Suchergebnisse

Breakthrough alternative technologies are urgently required to alleviate the critical need to decarbonise our energy supply. We showcase non-conventional approaches to battery and solar energy conversion and storage (ECS) system design that harness key attributes of immiscible electrolyte solutions, especially the membraneless separation of redox active species and ability to electrify certain liquid-liquid interfaces. We critically evaluate the recent development of membraneless redox flow batteries based on biphasic systems, where one redox couple is confined to an immiscible ionic liquid or organic solvent phase, and the other couple to an aqueous phase. Common to all solar ECS devices are the abilities to harvest light, leading to photo-induced charge carrier separation, and separate the products of the photo-reaction, minimising recombination. We summarise recent progress towards achieving this accepted solar ECS design using immiscible electrolyte solutions in photo-ionic cells, to generate redox fuels, and biphasic "batch" water splitting, to generate solar fuels. ; This publication has emanated from research by M.D.S. and A.F.M.-O. supported by the European Research Council through a Starting Grant (agreement no.716792) and in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) (grant number 13/SIRG/2137). A.G.-Q. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (grant number GOIPD/2018/252). P.P. gratefully acknowledges the Academy Research Fellow funding from the Academy of Finland (grant number 315739).

The dynamics of ion intercalation into solid matrices influences the performance of key components in most energy storage devices (Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, etc.). Electrochemical methods provide key information on the thermodynamics and kinetics of these ion transfer processes but are restricted to matrices supported on electronically conductive substrates. In this article, the electrified liquid|liquid interface is introduced as an ideal platform to probe the thermodynamics and kinetics of reversible ion intercalation with non-electronically active matrices. Zinc(II) meso-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrins were self-assembled into floating films of ordered nanostructures at the water|trifluorotoluene interface. Electrochemically polarising the aqueous phase negatively with respect to the organic phase lead to organic ammonium cations intercalating into the zinc porphyrin nanostructures by binding to anionic carboxyl sites and displacing protons through ion exchange at neutral carboxyl sites. The cyclic voltammograms suggested a positive cooperativity mechanism for ion intercalation linked with structural rearrangements of the porphyrins within the nanostructures, and were modelled using a Frumkin isotherm. The model also provided a robust understanding of the dependence of the voltammetry on the pH and organic electrolyte concentration. Kinetic analysis was performed using potential step chronoamperometry, with the current transients composed of "adsorption" and nucleation components. The latter were associated with domains within the nanostructures where, due to structural rearrangements, ion binding and exchange took place faster. This work opens opportunities to study the thermodynamics and kinetics of purely ionic ion intercalation reactions (not induced by redox reactions) in floating solid matrices using any desired electrochemical method. ; A. G.-Q. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (grant number ...

Soft molecular assemblies that respond reversibly to external stimuli are attractive materials as on/off switches, in optoelectronic, memory and sensor technologies. In this article, we present the reversible structural rearrangement of a soft porphyrin membrane under an electrical potential stimulus in the absence of solid-state architectures. The free-floating porphyrin membrane lies at the interface between immiscible aqueous and organic electrolyte solutions and is formed through interfacial self-assembly of zinc(II) meso-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrins (ZnPor). A potential difference between the two immiscible electrolyte solutions induces the intercalation of bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium cations from the organic electrolyte that exchange with protons in the porphyrin membrane. In situ UV/vis absorbance spectroscopy shows that this ionic intercalation and exchange induces a structural interconversion of the individual porphyrin molecules in the membrane from an H- to a J-type molecular configuration. These structural rearrangements are reversible over 30 potential cycles. In situ polarisation-modulation fluorescence spectroscopy further provides clear evidence of structural interconversion of the porphyrin membrane, as intercalation of the organic electrolyte cations significantly affects the latter's emissive properties. By adjusting the pH of the aqueous phase, additional control of the electrochemically reversible structural interconversion can be achieved, with total suppression at pH 3. ; A.G.-Q. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (Grant Number GOIPD/2018/252). H.N. acknowledges a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (No.19K05541) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). S. Y. thanks the JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (No.17J02009).

Miniaturization of electrochemical detection methods for point-of-care-devices is ideal for their integration and use within healthcare environments. Simultaneously, the prolific pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa poses a serious health risk to patients with compromised immune systems. Recognizing these two factors, a proof-of-concept electrochemical method employing a micro-interface between water and oil (w/o) held at the tip of a pulled borosilicate glass capillary is presented. This method targets small molecules produced by P. aeruginosa colonies as signalling factors that control colony growth in a pseudo-multicellular process known as quorum sensing (QS). The QS molecules of interest are 4‐hydroxy‐2‐heptylquinoline (HHQ) and 2‐heptyl‐3,4‐dihydroxyquinoline (PQS, Pseudomonas quinolone signal). Hydrophobic HHQ and PQS molecules, dissolved in the oil phase, were observed electrochemically to facilitate proton transfer across the w/o interface. This interfacial complexation can be exploited as a facile electrochemical detection method for P. aeruginosa and is advantageous as it does not depend on the redox activity of HHQ/PQS. Interestingly, the limit-of-linearity is reached as [H+]≈[ligand]. Density functional theory calculations were performed to determine the proton affinities and gas-phase basicities of HHQ/PQS, as well as elucidate the likely site of stepwise protonation within each molecule. ; E.D.B. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Award (grant number GOIPG/2016/1217). This publication has emanated from research by M.D.S. and A.F.M.-O. supported by the European Research Council through a Starting Grant (agreement no. 716792) and in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) (grant number 13/SIRG/2137). G.M.G. and R.S. thank the Irish Research Council for funding. T.J.S is grateful to NSERC for funding with an NSERC Discovery Grant.

Programmed cell death via apoptosis is a natural defence against excessive cell division, crucial for foetal development to maintenance of homeostasis and elimination of precancerous and senescent cells. Here we demonstrate an electrified liquid bio-interface that replicates the molecular machinery of the inner mitochondrial membrane at the onset of apoptosis. By mimicking in vivo cytochrome c (Cyt c) interactions with cell membranes, our platform allows us to modulate the conformational plasticity of the protein by simply varying the electrochemical environment at an aqueous|organic interface. Remarkably, we observe interfacial electron transfer between an organic electron donor decamethylferrocene and O2, electrocatalysed by Cyt c. This interfacial reaction requires partial Cyt c unfolding, mimicking Cyt c in vivo peroxidase activity. As proof-of-concept, we use our electrified liquid bio-interface to identify drug molecules, such as bifonazole, that can potentially downregulate Cyt c and protect against uncontrolled neuronal cell death in neurodegenerative disorders. ; D.T. thanks Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for computing resources at the SFI/Higher Education Authority Irish Center for High-End Computing (ICHEC). A.G.-Q. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council (IRC) Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (Grant Number GOIPD/2018/252). G.H. and M.D. are grateful to the French Programme Investissement d'Avenir (PIA) "Lorraine Université d'Excellence" (Reference no. ANR-15-IDEX-04-LUE). M.D.S. and G.H. are grateful to the support of the IRC and Campus France for travel support between the French and Irish groups through their joint ULYSSES programme. DT thanks Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for support (awards Grant Numbers 15/CDA/3491 and 12/RC/2275_P2).