschiedene Polymorphe mit unterschiedlichen optischen und mechanischen Eigenschaften. Die spröden Kristalle der Form I zeigen eine sehr schwache Emission bei 605 nm (λex = 425 nm; Photolumineszenz-Quantenausbeute Φ = 0,4 %). Im Gegensatz dazu zeigt die plastische Form II eine starke Emission bei 585 nm (λex = 425 nm; Φ = 8,7 %). Aufgrund der mechanischen Flexibilität wurde die Eignung der Form II als Waveguide untersucht.
Simvastatin (SV) is an important active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for treatment of hyperlipidemias, which is known to exist in different crystalline and amorphous phases. It is, therefore, an interesting model to investigate how the outcome of evaporative crystallization in the contactless environment of an acoustically levitated droplet may be influenced by key experimental conditions, such as temperature, solvent properties (e.g., polarity and hygroscopicity), and dynamics of the evaporation process. Here, we describe a real-time and in situ study of simvastatin evaporative crystallization from droplets of three solvents that differ in volatility, polarity, and protic character (acetone, ethanol, and ethyl acetate). The droplet monitorization relied on synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, imaging, and thermographic analysis. A pronounced solvent-dependent behavior was observed. In ethanol, a simvastatin amorphous gel-like material was produced, which showed no tendency for crystallization over time; in ethyl acetate, a glassy material was formed, which crystallized on storage over a two-week period to yield simvastatin form I; and in acetone, form I crystallized upon solvent evaporation without any evident presence of a stable amorphous intermediate. The XRD and Raman results further suggested that the persistent amorphous phase obtained from ethanol and the amorphous precrystallization intermediate formed in ethyl acetate were similar. Thermographic analysis indicated that the evaporation process was accompanied by a considerable temperature decrease of the droplet surface, whose magnitude and rate correlated with the solvent volatility (acetone > ethyl acetate > ethanol). The combined thermographic and XRD results also suggested that, as the cooling effect increased, so did the amount of residual water (most likely captured from the atmosphere) remaining in the droplet after the organic solvent was lost. Finally, the interpretation of the water fingerprint in the XRD time profiles was aided by molecular dynamics simulations, which also provided insights into the possible role of H2O as an antisolvent that facilitates simvastatin crystallization.
In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. In this context, a number of studies have already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, where the formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor. In this contribution a holistic view of the formation mechanism of gypsum and bassanite from solution will be presented.
In short, our in situ and time-resolved scattering data demonstrate that calcium sulfate precipitation starts with the formation and aggregation of well-defined sub-3 nm primary species. These species constitute building “bricks'' of an amorphous precursor phase. We characterised the “bricks” by combining information obtained at different length-scales accessible at the mesoscale (from small-angle scattering) and at the atomic-length-scale (wide-angle scattering and high-energy diffraction). From these scattering data we derived pair distribution functions of the clusters and restricted their external shapes and dimensions. This allowed us to propose a structure of the primary species and to explore their dynamic properties with unbiased MD simulations using polarizable force fields. The formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of these small primary species into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting “brick-in-the-wall” structure. The actual crystallisation occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the “bricks” into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the thermodynamic conditions of the solution. Importantly, these rearrangement processes by no means continue until a (nearly-)perfect homogeneous single crystal is obtained. Instead they come to a stop or at least significantly slow down. Such a process thus yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous crystal structure, within which the domains are separated by an amorphous calcium sulfate phase.
Automation simplifies the use of computational materials science software and makes it accessible to a wide range of users. This enables high-throughput calcula-tionsand makesiteasier for non-specialists to enter computational materials science. However, in-creasing automation also poses threats that should be considered while interacting with automated procedures.
Time resolved in situ (TRIS) monitoring has revolutionised the study of mechanochemical transformations but has been limited by available data quality. Here we report how a combination of miniaturised grinding jars together with innovations in X-ray powder diffraction data collection and state-of-the-art analysis strategies transform the power of TRIS synchrotron mechanochemical experiments. Accurate phase compositions, comparable to those obtained by ex situ measurements, can be obtained with small sample loadings. Moreover, microstructural parameters (crystal size and microstrain) can be also determined with high confidence. This strategy applies to all chemistries, is readily implemented, and yields high-quality diffraction data even using a low energy synchrotron source. This offers a direct avenue towards the mechanochemical investigation of reactions comprising scarce, expensive, or toxic compounds. Our strategy is applied to model systems, including inorganic, metal-organic, and organic mechanosyntheses, resolves previously misinterpreted mechanisms in mechanochemical syntheses, and promises broad, new directions for mechanochemical research.
