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At least 199 records · Page 11

Conversion of Polystyrene to Terephthalic Acid via Sequential Acetylation and Mn/Br-Catalyzed Autoxidation

Most methods for the oxidative deconstruction of polystyrene produce benzoic acid, which has a low market size relative to the production of waste polystyrene. Here, the present study demonstrates a method for conversion of polystyrene into terephthalic acid, a high-volume chemical, by introducing a carbon-containing fragment into the para position of the phenyl groups in polystyrene, followed by Mn/Br-catalyzed autoxidation. Acetylated polystyrene is shown to be the most effective substrate for oxidation, affording an 81% yield of terephthalic acid. Mechanistic studies highlight the effectiveness of bromide as a cocatalyst and offer insight into the underlying reasons the acetyl group undergoes efficient oxidation.

Mid-Century Process↗

Molecular-scale Insights into Cooperativity Switching of x TAB Adsorption on Gold Nanoparticles

Quantifying adsorption behaviors is crucial for various applications such as catalysis, separation, and sensing, yet it is generally challenging to access in solution. Here, we report a combined experimental and computational study of the adsorption behaviors of alkyl-trimethylammonium bromides (xTAB), a class of ligands important for colloidal nanoparticle stabilization and shape control, with various alkyl chain lengths x on Au nanoparticles. We use density functional theory (DFT) to calculate xTAB binding energies on Au{111} and Au{110} surfaces with standing-up and lying-down configurations, which provides insights into the adsorption affinity and cooperativity differences of xTAB on these two facets. We demonstrate the key role of van der Waals interactions in determining the xTAB adsorption behavior. These computational results predict and explain the experimental discovery of xTAB’s adsorption behavior switch from stronger affinity, negative cooperativity to weaker affinity, positive cooperativity when the concentration of xTAB increases in solution. We also show that in the standing-up configuration, bilayer adsorption may occur on both facets, which can lead to different differential binding energies and consequently adsorption crossover between the two facets when the ligand concentration increases. Our combined experimental and computational approaches demonstrate a paradigm for gaining molecular-scale insights into adsorbate–surface interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Biogeochemistry of the Antrim Shale Natural Gas Reservoir

The Antrim Shale, located in the Michigan Basin, United States (U.S.), is a major U.S. shale play having produced over 2.5 Trillion Cubic Feet (Tcf) of unconventional shale natural gas as of 2010. The shallow nature of this formation sets it apart from other, more characterized unconventional shale gas plays. The depth of gas production of the Antrim ranges from approximately 150 to 600 m and it is typically vertically drilled, contrary to deeper, horizontally drilled shales. A thorough understanding of the biogeochemistry and microbiology of this complex system will be advantageous for improving well performance, produced water management, and potential biocidal treatment as microbial community composition can vary substantially even among closely spaced wells. In this study, we analyzed produced water collected from nine different wells in the Antrim Shale by investigating the geochemical and microbial community composition of the produced water to gain greater insight into the overall biogeochemistry of this unique shale system. The majority of the wells from this study had high total dissolved solids (TDS) primarily composed of chloride and sodium, averaging 86,804 mg/L with a maximum 116,223 mg/L; however, three of the wells sampled along the northern margin of the basin exhibited significantly lower TDS ranging from 4932 to 6496 mg/L. Overall, our microbial community analysis revealed relatively low abundance within our samples and high variability of the microbial community among the sampled wells. The majority of bacterial sequences were identified within Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria phyla and metagenomic sequencing revealed the low presence of Methanobacteriaceae within each sample. We also investigated potential microbial community drivers and found that TDS, sodium, chloride, iodide, bromide, ammonium, potassium, and strontium were significantly correlated with the observed microbial community. The varying geochemical conditions between wells demonstrate different subsurface environmental niches, potentially driving the heterogeneous microbial communities we observed from well to well. This analysis suggests an important relationship between both well location and geochemistry and the observed microbial community that can persist in the reservoir. Continued studies of the Antrim Shale will improve our understanding of the complex interdependencies of this ecosystem.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Halogen Redox Shuttle Explains Voltage-Induced Halide Redistribution in Mixed-Halide Perovskite Devices

