Advanced Developments in Cyclic Polymers: Synthesis,Applications, and Perspectives

Due to the topological effect, cyclic polymers demonstrate different and unique physical and biological properties in comparison with linear counterparts having the same molecular-weight range. With advanced synthetic and analytic technologies, cyclic polymers with different topologies, e.g. multicyclic polymers, have been reported and well characterized. For example, various cyclic DNA and related structures, such as cyclic duplexes, have been prepared conveniently by click chemistry. These types of DNA have increased resistance to enzymatic degradation and have high thermodynamic stability, and thus, have potential therapeutic applications. In addition, cyclic polymers have also been used to prepare organic–inorganic hybrids for applications in catalysis, e.g. catalyst supports. Due to developments in synthetic technology, highly pure cyclic polymers could now be produced in large scale. Therefore, we anticipate discovering more applications in the near future. Despite their promise, cyclic polymers are still less explored than linear polymers like polyolefins and polycarbonates, which are widely used in daily life. Some critical issues, including controlling the molecular weight and finding suitable applications, remain big challenges in the cyclic-polymer field. This review briefly summarizes the commonly used synthetic methodologies and focuses more on the attractive functional materials and their biological properties and potential applications.     

Surfactant-Free and Controlled Synthesis of Hexagonal CeVO4 Nanoplates: Photocatalytic Activity and Superhydrophobic Property

Nanomaterials with both superhydrophobic surface properties as well as photocatalytic activities could have important industrial applications. Herein, we synthesized CeVO₄ nanocrystals with hexagonal nanoplate structures from the reaction of decavanadate (K₆V₁₀O₂₈⋅9 H₂O) and CeCl₃⋅H₂O precursors via a hydrothermal method. This synthetic route has four advantages: 1) the reaction condition is relatively mild, 2) it doesn′t need surfactants or templates, 3) it requires no expensive equipment, and 4) products are of higher purity. During synthesis, solution pH, and reaction temperature were found to play important roles in determining the growth process and final morphologies of the CeVO₄ products. These products were characterized spectrophotometrically and via scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the wettability of the as-synthesized film CeVO₄ nanoplates was studied by measuring water contact angle (CA). The largest CA measured was at 169.5 ° for a glass substrate treated with 0.06 g mL⁻¹ CeVO₄ followed by 2 % 1 H, 1 H, 2 H, 2 H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. Finally, the CeVO₄ nanoplates exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV irradiation and was stable even after repeated cycles of use.     

Operando XAFS on Hydrated Calcium Vanadium Bronze Cathode for Aqueous Zn-ion Storage

Multivalent ion storage and aqueous electrochemical systems continue to build interest for energy application. The Zn-ion system with 2 electron transfer and an ideal metal anode is a strong candidate but is still at the early stage of development. Using both in situ near-edge (XANES) and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, EXAFS, a nanostructured cathode material, Ca_xV₂O₅-H₂O (CVO), was probed at the V-K absorption edge. This operando study reveals the local electronic and geometric structure changes for CVO during galvanostatic cycling as the active material in an aqueous Zn-ion cell. The XANES data provides a fine resolution to track the evolution of the vanadium oxidative state and near-neighbor coordination sphere showing subtle shifts and delocalized charge. The Zn-ion influence on the V-K absorption edge is visualized using a difference technique called Δμ. Coupled with theoretical calculations and modelling, the extended region extracted local bonding information further confirms excellent electronic and structural reversibility of this vanadium oxide bronze in an aqueous Zn-ion electrochemical cell.     

Comparison of Nitrogen Activation on Trinuclear Niobium and Tungsten Sulfide Clusters Nb3Sn and W3Sn (n=0–3): A DFT Study

The reaction of N₂ with trinuclear niobium and tungsten sulfide clusters Nb₃S_n and W₃S_n (n=0–3) was systematically studied by density functional theory calculations with TPSS functional and Def2-TZVP basis sets. Dissociations of N−N bonds on these clusters are all thermodynamically allowed but with different reactivity in kinetics. The reactivity of Nb₃S_n is generally higher than that of W₃S_n. In the favorite reaction pathways, the adsorbed N₂ changes the adsorption sites from one metal atom to the bridge site of two metal atoms, then on the hollow site of three metal atoms, and at that place, the N−N bond dissociates. As the number of ligand S atoms increases, the reactivity of Nb₃S_n decreases because of the hindering effect of S atoms, while W₃S and W₃S₂ have the highest reactivity among four W₃S_n clusters. The Mayer bond order, bond length, vibrational frequency, and electronic charges of the adsorbed N₂ are analyzed along the reaction pathways to show the activation process of the N−N bond in reactions. The charge transfer from the clusters to the N₂ antibonding orbitals plays an essential role in N−N bond activation, which is more significant in Nb₃S_n than in W₃S_n, leading to the higher reactivity of Nb₃S_n. The reaction mechanisms found in this work may provide important theoretical guidance for the further rational design of related catalytic systems for nitrogen reduction reactions (NRR).     

