Hydrogen peroxide and glucose biosensor based on silver nanowires synthesized by polyol process

Silver nanowires synthesized through a polyol process using polyvinylpyrrolidone as protection (PVP-AgNWs) were used as a new electrode material for constructing a sensor. Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and glucose were used as analytes to demonstrate the sensor performance of the PVP-AgNWs. It is found that the PVP-AgNWs-modified glassy carbon electrode (PVP-AgNWs/GCE) exhibits remarkable catalytic performance toward H(2)O(2) reduction. This sensor has a fast amperometric response time of less than 2 s and the catalytic current is linear over the concentration of H(2)O(2) ranging from 20 μM to 3.62 mM (R = 0.998) with a detection limit of 2.3 μM estimated on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. A glucose biosensor was constructed by immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOD) onto the surface of the PVP-AgNWs/GCE. The resultant glucose biosensor can be used for glucose detection in human blood serum with a sensitivity of 15.86 μA mM(-1) cm(-2) and good selectivity and stability.     

A ratiometric fluorescent chemosensor for iron: discrimination of Fe2+ and Fe3+ and living cell application

A newly designed probe, 6-thiophen-2-yl-5,6-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo-[1,2-c] quinazoline (HL(1)) behaves as a highly selective ratiometric fluorescent sensor for Fe(2+) at pH 4.0-5.0 and Fe(3+) at pH 6.5-8.0 in acetonitrile-HEPES buffer (1/4) (v/v) medium. A decrease in fluorescence at 412 nm and increase in fluorescence at 472 nm with an isoemissive point at 436 nm with the addition of Fe(2+) salt solution is due to the formation of mononuclear Fe(2+) complex [Fe(II)(HL)(ClO(4))(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)] (1) in acetonitrile-HEPES buffer (100 mM, 1/4, v/v) at pH 4.5 and a decrease in fluorescence at 412 nm and increase in fluorescence at 482 nm with an isoemissive point at 445 nm during titration by Fe(3+) salt due to the formation of binary Fe(3+) complex, [Fe(III)(L)(2)(ClO(4))(H(2)O)] (2) with co-solvent at biological pH 7.4 have been established. Binding constants (K(a)) in the solution state were calculated to be 3.88 × 10(5) M(-1) for Fe(2+) and 0.21 × 10(3) M(-1/2) for Fe(3+) and ratiometric detection limits for Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) were found to be 2.0 μM and 3.5 μM, respectively. The probe is a "naked eye" chemosensor for two states of iron. Theoretical calculations were studied to establish the configurations of probe-iron complexes. The sensor is efficient for detecting Fe(3+)in vitro by developing a good image of the biological organelles.     

Epitaxial thin films of ATiO(3-x)H(x) (A = Ba, Sr, Ca) with metallic conductivity

Epitaxial thin films of titanium perovskite oxyhydride ATiO(3-x)H(x) (A = Ba, Sr, Ca) were prepared by CaH(2) reduction of epitaxial ATiO(3) thin films deposited on a (LaAlO(3))(0.3)(SrAl(0.5)Ta(0.5)O(3))(0.7) substrate. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy detected a substantial amount and uniform distribution of hydride within the film. SrTiO(3)/LSAT thin film hydridized at 530 °C for 1 day had hydride concentration of 4.0 × 10(21) atoms/cm(3) (i.e., SrTiO(2.75)H(0.25)). The electric resistivity of all the ATiO(3-x)H(x) films exhibited metallic (positive) temperature dependence, as opposed to negative as in BaTiO(3-x)H(x) powder, revealing that ATiO(3-x)H(x) are intrinsically metallic, with high conductivity of 10(2)-10(4) S/cm. Treatment with D(2) gas results in hydride/deuteride exchange of the films; these films should be valuable in further studies on hydride diffusion kinetics. Combined with the materials' inherent high electronic conductivity, new mixed electron/hydride ion conductors may also be possible.     

