Conjugated polymers have been intensively studied due to their unique optical and electronic properties combined with their physical flexibility and scalable bottom up synthesis. Although the bulk qualities of conjugated polymers have been extensively utilized in research and industry, the ability to handle and manipulate conjugated polymers at the nanoscale lacks significantly behind. Here, the toolbox for controlled manipulation of conjugated polymers was expanded through the synthesis of a polyfluorene-DNA graft-type polymer (poly(F-DNA)). The polymer possesses the characteristics associated with the conjugated polyfluorene backbone, but the protruding single-stranded DNA provides the material with an exceptional addressability. This study demonstrates controlled single-molecule patterning of poly(F-DNA), as well as energy transfer between two different polymer-DNA conjugates. Finally, highly efficient DNA-directed quenching of polyfluorene fluorescence was shown.

Hafnia, HfO2, which is a wide band gap semiconducting oxide, is much less studied than the chemically similar zirconia (ZrO2). Here, we study the formation of hafnia nanocrystals from hafnium...

We describe the first meltable iron-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF), denoted MUV-24. This material, elusive from direct synthesis, is obtained from the thermal treatment of [Fe 3 (im) 6 (Him) 2 ], which yields Fe(im) 2 upon loss of the neutral imidazole molecules. Different crystalline phase transformations are observed upon further heating, until the material melts at 482 °C. Vitrification upon cooling of the liquid phase gives rise to the first Fe-metal−organic framework glass. X-ray total scattering experiments show that the tetrahedral environment of the crystalline solids is maintained in the glass, whereas nanoindentation measurements reveal an increase in Young's modulus, in agreement with stiffening upon vitrification.

The structures of metal ions in solution constitute essential information for obtaining chemical insight spanning from catalytic reaction mechanisms to formation of functional nanomaterials. Here, we explore Zr4+ solution structures...

The inexpensive and high-performing thermoelectric material β-Zn4Sb3 is a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, which suffers from stability issues due to Zn migration in the structure under thermoelectric operating conditions. Previous ex...