Diastereoselective alkylation reactions employing a new camphor-based 2-phenylimino-2-oxazolidine chiral auxiliary

A new camphor-based 2-phenylimino-2-oxazolidine chiral auxiliary was prepared and it was shown to be a particularly effective chiral auxiliary for asymmetric alkylations affording high yields and diastereoselectivities. The alkylation products were readily cleaved by simple alkaline hydrolysis to give a-alkylated carboxylic acids in good yield and in almost enatiomerically pure form.     

Complex dynamic behavior in a viral model with state feedback control strategies

With the consideration of mechanism of prevention and control for the spread of viral diseases, in this paper, we propose two novel virus dynamics models where state feedback control strategies are introduced. The first model incorporates the density of infected cells (or free virus) as control threshold value; we analytically show the existence and orbit stability of positive periodic solution. Theoretical results imply that the density of infected cells (or free virus) can be controlled within an adequate level. The other model determines the control strategies by monitoring the density of uninfected cells when it reaches a risk threshold value. We analytically prove the existence and orbit stability of semi-trivial periodic solution, which show that the viral disease dies out. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the main results.     

Synthesis of polyphenol microsphere‐supported palladium complex and evaluation of its catalytic performance for Heck reaction

Polyphenol microspheres were prepared by template polymerization of phenol in the presence of horseradish peroxidase as bio‐enzyme catalyst and aqueous 1,4‐dioxane as solvent. The morphology of polyphenol microspheres thus obtained was observed with a scanning electron microscope. Further, polyphenol microspheres as obtained were loaded with palladium to generate polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex. Resultant Pd complex catalyst supported by polyphenol microspheres was characterized by means of Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and its thermal stability was examined. Moreover, the catalytic activity of polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst as synthesized for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides was evaluated. Results indicate that the polyphenol microsphere as obtained has a diameter of about 500 nm. Polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst, as synthesized, at a dosage of 0.37 mol% Pd, possesses good catalytic activity for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides in air at a low temperature of 50°C, and it also exhibits catalytic activity for bromide and activated chlorobenzene. The polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex has good thermal stability, and it can be readily separated and reused; the yield of the reaction of iodobenzene with acrylic acid remains at 82% after five recycle runs, showing promising potential as a catalyst for Heck reactions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface valence states and stoichiometry of non-superconducting and superconducting FeTe films

We report the surface electronic structure and stoichiometry of FeTe films following the incorporation of oxygen by three different methods: air exposure, dry oxygen exposure and low temperature oxygen annealing. X-ray photoemission experiments show that oxygen incorporation changes the initial valence state of Fe from 0 to mainly 3+. We also observe that the Te changes valence from initially 0 to mixed 0 and 4+. The rate of valence changes is seen to depend on the method of incorporation. In addition, it is observed that the surface of the FeTe films is left in a Te deficient state following any type of exposure to oxygen.     

Encapsulating Sulfur into Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon as a High‐Performance Cathode for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

A three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchical carbon–sulfur nanocomposite that is useful as a high‐performance cathode for rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries is reported. The 3D hierarchically ordered porous carbon (HOPC) with mesoporous walls and interconnected macropores was prepared by in situ self‐assembly of colloidal polymer and silica spheres with sucrose as the carbon source. The obtained porous carbon possesses a large specific surface area and pore volume with narrow mesopore size distribution, and acts as a host and conducting framework to contain highly dispersed elemental sulfur. Electrochemical tests reveal that the HOPC/S nanocomposite with well‐defined nanostructure delivers a high initial specific capacity up to 1193 mAh g^?1 and a stable capacity of 884 mAh g^?1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. In addition, the HOPC/S nanocomposite exhibits high reversible capacity at high rates. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed exclusively to the beneficial integration of the mesopores for the electrochemical reaction and macropores for ion transport. The mesoporous walls of the HOPC act as solvent‐restricted reactors for the redox reaction of sulfur and aid in suppressing the diffusion of polysulfide species into the electrolyte. The “open” ordered interconnected macropores and windows facilitate transportation of electrolyte and solvated lithium ions during the charge/discharge process. These results show that nanostructured carbon with hierarchical pore distribution could be a promising scaffold for encapsulating sulfur to approach high specific capacity and energy density with long cycling performance.     

Syntheses, crystal structures and properties of two nickel(II) coordination polymers constructed from 5-(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid

Two Ni(II) metal–organic frameworks, [Ni(INAIP)(DMF)]·0.5DMF and [Ni(INAIP)(H₂O)]·2H₂O, have been synthesized by the reaction of 5-(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid (H₂INAIP) with NiSO₄·6H₂O using different reaction solvents. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that [Ni(INAIP)(DMF)]·0.5DMF has a twofold interpenetrated three-dimensional (3D) framework with sra topology, while [Ni(INAIP)(H₂O)]·2H₂O has a two-dimensional (2D) network structure with a 4-connected (4³·6³) topology. In addition, the magnetic and adsorption properties of the complexes were explored.     

Rate-dependent asymmetric hysteresis modeling and robust adaptive trajectory tracking for piezoelectric micropositioning stages

Nonlinear Dynamics - Hysteresis is an inherent characteristic of piezoelectric materials that can be determined by not only the historical input but also the input signal frequency. Hysteresis...