表面活性剂碳化法合成Fe3O4/C复合物及其电化学性能

以水热法合成的包覆油酸的α-Fe₂O₃粒子为前驱体, 在氩气下500 °C煅烧1 h, 得到Fe₃O₄/C纳米复合物. 用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱, X射线衍射(XRD), 扫描电镜(SEM), X射线能量散射(EDX)谱, 高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM), 元素分析, 循环伏安(CV)和恒流充放电测试等方法对材料的结构、形貌、成分及电化学性能进行了表征. 结果表明: 所制备的Fe₃O₄/C复合物呈长约200 nm, 粗约100 nm的纺锤形, 表面碳层厚约1-2 nm, 碳含量为1.956%(质量分数); 这种复合物作为锂离子电池负极材料具有很好的循环稳定性(在0.2C (1C=928 mA·g^-1)循环80次后具有691.7 mAh·g^-1比容量)和倍率性能(在2C循环20次后依然有520 mAh·g^-1比容量). 相对于未包覆的商业Fe₃O₄粒子, 复合物显著提高的电化学性能是由于碳包覆能防止粒子聚集, 提高导电性以及稳定固体电解质界面(SEI)膜.     

Synthesis, composition, and structure of sillenite-type solid solutions in the Bi2O3-SiO2-MnO2 system

Individual compounds and solid solutions are obtained under hydrothermal conditions in the Bi(2)O(3)-SiO(2)-MnO(2) system in the form of faceted crystals and epitaxial films on the Bi(24)Si(2)O(40) substrate. The crystals have the shape of a cube (for the molar ratio of the starting components Na(2)SiO(3)·9H(2)O:Mn(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O > 1), a tetrahedron (for Na(2)SiO(3)·9H(2)O:Mn(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O < 1), or a tetrahedron-cube combination (for Na(2)SiO(3)·9H(2)O:Mn(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O = 1). Crystal-chemical analysis based on the data of single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectra, and the results of calculation of the local balance by the bond-valence method reveals formation of the Bi(24)(Si(4+),Mn(4+))(2)O(40) phases, which probably include Mn(5+) ions (epitaxial films), as well as the Bi(24)(Si(4+),Bi(3+),Mn(4+))(2)O(40) and Bi(24)(Si(4+),Mn(4+))(2)O(40) phases in the (1 - x)Bi(3+)(24)Si(4+)(2)O(40) - x(Bi(3+)(24)Mn(4+)(2)O(40)) system and the Bi(24)(Bi(3+),Mn(4+))(2)O(40) phase in the (1 - x)Bi(3+)(24)Bi(3+)(2)(O(39)?(1)) - x(Bi(3+)(24)Mn(4+)(2)O(40)) system. Precision X-ray diffraction studies of single crystals of the Bi(24)(Bi,Si,Mn)(2)O(40) general composition show that these sillenites crystallize in space group P23 and not I23 as the Bi(24)Si(2)O(40) phase. The dissymmetrization of sillenite phases is observed for the first time. It is explained by a kinetic (growth) phase transition of the order-disorder type due to population of a crystallographic site by atoms with different crystal-chemical properties and quasi-equilibrium conditions of crystal growth in the course of a hydrothermal synthesis below 400 °C at unequal molar amounts of the starting components in the batch.     

A novel non-enzymatic glucose sensor modified with Fe2O3 nanowire arrays

Fe(2)O(3) was generally considered to be biologically and electrochemically inert, and its electrocatalytic functionality has been rarely realized directly in the past. In this work, Fe(2)O(3) nanowire arrays were synthesized and electrochemically characterized. The as prepared Fe(2)O(3) nanomaterial was proved to be an ideal electrode material due to the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity. The Fe(2)O(3) nanowire array modified glucose sensor exhibited excellent biocatalytic performance towards the oxidation of glucose with a response time of <6 s, a linear range between 0.015-8 mM, and sensitivity of 726.9 μA mM(-1)cm(-1). Additionally, a high sensing selectivity towards glucose oxidation in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA) has also been obtained at their maximum physiological concentrations, which makes the Fe(2)O(3) nanomaterial promising for the development of effective electrochemical sensors for practical applications.     

