Synergistic effects of the alternating application of low and high frequency ultrasound for particle synthesis in microreactors

Ultrasound (US) is a promising method to address clogging and mixing issues in microreactors (MR). So far, low frequency US (LFUS), pulsed LFUS and high frequency US (HFUS) have been used independently in MR for particle synthesis to achieve narrow particle size distributions (PSD). In this work, we critically assess the advantages and disadvantages of each US application method for the case study of calcium carbonate synthesis in an ultrasonic microreactor (USMR) setup operating at both LFUS (61.7 kHz, 8 W) and HFUS (1.24 MHz, 1.6 W). Furthermore, we have developed a novel approach to switch between LFUS and HFUS in an alternating manner, allowing us to quantify the synergistic effect of performing particle synthesis under two different US conditions. The reactor was fabricated by gluing a piezoelectric plate transducer to a silicon microfluidic chip. The results show that independently applying HFUS and LFUS produces a narrower PSD compared to silent conditions. However, at lower flow rates HFUS leads to agglomerate formation, while the reaction conversion is not enhanced due to weak mixing effects. LFUS on the other hand eliminates particle agglomerates and increases the conversion due to the strong cavitation effect. However, the required larger power input leads to a steep temperature rise in the reactor and the risk of reactor damage for long-term operation. While pulsed LFUS reduces the temperature rise, this application mode leads again to the formation of particle agglomerates, especially at low LFUS percentage. The proposed application mode of switching between LFUS and HFUS is proven to combine the advantages of both LFUS and HFUS, and results in particles with a unimodal narrow PSD (one order of magnitude reduction in the average size and span compared to silent conditions) and negligible rise of the reactor temperature.     

Linked drug-drug conjugates based on triterpene and phenol structures. Rational synthesis,molecular properties,toxicity and bioactivity prediction

One of the tasks of modern medicinal chemistry is to produce new molecules that have interesting and desired biological effects. In addition, the synthetic procedure for obtaining these compounds should be at least partially smart and rational e.g. “Lego” and green approaches. The study focuses on the synthesis of several hybrid type compounds that are expected to be characterized by beneficial bioactivities. In order to hybridize natural triterpene oleanolic acid and phenol structures, the linker-mode concept was selected. The synthetic goal was achieved in two stages. The first concerns the rapid introduction of the halogenoacidic linker to active phenols selected as a result of microwave-ultrasonic (MW-US) assisted O-alkylation with the use of 2-halogenoacetic acid. The next stage of the synthetic studies involves the reaction of phenoxyacetic acid derivatives obtained containing an active carboxylic group with oleanolic acid/oxime units by the methods typical of triterpene chemistry. Novel linked ester- and iminoester-type triterpene derivatives with phenols (thymol, eugenol, paracetamol, nipagins, naphthols, curcumin and genistein) were obtained and characterized. Additionally, based on the analysis of numerous references and selected methods of computational chemistry (Molinspiration Cheminformatics, Osiris Property Explorer and PASS method) the molecular parameters and the preliminary anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity characterising these molecules as potential drugs were calculated and predicted.     

Surface profile inspection of a moving object by using dual-frequency Fourier transform profilometry

The 2π phase ambiguity caused by surface isolations and large height step can be solved by dual-frequency projection grating profilometry. However, in the Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) of a moving object, only one single deformed fringe pattern can be obtained. In order to introduce the dual-frequency technique into the FTP of moving object, a novel experimental system is designed to capture two fringe patterns with different frequency at the same time. A grating structure comprising two regions with different frequencies is projected upon the surface of the detected object. Two line-scan CCD cameras are used to capture the surface images encoded by the two kinds of patterns, respectively. By getting the corresponding image intensity at the same point of the object surface in the two acquired images, the dual-frequency technique is applied to extract the real phase without phase ambiguity. The surface profile of a specimen with a large height step is measured to prove the feasibility of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed method can solve the 2π phase ambiguity problem successfully in the surface profile inspection of a moving object.     

污泥的超声破解实验研究

本文在测量超声破解污泥试验所用反应器声场的基础上,主要研究了复频超声作用下,超声频率和换能器位置对污泥破解效果的影响。在此基础上采用两个同相换能器,以污泥滤液COD、NH₃-N、TP的增量,首次研究了复频超声破解污泥的效果,且详细探讨了影响复频超声破解污泥的影响因素（不同频率组合、不同功率组合、不同时间组合）。实验结果与理论分析符合较好,从而说明超声是一种有效的破解污泥的方法,进而对超声处理污泥的规律进行研究,这将为超声处理污泥提供一定的实验基础。     

The disinfection effect of a novel continuous-flow water sterilizing system coupling dual-frequency ultrasound with sodium hypochlorite in pilot scale

