Skyrmion transport driven by pure voltage generated strain gradient

The magnetic skyrmion transport driven by pure voltage-induced strain gradient is proposed and studied via micromagnetic simulation. Through combining the skyrmion with multiferroic heterojunction, a voltage-induced uniaxial strain gradient is adjusted to move skyrmions. In the system, a pair of short-circuited trapezoidal top electrodes can generate the symmetric strain. Due to the symmetry of strain, the magnetic skyrmion can be driven with a linear motion in the middle of the nanostrip without deviation. We calculate the strain distribution generated by the trapezoidal top electrodes pair, and further investigate the influence of the strain intensity as well as the strain gradient on the skyrmion velocity. Our findings provide a stable and low-energy regulation method for skyrmion transport.     

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of warfarin and gemfibrozil in biological samples using polydopamine-coated magnetic nanoparticles via core-shell nanostructure

Herein, polydopamine-coated Fe₃O₄ spheres were synthesized using a very simple, easy, cost-effective, efficient, and fast method. First, magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) were synthesized and were followed by accommodating polydopamine on the surface of the prepared Fe₃O₄. The prepared polydopamine-coated Fe₃O₄ spheres were utilized as a sorbent in magnetic solid phase extraction of gemfibrozil and warfarin (as the model analytes). The extracted model analytes were desorbed by a suitable organic solvent and were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Under optimized condition, the linearity of the method was in the range of 0.1–200.0 μg/L for the selected analytes in water. The limits of detection were calculated to be in the range of 0.026–0.055 μg/L for warfarin and gemfibrozil, respectively. The limits of quantification were calculated to be in the range of 0.089–0.185 μg/L. The inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations were determined to be in the range of 1.4%–3.3% in three concentrations in order to calculate the method precision. Furthermore, the enrichment factors were found to be 78 and 81 for warfarin and gemfibrozil, respectively. Moreover, the calculated absolute recoveries were between 78% and 81%. The obtained recoveries indicated that the method was useful and applicable in complicated real samples.     

An overview of techniques and strategies for isolation of flavonoids from the genus Erythrina

Plants in the genus Erythrina is a potential source of chemical constituents, one of which is flavonoids, which have diverse bioactivities. To date, literature on the flavonoids from the genus Erythrina has only highlighted the phytochemical aspects, so this review article will discuss isolation techniques and strategies for the first time. More than 420 flavonoids have been reported in the Erythrina genus, which are grouped into 17 categories. These flavonoid compounds were obtained through isolation techniques and strategies using polar, semi-polar, and non-polar solvents. Various chromatographic techniques have been developed to isolate flavonoids using column flash chromatography, quick column chromatography, centrifugally accelerated thin-layer chromatography, radial chromatography, medium-pressure column chromatography, semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Chromatographic processes for isolating flavonoids can be optimized using multivariate statistical applications such as response surface methodology with central composite design, Box–Behnken design, Doehlert design, and mixture design.     

微波水热两步法合成高可见光响应Ag2S/ZnO及其光催化性能、机理

在不同的制备条件下,通过微波水热两步法获得了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂,采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis/DRS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和N₂吸附-脱附等测试手段对产物结构和形貌进行了表征。结果表明,产物以六方纤锌矿ZnO为主,其晶型结构并未随着反应温度和Ag₂S物质的量的增加而改变。Ag₂S的引入显著增强了光催化剂在可见光区的吸收,使吸收边带发生红移,同时抑制了ZnO(001)晶面的生长。另外,所得产物的形貌随着Ag₂S物质的量的增加从爆米花状转变为少量的柱体颗粒,且BET比表面积经过复合后明显减小。以罗丹明B为目标降解物,研究并比较了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂对罗丹明B的光降解性能。结果表明,n_Ag2S/n_ZnO=1:10时,光催化剂在紫外光、可见光和模拟日光的照射下具有最好的光催化效果,优于目前应用最广泛的市售P25。另外,所制备的光催化材料Ag₂S/ZnO经4次循环使用后,其降解效率没有明显下降,表明该催化材料具有一定的光催化稳定性。经捕获实验研究发现,在Ag₂S/ZnO的光催化反应中空穴起主要作用,并根据绝对电负性估算了复合材料Ag₂S/ZnO的能带位置,据此提出了可能的光催化反应机理。     

Dependency of dynamic interlaminar shear strength of composites on test technique used

Studies are presented on dependency of dynamic interlaminar shear (ILS) strength on the experimental technique used for a typical plain weave E-glass/epoxy composite. Dynamic ILS strength was determined based on two experimental techniques, namely torsional split Hopkinson bar (TSHB) apparatus using thin walled tubular specimens and compressive split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus using single lap specimens. The results obtained from these techniques are compared. In general, it is observed that dynamic ILS strength for composites obtained by TSHB testing using thin walled tubular specimens is lower than the dynamic ILS strength obtained using single lap specimens in compressive SHPB. The issues involved in TSHB testing of thin walled tubular specimens made of composites are discussed and the reasons for reduced dynamic ILS strength using thin walled tubular specimens are highlighted. Finite element analysis (FEA) of thin walled tubular specimens made of composite and resin subjected to quasi-static torsional loading is presented. Using FEA results, the reasons for lower ILS strength of composite thin walled tubular specimens are substantiated.     

