Journal Covers

Dramatic Conformer-Dependent Reactivity of the Acetaldehyde Oxide Criegee Intermediate with Dimethylamine Via a 1,2-Insertion Mechanism

February 10, 2022

Acetaldehyde-oxide (CH₃CHOO) is an atmospherically pertinent reactive intermediate that exists in syn (right) and anti (left) conformational forms. Experiment and theory reveal that the reaction of anti with dimethylamine is several orders of magnitude faster than that of syn with dimethylamine, despite both reactions being energetically downhill. Read more »

A {Ni₁₂}-Wheel-Based Metal–Organic Framework for Coordinative Binding of Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide

February 1, 2022

SO₂ and NO₂ are important air pollutants, and understanding the mechanism of capture materials drives the development of new clean-up technologies. In situ synchrotron x-ray crystallographic and spectroscopic experiments were used to establish a detailed molecular mechanism consisting of reversible coordination of SO₂ and NO₂ at the six open Ni^II sites on the unprecedented {Ni₁₂}-wheel of a robust metal–organic framework material at crystallographic resolution. Read more »

Hardening Effects in Superhard Transition-Metal Borides

January 28, 2022

Novel superhard materials with exciting potential for applications in cutting tools and abrasives can be designed by combining incompressible transition metals with boron to create phases like WB₄, pictured here. Diamond-cell-based high-pressure radial diffraction enables the direct study of lattice specific mechanisms for hardening. Read more »

Synergistic Engineering of Side Chains and Backbone Regioregularity of Polymer Acceptors for High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells with 15.1% Efficiency

January 21, 2022

Researchers developed a series of polymer acceptors with controlled backbone regioregularities and side chain structures. All-polymer solar cells based on a RRg-C20 acceptor which has a regioregular backbone and optimal side chain length achieve a high power conversion efficiency of 15.12%, attributed to high electron mobility and optimal blend morphology. Read more »

Atomic-Scale Insights into Nickel Exsolution on LaNiO₃ Catalysts via In Situ Electron Microscopy

January 13, 2022

In situ electron microscopy provides atomic-scale insight into the dynamic structure evolution of LaNiO₃ perovskite during vacuum heating. This research established a sequential two-step process in the decomposition of LaNiO₃ and gives evidence of the diffusion pathway for the lattice oxygen released during the perovskite decomposition. Read more »

Synthesis of new two-dimensional titanium carbonitride Ti₂C_0.5N_0.5T_x MXene and its performance as an electrode material for sodium-ion battery

December 23, 2021

Researchers report on the synthesis and characterization of a new 2D carbonitride MXene, Ti₂C_0.5N_0.5. They explore the performance of this new MXene as electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). It outperformed its carbide counterpart (i.e., Ti₂C) and all the other reports for multilayer MXenes in SIBs, and it showed a stable electrochemical performance over 500 cycles. Read more »

The three-dimensional construction of leaves is coordinated with water use efficiency in conifers

December 20, 2021

3D anatomical views of conifer leaves with diverse morphologies, generated using synchrotron microCT imaging (colors show different segmented tissues). Top–bottom: Pinus monticola, P. pungens, and Wollemia nobilis. Image courtesy of Santiago Trueba. Read more »

Nanoscale Confinement of Photo-Injected Electrons at Hybrid Interfaces

December 16, 2021

Picosecond time-resolved x-ray photoemission spectroscopy provides real-time electron distributions of donors and acceptors in a prototypical bipyridyl-ZnO hybrid light harvesting system. The measurements show that photo-injected electrons remain localized within the defect-rich surface region of the nanoporous ZnO substrate, revealing a challenge for the extraction of free charge carriers. Read more »

Direct Observation of Surface-Bound Intermediates During Methanol Oxidation on Platinum Under Alkaline Conditions

December 9, 2021

A comprehensive mechanism for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline media is presented, and it is shown that the MOR proceeds via two different pathways (via CO_ad or H₃C–O_ad intermediates). The latter dominates the overall MOR current, suggesting that the H₃C–O_ad oxidation could be a viable pathway to accelerate the MOR in alkaline systems. Read more »

Interface Sensitivity in Electron/Ion Yield X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy: The TiO₂–H₂O Interface

October 21, 2021

To understand corrosion, energy storage, (electro)catalysis, etc., obtaining chemical information on the solid–liquid interface is crucial but remains extremely challenging. Here, x-ray absorption spectroscopy is used to study the solid–liquid interface between TiO₂ and H₂O. This result highlights the potential of electron-yield XAS to obtain chemical and structural information with a high sensitivity for the species at the electrode–electrolyte interface. Read more »