Rapid Isolation of a Facultative Anaerobic Electrochemically Active Bacterium Capable of Oxidizing Acetate for Electrogenesis and Azo Dyes Reduction

In this study, 27 strains of electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) were rapidly isolated and their capabilities of extracellular electron transfer were identified using a photometric method based on WO₃ nanoclusters. These strains caused color change of WO₃ from white to blue in a 24-well agar plate within 40 h. Most of the isolated EAB strains belonged to the genera of Aeromonas and Shewanella. One isolate, Pantoea agglomerans S5-44, was identified as an EAB that can utilize acetate as the carbon source to produce electricity and reduce azo dyes under anaerobic conditions. The results confirmed the capability of P. agglomerans S5-44 for extracellular electron transfer. The isolation of this acetate-utilizing, facultative EBA reveals the metabolic diversity of environmental bacteria. Such strains have great potential for environmental applications, especially at interfaces of aerobic and anaerobic environments, where acetate is the main available carbon source.     

Fabrication of free-standing multilayer films by using pH-responsive microgels as sacrificial layers

A facile way to prepare free-standing polyelectrolyte multilayer films of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)(PSS)/poly(diallyldimethylammonium)(PDDA) was developed by applying a new pH-dependent sacrificial system based on cross-linked poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) microgels. The tertiary amine groups of PDMAEMA microgels can be protonated in acidic environment, and the protonated microgels were deposited by layer-by-layer (LbL) technique with PSS. PSS/PDDA multilayer films were constructed on the top of the PSS/microgels sacrificial layers. The LbL assembly process was investigated by UV–vis spectroscopy. Further study shows that the free-standing PSS/PDDA multilayer films can be obtained within 3 min by treating the as-prepared films in alkali aqueous solution with a pH of 12.0. The pH-triggered exfoliation of PSS/PDDA multilayer films provides a simple and facile way to prepare LbL assembled free-standing multilayer films.     

Fabrication of anisotropic silica hollow microspheres using polymeric protrusion particles as templates

Anisotropic polystyrene/poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) (PS/P(S-DVB)) protrusion particles with various morphologies such as eyeball-like, snowman-like, and raspberry-like were synthesized using a modified seeded polymerization method by dynamically controlling and stabilizing the phase separation. The effects of swelling agent, crosslinker, and monomer concentrations on the particle morphologies were studied. Using the PS/P(S-DVB) protrusion particles as templates, anisotropic silica (SiO₂) hollow microspheres were fabricated facilely. The obtained anisotropic silica hollow spheres had a potential application in rapid waste removal and detoxification extraction with a very simple procedure.     

Detoxifying CO2 Capture Reclaimer Waste by Anaerobic Digestion

The decrease in toxicity of carbon capture reclaimer monoethanolamine (MEA) waste (MEAw) during anaerobic degradation of such waste together with easily degradable organics was investigated. Samples were collected from a bioreactor at steady state with 86 % organic chemical oxygen demand removal at room temperature, which had been running on MEAw for 2 years. The toxicity of the digester effluents were 126, 42 and 10 times lower than that of the MEAw to the tested freshwater trophic groups of Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna and embryos of Danio rerio, respectively. The toxicity of the tested taxonomic groups after anaerobic digestion was mainly attributed to the ammonia generated by the degradation of MEAw.     

Hydrogen bond induced chiral symmetry breaking in the crystallization of nickel(II) complexes

A pair of enantiomers formulated as {Δ-cis-[Ni(en)₂OAc][ClO₄]} _n (Δ-1) and {Λ-cis-[Ni(en)₂OAc][ClO₄]} _n (Λ-1) (en = diaminoethane, OAc^? = acetate anion) were obtained when nickel acetate was reacted with diaminoethane and sodium perchlorate in the absence of any chiral source, whereas the reactions of nickel acetate with 1,3-propanediamine and sodium perchlorate only gave a centrosymmetric complex [Ni(1,3-pn)₂OAc][ClO₄] (2) (1,3-pn = 1,3-propanediamine). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of all three complexes indicated that the central Ni(II) atoms all have a distorted octahedral coordination geometry, being coordinated by four nitrogen atoms of the diamine ligands, plus two oxygen atoms of OAc^?. In complexes Δ-1 and Λ-1, the monomers of {Δ-cis-[Ni(en)₂OAc]}⁺ and {Λ-cis-[Ni(en)₂OAc]}⁺ are connected through intermolecular hydrogen bonds to generate one-dimensional right- and left-handed homochiral helical chains, respectively, while the monomers of [Ni(1,3-pn)₂OAc]⁺ are linked by similar intermolecular hydrogen bonds to form one-dimensional zigzag chains instead of helical chains. The chiral natures of complexes Δ-1 and Λ-1 have been confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy.     

