Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
10:10
Neutron Crystallography Data Collection and Processing for Modelling Hydrogen Atoms in Protein Structures
Published on: December 1, 2020
Site Spacing Reconstruction Toward Perfect Hydrogen-Bond Network for Fast Proton Transport.
Yixiang Wang1,2, Shuqi Wang1,2, Xi Wang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 15, 2026
Summary
Researchers improved proton conductivity in materials by reconstructing hydrophilic sites, enhancing hydrogen-bond networks. This breakthrough boosts performance in energy storage and sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Proton-conducting materials are crucial for energy technologies but face performance limitations due to structural constraints.
- Separated hydrophilic sites hinder continuous hydrogen-bond networks, impeding efficient proton transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a site spacing reconstruction strategy to enhance hydrogen-bond networks and proton conductivity.
- To validate this strategy using a model hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF-BTB) and its Na+-modified analogue (Na-HOF-BTB).
Main Methods:
- Utilized electrostatic self-assembly to introduce hydrophilic sites and shorten intersite distances.
- Investigated the hydrogen-bond network structure and proton conductivity of pristine HOF-BTB and Na-HOF-BTB at 97% relative humidity.
- Fabricated and tested devices to evaluate performance enhancements.
Main Results:
- Na-HOF-BTB demonstrated a significantly strengthened hydrogen-bond network compared to HOF-BTB.
- Proton conductivity was substantially enhanced in Na-HOF-BTB.
- The Na-HOF-BTB device achieved a switching ratio of approximately 7000, a 182-fold improvement over HOF-BTB.
Conclusions:
- The site spacing reconstruction strategy effectively strengthens hydrogen-bond networks and improves proton conductivity.
- This approach offers a new design principle for high-performance proton-conducting materials.
- The strategy shows generality in other HOF systems and potential applications in surveillance and preservation.
Related Concept Videos
00:26Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen BondsHydrogen bonds are weak attractions between atoms that have formed other chemical bonds. One of these atoms is electronegative, like oxygen, and has a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that has bonded with another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge.Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are...
01:04Hydrogen Bonds
A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...
04:01VSEPR Theory and the Effect of Lone Pairs
Effect of Lone Pairs of Electrons on Molecule Geometry
03:35Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II
sp3d and sp3d 2 Hybridization
03:24Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I
The mathematical expression known as the wave function, ψ, contains information about each orbital and the wavelike properties of electrons in an isolated atom. When atoms are bound together in a molecule, the wave functions combine to produce new mathematical descriptions that have different shapes. This process of combining the wave functions for atomic orbitals is called hybridization and is mathematically accomplished by the linear combination of atomic orbitals. The new orbitals that...
02:06Newman Projections
Different notations are used to represent the three-dimensional structure of molecules on two-dimensional surfaces. One of the most commonly used representations is the dash-wedge formula. The dashed wedges, solid wedges, and the plane lines indicate the groups situated behind the plane, coming out of the plane, and in the plane, respectively.
The organic molecules rotate across the single bonds leading to numerous temporary three-dimensional structures of varying energy known as conformers.
The organic molecules rotate across the single bonds leading to numerous temporary three-dimensional structures of varying energy known as conformers.