Synthesis of a tetranitrosyl iron complex with unique structure and properties as an inhibitor of phosphodiesterases

A novel neutral tetranitrosyl iron complex {[Fe(H2O)4]2+[FeR2(NO)2]22-}·4H2O (1) with R = 5-(3-pyridyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiolyls (C7H5N4S), which is a supramolecular ensemble, has been synthesized and studied. As follows from X-ray diffraction analysis, this is an octahedral Fe2+complex (Lewis acid) with two monoanionic dinitrosyl groups [FeR2(NO)2]- (Lewis base) and 4 water molecules as the ligands. As follows from Mössbauer spectra, the coordinating Fe2+ ion is in a low-spin state S = 0, and the dinitrosyl Fe+ ion is in a low-spin state S = 1/2. According to the data of EPR spectroscopy, mass-spectrometry and amperometry, complex 1 in solution forms dinitrosyl particles of [Fe(C7H6N4S-H)2(NO)2]- composition, which are responsible for NO generation. In addition, complex 1 was shown to be a 5-6 times more efficient phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor at 5 × 10-5 M and 10-4 M concentrations than its thioligand. Probable binding sites of the [FeR2(NO)2]- ligand for the bovine PDE1B model have been determined by molecular docking and quantum-chemical calculations.

Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia on a Fe16 Nanocluster: A Computational Study of Catalysis

The sequence of elementary steps leading to reductive ammonia formation from N2 and H2 catalyzed by a Fe16 cluster is studied using generalized gradient approximation density functional theory and an all-electron basis set of triple-ζ quality. The computational methods are validated by comparison to experimental data such as binding energies where possible. First, the associative and dissociative attachment of N2 to Fe16 is considered, followed by exploration of the pathways leading to distal (Fe16-N-NH2) and enzymatic (NFe16-NH2) formation of an amino group. Next, the pathways leading to NH3 formation in both distal and enzymatic cases are examined. Two mechanisms for NH3 detachment have been discovered. An interesting peculiarity of the pathways is that they often proceed with total spin fluctuations, which are related to the rupture and formation of bonds on the surface of the catalyst over the course of the reactions. The reaction Fe16 + N2 + 2H2 → Fe16NH + NH3 is found to be exothermic by 1.02 eV (93.8 kJ/mol).

Rational Design of Fullerene Derivatives for Improved Stability of p-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with p-i-n architecture attracted particular attention from the research community due to their simple and scalable fabrication at low temperatures. However, the operational stability of p-i-n PSCs has to be improved, which requires the development of advanced charge transport interlayers. Fullerene derivatives such as phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) are commonly used as electron transport layer (ETL) materials in PSCs, though they strongly compromise the device stability. Indeed, it has been shown that PC61BM films actively absorb volatile products resulting from photodegradation of lead halide perovskites and transport them towards top metal electrode. Thus, there is an urgent need for development of new fullerene-based electron transport materials with improved properties, in particular the ability to heal defects on the perovskite films surface and block the diffusion of volatile perovskite photodegradation products. To address this challenge, a systematic variation of organic addends structure should be performed in order to tailor the properties of fullerene derivatives. Herein, we rationally designed a series of fullerene derivatives with different side chains and explored their performance as ETL materials in perovskite solar cells. It has been shown that among all studied compounds, a methanofullerene with thiophene pendant group enables both high efficiency and improved device operational stability. The obtained results suggest that further engineering of fullerene-based materials could pave a way for the development of advanced ETL materials enabling long lifetimes of p-i-n perovskite solar cells.

