Rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries.

Electrolytes and interphases in Li-ion batteries and beyond.

For economical and ecological reasons, synthetic chemists are confronted with the increasing obligation of optimizing their synthetic methods. Maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs in the production of molecules and macromolecules constitutes, therefore, one of the most exciting challenges of synthetic chemistry.1-3 The ideal synthesis should produce the desired product in 100% yield and selectivity, in a safe and environmentally acceptable process.4 It is now well recognized that organometallic homogeneous catalysis offers one of the most promising approaches for solving this basic problem.2 Indeed, many of these homogeneous processes occur in high yields and selectivities and under mild reaction conditions. Most importantly, the steric and electronic properties of these catalysts can be tuned by varying the metal center and/or the ligands, thus rendering tailor-made molecular and macromolecular structures accessible.5,6 Despite the fact that various efficient methods, based on organometallic homogeneous catalysis, have been developed over the last 30 years on the laboratory scale, the industrial use of homogeneous catalytic processes is relatively limited.7 The separation of the products from the reaction mixture, the recovery of the catalysts, and the need for organic solvents are the major disadvantages in the homogeneous catalytic process. For these reasons, many homogeneous processes are not used on an industrial scale despite their benefits. Among the various approaches to address these problems, liquidliquid biphasic catalysis (“biphasic catalysis”) has emerged as one of the most important alternatives.6-11 The concept of this system implies that the molecular catalyst is soluble in only one phase whereas the substrates/products remain in the other phase. The reaction can take place in one (or both) of the phases or at the interface. In most cases, the catalyst phase can be reused and the products/substrates are simply removed from the reaction mixture by decantation. Moreover, in these biphasic systems it is possible to extract the primary products during the reaction and thus modulate the product selectivity.12 For a detailed discussion about this and other concepts of homogeneous catalyst immobilization, the reader is referred elsewhere.6,7 These biphasic systems might combine the advantages of both homogeneous (greater catalyst efficiency and mild reaction conditions) and heterogeneous (ease of catalyst recycling and separation of the products) catalysis. The advent of water-soluble organometallic complexes, especially those based on sulfonated phosphorus-containing ligands, has enabled various biphasic catalytic reactions to be conducted on an industrial scale.13-15 However, the use of water as a * Corresponding author. Fax: ++ 55 51 3316 73 04. E-mail: dupont@iq.ufrgs.br. 3667 Chem. Rev. 2002, 102, 3667−3692

https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~joyce/referance/gump/IL/Chem.%20Rev.%202002,%20102,%203667.pdf

Ionic liquid (molten salt) phase organometallic catalysis.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes have become universal ligands in organometallic and inorganic coordination chemistry. They not only bind to any transition metal, be it in low or high oxidation states, but also to main group elements such as beryllium, sulfur, and iodine. Because of their specific coordination chemistry, N-heterocyclic carbenes both stabilize and activate metal centers in quite different key catalytic steps of organic syntheses, for example, C-H activation, C-C, C-H, C-O, and C-N bond formation. There is now ample evidence that in the new generation of organometallic catalysts the established ligand class of organophosphanes will be supplemented and, in part, replaced by N-heterocyclic carbenes. Over the past few years, this chemistry has been the field of vivid scientific competition, and yielded previously unexpected successes in key areas of homogeneous catalysis. From the work in numerous academic laboratories and in industry, a revolutionary turning point in oraganometallic catalysis is emerging.

http://aether.cmi.ua.ac.be/artikels/Artikels%20Gitte/Artikels/Reviews/NHC-%20liganden%20Herrmann.pdf

N-heterocyclic carbenes: a new concept in organometallic catalysis.

In recent years, the olefin metathesis reaction has attracted widespread attention as a versatile carbon−carbon bond-forming method. Many new applications have become possible because of major advances in catalyst design. State-of-the-art ruthenium catalysts are not only highly active but also compatible with most functional groups and easy to use. This Account traces the ideas and discoveries that were instrumental in the development of these catalysts, with particular emphasis on (PCy3)2Cl2RuCHPh and its derivatives. The discussion includes an analysis of trends in catalyst activity, a description of catalysts coordinated with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, and an overview of ongoing work to improve the activity, stability, and selectivity of this family of L2X2RuCHR complexes.

http://web4.uwindsor.ca/users/j/jlichaa/reference.nsf/0/10ff8b04ff3a317885256d88005720f6/$FILE/acr-2001-34-18-metath-grubbs.pdf

The Development of L2X2RuCHR Olefin Metathesis Catalysts: An Organometallic Success Story

Homogeneous Metathesis Polymerization by Well-Defined Group VI and Group VIII Transition-Metal Alkylidenes: Fundamentals and Applications in the Preparation of Advanced Materials.

This Review gives an overview of precursor systems, their processing, and the final precursor-dependent structure of carbon fibers (CFs) including new developments in precursor systems for low-cost CFs. The following CF precursor systems are discussed: poly(acrylonitrile)-based copolymers, pitch, cellulose, lignin, poly(ethylene), and new synthetic polymeric precursors for high-end CFs. In addition, structure-property relationships and the different models for describing both the structure and morphology of CFs will be presented.

Carbon Fibers: Precursor Systems, Processing, Structure, and Properties

The properties, structure, and processing of carbon fibers are reviewed. Carbon fibers are made from several precursors, with PAN being the dominating precursor in the market. Carbon fibers have high tensile strength, high modulus (up to the theoretical limit of around 1000 GPa), and low density, depending on the structure and processing in very limited combinations. Both the structure and composition of the precursor affect the properties of the resulting carbon fibers significantly. Although the essential processes for carbon fiber production are similar, different precursors require different processing conditions in order to achieve improved performance. Future developments are discussed.

Carbon Fibers: Precursors, Manufacturing, and Properties

The structure of sulfur-poly(acrylonitrile)-based Li-sulfur batteries is elucidated and correlated with the electrochemical performance of such devices. Apart from the poly(acrylonitrile)-derived backbone, thioamide as well as poly(sulfide) structures are proposed. Furthermore, the intermediary formation of S8 during cycling and the role of the electrolyte in its reintegration during charging into are addressed. In summary, a comprehensive picture of the chemistry and electrochemistry of Li-sulfur batteries is presented.

Michael R. Buchmeiser

Papers

Homogeneous Metathesis Polymerization by Well-Defined Group VI and Group VIII Transition-Metal Alkylidenes: Fundamentals and Applications in the Preparation of Advanced Materials.

Carbon Fibers: Precursor Systems, Processing, Structure, and Properties

Carbon Fibers: Precursors, Manufacturing, and Properties

Structure-Related Electrochemistry of Sulfur-Poly(acrylonitrile) Composite Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Polymer-supported well-defined metathesis catalysts.