Miniaturized electrochemical sensors and their point-of-care applications

Most of the current analytical methods depend largely on laboratory-based analytical techniques that require expensive and bullky equipment,potentially incur costly testing,and involve lengthy detection processes.With increasing requirements for point-of-care testing(POCT),more attention has been paid to miniaturized analytical devices.Miniaturized electrochemical(MEC)sensors,including different material-based MEC sensors(such as DNA-,paper-,and screen electrode-based),have been in strong demand in analytical science due to their easy operation,portability,high sensitivity,as well as their short analysis time.They have been applied for the detection of trace amounts of target through measuring changes in electrochemical signal,such as current,voltage,potential,or impedance,due to the oxidation/reduction of chemical/biological molecules with the help of electrodes and electrochemical units.MEC sensors present great potential for the detection of targets including small organic molecules,metal ions,and biomolecules.In recent years,MEC sensors have been broadly applied to POCT in various fields,including health care,food safety,and environmental monitoring,owing to the excellent advantages of electrochemical(EC)technologies.This review summarized the state-of-the-art advancements on various types of MEC sensors and their applications in POCT.Furthermore,the future perspectives,opportunities,and challenges in this field are also discussed.     

Machine Learning towards Screening Solid-state Lithium Ion Conductors

Machine learning is an emerging method to discover new materials with specific characteristics.An unsupervised machine learning research is highlighted to discover new potential lithium ionic conductors by screening and clustering lithium compounds,providing inspirations for the development of solid-state electrolytes and practical batteries.     

Surface defect-rich ceria quantum dots anchored on sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanotubes with enhanced charge separation for solar hydrogen production

Designing defect-engineered semiconductor heterojunctions can effectively promote the charge carrier separation.Herein,novel ceria(CeO2) quantum dots(QDs) decorated sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanotubes(SCN NTs) were synthesized via a thermal polycondensation coupled in situ depositionprecipitation method without use of template or surfactant.The structure and morphology studies indicate that ultrafine CeO2 QDs are well distributed inside and outside of SCN NTs offering highly dispersed active sites and a large contact interface between two components.This leads to the promoted formation of rich Ce³⁺ ion and oxygen vacancies as confirmed by XPS.The photocatalytic performance can be facilely modulated by the content of CeO2 QDs introduced in SCN matrix while bare CeO2 does not show activity of hydrogen production.The optimal catalyst with 10% of CeO2 loading yields a hydrogen evolution rate of 2923.8 μmol h-1 g-1 under visible light,remarkably higher than that of bare SCN and their physical mixtures.Further studies reveal that the abundant surface defects and the created 0 D/1 D junctions play a critical role in improving the separation and transfer of charge carriers,leading to superior solar hydrogen production and good stability.     

Superfast and solvent-free core-shell assembly of sulfur/carbon active particles by hail-inspired nanostorm technology for high-energy-density Li-S batteries

The demand on low-carbon emission fabrication technologies for energy storage materials is increasing dramatically with the global interest on carbon neutrality.As a promising active material for metal-sulfur batteries,sulfur is of great interest due to its high-energy-density and abundance.However,there is a lack of industry-friendly and low-carbon fabrication strategies for high-performance sulfur-based active particles,which,however,is in critical need by their practical success.Herein,based on a hail-inspired sulfur nano-storm(HSN)technology developed in our lab,we report an energy-saving,solvent-free strategy for producing core-shell sulfur/carbon electrode particles(CNT@AC-S)in minutes.The fabrication of the CNT@AC-S electrode particles only involves low-cost sulfur blocks,commercial carbon nanotubes(CNT)and activated carbon(AC)micro-particles with high specific surface area.Based on the above core-shell CNT@AC-S particles,sulfur cathode with a high sulfur-loading of 9.2 mg cm^-2 delivers a stable area capacity of 6.6 mAh cm^-2 over 100 cycles.Furthermore,even for sulfur cathode with a super-high sulfur content(72 wt%over the whole electrode),it still delivers a high area capacity of 9 mAh cm^-2 over50 cycles in a quasi-lean electrolyte condition.In a nutshell,this study brings a green and industryfriendly fabrication strategy for cost-effective production of rationally designed S-rich electrode particles.     

