Isoflavonoids from Astragalus membranaceus Hairy Roots

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -     

Electro-assisted Molecular Assembly Giving Atomic-Scale Catalytic Active-Site Detection

The artificially accurate design of nonmetal electrocatalysts’ active site has been a huge challenge because no pure active species with the specific structure could be strictly controlled by traditional synthetic methods. Species with a multiconfiguration in the catalyst hinder identification of the active site and the subsequent comprehension of the reaction mechanism. We have developed a novel electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy to obtain a pure pentagon ring on perfect graphene avoiding other reconstructed structures. More importantly, the active atom was confirmed by the subtle passivation process as the topmost carbon atom. Recognition of the carbon-defect electrocatalysis reaction mechanism was first downsized to the single-atom scale from the experimental perspective. It is expected that this innovative electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy could be extensively applied in the active structure-controlled synthesis of nonmetal electrocatalysts and verification of the exact active atom.     

Multifunctional fibrous wound dressings for refractory wound healing

Refractory wounds have always been an important issue to healthcare systems, whose healing process is always delayed by multiple factors, including bacterial infections, chronic inflammation, and excessive exudates, etc. Employing multifunctional wound dressings is recognized as an effective strategy to deal with refractory wounds, which has yielded promising outcomes in recent years. Among these advanced wound dressings, fibrous dressings have gained growing attention due to their unique merits. Such wound dressings have demonstrated great potential in delivering theranostic agents, such as antibacterial agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, growth factors, and diagnostic probes, etc., for the purposes of accelerating wound healing. This paper reviews the development of multifunctional fibrous dressings and their applications in treating refractory wounds. The construction approaches of novel fibrous dressing with capabilities of antibacterial, anti-inflammation, exudate management and diagnosis were also introduced. Furthermore, the existing problems and challenges are also discussed briefly.     

Identification of phytocompounds from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. as potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 replication proteins through GC–MS/LC–MS characterization,molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a massive viral disease outbreak of international concerns. The present study is mainly intended to identify the bioactive phytocompounds from traditional antiviral herb Houttuynia cordata Thunb. as potential inhibitors for three main replication proteins of SARS-CoV-2, namely Main protease (Mpro), Papain-Like protease (PLpro) and ADP ribose phosphatase (ADRP) which control the replication process. A total of 177 phytocompounds were characterized from H. cordata using GC–MS/LC–MS and they were docked against three SARS-CoV-2 proteins (receptors), namely Mpro, PLpro and ADRP using Epic, LigPrep and Glide module of Schrödinger suite 2020-3. During docking studies, phytocompounds (ligand) 6-Hydroxyondansetron (A104) have demonstrated strong binding affinity toward receptors Mpro (PDB ID 6LU7) and PLpro (PDB ID 7JRN) with G-score of???7.274 and???5.672, respectively, while Quercitrin (A166) also showed strong binding affinity toward ADRP (PDB ID 6W02) with G-score -6.788. Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) performed using Desmond module of Schrödinger suite 2020–3 has demonstrated better stability in the ligand–receptor complexes A104-6LU7 and A166-6W02 within 100 ns than the A104-7JRN complex. The ADME-Tox study performed using SwissADMEserver for pharmacokinetics of the selected phytocompounds 6-Hydroxyondansetron (A104) and Quercitrin (A166) demonstrated that 6-Hydroxyondansetron passes all the required drug discovery rules which can potentially inhibit Mpro and PLpro of SARS-CoV-2 without causing toxicity while Quercitrin demonstrated less drug-like properties but also demonstrated as potential inhibitor for ADRP. Present findings confer opportunities for 6-Hydroxyondansetron and Quercitrin to be developed as new therapeutic drug against COVID-19.

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Auto-deposition of 210Bi and 210Po on nickel discs and their application in the analysis of natural waters

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - This study presents a time-efficient method of analysing 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po in natural waters. The optimum pH (1.00), temperature...     

大尺寸电阻加热式碳化硅晶体生长热场设计与优化

大尺寸低缺陷碳化硅(SiC)单晶体是功率器件和射频(RF)器件的重要基础材料,物理气相传输(physical vapor transport, PVT)法是目前生长大尺寸SiC单晶体的主要方法。获得大尺寸高品质晶体的核心是通过调节组分、温度、压力实现气相组分在晶体生长界面均匀定向结晶,同时尽可能减小晶体的热应力。本文对电阻加热式8英寸(1英寸=2.54 cm)碳化硅大尺寸晶体生长系统展开热场设计研究。首先建立描述碳化硅原料受热分解热质输运及其多孔结构演变、系统热输运的物理和数学模型,进而使用数值模拟方法研究加热器位置、加热器功率和辐射孔径对温度分布的影响及其规律,并优化热场结构。数值模拟结果显示,通过优化散热孔形状、保温棉的结构等设计参数,电阻加热式大尺寸晶体生长系统在晶锭厚度变化、多孔介质原料消耗的情况下均能达到较低的晶体横向温度梯度和较高的纵向温度梯度。     

