Nonclassical nucleation towards separation and recycling science: Iron and aluminium (Oxy)(hydr)oxides

Separation, analysis and recycling technologies are of high interest for our modern societies, where colloidal iron and aluminium (hydr)oxides have important applications. However, there are significant gaps in the fundamental understanding of how these phases form in real systems. Classical nucleation theory cannot account for many experimental observations, and there is a dichotomy between the chemistry of hydrolysing/condensating systems and the physical notion of supersaturation. Reviewing parts of the established and recent literature, we demonstrate that concepts of nonclassical nucleation pathways can overcome these issues. This broader, chemistry-based conceptual framework has a high potential for advancing current applications, and developing new strategies towards separation, analysis and recycling applications, which seem to be urgently required for the future.     

Bridging Small Molecules to Conjugated Polymers: Efficient Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence with a Methyl‐Substituted Phenylene Linker

Based on a “TADF + Linker” strategy (TADF=thermally activated delayed fluorescence), demonstrated here is the successful construction of conjugated polymers that allow highly efficient delayed fluorescence. Small molecular TADF blocks are linked together using a methyl‐substituted phenylene linker to form polymers. With the growing number of methyl groups on the phenylene, the energy level of the local excited triplet state (³LE_b) from the delocalized polymer backbone gradually increases, and finally surpasses the charge‐transfer triplet state (³CT). As a result, the diminished delayed fluorescence can be recovered for the tetramethyl phenylene containing polymer, revealing a record‐high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 23.5 % (68.8 cd A^?1, 60.0 lm W^?1) and Commission Internationale de l′Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.25, 0.52). Combined with an orange‐red TADF emitter, a bright white electroluminescence is also obtained with a peak EQE of 20.9 % (61.1 cd A^?1, 56.4 lm W^?1) and CIE coordinates of (0.36, 0.51).     

Covalent Organic Framework for Improving Near‐Infrared Light Induced Fluorescence Imaging through Two‐Photon Induction

Fluorescent materials exhibiting two‐photon induction (TPI) are used for nonlinear optics, bioimaging, and phototherapy. Polymerizations of molecular chromophores to form π‐conjugated structures were hindered by the lack of long‐range ordering in the structure and strong π–π stacking between the chromophores. Reported here is the rational design of a benzothiadiazole‐based covalent organic framework (COF) for promoting TPI and obtaining efficient two‐photon induced fluorescence emissions. Characterization and spectroscopic data revealed that the enhancement in TPI performance is attributed to the donor‐π‐acceptor‐π‐donor configuration and regular intervals of the chromophores, the large π‐conjugation domain, and the long‐range order of COF crystals. The crystalline structure of TPI‐COF attenuates the π–π stacking interactions between the layers, and overcomes aggregation‐caused emission quenching of the chromophores for improving near‐infrared two‐photon induced fluorescence imaging.     

五年制专科小学教育专业的教学大纲和教材与小学科学课程标准和教材的对比

对小学科学课程标准与五年制专科小学教育专业“科学·化学”教学大纲中对化学知识内容的要求,以及小学《科学》和高等专科学校《科学·化学》教材中涉及的化学知识内容进行了对比。同时就五年制专科层次小学教育专业化学课程存在的问题进行了讨论,并提出了选择合适的课程教学内容、加强化学实验和化学教材建设、建立理论课程和实验教学新体系模块等建议。     

初中化学(科学)启蒙教材中“实验”“插图”“科普知识”的比较分析*

我国大陆和台湾的化学(科学)教材在化学启蒙方面的内容编写有着各自的特点和优势,因此以我国大陆人教版初中《化学》与我国台湾康轩文教版《自然与生活科技》为例,通过问卷调查法与对比分析法,研究化学启蒙阶段的学生对待化学的态度以及海峡两岸教材中“实验”“插图”“科普知识”等3部分内容的设置差异。结果表明:(1)化学实验是启蒙阶段学生对化学感兴趣的起始点,也是初接触时的难点,其中以我国台湾《自然与生活科技》教材中化学实验的探究性及层次性更深;(2)化学启蒙阶段教材中插图的科学性、清晰度以及精美程度对学生学习化学的兴趣和态度有较大影响;(3)化学教材中的模型图实物化有助于学生拨云见日,了解化学的真实模样。     

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation from CdTe Photoanodes Annealed with CdCl2

