The oxygen sensitive properties of (LaBa)Co2O5+δ thin films fabricated by polymer-assisted deposition technique

(LaBa)Co₂O_5+δ (LBCO) thin films were successfully fabricated on Si (001) substrates by polymer-assisted deposition method. Microstructures were examined by X-ray diffraction technique, which confirmed the films were a single phase, pseudo cubic structure. The electrical transport properties of the films were investigated by the temperature dependence of films resistance, which suggested that LBCO films have typical semiconductor properties. After circle tests, the oxygen–hydrogen response rate did not show obvious variation in the specific temperature environment of 580 °C. This demonstrates that the LBCO thin films have a superior stability in both oxygen and hydrogen (6 % H₂, 94 % N₂) environment. Simultaneously, the drastic changes of films resistance (from ~10⁶ to ~10² Ω) with the switch of redox (O₂–H₂) environment within such a short time (~2.2 s) indicated that LBCO films have an excellent oxygen sensitive property and extraordinary fast surface exchange rate.     

Theoretical investigation of substitution and end-group effects on poly(p-phenylene vinylene)s

Semi-empirical AM1 and ZINDO/S, as well as density function theory (DFT) method B3LYP/6-31G(d) quantum chemical calculations were carried out to study the electronic structures and optical properties of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) derivatives (PPVs) with 10 and 11 phenylene rings in the backbone. The calculations suggest that the assembly of alternate incorporation of CN and alkoxy substituted phenylene rings in the PPV backbone could be a good way to construct organic semiconductors with low HOMO/LUMO energy band-gaps. The effect of the end-group on the electronic structures and optical properties of the conjugated polymer was investigated by the calculated UV-Vis and UPS spectra. It was demonstrated that the aldehyde and phosphate end-groups have limited effects on the photophysical properties in the UV-visible range.     

A new type of microemulsion containing task-special ionic liquid [NH2ebim][BF4]

The formation of microemulsions in the presence of cyclohexane, Triton X-100, n-butanol, water, and task-special ionic liquid (TSIL) (1-2-aminoethyl-3-butylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) was studied at 25°C. The phase behavior of this ternary system was investigated. Three subregions (namely, water-in-oil phase, bicontinuous phase, and oil-in-water phase) were identified in the single-phase region by dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique and electrical conductivity measurement. Microstructures of microemulsions with different water contents have been predicted by using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation. It was found that the DPD simulations successfully reproduce the experimental results in the article. The location of TSIL in the microemulsions was predicted by DPD simulation further. The result indicates that TSIL is more easy to locate in the surfactant and cosurfactant layer and has amphiphilicity, which provides us new insights into the potential applications of TSIL-based microemulsions in separation and new nano-scale material preparation because of the interaction of TSIL with some special components at the interface of oil and water.     

Transient and Persistent Room‐Temperature Mechanoluminescence from a White‐Light‐Emitting AIEgen with Tricolor Emission Switching Triggered by Light

Persistent luminescence from purely organic materials is basically triggered by light and electricity, which largely confines its practical applications. A purely organic AIEgen exhibits not only persistent photoluminescence, but also transient and persistent room‐temperature mechanoluminescence. By simply turning on and off a UV lamp, tricolor emission switching between blue, white, and yellow was achieved. The data from single‐crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculation suggest that mechanism of the observed persistent mechanoluminescence (pML) is correlated with the strong spin–orbit coupling of the bromine atom, as well as the formation of H‐aggregates and restriction of intramolecular motions in noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. These results outline a fundamental principle for the development of new pML materials, providing an important step forward in expanding the application scope of persistent luminescence.     

Soft Phonon Modes Leading to Ultralow Thermal Conductivity and High Thermoelectric Performance in AgCuTe

Crystalline solids with intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity (κ_L) are crucial to realizing high‐performance thermoelectric (TE) materials. Herein, we show an ultralow κ_L of 0.35 Wm^?1 K^?1 in AgCuTe, which has a remarkable TE figure‐of‐merit, zT of 1.6 at 670 K when alloyed with 10 mol % Se. First‐principles DFT calculation reveals several soft phonon modes in its room‐temperature hexagonal phase, which are also evident from low‐temperature heat‐capacity measurement. These phonon modes, dominated by Ag vibrations, soften further with temperature giving a dynamic cation disorder and driving the superionic transition. Intrinsic factors cause an ultralow κ_L in the room‐temperature hexagonal phase, while the dynamic disorder of Ag/Cu cations leads to reduced phonon frequencies and mean free paths in the high‐temperature rocksalt phase. Despite the cation disorder at elevated temperatures, the crystalline conduits of the rigid anion sublattice give a high power factor.     

