Theoretical study on the isomerization reaction of fluorine substituted disilene

For the isomerization reaction of monofluoro-disilene,the geometrical structures of reac- tant,product and transition state have been optimized and energy constant,vibrational frequency calculated.By means of the statistical thermodynamics and Eyring's transition state theory,the equilibrium constant,rate constant and heat of isomerization have also been computed.Hence, this reaction has been analysed completely.

Suppressing irreversible phase transition and enhancing electrochemical performance of Ni-rich layered cathode LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.05)Mn_(0.05)O_(2) by fluorine substitution

Ni-rich layered oxide LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2)(x≥0.8)is the most promising cathodes for future high energy automotive lithium-ion batteries.However,its application is hindered by the undesirable cycle stability,mainly due to the irreversible structure change at high voltage.Herein,we demonstrate that F substitution with the appropriate amount(1 at%)is capable for improve the electrochemical performance of LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.05)Mn_(0.05)O_(2) cathode significantly.It is revealed that F substitution can reduce cation mixing,stabilize the crystal structure and improve Li transport kinetics.The resulted LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.05)Mn_(0.05)O_(1.99)F_(0.01)cathode can deliver a high capacity of 194.4 mAh g^(-1) with capacity retention of 95.5%after 100 cycles at 2 C and 165.2 mAh g^(-1) at 5 C.In-situ synchrotron X-ray technique proves that F ions in the cathode materials can suppress the irreversible phase transition from H2 phase to H3 phase in high voltage region by preventing oxygen gliding in a-b planes,ensuring a long-term cycle stability.

Fluorine substitution position effects on spiro(fluorene-9,9’-xanthene) cored hole transporting materials for high-performance planar perovskite solar cells

Fluorine substitution in molecular design has become an effective strategy for improving the overall performance of organic photovoltaics.In this study,three low-cost small molecules of spiro-linked hole transporting materials(SFX-O-2 F,SFX-m-2 F,and SFX-p-2 F) endowed with two-armed t rip he ny la mine moieties were synthesized via tuning of the fluorine substitution position,and they were employed for use in highly efficient perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Despite the fluorine substitution position playing a negligible role in the optical and electrochemical properties of the resulting small molecules,the photovoltaic performance thereof was observed to vary significantly.The planar n-i-p PSCs based on SFX-m-2 F demonstrated superior performance(18.86%) when compared to that of the corresponding SFX-o-2 F(9.7%) and SFX-p-2 F(16.33%) under 100 mW cm^(-2) AM1.5 G solar illumination,which is competitive with the performance of the benchmark spiro-OMeTAD-based device(18.98%).Moreover,the SFX-m-2 Fbased PSCs were observed to be more stable than the spiro-OMeTAD-based devices under ambient conditions.The improved performance of SFX-m-2 F is primarily associated with improved morphology,more efficient hole transport,and extraction characteristics at the perovskite/HTM interface.This work demonstrated the application of fluorination engineering to the tuning of material film morphology and charge transfer properties,showing the promising potential of fluorinated SM-HTMs for the construction of low-cost,high-efficiency PSCs.

Understanding the Impact of Fluorine Substitution on the Photovoltaic Performance of Block Copolymers

Fluorine substitution was applied to the donor and acceptor segments of block copolymers to understand the impact of molecular structure on photovoltaic block copolymers and explore efficient materials for single-component organic solar cells(SCOSCs).Along this line,three fluorinated block copolymers,namely PBDB-T-b-PTYF6,PM6-b-PTY6,and PM6-bPTYF6,derived from PBDB-T-b-PTY6 were designed and synthesized.The UV-Vis absorption,energy level,and thin-film morphology of these block copolymers were systematically characterized.All fluorinated block copolymers show narrow bandgap and improved crystallinity.An enhanced open-circuit voltage was observed in the SCOSC based on PM6-b-PTY6.However,SCOSCs based on all fluorinated block copolymers exhibited low short-circuit current due to energy level mismatch and therefore had low power conversion efficiency at around 4%.By contrast,the SCOSCs based on control block copolymer PBDB-T-b-PTY6 exhibited the highest power conversion efficiency approaching 10%,with a high short-circuit current of 18.57 mA/cm~2.Our study was the first to perform fluorination on photovoltaic block copolymers and provides insight into precisely controlling the polymer structure and understanding the structure-property relationship in SCOSCs based on block copolymers.

