ChemphyschemPub Date : 2025-09-28DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202500206
Rodrigo Rodrigues, Mónica Mendes, Daniel Bou-Debes, João Ameixa, Ali Kamali, Oddur Ingólfsson, Samuel Eden, Lucas M Cornetta, Filipe Ferreira da Silva
{"title":"Revisiting CN<sup>-</sup> Formation Mechanisms in Electron Collisions with Benzonitrile.","authors":"Rodrigo Rodrigues, Mónica Mendes, Daniel Bou-Debes, João Ameixa, Ali Kamali, Oddur Ingólfsson, Samuel Eden, Lucas M Cornetta, Filipe Ferreira da Silva","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500206","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radiation-induced processes in the aromatic cyano compound benzonitrile have attracted renewed interest since its detection in the interstellar medium in 2018, and recent studies have elucidated dissociative ionization pathways leading to species such as CN<sup>•</sup> and HCN, which can play important roles in interstellar chemistry. This work explores negative ion formation from benzonitrile upon electron attachment with mass spectrometry experiments and the most extensive theoretical study to date of the underlying negative ion states and their respective dissociative relaxation pathways. The measurements confirm the previously reported CN<sup>-</sup> formation at a collision energy of 3.0 eV as well as formation of the dehydrogenated parent anion and phenyl anion and CN<sup>-</sup> formation in the 7-10 eV energy range. Threshold energies for these dissociation channels are reported at the G4(MP2) level of theory for the first time. Furthermore, by using both scattering calculations and bound state techniques, CN<sup>-</sup> formation at around 3.0 eV may proceed from a <sup>2</sup>B<sub>1</sub>, π<sub>4</sub>* shape resonance through nonadiabatic coupling with the σ*, CCN state. In the 7-10 eV range, complete active space plus second-order perturbation (CASPT2) calculations suggest strong contributions from core excited π<sub>4</sub>* and σ* resonances.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500206"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemphyschemPub Date : 2025-09-28DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202500403
Siyu Qin, Zeyuan Sun, Haoxuan Li, Charleen Rahman, Thomas E Gartner, Elsa Reichmanis
{"title":"Organic Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductors for Organic Electrochemical Transistors: Sidechain Structure Influences Ion Uptake and Functional Performance.","authors":"Siyu Qin, Zeyuan Sun, Haoxuan Li, Charleen Rahman, Thomas E Gartner, Elsa Reichmanis","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500403","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) are an emerging class of polymeric materials with opportunities for applications in bioelectronics, neuromorphic computing, and various sensing technologies owing to their mixed conduction characteristics. The performance and long-term operational stability of OMIECs, particularly in aqueous environments, can be influenced by the dynamic interactions between polymer functionalities and electrolyte species. This mini review highlights the necessity of integrating advanced operando characterization techniques and computational modeling to successfully investigate structure-property relationships. Then, recent progress in understanding how sidechain design dictates ion transport, hydration, swelling behavior, and mixed conduction properties is summarized. Furthermore, the significant impacts of electrolyte composition on doping mechanisms, structural stability, and device performance are explored; and the persistent challenges associated with extensively studied ethylene glycol sidechain designs and emerging hybrid sidechain strategies that incorporate ionic moieties are examined. Recognizing the current limitations in understanding these complex systems, particularly regarding long-term stability, this outlook focuses on elucidating fundamental structure-property relationships and degradation mechanisms. This understanding is crucial for the rational design and future development of robust and high-performance OMIEC materials for organic electrochemical transistor applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500403"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A New Way to Use Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents: Improved Lead Detection Using an Ion-Selective Electrode with a Polymer Membrane Modified by them.","authors":"Cecylia Wardak, Malgorzata Grabarczyk, Mersiha Suljkanović, Jasmin Suljagić, Magdalena Wardak","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500500","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500500","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, the use of terpene-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs) in the preparation of polymeric membrane ion-selective electrodes is presented. HDES obtained from terpenes (menthol and thymol) and octanoic acid are used as a new component of polymeric membrane of potentiometric sensors sensitive to lead ions. Electrodes containing different amounts of HDES in the membrane (from 1 to 12 % wt./wt.) are prepared, and potentiometric measurements are carried out for these electrodes to determine the detection limit, the slope of the characteristic, and the response linear range. Based on the analysis of electrode performance, it is found that the optimum concentration of HDES in the membrane is 5 wt%. For such membranes, a more detailed study is carried out using a solid contact sensor. Selectivity toward interfering species as well as potential stability and reversibility, optimum pH range, effect of light, and presence of gases in the sample solution are investigated for such sensors. The obtained measurement results indicate that the tested sensor containing HDES in the membrane has good analytical parameters, and excellent selectivity (log K ≤ -4.4). It has been successfully used to determine lead in real environmental water samples after a brief pretreatment with XAD-7 resin.