Processes in chemical reactions related to the environment, energy and materials sciences

On behalf of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), I would firstly like to express thanks to Philip and Erica, together with their colleagues, for their support and efforts to publish the ICCAS special collection in PCCP.

ICCAS is a multi-disciplinary research institute which was founded in 1956. Since then, ICCAS has been dedicated to basic research in the broad fields of the chemical sciences, and to the key developments of innovative high-technology as well as to collaborative high-technology applications and transfers. Through the efforts of several generations, ICCAS has become one of the leading research institutes in chemistry and related fields. In recent years, ICCAS has focused its development on the following areas: frontiers of molecular and nano sciences, organic polymer materials and chemical biology, as well as energy and green chemistry. The research activities relevant to physical chemistry in ICCAS range from theoretical chemistry, structural chemistry, reaction dynamics and chemical thermodynamics to photochemistry, colloids and interfaces, molecular self-assembly and those related to nano science and materials science.

This special collection, published at the time of the 55th anniversary of ICCAS, including 4 review articles and 11 research articles, reflects the cross-section of the recent progress of ICCAS researchers in areas relevant to physical chemistry. These include our recent research achievements from four areas as outlined below.

1. Fundamental physical chemistry

(1) Structural and reactivity studies of oxygen-centered radicals (O⁻˙) over transition metal oxide (TMO) clusters with mass spectrometry and density functional theory, aiming to understand the elementary reactions involved with complex heterogeneous catalysis (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01171a); (2) theoretical studies of infrared and Raman spectra for the OH vibrations in liquid CH₃OH, and the application of the vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) and correction-corrected VSCF methods for calculating anharmonic parameters of 3N − 6 normal modes for formamide, glycine, N-methylacetamide and their deuterated derivatives (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01145b and DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01177k); (3) full-dimensional quantum dynamics calculations of vinylidene–acetylene isomerization and the theoretical calculation of the state-specific resonance decay lifetimes of vinylidene(-d₂) for the first time (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01186j); (4) experimental (step-scan time-resolved Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy) and theoretical (CCSD(T)/6-311+G(d)//B3LYP/6-311G(d) level of electronic structure calculations) investigations of the atmospherically and environmentally important reaction, C₂Cl₃ + NO (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01192d); (5) photo-induced electron transfer investigations of oligomers consisting of alternating thiophene (T) and perylene bisimide (P) with time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and theoretical analysis using the Marcus approach (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01166e).

2. Physical chemistry relevant to environmental science

(1) Experimental studies and reaction pathways for the uptake of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO), an important biogenic hydrocarbon and structurally similar to isoprene, into mixed solutions of H₂O₂ and sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp00905a); (2) systematic investigations of the improvement in the Fenton system for treatment of organic pollutants in water and application of special iron that can activate molecular O₂ for the decomposition of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01203c).

3. Physical chemistry relevant to energy science

(1) Discussion of the recent research progress including physicochemical studies on the new fullerene derivative acceptors for high performance polymer solar cells (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01178a); (2) construction and physicochemical studies of hybrid films of conjugated oligomers and gold nanoparticles for application in photovoltaic devices (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01116a); (3) synthesis and characterization of Cu/TiO₂ nanocomposites with integrated nano-current-collectors as high-rate anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01119c).

4. Physical chemistry relevant to materials science

(1) Studies of the aggregation induced emission behavior for N-(4-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-3-hydroxyphenyl)benzamide exhibiting excited state intramolecular proton transfer (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01181a); (2) discussion of the effects of molecular structures on aggregation behavior of Gemini surfactants in aqueous solutions as well as the interactions of Gemini surfactants with polymers and biomacromolecules, respectively (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01196g); (3) synthesis and characterization of Pd(II) immobilized on mesoporous silica by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ionic liquids (ILs) with different alkyl chain lengths as well as the application in catalytic hydrogenation in supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01213k); (4) studies of the crystallization and phase transition behavior of n-docosane in microcapsules with different techniques and observation of the coexistence of ordered and rotator phases (DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01173h).

The publication of this ICCAS special collection will not only offer my colleagues the platform to introduce their recent research results to the scientific community, but also provide a unique opportunity for them to exchange ideas with researchers in their respective areas. ICCAS aims to further improve research activities in physical chemistry and other areas by further integrating the efforts of our staff and graduate students. I confidently believe that ICCAS will produce even more interesting and influential research results in the future.

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