Selective extraction of catecholamines by packed fiber solid‐phase using composite nanofibers composing of polymeric crown ether with polystyrene

For the first time, electrospun composite nanofibers comprising polymeric crown ether with polystyrene (PCE‐PS) have been used for the selective extraction of catecholamines – dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) – prior to their analysis by high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrochemical detection. Using a minicartridge packed with PCE‐PS composite nanofibers, the target compounds were extracted effectively from urine samples to which diphenylborinic acid 2‐aminoethyl ester was added as a complexing reagent. The extracted catecholamines could be liberated from the fiber by the addition of acetic acid. A good linearity was observed for catecholamines in the range of 2.0–200 ng mL^?1 (NE, E and DA). The detection limits of catecholamines (signal‐to‐noise ratio = 3) were 0.5 ng mL^?1 (NE), 0.2 ng mL^?1 (E) and 0.2 ng mL^?1 (DA), respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the absolute recoveries of the above three catecholamines were 90.6% (NE), 88.5% (E) and 94.5% (DA). The repeatability of extraction performance was from 5.4 to 9.2% (expressed as relative standard deviation). Our results indicate that the proposed method could be used for the determination of NE, E and DA in urine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hierarchical structure observation and nanoindentation size effect characterization for a limnetic shell

In the present research, hierarchical structure observation and mechanical property characterization for a type of biomaterial are carried out. The investigated biomaterial is Hyriopsis cumingii, a typical limnetic shell, which consists of two different structural layers, a prismatic "pillar"structure and a nacreous "brick and mortar" structure. The prismatic layer looks like a "pillar forest" with variationsection pillars sized on the order of several tens of microns.The nacreous material looks like a "brick wall" with bricks sized on the order of several microns. Both pillars and bricks are composed of nanoparticles. The mechanical properties of the hierarchical biomaterial are measured by using the nanoindentation test. Hardness and modulus are measured for both the nacre layer and the prismatic layer, respectively.The nanoindentation size effects for the hierarchical structural materials are investigated experimentally. The results show that the prismatic nanostructured material has a higher stiffness and hardness than the nacre nanostructured material.In addition, the nanoindentation size effects for the hierarchical structural materials are described theoretically, by using the trans-scale mechanics theory considering both strain gradient effect and the surface/interface effect. The modeling results are consistent with experimental ones.     

Reduced Graphene‐Wrapped MnO2 Nanowires Self‐Inserted with Co3O4 Nanocages: Remarkable Enhanced Performances for Lithium‐Ion Anode Applications

A simple synthetic approach for graphene‐templated nanostructured MnO₂ nanowires self‐inserted with Co₃O₄ nanocages is proposed in this work. The Co₃O₄ nanocages were penetrated in situ by MnO₂ nanowires. As an anode, the as‐obtained MnO₂–Co₃O₄–RGO composite exhibits remarkable enhanced performance compared with the MnO₂–RGO and Co₃O₄–RGO samples. The MnO₂–Co₃O₄–RGO electrode delivers a reversible capacity of up to 577.4 mA h g^?1 after 400 cycles at 500 mA g^?1 and the Coulombic efficiency of MnO₂–Co₃O₄–RGO is about 96 %.     

m‐Methoxy Substituents in a Tetraphenylethylene‐Based Hole‐Transport Material for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Three tetrapheynlethylene derivatives (N,N‐di(4‐methoxyphenyl)aminophenyl‐substituted tetraphenylethylene; TPE‐4DPA) with different methoxy positions (pp‐, pm‐, and po‐) have been synthesized and characterized. The methoxy groups can control the oxidation potential of the materials, and the electronic properties of the derivatives were affected by the position of the methoxy substituents. These compounds were synthesized in a facile and cost‐effective way, and were applied as hole‐transport materials in perovskite solar cells. The corresponding cell performances were compared with respect to their structure modifications, and it was found that the derivative with m‐OMe substituents showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.4 %, with a J_sc value of 20.04 mA cm^?2, a V_oc value of 1.07 V, and a fill factor (FF) value of 0.72, which is higher than the p‐OMe and o‐OMe substituents. Moreover, the PCE of pm‐TPE‐4DPA is comparable with that of the state‐of‐the‐art 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis(N,N′‐di‐p‐methoxyphenylamine)‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene under identical conditions.     

Palladium‐Initiated Radical Cascade Stereoselective Iodofluoroalkylation/Cycloisomerization of Ene‐vinylidenecyclopropanes

A novel and convenient palladium‐initiated radical cascade stereoselective iodofluoroalkylation/cycloisomerization of ene‐vinylidenecyclopropanes with fluoroalkyl iodides has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions with high atom economy and stereoselectivity, thereby allowing an efficient access to a variety of difluoromethylated or perfluoroalkylated pyrrolidines tethered with an alkyl iodide. Two plausible radical pathways for the transformation have been proposed on the basis of the results of control experiments and previous reports, which in one case it was thought that palladium(0) was an initiator rather than a catalyst.