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Developing energy storage devices to be utilized within a rapidly advancing energy market requires a multipronged approach whereby material synthesis and engineering fundamentals combine to enable technological advances. These devices should be able to store a large amount of energy in a small, lightweight package, and should be able to distribute that energy quickly for high rate applications. Pseudocapacitors made from conducting polymers, which store charge via rapid reduction and oxidation reactions, are a particularly promising candidate. This perspective explores conductivity and charge storage mechanisms in conducting polymers and describes how synthetic strategies can affect these properties. We further develop chemical correlations that have been shown to enhance the performance of pseudocapacitive electrochemical capacitors fabricated from conducting polymers. Important device engineering strategies for improving the lifetime and applicability of pseudocapacitors are also discussed.

The synthesis, magnetic, and spectroscopic characteristics of the synthetically useful dimeric cobalt(II) silylamide complex [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2]2 (1) and several of its Lewis base complexes have been investigated. Variable-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of 1 showed that it exists in a monomer-dimer equilibrium in benzene solution and has an association energy (ΔGreacn) of -0.30(20) kcal mol(-1) at 300 K. Magnetic data for the polycrystalline, red-brown [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2]2 (1) showed that it displays strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, expressed as -2JexS1S2, between the two S = (3)/2 cobalt(II) centers with a Jex value of -215(5) cm(-1), which is consistent with its bridged dimeric structure in the solid state. The electronic spectrum of 1 in solution is reported for the first time, and it is shown that earlier reports of the melting point, synthesis, electronic spectrum, and magnetic studies of the monomer "Co{N(SiMe3)2}2" are consistent with those of the bright green-colored tetrahydrofuran (THF) complex [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF)] (4). Treatment of 1 with various Lewis bases yielded monomeric three-coordinated species-[Co{N(SiMe3)2}2(PMe3)] (2), and [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF)] (4), as well as the previously reported [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2(py)] (3)-and the four-coordinated species [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2(py)2] (5) in good yields. The paramagnetic complexes 2-4 were characterized by electronic and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and by X-ray crystallography in the case of 2 and 4. Magnetic studies of 2-5 and of the known three-coordinated cobalt(II) species [Na(12-crown-4)2][Co{N(SiMe3)2}3] (6) showed that they have considerably larger χMT products and, hence, magnetic moments, than the spin-only values of 1.875 emu K mol(-1) and 3.87 μB, which is indicative of a significant zero-field splitting and g-tensor anisotropy resulting from the pseudo-trigonal crystal field. A fit of χMT for 2-6 yields a large g-tensor anisotropy, large negative D-values (between -62 cm(-1) and -82 cm(-1)), and E-values between ±10 cm(-1) and ±21 cm(-1).

The complexes M(II){N(H)Ar(Pr(i)(6))}(2) (M = Co, 1 or Ni, 2; Ar(Pr(i)(6)) = C(6)H(3)-2,6(C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-Pr(i)(3))(2)), which have rigorously linear, N-M-N = 180°, metal coordination, and M(II){N(H)Ar(Me(6))}(2) (M = Co, 3 or Ni, 4; Ar(Me(6)) = C(6)H(3)-2,6(C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-Me(3))(2)), which have bent, N-Co-N = 144.1(4)°, and N-Ni-N = 154.60(14)°, metal coordination, were synthesized and characterized to study the effects of the metal coordination geometries on their magnetic properties. The magnetometry studies show that the linear cobalt(II) species 1 has a very high ambient temperature moment of about 6.2 μ(B) (cf. spin only value = 3.87 μ(B)) whereas the bent cobalt species 3 had a lower μ(B) value of about 4.7 μ(B). In contrast, both the linear and the bent nickel complexes 2 and 4 have magnetic moments near 3.0 μ(B) at ambient temperatures, which is close to the spin only value of 2.83 μ(B). The studies suggest that in the linear cobalt species 1 there is a very strong enhanced spin orbital coupling which leads to magnetic moments that broach the free ion value of 6.63 μ(B) probably as a result of the relatively weak ligand field and its rigorously linear coordination. For the linear nickel species 2, however, the expected strong first order orbital angular momentum contribution does not occur (cf. free ion value 5.6 μ(B)) possibly because of π bonding effects involving the nitrogen p orbitals and the d(xz) and d(yz) orbitals (whose degeneracy is lifted in the C(2h) local symmetry of the Ni{N(H)C(ipso)}(2) array) which quench the orbital angular momentum.

