Electron spin plays a critical role in determining the structure, dynamics, and reactivities of molecular excited states, including multiexciton processes such as singlet fission. These systems exhibit triplet pair states whose excited state dynamics can be widely tuned through molecular engineering. For example, the electronic coupling between covalently linked chromophores can be readily modulated using chemical bridges to control proximity, quantum interference, or resonance effects. However, less is known about how spin coupling interactions are impacted by chromophore architecture, and how this influences triplet pair recombination dynamics. Here, we investigate the role of bridge connectivity and chromophore identity in modulating interchromophore exchange and dipolar coupling interactions for a series of pentacene and tetracene dimers bridged by alternant hydrocarbons (phenylene, naphthalene, anthracene). Using both time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance and transient absorption spectroscopy, we find that the boundedness and recombination pathways of the triplet pair spins are highly sensitive to molecular architecture and chromophore-specific magnetic dipolar interactions. Notably, nominally ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic eigenstates result in distinct spin state orderings, consistent with predictions from quantum interference-based graphical models. These findings establish new design principles for tuning spin dynamics in iSF materials, with implications for photonic and quantum information applications.

Enhanced Intersystem Crossing (EISC) is an important mechanism that allows for formally forbidden population transfer from the singlet to triplet manifold in chromophore-radical (C-R) systems. We use first order perturbation theory to estimate the likelihood of EISC in various organic C-R molecules. The first order mixing coefficient κ between the states involved in EISC depends on the difference in pairwise exchange interactions between photoexcited chromophore electrons and the radical. Exchange coupling constants were calculated with the Heisenberg-Dirac-Van Vleck Hamiltonian using excited state wave functions and energies obtained from the CASSCF/QD-NEVPT2 calculations. The predictions derived using this framework are in a good agreement with the available experimental data on EISC observed with transient absorption spectroscopy.

Optically active tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) banded spherulite films comprising helicoidal fibrils exhibit an order of magnitude higher hole mobility compared to their unbanded counterparts. These mobilities of similar to 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1 are, however, low among organic semiconductors. We enhance the electrical conductivity of TTF banded spherulite films over seven orders of magnitude by iodine doping. Pale yellow films became dark red as TTF+ formed in the presence of iodine vapor, with the local doping rate dependent on the crystal face exposed at the film surface. A six-order-of-magnitude increase in conductivity is observed during the first two min of doping, reaching a maximum value of 0.7 +/- 0.6 S cm-1 after 10 min. TTF7I5 needles nucleated at the film surface and grew downwards during iodine vapor exposure, consuming beta-TTF helicoidal fibrils. The four principal linear optical anisotropies, linear and circular birefringence and dichroism, are mapped, and all four properties decreased over 10 min of iodine vapor exposure due to conversion to TTF7I5. For short doping times, however, circular birefringence and dichroism remained unchanged. These results demonstrate that the conductivity of TTF banded spherulite films can be increased without disrupting the microstructure that gives rise to optical activity, expanding their utility in chiroptoelectronics.

Electrosynthesis at an industrial scale offers an opportunity to use renewable electricity in chemical manufacturing, accelerating the decarbonization of large-scale chemical processes. Organic electrosynthesis can improve product selectivity, reduce reaction steps, and minimize waste byproducts. Electrochemical synthesis of adiponitrile (ADN) via hydrodimerization of acrylonitrile (AN) is a prominent example of industrial organic electrochemical processes, with annual production reaching 0.3 MMT. It circumvents the drawbacks of thermochemical synthesis by reducing toxicity and leveraging clean electricity as an energy source. Despite its industrial importance, mechanistic understanding and experimental insights on the near-electrode molecular processes of AN electrohydrodimerization remain insufficient. Here we show, using in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, that tetraalkylammonium ions populate the electrical double layer (EDL), creating a microenvironment that favors interactions with organic molecules and enhances AN concentration while expelling water molecules. Our results provide experimental evidence supporting long-standing mechanistic hypotheses. Kinetic isotope effect studies reveal that propionitrile (PN) formation is rate-limited by proton transfer, while ADN formation likely is not. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirms the presence of free radicals during AN electroreduction, suggesting that coupling of PN radicals occurs primarily in the electrolyte. These insights highlight the importance of carefully controlling the EDL composition for selective organic electrosynthesis and provide fundamental engineering guidance for designing high-performing electro-organic reactions. We anticipate these findings will guide the optimization of electrolyte formulations and electrode interfaces for ADN synthesis and other emerging electro-organic processes.