Exploring the Limits: Degradation Behavior of Lead Halide Perovskite Films under Exposure to Ultrahigh Doses of γ Rays of Up to 10 MGy

Herein, we show that thin films of MAPbI₃, FAPbI₃, (CsMA)PbI₃, and (CsMAFA)PbI₃, where MA and FA are methylammonium and formamidinium cations, respectively, tolerate ultrahigh doses of γ rays approaching 10 MGy without significant changes in their absorption spectra. However, among the studied materials, FAPbI₃ was the only one that did not form metallic lead due to its extreme radiation hardness. Infrared near-field optical microscopy revealed the radiation-induced depletion of organic cations from the grains of MAPbI₃ and their accumulation at the grain boundaries, whereas FAPbI₃ on the contrary lost FA cations from the grain boundaries. The multication (CsMAFA)PbI₃ perovskite underwent a facile phase segregation to domains enriched with MA and FA cations, which is a principally new radiation-induced degradation pathway. Our findings suggest that the radiation hardness of the rationally designed perovskite semiconductors could go far beyond the impressive threshold of 10 MGy we set herein for FAPbI₃ films, which opens many exciting opportunities for practical implementation of these materials.

Suppressed Layered-to-Spinel Phase Transition in δ-MnO2 via van der Waals Interaction for Highly Stable Zn/MnO2 Batteries

Although birnessite-type manganese dioxide (δ-MnO₂ ) with a large interlayer spacing (≈7 Å) is a promising cathode candidate for aqueous Zn/MnO₂ batteries, the poor structural stability associated with Zn²⁺ intercalation/deintercalation limits its further practical application. Herein, δ-MnO₂ ultrathin nanosheets are coupled with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via van der Waals (vdW) self-assembly in a vacuum freeze-drying process. It is interesting to find that the presence of vdW interaction between δ-MnO₂ and rGO can effectively suppress the layered-to-spinel phase transition in δ-MnO₂ during cycling. As a result, the coupled δ-MnO₂ /rGO hybrid cathode with a sandwich-like heterostructure exhibits remarkable cycle performance with 80.1% capacity retained after 3000 cycles at 2.0 A g^-1 . The first principle calculations demonstrate that the strong interfacial interaction between δ-MnO₂ and rGO results in improved electron transfer and strengthened layered structure for δ-MnO₂ . This work establishes a viable strategy to mitigate the adverse layered-to-spinel phase transition in layered manganese oxide in aqueous energy storage systems.

Spin-Crossover and Slow Magnetic Relaxation Behavior in Hexachlororhenate(IV) Salts of Mn(III) Complexes [Mn(5-Hal-sal2323)]2[ReCl6] (Hal = Cl, Br)

The cationic complexes of Mn(III) with the 5-Hal-sal₂323 (Hal = Cl, Br) ligands and a paramagnetic doubly charged counterion [ReCl₆]²⁻ have been synthesized: [Mn(5-Cl-sal₂323)]₂[ReCl₆] (1) and [Mn(5-Br-sal₂323)]₂[ReCl₆] (2). Their crystal structures and magnetic properties have been studied. These isostructural two-component ionic compounds show a thermally induced spin transition at high temperature associated with the cationic subsystem and a field-induced slow magnetic relaxation of magnetization at cryogenic temperature, associated with the anionic subsystem. The compounds are the first examples of the coexistence of spin crossover and field-induced slow magnetic relaxation in the family of known [Mn^III(sal₂323)] cationic complexes with various counterions.

Evidence for zero-field slow magnetic relaxation in a Co(II) complex with a pseudo-tetrahedral N2I2 environment

Herein, we report on the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of a four-coordinate mononuclear Co(II) diiodide complex with the 3,5-dimethylpyrazole ligand. A distorted tetrahedral local coordination environment around the central cobalt ion is formed by the two nitrogen atoms of two monodentate pyrazole ligands and by iodide ions. Direct current (dc) magnetic measurements in combination with ab initio SA-CASSCF/NEVPT2 quantum-chemical calculations revealed a strong easy-axis-type magnetic anisotropy with a record value D_exp = -30.58(3) cm^-1 of the axial zero field splitting parameter for pseudo-tetrahedral Co(II)-based CoL₂Hal₂ complexes. Moreover, it is the only complex in this series demonstrating the slow relaxation of magnetization at zero dc field. The Orbach process is shown to be the dominant mechanism of magnetic relaxations in the high temperature range, while the quantum tunneling of magnetization produces the leading contribution to the overall relaxation at temperatures below 4 K.

