Di(isothiocyanato)bis(4-methyl-4’-vinyl-2,2’-bipyridine) Ruthenium(II) Films Deposited on Titanium Oxide-Coated, Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide for an Efficient Solar Cell

Dye-sensitized titanium oxide electrodes were prepared by immobilizing a novel ruthenium complex, di(isothiocy- anato)bis(4-methyl-4’-vinyl-2,2’-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) [(NCS)2(mvbpy)2Ru(II)] or the ruthenium complex/sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate onto the surface of a titanium oxide-coated, fluorine-doped tin oxide (TiO2/FTO) electrode through a new electrochemically initiated film formation method, in which the electrolysis step and the film deposition step were individually performed. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of the Ru complex film on a TiO2/FTO electrode was disappointedly insufficient (1.2% at 440 nm). In sharp contrast, the Ru(II) complex/so- dium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate composite film deposited on the surface of a TiO2/FTO electrode showed maximum IPCE of 31.7% at 438 nm.

Emulsion Graft Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate onto Cellulose Nanofibers

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was successfully grafted onto cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) at room temperature in an emulsion system using a diethyl(1,10-phenanthroline N1,N10)zinc(II) complex (Phen-DEZ) with oxygen as the radical initiator. The effects of reaction temperature, initiator concentration, and monomer content on the grafting reaction were investigated. The molecular weight of the non-grafted PMMA, which was produced during graft polymerization, was more than 1 million, as determined by size exclusion chromatography. The PMMA-grafted CNFs were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy, which confirmed the grafting of PMMA on the nanofiber surface. The study presents a strategy for the grafting of high-molecular weight PMMA onto CNFs in an emulsion system using Phen-DEZ and O2.

A Simple Method for Synthesizing Ultra-high-molecular-weight Polystyrene through Emulsion Polymerization Using Alkyl-9-BBN as an Initiator

Styrene emulsion polymerization using an alkyl-9-BBN, synthesized by reacting 9-BBN（9-borabicyclo-[3.3.1]-nonane） and styrene, in an aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate（SDS） solution was studied. Ultra-high-molecular-weight（〉 1.0 × 10~7） polystyrene was synthesized using a radical initiator formed through the aerobic oxidation of this alkyl-9-BBN in a high yield（〉 80%）. The kinetics of this emulsion polymerization of styrene with the alkyl-9-BBN was investigated. We confirmed that in the initial stage of the polymerization, the initial reaction rate followed first-order kinetics. The activation energy for this emulsion polymerization of styrene was approximately 56.2 kJ/mol.