Enhancement of Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells with Hole-Selective Layers of Rationally Designed Thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole Derivatives.

We introduce thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (TT)-based derivatives featuring carbazole, phenothiazine, or triphenylamine donor units as hole-selective materials to enhance the performance of wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The optoelectronic properties of the materials underwent thorough evaluation and were substantially fine-tuned through deliberate molecular design. Time-of-flight hole mobility TTs ranged from 4.33 × 10-5 to 1.63 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 (at an electric field of 1.6 × 105 V cm-1). Their ionization potentials ranged from -4.93 to -5.59 eV. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it has been demonstrated that S0 → S1 transitions in TTs with carbazolyl or ditert-butyl-phenothiazinyl substituents are characterized by local excitation (LE). Mixed intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and LE occurred for compounds containing ditert-butyl carbazolyl-, dimethoxy carbazolyl-, or alkoxy-substituted triphenylamino donor moieties. The selected derivatives of TT were used for the preparation of hole-selective layers (HSL) in PSC with the structure of glass/ITO/HSLs/Cs0.18FA0.82Pb(I0.8Br0.2)3/PEAI/PC61BM/BCP/Ag. The alkoxy-substituted triphenylamino containing TT (TTP-DPA) has been demonstrated to be an effective material for HSL. Its layer also functioned well as an interlayer, improving the surface of control HSL_2PACz (i.e., reducing the surface energy of 2PACz from 66.9 to 52.4 mN m-1), thus enabling precise control over perovskite growth energy level alignment and carrier extraction/transportation at the hole-selecting contact of PSCs. 2PACz/TTP-DPA-based devices showed an optimized performance of 19.1 and 37.0% under 1-sun and 3000 K LED (1000 lx) illuminations, respectively. These values represent improvements over those achieved by bare 2PACz-based devices, which attained efficiencies of 17.4 and 32.2%, respectively. These findings highlight the promising potential of TTs for the enhancement of the efficiencies of PSCs.

Structure, Synthesis, and Catalytic Performance of Emerging MXene-Based Catalysts.

As traditional fossil fuel energy development faces significant challenges, two-dimensional layered materials have become increasingly popular in various fields and have generated widespread research interest. MXene is an exceptional catalytic material that is typically integrated into functional composite materials with other substances to enhance its catalytic-reaction performance. Improving the thermal stability, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical activity, as well as enhancing the specific surface structure, can make the material an excellent catalyst for photoelectrocatalysis and energy-regeneration reactions. The article mainly outlines the structural characteristics, preparation methods, and applications of MXene in the field of catalysis. This text highlights the latest progress and performance comparison of MXene-based catalytic functional materials in various fields such as electrochemical conversion, photocatalysis, renewable energy, energy storage, and carbon capture and conversion. It also proposes future prospects and discusses the current bottlenecks and challenges in the development of MXene-based catalytic materials.

Molecular glasses based on 1,8-naphthalimide and triphenylamine moieties as bipolar red fluorescent OLED emitters with conventional versus TADF hosting.

Three new donor-acceptor molecular glasses were designed and synthesized linking 1,8-naphthalimide and triphenylamino groups though the different bridges. The comprehensive characterization of the compounds was carried out using theoretical and experimental approaches. The compounds showed efficient orange-red emission in solid state with photoluminescence intensity maxima in the range of 584-654 nm. The compounds showed extremely high thermal stability with 5 % weight loss temperatures up to 477 °C. They formed molecular glasses with glass-transition temperatures in the range of 161-186 °C. The fabricated organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on the developed emitters and conventional host showed maximum external quantum efficiency of 2.5 % in the best case. This value was increased up to 4.7 % by the usage of the host exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). OLED containing the TADF host displayed orange emission peaking at 589 nm with colour coordinates x of 0.53 and y of 0.45 combined with power efficiency of 6.7 lm·W-1 and current efficiency of 11.8 cd·A-1. Time-resolved electroluminescence technique was used to study the effect of the different guest-host systems on exciton utilization efficiency in devices based on the same emitter exhibiting prompt fluorescence and on the conventional or TADF hosts.

Bipolar 1,8-naphthalimides showing high electron mobility and red AIE-active TADF for OLED applications.

