Overcoming the Inhibition Effects of Citrate: Precipitation of Ferromagnetic Magnetite Nanoparticles with Tunable Morphology,Magnetic Properties,and Surface Charge via Ferrous Citrate Oxidation

This study demonstrates how the method of thermally assisted oxidative precipitation in water can be opened for—the so far neglected—metal organic iron(II) complexes (herein: citrate) in order to obtain, in one step, ferromagnetic magnetite nanoparticles, possessing essential ligand properties. Based on a dedicated analysis of the specific precursor in combination with the consideration of known properties of the ligand, it is possible to identify existing inhibition-attributes of the iron organyl such that these can be overcome. Moreover, they can be exploited in a targeted manner; thus, simply by changing concentrations, a variety of magnetite nanoparticle morphologies with distinct properties can be obtained. In the case of the herein investigated ferrous citrate, three major inhibition effects are identified. While two of them efficiently prevent the formation of magnetite and need to be addressed to be overcome, the third can be exploited to selectively synthesize, for example, relatively stable carboxyl group-bearing nuclei clusters, exhibiting the properties of magnetically responsive photonic crystals, or relatively large mesocrystals, whose intraparticular magnetic interactions are apparently disturbed.     

Green synthesis and characterizations of Nickel oxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Rhamnus virgata and their potential biological applications

In the present report, Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) were synthesized using Rhamnus virgata (Roxb.) (Family: Rhamnaceae) as a potential stabilizing, reducing and chelating agent. The formation, morphology, structure and other physicochemical properties of resulting NiONPs were characterized by Ultra violet spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared analysis (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy‐dispersive‐spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Detailed in vitro biological activities revealed significant therapeutic potential for NiONPs. The antimicrobial efficacy of biogenic NiONPs was demonstrated against five different gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 125 μg/mL) were found to be the least susceptible and Bacillus subtilis (MIC: 31.25 μg/mL) was found to be the most susceptible strain to NiONPs. Biogenic NiONPs were reported to be highly potent against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀: 29.68 μg/ml). Moderate antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica (KMH₂₃) promastigotes (IC₅₀: 10.62 μg/ml) and amastigotes (IC₅₀: 27.58 μg/ml) cultures are reported. The cytotoxic activity was studied using brine shrimps and their IC₅₀ value was recorded as 43.73 μg/ml. For toxicological assessment, NiONPs were found compatible towards human RBCs (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml) and macrophages (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml), deeming particles safe for various applications in nanomedicines. Moderate antioxidant activities: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (51.43%), 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity (70.36%) and total reducing power (TRP) (45%) are reported for NiONPs. In addition, protein kinase and alpha amylase inhibition assays were also performed. Our results concluded that Rhamnus virgata synthesized NiONPs could find important biomedical applications with low cytotoxicity to normal cells.     

Pt Nanoparticle‐modified Carbon Fiber Microelectrode for Selective Electrochemical Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide

We report a simple approach to the production of carbon fiber‐based amperometric microbiosensors for selective detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which was achieved by electrometallization of carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFMs) by electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles. The Pt‐carbon hybrid sensing interface provided a sensitivity of 7711±587 μA ? mM^?1 ? cm^?2, a detection limit of 0.53±0.16 μM (S/N=3), a linear range of 0.8 μM–8.6 mM, and a response time of <2 sec. The morphologies of the Pt nanoparticle‐modified CFMs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. To achieve selectivity, permseletive layers, polyphenylenediamine (PPD) and Nafion, were deposited resulting in exclusion of the anionic and cationic interferents, ascorbic acid and dopamine, respectively, at their physiologically relevant concentrations. The resultant sensors displayed a sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide of 1381±72 μA ? mM^?1 ? cm^?2, and a detection limit of 0.86±0.19 μM (S/N=3). This simple and rapid metallization method converts carbon fiber microelectrodes, which are readily accessible, to microscale Pt electrodes in 2 min, providing a platform for oxidase‐based amperometric biosensors with improved spatial resolution over more commonly used platinum electrode array microprobes.     

纳米SnO2高效催化烯烃与H2O2环氧化反应研究

构建了用于催化烯烃与过氧化氢环氧化反应的高效、 绿色催化反应体系. 首先, 通过水热合成法制备了纳米SnO₂, 并在320 ℃下煅烧. 随后, 对所有催化剂进行X射线衍射(XRD)、 紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis)、 傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)表征. 进一步将催化剂用于以H₂O₂水溶液为氧化剂环氧化各种官能化烯烃(包括环烯烃, 苯乙烯和直链烯烃)的反应, 以高转化率和高选择性得到了环氧化物. 在相似的反应条件下, 发现合成的纳米SnO₂-170催化剂在催化1-甲基环己烯与H₂O₂的环氧化反应中的活性最佳, 在2 h内1-甲基环己烯的转化率达到100%, 环氧化物选择性达到100%.     