Voltage-induced halide segregation greatly limits the optoelectronic applications of mixed-halide perovskite devices, but a mechanistic explanation behind this phenomenon remains unclear. In this work, we use electron microscopy and elemental mapping to directly measure the halide redistribution in mixed-halide perovskite solar cells with quasi-ion-impermeable contact layers under different bias polarities to find iodide and bromide accumulation at the cathode and anode, respectively. This is consistent with a mechanism based on preferential iodide oxidation at the anode, leading to unbalanced I$^{+}_{i}$, I$^{-}_{X}$, and Br$^{-}_{X}$ fluxes. Importantly, switching the anode from "inert" Au to "active" Ag prevents segregation because Ag oxidation precludes the oxidation of lattice iodide, which suggests employing redox-active additives as a general strategy to suppress halide segregation. Finally, these results show that halide perovskite devices operate as solid-state electrochemical cells when threshold voltages are exceeded, providing fresh insight to understand the impacts of voltage bias on halide perovskite devices.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Sliceable, Moldable, and Highly Conductive Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Batteries

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) require solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, stability, and deformability for optimal energy and power density. Here, we developed lithium-deficient lithium yttrium bromide (LYB) solid electrolytes, Li 3–x YBr 6–x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50), using a comelting method with controlled lithium deficiency. These electrolytes exhibit favorable mechanical properties such as high moldability and sliceability. The Li 2.65 YBr 5.65 composition has an ionic conductivity of 4.49 mS cm –1 at 25 °C and an activation energy of 0.28 eV. Compared to Li 3 YBr 6 , Li 2.65 YBr 5.65 demonstrates improved rate performance and cycling stability in ASSBs. High-resolution X-ray diffraction confirms the formation of the LYB phase with a C2/m space group. Structural analysis reveals increased cation disorder and larger polyhedral volumes for x > 0 in Li 3–x YBr 6–x , contributing to reduced Li + migration energy barriers. Bond valence site energy calculations and molecular dynamics simulations reveal enhanced 3D lithium-ion transport. NMR spectroscopy further highlights increased Li + dynamics and impurity elimination.

Poudel, Tej P. [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, ↗

Rapid Postgrafting Reaction to Prepare Quaternized Polycarbazoles

We report a rapid postgrafting reaction to prepare alkyl ammonium functionalized polycarbazoles from a commercially available monomer. This novel synthetic approach provides benefit to preparing the high molecular weight quaternized polycarbazoles within 1 h of Friedel–Crafts polycondensation, avoiding the synthesis and purification step to prepare a functionalized monomer. The postgrafting reaction produces hexyl alkyl ammonium functionalized polycarbazole with 100% grafting degree. However, the postgrafting reaction produced only 60% grafting with propyl alkyl ammonium due to the competitive elimination reaction because of the higher acidity of β-hydrogen in the propyl alkyl group resulting from the proximity of the bromide and ammonium groups. The hexyl alkyl ammonium functionalized polycarbazole has a high hydroxide conductivity of 103 mS cm –1 at 80 °C and showed excellent alkaline stability with less than 3% loss of ion group after 1 M NaOH treatment at 80 °C for 500 h. In conclusion, this study highlights that the postgrafting reaction provides a pathway for the scale-up synthesis of quaternized aryl ether-free polyaromatics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Reversible Phase Transformation of Colloidal 2D Lead Halide Perovskite Platelets under Photoirradiation

