{"title":"Trivalent Actinide and Lanthanide Separation by Derivatives of INVEST Species","authors":"Gideon Odonkor, Samuel O. Odoh","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00820","url":null,"abstract":"We employed scalar-relativistic density functional theory (DFT) to compute the binding free energies (Δ<i>G</i>) for the coordination of Am<sup>3+</sup> and Eu<sup>3+</sup> with four previously reported 1,10-phenanthroline ligands (L1-L4). Among these, L1 and L4, which have been previously characterized experimentally, exhibited the highest ΔΔ<i>G</i> values, representing the differential binding between Am<sup>3+</sup> and Eu<sup>3+</sup>. These values were then used as a baseline to assess the Am<sup>3+</sup>/Eu<sup>3+</sup> separation capabilities of newly investigated derivatives of triangulenes, molecules of interest due to their inverted singlet–triplet (INVEST) gaps. Notably, two of these ligands exhibited ΔΔ<i>G</i>s exceeding those of L1/L4 by up to 1.4 kcal/mol, suggesting an order-of-magnitude improvement in separation factors while maintaining similar binding affinities for Am<sup>3+</sup>. These findings indicate that INVEST-based ligands hold significant promise for the next generation of Am<sup>3+</sup>/Eu<sup>3+</sup> extractants.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meng Hu, Jiwei Pang, Yuan Tang, Mengdong Ma, Junwen Huang, Penghui Li, Lu Shi, Yan Zhong, Julong He, Jianning Ding
{"title":"Bulk Amorphous Carbon with Lightweight, High Strength, and Electrical Conductivity: Onion-Like Carbon Structures Embedded in Disordered Graphene Networks","authors":"Meng Hu, Jiwei Pang, Yuan Tang, Mengdong Ma, Junwen Huang, Penghui Li, Lu Shi, Yan Zhong, Julong He, Jianning Ding","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01468","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01468","url":null,"abstract":"Amorphous carbon exhibits superior performance over its crystalline counterparts due to its unique structural configuration characterized by short-to-medium-range ordered and long-range disordered structure, which fundamentally expands its potential applications in advanced technological fields. The exploration and preparation of novel bulk amorphous carbon materials through innovative synthesis approaches remain crucial in materials research. Here, we successfully synthesized bulk amorphous carbons composed of onion-like carbon structures embedded in disordered graphene networks prepared via spark plasma sintering of carbon black at a pressure of 50 MPa and temperatures ranging from 1700 to 2200 °C. The bulk amorphous carbon demonstrates a unique combination of low density and exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. The sample synthesized at 2200 °C exhibits superior mechanical properties with nanoindentation hardness of 603 MPa, Young’s modulus of 6.78 GPa, compressive strength of 169 MPa, and flexural strength of 69 MPa, comparable to the commercial ISO-68 graphite from Toyo Tanso Co., Ltd. In addition, this bulk amorphous carbon exhibits excellent electrical conductivity, reaching 9.3 × 10<sup>3</sup> S/m at room temperature. This type of bulk amorphous carbon demonstrates particular promise for advanced applications in aerospace engineering, energy storage, electronic devices, and precision machinery manufacturing.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"168 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karine N. de Andrade, Natalia M. Raffaeli, Rodolfo G. Fiorot
{"title":"Akamptisomerism as a Switching Element: Substituent Effects on Bond Angle Reflection and Photophysical Properties of B–O–B Porphyrins","authors":"Karine N. de Andrade, Natalia M. Raffaeli, Rodolfo G. Fiorot","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01132","url":null,"abstract":"Developing novel molecular switches requires structural modifications that yield isomers with distinct photophysical properties. Akamptisomerism ─ a bond angle reflection (BAR) process occurring in low-symmetry porphyrins bridged by (F)B–O–B(F) units ─ induces distortions from the porphyrin pseudoplane, offering a promising strategy for optoelectronic switching. Herein, we report the first quantum chemical investigation of BAR in β- and <i>meso</i>-substituted porphyrinoid systems as a potential switching mechanism. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations (B3LYP-D3/def2-QZVP//B3LYP-D3/6–31+G**) confirm the occurrence of <i>transoid</i> (<b><i>t</i></b>)-akamptisomerism in all evaluated compounds, featuring a thermal interconversion barrier (<b><i>t</i></b><sub><b>1</b></sub> → <b><i>t</i></b><sub><b>2</b></sub>) of 26.6 ± 2.1 kcal mol<sup>–1</sup> that is largely unaffected by porphyrin substitution across 28 compounds. Simulated UV–vis spectra (TD-CAM-B3LYP/6–31+G**) reveal that β,β-push–pull systems bearing −NMe<sub>2</sub> and −NO<sub>2</sub> groups on opposite pseudoplanes, combined with <i>meso</i>-<sup><i>t</i></sup>Bu substitution, exhibit significant spectral differentiation between akamptisomers (Δ<i>E</i> <b><i>t</i></b><sub><b>1</b></sub>/<b><i>t</i></b><sub><b>2</b></sub> = 320.6 meV, at the S<sub>3</sub> state). This shift arises from intramolecular charge transfer between pseudoplanes and steric distortion induced by the −<sup><i>t</i></sup>Bu group. These findings establish akamptisomerism as a viable platform for constructing molecular building blocks with distinct optical signatures. Moreover, they underscore how substitution patterns can be exploited to tune the photophysical properties of BAR systems, providing valuable insights for the rational design of next-generation switchable materials.