Enhanced orientation of PEO polymer chains induced by nanoclays in electrospun PEO/clay composite nanofibers

Polymer fibers composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and nanoclay were fabricated by electrospinning. The morphology of the composite nanofibers was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), which showed aligned nanoclays in the fibers. Polarized Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed that the PEO chains in the composite fibers exhibit a higher degree of orientation than that in PEO nanofibers containing no nanoclay. It is believed that spatial confinement is present in the electrospun nanofibers, which results in the enforcement of the mutual restriction. The anisotropic hierarchical nanostructure may have potential applications in optics, mechanical materials, and biomedical materials for cell culture.     

FDU-15-Pt composites with different Pt loading and their electrocatalytic reduction to ultratrace nitroaromatic compounds

FDU-15 is a hexagonal mesoporous material with nanometer-sized, highly ordered arrays and large special surface area. In this work, FDU-15-Pt with 2.0%, 5.0% and 8.0% Pt loading were synthesised and used for electrochemical detection of trace nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). The FDU-15-Pt samples were characterised by CO Chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It has been demonstrated that FDU-15-Pt with 2.0% Pt loading has the smallest Pt particle size of 2.9?nm, highest Pt metal dispersion of 37.7% and largest Pt metal surface area of 21.36?m^2?g^?1. The FDU-15-Pt/PDDA modified electrode were assembled by electrostatic adsorption of Poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and FDU-15-Pt. The 2.0% FDU-15-Pt modified sensor showed higher selectivity for NACs than those of 5.0% and 8.0% FDU-15-Pt, which were verified by electrochemical experiments. A linear response over TNT concentration ranging from 8.8?×?10^?9?M to 1.2?×?10^?5 M was exhibited with a low detection limit of 2.9?×?10^?9?M (S/N?=?3). Moreover, the proposed 2.0% FDU-15-Pt/PDDA modified sensor has been applied to the detection of NACs in spiked environmental water samples and shows promise for fast and accurate determination of trace NACs in real samples.     

Syntheses, crystal structures and properties of two nickel(II) coordination polymers constructed from 5-(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid

Two Ni(II) metal–organic frameworks, [Ni(INAIP)(DMF)]·0.5DMF and [Ni(INAIP)(H₂O)]·2H₂O, have been synthesized by the reaction of 5-(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid (H₂INAIP) with NiSO₄·6H₂O using different reaction solvents. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that [Ni(INAIP)(DMF)]·0.5DMF has a twofold interpenetrated three-dimensional (3D) framework with sra topology, while [Ni(INAIP)(H₂O)]·2H₂O has a two-dimensional (2D) network structure with a 4-connected (4³·6³) topology. In addition, the magnetic and adsorption properties of the complexes were explored.     

Encapsulating Sulfur into Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon as a High‐Performance Cathode for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

A three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchical carbon–sulfur nanocomposite that is useful as a high‐performance cathode for rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries is reported. The 3D hierarchically ordered porous carbon (HOPC) with mesoporous walls and interconnected macropores was prepared by in situ self‐assembly of colloidal polymer and silica spheres with sucrose as the carbon source. The obtained porous carbon possesses a large specific surface area and pore volume with narrow mesopore size distribution, and acts as a host and conducting framework to contain highly dispersed elemental sulfur. Electrochemical tests reveal that the HOPC/S nanocomposite with well‐defined nanostructure delivers a high initial specific capacity up to 1193 mAh g^?1 and a stable capacity of 884 mAh g^?1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. In addition, the HOPC/S nanocomposite exhibits high reversible capacity at high rates. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed exclusively to the beneficial integration of the mesopores for the electrochemical reaction and macropores for ion transport. The mesoporous walls of the HOPC act as solvent‐restricted reactors for the redox reaction of sulfur and aid in suppressing the diffusion of polysulfide species into the electrolyte. The “open” ordered interconnected macropores and windows facilitate transportation of electrolyte and solvated lithium ions during the charge/discharge process. These results show that nanostructured carbon with hierarchical pore distribution could be a promising scaffold for encapsulating sulfur to approach high specific capacity and energy density with long cycling performance.     

