Thermal evaporation-driven fabrication of Ru/RuO2 nanoparticles onto nickel foam for efficient overall water splitting.

Developing high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) holds great significance for efficient water splitting. This work presents a two-stage metal-organic thermal evaporation strategy for the fabrication of Ru-based catalysts (Ru/NF) through growing ruthenium (Ru)/ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) nanoparticles (NPs) on nickel foam (NF). The optimal Ru/NF shows remarkable performance in both the HER (26.1 mV) and the OER (235.4 mV) at 10 mA cm-2 in an alkaline medium. The superior OER performance can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between Ru and RuO2, facilitating fast alkaline water splitting. Density functional theory studies reveal that the resulting Ru/RuO2 with the (110) crystal surface reinforces the adsorption of oxygen on RuO2, while metallic Ru improves water dissociation in alkaline electrolytes. Besides, Ru/NF requires only 1.50 V at 10 mA cm-2 for overall water splitting, surpassing 20 wt% Pt/C/NF||RuO2/NF. This work demonstrates the promising potential of a thermal evaporation approach for designing stable Ru-based nanomaterials loaded onto conductive substrates for high performance overall water splitting.

Coordination Polymer-Mediated Molecular Surgery for Precise Interconversion of Dicyclobutane Compounds.

A Cd(II)-based coordination polymer {[Cd2(5-F-1,3-bpeb)2(FBA)4]·H2O}n (CP1) was obtained from Cd(II) salt, 5-fluoro-1,3-bis[2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]benzene (5-F-1,3-bpeb), and p-fluorobenzoic acid (HFBA). Within the one-dimensional chain structure of CP1, a pair of 5-F-1,3-bpeb was arranged in a face-to-face style. Upon UV irradiation and heat treatment, multiple cyclobutane isomers, including specific monocyclobutanes (1 with an endo-cyclobutane ring in CP1-1 and 1' with an exo-cyclobutane ring in CP1-1') and dicyclobutanes (endo,endo-dicyclobutane 2α in CP1-2α, exo,endo-dicyclobutane 2ß in CP1-2ß, and exo,exo-dicyclobutane 2γ in CP1-2γ) were stereoselectively produced. These isomers could be interconverted inside the CP via cutting/coupling specific bonds, which may be regarded as a type of molecular surgery. The precision of cutting/coupling relied on the thermal stability of the cyclobutanes and the alignment of the reactive alkene centers. The conversion processes were tracked through nuclear magnetic resonance, in situ powder X-ray diffraction, and IR spectroscopy. This approach can be considered as skeletal editing to construct complex organic compounds directly from one precursor.

Iron-doped NiCo-MOF hollow nanospheres for enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen evolution.

The development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as high-efficiency electrocatalysts for water splitting has attracted special attention due to their unique structural features including high porosity, large surface areas, high concentrations of active sites, uniform pore sizes and shapes, etc. Most of the related reports focus on the in situ generation of high-efficiency electrocatalysts by annealed MOFs. However, the pyrolysis process usually destroys the porous structure of MOFs and reduces the number of active sites due to the absence of organic ligands and agglomeration of metal centers. In this work, we prepared unique NiCo-MOF hollow nanospheres (NiCo-MOF HNSs) by a solvothermal method and further fabricated Fe-doped NiCo-MOF HNSs (Fe@NiCo-MOF HNSs) by a simple impregnation-drying method. Significant enhancement of electrocatalytic activity of Fe@NiCo-MOF HNSs was witnessed because of the doped Fe. Compared with the parent NiCo-MOF HNSs, the optimized Fe@NiCo-MOF HNSs exhibited a lower overpotential of 244 mV at 10 mA·cm-2 with a smaller Tafel slope of 48.61 mV·dec-1, which was lowered by ca. 90 mV due to the influence of Fe doping on the electronic structure of the active centers of Ni and Co. The above materials also displayed excellent stability without obvious activity decay for at least 16 hours. These findings present a new entry in the design and fabrication of high-efficiency MOF-based electrocatalysts for energy conversion.

Nickel-Catalyzed Sonogashira C(sp)-C(sp2) Coupling through Visible-Light Sensitization.