Unraveling the stabilization mechanism of solid electrolyte interface on ZnSe by rGO in sodium ion battery

Transition metal selenides have been widely studied as anode materials of sodium ion batteries(SIBs),however,the investigation of solid-electrolyte-interface(SEI)on these materials,which is critical to the electrochemical performance of SIBs,remains at its infancy.Here in this paper,ZnSe@C nanoparticles were prepared from ZIF-8 and the SEI layers on these electrodes with and without reduced graphene oxide(rGO)layers were examined in details by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies at varied charged/discharged states.It is observed that fast and complicated electrolyte decomposition reactions on ZnSe@C leads to quite thick SEI film and intercalation of solvated sodium ions through such thick SEI film results in slow ion diffusion kinetics and unstable electrode structure.However,the presence of rGO could efficiently suppress the decomposition of electrolyte,thus thin and stable SEI film was formed.ZnSe@C electrodes wrapped by rGO demonstrates enhanced interfacial charge transfer kinetics and high electrochemical performance,a capacity retention of 96.4%,after 1000 cycles at 5 A/g.This study might offer a simple avenue for the designing high performance anode materials through manipulation of SEI film.     

常温常湿条件下Au/MeO~x催化剂上CO氧化性能

利用共沉淀法制备了Au/MeO~x催化剂(Me=Al,Co,Cr,Cu,Fe,Mn,Ni,Zn)。在常温常湿条件下,考察了不同氧化物负载的金基催化剂的CO氧化性能。结果表明,氧化物种类对催化剂的活性和稳定性均有较大的影响。Cu,Mn,Cr等氧化物负载的金基催化剂的活性较差,而Zn,Fe,Co,Ni,Al等金属氧化物负载的金基催化剂可将CO完全氧化,又具有一定的稳定性,在相同反应条件下,CO完全转化时的稳定性顺序为Au/ZnO>Au/α-Fe~2O~3>Au/Co~3O~4>Au/γ-Al~2O~3≈Au/NiO。还发现水对Au/MnO~x催化剂的活性和稳定性有负作用,而对180℃焙烧制备的Au/ZnO-180催化剂的活性和稳定性均有明显的湿度增强作用。     

CXN天然沸石的研究2: 吸附性质

采用N~2,NH~3,CO~2,乙烯,丙烯,水,甲醇,乙醇,丙醇等作为吸附剂,研究了由我国CXN天然沸石改性制得的H-STI和Na-STI沸石的吸附性质,H-STI和Na-STI沸石的BET表面积及微孔孔体积约为420m^2/g和0.20m^3/g。根据NH~3和CO~2在H-STI沸石上的吸附等温线计算得到它们的吸附热分别为44.8和26.5kJ/mol。乙烯,丙烯,甲醇,乙醇,丙醇等在Na-STI沸石上的吸附等温线表明该沸石对有机分子的吸附具有链长选择性。在低分压下水相对于甲醇的吸附量表明沸石具有一定的疏水性质。     

Regulation of carbon distribution to construct high-sulfur-content cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)battery is regarded as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems due to the ultra-high theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg^-1.To address the insulation nature of sulfur,nanocarbon composition is essential to afford acceptable cycling capacity but inevitably sacrifices the actual energy density under working conditions.Therefore,rational structural design of the carbon/sulfur composite cathode is of great significance to realize satisfactory electrochemical performances with limited carbon content.Herein,the cathode carbon distribution is rationally regulated to construct high-sulfur-content and high-performance Li-S batteries.Concretely,a double-layer carbon(DLC)cathode is prepared by fabricating a surface carbon layer on the carbon/sulfur composite.The surface carbon layer not only provides more electrochemically active surfaces,but also blocks the polysulfide shuttle.Consequently,the DLC configuration with an increased sulfur content by nearly 10 wt%renders an initial areal capacity of 3.40 mAh cm^-2 and capacity retention of 83.8%during 50 cycles,which is about two times than that of the low-sulfur-content cathode.The strategy of carbon distribution regulation affords an effective pathway to construct advanced high-sulfur-content cathodes for practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries.     