Fe~(3+)诱导全氟羧酸的光化学降解:pH值及链长的影响

以全氟辛酸(PFOA)为代表的全氟化合物是环境水体中新出现的一类持久性有机污染物,Fe3+的存在促进了其在254 nm紫外光下的有效降解.在此基础上,主要考察了溶液初始pH值对Fe3+诱导PFOA光化学降解的影响,并以全氟丁酸(PFBA)、全氟戊酸(PFPeA)、全氟己酸(PFHxA)和全氟庚酸(PFHpA)为对象,研究了Fe3+诱导短链全氟羧酸(PFCAs)的降解,通过对降解中间产物的分析,进而推断了其降解机理.结果表明,强酸性条件有利于PFOA的降解,弱酸性或中性反应条件下,PFOA的降解和脱氟均受到明显地抑制,进一步证实PFOA的降解主要是溶解性铁作用的结果,此时Fe(OH)2+则是铁(III)-羟基配合物的主要分配形态.Fe3+诱导PFCAs的降解表明:当碳原子数大于5,长链的PFCAs更易于降解,但对于碳原子数小于6的PFCAs,其降解没有明显的规律.降解中间产物主要是链更短的PFCAs,由此推断,PFCAs的降解遵循逐级降解的规律.     

Blind prediction of HIV integrase binding from the SAMPL4 challenge

Here, we give an overview of the protein-ligand binding portion of the Statistical Assessment of Modeling of Proteins and Ligands 4 (SAMPL4) challenge, which focused on predicting binding of HIV integrase inhibitors in the catalytic core domain. The challenge encompassed three components—a small “virtual screening” challenge, a binding mode prediction component, and a small affinity prediction component. Here, we give summary results and statistics concerning the performance of all submissions at each of these challenges. Virtual screening was particularly challenging here in part because, in contrast to more typical virtual screening test sets, the inactive compounds were tested because they were thought to be likely binders, so only the very top predictions performed significantly better than random. Pose prediction was also quite challenging, in part because inhibitors in the set bind to three different sites, so even identifying the correct binding site was challenging. Still, the best methods managed low root mean squared deviation predictions in many cases. Here, we give an overview of results, highlight some features of methods which worked particularly well, and refer the interested reader to papers in this issue which describe specific submissions for additional details.     

A novel method to prepare polymer-ionic liquid gel under high pressure and its electrochemical properties

Sol–gel transition behavior of ionic liquid gel based on poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) and ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate [EMIM][EtSO₄] has been investigated under the pressure up to 250 MPa. The Temperature versus Pressure phase diagram of PEG/[EMIM][EtSO₄] gel is constructed, and it indicates that the melting point is an increasing function of pressure. Based on the phase diagram, the PEG/[EMIM][EtSO₄] gels are prepared by cooling under the pressure of 300 MPa and atmospheric pressure, respectively. From the differential scanning calorimetry result of the recovered samples, it is found that PEG/[EMIM][EtSO₄] gel prepared under high pressure has a higher crystallinity and smaller crystal size polymer network, comparing with under atmospheric pressure. The cyclic voltammograms and impedance spectra tests indicate that the PEG/[EMIM][EtSO₄] gel prepared under high pressure exhibit higher ionic conductivity comparing with atmospheric pressure. It could be speculated these excellent properties might be attributed to the loose gel structure and high ionic density induced by high pressure.     

Accessing Tunable Afterglows from Highly Twisted Nonaromatic Organic AIEgens via Effective Through-Space Conjugation

Nonaromatic, cross-conjugated, and highly twisted luminogens consisting of acylated succinimides demonstrate aggregation-induced emission characteristics along with tunable multicolor photoluminescence and afterglows in their single crystals. Effective through-space conjugation among different moieties bearing n/π electrons promote the spin–orbit coupling and intersystem crossing and lead to diverse emissive clusters with concurrently rigidified conformations, thus allowing readily tunable emissions. Derived from it, the proof-of-concept application for advanced anti-counterfeiting is illustrated. These results should spur the rational design of novel nonaromatic AIEgens, and moreover advance understandings of the non-traditional intrinsic luminescence and the origin of tunable multicolor afterglows.     

Stepwise Assembly of Turn-on Fluorescence Sensors in Multicomponent Metal–Organic Frameworks for in Vitro Cyanide Detection

The controlled synthesis of multicomponent metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) allows for the precise placement of multiple cooperative functional groups within a framework, leading to emergent synergistic effects. Herein, we demonstrate that turn-on fluorescence sensors can be assembled by combining a fluorophore and a recognition moiety within a complex cavity of a multicomponent MOF. An anthracene-based fluorescent linker and a hemicyanine-containing CN⁻-responsive linker were sequentially installed into the lattice of PCN-700. The selective binding of CN⁻ to hemicyanine inhibited the energy transfer between the two moieties, resulting in a fluorescence turn-on effect. Taking advantage of the high tunability of the MOF platform, the ratio between anthracene and the hemicyanine moiety could be fine-tuned in order to maximize the sensitivity of the overall framework. The optimized MOF-sensor had a CN⁻-detection limit of 0.05 μm , which is much lower than traditional CN⁻ fluorescent sensors (about 0.2 μm ).