Electrochemistry and Spin-Crossover Behavior of Fluorinated Terpyridine-Based Co(II) and Fe(II) Complexes

Due to their ability to form stable molecular complexes that have tailor-made properties, terpyridine ligands are of great interest in chemistry and material science. In this regard, we prepared two terpyridine ligands with two different fluorinated phenyl rings on the backbone. The corresponding Co^II and Fe^II complexes were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis, electrochemistry and temperature-dependent SQUID magnetometry. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses at 100 K of these complexes revealed Co−N and Fe−N bond lengths that are typical of low spin Co^II and Fe^II centers. The metal centers are coordinated in an octahedral fashion and the fluorinated phenyl rings on the backbone are twisted out of the plane of the terpyridine unit. The complexes were investigated with cyclic voltammetry and UV/Vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry. All complexes show a reversible oxidation and several reduction processes. Temperature dependent SQUID magnetometry revealed a gradual thermal SCO behavior in two of the complexes, while EPR spectroscopy provided further insights on the electronic structure of the metal complexes, as well as site of reduction.     

Flash Nanoprecipitation Fabrication of PEI@Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Hybrid Nanoparticles for siRNA Delivery

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising approach for disease treatments. But the development of safe and effective delivery carriers remains a major challenge. Organic–inorganic hybrid nanoparticles (NPs), with the integration of functions from distinct materials, show great potential in small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. Herein, pH responsive amorphous calcium carbonate NPs (ACC NPs) are prepared using flash nanoprecipitation and hybrid NPs are constructed by coating ACC NPs with polyethyleneimine (PEI) for efficient siRNA delivery. PEI/ACC NPs show robust pH responsiveness and stability as well as effective siRNA loading and protection. Furthermore, siRNA-loaded PEI/ACC NPs demonstrate enhanced cellular uptake and efficient endosomal escape, mediating improved siRNA delivery compared to pure PEI. These findings suggest that PEI/ACC NPs may have great potential in siRNA delivery for RNAi-based therapy.     

Microinjection Molded Biopolymeric Airway Stent with Antibacterial and Anti-Hyperplastic Properties

Central airway stenosis is a condition that the diameter of the trachea or main bronchus shrinkage is caused by external compression or internal tissue hyperplasia, which can cause difficulty breathing, asphyxia, and even death. Airway stenting is an easy way to restore the patency of the central airway, but airway stents commonly used in clinical practice can lead to complications such as mucus plugging, bacterial infection, and granulation tissue hyperplasia. Moreover, the non-degradable characteristic makes it requires a second operation to remove, which has the potential to cause tissue damage. In this study, a biodegradable airway stent is fabricated by microinjection molding using the bioelastomer of poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) as the matrix material. The airway stent has excellent mechanical properties and an appropriate degradation rate. The hydrophilic surface of the airway stent can inhibit mucus plugging. The loading of silver nanoparticles and cisplatin endows the stent with antibacterial and anti-hyperplastic functions. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that this study provides an antibacterial and anti-hyperplastic biodegradable airway stent with elastic properties to avoid secondary removal operation and reduce complications associated with mucus plugging, bacterial infection, and granulation tissue hyperplasia.     

Semi-Empirical Model to Retrieve Finite Temperature Terahertz Absorption Spectra using Morse Potential

Terahertz (THz) absorption is a fingerprint property of materials, due to the underlying low-frequency vibration/phonon modes being strongly dependent on the chemical constitutions and microscopic structures. The low excitation energies (0.414-41.4 meV) are related to two intrinsic properties of THz vibrations: the potential energy surfaces (PESs) are shallow, and the vibrationally excited states are usually populated via thermal fluctuations. The shallow PESs make the vibrations usually anharmonic, leading to redshifted vibrational excited state absorption; combined with considerable vibrational excited states population, characteristic THz signals are usually redshifted and congested with varying degrees at different temperatures. Combining existing experimental THz spectra at low temperatures, first principles vibration analysis, and the Morse potential, we developed a semi-empirical model to evaluate the anharmonicity of the low-frequency modes. The model was benchmarked with purine molecular crystal to generate THz spectra at different temperatures, the results were consistent with experiments. The good agreement suggests this model would facilitate the application of THz spectroscopy in molecular crystal characterization.     