Boost oxygen reduction reaction performance by tuning the active sites in Fe-N-P-C catalysts

Cost-effective atomically dispersed Fe-N-P-C complex catalysts are promising to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and replace Pt catalysts in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.However,it remains a challenge to increase the number of atomically dispersed active sites on these catalysts.Here we report a highly efficient impregnation-pyrolysis method to prepare effective ORR electrocatalysts with large amount of atomically dispersed Fe active sites from biomass.Two types of active catalyst centers were identified,namely atomically dispersed Fe sites and Fe_xP particles.The ORR rate of the atomically dispersed Fe sites is three orders of magnitude higher than it of Fe_xP particles.A linear correlation between the amount of the atomically dispersed Fe and the ORR activity was obtained,revealing the major contribution of the atomically dispersed Fe to the ORR activity.The number of atomically dispersed Fe increases as the Fe loading increased and reaching the maximum at 1.86 wt%Fe,resulting in the maximum ORR rate.Optimized Fe-N-P-C complex catalyst was used as the cathode catalyst in a homemade Zn-air battery and good performance of an energy density of 771 Wh kgZn^-1,a power density of 92.9 m W cm^-2 at 137 m A cm^-2 and an excellent durability were exhibited.     

Confined Ni-In intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst with excellent coking resistance for methane dry reforming

Carbon dioxide and methane are two main greenhouse gases which are contributed to serious global warming.Fortunately,dry reforming of methane(DRM),a very important reaction developed decades ago,can convert these two major greenhouse gases into value-added syngas or hydrogen.The main problem retarding its industrialization is the seriously coking formation upon the nickel-based catalysts.Herein,a series of confined indium-nickel(In-Ni)intermetallic alloy nanocatalysts(In_xNi@SiO₂)have been prepared and displayed superior coking resistance for DRM reaction.The sample containing 0.5 wt.%of In loading(In_0.5Ni@SiO₂)shows the best balance of carbon deposition resistance and DRM reactivity even after 430 h long term stability test.The boosted carbon resistance can be ascribed to the confinement of core–shell structure and to the transfer of electrons from Indium to Nickel in In-Ni intermetallic alloys due to the smaller electronegativity of In.Both the silica shell and the increase of electron cloud density on metallic Ni can weaken the ability of Ni to activate C–H bond and decrease the deep cracking process of methane.The reaction over the confined InNi intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst was conformed to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood(L-H)mechanism revealed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(in-situ DRIFTS).This work provides a guidance to design high performance coking resistance catalysts for methane dry reforming to efficiently utilize these two main greenhouse gases.     

均聚物结晶与熔融化的稳态和亚稳态转变统计理论

基于多重微晶网络结构模型和分子分凝机制建立了高分子晶体的微晶核-和微晶粒-高分子链组模型,推导出了平衡态下高分子预结晶动力学方程,计算出了平衡态下不同尺寸微晶核-和微晶粒-高分子链组的几率分布函数.建立了非稳态下不同尺寸的微晶核-高分子链组的成核演化方程和微晶粒-高分子链组的增长演化方程,求解一般状态下的两个演化方程后,得到了不同时间和不同尺寸的微晶核-和微晶粒-高分子链组的一般密度分布函数.最后根据成核自由能和增长自由能对晶核和晶粒的尺寸大小的依赖性,提出了微晶核-高分子链组和微晶粒-高分子链组存在稳定性的热力学条件和动力学条件,成功地表征为三个特征区(稳态、亚稳态和非稳态).     