Cationic dinitrosyl iron complexes with thiourea exhibit selective toxicity to brain tumor cells in vitro

The cytotoxic activity of a series of dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) with thioureas against cells of different origin has been studied in this work. The cytotoxicity of the studied DNICs proved to be substantially different depending on the structure of the complexes and cell line. Complexes with thiourea and 1,3-dimethylthiourea were found to induce notable cell death in different cell lines of both cancerous and non-cancerous origin, while the N-ethylthiourea-bearing complex induced cell death in cells derived from brain tumors. The studied DNICs effectively release NO while decomposing in solutions, as follows from the electrochemical analysis. It was found that the cytotoxic effects of the studied DNICs did not correlate with their NO-donating ability, hence suggesting that their cytotoxic activity is, in a big part, defined by the long-lived nitrosyl iron-sulfur intermediates formed during the decomposition of the complexes. The structures of the products formed upon hydrolytic decomposition of all studied DNICs have been studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Stable high-molecular cluster ions containing NO groups namely [Fe₄S₃(NO)₇]^- (Roussin's "black salt" anion), [Fe₄S₃(NO)⁵]^-, [Fe₄S₄(NO)₄]^-, [Fe₄S₃(NO)₄]^- and [Fe₄S₃(NO)₆]^- have been detected in the solution of the N-ethylthiourea-bearing complex. The mechanism of Roussin's "black salt" anion formation in a solution of DNIC with N'-ethylthiourea was studied using density functional theory. This moved us near understanding the reasons for the formation of biologically active intermediates upon the decomposition of the complex with N'-ethylthiourea, which are apparently responsible for the unique antiglioma activity of the complex.

Nanoscale Visualization of Photodegradation Dynamics of MAPbI3 Perovskite Films

Herein, we report the nanoscale visualization of the photochemical degradation dynamics of MAPbI₃ (MA = CH₃NH₃⁺) using infrared scattering scanning near-field microscopy (IR s-SNOM) combined with a series of complementary analytical techniques such as UV-vis and FTIR-spectroscopy, XRD, and XPS. Light exposure of the MAPbI₃ films resulted in a gradual loss of MA⁺ cations starting from the grain boundaries at the film surface and slowly progressing toward the center of the grains and deeper into the bulk perovskite phase. The binary lead iodide PbI₂ was found to be the major perovskite photochemical degradation product under the experimental conditions used. Interestingly, the formation of the PbI₂ skin over the perovskite grains resulted in a largely enhanced photoluminescence, which resembles the effects observed for core-shell quantum dots. The obtained results demonstrate that IR s-SNOM represents a powerful technique for studying the spatially resolved degradation dynamics of perovskite absorbers and revealing the associated material aging pathways.

Magnetically bistable cobalt-dioxolene complexes with a tetradentate N-donor base

We describe a family of cobalt-dioxolene complexes exhibiting a high diversity of magnetic properties: from field-induced single-ion magnetism to thermally induced valence-tautomerism.

Field-induced single-ion magnet based on a quasi-octahedral Co(II) complex with mixed sulfur-oxygen coordination environment

Synthesis and characterization of structure and magnetic properties of the quasi-octahedral complex (pipH₂)[Co(TDA)₂] 2H₂O (I), (pipH₂²⁺ = piperazine dication, TDA^2- = thiodiacetic anion) are described. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the first coordination sphere of the Co(II) ion, consisting of two chelating tridentate TDA ligands with a mixed sulfur-oxygen strongly elongated octahedral coordination environment. SQUID magnetometry, frequency-domain Fourier-transform (FD-FT) THz-EPR spectroscopy, and high-level ab initio SA-CASSCF/NEVPT2 quantum chemical calculations reveal a strong "easy-plane" type magnetic anisotropy (D ≈ +54 cm^-1) of complex I. The complex shows field-induced slow relaxation of magnetization at an applied DC field of 1000 Oe.

