14 research outputs found
Two-Dimensional Supramolecular Assemblies from pH-Responsive Poly(ethyl glycol)‑<i>b</i>‑poly(l‑glutamic acid)‑<i>b</i>‑poly(<i>N</i>‑octylglycine) Triblock Copolymer
Amphiphilic block
copolymers containing polypeptides can self-assemble
into a variety of nonspherical structures arising from strong interactions
between peptide units. Here, we report the synthesis of a pH-responsive
poly(ethyl glycol)-<i>block</i>-poly(l-glutamic
acid)-<i>block</i>-poly(<i>N</i>-octylglycine)
(PEG-<i>b</i>-PGA-<i>b</i>-PNOG) triblock copolymers
by sequential ring-opening polymerization using amine-terminated poly(ethyl
glycol) as the macroinitiator followed by selective deprotection of
the benzyl protecting group. The obtained triblock copolymer can be
directly dispersed in aqueous solution with hydrophilic PEG, pH-responsive
PGA block, and hydrophobic PNOG. We present a systematic study of
the influence of pH, molar fraction, and molecular weight on the self-assemblies.
It was found that the PEG-<i>b</i>-PGA-<i>b</i>-PNOG triblock tends to form two-dimensional nanodisks and nanosheet-like
assemblies. The nanodisk-to-nanosheet transition is highly dependent
on the pH and molar fraction despite the different molecular weights.
We demonstrate that the dominant driving force of the nanodisks and
nanosheets is the hydrophobicity of the PNOG blocks. The obtained
bioinspired 2D nanostructures are potential candidates for applications
in nanoscience and biomedicine
Controlling the Structure and Morphology of Organic Nanofilaments Using External Stimuli
In our continuing
pursuit to generate, understand, and control
the morphology of organic nanofilaments formed by molecules with a
bent molecular shape, we here report on two bent-core molecules specifically
designed to permit a phase or morphology change upon exposure to an
applied electric field or irradiation with UV light. To trigger a
response to an applied electric field, conformationally rigid chiral
(S,S)-2,3-difluorooctyloxy side
chains were introduced, and to cause a response to UV light, an azobenzene
core was incorporated into one of the arms of the rigid bent core.
The phase behavior as well as structure and morphology of the formed
phases and nanofilaments were analyzed using differential scanning
calorimetry, cross-polarized optical microscopy, circular dichroism
spectropolarimetry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy,
UV–vis spectrophotometry, as well as X-ray diffraction experiments.
Both bent-core molecules were characterized by the coexistence of
two nanoscale morphologies, specifically helical nanofilaments (HNFs)
and layered nanocylinders, prior to exposure to an external stimulus
and independent of the cooling rate from the isotropic liquid. The
application of an electric field triggers the disappearance of crystalline
nanofilaments and instead leads to the formation of a tilted smectic
liquid crystal phase for the material featuring chiral difluorinated
side chains, whereas irradiation with UV light results in the disappearance
of the nanocylinders and the sole formation of HNFs for the azobenzene-containing
material. Combined results of this experimental study reveal that
in addition to controlling the rate of cooling, applied electric fields
and UV irradiation can be used to expand the toolkit for structural
and morphological control of suitably designed bent-core molecule-based
structures at the nanoscale
Metal–Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide
A key challenge in the field of electrochemical
carbon dioxide
reduction is the design of catalytic materials featuring high product
selectivity, stability, and a composition of earth-abundant elements.
