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At least 901 records · Page 50

Photoionization Efficiencies of Five Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We have measured photoionization-efficiency curves for pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, perylene, and coronene in the photon energy range of 7.5-10.2 eV and derived their photoionization cross-section curves in this energy range. All measurements were performed using tunable vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation generated at the Advanced Light Source synchrotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The VUV radiation was used for photoionization, and detection was performed using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. We measured the photoionization efficiency of 2,5-dimethylfuran simultaneously with those of pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, perylene, and coronene to obtain references of the photon flux during each measurement from the known photoionization cross-section curve of 2,5- dimethylfuran.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Translational and Rotational Motion of C8 Aromatics Adsorbed in Isotropic Porous Media (MOF-5): NMR Studies and MD Simulations

For this, we combined nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study xylene behavior in MOF-5, probing the effects of adsorbate geometry in a weakly interacting model isotropic metal organic framework (MOF) system. We employed NMR diffusometry and relaxometry techniques at low field (13 MHz) to quantify the self-diffusion coefficients (D s ) and the longitudinal relaxation times (T 1 ) of xylenes in MOF-5 as a function of temperature at the saturated loading for each xylene. These experiments reveal the translational motion activation energies to be 15.3, 19.7, and 21.2 kj mol -1 and the rotational activation energies to be 47.26, 12.88, and 11.55 for the (p-, m-, o-) xylene isomers, respectively. Paraxylene exhibits faster translational motion, yet shows four times the activation energy barrier for rotational motion vis-à-vis the other isomers. MD simulations performed on these model systems corroborate the findings for paraxylene and suggest that paraxylene has the lower free energy barrier for hopping away from its binding sites, yet has the slowest rotational motion in the plane of the xylene molecule.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photon Upconversion Using Baird-Type (Anti)Aromatic Quinoidal Naphthalene Derivative as a Sensitizer

In this study, a naphtho-p-quinodimethane (QDM) exhibiting Baird’s 4n - π antiaromaticity was used as green photonsharvesting chromophore to sensitize perylene (Per) leading to upconverted blue photoluminescence. The solution phase QDM → Per triplet energy transfer (TET) could not be unraveled via the Stern-Volmer method, but transient absorption measurements revealed that the kinetics of T 1 → T n for QDM (τ = 1.4 μs) was 1 order of magnitude reduced (τ= 0.17 μs) as a result of 3 (Per)* formation. Lastly, we demonstrated that incident light with power densities in the microwatt regime is sufficient to perform photon upconversion using the present set of molecular systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Effect of Solvent and Substrate on the Surface Binding Mode of Carboxylate-Functionalized Aromatic Molecules

Here, the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is strongly influenced by dye molecule orientation and interactions with the substrate. Understanding the factors controlling the surface orientation of sensitizing organic molecules will aid in the improvement of both traditional DSSCs and other devices that integrate molecular linkers at interfaces. Here, we describe a general approach to understand relative dye–substrate orientation and provide analytical expressions predicting orientation. We consider the effects of substrate, solvent, and protonation state on dye molecule orientation. In the absence of solvent, our model predicts that most carboxylic acid-functionalized molecules prefer to lie flat (parallel) on the surface, due to van der Waals interactions, as opposed to a tilted orientation with respect to the surface that is favored by covalent bonding of the carboxylic acid group to the substrate. When solvation effects are considered, however, the molecules are predicted to orient perpendicular to the surface. We extend this approach to help understand and guide the orientation of metal–organic framework (MOF) thin-film growth on various metal–oxide substrates. A two-part analytical model is developed on the basis of the results of DFT calculations and ab initio MD simulations that predicts the binding energy of a molecule by chemical and dispersion forces on rutile and anatase TiO 2 surfaces, and quantifies the dye solvation energy for two solvents. The model is in good agreement with the DFT calculations and enables rapid prediction of dye molecule and MOF linker binding preference on the basis of the size of the adsorbing molecule, identity of the surface, and the solvent environment. We establish the threshold molecular size, governing dye molecule orientation, for each condition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Understanding the Binding of Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Rutile TiO2(110)

The adsorption of cyclohexane, benzene, and alkyl-substituted benzene derivatives is studied on rutile TiO2(110) by a combination of molecular beam dosing, temperature programmed desorption, and density functional theory (DFT). An inversion analysis is used to extract the coverage dependent desorption energies from TiO2(110). The values of the suitable prefactors are derived from simple statistical mechanical models assuming different limits in the adsorbate mobility on the surface. The prefactor values determined using the vibrational frequencies from DFT calculations corroborate this analysis and show that the adsorbates are mobile in 1- or 2-dimensions on corrugated TiO2(110) surface. The adsorption of benzene derivatives is found to be dominated by the dative Lewis acid-base interactions of the p system with the surface Ti ions. While the desorption energy generally increases with increasing the length and the number of substituents, the difference between the desorption energies decreases as the number and length of substituents is increased. This is a consequence of the destabilization of the optimum bonding configuration of the benzene ring and the alkyl groups with their increasing length and number. The absolute saturation coverages of uncompressed layers correspond approximately to one molecule per two Ti5c sites and decrease slightly with increasing molecule size in a good agreement with van der Waals sizes of the molecules.

Chen, Long↗

Au 38 (SPh) 24 : Au 38 Protected with Aromatic Thiolate Ligands

Au38(SR)24 is one of the most extensively investigated gold nanomolecules along with Au25(SR)18 and Au144(SR)60. However, so far it has only been prepared using aliphatic-like ligands, where R = –SC6H13, -SC12H25 and –SCH2CH2Ph. Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 when reacted with HSPh undergoes core-size conversion to Au36(SPh)24, and existing literature suggest that Au38(SPh)24 cannot be synthesized. Here, contrary to prevailing knowledge, we demonstrate that Au38(SPh)24 can be prepared if the ligand exchanged conditions are optimized, without any formation of Au36(SPh)24. Conclusive evidence is presented in the form of MALDI-MS, ESI-MS characterization, and optical spectra of Au38(SPh)24 in a solid glass form showing distinct differences from that of Au38(S-aliphatic)24. Theoretical analysis confirms experimental assignment of the optical spectrum and shows that the stability of Au38(SPh)24 is comparable to that of its aliphatic analogues, but results from different physical origins, with a significant component of ligand-ligand attractive interactions.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