Fast Li-Ion Conduction in Spinel-Structured Solids

Spinel-structured solids were studied to understand if fast Li⁺ ion conduction can be achieved with Li occupying multiple crystallographic sites of the structure to form a “Li-stuffed” spinel, and if the concept is applicable to prepare a high mixed electronic-ionic conductive, electrochemically active solid solution of the Li⁺ stuffed spinel with spinel-structured Li-ion battery electrodes. This could enable a single-phase fully solid electrode eliminating multi-phase interface incompatibility and impedance commonly observed in multi-phase solid electrolyte–cathode composites. Materials of composition Li_1.25M(III)_0.25TiO₄, M(III) = Cr or Al were prepared through solid-state methods. The room-temperature bulk Li⁺-ion conductivity is 1.63 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for the composition Li_1.25Cr_0.25Ti_1.5O₄. Addition of Li₃BO₃ (LBO) increases ionic and electronic conductivity reaching a bulk Li⁺ ion conductivity averaging 6.8 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, a total Li-ion conductivity averaging 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, and electronic conductivity averaging 3.8 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for the composition Li_1.25Cr_0.25Ti_1.5O₄ with 1 wt. % LBO. An electrochemically active solid solution of Li_1.25Cr_0.25Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ was prepared. This work proves that Li-stuffed spinels can achieve fast Li-ion conduction and that the concept is potentially useful to enable a single-phase fully solid electrode without interphase impedance.     

A Label-Free Fluorometric Glutathione Assay Based on a Conformational Switch of G-quadruplex

In this paper, a label-free fluorescent method for glutathione (GSH) detection based on a thioflavin T/G-quadruplex conformational switch is developed. The sensing assay is fabricated depending on the virtue of mercury ions to form a thymine–thymine mismatch, which collapses the distance between two ssDNA and directs the guanine-rich part to form an intra-strand asymmetric split G-quadruplex. The newly formed G-quadruplex efficiently reacts with thioflavin T and enhances the fluorescent intensity. In the presence of GSH, Hg²⁺ is absorbed, destroying the G-quadruplex formation with a significant decrease in fluorescence emission. The proposed fluorescent assay exhibits a linear range between 0.03–5 μM of GSH with a detection limit of 9.8 nM. Furthermore, the efficacy of this method is examined using human serum samples to detect GSH. Besides GSH, other amino acids are also investigated in standard samples, which display satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity. Above all, we develop a method with features including potentiality, facility, sensitivity, and selectivity for analyzing GSH for clinical diagnostics.     

Surface engineering of nanoparticles for highly efficient UV‐shielding composites

Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) with high energy can not only hurt human skin but also accelerate the degradation of organic matter. Hence, the preparation of polymer‐based UV‐shielding nanocomposites has attracted substantial attention due to the low cost, easy processing and wide applications. Notably, the highly efficient UV‐shielding polymer nanocomposites are still hindered by the agglomeration of inorganic anti‐UV nanoparticles (Nps) in polymer matrix and the narrow absorption range of UV‐shielding agents. To overcome the aforementioned bottlenecks, surface engineering of anti‐UV Nps including organic modification and inorganic hybridization has been extensively employed to enhance the UV‐shielding efficiency of composites. Herein, to deliver the readers a comprehensive understanding of the surface engineering of anti‐UV Nps, we systematically summarize the recent advances in surface organic modification and inorganic hybridization related to anti‐UV Nps. The UV‐shielding mechanism and the factors affecting UV‐shielding efficiency of polymer nanocomposites are also discussed. Finally, perspectives on remaining challenges and future development of highly efficient UV‐shielding composites are outlined.     

Two New 3D Metal-Organic Frameworks Constructed by Polycarboxylate and N-Donor Ligands: Crystal Structure,Photocatalytic Performances,and DFT Calculation

Russian Journal of Coordination Chemistry - Two new metal-organic frameworks, [Zn(Bdc)(Bip)?H2O] (I) and {[Cd2(Btc)2(H2O)2](H2Bib)· 6H2O} (II) (H2Bdc = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid,...     

Removal of Cu(II) Contamination from Aqueous Solution by Ethylenediamine@β-Zeolite Composite

The low cost β-zeolite and ethylenediamine modified β-zeolite (EDA@β-zeolite) were prepared by self-assembly method and used for Cu(II) removal from contaminated aqueous solution. Removal ability of β-zeolite toward Cu(II) was greatly improved after ethylenediamine (EDA) modification, the removal performance was greatly affected by environmental conditions. XPS results illustrated that the amide group played important role in the removal process by forming complexes with Cu(II). The EDA@β-zeolite showed desirable recycling ability. The finding herein suggested that the proposed composite is a promising and suitable candidate for the removal of Cu(II) from contaminated natural wastewater and aquifer.     