Solid oxide fuel cells with both high voltage and power output by utilizing beneficial interfacial reaction

An intriguing cell concept by applying proton-conducting oxide as the ionic conducting phase in the anode and taking advantage of beneficial interfacial reaction between anode and electrolyte is proposed to successfully achieve both high open circuit voltage (OCV) and power output for SOFCs with thin-film samarium doped ceria (SDC) electrolyte at temperatures higher than 600 °C. The fuel cells were fabricated by conventional route without introducing an additional processing step. A very thin and dense interfacial layer (2-3 μm) with compositional gradient was created by in situ reaction between anode and electrolyte although the anode substrate had high surface roughness (>5 μm), which is, however, beneficial for increasing triple phase boundaries where electrode reactions happen. A fuel cell with Ni-BaZr(0.4)Ce(0.4)Y(0.2)O(3) anode, thin-film SDC electrolyte and Ba(0.5)Sr(0.5)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-δ) (BSCF) cathode has an OCV as high as 1.022 V and delivered a power density of 462 mW cm(-2) at 0.7 V at 600 °C. It greatly promises an intriguing fuel cell concept for efficient power generation.     

Rigid MIIL2Gd2III (M = Fe, Ru) complexes of a terpyridine-based heteroditopic chelate: a class of candidates for MRI contrast agents

Rigid chelates of high-molecular weight, [M(tpy-DTTA)2]6- (M = Fe, Ru), are obtained upon self-assembly around one M(II) ion of two terpyridine-based molecules substituted in the 4'-position with the polyaminocarboxylate diethylenetriamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate, tpy-DTTA4-. The protonation constants of tpy-DTTA4- (log K1 = 8.65(4), log K2 = 7.63(4), log K3 = 5.25(6), log K4 = 3.30(7)) and [Fe(tpy-DTTA)2]6- (log K1 = 8.40(4), log K2 = 7.26(4)) have been determined by potentiometry, 1H NMR and UV-vis titrations. The thermodynamic stability constant log K(GdL) of [Fe(tpy-DTTA)2Gd2(H2O)4] measured at 25 degrees C by potentiometry is 10.87. This relatively low value is due to the direct linkage of the polyaminocarboxylate part to the electron-withdrawing terpyridine. UV-vis absorbance spectra of [M(tpy-DTTA)2Gd2(H2O)4] and 1H NMR spectra of [M(tpy-DTTA)2Eu2(H2O)4] revealed similar solution behavior of the Fe and Ru complexes. An I(d) water-exchange mechanism (DeltaV++ = +6.8 +/- 1 cm3 mol(-1)) with a rate constant of k(ex)298 = (5.1 +/- 0.3) x 10(6) s(-1) has been found for [Fe(tpy-DTTA)2Gd2(H2O)4] by 17O NMR. A slow rotational correlation time (tau(RO) = 410 +/- 10 ps) and the presence of two water molecules (q = 2) in the coordination inner-sphere of each Gd(III) ion have also been determined for this complex. A remarkably high relaxivity has been observed for both [M(tpy-DTTA)2Gd2(H2O)4] complexes (at 20 MHz and 37 degrees C, r(1) = 15.7 mM(-1) s(-1) for the Fe complex, and r(1) = 15.6 mM(-1) s(-1) for the Ru complex).     

