| 1. |
- Hedlund, Artur, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructures of cellulose coagulated in water and alcohols from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate : contrasting coagulation mechanisms
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 26:3, s. 1545-1563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Coagulation of cellulose solutions is a process whereby many useful materials with variable microstructures and properties can be produced. This study investigates the complexity of the phase separation that generates the structural heterogeneity of such materials. The ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), and a co-solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), are used to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose in concentrations from 5 to 25 wt%. The solutions are coagulated in water or 2-propanol (2PrOH). The coagulated material is then washed and solvent exchanged (water → 2PrOH → butanone → cyclohexane) in order to preserve the generated microstructures upon subsequent drying before analysis. Sweep electron microscopy images of 50 k magnification reveal open-pore fibrillar structures. The crystalline constituents of those fibrils are estimated using wide-angle X-ray spectroscopy and specific surface area data. It is found that the crystalline order or crystallite size is reduced by an increase in cellulose concentration, by the use of the co-solvent DMSO, or by the use of 2PrOH instead of water as the coagulant. Because previous theories cannot explain these trends, an alternative explanation is presented here focused on solid–liquid versus liquid–liquid phase separations. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
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| 2. |
- Prakash, Om, et al.
(författare)
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How Rigidity and Conjugation of Bidentate Ligands Affect the Geometry and Photophysics of Iron N-Heterocyclic Complexes : A Comparative Study
- 2024
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 63:10, s. 4461-4473
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two iron complexes featuring the bidentate, nonconjugated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) 1,1′-methylenebis(3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene) (mbmi) ligand, where the two NHC moieties are separated by a methylene bridge, have been synthesized to exploit the combined influence of geometric and electronic effects on the ground- and excited-state properties of homoleptic FeIII-hexa-NHC [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 and heteroleptic FeII-tetra-NHC [Fe(mbmi)2(bpy)](PF6)2 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) complexes. They are compared to the reported FeIII-hexa-NHC [Fe(btz)3](PF6)3 and FeII-tetra-NHC [Fe(btz)2(bpy)](PF6)2 complexes containing the conjugated, bidentate mesoionic NHC ligand 3,3′-dimethyl-1,1′-bis(p-tolyl)-4,4′-bis(1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene) (btz). The observed geometries of [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 and [Fe(mbmi)2(bpy)](PF6)2 are evaluated through L-Fe-L bond angles and ligand planarity and compared to those of [Fe(btz)3](PF6)3 and [Fe(btz)2(bpy)](PF6)2. The FeII/FeIII redox couples of [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 (−0.38 V) and [Fe(mbmi)2(bpy)](PF6)2 (−0.057 V, both vs Fc+/0) are less reducing than [Fe(btz)3](PF6)3 and [Fe(btz)2(bpy)](PF6)2. The two complexes show intense absorption bands in the visible region: [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 at 502 nm (ligand-to-metal charge transfer, 2LMCT) and [Fe(mbmi)2(bpy)](PF6)2 at 410 and 616 nm (metal-to-ligand charge transfer, 3MLCT). Lifetimes of 57.3 ps (2LMCT) for [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 and 7.6 ps (3MLCT) for [Fe(mbmi)2(bpy)](PF6)2 were probed and are somewhat shorter than those for [Fe(btz)3](PF6)3 and [Fe(btz)2(bpy)](PF6)2. [Fe(mbmi)3](PF6)3 exhibits photoluminescence at 686 nm (2LMCT) in acetonitrile at room temperature with a quantum yield of (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10-4, compared to (3 ± 0.5)
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| 3. |
- Barker, David, 1993, et al.
(författare)
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Filter function of graphene oxide: Trapping perfluorinated molecules
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 1089-7690 .- 0021-9606. ; 152:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We need clean drinking water, but current water purification methods are not always sufficient. This study examines the binding and binding mechanisms when graphene oxide is used as a filter material for removing perfluorinated substances and trihalomethanes. We use density functional theory calculations to examine the binding of the harmful molecules on graphene oxide. Our results indicate that the binding energies between graphene oxide and the investigated molecules are in the range of 370-1450 meV per molecule, similar to the binding energies obtained in other studies, where adsorption of similar size molecules onto graphene oxide has been investigated. This indicates that graphene oxide has the potential to separate the molecules of interest from the water. Significant contribution to the binding energies comes from the van der Waals (dispersion) interaction between the molecule and graphene oxide, while the hydrogen bonding between the functional groups of graphene oxide and the hydrogen atoms in functional groups on the molecules also plays a role in the binding.
