Visible-Light-Induced Difunctionalization of 3-Butenoic Acid with Bromodifluoromethyl Heteroarylsulfones.

Herein, we report a visible-light-induced iridium-promoted direct bifunctionalization of 3-butenoic acid with bromodifluoromethyl heteroarylsulfones. This methodology enables the concurrent introduction of difluoromethyl heteroarylsulfone and bromine groups into 3-butenoic acid under mild reaction conditions. Various -substituted 3-butenoic acids and bromodifluoromethyl heteroarylsulfones were found to be compatible, yielding the corresponding products in moderate to good yields.

Heterogeneous Nucleating Agent for High-Boiling-Point Nonhalogenated Solvent-Processed Organic Solar Cells and Modules.

High-boiling-point nonhalogenated solvents are superior solvents to produce large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) in industry because of their wide processing window and low toxicity; while, these solvents with slow evaporation kinetics will lead excessive aggregation of state-of-the-art small molecule acceptors (e.g. L8-BO), delivering serious efficiency losses.

Facile green synthesis of wasted hop-based zinc oxide nanozymes as peroxidase-like catalysts for colorimetric analysis.

Hops are a common ingredient in beer production, and a considerable quantity of hops is usually discarded as a waste material once the brewing process is completed. Transforming this waste material into valuable nanomaterials offers a sustainable approach that has the potential to significantly mitigate environmental impact. Herein, a facile and green protocol for the production of zinc oxide nanozymes (ZnO NZs) using wasted hop extract (WHE) as a natural precursor was demonstrated.

Complete Metal Recycling from Lithium-Ion Batteries Enabled by Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst Reconstruction.

Mass adoption of electric vehicles and the depletion of finite metal resources make it imperative to recycle lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, current recycling routes of pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are mainly developed for LiCoO and suffer from great energy inputs and extensive processing; thus, alternative versatile and green approaches are in urgent demand. Here, we report an ingenious and versatile strategy for recycling LIBs via catalyst reconstruction, using hydrogen evolution reaction as a proof of concept.

Palladium-Catalyzed -Selective Oxidative Amination of Aromatic Amine with 3-Butenoic Acid.

A palladium-catalyzed oxidative amination of inactive olefins with an aromatic amine was developed using a copper acetate oxidant to yield corresponding secondary and tertiary enamines in moderate to good yields. This new procedure outlines an efficient approach for the construction of enamine skeletons.

Organic photoredox-catalyzed oxidative azolation of unactivated fluoroarenes.

Inexpensive and commercially available 2,4,6-triphenylpyrrolium tetrafluoroborate (TPT) is used as an organic photocatalyst for the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of unactivated fluoroarenes with pyrazole derivatives (SAr) to form azole arenes. The use of organic photoredox catalysis enables the easy operation of this method under mild conditions. Various fluorinated aromatic compounds are suitable electrophiles for this transformation.

Built-in electric field and oxygen absorption synergistically optimized an organic/inorganic heterojunction for high-efficiency photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production.

The production of hydrogen peroxide (HO) from oxygen and water is an attractive route for converting solar energy into chemical energy. In order to achieve high solar-to-HO conversion efficiency, floral inorganic/organic (CdS/TpBpy) composite with strong oxygen absorption and S-scheme heterojunction was synthesized by simple solvothermal-hydrothermal methods. The unique flower-like structure increased the active sites and oxygen absorption.

Low-temperature lithium-ion batteries: challenges and progress of surface/interface modifications for advanced performance.

Lithium-ion batteries are in increasing demand for operation under extreme temperature conditions due to the continuous expansion of their applications. A significant loss in energy and power densities at low temperatures is still one of the main obstacles limiting the operation of lithium-ion batteries at sub-zero temperatures. In addition to electrodes and electrolytes, more attention should be paid to the electrode-electrolyte interface, considering that the total internal resistance of batteries at low temperatures is dominated by interfacial charge transfer resistance.

Ni-Co Bimetallic Hydroxide Nanosheet Arrays Anchored on Graphene for Adsorption-Induced Enhanced Photocatalytic CO Reduction.