生物热化学和热动力学研究进展

生命相关过程伴随着极其复杂的化学和物理过程,包含着物质变化和能量转换,其中部分能量不可避免地会以热的形式表现出来。用微量热技术和热动力学方法,研究复杂生命体系和相关反应的热动力学过程,可宏观地、本质地反映生命相关过程的内在规律。本文综述了生物量热学方法和技术在生命科学中的应用,介绍了生物量热技术在生态系统、生物组织和器官、细胞水平、亚细胞水平和分子层面等不同生物层次和结构水平上的研究现状和进展。     

LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES MODIFIED BY ETHYLENE COPOLYMERS： EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONALIZED SEGMENTS ON MORPHOLOGY

Melt extrusion was used to prepare binary nanocomposites of ethylene copolymers and organoclay and trinary nanocomposites of low-density polyethylene （LDPE）, ethylene copolymer and organoclay. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were used to analyze the structure of the clay phase and the morphology of the nanocomposites. Influences of the comonomer in the copolymer and the content of the copolymer on the morphology of the resulting nanocomposites were discussed. The binary and the trinary composites may form intercalated or exfoliated structures depending on the interaction between the copolymer and the clay layers and the content of the copolymer.     

Deformation and fracture behavior of polystyrene ionomer and ionomer blends

The deformation and fracture behavior of sulphonated polystyrene ionomers, and of blends of these with polystyrene have been investigated. The microstructure of the ionomer, which varies with ion content, appears to have a significant effect on mechanical properties. Both tensile strength and toughness increase appreciably at ion contents near 5 mol%, where clusters become dominant over ion pairs and multiplets. In blends of the ionomers and polystyrene, phase separation occurs and the ionomer component appears in the form of fine particles dispersed in the polystyrene matrix. These particles possess a greater effective entanglement density than the matrix, as a result of ionic crosslinking, and they provide reinforcement against early craze breakdown and fracture. Tensile strength and fracture energy increase rapidly as the ionomer concentration in the blend is increased and they become essentially independent of blend ratio above about 10 wt% of the ionomer. Tests carried out on thin film specimens of the blends show that the dispersed ionomer particles adhere well to the matrix and contribute to the fracture energy both by inducing matrix crazing and by internal fibrillation within the particles.Dedicated to Professor Hans-Henning Kausch on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

高分子链通过机械化学反应的信息、能量协同激发实现化学能直接转换为机械能研究的新进展

机械化学反应是指将化学能与机械能直接相互转换的过程。由于机械化学反应可将化学能和机械能直接相互转换,并且有无污染、无噪音、无废物排放和能量转换高等特点,因而正日趋受到世界各国,尤其是发达国家的关注。信息文明的时代一定会有与之相应的物质和能量与信息状态的转换相伴,掌握信息和使用信息是这个时代发展的必然要求。为此,作者通过对高分子物质激发态的分析,从物质、能量和信息三者协同的角度对机械化学反应的原理进行了探讨,并试图用孤子激发来阐明化学能和机械能相互直接转换的原因。随着高分子合成技术的不断发展,我们有可能通过用机械化学反应的手段来为信息文明的时代找到并提供一种新的能源和能量转换方式,并且有可能会导致新的产业革命。     

Simultaneous and rapid determination of the anticarcinogenic proteins Bowman-Birk inhibitor and lectin in soybean crops by perfusion RP-HPLC

There are numerous studies demonstrating a direct association between the ingestion of soybean and low cancer incidence. This fact has been related to the presence of Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) and lectin in soybean. The simultaneous and fast determination of BBI and lectin in soybean is proposed, for the first time, in this work. Two different strategies were designed for the extraction of BBI and lectin: extraction of soybean proteins using a Tris-HCl buffer followed by isolation of BBI and lectin by the isoelectric precipitation of other soybean proteins (method I) or by the direct extraction of BBI and lectin using an acetate buffer (method II). The effect of the previous soybean defating on the extraction of BBI and lectin was also studied. Moreover, the possibility of using a high-intensity focalized ultrasonic probe for accelerating the extraction was explored and an optimization of the extraction time and ultrasound amplitude was performed. The extracts obtained were analysed by RP-HPLC-ESI-MS for the correct identification of BBI and lectin in soybean. Moreover, a fast chromatographic methodology using a perfusion column and UV detection was optimized for the rapid determination of BBI and lectin in soybean. After evaluating its analytical characteristics (linearity, precision, and recovery), the method was applied to the quantitation of BBI and lectin in different soybean varieties.     

