Synthesis of a Novel Double Salt: Ammonium 3,4‐Diamino‐1,2,4‐triazolium Styphnate

Nitrogen‐rich double salt ammonium 3,4‐diamino‐1,2,4‐triazoliumstyphnate (NH₄ · DATr · TNR) ( 2 ) with good thermal stability was successfully synthesized by reacting 3,4‐diamino‐1,2,4‐triazolium chloride aqueous solution with styphnic acid methanol solution under the reaction medium of aqueous ammonia. The title double salt was characterized by elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transformation infrared spectrum (FT‐IR), and X‐ray single‐crystal diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with space group P2₁/n. Its density is 1.780 g · cm^–3. Compound 2 is thermal stable below 200 °C by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test. The non‐isothermal kinetics parameters were calculated by the Kissinger's method and Ozawa‐Doyle's method, respectively. In addition, compound 2 showed low friction and impact sensitivities.     

Effect of liquid oils on the properties of multiple emulsions containing liquid crystals

Recently, many cosmetic researchers have been focused on multiple emulsions due to better performance. Limited application of multiple emulsions has been attributed to their instability, which can be resolved by the presence of liquid crystals. Multiple emulsions containing liquid crystals are affected by various formulation parameters, such as liquid oils. In this paper, the influence of liquid oils on the formation mechanism was studied. Besides, stability, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) spectra analysis, and rheological analysis of the emulsions were investigated as well. The results showed that when the gap of the polarity between inner oils and external liquid oils is greater, the multiple structures were more easily formed. Multiple emulsions containing liquid crystals were superior in stability to multiple emulsions prepared in the same way with liquid oils that did not form liquid crystals. SAXS indicated that the liquid crystal orientation was lamellar. Rheological analysis indicated that the different structure emulsions showed shear-thinning behavior. The presence of liquid crystal decreased the viscosity and resulted in pseudoplastic enhancement. Both the storage modulus (G′) and the loss modulus (G″) of multiple emulsions were slightly higher than those of O/W-type emulsions, implying the existence of multiple structures.     

A mod 2 index theorem for pin<Superscript>−</Superscript> manifolds

We establish a mod 2 index theorem for real vector bundles over 8k + 2 dimensional compact pin^? manifolds. The analytic index is the reduced η invariant of (twisted) Dirac operators and the topological index is defined through KO-theory. Our main result extends the mod 2 index theorem of Atiyah and Singer (1971) to non-orientable manifolds.     

Initiator-Loaded Gold Nanocages as a Light-Induced Free-Radical Generator for Cancer Therapy

Tumor hypoxia greatly suppresses the therapeutic efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT), mainly because the generation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PDT is highly oxygen-dependent. In contrast to ROS, the generation of oxygen-irrelevant free radicals is oxygen-independent. A new therapeutic strategy based on the light-induced generation of free radicals for cancer therapy is reported. Initiator-loaded gold nanocages (AuNCs) as the free-radical generator were synthesized. Under near-infrared light (NIR) irradiation, the plasmonic heating effect of AuNCs can induce the decomposition of the initiator to generate alkyl radicals (R^.), which can elevate oxidative-stress (OS) and cause DNA damages in cancer cells, and finally lead to apoptotic cell death under different oxygen tensions. As a proof of concept, this research opens up a new field to use various free radicals for cancer therapy.     

Double-Layered Plasmonic–Magnetic Vesicles by Self-Assembly of Janus Amphiphilic Gold–Iron(II,III) Oxide Nanoparticles

Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) offer unique features, including the precisely controlled distribution of compositions, surface charges, dipole moments, modular and combined functionalities, which enable excellent applications that are unavailable to their symmetrical counterparts. Assemblies of NPs exhibit coupled optical, electronic and magnetic properties that are different from single NPs. Herein, we report a new class of double-layered plasmonic–magnetic vesicle assembled from Janus amphiphilic Au-Fe₃O₄ NPs grafted with polymer brushes of different hydrophilicity on Au and Fe₃O₄ surfaces separately. Like liposomes, the vesicle shell is composed of two layers of Au-Fe₃O₄ NPs in opposite direction, and the orientation of Au or Fe₃O₄ in the shell can be well controlled by exploiting the amphiphilic property of the two types of polymers.     

