The Social Construction of Threats. The Iran Nuclear Crisis as a Textbook Example for Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory

Perception matters for research and analysis because the image of a state (non-state actor) as aggressive and the perceptions of its intentions as aggressive are mutually reinforcing. We will use an interdisciplinary perspective combining political science and adult education research, which we believe has the potential for further policy advice

Au-Catalyzed Energy Release in a Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) System: A Combined Liquid-Phase and Surface Science Study

Molecular solar thermal systems (MOSTs) are molecular systems based on couples of photoisomers (photoswitches), which combine solar energy conversion, storage, and release. In this work, we address the catalytically triggered energy release in the promising MOST couple phenylethylesternorbornadiene/quadricyclane (PENBD/PEQC) on a Au(111) surface in a combined liquid-phase and surface science study. We investigated the system by photoelectrochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PEC-IRRAS) in the liquid phase, conventional IRRAS and synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SRPES) in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). Au(111) is highly active towards catalytically triggered energy release. In the liquid phase, we did not observe any decomposition of the photoswitch, no deactivation of the catalyst within 100 conversion cycles and we could tune the energy release rate of the heterogeneously catalyzed process by applying an external potential. In UHV, submonolayers of PEQC on Au(111) are back-converted to PENBD instantaneously, even at 110 K. Multilayers of PEQC are stable up to ~220 K. Above this temperature, the intrinsic mobility of the film is high enough that PEQC molecules come into direct contact with the Au(111) surface, which catalyzes the back-conversion. We suggest that this process occurs via a singlet–triplet mechanism induced by electronic coupling between the PEQC molecules and the Au(111) surface