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2D transition metal carbides and/or nitrides, so-called MXenes, are noted as ideal fast-charging cation-intercalation electrode materials, which nevertheless suffer from limited specific capacities. Herein, it is reported that constructing redox-active phosphorus−oxygen terminals can be an attractive strategy for Nb4C3 MXenes to remarkably boost their specific capacities for ultrafast Na+ storage. As revealed, redox-active terminals with a stoichiometric formula of PO2- display a metaphosphate-like configuration with each P atom sustaining three P-O bonds and one P=O dangling bond. Compared with conventional O-terminals, metaphosphate-like terminals empower Nb4C3 (denoted PO2-Nb4C3) with considerably enriched carrier density (fourfold), improved conductivity (12.3-fold at 300 K), additional redox-active sites, boosted Nb redox depth, nondeclined Na+-diffusion capability, and buffered internal stress during Na+ intercalation/de-intercalation. Consequently, compared with O-terminated Nb4C3, PO2-Nb4C3 exhibits a doubled Na+-storage capacity (221.0 mAh g-1), well-retained fast-charging capability (4.9 min at 80% capacity retention), significantly promoted cycle life (nondegraded capacity over 2000 cycles), and justified feasibility for assembling energy−power-balanced Na-ion capacitors. This study unveils that the molecular-level design of MXene terminals provides opportunities for developing simultaneously high-capacity and fast-charging electrodes, alleviating the energy−power tradeoff typical for energy-storage devices.

Switchable supercapacitors (SCs) enable a reversible electrically-driven uptake/release of bioactive ions by polarizing porous carbon electrodes. Herein we demonstrate the first example of a bioactive ion-based switchable supercapacitor. Based on choline chloride and porous carbons we unravel the mechanism of physisorption vs. electrosorption by nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman, and impedance spectroscopy. Weak physisorption facilitates electrically-driven electrolyte depletion enabling the controllable uptake/release of electrolyte ions. A new 4-terminal device is proposed, with a main capacitor and a detective capacitor for monitoring bioactive ion adsorption in situ. Ion-concentration control in printed choline-based switchable SCs realizes switching down to 8.3 % residual capacitance. The exploration of adsorption mechanisms in printable microdevices will open an avenue of manipulating bioactive ions for the application of drug delivery, neuromodulation, or neuromorphic devices.

The interest in two-dimensional conjugated polymers (2D CPs) has increased significantly in recent years. In particular, vinylene-linked 2D CPs with fully in-plane sp2-carbon-conjugated structures, high thermal and chemical stability, have become the focus of attention. Although the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) reaction has been recently demonstrated in synthesizing vinylene-linked 2D CPs, it remains largely unexplored due to the challenge in synthesis. In this work, we reveal the control of crystallinity of 2D CPs during the solvothermal synthesis of 2D-poly(phenylene-quinoxaline-vinylene)s (2D-PPQVs) and 2D-poly(phenylene-vinylene)s through the HWE polycondensation. The employment of fluorinated phosphonates and rigid aldehyde building blocks is demonstrated as crucial factors in enhancing the crystallinity of the obtained 2D CPs. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the critical role of the fluorinated phosphonate in enhancing the reversibility of the (semi)reversible C−C single bond formation.

Growth of dendrites, limited coulombic efficiency (CE), and the lack of high-voltage electrolytes restrict the commercialization of zinc batteries and capacitors. These issues are resolved by a new electrolyte, based on the zinc(II)–betaine complex [Zn(bet)2][NTf2]2. Solutions in acetonitrile (AN) avoid dendrite formation. A Zn||Zn cell operates stably over 10 110 h (5055 cycles) at 0.2 mA cm−2 or 110 h at 50 mA cm−2, and has an area capacity of 113 mAh cm−2 at 80% depth of discharge. A zinc–graphite battery performs at 2.6 V with a midpoint discharge-voltage of 2.4 V. The capacity-retention at 3 A g−1 (150 C) is 97% after 1000 cycles and 68% after 10 000 cycles. The charge/discharge time is about 24 s at 3.0 A g−1 with an energy density of 49 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 6864 W kg−1 based on the cathode. A zinc||activated-carbon ion-capacitor (coin cell) exhibits an operating-voltage window of 2.5 V, an energy density of 96 Wh kg−1 with a power density of 610 W kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1. At 12 A g−1, 36 Wh kg−1, and 13 600 W kg−1 are achieved with 90% capacity-retention and an average CE of 96% over 10 000 cycles. Quantum-chemical methods and vibrational spectroscopy reveal [Zn(bet)2(AN)2]2+ as the dominant complex in the electrolyte.

