Vertically Grown Few-Layer MoS2 Nanosheets on Hierarchical Carbon Nanocages for Pseudocapacitive Lithium Storage with Ultrahigh-Rate Capability and Long-Term Recyclability

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is an intensively studied anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity, but it is still confronted by severe challenges of unsatisfactory rate capability and cycle life. Herein, few-layer MoS₂ nanosheets, vertically grown on hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) by a facile hydrothermal method, introduce pseudocapacitive lithium storage owing to the highly exposed MoS₂ basal planes, enhanced conductivity, and facilitated electrolyte access arising from good hybridization with hCNC. Thus, the optimized MoS₂/hCNC exhibits reversible capacities of 1670 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 50 cycles, 621 mAh g⁻¹ at 5.0 A g⁻¹ after 500 cycles, and 196 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 A g⁻¹ after 2500 cycles, which are among the best for MoS₂-based anode materials. The specific power and specific energy, which can reach 16.1 kW and 252.8 Wh after 3000 cycles, respectively, indicate great potential in high-power and long-life LIBs. These findings suggest a promising strategy for exploring advanced anode materials with high reversible capacity, high-rate capability, and long-term recyclability.     

Comparative XPS study between experimentally and naturally weathered pyrites

A comparative study has been carried out between experimentally and naturally weathered pyrites. Both were found to share similar species of weathering products and a similar weathering mechanism. The weathering products could be divided into sulphur-bearing or iron-bearing groups. The sulphur-bearing group was comprised of sulphate, sulphite, thiosulphate, elemental sulphur, polysulphide, and mono-sulphide. The iron-bearing group was comprised of goethite, hematite or magnetite, and iron sulphate. The weathering structural profile was also similar for both types of weathering, being composed of a surficial layer and a transitional layer. The surficial layer was made up of both the sulphur-bearing and the iron-bearing products, while the transitional layer was comprised of goethite, and hematite or magnetite. The inward migration of the weathering interface was stimulated by the diffusion of oxygen and moisture. The oxygen was considered to preferably squeeze the iron to form goethite, and the ferric ions of goethite to have acted as a bridge for electron transfer between the oxygen and bulk S₂²⁻ and Fe²⁺ of pyrite.     

Composition heterogeneity of tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene random copolymers characterized by successive self-nucleation and annealing

In the present work, successive self-nucleation and annealing (SSA) was applied to a series of tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene random copolymers (FEPs). Multiple melting peaks were observed for all FEP samples after SSA thermal treatment. The lamellar crystal thicknesses were calculated from the melting temperatures, and the mass percentages of the crystals of specific thickness were obtained from the areas of the melting peaks. As a result, distributions of the lamellar thickness, which can be correlated to the composition distribution, were determined. It was found that the composition distribution of the FEP samples tended to become more heterogeneous as the content of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) comonomer increases. Samples with the same HFP content might also have different composition distributions.     

Thermal stability of phosphorus-containing styrene–acrylic copolymer and its fire retardant performance in waterborne intumescent coatings

Phosphorus-containing styrene–acrylic copolymers are synthesized by free radical seeded emulsion polymerization with the monomers of MMA/St/BA/MAA and phosphorus-containing vinyl monomer (SIPOMER PAM100). The properties of copolymer films are characterized by water adsorption test, thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), etc. The copolymer emulsions are used as the binder in an intumescent coatings formulation, and the fire-retardant performances of the coatings are determined by an instrument which the furnace temperature is analoging the cellulose fire temperature. The water adsorption of copolymer film increases remarkably owing to the increasing of phosphoric acid group in the polymer chain. The thermal decomposition stability and thermal-oxidative decomposition stability of the copolymer are improved when PAM100 is introduced into its chain, which is strongly supported by the FTIR and EDS results of copolymer residual treated at different temperature. The EDS results also illustrate that the fire retardancy enhanced by PAM100 during combustion owing to the condensed-phase mechanism. The fire-retardant test results show that the intumescent coatings using StA-P_1.5 copolymer emulsion as the binder obtains the best fire retardant performance. We suggested that StA-P_1.5 presents the lower reactivity with the acid source (APP) in 275–400 °C, and the higher reactivity with APP when the temperature is greater than 500 °C would be benefit for the swelling–charring process and the final fire retardant performance. The exorbitant crosslinking in StA-P₇ brings a negative effect on the fire-retardant performance of intumescent coatings, even if it introduces a densy swollen char layer.     

Development and validation of a rapid and sensitive assay for the determination of anisodamine in 50 μL of beagle dog plasma by LC–MS/MS

A simple, rapid, high‐throughput, and highly sensitive LC–MS/MS was developed to determine anisodamine in a small volume (50 μL) of beagle dog plasma using atropine sulfate as the internal standard. The analyte and internal standard were isolated from 50 μL plasma samples after a one‐step protein precipitation using Sirocco 96‐well protein precipitation filtration plates. The separation was accomplished on a Hanbon Hedera CN column (100 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and the run time was 4 min. A Micromass Quatro Ultima mass spectrometer equipped with an ESI source was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with the precursor‐to‐product ion transitions m/z 306.0→140.0 (anisodamine) and 290.0→123.9 (atropine) used for quantitation. The method was sensitive with a low LOQ of 0.05 ng/mL, and good linearity in the range 0.05–50 ng/mL for anisodamine (r² ≥ 0.995). All the validation data, such as accuracy, intra‐ and interrun precision, were within the required limits. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of anisodamine hydrochloride injection in beagle dogs.     

Nickel-catalyzed synthesis of 9-monoalkylated fluorenes from 9-fluorenone hydrazone and alcohols

A practical protocol was disclosed for the nickel-catalyzed C-alkylation of 9-fluorenone hydrazone with alcohols using t-BuOK as the base, and 9-monoalkylated fluorene derivatives were obtained in good yields under the benign conditions.     

Surface active properties of N-(2-Aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltetrasiloxane lactobionamide and aggregation behavior in aqueous solution

The aggregation behavior of tetrasiloxane-lactobionamide (Si4N2-LA) in aqueous solution has been characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), negative-stained transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction methods. Compared with the micellar sizes 7.0 nm of n-dodecyllactobionamide (C12Glu2), the Si4N2-LA molecule can self-assemble into spherical vesicle with diameters in the range from 60 to 300 nm.     

Synthesis of 3-Trifluoromethyl-Substituted Benzo[f]chromene Derivatives in a One-Pot Reaction

In the presence of 1,8-diazabicycolo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and concentrated H₂SO₄, 2-naphthol reacted smoothly with α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature, affording the 3-trifluoromethyl-substituted benzo[f]chromene derivatives in good to excellent yields in a one-pot reaction.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for the following free supplemental resource: Full experimental and spectral details].     

Practical synthesis of C1–8 fragment of autolytimycin via a chelation-controlled diastereoselective addition of diisopropenylzinc to α-methoxy aldehyde

The C1–8 fragment of autolytimycin was synthesized via a reliable 10-step route capable of delivering 41% overall yield at multi-gram scale. As a key step, a chelation-controlled isopropenylation of α-oxygenated aldehydes was established with a reagent combination of diisopropenylzinc, magnesium halide, and a dichloromethane/toluene mixed solvent. Cram-chelate isopropenylation products dominated for aldehydes with a small α-substituents, such as –OMe and –OBn groups, while the Felkin product could be obtained with a bulky –OTBS group.