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| 4. |
- Hagman, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Steps Control the Dissociation of CO2 on Cu(100)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 140:40, s. 12974-12979
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CO2 reduction reactions, which provide one route to limit the emission of this greenhouse gas, are commonly performed over Cu-based catalysts. Here, we use ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy together with density functional theory to obtain an atomistic understanding of the dissociative adsorption of CO2 on Cu(100). We find that the process is dominated by the presence of steps, which promote both a lowering of the dissociation barrier and an efficient separation between adsorbed O and CO, reducing the probability for recombination. The identification of steps as sites for efficient CO2 dissociation provides an understanding that can be used in the design of future CO2 reduction catalysts.
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| 5. |
- Pogorilyi, Roman, et al.
(författare)
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New product from old reaction : uniform magnetite nanoparticles from iron-mediated synthesis of alkali iodides and their protection from leaching in acidic media
- 2014
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 4:43, s. 22606-22612
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iron-mediated synthesis of alkali metal iodides was quite unexpectedly demonstrated to be able to serve as a cost-efficient and reliable source of spherical single crystalline near-stoichiometric magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles as revealed by TEM and XRD studies and also by XANES spectroscopic quantification of the Fe2+-content. Using the particles as nuclei for the Stoeber synthesis of silica nanoparticles, core-shell magnetic material has been produced. The nature of the magnetic component was probed by XANES spectroscopy. The size of the particles is dependent on the synthesis conditions and Si : Fe ratio but can be kept below 100 nm. It is the Si : Fe ratio that determines the stability of the particles in acidic medium. The latter was investigated spectrophotometrically as leaching of Fe3+-cations. Considerable stability was observed at Si : Fe > 10, while at Si : Fe >= 20 no measurable leaching could be observed in over 10 days. Magnetic nanoparticles with improved stability in acidic medium provide an attractive basis for creation of adsorbent materials for applications in harsh media.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Chu, et al.
(författare)
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Steps and catalytic reactions : CO oxidation with preadsorbed O on Rh(553)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028 .- 1879-2758. ; 715
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Industrial catalysts are often comprised of nanoparticles supported on high-surface-area oxides, in order to maximise the catalytically active surface area and thereby utilise the active material better. These nanoparticles expose steps and corners that, due to low coordination to neighboring atoms, are more reactive and, as a consequence, are often assumed to have higher catalytic activity. We have investigated the reaction between CO and preadsorbed O on a stepped Rh(553) surface, and show that CO oxidation indeed occurs faster than on the flat Rh(111) surface at the same temperature. However, we do find that this is not a result of reactions at the step sites but rather at the terrace sites close to the steps, due to in-plane relaxation enabled by the step. This insight can provide ways to optimize the shape of the nanoparticles to further improve the activity of certain reactions.
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| 7. |
- Liu, Shungang, et al.
(författare)
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The role of connectivity in significant bandgap narrowing for fused-pyrene based non-fullerene acceptors toward high-efficiency organic solar cells
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8:12, s. 5995-6003
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Great attention has been paid to developing low bandgap non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) for matching wide bandgap donor polymers to increase the photocurrent and therefore the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of NFA organic solar cells, while pyrene-core based acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) NFAs have been mainly reported via the 2,9-position connection due to their bisthieno[3′,2′-b']thienyl[a,h]pyrene fused via a five-membered ring bridge at the ortho-position of pyrene as the representative one named FPIC5, which has prohibited further narrowing their energy gap. Herein, an acceptor FPIC6 was exploited by creating the 1,8-position connection through fusing as bisthieno[3′,2′-b′]thienyl[f-g,m-n]pyrene linked at the bay-position via a six-membered bridge, with enhanced push-pull characteristics within such A-D-A structure. As a structural isomer of FPIC5, FPIC6 exhibited a much lower bandgap of 1.42 eV (1.63 eV for FPIC5). Therefore, the photocurrent and PCE of PTB7-Th:FPIC6 cells were improved to 21.50 mA cm-2 and 11.55%, respectively, due to the balanced mobilities, better photoluminescence quenching efficiency and optimized morphology, which are both ∼40% better than those of PTB7-Th:FPIC5 cells. Our results clearly proved that a pyrene fused core with 1,8-position connection with electron-withdrawing end groups instead of 2,9-position connection is an efficient molecular design strategy to narrow the optical bandgap and improve the photovoltaic performance of NFA based OSCs.