低温熔盐法制备球状多孔 La1-xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3（0≤x≤0.6）及其催化 CO氧化性能

汽车尾气中 CO, HC, NOx,硫化物及其颗粒粉尘严重危害人们身体健康和大气环境,是大气环境的主要污染源之一.目前,尾气净化是其减排的最主要方式.汽车尾气催化剂的发展经历了几代的研究,一直以来广泛采用 Pt, Pd和 Rh等贵金属,但因其资源匮乏,价格昂贵,容易被 S和 P中毒,因此人们逐渐将目光投向非贵金属催化剂的研发.钙钛矿复合氧化物因具有独特的物理化学性质以及灵活的“化学剪裁”特性而在材料研究等领域颇受青睐,有望成为贵金属催化剂的替代品.一般而言,催化剂的比表面积越大,表面活性位点越多,其催化活性越高,且会明显降低起燃温度.目前,一些制备工艺,如水热法、共沉淀法、微乳液法和硬模板法,虽可在一定程度上提高催化剂的比表面积,但却存在费时、耗能及制备工艺复杂等缺点.因此,如何简单有效地制备出大比表面积的钙钛矿型催化剂依然是一个难题.本文以合成的分级多孔δ-MnO2微球为模板,采用熔盐法制备出球状多孔 La1-xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3(0≤x≤0.6)钙钛矿氧化物,研究了球状多孔钙钛矿氧化物的形成过程和合适的制备温度,以及 B位 Fe3+掺杂量为20%时 A位 Sr2+掺杂量对钙钛矿催化剂结构和催化活性的影响.采用 X射线粉末衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、N2吸附-脱附、傅里叶红外光谱(FT-IR)和 X射线能谱(XPS)等方法对催化剂进行了表征.在固定床石英管反应器上评价了催化剂催化 CO氧化活性及稳定性,采用气相色谱联接氢火焰离子化检测器检测了产物和反应物的组成.结果表明,以分级多孔δ-MnO2微球为模板,采用熔盐法在450oC反应4 h制备出的球状多孔 La1-xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3(0≤x≤0.6)钙钛矿氧化物具有良好的结晶性、较大的比表面积(55.73 m2/g)和孔体积(0.37 cm3/g).其球状多孔结构的形成可分为两个阶段：原位形成钙钛矿相和纳片表面析出钙钛矿晶粒及钙钛矿晶粒的再生长.另外, FT-IR光谱表明, Fe3+和 Sr2+成功进入 A, B位.同时, CO转化曲线表明, B位 Fe3+的掺杂量为20%时, A位 Sr2+的掺杂量高于30%时可以明显改善催化剂催化 CO氧化活性： La1-xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3(0≤x≤0.3)的T50和T90分别在180和198oC左右;而 La0.55Sr0.45Mn0.8Fe0.2O3和 La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3的T50均低于125oC; La0.55Sr0.45Mn0.8Fe0.2O3的T90为181oC,而 La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3却仍低于125oC. XPS结果则证明,较高的催化活性得益于 La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3表面存在较多的 Mn4+、氧空位及吸附氧.最后, La0.55Sr0.45Mn0.8Fe0.2O3和 La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3的稳定性测试结果表明,采用熔盐法以δ-MnO2为模板在450oC焙烧4 h制备的多孔球状钙钛矿具有较好的催化稳定性.虽然催化剂制备工艺简单,周期短,但比表面积最大只有55.73 m2/g,为硬模板法的1/2,因此提高比表面积将是今后研究的方向.     

Uranyl and/or rare-earth mellitates in extended organic-inorganic networks: a unique case of heterometallic cation-cation interaction with U(VI)═O-Ln(III) bonding (Ln = Ce, Nd)