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500500"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Computational Investigation of Transition Metal Atom-Decorated C<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> Monolayers for Nitrogen Reduction Reaction.","authors":"Zi-Yang Feng, Zhi Li, Kai-Yin Wu, Hong-Lan Li, Bei-Bei Xiao","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is regarded as a promising approach for sustainable ammonia synthesis. Developing highly active and selective catalysts remains a key challenge for this technology. C<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> serves as an excellent support for anchoring the single atoms due to its unique structures and high porosity. In this work, the catalytic performance of transition metal single-atom-decorated C<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> monolayers toward the NRR using density functional theory calculations is comprehensively studied. Among varied combinations, 24 candidates are screened out that are expected to be stable as indicated by negative binding energy (E<sub>b</sub> < 0) and negative formation energy (E<sub>f</sub> < 0). Among these, TiC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub>, MoC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub>, and OsC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> exhibit relatively low reaction barriers of 0.67, 0.50, and 0.21 eV, suggesting potential catalytic activities. Especially, OsC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> shows relatively good selectivity for the NRR compared with TiC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> and MoC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub>. Electronic structure analysis reveals that OsC<sub>8</sub>N<sub>8</sub> effectively weakens the NN bond, facilitating N<sub>2</sub> activation. This work provides valuable insights into the material design for nitrogen reduction electrocatalysis and offers feasible candidates for the experimental synthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemphyschemPub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1002/cphc.70105
Sebastian Godoy-Gutierrez, Prashant Deshlahra, Francisco Villagra-Soza, Alejandro Karelovic, Romel Jimenez
{"title":"Front Cover: CO2 Methanation Routes on Ni, Co, and NiCo (111) and (100) Surfaces (ChemPhysChem 18/2025)","authors":"Sebastian Godoy-Gutierrez, Prashant Deshlahra, Francisco Villagra-Soza, Alejandro Karelovic, Romel Jimenez","doi":"10.1002/cphc.70105","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cphc.70105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>The Front Cover</b> shows an artistic rendition of a 4.7 nm Ino-decahedral NiCo nanoparticle (NP) on a SiO<sub>2</sub> support. The Co-rich surfaces (35% Ni) of the NP have a coordination degree akin to (111) and (100) surfaces and are covered by chemisorbed CO under CO<sub>x</sub> methanation conditions (CO, CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub> environment, CH<sub>4</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O products). See Research Article (DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202401056) by P. Deshlahra, R. Jimenez, and co-workers for a DFT study of CO<sub>x</sub> methanation routes on NiCo surfaces. Image by S. Godoy-Gutiérrez.\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cphc.70105","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemphyschemPub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1002/cphc.70106
Dennis F. Dinu, Bastian Klein, Chaojiang Zhang, Radu A. Talmazan, Thomas Loerting, Hinrich Grothe, Ralf I. Kaiser, Maren Podewitz
{"title":"Cover Feature: UV–Vis Spectra of Carbonic Acid: Rationalizing Experimental Redshifts between Monomer and Bulk based on (H2CO3)n Calculations (ChemPhysChem 18/2025)","authors":"Dennis F. Dinu, Bastian Klein, Chaojiang Zhang, Radu A. Talmazan, Thomas Loerting, Hinrich Grothe, Ralf I. Kaiser, Maren Podewitz","doi":"10.1002/cphc.70106","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cphc.70106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>The Cover Feature</b> illustrates how irradiation of CO<sub>2</sub>:H<sub>2</sub>O ices forms carbonic acid, relevant to interstellar ices like those in Sagittarius B2. Quantum chemical calculations of carbonic acid clusters help interpret infrared and ultraviolet spectra, aiding future identification with telescopes such as JWST or Hubble. More information can be found in the Research Article by R. I. Kaiser, M. Podewitz and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202500282).\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cphc.70106","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anthraquinone Derivatives with Diphenylamino or Carbazole Groups: Organic Active Materials for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries.","authors":"Aya Yoshimura, Hikaru Sano, Masato Fujimura, Ryosuke Utsumi, Masaru Yao, Yohji Misaki","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500264","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Organic materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are potential candidates from the viewpoint of resource sustainability and renewable energy usage. Herein, the anthraquinone derivatives bearing diphenyl amino or carbazole groups, which can couple each other at the para-position carbon, are investigated as active materials for LIBs. Electrochemical analysis of their solutions reveals that these molecules undergo polymerizations. LIBs comprising these molecules exhibit the charge-discharge properties reflecting \"in-cell polymerization\". The discharge capacities of these molecules, ≈200 mAh g<sup>-1</sup>, are high enough compared to those of conventional inorganic electrode materials used in general LIBs. This work is believed to shed light on the new concept of organic active material design and to encourage more efforts to develop organic active materials toward practical organic batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500264"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145112029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemphyschemPub Date : 2025-09-21DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202500595