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dual Capture of Iodine and Methyl Iodide Using Nonporous Nitrogen-Enriched Palladium(II) Assemblies","authors":"Raghunath Singha, Risikeshan Pradhan, Pijush De, Monotosh Dalapati, Pankaj Maity, Subhadip Ghosh, Dipak Samanta","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00972","url":null,"abstract":"The increasing reliance on nuclear energy amid fossil fuel depletion has intensified the demand for effective materials to capture and store radioactive species. Among these, molecular iodine and methyl iodide present serious environmental and health risks due to their volatility and persistence in nuclear waste. Herein, four nonporous self-assembled metallo-supramolecular assemblies (<b>C1</b>–<b>C4</b>) containing nitrogen-enriched cores (pyridyl, pyrimidine, or phenazine units) with distinct cavity sizes were investigated for their potential in simultaneous capture of both iodine and organic iodide. In the vapor phase, the assemblies achieved exceptional iodine uptake of up to 3.03 g g<sup>–1</sup> at 75 °C, and in <i>n</i>-hexane solution, capacities reached 493.5 mg g<sup>–1</sup>, highlighting the materials’ efficiency across different phases facilitated by electron-pair interactions. Additionally, these materials exhibited excellent performance in capturing methyl iodide vapor, with adsorption capacities as high as 1.2 g g<sup>–1</sup> via methylation reactions. The assemblies proved to be robust and reusable, maintaining their efficacy over at least five cycles without significant degradation. This work presents the first report on an N-heteroatom functionalization approach to design recyclable coordination assemblies for the safe and efficient capture and storage of radioactive iodine and methyl iodide, contributing to the mitigation of nuclear energy-associated risks.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Uranyl-Polyoxometalate as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for Visible-Light-Driven Oxidation Coupling of Amines","authors":"Xiaoyue Wang, Mengyuan Cheng, Yanan Liu, Dongdi Zhang, Jingyang Niu","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00919","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00919","url":null,"abstract":"Developing efficient heterogeneous visible-light-responsive photocatalysts to achieve organic oxidation reactions is essential. We synthesized the uranyl-polyoxometalate (POM) compound Na<sub>3</sub>[H<sub>19</sub>(UO<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(μ<sub>2</sub>-O)(Se<sub>2</sub>W<sub>14</sub>O<sub>52</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]·41H<sub>2</sub>O (denoted as <b>U2</b>) by incorporating uranyl (VI) ions (UO<sub>2</sub><sup>2+</sup>) into the POM framework and conducted the photocatalytic oxidation reaction of the uranyl-POM compounds. Results revealed that the introduction of uranyl groups not only extended the light absorption range of <b>U2</b> to 500 nm but also promoted its carrier separation efficiency and charge transfer rate remarkably. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect among the components enhanced the catalytic activity notably. The U2-catalyzed oxidative coupling of the benzylamine reaction was completed within 6 h under a green solvent-free system with a high yield of 98.7%. The turnover number and turnover frequency reached 1974 and 329 h<sup>–1</sup>, respectively, far exceeding the activity of uranyl or POM used alone. Furthermore, <b>U2</b> was demonstrated to exhibit excellent recyclability, maintaining its activity over five consecutive cycles without significant degradation. Incorporating uranyl into POMs to form <b>U2</b> achieves excellent catalytic performance in the heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation coupling of benzylamine to N-benzylidenebenzylamine under solvent-free conditions (yield = 98.7%; turnover number = 1974; turnover frequency = 329 h<sup>–1</sup>).","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ling-Tong Xu, Yan Zhao, Pin-Fang Yan, Hua Mei, Yan Xu
{"title":"Isolation, Architecture of Ag8-Cluster Modified Polyoxometalate for Water Reduction into Hydrogen Driven by Visible Light","authors":"Ling-Tong Xu, Yan Zhao, Pin-Fang Yan, Hua Mei, Yan Xu","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01055","url":null,"abstract":"To alleviate the shortage of oil resources, photocatalytic water decomposition into hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) is an efficient method to produce clean and green energy with the potential to replace oil in many fields. Under hydrothermal conditions, two Strandberg-type phosphomolybdates were synthesized, formulated as [Ag<sub>4</sub>(C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>6</sub>N<sub>2</sub>)<sub>6</sub>H<sub>2</sub>O][H<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>Mo<sub>5</sub>O<sub>23</sub>]·1H<sub>2</sub>O (<b>1</b>) and [Ag(C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>4</sub>N<sub>2</sub>)]<sub>8</sub>[H<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>Mo<sub>5</sub>O<sub>23</sub>]<sub>2</sub>·11H<sub>2</sub>O (<b>2</b>), based on MoO<sub>3</sub>, Ag(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>, H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> and two N-containing organic ligands (quinoxaline and pyridazine). The single-crystal structure analysis indicates that compound <b>1</b> showed one-dimensional chain constructed from [Ag<sub>3</sub>(C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>6</sub>N<sub>2</sub>)<sub>4</sub>]<sup>3+</sup>, [Ag(C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>6</sub>N<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]<sup>+</sup> cations and [H<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>Mo<sub>5</sub>O<sub>23</sub>]<sup>4–</sup> anions, while compound <b>2</b> features a two-dimensional-layered structure formed by interesting [Ag(C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>4</sub>N<sub>2</sub>)O]<sub>8</sub> clusters connecting [H<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>Mo<sub>5</sub>O<sub>23</sub>]<sup>4–</sup> anions. Under visible light irradiation, both compounds showed excellent performance in hydrogen production. After 8 h of visible light irradiation, the H<sub>2</sub> yields were 243.6 (<b>1</b>) and 401.1 (<b>2</b>) μmol, which have wide application prospects in the photocatalysis field. Meanwhile, comparative experiments showed that the Ag<sup>+</sup> ions significantly promoted hydrogen production under visible light, serving as a crucial active center in the photocatalytic water decomposition into the hydrogen process.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Deepak Kumar, Lin Gu, Abhishek Dutta Chowdhury, Arindam Indra
{"title":"Electrochemically Formed Defect-Rich Bismuthene–Bismuth Oxycarbonate Nanosheets Promote Selective Reduction of CO2 to Formic Acid","authors":"Deepak Kumar, Lin Gu, Abhishek Dutta Chowdhury, Arindam Indra","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01015","url":null,"abstract":"Formic acid has a high hydrogen storage capacity and is a valuable chemical for industrially important reactions. The industrial production of formic acid proceeds through the carbonylation of methanol to form methyl formate and its subsequent hydrolysis. This process requires high temperature and pressure, and it relies on the use of fossil fuels. In this context, the electrochemical reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to HCOOH as the selective C<sub>1</sub> product has emerged as an efficient technique for carbon fixation. Herein, we report the electrochemical transformation of bismuth phytate to active catalyst bismuthene–bismuth oxycarbonate nanosheets under cathodic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction conditions. The electrochemically derived catalyst showed an atomic-level thickness (6.5 nm) with a highly disordered structure. The catalyst reduced CO<sub>2</sub> to HCOOH as the major product with a faradaic efficiency of >94%, and the selectivity of formic acid formation was found to be >97% under optimized conditions. Further, the catalyst demonstrates durability, maintaining a constant current density over 6 h. The two-dimensional nanosheet morphology, atomic-level thickness, and highly disordered structure of the active catalyst provide high selectivity for the formic acid formation.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"112 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huiqin Yu, Fang Li, Pengfei Du, Jing Cao, Haili Lin
{"title":"Modulating the Electroactivity of CuCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> for Hydrogen Evolution Assisted by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation via the Morphological Structure.","authors":"Huiqin Yu, Fang Li, Pengfei Du, Jing Cao, Haili Lin","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01879","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The catalytic activity and morphological structure are closely related. Herein, the spinel structure CuCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> with different morphologies was constructed as the research model for the electrocatalytic benzyl alcohol (BA) oxidation and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). By modulating the morphological structure, oxygen vacancy, and the high valence active centers, the octahedral CuCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity and stability compared to other CuCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> samples with nanoplate/nanowire morphologies. Meanwhile, density functional theory calculations elucidated that octahedral CuCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> could significantly lower the reaction energy barriers of BA oxidation. Furthermore, the crystal orbital Hamilton population analysis was exploited to probe the intermediate adsorption/desorption on the vacancies. The morphology structure and vacancy effect contributed to the improved electrocatalytic performance. The present work demonstrated the important influence of the morphology structure and the accompanying electronic/vacancy effect on the catalytic activity experimentally and theoretically.</p>","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144207149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaodi Du, Chunyang Li, Congli Gao, Xiaoyu Cai, Jinying Huang, Qianrong Li, Tao Wu, Xi-Li Li
