An excellent universal catalyst support-mesoporous silica: Preparation,modification and applications in energy-related reactions

As a kind of versatile, excellent catalyst carriers, mesoporous silicas (mSiO₂) have been widely applied for preparing various supported catalysts with ideal catalytic properties due to their uniform and regular channels, adjustable medium pore size, big surface area, controllable wall composition, high hydrothermal stability, easy functional modification and good accessibility of larger reactant molecules. mSiO₂ not only enhances the dispersity of the active phase and generates more active sites for superior catalytic activity but also improves resulted selectivity and cyclic lifespan for enhanced interaction. And high adsorption capacity of mSiO₂ also increases the reactant molecule enrichment. In addition, mesoporous feature of the mSiO₂ pore wall can ensure diffusion of the substrate molecules and prevent leaching of active components. Thus, related investigation and application have been rapidly growing in the past decades. In this review, the development of mesoporous silica based catalysts on preparation, modification, pore size tune and energy-related applications, especially in hydrogenation reaction, esterification reaction, hydrogen production by alkane dry reforming and alcohol steam reforming and photocatalytic water splitting, is introduced in detail and the design ideas, preparation strategies and corresponding mechanism of different composite catalysts are discussed.     

Phase transition and related electronic and optical properties of crystalline phenanthrene: An ab initio investigation

This investigation discusses a structural phase transition of organic crystalline phenanthrene and the resulting changes of its electronic and optical properties investigated by ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The structure of phase I has been optimized then its electronic and optical properties have been calculated. Our computational results on phase I (at ambient pressure) get along well with the available experimental data.Calculating the electronic and optical properties of phase II are proceeded in the same way and the results, particulary Raman spectra, reveal a crystallographic phase transition indicated by abrupt changes in lattice constants which are accompanied by rearrangement of the molecules. This results in modifications of the electronic structure and optical response. For both phases the band dispersion of the valence and conduction bands are anisotropic, whereas the band splitting is strongly noticeable in phase II. By calculating the imaginary part of the dielectric function of phase II, we have found the appearance of new peaks at the lowest z-polarized absorption and about 30 eV in all absorption components. Excitonic effects in the optical properties of phases I and II have been investigated by solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) on the basis of the FPLAPW method. Phase II shows four main excitonic structures in the energy range below band gap, whereas phase I shows two. The excitonic structures in the optical spectra of phase II show a red shift in comparison to phase I. The calculated binding energies of spin-singlet excitons in phase II are larger than the ones in phase I.     

Time-independent charge carrier mobility in a model polymer:fullerene organic solar cell

The technique of photo-CELIV (charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage) is one of the more straightforward and popular approaches to measure the faster carrier mobility in measurement geometries that are relevant for operational solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. It has been used to demonstrate a time-dependent photocarrier mobility in pristine polymers, attributed to energetic relaxation within the density of states. Conversely, in solar cell blends, the presence or absence of such energetic relaxation on transport timescales remains under debate. We developed a complete numerical model and performed photo-CELIV experiments on the model high efficiency organic solar cell blend poly[3,6-dithiophene-2-yl-2,5-di(2-octyldodecyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-alt-naphthalene] (PDPP-TNT):[6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric-acid-methyl-ester (PC70BM). In the studied solar cells a constant, time-independent mobility on the scale relevant to charge extraction was observed, where thermalisation of photocarriers occurs on time scales much shorter than the transit time. Therefore, photocarrier relaxation effects are insignificant for charge transport in these efficient photovoltaic devices.     

Low-bandgap copolymers consisting of 2,1,3-benzoselenadiazole and carbazole derivatives with thiophene or selenophene π-bridges

Two donor–acceptor-type alternating copolymers consisting of 2,1,3-benzoselenadiazole and carbazole derivatives with thiophene or selenophene π-bridges were synthesized by Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization, and their optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties were compared. The selenophene π-bridged copolymer (PCz-DSeBSe) exhibited a smaller band-gap (1.82 eV) than the thiophene-bridged polymer (PCz-DTBSe; 1.89 eV). PCz-DSeBSe also showed a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital energy level (−5.36 eV) than PCz-DTBSe (−5.20 eV). Moreover, the PCz-DSeBSe thin film showed higher crystallinity and hole mobility than the PCz-DTBSe thin film. Organic photovoltaic devices were fabricated using the polymers as the donors and [6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) as the acceptor. The device using PCz-DSeBSe showed a higher open circuit voltage (V_oc), short circuit current density (J_sc), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) than that using PCz-DTBSe. The fabricated indium tin oxide/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/PCz-DSeBSe:PC₇₁BM/LiF/Al device showed the maximum PCE of 2.88% with a J_sc of 7.87 mA/cm², an V_oc of 0.80 V, and a fill factor of 0.50 under AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW/cm²).     

