Tunable Photoluminescence across the Visible Spectrum and Photocatalytic Activity of Mixed-Valence Rhenium Oxide Nanoparticles

O2 activation by subnanometer Re-Pt clusters supported on TiO2(110): exploring adsorption sites

Activation of O2 by subnanometer metal clusters is a fundamental step in the reactivity and oxidation processes of single-cluster catalysts. In this work, we examine the adsorption and dissociation of O2 on RenPtm (n + m = 5) clusters supported on rutile TiO2(110) using DFT calculations. The adhesion energies of RenPtm clusters on the support are high, indicating significant stability of the supported clusters. Furthermore, the bimetallic Re-Pt clusters attach to the surface through the Re atoms. The oxygen molecule was adsorbed on three sites of the supported systems: the metal cluster, the surface, and the interface. At the metal cluster site, the O2 molecule binds strongly to RenPtm clusters, especially on the Re-rich clusters. O2 activation occurs by charge transfer from the metal atoms to the molecule. The dissociation of O2 on the RenPtm clusters is an exothermic process with low barriers. As a result, sub-nanometer Re-Pt clusters can be susceptible to oxidation. Similar results are obtained at the metal-support interface, where both the surface and cluster transfer charge to O2. To surface sites, molecular oxygen is adsorbed onto the Ti5c atoms with moderate adsorption energies. The polarons, which are produced by the interaction between the metal cluster and the surface, participate in the activation of the molecule. However, dissociating O2 in these sites is challenging due to the endothermic nature of the process and the high energy barriers involved. Our findings provide novel insights into the reactivity of supported clusters, specifically regarding the O2 activation by Re-Pt clusters on rutile TiO2(110).

Metallic Re3O2 with mixed-valence states

Rhenium (Re) shows the richest valence states from +2 to +7 in compounds, but its mixed-valence states are still missing thus far. In this work, we have explored the Re-O phase diagram with a wide range of stoichiometric compositions under high pressure through first-principles structural search calculations. Besides identifying two novel high-pressure phases of ReO2 and ReO3, we reveal two hitherto unknown Re-rich Re3O2 and O-rich ReO4 compounds. Re atoms in Re3O2 show mixed-valence states due to their inequivalent coordination environments, the first example in Re-based compounds. Electronic structure calculations demonstrate that the four discovered Re-O phases exhibit metallicity contributed by Re 5d electrons. Among them, ReO3 has a predicted critical temperature of up to 12 K at 50 GPa, derived from the interaction between Re 5d electrons and Re-derived low-frequency phonons. Our study points to new opportunities to disclose novel transition metal compounds with mixed-valence states.

Amphiphilic Polyurethane with Cluster-Induced Emission for Multichannel Bioimaging in Living Cell Systems

The development of single-component materials with low cytotoxicity and multichannel fluorescence imaging capability is a research hotspot. In the present work, highly electron-deficient pyrazine monomers were covalently connected into a polyurethane backbone using addition polymerization with terminal poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether units containing a high density of electron pairs. Thereby, an amphiphilic polyurethane-pyrazine (PUP) derivative has been synthesized. The polymer displays cluster-induced emission through compact inter- and/or intramolecular noncovalent interactions and extensive through-space electron coupling and delocalization. Molecular rigidity facilitates red-shifted emission. Based on hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions and excitation dependence emission at low concentrations, PUP has been self-assembled into fluorescent nanoparticles (PUP NPs) without additional surfactant. PUP NPs have been used for cellular multicolor imaging to provide a variety of switchable colors on demand. This work provides a simple molecular design for environmentally sustainable, luminescent materials with excellent photophysical properties, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and color modulation.

Integrated System Built for Small-Molecule Semiconductors via High-Throughput Approaches

High-throughput synthesis of solution-processable structurally variable small-molecule semiconductors is both an opportunity and a challenge. A large number of diverse molecules provide a possibility for quick material discovery and machine learning based on experimental data. However, the diversity of the molecular structure leads to the complexity of molecular properties, such as solubility, polarity, and crystallinity, which poses great challenges to solution processing and purification. Here, we first report an integrated system for the high-throughput synthesis, purification, and characterization of molecules with a large variety. Based on the principle "Like dissolves like," we combine theoretical calculations and a robotic platform to accelerate the purification of those molecules. With this platform, a material library containing 125 molecules and their optical-electronic properties was built within a timeframe of weeks. More importantly, the high repeatability of recrystallization we design is a reliable approach to further upgrading and industrial production.

