Low-temperature combustion synthesis of CuCr2O4 spinel powder for spectrally selective paints

CuCr₂O₄ spinel powder with high quality black hue, investigated as solar-absorbing pigment for spectrally selective paint, was synthesized by an environmental friendly sol–gel combustion process using citric acid as the fuel and metal nitrates as oxidizers. Single-phase CuCr₂O₄ spinel crystals were obtained after heat treatment of the as-burnt powder at a low temperature (600 °C) and the average crystallite size of the CuCr₂O₄ powders increased with the calcining temperature. Morphological analysis of powders calcined at various temperatures was done by field emission scanning electron microscopy. CuCr₂O₄ powder calcined at 700 °C was chosen as pigment to fabricate thickness sensitive spectrally selective paint coatings by simple spray-coating technique. For the sake of comparison, the as-burnt powder composed of mixed metal oxides (i.e., CuO and Cr₂O₃) was also used as pigment. The results reveal that the spinel CuCr₂O₄ based paint coatings exhibit much higher spectral selectivity (α _s = 0.88–0.91, ε ₁₀₀ = 0.27–0.35) which is depending on the coating thicknesses than that of coatings using as-burnt powder as pigment (α _s = 0.83–0.88, ε ₁₀₀ = 0.60–0.66). The CuCr₂O₄-based paint coatings showed no visible degradation after 600 h of condensation test and the performance criterion value is 0.04, indicating that the coatings have excellent long term stability.     

A novel molecularly imprinted method with computational simulation for the affinity isolation and knockout of baicalein from Scutellaria baicalensis

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by precipitation polymerization with baicalein (BAI) as the template and used as solid‐phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent, aiming at the affinity isolation and selective knockout of BAI from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SB). We used computational simulation to predict the optimal functional monomer, polymerization solvent and molar ratio of template to functional monomer. Characterization and performance tests revealed that MIP exhibited uniform spherical morphology, rapid binding kinetics, and higher adsorption capacity for BAI compared with nonimprinted polymer (NIP). The application of MIP in SPE coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography to extract BAI from SB showed excellent recovery (94.3%) and purity (97.0%). Not only the single BAI compound, but also the BAI‐removed SB extract was obtained by one‐step process. This new method is useful for isolation and knockout of key bioactive compounds from herbal medicines. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strong solutions to 3D compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations with Navier‐slip condition

We consider the short time strong solutions to the compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations with initial vacuum, in which the velocity field satisfies the Navier‐slip condition. The Navier‐slip condition differs in many aspects from no‐slip conditions, and it has attracted considerable attention in nanoscale and microscale flows research. Inspired by Kato and Lax's idea, we use the Lax–Milgram theorem and contraction mapping argument to prove local existence. Moreover, under the Navier‐slip condition, we establish a criterion for possible breakdown of such solutions at finite time in terms of the temporal integral of L^∞ norm of the deformation tensor D(u). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sulfur Precursor Reactivity Affecting the Crystal Phase and Morphology of Cu2−xS Nanoparticles

For plasmonic copper-deficient Cu_2−xS nanoparticles (NPs), accurate control of the crystal phase and morphology is highly desirable as both of which are known to determine the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength and amplitude. Here, how the sulfur precursor reactivity in the synthesis of Cu_2−xS NPs affects the resulting crystal phase and morphology is examined. Djurleite Cu_1.94S, roxbyite Cu_1.8S, digenite Cu_1.8S as well as covellite CuS nanodisks were synthesized by using 1-dodecanethiol, N,N-dibutylthiourea, and crystal sulfur 1-octadecene/oleylamine solutions and their crystal phase dependent LSPR properties were exhaustively discussed. In addition, crystal phase interconversion between covellite CuS and djurleite/roxbyite Cu_2−xS was realized in the presence of the above sulfur precursors. On the other hand, djurleite Cu_1.94S nanorods rather than nanodisks were prepared by replacing 1-dodecanethiol with more reactive tert-dodecanethiol. The structural and morphological Cu_2−xS NPs here holds great promise in the application of photothermal therapy, photocatalysis, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and many others.