The free retraction of natural rubber: A momentum-based model

The free retraction of vulcanised strips of natural rubber released from simple uniaxial deformation is studied using high speed cinematography in the context of a simple momentum theory. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is observed when vulcanisates are released from stresses below 1 MPa, which corresponds to tensile strains rates below 1 × 10³ s⁻¹. Above this critical stress and corresponding strain rate value, an increasing dispersion is observed in the form of slowing down of the characteristic retraction pulse, and also by a relaxation of strain ahead of the pulse front (a dispersion of the pulse). Holding samples at high strains for an extended period of time prior to releasing results in a further, significant retardation of the retraction pulse velocity. These effects are related to the increasing non-linearity of high strain rate retraction stress–strain behaviour. Energy balance arguments show that the dispersion of the retraction pulse is a prerequisite for pulse propagation, and that its magnitude underpins the deviation from the momentum model outlined in this paper.     

Enrichment of adenosine using thermally responsive chromatographic materials under friendly pH conditions

A thermally responsive boronate affinity chromatographic material, which showed thermal sensitivity, had been successfully applied for the enrichment and separation of cis‐diol‐containing compounds, and the capture and release process could be facilitated by adjusting the temperature. However, in this system, the pH of the mobile phase must be higher than 9.8, and alkaline media can lead to the degradation of labile compounds; the use of silica beads also limits its use. In this study, thermally responsive boronate affinity chromatographic material, namely poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐N‐acryloyl‐3‐aminophenylboronic acid) grafted silica, was successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization. Its structure was confirmed by IR spectroscopy and the graft ratio was 20.8%, determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Furthermore, the capture/release of adenosine, a cis‐diol, was performed from pH 5.0–9.0 and 10–50°C. The elution of adenosine was remarkably retarded at decreased temperatures and adenosine could be captured completely at 10°C at pH values of 5.0–9.0. The enrichment of adenosine could be achieved by simply changing the temperature from 10 to 50°C. Therefore, this material not only improved the stability of the silica, but was also suitable for the capture of oxidation‐sensitive biological analytes. Moreover, it could be used for the enrichment of cis‐diol‐containing compounds in LC with MS.     

Flexible strain sensor with ridge-like microstructures for wearable applications

The flexible stretchable sensors have great potential for implementation in various applications, such as intelligent soft robots, health monitoring, and motion detection. However, most of the flexible stretchable sensors with microstructures and high sensitivities are fabricated by expensive templates and complex processes. In consideration of large-scale fabrication, a low cost and efficient way is in great demand. Herein, electroless plating on Nafion films with decent swelling ratios are proposed to fabricate stretchable sensors with wrinkle-structured electrodes. By adding isopropanol (IPA) to the electroless plating process, the H₂O-IPA sensor with larger swelling ratio shows deeper surface wrinkles, higher surface roughness, and better sensitivity to strain. At the same time, the H₂O-IPA sensor exhibit good durability (500 cycles). By mounting the sensor on the joint of human finger, the motion of the finger bending and even the bending degree can be accurately detected, indicating the potential use in the field of wearable devices and soft electronic skins.     

Recent advances in microbial fuel cell-based toxicity biosensors: Strategies for enhanced toxicity response

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been extensively studied as self-powered toxicity biosensors; however, their applications are limited by the relatively poor toxicity responses. The toxicity responses are known to be related to the factors such as the resistance of species to toxicants, the bioavailability of toxicants and the type of sensing elements. Accordingly, some strategies have already been proposed to enhance the toxicity responses in the past several years, including the external resistance tuning, quorum sensing effect, shear stress control, nutrient level control, electrode material choice, sensing element choice, and cell configuration design. This work introduces and discusses these strategies, and the suggestion for future work is also provided finally.     

The regulation of biothiol-responsive performance and bioimaging application of benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole dyes

The different oxidation states of sulphur atom play a significant role on functional materials. In this work, a aryl-thioether and its sulphone substituted benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole dyes were synthesized and utilized to determine thiol-containing amino acids. The result of selectivity experiments showed they detected the cysteine and homocysteine under physiological condition with negligible interference from other amino acids. In comparison to the thioether dye, the sulphone-based dye exhibited much faster response time for Cys and Hcy. However, the sulphone restricted its thiol-reactivity and bioimaging performance in living cells. By reducing the oxidation state of sulphur atom, we amazedly found that the sulfoxide-based dye still maintained high selectivity ultrafast response time for Cys/Hcy under physiological condition. It was worth mentioning that it also had high reactivity and good bioimaging performance that sulfone compounds did not have.