Modeling of the Simultaneous Hydrogen Evolution and Cobalt Electrodeposition

A mathematical model of simultaneous cobalt deposition and hydrogen evolution was developed and applied to the electroreduction process of 5 mM Co²⁺ ions investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique at different hydrogen ion concentrations (pH=2, 3, 4). The kinetic parameters of such a complex process were determined, and the validity of the model and its sensitivity to changes in individual parameters were verified. The relative value of the approximate standard deviation (ASD_%) was used to determine the degree of fit of the model to the experimental data. The catalytic effect of cobalt on the hydrogen evolution process was comprehensively confirmed.     

CO Oxidation Catalytic Effects of Intrinsic Surface Defects in Rhombohedral LaMnO3

There is an ongoing effort to replace rare and expensive noble-element catalysts with more abundant and less expensive transition metal oxides. With this goal in mind, the intrinsic defects of a rhombohedral perovskite-like structure of LaMnO₃ and their implications on CO catalytic properties were studied. Surface thermodynamic stability as a function of pressure (P) and temperature (T) were calculated to find the most stable surface under reaction conditions (P=0.2 atm, T=323 K to 673 K). Crystallographic planes (100), (111), (110), and (211) were evaluated and it was found that (110) with MnO₂ termination was the most stable under reaction conditions. Adsorption energies of O₂ and CO on (110) as well as the effect of intrinsic defects such as Mn and O vacancies were also calculated. It was found that O vacancies favor the interaction of CO on the surface, whereas Mn vacancies can favor the formation of carbonate species.     

Investigating Membrane-Mediated Antimicrobial Peptide Interactions with Synchrotron Radiation Far-Infrared Spectroscopy

Synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy enables access to vibrational information from mid over far infrared to even terahertz domains. This information may prove critical for the elucidation of fundamental bio-molecular phenomena including folding-mediated innate host defence mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent one of such phenomena. These are major effector molecules of the innate immune system, which favour attack on microbial membranes. AMPs recognise and bind to the membranes whereupon they assemble into pores or channels destabilising the membranes leading to cell death. However, specific molecular interactions responsible for antimicrobial activities have yet to be fully understood. Herein we probe such interactions by assessing molecular specific variations in the near-THz 400–40 cm⁻¹ range for defined helical AMP templates in reconstituted phospholipid membranes. In particular, we show that a temperature-dependent spectroscopic analysis, supported by 2D correlative tools, provides direct evidence for the membrane-induced and folding-mediated activity of AMPs. The far-FTIR study offers a direct and information-rich probe of membrane-related antimicrobial interactions.     

Local Structure Analysis and Modelling of Lignin-Based Carbon Composites through the Hierarchical Decomposition of the Radial Distribution Function

Carbonized lignin has been proposed as a sustainable and domestic source of activated, amorphous, graphitic, and nanostructured carbon for many industrial applications as the structure can be tuned through processing conditions. However, the inherent variability of lignin and its complex physicochemical structure resulting from feedstock and pulping selection make the Process-Structure-Property-Performance (PSPP) relationships hard to define. In this work, radial distribution functions (RDFs) from synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering of lignin-based carbon composites (LBCCs) are investigated using the Hierarchical Decomposition of the Radial Distribution Function (HDRDF) modelling method to characterize the local atomic environment and develop quantitative PSPP relationships. PSPP relationships for LBCCs defined by this work include crystallite size dependence on lignin feedstock as well as increasing crystalline volume fraction, nanoscale composite density, and crystallite size with increasing reduction temperature.     

An Electrochemical Way to Generate Amphiphiles from Hydrazones for the Synthesis of 1,2,4-Triazole Scaffold Cyclic Compounds

An electro-oxidative cyclization pathway in which hydrazones are selected as starting materials to generate amphiphiles by reacting with benzylamines and benzamides was reported. This strategy successfully prepared a series of 1,2,4-triazoles in satisfactory yields. Moreover, the use of cheap stainless steel as the anode, the feasibility to conduct the transformation as a one-pot reaction and the proof that scaling-up these reactions is possible make this transformation attractive for potential application in industry.