Water-mediated ion transport in an anion exchange membrane.

Water is a critical component in polyelectrolyte anion exchange membranes (AEMs). It plays a central role in ion transport in electrochemical systems. Gaining a better understanding of molecular transport and conductivity in AEMs has been challenged by the lack of a general methodology capable of capturing and connecting water dynamics, water structure, and ionic transport over time and length scales ranging from those associated with individual bond vibrations and molecular reorientations to those pertaining to macroscopic AEM performance.

Development and Evaluation of Butyl Norbornene Based Cross-Linked Anion Exchange Membranes for Enhanced Nonaqueous Redox Flow Battery Efficiency.

Nonaqueous redox flow batteries (NARFBs) have been plagued by the lack of appropriate separators to prevent crossover. In this article, the synthesis and characterization of poly(norbornene) (PNB) anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) were studied. PNB is a copolymer of butyl norbornene (BuNB) and bromobutyl norbornene (BrBuNB) with varying amounts of tetramethyl hexadiamine cross-linker.

Photoactivated Cyclic Polyphthalaldehyde Microcapsules for Payload Delivery.

Microcapsules with a cyclic polyphthalaldehyde (cPPA) shell and oil core were fabricated by an emulsification process. The low ceiling temperature cPPA shell was made phototriggerable by incorporating a photoacid generator (PAG). Photoactivation of the PAG created a strong acid which catalyzed cPPA depolymerization, resulting in the release of the core payload, as quantified by H NMR.

The selective heating effect of microwave irradiation on a binary mixture of water and polyethylene oxide: a molecular dynamics simulation approach.

In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of a microwave-driven selective heating process by performing molecular dynamics simulations for three different systems including pure water, pure polyethylene oxide (PEO), and water-PEO mixed systems in the presence of a microwave with two different intensities of electric field such as 0.001 V Å and 0.01 V Å at a frequency of 100 GHz.

Polypropylene Carbonate-Based Adaptive Buffer Layer for Stable Interfaces of Solid Polymer Lithium Metal Batteries.

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have the potential to enhance the safety and energy density of lithium batteries. However, poor interfacial contact between the lithium metal anode and SPE leads to high interfacial resistance and low specific capacity of the battery. In this work, we present a novel strategy to improve this solid-solid interface problem and maintain good interfacial contact during battery cycling by introducing an adaptive buffer layer (ABL) between the Li metal anode and SPE.

Phototriggered Depolymerization of Flexible Poly(phthalaldehyde) Substrates by Integrated Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

We demonstrate phototriggered depolymerization of a low ceiling temperature ( T) polymer, poly(phthalaldehyde) (PPHA), via internal light emission from integrated organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) fabricated directly on flexible PPHA substrates with silver nanowire electrodes. The depolymerization of the PPHA substrates is triggered by absorption of the OLED emission by a sensitizer that activates a photoacid generator via energetically favorable electron transfer. We confirm with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy that the photon doses delivered by the integrated OLED are sufficient to depolymerize the PPHA substrates.

Liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene in organic solvents with addition of naphthalene.

We report a facile method for the production of graphene sheets through liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite in organic solvents with addition of naphthalene. The production yield of graphene is significantly increased with the addition of naphthalene in most solvents tested in this work. Naphthalene serves as a "molecular wedge" to intercalate into the edge of graphite, which plays a key role during sonication and significantly improves the production yield of graphene.

Low-dielectric constant insulators for future integrated circuits and packages.

Future integrated circuits and packages will require extraordinary dielectric materials for interconnects to allow transistor advances to be translated into system-level advances. Exceedingly low-permittivity and low-loss materials are required at every level of the electronic system, from chip-level insulators to packages and printed wiring boards. In this review, the requirements and goals for future insulators are discussed followed by a summary of current state-of-the-art materials and technical approaches.

Characterization of anion exchange ionomers in hybrid polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

Anion exchange ionomers (AEI) synthesized here were characterized by use of a novel fuel cell configuration. The new analysis method involves assembling the AEI electrode of interest as the cathode in a hybrid, acid/alkaline, fuel cell configuration. The hybrid cell includes a conventional proton conducting anode/membrane half-cell along with the anionic conductor of interest at the cathode.

Cation electrochemical stability in chloroaluminate ionic liquids.

The electrochemical stability of 10 organic cations, which can be used in ionic liquids (IL), was investigated as solutes in acetonitrile (ACN). The stability of three of the salts, BenMe2EtNCl (salt III), 1-butyl-2-methyl pyrrolidium chloride (salt VI), and its structural isomer, BuMe2ProNCl (salt VII), were also compared in chloroaluminate ILs. The chloroaluminate ILs of salts VI and VII are investigated for the first time.