Unveiling Organic Electrode Materials in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: From Structural Design to Electrochemical Performance.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are one of the most compelling alternatives of lithium-ion batteries due to their inherent safety and economics viability. In response to the growing demand for green and sustainable energy storage solutions, organic electrodes with the scalability from inexpensive starting materials and potential for biodegradation after use have become a prominent choice for AZIBs. Despite gratifying progresses of organic molecules with electrochemical performance in AZIBs, the research is still in infancy and hampered by certain issues due to the underlying complex electrochemistry. Strategies for designing organic electrode materials for AZIBs with high specific capacity and long cycling life are discussed in detail in this review. Specifically, we put emphasis on the unique electrochemistry of different redox-active structures to provide in-depth understanding of their working mechanisms. In addition, we highlight the importance of molecular size/dimension regarding their profound impact on electrochemical performances. Finally, challenges and perspectives are discussed from the developing point of view for future AZIBs. We hope to provide a valuable evaluation on organic electrode materials for AZIBs in our context and give inspiration for the rational design of high-performance AZIBs.

Electropolymerization of Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymer for Efficient Dual-Ion Storage.

Rationally designed organic redox-active materials have attracted numerous interests due to their excellent electrochemical performance and reasonable sustainability. However, they often suffer from poor cycling stability, intrinsic low operating potential, and poor rate performance. Herein, a novel Donor-Acceptor (D-A) bipolar polymer with n-type pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone unit storing Li cations and p-type carbazole unit which attracts anions and provides polymerization sites is employed as a cathode for lithium-ion batteries through in situ electropolymerization. The multiple redox reactions and boosted kinetics by the D-A structure lead to excellent electrochemical performance of a high discharge capacity of 202 mA h g-1 at 200 mA g-1, impressive working potential (2.87 and 4.15 V), an outstanding rate capability of 119 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1 and a noteworthy energy density up to 554 Wh kg-1. This strategy has significant implications for the molecule design of bipolar organic cathode for high cycling stability and high energy density.

Enhancing NIR-II Upconversion Monochromatic Emission for Temperature Sensing.

The upconversion luminescence (UCL) in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II) is highly attractive due to its excellent performance in high-resolution bioimaging, anticounterfeiting, and temperature sensing. However, upconvertion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are normally emitted in visible light, potentially impacting the imaging quality. Here, a monochromatic Er3+-rich (NaErF4:x%Yb@NaYF4) nanoparticles with excitation at 1532 nm and emission at 978 nm is proposed, both situated in the NIR-II region. The proper proportion of Yb3+ ions doping has a positive effect on the NIR-II emission, by enhancing the cross relaxation efficiency and accelerating the energy transfer rate. Owing to the interaction between the Er3+ and Yb3+ is inhibited at low temperatures, the UCL emission intensities at visible and NIR-II regions show opposite trend with temperature changing, which establishes a fitting formula to derive temperature from the luminous intensity ratio, promoting the potential application of UCL in NIR-II regions for the temperature sensing.

Design and Synthesis of Viologen-based Copolymers for High Performance Li-Dual-Ion Batteries.

Dual-ion batteries based on organic electrodes show great potential to break through the bottlenecks existed in conventional LIBs due to their high specific capacity, lifted working voltage, and environmental benignity. Herein, two innovative viologen-based bipolar copolymers poly(viologen-pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetrone dichloride) (PVPTOCl2 ) and poly(viologen-anthraquinone dichloride) (PVAQCl2 ) were synthesized and applied as high performance cathodes for lithium-dual-ion battery. Bearing the dual-ion storage capability of viologen and carbonyls, as well as the conjugated structure of pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetrone, the synthesized copolymers show remarkable electrochemical performances for LIBs. Compared to PVAQCl2 , PVPTOCl2 shows superior electrochemical performance with high initial specific capacity (235.0 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 ), high reversibility (coulombic efficiency up to 99.96 % at 1 A g-1 ), excellent rate performance (150.3 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1 ) and outstanding cycling stability (a reversible capacity of 197.5 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 and a low capacity loss per cycle of 0.11‰ during 3000 cycles). Moreover, the charge storage mechanism was systematically investigated by ex-situ FT-IR, ex-situ XPS and DFT calculations. The results clearly reveal the structure-property relationship of the bipolar-molecules, providing a new platform to develop efficient bipolar materials for dual-ion batteries.