Mariafrancesca La Greca, Anh Duc Nguyen, Anastasia Kraskov, Norbert Michael, Luisa Sauthof, Manal Ebrahim, Sagie Katz, Johannes von Sass, Oan Tu Hoang, Nediljko Budisa, Patrick Scheerer, Ramona Schlesinger, Maria Andrea Mroginski, Peter Hildebrandt
{"title":"Propagation of Photoinduced Electric Field Changes Through Phytochrome and their Impact on Conformational Transitions.","authors":"Mariafrancesca La Greca, Anh Duc Nguyen, Anastasia Kraskov, Norbert Michael, Luisa Sauthof, Manal Ebrahim, Sagie Katz, Johannes von Sass, Oan Tu Hoang, Nediljko Budisa, Patrick Scheerer, Ramona Schlesinger, Maria Andrea Mroginski, Peter Hildebrandt","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500595","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In phytochromes, photoisomerization of the chromophore and subsequent structural relaxations lead to the functionally essential secondary structure transition of the tongue, a phytochrome-specific protein segment. The coupling mechanism between chromophore and protein structural changes is yet not understood, but electric field changes are discussed to play an important role. In this work, electric field changes in the chromophore binding pocket (CBP) are confirmed to propagate over long distances through the protein and alter the electric field in the tongue region. An experimental-theoretical approach to analyze local electric fields using Stark reporters has been further developed. These are nitrile groups introduced site-specifically into the protein via noncanonical amino acids. The functional integrity of the variants is checked by crystallography and various spectroscopies. For the first time, functionally intact variants with substitutions in the tongue are generated. Based on frequency shifts and relative intensities of the nitrile stretching modes, hydrogen-bonding and noncovalent electric field contributions are separated. The field changes originating in the CBP are transduced to the tongue along a pathway via Phe192. Given a proper direction of the net electric field vector in the tongue region, the magnitude of the field may be sufficient to destabilize the tongue structure.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500595"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145111974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sc-Doped Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> from a Permanganate Precursor for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution.","authors":"Yujia Fan, Shujiao Yang, Xiaohan Liu, Ting Wang, Haoyuan Lv, Wei Zhang, Rui Cao","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500572","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500572","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of nonprecious metal catalysts has garnered significant attention in the field of electrocatalytic water oxidation. Inspired by the efficient Mn-based center in photosynthesis for oxygen evolution, research has been increasingly focused on manganese oxides for electrocatalytic water oxidation. In this study, an Sc-doped permanganate precursor was employed to successfully prepare Sc-Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts with improved electrocatalytic performance. The annealing of the precursor with an organic cation creates mesoporous structures, while the Sc<sup>3+</sup> substitution at the Mn<sup>3+</sup> sites induces lattice expansion, regulates electronic structure of Mn, and increases the oxygen vacancy of the catalyst. These synergistic effects largely promote the electrocatalytic water oxidation reaction. This study demonstrates the critical role of precursor-mediated doping of Sc with high electronegativity as a new approach to enhancing the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction performance of Mn-based materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500572"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145111993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bimetallic Titanium-Manganese on Nitrogen- and Boron-Doped Graphene Structures Catalyze Nitrogen Reduction for Ammonia Synthesis.","authors":"Jinrong Huo, Yuxin Tang, Pengfei Liu, Xiaozhou Feng","doi":"10.1002/cphc.202500362","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202500362","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this article, considering the different dispersion and aggregation degrees of Ti, Mn on the surface of N and B-doped graphene, Ti-Mn@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C and Ti<sub>2</sub>-Mn<sub>4</sub>@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C structures are constructed, for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) calculation. Considering the complexity of the catalytic reaction process, all possible reaction paths are explored to obtain the free energy changes in Ti-Mn@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C and Ti<sub>2</sub>-Mn<sub>4</sub>@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C structures. The final results showed that Ti-Mn@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C and Ti<sub>2</sub>-Mn<sub>4</sub>@N<sub>4</sub>B<sub>2</sub>-C have good NRR activity, and both of them can be spontaneous at room temperature (limiting potential of 0 eV vs. 0.16 eV).</p>","PeriodicalId":9819,"journal":{"name":"Chemphyschem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500362"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145111992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}