Using a Novel and Easy-to-Use Sandwich Structure Device to Evaluate the Cooling Properties of Cool Materials

A number of cool materials have been designed and used in hot weather to minimize the heat coming from sunlight. Traditionally, solar reflectance and infrared emittance were measured to characterize the cooling properties of cool materials. However, these methods could represent the cooling property only indirectly. In this work, a sandwich structure device that can straightforwardly measure the cooling properties of cool materials was designed. Two cool materials, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), were selected to verify the device. For the purpose of comparison, UV-vis-NIR spectral characterization was also used to evaluate the cooling properties of the selected materials. The results, especially for the HDPE/Green 260 composite sample, which presents much lower solar reflectance but better cooling property, indicated that the cooling properties cannot be entirely represented by only the reflectance or transmittance, and the sandwich structure device was able to make up for this deficiency.     

Synthesis of flower-like WS2 by chemical vapor deposition

Flower-like tungsten disulfide (WS₂) with a diameter of 5-10 μm is prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy are used to characterize its morphological and optical properties, and its growth mechanism is discussed. The key factors for the formation of flower-like WS₂ are determined. Firstly, the cooling process causes the generation of nucleation dislocations, and then the "leaf" growth of flower-like WS₂ is achieved by increasing the temperature.     

Predicting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation with an automatically generated mechanism for acetylene pyrolysis

Using Reaction Mechanism Generator (RMG), we have automatically constructed a detailed mechanism for acetylene pyrolysis, which predicts formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) up to pyrene. To improve the data available for formation pathways from naphthalene to pyrene, new high‐pressure limit reaction rate coefficients and species thermochemistry were calculated using a combination of electronic structure data from the literature and new quantum calculations. Pressure‐dependent kinetics for the CH potential energy surface calculated by Zádor et al. were incorporated to ensure accurate pathways for acetylene initiation reactions. After adding these new data into the RMG database, a pressure‐dependent mechanism was generated in a single RMG simulation which captures chemistry from C to C. In general, the RMG‐generated model accurately predicts major species profiles in comparison to plug‐flow reactor data from the literature. The primary shortcoming of the model is that formation of anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene are underpredicted, and PAHs beyond pyrene are not captured. Reaction path analysis was performed for the RMG model to identify key pathways. Notable conclusions include the importance of accounting for the acetone impurity in acetylene in accurately predicting formation of odd‐carbon species, the remarkably low contribution of acetylene dimerization to vinylacetylene or diacetylene, and the dominance of the hydrogen abstraction CH addition (HACA) mechanism in the formation pathways to all PAH species in the model. This work demonstrates the improved ability of RMG to model PAH formation, while highlighting the need for more kinetics data for elementary reaction pathways to larger PAHs.     

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Ethanol on the Surface of Graphene Based Nanocomposites: An Introduction and Review to it in Recent Studies

This review gives an overview of the electrochemical investigations about the properties of various types of graphene composites in the ethanol oxidation. Various routes to provide appropriate graphene‐based materials required electrochemical techniques for investigation of different types of the materials as well as their performance and efficacy in ethanol oxidation are discussed in detail. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the incorporation of suitable materials, e. g. noble metals (graphene‐supported binary and ternary metal nanoparticles), metal oxides, conductive polymer, etc, with graphene results in excellent electrocatalytic activity, superb durability and selectivity in ethanol oxidation. Immobilization of electrocatalytically active NPs on graphene supports using physical approaches is considered as an effective route to prepare direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) anode catalysts.     

Synthesis and characterization of indium and thallium immobilized on isonicotinamide‐functionalized mesoporous MCM‐41: Two novel and highly active heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of sulfides and thiols to their corresponding sulfoxides and disulfides

Two highly ordered isonicotinamide (INA)‐functionalized mesoporous MCM‐41 materials supporting indium and thallium (MCM‐41‐INA‐In and MCM‐41‐INA‐Tl) have been developed using a covalent grafting method. A surface functionalization method has been applied to prepare Cl‐modified mesoporous MCM‐41 material. Condensation of this Cl‐functionalized MCM‐41 with INA leads to the formation of MCM‐41‐INA. The reaction of MCM‐41‐INA with In(NO₃)₃ or Tl(NO₃)₃ leads to the formation of MCM‐41‐INA‐In and MCM‐41‐INA‐Tl catalysts. The resulting materials were characterized using various techniques. These MCM‐41‐INA‐In and MCM‐41‐INA‐Tl catalysts show excellent catalytic performance in the selective oxidation of sulfides and thiols to their corresponding sulfoxides and disulfides. Finally, it is found that the anchored indium and thallium do not leach out from the surface of the mesoporous catalysts during reaction and the catalysts can be reused for seven repeat reaction runs without considerable loss of catalytic performance.     