Vinylene-linked two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (V-2D-COFs) have shown great promise in electronics and optoelectronics. However, only a few reactions for V-2D-COFs have been developed hitherto. Besides the kinetically low reversibility of C=C bond formation, another underlying issue facing the synthesis of V-2D-COFs is the attainment of high (E)-alkene selectivity to ensure the appropriate symmetry of 2D frameworks. Here, we tailor the E/Z selectivity of the Wittig reaction by employing a proper catalyst (i.e., Cs2CO3) to obtain more stable intermediates and elevating the temperature across the reaction barrier. Subsequently, the Wittig reaction is innovatively utilized for the synthesis of four crystalline V-2D-COFs by combining aldehydes and ylides. Importantly, the efficient conjugation and decent crystallinity of the resultant V-2D-COFs are demonstrated by their high charge carrier mobilities over 10 cm2 V−1 s−1, as revealed by non-contact terahertz (THz) spectroscopy.

As the UN summit in September 2015 addressed with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), our planet faces great challenges.[1] Not only since then has the role of synthetic materials chemistry been discussed in this context.[2–16] This not only concerns the development of new materials with outstanding properties such as catalysts, materials for energy conversion, and cost-efficient energy converting and storage materials, but also a reduction of the energy consumption of established functional material syntheses. Therefore, new approaches addressing the three main categories to promote the potential for energy and resource efficiency have been proposed: lowering the temperature of the synthetic processes, improving the yield and purity of the materials, and reducing the amount of waste materials. In this context a number of low-temperature processes have been established, in which mainly solvents, i.e. amines and alcohols, are used in combination with previously synthesised precursors as the solubility of the starting materials limits their usability and most elements are not soluble in these solvents. Novel solvents like ionic liquids (ILs) showcase growing interest as they are considered particularly resource-efficient.[17,18] ILs are defined as liquids that are comprised entirely of ions, with melting points below 100 °C. Continuing on from the reported work in this field, this thesis focuses on investigating the ability of ILs in the syntheses for known chalcogenides at lower temperatures and the synthesis of new materials. The main focus lies on conversions with high atom economy, especially by starting from the elements and completely recycling the IL afterwards, and mechanistic studies elucidating the intermediate dissolved species. Furthermore, as imidazolium based ILs, and their derived LEWIS-acidic ILs [BMIm]Cl/nAlCl3 mixtures, have proven to be good crystallisation media in inorganic syntheses, and the class of mostly room-temperature liquid ILs (RTILs

Eine Nierentransplantation ist das einzig kurative Behandlungsverfahren für Patienten mit terminaler Niereninsuffizienz. Jedoch ist Mangel an Spenderorganen ein zentrales Problem der Transplantationsmedizin. Die Diskrepanz zwischen Bedarf und Verfügbarkeit führte zur zunehmenden Akzeptanz von Spendern mit Marginalitätskritierien. Deren Transplantate sind jedoch mit einem erhöhten Risiko der primären Nichtfunktion oder des verzögerten Transplantatversagens verbunden und die Akzeptanz dieser risikoreicheren Organe ist limitiert. Viele potenzielle Spenderorgane bleiben ungenutzt aufgrund der Schwierigkeit, den Funktionszustand von Organen im Zeitraum der Konservierung mit der klinisch etablierten statisch kalten Lagerung auf Eis vorherzusagen. So ist die Bestimmung der Eignung eines Organs für eine Transplantation weitgehend abhängig von der subjektiven Beurteilung durch den Chirurgen bzw. von Kriterien, die Limitierungen hinsichtlich der Vorhersage der postoperativen Transplantatfunktion besitzen. Die Konservierung von Organen mittels Maschinenperfusion eröffnet für die Transplantationsmedizin neue Chancen. Besonders vielversprechend hierfür ist die normotherme Maschinenperfusion (NMP), welche physiologische Konditionen simuliert und damit eine Evaluation der Funktionsfähigkeit eines Organs bei Aufrechterhaltung des zellulären Metabolismus erlaubt. Nach fast zwei Dekaden intensiver Forschung an der NMP genießt die Etablierung von Bewertungsstrategien für Nieren jedoch zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit. An diesem Punkt setzt die vorliegende Arbeit an mit dem Bestreben, eine objektive Funktionsbewertung von Nieren während der NMP zu gewährleisten. Aus dieser Zielstellung ergeben sich folgende vier Forschungsschwerpunkte: 1. Etablierung einer Perfusatlösung für die NMP 2. Bestimmung der Nierenfunktion während der NMP 3. Identifizierung von Blut-, Urin- und Gewebemarkern 4. Funktionelle Klassifizierung der Nieren 1. Etablierung einer Perfusatlösung für die NMP Ausgangspunkt dieser

