Proton-Conducting Poly(phenylene oxide)-Poly(vinyl benzyl phosphonic acid) Block Copolymers via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Multifunctional Solid Electrolyte Interphase Layers for Dendrite-Free Sodium Metal Anodes

Constructing a stable and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial for achieving dendrite-free sodium metal anodes and high-performance sodium batteries. However, maintaining the integrity of SEI during prolonged cycle life under high current densities poses a significant challenge. In this study, we propose an integrated multifunctional SEI layer with inorganic/organic hybrid construction (IOHL-Na) to enhance the durability of sodium metal anode during reduplicative plating/stripping processes. The inorganic components with high mechanical strength and strong sodiophilicity demonstrate optimized ionic conduction efficiency and dendrite inhibition ability. Simultaneously, the organic component contributes to the formation of a dense and elastic membrane structure, preventing fracture and delamination issues during volume fluctuations. The symmetrical batteries of IOHL-Na achieve stable cycling over 2000 hours with an extremely low voltage hysteresis of around 15.8 mV at a high current density of 4 mA cm-2 . Moreover, the Na-O2 batteries sustain exceptional long-term stability and impressive capacity retention, exploiting a promising approach for constructing durable SEI and dendrite-free sodium metal anodes.

Towards the Future of Polymeric Hybrids of Two-Dimensional Black Phosphorus or Phosphorene: From Energy to Biological Applications

With the advent of a new 2D nanomaterial, namely, black phosphorus (BP) or phosphorene, the scientific community is now dedicated to focusing on and exploring this 2D material offering elusive properties such as a higher carrier mobility, biocompatibility, thickness-dependent band gap, and optoelectronic characteristics that can be harnessed for multiple applications, e.g., nanofillers, energy storage devices, field effect transistors, in water disinfection, and in biomedical sciences. The hexagonal ring of phosphorus atoms in phosphorene is twisted slightly, unlike how it is in graphene. Its unique characteristics, such as a high carrier mobility, anisotropic nature, and biocompatibility, have attracted much attention and generated further scientific curiosity. However, despite these interesting features, the phosphorene or BP poses challenges and causes frustrations when it comes to its stability under ambient conditions and processability, and thus in order to overcome these hurdles, it must be conjugated or linked with the suitable and functional organic counter macromolecule in such a way that its properties are not compromised while providing a protection from air/water that can otherwise degrade it to oxides and acid. The resulting composites/hybrid system of phosphorene and a macromolecule, e.g., a polymer, can outperform and be exploited for the aforementioned applications. These assemblies of a polymer and phosphorene have the potential for shifting the paradigm from exhaustively used graphene to new commercialized products offering multiple applications.

Proton Conducting Membranes with Molecular Self Assemblies and Ionic Channels for Efficient Proton Conduction

Supramolecular assemblies are vital for biological systems. This phenomenon in artificial materials is directly related to their numerous properties and their performance. Here, a simple approach to supramolecular assemblies is employed to fabricate highly efficient proton conducting molecular wires for fuel cell applications. Small molecule-based molecular assembly leading to a discotic columnar architecture is achieved, simultaneously with proton conduction that can take place efficiently in the absence of water, which otherwise is very difficult to obtain in interconnected ionic channels. High boiling point proton facilitators are incorporated into these columns possessing central ionic channels, thereby increasing the conduction multifold. Larger and asymmetrical proton facilitators disintegrated the self-assembly, resulting in low proton conduction efficiency. The highest conductivity was found to be approaching 10^-2 S/cm for the molecular wires in an anhydrous state, which is ascribed to the continuous network of hydrogen bonds in which protons can hop between with a lower energy barrier. The molecular wires with ionic channels presented here have potential as an alternative to proton conductors operating under anhydrous conditions at both low and high temperatures.

Self-Assembly of Copolymers Containing Crystallizable Blocks: Strategies and Applications

The self-assembly of copolymers containing crystallizable block in solution has received increasing attentions in the past few years. Various strategies including crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) and polymerization-induced CDSA (PI-CDSA) have been widely developed. Abundant self-assembly morphologies were captured and advanced applications have been attempted. In this review, the synthetic strategies including the mechanisms and characteristics are highlighted, the survey on the advanced applications of crystalline nano-assemblies are collected. This review is hoped to depict a comprehensive outline for self-assembly of copolymers containing crystallizable block in recent years and to prompt the development of the self-assembly technology in interdisciplinary field. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

One Dimensional Enhanced Anhydrous Proton Conduction in Well Defined Molecular Columns Induced by Non-Covalent Interactions

1D anhydrous proton conduction is enhanced significantly in ionic channels created by self-assembly of functionalized organic phosphonic acid and aromatic heterocyclic 1,2,4-triazole molecules. This study reveals high proton conduction in one dimension through a well-defined supramolecular architecture in which two different molecules undergo host-guest synergy and self-assemble to provide two-fold advantages: 1) formation of the ionic channels and 2) higher proton conduction in the absence of water. A clear correlation is found between the phenomena of ionic channels and anhydrous conductivity in the absolute dry state and we demonstrate that the one-dimensional conductivity can be as high as that recorded for 3D channels in, for instance, Nafion.

Synthesis and Aqueous Solution Properties of an Amino Bisphosphonate Methacrylate Homopolymer via RAFT Polymerization

The present contribution reports on the synthesis via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of a methacrylate derivative bearing an aminobisphosponate moiety as a pendant group, namely, ethyl N,N-tetramethylbis(phosphonate)-bis(methylene) amine methacrylate (MAC₂NP₂). The polymerization was performed by the use of cyanoisopropyl dithiobenzoate as chain transfer agent at 70 °C in various solvents with different polarities including N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and in bulk. Best results were obtained in N,N-dimethylformamide where higher conversions and polymerization rates were noticed. The successful hydrolysis of the phosphonate ester groups was performed using bromotrimethylsilane with excellent yields leading to the formation of highly water soluble and pH-responsive polymers. Finally, a preliminary solution behavior study was carried out by investigating the aqueous solution properties of synthesized amino bisphosphonate methacrylate homopolymers and their phosphonic acid analogs via potentiometric titration and zeta potential measurements.

Improved performance of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)/phosphonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)/graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposite membranes for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

To achieve desirable performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane with higher proton conduction and better mechanical strength is a challenging work in the development of the phosphoric acid (PA) doped solid-state membrane.