In this work, we introduce thin films of nanosized metal–organic
frameworks (MOFs) as atomically defined and nanoscopic materials that
function as catalysts for the efficient and selective reduction of
carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide in aqueous electrolytes. Detailed
examination of a cobalt–porphyrin MOF, Al<sub>2</sub>(OH)<sub>2</sub>TCPP-Co (TCPP-H<sub>2</sub> = 4,4′,4″,4‴-(porphyrin-5,10,15,20-tetrayl)tetrabenzoate)
revealed a selectivity for CO production in excess of 76% and stability
over 7 h with a per-site turnover number (TON) of 1400. In situ spectroelectrochemical
measurements provided insights into the cobalt oxidation state during
the course of reaction and showed that the majority of catalytic centers
in this MOF are redox-accessible where Co(II) is reduced to Co(I)
during catalysis
Probing and Controlling Liquid Crystal Helical Nanofilaments
We report the first in situ measurement
of the helical pitch of the helical nanofilament B4 phase of bent-core
liquid crystals using linearly polarized, resonant soft X-ray scattering
at the carbon K-edge. A strong, anisotropic scattering peak corresponding
to the half-pitch of the twisted smectic layer structure was observed.
The equilibrium helical half-pitch of NOBOW is found to be 120 nm,
essentially independent of temperature. However, the helical pitch
can be tuned by mixing guest organic molecules with the bent-core
host, followed by thermal annealing
Synthesis and Photovoltaic Properties of a Series of Narrow Bandgap Organic Semiconductor Acceptors with Their Absorption Edge Reaching 900 nm
Three <i>n</i>-OS acceptors with <i>E</i><sub>g</sub> values
of <1.4 eV were synthesized by introducing double-bond
π-bridges into ITIC (ITVIC) and ITIC with monofluorine (ITVfIC)
or bifluorine (ITVffIC) substituents on its end groups, and the structure–property
relationships of the acceptors were systematically studied. The three <i>n</i>-OS films show broad absorption covering the wavelength
range of 550–900 nm with narrow <i>E</i><sub>g</sub> values of 1.40 eV for ITVIC, 1.37 eV for ITVfIC, and 1.35 eV for
ITVffIC. Additionally, the fluorine substitution downshifted the highest
occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular
orbital (LUMO) energy levels of the compounds. The photovoltaic properties
of the <i>n</i>-OS acceptors were investigated by using
a medium bandgap conjugated polymer J71 as a donor. The optimized
polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on J71:ITVffIC demonstrated a power
conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.54% with a high <i>J</i><sub>sc</sub> of 20.60 mA cm<sup>–2</sup> and a <i>V</i><sub>oc</sub> of 0.81 V, and the highest <i>J</i><sub>sc</sub> reached 22.83 mA cm<sup>–2</sup>. The high <i>J</i><sub>sc</sub> values of the devices could be attributed to the broad
absorption and lower-lying HOMO energy levels of the acceptor. Considering
the <i>V</i><sub>oc</sub> of 0.81 V and the narrow bandgap
of 1.35 eV for the acceptor ITVffIC, we found the energy loss (<i>E</i><sub>loss</sub>) of the ITVffIC-based PSCs was reduced
to 0.54 eV, which is the lowest value in the PSCs with a PCE of >10%.
The results indicate that ITVffIC is a promising narrow <i>E</i><sub>g</sub> acceptor for application in tandem and semitransparent
PSCs
Effect of Side-Chain Engineering of Bithienylbenzodithiophene-<i>alt</i>-fluorobenzotriazole-Based Copolymers on the Thermal Stability and Photovoltaic Performance of Polymer Solar Cells
Side-chain engineering
of conjugated polymer donor materials is
an important way for improving photovoltaic performances of polymer
solar cells (PSCs). On the basis of the polymer J61 synthesized in
our group, here, we design and synthesize three new 2D-conjugated
polymers J62, J63, and J64 with different types of side chains to
further investigate the effect of side chain on their physicochemical
and photovoltaic properties. With the narrow bandgap n-type organic
semiconductor (n-OS) ITIC as acceptor, the optimized PSCs based on
polymer donor of J62 with linear octyl, J63 with linear unsaturated
hexylene, and J64 with cyclohexane side chains display power conversion
efficiency (PCE) of 10.81%, 8.13%, and 8.59%, respectively. After
thermal treatment at 200 °C for 2 h on the active layer,the PCE
of the PSC based on J63 still keeps 92% of the original value, which
verifies that the cross-linking of the polymer can improve the thermal
stability of PSCs. Morphological studies show that the active layer
based on J63 displays strong lamellar packing with RMS 1.26, and the
active layer based on J64 shows little phase separation with RMS 0.65.
