Highly Selective Catalytic Oxi-upcycling of Polyethylene to Aliphatic Dicarboxylic Acid under a Mild Hydrogen-Free Process

A low-temperature hydrogen-free process for upcycling polyethylene (PE) plastics into aliphatic dicarboxylic acid is developed using a heterogeneous catalyst Ru/TiO₂. The low-density PE (LDPE) conversion can reach 95 % in 24 h under a pressure of 1.5 MPa air at 160 °C with 85 % of the liquid product yield, which mainly is low molecular weight aliphatic dicarboxylic acid. Excellent performances can be also achieved for different PE feedstocks. This catalytic oxi-upcycling process paving a new way of upcycling polyethylene waste.     

An Environmentally Benign Catalytic Method for Efficient and Selective Nucleophilic Ring Opening of Oxiranes by Zirconium Tetrakis(dodecyl Sulfate)

An operationally simple and environmentally benign protocol for a highly regio‐ and chemoselective preparation of β‐substituted alcohols by means of ring‐opening reactions of oxiranes with various aliphatic alcohols, H₂O, NaN₃, and NaCN as nucleophiles in the presence of catalytic amounts of zirconium tetrakis(dodecyl sulfate) as Lewis acid/surfactant‐combined catalysts (LASCs) was developed. The high efficiency of the catalyst was confirmed by the high product yields obtained within desired times and, in particularly by the reusability of the Zr^IV complex.     

Non-phthalate plasticizer from camphor for flexible PVC with a wide range of available temperature

A bio-based plasticizer, (1′,7′,7′-trimethyldispiro [ [1,3]dioxolane-2,2′-bicyclo [2.2.1]heptane-3′,2″- [1,3]dioxolane]-4,4″-diyl)bis (methylene) dioctanoate (abbreviated as CDO), was designed to replace a traditional phthalate-based plasticizer. The structure of CDO was analyzed by ¹H NMR. The characteristics of CDO plasticizers, which were judged to have excellent compatibility with PVC due to their solubility parameters, were evaluated by thermal and mechanical analyses and compared with dioctylphthalate (DOP). PVC with 20% CDO added was thermally stable up to 251.9 °C and exhibited excellent strength and flexibility with a high T_g derived from its robust and bulky structure. In addition, since CDO is intertwined with the polymer chain, it shows excellent migration properties in many solvents. The results of our study suggest that CDO can be applied to produce flexible PVC and to expand PVC coverage due to the improved migration resistance.     

PVC塑料流化床气化试验研究

为开发城市生活垃圾低污染流化床气化与旋风燃烧熔融技术,研究了垃圾中广泛存在的PVC塑料在流化床内的气化特性与污染物生成机理。不同温度和过量空气系数下进行了流化床PVC气化试验,分析了不同工况对PVC中Cl转化为HCl的影响。实验结果表明,反应高于600 ℃、过量空气系数大约0.4时,Cl转化为HCl的选择性达到95％以上;气化效率达到22％～25％,气化气热值达到2 000 kJ/m3～2 300 kJ/m3。反应高于700 ℃,PVC流化床气化生烟量明显减少,过量空气系数0.6时,生烟量减少到PVC质量的10％左右。提出的HCl析出与生烟机理较好地解释了试验结果,为城市生活垃圾气化熔融技术提供了相关基础数据与污染物生成及控制方法。     

Performance testing of a green plasticizer based on lactic acid for PVC

In order to develop alternative green plasticizers, a bio-based plasticizer, acetylated lactic acid 1,4-cyclohexanedimethyl ester(ALCH), with novel molecule geometry was synthesized from l-lactic acid and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The prepared ALCH was mixed with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as plasticizer and the results indicated that the PVC films plasticized by ALCH have better migration and volatility stability than acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). In addition, ALCH could endow PVC products with excellent performance of strength, elongation and elasticity. With the substitution of ALCH for ATBC, glass transition temperature (Tg) of PVC films decreased gradually from 61.3°C to 55.0 °C. The self-polymerization of lactic acid gives ALCH better plasticizing effectiveness than ATBC.     

Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization as a route to controlled copolymers of ethylene and polar monomers: Synthesis of ethylene–vinyl chloride‐like copolymers

A series of ethylene–vinyl chloride‐like copolymers were prepared by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The route to these materials included the bulk polymerization of 5‐chlorocyclooctene and 5,6‐dichlorocyclooctene with the first‐generation Grubbs' catalyst, followed by diimide hydrogenation of the resulting unsaturated polymers. In addition, the amount of chlorine in these materials was varied by the copolymerization of 5‐chlorocyclooctene with cyclooctene. These materials were fully characterized by NMR (¹H and ¹³C), gel permeation chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Finally, hydroboration was carried out on the ROMP product of 5‐chlorocyclooctene to yield a polymer, which was effectively a vinyl alcohol–vinyl chloride–ethylene terpolymer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2107–2116, 2003     

Preparation of Silica Nanoparticles from Organic Laboratory Waste of Silica Gel HF254 and Their Use as a Highly Efficient Catalyst for the One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,3‐Dihydro‐1H‐isoindolone Derivatives

Reaction of an isocyanide with an iminium ion intermediate, formed by reaction between 6‐formyl‐2,3‐dimethoxybenzoic acid and secondary amines (dibenzyl‐ or benzyl(isopropyl)amine) in the presence of silica nanoparticles (silica NPs, ca. 70 nm) proceeds smoothly at room temperature to afford 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐isoindolone derivatives in high yields.     

Graphene Oxide as a Platform for Copper Pentacyanonitrosylferrate Nanoparticles and their Behavior in the Electro‐oxidation of N‐Acetylcysteine

This work describes the preparation of graphene oxide by the Modified Hummers Method and the chemical modification of its surface with nanoparticles of copper pentacyanonitrosylferrate(III) (GOCuNP). The materials obtained were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The GOCuNP was characterized by cyclic voltammetry using a graphite paste electrode that presented electrocatalytic response for N‐acetylcysteine with detection limit of 2.97×10^?5 mol L^?1 at concentration range of 3.00×10^?5 to 6.00×10^?3 mol L^?1 of N‐acetylcysteine. By this way, the bimetallic complex formed is included in the list of materials obtained as potential candidates for the construction of electrochemical sensors for N‐acetylcysteine detection.     

Luminescent Nanoparticles of Silica‐Encapsulated Cadmium–Tellurium (CdTe) Quantum Dots with a Core–Shell Structure: Preparation and Characterization

Water‐soluble thioglycolic acid (TGA)‐capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous medium, and then encapsulated in a silica nanosphere by copolymerization of the TGA‐capped CdTe conjugated with (3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APS‐CdTe conjugate), free (3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (=3‐(triethoxysilyl)propan‐1‐amine; APS), and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in a H₂O‐in‐oil reverse microemulsion consisting of Triton X‐100, octanol, cyclohexane, and H₂O in the presence of aqueous NH₃ solution. The characterizations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and luminescence spectroscopy shows that the luminescent nanoparticles are monodisperse, spherical, and uniform in size, ca. 50 nm in diameter with a regular core–shell structure. In addition, primary amino groups directly introduced to the nanoparticle's surface by using free APS in the nanoparticle preparation enable the nanoparticles to be used easier as a biolabel. The effects of pH and metal cations on the luminescence of the nanoparticles also suggest that the new nanoparticles could be useful probes for luminescent sensings of pH and Cu²⁺ ion.     

Influence of lanthanum stearate as a co-stabilizer on stabilization efficiency of calcium/zinc stabilizers to polyvinyl chloride

Influence of lanthanum stearate (LaSt₃) as a co-stabilizer on stabilization efficiency of calcium stearate (Ca)/zinc glutarate (Zn) stabilizers to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at 180 °C in air was investigated. The results showed that combination of LaSt₃ with Ca/Zn stabilizers presented an obvious improvement of stabilization efficiency to PVC compared with the Ca/Zn stabilizers. Moreover, addition of LaSt₃ to the Ca/Zn stabilizers could significantly enhance static stability time of PVC. Incorporation of 2 phr LaSt₃ co-stabilizer to PVC containing 3 phr Ca/Zn stabilizers resulted in marked increase of onset degradation temperature and reductions in average degradation rate as well as the dynamic storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) at 180 °C. Influence of Ca/Zn ratio on tensile strength of PVC in the absence or in the presence of LaSt₃ was discussed in detail. At low Ca/Zn ratios LaSt₃ had an obvious improvement in the tensile strength, while at high Ca/Zn ratios this effect became inconspicuous.     

