An Approach to Paracyclophane-Based Tetrathiafulvalenes: Synthesis and Characterization of a Pseudo-Geminal [2.2]Paracyclophane 1,3-Dithia-2-Thione

The synthesis of paracyclophane-based tetrathiafulvalene precursors is described in the context of the importance of these compounds in the field of material chemistry. Pseudo-geminal bis(1,3-dithia-2-thione) was synthesized via the corresponding 1,3-dithiol-2-ylium salt. The latter was obtained by a synthetic procedure that involves 4,15-bis(acetyl)[2.2]paracyclophane, a new compound of interest for many researchers.     

单气室固体氧化物燃料电池的材料、微堆结构与相关应用

单气室固体氧化物燃料电池（SC-SOFC）是一种整个电池处在单一气室中,阳极和阴极分别对混合气体中的燃料和氧气进行选择催化产生电动势的特殊结构燃料电池. SC-SOFC因其独特的原理和结构而具有无需密封、易于堆叠、可以快速启动和不易发生积碳等诸多优点,有很大的应用潜力. 作者在SC-SOFC的原理和特点的基础上,系统地总结了SC-SOFC所用材料、微堆结构设计、衰退机制及应用方面的研究进展;以提高SC-SOFC微堆的输出电压和功率为目的,改进预混气体环境下运行的微堆结构,采取星型布局的四电池微堆其输出功率提高到420 mW;随后,逐步改进供气方式,结合计算流体力学数值模拟研究,提出了单路多点供气和双路多点供气模式,成功地将单个SC-SOFC微堆模块的输出功率提升到8.178 W,进而开展了微堆模块外部串并联和与燃烧器的结合实验验证. 研究结果表明,SC-SOFC可以很便捷地连接成微堆模块并产生数瓦的输出功率,未来有望用于以供热为主型的热电联供系统. 作者还借助原位电阻和开路电压的原位同步测试,阐明了Ni在CH₄-O₂气氛中的反复氧化-还原循环是SC-SOFC发生不可逆衰退的主要机制,这一发现后来催生出氧化-还原法制备多孔金属的新技术.     

Information percolation and cutoff for the random‐cluster model

We consider the random‐cluster model (RCM) on with parameters p∈(0,1) and q ≥ 1. This is a generalization of the standard bond percolation (with edges open independently with probability p) which is biased by a factor q raised to the number of connected components. We study the well‐known Fortuin‐Kasteleyn (FK)‐dynamics on this model where the update at an edge depends on the global geometry of the system unlike the Glauber heat‐bath dynamics for spin systems, and prove that for all small enough p (depending on the dimension) and any q>1, the FK‐dynamics exhibits the cutoff phenomenon at with a window size , where λ_∞ is the large n limit of the spectral gap of the process. Our proof extends the information percolation framework of Lubetzky and Sly to the RCM and also relies on the arguments of Blanca and Sinclair who proved a sharp mixing time bound for the planar version. A key aspect of our proof is the analysis of the effect of a sequence of dependent (across time) Bernoulli percolations extracted from the graphical construction of the dynamics, on how information propagates.     

An electrochemical sensor based on Pt nanoparticles decorated over-oxidized polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for simultaneous determination of two neurotransmitters dopamine and 5-Hydroxy tryptamine in the presence of ascorbic acid

Abstract

In this study, the Pt nanoparticles/over-oxidized polypyrrole nanofiber/reduced graphene oxide (Pt NPs/OPPy/RGO) nanocomposite was electrochemically synthesized and used to modify a glassy carbon electrode. To confirm the Surface morphology and characterization of the nanocomposite, field emission scanning microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, FT-IR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used. Simultaneous determination of these species showed one linear response 0.1–250.0?μM and two linear responses 0.5–10.0?μM and 10.0–470.0?μM, with detection limits 42?nM and 106?nM (S/N?=?3) for DA and 5-HT, respectively. Finally, the analytical application of this modified electrode was investigated in the human blood plasma.     

Fluorescent macrocyclic chemosensor for Zn(II) detection at alkaline pH values

ABSTRACT

The new macrocyclic ligand L (28,29-dimethoxy-27-oxa-8,11,14,17,25,26-hexaazatetracyclo[22.2.1.1(2,6).1(19,23)]nonacosa-2,4,6(28),19,21,23(29),24,26(1)-octaene) has been synthesised. It contains a tetramine chain and the 2,5-bis(2-methoxy-3-metyl-phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PPD-OMe) chromophore, acting as coordinating and sensing units, respectively.

The fluorescent emission of L depends on the pH being highly fluorescent at pH = 2 and not emitting from pH >10. The studies highlighted that L is a PET mediated emitting chemosensor, being the PET effect regulated by the degree of the tetraamine protonation.

L coordinates metal ions (Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II)) in water giving rise to an OFF-ON fluorescent response for the presence of Zn(II) ion thus signalling its presence in the medium. This response is particularly notable at pH = 9 allowing to extend the Zn(II) sensing also in the alkaline pH field.     

Tolerance factor and phase stability of the garnet structure. Corrigendum

An error in an equation in the paper by Song et al. [ Acta Cryst. (2019), C 75 , 1353–1358 ] is corrected.     

Uncertainty quantification for dynamics of geometrically nonlinear structures coupled with internal acoustic fluids in presence of sloshing and capillarity

In this paper, we propose an uncertainty quantification analysis, which is the continuation of a recent work performed in a deterministic framework. The fluid–structure system under consideration is the one experimentally studied in the sixties by Abramson, Kana, and Lindholm from the Southwest Research Institute under NASA contract. This coupled system is constituted of a linear acoustic liquid contained in an elastic tank that undergoes finite dynamical displacements, inducing geometrical nonlinear effects in the structure. The liquid has a free surface on which sloshing and capillarity effects are taken into account. The problem is expressed in terms of the acoustic pressure field in the fluid, of the displacement field of the elastic structure, and of the normal elevation field of the free surface. The nonlinear reduced-order model constructed in the recent work evoked above is reused for implementing the nonparametric probabilistic approach of uncertainties. The objective of this paper is to present a sensitivity analysis of this coupled fluid–structure system with respect to uncertainties and to use a classical statistical inverse problem for carrying out the experimental identification of the hyperparameter of the stochastic model. The analysis show a significant sensitivity of the displacement of the structure, of the acoustic pressure in the liquid, and of the free-surface elevation to uncertainties in both linear and geometrically nonlinear simulations.     

Dynamics of Bacteriorhodopsin in the Dark-Adapted State from Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

To achieve efficient proton pumping in the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR), the protein must be tightly coupled to the retinal to rapidly convert retinal isomerization into protein structural rearrangements. Methyl group dynamics of bR embedded in lipid nanodiscs were determined in the dark-adapted state, and were found to be mostly well ordered at the cytosolic side. Methyl groups in the M145A mutant of bR, which displays only 10 % residual proton pumping activity, are less well ordered, suggesting a link between side-chain dynamics on the cytosolic side of the bR cavity and proton pumping activity. In addition, slow conformational exchange, attributed to low frequency motions of aromatic rings, was indirectly observed for residues on the extracellular side of the bR cavity. This may be related to reorganization of the water network. These observations provide a detailed picture of previously undescribed equilibrium dynamics on different time scales for ground-state bR.