Publications

Abstract A new polymeric silver(I) complex of imidazolidine-2-thione (Imt), {[Ag 2 (Imt) 3 ](NO 3 ) 2 } n ( 1 ) was prepared and its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The silver atoms form infinite chains with two Ag − S(Imt) − Ag strands linked to each other by sulfur atoms of μ 4 -Imt ligands. Each silver(I) ion is bound to four sulfur atoms of bridging Imt ligands in a distorted tetrahedral environment. The crystal structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonding and weak argentophilic interactions. The hydrogen bonded nitrate ions connect the 1D chains to generate a 2D layer structure.

Starting from a [(^MeO C^N^C)AuCl] complex as precursor, a direct substitution by C,H-activation from sp-, sp² - or sp³ -C,H-bonds under basic conditions in a planetary ball mill was achieved. Because of the extraordinary photophysical properties of the target compounds, this protocol provides an easy access to a highly valued complex class. In contrast to existing protocols, no pre-functionalization of the starting materials is necessary and the use of expensive transition metal catalysts can be avoided, which makes this application appealing also for industrial purposes. In addition the methodology was not restricted to pincer complexes, which was demonstrated by the substitution of chelate type [(tpy)AuCl₂ ] complexes.

Iron is the cheapest and one of the most abundant transition metals. Natural [FeFe]-hydrogenases exhibit remarkably high activity in hydrogen evolution, but they suffer from high oxygen sensitivity and difficulty in scale-up. Herein, an FeP nanowire array was developed on Ti plate (FeP NA/Ti) from its β-FeOOH NA/Ti precursor through a low-temperature phosphidation reaction. When applied as self-supported 3D hydrogen evolution cathode, the FeP NA/Ti electrode shows exceptionally high catalytic activity and good durability, and it only requires overpotentials of 55 and 127 mV to afford current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm(2) , respectively. The excellent electrocatalytic performance is promising for applications as non-noble-metal HER catalyst with a high performance-price ratio in electrochemical water splitting for large-scale hydrogen fuel production.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

In this communication, we present a green photocatalytic method for the synthesis of highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) with an average diameter of ca.10 ± 1 nm on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), using tin(IV) porphyrin (SnP) as a photocatalyst for the reduction of both graphene oxide (GO) and Pd(II). The as-prepared PdNPs–RGO nanocomposites exhibit higher electrocatalytic activities than the commercial Pd/C catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation in alkaline media.

The exploration of high-performance and earth-abundant water oxidation catalysts operating under mild conditions is highly attractive and challenging. In this communication, core-shell CoFe₂O₄@Co-Fe-Bi nanoarray on carbon cloth (CoFe₂O₄@Co-Fe-Bi/CC) was successfully fabricated by in situ surface amorphization of CoFe₂O₄ nanoarray on CC (CoFe₂O₄/CC). As a 3D water oxidation electrode, CoFe₂O₄@Co-Fe-Bi/CC shows outstanding activity with an overpotential of 460 mV to drive a geometrical catalytic current density of 10 mA cm^-2 in 0.1 M potassium borate (pH 9.2). Notably, it also demonstrates superior long-term durability for at least 20 h with 96% Faradic efficiency. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the conversion from OOH* to O₂ is the rate-limiting step and the high water oxidation activity of CoFe₂O₄@Co-Fe-Bi/CC is associated with the lower free energy of 1.84 eV on a Co-Fe-Bi shell.

Tough and biocompatible nanocomposite films: A new type of bioinspired ultrastrong, highly biocompatible, and bioactive konjac glucomannan (KGM)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite film is fabricated on a large scale by a simple solution-casting method. Such KGM-GO composite films exhibit much enhanced mechanical properties under the strong hydrogen-bonding interactions, showing great potential in the fields of tissue engineering and food package.