Evolution of Ferromagnetic and Antiferromagnetic States in Iron Nitride Clusters FenN and FenN2 (n = 1-10)

First-principles density functional theory calculations on neutral and singly negatively and positively charged iron clusters Fe_n and iron nitride clusters Fe_nN and Fe_nN₂ (n = 1-10) in the range of 1 ≤ n ≤ 10 revealed that there is a strong competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic states especially in the Fe_nN₂^0,±1 cluster series. This phenomenon was related to superexchange via a bridging N atom between two iron atoms in the Fe_nN₂^0,±1 cluster series and to a double superexchange effect via a Fe atom shared by two N atoms in the Fe_nN₂^0,±1 series. A thorough examination of the structure-energy-spin state relationships in these clusters is conducted, leading to new insights and confirmation of available experimental results on structural parameters and dissociation energetics. The bond energies of both nitrogen atoms in the Fe_nN₂ series are approximately the same. They weakly depend on the charge of the host cluster and fluctuate around 5.5 eV when moving along the series. The energy of N₂ desorption is relatively small; it varies by about 1.0 eV and depends on the charge of the cluster. The experimental finding that N₂ dissociates on the Fe_n⁺ clusters beginning with n = 4 was supported by the results of our computations. Our computed values of the Fe_n⁺-N bonding energies agree with the experimental data within the experimental uncertainty bars. It was found that the attachment of one or two N atoms does not seriously affect the polarizability, electron affinity, or ionization energy of the host iron clusters independent of the charge.

Temperature Dynamics of MAPbI3 and PbI2 Photolysis: Revealing the Interplay between Light and Heat, Two Enemies of Perovskite Photovoltaics

Regardless of the impressive photovoltaic performances demonstrated for lead halide perovskite solar cells, their practical implementation is severely impeded by the low device stability. Complex lead halides are sensitive to both light and heat, which are unavoidable under realistic solar cell operational conditions. Suppressing these intrinsic degradation pathways requires a thorough understanding of their mechanistic aspects. Herein, we explored the temperature effects in the light-induced decomposition of MAPbI₃ and PbI₂ thin films under anoxic conditions. The analysis of the aging kinetics revealed that MAPbI₃ photolysis and PbI₂ photolysis have quite high effective activation energies of ∼85 and ∼106 kJ mol^-1, respectively, so decreasing the temperature from 55 to 30 °C can extend the perovskite lifetime by factors of >10-100. These findings suggest that controlling the temperature of the perovskite solar panels might allow the long operational lifetimes (>20 years) required for the practical implementation of this promising technology.

Partial Substitution of Pb2+ in CsPbI3 as an Efficient Strategy To Design Fairly Stable All-Inorganic Perovskite Formulations

All-inorganic lead halide perovskites, for example, CsPbI₃, are becoming more attractive for applications as light absorbers in perovskite solar cells because of higher thermal and photochemical stability as compared to their hybrid analogues. However, a specific drawback of the CsPbI₃ absorber consists of the rapid phase transition from black to yellow nonphotoactive phase at low temperatures (e.g., <100 °C), which is accelerated under exposure to light. Herein, an experimental screening of an unprecedently large series (>30) of metal cations in a wide range of concentration has allowed us to establish a set of Pb²⁺ substitutes, facilitating the crystallization of the photoactive black CsPbI₃ phase at low temperatures. Importantly, the appropriate Pb²⁺ substitution with Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ce³⁺, Nd³⁺, Gd³⁺, Tb³⁺, Dy²⁺, Er³⁺, Yb²⁺, Lu³⁺, and Pt²⁺ cations has led to a spectacular enhancement of the film stability under realistic solar cell operation conditions (∼1 sun equivalent light exposure, 50 °C). Optoelectronic, structural, and morphological effects of partial Pb²⁺ substitution were investigated, providing a deeper insight into the processes underlying the stabilization of the CsPbI₃ films. Several CsPb_1-xM_xI_∼3 systems were evaluated as absorber materials in perovskite solar cells, demonstrating encouraging light power conversion efficiency of 11.4% in preliminary experiments. The obtained results feature the potential of designing efficient and stable all-inorganic perovskite solar cells using novel absorber materials rationally designed via compositional engineering.

