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A critical step in photocatalytic water dissociation is the hole‐mediated oxidation reaction. Molecular‐level insights into the mechanism of this complex reaction under realistic conditions with high temporal resolution are highly desirable. Here, we use femtosecond time‐resolved, surface‐specific vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy to study the photo‐induced reaction directly at the interface of the photocatalyst TiO2 in contact with liquid water at room temperature. Thanks to the inherent surface specificity of the spectroscopic method, we can follow the reaction of solely the interfacial water molecules directly at the interface at timescales on which the reaction takes place. Following the generation of holes at the surface immediately after photoexcitation of the catalyst with UV light, water dissociation occurs on a sub‐20 ps timescale. The reaction mechanism is similar at pH 3 and 11. In both cases, we observe the conversion of H2O into Ti−OH groups and the deprotonation of pre‐existing Ti−OH groups. This study provides unique experimental insights into the early steps of the photo‐induced dissociation processes at the photocatalyst‐water interface, relevant to the design of improved photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structurally defined graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have emerged as promising candidates for nanoelectronic devices. Low band gap (<1 eV) GNRs are particularly important when considering the Schottky barrier in device performance. Here, we demonstrate the first solution synthesis of 8‐AGNRs through a carefully designed arylated polynaphthalene precursor. The efficiency of the oxidative cyclodehydrogenation of the tailor‐made polymer precursor into 8‐AGNRs was validated by FT‐IR, Raman, and UV/Vis‐near‐infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy, and further supported by the synthesis of naphtho[1,2,3,4‐ghi]perylene derivatives (1 and 2) as subunits of 8‐AGNR, with a width of 0.86 nm as suggested by the X‐ray single crystal analysis. Low‐temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and solid‐state NMR analyses provided further structural support for 8‐AGNR. The resulting 8‐AGNR exhibited a remarkable NIR absorption extending up to ∼2400 nm, corresponding to an optical band gap as low as ∼0.52 eV. Moreover, optical‐pump TeraHertz‐probe spectroscopy revealed charge‐carrier mobility in the dc limit of ∼270 cm2 V−1 s−1 for the 8‐AGNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear conjugated polymers have attracted significant attention in organic electronics in recent decades. However, despite intrachain π‐delocalization, interchain hopping is their transport bottleneck. In contrast, two‐dimensional (2D) conjugated polymers, as represented by 2D π‐conjugated covalent organic frameworks (2D c‐COFs), can provide multiple conjugated strands to enhance the delocalization of charge carriers in space. Herein, we demonstrate the first example of thiophene‐based 2D poly(arylene vinylene)s (PAVs, 2DPAV‐BDT‐BT and 2DPAV‐BDT‐BP, BDT=benzodithiophene, BT=bithiophene, BP=biphenyl) via Knoevenagel polycondensation. Compared with 2DPAV‐BDT‐BP, the fully thiophene‐based 2DPAV‐BDT‐BT exhibits enhanced planarity and π‐delocalization with a small band gap (1.62 eV) and large electronic band dispersion, as revealed by the optical absorption and density functional calculations. Remarkably, temperature‐dependent terahertz spectroscopy discloses a unique band‐like transport and outstanding room‐temperature charge mobility for 2DPAV‐BDT‐BT (65 cm2 V−1 s−1), which far exceeds that of the linear PAVs, 2DPAV‐BDT‐BP, and the reported 2D c‐COFs in the powder form. This work highlights the great potential of thiophene‐based 2D PAVs as candidates for high‐performance opto‐electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissolution of minerals in contact with water plays a crucial role in geochemistry. However, obtaining molecular insight into interfacial chemistry is challenging. Dissolution typically involves the release of ions from the surface, giving rise to a charged mineral surface. This charge affects the interfacial water arrangement, which can be investigated by surface‐specific vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (v‐SFG) spectroscopy. For the fluorite‐water interface, recent spectroscopic studies concluded that fluoride adsorption/desorption determines the surface charge, which contrasts zeta potential measurements assigning this role to the calcium ion. By combining v‐SFG spectroscopy and flow experiments with systematically suppressed dissolution, we uncover the interplay of dominant fluoride and weak calcium adsorption/desorption, resolving the controversy in the literature. We infer the calcium contribution to be orders of magnitude smaller, emphasizing the sensitivity of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with desirable organic units furnishes advanced materials with unique functionalities. As an emerging class of two‐dimensional (2D) COFs, sp2‐carbon‐conjugated COFs provide a facile platform to build highly stable and crystalline porous polymers. Herein, a 2D olefin‐linked COF was prepared by employing nanographene, namely, dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV), as a building block. The DBOV‐COF exhibits unique ABC‐stacked lattices, enhanced stability, and charge‐carrier mobility of ≈0.6 cm2 V−1 s−1 inferred from ultrafast terahertz photoconductivity measurements. The ABC‐stacking structure was revealed by the high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and powder X‐ray diffraction. DBOV‐COF demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic activity in hydroxylation, which was attributed to the exposure of narrow‐energy‐gap DBOV cores in the COF pores, in conjunction with efficient charge transport following light absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between minerals and water is manifold and complex: the mineral surface can be (de)protonated by water, thereby changing its charge; mineral ions dissolved into the aqueous phase screen the surface charges. Both factors affect the interaction with water. Intrinsically molecular‐level processes and interactions govern macroscopic phenomena, such as flow‐induced dissolution, wetting, and charging. This realization is increasingly prompting molecular‐level studies of mineral–water interfaces. