Basic Promotors Impact Thermodynamics and Catalyst Speciation in Homogeneous Carbonyl Hydrogenation.

Homogeneously catalyzed reactions often make use of additives and promotors that affect reactivity patterns and improve catalytic performance. While the role of reaction promotors is often discussed in view of their chemical reactivity, we demonstrate that they can be involved in catalysis indirectly. In particular, we demonstrate that promotors can adjust the thermodynamics of key transformations in homogeneous hydrogenation catalysis and enable reactions that would be unfavorable otherwise.

Stabilization of liquid crystal blue phases by carbon nanoparticles of varying dimensionality.

The thermal stabilization of blue phases is a subject that has been of scientific and technological interest since their discovery. Meanwhile, carbonaceous nanomaterials such as C60 fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene have generated interdisciplinary interest spanning across solid-state physics, organic chemistry, colloids, all the way to soft matter physics. Herein, the stabilization of liquid crystal blue phases by doping with C60, single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide is described.