The characterization of the unstable NiII bis(silylamide) Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2 (1), its THF complex Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF) (2), and the stable bis(pyridine) derivative trans‐Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2(py)2 (3), is described. Both 1 and 2 decompose at ca. 25 °C to a tetrameric NiI species, [Ni{N(SiMe3)2}]4 (4), also obtainable from LiN(SiMe3)2 and NiCl2(DME). Experimental and computational data indicate that the instability of 1 is likely due to ease of reduction of NiII to NiI and the stabilization of 4 through dispersion forces.

The characterization of the unstable NiII bis(silylamide) Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2 (1), its THF complex Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF) (2), and the stable bis(pyridine) derivative trans‐Ni{N(SiMe3)2}2(py)2 (3), is described. Both 1 and 2 decompose at ca. 25 °C to a tetrameric NiI species, [Ni{N(SiMe3)2}]4 (4), also obtainable from LiN(SiMe3)2 and NiCl2(DME). Experimental and computational data indicate that the instability of 1 is likely due to ease of reduction of NiII to NiI and the stabilization of 4 through dispersion forces.

The first-row transition-metal(II) dithiolates M(SAr) [Ar = CH-2,6-(CH-2,6-iPr); M = Cr (1), Mn (3), Fe (4), Co (5), Ni (6), and Zn (7)] and Cr(SAr) [2; Ar = CH-2,6-(CH-2,4,6-Me)] and the ligand-transfer reagent (NaSAr) (8) are described. In contrast to their M(SAr) (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn; Ar = CH-2,6-(CH-2,4,6-iPr)) congeners, which differ from 1 and 3-6 in having p-isopropyl groups on the flanking aryl rings of the terphenyl substituents, compounds 1 and 4-6 display highly bent coordination geometries with S-M-S angles of 109.802(2)° (1), 120.2828(3)° (4), 91.730(3)° (5), and 92.68(2)° (6) as well as relatively close metal-flanking aryl ring η interactions with metal-centroid distances of 2.11477(6) Å (1), 1.97188(3) Å (2), 2.15269(6) Å (4), 1.62058(9) Å (5), and 1.724(8) Å (6). However, the d (Mn) and d (Zn) complexes 3 and 7 display linear or near-linear coordination with no close metal-ligand distances. The nonlinear geometries of 1 and 4-6 also contrast with those of their Ar-substituted alkoxo and amido congeners, which have strictly linear coordination. Complexes 1-7 were synthesized by the reaction of the lithium or sodium thiolate salt with the metal dihalide or, in the case of 3, by the reaction of the thiol with the amido complex Mn[N(SiMe)]. All compounds were characterized by electronic spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and magnetic measurements using Evans' method and SQUID magnetometry. It was concluded that, despite the large bulk of the Ar substituents, the absence of p-isopropyl groups on the flanking rings of the ligand permits close secondary metal-flanking ring distances. The compounds are characterized by more intense colors and display magnetic moments that are generally lower than the spin-only values, in agreement with the covalent character of the close metal-flanking ring η interactions.

Treatment of the cobalt(II) amide, [Co{N(SiMe3)2}2]2, with four equivalents of the sterically crowded terphenyl phenols, HOAr(Me6) (Ar(Me6) = C6H3-2,6(C6H2-2,4,6-Me3)2) or HOAr(iPr4) (Ar(iPr4) = C6H3-2,6(C6H3-2,6-Pr(i)2)2), produced the first well-characterized, monomeric two-coordinate cobalt(II) bisaryloxides, Co(OAr(Me6))2 (1) and Co(OAr(iPr4))2 (2a and 2b), as red solids in good yields with elimination of HN(SiMe3)2. The compounds were characterized by electronic spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and direct current magnetization measurements. The O-Co-O interligand angles in 2a and 2b are 180°, whereas the O-Co-O angle in 1 is bent at 130.12(8)° and its cobalt(II) ion has a highly distorted pseudotetrahedral geometry with close interactions to the ipso-carbons of the two flanking aryl rings. The Co-O distances in 1, 2a, and 2b are 1.858(2), 1.841(1), and 1.836(2) Å respectively. Structural refinement revealed that 1, 2a, and 2b have different fractional occupations of the cobalt site in their crystal structures: 1, 95.0%, 2a, 93.5%, and 2b, 84.6%. Correction of the magnetic data for the different cobalt(II) occupancies showed that the magnetization of 2a and 2b was virtually identical. The effective magnetic moments for 1, 2a, and 2b, 5.646(5), 5.754(5), and 5.636(3) μB respectively, were indicative of significant spin-orbit coupling. The differences in magnetic properties between 1 and 2a/2b are attributed to their different cobalt coordination geometries.