Recent Progress in Photonic Upconversion Materials for Organic Lanthanide Complexes.

Organic lanthanide complexes have garnered significant attention in various fields due to their intriguing energy transfer mechanism, enabling the upconversion (UC) of two or more low-energy photons into high-energy photons. In comparison to lanthanide-doped inorganic nanoparticles, organic UC complexes hold great promise for biological delivery applications due to their advantageous properties of controllable size and composition. This review aims to provide a summary of the fundamental concept and recent developments of organic lanthanide-based UC materials based on different mechanisms. Furthermore, we also detail recent applications in the fields of bioimaging and solar cells. The developments and forthcoming challenges in organic lanthanide-based UC offer readers valuable insights and opportunities to engage in further research endeavors.

Photoinduced inverse Sonogashira coupling reaction.

Alkynes are widely used in chemistry, medicine and materials science. Here we demonstrate a transition-metal and photocatalyst-free inverse Sonogashira coupling reaction between iodoalkynes and (hetero)arenes or alkenes under visible-light irradiation. Mechanistic and computational studies suggest that iodoalkynes can be directly activated by visible light irradiation, and an excited state iodoalkyne acted as an "alkynyl radical synthetic equivalent", reacting with a series of C(sp2)-H bonds for coupling products. This work should open new windows in radical chemistry and alkynylation method.

Two-Dimensional (2D) Covalent Organic Framework as Efficient Cathode for Binder-free Lithium-Ion Battery.

Searching new organic cathode materials to address the issues of poor cycle stability and low capacity in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is very important and highly desirable. In this research, a 2D boroxine-linked chemically-active pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO) covalent organic framework (2D PPTODB COFs) was synthesized as an organic cathode material with remarkable electrochemical properties, including high electrochemical activity (four redox electrons), safe oxidation potential window (between 2.3 and 3.08 V vs. Li/Li+ ), superb structural/chemical stability, and strong adhesiveness. A binder-free cathode was obtained by mixing 70 wt % PPTODB and 30 wt % carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a conductive additive. Promoted by the fast kinetics of electrons/ions, high electrochemical activity, and effective π-π interaction between PPTODB and CNTs, LIBs with the as-prepared cathode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance: a high specific capacity of 198 mAh g-1 , a superb rate ability (the capacity at 1000 mA g-1 can reach 76 % of the corresponding value at 100 mA g-1 ), and a stable coulombic efficiency (≈99.6 % at the 150th cycle). This work suggests that the concept of binder-free 2D electroactive materials could be a promising strategy to approach energy storage with high energy density.

Recent Progress in Thermoelectric Materials Based on Conjugated Polymers.

Organic thermoelectric (TE) materials can directly convert heat to electricity, and they are emerging as new materials for energy harvesting and cooling technologies. The performance of TE materials mainly depends on the properties of materials, including the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability. Traditional TE materials are mostly based on low-bandgap inorganic compounds, such as bismuth chalcogenide, lead telluride, and tin selenide, while organic materials as promising TE materials are attracting more and more attention because of their intrinsic advantages, including cost-effectiveness, easy processing, low density, low thermal conductivity, and high flexibility. However, to meet the requirements of practical applications, the performance of organic TE materials needs much improvement. A variety of efforts have been made to enhance the performance of organic TE materials, including the modification of molecular structure, and chemical or electrochemical doping. In this review, we summarize recent progress in organic TE materials, and discuss the feasible strategies for enhancing the properties of organic TE materials for future energy-harvesting applications.

A Conjugated Copolymer of N-Phenyl-p-phenylenediamine and Pyrene as Promising Cathode for Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries.

A novel conjugated copolymer has been synthesized and employed as an organic cathode material in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Due to the synergistic effects from conducting aniline and pyrene units, the resultant batteries based on the as-obtained copolymer can deliver a promising reversible specific capacity of 113 mAh g-1 with a high voltage output of 3.2 V and a remarkable 75.2 % capacity retention after 180 cycles. Moreover, an excellent rate performance is also achieved with a fast recovery of the capacity at different current densities.

