Effect of gamma irradiation on polypropylene yarns under air and water

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Polypropylene (PP) filters are used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste containing gamma nuclides such as Co-60, and filter physical and...     

Increasing Chemical Diversity of B2N2 Anthracene Derivatives by Introducing Continuous Multiple Boron-Nitrogen Units

Increasing the chemical diversity of organic semiconductors is essential to develop efficient electronic devices. In particular, the replacement of carbon-carbon (C−C) bonds with isoelectronic boron-nitrogen (B−N) bonds allows precise modulation of the electronic properties of semiconductors without significant structural changes. Although some researchers have reported the preparation of B₂N₂ anthracene derivatives with two B−N bonds, no compounds with continuous multiple BN units have been prepared yet. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a B₂N₂ anthracene derivative with a BNBN unit formed by converting the BOBN unit at the zigzag edge. Compared to the all-carbon analogue 2-phenylanthracene, BNBN anthracene exhibits significant variations in the C−C bond length and a larger highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap. The experimentally determined bond lengths and electronic properties of BNBN anthracene are confirmed through theoretical calculations. The BOBN anthracene organic light-emitting diode, used as a blue host, exhibits a low driving voltage. The findings of this study may facilitate the development of larger acenes with multiple BN units and potential applications in organic electronics.     

A Novel Route to the Fused Maleic Anhydride Moiety of CP Molecules

A seven‐step cascade reaction —in which selective mesylation, epoxide formation, epoxide lysis, cyclization, reiterative oxidation, and nitrogen–oxygen exchange occur sequentially—facilitates the construction of the maleic anhydride moiety of CP molecules 1 and 2 (>93% yield per step). Unstable intermediates of this reaction sequence were detected, providing evidence for the proposed mechanism and resulting in the discovery of a new chemical entity.     

Electronic structure and field emission of multiwalled carbon nanotubes depending on growth temperature

The electronic structure of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been investigated, depending on the growth temperature, using synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and field emission measurements. The vertically aligned CNTs are grown via pyrolysis of ferrocene and acetylene in a broad temperature range 600-1000 degrees C. The CNTs have a cylindrical structure with a uniform diameter of 20 nm. As growth temperature increases, due to an improved crystallinity of the graphitic sheets, the width of the XPS C 1s peak becomes narrower and the intensity of the valence band increases. Field emission from the as-grown CNTs exhibits a large enhancement of current density with growth temperature, strongly correlated with the electronic structure revealed by XPS.     

A rapid polyol combustion strategy towards scalable synthesis of nanostructured LiFePO4/C cathodes for Li-ion batteries

In the present study, carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄/C) is prepared directly by a polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis performed under reaction times of a few seconds in open-air conditions. The polyol solvent, tetraethylene glycol (TTEG), acts as a low-cost fuel to facilitate combustion and the released exothermic energy promotes the nucleation and growth processes of the olivine nanoparticles. In addition, phosphoric acid (used as the phosphorous source) acts as a catalyst to accelerate polyol carbonization. The structure analysis of the as-prepared LiFePO₄/C using X-ray, neutron diffraction and ⁷Li NMR studies suggested the efficacy of the rapid technique to produce highly crystalline phase-pure olivine nanocrystals. The electron microscopy and particle-size distribution studies revealed that the average particle diameters lie below 100 nm and confirmed the presence of a surface carbon layer of 2–3 nm thickness. The thermal and elemental studies indicated that the carbon content in the sample was approximately 5 %. The prepared LiFePO₄/C cathode delivered capacities of 162 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 °C rates with impressive capacity retention for extended cycling. The polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis, which evades the use of external energy sources, is not only a straightforward, simple and timely approach but also offers opportunities for large-scale LiFePO₄/C production.     

