Mixed Polymer‐Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles as Forward Osmosis Draw Agents of Tuned Hydrophilicity

We recently reported a polymer‐coated magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) draw agent for the forward osmosis (FO) water desalination process. The water flux was found to increase when the polymer poly(sodium acrylate) (PSA) was anchored to the MNP surface as compared to the polymer (or polyelectrolyte solution) alone, due to the polymer chains being stretched out and most of the hydrophilic groups on the polymer contributing to water flux. We herein report the use of a secondary polymer poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) PNIPAM to manipulate the PSA polymer conformation and influence inter‐ and intrachain interactions to enhance the efficiency of the FO draw agent. These PSA–PNIPAM‐coated MNPs generated a much higher water flux of ～11.66 LMH when compared to the 100 % PSA‐coated MNPs featuring a value of ～5.32 LMH under identical FO conditions. The osmotic pressure and water flux driven by the mixed polymer‐coated MNPs were found to be a strong function of the net polymer coverage on MNPs, that is, net available hydrophilic groups. Our new draw agent demonstrates potential for use in the water industry due to its improved efficiency and cost effectiveness as it uses only ～0.062 % (w/v) of the draw agent solution.     

Pd‐initiated polymerization of diazo compounds bearing dialkoxyphosphinyl group and hydrolysis of the resulting polymers and oligomers to afford phosphonic acid‐containing products

Pd‐initiated polymerization and oligomerization of diazo compounds containing a dialkoxyphosphinyl group are described. Polymerization of 2‐dialkoxyphosphinylethyl diazoacetates with π‐allylPdCl‐based initiating systems afforded C? C main chain polymers bearing phosphonate on each main chain carbon atom. The quantitative transformation of the side chain phosphonate to phosphonic acid resulted in the formation of water soluble polymers having the acid groups accumulated around their main chains, although the carbonyl ester linkage in the side chain was cleaved via intramolecular acid‐assisted hydrolysis in water at 80 °C. Pd‐initiated oligomerization of diethyl diazomethylphosphonate yielded an oligomeric product bearing diethoxyphosphiny groups directly attached to its main chain carbons, with unexpected incorporation of azo group in the main chain framework. Hydrolysis of the phosphonate of the oligomer afforded a water‐soluble product, which was revealed to show higher proton conductivity than poly(vinylphosphonic acid) under certain conditions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1742–1751     

Determining the Zn Content of Cherry in Field Using VNIR Spectroscopy

Visible and near-infrared(VNIR)spectroscopy is an eco-friendly method used for estimating plant nutrient deficiencies.The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using VNIR method for estimating Zn content in cherry orchard leaves under field conditions.The study was conducted in 3different locations in Isparta region of Turkey.Fifteen cherry orchards containing normal and Zn deficient plants were chosen,and 60 leaf samples were collected from each location.The reflectance spectra of the leaves were measured with an ASD FieldSpec HandHeld spectroradiometer and a plant probe.The Zn contents of leaf samples were predicted through laboratory analysis.The spectral reflectance measurements were used to estimate the Zn levels using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis method.Prediction models were created using the highest coefficient of determination value.The results show that Zn content of cherry trees can be estimated using the VNIR spectroscopic method(87.5相似文献   

双电极法现场快速检测地下水和湖水中碳酸氢根和碳酸根

地下水和湖水中碳酸氢根( HCO-3)和碳酸根( CO2-3)含量是地球化学碳行为和碳循环的重要表征,但两种离子的浓度易受环境影响而改变,因此,地下水和湖水中HCO-3和CO2-3真实含量的测定一直是个难题。实验利用CO2的水解平衡,通过pH电极和二氧化碳电极联用,建立了HCO-3和CO2-3现场快速测定的新方法,解决了地下水和湖水中HCO-3和CO2-3真实含量的测定难题。研究结果表明,在pH=4.8±0.1的底液中, HCO-3和CO2-3的线性范围分别为0.027~570 mg/L和1.25×10-8~39.7 mg/L。共存的金属离子、强酸阴离子(K+、Na+、Mg2+、Cl-、SO2-4,100 mg/L)、弱酸阴离子和弱酸(HSO-3、NO-2、HOAc,50 mg/L)对测定干扰小于5%。实际水样加标实验回收率在95.2%~99.2%之间,相对标准偏差为2.6%~3.7%。与酸碱滴定法进行对比,本方法的准确性良好。但方法受温度影响,因此标准溶液与样品应在同一温度下测量。总体而言,双电极法灵敏、快速、经济且电极携带方便、操作简单、对环境要求不高,十分适合现场和室内一般自然水体的快速检测。本方法已成功应用于青海省地下水和青海湖湖水中HCO-3和CO2-3的现场测定。实验表明,海东地区地下水样品pH在6.4~7.4之间,HCO-3含量为234~4096 mg/L,CO2-3含量为0.16~1.89 mg/L；青海湖湖水样品pH≈8.7,HCO-3含量范围在1.36~1.86 g/L,CO2-3含量在32.3~43.9 mg/L,与文献结果吻合。     

