Nb(iPrNPMe2)3Fe–PMe3: A potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for acetylene cycloadditions

Alkynes cycloaddition reactions are powerful tools for constructing cyclic molecules with optimal atom efficiency, but these reactions cannot proceed at ambient temperature without transition-metal catalysts. In this work, a heterobimetallic complex featuring an Nb–Fe triple bond, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃, has been evaluated as the potential catalyst for acetylene cycloaddition, using density functional theory. The calculated results show that the singlet-state (i.e. ground-state) Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ can be applied to benzene synthesis, but is not suitable for cyclobutadiene. Benzene can be obtained easily at room temperature and is the unique product on the singlet potential surface. The irradiation of infrared-red light can drive the excitation of singlet Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ to its triplet state. Both benzene and cyclobutadiene can be formed on the triplet reaction potential surface due to their low energy barriers. Therefore, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ is a potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for the cyclotrimerization of alkynes. In the reaction process, the catalytic active site of Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ moves from niobium to iron.     

Sulfonic acid-functionalized Fe3O4-supported magnetized graphene oxide quantum dots: A novel organic-inorganic nanocomposite as an efficient and recyclable nanocatalyst for the synthesis of dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and 4H-chromene derivatives

In this research, the main emphasis has been focused on the preparation of a novel Fe₃O₄-supported propane-1-sulfonic acid-grafted graphene oxide quantum dots (Fe₃O₄@GOQD-O-(propane-1-sulfonic acid)) that it was readily synthesized via a five-step procedure as a hitherto unreported magnetic nanocatalyst. This newly prepared Fe₃O₄@GOQD-O-(propane-1-sulfonic acid) nanocomposite was structurally well-established by different analytical techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission gun-scanning electron microscope (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analyses. The high catalytic performance of this nanocomposite was exhibited in one-pot synthesis of dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and 4H-chromene derivatives under mild conditions. Low reaction times, excellent yields of the products, benignity of the catalyst, easy reaction work-up and magnetic recyclability of the catalyst are the main advantages of the present protocol. Also, our research indicated that the Fe₃O₄@GOQD-O-(propane-1-sulfonic acid) could be reused up to five times without considerable loss of catalytic activity.     

Tetrafluorination of Aromatic Azide Yields a Highly Efficient Staudinger Reaction: Kinetics and Biolabeling

The development of highly efficient bioorthogonal reactions is of paramount importance for the research fields of biomaterials and chemical biology. We found that the o,o′‐difluorinated aromatic azide was able to react with triphenylphosphine to produce water‐stable phosphanimine. To further improve the efficiency of this kind of nonhydrolysis Staudinger reaction, a tetrafluorinated aromatic azide was employed to develop a faster nonhydrolysis Staudinger reaction with a rate of up to 51 m ⁻¹ s⁻¹, as revealed by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and fluorescence kinetics. As a proof‐of‐concept study, the highly efficient Staudinger reaction was successfully used for chemoselective fluorescence labeling of proteins and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) as well as for protein polyethyleneglycol (PEG)ylation. We believe that this bioorthogonal reaction can provide a broadly useful tool for various bioconjugations.     

基于XPS对硫铁矿去除SeO2-3的机理研究

硒是动植物及人体生长必需的十五种微量元素之一，具有清除体内自由基、抗氧化、增强免疫力等功能，但其安全剂量的范围却很窄。利用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和X射线衍射仪（XRD）对湿法球磨制备的硫铁矿形貌进行了表征。SEM观测发现加乙醇助磨后的硫铁矿为粒径大小较均匀的球形颗粒团聚体，粒径范围在17～200 nm之间，平均粒径138 nm。XRD衍射图谱中的特征峰与FeS₂衍射图谱中各峰位置基本一致，因此判定硫铁矿中主要化学组分为FeS₂，且图谱中基本没有杂峰，表明制备过程中并未混入杂质，样品纯度较高。实验结果表明，该法制备的硫铁矿具有颗粒粒径小、比表面积大、反应活性高等优点。研究中利用X射线光电子能谱仪（XPS）对硫铁矿去除水体中SeO2-₃的机理进行了研究。研究结果表明, （1）在较为广泛的实验pH范围（pH 2.2～11.5），硫铁矿均能有效去除水体中SeO2-₃，去除效率（除pH值7.8以外）均达到90%以上；（2）硫铁矿与SeO2-₃发生反应后，其主要组成元素的XPS特征峰结合能有所减小，表明硫铁矿表面发生了一定化学变化；（3）酸碱环境下硫铁矿去除SeO2-₃的机理不完全相同，酸性环境下，硫铁矿对SeO2-₃的去除是单纯的氧化还原过程，即硫铁矿中被酸活化的S2-₂将SeO2-₃还原为单质Se(0)，并且酸性越强，SeO2-₃去除效果越好；碱性环境下，SeO2-₃的去除过程中氧化还原与络合反应并存，硫铁矿表面有络合态Fe(OH)SeO₃和单质Se(0)两种存在形态，且碱性越强，络合态Fe(OH)SeO₃含量越高。以上研究结果为硫铁矿去除固定水体和土壤中以SeO2-₃为代表的可变价金属阴离子提供重要理论依据和应用基础。     

Mechanism and Stereoselectivity of the Elementometalation Process of Activated Alkyne RCCR(RCO2Me) by Cp2TaH3