Highly crystalline acceptor materials based on benzodithiophene with different amount of fluorine substitution on alkoxyphenyl conjugated side chains for organic photovoltaics

Organic solar cells based on narrow bandgap small-molecule acceptors(SMAs)with highly crystalline characteristics have attracted great attentions for their superiority in obtaining high photovoltaic efficiency.Employing highly crystalline SMAs to enhance power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)by regulating and controlling morphology and compatibility of donor and acceptor materials has turned out to be an effective approach.In this study,we synthesized three different crystalline SMAs by using fluorine substitution on alkoxyphenyl conjugated side chains to modulate the relationship of crystallinity and morphologies,namely ZY1(zero F atoms),ZY2(two F atoms),and ZY3(four F atoms).The three SMAs show the broad absorption edges and similar frontier orbital energy levels,generating the analogical(over 0.9 V)open circuit voltage(VOC)of the polymer solar cells(PSCs).As a result,the PM6:ZY2-based PSCs yield a PCE of 10.81%with a VOC of 0.95 V,a short-circuit current density(JSC)of 16.154 mA cm^(-2),and a fill factor(FF)of 0.71,which is higher than that of 9.17%(PM6:ZY1)and 6.37%(PM6:ZY3).And the PCE(17.23%)of the PM6:Y6:ZY2 based ternary PSCs is also higher than that of 16.32%PM6:Y6 based binary device.Obviously,the results demonstrate that adding fluorine atoms on the conjugated side chains to construct high crystalline materials is a positive strategy to effectively increase the efficiencies of binary and ternary PSCs.

Reversible cationic-anionic redox in disordered rocksalt cathodes enabled by fluorination-induced integrated structure design

Cation-disordered rocksalt oxides(DRX)have been identified as promising cathode materials for high energy density applications owing to their variable elemental composition and cationic-anionic redox activity.However,their practical implementation has been impeded by unwanted phenomena such as irrepressible transition metal migration/dissolution and O_(2)/CO_(2)evolution,which arise due to parasitic reactions and densification-degradation mechanisms during extended cycling.To address these issues,a micron-sized DRX cathode Li_(1.2)Ni_(1/3)Ti_(1/3)W_(2/15)O_(1.85)F_(0.15)(SLNTWOF)with F substitution and ultrathin LiF coating layer is developed by alcohols assisted sol-gel method.Within this fluorination-induced integrated structure design(FISD)strategy,in-situ F substitution modifies the activity/reversibility of the cationic-anionic redox reaction,while the ultrathin LiF coating and single-crystal structure synergistically mitigate the cathode/electrolyte parasitic reaction and densification-degradation mechanism.Attributed to the multiple modifications and size effect in the FISD strategy,the SLNTWOF sample exhibits reversible cationic-anionic redox chemistry with a meliorated reversible capacity of 290.3 mA h g^(-1)at 0.05C(1C=200 mA g^(-1)),improved cycling stability of 78.5%capacity retention after 50 cycles at 0.5 C,and modified rate capability of 102.8 mA h g^(-1)at 2 C.This work reveals that the synergistic effects between bulk structure modification,surface regulation,and engineering particle size can effectively modulate the distribution and evolution of cationic-anionic redox activities in DRX cathodes.