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in surface‐specific nonlinear spectroscopy techniques such as sum frequency and second harmonic generation (SFG/SHG), which can provide information about the molecular arrangement of the first few layers of water molecules at the mineral surface. The results illustrate the subtleties of both chemical and physical interactions between water and the mineral as well as the critical role of mineral dissolution and other ions in solution for determining those interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics of water in contact with solid calcium fluoride, where at low pH, localized charges can develop upon fluorite dissolution. We use 2D surface‐specific vibrational spectroscopy to quantify the heterogeneity of the interfacial water (D2O) molecules and provide information about the sub‐picosecond vibrational‐energy‐relaxation dynamics at the buried solid/liquid interface. We find that strongly H‐bonded OD groups, with a vibrational frequency below 2500 cm−1, display very rapid spectral diffusion and vibrational relaxation; for weakly H‐bonded OD groups, above 2500 cm−1, the dynamics slows down substantially. Atomistic simulations based on electronic‐structure theory reveal the molecular origin of energy transport through the local H‐bond network. We conclude that strongly oriented H‐bonded water molecules in the adsorbed layer, whose orientation is pinned by the localized charge defects, can exchange vibrational energy very rapidly due to the strong collective dipole, compensating for a partially missing solvation shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy has enabled important breakthroughs in biology and materials science. Implementations such as single‐molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and minimal emission fluxes (MINFLUX) microscopy in the localization mode exploit fluorophores that blink, i.e., switch on and off, stochastically. Here, we introduce nanographenes, namely large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that can also be regarded as atomically precise graphene quantum dots, as a new class of fluorophores for super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy. Nanographenes exhibit outstanding photophysical properties: intrinsic blinking even in air, excellent fluorescence recovery, and stability over several months. As a proof of concept for super‐resolution applications, we use nanographenes in SMLM to generate 3D super‐resolution images of silica nanocracks. Our findings open the door for the widespread application of nanographenes in super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion–protein interactions are important for protein function, yet challenging to rationalize owing to the multitude of possible ion–protein interactions. To explore specific ion effects on protein binding sites, we investigate the interaction of different salts with the zwitterionic peptide triglycine in solution. Dielectric spectroscopy shows that salts affect the peptide's reorientational dynamics, with a more pronounced effect for denaturing cations (Li+, guanidinium (Gdm+)) and anions (I−, SCN−) than for weakly denaturing ones (K+, Cl−). The effects of Gdm+ and Li+ were found to be comparable. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm the enhanced binding of Gdm+ and Li+ to triglycine, yet with a different binding geometry: While Li+ predominantly binds to the C‐terminal carboxylate group, bidentate binding to the terminus and the nearest amide is particularly important for Gdm+. This bidentate binding markedly affects peptide conformation, and may help to explain the high denaturation activity of Gdm+ salts. Embrace the protein: The guanidinium cation can simultaneously coordinate to two protein oxygen atoms, which might explain its peculiarly high protein denaturation activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-chip micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) are important Si-compatible power-source backups for miniaturized electronics. Despite their tremendous advantages, current on-chip MSCs require harsh processing conditions and typically perform like resistors when filtering ripples from alternating current (AC). Herein, we demonstrated a facile layer-by-layer method towards on-chip MSCs based on an azulene-bridged coordination polymer framework (PiCBA). Owing to the good carrier mobility (5×10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1) of PiCBA, the permanent dipole moment of azulene skeleton, and ultralow band gap of PiCBA, the fabricated MSCs delivered high specific capacitances of up to 34.1 F cm−3 at 50 mV s−1 and a high volumetric power density of 1323 W cm−3. Most importantly, such MCSs exhibited AC line-filtering performance (−73° at 120 Hz) with a short resistance-capacitance constant of circa 0.83 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the complex and heterogeneous structure of ionic liquids has been demonstrated; however, the consequences on the dynamics have remained elusive. Here, we use femtosecond IR spectroscopy to elucidate the local structural dynamics in protic alkylammonium-based ionic liquids. The structural relaxation after an ultrafast temperature increase, following vibrational excitation and subsequent relaxation of the N-D (or N-H) stretching vibration, is found to vary substantially between the ionic and hydrophobic subdomains. The dynamics in the ionic domains are virtually unaffected by the alkyl chain length and is, therefore, decoupled from viscosity. Equilibration within the hydrophobic subdomains, as evident from the dynamics of the C-H stretching vibration, is faster than that in the ionic domains and shows a remarkably low thermal activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]