The elementometalation process is a fundamental chemical step in several catalytic cycles. In this work, density functional theory computations have elucidated the detailed elementometalation mechanism of activated alkyne RCCR(RCO₂Me) by Cp₂TaH₃ and rationalized the selectivity in experimental findings. The calculated results show that in the formation process of (E)-olefin monohydride((E)-Pro), the Gibbs free energy barrier is low and the entire reaction is spontaneous and exothermic; thus, (E)-Pro can be formed easily. The formation of (Z)-η²-olefin monohydride complex ((Z)-Pro) is difficult due to its high Gibbs free energy barrier. The formation process (E)-Pro consists of the following five steps: hydride H1-shift, conformational isomerism 1, hydride H2-shift, conformational isomerism 2, and olefin coordination process. Topological analysis shows that there is a five-membered ring plane structure in the reaction pathway and that the final product (E)-Pro belongs to a typical η²-olefin monohydride complex. Our calculated results provide an explanation for experimental observations and useful insights for further development of olefin functionalization. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

S-O bond chemically constrained NiS2/rGO nanocomposite with enhanced Na-ion storage capacity

NiS₂ has become a research hotspot of anode materials for Na-ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity. However, the volume effect, the dissolution of polysulfide intermediates and the low conductivity during the charge/discharge process lead to the low specific capacity and poor cycling stability. NiS₂/rGO nanocomposite was prepared by a facile two-step process: GO was prepared by modified Hummers method, and then NiS₂/rGO nanocomposite was synthesized by l-cys assisted hydrothermal method. NiS₂/rGO nanocomposite shows excellent cycle performance and rate performance, which could be attributed to the mesoporous structure on the graphene skeleton with high conductivity. Besides, the chemical constraint of a unique SO bond on NiS₂ could inhibit the dissolution of intermediates and the loss of irreversible capacity.     

Ionic liquid gating control of magnetic anisotropy in Ni0.81Fe0.19 thin films

Voltage control magnetism is one of the most energy efficient pathway towards magnetoelectric (ME) device. Ionic liquid gating (ILG) method has already shown impressive manipulation power at the IL/electrode interface to influence the structure, orbital as well as spin of the electrode materials. As key material in anisotropy magnetoresistance sensor and spin valve heterostructure, the permalloy Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 was utilized as the electrode to investigate the ILG induced magnetic anisotropy change. In this work, we realized magnetic anisotropy control in Au/[DEME]⁺[TFSI]^-/Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 (2.5 nm)/Ta heterostructure via ILG caused electrostatic doping. This is evidenced in situ reversible ferromagnetic field (H_r) shift with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer. Aiming at the question whether the charge accumulation at the ionic liquid interface is the main control mechanism at low voltage, we carefully tested the relationship between the change of resonance field and the amount of surface charge. It was found that these two had a good linear relationship between −1 V and +1 V. Defining the linear parameter as A whose value is 28.7 mT m²/Col. Unlike previously reported chemical regulation of Co, this article used ionic liquids to physically regulate NiFe, which has not been studied in the previous ionic liquid regulation. And NiFe has a narrower resonance line width for easy reference to microwave devices. In addition, It also has a stronger ferromagnetic signal than Co, which can be more easily detected as a sensor device. Therefore, this system is more promising. The ILG control NiFe may lead to a new kind of magnetoelectric sensor devices and path a new way to low energy consumption spintronics.     

基于平面度的燃料电池电化学性能模拟

 固体氧化物燃料电池的翘曲会影响电极-盖板界面的接触情况，从而影响电化学性能，对相关制造工艺提出了很大的挑战．为了分析燃料电池平面度对放电过程的影响，揭示其潜在的风险，我们建立了两个基于有限元法的仿真模型，对考虑平面度缺陷的燃料电池封装和放电进行分析．在对固体氧化物燃料电池进行平面度测量的基础上，首先建立了具有真实燃料电池翘曲特性的几何模型，分析封装过程中接触压力的分布情况．然后将接触电阻的仿真结果导入到三维多物理场耦合模型中，模拟具有平面度缺陷的燃料电池电化学性能．计算结果展示了燃料电池两侧封装过程中接触压力的分布情况．通过对比有接触电阻和无接触电阻的燃料电池电流密度，分析了电池与盖板的接触对放电过程的影响．结果表明，燃料电池的凹陷面较难达到满意的接触状态，需要比凸起面更大的封装压力．燃料电池表面接触电阻的变化将引起电流传导路径的变化，产生局部高电流或低电流．这项工作强调了在燃料电池中保持均匀分布的接触电阻的重要性，为今后的优化工作奠定了基础．     

A Shell-by-Shell Approach for Synthesis of Mesoporous Multi-Shelled Hollow MOFs for Catalytic Applications

Over the past two decades, advanced materials with hollow interiors have received significant attention in materials research owing to their great application potential across a vast number of technological fields. Though with great difficulty, multi-shelled hollow metal–organic frameworks (MSHMs) have also been successfully synthesized in recent years. Herein, a rational shell-by-shell soft-templating protocol has been devised to fabricate highly uniform multi-shelled hollow cobalt-imidazole-based MOF (ZIF-67). For the first time, it has become possible to endow mesoporosity to this new type of functional material (i.e., mesoporous MOFs). When used as carrier materials in catalytic reactions, in principle, these mesoporous MSHMs with high surface area not only improve the dispersity of metal nanoparticles (NPs), but also efficiently facilitate the mass diffusion of the reactions, resulting in enhanced catalyst activity. Moreover, the obtained MSHMs/M nanocomposites serve as base-metal bifunctional catalysts for one-pot oxidation-Knoevenagel condensation cascade reaction, in which the MSHMs itself serves as a pristine active catalyst in addition to its role of catalyst support. The results demonstrate that excellent multifunctional catalysts can be achieved via preparing intrinsically microporous bulk MOFs into extrinsically mesoporous MSHMs which possess many structural merits that conventional bulk MOFs do not have.