Fluorine Substitution Effect on the Material Properties in Transparent Aromatic Polyimides

The recent development of flexible display technology raised additional requirements for optical and electric properties of polyimides,accelerating the structure and property tunning of transparent polyimides.The unique electronic effect and steric hindrance effect of fluorine substitutions make fluorine-containing polyimides occupy an important position in the transparent polyimide family.In this work,a series of transparent aromatic polyimides were prepared from a fixed 4,4’-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride(6FDA)and biphenyl diamines with different substitute groups at the 2,2’,6,6’-positions.We systematically studied the effects of pendant groups on the thermal,mechanical,optical and dielectric properties of these 6FDA-based polyimides with the aid of density function theory(DFT)calculation.In particular,we paid special attention to the simple but compact fluoro group substitution.The simple fluoro substitution brought the advantages of maintaining the linearity of the backbone and dense polymer chain packing,which would minimize the weakening of polyimides’inherent thermal,dimensional and mechanical properties.Comparing with trifluoromethyl substituted polyimides with the best optical transparency,polyimides containing fluoro substitutes exhibited slightly decreased optical transparency,but increased thermal and dimensional stability and higher mechanical strength.These results could shed light on the ultimate transparent polyimide film development toward the application in extreme working condition,e.g.,the colorless polyimide substrate film for the flexible display technology.

Fluorine Substitution Tunes the Nanofiber Chirality of Supramolecular Hydrogels to Promote Cell Adhesion and Proliferation

Fluorine atoms confer desirable biophysical,chemical,and biological properties to peptides/proteins by participating in various intermolecular interactions with their environment,but they are rarely used to control supramolecular chirality and functional.Herein,to identify the effects of fluorine substitution on the chirality and function of supramolecular assem-blies,C2-symmetric benzene-paradicarboxamide-based phenylalanine(phe)derivatives and three monofluorinated variants that had a single fluorine atom on their benzyl side chain in either the ortho,meta,or para position were synthesized.The experimental and theoretical results clearly show that the resulting assembled fibrils were supported by multiple interactions,including hydrogen bonding,π–πstacking and C/O–H…F–CAr interactions.Compared to nonfluorinated analogs,fluorine and its ring position on the aromatic side chain dictated the type and strength of the F···H interaction and then induced changes in supramolecular chirality and fiber morphology.Further studies on cell behavior showed that the order of positive interac-tion between high-order supramolecular chirality(M,P)and molecular chirality(L,D)on cell proliferation and viability is LM>DM>LP>DP.These findings provide a protocol for leveraging fluorine atoms and their positional dependence on directing chiral nanostructures with desirable handedness and creating fluorinated supramolecular hydrogels as extracellular matrix-mimetic scaffolds for cell culture and regenerative medicine.

Efficient Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells by Modulating Fluorine Substitution Position of Donor Material

Comprehensive Summary The fluorine substitution position in organic semiconductors is critical in improving device performance for organic solar cells(OSCs).Herein,two similar small-molecule donors,B3T-PoF and B3T-PmF,are designed and synthesized,which only differ on the fluorine substitution position on the pendent benzene unit.Although both small-molecule donors exhibit similar absorption profiles and molecular energy levels,B3T-PmF has stronger crystallinity and lower energetic disorder than B3T-PoF.After blending with the non-fullerene acceptor of BO-4Cl,B3T-PmF shows better phase separation and more ordered molecular packing in blend film.As a result,the B3T-PoF:BO-4Cl-based OSC shows a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 12.3%.In contrast,the B3T-PmF:BO-4Cl-based cell demonstrates obviously increased JSC and FF values,thus yielding an excellent PCE of 14.7%.This study indicates that reasonable selection of fluorine atom substitution position in conjugated side chains is one of the promising strategies for achieving high-performance SM-DSCs.

Theoretical studies on the substitution effect of fluorine on ethylene

The substitution effect of fluorine on ethylene is investigated by means of studying the properties of the charge distribution at the bond critical points with the theory of atoms in molecules.It is found that fluorine atom acts not only as a σ electron acceptor,but also as a π electron donor,and these double effects are reflected in the quantity of ellipticity,Lap- lacian and the charge density of charge distribution at the bond critical points.For C—C,C—F bonds,the major axis of elliptical contours is perpendicular to the molecular plane,but for C—H bond,it is parallel to the molecular plane.Other effects originating from the substi- tution have also been discussed.