In this paper, a self-designed novel continuous-flow water disinfection system coupling dual-frequency ultrasound (US) with chemical disinfectant sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) was tested in a pilot scale using a simulated effluent containing Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), one of the indicators of water treatment efficiency. A suspension having a B. subtilis concentration of approximately 10⁴ CFU/mL was introduced into the system to (1) investigate disinfection efficiency of US pretreatment with NaClO (US + NaClO) and simultaneous US and NaClO (US/NaClO) disinfection under different single frequencies; (2) further examine the disinfection efficiency of these two processes with dual-frequency US; and (3) identify dosage reduction of chlorine in this disinfection system. The results demonstrated that lower dual-frequency (17 kHz + 33 kHz) US pretreatment with NaClO disinfection and simultaneous higher dual-frequency (70 kHz + 100 kHz) US and NaClO were beneficial to bacterial inactivation in terms of sterilizing efficiency. It has also been observed that US pretreatment with lower combination of 17 + 33 kHz frequencies showed better enhancement in which log reduction reached to 3.82 after 10 min chlorine reaction (chlorine alone was 0.22 log reduction), nearly 1 log reduction higher than single frequencies at the same constant power. Consequently, at equivalent power dissipation levels, US of lower frequencies combination pretreatment with NaClO disinfection performed such a promising process that one-thirds (from 12 mg/L NaClO reduced to 8 mg/L NaClO) of the required NaClO dosage was reduced for the ideal disinfection efficiency of 4 log reduction, namely 100% disinfection. And the utilization efficiency of NaClO was increased from 37.67% to 85.25% in 30 min of treatment time using an optimized combination of pretreatment and chlorination.     

双频超声交替强化超临界流体萃取装置的设计与应用

本文针对超临界流体萃取（SFE）系统设备的特点，设计丁可用于强化SFE过程的双频超声波交替强化装置。以香椿叶中黄酮类化合物为提取对象，对超声强化USFE过程的影响因素及强化效果进行了实验研究，结果表明；低频超声利于提取，频率为20kHz的超声强化的萃取率最大，38kHz的超声最小，两者交替的居于中间。     

The secondary Bjerknes force between two gas bubbles under dual-frequency acoustic excitation

The secondary Bjerknes force is one of the essential mechanisms of mutual interactions between bubbles oscillating in a sound field. The dual-frequency acoustic excitation has been applied in several fields such as sonochemistry, biomedicine and material engineering. In this paper, the secondary Bjerknes force under dual-frequency excitation is investigated both analytically and numerically within a large parameter zone. The unique characteristics (i.e., the complicated patterns of the parameter zone for sign change and the combination resonances) of the secondary Bjerknes force under dual-frequency excitation are revealed. Moreover, the influence of several parameters (e.g., the pressure amplitude, the bubble distance and the phase difference between sound waves) on the secondary Bjerknes force is also investigated numerically.     

New Trends in C–C Cross-Coupling Reactions: The Use of Unconventional Conditions

The ever-growing interest in the cross-coupling reaction and its applications has increased exponentially in the last decade, owing to its efficiency and effectiveness. Transition metal-mediated cross-couplings reactions, such as Suzuki–Miyaura, Sonogashira, Heck, and others, are powerful tools for carbon–carbon bond formations and have become truly fundamental routes in catalysis, among other fields. Various greener strategies have emerged in recent years, given the widespread popularity of these important reactions. The present review comprises literature from 2015 onward covering the implementation of unconventional methodologies in carbon–carbon (C–C) cross-coupling reactions that embodies a variety of strategies, from the use of alternative energy sources to solvent- free and green media protocols.     

Effects and mechanism of dual-frequency power ultrasound on the molecular weight distribution of corn gluten meal hydrolysates

The impact of dual-frequency power ultrasound (DPU) on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of corn gluten meal (CGM) hydrolysates and its mechanism were investigated in the present study. The mechanism was studied from aspects of structural and nano-mechanical characteristics of the major protein fractions of CGM, viz. zein and glutelin. The results of molecular weight distribution indicated that DPU pretreatment of CGM was beneficial to the preparation of peptides with molecular weights of 200–1000 Da. Moreover, FTIR spectral analysis and atomic force microscopy characterization showed that the DPU pretreatment changed the contents of secondary structure of proteins, decreased the particle height and surface roughness of glutelin, reduced the Young’s modulus and stiffness of zein while increased its adhesion force. In conclusion, DPU pretreatment of proteins before proteolysis is an efficient alternative method to produce short-chain peptides because of its positive effects originating from acoustic cavitation on the molecular conformation, nano-structures and nano-mechanical properties of proteins as well.     

Application of dual-frequency liquid crystal for tunable selective filtration of infrared radiation

The novel dual-frequency liquid crystal (DFLC) consisting of 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), 4-hexyloxyphenyl ester 4′-hexyloxy-3-nitrobenzoic acid (C2), and 4-n-pentanoyloxy-benzoic acid-4′-hexyloxyphenyl ester (H22) was developed and its basic dielectric characteristics were determined. Transmission spectra of the Al₂O₃ particles-DFLC system in both the ordinary electrooptical cell and the twist-structure were studied. It was shown that for certain changes in the frequency of the applied electric field, a transmission region maximum of the Al₂O₃ particles-DFLC ordinary cell switches from one wavenumber to the other. While the twist-structure of the system at low frequencies passes the light at the same wavenumbers but it becomes practically opaque at high frequencies. The experimental results are explained by the optical homogeneity of the system in a narrow wavelength interval when the refractive indices of the particle material and the matrix are close, and also by reorientation of the liquid crystal molecules as the frequency of the applied voltage changes.