Dissociation of dinitrogen on iron clusters: a detailed study of the Fe16 + N2 case

The coalescence of two Fe8N as well as the structure of the Fe16N2 cluster were studied using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation and a basis set of triple-zeta quality. It was found that the coalescence may proceed without an energy barrier and that the geometrical structures of the resulting clusters depend strongly on the mutual orientations of the initial moieties. The dissociation of N2 is energetically favorable on Fe16, and the nitrogen atoms share the same Fe atom in the lowest energy state of the Fe16N2 species. The attachment of two nitrogen atoms leads to a decrease in the total spin magnetic moment of the ground-state Fe16 host by 6 μB due to the peculiarities of chemical bonding in the magnetic clusters. In order to gain insight into the dependence of properties on charge and to estimate the bonding energies of both N atoms, we performed optimizations of Fe16N and the singly charged ions of both Fe16N2 and Fe16N. It was found that the electronic properties of the Fe16N2 cluster, such as electron affinity and ionization energy, do not appreciably depend on the attachment of nitrogen atoms but that the average binding energy per atom changes significantly. The lowering in total energy due to the attachment of two N atoms was found to be nearly independent of charge. The IR and Raman spectra were simulated for Fe16N2 and its ions, and it was found that the positions of the most intense peaks in the IR spectra strongly depend on charge and therefore present fingerprints of the charged states. The chemical bonding in the ground-state Fe16N20,±1 species was described in terms of the localized molecular orbitals.

Structure and ionic conductivity of the octahydrate of tetralithium salt of calix[4]arenesulfonic acid

The structure and ionic conductivity of the octahydrate of tetralithium salt of calix[4]arenesulfonic acid was determined for the first time.

Evolution of crystal structure of dual layered molecular conductor (ET)4ZnBr4(C6H4Cl2) with temperature

Disordering of ET in dual-layered organic metal with incoherent interlayer electron transport (ET)4ZnBr4(C6H4Cl2) begins already in the LT-phase when approaching Tp.

Field-induced SIM behaviour of a Co(II) complex with a 1,1'-diacetylferrocene-derived ligand

Herein, we report the synthesis and magnetic properties of the Co(ii) coordination compound with the 1,1'-bis(1-((pyrid-2-ylmethylene)hydrazono)ethyl)ferrocene (L) ligand, having the general formula [CoLCl2]. The static magnetic data analysis supported by the CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations revealed the presence of the triaxial magnetic anisotropy with Dexp = +35.2 cm-1 and large rhombicity (E/D = 0.31) in this complex (Dcalc = +34.5 cm-1, E/Dcalc = 0.30). The dynamic magnetic data confirm that the complex shows a slow field-induced (HDC = 1000 Oe) magnetic relaxation behaviour.

Formation of supramolecular synthons in the crystalline structure of the dinitrosyl iron complexes with aliphatic thiourea ligands

By means of quantum-chemical calculations using Density Functional Theory, Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules, and Natural Bond Orbitals, theoretical modeling of intermolecular interactions has been performed for eight nitrosyl iron complexes with aliphatic thiourea ligands, which was aimed at discovering the presence of the NO…NO intermolecular interactions and at studying the possibility of the NO…NO supramolecular synthon formation in their crystalline structure for explaining their unusual magnetic properties. Such interactions were shown to be either stacking or T-like interactions, depending on the relative position of nitrosyl ligands and energetically corresponding to Van der Waals bonds. Mainly LP(O), π (NO), and π*(NO) orbitals in various combinations participate in their formation, with π (FeN), π(FeО), and LP(N) orbitals hardly being participants. The involvement of the NO bond orbitals results in quenching the orbital moment of the NO groups. If NO groups are isolated from intermolecular interactions, they can preserve the unquenched orbital moment.