The talk „Automation in computational materials science“ deals with the current state of automation in the field of computational materials science. It illustrates how automation can, for example, be used to speed up the search for new ferroelectric materials and spintronic materials. Furthermore, it lists current tools for automation and challenges in the field.
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a common process in a variety of electrochemical devices, like fuel cells and metal air batteries. The sluggish kinetics of the ORR require an electrocatalyst to pass this bottleneck.[1] Currently, the most used catalytical systems are platinum-based, with several drawbacks, such as the high cost, low availability, and deactivation by CO poisoning.[2] Efforts are made to develop efficient, durable and low cost catalysts to promote the commercialization of fuel cells.
Non-precious metal catalysts are promising candidates for efficient ORR catalysis. It has been shown that pyrolyzing metal organic frameworks (MOFs) under inert conditions yields carbon-rich materials, with evenly distributed metal sites, which possess promising electrocatalytic activity.[3] One widely used type of MOF as ORR catalyst precursors is the zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF) where metal cations are linked through imidazole-based ligands. Their porous nature is partially retained after carbonization, making MOFs very suitable precursor materials.
Herein we report the mechanochemical synthesis and structural analysis of Co-doped ZIF-8 (Zn), as well as two polymorphs (dense and prorous) of fluorinated Co-doped CF3-ZIF-8 (Zn). The samples showed electrochemical performance comparable to platinum after carbonization for 1 h at temperatures ranging between 850 – 1000°C.
Carbonization of fluorinated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) should yield fluorinated nitrogen- and metal-doped carbons (F-NMCs), which are a combination of NMCs and fluorinated carbons, each promising electrocatalysts on their own. We synthesized two polymorphs of a fluorinated MOF by mechanical ball mill grinding, and carbonized them to yield potential electrocatalyt materials. The catalytical activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was examined, finding good activites. Simulations from a theoretic model helped assesing the stability of proposed catalytic sites and understanding the measured activites towards the ORR catalysis.
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a common process in a variety of electrochemical devices, like fuel cells
and metal air batteries. The sluggish kinetics of the ORR require an electrocatalyst to pass this bottleneck.[1]
Currently, the most used catalytical systems are platinum-based, with several drawbacks, such as the high cost,
low availability, and deactivation by CO poisoning.[2] Efforts are made to develop efficient, durable and low cost
catalysts to promote the commercialization of fuel cells.
Non-precious metal catalysts are promising candidates for efficient ORR catalysis. It has been shown that
pyrolyzing metal organic frameworks (MOFs) under inert conditions yields carbon-rich materials, with evenly
distributed metal sites, which possess promising electrocatalytic activity.[3] One widely used type of MOF as ORR
catalyst precursors is the zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF) where metal cations are linked through imidazolebased ligands.
Herein we report the mechanochemical synthesis, structural analysis and of Co-doped ZIF-8 (Zn), as well as its
fluorinated counterpart Co-doped CF3
-ZIF-8 (Zn). The samples showed electrochemical performance comparable
to platinum after carbonization for 1h at temperatures ranging between 850 – 1000°C.
Mechanochemistry has become a valuable tool for the synthesis of new molecules, especially in the field of organic chemistry. In the present work, we investigate the kinetic profile of the chlorination reaction of N-3-ethyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (EDMH) activated and driven by ball milling. The reaction has been carried out using 2 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm ball sizes in a new small custom-made Perspex milling jar. The Crystal structure of the starting material EDMH and the 1-chloro-3-ethyl5,5′-dimethyl hydantoin (CEDMH) chlorination product was solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The reaction was monitored, in situ and in real time, by both powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Our kinetic data show that the reaction progress to equilibrium is similar at all milling ball sizes. The induction period is very short (between 10 and 40 s) when using 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm balls. For the reaction performed with a 2 mm ball, a significantly longer induction period of 9 min was observed. This could indicate that an initial energy accumulation and higher mixing efficiency are necessary before the reaction starts. Using different kinetic models, we found that the amount of powder affected by critical loading conditions during individual impacts is significantly dependent on the ball size used. An almost linear correlation between the rate of the chemical transformations and the ball volume is observed.