几种不同进口“铅矿”的表征及属性分析研究

通过5种申报为“铅矿”的进口含铅物料的分析,发现铅矿伪报的现象时有发生,这些物料从外观上、铅含量上很难确认其真实属性,实验通过分析样品的理化特征,比对研究和文献查找的方法,分析进口含铅物料来源,进而获得属性判定的方法。其方法主要包括以下5个步骤:(1 )观察样品的外观性状,包括形状、粒度、颜色、手感、气味、磁性等特征;(2)测试样品的理化性质,包括元素组成、物相组成、微观形貌以及酸碱性等其他可能必要的信息;(3)对比研究所属申报品名的样品特征,即对铅矿样品进行比对研究；(4) 比对查证文献资料等,根据获得的样品的相关检测数据和铅矿信息,查阅相关的文献资料,对样品可能产生的来源进行查证分析; (5)确立样品的来源,从而确认样品的属性。     

神木煤显微组分热解和加氢热解的焦油组成

利用色谱-质谱联用技术测定了神木煤镜质组和惰质组在不同热解条件下焦油的组成，考察了显微组分类型和反应气氛对苯类、酚类、萘类、含氧杂环和多环芳烃类化合物产率的影响。结果表明，惰质组和镜质组焦油在组成和长链烃类、芳烃、含氧杂环和多环芳烃的相对质量分数方面存在很大差异。镜质组焦油中长链烃类的种类和相对质量分数较高，惰质组焦油中芳烃、含氧杂环和多环芳烃的种类和相对质量分数较高，反映了镜质组显微组分芳香度较低以及烷基侧链长和多以及惰质组稠环芳烃结构多和芳环缩聚程度高的特点。加氢热解比热解有较高的焦油收率，随氢气压力的增加，焦油的收率大幅度增加。镜质组和惰质组热解和加氢热解焦油组成和相对质量分数的差异反映了热解过程中氢气的加氢稳定化作用和加氢裂解作用。     

Influence of the exchangeable cations on stability and rheological properties of montmorillonite suspensions

The effects of NaCl and CaCl₂ on the colloid stability and rheological properties of Na- and Ca-montmorillonite dispersions were studied. The distribution of cations between the surface and the bulk phase was determined. For both of monocationic montmorillonite, the critical coagulation concentration were 250 mmol NaCl/dm³ and 2 mmol CaCl₂/dm³. The changes in the Bingham yield stresses of Na- and Ca-montmorillonite dispersions as functions of the NaCl and CaCl₂ concentration could be explained in terms of the surface excess amount and equilibrium concentration of the cations, the second electroviscous effect and the formation of a gel structure.     

高分子多糖载体对四苯基金属卟啉催化性能影响

在壳聚糖四苯基金属卟啉中, 氨基或羟基可能对金属卟啉的稳定性和催化活性起重要作用. 为探索这两类基团的作用效果差异, 并调查具有类似壳聚糖结构的纤维素作为载体, 对金属卟啉的保护以及羟基的协助催化作用, 制备了纤维素四苯基铁、钴和锰卟啉. 研究了纤维素四苯基铁、钴和锰卟啉催化空气氧化环己烷的能力, 并与相应的壳聚糖金属卟啉比较. 在418 K和0.8 MPa的空气压力下, 纤维素四苯基铁(钴或锰)卟啉均只能作一次性催化而耗尽; 所获得的醇酮选择性均低于相应的壳聚糖四苯基金属卟啉. 研究结果表明: 纤维素对四苯基铁、钴和锰卟啉没有明显的保护作用, 羟基对其催化环己基过氧化氢的协助分解作用也比较小. 壳聚糖对金属卟啉有很强的保护作用, 氨基有较强的协助金属卟啉催化环己基过氧化氢分解的能力, 使醇酮选择性提高.