Optimization of Extension-Shear Coupled Laminates Based on the Differential Evolution Algorithm

Mechanics of Composite Materials - The buckling strength is an important index in the design process of composite extension-shear coupled laminates. In this paper, the differential evolution...     

One-step synthesis of novel flower-like Sn-doped ZnO architectures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

A facile hydrothermal method to synthesize flower-like Sn-doped ZnO (FLSn-ZnO) nanostructures is described. The obtained hierarchical architectures of FLSn-ZnO are found to be assembled with abundant regular-shaped nanosheets and nanoparticles. A possible formation mechanism is proposed on the base of a series of control experiments. The tests show that FLSn-ZnO architectures exhibit higher photocatalytic activity in the degrading Rhodamine B and tetracycline aqueous solution than pure ZnO under UV-light irradiation. And photocurrent response and photoluminescence of ZnO and FLSn-ZnO demonstrates that in photocatalytic performance, the latter is higher.     

Modeling receptor flexibility in the structure-based design of KRASG12C inhibitors

Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design - KRAS has long been referred to as an ‘undruggable’ target due to its high affinity for its cognate ligands (GDP and GTP) and its lack of...     

Synthesis of well‐defined star‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(ethylbene glycol) amphiphilic conetworks by combination of ring opening polymerization and “click” chemistry

Well‐defined star‐shaped hydrophobic poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) amphiphilic conetworks (APCNs) have been synthesized via the combination of ring opening polymerization (ROP) and click chemistry. Alkyne‐terminated six arm star‐shaped PCL (6‐s‐PCLx‐C?CH) and azido‐terminated PEG (N₃‐PEG‐N₃) are characterized by ¹H NMR and FT‐IR. The swelling degree of the APCNs is determined both in water and organic solvent. This unique property of the conetworks is dependent on the nanophase separation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases. The morphology and thermal behaviors of the APCNs are investigated by SEM and DSC respectively. The biocompatibility is determined by water soluble tetrazolium salt reagents (WST‐1) assay, which shows the new polymer networks had good biocompatibility. Through in vitro release of paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX), the APCNs is confirmed to be promising drug depot materials for sustained hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 407–417     

Cobalt‐based metal coordination polymers with 4,4′‐bipyridinyl groups: highly efficient catalysis for one‐pot synthesis of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones under solvent‐free conditions

Three new metal coordination complexes, namely [Co(BPY)₂(H₂O)₂](BPY)(BS)₂(H₂O)₄ ( 1 ), [Co(BPY)₂(H₂O)₄](ABS)₂(H₂O)₂ ( 2 ) and [Co(BPY)(H₂O)₄](MBS)₂ ( 3 ) (BPY = 4,4′‐bipyridine, BS = phenylsulfonic acid, ABS = p‐aminobenzenesulfonic acid, MBS = p‐methylbenzenesulfonic acid), were obtained under hydrothermal conditions. Complexes 1 , 2 , 3 were structurally characterized using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. All of them display low‐dimensional motifs: complex 1 displays a two‐dimensional structure; and complexes 2 and 3 exhibit a one‐dimensional tape structure. Through strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and weak packing interactions, all of them further stack to generate a three‐dimensional supramolecular architecture. Catalysts 1 , 2 , 3 were involved in the green synthesis of a variety of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones under solvent‐free conditions through Biginelli reactions. The corresponding catalytic product was obtained in quantitative yields (99%) under eco‐friendly synthesis conditions for the variety of reactions. Catalysts 1 , 2 , 3 exhibit excellent efficiency for the desired product, and their catalytic performance shows the following order: 2  >  1  ≈  3 , which can be ascribed to the hydrophobic interactions of different phenylsulfonate groups. The catalytic performance for the Biginelli reaction is not only dependent on the selected solvents, but also inversely proportional to the polarities of the solvents. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microextraction techniques for the determination of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds from plants: A review

Vegetables and fruits are necessary for human health, and traditional Chinese medicine that uses plant materials can cure diseases. Thus, understanding the composition of plant matrix has gained increased attention in recent years. Since plant matrix is very complex, the extraction, separation and quantitation of these chemicals are challenging.     

Synthesis of polyphenol microsphere‐supported palladium complex and evaluation of its catalytic performance for Heck reaction

Polyphenol microspheres were prepared by template polymerization of phenol in the presence of horseradish peroxidase as bio‐enzyme catalyst and aqueous 1,4‐dioxane as solvent. The morphology of polyphenol microspheres thus obtained was observed with a scanning electron microscope. Further, polyphenol microspheres as obtained were loaded with palladium to generate polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex. Resultant Pd complex catalyst supported by polyphenol microspheres was characterized by means of Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and its thermal stability was examined. Moreover, the catalytic activity of polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst as synthesized for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides was evaluated. Results indicate that the polyphenol microsphere as obtained has a diameter of about 500 nm. Polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst, as synthesized, at a dosage of 0.37 mol% Pd, possesses good catalytic activity for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides in air at a low temperature of 50°C, and it also exhibits catalytic activity for bromide and activated chlorobenzene. The polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex has good thermal stability, and it can be readily separated and reused; the yield of the reaction of iodobenzene with acrylic acid remains at 82% after five recycle runs, showing promising potential as a catalyst for Heck reactions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.