Novel wide band-gap polymer utilizing fused hetero-aromatic unit for efficient polymer solar cells and field-effect transistors

Novel wide band-gap polymer of PBTFT containing dibenzosexithiophene-alt-bithiophene backbone was designed and synthesized via the Stille cross-coupling reaction. This polymer exhibited good thermal stability, well coplanar backbone and a broad absorption band from 350 nm to 610 nm with a wide optical band-gap of 2.02 eV. The polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on the PBTFT:PC₇₁BM active layer showed the power conversion efficiency of 3.0% with an open circuit voltage of 0.70 V, a short-circuit current of 7.94 mA cm⁻² and a fill factor of 53.98% under the illumination of AM.1.5, 100 mW cm⁻². Holes mobility up to 0.028 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ with an on-off ratio of 1.0 × 10⁶ was obtained in the PBTFT-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Our work indicates that the dibenzosexithiophene-alt-bithiophene based copolymer can be efficiently applied in PSCs and OFETs.     

Water Quality Improvement by Combined UF,RO, and Ozone/Hydrogen Peroxide System (HiPOx) in the Water Reclamation Process

Conventional water reclamation processes, such as membrane bioreactors, are not always effective in removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and/or N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), even with the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. A study was conducted, at a NEWater factory in Singapore, to compare a conventional ultrafiltration (UF) membrane /RO treatment process with a treatment train having the HiPOx unit, an advanced oxidation process (AOP), which was installed between the UF and the RO unit operations. By incorporating the HiPOx into the UF/RO treatment process, following results were observed; 1) increased removal of PPCPs, EDCs and NDMA, 2) improvement in ultraviolet transmission (UVT) of the RO permeate, 3) enhanced removal of TOC and color, and increased UVT of the RO brine, 4) suppression of the increase in the RO transmembrane pressure by organic fouling.     

The effect of amorphous chalcogenides on mechanical and anticorrosive properties of protective organic coatings containing high amounts of zinc metal particles

The objective of this paper concerns reduction of zinc metal content in organic coatings while preserving their high anticorrosive efficiency. The two goals can be achieved by using amorphous chalcogenides as components of the protective coating. Special attention was paid to materials containing Ge₂₀Se₈₀, Ge₃₀Se₇₀ and Ge₄₀Se₆₀, which were characterized by physico-chemical properties. An epoxy ester resin was used as binder for the investigated organic coatings. Organic coatings were prepared by combining zinc metal with amorphous chalcogenides. The resistance of the prepared films was evaluated using the results of mechanical tests. The anticorrosive efficiency of the prepared films was evaluated using the results of direct corrosion tests. Thus the following conclusion can be made from the results of anti-corrosive tests: the higher the pigment volume concentration of amorphous chalcogenides in the coatings, the higher the protective performance of the paint against corrosion.     

高师化学专业有机化学实验课程的改革与探索

文章从高中化学实验的教学目标、教学内容和教学模式三方面入手,通过对12所高中化学教师的调研,分析了高中化学实验与高师化学专业有机化学实验课程的教学现状。结合高中化学课程标准(实验),提出了对高师化学专业有机化学实验教学目标、教学内容和教学模式改革的具体措施。     

生物工程专业有机化学课程教学方法探讨

有机化学是生物工程专业的一门专业基础课程。本文通过对有机化学课程体系、教学方法、多媒体教学、理论教学与实践教学的结合、网络资源的利用等方面进行了探讨,形成了较为完整的教学体系,有助于提高学生对有机化学的学习。     

基于应用能力培养的《有机波谱解析》教学实践

针对地方本科高校目前在《有机波谱解析》课程教学中存在的困难和问题,我们以应用型人才培养为理念,构建了以任务为驱动的探究性教学模式,从教学内容、教学方法、教学手段、考核方法等方面探讨“教师为主导,学生为主体”的教学实现方法,致力于培养学生识谱、解谱的知识应用能力,取得了较好的教学效果。