Nanocomposite hydrogel consisting of Na‐montmorillonite with enhanced mechanical properties

A new kind of nanocomposite (NC) hydrogel with Na‐montmorillonite (MMT) is presented in this article. The NC hydrogels were synthesized by free radical copolymerization of acrylamide and (3‐acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (ATC) in the presence of MMT and N,N′‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide used as chemical cross‐linker. Due to the cation‐exchange reaction between MMT and ATC (cationic monomer) during the synthesis of NC hydrogels, MMT platelets were considered chemical “plane” cross‐linkers, different from “point” cross‐linkers. With increasing amount of MMT, the crosslinking degree enhanced, causing a decrease of the swelling degree at equilibrium. Investigations of mechanical properties indicated that NC hydrogels exhibited enhanced strength and toughness, which resulted from chemical interaction between exfoliated MMT platelets and polymer chains in hydrogels. Dynamic shear measurements showed that both storage modulus and loss modulus increased with increasing MMT content. The idea described here provided a new route to prepare hydrogels with high mechanical properties by using alternative natural Na‐MMT. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1020–1026     

Sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides as a New Class of Nonnatural Helical Foldamer

Foldamers offer an attractive opportunity for the design of novel molecules that mimic the structures and functions of proteins and enzymes including biocatalysis and biomolecular recognition. Herein we report a new class of nonnatural helical sulfono‐γ‐AApeptide foldamers of varying lengths. The crystal structure of the sulfono‐γ‐AApeptide monomer S6 illustrates the intrinsic folding propensity of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides, which likely originates from the bulkiness of tertiary sulfonamide moiety. The two‐dimensional solution NMR spectroscopy data for the longest sequence S1 demonstrates a 10/16 right‐handed helical structure. Optical analysis using circular dichroism further supports well‐ defined helical conformation of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides in solution containing as few as five building blocks. Future development of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides may lead to new foldamers with discrete functions, enabling expanded application in chemical biology and biomedical sciences.     

Clarify the physical process for fractional dynamical systems

Nonlinear Dynamics - Dynamics in fractional order systems has been discussed extensively for presenting a possible guidance in the field of applied mathematics and interdisciplinary science. Within...     

Thermal Conversion of Methane to Formaldehyde Promoted by Gold in AuNbO3+ Cluster Cations

In addition to generation of a methyl radical, formation of a formaldehyde molecule was observed in the thermal reaction of methane with AuNbO₃⁺ heteronuclear oxide cluster cations. The clusters were prepared by laser ablation and mass‐selected to react with CH₄ in an ion‐trap reactor under thermal collision conditions. The reaction was studied by mass spectrometry and DFT calculations. The latter indicated that the gold atom promotes formaldehyde formation through transformation of an Au?O bond into an Au?Nb bond during the reaction.