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| 8. |
- Yang, Yi, et al.
(författare)
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Using an ionomer as a size regulator in γ-radiation induced synthesis of Ag nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solution
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 646, s. 381-390
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are among the most promising candidates to replace Pt as the catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). However, synthesizing size-controlled Ag NPs with efficient catalytic performance is still challenging. Herein, uniform Ag NPs are produced through a γ-radiation induced synthesis route in aqueous solutions, using the ionomer PTPipQ100 as both an efficient size regulator in the synthesis and a conductor of hydroxide ions during the ORR process. The origin of the size control is mainly attributed to the affinity of the ionomer to metallic silver. The resulting Ag NPs covered with ionomer layers can be applied as model catalysts for ORR. The nanoparticles that were prepared using 320 ppm ionomer in the reaction solution turned out to be coated with a ∼1 nm thick ionomer layer and exhibited superior ORR activity as compared to other Ag NPs of similar size studied here. The improved electrocatalytic performance can be attributed to the optimal ionomer coverage that enables fast oxygen diffusion, as well as interactions at the Ag-ionomer interface which promote the desorption of OH intermediates from the Ag surface. This work demonstrates the advantage of using an ionomer as the capping agent to produce efficient ORR catalysts.
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| 9. |
- Busch, Michael, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Adsorption of NO on Fe3O4(111)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Chemical Physics Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2614 .- 1873-4448. ; 693, s. 84-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adsorption of NO on Fe 3 O 4 (111) is studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. NO is preferably adsorbed atop the octahedral site which has a clearly higher adsorption energy than the tetrahedral site. The difference in adsorption energy correlates with differences in adsorption geometries and N–O stretch vibrations. The results are in good agreement with temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection-adsorption IR spectroscopy (RAIRS) measurements and provide an explanation of the observation of only one vibrational mode despite two distinct TPD features.
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| 10. |
- Durigon, Daniele C., et al.
(författare)
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The influence of thioether-substituted ligands in dicopper(II) complexes : Enhancing oxidation and biological activities
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. - 0162-0134. ; 256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper describes the synthesis, structural analysis, as well as the magnetic and spectroscopic characterizations of three new dicopper(II) complexes with dinucleating phenol-based ligands containing different thioether donor substituents: aromatic (1), aliphatic (2) or thiophene (3). Temperature-dependent magnetometry reveals the presence of antiferromagnetic coupling for 1 and 3 (J = −2.27 cm−1 and -5.01 cm−1, respectively, H = -2JS1S2) and ferromagnetic coupling for 2 (J = 5.72 cm−1). Broken symmetry DFT calculations attribute this behavior to a major contribution from the dz2 orbitals for 1 and 3, and from the dx2-y2 orbitals for 2, along with the p orbitals of the oxygens. The bioinspired catalytic activities of these complexes related to catechol oxidase were studied using 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol as substrate. The order of catalytic rates for the substrate oxidation follows the trend 1 > 2 > 3 with kcat of (90.79 ± 2.90) × 10−3 for 1, (64.21 ± 0.99) × 10−3 for 2 and (14.20 ± 0.32) × 10−3 s−1 for 3. The complexes also cleave DNA through an oxidative mechanism with minor-groove preference, as indicated by experimental and molecular docking assays. Antimicrobial potential of these highly active complexes has shown that 3 inhibits both Staphylococcus aureus bacterium and Epidermophyton floccosum fungus. Notably, the complexes were found to be nontoxic to normal cells but exhibited cytotoxicity against epidermoid carcinoma cells, surpassing the activity of the metallodrug cisplatin. This research shows the multifaceted properties of these complexes, making them promising candidates for various applications in catalysis, nucleic acids research, and antimicrobial activities.
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