Viologen-Cucurbit[7]uril Based Polyrotaxanated Covalent Organic Networks: A Metal Free Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Viologen-based covalent organic networks represent a burgeoning class of materials distinguished by their captivating properties. Here, supramolecular chemistry is harnessed to fabricate polyrotaxanated ionic covalent organic polymers (iCOP) through a Schiff-base condensation reaction under solvothermal conditions. The reaction between 1,1'-bis(4-aminophenyl)-[4,4'-bipyridine]-1,1'-diium dichloride (DPV-NH2) and 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (TPG) in various solvents yields an iCOP-1 and iCOP-2. Likewise, employing cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) in the reaction yielded polyrotaxanated iCOPs, denoted as iCOP-CB[7]-1 and iCOP-CB[7]-2. All four iCOPs exhibit exceptional stability under the acidic and basic conditions. iCOP-CB[7]-2 displays outstanding electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) performance, demanding an overpotential of 296 and 332 mV at 10 and 20 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, the CB[7] integrated iCOP-2 exhibits a long-term stable nature for 30 h in 1 m KOH environment. Further, intrinsic activity studies like TOF show a 4.2-fold increase in generation of oxygen (O2) molecules than the bare iCOP-2. Also, it is found that iCOP-CB[7]-2 exhibits a high specific (19.48 mA cm-2) and mass activity (76.74 mA mg-1) at 1.59 V versus RHE. Operando-EIS study evident that iCOP-CB[7]-2 commences OER at a relatively low applied potential of 1.5 V versus RHE. These findings pave the way for a novel approach to synthesizing various mechanically interlocked molecules through straightforward solvothermal conditions.

Evaluation of the complexation behaviour among functionalized diphenyl viologens and cucurbit[7] and [8]urils.

The complexation behaviour of Diphenyl viologens (DPVs) with Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) was evaluated in detail and the results were reported. In this work, we present the synthesis of various DPVs functionalised with electron withdrawing and electron donating groups (EWGs & EDGs) and investigate their complexation behaviour with CB[7] and CB [8]. Carboxylic acid functionalized DPV's (DPV-COOH) complexation with CB[8] gives additional insights, i.e., indicates hydrogen bonding plays an effective role in the complexation. The formation of a 2:2 quaternary complex of DPV-COOH/CB[8] under neutral pH conditions was supported by various analytical techniques. The complexation of DPVs with CB[7] specifies that irrespective of the functional group attached, they all form a 1:2 ternary complex, but the findings elaborate that the pattern followed in the complexation depends on the EW or EDG attached to the DPVs. The competition experiments conducted between functionalized DPVs and CB[7], CB[8] shows that they have more affinity towards CB[8] than CB[7] because of the better macrocyclic confinement effect of CB[8], as confirmed using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The binding affinity among EWG and EDG functionalised DPVs with CB[8] concludes EDG functionalised DPVs show better affinity towards CB[8], because they can form a charge transfer complex inside the CB[8] cavity. Exploring these host-guest interactions in more complex biological or environmental settings and studying their impact on the functionality of DPVs could be an exciting avenue for future research.

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Hybrid Solid Polymer Electrolytes Encompassing Viologen for All-Solid-State Lithium Polymer Batteries.

Hybrid solid polymer electrolytes (HSPE) comprising poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), LiTFSI, barium titanate (BaTiO3), and viologen are prepared by a facile hot press. The physical properties of the HSPE membranes are studied by using small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and tensile strength. The prepared hybrid solid polymer electrolytes are also investigated by means of ionic conductivity and transport number measurements. The employed analyses collectively reveal that each additive in the PEO host contributes to a specific property: LiTFSI is essential in providing ionic species, while BaTiO3 and viologen enhance the thermal stability, ionic conductivity, and transport number. The enhanced value in the Li+-transport number of HSPE are presumably attributed to the electrostatic attraction of TFSI anions and the positive charges of viologen. Synergistically, the added BaTiO3 and viologen improve the electrochemical properties of HSPE for the applications in all-solid-state-lithium polymer batteries.

A review on chemical and electrochemical methodologies for the sensing of biogenic amines.

Biogenic amines (BA) are biomolecules of low molecular weight with organic basic functionalities (amine group) that are formed by the microbial decarboxylation of amino acids of fermented food/beverages. Hence BAs are an important indicator in estimating the freshness and quality of meat, seafood, and industrial food products with high protein content. The reaction of BAs with nitrites available in certain meat products forms nitrosoamine, a carcinogenic compound. Hence BAs are in general considered to be a food hazard and monitoring the level of BAs in food samples becomes crucial as their high concentrations may lead to health problems. This review offers an overview of the available chemical and electrochemical methods that are typically used for the sensing of BAs in food samples. Certain compounds are known to selectively interact with BAs via chemical or non-covalent interactions and these interactions are often accompanied by fluorescence or visible color changes (sometimes visual detection) that could be monitored/assessed using a fluorescence spectrophotometer or UV-vis spectrophotometer (colorimetric methods). The colorimetric methods are limited by sensitivity and selectivity as they are based on straight-forward chemical reactions. In the case of electrochemical sensing of BAs, mediators are often used which undergo oxidation/reduction to produce intermediates that could interact with BAs accompanied by changes in their electrochemical potential. Overall, this review summarizes the available chemical and electrochemical strategies towards the sensing of BAs with a discussion on further prospects.