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Active, stable electrocatalysts based on non-precious metals for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are critical for the development of cost-effective, efficient renewable energy technologies. Here, Fe/Fe3C-embedded nitrogen-doped carbon was fabricated via pyrolysis of iron-porphyrin-encapsulated mesoporous metal–organic frameworks [PCN-333 (Fe), where “PCN” stands for “porous coordination network”] at 700 °C. The various characterization techniques confirmed that Fe- and Fe3C-containing Fe–N–C material (FeP-P333-700) was successfully prepared by pyrolysis of porphyrin-encapsulated PCN-333 (Fe). FeP-P333-700 exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance for the ORR and HER owing to the synergistic effect of Fe/Fe3C and Fe–N–C active sites.

Large single crystals of a novel lithium cobalt coordination compound, LiCo(NC5H3(CO2)2)2(H2O)2.125 [LiCo(PDC)2] were grown via a hydrothermal reaction in high yield. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data measured on a large single crystal of LiCo(PDC)2 revealed very interesting anisotropic Li+ ion conductivity. The redox potential for Co3+/Co4+ observed at ca. 200 mV in the cyclic voltammogram was consistent with the electric potential where the ionic conductivity occurred. Detailed structural analysis on a series of stoichiometrically equivalent cobalt coordination compounds, ACo(PDC)2 (A = Na+, K+, and H3O+), indicated that the presence of ion channels as well as a suitable cation size is critical for the anisotropic ionic conductivity.

Open coordination sites (OCSs) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown potential in applications such as molecular separation, sorption, catalysis, and sensing. Thus, the removal of coordinated solvent has been viewed as an essential step that needs to be performed prior to the use of the MOFs in the above applications. To date, a thermal method that is normally performed by applying heat and vacuum has been the most commonly employed activation method despite its negative influence on the structural integrity of the MOFs. In this report, we demonstrate that commonly inert trichloromethane (TCM) can activate OCSs; the TCM treatment process serves as an alternative chemical route to activation that does not require the external thermal energy. On the basis of the Raman study, we suggest a possible mechanism for the chemical activation process where TCM may weakly coordinate to the OCSs and then spontaneously dissociate. In addition, we prove that the chemical activation behavior is substantially boosted when a small amount of external heat energy (55 °C, 2.6 meV) is supplied during the TCM treatment. Using an HKUST-1-polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mixed matrix (MM), we also demonstrate that this chemical activation strategy is a safe way to activate thermally deformable MOF-polymer mixed matrices.

Open coordination sites (OCSs) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) often function as key factors in the potential applications of MOFs, such as gas separation, gas sorption, and catalysis. For these applications, the activation process to remove the solvent molecules coordinated at the OCSs is an essential step that must be performed prior to use of the MOFs. To date, the thermal method performed by applying heat and vacuum has been the only method for such activation. In this report, we demonstrate that methylene chloride (MC) itself can perform the activation role: this process can serve as an alternative "chemical route" for the activation that does not require applying heat. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has demonstrated this function of MC, although MC has been popularly used in the pretreatment step prior to the thermal activation process. On the basis of a Raman study, we propose a plausible mechanism for the chemical activation, in which the function of MC is possibly due to its coordination with the Cu(2+) center and subsequent spontaneous decoordination. Using HKUST-1 film, we further demonstrate that this chemical activation route is highly suitable for activating large-area MOF films.

A primitive version of a ruthenium complex [Ru(bpy)3(2+)] was employed for the first time as a new conceptual "single-component redox shuttle" for dye-sensitized solar cells. This single shuttle led to a large enhancement of the open-circuit photovoltage (VOC) to ∼940 mV relative to that of conventional iodine-based shuttle and greatly increased the efficiency of the solar-to-electric energy conversion at lower illumination levels by a factor of ca. 5.6.

