Effects of simultaneously doped and deposited Ag on the photocatalytic activity and surface states of TiO2

Ag-TiO2 catalysts with different Ag contents were prepared via a sol-gel method in the absence of light. Based on the characterizations of XRD, photoluminescence (PL), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy (FISPS), and XPS as well as the evaluation of the photocatalytic activity for degrading rhodamine B(RhB) solutions, it was found that the Ag dopant promoted the phase transformation as well as had an inhibition effect on the growth of anatase crystallite. The PL and SPS intensities were decreased with increasing Ag content, indicating that the Ag dopant could effectively inhibit the recombination of the photoinduced electrons and holes. However, the active sites capturing the photoinduced electrons reduced, while the Ag content exceeded 5 mol %. At rather low Ag dopant concentrations, the migration and diffusion of Ag+ ions were predominant, while at rather high Ag dopant concentrations, the migration, diffusion, and reduction of Ag ions simultaneously occurred. The Ag-TiO2 photocatalysts with appropriate content of Ag (Ag species concentration is from about 3 to 5 mol %) possessed abundant electron traps so as to be favorable for the separation of the photoinduced electron-hole pairs, which could greatly enhance the activity of the photocatalysts. From the results of FISPS measurements, it could be found that the impurity bands and abundant surface states were introduced into the interfacial layer of TiO2 because of Ag simultaneously doping and depositing, which could improve the absorption capability for visible light of the photocatalysts.     

Regio- and stereoselective reactions of a rhodanine derivative with optically active 2-methyl- and 2-phenyloxirane

The reaction of a rhodanine derivative (=(Z)-5-benzylidene-3-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one; 1) with (S)-2-methyloxirane (2) in the presence of SiO₂ in dry CH₂Cl₂ for 10 days led to two diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3-oxathiolanes 3 and 4 with the Me group at C(2) (Scheme 2). The analogous reaction of 1 with (R)-2-phenyloxirane (5) afforded also two diastereoisomeric spirocyclic 1,3-oxathiolanes 6 and 7 bearing the Ph group at C(3) (Scheme 3). The structures of 3, 4, 6, and 7 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography (Figs. 1 and 2). These results show that oxiranes react selectively with the thiocarbonyl group (CS) in 1. Furthermore, the nucleophilic attack of the thiocarbonyl S-atom at the SiO₂-activated oxirane ring proceeds with high regio- and stereoselectivity via an S_N2-type mechanism.     

Development of a ~3He Gas Filling Station at the China Spallation Neutron Source

At the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS), we have developed a custom gas-filling station, a glassblowing workshop, and a spin-exchange optical pumping(SEOP) system for producing high-quality ~3He-based neutron spin filter(NSF) cells. The gas-filling station is capable of routinely filling ~3He cells made from GE180 glass of various dimensions, to be used as neutron polarizers and analyzers on beamlines at the CSNS. Performance tests on cells fabricated at our gas-filling station are conducted via neutron transmission and nuclear-magneticresonance measurements, revealing nominal filling pressures, and a saturated ~3He polarization in the region of 80%, with a lifetime of approximately 240 hours. These results demonstrate our ability to produce competitive NSF cells to meet the ever-increasing research needs of the polarized neutron research community.     

Guajamers A-I,Rearranged Polycyclic Phloroglucinol Meroterpenoids from Psidium guajava Leaves and Their Antibacterial Activity

Main observation and conclusion Eight new polycyclic phloroglucinol meroterpenoids guajamers A-H (1-8),a methylated benzoylphloroglucinol meroterpenoid guajamer...     

Highly efficient toughening effect of ultrafine full-vulcanized powdered rubber on poly(lactic acid)(PLA)

A unique ultrafine full-vulcanized powdered ethyl acrylate rubber (EA-UFPR) was used as the toughening modifier for poly (lactic acid) (PLA). Largely improved tensile toughness was successfully achieved with the incorporation of only 1 wt% EA-UFPR, while the tensile strength and modulus of the blends were almost the same as pure PLA. The highly efficient toughening of PLA by UFPR is mainly ascribed to the strong interfacial interaction between PLA and UFPR and good dispersion of UFPR particles in PLA matrix. Our work provides an effective toughening method to largely improve the mechanical properties of PLA without sacrificing its stiffness, which is very important for the wide application of PLA materials.     

Manipulation of atom-to-molecule conversion in a magnetic lattice

Atom-to-molecule conversion by the technique of optical Feshbach resonance in a magnetic lattice is studied in the mean-field approximation. For the case of a shallow lattice, we give the dependence of the atomto-molecule conversion efficiency on tunnelling strength and atomic interaction by taking a double-well as an example. We find that one can obtain a high atom-to-molecule conversion by tuning the tunnelling and interaction strengths of the system. For the case of a deep lattice, we show that the existence of the lattice can improve the atom-to-molecule conversion for certain initial states.     

High-performance Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts for methanol steam reforming with enhanced Cu-ZnO synergy effect via magnesium assisted strategy

Methanol steam reforming (MSR) is an attractive approach to produce hydrogen for fuel cells.Due to the limited catalyst loading volume and frequent start-ups an...     

Synthesis and antitumour activity of inositol phosphonate analogues

Inositol phosphates regulate important biological functions in intracellular signal transduction events. Phosphonates, because of the stability towards the action of phosphatases, were extensively used to replace phosphates. We herein reported the synthesis of inositol phosphonate analogues using myo-inositol as the starting material, and found that two of phosphonate analogues exhibited relative good cytotoxic activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line A549.     

An efficient approach for total synthesis of aminopropyl functionalized ganglioside GM1b

A highly efficient protocol for the synthesis of aminopropyl functionalized ganglioside GM1b has been described. The full protected ganglioside GM1b was obtained in 71% yield within 5 h. The key feature of the synthetic approach was the use of sialic acid donor that was with a C-5 trichloroacetamide moiety and with a dibenzyl phosphite residue as leaving group at the anomeric carbon. The sialyl donor gave high yields and excellent α-anomeric selectivities with a wide variety of glycosyl acceptors ranging from C-3 or C-6 hydroxyls of galactoside to C-6 hydroxyl of glucosaminoside by using TMSOTf as catalyst in a mixture solution of acetonitrile and methylene chloride.