Synergistic effect of fluorination on both donor and acceptor materials for high performance non-fullerene polymer solar cells with 13.5% efficiency

A high performance polymer solar cells(PSCs) based on polymer donor PM6 containing fluorinated thienyl benzodithiophene unit and n-type organic semiconductor acceptor IT-4 F containing fluorinated end-groups were developed. In addition to complementary absorption spectra(300–830 nm) with IT-4 F, the PM6 also has a deep HOMO(the highest occupied molecular) level(-5.50 e V), which will lower the open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) sacrifice and reduce the E_(loss) of the IT-4 F-based PSCs. Moreover, the strong crystallinity of PM6 is beneficial to form favorable blend morphology and hence to suppress recombination. As a result, in comparison with the PSCs based on a non-fluorinated D/A pair of PBDB-T:ITIC with a medium PCE of 11.2%, the PM6:IT-4 Fbased PSCs yielded an impressive PCE of 13.5% due to the synergistic effect of fluorination on both donor and acceptor, which is among the highest values recorded in the literatures for PSCs to date. Furthermore, a PCE of 12.2% was remained with the active layer thickness of up to 285 nm and a high PCE of 11.4% was also obtained with a large device area of 1 cm^2. In addition, the devices also showed good storage, thermal and illumination stabilities with respect to the efficiency. These results indicate that fluorination is an effective strategy to improve the photovoltaic performance of materials, as well as the both fluorinated donor and acceptor pair-PM6:IT-4 F is an ideal candidate for the large scale roll-to-roll production of efficient PSCs in the future.

Semi-crystalline photovoltaic polymers with siloxane-terminated hybrid side-chains

Three types of semi-cry stalline photovoltaic polymers were synthesized by incorporating a siloxane-terminated organic/inorganic hybrid side-chain and changing the number of fluorine substituents.A branch point away from a polymer main backbone in the siloxane-containing side-chains and the intra-and/or interchain noncovalent coulombic interactions enhance a chain planarity and facile interchain organization.The resulting polymers formed strongly agglomerated films with high roughness,suggesting strong intermolecular interactions.The optical band gap of ca.1.7 eV was measured for all polymers with a pronounced shoulder peak due to tight π-π stacking.With increasing the fluorine substituents,the frontier energy levels decreased and preferential face-on orientation was observed.The siloxane-terminated side-chains and fluorine substitution promoted the intermolecular packing,showing well resolved lamellar scatterings up to(300) for this series of polymers in the grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering measurements.The PPsiDTBT,PPsiDTFBT and PPsiDT2 FBT devices showed a power conversion efficiency of 3.16%,4.40%and 5.65%,respectively,by blending with PC_(71)BM.Langevin-type bimolecular charge recombination was similar for three polymeric solar cells.The main loss in the photocurrent generation for PPsiDTBT:PC_(71)BM was interpreted to originate from the trap assisted charge recombination by measuring light-intensity dependent short-circuit current density(J_(SC)) and open-circuit voltage(V_(Oc)).Our results provide a new insight into the rational selection of solubilizing substituents for optimizing crystalline interchain packing with appropriate miscibility with PC71 BM for further optimizing polymer solar cells.

Quinoxaline-based Polymers with Asymmetric Aromatic Side Chain Enables 16.27% Efficiency for Organic Solar Cells

In recent years, due to the rapid development of high-performance small molecule acceptor (SMA) materials, the researches on p-type electron donor materials for matching with current efficient SMAs have become important. By means of asymmetric strategies to optimize the energy levels and inter/intramolecular interactions of molecules, we designed and synthesized an asymmetric aromatic side chain quinoxaline-based polymer donor TPQ-0F. Meanwhile, we took advantage of F atom which could form noncovalent interaction and strong electron-withdrawing property, to obtain the optimized quinoxaline-based polymer donors TPQ-1F, TPQ-1Fi and TPQ-2F. Eventually, the binary device based on TPQ-2F achieved an efficient power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.27%, which attributed to balanced hole/electron mobilities, less charge carrier recombination, and more favorable aggregation morphology. Our work demonstrates the great potential of asymmetric aromatic side chain quinoxaline-based polymer donors on optimizing the morphology of blending films, improving inter/intramolecular interactions, and subtly tuning energy level, finally for more efficient organic solar cells.