Thermal Conversion of Unsolvated Mg(BH) to BH in the Presence of MgH.

In the search for energy storage materials, metal octahydrotriborates, M(BH) , = 1 and 2, are promising candidates for applications such as stationary hydrogen storage and all-solid-state batteries. Therefore, we studied the thermal conversion of unsolvated Mg(BH) to BH as-synthesized and in the presence of MgH. The conversion of our unsolvated Mg(BH) starts at ∼100 °C and yields ∼22 wt % of BH along with the formation of (closo-hydro)borates and volatile boranes.

Nanoconfinement of Molecular Magnesium Borohydride Captured in a Bipyridine-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework.

The lower limit of metal hydride nanoconfinement is demonstrated through the coordination of a molecular hydride species to binding sites inside the pores of a metal-organic framework (MOF). Magnesium borohydride, which has a high hydrogen capacity, is incorporated into the pores of UiO-67bpy (ZrO(OH)(bpydc) with bpydc = 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxylate) by solvent impregnation. The MOF retained its long-range order, and transmission electron microscopy and elemental mapping confirmed the retention of the crystal morphology and revealed a homogeneous distribution of the hydride within the MOF host.

Complexation Chemistry in N,N-Dimethylformamide-Based Molecular Inks for Chalcogenide Semiconductors and Photovoltaic Devices.

Molecular inks based on dimethyl sulfoxide, thiourea (TU), and metal salts have been used to form high optoelectronic quality semiconductors and have led to high power conversion efficiencies for solution-processed photovoltaic devices for CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTS), CuZn(Ge,Sn)(S,Se) (CZGTS), CuIn(S,Se) (CIS), and Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) (CIGS). However, several metal species of interest, including Ag(I), In(III), Ge(II), and Ge(IV), either have low solubility (requiring dilute inks) or lead to precipitation or gelation. Here, we demonstrate that the combination of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and TU has the remarkable ability to form intermediate-stability acid-base complexes with a wide number of metal chloride Lewis acids (CuCl, AgCl, ZnCl, InCl, GaCl, SnCl, GeCl, and SeCl), to give high-concentration stable molecular inks.