Reaction of Perrhenate with Phthalocyanine Derivatives in the Presence of Reducing Agents and Rhenium Oxide Nanoparticles in Biomedical Applications

A novel alternative route to access rhenium(V)−phthalocyanine complexes through direct metalation of metal‐free phthalocyanines (H₂Pcs) with a rhenium(VII) salt in the presence of various two‐electron reducing agents is presented. Direct ion metalation of tetraamino‐ or tetranitrophthalocyanine with perrhenate (ReO₄⁻) in the presence of triphenylphosphine led to oxidative decomposition of the H₂Pcs, giving their respective phthalonitriles. Conversely, treatment of H₂Pcs with ReO₄⁻ employing sodium metabisulfite yielded the desired Re^VO−Pc complex. Finally, reaction of H₂Pcs with ReO₄⁻ and NaBH₄ as reducing agent led to the formation of rhenium oxide (Re_xO_y) nanoparticles (NPs). The NP synthesis was optimised, and the Re_xO_y NPs were capped with folic acid (FA) conjugated with tetraaminophthalocyanine (TAPc) to enhance their cancer cell targeting ability. The cytotoxicity profile of the resultant Re_xO_y−TAPc−FA NPs was assessed and found to be greater than 80 % viability in four cell lines, namely, MDA−MB‐231, HCC7, HCC1806 and HEK293T. Non‐cytotoxic concentrations were determined and employed in cancer cell localization studies. The particle size effect on localization of NPs was also investigated using confocal fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. The smaller NPs (≈10 nm) were found to exhibit stronger fluorescence properties than the ≈50 nm NPs and exhibited better cell localization ability than the ≈50 nm NPs.

Excitation-Wavelength-Dependent Organic Long-Persistent Luminescence Originating from Excited-State Long-Range Proton Transfer

Stimuli-responsive functional luminescent materials with tunable color and long-persistent emission have emerged as a powerful tool in information encryption, anticounterfeiting, and bioelectronics. Herein, we prove a novel strategy for manipulating the proton transfer pathways in the salicylaldehyde derivative EQCN solutions/powder to produce excitation wavelength-dependent (Ex-De) performances with switchable emissions (blue-sky, green, and orange). The experiments and theoretical results demonstrated that the different luminous colors are originated from enol (E) form (blue-sky), Keto-1 (K1) form (orange) through the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process, and Keto-2 (K2) form (green) through the excited-state long-range proton transfer (ESLRPT) process. We leverage synergistic effects between the dopant and matrix (dimethyl terephthalate, DTT) to manipulate the excited-state proton transfer pathway in EQCN@DTT mixture powders to generate Ex-De long-persistent luminescence (Ex-De-LPL), which can be well applied in multilevel information encryption. This strategy not only paves an intriguing way for the construction and preparation of pure organic Ex-De materials but also offers a guideline for developing LPL materials based on ESLRPT processes.

Rhenium/rhenium oxide nanoparticles production using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid

In this study, rhenium/rhenium oxide nanoparticles (Re / ReO₃ NPs) have been produced for the first time in ultrapure water by using Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (fsPLAL) method. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements and results obtained for NPs show the existence of well-crystallized peaks and preferred phases. Re NPs have hexagonal structure while ReO₃ NPs have the perovskite-like cubic crystal structures. The Re / ReO₃ ratio is also determined to be 53 / 47 with ~ 20 nm crystallite size, while pure ReO₃ crystallite sizes were measured to be ~ 25 nm. The TEM results have shown that the produced particles have a spherical shape, and particle sizes changes between ~ 20 nm and ~ 60 nm. The crystallite size is similar due to XRD results. Obtained nanoparticles exhibit promising applications for photonic devices with broad bandgap values which have measured to be 4.71 eV for Re / ReO₃ NPs mixture and 4.36 eV for pure ReO₃ NPs.

