Soft chromophore featured liquid porphyrins and their utilization toward liquid electret applications

Optoelectronically active viscous liquids are ideal for fabricating foldable/stretchable electronics owing to their excellent deformability and predictable π-unit–based optoelectronic functions, which are independent of the device shape and geometry. Here we show, unprecedented ‘liquid electret’ devices that exhibit mechanoelectrical and electroacoustic functions, as well as stretchability, have been prepared using solvent-free liquid porphyrins. The fluidic nature of the free-base alkylated-tetraphenylporphyrins was controlled by attaching flexible and bulky branched alkyl chains at different positions. Furthermore, a subtle porphyrin ring distortion that originated from the bulkiness of alkyl chains was observed. Its consequences on the electronic perturbation of the porphyrin-unit were precisely elucidated by spectroscopic techniques and theoretical modelling. This molecular design allows shielding of the porphyrin unit by insulating alkyl chains, which facilitates its corona-charged state for a long period under ambient conditions.

Though electret materials are attractive for realizing flexible mechanoelectrical devices, these materials are typically solid films. Here, the authors report stretchable ‘liquid-electret’ devices consisting solvent-free liquid porphyrins that show piezoelectric and electroacoustic functionality.

Proton dynamics of two-dimensional oxalate-bridged coordination polymers

The dynamics of H₂O molecules and NH₄⁺ ions in a new type of crystalline proton conductor (NH₄)₂(adp)[Zn₂(ox)₃]·3H₂O has been investigated by quasielastic neutron scattering techniques to elucidate the proton conduction mechanism.

Heat capacities and glass transitions of ion gels

We have investigated thermodynamic properties of ion gels consisting of a PMMA [poly(methyl methacrylate)] network and EMITFSI [1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide] ionic liquid by means of an adiabatic calorimeter. The heat capacity data were measured in the temperature range between 5 and 375 K for 7 samples with x = 0 (pure PMMA), 0.10, 0.18, 0.27, 0.48, 0.65, and 1.0 (pure ionic liquid) where x is a mole fraction of EMITFSI. These data revealed that two broad but distinct glass transitions appeared in the low x region. The upper glass transition is mainly due to the freezing of the PMMA motion, while the lower one is due to the ionic liquid. The upper glass transition temperature T(g) drastically decreased with increasing x, reflecting a large plasticization effect observed in mechanical experiments. The x dependence of the T(g)s and the excess heat capacities gave new physical insight to the interaction between polymer and ionic liquid in ion gels.

A novel isomorphic phase transition in β-pyrochlore oxide KOs2O6: a study using high resolution neutron powder diffraction

We have carried out adiabatic calorimetric and neutron powder diffraction experiments on the β-pyrochlore oxide KOs(2)O(6), which has a superconducting transition at T(c) = 9.6 K and another novel transition at T(p) = 7.6 K. A characteristic feature of this compound is that the K ions exhibit rattling vibrations in the cages formed by O atoms even at very low temperatures. The temperature and entropy of the T(p) transition is in good agreement with previous data measured using a heat relaxation method, indicating that the present sample is of high purity and the transition entropy, 0.296 J K(-1) mol(-1), does not depend on the calorimetric method used. The neutron powder diffraction data show no peak splitting nor extra peaks over the temperature range between 2 and 295 K, suggesting that the T(p) transition is a rather unusual isomorphic transition. Rietveld analysis revealed an anomalous expansion of the lattice and a deformation of the O atom cage below 7.6 K. In the low-temperature phase, the distribution of scattering density corresponding to the K ions becomes broader whilst maintaining its maximum at the cage center. Based on these findings, we suggest that the T(p) transition is due to the expansion of the cage volume and cooperative condensation of the K ions into the ground state of the rattling motion.