Gram-Scale Synthesis of Tetrahedrite Nanoparticles and Their Thermoelectric Properties.

Here, we report a method for facile gram-scale synthesis of tetrahedrite (CuSbS) nanoparticles (NPs) with high quality and good reproducibility. The obtained NPs had a well-defined tetrahedral shape with a mean edge length of ∼70 nm. We sintered the NPs by the hot press technique to fabricate a nanostructured pellet for thermoelectric measurements.

Nanobulk Thermoelectric Materials Fabricated from Chemically Synthesized CuZn Al SnS Nanocrystals.

Direct energy conversion of heat into electricity using thermoelectric materials is an attractive solution to help address global energy issues. Developing novel materials composed of earth-abundant and nontoxic elements will aid progress toward the goal of sustainable thermoelectric materials. In this study, we chemically synthesized Cu-Zn-Sn-S nanocrystals and fabricated a CuZnSnS thermoelectric material using nanocrystals as building blocks.

Engineering charge injection interfaces in hybrid light-emitting electrochemical cells.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) consists of a thin film of an ionic organic semiconductor sandwiched between two electrodes. Because of the large density of ions, LECs are often reported to perform independently on the electrodes work function. Here we use metal oxides as charge injection layers and demonstrate that, although electroluminescence is observed independently of the electrodes used, the device performances are strongly dependent on the choice of the interface materials.

Dynamically doped white light emitting tandem devices.

Solution-processed, salt-containing, blue and orange light-emitting layers lead to efficient white light-emitting devices when arranged in a tandem configuration separated by a thin metal layer.

Universal transients in polymer and ionic transition metal complex light-emitting electrochemical cells.

Two types of light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are commonly distinguished, the polymer-based LEC (p-LEC) and the ionic transition metal complex-based LEC (iTMC-LEC). Apart from marked differences in the active layer constituents, these LEC types typically show operational time scales that can differ by many orders of magnitude at room temperature. Here, we demonstrate that despite these differences p-LECs and iTMC-LECs show current, light output, and efficacy transients that follow a universal shape.

Palladium-catalyzed aerobic intermolecular cyclization of acrylic acid with 1-octene to afford α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones: the remarkable effect of continuous water removal from the reaction mixture and analysis of the reaction by kinetic, ESI-MS, and XAFS measurements.

Further study of our aerobic intermolecular cyclization of acrylic acid with 1-octene to afford α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones, catalyzed by the Pd(OCOCF(3))(2)/Cu(OAc)(2)⋅H(2)O system, has clarified that the accumulation of water generated from oxygen during the reaction causes deactivation of the Cu cocatalyst. This prevents regeneration of the active Pd catalyst and, thus, has a harmful influence on the progress of the cyclization. As a result, both the substrate conversion and product yield are efficiently improved by continuous removal of water from the reaction mixture.