Self‐emulsion polymerization of amphiphilic monomers—a green route to synthesis of polymeric nanoscaffolds

Self‐emulsion polymerization (SEP), a green route developed by us for the polymerization of amphiphilic monomers, does not require any emulsifier or an organic solvent except that the water‐soluble initiators such as 2,2′‐azobis[2‐(2‐imidazolin‐2‐yl)propane]dihydrochloride (VA‐044) and potassium persulfate (KPS) are only used. We report here the polymer nanoscaffolds from a number of amphiphilic monomers, which can be used for in situ encapsulation of a variety of nanoparticles. As a demonstration of the efficacy of these nanoscaffolds, the synthesis of a biocompatible hybrid nanoparticle (nanohybrid), prepared by encapsulating Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticle (Fe₃O₄ MNPs) in poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) in water, for MRI application is presented. The nanohybrid prepared following the SEP in the form of an emulsion does not involve the use of any stabilizing agent, crosslinker, polymeric emulsifier, or surfactant. This water‐soluble, spherical, and stable nanohybrid containing Fe₃O₄ MNPs of average size 10 ± 2 nm has a zeta potential value of ?41.89 mV under physiological conditions. Magnetic measurement confirmed that the nanohybrid shows typical magnetic behavior having a saturation magnetization (Ms) value of 32.3 emu/g and a transverse relaxivity (r2) value of 29.97 mM^?1 s^?1, which signifies that it can be used as a T2 contrast agent in MRI. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019     

Existence of homoclinic solutions for nonlinear second-order coupled systems

This work presents sufficient conditions for the existence of homoclinic solutions for second order coupled discontinuous systems of differential equations on the real line without the usual growth condition in the literature.The arguments apply the fixed point theory, Green's functions technique, $L^1$-Carathéodory functions, lower and upper solutions and Schauder's fixed point theorem.     

Advanced Li-Ion Batteries with High Rate,Stability, and Mass Loading Based on Graphene Ribbon Hybrid Networks

To optimize the cycle life and rate performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), ultra-fine Fe₂O₃ nanowires with a diameter of approximately 2 nm uniformly anchored on a cross-linked graphene ribbon network are fabricated. The unique three-dimensional structure can effectively improve the electrical conductivity and facilitate ion diffusion, especially cross-plane diffusion. Moreover, Fe₂O₃ nanowires on graphene ribbons (Fe₂O₃/GR) are easily accessible for lithium ions compared with the traditional graphene sheets (Fe₂O₃/GS). In addition, the well-developed elastic network can not only undergo the drastic volume expansion during repetitive cycling, but also protect the bulk electrode from further pulverization. As a result, the Fe₂O₃/GR hybrid exhibits high rate and long cycle life Li storage performance (632 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹, and 471 mAh g⁻¹ capacity maintained even after 3000 cycles). Especially at high mass loading (≈4 mg cm⁻²), the Fe₂O₃/GR can still deliver higher reversible capacity (223 mAh g⁻¹ even at 2 A g⁻¹) compared with the Fe₂O₃/GS (37 mAh g⁻¹) for LIBs.     

Lone-Pair Enhanced Birefringence in an Alkaline-Earth Metal Tin(II) Phosphate BaSn2(PO4)2

The first alkaline-earth metal tin(II) phosphate, BaSn₂(PO₄)₂, has been discovered, which consists of layered structures constructed from strictly alternating [SnO₃]⁴⁻ and [PO₄]³⁻ moieties. This compound is expected to have a large birefringence with Δn≈0.071 at 1064 nm, owing to the presence of stereochemically active lone pair metal cations.     

Enhanced 1T′-Phase Stabilization and Chemical Reactivity in a MoTe2 Monolayer through Contact with a 2D Ca2N Electride

Among the widely studied 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), MoTe₂ has attracted special interest for phase-change applications due to its small 2H-1T′ energy difference, yet a large scale phase transition without structural disruption remains a significant challenge. Recently, an interesting long-range phase engineering of MoTe₂ has been realized experimentally by Ca₂N electride. However, the interface formed between them has not been well understood, and moreover, it remains elusive how the presence of Ca₂N would affect the basal plane reactivity of MoTe₂. To address this, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the potential of tuning the phase stability and chemical reactivity of a MoTe₂ monolayer via interacting with Ca₂N to form a van der Walls heterostructure. We found that the contact nature at the 2H-MoTe₂/Ca₂N interface is Schottky-barrier-free, allowing for the spontaneous electron transfer from Ca₂N to 2H-MoTe₂ to make it strongly n-type doped. Moreover, Ca₂N doping significantly lowers the energy of 1T′-MoTe₂ and dynamically triggers the 2H-to-1T′ transformation. The Ca₂N-induced phase modulation can also be applied to tune the phase energetics of MoS₂ and MoSe₂. Furthermore, using H adsorption as the testing ground, we also find that the H binding on the basal plane of MoTe₂ is enhanced after forming heterostructure with Ca₂N, potentially providing basis for surface modification and other related catalytic applications.     