The activation of open coordination sites (OCSs) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), i.e., the removal of solvent molecules coordinated at the OCSs, is an essential step that is required prior to the use of MOFs in potential applications such as gas chemisorption, separation, and catalysis because OCSs often serve as key sites in these applications. Recently, we developed a "chemical activation" method involving dichloromethane (DCM) treatment at room temperature, which is considered to be a promising alternative to conventional thermal activation (TA), because it does not require the application of external thermal energy, thereby preserving the structural integrity of the MOFs. However, strongly coordinating solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-diethylformamide (DEF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are difficult to remove solely with the DCM treatment. In this report, we demonstrate a multiple coordination exchange (CE) process executed initially with acetonitrile (MeCN), methanol (MeOH), or ethanol (EtOH) and subsequently with DCM to achieve the complete activation of OCSs that possess strong extracoordination. Thus, this process can serve as an effective "chemical route" to activation at room temperature that does not require applying heat. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has demonstrated the activation of OCSs using this multiple CE process, although MeOH and/or DCM has been popularly used in pretreatment steps prior to the TA process. Using MOF-74(Ni), we demonstrate that this multiple CE process can safely activate a thermally unstable MOF without inflicting structural damage. Furthermore, on the basis of in situ

Iron(III)oxide in the form of hematite is, in many respects, an attractive material for the photocatalytic production of molecular oxygen from water. Especially over the past six years, several developments have advanced the performance of water oxidation cells based on this material. Nevertheless, the best versions of these photoelectrodes produce only about a fifth of the maximum photocurrent (and dioxygen) theoretically obtainable, while operating at photovoltages also well short of the theoretical maximum. Here we describe the factors limiting the performance of hematite as a photo-catalyst and outline approaches that have been, or might be, tried to overcome them. These factors include low hole mobility, bulk charge recombination, surface charge recombination, slow water oxidation kinetics, and poor light absorption. Whether hematite will soon become a practical photo-catalyst for water oxidation is uncertain. But, the schemes developed and the lessons learned will likely prove transferrable to other candidate photocatalyst materials.

A doubly coaxial photoanode architecture based on templated SiO(2) aerogels was fabricated on transparent conducting oxides for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These templates were coated with ZnO via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to yield an electronically interconnected, low-density, high-surface-area, semiconductor framework. Addition of a thin conformal layer of a second metal oxide (alumina, zirconia, or titania) via ALD was found to suppress the dissolution of ZnO that otherwise occurs when it is soaked in alcohol solutions containing acidic dyes used for sensitization or in acetonitrile solutions containing a pyridine derivative and the iodide/tri-iodide (I(-)/I(-)(3)) redox shuttle. Electron transport in SiO(2)-ZnO-TiO(2) photoelectrodes was found to be nearly 2 orders of magnitude faster than in SiO(2)-TiO(2) structures, implying that the interior ZnO sheath serves as the primary electron conduit. In contrast, rates of electron interception by the oxidized form of the redox shuttle were observed to decrease when a TiO(2) shell was added to SiO(2)-ZnO, with the decreases becoming more significant as the thickness of the titania shell increases. These effects lead to improvements in efficiency for DSSCs that utilize I(-)/I(-)(3), but much larger improvements for DSSCs utilizing ferrocene/ferrocenium, a notoriously fast redox shuttle. For the former, overall energy conversion efficiencies maximize at 4.0%. From a variety of experiments, the primary factor limiting aerogel-based DSSC performance is light loss due to scattering. Nevertheless, variants of the doubly coaxial structure may prove useful in devising DSSCs that can achieve excellent energy conversion efficiencies even with fast redox shuttles.

The free primary hydroxyl groups in the metal–organic framework of CDMOF-2, an extended cubic structure containing units of six γ-cyclodextrin tori linked together in cube-like fashion by rubidium ions, has been shown to react with gaseous CO2 to form alkyl carbonate functions. The dynamic covalent carbon–oxygen bond, associated with this chemisorption process, releases CO2 at low activation energies. As a result of this dynamic covalent chemistry going on inside a metal–organic framework, CO2 can be detected selectively in the atmosphere by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The “as-synthesized” CDMOF-2 which exhibits high proton conductivity in pore-filling methanolic media, displays a ∼550-fold decrease in its ionic conductivity on binding CO2. This fundamental property has been exploited to create a sensor capable of measuring CO2 concentrations quantitatively even in the presence of ambient oxygen.

A series of isostructural, noncatenated, zinc-pillared-paddlewheel metal−organic framework materials has been synthesized from 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(carboxyphenyl)benzene and trans-1,2-dipyridylethene struts. Substantial kinetic selectivity in the adsorption of propene over propane can be observed, depending on the pore apertures and the rectangular-plate morphology of the crystals.