Near-Infrared Quadrupolar Chromophores Combining Three-Coordinate Boron-Based Superdonor and Superacceptor Units.

Herein, two new quadrupolar acceptor-π-donor-π-acceptor (A-π-D-π-A) chromophores have been prepared featuring a strongly electron-donating diborene core and strongly electron-accepting dimesitylboryl (BMes2 ) and bis(2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)boryl (BF Mes2 ) end groups. Analysis of the compounds by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, cyclic voltammetry, and UV/Vis-NIR absorption and emission spectroscopy indicated that the compounds have extended conjugated π-systems spanning their B4 C8 cores. The combination of exceptionally potent π-donor (diborene) and π-acceptor (diarylboryl) groups, both based on trigonal boron, leads to very small HOMO-LUMO gaps, resulting in strong absorption in the near-IR region with maxima in THF at 840 and 1092 nm and very high extinction coefficients of ca. 120 000 m-1  cm-1 . Both molecules also display weak near-IR fluorescence with small Stokes shifts.

MicroRNA-185 inhibits the growth and proliferation of osteoblasts in fracture healing by targeting PTH gene through down-regulating Wnt/ß -catenin axis: In an animal experiment.

Fracture healing is a repair process of a mechanical discontinuity loss of force transmission, and pathological mobility of bone. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNA (miRNA) could regulate chondrocyte, osteoblast, and osteoclast differentiation and function, indicating miRNA as key regulators of bone formation, resorption, remodeling, and repair. Hence, during this study, we established a right femur fracture mouse model to explore the effect microRNA-185 (miR-185) has on osteoblasts in mice during fracture healing and its underlying mechanism. After successfully model establishment, osteoblasts were extracted and treated with a series of mimics or inhibitors of miR-185, or siRNA against PTH. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis were performed to determine the levels of miR-185, PTH, ß-catenin and Wnt5b. Cell viability, cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by means of MTT and flow cytometry assays. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay verified that PTH is a target gene of miR-185. Osteoblasts transfected with miR-185 mimics or siRNA against PTH presented with decreased levels of PTH, ß-catenin and Wnt5b which indicated that miR-185 blocks the Wnt/ß -catenin axis by inhibiting PTH. Moreover, miR-185 inhibitors promoted the osteoblast viability and reduced apoptosis with more cells arrested at the G1 stage. MiR-185 mimics were observed to have inhibitory effects on osteoblasts as opposed to those induced by miR-185 inhibitors. Above key results indicated that suppression of miR-185 targeting PTH could promote osteoblast growth and proliferation in mice during fracture healing through activating Wnt/ß -catenin axis.

[Reconstruction of complex proximal tibial defects using the long-stem tibial component combined with metallic wedge].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate results of total knee arthroplasty using the long-stem tibial component combined with metallic wedge of knee prosthesis for the treatment of proximal defects. METHODS: From January 2011 to May 2013, 10 patients (11 knees) were treated with total knee arthroplasties using the long-stem tibial component with metallic tibial wedge of knee prosthesis. All the patients were female and the average age was 67 years old (ranged, 60 to 77 years old). All the patients were osteoarthritis. All the patients were classified as T2A style. The patients were evaluated according to knee score system (KSS). RESULTS: All the patients were followed up for 12 months on average (ranged 3 to 29 months). The clinical outcome was assessed using KSS score, including knee pain score, knee stability score, knee range of motion score and knee walking score, knee stairs score. There were significantly differences at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months between pre-and postoperative KSS score. CONCLUSION: The mechanical stability of tibial fixation in primary TKA is significantly increased by using the long-stem tibial component with metallic wedge of knee prosthesis, even in the presence of poor proximal bone.

Ruthenium-Amine Conjugated Organometallic Materials for Multistate Near-IR Electrochromism and Information Storage.