Rhenium oxide nanoparticles - Sonochemical synthesis and integration on anode powders for solid oxide fuel cells

Rhenium oxide nanoparticles have been prepared using ultrasonication at 20 kHz. Samples characterization was committed via SEM-EDX, TEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. Various experimental parameters were examined, including precursor/substrate amounts, ultrasonication intensity, and type of solvent used. Insights to the agglomeration of the prepared nanoparticles depending on the preparation parameters are given. As ultrasonic source we used either an ultrasonic probe by Sonics & Materials Inc. (20 kHz, 750 W net output) or a Bandelin SONOPULS HD 3200 ultrasound generator (20 kHz, 200 W net output) at intensities between 30 and 100 W/cm². The rhenium oxide nanoparticles haven been decorated on state-of-the-art anode materials (NiO/GDC) for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) in order to prepare catalytically more active anode powders. These experiments revealed that ultrasonication intensity and solvents used are able to affect final nanoparticles size distribution and morphology. At the same time, ratio of precursor and substrate compounds amounts as well as ultrasonication intensity and duration were all found to affect the decoration loading extend of nanoformations on substrate powders. The results showing the influence of the above-mentioned parameters allowed for the quantification of the effects on the loading and the preferable sites of the decoration.

Controlled syntheses of monodispersed metal oxide nanocrystals from bulk metal oxide materials

High quality metal oxides nanocrystals are synthesized from bulk metal oxides in the presence of surfactants and high boiling point solvent.

Colloidal ReO3 Nanocrystals: Extra Re d-Electron Instigating a Plasmonic Response

Rhenium (+6) oxide (ReO₃) is metallic in nature, which means it can sustain localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in its nanocrystalline form. Herein, we describe the colloidal synthesis of nanocrystals (NCs) of this compound, through a hot-injection route entailing the reduction of rhenium (+7) oxide with a long chain ether. This synthetic protocol is fundamentally different from the more widely employed nucleophilic lysing of metal alkylcarboxylates for other metal oxide NCs. Owing to this difference, the NC surfaces are populated by ether molecules through an L-type coordination along with covalently bound (X-type) hydroxyl moieties, which enables easy switching from nonpolar to polar solvents without resorting to cumbersome ligand exchange procedures. These as-synthesized NCs exhibit absorption bands at around 590 nm (∼2.1 eV) and 410 nm (∼3 eV), which were respectively ascribed to their LSPR and interband absorptions by Mie theory simulations and Drude modeling. The LSPR response arises from the oscillation of free electron density created by the extra Re d-electron per ReO₃ unit in the NC lattice, which resides in the conduction band. Further, the LSPR contribution facilitates the observation of dynamic optical modulation of the NC films as they undergo progressive electrochemical charging via ion (de)insertion. Ion (de)insertion leads to distinct dynamic optical signatures, and these changes are reversible in a wide potential range depending on the choice of the ion (lithium or tetrabutylammonium). Nanostructuring in ReO₃ and the description of the associated plasmonic properties of these NCs made this optical modulation feasible, which were hitherto not reported for the bulk material. We envisage that the synthetic protocol described here will facilitate further exploration of such applications and fundamental studies of these plasmonic NCs.

Effective Removal of Anionic Re(VII) by Surface-Modified Ti2CT x MXene Nanocomposites: Implications for Tc(VII) Sequestration

Environmental contamination by ⁹⁹Tc(VII) from radioactive wastewater streams is of particular concern due to the long half-life of ⁹⁹Tc and high mobility of pertechnetate. Herein, we report a novel MXene-polyelectrolyte nanocomposite with three-dimensional networks for enhanced removal of perrhenate, which is pertechnetate simulant. The introduction of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) regulates the surface charge and improves the stability of Ti₂CT _x nanosheet, resulting in Re(VII) removal capacity of up to 363 mg g^-1, and fast sorption kinetics. The Ti₂CT _x/PDDA nanocomposite furthermore exhibits good selectivity for ReO₄^- when competing anions (such as Cl^- and SO₄^2-) coexist at a concentration of 1800 times. The immobilization mechanism was confirmed as a sorption-reduction process by batch sorption experiments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pH-dependent reducing activity of Ti₂CT _x/PDDA nanocomposite toward Re(VII) was clarified by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. As the pH increases, the local environment gradually changes from octahedral-coordinated Re(IV) to tetrahedral-coordinated Re(VII). The overall results suggest that Ti₂CT _x/PDDA nanocomposite may be a promising candidate for efficient elimination of Tc contamination. The reported surface modification strategy might result in applications of MXene-based materials in environmental remediation of other oxidized anion pollutants.

Structural origins, tunable photoluminescence governed by impurities and white-light irradiation in transparent Pr3+:BaTiO3 glass-ceramics

Study for impurity- and irradiation-induced structure evolution in mono Pr³⁺:BaTiO₃ glass ceramics notably promotes the active control of fluorescence emission.