Design and synthesis of п-conjugated aromatic heterocyclic materials with dual active sites and ultra-high rate performance for aqueous zinc-organic batteries

Acid anhydride cathode materials garner considerable interest for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) due to ideal specific capacity and structural diversity, however, serious solubility leads to capacity degradation. Herein, 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride - 2,3-diamino phenothiazine (NTDP) featuring multiple active sites (6 with CN and 2 with CO) and large π-conjugated backbone, was designed and synthesized utilizing solid-phase method. The smallest energy gap (ΔE) and the lowest LUMO levels (against monomers) induced by multiple active sites and п-conjugated backbone with high aromaticity, NTDP exhibited excellent specific capacity (307.5 mA h g-1 under 0.05 A/g), ultrahigh rate performance (194.9 mA h g-1 under 20 A/g) and impressive cycling stability (190.0 mA h g-1 over 9000 cycles with a capacity retention of 91.2 % at 15 A/g). The reversible Zn2+ insertion/removal mechanism on multiple active centers (CO and CN) was proposed through XPS, FT-IR, and Raman. The specific capacity of the NTDP//zinc flexible cell was 112.6 mA h g-1 at 3 A/g under various folding angles (45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° bends), suggesting its practical potential for flexible devices. This work will offer opportunities for the rational design of battery structures.

Dynamic molecular switches with hysteretic negative differential conductance emulating synaptic behaviour

To realize molecular-scale electrical operations beyond the von Neumann bottleneck, new types of multifunctional switches are needed that mimic self-learning or neuromorphic computing by dynamically toggling between multiple operations that depend on their past. Here, we report a molecule that switches from high to low conductance states with massive negative memristive behaviour that depends on the drive speed and number of past switching events, with all the measurements fully modelled using atomistic and analytical models. This dynamic molecular switch emulates synaptic behavior and Pavlovian learning, all within a 2.4-nm-thick layer that is three orders of magnitude thinner than a neuronal synapse. The dynamic molecular switch provides all the fundamental logic gates necessary for deep learning because of its time-domain and voltage-dependent plasticity. The synapse-mimicking multifunctional dynamic molecular switch represents an adaptable molecular-scale hardware operable in solid-state devices, and opens a pathway to simplify dynamic complex electrical operations encoded within a single ultracompact component.

Efficient and Stable Methylammonium-Free Tin-Lead Perovskite Solar Cells with Hexaazatrinaphthylene-Based Hole-Transporting Materials

Incorporating non-aqueous hole-transporting materials (HTMs) to replace the widely used PEDOT:PSS is favorable for improving the stability of tin-lead perovskite solar cells (Sn-Pb PSCs). Herein, hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATNA) is found to be a promising HTM building block for Sn-Pb PSCs. By introducing triphenylamine (TPA) and methoxy-triphenylamine into the HATNA core, molecular energy levels and surface wettability can be well regulated, and a high hole mobility and thermal stability can be maintained. Moreover, a homogeneous Sn-Pb perovskite film with low Sn⁴⁺ contents and vertically orientated grains can be prepared on the substrate TPA-HATNA. Compared with PEDOT:PSS, the optimal TPA-HATNA-based methylammonium-free device enables a 70 mV increase in V_OC, delivering a remarkable PCE exceeding 18% (certified 16.4%). Impressively, the TPA-HATNA-based devices without encapsulation retain 90% efficiency after aging for 600 min under maximum-power-point tracking. Our work provides alternative HTMs for boosting the performance of Sn-Pb PSCs.

Excited-State Switching in Rhenium(I) Bipyridyl Complexes with Donor-Donor and Donor-Acceptor Substituents

The optical properties of two Re(CO)₃(bpy)Cl complexes in which the bpy is substituted with two donor (triphenylamine, TPA, ReTPA₂) as well as both donor (TPA) and acceptor (benzothiadiazole, BTD, ReTPA-BTD) groups are presented. For ReTPA₂ the absorption spectra show intense intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) bands at 460 nm with small solvatochromic behavior; for ReTPA-BTD the ILCT transitions are weaker. These transitions are assigned as TPA → bpy transitions as supported by resonance Raman data and TDDFT calculations. The excited-state spectroscopy shows the presence of two emissive states for both complexes. The intensity of these emission signals is modulated by solvent. Time-resolved infrared spectroscopy definitively assigns the excited states present in CH₂Cl₂ to be MLCT in nature, and in MeCN the excited states are ILCT in nature. DFT calculations indicated this switching with solvent is governed by access to states controlled by spin-orbit coupling, which is sufficiently different in the two solvents, allowing to select out each of the charge-transfer states.

Aggregation controlled photoluminescence of hexaazatri-naphthylene (HATN) – an experimental and theoretical study

Photophysics of hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATN) in solution and in the solid state is determined by the nπ* character of its lowest excited singlet state and by the ππ* character of the first triplet state, and changes upon aggregation.

Modulation of Donor-Acceptor Distance in a Series of Carbazole Push-Pull Dyes; A Spectroscopic and Computational Study

A series of eight carbazole-cyanoacrylate based donor-acceptor dyes were studied. Within the series the influence of modifying the thiophene bridge, linking donor and acceptor and a change in the nature of the acceptor, from acid to ester, was explored. In this joint experimental and computational study we have used electronic absorbance and emission spectroscopies, Raman spectroscopy and computational modeling (density functional theory). From these studies it was found that extending the bridge length allowed the lowest energy transition to be systematically red shifted by 0.12 eV, allowing for limited tuning of the absorption of dyes using this structural motif. Using the aforementioned techniques we demonstrate that this transition is charge transfer in nature. Furthermore, the extent of charge transfer between donor and acceptor decreases with increasing bridge length and the bridge plays a smaller role in electronically mixing with the acceptor as it is extended.