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A polymer analogous reaction for the formation of imidazolium and NHC based porous polymer networks
(2013)
A polymer analogous reaction was carried out to generate a porous polymeric network with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) in the polymer backbone. Using a stepwise approach, first a polyimine network is formed by polymerization of the tetrafunctional amine tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane. This polyimine network is converted in the second step into polyimidazolium chloride and finally to a polyNHC network. Furthermore a porous Cu(II)-coordinated polyNHC network can be generated. Supercritical drying generates polymer networks with high permanent surface areas and porosities which can be applied for different catalytic reactions. The catalytic properties were demonstrated for example in the activation of CO2 or in the deoxygenation of sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfides.
A water soluble fluorescent polymer as a dual colour sensor for temperature and a specific protein
(2013)
We present two thermoresponsive water soluble copolymers prepared via free radical statistical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates (OEGMAs), respectively, with a solvatochromic 7-(diethylamino)-3-carboxy-coumarin (DEAC)- functionalized monomer. In aqueous solutions, the NIPAm-based copolymer exhibits characteristic changes in its fluorescence profile in response to a change in solution temperature as well as to the presence of a specific protein, namely an anti-DEAC antibody. This polymer emits only weakly at low temperatures, but exhibits a marked fluorescence enhancement accompanied by a change in its emission colour when heated above its cloud point. Such drastic changes in the fluorescence and absorbance spectra are observed also upon injection of the anti-DEAC antibody, attributed to the specific binding of the antibody to DEAC moieties. Importantly, protein binding occurs exclusively when the polymer is in the well hydrated state below the cloud point, enabling a temperature control on the molecular recognition event. On the other hand, heating of the polymer–antibody complexes releases a fraction of the bound antibody. In the presence of the DEAC-functionalized monomer in this mixture, the released antibody competitively binds to the monomer and the antibody-free chains of the polymer undergo a more effective collapse and inter-aggregation. In contrast, the emission properties of the OEGMA-based analogous copolymer are rather insensitive to the thermally induced phase transition or to antibody binding. These opposite behaviours underline the need for a carefully tailored molecular design of responsive polymers aimed at specific applications, such as biosensing.
Gegenstand der Dissertation ist die größen- und eigenschaftsoptimierte Synthese und Charakterisierung von anorganischen Nanopartikeln in einer geeigneten Polyelektrolytmodifizierten Mikroemulsion. Das Hauptziel bildet dabei die Auswahl einer geeigneten Mikroemulsion, zur Synthese von kleinen, stabilen, reproduzierbaren Nanopartikeln mit besonderen Eigenschaften. Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde in zwei Haupteile gegliedert. Der erste Teil befasst sich mit der Einmischung von unterschiedlichen Polykationen (lineares Poly (diallyldimethylammoniumchlorid) (PDADMAC) und verzweigtes Poly (ethylenimin) (PEI)) in verschiedene, auf unterschiedlichen Tensiden (CTAB - kationisch, SDS - anionisch, SB - zwitterionisch) basierenden, Mikroemulsionssysteme. Dabei zeigt sich, dass das Einmischen der Polykationen in die Wassertröpfchen der Wasser-in-Öl (W/O) Mikroemulsion prinzipiell möglich ist. Der Einfluss der verschiedenen Polykationen auf das Phasenverhalten der W/O Mikroemulsion ist jedoch sehr unterschiedlich. In Gegenwart des kationischen Tensids führen die repulsiven Wechselwirkungen mit den Polykationen zu einer Destabilisierung des Systems, während die ausgeprägten