A series of uranyl and lanthanide (trivalent Ce, Nd) mellitates (mel) has been hydrothermally synthesized in aqueous solvent. Mixtures of these 4f and 5f elements also revealed the formation of a rare case of lanthanide-uranyl coordination polymers. Their structures, determined by XRD single-crystal analysis, exhibit three distinct architectures. The pure lanthanide mellitate Ln(2)(H(2)O)(6)(mel) possesses a 3D framework built up from the connection of isolated LnO(6)(H(2)O)(3) polyhedra (tricapped trigonal prism) through the mellitate ligand. The structure of the uranyl mellitate (UO(2))(3)(H(2)O)(6)(mel)·11.5H(2)O is lamellar and consists of 8-fold coordinated uranium atoms linked to each other through the organic ligand giving rise to the formation of a 2D 3(6) net. The third structural type, (UO(2))(2)Ln(OH)(H(2)O)(3)(mel)·2.5H(2)O, involves direct oxygen bondings between the lanthanide and uranyl centers, with the isolation of a heterometallic dinuclear motif. The 9-fold coordinated Ln cation, LnO(5)(OH)(H(2)O)(3), is linked to the 7-fold coordinated uranyl (UO(2))O(4)(OH) (pentagonal bipyramid) via one μ(2)-hydroxo group and one μ(2)-oxo group. The latter is shared between the uranyl bonding (U═O = 1.777(4)/1.779(6) ?) and a long Ln-O bonding (Ce-O = 2.822(4) ?; Nd-O = 2.792(6) ?). This unusual linkage is a unique illustration of the so-called cation-cation interaction associating 4f and 5f metals. The dinuclear motif is then further connected through the mellitate ligand, and this generates organic-inorganic layers that are linked to each other via discrete uranyl (UO(2))O(4) units (square bipyramid), which ensure the three-dimensional cohesion of the structure. The mixed U-Ln carboxylate is thermally decomposed from 260 to 280 °C and then transformed into the basic uranium oxide (U(3)O(8)) together with U-Ln oxide with the fluorite structural type ("(Ln,U)O(2)"). At 1400 °C, only fluorite type "(Ln,U)O(2)" is formed with the measured stoichiometry of U(0.63)Ce(0.37)O(2) and U(0.60)Nd(0.40)O(2-δ).     

Validated stability indicating LC method for carprofen: characterization of degradation products by MS

A simple, sensitive, and selective stability indicating high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for quantitative analysis of carprofen (CPF) in presence of its degradation products. All degradation products in acid hydrolysis and photolysis were separated, identified by mass spectroscopic method and probable structures were elucidated. The forced degradation studies were performed on a bulk sample of CPF by using various methods like 0.1 M hydrochloric acid, 0.1 M sodium hydroxide, 0.33% hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O), heating at 60°C and exposure to UV light at 254 nm. A 5 μm particle octa desyl silane (ODS) column (150 mm × 4.6 mm) was used with acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (100 mM, pH-6.7) 40:60 (v/v) as a mobile phase at flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. Column oven temperature was maintained at 30°C and quantitation was achieved at 239 nm on the basis of peak area. The linear range and correlation coefficient (r(2)) was found 0.5-60 μg/mL and 0.9999 respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were obtained 0.066 μg/mL and 0.20 μg/mL respectively . The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for quantitative analysis, stability study and characterisation of degradation product of CPF.     

Temperature dependence of the Fricke dosimeter and spur expansion time in the low-LET high-temperature radiolysis of water up to 350 °C: a Monte-Carlo simulation study