Influence of back donation effects on the structure of ZnO nanoclusters

The structure and properties of ZnO quantum dots is a very popular and rapidly growing field of research for which accurate quantum calculations are challenging to perform. Since the dependence between system size and wall time scales nonlinearly, certain compromises have to be made. A particularly important limiting factor is the size of the basis used, this is especially the case if accurate large calculations are to be carried out. In our work, we discovered that an important O(2p)->Zn(4p) back donation, which greatly influences the strength of the ZnO bond, can be reproduced only if diffuse functions are added to the basis set. We further tested the basis dependence for the magic-sized wurtzite nanophase ZnO clusters which were previously shown to be able to accurately reproduce the magnetically doped II-IV Q-dots. In this work, we outline the minimal basis sets required to properly describe ZnO bonds in a nanocluster. It was demonstrated that the rock salt nanophase is incorrectly stabilized if a basis set does not contain sufficiently diffuse functions while the correct wurtzite phase is stabilized when diffuse functions are added. This tendency, similar to that in the ZnO dimer case, was shown to stem from the incorrect lack of Zn(4p) electron density in calculations when using the diffuse-free basis set.

Efficient and Stable MAPbI3-Based Perovskite Solar Cells Using Polyvinylcarbazole Passivation

Hybrid perovskite solar cells attract a great deal of attention due to the feasibility of their low-cost production and their demonstration of impressive power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 25%. However, the insufficient intrinsic stability of lead halides under light soaking and thermal stress impedes practical implementation of this technology. Herein, we show that the photothermal aging of a widely used perovskite light absorber such as MAPbI₃ can be suppressed significantly by using polyvinylcarbazole (PVC) as a stabilizing agent. By applying a few complementary methods, we reveal that the PVC additive leads to passivation of defects in the absorber material. Introducing an optimal content of PVC into MAPbI₃ delivers a PCE of 18.7% in combination with a significantly improved solar cell operational lifetime: devices retained ∼70% of the initial efficiency after light soaking for 1500 h, whereas the control samples without PVC degraded almost completely under the same conditions.

Synthesis and highly efficient light-induced rearrangements of diphenylmethylene(2-benzo[b]thienyl)fulgides and fulgimides

2-Benzo[b]thienyl fulgides and fulgimides containing bulky diphenylmethylene substituents were synthesized in the form of their ring-opened E- or Z-isomers. In contrast to the majority of known fulgides/fulgimides, that form colored ring-closed structures under UV irradiation, the obtained compounds undergo an irreversible transformation leading to decoloration of their solutions. This rearrangement with the formation of the dihydronaphthalene core appeared to be by 2-3 orders of magnitude more efficient than for the known diphenylmethylene(aryl(hetaryl))fulgides. The molecular structures of E- and Z-isomers and of products of the photoinduced rearrangement completed by 1,5-H shift reaction, 3a,4-dihydronaphtho[2,3-c]furans(pyrroles) C, were established based on the data of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies.

Light-Sensitive Material Structure-Electrical Performance Relationship for Optical Memory Transistors Incorporating Photochromic Dihetarylethenes

Photoswitchable organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with embedded photochromic materials are considered as a promising platform for development of organic optical memory devices. Unfortunately, the operational mechanism of these devices and guidelines for selection of light-sensitive materials are still poorly explored. In the present work, a series of photochromic dihetarylethenes with a cyclopentenone bridge moiety were investigated as a dielectric/semiconductor interlayer in the structure of photoswitchable OFETs. It was shown that the electrical performance and stability of the devices can be tuned by variation of the substituents in the structure of the photochromic material. In particular, it was found that dihetarylethenes with donor substituents demonstrated the best light-induced switching effects (wider memory windows and higher switching coefficients) in the devices. The operation mechanism of the light-triggered memory devices was proposed based on the differential in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy data and regression analysis of the threshold voltage-programming time experimental dependencies. The established relationships will facilitate further rational design of new photochromic materials, thus paving a way to fast and durable organic optical memories and memory transistors (memristors).

