Unveiling a Novel, Cation-Rich Compound in a High-Pressure Pb–Te Binary System

Because of the common oxidation states of group IV elements (+2 or +4) and group VI elements (−2), 1:1 and 1:2 are two typical stoichiometries found in the IV–VI compounds. Particularly, in the Pb–Te binary system, the 1:1 stoichiometric PbTe is believed to be the only stable compound. Herein, using evolutionary algorithms, density functional theory, a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, and synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments, we discovered a novel Pb–Te compound with an unexpected stoichiometry of 3:2 above 20 GPa. This tetragonal Pb3Te2 is the one of the very few cation-rich compounds that has ever been discovered in the entire IV–VI binary system. Further analyses based on electron density distribution, electron localization function, and Bader charge have shown that this newly discovered compound has a mixed character of chemical bonding with a decreased ionicity. By further calculating the electron–phonon interaction, Pb3Te2 is predicted to exhibit a superconducting transition at low temperatures. The discovery of Pb3Te2 paves the way for further explorations of other novel cation-rich IV–VI group compounds

An Iron-based Film for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution from Neutral Aqueous Solution

An ultrathin Fe-based film was prepared by electrodeposition from an Fe^II solution through a fast and simple cyclic voltammetry method. The extremely low Fe loading of 12.3 nmol cm^–2 on indium tin oxide electrodes is crucial for high atom efficiency and transparence of the resulted film. This Fe-based film was shown to be a very efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution from neutral aqueous solution with remarkable activity and stability. In a 34 h controlled potential electrolysis at 1.45 V (vs NHE) and pH 7.0, impressive turnover number of 5.2 × 10⁴ and turnover frequency of 1528 h^–1 were obtained. To the best of our knowledge, these values represent one of the highest among electrodeposited catalyst films for water oxidation under comparable conditions. The morphology and the composition of the catalyst film was determined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which all confirmed the deposition of Fe-based materials with Fe^III oxidation state on the electrode. This study is significant because of the use of iron, the fast and simple cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition, the extremely low catalyst loading and thus the transparency of the catalyst film, the remarkable activity and stability, and the oxygen evolution in neutral aqueous media

Pressure Gradient Squeezing Hydrogen out of MnOOH: Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Pressure of gigapascal (GPa) is a robust force for driving phase transitions and chemical reactions with negative volume change and is intensely used for promoting combination/addition reactions. Here, we find that the pressure gradient between the high-pressure region and the ambient-pressure environment in a diamond anvil cell is an even stronger force to drive decomposition/elimination reactions. A pressure difference of tens of GPa can “push” hydrogen out from its compounds in the high-pressure region to the environment. More importantly, in transition metal hydroxides such as MnOOH, the protons and electrons of hydrogen can even be separated via different conductors, pushed out by the high pressure, and recombine outside under ambient conditions, producing continuous current. A pressure-gradient-driven battery is hence proposed. Our investigation demonstrated that a pressure gradient is a special and powerful force to drive decomposition and electrochemical reactions

Pressure-Induced Hydrogen Transfer in 2‑Butyne via a Double CH···π Aromatic Transition State

Hydrogen transfer (H-transfer) is an important elementary reaction in chemistry and bioscience. It is often facilitated by the hydrogen bonds between the H-donor and acceptor. Here, at room temperature and high pressure, we found that solid 2-butyne experienced a concerted two-in–two-out intermolecular CH···π H-transfer, which initiated the subsequent polymerization. Such double H-transfer goes through an aromatic Hückel six-membered ring intermediate state via intermolecular CH···π interactions enhanced by external pressure. Our work shows that H-transfer can occur via the CH···π route in appropriate conformations under high pressure, which gives important insights into the H-transfer in solid-state hydrocarbons

Crystalline Fully Carboxylated Polyacetylene Obtained under High Pressure as a Li-Ion Battery Anode Material

Substituted polyacetylene is expected to improve the chemical stability, physical properties, and combine new functions to the polyacetylene backbones, but its diversity is very limited. Here, by applying external pressure on solid acetylenedicarboxylic acid, we report the first crystalline poly-dicarboxylacetylene with every carbon on the trans-polyacetylene backbone bonded to a carboxyl group, which is very hard to synthesize by traditional methods. The polymerization is evidenced to be a topochemical reaction with the help of hydrogen bonds. This unique structure combines the extremely high content of carbonyl groups and high conductivity of a polyacetylene backbone, which exhibits a high specific capacity and excellent cycling/rate performance as a Li-ion battery (LIB) anode. We present a completely functionalized crystalline polyacetylene and provide a high-pressure solution for the synthesis of polymeric LIB materials and other polymeric materials with a high content of active groups

Arylazo under Extreme Conditions: [2 + 2] Cycloaddition and Azo Metathesis

The four-membered nitrogen ring (N4-ring) is predicted to be a high-energy density moiety and has been the target of chemical synthesis for quite a long time. Here, by compressing the 1:1 co-crystal of trans-azobenzene and trans-perfluoroazobenzene up to ∼40 GPa, the azo groups were restrained closely in parallel in the crystal and underwent two competitive addition reactions. One is [4 + 2] cycloaddition with the azo group as a part of diene and phenyl as dienophile. The other is [2 + 2] cycloaddition between two azo groups, which produced an unprecedented N4-ring structure as evidenced by the metathesis product. The content of the N4-ring structure significantly increases under higher pressure, and we found that it was the external pressure that decreased the kinetic barrier and realized such a high-tensile moiety. Our work shows that high pressure is an alternative synthetic strategy for these high-tensile structures, which can be very effective under the cooperation of crystal engineering