Monte-Carlo simulations of the radiolysis of the ferrous sulfate (Fricke) dosimeter with low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation (such as (60)Co γ-rays or fast electrons) have been performed as a function of temperature from 25 to 350 °C. The predicted yields of Fe(2+) oxidation are found to increase with increasing temperature up to ～100-150 °C, and then tend to remain essentially constant at higher temperatures, in very good agreement with experiment. By using a simple method based on the direct application of the stoichiometric relationship that exists between the ferric ion yields so obtained G(Fe(3+)) and the sum {3 [g(e(-)(aq) + H˙) + g(HO(2)˙)] + g(˙OH) + 2 g(H(2)O(2))}, where g(e(-)(aq) + H˙), g(HO(2)˙), g(˙OH), and g(H(2)O(2)) are the primary radical and molecular yields of the radiolysis of deaerated 0.4 M H(2)SO(4) aqueous solutions, the lifetime (τ(s)) of the spur and its temperature dependence have been determined. In the spirit of the spur model, τ(s) is an important indicator for overlapping spurs, giving the time required for the changeover from nonhomogeneous spur kinetics to homogeneous kinetics in the bulk solution. The calculations show that τ(s) decreases by about an order of magnitude over the 25-350 °C temperature range, going from ～4.2 × 10(-7) s at 25 °C to ～5.7 × 10(-8) s at 350 °C. This decrease in τ(s) with increasing temperature mainly originates from the quicker diffusion of the individual species involved. Moreover, the observed dependence of G(Fe(3+)) on temperature largely reflects the influence of temperature upon the primary free-radical product yields of the radiolysis, especially the yield of H˙ atoms. Above ～200-250 °C, the more and more pronounced intervention of the reaction of H˙ atoms with water also contributes to the variation of G(Fe(3+)), which may decrease or increase slightly, depending on the choice made for the rate constant of this reaction. All calculations reported herein use the radiolysis database of Elliot (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) and Bartels (University of Notre Dame) that contains all the best currently available information on the rate constants, reaction mechanisms, and g-values in the range 20 to 350 °C.     

Fe(III)/NaBH(4)-Mediated Free Radical Hydrofluorination of Unactivated Alkenes

A powerful Fe(III)/NaBH(4)-mediated free radical hydrofluorination of unactivated alkenes is disclosed using Selectfluor reagent as a source of fluorine and resulting in exclusive Markovnikov addition. In contrast to the traditional and unmanageable free radical hydrofluorination of alkenes, the Fe(III)/NaBH(4)-mediated reaction is conducted under exceptionally mild reaction conditions (0 °C, 5 min, CH(3)CN/H(2)O). The reaction can be conducted open to the air and with water as a cosolvent and demonstrates an outstanding substrate scope and functional group tolerance.     

Prussian Blue bulk modified screen-printed electrodes for H(2)O(2) detection and for biosensors

A sensor for H(2)O(2) amperometric detection based on a Prussian Blue (PB) bulk modified carbon screen-printed electrode was developed. It has been optimised with respect to the lowest limit of detection achieved. PB was made chemically by the reaction of FeCl(3) with K(4)[Fe(CN)(6)]. The resulting powder, obtained by forced crystallisation induced by acetone, was dried and activated at 150 degrees C for 10 h. PB microparticles (<38 mum) were prepared and mixed with carbon ink. The limit of detection achieved was 0.4 muM with the linear range up to 100 muM of H(2)O(2) with the sensitivity of 137 muA mM(-1) cm(-2), that was comparable with sensors based on electrodeposited PB film. The transducer was applied for a glucose biosensor, that exhibited LOD of 0.22 mM, linear range up to 3 mM, K(M)(app) of 4.6 mM, and the sensitivity of 3.21+/-0.16 muA mM(-1) cm(-2). The peroxide sensor, as well as the glucose biosensor, were totally insensitive to oxygen, ascorbate, urate, and paracetamol.     

On the reactivity of mononuclear iron(V)oxo complexes

Ferric tetraamido macrocyclic ligand (TAML)-based catalysts [Fe{C(6)H(4)-1,2-(NCOCMe(2)NCO)(2)CR(2)}(OH(2))]PPh(4) [1; R = Me (a), Et (b)] are oxidized by m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid at -40 °C in acetonitrile containing trace water in two steps to form Fe(V)oxo complexes (2a,b). These uniquely authenticated Fe(V)(O) species comproportionate with the Fe(III) starting materials 1a,b to give μ-oxo-(Fe(IV))(2) dimers. The comproportionation of 1a-2a is faster and that of 1b-2b is slower than the oxidation by 2a,b of sulfides (p-XC(6)H(4)SMe) to sulfoxides, highlighting a remarkable steric control of the dynamics. Sulfide oxidation follows saturation kinetics in [p-XC(6)H(4)SMe] with electron-rich substrates (X = Me, H), but changes to linear kinetics with electron-poor substrates (X = Cl, CN) as the sulfide affinity for iron decreases. As the sulfide becomes less basic, the Fe(IV)/Fe(III) ratio at the end of reaction for 2b suggests a decreasing contribution of concerted oxygen-atom transfer (Fe(V) → Fe(III)) concomitant with increasing electron transfer oxidation (Fe(V) → Fe(IV)). Fe(V) is more reactive toward PhSMe than Fe(IV) by 4 orders of magnitude, a gap even larger than that known for peroxidase Compounds I and II. The findings reinforce prior work typecasting TAML activators as faithful peroxidase mimics.     

