Insights into MWCNTs/polyimide nanocomposites: from synthesis to application as free-standing flexible electrodes in low-cost micro-supercapacitors

In the pursuit to enlarge the library of polyimide materials for energy applications, new polyimide/MWCNTs composite films have been developed by MWCNTs-assisted polycondensation reaction of a hydroxyl and triphenylmethane-containing diamine with benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride targeting to highlight their electrical storage capability as flexible electrodes in micro-supercapacitors (mSCs). The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, UV–vis, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopies were used to demonstrate the evolution of interfacial interactions between MWCNTs and the precursors (diamine monomer and intermediate polyamidic acid) and polyimide matrix that proved to be the origin of MWCNTs homogeneous dispersion. Thus, composite films incorporating 1, 3, 5, and 10 w.t.% MWCNTs were obtained and thoroughly investigated with regard to their morphology, mechanical behavior, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity. The electrochemical performance of these composites was first analyzed in a classical three-electrode cell by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge in both aqueous and organic electrolyte systems. By far, the best electrical storage capacity was obtained with the composite polyimide film containing 10% MWCNTs that was further used as both active material and current collector in a flexible symmetric mSC realized by a straightforward and low-cost procedure. In the attempt to better exploit the advantages of this composite film, it was layered with a graphite-containing paint and tested as an electrode in a flexible mSC, which provided satisfactory results. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the electrical charge storage capability of a polyimide/MWCNTs free-standing film as a flexible electrode in mSCs, which do not require time- and resource-consuming processing steps.     

基于2,5-二溴对苯二甲酸配体的锌/钴配合物合成、晶体结构及性质

将有机物2,5-二溴对苯二甲酸(H₂L₁)和2,2′-联吡啶(L₂)作为双配体,使用溶剂热法和七水合硫酸锌(ZnSO₄·7H₂O)、六水合硝酸钴(Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O)分别反应,得到配合物[Zn(L₁)(L₂)(H₂O)]_n(1)和配合物[Co(L₁)(L₂)(H₂O)]_n(2)。采用单晶X射线衍射、元素分析、红外光谱、紫外光谱、荧光光谱、热重分析等测试方法对这两种物质进行分析研究。单晶测试结果表明配合物1是单斜晶系,以Zn²⁺配位连接L^2-₁与L₂形成一维链状结构,各条链在分子间氢键和π…π共轭作用下有规律地堆叠形成三维网络结构。配合物2是三斜晶系,Co1离子和Co1ⁱ离子由H₂L₁上的羧酸氧原子O4和O4ⁱ连接,形成双齿螯合的配位结构单元,以Co²⁺配位连接 L^2-₁和L₂形成二维网格结构,各层在O—H…O分子间氢键和范德瓦耳斯力作用下有规律的堆叠形成三维网络结构。配合物1和2均含有芳香杂环、羧基杂环和氮杂环,具有良好的荧光性质和热稳定性,最大发射波长分别为345 nm和333 nm。     

Strain induced strengthening of soft thermoplastic polyurethanes under cyclic deformation

We investigate the cyclic mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension of three different commercial thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) often considered as a sustainable replacement for common filled elastomers. All TPU have similar hard segment contents and linear moduli but sensibly different large strain properties as shown by X-ray analysis. Despite these differences, we found a stiffening effect after conditioning in step cyclic loading which greatly differs from the common softening (also referred as Mullins effect) observed in chemically crosslinked filled rubbers. We propose that this self-reinforcement is related to the fragmentation of hard domains, naturally present in TPU, in smaller but more numerous sub-units that may act as new physical crosslinking points. The proposed stiffening mechanism is not dissimilar to the strain-induced crystallization observed in stretched natural rubber, but it presents a persistent nature. In particular, it may cause a local reinforcement where an inhomogeneous strain field is present, as is the case of a crack propagating in cyclic fatigue, providing a potential explanation for the well-known toughness and wear resistance of TPU.     

Enantiomeric Cyclic Peptides with Different Caco‐2 Permeability Suggest Carrier‐Mediated Transport

Recently, oral absorption of cyclic hexapeptides was improved by N‐methylation of their backbone amides. However, the number and position of N‐methylations or of solvent exposed NHs did not correlate to intestinal permeability, measured in a Caco‐2 model. In this study, we investigate enantiomeric pairs of three polar and two lipophilic peptides to demonstrate the participation of carrier‐mediated transporters. As expected, all the enantiomeric peptides exhibited identical lipophilicity (logD_7.4) and passive transcellular permeability determined by the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). However, the enantiomeric polar peptides exhibited different Caco‐2 permeability (P_app) in both directions a–b and b–a. The same trend was observed for one of the lipophilic peptide, whereas the second lipophilic enantiomer pair showed identical Caco‐2 permeability (within the errors). These findings provide the first evidence for the involvement of carrier‐mediated transport for peptides, especially for those of polar nature.     

Validated Stability-Indicating GC-MS Method for Characterization of Forced Degradation Products of Trans-Caffeic Acid and Trans-Ferulic Acid

When dealing with simple phenols such as caffeic acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA), found in a variety of plants, it is very important to have control over the most important factors that accelerate their degradation reactions. This is the first report in which the stabilities of these two compounds have been systematically tested by exposure to various different factors. Forced degradation studies were performed on pure standards (trans-CA and trans-FA), dissolved in different solvents and exposed to different oxidative, photolytic and thermal stress conditions. Additionally, a rapid, sensitive, and selective stability-indicating gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for determination of trans-CA and trans-FA in the presence of their degradation products. Cis-CA and cis-FA were confirmed as the only degradation products in all the experiments performed. All the compounds were perfectly separated by gas chromatography (GC) and identified using mass spectrometry (MS), a method that additionally elucidated their structures. In general, more protic solvents, higher temperatures, UV radiation and longer storage times led to more significant degradation (isomerization) of both trans-isomers. The most progressive isomerization of both compounds (up to 43%) was observed when the polar solutions were exposed to daylight at room temperature for 1 month. The method was validated for linearity, precision as repeatability, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ). The method was confirmed as linear over tested concentration ranges from 1−100 mg L⁻¹ (r²s were above 0.999). The LOD and LOQ for trans-FA were 0.15 mg L⁻¹ and 0.50 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The LOD and LOQ for trans-CA were 0.23 mg L⁻¹ and 0.77 mg L⁻¹, respectively.