Dun-Yen Kang

Dramatic Enhancement of CO2 Uptake by Poly(ethyleneimine) Using Zirconosilicate Supports

The CO(2) adsorption characteristics of prototypical poly(ethyleneimine)/silica composite adsorbents can be drastically enhanced by altering the acid/base properties of the oxide support via incorporation of Zr into the silica support. Introduction of an optimal amount of Zr resulted in a significant improvement in the CO(2) capacity and amine efficiency under dilute (simulated flue gas) and ultradilute (simulated ambient air) conditions. Adsorption experiments combined with detailed characterization by thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed desorption, and in situ FT-IR spectroscopy clearly demonstrate a stabilizing effect of amphoteric Zr sites that enhances the adsorbent capacity, regenerability, and stability over continued recycling. It is suggested that the important role of the surface properties of the oxide support in these polymer/oxide composite adsorbents has been largely overlooked and that the properties may be even further enhanced in the future by tuning the acid/base properties of the support.

Enhanced CO2 adsorption over polymeric amines supported on heteroatom-incorporated SBA-15 silica: impact of heteroatom type and loading on sorbent structure and adsorption performance.

Silica supported amine materials are promising compositions that can be used to effectively remove CO(2) from large stationary sources, such as flue gas generated from coal-fired power plants (ca. 10 % CO(2)) and potentially from ambient air (ca. 400 ppm CO(2)). The CO(2) adsorption characteristics of prototypical poly(ethyleneimine)-silica composite adsorbents can be significantly enhanced by altering the acid/base properties of the silica support by heteroatom incorporation into the silica matrix. In this study, an array of poly(ethyleneimine)-impregnated mesoporous silica SBA-15 materials containing heteroatoms (Al, Ti, Zr, and Ce) in their silica matrices are prepared and examined in adsorption experiments under conditions simulating flue gas (10 % CO(2) in Ar) and ambient air (400 ppm CO(2) in Ar) to assess the effects of heteroatom incorporation on the CO(2) adsorption properties. The structure of the composite adsorbents, including local information concerning the state of the incorporated heteroatoms and the overall surface properties of the silicate supports, are investigated in detail to draw a relationship between the adsorbent structure and CO(2) adsorption/desorption performance. The CO(2) adsorption/desorption kinetics are assessed by thermogravimetric analysis and in situ FT-IR measurements. These combined results, coupled with data on adsorbent regenerability, demonstrate a stabilizing effect of the heteroatoms on the poly(ethyleneimine), enhancing adsorbent capacity, adsorption kinetics, regenerability, and stability of the supported aminopolymers over continued cycling. It is suggested that the CO(2) adsorption performance of silica-aminopolymer composites may be further enhanced in the future by more precisely tuning the acid/base properties of the support.

Single-walled aluminosilicate nanotube/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite membranes.

The fabrication, detailed characterization, and molecular transport properties of nanocomposite membranes containing high fractions (up to 40 vol %) of individually-dispersed aluminosilicate single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), are reported. The microstructure, SWNT dispersion, SWNT dimensions, and intertubular distances within the composite membranes are characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), XRD rocking curve analysis, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and solid-state NMR. PVA/SWNT nanocomposite membranes prepared from SWNT gels allow uniform dispersion of individual SWNTs in the PVA matrix with a random distribution of orientations. SAXS analysis reveals the length (∼500 nm) and outer diameter (~2.2 nm) of the dispersed SWNTs. Electron microscopy indicates good adhesion between the SWNTs and the PVA matrix without the occurrence of defects such as voids and pinholes. The transport properties of the PVA/SWNT membranes are investigated experimentally by ethanol/water mixture pervaporation measurements, computationally by grand canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics, and by a macroscopic transport model for anisotropic permeation through nanotube-polymer composite membranes. The nanocomposite membranes substantially enhance the water throughput with increasing SWNT volume fraction, which leads to a moderate reduction of the water/ethanol selectivity. The model is parameterized purely from molecular simulation data with no fitted parameters, and shows reasonably good agreement with the experimental water permeability data.

Dehydration, Dehydroxylation, and Rehydroxylation of Single-Walled Aluminosilicate Nanotubes

Single-walled metal oxide (aluminosilicate) nanotubes are excellent candidates for addressing the long-standing issue of functionalizing nanotube interiors, due to their high surface reactivity and controllable dimensions. However, functionalization of the nanotube interior is impeded by its high surface silanol density (9.1 -OH/nm(2)) and resulting hydrophilicity. Controlled dehydration of the nanotubes is critical for the success of functionalization efforts. We employ a range of solid-state characterization tools to elucidate dehydration and dehydroxylation phenomena in the nanotubes as a function of heat treatment up to 450 degrees C. Vibrational spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared, FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis-mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), nitrogen physisorption, solid-state NMR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveal that a completely dehydrated condition is achieved at 250 degrees C under vacuum and that the maximum pore volume is achieved at 300 degrees C under vacuum due to partial dehydroxylation of the dehydrated nanotube. Beyond 300 degrees C, further dehydroxylation partially disorders the nanotube wall structure. However, a unique rehydroxylation mechanism can partially reverse these structural changes upon re-exposure to water vapor. Finally, detailed XRD simulations and experiments allow further insight into the nanotube packing, the dimensions, and the dependence of nanotube XRD patterns on the water content.

Modeling white light-emitting diodes with phosphor layers

With a blue light-emitting diode and a phosphor layer to downconvert blue light to a second light, such as yellow, white light can be produced. The authors developed a one-dimensional model to describe the light propagating in the phosphor layer in terms of light absorption, conversion, and reflection. The parameters required for the model were determined from the data obtained by using multiple-layer phosphor films. The model predicts that, with a reflector between the diode and the phosphor layer that is blue-light transparent but reflects other visible light, the normalized white light intensity is above 0.9, higher than that of conventional packages (0.6–0.8).

