A generalized technique for the encapsulation of nano‐sized NiO particles by styrene‐2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymer

Encapsulation of nickel oxide (NiO) particles is of great interest to the researchers as such modification produces remarkable improvement in properties and versatility in application potential. In this investigation, nanosized NiO particles were first prepared by calcination of nickel hydroxide precursor obtained using a simple liquid‐phase process. The produced NiO particles were stabilized with oleic acid and then treated with tetraethylorthosilicate to produce NiO/SiO₂ composite seed particles. Finally tri‐layered inorganic/organic composite particles were prepared by seeded copolymerization of styrene and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in the presence of NiO/SiO₂ composite seed particles. The produced composite particles named as NiO/SiO₂/P(S‐HEMA) were colloidally stable, and the obtained particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

化学氧化合成聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)复合纳米线的电化学发光特性研究

以过硫酸铵为氧化剂,通过氧化苯胺和鲁米诺混合溶液合成了聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)复合纳米线。相对于鲁米诺425 nm处的最大荧光发射波长,复合纳米线中聚鲁米诺的最大荧光发射波长明显红移到465 nm处。采用简单的滴凃方式将聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)复合纳米线修饰于石墨电极表面,形成一层稳定的聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)复合纳米线膜。此聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)纳米线膜修饰电极呈现出良好的电化学发光特性,H2O2对化学合成的聚(苯胺-鲁米诺)纳米线电化学发光呈现出增敏效应。在优化实验条件下,修饰电极的电化学发光信号与H2O2在5.0×10#9~1.0×10#5mol/L范围内呈线性关系,检出限为2×10#9mol/L。     

Synthesis and characterisation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) Zr(IV) monothiophosphate composite cation exchanger: analytical application in the selective separation of lead metal ions

In this study, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) zirconium(IV) monothiophosphate composite cation exchanger was prepared by sol–gel precipitation method. The presence of sulphur in the cation exchanger enhances affinity towards the heavy metal ions which can improve the selectivity of the material. The selectivity studies showed that the material is selective towards Pb(II) ions. To characterise the material, several physicochemical properties were also studied which includes X-ray, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies. The ion-exchange behaviour of this cation exchanger was studied by using some of the selected properties like ion-exhange capacity for various metal ions, elution, effect of eluent concentration, thermal effect on ion-exchange capacity (IEC). The results of IEC and physicochemical properties revealed that the material is nanocomposite, crystalline, chemically, mechanically and thermally stable. The analytical ability of this cation exchanger was demonstrated in binary separation of Pb(II) ions from a mixture of other metal ions. The recovery is qualitative and the separations are reproducible.     

High performance hybrid reinforcement of nitrile rubber using short pineapple leaf fiber and carbon black

Rubber composites with very high moduli at low elongation, high elongation at break and high ultimate breaking strength have been developed. The matrix was acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and the hybrid (fibrous and particulate) reinforcements were short, fine pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and carbon black. The amount of PALF was fixed at 10 parts (by weight) per hundred of rubber (phr) while that of carbon black was varied from 0 to 30 phr. Uniaxial NBR composites were prepared. Tensile strength, elongation at break, modulus and tear strength of the hybrid composites were characterized in both longitudinal (parallel to the fiber axis) and transverse (perpendicular to the fiber axis) directions. The addition of carbon black causes the slope of the early part of the stress–strain curve to increase and also extends breaking to greater strains. At carbon black contents of 20 phr and above, the stress–strain relation displays an upturn at high elongations, providing greater ultimate strength. Comparison with the usual carbon black filled rubber shows that the composite behavior at low strains is determined by the PALF, and at high strains by the carbon black. This high performance PALF-carbon black reinforced NBR shows great promise for engineering applications.     

Application of a multivariate approach for analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐micellar electrokinetic chromatography for analyzing sunscreen agents in cosmetics

The operating parameters that affect the performance of the online preconcentration technique “analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐MEKC (AFMC‐MEKC)” were examined using a multivariate approach involving experimental design to determine the sunscreen agents in cosmetics. Compared to the single‐variable approach, the advantage of the multivariate approach was that many factors could be investigated simultaneously to obtain the best separation condition. A fractional factorial design was used to identify the fewest significant factors in the central composite design (cCD). The cCD was adopted for evaluating the location of the minimum or maximum response in this study. The influences of the experimental variables on the response were investigated by applying a chromatographic exponential function. The optimized condition and the relationship between the experimental variables were acquired using the JMP software. The ANOVA analysis indicated that the Tris pH value, SDS concentration, and ethanol percentage influenced the separation quality and significantly contributed to the model. The optimized condition of the running buffer was 10 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.5) containing 60 mM SDS, 7 mM γ‐CD, and 20% v/v ethanol. The sample was prepared in 100 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.0) containing 7.5 mM SDS and 20% v/v ethanol. The SDS concentration in the sample matrix was slightly greater than the CMC value that makes the micelle be easily collapsed and the analytes be accumulated in the capillary. In addition, sunscreen agents in cosmetics after 1000‐fold dilution were successfully determined by AFMC‐MEKC.     