SiO2负载Au-Pd双金属纳米颗粒催化甲醇选择性氧化合成甲酸甲酯

甲醇选择氧化制备甲酸甲酯（MF）是延伸甲醇产业链、开发高附加值下游产品的有效途径之一，负载型Au及Pd催化剂在这一反应中表现出优异的低温催化性能。为探索实用、高效和易再生的甲醇选择氧化催化剂，同时揭示双金属颗粒中Au和Pd的协同效应及甲醇氧化反应机理，本研究制备了一系列二氧化硅负载的Au-Pd催化剂（Au-Pd/SiO₂），详细研究了其对甲醇选择氧化制甲酸甲酯的催化性能。结果表明，Au和Pd总负载量为0.6%、且Au/Pd质量比为2时，所制备的Au₂-Pd₁/SiO₂催化剂表现出优异的甲醇氧化催化性能；在130℃下，甲醇转化率达到57.0%，MF选择性为72.7%。多种表征结果显示，Au-Pd双金属纳米颗粒粒径为2-4 nm，高度分散于SiO₂载体表面，倾向于生成孪晶结构并暴露（111）晶面，这些因素是Au-Pd/SiO₂具有优异催化性能的主要原因。通过DRIFTS表征研究，提出了一个可能的MF生成机理：即甲醇首先与处于Au-Pd纳米粒子界面的表面氧作用，生成化学吸附的甲氧基；随后，甲氧基经去质子作用生成吸附的甲醛物种，后者与相邻的甲氧基物种亲核反应，并经β-H消除后得到目标产物MF。     

Facile assembly of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with hierarchical pore structure for CO2 capture

In the work, we propose an efficient one-pot approach for synthesis of a new type of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). That can be successfully realized by using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (TSD) as the silica precursors and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the structure-directing agent through a facile assembly process. The as-synthesized MSNs possess a spherical morphology with about 230 nm, a relatively high surface area of 133 m²/g, and a hierarchical pore size distribution. When applied as the sorbents, the amine-functioned MSNs demonstrate the enhanced adsorption capacity for CO₂ capture (at 1 bar, 15 vol% CO₂, up to 80.5 mg/g at 75 °C), high selectivity, and good cycling durability, benefiting from the suitable modification of polyethyleneimine.     

A personal journey on using polymerization in aqueous dispersed media to synthesize polymers with branched structures

This short review is dedicated to celebrate Prof.Shoukuan Fu's 80 th birthday by discussing several of my accomplished projects over the past twenty years,which all applied radical polymerization in aqueous dispersed media for producing polymers with branched structures.These projects include the use of microemulsion polymerization for syntheses of fluorescent nanoparticles,hairy nanoparticles and hyperbranched polymers;the use of miniemulsion polymerization for synthesis of star polymers and light-emitting nanoparticles;the use of seeded emulsion polymerization for synthesis of hairy nanoparticles and hyperstar polymers;and the use of precipitation polymerization for synthesis of hollow polymer nanocapsules.Discussion of these projects demonstrates intriguing features of polymerization in biphasic dispersed media via either conventional radical polymerization or controlled radical polymerization to effectively regulate the branched structure of functional polymers.     

Preparation and characterization of new inorganic–organic hybrid catalyst H3PMo12O40/Hyd‐SBA‐15 and its application in the domino multi‐component reaction

We present novel inorganic–organic hybrid catalyst to accomplish domino multi‐component reaction (MCR) for synthesis of 3‐amino‐2′‐oxospiro[benzo[c]pyrano[3,2‐a]phenazine‐1,3′‐indoline]‐2‐carbonitrile/carboxylate derivatives. This methodology offers remarkable development by easy production of H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀/Hyd‐SBA‐15 in regard to solving the problem of using harsh catalysts, also it demonstrates to be impressive and environmentally friendly in term of low reaction times and high yields.     

Spherical hollow mesoporous silica supported phosphotungstic acid as a promising catalyst for α-arylstyrenes synthesis via Friedel-Crafts alkenylation

This work presents a scalable approach for preparing spherical hollow mesoporous silica with high surface area/pore volume, serving as outstanding support for supported phosphotungstic acid catalyst with much superior catalytic performance to the one on previously reported spherical mesoporous silica toward diverse transformations, ascribed to the strengthened mass transfer and the enlarged exposure degree of acidic sites to reactants those resulting from unique hollow and mesoporous morphology.