Chromophore-radical (C-R) dyads are a promising class of molecules with potential applications in magnetometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and quantum sensing. Given the vast chemical space that is possible in these systems, computational studies are vital to aid in the rational design of C-R molecules with desired electronic and spin properties. Multireference perturbation theory (MRPT) calculations have been shown to be useful for rationalizing spin correlations in C-R dyads. In this work we apply quasi-degenerate perturbation theory, specifically QD-NEVPT2, for the prediction of vertical transition energies (VTEs) as well as spin-correlation parameters in three-spin-center pentacene-radical dyads containing up to 153 atoms. We find that QD-NEVPT2 performs well in the prediction of JTR, the magnetic coupling parameter between the excited-state triplet and the radical, but underestimates VTEs; this underestimation is attributed to variational averaging over different spin states and active space limitations, and we show that addressing these shortcomings reduces error. The calculated magnitudes and signs of JTR are rationalized through molecular symmetry, coupling distance, and π-structure considerations. The predicted signs of JTR are consistent with and explained via mechanisms of kinetic and potential spin-exchange, allowing for future functional design of magnetic organic molecules. The role of active space choice on VTE accuracy and predicted magnetic coupling is additionally explored.

Electrosynthesis at an industrial scale offers an opportunity to use renewable electricity in chemical manufacturing, accelerating the decarbonization of large-scale chemical processes. Organic electrosynthesis can improve product selectivity, reduce reaction steps, and minimize waste byproducts. Electrochemical synthesis of adiponitrile (ADN) via hydrodimerization of acrylonitrile (AN) is a prominent example of industrial organic electrochemical processes. It circumvents the drawbacks of thermochemical synthesis by reducing toxicity and leveraging clean electricity as an energy source. Despite its industrial importance, mechanistic understanding and experimental insights on the near-electrode molecular processes of AN electrohydrodimerization remain insufficient. Here we show, using in-situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, that tetraalkylammonium ions populate the electrical double layer (EDL), creating a microenvironment that favors interactions with organic molecules and enhances AN concentration while expelling water molecules. Our results provide experimental evidence supporting long-standing mechanistic hypotheses. Kinetic isotope effect studies reveal that propionitrile (PN) formation is rate-limited by proton transfer, while ADN formation likely is not. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirms the presence of free radicals during AN electroreduction, suggesting that coupling of PN radicals occurs primarily in the electrolyte. These insights highlight the importance of carefully controlling the EDL composition for selective organic electrosynthesis and provide fundamental engineering guidance for designing high-performing electro-organic reactions. We anticipate these findings will guide the optimization of electrolyte formulations and electrode interfaces for ADN synthesis and other emerging electro-organic processes.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have gained tremendous attention owing to their chemical tunability, stability and high surface areas. Whereas there are several examples of fully conjugated two-dimensional (2D) POPs, three-dimensional (3D) ones are rather challenging to realize in the absence of structural templates. Herein, we report the base-catalyzed direct synthesis of a fully conjugated 3D POPs, named benzyne-derived polymers (BDPs), containing biphenylene and tetraphenylene moieties starting from a simple bisbenzyne precursor, which undergoes [2+2] and [2+2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions to form BDPs primarily composed of biphenylene and tetraphenylene moieties. The resulting polymers exhibited ultramicroporous structures with surface areas up to 544 m(2) g(-1) and very high CO2/N-2 selectivities.