Photocatalytic CO reduction can be implemented to use CO , a greenhouse gas, as a resource in an energy-saving and environmentally friendly way, in which suitable catalytic materials are required to achieve high-efficiency catalysis. Insufficient accessible active sites on the catalyst surface and inhibited electron transfer severely limit the photocatalytic performance. Therefore, porous aerogels are constructed from composites comprising different ratios of Ni-Co bimetallic hydroxide (Ni Co ) grown on reduced graphene oxide (GR) into a hierarchical nanosheet-array structure using a facile in situ growth method.

A Palladium-Catalyzed 4CzIPN-Mediated Decarboxylative Acylation Reaction of O-Methyl Ketoximes with α-Keto Acids under Visible Light.

This work presents a palladium-catalyzed oxime ether-directed ortho-selective benzoylation using benzoylformic acid as the acyl source with a palladium catalyst and 4CzIPN as the co-catalyst under light. Various non-symmetric benzophenone derivatives were obtained in moderate to good yields. A preliminary mechanism study revealed that the reaction proceeds through a free radical pathway.

Ligand-Promoted Nickel-Catalyzed -Selective Carboxylation of Anisoles.

It has always been a challenge in free radical chemistry to control site selectivity during the reaction of free radicals with aromatic rings. Herein, we report the site-selective carboxylation of anisoles through the direct reaction of the bromoform radical with a benzene ring at the position under the assistance of 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline with nickel(II) as the catalyst. A wide variety of anisoles were compatible, leading to -carboxylated products in moderate to good yields.

The final fate of food: On the establishment of in vitro colon models.

The search for life/health quality has driven the search for a better understanding of food components on the overall individual health, which turns to be intrinsically related to the digestive system. In vitro digestion models are considered an alternative for the in vivo studies for a variety of practical reasons, but further research is still needed concerning the colon model establishment. An effective in vitro colon model should consider all unit operations and transport phenomena, together with chemical and biochemical reactions, material handling and reactor design.

Pt-Co nanoparticles supported on hollow multi-shelled CeO as a catalyst for highly efficient toluene oxidation: Morphology control and the role of bimetal synergism.

A series of hollow multi-shelled CeO (HoMS-CeO) support materials with tunable shell numbers were fabricated and applied to the catalytic oxidation of toluene. HoMS-CeO possess much higher catalytic activity (T = 236 ℃) than hollow CeO with only a single shell (h-CeO) (T = 275℃). The porous multiple-shelled structure has a higher S, which strongly promotes gas distribution and provides more active sites.

Hexanuclear Co Dy , Zn Dy , and Co Y Complexes with Defect Tetracubane Cores: Syntheses, Structures, and Magnetic Properties.

A hexanuclear heterometallic cluster of composition [Dy Co (L) (NO ) (OH) (C H OH) ] ⋅ 2 C H OH (1) was synthesized by employing a Schiff base 2-(((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) imino)methyl)-4-methoxyphenol (H L) as ligand and utilizing Dy(NO )  ⋅ 6H O and Co(NO )  ⋅ 6H O as metal ion sources. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis indicated that complex 1 contains a defect tetracubane core and possesses central symmetric structure, with two Dy ions being in the central body position of the molecule and four Co ions being arranged at the outer sites. Magnetic studies reveal that complex 1 behaves as single-molecule magnet (SMM) with energy barrier of 27.

Solvent-Mediated Shell Dimension Reconstruction of Core@Shell PdAu@Pd Nanocrystals for Robust C1 and C2 Alcohol Electrocatalysis.

The core@shell structure dimension of the Pd-based nanocrystals deeply impacts their catalytic properties for C1 and C2 alcohol oxidation reactions. However, the precise simultaneous control on the synthesis of core@shell nanocrystals with different shell dimensions is difficult, and most synthesis on Pd-based core@shell nanocatalysts involves the surfactants participation by multiple steps, thus leads to limited catalytic properties. Herein, for the first time, a facile one-step surfactant-free strategy is developed for shell dimension reconstruction of PdAu@Pd core@shell nanocrystals by altering volume ratios of mixed solvents.

Networking State of Ytterbium Ions Probing the Origin of Luminescence Quenching and Activation in Nanocrystals.

At the organic-inorganic interface of nanocrystals, electron-phonon coupling plays an important but intricate role in determining the diverse properties of nanomaterials. Here, it is reported that highly doping of Yb ions within the nanocrystal host can form an energy-migration network. The networking state Yb shows both distinct Stark splitting peak ratios and lifetime dynamics, which allows quantitative investigations of quenching and thermal activation of luminescence, as the high-dimensional spectroscopy signatures can be correlated to the attaching and de-attaching status of surface molecules.