An efficient method for visible-light-initiated, nickel-catalyzed Sonogashira C(sp)-C(sp2) coupling has been developed via an energy-transfer mode. Thioxanthen-9-one as a photosensitizer could significantly accelerate the arylation of alkynes with a wide range of (hetero)aryl halides in high yields. The cross-coupling reaction undergoes the stepwise oxidative addition of an arylhalide to nickel(0), transmetalation of the resulting aryl-Ni(II) halide species with Zn(II) acetylide into aryl-Ni(II) acetylide species, energy transfer from the excited state of thioxanthen-9-one to aryl-Ni(II) acetylide, and reductive elimination to the aryl alkyne.

Cobalt(II) and Nickel(II) Complexes of a PNN Type Ligand as Photoenhanced Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Hydrogen will be an important energy vector of the future, and improved efficiency in electrohydrolysis will accelerate this transition. In a fundamental study, we have prepared Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes of a new PNN type ligand N-((diphenylphosphanyl)methyl)-2-amino-1,10-phenanthroline (dppmaphen) incorporating the photoactive 1,10-phenanthroline group and the strongly coordinating diphenylphosphine to obtain photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalysts [Co(dppmaphen)2(NO3)2] (1) and [Ni(dppmaphen)2Cl]Cl (2) which catalyzed the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media (1 M KOH). Overpotentials (η10) of 430 (1) and 364 mV (2) could be reduced to 345 (1) and 284 mV (2) under Xe light irradiation. This irradiation generated photocurrent responses of 528 (1) and 357 uA/cm2 (2). Density function theory (DFT) calculation on the frontier orbitals of 1 and 2 were useful in understanding these differences in catalytic performance.

A hierarchically-assembled Fe-MoS2/Ni3S2/nickel foam electrocatalyst for efficient water splitting.

The development of bifunctional non-noble metal electrocatalysts demonstrating high activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great significance for renewable and clean energy. In this work, we report hierarchically structured integrated Fe-MoS2/Ni3S2/NF (NF = nickel foam) materials prepared by a facile in situ solvothermal method, and among them, the Fe-doped MoS2 was assembled into spine-like nanorods. The optimized electrocatalyst (denoted as Fe-MoS2/Ni3S2/NF-2) demonstrated excellent activity and durability for performing the HER and OER in an alkaline electrolyte (pH = 14) with low overpotentials of 130.6 mV and 256 mV (vs. RHE) at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, as well as no significant loss in catalytic performance even after 2000 cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles. An outstanding durability of 180 h could be achieved for OER. The overall water splitting made up of the two-electrode system with Fe-MoS2/Ni3S2/NF-2 as both the anode and the cathode required a voltage of only 1.61 V to drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2 along with an outstanding long-term stability of 20 h, displaying its great potential for application in water splitting. The effective construction of multi-component synergistic structures shows a good pathway for high-performance electrocatalysis and energy storage.

Reaction condition controlled nickel(ii)-catalyzed C-C cross-coupling of alcohols.

The challenge in the C-C cross-coupling of secondary and primary alcohols using acceptorless dehydrogenation coupling (ADC) is the difficulty in accurately controlling product selectivities. Herein, we report a controlled approach to a diverse range of ß-alkylated secondary alcohols, α-alkylated ketones and α,ß-unsaturated ketones using the ADC methodology employing a Ni(ii) 4,6-dimethylpyrimidine-2-thiolate cluster catalyst under different reaction conditions. This catalyst could tolerate a wide range of substrates and exhibited a high activity for the annulation reaction of secondary alcohols with 2-aminobenzyl alcohols to yield quinolines. This work is an example of precise chemoselectivity control by careful choice of reaction conditions.

Post-synthetic Modification of a Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework via Photodimerization Enables Highly Selective Luminescent Sensing of Aluminum(III).

Reaction of Cd(NO3)2·4H2O with 5-fluoro-1,3-bis[2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]benzene (5-F-1,3-bpeb) and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (1,3-H2BDC) under the solvothermal conditions gave rise to a two-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) [{Cd2(5-F-1,3-bpeb)2(1,3-BDC)2}·0.5DMF·2H2O] n (1). Compound 1 was postmodified by a photodimerization reaction between 5-F-1,3-bpeb ligands to yield [{Cd2( syn-dftpmcp)(1,3-BDC)2}·0.5DMF·H2O] n ( syn-dftpmcp = syn-3,4,12,13-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)-8,17-bisfluoro-1,2,9,10-diethano[2.2]metacyclophane) (2). Compounds 1 and 2 have 2D networks built from linking one-dimensional [Cd2(1,3-BDC)2] n chains via 5-F-1,3-bpeb or syn-dftpmcp bridges. After such a post-synthetic modification, compound 2, relative to 1, can probe Al3+ by using a luminescent quenching approach with much higher selectivity and sensitivity.

