Controlled synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles from a Zn(II) coordination polymer: Structural characterization,optical properties and photocatalytic activity

A zinc coordination polymer derived from pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate (PDC), {[Zn₂(PDC)₂]}_n, was successfully prepared via conventional, sonication and microwave-irradiation methods. The composition and characteristics of the obtained coordination polymers (CPs) were investigated by elemental analysis, TGA/DTA, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The so obtained CPs were heat-treated in the air at 600 °C for 2 h to produce ZnO of nanosized particles (NPs). It is of interest to note that the synthesis approach of the precursor greatly affects both the nanoparticle size and the structure of the resulting ZnO NPs. Moreover, the smallest particle size was associated with the sample derived from the ultrasonically prepared precursor. TEM analysis revealed that all samples have sphere-like morphologies. Structural analysis of the prepared ZnO samples was conducted and compared using Rietveld analysis of their PXRD patterns. Optical band gap calculations based on analysis of the UV–vis spectra of ZnO samples using Tauc's power law were achieved. The highest band gap of 3.63 eV was observed for ZnO sample obtained from the ultrasonically prepared precursor. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO NPs for the removal of Eosin Y color was monitored. The highest removal efficiency was recorded for ZnO originated from the ultrasonically synthesized precursor. Enhancement of removal efficiency that reached 98% was attained in only a period of 8 min. Its recycling test showed that it can be reused without structural changes over four cycling experiments.     

Optimization of extraction and quantification technique for phenolics content of garlic (Allium sativum): An application for comparative phytochemical evaluation based on cultivar origin

A range of conventional, i.e. maceration, percolation, ultrasonic assisted, Soxhlet and Soxtec extraction (STE), to advanced extraction techniques of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was utilized for the first time in order to optimize the extract yield and recovery of phenolics—gallic acid (GA), rutin (RT) and quercetin (QT)—quantified via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UHPLC–DAD). The effect of solvents (n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol) and temperature (60, 80 and 100°C) upon extraction yield, phenolic content and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and DPPH) was studied, and the method was validated in commercial food samples from Saudi Arabia, China and India. A high extract yield with percentage recovery was observed for STE (1221.10 mg/5 g; 24.42%) and ASE techniques (91.50 mg/1 g; 9.15%) in methanol at 100°C. UHPLC–DAD showed retention times (min) of 0.67, 1.93 and 1.90 for GA, RT and QT, respectively in the shortest runtime of 3 min. The yield for phenolics was higher for STE/ASE (ppm): 15.27/15.29 (GA), 85.24/37.56 (RT) and 52.20/33.40 (QT), respectively. In terms of antioxidant activities, low IC₅₀ values (μg/ml) of 1.09/1.18 (DPPH), 2.11/5.32 (ABTS) and 4.35/7.88 (phenazine methosulfate–nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) were observed for STE and ASE, respectively. Multivariate analysis for STE showed a significant (P = 0.000) correlation for extraction type vs. extract yield and phenolics content; however, there was no significance for antioxidant activities vs. extraction type. ASE showed a positive correlation for solvent vs. extraction yield, phenolics and antioxidant activity; however, there was no correlation for extraction yield and DPPH activity. Principal component analysis for STE showed a major variability (52.02%) for extraction yield and phenolics in PC1 followed by PC2 (38.30%) for antioxidant activities. For ASE, PC1 (48.68%) showed a positive correlation for solvent vs. extraction yield and phenolics while PC2 (33.12%) showed a positive correlation for temperature and antioxidant activities. STE and ASE were the optimized extraction techniques for the garlic food sample while a significant effect of solvent and temperature was observed upon extraction yield, phenolics and antioxidant activity.     

Identifying aspirin polymorphs from combined DFT-based crystal structure prediction and solid-state NMR

A combined experimental and computational approach was used to distinguish between different polymorphs of the pharmaceutical drug aspirin. This method involves the use of ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS), a density functional theory (DFT)-based crystal structure prediction method for the high-accuracy prediction of polymorphic structures, with DFT calculations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters and solid-state NMR experiments at natural abundance. AIRSS was used to predict the crystal structures of form-I and form-II of aspirin. The root-mean-square deviation between experimental and calculated ¹H chemical shifts was used to identify form-I as the polymorph present in the experimental sample, the selection being successful despite the large similarities between the molecular environments in the crystals of the two polymorphs.     

Nonmetal Doping as a Robust Route for Boosting the Hydrogen Evolution of Metal-Based Electrocatalysts

Recently, nonmetal doping has exhibited its great potential for boosting the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of transition-metal (TM)-based electrocatalysts. To this end, this work overviews the recent achievements made on the design and development of the nonmetal-doped TM-based electrocatalysts and their performance for the HER. It is also shown that by rationally doping nonmetal elements, the electronic structures of TM-based electrocatalysts can be effectively tuned and in turn the Gibbs free energy of the TM for adsorption of H* intermediates (ΔG_H*) optimized, consequently enhancing the intrinsic activity of TM-based electrocatalysts. Notably, we highlight that concurrently doping two nonmetal elements can continuously and precisely regulate the electronic structures of the TM, thereby maximizing the activity for HER. Moreover, nonmetal doping also accounts for enhancing the physical properties of the TM (i.e. surface area). Therefore, nonmetal doping is a robust strategy for simultaneous regulation of the chemical and physical features of the TM.     

