Surface Modification of Cu-SSZ-13 with CeO2 to Improve the Catalytic Performance for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3

Kinetics and Catalysis - A series of Cu-SSZ-13@CeO2 catalysts with surface modification with CeO2 was prepared by the modified self-resemble method based on the one-pot synthesized Cu-SSZ-13...     

o-Trityl phenoxy-imino vanadium (III) complexes: synthesis,characterization, and catalysis on ethylene (co)polymerization

Several phenoxy-imine ligands bearing o-trityl group in phenoxy moiety RN=CHArOH (Ar = C₆H₂(CPh₃)^tBu, R = 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃ ( L ₁ H ); 2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃ ( L ₂ H ); 3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃ ( L ₃ H ); 3,5-(OMe)₂C₆H₃ ( L ₄ H ); CHPh₂ ( L ₅ H ); CPh₃ ( L ₆ H )) were synthesized and characterized by¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The vanadium complexes based on these ligands LVCl₂(THF)₂ ( 1–6 ) were synthesized via conventional transmetalation reaction in moderate to high yields. Complexes 1–6 were fully characterized by FT-IR, elemental analyses and the molecular structures of 1 , 2 ·H₂O, (2 ·H₂O ) ₂ (μ-Cl) ₂ , 4 , and 5 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis in which the six-coordinated vanadium centers are in a typical octahedral geometry. Upon activation with Et₂AlCl in toluene, complexes 1–6 showed high activities in ethylene polymerization affording polymers with moderate molecular weight (5.9–11.8 × 10⁴ Da). Moreover, in hexane or CH₂Cl₂, 1–6 /Et₂AlCl exhibited enhanced activities. When activated with MAO or MMAO in toluene, these complexes showed relatively low activities but afforded polymers with ultra-high molecular weight (up to 3.30 × 10⁶ Da). 1–6 /Et₂AlCl also showed high activities in ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization at room temperature giving moderate molecular-weight polymers (6.5–11.4 × 10⁴ Da) with co-monomer incorporation being of 6.0 ~ 7.8%.     

Anti-neuraminidase activity of chemical constituents of Balanophora involucrata

Balanophora involucrata J. D. Hooker has been known to possess potential anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities; however, its antiviral activity has not been evaluated so far. In order to find new neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs), the neuraminidase (NA) inhibition activity of different B. involucrata extracts was evaluated. In this study, an in vitro NA inhibition assay was performed to identify which extract of B. involucrata exhibits (maximal) inhibitory activity against NA. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight–tandem mass spectroscopy (MS/MS) and molecular docking techniques were used to identify the specific compounds responsible for the anti-influenza activity of the extract, and to explore the potential natural NAIs. The ethyl acetate extract of B. involucrata exhibited significant inhibitory activity against NA with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 159.5 μg/mL. Twenty compounds were identified according to the MS/MS spectra; among them two compounds (quercitrin and phloridzin) showed obvious inhibitory activity against NA, with IC₅₀ of 311.76 and 347.32 μmol/L, respectively. This study suggested that B. involucrata can be a potential natural source of NAIs and may be useful in the fight against ferocious influenza viruses.     

Metabolic Profiling of Amino Acids by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS) to Characterize the Significance of Glutamine in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered to be aggressive based on its low overall survival and disease-free rates. Currently, there is no molecular-targeted therapy. The identification of a suitable biomarker is still a research focus for TNBC at the present time. Amino acid metabolism fulfills multiple important physiological roles in humans. Their metabolic abnormalities have been reported in numerous cancer studies and amino acid pathways may also be chemotherapeutic targets. This study reports the profiling analysis of amino acids in TNBC and non-TNBC cell lines for detecting biomarkers based on the strategy of N-phosphorylation labeling with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Glutamine (Gln) was found to be significantly down-regulated in TNBC cells because it was largely absorbed and consumed in the TNBC cell lines. These results indicate faster proliferation of TNBC and higher consumption of glutamine to meet the material and energy demand, suggesting its potential role in TNBC progression. Hence, glutamine may be regarded as a biomarker and Gln-targeted approaches may become a new therapeutic strategies for TNBC.     

Recent Progress on Nickel-Based Oxide/(Oxy)Hydroxide Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Developing clean and sustainable energies as alternatives to fossil fuels is in strong demand within modern society. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the efficiency-limiting process in plenty of key renewable energy systems, such as electrochemical water splitting and rechargeable metal–air batteries. In this regard, ongoing efforts have been devoted to seeking high-performance electrocatalysts for enhanced energy conversion efficiency. Apart from traditional precious-metal-based catalysts, nickel-based compounds are the most promising earth-abundant OER catalysts, attracting ever-increasing interest due to high activity and stability. In this review, the recent progress on nickel-based oxide and (oxy)hydroxide composites for water oxidation catalysis in terms of materials design/synthesis and electrochemical performance is summarized. Some underlying mechanisms to profoundly understand the catalytic active sites are also highlighted. In addition, the future research trends and perspectives on the development of Ni-based OER electrocatalysts are discussed.     

The visible and ultraviolet organic light-emitting diodes with germanium dioxide as facile solution-processed anode buffer layer

Germanium dioxide (GeO₂) aqueous solutions are facilely prepared and the corresponding anode buffer layers (ABLs) with solution process are demonstrated. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that solution-processed GeO₂ behaves superior film morphology and enhanced work function. Using GeO₂ as ABL of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), the visible device with tris(8-hydroxy-quinolinato)aluminium as emitter gives maximum luminous efficiency of 6.5 cd/A and power efficiency of 3.5 lm/W, the ultraviolet device with 3-(4-biphenyl)-4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole as emitter exhibits short-wavelength emission with peak of 376 nm, full-width at half-maximum of 42 nm, maximum radiance of 3.36 mW/cm² and external quantum efficiency of 1.5%. The performances are almost comparable to the counterparts with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) as ABL. The current, impedance, phase and capacitance as a function of voltage characteristics elucidate that the GeO₂ ABL formed from appropriate concentration of GeO₂ aqueous solution favors hole injection enhancement and accordingly promoting device performance.