A Robust 3D Cage‐like Ultramicroporous Network Structure with High Gas‐Uptake Capacity

A three‐dimensional (3D) cage‐like organic network (3D‐CON) structure synthesized by the straightforward condensation of building blocks designed with gas adsorption properties is presented. The 3D‐CON can be prepared using an easy but powerful route, which is essential for commercial scale‐up. The resulting fused aromatic 3D‐CON exhibited a high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area of up to 2247 m² g^?1. More importantly, the 3D‐CON displayed outstanding low pressure hydrogen (H₂, 2.64 wt %, 1.0 bar and 77 K), methane (CH₄, 2.4 wt %, 1.0 bar and 273 K), and carbon dioxide (CO₂, 26.7 wt %, 1.0 bar and 273 K) uptake with a high isosteric heat of adsorption (H₂, 8.10 kJ mol^?1; CH₄, 18.72 kJ mol^?1; CO₂, 31.87 kJ mol^?1). These values are among the best reported for organic networks with high thermal stability (ca. 600 °C).     

A metal-free C–C/C–O bond formation for the synthesis of 2-amino-5-oxo-4-aryl-4H,5H-pyrano[3,2-c]chromene-3-carboxamide catalyzed by polystyrene-supported p-toluenesulfonic acid (PS-PTSA)

An efficient and eco-friendly procedure for the synthesis of 2-amino-5-oxo-4-aryl-4H,5H-pyrano[3,2-c]chromene-3-carboxamide has been developed through a one-pot three-component condensation of 4-hydroxycoumarin with aldehydes and cyanoacetamide, in the presence of catalytic amount of polystyrene-supported p-toluenesulfonic acid (PS-PTSA) as a highly active and reusable heterogeneous acid catalyst in EtOH at 80?°C conditions. This new procedure offers several advantages such as shorter reaction times, excellent yields, a wide range of functional group tolerance, easy experimental work-up procedure, operationally simple under metal-free reaction conditions and C-C/C-O bond formation. The catalyst can be recovered and reused for at least four runs without any significant impact on the product yields.     

Reducible Polyethylenimine Nanoparticles for Efficient siRNA Delivery in Corneal Neovascularization Therapy

The aim of this study is to establish the safe and effective ocular delivery system of therapeutic small interfering RNA (siRNA) in corneal neovascularization therapy. The major hurdle present in siRNA‐based corneal neovascularization (CNV) therapy is severe cytotoxicity caused by repetitive drug treatment. A reducible branched polyethylenimine (rBPEI)‐based nanoparticle (NP) system is utilized as a new siRNA carrier as a hope for CNV therapy. The thiolated BPEI is readily self‐crosslinked in mild conditions to make high molecular weight rBPEI thus allowing the creation of stable siRNA/rBPEI nanoparticles (siRNA‐rBPEI‐NPs). In the therapeutic region, the rBPEI polymeric matrix is effectively degraded into nontoxic LMW BPEI inside the reductive cytosol causing the rapid release of the encapsulated siRNA into the cytosol to carry out its function. The fluorescent‐labeled siRNA‐rBPEI‐NPs can release siRNA into the entire corneal region after subconjuctival injection into the eye of Sprague Dawley rats thus confirming the proof of concept of this system.

     

Monolayer Co3O4 Inverse Opals as Multifunctional Sensors for Volatile Organic Compounds

Monolayers of periodic porous Co₃O₄ inverse opal (IO) thin films for gas‐sensor applications were prepared by transferring cobalt‐solution‐dipped polystyrene (PS) monolayers onto sensor substrates and subsequent removal of the PS template by heat treatment. Monolayer Co₃O₄ IO thin films having periodic pores (d≈500 nm) showed a high response of 112.9 to 5 ppm C₂H₅OH at 200 °C with low cross‐responses to other interfering gases. Moreover, the selective detection of xylene and methyl benzenes (xylene+toluene) could be achieved simply by tuning the sensor temperature to 250 and 275 °C, respectively, so that multiple gases can be detected with a single chemiresistor. Unprecedentedly high ethanol response and temperature‐modulated control of selectivity with respect to ethanol, xylene, and methyl benzenes were attributed to the highly chemiresistive IO nanoarchitecture and to the tuned catalytic promotion of different gas‐sensing reactions, respectively. These well‐ordered porous nanostructures could have potential in the field of high‐performance gas sensors based on p‐type oxide semiconductors.