Nanoprecipitation of Biocompatible Poly(malic acid) Derivative,Its Ability to Encapsulate a Molecular Photothermal Agent and Photothermal Properties of the Resulting Nanoparticles

Biocompatible nanoparticles (NPs) of hydrophobic poly(benzyl malate) (PMLABe) were prepared by nanoprecipitation. The influence of nanoprecipitation parameters (initial PMLABe, addition rate, organic solvent/water ratio and stirring speed) were studied to optimize the resulting formulations in terms of hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) and dispersity (PDI). PMLABe NPs with a Dh of 160 nm and a PDI of 0.11 were isolated using the optimized nanoprecipitation conditions. A hydrophobic near infra-red (NIR) photothermally active nickel-bis(dithiolene) complex (Ni8C12) was then encapsulated into PMLABe NPs using the optimized nanoprecipitation conditions. The size and encapsulation efficiency of the NPs were measured, revealing that up to 50 weight percent (wt%) of Ni8C12 complex can efficiently be encapsulated with a slight increase in Dh of the corresponding Ni8C12-loaded NPs. Moreover, we have shown that NP encapsulating Ni8C12 were stable under storage conditions (4 °C) for at least 10 days. Finally, the photothermal properties of Ni8C12-loaded NPs were evaluated and a high photothermal efficiency (62.7 ± 6.0%) waswas measured with NPs incorporating 10 wt% of the Ni8C12 complex.     

An Efficient Catalytic Procedure for the Selective Oxidation of Sulfides to Sulfoxides by Citric Acid/Al(NO3)3.9H2O/MBr Under Mild and Heterogeneous Conditions

A wide range of aliphatic or aromatic sulfides are selectively oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides using Al(NO₃)₃.9H₂O, citric acid and a catalytic amount of KBr or NaBr in the presence of wet SiO₂ (50% w/w)in CH₂Cl₂ under mild and heterogeneous conditions in good to high yields.     

Efficient Improvement of Fluorescence Quantum Yield of Fluoreneethynylene‐Based Polymers by Introducing a Perfluoroalkylbenzene Unit to the Polymers

In comparison with poly(9,9‐dialkylfluorene)s widely used in organic optoelectronic devices, poly(9,9‐dialkylfluoreneethynylene)s ( PFEs ) have attracted less attention partly because of their poor fluorescence quantum yield (FQY) in the solid state. In order to improve the FQY, a 1,4‐bis(perfluorohexyl)benzene (BFB) unit was introduced to PFEs , and the results showed that the absolute FQY in the solid state was dependent on the mol‐% of the BFB unit in the copolymers. When mol‐% was 40 and 50%, respectively, the absolute FQY had greatly increased from 4.9% of PFE to 7.8 and 17.4% of the copolymers, respectively. For comparison, a 1,4‐dihexylbenzene (DHB) unit was also introduced to PFE , whereas the obtained copolymer showed the absolute FQY of 3.8%, suggesting that the DHB unit was not suitable for improvement of the FQY of PFEs . Electrochemically, the PFE containing BFB units showed lower reduction potential than that of PFE . All the fluorine‐containing polymers have good thermal stability.

     

聚 (4-乙烯基吡啶硝酸盐)、硅硫酸和溴化铵催化氧化硫化物生成亚砜

 A new catalytic procedure for the chemoselective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides was studied. A variety of aliphatic and aromatic sulfides were subjected to sulfoxidation by combining poly(4-vinyl pyridinium nitrate), silica sulfuric acid (SiO₂-OSO₃H), and catalytic amounts of ammonium bromide in CH₂Cl₂ in the presence of a few drops of water at room temperature. Excellent yields were obtained.     

水在超临界二氧化碳中作为直接氢供体：一种经典有效的Zn-H2O-CO2体系化学选择性还原硝基苯类化合物为芳香胺

本文报道了在绿色廉价的还原体系Zn-H2O-CO2中,一系列硝基苯类化合物高选择性,高产率(80-97%)地被还原成为相应芳香胺的过程。该反应体系以H2O作为氢源,以CO2作为反应溶剂,实现了还原反应的绿色化。