Transition‐Metal‐Ion‐Mediated Polymerization of Dopamine: Mussel‐Inspired Approach for the Facile Synthesis of Robust Transition‐Metal Nanoparticle–Graphene Hybrids

Inspired by the high transition‐metal‐ion content in mussel glues, and the cross‐linking and mechanical reinforcement effects of some transition‐metal ions in mussel threads, high concentrations of nickel(II), cobalt(II), and manganese(II) ions have been purposely introduced into the reaction system for dopamine polymerization. Kinetics studies were conducted for the Ni²⁺–dopamine system to investigate the polymerization mechanism. The results show that the Ni²⁺ ions could accelerate the assembly of dopamine oligomers in the polymerization process. Spectroscopic and electron microscopic studies reveal that the Ni²⁺ ions are chelated with polydopamine (PDA) units, forming homogeneous Ni²⁺–PDA complexes. This facile one‐pot approach is utilized to construct transition‐metal‐ion–PDA complex thin coatings on graphene oxide, which can be carbonized to produce robust hybrid nanosheets with well‐dispersed metallic nickel/metallic cobalt/manganese(II) oxide nanoparticles embedded in PDA‐derived thin graphitic carbon layers. The nickel–graphene hybrid prepared by using this approach shows good catalytic properties and recyclability for the reduction of p ‐ nitrophenol.     

Self‐Powered and Sensitive DNA Detection in a Three‐Dimensional Origami‐Based Biofuel Cell Based on a Porous Pt‐Paper Cathode

In this work, a mediator‐less and compartment‐less glucose/air enzymatic biofuel cell (BFC) was introduced into microfluidic paper‐based analytical devices (μ‐PADs) with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs)‐modified paper electrode as the anodic and cathodic substrate, respectively, to implement self‐powered, sensitive, low‐cost and simple DNA detection. As a further development of the analytical equipment, an all‐solid‐state paper supercapacitor (PS) was designed and integrated into the BFC for current amplification, and a terminal digital multi‐meter detector (DMM) was introduced for the current detection. A highly sensitive DNA sensor was fabricated by covalently immobilizing the capture DNA in the AuNPs‐modified anode. The nanoporous gold conjugated with bienzymes, glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase, which were used as electrochemical labels. The electrons generated at the anode flow through an external circuit to the PtNPs‐modified cathode that catalyzed the reduction of oxygen with the participation of protons. In addition, the generated current could be collected and stored by the PS. After that, the PS was automatically shorted under the control of a switch to output an instantaneously amplified current, which could be sensitively detected by the terminal DMM. At the optimal conditions, the paper‐based analytical platform can detect DNA at the femtomole level. This approach also shows excellent specificity toward single nucleotide mismatches.     

Thermal Non‐Oxidative Aromatization of Light Alkanes Catalyzed by Gallium Nitride

The thermal catalytic activity of GaN in non‐oxidative alkane dehydroaromatization has been discovered for the first time. The origin of the catalytic activity was studied experimentally and theoretically. Commercially available GaN powders with a wurtzite crystal structure showed superior stability and reactivity for converting light alkanes, including methane, propane, n‐butane, n‐hexane and cyclohexane into benzene at an elevated temperature with high selectivity. The catalyst is highly robust and can be used repeatedly without noticeable deactivation.     

Dual‐Pore Mesoporous Carbon@Silica Composite Core–Shell Nanospheres for Multidrug Delivery

Monodispersed mesoporous phenolic polymer nanospheres with uniform diameters were prepared and used as the core for the further growth of core–shell mesoporous nanorattles. The hierarchical mesoporous nanospheres have a uniform diameter of 200 nm and dual‐ordered mesopores of 3.1 and 5.8 nm. The hierarchical mesostructure and amphiphilicity of the hydrophobic carbon cores and hydrophilic silica shells lead to distinct benefits in multidrug combination therapy with cisplatin and paclitaxel for the treatment of human ovarian cancer, even drug‐resistant strains.     

Nd0.5Ca0.5Mn1-xAlxO3(x=0,0.03)体系中电荷有序态的超声研究

The ultrasonic, magnetic and transport properties of Nd0.5Ca0.5Mn1-xAlxO3 (x=0, 0.03) were studied from 15 to 300 K. The temperature dependencies of resistivity and magnetization show that Nd0.5Ca0.5Mn1-xAlxO3 undergoes a charge ordering transition at TCO?257 K. An obvious softening of the longitudinal sound ve- locity above TCO and a dramatic stiffening below TCO accompanied by an attenuation peak were observed. These features imply a strong electron-phonon interaction via the Jahn-Teller effect in the sample. Another broad attenuation peak was observed at around Tp?80 K. This anomaly is attributed to the phase separa- tion between the antiferromagnetic (AFM) and paramagnetic (PM) phases and gives a direct evidence for spin-phonon coupling in the compound. For the x=0.03 sample, both the minimum of sound velocity and attenuation peaks shift to a lower temperature. The results indicate that the charge ordering and CE-type AFM state in Nd0.5Ca0.5Mn1-xAlxO3 are both partially suppressed by replacing Mn with Al.     

