ABSTRACT
Aggregation-induced emission (AIE)allows tunable photoluminescence via the simple regulation of molecular aggregation. The research spurt along this vein has also offered tremendous opportunities for light-responsive artificial molecular machines that are to be fully explored for performing versatile functions. Herein, the study reports a light-driven Feringa-type motor, when in the appropriate aggregation state, not only demonstrates the light-activated rotary motion but emits photons with good quantum yield. A semi-quantitative TD-DFT calculation is also conducted to aid the understanding of the competitive photoluminescence and photoisomerization processes of the motor. Cytotoxicity test shows this motor possesses good biocompatibility, laying a solid foundation for applying it in the bio-environment. The results demonstrated that the engagement of the aggregation-induced emission concept and light-driven Feringa-motor can lead to the discovery of the novel motorized AIEgen, which will further stimulate the rise of more advanced molecular motors capable of executing multi-functionalities.
ABSTRACT
Structural and functional explorations on bio-soft matter such as micelles, vesicles, nanoparticles, aggregates or polymers derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has emerged as a new topic in the field of TCM. The discovery of such cross-scaled bio-soft matter may provide a unique perspective for unraveling the new effective material basis of TCM as well as developing innovative medicine and biomaterials. Despite the rapid rise of TCM-derived bio-soft matter, their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism must be unambiguously probed for a further in-depth understanding of their pharmacological activity. In this review, the current emerged TCM-derived bio-soft matter assembled from either small molecules or macromolecules is introduced, and particularly the unambiguous elucidation of their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism with combined electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques is depicted. The pros and cons of each technique are also discussed. The future challenges and perspective of TCM-derived bio-soft matter are outlined, particularly the requirement for their precise in situ structural determination is highlighted.
ABSTRACT
Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is a promising technology for next-generation energy storage. However, their performance is limited at low temperatures due to the inferior bulk and interfacial resistance of current electrolytes. Here we present a systematic study to evaluate carboxylate ester-based electrolytes for SIB applications, due to their favorable properties (i.e., low melting point, low viscosity and high dielectric constant). The effects of salt, concentration and solvent molecular structure were systematically examined and compared with those of carbonate-based electrolytes. By combining electrochemical tests with spectroscopic characterization, the performance of selective carboxylate ester-based electrolytes in hard carbon/Na and Na3V2(PO4)3/Na half-cells was evaluated. We found carboxylates enable high electrolyte conductivities, especially at low temperatures. However, carboxylates alone are inadequate to form a stable interphase due to their high reactivity, which can be addressed by choosing a suitable anion and facilitating anion-rich Na+ solvation by increasing salt concentration. Fundamental knowledge on the chemistry-property-performance correlation of this new family of electrolytes was obtained, and their benefits and pitfalls were thoroughly discussed. These discoveries and knowledge will shed light on the potential of carboxylate ester-based electrolytes and provide the foundation for further electrolyte engineering.