Wechselwirkungen mit dem anionischen Tensid in einer deutlichen Stabilisierung des Systems resultieren. Für das zwitterionische Tensid führen die moderaten Wechselwirkungen mit den Polykationen zu einer partiellen Stabilisierung. Der zweite Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Einsatz der unterschiedlichen, Polyelektrolyt- modifizierten Mikroemulsionen als Templatphase für die Herstellung verschiedener, anorganischer Nanopartikel. Die CTAB-basierte Mikroemulsion erweist sich dabei als ungeeignet für die Herstellung von CdS Nanopartikeln, da zum einen nur eine geringe Toleranz gegenüber den Reaktanden vorhanden ist (Destabilisierungseffekt) und zum anderen das Partikelwachstum durch den Polyelektrolyt-Tensid-Film nicht ausreichend begrenzt wird. Zudem zeigt sich, dass eine Abtrennung der Partikel aus der Mikroemulsion nicht möglich ist. Die SDS-basierten Mikroemulsionen, erweisen sich als geeignete Templatphase zur Synthese kleiner anorganischer Nanopartikel (3 – 20 nm). Sowohl CdS Quantum Dots, als auch Gold Nanopartikel konnten erfolgreich in der Mikroemulsion synthetisiert werden, wobei das verzweigte PEI einen interessanten Templat-Effekt in der Mikroemulsion hervorruft. Als deutlicher Nachteil der SDS-basierten Mikroemulsionen offenbaren sich die starken Wechselwirkungen zwischen dem Tensid und den Polyelektrolyten während der Aufarbeitung der Nanopartikel aus der Mikroemulsion. Dabei erweist sich die Polyelektrolyt-Tensid-Komplexbildung als hinderlich für die Redispergierung der CdS Quantum Dots in Wasser, so dass Partikelaggregation einsetzt. Die SB-basierten Mikroemulsionen erweisen sich als günstige Templatphase für die Bildung von größen- und eigenschaftenoptimierten Nanopartikeln (< 4 nm), wobei insbesondere eine Modifizierung mit PEI als ideal betrachtet werden kann. In Gegenwart des verzweigten PEI gelang es erstmals ultrakleine, fluoreszierende Gold Cluster (< 2 nm) in einer SB-basierten Mikroemulsion als Templatphase herzustellen. Als besonderer Vorteil der SB-basierten Mikroemulsion zeigen sich die moderaten Wechselwirkungen zwischen dem zwitterionischen Tensid und den Polyelektrolyten, welche eine anschließende Abtrennung der Partikel aus der Mikroemulsion unter Erhalt der Größe und ihrer optischen Eigenschaften ermöglichen. In der redispergierten wässrigen Lösung gelang somit eine Auftrennung der PEI-modifizierten Partikel mit Hilfe der asymmetrischer Fluss Feldflussfraktionierung (aF FFF). Die gebildeten Nanopartikel zeigen interessante optische Eigenschaften und können zum Beispiel erfolgreich zur Modifizierung von Biosensoren eingesetzt werden.
Derivatization of fullerene (C60) with branched aliphatic chains softens C60-based materials and enables the formation of thermotropic liquid crystals and room temperature nonvolatile liquids. This work demonstrates that by carefully tuning parameters such as type, number and substituent position of the branched chains, liquid crystalline C60 materials with mesophase temperatures suited for photovoltaic cell fabrication and room temperature nonvolatile liquid fullerenes with tunable viscosity can be obtained. In particular, compound 1, with branched chains, exhibits a smectic liquid crystalline phase extending from 84 °C to room temperature. Analysis of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells with a ca. 100 nm active layer of compound 1 and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as an electron acceptor and an electron donor, respectively, reveals an improved performance (power conversion efficiency, PCE: 1.6 ± 0.1%) in comparison with another compound, 10 (PCE: 0.5 ± 0.1%). The latter, in contrast to 1, carries linear aliphatic chains and thus forms a highly ordered solid lamellar phase at room temperature. The solar cell performance of 1 blended with P3HT approaches that of PCBM/P3HT for the same active layer thickness. This indicates that C60 derivatives bearing branched tails are a promising class of electron acceptors in soft (flexible) photovoltaic devices.
