Insight into room-temperature catalytic oxidation of NO by CrO2(110): A DFT study

The first-principles DFT calculations together with microkinetic analysis reveal the complex catalytic mechanism of low-content NO oxidation on CrO₂(110) at room temperature. It quantitatively makes clear that CrO₂(110) can exhibit considerable activity with the Mars-van-Krevelen mechanism preferred, and the nitrate species serves as the key poisoning species.     

Athermal and Soft Multi-Nanopatterning of Azopolymers: Phototunable Mechanical Properties

Imprinting nanopatterns on flexible substrates has diverse applications in advanced fabrication. However, the traditional thermal nanoimprint lithography (T-NIL) often causes shrinkage upon cooling. Here, a simple yet versatile method is introduced to fabricate multiple nanopatterns on a flexible substrate coated with an azopolymer by combining athermal nanoimprint lithography (AT-NIL) and photolithography. The azopolymer has various mechanical properties upon photoirradiation: 1) phototunable glass-transition temperatures (T_g) and concomitantly photoinduced switch from glassy plastic to viscoplastic polymer; 2) prominent modulation of viscoplasticity under light illumination at different wavelengths. Regionally selective multiple nanopatterns are conveniently fabricated, presenting angle-dependent structural color images on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. The flexible, athermal and multiple nanopatterning method has the potential for on-demand fabrication of complex nanopatterns.     

Microtextures Induced by Nanosecond Laser on Ni–Co Alloy Coatings

Ni–Co alloys have a wide range of applications in various fields owning to their excellent physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. In this paper, we prepare Ni–Co alloy coatings on 316L stain steel surfaces by electroplating. We present a novel approach utilizing a nanosecond laser to induce microtextures on Ni–Co alloy coatings. We study experimentally the effects of laser power and scanning rate on the surface morphologies of Ni–Co alloy coatings. The results indicate that the shape and size of induced microtextures can be controlled by the laser power and scanning rate. The size of grains increases with increase in the work current of the laser (WCL) at a certain scanning rate. With the WCL constant, the size of grains decreases with increase in scanning rate while their average height increases. It is a simple and easily-controlled method for the fabrication of microstructures on Ni–Co alloy coatings, which has promising applications in investigations of the properties of microtextured surfaces, such as friction, adhesion, and wetting.     

SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3+核壳微球的可控合成及发光性能研究

采用简便的尿素辅助沉淀法将Gd2O3∶Tb3+成功包覆在二氧化硅微球表面合成了尺寸均匀的球形SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3核壳发光材料,解决了稀土发光材料普遍存在的形貌可控性差和颗粒尺寸不均一等问题.利用XRD、SEM、红外光谱和荧光光谱等表征测试了样品的形貌、结构和发光性能.SEM照片和尺寸分布图显示,SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3+粒子呈现均匀球形形貌,分散性良好,粒径约(608 +18) nm.XRD图谱分析表明,600℃煅烧后,壳层Gd(OH)3CO3完全转变为立方相Gd2O3,结晶性良好,无杂相生成.同时,结合红外光谱推测了SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3核壳微球的形成机理,并得出Gd2O3∶Tb3+壳层主要以Si-O-Gd键形式连接在二氧化硅微球表面.在240 nm紫外光激发下,SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3核壳微球呈现绿光发射,其中,位于540 nm处的主峰归属于Tb3+的5D4→7F5能级跃迁.不同Tb3掺杂浓度下的发射光谱表明,当Tb3+掺杂浓度为4mol;时,SiO2@Gd2O3∶Tb3+核壳微球的发射强度达到最大值,寿命为1.55 ms,色坐标位于绿色区域,展现了良好的绿光发光性能.     

Magnetic Micromotors for Multiple Motile Sperm Cells Capture,Transport, and Enzymatic Release

An integrated system combining a magnetically-driven micromotor and a synthetized protein-based hyaluronic acid (HA) microflake is presented for the in situ selection and transport of multiple motile sperm cells (ca. 50). The system appeals for targeted sperm delivery in the reproductive system to assist fertilization or to deliver drugs. The binding mechanism between the HA microflake and sperm relies on the interactions between HA and the corresponding sperm HA receptors. Once sperm are captured within the HA microflake, the assembly is trapped and transported by a magnetically-driven helical microcarrier. The trapping of the sperm-microflake occurs by a local vortex induced by the microcarrier during rotation-translation under a rotating magnetic field. After transport, the microflake is enzymatically hydrolyzed by local proteases, allowing sperm to escape and finally reach the target location. This cargo-delivery system represents a new concept to transport not only multiple motile sperm but also other actively moving biological cargoes.     

Two cubane-like [M4O4] {M = nickel(II), cobalt(II)} complexes: syntheses,crystal structures and magnetic properties

Transition Metal Chemistry - Two cubane-like complexes, namely [Ni4L4(HOEt)4] (1), [Co4L4(HOEt)4] (2) (H2L?=?(E)-2-((3-hydroxypropylimino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol), were prepared under...