Extraction and Analysis of Six Effective Components in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch by Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) Combined with Quantitative Analysis of Multi-Components by Single Marker (QAMS) Method

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are green organic solvents that have broad prospects in the extraction of effective components of traditional Chinese medicine. This work employed the quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single marker (QAMS) method to quantitatively determine the six effective components of glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhetinic acid in Glycyrrhiza uralensis, which was used for comprehensive evaluation of the optimal extraction process by DESs. First, Choline Chloride: Lactic Acid (ChCl-LA, molar ratio 1:1) was selected as the most suitable DES by comparing the extraction yields of different DESs. Second, the extraction protocol was investigated by extraction time, extraction temperature, liquid-to-material ratio, molar ratio, and ultrasonic power. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) combined with response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the optimal DES conditions. The result showed that the best DES system was 1.3-butanediol/choline chloride (ChCl) with the molar ratio of 4:1. The optimal extraction process of licorice was 20 mL/g, the water content was 30%, and the extraction time was 41 min. The comprehensive impact factor (z) was 0.92. At the same time, it was found that the microstructure of the residue extracted by the eutectic solvent was more severely damaged than the residue after the traditional solvent extraction through observation under an electron microscope. The DES has the characteristics of high efficiency and rapidity as an extraction solution.     

The Effects of Hydrophobicity and Textural Properties on Hexamethyldisiloxane Adsorption in Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogels

To expand the applications of graphene-based materials to biogas purification, a series of reduced graphene oxide aerogels (rGOAs) were prepared from industrial grade graphene oxide using a simple hydrothermal method. The influences of the hydrothermal preparation temperature on the textural properties, hydrophobicity and physisorption behavior of the rGOAs were investigated using a range of physical and spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that the rGOAs had a macro-porous three-dimensional network structure. Raising the hydrothermal treatment temperature reduced the number of oxygen-containing groups, whereas the specific surface area (S_BET), micropore volume (V_micro) and water contact angle values of the rGOAs all increased. The dynamic adsorption properties of the rGOAs towards hexamethyldisiloxane (L2) increased with increasing hydrothermal treatment temperature and the breakthrough adsorption capacity showed a significant linear association with S_BET, V_micro and contact angle. There was a significant negative association between the breakthrough time and inlet concentration of L2, and the relationship could be reliably predicted with a simple empirical formula. L2 adsorption also increased with decreasing bed temperature. Saturated rGOAs were readily regenerated by a brief heat-treatment at 100 °C. This study has demonstrated the potential of novel rGOA for applications using adsorbents to remove siloxanes from biogas.     

Cationic Nonporous Macrocyclic Organic Compounds for Multimedia Iodine Capture

Over the past two decades, progress in chemistry has generated various types of porous materials for removing iodine (¹²⁹I or ¹³¹I) that can be formed during nuclear energy generation or nuclear waste storage. However, most studies for iodine capture are based on the weak host-guest interactions of the porous materials. Here, we present two cationic nonporous macrocyclic organic compounds, namely, MOC-1 and MOC-2 , in which 6I^- and 8I⁻ were as counter anions, for highly efficient iodine capture. MOC-1 and MOC-2 were formed by reacting 1,1′-diamino-4,4′-bipyridylium di-iodide with 1,2-diformylbenzene or 1,3-diformylbenzene, respectively. The presence of a large number of I⁻ anions results in high I₂ affinity with uptake capacities up to 2.15 g ⋅ g⁻¹ for MOC-1 and 2.25 g ⋅ g⁻¹ for MOC-2 .     

Large Nonlinear Optical Activity of a Near-infrared-absorbing Bithiophene-based Polymer with a Head-to-head Linkage

Although the production of near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing organic polymers with an excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) response is vital for various optoelectronic devices and photodynamic therapy, the molecular design and relevant photophysical investigation still remain challenging. In this work, large NLO activity is observed for an NIR-absorbing bithiophene-based polymer with a unique head-to-head linkage in the NIR region. The saturable absorption coefficient and modulation depth of the polymer are determined as ∼−3.5×10⁵ cm GW⁻¹ and ∼32.43%, respectively. Notably, the polymer exhibits an intrinsic nonlinear refraction index up to ∼−9.36 cm² GW⁻¹, which is six orders of magnitude larger than that of CS₂. The maximum molar-mass normalized two-photon absorption cross-section (σ₂/M) of this polymer can be up to ∼14 GM at 1200 nm. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements reveal significant spectral overlap between the 2PA and excited state absorption in the 1000–1400 nm wavelength range and an efficient triplet quantum yield of ∼36.7%. The results of this study imply that this NIR-absorbing polymer is promising for relevant applications.     

6.1 MW, 10 kHz Side-Pumped Burst-Mode Nd:YAG Laser

We present a compact high-peak-power, high-repetition-rate burst-mode laser from a master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) at 1064 nm for laser-based measurement applications. The oscillator is an 808 nm pulsed laser diode side-pumped acousto-optical (A-O) Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at repetition rates ranging from 10–100 kHz, producing a pulse train with a pulse number of 2–25. The maximum output energy of the oscillator is 15.6 mJ at 10 kHz, whereas it is 1.7 mJ at 100 kHz. After twostage amplifiers, a single-pulse energy of 85.2 mJ with a pulse-width of 14.5 ns is achieved at 10 kHz, which produces a peak power of 6.1 MW. At 100 kHz, the total burst energy reaches 220 mJ with a single-pulse energy of 8.8 mJ in the pulse burst laser system.