The habilitation thesis covers theoretical investigations on light-induced processes in molecules. The study is focussed on changes of the molecular electronic structure and geometry, caused either by photoexcitation in the event of a spectroscopic analysis, or by a selective control with shaped laser pulses. The applied and developed methods are predominantly based on quantum chemistry as well as on electron and nuclear quantum dynamics, and in parts on molecular dynamics. The studied scientific problems deal with stereoisomerism and the question of how to either switch or distinguish chiral molecules using laser pulses, and with the essentials for the simulation of the spectroscopic response of biochromophores, in order to unravel their photophysics. The accomplished findings not only explain experimental results and extend existing approaches, but also contribute significantly to the basic understanding of the investigated light-driven molecular processes. The main achievements can be divided in three parts: First, a quantum theory for an enantio- and diastereoselective or, in general, stereoselective laser pulse control was developed and successfully applied to influence the chirality of molecular switches. The proposed axially chiral molecules possess different numbers of "switchable" stable chiral conformations, with one particular switch featuring even a true achiral "off"-state which allows to enantioselectively "turn on" its chirality. Furthermore, surface mounted chiral molecular switches with several well-defined orientations were treated, where a newly devised highly flexible stochastic pulse optimization technique provides high stereoselectivity and efficiency at the same time, even for coupled chirality-changing degrees of freedom. Despite the model character of these studies, the proposed types of chiral molecular switches and, all the more, the developed basic concepts are generally applicable to design laser pulse controlled catalysts for asymmetric synthesis, or to achieve selective changes in the chirality of liquid crystals or in chiroptical nanodevices, implementable in information processing or as data storage. Second, laser-driven electron wavepacket dynamics based on ab initio calculations, namely time-dependent configuration interaction, was extended by the explicit inclusion of magnetic field-magnetic dipole interactions for the simulation of the qualitative and quantitative distinction of enantiomers in mass spectrometry by means of circularly polarized ultrashort laser pulses. The developed approach not only allows to explain the origin of the experimentally observed influence of the pulse duration on the detected circular dichroism in the ion yield, but also to predict laser pulse parameters for an optimal distinction of enantiomers by ultrashort shaped laser pulses. Moreover, these investigations in combination with the previous ones provide a fundamental understanding of the relevance of electric and magnetic interactions between linearly or non-linearly polarized laser pulses and (pro-)chiral molecules for either control by enantioselective excitation or distinction by enantiospecific excitation. Third, for selected light-sensitive biological systems of central importance, like e.g. antenna complexes of photosynthesis, simulations of processes which take place during and after photoexcitation of their chromophores were performed, in order to explain experimental (spectroscopic) findings as well as to understand the underlying photophysical and photochemical principles. In particular, aspects of normal mode mixing due to geometrical changes upon photoexcitation and their impact on (time-dependent) vibronic and resonance Raman spectra, as well as on intramolecular energy redistribution were addressed. In order to explain unresolved experimental findings, a simulation program for the calculation of vibronic and resonance Raman spectra, accounting for changes in both vibrational frequencies and normal modes, was created based on a time-dependent formalism. In addition, the influence of the biochemical environment on the electronic structure of the chromophores was studied by electrostatic interactions and mechanical embedding using hybrid quantum-classical methods. Environmental effects were found to be of importance, in particular, for the excitonic coupling of chromophores in light-harvesting complex II. Although the simulations for such highly complex systems are still restricted by various approximations, the improved approaches and obtained results have proven to be important contributions for a better understanding of light-induced processes in biosystems which also adds to efforts of their artificial reproduction.
Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. In this work it has been used, in various forms ranging from wood to fully processed laboratory grade microcrystalline cellulose, to synthesise a variety of metal and metal carbide nanoparticles and to establish structuring and patterning methodologies that produce highly functional nano-hybrids. To achieve this, the mechanisms governing the catalytic processes that bring about graphitised carbons in the presence of iron have been investigated. It was found that, when infusing cellulose with an aqueous iron salt solution and heating this mixture under inert atmosphere to 640 °C and above, a liquid eutectic mixture of iron and carbon with an atom ratio of approximately 1:1 forms. The eutectic droplets were monitored with in-situ TEM at the reaction temperature where they could be seen dissolving amorphous carbon and leaving behind a trail of graphitised carbon sheets and subsequently iron carbide nanoparticles. These transformations turned ordinary cellulose into a conductive and porous matrix that is well suited for catalytic applications. Despite these significant changes on the nanometre scale the shape of the matrix as a whole was retained with remarkable precision. This was exemplified by folding a sheet of cellulose paper into origami cranes and converting them via the temperature treatment in to magnetic facsimiles of those cranes. The study showed that the catalytic mechanisms derived from controlled systems and described in the literature can be transferred to synthetic concepts beyond the lab without loss of generality. Once the processes determining the transformation of cellulose into functional materials were understood, the concept could be extended to other metals and metal-combinations. Firstly, the procedure was utilised to produce different ternary iron carbides in the form of MxFeyC (M = W, Mn). None of those ternary carbides have thus far been produced in a nanoparticle form. The next part of this work encompassed combinations of iron with cobalt, nickel, palladium and copper. All of those metals were also probed alone in combination with cellulose. This produced elemental metal and metal alloy particles of low polydispersity and high stability. Both features are something that is typically not associated with high temperature syntheses and enables to connect the good size control with a scalable process. Each of the probed reactions resulted in phase pure, single crystalline, stable materials. After showing that cellulose is a good stabilising and separating agent for all the investigated types of nanoparticles, the focus of the work at hand is shifted towards probing the limits of the structuring and pattering capabilities of cellulose. Moreover possible post-processing techniques to further broaden the applicability of the materials are evaluated. This showed that, by choosing an appropriate paper, products ranging from stiff, self-sustaining monoliths to ultra-thin and very flexible cloths can be obtained after high temperature treatment. Furthermore cellulose has been demonstrated to be a very good substrate for many structuring and patterning techniques from origami folding to ink-jet printing. The thereby resulting products have been employed as electrodes, which was exemplified by electrodepositing copper onto them. Via ink-jet printing they have additionally been patterned and the resulting electrodes have also been post functionalised by electro-deposition of copper onto the graphitised (printed) parts of the samples. Lastly in a preliminary test the possibility of printing several metals simultaneously and thereby producing finely tuneable gradients from one metal to another have successfully been made. Starting from these concepts future experiments were outlined. The last chapter of this thesis concerned itself with alternative synthesis methods of the iron-carbon composite, thereby testing the robustness of the devolved reactions. By performing the synthesis with partly dissolved scrap metal and pieces of raw, dry wood, some progress for further use of the general synthesis technique were made. For example by using wood instead of processed cellulose all the established shaping techniques available for wooden objects, such as CNC milling or 3D prototyping, become accessible for the synthesis path. Also by using wood its intrinsic well defined porosity and the fact that large monoliths are obtained help expanding the prospect of using the composite. It was also demonstrated in this chapter that the resulting material can be applied for the environmentally important issue of waste water cleansing. Additionally to being made from renewable resources and by a cheap and easy one-pot synthesis, the material is recyclable, since the pollutants can be recovered by washing with ethanol. Most importantly this chapter covered experiments where the reaction was performed in a crude, home-built glass vessel, fuelled – with the help of a Fresnel lens – only by direct concentrated sunlight irradiation. This concept carries the thus far presented synthetic procedures from being common laboratory syntheses to a real world application. Based on cellulose, transition metals and simple equipment, this work enabled the easy one-pot synthesis of nano-ceramic and metal nanoparticle composites otherwise not readily accessible. Furthermore were structuring and patterning techniques and synthesis routes involving only renewable resources and environmentally benign procedures established here. Thereby it has laid the foundation for a multitude of applications and pointed towards several future projects reaching from fundamental research, to application focussed research and even and industry relevant engineering project was envisioned.
Continuous synthesis of pyridocarbazoles and initial photophysical and bioprobe characterization
(2013)
Pyridocarbazoles when ligated to transition metals yield high affinity kinase inhibitors. While batch photocyclizations enable the synthesis of these heterocycles, the non-oxidative Mallory reaction only provides modest yields and difficult to purify mixtures. We demonstrate here that a flow-based Mallory cyclization provides superior results and enables observation of a clear isobestic point. The flow method allowed us to rapidly synthesize ten pyridocarbazoles and for the first time to document their interesting photophysical attributes. Preliminary characterization reveals that these molecules might be a new class of fluorescent bioprobe.
