Constructing Metal-Organic Framework Films with Adjustable Electronic Properties on Hematite Photoanode for Boosting Photogenerated Carrier Transport.

Hematite (α-FeO) has become a research hotspot in the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS), but the low photogenerated carrier separation efficiency limits further application. The electronic structure regulation, such as element doping and organic functional groups with different electrical properties, is applied to alleviate the problems of poor electrical conductivity, interface defects, and band mismatch. Herein, α-FeO photoanodes are modified to regulate their electric structures and improve photogenerated carrier transport by the bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are constructed with Fe/Ni and terephthalate (BDC) with 2-substitution of different organic functional groups (─H, ─Br, ─NO and ─NH).

Integration of a CuO/ZnO heterojunction and Ag@SiO into a photoanode for enhanced solar water oxidation.

Photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) has attracted considerable attention owing to its low energy consumption and sustainable nature. Constructing semiconductor heterojunctions with controllable band structure can effectively facilitate photogenerated carrier separation. In this study, a FTO/ZnO/CuO/Ag@SiO photoanode with a CuO/ZnO p-n heterojunction and Ag@SiO nanoparticles is constructed to investigate its PEC-WS performance.

Photomodulation of Proton Conductivity by Nitro-Nitroso Transformation in a Metal-Organic Framework.

The design of a highly and photomodulated proton conductor is important for advanced potential applications in chemical sensors and bioionic functions. In this work, a metal-organic framework (MOF; ) with high proton conductivity is synthesized with a photosensitive ligand of 5-nitroisophthalic acid (BDC-NO), and it provides remote-control photomodulated proton-conducting behavior. The proton conduction of reaches 3.

Investigation of sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments of hematite photoanodes for improved solar water oxidation.

Surface catalyst engineering can effectively improve the photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) performance of semiconductor photoelectrodes. surface functional treatments can effectively reduce interface defects and improve photogenerated carrier transport. In this study, FTO/Sn@α-FeO/FeOOH photoanodes were modified with sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments to improve their PEC-WS performance.

Regulating a Zn/Co bimetallic catalyst in a metal-organic framework and oxyhydroxide for improved photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

As one of the most popular photoanode materials, hematite (α-FeO) has obvious advantages in the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS). However, it is difficult to achieve excellent PEC-WS performance without loading a cocatalyst serving as an electron/hole collector to promote photogenerated carrier separation. In this work, FTO/Sn@α-FeO photoanodes are modified with ZnCo-ZIF and ZnCoOOH bimetallic catalysts to obtain FTO/Sn@α-FeO/ZnCo-ZIF and FTO/Sn@α-FeO/ZnCoOOH photoanodes.

Understanding the varying mechanisms between the conformal interlayer and overlayer in the silicon/hematite dual-absorber photoanode for solar water splitting.

Dual-absorber photoelectrodes have been proved to have great potential in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting application due to their broadband absorption and suitable energy-band position, while the surface/interface issues are still not clearly resolved and understood. Here, during the preparation of a silicon/hematite dual-absorber photoanode achieved via synthesizing a Sn-doped hematite film on the silicon nanowire (SiNW) substrate, we separately introduced the conformal overlayer and interlayer of an AlO thin film by atomic layer deposition. With the thickness-optimized interlayer (overlayer) of the AlO thin film, the photocurrent density at 1.

Luminescent Thermochromic Silver Iodides as Wavelength-Dependent Thermometers.

Luminescent thermochromic materials with a dramatic shift of emission band under different temperatures are highly desirable in temperature sensing fields. However, the design of the synthesis of such compounds remains a great challenge. In this work, two new luminescent thermochromic silver iodides, (emIm)AgI () and (emIm)AgI () (emIm = 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazole), have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions.

High proton conduction in an excellent water-stable gadolinium metal-organic framework.

A new metal-organic framework with excellent water stability, {H[(N(CH3)4)2][Gd3(NIPA)6]}·3H2O (1, H2NIPA = 5-nitroisophthalic acid), displays a proton conductivity of 7.17 × 10-2 S cm-1 (at 75 °C and 98% relative humidity), which is among the highest values for proton-conducting MOFs.

Second-order nonlinear optical switching with a record-high contrast for a photochromic and thermochromic bistable crystal.

Nonlinear optical (NLO) switchable materials are important for photonic and optoelectronic technologies. One important issue for NLO photoswitching, the most studied physical switching approach, is how to improve the switching contrast of second harmonic generation (SHG) in crystals, because the known values are generally below 3 times. Thermoswitching, as another approach, has shown impressive high SHG-switching contrasts (4-∞ times), but the fast decay of thermally induced states demands constant heat sources to maintain specific SHG intensities.

A Multifunctional Nanocage-based MOF with Tri- and Tetranuclear Zinc Cluster Secondary Building Units.

A new Zn-cluster based MOF, [Zn(BTC)(μ-OH)(μ-O)(HO)]·21EtOH (1) (HBTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid), with two different types of cluster nodes has been successfully synthesized from Zn and HBTC under the solvothermal conditions. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that 1 is a 3D trinodal (3,5,6)-c framework which features a large octahedral cage organized by nine ZnO and nine ZnO clusters SBUs and twenty-four triangular BTC linkers. The Eu/Tb-incorporated derivative of 1 with 0.

Single-component small-molecule white light organic phosphors.

White light emission from single-component small organic triazole molecules in the solid state was observed for the first time. This unusual intrinsic broadband emission, stemming from the supramolecular aggregate instead of the excimer, can be tuned by controlling the degree of electron delocalization and intensities of intermolecular interactions.

Grinding size-dependent mechanoresponsive luminescent Cd(ii) coordination polymer.

In this work, we report a new mechanoresponsive luminescent Cd(ii) coordination polymer that exhibits a sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. The luminescence colour changed gradually from weak yellowish-green to bright cyan in response to different grinding sizes, thereby showing interesting mechanochromic properties, namely a grinding-enhanced luminescence and good crystalline maintenance ability.

Microporous Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks with Multiple 1D Channels: Tunable Colors, White-Light Emission, and Luminescent Sensing for Iron(II) and Iron(III).

A new series of isostructural lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks, [H O][HN(CH ) ] [Ln L ] (Ln=Gd (1), Eu (2), and Tb (3); H L=1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid), was prepared under solvothermal conditions. Single-crystal XRD studies reveal that these compounds are 3D microporous frameworks with 1D channels distributed in four different directions. The 1D channels contain protonated water molecules and trimethylammonium cations, which can be partially exchanged with different metal ions.

Chiral template induced homochiral MOFs built from achiral components: SHG enhancement and enantioselective sensing of chiral alkamines by ion-exchange.

A pair of chiral template induced anionic homochiral frameworks constructed from achiral components has been synthesized. Ion-exchange of counter cations with polar or chiral organic cations enhances the SHG efficiency of the frameworks. The enantioselective sensing of chiral alkamines can be achieved by the SHG response.