Aiming to design bipolar organic semiconductors with high electron mobility and efficient red thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), three donor-acceptor compounds were designed and synthesized selecting 1,8-naphthalimide as an acceptor and phenoxazine, 3,7-di-tert-butylphenothiazine or 2,7-di-tert-butyldimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine as donor moieties. Aggregation induced emission enhancement was detected for the compounds causing efficient TADF in the solid-state. Photoluminescence quantum yields up to 77% were observed for the films of the compounds doped in a host. The compounds exhibited small singlet-triplet splitting (0.03-0.05 eV), and high reverse intersystem crossing rates of 2.08 × 105-1.13 × 106 s-1. The compounds were characterized by satisfactory hole and electron-injecting properties with ionization potentials of 5.72-5.83 eV and electron affinities of 2.79-2.91 eV. Bipolar charge transport was revealed by time of flight measurements. Electron transport with low dispersity and mobilities exceeding 2 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 was observed at an electric field of 4.6 × 105 V cm-1. The compounds were used as emitters in red electroluminescent devices, which showed maximum external quantum efficiencies up to 8.2%. Utilization of host-guest systems as light-emitting materials with hosts preferably transporting holes and TADF guests which preferably transport electrons allowed maximum efficiencies to be achieved at a practical brightness of 700-2200 cd m-2. DFT calculations of the geometry, electronic structure, absorption and photoluminescence spectra of all compounds were carried out to prove the conclusions drawn from the experiment. The results of the calculations clearly show that the first excited state for all compounds is the intramolecular charge transfer state. Quantitative analysis of the separation degree of electronic density during excitation allows the observed dependence of the blue shift value in the absorption and emission spectra on the increasing polarity of the solvent to be explained.

Mesoionic tetrazolium-5-aminides: Synthesis, molecular and crystal structures, UV-vis spectra, and DFT calculations.

Tetrazolium-5-aminides have been prepared by the tert-butylation of 5-aminotetrazole and its N-methyl derivatives by the t-BuOH/HClO4 system followed by the treatment of the tetrazolium salts by alkali. The mesoionic compounds have been found to show a higher reactivity of the exocyclic N atom in comparison with 5-aminotetrazoles. The compounds reacted with 1,2-dibromoethane and 5-(methylsulfonyl)-1-phenyl-1H-tetrazole with substitution of bromine and methylsulfonyl groups giving the corresponding tetrazolium salts or conjugate aminides. The obtained mesoionic tetrazoles have been characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopy, TGA/DSC analysis and for 1,3-di-tert-butyltetrazolium-5-aminide, its N,N'-ethylene-bridged bis-derivative and (1,3-di-tert-butyl-1H-tetrazol-3-ium-5-yl)(1-phenyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl)amide by single crystal X-ray analysis. The structural and spectral features of the tetrazolium-5-aminides are discussed by using quantum-chemical calculations.

Azide Binding Controlled by Steric Interactions in Second Sphere. Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of [Ni(II)2(L)(µ(1,1)-N3)][ClO4] (L = Macrocyclic N6S2 Ligand).

The dinuclear Ni(II) complex [Ni2(L(2))][ClO4]2 (3) supported by the 28-membered hexaaza-dithiophenolate macrocycle (L(2))(2-) binds the N3(-) ion specifically end-on yielding [Ni2(L(2))(µ(1,1)-N3)][ClO4] (7) or [Ni2(L(2))(µ(1,1)-N3)][BPh4] (8), while the previously reported complex [Ni2L(1)(µ(1,3)-N3)][ClO4] (2) of the 24-membered macrocycle (L(1))(2-) coordinates it in the end-to-end fashion. A comparison of the X-ray structures of 2, 3, and 7 reveals the form-selective binding of complex 3 to be a consequence of its preorganized, channel-like binding pocket, which accommodates the azide anion via repulsive CH···π interactions in the end-on mode. In contrast to [Ni2L(1)(µ(1,3)-N3)][ClO4] (2), which features a S = 0 ground state, [Ni2(L(2))(µ(1,1)-N3)][BPh4] (8) has a S = 2 ground state that is attained by competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic exchange interactions via the thiolato and azido bridges with a value for the magnetic exchange coupling constant J of 13 cm(-1) (H = -2JS1S2). These results are further substantiated by density functional theory calculations. The stability of the azido-bridged complex determined by isothermal titration calorimetry in MeCN/MeOH 1/1 v/v (log K11 = 4.88(4) at I = 0.1 M) lies in between those of the fluorido- (log K11 = 6.84(7)) and chlorido-bridged complexes (log K11 = 3.52(5)). These values were found to compare favorably well with the equilibrium constants derived at lower ionic strength (I = 0.01 M) by absorption spectrophotometry (log K11 = 5.20(1), 7.77(9), and 4.13(3) for N3(-), F(-), and Cl(-) respectively).