Under standard conditions the cross metathesis of allyl alcohols and methyl acrylate is accompanied by the formation of ketones, resulting from uncontrolled and undesired double bond isomerization. By conducting the CM in the presence of phenol, the catalyst loading and the reaction time required for quantiative conversion can be reduced, and isomerization can be suppressed. On the other hand, consecutive isomerization can be deliberately promoted by evaporating excess methyl acrylate after completing cross metathesis and by adding a base or silane as chemical triggers.
Calcium phosphate nanofibers with a diameter of only a few nanometers and a cotton-ball-like aggregate morphology have been reported several times in the literature. Although fiber formation seems reproducible in a variety of conditions, the crystal structure and chemical composition of the fibers have been elusive. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, low dose electron (nano)diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, we have assigned crystal structures and chemical compositions to the fibers. Moreover, we demonstrate that the mineralization process yields true polymer/calcium phosphate hybrid materials where the block copolymer template is closely associated with the calcium phosphate.
The sharply rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide resulting from anthropogenic emissions is one of the greatest environmental concerns facing our civilization today. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of materials that constructed by metal-containing nodes bonded to organic bridging ligands. MOFs could serve as an ideal platform for the development of next generation CO2 capture materials owing to their large capacity for the adsorption of gases and their structural and chemical tunability. The ability to rationally select the framework components is expected to allow the affinity of the internal pore surface toward CO2 to be precisely controlled, facilitating materials properties that are optimized for the specific type of CO2 capture to be performed (post-combustion capture, precombustion capture, or oxy-fuel combustion) and potentially even for the specific power plant in which the capture system is to be installed. For this reason, significant effort has been made in recent years in improving the gas separation performance of MOFs and some studies evaluating the prospects of deploying these materials in real-world CO2 capture systems have begun to emerge. We have developed six new MOFs, denoted as IFPs (IFP-5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, IFP = Imidazolate Framework Potsdam) and two hydrogen-bonded molecular building block (MBB, named as 1 and 2 for Zn and Co based, respectively) have been synthesized, characterized and applied for gas storage. The structure of IFP possesses 1D hexagonal channels. Metal centre and the substituent groups of C2 position of the linker protrude into the open channels and determine their accessible diameter. Interestingly, the channel diameters (range : 0.3 to 5.2 Å) for IFP structures are tuned by the metal centre (Zn, Co and Cd) and substituent of C2 position of the imidazolate linker. Moreover hydrogen bonded MBB of 1 and 2 is formed an in situ functionalization of a ligand under solvothermal condition. Two different types of channels are observed for 1 and 2. Materials contain solvent accessible void space. Solvent could be easily removed by under high vacuum. The porous framework has maintained the crystalline integrity even without solvent molecules. N2, H2, CO2 and CH4 gas sorption isotherms were performed. Gas uptake capacities are comparable with other frameworks. Gas uptake capacity is reduced when the channel diameter is narrow. For example, the channel diameter of IFP-5 (channel diameter: 3.8 Å) is slightly lower than that of IFP-1 (channel diameter: 4.2 Å); hence, the gas uptake capacity and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area are slightly lower than IFP-1. The selectivity does not depend only on the size of the gas components (kinetic diameter: CO2 3.3 Å, N2 3.6 Å and CH4 3.8 ) but also on the polarizability of the surface and of the gas components. IFP-5 and-6 have the potential applications for the separation of CO2 and CH4 from N2-containing gas mixtures and CO2 and CH4 containing gas mixtures. Gas sorption isotherms of IFP-7, -8, -9, -10 exhibited hysteretic behavior due to flexible alkoxy (e.g., methoxy and ethoxy) substituents. Such phenomenon is a kind of gate effects which is rarely observed in microporous MOFs. IFP-7 (Zn-centred) has a flexible methoxy substituent. This is the first example where a flexible methoxy substituent shows the gate opening behavior in a MOF. Presence of methoxy functional group at the hexagonal channels, IFP-7 acted as molecular gate for N2 gas. Due to polar methoxy group and channel walls, wide hysteretic isotherm was observed during gas uptake. The N2 The estimated BET surface area for 1 is 471 m2 g-1 and the Langmuir surface area is 570 m2 g-1. However, such surface area is slightly higher than azolate-based hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assemblies and also comparable and higher than some hydrogen-bonded porous organic molecules.