Effect of temperature on the interactions between cellulose and lignin via molecular dynamics simulations

Cellulose - Heating is essential in various biomass pre-treatments and thermal conversion processes. It is of practical significance to study the characteristics of cellulose-lignin and...     

The log-balancedness of generalized derangement numbers

The Ramanujan Journal - Let $$\{d_{n}^{(v)}\}_{n\ge 0}$$ be the sequence of generalized derangement numbers, where v is a nonnegative integer. In this paper, we mainly study the log-balancedness of...     

Development and validation of LC–MS/MS method for amlexanox in rat plasma and its application in preclinical pharmacokinetics

Amlexanox, an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agent, has been widely used clinically for the treatment of canker sores, asthma, and allergic rhinitis. Recently, amlexanox has received considerable attention in curing nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases and hepatitis virus infection. Herein, we first established a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrum (LC–MS/MS) method for the determination of amlexanox in rat plasma. Propranolol was used as the internal standard (IS). Using a simple protein precipitation method, the amlexanox and IS were separated with Capcell Pak C18 column (2.0 × 50 mm, 5 μm) and eluted with water and acetonitrile each containing 0.1% formic acid using gradient elution condition at a flow rate of 0.4 mL·min⁻¹. Amlexanox and IS were detected by a triple quadrupole mass in multiple reactive monitoring (MRM) under the transitions of m/z 299.2 → 281.2 and m/z 259.9 → 116.1 with positive electrospray ionization, respectively. The calibration curves of amlexanox were established with the range of 50 to 2000 ng·mL⁻¹ (r² > 0.99). The validation method consisted of selectivity, accuracy, precision, carryover effect, matrix effect, recovery, dilution effect, and stability. The fully validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of amlexanox in Wistar rats.     

Chitosan hydrogel,as a biological macromolecule-based drug delivery system for exosomes and microvesicles in regenerative medicine: a mini review

Cellulose - Extracellular vesicles are membrane-packed entities that are involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Recently, the role of exosomes and microvesicles in...     

Improved production of levoglucosan and levoglucosenone from acid-impregnated cellulose via fast pyrolysis

Cellulose - In this research, the production of levoglucosan (LG) and levoglucosenone (LGO) was improved from acid-impregnated cellulose via fast pyrolysis. Thermogravimetric and kinetic analysis...     

Photoelectrochemical Cytosensors

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cytosensors, a combination of the PEC process and the living-cell assay, have emerged as a powerful tool in the analytical and biological science. This mini review provides a brief introduction of this arena and summaries the key steps about the development of PEC cytosensors with representative examples, followed by future prospects based on our own opinions.     

Enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of polymeric composites through formation of covalent bonds between boron nitride and rubber chains

Hexagonal boron nitride (BN) platelets, also known as white graphite, are often used to improve the thermal conductivities of polymeric matrices. Due to the poor interfacial compatibility between BN platelets and polymeric matrices, in this study, polyrhodanine (PRd) was used to modify BN platelets and prepared functionalized BN-PRd platelets, thereby enhancing the interfacial interaction between the thermal conductive filler and polymeric matrix. Then, BN-PRd platelets were dispersed into the nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) matrix to yield high thermally conductive composites. The presence of N? C═S groups in PRd allowed the combination of PRd and NBR chains containing stable covalent bonds via vulcanization reaction. The thermal conductivity of the as-prepared 30 vol% BN-PRd/NBR composite reached 0.40 W/mK, representing an increment of 135% over pure NBR (0.17 W/mK). In addition, the largest tensile strength of NBR composite containing 30 vol% BN-PRd platelets was 880% times of pure NBR. The 30 vol% BN-PRd/NBR composite also displayed a relatively high dielectric constant (9.35 at 100 Hz) and a low dielectric loss tangent value (0.07 at 100 Hz), indicating their usefulness as dielectric flexible materials of microelectronics. In sum, the simplicity and good efficiency of formation of covalent bonds between boron nitride and rubber chains look very promising for large-scale industrial production of high thermally conductive composites.     

High-fidelity Recognition of Organotrifluoroborate Anions (R−BF3−) as Designer Guest Molecules

The recognition of boron compounds is well developed as boronic acids but untapped as organotrifluoroborate anions (R−BF₃⁻). We are exploring the development of these and other designer anions as anion-recognition motifs by considering them as substituted versions of the parent inorganic ion. To this end, we demonstrate strong and reliable binding of organic trifluoroborates, R−BF₃⁻, by cyanostar macrocycles that are size-complementary to the inorganic BF₄⁻ progenitors. We find that recognition is modulated by the substituent's sterics and that the affinities are retained using the common K⁺ salts of R−BF₃⁻ anions.     

Developing Flexible Quinacridone-Derivatives-Based Photothermal Evaporaters for Solar Steam and Thermoelectric Power Generation

Solar-driven interfacial vaporization by localizing solar-thermal energy conversion to the air−water interface has attracted tremendous attention. In the process of converting solar energy into heat energy, photothermal materials play an essential role. Herein, a flexible solar-thermal material di-cyan substituted 5,12-dibutylquinacridone (DCN−4CQA)@Paper was developed by coating photothermal quinacridone derivatives on the cellulose paper. The DCN−4CQA@Paper combines desired chemical and physical properties, broadband light-absorbing, and shape-conforming abilities that render efficient photothermic vaporization. Notably, synergetic coupling of solar-steam and solar-electricity technologies by integrating DCN−4CQA@Paper and the thermoelectric devices is realized without trade-offs, highlighting the practical consideration toward more impactful solar heat exploitation. Such solar distillation and low-grade heat-to-electricity generation functions can provide potential opportunities for fresh water and electricity supply in off-grid or remote areas.     

Direct Synthesis of Adipic Esters and Adiponitrile via Photoassisted Cobalt-Catalyzed Alkene Hydrodimerization

The direct hydrodimerization of acrylates and acrylonitrile offers a general streamlined access to industrially important intermediates to nylon 6,6. However, a practical catalytic method for this process has thus far underdeveloped owing to the challenges in regioselectivity and environmental compatibility of applied reagents. Here, we report a cobalt-catalyzed tail-to-tail hydrodimerization of activated alkenes driven by a visible-light photoredox catalysis at ambient temperature, which is applicable to both adipates and adiponitrile synthesis from potentially renewable feedstocks. This protocol utilizes half equivalent of hantzsch ester as a recyclable two-electron and two-proton donor with the assistance of catalytic amount of base as a proton shuttle, and has been shown to be highly regioselective and efficient for hydrodimerizing various activated alkenes to 1,4-difunctionalized butane derivatives.