Low sensitivity is the primary limitation to extending nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to more advanced chemical and structural studies. Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) is an NMR hyperpolarization technique where light is used to excite a suitable donor–acceptor system, creating a spin-correlated radical pair whose evolution drives nuclear hy-perpolarization. Systems that exhibit photo-CIDNP in solids are not common and this effect has, up to now, only been observed for 13C and 15N nuclei. However, the low gyromagnetic ratio and natural abundance of these nuclei trap the local hyperpolarization in the vicinity of the chromophore and limit the utility for bulk hyperpolarization. Here we report the first example of optically enhanced solid-state 1H NMR spectroscopy in the high-field regime. This is achieved via photo-CIDNP of a donor–chromophore–acceptor molecule in a frozen solution at 0.3 T and 85 K, where spontaneous spin diffusion among the abundant strongly coupled 1H nuclei relays polarization through the whole sample, yielding a 16-fold bulk 1H signal enhancement under continuous laser irradiation at 450 nm. These findings enable a new strategy for hyperpolarized NMR beyond the current limits of conventional microwave-driven DNP.

Perovskite nanowire arrays with large surface areas for efficient charge transfer and continuous highly crystalline domains for efficient charge transport exhibit ideal morphologies for solar-cell active layers. Here, we introduce a room temperature two-step method to grow dense, vertical nanowire arrays of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3). PbI2 nanocrystals embedded in the cylindrical nanopores of anodized titanium dioxide scaffolds were converted to FAPbI3 by immersion in a FAI solution for a period of 0.5-30 min. During immersion, FAPbI3 crystals grew vertically from the scaffold surface as nanowires with diameters and densities determined by the underlying scaffold. The presence of butylammonium cations during nanowire growth stabilized the active α polymorph of FAPbI3, precluding the need for a thermal annealing step. Solar cells comprising α-FAPbI3 nanowire arrays exhibited maximum solar conversion efficiencies of >14%. Short-circuit current densities of 22-23 mA cm-2 were achieved, on par with those recorded for the best-performing FAPbI3 solar cells reported to date. Such large photocurrents are attributed to the single-crystalline, low-defect nature of the nanowires and increased interfacial area for photogenerated charge transfer compared with thin films.

The synthesis of high-performance gas-sieving zeolitic film is challenging because it involves seeded secondary growth which is complex and difficult to reproduce. Additionally, expensive asymmetric inorganic porous supports are often needed for calcination of the zeolite films. Herein, scalable preparation of H2-sieving RUB-15 nanosheet films is reported bypassing the need for secondary growth and expensive supports. A novel, low-cost, thermally-robust, porous polybenzimidazole copolymer (PBI-AM Fumion (R)) support is prepared which allows deposition of thin, compact, and oriented RUB-15 nanosheets films without cracks or pinhole defects. The film hosts two transport pathways, H2-sieving six-membered silicate rings in the nanosheets and nonselective intersheet gaps maintained by the organic guest species in the gallery spacing. The latter is eliminated by a lowtemperature (330 degrees C) calcination where the crystalline order in the nanosheets is preserved. The resulting zeolitic films yielded H2 permeances of 100-400 GPU and H2/CO2 selectivities above 20 at temperatures above 200 degrees C. The facile and scalable fabrication procedure with an attractive H2-sieving performance at elevated temperatures make these membranes promising for pre-combustion carbon capture.

Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid perovskite solar cells have induced widespread research interest owing to their higher stability as compared to three-dimensional (3D) analogues. The photovoltaic performance, however, is still limited. Here, we report a perovskite film dominated by 3D components that are modulated by formamidinium thiocyanate in the 2D PEA2FA3Pb4I13 perovskite composition. We demonstrate that a dimensionality transformation from a 2D/3D to predominantly 3D perovskite phase in the presence of SCN-based treatment enhances the optical absorption in visible and near-infrared regions. As a result, the power conversion efficiency improved 4.5 times with respect to the control to above 14%. The unencapsulated cell exhibited excellent moisture stability during the shelf lifetime measurement over 70 days under ambient conditions.