The photostability of lead halide perovskites is an important criterion for their utilization in light harvesting applications. Colloidal two-dimensional mixed halide perovskites offer a convenient approach to probe photoinduced transformations using spectroscopy tools. We employed suspensions of colloidal 2D methylammonium lead halide perovskite platelets with butylammonium and octylammonium as organic spacer cations. Upon irradiation of the mixed halide perovskite (BAOAMAPb 2 (Br 3.5 I 3.5 )) colloidal platelet suspension, we observe a phase transformation, as seen from the formation of bromide rich domains (BAOAMAPb 2 Br 7 ) and an iodide complex (PbI 3 – ). Unlike in the case of 3D mixed halide films, we did not observe the formation of iodide rich domains as part of the photoinduced phase segregation process. Instead, we observed the dissociation of the BAOAMAPb 2 I 7 to form an iodide complex, PbI 3 – . Interestingly, this photoinduced phase transformation was reversible, as the products which were confined in the colloidal core restored the original mixed halide phase upon storage in dark. The spectroscopic measurements that characterize excited states of different colloidal methylammonium lead halide perovskites and kinetics of photoinduced transformation and their dark recovery are presented. Furthermore, these new phototransformations of colloidal perovskite platelets provide new insights into the processes that dictate their overall photostability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Strong Differential Monovalent Anion Selectivity in Narrow Diameter Carbon Nanotube Porins

Inner pores of carbon nanotubes combine extremely fast water transport and ion selectivity that could potentially be useful for high-performance water desalination and separation applications. In this study, we used dye-quenching halide assays and stopped-flow spectrometry to determine intrinsic permeability of three small monovalent halide anions (chloride, bromide, iodide) and one pseudohalide anion (thiocyanate) through narrow 0.8 nm-diameter carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs). These measurements revealed unexpectedly strong differential ion selectivity with permeabilities of different ions varying by up to two orders of magnitude. Removal of the negative charge from the nanotube entrance increased anion permeability by only a relatively small factor, indicating that electrostatic repulsion was not a major determinant of CNTP selectivity. First principle molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the origin of this strong differential ion selectivity is partial dehydration of anions upon entry into the narrow CNTP channels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling the Photoelectrochemical Evolution of Lead-Based, Mixed-Halide Perovskites Due to Photosegregation

Lead-based, mixed-halide perovskites such as methylammonium lead iodide-bromide [MAPb(I 1-x Br x ) 3 ] undergo anion photosegregation under illumination. This is observed as low band gap photoluminescence from photogenerated iodine-rich domains due to favorable band offsets that induce carrier funneling into them. Unfortunately, theoretical rationalizations of mixed-halide photosegregation are complicated by biases inherent to photoluminescence-based observations. Recent compositionally-weighted X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements now reveal broad distributions of photosegregated stoichiometries not captured by existing photosegregation models. To better bridge experiment and theory, we perform kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations of photosegregation within the context of a band gap-based thermodynamic model, which has previously accounted for numerous experimental observations. Our KMC simulations are modified to consider high carrier density Fermi-Dirac statistics that result from carrier funneling and accumulation within photosegregated I-rich domains. Obtained KMC results reproduce broad x terminal distributions seen experimentally and illustrate how they are characterized by a central, heavily I-enriched stoichiometry. I-rich domain “drifting” during photosegregation rationalizes the long photosegregation timescales seen experimentally with drifting simultaneously producing a wake of variable stoichiometry I-rich inclusions that form the lion’s share of stoichiometric heterogeneities seen in compositionally-weighted XRD measurements. These simulations and accompanying rationalizations further reveal a general criterion for realizing favorable free energies to induce demixing. Central to the criterion is the statistical occupation of low gap inclusions in the parent alloy by excitations. Furthermore, the resulting model thus provides a general framework for conceptualizing mixed-halide perovskite light and temperature sensitivities, mediated by photocarriers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Effects of Morphology and Hydration on Anion Transport in Self-Assembled Nanoporous Membranes