Micro/Nanoengineered α-Fe2O3 Nanoaggregate Conformably Enclosed by Ultrathin N-Doped Carbon Shell for Ultrastable Lithium Storage and Insight into Phase Evolution Mechanism

The Fe-based transition metal oxides are promising anode candidates for lithium storage considering their high specific capacity, low cost, and environmental compatibility. However, the poor electron/ion conductivity and significant volume stress limit their cycle and rate performances. Furthermore, the phenomena of capacity rise and sudden decay for α-Fe₂O₃ have appeared in most reports. Here, a uniform micro/nano α-Fe₂O₃ nanoaggregate conformably enclosed in an ultrathin N-doped carbon network (denoted as M/N-α-Fe₂O₃@NC) is designed. The M/N porous balls combine the merits of secondary nanoparticles to shorten the Li⁺ transportation pathways as well as alleviating volume expansion, and primary microballs to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface. Furthermore, the ultrathin carbon shell favors fast electron transfer and protects the electrode from electrolyte corrosion. Therefore, the M/N-α-Fe₂O₃@NC electrode delivers an excellent reversible capacity of 901 mA h g⁻¹ with capacity retention up to 94.0 % after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g⁻¹. Notably, the capacity rise does not happen during cycling. Moreover, the lithium storage mechanism is elucidated by ex situ XRD and HRTEM experiments. It is verified that the reversible phase transformation of α↔γ occurs during the first cycle, whereas only the α-Fe₂O₃ phase is reversibly transformed during subsequent cycles. This study offers a simple and scalable strategy for the practical application of high-performance Fe₂O₃ electrodes.     

Electrochemical sensor based on super-magnetic metal–organic framework@molecularly imprinted polymer for Sarcosine detection in urine

Accurate determination of Sarcosine (SAR) in urine with high sensitivity and selectivity is important, because it was recently recommended as a prospective biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) and significant for the early identification of PCa. In this study, an electrochemical sensor based on Fe₃O₄ incorporated metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) @molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was constructed for SAR detection. Magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles embedded zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was used as the support of MIP. MIP provides specific recognition sites for template molecules SAR and MOFs increase the rate of mass transfer and adsorption capacity due to the porous structure. The synthesized super-magnetic Fe₃O₄@ZIF-8@MIP was self-assembled onto an Au electrode in magnetic field and used as the sensing unit of electrochemical sensor. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the electrochemical behavior, and the binding of SAR resulted in a reduction in the measured current. The results revealed a wide linear range from 1 to 100 pM towards trace SAR determination, with extremely low limit of detection down to 0.4 pM. In conclusion, the Fe₃O₄@ZIF-8@MIP based sensor provides a selective, sensitive, and convenient method for SAR diagnosis and other cancer marker detection.     

La单掺4H-SiC电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算方法，对未掺杂及La掺杂4H-SiC的电子结构和光学性质进行理论计算。计算结果表明，未掺杂4C-SiC其禁带宽度为2.257 eV。La掺杂后带隙宽度下降为1.1143eV，导带最低点为G点，价带最高点为F点，是P型间接半导体。掺杂La原子在价带的低能区间贡献比较大，而对价带的高能区和导带的贡献比较小。未掺杂4H-SiC在光子能量为6.25 eV时，出现一个介电峰，这是由于价带电子向导带电子跃迁产生。而La掺杂后，出现3个介电峰，分别对应的光子能量为0.47eV、2.67eV、6.21eV，前两个介电峰是由于价带电子向杂质能级跃迁产生，第三个介电峰是由于价带电子向导带电子跃迁产生。La掺杂后4H-SiC变成负介电半导体材料。未掺杂4h-SiC的静态介电常数为2.01，La掺杂的静态常数为12.01。     

单层n型MoS2/p型c-Si异质结太阳电池数值模拟

单层二硫化钼(MoS₂)是一种具有优异光电性能的半导体材料,在太阳能能量转换中表现出很大的应用潜力。本文基于AMPS模拟软件,对单层n型MoS₂/p型c-Si异质结太阳电池进行了数值模拟与分析。通过模拟优化,n型MoS₂的电子亲和能为3.75 eV、掺杂浓度为10¹⁸ cm^-3,p型c-Si的掺杂浓度为10¹⁷ cm^-3时,太阳电池能够取得最高22.1%的转换效率。最后模拟了n型MoS₂/p型c-Si异质结界面处的界面态对太阳电池性能的影响,发现界面态密度超过10¹¹ cm^-2·eV^-1时会严重影响太阳电池的光伏性能。     

Canonical Lorentzian spin structure and twistor spinors on the Fefferman space of a contact Riemannian manifold

The Fefferman space of a contact Riemannian manifold carries a Lorentzian spin structure canonically. On the Lorentzian spin manifold, we investigate the Dirac operator and the twistor operator closely. In particular, we show that, if the contact Riemannian manifold is integrable, then there exist non-zero global solutions of the twistor equation.