Photo-isomerization of Aromatic α-Hydroxy Hydrazone

Photo-isomerization of aromatic α-hydroxy hydrazone was reported. We investigated the structures of salicylaldehyde phenylhydrozone（SP） in the ground state using density functional theory（DFT） with the B3LYP functional and the 6-311＋G（d） basis set. All nine possible isomers of SP in the ground state consist of seven phenol forms and two ketone forms. Intrisic reaction coordinate（IRC） analysis discloses the existence of a cycle driven by the two proton transfer processes in the ground and excited states of SP, which suggests that no ketonic form could exist in the ground state. Further theoretical studies of the potential energy surfaces support a trans-cis conversion followed by a relaxation to the stable form of SP in the excited states.

Photo-Isomerization Energy Storage Using Azobenzene and Nanoscale Templates: A Topical Review

Azobenzene(AZO) has attached tremendous attention in the field of photo-isomerization energy storage due to its advantages of absorbing light in ultraviolet-visible range and reversible isomerization. However, the issues of low energy density and short half-lifetime restrict the further development of AZO. Therefore, a method, by preparing hybrid photo-isomerization energy storage materials using nanoscale templates, was proposed to handle the above two issues. In this paper, a summary of hybrid photo-isomerization energy storage materials with AZO and nanoscale templates is conducted from the aspects of templates, preparation methods, derivatives and applications. The performances of template candidates, i.e. carbon nanotubes(CNTs) and graphene(GO) are reviewed and compared based on the analysis of grafting density, energy density, and half-lifetime of hybrid materials. Then, two major preparation methods of AZO hybrid materials including non-covalent and covalent functionalizations are discussed. Furthermore, the studies on AZO derivatives functionalized on nanoscale templates are summarized to further point to the direction of derivatization towards high performance AZO-functionalized materials. Finally, due to the superiority of AZO hybrid solid-state films in large-scale utilization, their current applications are reviewed to find out some promising applications.

Advances in self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acid derivatives at HOPG interface

Aromatic carboxylic acid self-assembly has been a hot research field for many scientists due to its strong coordination ability and flexible coordination mode.The hydrogen bond formed between aromatic carboxylic acids is a strong intermolecular force and has directionality and saturation,which plays a very important role in the self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acids.In this review,we introduce surface organization formed by aromatic carboxylic acids with the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy(STM).These two-dimensional structures include molecular templates,host-guest systems,and photo-isomerization structures.We also emphasize the thermodynamics and dynamics,which are important research topics of current and future study.