Metal oxides are widely used in industry and academia. As their electron-acceptor or acidic strengths play vital roles in their applications, there needs to be a general scale that can quantitatively compare their relative acidic strengths. Conventionally, calorimetric heat measurements during adsorption of probe molecules, infrared spectroscopic analyses of adsorbed bases or acids, application of indicator dyes, and temperature-programmed desorption of the pre-adsorbed bases are standard methods for the analyses of their acidic strengths. However, these methods are not suitable for a quantitative comparison. Thus, unlike metal ions in solution, no such scales have been available for metal oxides. One of the important types of interaction between adsorbates and metal oxides is the formation of coordinate covalent bonding between adsorbates and the surface metal ions. For instance, in the case of TiO2, those compounds that have enediol, carboxylate, and nitrile groups have been shown to form coordinate covalent bonding with the surface Ti ions. In this type of interaction, the adsorbateto-metal charge-transfer interaction is often the lowestenergy electronic transition. However, in the case of alizarin (Figure 1a, inset) on TiO2, a theoretical study has suggested that the intramolecular charge-transfer (IMCT) band from the catechol moiety to the entire ring system is the lowestenergy transition. Electronegativity (EN) is one of the most important fundamental properties of an atom, which represents “the power of an atom in a compound to attract electrons to itself”. Among various EN scales that have been developed, Sanderson s scale and the associated EN equalization principle are successful in calculating the bond energies of various compounds , elucidating the acidic and basic properties of zeolites, and establishing the relationship between the reactivity and the composition of the zeolite that served as the guideline for the preparation of optimum zeolite catalysts. These methods have also been used for various other purposes. However, owing to a lack of experimental data, Sanderson s EN scale has not been extended to lanthanides (Ln) during the last five decades, despite the fact that lanthanide-containing compounds are widely used. Herein, we report that the IMCT transition of alizarin is still the lowest-energy transition when it is adsorbed on various metal oxides and sulfides, regardless of the nature of the metal ion. The charge-transfer transition serves as a highly sensitive and accurate probe for the quantitative comparison of the acidic strengths of the metal oxides and sulfides. We also report the factors that govern the surface acidity, which allows us to assign for the first time the important Sanderson s EN values of Ln ions (SLn3+) and Ce . To experimentally verify the IMCT nature of the lowestenergy electronic transition from the catechol moiety to the entire ring, we also synthesized 4-methoxyalizarin (Figure 1a, inset; Supporting Information, SI-1). The UV/Vis spectra of the two compounds (Figure 1a) show that the lowest-energy transition (2.856 eV) shifts to the lower energy region (2.617 eV) upon introducing a methoxy group at the 4 position; that is, upon increasing the donor strength of the catechol moiety, which verifies the IMCT nature of the transition. The IMCT bands of alizarin and 4-methoxyalizarin adsorbed on various metal oxides and sulfides are shown in Figure 1b, with the order of energy increasing from bottom to top. The IMCT bands appear at 2.322–2.713 eV for alizarin and 2.288–2.536 eV for 4-methoxyalizarin (Supporting Information, Table SI-2). The red-shift from alizarin to 4-methoxyalizarin also suggests that the lowest-energy transition of the adsorbed alizarin is IMCT. Furthermore, the IMCT bands of alizarin and 4-methoxyalizarin are red-shifted when they are adsorbed onto oxides and sulfides. Such coordination-induced redshifts were also observed in solution. The IMCT band of alizarin (2.398 eV) red-shifts upon coordinating to Mg in ethanol relative to its uncoordinated state (2.856 eV; Supporting Information, Figure SI-3). We attribute the red shift to a decrease in the degree of electron withdrawal of the two phenoxide groups as a result of the replacement of the two strongly electron-withdrawing protons by a less strongly electron-withdrawing metal cation (Figure 1d, inset). In this context, the gradual blue shift of the IMCT band of the adsorbed alizarin and 4-methoxyalizarin on going from MgO to Ta2O5 is attributed to the increase in the degree of electron withdrawal from the two phenoxide ligands to a surface metal ion in the following order: MgO

Various MX (M = Cd, Zn, and Mn, X = S and Se) semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) were prepared in zeolite Y. While the QDs are readily expelled from zeolite interior upon exposure of the MX QD-incorporating zeolite Y ([MX]-Y) to the ambient atmosphere due to moisture adsorption, they remain tightly confined within zeolites even after exposure to the moist atmosphere for several weeks when the surfaces were silylated with various silylating agents. This methodology will facilitate the characterization of the zeolite-encapsulated QDs and the application of QD-incorporating zeolites.