醚化PBS与CMC液体复合材料的相互作用

采用聚乙二醇(PEG)对聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)进行醚化改性,得到醚化PBS(PEG/PBS),PEG/PBS与羧甲基纤维素(CMC)共混制备了在水相均匀分散的新型(PEG/PBS)-CMC液体复合材料.结合分子模拟技术对PEG/PBS与CMC复合材料的相互作用机理进行了研究.结果表明,PEG/PBS具有预期的化学结构和优异的水润湿性;含醚链段PEG的引入有效提高了PBS分子链的极性和柔顺性,PEG/PBS与CMC之间存在氢键作用、范德华力作用、疏水作用和吸附作用.红外光谱(FTIR)中官能团(如—OH,—OCO—,—COOH,—C—O—C—等)的吸收峰频率发生偏移;光电子能谱(XPS)中C和O元素的结合能分布转移,表明PBS及PEG/PBS与CMC的官能团之间发生了相互作用;偏光显微镜(POM)和X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明,复合材料之间的相互作用为非共价键的结合;扫描电子显微镜(SEM)结果表明醚化改性后(PEG/PBS)-CMC复合材料间的相互作用增强,表面结合更紧密,相容性得到提高.     

Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan Thin Films on Mixed-Matrix Membranes for Complete Removal of Chromium

Herein we present a new approach for the complete removal of Cr^VI species, through reduction of Cr^VI to Cr^III, followed by adsorption of Cr^III. Reduction of chromium from water is an important challenge, as Cr^IV is one of the most toxic substances emitted from industrial processes. Chitosan (CS) thin films were developed on plain polysulfone (PSf) and PSf/TiO₂ membrane substrates by a temperature-induced technique using polyvinyl alcohol as a binder. Structure property elucidation was carried out by X-ray diffraction, microscopy, spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and water uptake studies. The increase in hydrophilicity followed the order: PSf < PSf/TiO₂ < PSf/TiO₂/CS membranes. Use of this thin-film composite membrane for chromium removal was investigated with regards to the effects of light and pH. The observations reveal 100 % reduction of Cr^VI to Cr^III through electrons and protons donated from OH and NH₂ groups of the CS layer; the reduced Cr^III species are adsorbed onto the CS layer via complexation to give chromium-free water.     

K8[Fe(H2O)W11MnO39]/PANI/V2O5三元复合材料的制备、表征及光催化性能研究

本文运用静电自组装法合成了一种新型三元复合材料K₈[Fe(H₂O)W₁₁MnO₃₉]/PANI/V₂O₅,并采用IR、UV、XRD、XPS、SEM、氮气吸附等方法对其进行表征;然后,以龙胆紫为有机污染物进行光催化实验,对此三元复合催化剂的降解性能进行研究。结果表明:K₈[Fe(H₂O)W₁₁MnO₃₉]/PANI/V₂O₅已被成功复合,且仍然保持Keggin结构,稳定性能良好;在pH=2,龙胆紫C初=5 mg·L^-1,此催化剂用量为5 mg的条件下,其脱色率高达93.09%。可见,此复合催化剂具有优异的研究潜力和实用价值。     

定量的复合金属锂作为三维泡沫锂电极用于锂电池的研究

金属锂作为电池的负极材料具有极高的比容量和极低的氧化还原电位,能够显著提升电池的能量密度。然而,金属锂负极在实际应用中所面临的主要问题是锂枝晶、界面副反应和电极体积变化大的难题。在本文中,我们提出了一种通过将定量的金属锂与三维骨架进行复合形成三维泡沫锂负极的策略,并利用三维泡沫锂来抑制锂枝晶的生长和缓解电极的体积变化。因此,三维泡沫锂电极有利于金属锂负极的高效利用,并能借助其与平面锂箔相比更高的比表面积和更多的反应位点来提升电池的倍率性能。因此,通过采用三维泡沫锂,对称电池的循环寿命和倍率性能都得到了有效的提升。EIS数据结果表明,三维泡沫锂能够减小对称电池的电荷转移阻抗。而且,将三维泡沫锂作为负极组装的LTO全电池,与锂箔作为负极相比,循环1000周平均放电比容量从65 mAh·g^-1提升至121 mAh·g^-1。     

Solvent terminated natural deep eutectic solvent microextraction for concentration of curcuminoids in Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea

A novel solvent terminated microextraction method based on a natural deep eutectic solvent (L-menthol and lactic acid at a molar ratio of 1:2) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was proposed, which was utilized for the separation and enrichment of bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and curcumin in Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea. The effects of independent parameters on extraction efficiency were optimized by single-factor analysis. Subsequently, four predominated parameters affecting the extraction procedure, including extractant volume, salt concentration, demulsifier consumption, and demulsification time, were further evaluated by a central composite design. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges of calibration curves were 0.005–0.5 μg/mL for bisdemethoxycurcumin, 0.004–0.4 μg/mL for demethoxycurcumin, and 0.0045–0.45 μg/mL for curcumin, respectively. In addition, the developed method provided low detection limits (0.1–0.4 ng/mL) and high enrichment factors (279–350). Its intra-day and inter-day precision were carried out by relative standard deviation ranging from 2.2 to 9.2%. Finally, the applicability of this method was assessed by the analysis of Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea samples. The results showed that these samples were detected successfully and the spiked recoveries over the range of 85.3-108.9% with relative standard deviations of 1.6-8.9% were attained, indicating its high relative recoveries with good precision in real sample analysis.