Direct visualization of the nanoscopic three‐phase structure and stiffness of NBR/PVC blends by AFM nanomechanical mapping

The PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping based on atomic force microscope (AFM) is employed to first visualize and then quantify the elastic properties of a model nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) (NBR/PVC) blend at the nanoscale. This method allows us to consistently observe the changes in mechanical properties of each phase in polymer blends. Beyond measuring and discriminating elastic modulus and adhesion forces of each phase, we tune the AFM tips and the peak force parameters in order to reliably image samples. In view of viscoelastic difference in each phase, a three‐phase coexistence of an unmixed NBR phase, the mixed phase, and PVC microcrystallites is directly visualized in NBR/PVC blends. The nanomechanical investigation is also capable of recognizing the crosslinked rubber phase in cured rubber. The contribution of the mixed phase was quantified and it was found that the mechanical properties of blends are mainly determined by the homogeneity and stiffness of the mixed phase. This study furthers our understanding the structure–mechanical property relationship of thermoplastic elastomers, which is important for their potential design and applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 662–669     

氨基功能化磁性CoFe2O4/氧化石墨烯去除电镀废水中Cr(Ⅵ)的研究

使用改良的hummers法制备出的氧化石墨烯为载体,采用共沉淀法制备出磁性CoFe2O4/氧化石墨烯(MGO),再使用三乙烯四胺(TETA)对磁性CoFe2O4/氧化石墨烯进行氨基功能化,制备出氨基功能化磁性CoFe2O4/氧化石墨烯吸附剂.采用X-射线衍射仪(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FT-IR)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对TETA-MGO的物相、化学组成和微观形貌进行表征,以TETA-MGO作为吸附剂去除电镀废水中Cr(Ⅵ),探讨吸附性能和吸附机理,分析TETA-MGO在外加磁场下的液固分离和再生吸附性能.结果表明纳米级立方尖晶石相磁性CoFe2O4均匀生长于氧化石墨烯的表面和片层之间,TETA通过C-N键与磁性氧化石墨烯(MGO)相连,氨基功能化成功,活性吸附位点增点.室温下,pH =2时吸附效果最佳,吸附120 min时达到吸附平衡,平衡吸附量约为48.66 mg·g-1,TETA-MGO对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附动力学和吸附热力学可分别使用拟二级动力学模型和Langmuir等温吸附模型描述,吸附过程主要属于化学吸附控制的单分子层吸附,使用外加磁场可以对TETA-MGO实现简单的固液分离,TETA-MGO经过6次再生吸附后,对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量仅下降19.67;,说明具有良好的循环再生吸附能力.     

A post curing strategy toward the feasible covalent adaptable networks in polyacrylate latex films

The implementation of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) in general resin system is becoming attractive. In this work, we propose a simple post-curing strategy based on the core-shell structured acrylate latex for the achievement on both the improved general performance and the CANs characteristics in latex films. The building to the CANs was relied on the introduction of 4,4′-diaminophenyl disulfide as the curing agent, which cured the acetoacetoxy decorated shell polymer through the ketoamine reaction. The metathesis reaction of aromatic disulfides in the crosslinking segments enabled the thermally induced dynamic behavior of the network as revealed in the stress relaxation tests by comparison with other diamine crosslinking agents without the incorporation of disulfide. The synergism of the dynamic crosslinking of the shell polymer and static crosslinking in the core polymer contributed to the improved mechanical strength (15 MPa, strain% = 250%) and the suppressed water adsorption (~1% in 24 h of soaking) of the latex film, which exhibited above 90% of recovery in both strength and strain from a cut-off film damage within 1 h at 80°C. Moreover, the cured latex film could be recycled, and 75% of the mechanical performance was regained after three fragmentation-hot-pressing cycles. These, in addition with the feasible and environmental friendly characteristics, suggest a sustainable paradigm toward the smart thermosetting latex polymers.     

Multi-Interactions in Ionic Liquids for Natural Product Extraction

Natural products with a variety of pharmacological effects are important sources for commercial drugs, and it is very crucial to develop effective techniques to selectively extract and isolate bioactive natural components from the plants against the background of sustainable development. Ionic liquids (ILs) are a kind of designable material with unique physicochemical properties, including good thermal stability, negligible vapor pressure, good solvation ability, etc. ILs have already been used in pharmaceuticals for extraction, purification, drug delivery, etc. It has been reported that multi-interactions, like hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, play important roles in the extraction of bioactive components from the plants. In this review, recent progress in the understanding of scientific essence of hydrogen bonding, the special interaction, in ILs was summarized. The extraction of various natural products, one important area in pharmaceutical, by conventional and functional ILs as well as the specific roles of multi-interactions in this process were also reviewed. Moreover, problems existing in bioactive compound extraction by ILs and the future developing trends of this area are given, which might be helpful for scientists, especially beginners, in this field.