The RMS of the active layer based on J62 is 0.900, and the size of
phase separation is between that of J63 and J64, which indicates the
excessive high lamellar packing or low phase separation is harmful
to the performance of PSCs. These results indicate that the side-chain
engineering is an effective way to adjust the aggregation of polymers
and the morphology of blend films, which are key factors to influence
the performance of PSCs
A Synthetic Route for Crystals of Woven Structures, Uniform Nanocrystals, and Thin Films of Imine Covalent Organic Frameworks
Developing synthetic
methodology to crystallize extended covalent
structures has been an important pursuit of reticular chemistry. Here,
we report a homogeneous synthetic route for imine covalent organic
frameworks (COFs) where crystallites emerge from clear solutions without
forming amorphous polyimine precipitates. The key feature of this
route is the utilization of <i>tert</i>-butyloxycarbonyl
group protected amine building blocks, which are deprotected <i>in situ</i> and gradually nucleate the crystalline framework.
We demonstrate the utility of this approach by crystallizing a woven
covalent organic framework (COF-112), in which covalent organic threads
are interlaced to form a three-dimensional woven framework. The homogeneous
imine COF synthesis also enabled the control of nucleation and crystal
growth leading to uniform nanocrystals, through microwave-assisted
reactions, and facile preparation of oriented thin films
Mesoscopic Constructs of Ordered and Oriented Metal–Organic Frameworks on Plasmonic Silver Nanocrystals
We enclose octahedral silver nanocrystals
(Ag NCs) in metal–organic
frameworks (MOFs) to make mesoscopic constructs <i>O</i><sub><i>h</i></sub>-nano-Ag⊂MOF in which the interface
between the Ag and the MOF is pristine and the MOF is ordered (crystalline)
and oriented on the Ag NCs. This is achieved by atomic layer deposition
of aluminum oxide on Ag NCs and addition of a tetra-topic porphyrin-based
linker, 4,4′,4″,4‴-(porphyrin-5,10,15,20-tetrayl)tetrabenzoic
acid (H<sub>4</sub>TCPP), to react with alumina and make MOF
[Al<sub>2</sub>(OH)<sub>2</sub>TCPP] enclosures around Ag NCs.
Alumina thickness is precisely controlled from 0.1 to 3 nm, thus allowing
control of the MOF thickness from 10 to 50 nm. Electron microscopy
and grazing angle X-ray diffraction confirm the order and orientation
of the MOF by virtue of the porphyrin units being perpendicular to
the planes of the Ag. We use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to
directly track the metalation process on the porphyrin and map the
distribution of the metalated and unmetalated linkers on a single-nanoparticle
level
Reconfigurable LC Elastomers: Using a Thermally Programmable Monodomain To Access Two-Way Free-Standing Multiple Shape Memory Polymers
This
work details a novel polyurethane liquid crystal elastomer
(PULCE) with exchangeable carbamate functional groups that enable
programming of a uniformly aligned monodomain sample through the application
of external stress and simultaneous activation of dynamic bond exchange
of the carbamate. PULCEs were synthesized using a thiol-Michael addition
reaction, and the reversion of the carbamate group was observed by
real-time FT-IR and mechanical analysis. Two independent phase transitions
(isotropic–nematic and nematic–smectic) were employed
to actuate two-way autonomous strains and multiple shape memory effects
in a single system. In addition, thermally activated bond exchange
engineered into the network transformed the permanent configuration
of the material into various complex shapes. The programmed network
topology and bond exchange conditions controlled the two-way autonomous
shape changes. Coupling the shape memory effect of the polymer network
with the plasticity induced by the thermally activated dynamic covalent
chemistry in shape changing and shape memory materials will expand
their applications and capabilities in emerging multifunctional devices