Guest-Induced Switchable Breathing Behavior in a Flexible Metal-Organic Framework with Pronounced Negative Gas Pressure.

Flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted great interest for their dynamically structural transformability in response to external stimuli. Herein, we report a switchable "breathing" or "gate-opening" behavior associated with the phase transformation between a narrow pore (np) and a large pore (lp) in a flexible pillared-layered MOF, denoted as MOF-1 as, which is also confirmed by SCXRD and PXRD. The desolvated phase (MOF-1 des) features a unique stepwise adsorption isotherm for N2 coupled with a pronounced negative gas adsorption pressure. For comparison, however, no appreciable CO2 adsorption and gate-opening phenomenon with stepwise sorption can be observed. Furthermore, the polar micropore walls decorated with thiophene groups in MOF-1 des reveals the selective sorption of toluene over benzene and p-xylene associated with self-structural adjustment in spite of the markedly similar physicochemical properties of these vapor molecules.

Luminescent cadmium(ii) coordination polymers of 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-pyridylvinyl)benzene used as efficient multi-responsive sensors for toxic metal ions in water.

Reactions of Cd(NO3)2·4H2O with 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-pyridylvinyl)benzene (4-tkpvb) and 5-tert-butylisophthalic acid (5-tert-H2BIPA), 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (1,3,5-H3BTC) or 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (1,4-H2NDC) under solvothermal conditions afforded three two-dimensional (2D) Cd(ii) coordination polymers [Cd(4-tkpvb)(5-tert-BIPA)]n (1), [{Cd(4-tkpvb)(1,3,5-HBTC)}·0.5DMF]n (2) and [Cd(4-tkpvb)(1,4-NDC)]n (3). Compounds 1-3 were structurally characterized by IR, elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1-3 possess unique 2D networks in which 1D double chains [Cd2L2]n (L = 5-tert-BIPA or 1,3,5-HBTC) (1-2) or 1D linear chains [Cd(1,4-NDC)]n (3) are linked by 4-tkpvb ligands. Upon UV light excitation, a 4-tkpvb solution in DMF showed an emission band centered at 446 nm with a shoulder at 475 nm. The addition of Hg2+ ions into the 4-tkpvb solution in DMF remarkably changed its colour from colourless to yellow under natural light, or from blue to grey yellow under UV light, which were clearly visible to the naked eye. Compounds 1-3 suspended in water could emit yellow-green light under UV light irradiation. The representative compound 1 was confirmed to be an uncommon multi-responsive luminescent sensor for Hg2+, CrO42- and Cr2O72- ions in water by the luminescence quenching method. The detection limits for these species were 0.15 µM (Hg2+), 0.08 µM (CrO42-) and 0.12 µM (Cr2O72-), respectively. The luminescence quenching mechanism studies revealed that these quenching processes were involved in either the interaction of Hg2+ with free pyridyl groups in 1 or the overlap between the absorption band of CrO42- or Cr2O72- and the excitation and/or emission bands of 1.

A cuboidal [Ni4O4] cluster as a precursor for recyclable, carbon-supported nickel nanoparticle reduction catalysts.

Cuboidal [Ni4O4] clusters supported by a pyridine alkoxide ligand have been developed. One of these clusters was selected as a precursor for carbon-hosted Ni nanoparticles (NiNPs/C) which were efficient catalysts for the conversion of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) at room temperature.

A Zn(II) coordination polymer and its photocycloaddition product: syntheses, structures, selective luminescence sensing of iron(III) ions and selective absorption of dyes.