Metal Oxide Assisted Preparation of Core–Shell Beads with Dense Metal–Organic Framework Coatings for the Enhanced Extraction of Organic Pollutants

Dense and homogeneous metal–organic framework (MOF) coatings on functional bead surfaces are easily prepared by using intermediate sacrificial metal oxide coatings containing the metal precursor of the MOF. Polystyrene (PS) beads are coated with a ZnO layer to give ZnO@PS core–shell beads. The ZnO@PS beads are reactive in the presence of 2‐methylimidazole to transform part of the ZnO coating into a porous zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) external shell positioned above the internal ZnO precursor shell. The obtained ZIF‐8@ZnO@PS beads can be easily packed in column format for flow‐through applications, such as the solid‐phase extraction of trace priority‐listed environmental pollutants. The prepared material shows an excellent permeance to flow when packed as a column to give high enrichment factors, facile regeneration, and excellent reusability for the extraction of the pollutant bisphenol A. It also shows an outstanding performance for the simultaneous enrichment of mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals (bisphenol A, 4‐tert‐octylphenol and 4‐n‐nonylphenol), facilitating their analysis when present at very low levels (<1 μg L^?1) in drinking waters. For the extraction of the pollutant bisphenol A, the prepared ZIF‐8@ZnO@PS beads also show a superior extraction and preconcentration capacity to that of the PS beads used as precursors and the composite materials obtained by the direct growth of ZIF‐8 on the surface of the PS beads in the absence of metal oxide intermediate coatings.     

TBAI‐Catalyzed/Water‐Assisted Double C−S Bond Formations: An Efficient Approach to Sulfides through Metal‐Free Three‐Component Reactions

An aqueous catalytic method for double C?S bond formations that involves alcohol derivatives, organic halides, and sodium thiosulfate has been developed. A diverse range of functionalized sulfides, including pharmaceutical and biological derivatives, can be obtained in an efficient and eco‐friendly manner under air. The mechanistic studies revealed that this tetrabutylammonium‐iodide‐catalyzed/water‐assisted reaction generated a mercaptan species as the key intermediate.     

Ultrathin Co3S4 Nanosheets that Synergistically Engineer Spin States and Exposed Polyhedra that Promote Water Oxidation under Neutral Conditions

Development of efficient and affordable electrocatalysts in neutral solutions is paramount importance for the renewable energy. Herein, we report that the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of Co₃S₄ under neutral conditions can be enhanced by exposed octahedral planes and self‐adapted spin states in atomically thin nanosheets. A HAADF image clearly confirmed that the active octahedra with Jahn–Teller distortions were exposed exclusively. Most importantly, in the atomically thin nanosheets, the spin states of Co³⁺ in the octahedral self‐adapt from low‐spin to high‐spin states. As a result, the synergistic effect endow the Co₃S₄ nanosheets with superior OER performance, with exceptional low onset overpotentials of circa 0.31 V in neutral solutions, which is state‐of‐the‐art among inorganic non‐noble metal compounds.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Bromination of Unfunctionalized Olefins with H2O as a Nucleophile

The dimeric cinchona alkaloid (DHQD)₂PHAL is used to catalyze an effective asymmetric bromohydroxylation of unfunctionalized olefins with H₂O as nucleophile an N‐bromobenzamide as a bromine source. A variety of optically active bromohydrins are formed with up to 88 % ee.