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At least 1,657 records · Page 92

Strain-Induced Shifts in Defective Graphite Phonon Modes Predicted by Density Functional Theory

Carbon fiber composites have gained attention as a structural material because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, and understanding the effect of defects on reactivity and mechanical properties is important for the longevity and safety of the composite. Although it is known that strain causes the underlying graphitic vibrational modes to redshift, it is not clear how strain may alter reactivity and defect-induced vibrational changes. To investigate the strain-induced phonon changes of defective carbon fiber composites, density functional theory calculations of graphite are used, including intercalated hydrogen and fluorine defects. By comparing changes in the bond lengths, formation energies, and phonon density of states for uniaxially and biaxially strained graphite, strain was found to generally make defect formation more favorable and the specific behavior changes are dependent on the strain direction and defect identity. Specifically, intercalated fluorine phonons are more sensitive to strain than hydrogen intercalation phonons, and strain applied along the zigzag direction alters the calculated properties more than strain along the armchair direction. Finally, these results highlight the importance of understanding the microstructural effect of deviations from the ideal material because small changes in strain or defect type can significantly alter the behavior of the carbon fiber composite core.

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High-Energy Charge-Separated States by Reductive Electron Transfer Followed by Electron Shift in the Tetraphenylethylene–Aluminum(III) Porphyrin–Fullerene Triad

A high-potential supramolecular triad (TPE-AlPor ← Im-C 60 ) composed of aluminum(III) porphyrin (AlPor), fullerene (C 60 ), and tetraphenylethylene (TPE) has been constructed. The fullerene and tetraphenylethylene units are bound axially to opposite faces of the porphyrin plane via coordination and covalent bonds, respectively. The ground and excited-state properties of the triad and reference dyads are studied using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. The transient data show that photoexcitation results in charge separation from tetraphenylethylene to the excited singlet state of the porphyrin ( 1 AlPor*), generating a high-energy (2.14 eV) charge-separated state, (TPE) •+ -(AlPor) •– , in toluene. A subsequent electron migration from the AlPor –• to fullerene generates a second high-energy (1.78 eV) charge-separated state (TPE) •+ -AlPor ← Im-(C60) •– . The lifetime of the charge separation is about 25 ns. Here, the high energy stored in the form of charge-separated states along with their reasonable lifetimes makes these donor–acceptor systems potential electron-transporting catalysts to carry out energy-demanding photochemical reactions, especially in artificial photosynthesis for conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanosecond, Time-Resolved Shift of the Photoluminescence Spectra of Organic, Lead-Halide Perovskites Reveals Structural Features Resulting from Excess Organic Ammonium Halide

The effort to drive solution-based perovskite solar cells toward higher efficiency has been considerable, reaching over 24%. Such progress has been made possible by the low-energy barrier to crystallization. The low-energy barrier in the reverse direction, however, also renders them susceptible to dissociation from heat, moisture, and photoexcitation. Consequently, studies that provide information on the stability of perovskites are of considerable importance. It has been reported that perovskite crystals formed using different stoichiometries of the organic precursors and metal halide are equivalent. Our findings, however, suggest that the difference in reaction pathways affects the quality of the final crystal and that changes in morphology and the production of any defects can lead to differences in behavior under illumination. Here, we present photoluminescence spectra subsequent to nanosecond photoexcitation of perovskites synthesized under various conditions. Our results indicate that the presence of excess precursors (i.e., CH 3 NH 3 X, X = I and surfactant) gives rise to an ~20 ns relaxation time with which the photoluminescence spectrum achieves its equilibrium value. This relaxation is absent in bulk, polycrystalline materials. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of the ~20 ns relaxation time, which we attribute to cation migration. Furthermore, these structural changes are not detectable subsequent to photoexcitation by X-ray diffraction nor are they detectable by in situ X-ray diffraction during photoexcitation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Sequence-defined Energetic Shifts Control the Disassembly Kinetics and Microstructure of Amelogenin Adsorbed onto Hydroxyapatite (100)

The interactions between proteins and surfaces are critical to a number of important processes including biomineralization, the biocompatibility of biomaterials, and the function of biosensors. Although many proteins exist as monomers or small oligomers, amelogenin is a unique protein that self-assembles into supramolecular structures called “nanospheres,” aggregates of 100’s of monomers that are 20-60 nm in diameter. The nanosphere quaternary structure is observed in solution, however, the quaternary structure of amelogenin adsorbed onto hydroxyapatite (HAP) surfaces is not known even though it may be important to amelogenin’s function in forming highly elongated and intricately assembled HAP crystallites during enamel formation. We report studies of the interactions of the enamel protein, amelogenin (rpM179), with a well-defined (100) face prepared by synthesis of large crystals of HAP. High resolution, in-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to directly observe protein adsorption onto HAP at the molecular level within an aqueous solution environment. Our study shows that the amelogenin nanospheres disassemble onto the HAP surface, breaking down into oligomeric (25-mer) subunits of the larger nanosphere. In some cases, the disassembly event is directly observed by in situ imaging for the first time. Quantification of the adsorbate amounts by size analysis led to the determination of a protein binding energy (17.1 kbT) to a specific face of HAP (100). The kinetics of disassembly are greatly slowed in aged solutions, indicating there are time-dependent increases in oligomer-oligomer binding interactions within the nanosphere. A small change in the sequence of amelogenin by the attachment of a histidine tag to the N-terminus of rpM179 to form rp(H)M180 results in the adsorption of a complete second layer on top of the underlying first layer. Our research elucidates how supramolecular protein structures interact and break down at surfaces and how small changes in the primary sequence of amelogenin can affect the disassembly process.

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