Three banana-shaped arsenomolybdates encapsulating a hexanuclear transition-metal central magnetic cluster: [As(III)2Fe(III)5MMo22O85(H2O)]n- (M = Fe3+, n = 14; M = Ni2+ and Mn2+, n = 15)

Three polyoxometalates encapsulating high-nuclearity magnetic clusters MFe(5), [As(2)MFe(5)Mo(22)O(85)(H(2)O)](n-) (M = Fe(3+), n = 14; M = Ni(2+) and Mn(2+), n = 15), were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and magnetism measurements. The polyanion [As(2)MFe(5)Mo(22)O(85)(H(2)O)](n-) consists of a central MMo(7)O(28) (M = Fe(3+), Ni(2+), and Mn(2+)) fragment and two AsMo(7)O(27) fragments linked together by two trimeric clusters, Fe(2)MoO(μ(2)-O)(2) and Fe(3)(H(2)O), to form a banana-shaped structure with C(1) symmetry. The MMo(7)O(28) and AsMo(7)O(27) units have a similar structure and can be considered as a monocapped hexavacant α-B-Keggin subunit with a central MO(4) group or a central As(III)O(3) group. The polyoxometalates have a low absorption of υ(Mo-O(d)) (925-913 cm(-1)) because most of the Mo atoms in the polyanions have at least two longer Mo-O(d) bonds. The framework of the arsenomolybdates is stable before As(2)O(3) escaping (ca. 300 °C). The analysis of magnetostructural correlations and magnetism measurements indicate the coexistence of ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions, which give an overall ferromagnetic spin ground state in the compounds.     

Self-organised microdots formed by dewetting in a highly volatile liquid

Dewetting induced self-organisation was used to prepare an ordered microstructure from a highly volatile liquid. Dewetting of an evaporating iron oxide precursor solute on silicon substrate resulted in arrays of microdots with nearly hexagonal and tetragonal symmetries. Ordered structures form either by stick-slip motion or fingering instability at the receding contact line of evaporating droplets. Subsequent thermal treatment at 550 °C yields crystalline Fe(2)O(3) microdots with a diameter range of 1-4 μm. The size, density and shape of the microdots can be changed by using patterned substrates with different surface energies.     

Improved photocatalytic activity of WO3 through clustered Fe2O3 for organic degradation in the presence of H2O2

Photocatalytic degradation of organic substrates over WO(3) in an aerated aqueous suspension is very slow due to the difficulty of O(2) reduction by the conduction band electron on WO(3). In this work, we report on H(2)O(2) as an electron scavenger significantly accelerating the photodegradation of phenol and azo-dye X3B in water under UV or visible light. More importantly, an iron-containing WO(3) (FeW) synthesized through thermal decomposition of a ferrotungstenic acid displayed a much higher activity than pure WO(3) (HW) prepared in parallel. As the sintering temperature increased, both FeW and HW showed an exponential increase in activity. The maximum rate constant of phenol degradation obtained with FeW at 400 °C was about 2 times larger than that with HW at 600 °C. Sample characterization with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and other techniques revealed that ferric species (0.3 wt % Fe(2)O(3)) were mainly present as clusters on the oxide surface at 120 °C and then they diffused toward the lattice sites of WO(3) at high temperature, which was detrimental to the photocatalytic reaction. 5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide spin-trapping EPR showed that the production of hydroxyl radicals was greatly enhanced upon the addition of H(2)O(2), the trend of which among different catalysts was the same as that of the rate of phenol degradation. The catalysts after excitation at 350 nm displayed a blue emission centered at 469 nm, the intensity of which varied with the catalyst activity nearly as expected. A possible mechanism for the improved photoactivity of WO(3) is proposed involving the electron transfer from WO(3) to Fe(2)O(3) and the reaction of the reduced oxide with H(2)O(2) to generate hydroxyl radicals.     