On the swelling behavior of poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels exposed to perfluoroalkyl acids

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have rapidly accumulated in the environment due to their widespread use prior to commercial discussion in the early 21st century, and their slow degradation has magnified concerns of their potential toxicity. Monitoring their distribution is, therefore, necessary to evaluate and control their impact on the health of exposed populations. This investigation evaluates the capability of a simple polymeric detection scheme for PFAS based on crosslinked, thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels. Surveying swelling perturbations induced by several hydrotropes and comparable hydrocarbon analogs, tetraethylammonium perfluorooctane sulfonate (TPFOS) showed a significantly higher swelling ratio on a mass basis (65.5 ± 8.8 at 15°C) than any of the other analytes tested. Combining swelling with the fluorimetric response of a solvachromatic dye, nile red, revealed the fluorosurfactant to initiate observable aggregation (i.e., its critical aggregation concentration) at 0.05 mM and reach saturation (i.e., its charge neutralization concentration) at 0.5 mM. The fluorosurfactant was found to homogeneously distribute throughout the polymer matrix with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, marking the swelling response as a peculiar nexus of fluorinated interfacial positioning and delocalized electrostatic repulsion. Results from the current study hold promise for exploiting the physiochemical response of PNIPAM to assess TPFOS's concentration.     

Global strong solution of 3D tropical climate model with damping

We establish the global well-posedness of a strong solution to the 3D tropical climate model with damping. We prove that there exists the global and unique solution for α, β, γ satisfying one of the following three conditions: (1) \alpha ,\beta \ge \mathrm{4}; (2) ; (3) .     

Effective and selective aerobic oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols using CoFe2O4@HT@Imine‐CuII and TEMPO in the air atmosphere

In this study, we present a versatile and easy procedure for modifying a cobalt ferrite nanoparticle step by step. A new nanocatalyst was prepared via Cu^II immobilized onto CoFe₂O₄@HT@Imine. The catalyst was fully characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analyses. The current procedure as a green protocol offers benefits including a simple operational method, an excellent yield of products, mild reaction conditions, minimum chemical wastes, and short reaction times. Without any significant reduction in the catalytic performance, up to five recyclability cycles of the catalyst were obtained. The optimization results suggest that the best condition in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol derivatives is 0.003 g of the CoFe₂O₄@HT@Imine‐Cu^II catalyst, TEMPO, at 70°C under solvent‐free condition and air.     

BiVO4/TiO2 heterojunction with rich oxygen vacancies for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction

The large-scale production of ammonia mainly depends on the Haber–Bosch process, which will lead to the problems of high energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. Electrochemical nitrogen fixation is considered to be an environmental friendly and sustainable process, but its efficiency largely depends on the activity and stability of the catalyst. Therefore, it is imperative to develop highefficient electrocatalysts in the field of nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). In this paper, we developed a BiVO₄/TiO₂ nanotube (BiVO₄/TNT) heterojunction composite with rich oxygen vacancies as an electrocatalytic NRR catalyst. The heterojunction interface and oxygen vacancy of BiVO₄/TNT can be the active site of N₂ dynamic activation and proton transition. The synergistic effect of TiO₂ and BiVO₄ shortens the proton transport path and reduces the over potential of chemical reaction. BiVO₄/TNT has high ammonia yield of 8.54 μg·h⁻¹·cm⁻² and high Faraday efficiency of 7.70% in −0.8 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution.     

CuI/Fe3O4 NPs@Biimidazole IL‐KCC‐1 as a leach proof nanocatalyst for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines in aqueous medium

In the present work, an innovative leach proof nanocatalyst based on dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) modified with ionic liquid loaded Fe₃O₄ NPs and CuI salts was designed and applied for the rapid synthesis of imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines from the reaction of phenyl acetylene, 2‐aminopyridine, and aldehydes in aqueous medium. The structure of the synthesized nanocatalyst was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vapor–liquid–solid (VLS), and adsorption/desorption analysis (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller [BET] equation) instrumental techniques. CuI/Fe₃O₄NPs@IL‐KCC‐1 with high surface area (225 m² g^?1) and porous structure not only exhibited excellent catalytic activity in aqueous media but also, with its good stability, simply recovered by an external magnet and recycled for eight cycles without significant loss in its intrinsic activity. Higher catalytic activity of CuI/Fe₃O₄NPs@IL‐KCC‐1 is due to exceptional dendritic fibrous structure of KCC‐1 and the ionic liquid groups that perform as strong anchors to the loaded magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and avoid leaching them from the pore of the nanocatalyst. Green reaction media, shorter reaction times, higher yields (71–97%), easy workup, and no need to use the chromatographic column are the advantages of the reported synthetic method.