Initial Studies Directed toward the Rational Design of Aqueous Graphene Dispersants.

This study presents preliminary experimental data suggesting that sodium 4-(pyrene-1-yl)butane-1-sulfonate (PBSA), , an analogue of sodium pyrene-1-sulfonate (PSA), , enhances the stability of aqueous reduced graphene oxide (RGO) graphene dispersions. We find that RGO and exfoliated graphene dispersions prepared in the presence of are approximately double the concentration of those made with commercially available PSA, . Quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics simulations provide key insights into the behavior of these molecules on the graphene surface.

Non-linear, cata-Condensed, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Materials: A Generic Approach and Physical Properties.

A generic approach to the regiospecific synthesis of halogenated polycyclic aromatics is made possible by the one- or two-directional benzannulation reactions of readily available (ortho-allylaryl)trichloroacetates (the "BHQ" reaction). Palladium-catalysed cross-coupling reactions of the so-formed haloaromatics enable the synthesis of functionalised polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with surgical precision. Overall, this new methodology enables the facile mining of chemical space in search of new electronic functional materials.

Enhancement of CO Affinity in a Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity by Amine Modification.

Nitrile groups in the polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 were reduced to primary amines using borane complexes. In adsorption experiments, the novel amine-PIM-1 showed higher CO uptake and higher CO/N sorption selectivity than the parent polymer, with very evident dual-mode sorption behavior. In gas permeation with six light gases, the individual contributions of solubility and diffusion to the overall permeability was determined via time-lag analysis.