Copper(II) tetrafluoroborate complexes with the N(3),N(4)-bridging coordination of 1-(tert-butyl)-1H-tetrazole: synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties.

1-(tert-Butyl)-1H-tetrazole (L) reacts with copper(ii) tetrafluoroborate hexahydrate to give the complexes [Cu2L8(H2O)2](BF4)4 (1) or [Cu3L6(H2O)6](BF4)6 (2) depending on the reaction conditions. These complexes, as well as compound L, were characterized using single crystal X-ray analysis. Complex 1 was found to comprise a dinuclear complex cation [Cu2L8(H2O)2](4+) (the Ci symmetry point group), with six tetrazole ligands L showing monodentate N(4)-coordination, and two ligands L providing two tetrazole ring N(3),N(4) bridges between the copper(ii) cations; water molecules complete the distorted octahedral coordination of the metal ions. Complex 2 includes a linear trinuclear complex cation [Cu3L6(H2O)6](6+) (the S6 symmetry point group), in which neighbouring copper(ii) cations are linked by three ligands L via tetrazole ring N(3),N(4) bridges; central and terminal metal ions show octahedral CuN6 and CuN3O3 coordination cores, respectively. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements of complex 2 revealed that the copper(ii) ions were weakly ferromagnetically coupled showing a coupling constant J of 2.2 cm(-1) {H = -2J(S1S2 + S2S3)}. The quantum-chemical investigation of the electronic structure and basicity of ligand L was carried out.

Cavitands incorporating a Lewis acid dinickel chelate function as receptors for halide anions.

The halide binding properties of the cavitand [Ni2(L(Me2H4))](2+) (4) are reported. Cavitand 4 exhibits a chelating N3Ni(µ-S)2NiN3 moiety with two square-pyramidal Ni(II)N3S2 units situated in an anion binding pocket of ∼4 Å diameter formed by the organic backbone of the (L(Me2H4))(2-) macrocycle. The receptor reacts with fluoride, chloride (in MeCN/MeOH), and bromide (in MeCN) ions to afford an isostructural series of halogenido-bridged complexes [Ni2(L(Me2H4))(µ-Hal)](+) (Hal = F(-) (5), Cl(-) (6), and Br(-) (7)) featuring a N3Ni(µ-S)2(µ-Hal)NiN3 core structure. No reaction occurs with iodide or other polyatomic anions (ClO4(-), NO3(-), HCO3(-), H2PO4(-), HSO4(-), SO4(2-)). The binding events are accompanied by discrete UV-vis spectral changes, due to a switch of the coordination geometry from square-pyramidal (N3S2 donor set in 4) to octahedral in the halogenido-bridged complexes (N3S2Hal donor environment in 5-7). In MeCN/MeOH (1/1 v/v) the log K11 values for the 1:1 complexes are 7.77(9) (F(-)), 4.06(7) (Cl(-)), and 2.0(1) (Br(-)). X-ray crystallographic analyses for 4(ClO4)2, 4(I)2, 5(F), 6(ClO4), and 7(Br) and computational studies reveal a significant increase of the intramolecular distance between two propylene groups at the cavity entrance upon going from F(-) to I(-) (for the DFT computed structure). In case of the receptor 4 and fluorido-bridged complex 5, the corresponding distances are nearly identical. This indicates a high degree of preorganization of the [Ni2(L(Me2H4))](2+) receptor and a size fit mismatch of the receptor binding cavity for anions larger than F(-).

Encapsulation of the 4-mercaptobenzoate ligand by macrocyclic metal complexes: conversion of a metallocavitand to a metalloligand.

