National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Nagatoshi Koumura

Masaru Yoshida

Nobuyuki Tamaoki

Koujirou Hara

Hajime Matsumoto

Nobutsugu Minami

Hajime Kawanami

Harumi Ohyama

Zhong-Sheng Wang

Said Kazaoui

Disclosed are a novel ionic organic compound and a method for producing the ionic organic compound by a simple process. Also disclosed are a hydrogelling agent composed of an ionic organic compound obtained by the method, an alcohol gelling agent, a gel which uses the gelling agent, while using water or methanol as a medium, and a carbon nanotube dispersant composed of the compound. Specifically disclosed is an ionic organic compound represented by general formula (1). The compound is obtained by a condensation reaction of (A) an aromatic diamide compound or cyclohexane diamide compound having a 4-(chloromethyl)benzamide group at both ends, and (B) a compound selected from N,N,N',N&#x2032;-tetramethylalkylenediamines which may have a substituent wherein there are 1-6 carbon atoms between nitrogen atoms. The thus-obtained ionic organic compound serves as a gelling agent which is capable of gelling a neutral aqueous solution or an alcohol. The solvent solubility can be changed by substituting the anion of the thus-obtained ionic compound with another anion by anion-exchange. (In the formula, A represents a linking moiety having one or more optionally substituted aromatic rings or a linking moiety composed of a cyclohexane ring; B represents a cationic functional group having a quaternized nitrogen atom, which is selected from N,N,N&#x2032;,N&#x2032;-tetramethylalkylenediamines which may have a substituent wherein there are 1-6 carbon atoms between nitrogen atoms; X represents a monovalent anion; and n represents an integer of 1-800.)

Ionic organic compound, production method thereof, hydrogelling agent composed of the ionic organic compound, hydrogel containing same, methanol gelling agent, methanol gel containing same, and carbon nanotube dispersant

Disclosed is a novel ionic liquid gel electrolyte having high photoelectric conversion efficiency. Also disclosed are a novel dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device using such an ionic liquid gel electrolyte, and a solar cell composed of such a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device. Specifically disclosed is an ionic liquid gel electrolyte obtained by gelling a liquid electrolyte by using an ionic organic oligomer gelling agent represented by the general formulae (1) and (2) below. Also specifically disclosed are a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device, wherein the ionic liquid gel electrolyte is arranged between a counter electrode and a dye-absorbed semiconductor substrate which is arranged in contact with a transparent conductive substrate, and a solar cell. 

Ionic gel electrolyte, dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device and solar cell

The present invention provides: an organic compound increasing an open circuit voltage, and showing high photoelectric conversion efficiency; a semiconductor film electrode employing the organic compound as a dye; a photoelectric conversion element employing the semiconductor film electrode; and a photoelectrochemical solar cell employing the photoelectric conversion element. The organic compound is represented by the following general formula: wherein A is a carbazole ring; Lis an electron transfer linking group having at least one heterocyclic ring selected from the group consisting of a thiophene ring, a furan ring, a pyrrole ring, and a condensed heterocyclic ring formed from any combinations of these rings; R is a substituent group bound to at least one electron transfer linking group selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, and an aryl group; X is at least one electron withdrawing group selected from the group consisting of a cyano group, a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, an amide group, a trifluoromethyl group, a pentafluoroethyl group, a sulfonate group, and a trifluoromethanesulfonate group; M is a hydrogen atom or a salt-forming cation; and n is an integer of 1 to 12.

Organic compound, semiconductor film electrode employing the organic compound, photoelectric conversion element employing the organic compound, and photoelectrochemical solar cell employing the organic compound

An ionic organic compound having a repeating unit of formula (I) can be synthesized easily from a readily available organic compound through a small number of reaction steps, can be produced without any purification technique such as chromatography, and can be used in a quite small amount for gelation of water or an ionic liquid without any other auxiliary solvent:[-(A-B-C)-]&#x2022;m(X)&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)wherein A represents a group having a quaternary ammonium cation which is formed from a heterocyclic compound having at least one nitrogen atom; B represents a functional group, which may have a substituent, selected from amide, urea, urethane and peptide groups; C represents a divalent hydrocarbon group, which may have a substituent, capable of linking between A and B; X represents an anion; n represents the number of repeating units; m represents the total number of anions; and n and m are the same integer. A hydrogel using the compound is stable under acidic conditions, capable of setting a large amount of water with a small amount thereof, and capable of quickly recovering the original elastic modulus against structural disruption caused by mechanical distortion. The hydrogel is capable of directly gelling an ionic liquid without other solvent such as water when causing gelation. Further, the hydrogel is capable of easily dispersing carbon nanotubes in water whose load on the environment is low.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Nagatoshi Koumura