Frank Ziegs

In Situ NMR Spectroelectrochemistry of Higher Sensitivity by Large Scale Electrodes

The combination of NMR spectroscopy and electrochemistry provides an in situ method to measure structural changes of the redox components in an electrochemical reaction by proton NMR experiments. As the use of metal thin film radio frequency (RF) transparent electrodes in NMR spectroelectrochemical studies is limited by layer thickness and electrodes size, we present a new spectroelectrochemical NMR cell design consisting of nearly metal free symmetrically arranged large scale carbon fiber electrodes. Due to the advantages of modern NMR spectroscopy, a cell rotation is not necessary for high resolution measurements. This makes the presented cell for in situ spectroelectrochemical NMR measurements easy to prepare. The cell design is universal for a large variety of NMR spectrometers and frequencies used for detection of different nuclei. The feasibility of this new in situ NMR spectroelectrochemical cell is demonstrated in a detailed study of the electrochemical behavior of p-benzoquinone in different aqueous solutions.

Rotating cell for in situ Raman spectroelectrochemical studies of photosensitive redox systems.

A recently developed rotating spectroelectrochemical cell for in situ Raman spectroscopic studies of photoreactive compounds without marked decomposition of the sample is presented. Photochemically and thermally sensitive redox systems are difficult to be studied under stationary conditions by in situ spectroelectrochemistry using laser excitation as in Raman spectroscopy. A rotating spectroelectrochemical cell can circumvent these difficulties. It can be used for any type of a planar electrode and for all electrode materials in contact with aqueous or nonaqueous solutions as well as with ionic liquids. The innovative technical solution consists of the precession movement of the spectroelectrochemical cell using an eccentric drive. This precession movement allows a fixed electrical connection to be applied for interfacing the electrochemical cell to a potentiostat. Hence, any electrical imperfections and noise, which would be produced by sliding contacts, are removed. A further advantage of the rotating cell is a dramatic decrease of the thermal load of the electrochemical system. The size of the spectroelectrochemical cell is variable and dependent on the thickness of the cuvettes used ranging up to approximately 10 mm. The larger measuring area causes a higher sensitivity in the spectroscopic studies. The as constructed spectroelectrochemical cell is easy to handle. The performance of the cell is demonstrated for ordered fullerene C(60) layers and the spectroelectrochemical behavior of nanostructured fullerenes. Here the charge transfer at highly ordered fullerene C(60) films was studied by in situ Raman spectroelectrochemistry under appropriate laser power and accumulation time without marked photodecomposition of the sample.

ESR Spectroscopy of the C60 Cation Produced by Photoinduced Electron Transfer

In this study the existence of the C60 cation produced by photochemically induced electron transfer in the presence of different sensitising molecules is proved for the first time by using ESR spectroscopy. It is demonstrated for triphenylpyryliumtetrafluoroborate (TPP) by this spectroscopic method that the electron transfer from C60 to TPP occurs without an application of a cosensitiser. Furthermore it is shown that the addition of alcohols causes a new radical in the system C60/TPP. The stationary concentration of the C60 cation diminishes even in the presence of a cosensitiser to such a low concentration that it is not detectable by ESR spectrosopy. The spectroscopic study of the sensitiser/C60 system is also extended to the reaction products.

In situ Raman cell for high pressure and temperature studies of metal and complex hydrides.

A novel cell for in situ Raman studies at hydrogen pressures up to 200 bar and at temperatures as high as 400 °C is presented. This device permits in situ monitoring of the formation and decomposition of chemical structures under high pressure via Raman scattering. The performance of the cell under extreme conditions is stable as the design of this device compensates much of the thermal expansion during heating which avoids defocusing of the laser beam. Several complex and metal hydrides were analyzed to demonstrate the advantageous use of this in situ cell. Temperature calibration was performed by monitoring the structural phase transformation and melting point of LiBH(4). The feasibility of the cell in hydrogen atmosphere was confirmed by in situ studies of the decomposition of NaAlH(4) with added TiCl(3) at different hydrogen pressures and the decomposition and rehydrogenation of MgH(2) and LiNH(2).

Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in a Y3N@C80 Endohedral Fullerene: Time-Resolved Luminescence and EPR Studies

Abstract The endohedral fullerene Y3N@C80 exhibits luminescence with reasonable quantum yield and extraordinary long lifetime. By variable‐temperature steady‐state and time‐resolved luminescence spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that above 60 K the Y3N@C80 exhibits thermally activated delayed fluorescence with maximum emission at 120 K and a negligible prompt fluorescence. Below 60 K, a phosphorescence with a lifetime of 192±1 ms is observed. Spin distribution and dynamics in the triplet excited state is investigated with X‐ and W‐band EPR and ENDOR spectroscopies and DFT computations. Finally, electroluminescence of the Y3N@C80/PFO film is demonstrated opening the possibility for red‐emitting fullerene‐based organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Thermally-activated delayed fluorescence in Y3N@C80 endohedral fullerene: time resolved luminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance studies

Endohedral fullerene Y3N@C80 exhibits luminescence with reasonable quantum yield and extraordinary long lifetime. By variable-temperature steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy, we demonstrate that above 60 K the Y3N@C80 exhibits thermally-activated delayed fluorescence with maximum emission at 120 K and a negligible prompt fluorescence. Below 60 K, a phosphorescence with a lifetime of 192 ms is observed. Spin distribution and dynamics in the triplet excited state is investigated with X- and W-band EPR and ENDOR spectroscopies and DFT computations. Finally, electroluminescence of the Y3N@C80/PFO film is demonstrated opening the possibility for red-emitting fullerene-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).