Here, we introduce a method for the synthesis of atomically precise, supported, multiatom catalysts by liquid-phase atomic layer deposition. This technique is based on consecutive grafting reactions in mild conditions that build supported active sites atom by atom. The atomically controlled synthesis procedure led to the growth of well-defined multinuclear (Al, Mg, Si, Zn, and O) clusters. The composition of the clusters was verified by titrations ICP-OES, STEM-EDX, and XPS, while their structure was resolved from the synthesis sequence, elemental composition, and extensive characterization (X-ray absorption, solid-state NMR, STEM, XPS, and DFT calculations). Propane dehydrogenation was used as a probe reaction to demonstrate the potential to control and tailor the activity and stability of these catalytic clusters. Notably, we were able to alternatively multiply the initial activity of a known single-atom catalyst by 6 fold or improve its stability against thermal deactivation by simply using different elements and modifying the deposition sequence.

The defects present in metal halide perovskite are deleterious to both the performance and stability of photovoltaic devices. Consequently, there is an intense focus on developing defect mitigation strategies. Herein we report a facile strategy that employs methylammonium triiodide (MAI(3)) as an additive to the perovskite precursor solution. We examine the effect of MAI(3) on the structural and optoelectronic properties by X-ray diffraction, density functional theory calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, steady-state, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), and time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy (TRTS). Specifically, TRPL and TRTS show that MAI(3) suppresses nonradiative recombination and increases the charge carrier mobility. As a result, the champion device shows a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.46% with a high fill factor of >80%. Furthermore, these devices exhibit enhanced operational stability, with the best device retaining similar to 90% of its initial PCE under 1 sun illumination with maximum power point tracking for 350 h.

The number of synthetic strategies used to functionalize MOFs with polymers is rapidly growing; this stems from the knowledge that non-native polymeric guests can significantly boost MOF performance in a number of desirable applications. The current work presents a scalable and solid-state method for MOF/polymer composite production. This simple method constitutes mixing a MOF powder, namely, Fe-BTC (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate), with a biomass-derived solid monomer, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and subsequently heating the solids; the latter promotes both solid-state diffusion of HMF into the MOF and the formation of polymeric humin species with a high density of accessible hydroxyl functionality within the MOF pore. The resulting composite, Fe-BTC/humin, was found to selectively extract Ag+ ions from laundry wastewater. Subsequent reduction of the Ag+ species yields a novel catalyst, Fe-BTC/humin/Ag, that is able to drive the organic transformation of cinnamaldehyde in a highly selective manner. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited recyclability up to five cycles, which is in contrast to the Fe-BTC/Ag catalyst without the humin-based polymer. It is envisioned that MOF/polymer composites that are able to selectively extract precious metals from liquid waste streams can be used for the future production of sustainable catalysts; this work was aimed at demonstrating a proof of concept in this regard. Moreover, this study brings more understanding of the impact that MOFs can have on polymer functionalities. Understanding the polymer structure and how it can be manipulated will help us realize the high degree of future potential of this distinct class of composite materials.

The body-centered cubic (bcc) polymorph of NaCB11H12 has been stabilized at room temperature by high-energy mechanical milling. Temperature-dependent electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows an optimum at 45-min milling time, leading to an rt conductivity of 4 mS cm-1. Mechanical milling suppresses an order-disorder phase transition in the investigated temperature range. Nevertheless, two main regimes can be identified, with two clearly distinct activation energies. Powder X-ray diffraction and 23Na solid-state NMR reveal two different Na+ environments, which are partially occupied, in the bcc polymorph. The increased number of available sodium sites w.r.t. ccp polymorph raises the configurational entropy of the bcc phase, contributing to a higher ionic conductivity. Mechanical treatment does not alter the oxidative stability of NaCB11H12. Electrochemical test on a symmetric cell (Na|NaCB11H12|Na) without control of the stack pressure provides a critical current density of 0.12 mA cm-2, able to fully charge/discharge a 120 mA h g-1 specific capacity positive electrode at the rate of C/2.