Cd基化合物纳米晶-有机聚合物杂化太阳能电池研究进展

有机-无机杂化太阳能电池因其结合了有机材料和无机材料各自的优势而引起了人们的广泛关注和研究. Cd基化合物纳米晶因其具有制备方法简单、尺寸及形貌可控、载流子迁移率高和稳定性好等优点而成为最早被研究的一类无机受体. 本文介绍了有机-无机杂化太阳能电池的结构及原理, 分析了影响有机-无机杂化太阳能电池效率的三个主要因素, 分别是开路电压(V_oc)、短路电流(J_sc)和填充因子(FF). 从改善Cd基化合物纳米晶的合成方法, 增加Cd基化合物纳米晶和有机聚合物间的界面接触, 以及优化Cd基化合物纳米晶和有机聚合物所用溶剂和所占比例等方面阐述了近年来Cd基化合物纳米晶-有机聚合物杂化太阳能电池的研究进展. 并展望了Cd基化合物纳米晶-有机聚合物杂化太阳能电池的发展方向.     

Quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and chemical fingerprinting coupled with chemometric analysis

An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection method is developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of five water‐soluble compounds including danshensu, protocatechualdehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and salvianolic acid A in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. samples. Through method optimization, the five compounds all expressed good linearity (R² > 0.9990) in a wide concentration range together with satisfactory accuracy, precision, and stability. Moreover, through qualitative analysis of the chemical fingerprint combined with similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principle component analysis, and partial least‐squares discriminate analysis, we determined that the 13 batches of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. were similar in internal quality and the differences resulted from various cultivation environments, recovery elements, and others. Seen from the results of hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis, the classification of 13 batches was in accordance, and partial least‐squares discriminate analysis technique was more suitable than the principle component analysis model to provide a distinct classification of test samples on the basis of their different components. Moreover, a permutation test verified the rationality of partial least‐squares discriminate analysis and variable importance plot showed that peaks 37 and 38 were the most significant variables in distinguishing the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. samples. The idea of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. was convenient, sensitive, and comprehensive, which could be applied to evaluate the quality of more traditional Chinese medicines.     

Synthesis of α-Hydroxy-ω-Aminotelechelic Polypeptide from α-Amino Acid N-Carboxyanhydrides Catalyzed by Alkali-metal Borohydrides

It is reported that alkali-metal borohydrides(MBH4, M = Li, Na and K) are efficient catalysts for ring opening polymerization(ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides(NCAs). Polypeptides are prepared in quantitative yields with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions(MWDs = 1.1~1.5) which depend on the reaction temperature. End groups of the produced polypeptide are studied in detail by MALDI-ToF MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 1H-1H COSY and 1H-13C HMQC analyses. The results indicate that α-hydroxy-ω-aminotelechelic polypeptides are formed which are suitable for postpolymerization functionalization.     

In vivo biodistribution of pancreatic-derived factor using 18F-labeled PANDER PET imaging

The purpose of this study was to investigate in vivo biodistribution and potential target tissues of pancreatic-derived factor (PANDER, FAM3B) using ¹⁸F-labeled PANDER positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. ¹⁸F-Labeled PANDER ([¹⁸F]FB-PANDER) was prepared by reaction of PANDER and N-succinimidyl-4-[¹⁸F]fluorobenzoate ([¹⁸F]SFB). The uncorrected radiochemical yield of [¹⁸F]FB-PANDER was 15.2 ± 3.4 % (n = 4) based on [¹⁸F]SFB within the total synthesis time of 30 min. In vivo biodistribution of [¹⁸F]FB-PANDER in nomal mice and PET imaging demonstrated high uptake of the radiotracer in urinary bladder, kidneys and gall bladder, and fast clearance from kidneys and gall bladder. Also, moderate uptake in blood, liver, pancreas, small intestine and bone, low uptake in brain and muscle, and almost no uptake in S180 fibrosarcoma tissue were observed. The results indicated that the major excretion route of PANDER was through renal-urinary bladder and biliary system, and no obvious binding targets of PANDER in the main organs and S180 fibrosarcoma tissue were found.