Monometallic and dimetallic complexes with the ruthenium-amine conjugated structural unit have been prepared. These complexes display consecutive redox waves with low potentials and rich and intense absorptions in the near-infrared region. The electrochemical and spectroscopic properties can be modulated using substituents or auxiliary ligands with different electronic natures. Through simple functionalization, electropolymerized or monolayer thin films of these complexes have been prepared. These films display multistate near-infrared electrochromism with good contrast ratios and long optical retention times. In addition, flip-flop and flip-flap-flop memories have been demonstrated on the basis of these thin films.

Facile Construction of Structurally Defined Porous Membranes from Supramolecular Hexakistriphenylamine Metallacycles through Electropolymerization.

The construction of well-controlled porous materials is very challenging. Herein, we report the successful preparation of structurally defined porous membranes based on hexakistriphenylamine metallacycles through electropolymerization. The newly designed porous materials were characterized by the typical cyclic voltammograms, XPS, SEM, and TEM investigations. Further investigations revealed that the metallacycle-based polymer films displayed a good size-selective molecular-sieving behavior.

Osmium Bisterpyridine Complexes with Redox-Active Amine Substituents: A Comparison Study with Ruthenium Analogues.

Five osmium complexes with redox-active amine substituents, [Os(ttpy)(Ntpy)](PF6)2 (1(PF6)2), [Os(Ntpy)2](PF6)2 (2(PF6)2), [Os(ttpy)(NPhtpy)](PF6)2 (3(PF6)2), [Os(Ntpy)(NPhtpy)](PF6)2 (4(PF6)2), and [Os(NPhtpy)2](PF6)2 (5(PF6)2), have been prepared, where ttpy is 4'-tolyl-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine, Ntpy is 4'-(di-p-anisylamino)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine, and NPhtpy is 4'-(di-p-anisylaminophen-4-yl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine. X-ray crystallographic data of 2(PF6)2 and 4(PF6)2 are presented. These complexes show rich visible absorptions attributed to the singlet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer ((1)MLCT), triplet MLCT, and intraligand charge-transfer transitions. Complexes 3(PF6)2 and 5(PF6)2 show weak emissions around 720 nm at room temperature. All complexes show stepwise oxidations of the osmium ion and the amine segment. However, the redox potentials and the order of the Os(III/II) and N(•+/0) processes vary significantly, depending on the electronic nature of the amine substituents. In the singly oxidized state, either Os(II) → N(•+) MLCT or N → Os(III) ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions in the near-infrared region have been observed. For complexes 2(PF6)2, 4(PF6)2, and 5(PF6)2 with two amine substituents, no evidence has been observed for the presence of osmium-mediated amine-amine electronic coupling. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations have been performed to complement these experimental results. The one-electron-oxidized forms 3(3+) and 5(3+) show distinct electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals in CH3CN at room temperature. However, complexes 1(3+), 2(3+), and 4(3+) are EPR silent under similar conditions. In addition, a comparison study has been made between these osmium complexes and the previously reported ruthenium analogues.

Neuroprotective effect of escitalopram oxalate in rats with chronic hypoperfusion.

The neuroprotective effects of escitalopram oxalate in rats with chronic hypoperfusion and the possible mechanism were explored. Chronic hypoperfusion (2-VO) model was prepared and given escitalopram oxalate (experimental group) or PBS (control group) after 6 weeks. Eight weeks after the operation, Morris water maze test was carried out to evaluate the learning and memory ability of the rats. The cell proliferation, three-dimensional vascular distribution, cell morphological changes in ischemic area and the plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected to explore the possible mechanisms. (1) Morris water maze test showed that the escape latency in the experimental group was significantly shorter than in the control group, while the first quadrant swimming time in the experimental group was significantly longer than the control group (both P<0.01). (2) Cerebrovascular confocal detection results showed that the inside diameter of capillaries was significantly less in the experimental group than in the control group; the vascular density was significantly increased in the experimental group and the total area of capillaries was also significantly increased in the experimental group as compared with the control group. (3) There was statistically significant difference in BrdU-positive cells in the ischemic brain tissue between the experimental group and the control group (P=0.003<0.01). (4) VEGF concentrations in the plasma and the ischemic area were higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05). It was concluded that escitalopram oxalate could significantly improve the learning and memory ability of the rats with chronic cerebral ischemia probably by the VEGF-mediated angiogenesis.