Ordered nanoporous polymer membranes offer opportunities for systematically probing the mechanisms of ion transport under confinement and for realizing useful materials for electrochemical devices. Here, we examine the impact of morphology and ion hydration on the transport of hydroxide and bromide anions in nanostructured polymer membranes with 1 nm scale pores. We use aqueous lyotropic self-assembly of an amphiphilic monomer, with a polymerizable surfactant to create direct hexagonal (H I ) and gyroid mesophases. UV-induced cross-linking leads to the formation of nanoporous polymers with water continuous channels. The membranes are mechanically robust and chemically durable, resisting degradation during extended exposure to 1 M NaOH solutions. We use a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, pulsed-field gradient NMR spectroscopy, and molecular simulations to elucidate anion and water transport. The as-prepared hexagonal systems display higher conductivity and lower activation energies for both anions relative to the gyroid system. When compared at equivalent hydration, however, gyroid and hexagonal membranes show similar activation energies, with nearly identical conductivities at ambient temperatures. Both ionic conductivity and water diffusivity increase with increasing hydration. Here, the water uptake as a function of relative humidity for the hexagonal and gyroid mesophases ultimately dictates the water diffusion and magnitude of the ionic conductivity, with the hexagonal system showing overall higher capacity for hydration and thus faster ion transport. The durability of these materials under aggressive alkaline conditions and their relatively high hydroxide ion conductivity suggest that these nanostructured polymers could be of interest as membranes for alkaline fuel cells.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Supramolecular Effects of Alkyl Sulfonates in Silver Nanocrystal Synthesis

While cationic surfactants such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) are ubiquitous in the synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals, anionic surfactants are rarely used. This work explores the addition of sodium alkyl sulfonates with chain lengths ranging from one to eight carbons to a silver nanoplatelet reaction. Short-chain sulfonates comprised of one to four carbons show little effect on the nanocrystal synthesis, but alkyl sulfonates comprised of five or more carbons at concentrations above 1 mM have a pronounced effect on the absorbance of the nanocrystals, causing a blueshift in the wavelength of maximum absorbance (λ max ) from approximately 800 to 400 nm as the sulfonate concentration is increased to 7 mM. Higher concentrations of sulfonate result in a subsequent red-shift of the peak. Investigation into the possible formation mechanisms responsible for this synthetic control revealed the absence of sulfonate micelles under the reaction conditions. Instead, we hypothesize that sulfonate bilayers are nucleated around the silver nanocrystals at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration and interact with either the citrate ligands or the silver surface to influence nanocrystal morphology, and thus absorbance. Strikingly, the addition of long-chain alkyl sulfonates to already-synthesized nanocrystals results in similar changes to the nanocrystal absorbance that occur within seconds, providing further support for the proposal that these effects are related to the surface chemistry of the nanocrystals, which appear to be highly dynamic.

alkyls↗

Magic Diamond: Covalent Bond Formation of Melamine and Other Amines on Nanodiamond Surfaces

High-temperature, high-pressure (HPHT) nanodiamond (ND) hosts nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, solid-state qubits that enable room-temperature quantum sensing by all-optical magnetometry, electrometry, and thermometry. However, the covalent surface functionalization of nanoscale diamond remains largely limited to carboxylate-based chemistries. Amine termination is particularly attractive because theoretical studies predict suppression of midgap states and extended electron-spin coherence times. Recently, chemical activation of alcohol-terminated NDs to alkyl bromides (ND-Br) using SOBr2 has enabled nucleophilic substitution through a carbocation intermediate, allowing formation of simple amine terminations. Here, we evaluate whether sterically demanding amines can form covalent diamond−nitrogen bonds on ND-Br surfaces. ND-Br was reacted with branched, linear, and cyclic amines, including polyethylenimine, diethylenetriamine, and melamine. X-ray spectroscopies were used to confirm successful and to probe the resulting electronic structure at the diamond−amine interface. These results expand the chemical toolbox for tuning diamond surface dipoles and electron affinity, providing new pathways for engineering nanodiamond surfaces for quantum sensing and photocatalysis applications.

