Construction of eight mixed-valence pentanuclear CuI4CuII clusters using ligands with inhomogeneous electron density distribution: synthesis, characterization and photothermal properties.

To enhance light absorption in the visible region for the utilization of sunlight, eight mixed-valence polynuclear CuI/CuII clusters have been synthesized for evaluating their photothermal conversion performance. They are fabricated considering the ligand's electron density distribution inhomogeneity using 1,2,3-triazole (3N) or tetrazole (4N) and different mono-phosphine ligands. We report here the synthesis, crystal structure, characterization, optical properties, and photothermal conversion performance of these clusters. X-ray crystal structures reveal that those pentanuclear clusters are neutral clusters with octahedrally-coordinated copper(II) ion being surrounded by four tetrahedrally coordinated copper(I) ions. Interestingly, with the introduction of the mixed-valence centers, these compounds show additional light absorption centers in 350-600 nm via the IVCT transition mechanism, compared with our previously reported Cu(II) compounds. These clusters show excellent photothermal conversion performance, with an average equilibrium temperature (∼60 °C) and a temperature increment (∼40 °C), which are also superior to Cu(II) complexes (the average equilibrium temperature ∼55 °C). This work proves that it is possible to design and prepare new polynuclear mixed-valence CuI/CuII clusters for achieving high-performance photothermal conversion materials.

Low-temperature Heat Capacities and Thermodynamic Properties of Crystalline 2-Aminopyridinium Benzoate (C12H12N2O2) (s).

2-Aminopyridinium benzoate was synthesized. Chemical analysis, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography were applied to characterize the composition and crystal structure of the compound. The lattice potential energy of the title compound was calculated to be UPOT = 284.297 kJ mol-1. Low-temperature heat capacities of the compound were measured by a precision automatic adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 78 K to 365 K. A polynomial equation of heat capacities against the temperature in the region of 78 K to 365 K was fitted by a least square method. Based on the fitted polynomial equation, the smoothed heat capacities and thermodynamic functions of the compound relative to the standard reference temperature 298.15 K were calculated at intervals of 5 K. According to the synthesis reaction, the standard molar enthalpies of dissolution for the reactants and product in the selected solvent were measured by an isoperibol solution-reaction calorimeter, respectively. Accordingly, the enthalpy change of the synthesis reaction was calculated to be ΔrHom = -(20.016 ± 0.182) kJ mol-1. Finally, the standard molar enthalpy of formation of 2-aminopyridinium benzoate was determined to be ΔfHom = - (365.416 ± 0.961) kJ mol-1 in accordance with Hess law.