The application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is still limited by their rapid capacity fading. The pulverization of the sulfur positive electrode after the lithiation and the consequence dissolution of long chain polysulfides in organic solvents lead to the shuttle effect. To address these issues, here we report the mechanochemical preparation of ZIF-8 (Zeolitic Imidazole Framework-8)-based composites as sulfur hosts for positive electrodes in Li-S batteries. We studied different methods for the incorporation of conductive carbon. Also, the replacement of Zn2+ metal centers by other bivalent metals (Cu2+, Co2+ and Ni2+), enabled the preparation of other ZIF-8-based materials. The positive electrode ZIF-8/C/S8 showed initial discharges of 772 mA h g−1 while the pristine one, ZIF-8/S8, displayed 502 mA h g−1. The enhanced performance of 54% for ZIF-8/C/S8 indicates that the direct mechanochemical synthesis of ZIF-8 with conductive carbon is beneficial at initials charge/discharge process in comparison to traditional slurry preparation (ZIF-8/S8). Also, the Li2S6 absorption tests shows 87% of discoloration with ZIF-8/C/S8, confirming the better polysulfides absorption.
The impact sensitivity (IS) of FOX-7 polymorphs is predicted by phonon up-pumping to decrease as layers of FOX-7 molecules flatten. Experimental validation proved anomalous owing to a phase transition during testing, raising questions regarding Impact sensitivity measurement and highlighting the need for models to predict IS of polymorphic energetic materials.
Developments in density functional theory (DFT) calculations, their automation and therefore easier access to materials data have enabled ab initio high-throughput searches for new materials for numerous applications. These studies open up exciting opportunities to find new materials in a much faster way than based on experimental work alone. However, performing density functional theory calculations for several thousand materials can still be very time consuming. The use of, for example, faster chemical heuristics and machine-learned interatomic potentials would allow to consider a much larger number of candidate materials. In addition to DFT based high-throughput searches, the seminar will discuss two possible ways to accelerate high-throughput searches.
Using data analysis on the structures and coordination environments of 5000 oxides, we were able to investigate a chemical heuristic – the famous Pauling rules – regarding its usefulness for the fast prediction of stable materials.
We have also investigated how machine-learned interatomic potentials can be used to accelerate the prediction of (dynamically) stable materials. The use of these potentials makes vibrational properties accessible in a much faster way than based on DFT. Our results based on a newly developed potential for silicon allotropes showed excellent agreement with DFT reference data (agreement of the frequencies within 0.1-0.2 THz).
In addition, we have successfully used high-throughput calculations in the search for new candidate materials for spintronic applications and ferroelectrics
A rigid aromatic phosphorus-containing hyperbranched flame retardant structure is synthesized from 10-(2,5 dihydroxyphenyl)-10H-9-oxa-
10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-HQ), tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)phosphine oxide (THPPO), and 1,4-terephthaloyl chloride (TPC). The resulting poly-(DOPO-HQ/THPPO-terephthalate) (PDTT) is implemented as a flame retardant into an epoxy resin (EP) at a 10 wt% loading. The effects on EP are compared with those of the monomer DOPO-HQ and triphenylphosphine oxide (OPPh3) as low molar mass flame retardants. The glass transition temperature, thermal decomposition, flammability (reaction to small flame), and burning behavior of the thermosets are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry, UL 94-burning chamber testing, and cone calorimeter measurements.
Although P-contents are low at only 0.6 wt%, the study aims not at attaining V-0, but at presenting a proof of principle: Epoxy resinswith PDTT show promising fire performance, exhibiting a 25% reduction in total heat evolved (THE), a 30% reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR) due to flame inhibition (21% reduction in effective heat of combustion (EHC)), and an increase in Tg at the same time. This study indicates that rigid aromatic hyperbranched polymeric structures offer a promising route toward multifunctional flame retardancy.
The ability to selectively tune the optical and the mechanical properties of organic molecular crystals offers a promising approach towards developing flexible optical devices. These functional properties are sensitive to crystallographic packing features and are hence expected to vary with polymorphic modification. Using as a model system the photoluminescent material 4-bromo-6-[(6-chloropyridin-2-ylimino)methyl]phenol (CPMBP), we herein demonstrate the simultaneous tuning of mechanical flexibility and photoluminescence properties via polymorphism. Two new polymorphic forms of CPMBP were obtained from a solution and fully characterised using a combination of experiments and density functional theory simulations. These polymorphic forms exhibit remarkably distinct mechanical properties and an order of magnitude difference in photoluminescence quantum yield. The mechanically plastic form has a higher quantum yield than the brittle polymorphic form. However, their photoluminescence emission profile is largely unaffected by the observed polymorphism, thereby demonstrating that the optical properties and bulk mechanical properties can in principle be tuned independently. By distinguishing between active (involving absorption and emission) and passive (involving no absorption) light propagation, the waveguiding properties of the plastic form of CPMBP (form II) were explored using the straight and bent crystals to highlight the potential applications of CPMBP in designing flexible optical devices. Our results demonstrated that polymorph engineering would be a promising avenue to achieve concurrent modulation of the optical and mechanical properties of photoluminescent molecular crystals for next-generation flexible optical device applications.