Amines↗

Mechanochemical in Situ Encapsulation of Palladium in Covalent Organic Frameworks

Palladium-encapsulated covalent organic frameworks (Pd/COFs) have garnered enormous attention in heterogeneous catalysis. However, the dominant ex situ encapsulation synthesis is tedious (multistep), time-consuming (typically 4 days or more), and involves the use of noxious solvents. Here we develop a mechanochemical in situ encapsulation strategy that enables the one-step, time-efficient, and environmentally benign synthesis of Pd/COFs. By ball milling COF precursors along with palladium acetate (Pd(OAc) 2 ) in one pot under air at room temperature, Pd/COF hybrids were readily synthesized within an hour, exhibiting high crystallinity, uniform Pd dispersion, and superb scalability up to gram scale. Moreover, this versatile strategy can be extended to the synthesis of three Pd/COFs. Remarkably, the resulting Pd/DMTP-TPB showcases extraordinary activity (96-99% yield in 1 h at room temperature) and broad substrate scope (>10 functionalized biaryls) for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of aryl bromides and arylboronic acids. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of Pd/DMTP-TPB is verified by recycling and leaching tests. Finally, the mechanochemical in situ encapsulation strategy disclosed herein paves a facile, rapid, scalable, and environmentally benign avenue to access metal/COF catalysts for efficient heterogeneous catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Anion Exchange of Ruddlesden–Popper Lead Halide Perovskites Produces Stable Lateral Heterostructures

Heterostructures of three-dimensional (3D) halide perovskites are unstable because of facile anion interdiffusion at halide interfaces. Two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper halide perovskites (RPPs) show suppressed and anisotropic ion diffu-sion that could enable stable RPP heterostructures, yet the direct and general growth of lateral RPP heterostructures remains challenging. Here we show that halide miscibility in RPPs decreases with perovskite layer thickness (n), enabling the for-mation of sharp halide lateral heterostructures from n = 1 and 2 RP lead iodide microplates via anion exchange with hydro-gen bromide vapor. In contrast, RPPs with n = 3 form more diffuse lateral heterojunctions, more similar to those in 3D perov-skites. The anion exchange behaviors are further modulated by the spacer and A-site cations in the RPP structures. These new insights, and kinetic studies of the exchange reactions, enable the preparation of lateral heterostructures from various n = 2 RPPs that are more stable against anion interdiffusion and degradation for potential device applications.

Roy, Chris R.↗

Correlating Broadband Photoluminescence with Structural Dynamics in Layered Hybrid Halide Perovskites

The emission of white light from a single material is atypical and is of interest for solid-state lighting applications. Broadband light emission has been observed in some layered perovskite derivatives, A 2 PbBr 4 (A = R-NH 3 + ), and correlates with static structural distortions corresponding to out-of-plane tilting of the lead bromide octahedra. While materials with different organic cations can yield distinct out-of-plane tilts, the underlying origin of the octahedral tilting remains poorly understood. Using high energy resolution (e.g., quasi-elastic) neutron scattering, this contribution details the rotational dynamics of the organic cations in A 2 PbBr 4 materials where A = n-butylammonium (nBA), 1,8-diaminooctammonium (ODA), and 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The organic cation dynamics differentiate (nBA) 2 PbBr 4 from (ODA)PbBr 4 or (GABA) 2 PbBr 4 in that the larger spatial extent of dynamics of nBA yields a larger effective cation radius. The larger effective volume of the nBA cation in (nBA) 2 PbBr 4 yields a closer to ideal A-site geometry, preventing the out-of-plane tilt and broadband luminescence. In all three compounds, we observe hydrogen dynamics attributed to rotation of the ammonium headgroup and at a time scale faster than the white light photoluminescence studied by time-correlated single photon counting spectroscopy. This supports a previous assignment of the broadband emission as resulting from a single ensemble, such that the emissive excited state experiences many local structures faster than the emissive decay. Furthermore, the findings presented here highlight the role of the organic cation and its dynamics in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites and white light emission.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Tolerance Factor for Stabilizing 3D Hybrid Halide Perovskitoids Using Linear Diammonium Cations