Characterization of new Pt(IV)–thiazole complexes: Analytical,spectral, molecular modeling and molecular docking studies and applications in two opposing pathways

New thiazole derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized, then coordinated with PtCl₄ salt. Also, the newly synthesized Pt(IV) complexes were investigated analytically (elemental and thermogravimetric analyses), spectrally (infrared, UV–visible, mass, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, X‐ray diffraction) as well as theoretically (kinetics, modeling and docking). The data extracted led to the establishment of the best chemical and structural forms. Octahedral geometry was the only formula proposed for all complexes, which is favorable for d⁶ systems. The molecular ion peaks from mass spectral analysis coincide with all analytical data, confirming the molecular formula proposed. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed discrimination of features between crystalline particles and other amorphous morphology. By applying Gaussian09 as well as HyperChem 8.2 programs, the best structural forms were obtained, as well as computed significant parameters. Computed parameters such as softness, hardness, surface area and reactivity led us towards application in two opposing pathways: tumor inhibition and oxidation activation. The catalytic oxidation for CO was conducted over PtO₂, which was yielded from calcination of the most reactive complex. The success of catalytic role for synthesized PtO₂ was due to its particulate size and surface morphology, which were estimated from XRD patterns and SEM images, respectively. The antitumor activity was tested versus HCT‐116 and HepG‐2 cell lines. Mild toxicity was recorded for two of the derivatives and their corresponding complexes. This degree of toxicity is more favorable in most cases, due to exclusion of serious side effects, which is coherently attached with known antitumor drugs.     

Infinite family of transmission irregular trees of even order

Distance between two vertices is the number of edges in a shortest path connecting them in a connected graph $G$. The transmission of a vertex $v$ is the sum of distances from $v$ to all the other vertices of $G$. If transmissions of all vertices are mutually distinct, then $G$ is a transmission irregular graph. It is known that almost no graphs are transmission irregular. Infinite families of transmission irregular trees of odd order were presented in Alizadeh and Klav?ar (2018). The following problem was posed in Alizadeh and Klav?ar (2018): do there exist infinite families of transmission irregular trees of even order? In this article, such a family is constructed.     

Site-Selective Supramolecular Complexation Activates Catalytic Ethane Oxidation by a Nitrido-Bridged Iron Porphyrinoid Dimer

Development of supramolecular methods to further activate a highly reactive intermediate is a fascinating strategy to create novel potent catalysts for activation of inert chemicals. Herein, a supramolecular approach to enhance the oxidizing ability of a high-valent oxo species of a nitrido-bridged iron porphyrinoid dimer that is a known potent molecular catalyst for light alkane oxidation is reported. For this purpose, a nitrido-bridged dinuclear iron complex of porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterodimer 3 ⁵⁺, which is connected through a fourfold rotaxane, was prepared. Heterodimer 3 ⁵⁺ catalyzed ethane oxidation in the presence of H₂O₂ at a relatively low temperature. The site-selective complexation of 3 ⁵⁺ with an additional anionic porphyrin (TPPS⁴⁻) through π–π stacking and electrostatic interactions afforded a stable 1:1 complex. It was demonstrated that the supramolecular post-synthetic modification of 3 ⁵⁺ enhances its catalytic activity efficiently. Moreover, supramolecular conjugates achieved higher catalytic ethane oxidation activity than nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer, which is the most potent iron-oxo-based molecular catalyst for light-alkane oxidation reported so far. Electrochemical measurements proved that the electronic perturbation from TPPS⁴⁻ to 3 ⁵⁺ enhanced the catalytic activity.     

Molecular dynamics of the intramolecular 1, 3-dipolar ene reaction of a nitrile oxide and an alkene: non-statistical behavior of a reaction involving a diradical intermediate*

ABSTRACT

Potential energy surfaces and molecular dynamics of the intramolecular 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition and ene reaction of a nitrile oxide with an alkene were performed in the gas phase and in dichloromethane with density functional theory. One hundred trajectories were propagated in the gas phase and in dichloromethane, respectively. Twenty percent of the trajectories in the gas phase involve bicyclic intermediate and the mean time gap is 472fs. A dynamically stepwise reaction is observed. In dichloromethane, more reactive trajectories were obtained and the time gap is larger than that in the gas phase.