{"title":"Two Chiral EuIII Enantiomeric Pairs with Significantly Enhanced Photophysical and Third-Harmonic Generation Performances through the Coordination Roles of Enantiopure Bi- and Tridentate N-Donors","authors":"Xiaodi Du, Chunyang Li, Congli Gao, Xiaoyu Cai, Jinying Huang, Qianrong Li, Tao Wu, Xi-Li Li","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c01372","url":null,"abstract":"For inserting enantiopure bi- and tridentate N-donors (<sup>1</sup>L<sub><i>R</i></sub>/<sup>1</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub> and <sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>R</i></sub>/<sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub>) into the precursor Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub> to replace two H<sub>2</sub>O molecules, respectively, two pairs of chiral eight- and nine-coordinate Eu<sup>III</sup> enantiomers Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(<sup>1</sup>L<sub><i>R</i></sub>)/Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(<sup>1</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub>) (<b>D-1</b>/<b>L-1</b>) and Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(<sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>R</i></sub>)/Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(<sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub>) (<b>D-2</b>/<b>L-2</b>) were isolated, in which hfac<sup>–</sup> = hexafluoroacetylacetonate, <sup>1</sup>L<i><sub>R</sub></i>/<sup>1</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub> = (−)/(+)-4,5-pinene-2,2′-bipyridine, and <sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>R</i></sub>/<sup>2</sup>L<sub><i>S</i></sub> = (−)/(+)-2,6-bis(4′,5′-pinene-2′-pyridyl)pyridine. Compared with Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub>, two chiral Eu<sup>III</sup> enantiomeric pairs not only show significant improvements in their photophysical performances but also display highly boosted third-harmonic generation (THG) effects, and the THG strengths of <b>D-1</b>/<b>L-1</b> and <b>D-2</b>/<b>L-2</b> are more than 14 and 27 times that of Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub>, respectively. Especially, <b>D-2</b> and <b>L-2</b> with symmetric tridentate N-donors only have strong THG effects, while <b>D-1</b> and <b>L-1</b> with asymmetric bidentate N-donors simultaneously hold THG and SHG (second-harmonic generation) responses. More notably, from Eu(hfac)<sub>3</sub>(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub> to eight-coordinate <b>D-1</b> and <b>L-1</b>, and further to nine-coordinate <b>D-2</b> and <b>L-2</b>, their THG strengths present successive considerable enhancements as degrees of π-electron conjugation of their ligands continue to rise. Furthermore, the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties of two chiral Eu<sup>III</sup> enantiomeric pairs were also examined.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Congying Huang, Guangxiang Lu, Zien Cheng, Pengfei Jiang, Rihong Cong, Tao Yang
{"title":"Understanding the Photocatalytic Water Reduction Capability of NaM(WO4)2 (M = Ga, Sc) by the Electronic Structure and Bond Characteristic Analysis","authors":"Congying Huang, Guangxiang Lu, Zien Cheng, Pengfei Jiang, Rihong Cong, Tao Yang","doi":"10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00556","url":null,"abstract":"<i>m</i>-WO<sub>3</sub> has a narrow band gap, making it a promising photocatalyst. However, its antibonding W–O orbitals limit water reduction capability due to insufficient reduction potential. Incorporating a weakly bonded <i>M</i>–O in Na<i>M</i>(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> (M = Ga, Sc) enhances W–O covalency compared to that in <i>m</i>-WO<sub>3</sub>, resulting in a more negative conduction band minimum (CBM) potential, sufficient for photocatalytic water reduction. Here, Na<i>M</i>(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> (M = Ga, Sc) were synthesized via high-temperature solid-state reactions, and their precise structures were determined through Rietveld refinement of high-resolution XRD data. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to analyze the electronic structures, and bond characters were further examined using the crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP), crystal orbital bond index (COBI), and electron localization function (ELF). Experimentally, NaGa(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> loaded with 0.63 wt % Pd and NaSc(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> loaded with 0.94 wt % Pd exhibited photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub> generation rates of 2.45 and 6.30 μmol/h, respectively, under UV irradiation in a methanol aqueous solution. Apparent quantum yields at 295 nm are estimated to be 0.66 and 2.21%, respectively. Notably, NaSc(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> displayed a superior photocatalytic activity, which can be attributed to its more negative CBM potential, as discussed through a comparison of their electronic structures.","PeriodicalId":40,"journal":{"name":"Inorganic Chemistry","volume":"135 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144202286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}