Synthesis of water‐soluble allyl‐functionalized oligochitosan and its modification by thiol–ene addition in water

A novel, straightforward and versatile chemical pathway has been studied to functionalize water‐soluble chitosan oligomers. This metal‐free methodology is based on the epoxy‐amine reaction of the allyl glycidyl ether with chitosan, followed by thiol‐ene radical coupling reaction of ω‐functional mercaptans, using 4,4′‐Azobis(4‐cyanovaleric acid) as a free radical initiator. Both reactions were entirely carried out in water. In a preliminary step, chitosan depolymerization was carried out using H₂O₂ in an acetic medium under 100 W microwave irradiation, optimizing the yield of water‐soluble oligomers. Functionalization by six different thiols bearing alcohol, carboxylic acid, ester, and amino groups was then performed, leading to a range of functional oligochitosans with different grafting efficiencies. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 39–48     

Interim Anatase Coating Layer Stabilizes Rutile@CrxOy Photoanode for Visible‐Light‐Driven Water Oxidation

Ternary core–shell heterostructured rutile@anatase@Cr_xO_y nanorod arrays were elaborately designed as photoanodes for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible‐light illumination. The four‐fold enhanced and stabilized visible‐light photocurrent highlights the unique role of the interim anatase layer in accelerating the interfacial charge transfer from the Cr_xO_y chromophore to rutile nanorods.     

Green Approach to the Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Mesh Surface for Oil/Water Separation

We report a simple and environment friendly method to fabricate superhydrophobic metallic mesh surfaces for oil/water separation. The obtained mesh surface exhibits superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity after it was dried in an oven at 200 °C for 10 min. A rough silver layer is formed on the mesh surface after immersion, and the spontaneous adsorption of airborne carbon contaminants on the silver surface lower the surface free energy of the mesh. No low‐surface‐energy reagents and/or volatile organic solvents are used. In addition, we demonstrate that by using the mesh box, oils can be separated and collected from the surface of water repeatedly, and that high separation efficiencies of larger than 92 % are retained for various oils. Moreover, the superhydrophobic mesh also possesses excellent corrosion resistance and thermal stability. Hence, these superhydrophobic meshes might be good candidates for the practical separation of oil from the surface of water.     

An Electron Dynamics Mechanism of Charge Separation in the Initial‐Stage Dynamics of Photoinduced Water Splitting in XMnWater (X=OH,OCaH) and Electron–Proton Acceptors

An electron dynamics mechanism of charge separation in the initial stage of excited‐state reactions of the class of X?Mn?OH₂???A${ \to }$ X?Mn?OH???HA (X=OH or OCaH; A=N‐methylformamidine, guanidine, imidazole, or ammonia cluster) is reported. The dynamic effect of calcium doping is also revealed. This study provides a novel factor to be considered in designing efficient systems for photoinduced water splitting.     

Magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid‐phase extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the extraction and rapid determination of six fluoroquinolones in environmental water samples

In this study, a mixed hemimicelle solid‐phase extraction method based on Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with sodium dodecyl sulfate was applied for the preconcentration and fast isolation of six fluoroquinolones in environmental water samples before high‐performance liquid chromatography determination. The main factors affecting the extraction efficiency of the analytes, such as amount of surfactant, amount of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, extraction time, sample volume, sample pH, ionic strength, and desorption conditions, were investigated and optimized. The method has detection limits from 0.05 to 0.1 ng/mL and good linearity (r ≥ 09948) in the range 0.1–200 ng/mL depending on the fluoroquinolone. The enrichment factor is ～200. The recoveries (at spiked levels of 1, 5, and 50 ng/mL) are in the range of 79–120%.     

浊点萃取-荧光光度法测定水中的苯酚

基于非离子表面活性剂Triton X-100,以浊点萃取结合荧光光度法测定水中的苯酚,考察影响浊点萃取的各种因素。在pH=3.0的磷酸氢二钠-磷酸二氢钾缓冲溶液中,采用2.0mL Triton X-100(5%)、82℃平衡温度、8min平衡时间的条件下,苯酚被萃取到Triton X-100表面活性剂相与水相分开,用于环境水样中苯酚的测定,结果令人满意。     

Internal gravity–capillary solitary waves in finite depth

We consider a two‐dimensional inviscid irrotational flow in a two layer fluid under the effects of gravity and interfacial tension. The upper fluid is bounded above by a rigid lid, and the lower fluid is bounded below by a rigid bottom. We use a spatial dynamics approach and formulate the steady Euler equations as a Hamiltonian system, where we consider the unbounded horizontal coordinate x as a time‐like coordinate. The linearization of the Hamiltonian system is studied, and bifurcation curves in the (β,α)‐plane are obtained, where α and β are two parameters. The curves depend on two additional parameters ρ and h, where ρ is the ratio of the densities and h is the ratio of the fluid depths. However, the bifurcation diagram is found to be qualitatively the same as for surface waves. In particular, we find that a Hamiltonian‐Hopf bifurcation, Hamiltonian real 1:1 resonance, and a Hamiltonian 0²‐resonance occur for certain values of (β,α). Of particular interest are solitary wave solutions of the Euler equations. Such solutions correspond to homoclinic solutions of the Hamiltonian system. We investigate the parameter regimes where the Hamiltonian‐Hopf bifurcation and the Hamiltonian real 1:1 resonance occur. In both these cases, we perform a center manifold reduction of the Hamiltonian system and show that homoclinic solutions of the reduced system exist. In contrast to the case of surface waves, we find parameter values ρ and h for which the leading order nonlinear term in the reduced system vanishes. We make a detailed analysis of this phenomenon in the case of the real 1:1 resonance. We also briefly consider the Hamiltonian 0²‐resonance and recover the results found by Kirrmann. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controllable Synthesis of Hexagonal WO3 Nanoplates for Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Oxygen Production

Facilitating charge‐carrier separation and transfer is fundamentally important to improve the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor materials. Herein, two‐dimensional hexagonal WO₃ nanoplates were synthesized by a two‐step route: rapid evaporation and solid‐phase sintering. The as‐prepared WO₃ exhibits an enhanced activity of photocatalytic water oxidation compared to bulk monoclinic WO₃. The electron dynamics analysis reveals that a more efficient charge‐carrier separation in the former can be obtained, the origin of which can be attributed to an increased number of surface defects in hexagonal WO₃ nanoplates. This work not only presents a novel and simple method to produce two‐dimensional hexagonal WO₃ nanoplates, but also demonstrates that surface defects and two‐dimensional geometric structures can promote the charge separation, which may be extended to the design of other efficient photocatalysts.