A long standing problem in catalysis is the identification and characterization of the active sites, i.e. an atom or an ensemble of atoms spouse on the surface of a catalyst.[Taylor1925] One relevant case, that is treated in this thesis, is constituted by the Phillips catalyst.[Hogan1958] For several reasons, even though this catalyst has be applied at industrial scale for decades and is accounted for a majority of the high density polyethylene (HDPE) production, the identification and the mechanism of the active sites are still under debate. This work was initiated in the framework of the PARACAT project, which is dedicated to study the paramagnetic species in catalysis, and focuses on 'The role of Cr paramagnetic states in olefin polymerization over Phillips catalyst.' In the course of the study, I brought this research to a larger scale which included but was not limited to the Phillips catalyst itself. Considering the relevance of the interaction between transition metal ions (TMI) and the support to the catalytic activity, I worked on systems that cover a number of oxide-supported TMIs by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In this thesis I investigated the paramagnetic Cr(V) and Cr(III) species in the Phillips catalyst. The Cr(III) species were suggested with possible relevance to the catalytic reaction while Cr(V) species were suggested as just the spectators in the reaction.[McDaniel2010, Groppo2018] Nevertheless, Cr(V) species were used in this work as spin probes to provide more information on the overall system. Field-sweep methods including continuous wave (CW) EPR and echo detected field sweep (EDFS) showed that the there are two Cr(V) species with different local geometries. Quantitative analysis of the CW EPR showed that these two Cr(V) species have different reactivity with ethylene. The instantaneous diffusion analysis were performed on the Cr(V) species to provide information on the dispersion of the Cr on the silica surfac

The photocathode is one of the key components of particle accelerator facilities that provides electrons for experiments in many disciplines such as biomedicine, security imaging, and condensed matter physics. The requirements for the electron emitting material, the so-called photocathode, are rather high because these materials should provide a high quantum efficiency, a low thermal emittance, a fast response, and a long operational lifetime. At present, none of the state-of-the-art photocathodes can fully meet all the desired requirements. Therefore, new materials that can be used as potential photocathodes are urgently needed for future developments in accelerator research. Semiconductor photocathodes such as cesium telluride are the preferred materials in particle accelerators. These photocathodes provide high quantum efficiencies of above 10 %, making them highly attractive. The crystal growth of cesium telluride, as a compound semiconductor photocathode, requires the deposition of cesium and tellurium on a suitable substrate with an ideal chemical ratio, which seems elaborate and difficult to handle. In contrast, III-V semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide and gallium nitride (GaN), represent another type of semiconductor photocathode. These commercially available semiconductors are already grown on a substrate and only require a thin film of cesium and optional oxygen to obtain a photocathode. An atomically clean surface is necessary to achieve a negative electron affinity surface, which is the main prerequisite for high quantum efficiency. In this work, p-GaN grown on sapphire by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, was wet chemically cleaned, and transferred into an ultra-high vacuum chamber, where it underwent a subsequent thermal cleaning. The cleaned p-GaN samples were activated with Cs to obtain p-GaN:Cs photocathodes and their performance was monitored with respect to their quality, especially concerning their quantum efficiency and storage life

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are highly porous materials built from inorganic nodes joined by organic linkers forming extended crystalline networks. One of the distinguishing features of metal-organic frameworks is the ability to adaptively change their crystal structure in response to external stimuli with significant porosity switching. Such structural switchability of MOFs offers new opportunities in gas separation, selective recognition, sensing, and energy storage. However, there are still open questions in understanding factors affecting switchability. The electronic structure of the metal in the building blocks, host-guest interactions, but also particle size, morphology, surface, desolvation conditions are involved into the responsiveness of the system. One of the representative of switchable metal-organic frameworks is pillared-layer DUT-8 (M2(2,6-ndc)2(dabco), M = Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, 2,6-ndc = 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate, dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane). Depending on the metal node and particle size, it is possible to synthesize either switchable or rigid materials differing in physisorption isotherm profiles. In order to understand switching behaviour of DUT-8, the important parameters influencing structural switchability are addressed in my work. For this purpose, the impact of crystal size and morphology, as well as crystal surface on adsorption-induced structural transformations of DUT-8(Ni) were investigated. DUT-8(Ni) shows reversible structural transition between open (op) and closed pore phase (cp) upon adsorption/removal of guest molecules. To understand which particular crystal surfaces dominate the phenomena observed, crystals similar in size and differing in morphology were involved in a systematic study. The analysis of the data shows that the width of the rods (corresponding to the crystallographic directions along the layer) represents a critical parameter governing the dynamic properties upon adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K. This obse