The synthesis of molecular-sieving zeolitic membranes by the assembly of building blocks, avoiding the hydrothermal treatment, is highly desired to improve reproducibility and scalability. Here we report exfoliation of the sodalite precursor RUB-15 into crystalline 0.8-nm-thick nanosheets, that host hydrogen-sieving six-membered rings (6-MRs) of SiO 4 tetrahedra. Thin films, fabricated by the filtration of a suspension of exfoliated nanosheets, possess two transport pathways: 6-MR apertures and intersheet gaps. The latter were found to dominate the gas transport and yielded a molecular cutoff of 3.6 Å with a H 2 /N 2 selectivity above 20. The gaps were successfully removed by the condensation of the terminal silanol groups of RUB-15 to yield H 2 /CO 2 selectivities up to 100. The high selectivity was exclusively from the transport across 6-MR, which was confirmed by a good agreement between the experimentally determined apparent activation energy of H 2 and that computed by ab initio calculations. The scalable fabrication and the attractive sieving performance at 250–300 °C make these membranes promising for precombustion carbon capture.

Interfacial modification is crucial to fully develop the potential of semiconductor devices, including the revolutionary halide perovskite-based optoelectronics, such as photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors. The all-inorganic halide perovskites, which are potential long-term stable photovoltaic materials, are suffering from poor interfacial contact with metal oxide charge-selective layer, severely limiting the power conversion efficiency and stability of inorganic perovskite solar cells. Here, we propose an intermediate-phase engineering strategy to improve the inorganic perovskite/metal oxide interface by utilizing volatile salts. The introduction of organic cations (such as methylammonium and formamidinium), which can be doped into the perovskite lattice, leads to the formation of an organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite intermediate phase, promoting a robust interfacial contact through hydrogen bonding. A champion CsPb(I0.75Br0.25)(3)-based device with a power conversion efficiency of 17.0% and an open-circuit voltage of 1.34 V was realized, implying that a record of over 65% of the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit is achieved.

Identifying and characterizing systems that generate well-defined states with large electron spin polarization is of high interest for applications in molecular spintronics, high-energy physics, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The generation of electron spin polarization on free-radical substituents tethered to pentacene derivatives has recently gained a great deal of interest for its applications in molecular electronics. After photoexcitation of the chromophore, pentacene-radical derivatives can rapidly form spin-polarized triplet excited states through enhanced intersystem crossing. Under the right conditions, the triplet spin polarization, arising from mS-selective intersystem crossing rates, can be transferred to the tethered stable radical. The efficiency of this spin polarization transfer depends on many factors: local magnetic and electric fields, excited-state energetics, molecular geometry, and spin-spin coupling. Here, we present transient electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements on three pentacene derivatives tethered to Finland trityl, BDPA, or TEMPO radicals to explore the influence of the nature of the radical on the spin polarization transfer. We observe efficient polarization transfer between the pentacene excited triplet and the trityl radical but do not observe the same for the BDPA and TEMPO derivatives. The polarization transfer behavior in the pentacene-trityl system is also investigated in different glassy matrices and is found to depend markedly on the solvent used. The EPR results are rationalized with the help of femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption measurements, yielding complementary information on the excited-state dynamics of the three pentacene derivatives. Notably, we observe a 2 orders of magnitude difference in the time scale of triplet formation between the pentacene-trityl system and the pentacene systems tethered with the BDPA and TEMPO radicals.

Moving a perovskite into the black The bandgap of the black α-phase FAPbI 3 (where FA is formamidinium) is nearly ideal for solar cells, but it is unstable with respect to the photoinactive yellow δ-phase. Lu et al. found that a film of the yellow phase was converted to a highly crystalline black phase by vapor exposure to methylammonium thiocyanate at 100°C, and it retained this structure after 500 hours at 85°C. Solar cells fabricated with this material had a power conversion efficiency of more than 23%. After 500 hours under maximum power tracking and a period of dark recovery, 94% of the original efficiency was retained. Science , this issue p. eabb8985