DJL

The high performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on seven new dyes are disclosed. Herein, the synthesis and electrochemical and photophysical properties of a series of intentionally designed dipolar organic dyes and their application in DSSCs are reported. The molecular structures of the seven organic dyes are composed of a triphenylamine group as an electron donor, a cyanoacrylic acid as an electron acceptor, and an electron-deficient diphenylquinoxaline moiety integrated in the π-conjugated spacer between the electron donor and acceptor moieties. The DSSCs based on the dye DJ104 gave the best overall cell performance of 8.06 %; the efficiency of the DSSC based on the standard N719 dye under the same experimental conditions was 8.82 %. The spectral coverage of incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies extends to the onset at the near-infrared region due to strong internal charge-transfer transition as well as the effect of electron-deficient diphenylquinoxaline to lower the energy gap in these organic dyes. A combined tetraphenyl segment as a hydrophobic barrier in these organic dyes effectively slows down the charge recombination from TiO₂ to the electrolyte and boosts the photovoltage, comparable to their Ru^II counterparts. Detailed spectroscopic studies have revealed the dye structure–cell performance correlations, to allow future design of efficient light-harvesting organic dyes.

Solar system: Dye-sensitized solar cells based on dipolar organic dyes with a diphenylquinoxaline moiety exhibit a broad absorption profile of incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) approaching the near-infrared region (see figure). After tuning the π-conjugated spacer, the solar cell based on dye DJ104 provides a remarkably high IPCE performance and also a high efficiency of 8.06 %.

The generation of blue-light-emitting pyrotechnic formulations without the use of chlorine-containing compounds is reported. Suitable blue-light emission has been achieved through the generation of molecular emitting copper(I) iodide. The most optimal copper(I) iodide based blue-light-emitting formulation was found to have performances exceeding those of chlorine-containing compositions, and was found to be insensitive to various ignition stimuli.

Out of the blue: A suitable blue-light-emitting pyrotechnic with low sensitivities to various ignition stimuli has been developed without the need to employ chlorine-containing materials. With copper(I) iodide proven as a suitable blue-light emitter in pyrotechnics, the risk of generating highly carcinogenic polychlorinated aromatic compounds during the combustion process is eliminated.

A new in-situ NMR strategy (termed CLASSIC NMR) for mapping the evolution of crystallization processes is reported, involving simultaneous measurement of both liquid-state and solid-state NMR spectra as a function of time. This combined strategy allows complementary information to be obtained on the evolution of both the solid and liquid phases during the crystallization process. In particular, as crystallization proceeds (monitored by solid-state NMR), the solution state becomes more dilute, leading to changes in solution-state speciation and the modes of molecular aggregation in solution, which are monitored by liquid-state NMR. The CLASSIC NMR experiment is applied here to yield new insights into the crystallization of m-aminobenzoic acid.

Killing two birds with one stone: A new in-situ NMR strategy (termed CLASSIC NMR) for mapping the evolution of crystallization processes is reported, involving simultaneous measurement of both liquid-state and solid-state NMR spectra as a function of time. This combined strategy allows complementary information to be obtained on the evolution of the solid phase during the crystallization process as well as the corresponding changes in the solution phase.

The effects of epitaxial materials and solar cell design on the performance of solar cells grown by the multilayer approach are investigated. The novel solar cell structure with a p-on-n type configuration suggested exhibits improved uniformity in the photovoltaic performance because of the suppression of Zn diffusion. This approach provides routes to achieve further improvements and acts as a guideline for the commercialization of the multilayer technique.

Adequate primary explosives such as lead azide mostly contain toxic ingredients, which have to be replaced. A new candidate that shows high potential, potassium 1,1′-dinitramino-5,5′-bistetrazolate (K₂DNABT), was synthesized by a sophisticated synthetic procedure based on dimethylcarbonate and glyoxal. It was intensively characterized for its chemical (X-ray diffraction, EA, NMR and vibrational spectroscopy) and physico-chemical properties (sensitivity towards impact, friction, and electrostatic, DSC). The obtained primary explosive combines good thermal stability with the desired mechanical stability. Owing to its high heat of formation (326 kJ mol⁻¹) and density (2.11 g cm⁻³), impressive values for its detonation velocity (8330 m s⁻¹) and pressure (311 kbar) were computed. Its superior calculated performance output was successfully confirmed and demonstrated by different convenient energetic test methods.

Fast and furious: The picture shows the moment of detonation of the new primary explosive potassium 1,1′-dinitramino-5,5′-bistetrazolate, which can be synthesized by a safe and sustainable procedure. It shows faster detonation with greater initiation power than lead azide while simultaneously being environmentally compatible.