The effects of various alkaline-earth metals (Mg, Ca and Ba) on CoMn nanocatalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis to olefins (FTO) were investigated. Methane formation and second hydrogenation of olefins were suppressed effectively by the addition of alkaline-earth metals, while the olefin formation was enhanced. In addition, alkaline-earth metals can promote the carbon chain propagation to form higher hydrocarbon products, especially for long-chain olefins. Structure characterization results suggested that alkaline-earth metals with higher surface basicity would benefit the carburization of CoMn to form more Co2C nanoprisms for olefin formation.
Vinyl carbonate (VC) is a crucial film-forming additive for lithium-ion batteries, but its low industrial yields remain a significant challenge. This study investigated the causes of low yield by analyzing the structure and formation mechanism of polymer byproducts. Characterization, which included attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, gas composition analysis, elemental analysis, 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and 1H NMR spectroscopy, revealed that triethylamine (TEA)-initiated polymerization was a major contributor to the low yield. These polymer byproducts exhibited structural similarities to those constituting the solid–electrolyte interface (SEI) film reported in the literature, containing structural units such as cyclic carbonate, C–O, and O–C–O moieties. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the chain initiation featured a termolecular reaction of TEA with two VC molecules. During chain propagation, intramolecular backbiting reactions drove decarboxylation, producing C–O and O–C–O structural units. This study not only provides important guidance for the synthesis of VC but may also offer theoretical insights into the formation mechanism of the SEI film.
Two triarylamine-based polymers were synthesized by oxidative coupling reactions from 3-(N,N-diphenylamino) thiophene (3PAT) and 3-(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl) thiophene (3PTT) monomers, respectively. Distinguished from 3PAT, 3PTT has an additional sulfur atom between the two benzene rings. By using NMR spectroscopy and triarylamine control, the structures of the synthesized polymers were resolved with the aim of revealing the substitution effect. The results present that the substituent plays an important role in the chain propagation. Moreover, the triarylamine-based polymers were investigated for their solubility, thermal stability and electrochemical properties. To evaluate the electrochromism of the two different polymers, we have measured the spectroelectrochemical and electrochromic switching properties from the solution-cast films.