Complexation of the ambidentate ligand 4-mercaptobenzoate (4-SH-C6H4CO2H, H2mba) by the macrocyclic complex [Ni2L(µ-Cl)]ClO4 (L(2-) represents a 24-membered macrocyclic hexaazadithiophenolate ligand) has been examined. The monodeprotonated Hmba(-) ligand reacts with the Ni2 complex in a selective manner by substitution of the bridging chlorido ligand to produce µ1,3-carboxylato-bridged complex [Ni2L(Hmba)](+) (2(+)), which can be isolated as an air-sensitive perchlorate (2ClO4) or tetraphenylborate (2BPh4) salt. The reactivity of the new mercaptobenzoate complex is reminiscent of that of a "free" thiophenolate ligand. In the presence of air, 2ClO4 dimerizes via a disulfide bond to generate tetranuclear complex [{Ni2L}2(O2CC6H4S)2](2+) (3(2+)). The auration of 2ClO4 with [AuCl(PPh3)], on the other hand, leads to monoaurated complex [Ni(II)2L(mba)Au(I)PPh3](+) (4(+)). The bridging thiolate functions of the N6S2 macrocycle are deeply buried and are unaffected/unreactive under these conditions. The complexes were fully characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, IR and UV/vis spectroscopy, density functional theory, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography [for 3(BPh4)2 and 4BPh4]. Temperature-dependent magnetization and susceptibility measurements reveal an S = 2 ground state that is attained by ferromagnetic coupling between the spins of the Ni(II) ions in 2ClO4 (J = +22.3 cm(-1)) and 4BPh4 (J = +20.8 cm(-1); H = -2JS1S2). Preliminary contact-angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements indicate that 2ClO4 interacts with gold surfaces.

Symmetry-adapted-cluster configuration interaction study of the doublet states of HCl+: potential energy curves, dipole moments, and transition dipole moments.

The electronic structure of the HCl(+) molecular ion has been calculated using the general-R symmetry-adapted-cluster configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method. The authors present the potential energy curves, dipole moments, and transition dipole moments for a series of doublet states. The data are compared with the previous CASSCF and MCSCF calculations. The SAC-CI results reproduce quite well the data available in literature and extend the knowledge on the HCl(+) electronic structure for several higher states. The calculated R-dependent behavior of both dipole moments and transition dipole moments for a series of bound and unbound states reveals an intricate dissociation process at intermediate distances (R>R(e)). The pronounced maxima in transition dipole moment (TDM) describing transitions into high electronic states (X (2)Pi-->3 (2)Pi, X (2)Pi-->3 (2)Sigma, 2 (2)Pi-->3 (2)Pi, 3 (2)Pi-->4 (2)Pi) occur at different interatomic separations. Such TDM features are promising for selection of excitation pathways and, consequently, for an optimal control of the dissociation products.

catena-poly[[tetrakis(2-allyltetrazole-kappaN4)-tetra-mu-chloro-tricopper(II)]-di-mu-chloro].

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu(3)Cl(6)(C(4)H(6)N(4))(4)](n), there are three Cu atoms, six Cl atoms and four 2-allyltetrazole ligands in the asymmetric unit. The polyhedron of one Cu atom adopts a flattened octahedral geometry, with two 2-allyltetrazole ligands in the axial positions [Cu-N4 = 1.990 (2) and 1.991 (2) A] and four Cl atoms in the equatorial positions [Cu-Cl = 2.4331 (9)-2.5426 (9) A]. The polyhedra of the other two Cu atoms have a square-pyramidal geometry, with three basal sites occupied by Cl atoms [Cu-Cl = 2.2487 (9)-2.3163 (8) and 2.2569 (9)-2.3034 (9) A] and one basal site occupied by a 2-allyltetrazole ligand [Cu-N4 = 2.028 (2) and 2.013 (2) A]. A Cl atom lies in the apical position of either pyramid [Cu-Cl = 2.8360 (10) and 2.8046 (9) A]. The possibility of including the tetrazole N3 atoms in the coordination sphere of the two Cu atoms is discussed. Neighbouring copper polyhedra share their edges with Cl atoms to form one-dimensional polymeric chains running along the a axis.