Three-dimensional (3D) halide perovskites have attracted enormous research interest, but the choice of the A-site cations is limited by the Goldschmidt tolerance factor. In order to accommodate cations that lie outside the acceptable range of the tolerance factor, low-dimensional structures usually form. To maintain the favorable 3D connection, the links among the metal-halide octahedra need to be rearranged to fit the large cations. This can result in a departure from the proper corner-sharing perovskite architectures and lead to distinctly different perovskitoid motifs with edge- and face-sharing. In this work, we report four new 3D bromide perovskitoids incorporating linear organic diammonium cations, A'Pb 2 Br 6 (A' is a +2 cation). We propose a rule that can guide the further expansion of this class of compounds, analogous to the notion of Goldschmidt tolerance factor widely adopted for 3D AMX 3 perovskites. The fundamental building blocks in A'Pb 2 Br 6 consist of two edge-shared octahedra, which are then connected by corner-sharing to form a 3D network. Different compounds adopt different structural motifs, which can be transformed from one to another by symmetry operations. Electronic structure calculations suggest that they are direct bandgap semiconductors, with relatively large band dispersions created by octahedra connected by corner-sharing. They exhibit similar electronic band structures and dynamic lattice characteristics to the regular 3D AMX 3 perovskites. Structures with smaller Pb–Br–Pb angles and larger octahedra distortion exhibit broad photoluminescence at room temperature. Furthermore, the emerging structure–property relationships in these 3D perovskitoids set the foundation for designing and investigating these compounds for a variety of optoelectronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Oxidative Addition of Aryl Halides to a Ni(I)-Bipyridine Complex

The oxidative addition of aryl halides to bipyridine- or phenanthroline-ligated nickel(I) is a commonly proposed step in nickel catalysis. However, there is a scarcity of complexes of this type that both are well-defined and undergo oxidative addition with aryl halides, hampering organometallic studies of this process. Here, we report the synthesis of a well-defined Ni(I) complex, [( CO 2 Et bpy)Ni I Cl] 4 . Its solution-phase speciation is characterized by a significant population of monomer and a redox equilibrium that can be perturbed by π-acceptors and σ-donors. 1 reacts readily with aryl bromides, and mechanistic studies are consistent with a pathway proceeding through an initial Ni(I) → Ni(III) oxidative addition to form a Ni(III) aryl species. Such a process was demonstrated stoichiometrically for the first time, affording a structurally characterized Ni(III) aryl complex.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ni/Photoredox-Catalyzed C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) Coupling between Aziridines and Acetals as Alcohol-Derived Alkyl Radical Precursors

Aziridines are readily available C(sp 3 ) precursors that afford valuable β-functionalized amines upon ring opening. In this article, we report a Ni/photoredox methodology for C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) cross-coupling between aziridines and methyl/1°/2° aliphatic alcohols activated as benzaldehyde dialkyl acetals. Orthogonal activation modes of each alkyl coupling partner facilitate cross-selectivity in the C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) bond-forming reaction: the benzaldehyde dialkyl acetal is activated via hydrogen atom abstraction and β-scission via a bromine radical (generated in situ from single-electron oxidation of bromide), whereas the aziridine is activated at the Ni center via reduction. Here, we demonstrate that an Ni(II) azametallacycle, conventionally proposed in aziridine cross-coupling, is not an intermediate in the productive cross-coupling. Rather, stoichiometric organometallic and linear free energy relationship studies indicate that aziridine activation proceeds via Ni(I) oxidative addition, a previously unexplored elementary step.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