Electrochemical behavior of uranyl in ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride mixture with water

Electrochemical behaviors of U(VI) in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C₄MimCl) with various water contents investigated by chronopotentiometry and cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical reduction of U(VI) was identified to follow two processes: a lower valence intermediate U(V) was initially formed at the potential of ca. ?0.2 V(vs. Ag wire). Then, further deposition of UO₂ was followed at around ?0.8 V. Little amount of water (1–4 wt%) in C₄MimCl, however, has an effect on the U(VI) reduction by changing the current density of the redox reaction and the diffusion coefficient of U(VI) in C₄MimCl. The deposited product by potentiostatic electrolysis on the surface of stainless steel electrode was characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Although the electrodeposited black film was amorphous, the electrochemical reduced product of U(VI) can be still confirmed to be UO₂ by XRD after the crystallization of the amorphous deposits at 1,073 K in nitrogen atmosphere.     

Bimetallic amine-bridged bis(phenolate) lanthanide aryloxides and alkoxides: synthesis,characterization, and application in the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide and rac-β-butyrolactone

A series of neutral bimetallic lanthanide aryloxides p-C6H4[OLnL(THF)n]2 [Ln = Y(1), Yb(2), Sm(3)(n = 1) and La(4)(n = 2), L = Me2NCH2CH2N{CH2-(2-O–C6H2–tBu2-3,5)}2] and alkoxides p-C6H4CH2[OLnL(THF)]2 [Ln = Y(5), Yb(6)] supported by an amine-bridged bis(phenolate) ligand have been synthesized through one-pot reactions of Ln(C5H5)3(THF), LH2 with p-benzenediol and 1,4-benzenedimethanol, respectively. All complexes have been fully characterized by elemental analyses, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and IR and multi-nuclear NMR spectroscopy(in the cases of 1, 4 and 5). Study of their catalytic behavior revealed that, in general, all complexes are efficient initiators for the polymerization of rac-lactide(LA) and rac-β-butyrolactone(BBL), except for 3 and 4 in the case of BBL. The influence imposed by lanthanides of different ionic radii and initiating groups of different structures on the activity, controllability, and stereoselectivity of polymerization were systematically studied and compared. Highly heterotactic PLA(Pr up to 0.99) and syndiotactic PHB(Pr ≈ 0.81) with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersity formed and were automatically capped with hydroxyl functionality at both ends.     

Self-assembly of bis-[1]rotaxanes based on diverse thiourea-bridged mono-functionalized dipillar[5]arenes

Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry - The condensation reaction of mono-amido-functionalized pillar[5]arenes with tere- and iso-phthaloyl diisothiocyanates in acetone under...     

Effect of coral powder and ground-granulated blast‑furnace slag on the hydration behavior of cement paste

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Coral wastes are produced during the construction of island. The use of coral wastes in concrete is beneficial to economy and environment. Coral waste...     

Revealing the Cell Entry Dynamic Mechanism of Single Rabies Virus Particle

The rabies virus is a neurotropic virus that causes fatal diseases in humans and animals. Although studying the interactions between a single rabies virus and the cell membrane is necessary for understanding the pathogenesis, the internalization dynamic mechanism of single rabies virus in living cells remains largely elusive. Here, we utilized a novel force tracing technique based on atomic force microscopy(AFM) to record the process of single viral entry into host cell. We revealed that the force of the rabies virus internalization distributed at (65±25) pN, and the time was identified by two peaks with spacings of (237.2±59.1) and (790.3±134.4) ms with the corresponding speed of 0.12 and 0.04 μm/s, respectively. Our results provide insight into the effects of viral shape during the endocytosis process. This report will be meaningful for understanding the dynamic mechanism of rabies virus early infection.