A Leaf-Inspired Luminescent Solar Concentrator for Energy-Efficient Continuous-Flow Photochemistry

Color balanced transparent luminescent solar concentrator based on a polydimethylsiloxane polymer waveguide with coexisting polar and non-polar fluorescent dyes

Color balance is a critical concept in the application of functional transparent polymers from a customer's standpoint. In this study, multiple polar and non-polar fluorescent dyes are embedded simultaneously for the first time in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer matrix. Five dyes successfully coexist with the optimum blending ratio. Furthermore, simultaneous dispersing of polar and non-polar dyes in the polymer is achieved. Absorption and photoluminescence characteristics of multiple fluorescent dyes in PDMS medium are systemically deconvoluted and discussed. The competitive average visible transmittance and color balance of synthesized multi-fluorescent dye embedded PDMS is demonstrated by high color rendering index and CIE color space coordinates close to the white point. Additionally, the luminescent solar concentrator device demonstrates improved power conversion efficiency and light utilization efficiency than the pure PDMS waveguide-based device. Moreover, the long-term storage stability is demonstrated successfully. The findings, therefore, demonstrate the applicability of multi-fluorescent dye embedded PDMS to advanced transparent devices.

Development of an Off-Grid Solar-Powered Autonomous Chemical Mini-Plant for Producing Fine Chemicals

Photochemistry using inexhaustible solar energy is an eco-friendly way to produce fine chemicals outside the typical laboratory or chemical plant environment. However, variations in solar irradiation conditions and the need for an external energy source to power electronic components limits the accessibility of this approach. In this work, a chemical solar-driven "mini-plant" centred around a scaled-up luminescent solar concentrator photomicroreactor (LSC-PM) was built. To account for the variations in solar irradiance at ground level and passing clouds, a responsive control system was designed that rapidly adapts the flow rate of the reagents to the light received by the reaction channels. Supplying the plant with solar panels, integrated into the module by placing it behind the LSC to utilize the transmitted fraction of the solar irradiation, allowed this setup to be self-sufficient and fully operational off-grid. Such a system can shine in isolated environments and in a distributed manufacturing world, allowing to decentralize the production of fine chemicals.

Prevent or Cure-The Unprecedented Need for Self-Reporting Materials

Self-reporting smart materials are highly relevant in modern soft matter materials science, as they allow for the autonomous detection of changes in synthetic polymers, materials, and composites. Despite critical advantages of such materials, for example, prolonged lifetime or prevention of disastrous material failures, they have gained much less attention than self-healing materials. However, as diagnosis is critical for any therapy, it is of the utmost importance to report the existence of system changes and their exact location to prevent them from spreading. Thus, we herein critically review the chemistry of self-reporting soft matter materials systems and highlight how current challenges and limitations may be overcome by successfully transferring self-reporting research concepts from the laboratory to the real world. Especially in the space of diagnostic self-reporting systems, the recent SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic indicates an urgent need for such concepts that may be able to detect the presence of viruses or bacteria on and within materials in a self-reporting fashion.

Energy-Efficient Solar Photochemistry with Luminescent Solar Concentrator Based Photomicroreactors

The sun is the most sustainable light source available on our planet, therefore the direct use of sunlight for photochemistry is extremely appealing. Demonstrated here, for the first time, is that a diverse set of photon-driven transformations can be efficiently powered by solar irradiation with the use of solvent-resistant and cheap luminescent solar concentrator based photomicroreactors. Blue, green, and red reactors can accommodate both homogeneous and multiphase reaction conditions, including photochemical oxidations, photocatalytic trifluoromethylation chemistry, and metallaphotoredox transformations, thus spanning applications over the entire visible-light spectrum. To further illustrate the efficacy of these novel solar reactors, medicinally relevant molecules, such as ascaridole and an intermediate of artemisinin, were prepared as well.

Structural Transformation in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Reversible Binding of Oxygen

Polycyclic aromatic derivatives can trap ¹ O₂ to form endoperoxides (EPOs) for O₂ storage and as sources of reactive oxygen species. However, these materials suffer from structural amorphism, which limit both practical applications and fundamental studies on their structural optimization for O₂ capture and release. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer advantages in O₂ binding, such as clear structure-performance relationships and precise controllability. Herein, we report the reversible binding of O₂ is realized via the chemical transformation between anthracene-based and the corresponding EPO-based MOF. It is shown that anthracene-based MOF, the framework featuring linkers with polycyclic aromatic structure, can rapidly trap ¹ O₂ to form EPOs and can be restored upon UV irradiation or heating to release O₂ . Furthermore, we confirm that photosensitizer-incorporated anthracene-based MOF are promising candidates for reversible O₂ carriers controlled by switching Vis/UV irradiation.

Temperature-Responsive Luminescent Solar Concentrators: Tuning Energy Transfer in a Liquid Crystalline Matrix

Temperature-responsive luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been fabricated in which the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between a donor-acceptor pair in a liquid crystalline solvent can be tuned. At room temperatures, the perylene bisimide (PBI) acceptor is aggregated and FRET is inactive; while after heating to a temperature above the isotropic phase of the liquid crystal solvent, the acceptor PBI completely dissolves and FRET is activated. This unusual temperature control over FRET was used to design a color-tunable LSC. The device has been shown to be highly stable towards consecutive heating and cooling cycles, making it an appealing device for harvesting otherwise unused solar energy.