silicon and imidazole

My mission in catalysis research is to develop highly active and reusable supported catalytic systems in terms of fundamental chemistry and industrial application. For this purpose, I developed three types of highly active and reusable supported catalytic systems. The first type involves polymeric base-supported metal catalysts: Novel polymeric imidazole-Pd and Cu complexes were developed that worked at the mol ppm level for a variety of organic transformations. The second involves catalytic membrane-installed microflow reactors: Membranous polymeric palladium and copper complex/nanoparticle catalysts were installed at the center of a microtube to produce novel catalytic membrane-immobilized flow microreactor devices. These catalytic devices mediated a variety of organic transformations to afford the corresponding products in high yield within 1-38 s. The third is a silicon nanowire array-immobilized palladium nanoparticle catalyst. This device promoted a variety of organic transformations as a heterogeneous catalyst. The Mizoroki-Heck reaction proceeded with 280 mol ppb (0.000028 mol%) of the catalyst, affording the corresponding products in high yield.

Topics: Catalysis; Coordination Complexes; Copper; Imidazoles; Nanoparticles; Nanowires; Palladium; Silicon

An experimental technique for in situ and real-time monitoring of mechanochemical reactions in a shaker ball mill was recently described, which utilises highly penetrating X-ray radiation available at the ID15B beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Herein, we describe the first attempts to perform such reaction monitoring in a quantitative fashion, by introducing an internal X-ray diffraction standard. The use of silicon as an internal standard resolved the issue with variations of the amount of the sample in the X-ray beam due to the non-uniform distribution of the sample in the reaction jar and allowed, via Rietveld analysis, the first quantitative estimate of the amorphous phase content in a mechanochemical reaction as it is being milled. We also highlight problems associated with the non-ideal mixing of the reaction mixture.

Topics: Imidazoles; Silicon; X-Ray Diffraction; Zinc Oxide

A novel compound of an imidazolium type of ionic liquid (IL) containing a biomimetic catecholic functional group normally seen in mussel adhesive proteins was synthesized. The IL can be immobilized on a silicon surface and a variety of other engineering material surfaces via the catecholic anchor, allowing the tribological protection of these substrates for engineering applications. The surface wetting and adhesive properties and the tribological property of the synthesized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are successfully modulated by altering the counteranions. The chemical composition and wettability of the IL SAMs were characterized by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle (CA) measurements. The adhesive and friction forces were measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM) on the nanometer scale. IL composite films were prepared by spin coating thin IL films on top of the SAMs. The macrotribological properties of these IL composite films were investigated with a pin-on-disk tribometer. The results indicate that the presence of IL SAMs on a surface can improve the wettability of spin-coated ionic liquids and thus the film quality and the tribological properties. These films registered a reduced friction coefficient and a significantly enhanced durability and load-carrying capacity. The tribological properties of the composite films are better than those of pure IL films because the presence of the monolayers improves the adhesion and compatibility of spin-coated IL films with substrates.

Topics: Adhesives; Dopamine; Imidazoles; Ionic Liquids; Lubrication; Silicon; Wettability