Superstructured Optoionic Heterojunctions for Promoting Ion Pumping Inspired by Photoreceptor Cells.

Photoreceptor cells of vertebrates feature ultrastructural membranes interspersed with abundant photosensitive ion pumps to boost signal generation and realize high gain in dim light. In light of this, superstructured optoionic heterojunctions (SSOHs) with cation-selective nanochannels are developed for manipulating photo-driven ion pumping. A template-directed bottom-up strategy is adopted to sequentially assemble graphene oxide (GO) and PEDOT:PSS into heterogeneous membranes with sculptured superstructures, which feature programmable variation in membrane topography and contain a donor-acceptor interface capable of maintaining electron-hole separation upon photoillumination.

Microporous Polyelectrolyte Complexes by Hydroplastic Foaming.

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) have emerged as an attractive category of materials for their water processability and some similarities to natural biopolymers. Herein, we employ the intrinsic hydroplasticity of PEC materials to enable the generation of porous structures with the aid of gas foaming. Such foamable materials are fabricated by simply mixing polycation, polyanion, and a UV-initiated chemical foaming agent in an aqueous solution, followed by molding into thin films.

Two-Dimensional Nanofluidic Membranes with Intercalated In-Plane Shortcuts for High-Performance Blue Energy Harvesting.

Two-dimensional nanofluidic membranes offer great opportunities for developing efficient and robust devices for ionic/water-nexus energy harvesting. However, low counterion concentration and long pathway through limited ionic flux restrict their output performance. Herein, it is demonstrated that rapid diffusion kinetics can be realized in two-dimensional nanofluidic membranes by introducing in-plane holes across nanosheets, which not only increase counterion concentration but also shorten pathway length through the membranes.

Dibromidobis[1-(2-bromo-benz-yl)-3-(pyrimidin-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2(3H)-one]copper(II).

In the title complex, [CuBr(2)(C(14)H(11)BrN(4)O)(2)], the Cu(II) ion is located on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two ketonic O atoms, two N atoms and two Br atoms, forming a distorted octahedral coordination environment. The two carbonyl groups are trans positioned with C=O bond lengths of 1.256 (5) Å, in agreement with a classical carbonyl bond.