Molybdenum(VI) catalysts obtained from η3-allyl dicarbonyl precursors: synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance in cyclooctene epoxidation

The oxidative decarbonylation of the η(3)-allyl dicarbonyl complexes [Mo(η(3)-C(3)H(5))Cl(CO)(2)(L)] (L = 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) (1), 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (di-tBu-bipy) (2)) by reaction with aqueous tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) or H(2)O(2) gave the following compounds in good to excellent yields: the oxo-bridged dimers [MoO(2)Cl(L)](2)O (L = bipy (3), di-tBu-bipy (6)) using TBHP(10 equiv.)/CH(3)CN/r.t.; the molybdenum oxide/bipyridine hybrid material {[MoO(3)(bipy)][MoO(3)(H(2)O)]}(n) (4) and the octanuclear complex [Mo(8)O(24)(di-tBu-bipy)(4)] (7) using TBHP(50 equiv.)/H(2)O/70 °C; the oxodiperoxo complexes MoO(O(2))(2)(L) (L = bipy (5), di-tBu-bipy (8)) using H(2)O(2)(10 equiv.)/CH(3)CN/r.t. The structure of 7·x(solvent) (where solvent = CH(2)Cl(2) and/or diethyl ether) was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Despite possessing the same windmill-type complex as that described previously for 7·10CH(2)Cl(2), the crystal structure of 7·x(solvent) is unique due to differences in the crystal packing. Compounds 1-8 were examined as catalysts or catalyst precursors for the epoxidation of cyclooctene using aqueous TBHP or H(2)O(2) as oxidant at 55 or 70 °C. Reactions were performed without co-solvent or with the addition of water, ethanol or acetonitrile. Cyclooctene oxide was always the only reaction product. Solids recovered after 24 h reaction at 70 °C were identified by FT-IR spectroscopy as the hybrid 4 from (1,3-5)/TBHP, complex 5 from (1,3-5)/H(2)O(2), and complex 8 from (2,6-8)/H(2)O(2). With TBHP as oxidant, the highest epoxide yields (for 24 h reaction at 70 °C) were obtained using excess H(2)O as solvent (28-38% for 1,3-5; 87-98% for 2,6-8), while with H(2)O(2) as oxidant, the highest epoxide yields were obtained using CH(3)CN as solvent (54-81% for 3-8).     

Magnetic hard/soft nanocomposite ferrite aligned hollow microfibers and remanence enhancement

The nanocomposite SrFe(12)O(19)/Ni(0.5)Zn(0.5)Fe(2)O(4) ferrite aligned hollow microfibers with the hollow diameter to the fiber diameter estimated about 3/5 have been prepared by the gel precursor transformation process. The nanocomposite binary ferrites with different mass ratios are formed after the precursor calcined at 900°C for 2h, fabricating from SrFe(12)O(19) nanoparticles and Ni(0.5)Zn(0.5)Fe(2)O(4) nanoparticles with a uniform phase distribution. These nanocomposite ferrite microfibers show a combination of magnetic characteristics for the hard (SrFe(12)O(19)) and soft (Ni(0.5)Zn(0.5)Fe(2)O(4)) phase with an enhanced remanence owing to the exchange-coupling interactions. The aligned microfibers exhibit a shape anisotropy.