Control of Chiral Nanostructures by Self‐Assembly of Designed Amphiphilic Peptides and Silica Biomineralization

Peptides, the fundamental building units of biological systems, are chiral in molecular scale as well as in spatial conformation. Shells are exquisite examples of well‐defined chiral structures produced by natural biomineralization. However, the fundamental mechanism of chirality expressed in biological organisms remains unclear. Here, we present a system that mimics natural biomineralization and produces enantiopure chiral inorganic materials with controllable helicity. By tuning the hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, the chiral morphologies and mesostructures can be changed. With decreasing hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, we observed that the nanostructures changed from twisted nanofibers with a hexagonal mesostructure to twisted nanoribbons with a lamellar mesostructure, and the extent of the helicity decreased. Defining the mechanism of chiral inorganic materials formed from peptides by noncovalent interactions can improve strategies toward the bottom‐up synthesis of nanomaterials as well as in the field of bioengineering.     

Highly Enantioselective Catalytic System for Asymmetric Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide and Cyclohexene Oxide

A new ligand can be easily prepared, and its intramolecular dinuclear zinc complexes act as a high performance catalyst for the asymmetric alternating copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and CO₂ under very mild conditions (1 atm CO₂, room temperature), affording completely alternating polycarbonates with up to 93.8 % enantiomeric excess (ee) and 98 % yield. A high M_n value of 28 600 and a relatively narrow polydispersity (M_w/M_n ratio) of 1.43 were also achieved.     

Solvothermal Transformation of a Calcium Oleate Precursor into Large‐Sized Highly Ordered Arrays of Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Microtubes

Hydroxyapatite (HAP), a well‐known member of the calcium phosphate family, is the major inorganic component of bones and teeth in vertebrates. The highly ordered arrays of HAP structures are of great significance for hard tissue repair and for understanding the formation mechanisms of bones and teeth. However, the synthesis of highly ordered HAP structure arrays remains a great challenge. In this work, inspired by the ordered structure of tooth enamel, we have successfully synthesized three‐dimensional bulk materials with large sizes (millimeter scale) that are made of highly ordered arrays of ultralong HAP microtubes (HOAUHMs) by solvothermal transformation of calcium oleate precursor. The core–shell‐structured oblate sphere consists of a core that is composed of HAP nanorods and a shell that consists of highly ordered HAP microtube arrays. The prepared HOAUHMs are large: 6.0 mm in diameter and up to 1.4 mm in thickness. With increasing solvothermal reaction time, the HOAUHMs grow larger; the microtubes become more uniform and more ordered. This work provides a new synthetic method for synthesizing highly ordered arrays of uniform HAP ultralong microtubes that are promising for biomedical applications.     

Highly Flexible and Nonflammable Inorganic Hydroxyapatite Paper

A highly flexible and nonflammable inorganic hydroxyapatite (HAP) paper made from HAP ultralong nanowires is reported. The paper can be used for printing and writing and is promising for the permanent and safe storage of information, such as archives and important documents. The HAP paper is also an excellent and recyclable adsorbent for organic pollutants.     

铱配合物为能量受体的阴离子型聚芴合成及其蛋白质多糖检测

用Suzuki偶合方法合成了一系列铱配合物为能量受体,侧链为羧酸基团的阴离子型水溶性聚芴.聚芴(P4,P5,P6)中铱配合物含量分别为0%,2%和5%,聚芴P6在水溶液中具有较好的荧光能量荧光转移(FRET)效率.还研究了p H变化对聚合物水溶液荧光光谱性能的影响,结果表明当p H>8时,所含羧基以钠盐形式存在使聚合物具有较好的溶解性和较强的荧光强度,p H<8时,羧基以COOH形式存在,使聚合物溶解度降低造成聚集,荧光发生淬灭.并且进一步研究了不同的蛋白质和多糖对铱配合物含量为5%的聚合物(P6)的荧光光谱变化,如加入带正电荷的溶菌酶后可以发生比较明显的FRET现象,加入中性的血红蛋白后荧光强度略有下降,而疏水作用较强的组蛋白和带负电荷肝素的加入可以增强P6的荧光强度减弱聚合物的FRET,因此聚合物P6可以作为蛋白质和多糖的光学检测器.     