One coordination polymer [Zn2(L)2(bpe)2(H2O)2] (1) (L = 4,4'-((1,2-phenylenebis(methylene))bis(oxy))dibenzoic acid; bpe = (E)-1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethene) was prepared and structurally determined. Compound 1 has a chain structure in which its pair of bpe ligands is arranged in a head-to-tail manner with their C=C bonds being close enough for a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction. Upon exposure to UV light, compound 1 undergoes a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) [2 + 2] photodimerization to generate one 2D coordination polymer [Zn(L)(rctt-tpcb)0.5(H2O)] (1a) (rctt (regio cis, trans, trans)-tpcb = tetrakis(4-pyridyl)cyclobutane). The tpcb ligands in the crystals of 1a show an intriguing in situ thermal isomerisation. The nanospheres of 1 can be obtained by recrystallization in DMSO/alcohol. The nanospheres of 1a can also be readily produced from the corresponding nanospheres of 1 by the photocyclodimerization method. Compared with those of 1a, the nanospheres of 1 display highly selective sensing of Fe(3+) ions over mixed metal ions through fluorescence quenching. Moreover, the nanospheres of 1a can rapidly adsorb CR (congo red), MB (methylene blue) or RhB (rhodamine B) over MO (methyl orange) from aqueous solutions. This work offers a new photoinduced post-synthetic method for the synthesis of multifunctional MOFs, which show luminescence sensing of Fe(3+) ions and dye adsorption properties.

Formation of N-heterocyclic diphosphine ligands from Ag(I)-assisted condensation reactions between bdppeda and formaldehyde and their binuclear silver(I) complexes.

The reaction of [Ag(MeCN)(4)]ClO(4) with N,N,N',N'-tetra(diphenylphosphanylmethyl)ethylenediamine (dppeda) in CH(2)Cl(2)/MeOH afforded an unexpected cationic binuclear complex [Ag(2)(L(1))(2)(η,η-µ-ClO(4))(2)](ClO(4))(2) (L(1) = N,N'-bis(diphenylphosphanylmethyl)-3H-4,5-dihydroimidazole-1-ium) (1). Compound 1 was also prepared in high yield from reactions of [Ag(MeCN)(4)]ClO(4) with N,N'-bis(diphenylphosphanylmethyl)ethylenediamine (bdppeda) in the presence of formaldehyde (HCHO) or formic acid (HCOOH). Analogous reactions of AgCl with bdppeda and HCHO resulted in the formation a neutral binuclear complex [Ag(2)(L(2))(2)(µ-Cl)(2)] (L(2) = N,N-bis(diphenylphosphanylmethyl)-tetrahydroimidazole) (2). Treatment of 1 with concentrated HCl gave rise to a partially anion-exchanged product [Ag(2)(L(1))(2)(µ-Cl)(2)](ClO(4))(2) (3). Compounds 1 and 3 have a similar cationic binuclear structure, in which a [Ag(2)(η,η-µ-ClO(4))(2)] or [Ag(2)(µ-Cl)(2)] ring is sandwiched by two in situ-formed cationic L(1) ligands. The L(1) ligand may be generated by the Ag(I)-assisted condensation reaction between bdppeda and HCHO or HCOOH. Compound 2 holds a neutral binuclear structure, in which a [Ag(2)(µ-Cl)(2)] ring is connected by two in situ-formed L(2) ligands from its top and bottom sites. The neutral ligand L(2) may be produced from another Ag(I)-assisted condensation reaction between bdppeda and HCHO. The in situ formation of the L(1) and L(2) ligands provides a new route to the N-heterocyclic diphosphine ligands, and an interesting insight into the coordination chemistry of their metal complexes.

Reactions of cadmium(II) nitrate with 4-(trimethylammonio)benzenethiolate in the presence of N-donor ligands.

