Effects of simultaneously doped and deposited Ag on the photocatalytic activity and surface states of TiO2

Ag-TiO2 catalysts with different Ag contents were prepared via a sol-gel method in the absence of light. Based on the characterizations of XRD, photoluminescence (PL), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy (FISPS), and XPS as well as the evaluation of the photocatalytic activity for degrading rhodamine B(RhB) solutions, it was found that the Ag dopant promoted the phase transformation as well as had an inhibition effect on the growth of anatase crystallite. The PL and SPS intensities were decreased with increasing Ag content, indicating that the Ag dopant could effectively inhibit the recombination of the photoinduced electrons and holes. However, the active sites capturing the photoinduced electrons reduced, while the Ag content exceeded 5 mol %. At rather low Ag dopant concentrations, the migration and diffusion of Ag+ ions were predominant, while at rather high Ag dopant concentrations, the migration, diffusion, and reduction of Ag ions simultaneously occurred. The Ag-TiO2 photocatalysts with appropriate content of Ag (Ag species concentration is from about 3 to 5 mol %) possessed abundant electron traps so as to be favorable for the separation of the photoinduced electron-hole pairs, which could greatly enhance the activity of the photocatalysts. From the results of FISPS measurements, it could be found that the impurity bands and abundant surface states were introduced into the interfacial layer of TiO2 because of Ag simultaneously doping and depositing, which could improve the absorption capability for visible light of the photocatalysts.     

Regio- and stereoselective reactions of a rhodanine derivative with optically active 2-methyl- and 2-phenyloxirane

The reaction of a rhodanine derivative (=(Z)-5-benzylidene-3-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one; 1) with (S)-2-methyloxirane (2) in the presence of SiO₂ in dry CH₂Cl₂ for 10 days led to two diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3-oxathiolanes 3 and 4 with the Me group at C(2) (Scheme 2). The analogous reaction of 1 with (R)-2-phenyloxirane (5) afforded also two diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3-oxathiolanes 6 and 7 bearing the Ph group at C(3) (Scheme 3). The structures of 3, 4, 6, and 7 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography (Figs. 1 and 2). These results show that oxiranes react selectively with the thiocarbonyl group (CS) in 1. Furthermore, the nucleophilic attack of the thiocarbonyl S-atom at the SiO₂-activated oxirane ring proceeds with high regio- and stereoselectivity via an S_N2-type mechanism.     

Hepatoprotective Effects of Ixeris chinensis on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Induced by High-Fat Diet in Mice: An Integrated Gut Microbiota and Metabolomic Analysis

Ixeris chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai (IC) is a folk medicinal herb used in Mongolian medical clinics for the treatment of hepatitis and fatty liver diseases even though its pharmacological mechanism has not been well characterized. This study investigated the hepatoprotective mechanism of IC on mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by integrating gut microbiota and metabolomic analysis. A high-fat diet (HFD) was used to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, after which the mice were treated with oral IC (0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 g/kg) for 10 weeks. HFD induced NAFLD and the therapeutic effects were characterized by pathological and histological evaluations, and the serum indicators were analyzed by ELISA. The gut microbial and metabolite profiles were studied by 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomic analysis, respectively. The results showed that the administration of IC resulted in significant decreases in body weight; liver index; serum biomarkers such as ALT, TG, and LDL-C; and the liver inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that administration of IC extract altered both the composition and abundance of the gut microbiota. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of liver samples detected a total of 212 metabolites, of which 128 were differentially expressed between the HFD and IC group. IC was found to significantly alter the levels of metabolites such as L-glutamic acid, pyridoxal, ornithine, L-aspartic acid, D-proline, and N4-acetylaminobutanal, which are involved in the regulation of glutamine and glutamate, Vitamin B6 metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis indicated that the effects of the IC extract on metabolites were associated with alterations in the abundance of Akkermansiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Muribaculaceae. Our study revealed that IC has a potential hepatoprotective effect in NAFLD and that its function might be linked to improvements in the composition of gut microbiota and their metabolites.     

Highly Effective Proton-Conduction Matrix-Mixed Membrane Derived from an -SO3H Functionalized Polyamide

Developing a low-cost and effective proton-conductive electrolyte to meet the requirements of the large-scale manufacturing of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is of great significance in progressing towards the upcoming “hydrogen economy” society. Herein, utilizing the one-pot acylation polymeric combination of acyl chloride and amine precursors, a polyamide with in-built -SO₃H moieties (PA-PhSO₃H) was facilely synthesized. Characterization shows that it possesses a porous feature and a high stability at the practical operating conditions of PEM fuel cells. Investigations of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements revealed that the fabricated PA-PhSO₃H displays a proton conductivity of up to 8.85 × 10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 353 K under 98% relative humidity (RH), which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of its -SO₃H-free analogue, PA-Ph (6.30 × 10⁻⁴ S·cm⁻¹), under the same conditions. Therefore, matrix-mixed membranes were fabricated by mixing with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in different ratios, and the EIS analyses revealed that its proton conductivity can reach up to 4.90 × 10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 353 K and a 98% relative humidity (RH) when the weight ratio of PA-PhSO₃H:PAN is 3:1 (labeled as PA-PhSO₃H-PAN (3:1)), the value of which is even comparable with those of commercial-available electrolytes being used in PEM fuel cells. Additionally, continuous tests showed that PA-PhSO₃H-PAN (3:1) possesses a long-life reusability. This work demonstrates, using the simple acylation reaction with the sulfonated module as precursor, that low-cost and highly effective proton-conductive electrolytes for PEM fuel cells can be facilely achieved.