石墨烯/导电聚合物复合材料在超级电容器电极材料方面的研究进展

从方法学上总结了目前石墨烯/导电聚合物复合材料的制备途径,重点介绍了其在能源领域作为超级电容器电极材料的应用,并归纳了其在传感器材料、燃料电池、太阳能电池、电致变色器件及锂离子电池等方面的研究进展.     

新型复合共沉淀法制备高能量/高功率型锂离子二次电池用5V正极材料LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_4及其电化学性能

在传统的固相法的基础上开发了新型复合共沉淀法制备LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料.新型复合共沉淀法采用(NH4)2CO3和(NH4)2C2O4共同作为沉淀剂,通过控制共沉淀反应条件,得到了具有均匀球形形貌的沉淀物颗粒.再通过与饱和氢氧化锂溶液的水热反应及高温反应,最终制备出具有球形次级形貌和纯相尖晶石结构的LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料.电化学测试表明,制备的LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4具有优异的电化学性能,其初始容量达到了141.4mAh·g-1.在0.3C、1C和3C倍率下经过200次循环后的容量分别为136.0 mAh·g-1(96.3%)、128.6 mAh·g-1(94.4%)和113.9 mAh·g-1(91.1%).通过高温反应及特殊的冷却处理,LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4在4.0 V低压区平台的容量损失得到了有效抑制.更重要的是,通过控制合成过程中的关键步骤,可实现半定量化控制材料结构中的原子有序排布程度,进而得到具有高能量密度和高功率密度的两种LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料,其能量密度和功率密度分别达到了648.6 mWh·g-1和7000 mW·g-1以上.     

盐析剂——氯化钠存在下稀土含量的准确测定

分光光度法(Spectrophotometry)和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-AES)是常用的测定单一稀土含量的方法。但是萃取稀土过程中通常会加入盐析剂NaCl,萃余水相中大量钠离子所产生的光谱背景严重干扰了稀土含量的测定。考察了NaCl对稀土含量测定的影响,实验结果表明:在基体不匹配的情况下,只有当钠盐浓度低于0.08 mol·L-1时,分光光度法可以准确测定萃余液中单一轻稀土(La,Ce,Pr,Nd)及中稀土(Sm,Eu,Gd)的含量,但不能准确测定重稀土的含量;而使用ICP-AES法,在NaCl浓度为0.001~1.0 mol·L-1条件下无法准确测定稀土含量。因此,实验室宜采用分光光度法在基体不匹配的条件下测定轻、中稀土含量,重稀土在基体匹配的条件下用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法测定。     

A Supercharged Fluorescent Protein as a Versatile Probe for Homogeneous DNA Detection and Methylation Analysis

Supercharged proteins are a new class of functional proteins with exceptional stability and potent ability to deliver bio‐macromolecules into cells. As a proof‐of‐principle, a novel application of supercharged proteins as a versatile biosensing platform for nucleic acid detection and epigenetics analysis is presented. Taking supercharged green fluorescent protein (ScGFP) as the signal reporter, a simple turn‐on homogenous method for DNA detection has been developed based on the polyionic nanoscale complex of ScGFP/DNA and toehold strand displacement. This assay shows high sensitivity and potent ability to detect single‐base mismatch. Furthermore, combined with bisulfite conversion, this ScGFP‐based assay was further applied to analyze site‐specific DNA methylation status of genomic DNA extracted from real human colon carcinoma tissue sample with ultrahigh sensitivity (4 amol methylated DNA).     

Synthesis of Two‐Dimensional Transition‐Metal Phosphates with Highly Ordered Mesoporous Structures for Lithium‐Ion Battery Applications

Materials with ordered mesoporous structures have shown great potential in a wide range of applications. In particular, the combination of mesoporosity, low dimensionality, and well‐defined morphology in nanostructures may exhibit even more attractive features. However, the synthesis of such structures is still challenging in polar solvents. Herein, we report the preparation of ultrathin two‐dimensional (2D) nanoflakes of transition‐metal phosphates, including FePO₄, Mn₃(PO₄)₂, and Co₃(PO₄)₂, with highly ordered mesoporous structures in a nonpolar solvent. The as‐obtained nanoflakes with thicknesses of about 3.7 nm are constructed from a single layer of parallel‐packed pore channels. These uniquely ordered mesoporous 2D nanostructures may originate from the 2D assembly of cylindrical micelles formed by the amphiphilic precursors in the nonpolar solvent. The 2D mesoporous FePO₄ nanoflakes were used as the cathode for a lithium‐ion battery, which exhibits excellent stability and high rate capabilities.