Direct synthesis of single-walled aminoaluminosilicate nanotubes with enhanced molecular adsorption selectivity

Internal functionalization of single-walled nanotubes is an attractive, yet difficult challenge in nanotube materials chemistry. Here we report single-walled metal oxide nanotubes with covalently bonded primary amine moieties on their inner wall, synthesized through a one-step approach. Conclusive molecular-level structural information on the amine-functionalized nanotubes is obtained through multiple solid-state techniques. The amine-functionalized nanotubes maintain a high carbon dioxide adsorption capacity while significantly suppressing the adsorption of methane and nitrogen, thereby leading to a large enhancement in adsorption selectivity over unfunctionalized nanotubes (up to four-fold for carbon dioxide/methane and ten-fold for carbon dioxide/nitrogen). The successful synthesis of single-walled nanotubes with functional, covalently-bound organic moieties may open up possibilities for new nanotube-based applications that are currently inaccessible to carbon nanotubes and other related materials.

Transition metal-catalyzed C–H activation as a route to structurally diverse di(arylthiophenyl)-diketopyrrolopyrroles

Dithiophenyldiketopyrrolopyrroles can be directly (hetero)arylated in moderate to excellent yields by Pd-catalyzed coupling to the CH position of a fluoro(hetero)arene (in the presence of Ag2CO3) or the CBr position of a bromo(hetero)arene.

Synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Core–Shell Nanosheets Using Zinc-Imidazole Pseudopolymorphs

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are an emerging class of microporous materials that possess an organic flexible scaffold and zeolite-like topology. The catalytic and molecular-separation capabilities of these materials have attracted considerable attention; however, crystal-shape engineering in ZIF materials remains in its infancy. This is the first study to report an effective method for tailoring the near-spherical crystal morphology of ZIF-8 using its leaf-like pseudopolymorph, ZIF-L. A thin, uniform layer of ZIF-8 is formed on ZIF-L through heterogeneous surface growth to produce a ZIF-L@ZIF-8 core-shell nanocomposite. This results in ZIF-8 with a crystal morphology comprising two-dimensional nanoflakes. We characterized the resulting core-shell crystals using a number of solid-state techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen physisorption. Approximately 16 mass% of ZIF-8 in the core-shell composites heterogeneous surfacely grown on ZIF-L core crystals. We also investigated the effects of zinc salts, which were used as a source of zinc in the formation of the ZIF-L@ZIF-8 core-shell nanocomposites. Finally, we assessed the CO2 adsorption properties of ZIF-8, ZIF-L, and ZIF-L@ZIF-8 core-shell crystals, the results of which were used to deduce the dynamic and equilibrium adsorption characteristics of various microporous ZIF crystals. The core-shell materials present hybridized CO2 uptake and diffusivity of the parent crystals. The proposed method for the synthesis of core-shell nanocomposites using pseudopolymorphic crystals is applicable to other ZIF systems.

Structure-processing-property correlations in solution-processed, small-molecule, organic solar cells

Alkyl chains are often attached to the periphery of semiconductor molecules to impart solubility and they represent a pervasive structural element in solution processable, organic photovoltaics (OPV). It is important to understand the effects of such substitutions on the morphology and performance of organic solar cells. This investigation focuses on determining structure–property correlations in OPV devices constructed with small-molecule, solution processable electron donors based on benzothiadiazole–dithienopyrrole, mixed with the electron acceptor PCBM. Two donor molecules with the same opto-electronic molecular properties but differing alkyl substituents – without (BD) or with (BD6) hexyl side chains – are studied. The resulting device data for fabricated solar cells, across a range of processing conditions, is compared to thin-film morphology, spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations. Two device states of higher and lower performance, depending on the casting solvent, are obtained for the molecule without the side chains (BD); both states have amorphous mesoscale structure, but show subtle differences in the nanoscale phase separation. In contrast, for the molecule with side chains (BD6) devices have highly variable reproducibility and middling efficiency and photocurrent. The BD6 donor exhibits lower miscibility with PCBM, which correlates with the formation of a donor-enriched layer on the surface of the solar cell.

Pseudopolymorphic seeding for the rational synthesis of hybrid membranes with a zeolitic imidazolate framework for enhanced molecular separation performance

This paper reports a novel methodology involving the use of pseudopolymorphic seeding for the rational synthesis of hydrogen-selective hybrid membranes with zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). A proof-of-concept was demonstrated using two-dimensional layered ZIF-L as seed crystals for the growth of its pseudopolymorph ZIF-8 in the formation of ZIF-L@ZIF-8 hybrid membranes. This approach enables the incorporation of ZIF-L (with high hydrogen diffusivity) within the ZIF-8 matrix with a volume fraction of ZIF-L of approximately 28%. Compared with conventional secondary growth methods used in the synthesis of pure ZIF-8 membranes, we employed leaf-like ZIF-L with a high aspect ratio as seed crystals for the growth of ZIF-8 membranes with a preferred orientation along the 〈100〉 direction. Compared to pure ZIF-8 membranes, the ZIF-L@ZIF-8 hybrid membranes enable a three-fold enhancement in hydrogen permeability and increase the permeation selectivity of hydrogen-over-carbon dioxide from 2.3 to 4.7. Simulation of mass transfer at the microscopic level was used to elucidate the reasons for the enhanced performance of the membrane in gas separation. We determined that the interlayer spacing among ZIF-L crystals, which allows for the rapid diffusion of hydrogen, is probably the key reason for the high separation performance of the ZIF-L@ZIF-8 hybrid membranes.