New One-Pot Synthesis of Polysubstituted Benzofurans and Benzo-1,4-dioxines

It has been revealed that the copper(II) triflate catalyzed reaction of ethyl-2-diazo-3-oxobutanoate with phenols followed by cyclization of the intermediate enol in the presence of polyphosphoric acid is a simple and efficient method of synthesis of polysubstituted benzofurans. The use of pyrocatechol leads to the corresponding substituted 1,4-benzodioxine-2-carboxylates as major products.     

New solution of the plane problem for an equilibrium crack

We consider the classical plane problem of elasticity about a crack in an isotropic elastic unbounded plane resulting in a singular solution for the stresses near the crack edge. Relations of generalized elasticity with a small parameter characterizing the medium microstructure are derived, and the higher order of these relations permits eliminating the singularity of the classical solution. An experimental method for determining the medium parameter is proposed, and the corresponding experimental results are given.     

Polymer electrolyte for photoelectrochemical cell and dye-sensitized solar cell: a brief review

This paper reviews the use of solid polymeric electrolyte (SPE) and gel polymeric electrolyte (GPE) in photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The structure of PEC and its working principle are presented. The various types of polymer electrolytes utilized in PEC and DSSC have been highlighted in this review. It also highlights the comparison of performance of PEC and DSSC utilizing those polymer electrolytes. This review is completed with the list of other SPEs that potentially be tested in DSSC.     

Vinylation of cellulose in superbase catalytic systems: towards new biodegradable polymer materials

Diverse celluloses including non-mercerized and mercerized ones have been successfully vinylated with acetylene in the superbase catalytic systems MOH/DMSO and MOH/THF (M = Na, K) at 85–140 °C. Depending on the reaction conditions, degree of substitution of the hydroxyl groups by highly reactive polymerazable vinyloxy groups ranges 0.11–1.22, the yields of vinylated celluloses (insoluble in water, but soluble in DMSO) being 41–89 %. Vinylated celluloses are easily decomposed under the action of white rot fungi: Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Trametes hirsutus, and can constitute a basis for the preparation of biodegradable polymer materials (due to polymerization or polyaddition at the vinyloxy group).