固定化酶在生物医学上的应用(Ⅰ)——聚丙烯酰胺固定化尿酶的制备及性能

本文以交联聚丙烯酰胺对尿酶包埋进行了研究,制备出了球形固定化尿酶,其含酶量高(1份酶对1份聚合物),相对活性为50%左右,对尿素的分解活性:120m/ml(固定化尿酶,37℃,2小时),提高了稳定性,在4℃下,66天后活性降低8%,106天后活性降低22%,37℃下11天后活性降低18%,并且不泄漏酶。基于以上特点,该固定化尿酶为吸附型人工肾提供了一个较合适的活性材料。     

Antibacterial poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) fibrous membranes containing quaternary ammonium salts

In this study, antimicrobial membranes based on biodegradable material poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB‐4HB)] and quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) by two methods have been performed. Three QASs with varied alkyl chain lengths have been synthesized successfully and characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared. The synthesized QASs were blended with P(3HB‐4HB) and electrospun into composite fibrous membranes or casted into conventional membranes. Electrospun fibrous membranes with large surface areas are a superior type of antimicrobial biomaterials, and they exhibit preferable properties than solution casting membranes. Specifically, electrospun fibrous membranes are tougher and can inactivate both Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram‐negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a contact time of 30 min, whereas the solution casting membranes cannot. The length of alkyl chain in the quaternary ammonium groups on the modified P(3HB‐4HB) membranes is able to influence the antimicrobial activity. This type of antimicrobial material may have potential applications in biomaterial field. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Corrosion inhibition and performance evaluation on 2,5‐diaryl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole and its derivatives

Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), this paper evaluated the inhibition effect of four 2,5‐diaryl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole and its derivatives named 2,5‐diphenly‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (DPTD), 2,5‐di(2‐hydroxyphenly)‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (2‐DHPTD), 2,5‐di(3‐hydroxyphenly)‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (3‐DHPTD), and 2,5‐di(4‐hydroxyphenly)‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (4‐DHPTD) on silver strip corrosion in 50 mg/l sulfur–ethanol solution under room temperature. The experiments indicated that the inhibition efficiency increased with increasing inhibitor concentrations, and the increasing order was (4‐DHPDT) > (3‐DHPDT) > (2‐DHPDT) > (DPDT). Quantum chemical calculation was applied to correlate inhibition performances with their electronic structural parameters of thiadiazole derivatives. Molecular dynamics simulations (DFT) were used to optimize the equilibrium configurations of the inhibitor molecules on the silver surface and to investigate the molecular structure effect on the corrosion inhibition efficiency. The efficiency order of the investigated inhibitors, which was obtained by experimental results, was verified by theoretical calculations. Contact angle (CA) analysis was also carried out, and finally confirmed the existence of the adsorbed film which prevailed in addition of thiadiazole derivatives. CA analysis indicated that the film of n‐DHPTD (n = 2,3,4) was hydrophilic, owing to two hydroxyl groups in their molecular. The adsorption of these compounds onto silver strip from 50 mg/l S‐ethanol system obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and it belongs to mixed‐type adsorption mainly dominated by chemisorption. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Corrosion resistances of passive films on low‐Cr steel and carbon steel in simulated concrete pore solution

The passive ranges of carbon steel rebar and 3Cr steel rebar in saturated Ca(OH)₂‐simulated concrete pore solution with pH 12.6 were determined by means of cyclic voltammetry and potentiodynamic polarization curves. Chronopotentiometry was used to obtain steady‐state conditions for the formation of passive films on rebar samples at different anodic potentials. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Mott–Schottky and X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer curves were employed to compare the formed passive films at different potentials. Additionally, cyclic polarization curves were used to compare the corrosion resistances of formed passive films on the two rebars in saturated Ca(OH)₂‐simulated concrete pore solution with different concentration of Cl^?. The results show that the passive ranges of the two rebars are all between ?0.15 and +0.6 V, and more stable passive films can be formed on both rebars at the anodic potential of +0.3 V. In the absence of Cl^?, the stability and corrosion resistance of the passive film formed on the 3Cr rebar are better than those of CS rebar. The passive film of 3Cr steel has the relatively better pitting corrosion resistance than carbon steel in saturated Ca(OH)₂‐simulated concrete pore solution that contains different concentration of Cl^?. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of Steric Hindrance of N‐Heterocyclic Ancillary Ligands on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of Manganese(II) Coordination Polymers

Three biphenyl‐3,5‐dicarboxylic acid (H₂ L ) based coordination polymers, namely, [Mn₃( L )₃(2,2′‐bpy)₂]_n ( 1 ), {[Mn( L )(phen)] · (MeOH)}_n ( 2 ), and [Mn( L )(dipt)]_n ( 3 ), (2,2′‐bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, phen = 1,10‐phenanthroline, and dipt = 2,9‐dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline) were synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and analyses of their magnetic properties. 1 is a trinuclear manganese structure with a 2D motifs, which can join by hydrogen bond bridges to give 3D supramolecular architectures. 2 has a dinuclear center forming a 1D supramolecular ladder chain. The mononuclear complex 3 displays 1D metal‐organic chains driven by μ₂‐ L linkers. Their structural differences were investigated, revealing that the influence of steric hindrance on the structures of acid‐based coordination polymers is realized through changing the N‐heterocyclic ancillaries of diverse steric hindrance. Obviously, with decreasing of the steric hindrance of the N‐donor ligand, complexes 1 – 3 show structures from 1D to 2D and mononuclear to multinuclear. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that 1 and 2 have dominating antiferromagnetic couplings between metal ions, whereas compound 3 is paramagnetic.