Recent Progress of Ultrathin 2D Pd-Based Nanomaterials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysis.

Pd- and Pd-based catalysts have emerged as potential alternatives to Pt- and Pt-based catalysts for numerous electrocatalytic reactions, particularly fuel cell-related reactions, including the anodic fuel oxidation reaction (FOR) and cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The creation of Pd- and Pd-based architectures with large surface areas, numerous low-coordinated atoms, and high density of defects and edges is the most promising strategy for improving the electrocatalytic performance of fuel cells. Recently, 2D Pd-based nanomaterials with single or few atom thickness have attracted increasing interest as potential candidates for both the ORR and FOR, owing to their remarkable advantages, including high intrinsic activity, high electron mobility, and straightforward surface functionalization.

Effects of different pretreatment methods on the drying characteristics and quality of potatoes.

The effects of different pretreatments on the vitamin C content of peeled fresh potato, the drying characteristics, and several quality attributes of dehydrated potatoes were investigated. Citric acid pretreatment (0.1%-0.

Iron-Catalyzed Highly para-Selective Difluoromethylation of Arenes.

Direct functionalization of a C-H bond at either the meta or para position by only changing the catalyst system poses a significant challenge. We herein report the [Fe(TPP)Cl]-enabled, selective, C-H difluoromethylation of arenes using BrCFCOEt as the difluoromethylation source, which successfully altered the selectivity from the meta to the para position. A preliminary mechanistic study revealed the iron porphyrin complex not only activated the aromatic ring but also induced para selectivity due to the influence of ligand sterics.

An Optimized Fibril Network Morphology Enables High-Efficiency and Ambient-Stable Polymer Solar Cells.

Morphological stability is crucially important for the long-term stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Many high-efficiency PSCs suffer from metastable morphology, resulting in severe device degradation. Here, a series of copolymers is developed by manipulating the content of chlorinated benzodithiophene-4,8-dione (T1-Cl) via a random copolymerization approach.

Conjugate Polymer-clothed TiO@VO nanobelts and their enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance in water remediation.

An organic/inorganic core-shell nanobelt, TiO@VO-Polypyrrole (PPy) exhibiting high photocatalytic performance and water-stability was successfully prepared. The heterojunction between the TiO nanobelt and VO nanosheets improves both the ability to absorb visible light and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carrier. When covered with the conjugated polymer PPy, the organic/inorganic nanocomposite absorbs throughout the whole visible light region and exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Desaturation via Redox-Neutral Hydrogen Transfer Process: Synthesis of 2-Allyl Anilines, Mechanism and Applications.

An unprecedented desaturation method via redox-neutral hydrogen transfer process has been disclosed under mild conditions for the selective formation of terminal alkene with alkyl diazo compounds and aza-o-QMs. The control experiments and DFT calculations suggest that the visible light was introduced as a key parameter to enhance the reactivity via a radical process in the formation of closed-shell cyclopropane intermediate, followed by a ring opening and redox-neutral hydrogen transfer process to give the desaturated product. The high regioselectivity in this transformation is enabled by the internal amino species as an ancillary group (AG) in the final olefin formation step.

Z-scheme photocatalytic NO removal on a 2D/2D iodine doped BiOIO/g-CN under visible-light irradiation.

We report an unique 2D/2D Iodine doped BiOIO/g-CN heterojunction was successfully prepared. The iodine doped BiOIO was prepared by a simple solvent exchange method and combined with g-CN by solvothermal method. The prepared photocatalyst has potential application value in the future due to its excellent stable cycle property.

Partially Pyrolyzed Binary Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets for Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis.

Herein, we developed a partially controlled pyrolysis strategy to create evenly distributed NiO nanoparticles within NiFe-MOF nanosheets (MOF NSs) for electrochemical synthesis of H O by a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The elemental Ni can be partially transformed to NiO and uniformly distributed on the surface of the MOF NSs, which is crucial for the formation of the particular structure. The optimized MOF NSs-300 exhibits the highest activity for ORR with near-zero overpotential and excellent H O selectivity (ca.