Most CdTe photoanodes and photocathodes show positive and negative photocurrent onset potentials for water oxidation and reduction, respectively, and are thus unable to drive photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting without external applied biases. Herein, the activity of a CdTe photoanode having an internal p‐n junction during PEC water oxidation was enhanced by applying a CdCl₂ annealing treatment together with surface modifications. The resulting CdTe photoanode generated photocurrents of 1.8 and 5.4 mA cm^?2 at 0.6 and 1.2 V_RHE, respectively, with a photoanodic current onset potential of 0.22 V_RHE under simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G). The CdCl₂ annealing increased the grain sizes and lowered the density of grain boundaries, allowing more efficient charge separation. Consequently, a two‐electrode tandem PEC cell comprising a CdTe‐based photoanode and photocathode split water without any external bias at a solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.51 % at the beginning of the reaction.     

Ultrafast,Low‐Cost,and Mass Production of High‐Quality Graphene

Fast, mass, and low‐cost production of high‐quality graphene, which is alluring, remains a great challenge, even though some approaches have shown potential for mass synthesis of graphene. Very recently a great breakthrough was made by Tour and co‐workers (Nature 2020, 577, 647–651): in just a second, easily exfoliated and highly crystalline graphene was produced from abundant carbon‐containing species by cost‐effective flash Joule heating with a low energy input of 7.2 kJ per gram graphene. Such an ultrafast, economic, and scalable process for high‐quality graphene production can be considered as a milestone in the graphene field and is highlighted in this article.     

Molecular Fluorescence Imaging Spectroscopy for Mapping Low Concentrations of Red Lake Pigments: Van Gogh's Painting The Olive Orchard

Vincent van Gogh used fugitive red lake pigments that have faded in some paintings. Mapping their distribution is key to understanding how his paintings have changed with time. While red lake pigments can be identified from microsamples, in situ identification and mapping remain challenging. This paper explores the ability of molecular fluorescence imaging spectroscopy to identify and, more importantly, map residual non‐degraded red lakes. The high sensitivity of this method enabled identification of the emission spectra of eosin (tetrabromine fluorescein) lake mixed with lead or zinc white at lower concentrations than elemental X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy used on account of bromine. The molecular fluorescence mapping of residual eosin and two carmine red lakes in van Gogh's The Olive Orchard is demonstrated and compared with XRF imaging spectroscopy. The red lakes are consistent with the composition of paint tubes known to have been used by van Gogh.     

Superwetting Patterned Membranes with an Anisotropy/Isotropy Transition: Towards Signal Expression and Liquid Permeation

Superwetting membranes with responsive properties have attracted heightened attention because of their fine‐tunable surface wettability. However, their functional diversity is severely limited by the “black‐or‐white” wettability transition. Herein, we describe a coating strategy to fabricate multifunctional responsive superwetting membranes with SiO₂/octadecylamine patterns. The adjustable patterns in the responsive region are the key factor for functional diversity. Specifically, the coated part of the membrane displayed a superhydrophobicity/superhydrophilicity transition at different pH values, whereas the uncoated part exhibited invariant superhydrophilicity. On the basis of this anisotropy/isotropy transition, the membranes can serve as either responsive permeable membranes or signal‐expression membranes, thus enabling the responsive separation and permeation of liquids with satisfactory separation efficiency (>99.90 %) and flux (ca. 60 L m^?2 h), as well as real‐time liquid signal expression with alterable signals.     

Derivatization-free determination of aminoglycosides by CZE–UV in pharmaceutical formulations

Aminoglycosides are a relevant class of antibiotics widely used by medics and veterinaries. There are a variety of reasons that make their determination relevant, such as quality control, environment and food contamination assessment, drug-release studies, among others. The lack of a chromophore makes aminoglycoside spectrophotometric detection particularly challenging, often requiring derivatization. In this work, an indirect detection method, making use of imidazole as a probe, applying CZE was successfully tested. It did not require derivatization, which simplified the sample preparation. Suitable figures of merit were obtained; recoveries between 95 and 105%, adequate repeatability and precision, correlation coefficients (r) above 0.998, and limits of detection (LODs) of 3.2 and 11 mg/L for gentamicin and paromomycin, respectively. As a proof-of-concept, it was also applied in a simple controlled release experiment that was well fitted using the Hill equation.