Reactions of Cd(NO(3))(2)·4H(2)O with TabHPF(6) (TabH = 4-(trimethylammonio)benzenethiol) and Et(3)N in the presence of NH(4)SCN and five other N-donor ligands such as 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bipy), phenanthroline (phen), 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (2,9-dmphen), 2,6-bis(pyrazd-3-yl)pyridine (bppy) and 2,6-bis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bdmppy) gave rise to a family of Cd(II)/thiolate complexes of N-donor ligands, {[Cd(2)(µ-Tab)(4)(NCS)(2)](NO(3))(2)·MeOH}(n) (1), [Cd(2)(µ-Tab)(2)(L)(4)](PF(6))(4) (2: L = 2,2'-bipy; 3: L = phen), [Cd(Tab)(2)(L)](PF(6))(2) (4: L = 2,9-dmphen; 5: L = bppy), and [Cd(2)(µ-Tab)(2)(Tab)(2)(bdmppy)](2)(PF(6))(8)·H(2)O (6·H(2)O). These compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, UV-Vis spectra, (1)H NMR, electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. For 1, each [Cd(NCS)](+) fragment is connected to its equivalents via a pair of Tab bridges to a one-dimensional chain. For 2 and 3, two [Cd(2,2'-bipy)(2)](2+) or [Cd(phen)(2)](2+) units are linked by a pair of Tab bridges to form a cationic dimeric structure. The Cd atom in [Cd(Tab)(2)(L)](2+) dication of 4 or 5 is coordinated by two Tab ligands and chelated by two N atoms from 2,9-dmphen (4) or three N atoms from bppy (5), forming a distorted tetrahedral (4) or trigonal bipyramidal (5) coordination geometry. For 6, each of two [Cd(Tab)(bdmppy)] fragments is linked to one [(Tab)Cd(µ-Tab)(2)Cd(Tab)] fragment via two Tab bridges to generate a unique cationic zigzag tetrameric structure where the Cd centers take a tetrahedral or a trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry. The results may provide an interesting insight into mimicking the coordination spheres of the Cd(II) sites of metallothioneins and their interactions with various N-donor ligands encountered in nature.

Bis[bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane]bis(isothiocyanato)cadmium(II) and catena-poly[[di-mu-dicyanamidato-bis{[bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1yl)methane]cadmium(II)}]-di-mu-dicyanamidato].

The Cd atom in bis[bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane]bis(isothiocyanato)cadmium(II), [Cd(NCS)2(C11H16N4)2], is octahedrally coordinated by four N atoms from two bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane (dmpzm) ligands and two isothiocyanate ligands. The molecule has a crystallographic center of symmetry located at the Cd atom. There are two intramolecular C-H...N interactions, each of which is formed between the methylene group of a dmpzm ligand and the N atom of an isothiocyanate ligand. On the other hand, in catena-poly[[di-mu-dicyanamidato-bis{[bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane]cadmium(II)}]-di-mu-dicyanamidato], [Cd2(C2N3)4(C11H16N4)2]n, each Cd atom is octahedrally coordinated by two N atoms from one dmpzm ligand and four N atoms from four bridging dicyanamide (dca) anions. Two Cd atoms are bridged by a pair of dca anions, forming a dimeric [Cd2(mu-dca)2(dmpzm)2] unit. Another two pairs of dca anions further link this unit with neighboring units to form a brick-wall layer parallel to (100). A C-H...N interaction between the methylene group of one dmpzm ligand in one layer and a coordinating N atom of a dca ligand in an adjacent layer completes a three-dimensional network.

Dichloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]zinc(II) and di-mu-chloro-bis{chloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]cadmium(II)}.

The Zn atom in dichloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]zinc(II), [ZnCl2(C11H16N4)], (I), is tetrahedrally coordinated by two N atoms from one bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand and two terminal Cl atoms. The molecule has no crystallographic symmetry. One H atom of the CH2 group of the bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand interacts with a Cl atom of an adjacent molecule to yield intermolecular C-H...Cl contacts, thereby forming a one-dimensional zigzag chain extending along the b axis. On the other hand, in di-mu-chloro-bis{chloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]cadmium(II)}, [Cd2Cl4(C11H16N4)2], (II), each of the two crystallographically equivalent Cd atoms is pentacoordinated by two N atoms from one bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand, and by one terminal and two bridging Cl- anions. The molecule has a crystallographic centre of symmetry located at the mid-point of the Cd...Cd line. One H atom of the CH2 group of the bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand interacts with a Cl atom of an adjacent molecule to produce pairwise intermolecular C-H...Cl contacts, thereby affording chains of molecules running along the c axis.

Di-mu-iodo-bis{[1,1'-methylenebis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-kappaN2)]copper(I)}.

In the title compound, [Cu2I2(C11H16N4)2], each of the two crystallographically equivalent Cu atoms is tetrahedrally coordinated by two N atoms from one 1,1'-methylenebis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole) ligand and two bridging iodide anions. The molecule has a crystallographic center of symmetry located at the mid-point of the Cu...Cu line. One H atom of the CH2 group of the 1,1'-methylenebis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole) ligand interacts with an iodide ion in an adjacent molecule to afford pairwise intermolecular C-H...I contacts, thereby forming chains of molecules running along the [101] direction.