Incorporation of Vanadium(V) Oxide in Hybrid Hole Transport Layer Enables Long-term Operational Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells

Recent studies have shown that charge transport interlayers with low gas permeability can increase the operational lifetime of perovskite solar cells serving as a barrier for migration of volatile decomposition products from the photoactive layer. Herein we present a hybrid hole transport layer (HTL) comprised of p-type polytriarylamine (PTAA) polymer and vanadium(V) oxide (VO_x). Devices with PTAA/VO_x top HTL reach up to 20% efficiency and demonstrate negligible degradation after 4500 h of light soaking, whereas reference cells using PTAA/MoO_x as HTL lose ∼50% of their initial efficiency under the same aging conditions. It was shown that the main origin of the enhanced device stability lies in the higher tolerance of VO_x toward MAPbI₃ compared to the MoO_x interlayer, which tends to facilitate perovskite decomposition. Our results demonstrate that the application of PTAA/VO_x hybrid HTL enables long-term operational stability of perovskite solar cells, thus bringing them closer to commercial applications.

Visible to near-IR molecular switches based on photochromic indoline spiropyrans with a conjugated cationic fragment

Photochromic molecules which can absorb and emit light within the "biological window" (650-1450 nm) are of great interest for using in various important biomedical applications such as bio-imaging, photopharmacology, targeted drug delivery, etc. Here we present three new indoline spiropyrans containing conjugated cationic fragments and halogen substituents in the 2H-chromene moiety which were synthesized by a simple one-pot method. The molecular structure of the obtained compounds was confirmed by FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy (including 2D methods), HRMS, elemental and single crystal X-ray analysis. Photochemical studies revealed the photochromic activity of spiropyrans at room temperature which caused photoswitchable fluorescence in the near-IR region after UV-irradiation. While the spirocyclic forms of compounds demonstrated absorption bands in the UV-Vis spectra with maxima in the visible region at about 445 nm and were not fluorescent, the photogenerated merocyanine isomers absorbed in the near-IR range at 708-738 nm and emitted at 768-791 nm. It was found that compound 1a with fluorine substituent possesses the most red-shifted absorption and emission bands of merocyanine form among all the known photochromic spiropyrans with maxima at 738 and 791 nm correspondingly. TD DFT calculations have shown that the longest wavelength absorption maxima of the merocyanine forms correspond to S₀-S₁ transitions of the isomers with at least one trans-trans-trans-configured vinylindolium fragment which brings them closer to cyanine-like structure and causes an appearance of the absorption and emission bands in the near-IR region.

Unravelling the Material Composition Effects on the Gamma Ray Stability of Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: MAPbI3 Breaks the Records

In this work, we report a comparative study of the gamma ray stability of perovskite solar cells based on a series of perovskite absorbers including MAPbI₃ (MA = methylammonium), MAPbBr₃, Cs_0.15FA_0.85PbI₃ (FA = formamidinim), Cs_0.1MA_0.15FA_0.75PbI₃, CsPbI₃, and CsPbBr_3. We reveal that the composition of the perovskite material strongly affects the radiation stability of the solar cells. In particular, solar cells based on the MAPbI₃ were found to be the most resistant to gamma rays since this perovskite undergoes rapid self-healing due to the special gas-phase chemistry analyzed with ab initio calculations. The fact that the solar cells based on MAPbI₃ can withstand a 1000 kRad gamma ray dose without any noticeable degradation of the photovoltaic properties is particularly exciting and shifts the paradigm of research in this field toward designing more dynamic rather than intrinsically robust (e.g., inorganic) materials.

Reduction of Methylammonium Cations as a Major Electrochemical Degradation Pathway in MAPbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells

Herein, we reveal for the first time a comprehensive mechanism of poorly investigated electrochemical decomposition of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ using a set of microscopy techniques (optical, AFM, PL) and ToF-SIMS. We demonstrate that applied electric bias induces the oxidation of I^- to I₂, which remains trapped in the film in the form of polyiodides, and hence, the process can be conceivably reversed by reduction. On the contrary, reduction of organic methylammonium cation produces volatile products, which leave the film and thus make the degradation irreversible. Our results lead to a paradigm change when considering design principles for improving the stability of complex lead halide materials as those featuring organic cations rather than halide anions as the most electric field-sensitive components. Suppressing the electrochemical degradation of complex lead halides represents a crucial challenge, which should be addressed in order to bring the operational stability of perovskite photovoltaics to commercially interesting benchmarks.

Light or Heat: What Is Killing Lead Halide Perovskites under Solar Cell Operation Conditions?