Combined Experimental and Computational Study of Pyren-2,7-diyl-Bridged Diruthenium Complexes with Various Terminal Ligands.

Cyclometalated diruthenium complexes 1(PF6)2-5(PF6)2 bridged by 1,3,6,8-tetra(pyrid-2-yl)-pyrene have been prepared, with the terminal ligand bis(N-methylbenzimidazolyl)pyridine (1(PF6)2), 4'-di-(p-methoxyphenyl)amino-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (2(PF6)2), 4'-p-methoxyphenyl-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (3(PF6)2), 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (4(PF6)2), and trimethyl-4,4',4″-tricarboxylate-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (5(PF6)2). The single-crystal X-ray structure of 4(PF6)2 is presented. These complexes show two stepwise anodic redox pairs, and the potentials progressively increase from 1(PF6)2 to 5(PF6)2. Complexes 1(PF6)2-4(PF6)2 have comparable electrochemical potential splitting of 200-210 mV, while complex 5(PF6)2 has a splitting of 170 mV. Upon one-electron oxidation by chemical oxidation or electrolysis, the resulting mixed-valent complexes 1(3+)-5(3+) display broad and intense absorptions between 1000 and 3000 nm. Complexes 1(3+) and 2(3+) show the presence of a higher-energy shoulder band in addition to the main near-infrared absorption band. This shoulder band is less distinguished for 3(3+)-5(3+). Three-state theory has been used to explain this difference. The one-electron oxidized forms, 1(3+)-5(3+), exhibit rhombic EPR signals at 77 K with the isotropic g values in the range of 2.18-2.24. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) computations have been performed on 1(2+)-5(2+) to characterize their electronic structures and rationalize the absorption spectra in a wide energy range. DFT computations on 1(3+)-5(3+) show that both ruthenium ions and the bridging ligand have comparable spin densities. TDDFT computations on 1(3+) and 4(3+) have been performed to complement the experimental results.

A triphenylphosphine mediated photo-rearrangement and methanol addition of aryl chalcones to 1-propanones.

Aryl chalcones rearrange and add methanol to give substituted propane-1-ones upon UV-A irradiation in the presence of PPh3. We propose two possible mechanisms for this photo-rearrangement. The reaction involves either the formation of a phosphine-carbonyl intermediate, nucleophilic addition of MeOH and 1,2-aryl migration or the formation of ylide and carbene intermediates. The intermediates trapped from the reaction mixture support the first mechanistic hypothesis.

Strongly coupled cyclometalated ruthenium-triarylamine hybrids: tuning electrochemical properties, intervalence charge transfer, and spin distribution by substituent effects.

Nine cyclometalated ruthenium complexes with a redox-active diphenylamine unit in the para position to the RuC bond were prepared. MeO, Me, and Cl substituents on the diphenylamine unit and three types of auxiliary ligands-bis(N-methylbenzimidazolyl)pyridine (Mebip), 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (tpy), and trimethyl-4,4',4''-tricarboxylate-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (Me3 tctpy)--were used to vary the electronic properties of these complexes. The derivative with an MeO-substituted amine unit and Me3 tctpy ligand was studied by single-crystal X-ray analysis. All complexes display two well-separated redox waves in the potential region of +0.1 to +1.0 V versus Ag/AgCl, and the potential splitting ranges from 360 to 510 mV. Spectroelectrochemical measurements show that these complexes display electrochromism at low potentials and intense near-infrared (NIR) absorptions. In the one-electron oxidized form, the complex with the Cl-substituted amine unit and Mebip ligand shows a moderate ligand-to-metal charge transfer at 800 nm. The other eight complexes show asymmetric, narrow, and intense intervalence charge-transfer transitions in the NIR region, which are independent of the polarity of the solvent. The Mebip-containing complexes display rhombic or broad isotropic EPR signals, whereas the other seven complexes show relatively narrow isotropic EPR signals. In addition, DFT and time-dependent DFT studies were performed to gain insights into the spin distributions and NIR absorptions.