Ab initio calculations were combined with infrared and Raman studies to distinguish spectroscopically the two conformers of the bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion, (TFSI − ). Spectra of crystalline LiTFSI complexes with organic ligands, where the anion adopts a known conformational state, are presented to confirm the calculated spectra. Several regions are identified where either the infrared or the Raman spectra contain separate bands for the two conformers. The conformational equilibrium between the transoid and cisoid rotamers is then illustrated from the infrared spectra of solutions of LiTFSI in aprotic solvents. The transoid form is found to be more stable than the cisoid form by about 2.2 kJ mol −1 , in good agreement with the present and earlier theoretical predictions. It is also shown that the IR and Raman spectral changes coming from conformational isomerism have to be carefully distinguished from those due to ionic interactions.

The vibrational properties of the TFSI- anion solvated in a polymer or in water have been studied by comparing its IR and Raman spectra with those of the HTFSI molecule. Ab initio self-consistent field Hartree−Fock calculations have also been performed on the free ion or molecule to investigate their Mulliken charges, equilibrium geometry, and internal force constants. Both experimental and theoretical approaches confirm a pronounced delocalization of the negative charge on the nitrogen and oxygen atoms and a marked double-bond character of the SNS moiety for the anion. This double-bond character is decreased for the HTFSI molecule, leading to rather distinct frequencies for some specific vibrations such as the stretching motions of the SO2 and SNS groups. The agreement between experimental and calculated spectra is much better for HTFSI than for TFSI-. Tentative explanations are proposed for this difference.

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Nanoporous SnO(2)-ZnO heterojunction nanocatalyst was prepared by a straightforward two-step procedure involving, first, the synthesis of nanosized SnO(2) particles by homogeneous precipitation combined with a hydrothermal treatment and, second, the reaction of the as-prepared SnO(2) particles with zinc acetate followed by calcination at 500 °C. The resulting nanocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The SnO(2)-ZnO photocatalyst was made of a mesoporous network of aggregated wurtzite ZnO and cassiterite SnO(2) nanocrystallites, the size of which was estimated to be 27 and 4.5 nm, respectively, after calcination. According to UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, the evident energy band gap value of the SnO(2)-ZnO photocatalyst was estimated to be 3.23 eV to be compared with those of pure SnO(2), that is, 3.7 eV, and ZnO, that is, 3.2 eV, analogues. The energy band diagram of the SnO(2)-ZnO heterostructure was directly determined by combining XPS and the energy band gap values. The valence band and conduction band offsets were calculated to be 0.70 ± 0.05 eV and 0.20 ± 0.05 eV, respectively, which revealed a type-II band alignment. Moreover, the heterostructure SnO(2)-ZnO photocatalyst showed much higher photocatalytic activities for the degradation of methylene blue than those of individual SnO(2) and ZnO nanomaterials. This behavior was rationalized in terms of better charge separation and the suppression of charge recombination in the SnO(2)-ZnO photocatalyst because of the energy difference between the conduction band edges of SnO(2) and ZnO as evidenced by the band alignment determination. Finally, this mesoporous SnO(2)-ZnO heterojunction nanocatalyst was stable and could be easily recycled several times opening new avenues for potential industrial applications.