Electrolyte instability is one of the greatest impediments that must be overcome for the practical development of rechargeable aprotic Li–air batteries.

We report the encapsulation of quantum dots with biologically important beta-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in different ratios, together with studies of their specific/sensitive multivalent interactions with lectins and sperm by fluorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering microscopy, confocal imaging techniques, and flow cytometry. These GlcNAc-encapsulated quantum dots (QDGLNs) specifically bind to wheat germ agglutinin, and cause fluorescence quenching and aggregation. Further studies of QDGLNs and the mannose-encapsulated QDs (QDMANs) with sperm revealed site-specific interactions, in which QDGLNs bind to the head of the sperm, while QDMANs spread over the whole sperm body.

No abstract

Fluorinated Aryl Sulfonimide Tag (FAST) anions provide a new class of modular salts with tunable properties for potential battery applications.

Construction of starburst C60(>DPAF-C9)4 pentads was coupled with the use of highly fluorescent diphenylaminofluorene-C9 (DPAF-C9) addends as donor components in conjunction with the fullerene acceptor during single-photon excitation processes. High quantum yields (PhiCS) of charge-separation processes in the range 0.83-0.90 for C60(>DPAF-C9)n (n = 1, 2, or 4) were obtained in the formation of C60*-(>DPAF*+-C9)(>DPAF-C9)n-1 transient states. The lifetime of the radical ion-pairs (tauRIP) was found to be 900 ns for starburst C60(>DPAF-C9)4 (3) samples, which is 6-fold longer than that of the linear analogue C60(>DPAF-C9) (1), with a ca. 2 times increase of the charge-separation rate (kCS) compared to that of 1. These data implied the important role of sterically hindered DPAF-C9 pendants arranged in a starburst-like environment that encapsulates the central C60 core on extending the tauRIP. We interpreted the phenomena by the occurrence of intramolecular migration or exchange of electron or positive charge among multiple DPAF-C9 pendants of C60*-(>DPAF*+-C9)(>DPAF-C9)n-1, which gives an increased rate in charge generation and delayed charge recombination.

No abstract

No abstract

Tuning oxygen permeability in azobenzene-containing side-chain liquid crystalline polymers was achieved by control of their mesomorphoric phases.