Non‐Covalent Functionalization of Graphene with Bisphenol A for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

The reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/bisphenol A (BPA) composites were prepared by an adsorption‐reduction method. The composites are characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV‐vis, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results confirm that BPA is adsorbed on the basal plane of RGO by π‐π stacking interaction. Furthermore, the electrochemical behaviors were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the RGO/BPA nanocomposites exhibit ultrahigh specific capacitance of 466 F·g^?1 at a current density of 1 A·g^?1, excellent rate capability (more than 81% retention at 10 A·g^?1 relative to 1 A·g^?1) and superior cycling stability (90% capacitance decay after 4000 cycles). Consequently, the RGO/BPA nanocomposites can be regarded as promising electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.     

The selectivity of triethylene glycol modified glassy carbon electrode for charged and uncharged pieces

A triethylene glycol modified glassy carbon electrode(TEG–GCE) was fabricated by a controlledpotential electrolysis procedure. The performance of the film on the modified electrode surface was investigated by cyclic voltammetry with different probes. It was firstly found that while neutral pieces could penetrate the TEG film on the GCE surface, the ionic pieces, whatever it is anion or cation, was blocked by the film. This property was successfully used for determining dopamine(DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid(AA) with differential pulse voltammetry(DPV).     

自然光照下PEG/PAA凝胶在Fe~(3+)/CA溶液中的凝胶-溶胶转化行为

将PEG/PAA凝胶浸入铁/柠檬酸(Fe3+/CA)溶液中,自然光照一定时间可实现凝胶-溶胶的相互转化,而且转化行为受溶液的组成及其p H影响。只有当溶液中[Fe3+]0∶[CA]0≤1∶2,且溶液的p H在1~6之间,该转化才会发生,通过改变溶液中[Fe3+]0∶[CA]0的值或溶液的p H可以有效地控制其转化速率。此外,结果还表明,当凝胶转化为溶胶后,向其中加入高价金属阳离子,例如Fe3+、Al3+、Ce4+、Cu2+等,溶胶又会再次转化为凝胶。由于这种新颖的特性,该凝胶有望应用于药物释放、细胞培养等领域。     

Guapsidial A and Guadials B and C: Three New Meroterpenoids with Unusual Skeletons from the Leaves of Psidium guajava

A novel sesquiterpene‐based Psidium meroterpenoid, possessing an unusual coupling pattern, and two new monoterpene‐based meroterpenoids with unprecedented skeletons were isolated from the leaves of Psidium guajava. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic, X‐ray diffraction, and computational methods. The plausible biosynthetic pathway of these meroterpenoids as well as their cytotoxicities toward HepG2 and HepG2/ADM cells were also discussed.     

Zn/Al层状双氢氧化物-聚氯乙烯纳米复合物的制备与性能

用共沉淀法制备油酸钾改性的Zn2+、Al 3+层状双氢氧化物(Zn/Al-LDH),以环己酮为溶剂,用溶液插层法制备了Zn/Al层状双氢氧化物-聚氯乙烯(PVC)纳米复合物。采用傅里叶红外(FT-IR)、X-射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)对复合材料的结构及形貌进行了表征,并用热分析仪、万能试验机和紫外分光光度计研究了复合物的热稳定性能、拉伸性能和紫外吸收性能。结果表明:Zn/Al-LDH纳米片层无序分散在PVC基体中;Zn/Al-LDH对PVC低温时的骨干脱氯化氢有促进作用;与PVC膜相比,复合膜的分解温度降低,高温碳化温度升高,复合膜的拉伸强度及断裂伸长率得到提高,在300~380nm具有一定的紫外吸收性能。