We report the first systematic assessment of intrinsic photothermal stability of a large panel of complex lead halides APbX₃ incorporating different univalent cations (A = CH₃NH₃⁺, [NH₂CHNH₂]⁺, Cs⁺) and halogen anions (X = Br, I) using a series of analytical techniques such as UV-vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, EDX analysis, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy, ESR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. We show that heat stress and light soaking induce a severe degradation of perovskite films even in the absence of oxygen and moisture. The stability of complex lead halides increases in the order MAPbBr₃ < MAPbI₃ < FAPbI₃ < FAPbBr₃ < CsPbI₃ < CsPbBr₃, thus featuring all-inorganic perovskites as the most promising absorbers for stable perovskite solar cells. An important correlation was found between the stability of the complex lead halides and the volatility of univalent cation halides incorporated in their structure. The established relationship provides useful guidelines for designing new complex metal halides with immensely improved stability.

Phase transformations of iodine-containing dual-layered conductor θ-(ET)4CdI4(PhCl) upon cooling

The effect of transformation of conducting layers with decreasing temperature on transport properties was studied for new organic conductor θ-(ET)₄CdI₄(PhCl).

Effect of albumin on the transformation of dinitrosyl iron complexes with thiourea ligands

BSA binds the Fe(NO)₂⁺ fragment of DNIC and multiple molecules of [Fe(SC(NH₂)₂)₂(NO)₂]⁺ that prolongs NO donation by this DNIC.

Potassium Salt of Fullerenylpenta-N-Dihydroxytyrosine Effects on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Therapeutic Targets

It was shown for the first time that pentaamino acid derivative of fullerene C₆₀ (potassium salt of fullerenylpenta-N-dihydroxytyrosine) affects three targets of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It competitively inhibits the enzymes aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase and also has an antiglycation effect on bovine serum albumin. The inhibition constants for these enzymes were calculated.

Antioxidant Activity of Tetranitrosyl Iron Complex with Thiosulfate Ligands and Its Effect on Catalytic Activity of Mitochondrial Enzymes In vitro

The antioxidant and antiradical properties of the tetra nitrosyl iron complex with thiosulfate ligands (TNIC) were studied in vitro in mouse brain homogenates. It was found for the first time that TNIC is an effective antioxidant. The effect of TNIC on the catalytic activity of mitochondrial enzymes cytochrome c oxidase and monoamine oxidase A was studied. It was shown for the first time that TNIC is an inhibitor of the catalytic activity of cytochrome c oxidase and monoamine oxidase A in animal brain mitochondria in vitro.

Hydrogenation of 3d-metal oxide clusters: Effects on the structure and magnetic properties

The geometrical structures and properties of the M₈ O₁₂ , M₈ O₁₂ H₈ , and M₈ O₁₂ H₁₂ clusters are explored using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation for all 3d-metals M from Sc to Zn. It is found that the geometries and total spin magnetic moments of the clusters depended strongly on the 3d-atom type and the hydrogenation extent. More than the half of all of the 30 clusters had singlet lowest total energy states, which could be described as either nonmagnetic or antiferromagnetic. Hydrogenation increases the total spin magnetic moments of the M₈ O₁₂ H₁₂ clusters when MMnNi, which become larger by four Bohr magneton than those of the corresponding unary clusters M₈ . Hydrogenation substantially affects such properties as polarizability, forbidden band gaps, and dipole moments. Collective superexchange where the local total spin magnetic moments of two atom squads are coupled antiparallel was observed in antiferromagnetic singlet states of Fe₈ O₁₂ H₈ and Co₈ O₁₂ H₈ , whereas the lowest total energy states of their neighbors Mn₈ O₁₂ H₈ and Ni₈ O₁₂ H₈ are ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic, respectively. Hydrogenation leads to a decrease in the average binding energy per atom when moving across the 3d-metal atom series. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Field-induced single-ion magnet behaviour of a hexacoordinated Co(ii) complex with easy-axis-type magnetic anisotropy

This study presents the novel hexacoordinated Co(ii) mononuclear complex with SIM behavior.