Self-Optimization of the Active Site of Molybdenum Disulfide by an Irreversible Phase Transition during Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

The metallic 1T-MoS₂ has attracted considerable attention as an effective catalyst for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). However, the fundamental mechanism about the catalytic activity of 1T-MoS₂ and the associated phase evolution remain elusive and controversial. Herein, we prepared the most stable 1T-MoS₂ by hydrothermal exfoliation of MoS₂ nanosheets vertically rooted into rigid one-dimensional TiO₂ nanofibers. The 1T-MoS₂ can keep highly stable over one year, presenting an ideal model system for investigating the HER catalytic activities as a function of the phase evolution. Both experimental studies and theoretical calculations suggest that 1T phase can be irreversibly transformed into a more active 1T′ phase as true active sites in photocatalytic HERs, resulting in a “catalytic site self-optimization”. Hydrogen atom adsorption is the major driving force for this phase transition.     

Synthesis and Thermal Performance of Polyurea Microcapsulated Phase Change Materials by Interfacial Polymerization

Microencapsulated phase change materials with paraffin as the core material were synthesized by interfacial polymerization of isophorone diisocyanate with diethylene triamine. The particle size and particle size distribution, morphology, thermal performance and the encapsulation efficiency of the prepared materials were investigated. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggested that the paraffin core was well encapsulated by the polyurea resin. The particle size of the prepared materials decreased and its distribution became narrow with the increase of the emulsification time, stirring speed and emulsifier amount. The thermal gravimetric analysis indicated that the prepared materials exhibited good thermal stability, while the differential scanning calorimetry their high encapsulation efficiency.     

A Comparison of NO Reduction Over Mn–Cu/ZSM5 and Mn–Cu/MWCNTs Catalysts Assisted by Plasma at Ambient Temperature

Manganese–copper bimetal oxide catalysts supported on ZSM5 and acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were produced by incipient wetness impregnation for selective catalytic reduction of NO with dielectric barrier discharge plasma. Plasma can activate molecules even at ambient temperature, generating active oxygen species such as O, O₃, and HO₂ radicals, which can oxidize NO to NO₂ effectively. The SCR activity of Mn–Cu/MWCNTs was studied and compared to that of the Mn–Cu/ZSM5. The obtained samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, ICP, H₂-TPR, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS. The results show that Mn–Cu/MWCNTs catalyst possesses NO removal activity superior to that of the Mn–Cu/ZSM5 catalyst. MWCNTs-based catalyst attains NO removal efficiency of 88% at 480 J/L, while the ZSM5-supported catalyst achieves NO removal efficiency of 82% at the same energy density. The oxygen content increased from 3.33 to 19.07% on the nanotube surface after introducing Mn and Cu, which almost remained unchanged on ZSM5. The oxygen-containing functionalities are important for NO_x adsorption and removal. Moreover, the characterization revealed that CuO is the main phase of copper oxide, but copper dispersion decreases on Mn–Cu/ZSM5 surface because of the formation of copper dimer species. The manganese is well-dispersed on the catalysts, MnO₂ and Mn₂O₃ contents of Mn–Cu/MWCNTs are larger than that of Mn–Cu/ZSM5, MnO₂ is the predominant phase of manganese oxide.     

Applicability of anthracite filtration‒micro electrolysis‒sand filtration for the treatment of surface waters containing high turbidity

The effect of combined filtration efficiency on the performance of anthracite filtration?micro electrolysis?sand filtration (AMS) was investigated. Impact of different operating parameters, such as iron?carbon ratio of micro electrolytic units, filtration velocity of AMS, were studied. It was found that when iron?carbon ratio was 6: 4, the AMS’s average turbidity removal rate was 96.75% at the filtration velocity of 3 m h^?1. The results showed that when the filtration rate was 3?9 m h^?1 and iron?carbon ratio was 6: 4, the turbidity removal efficiency was over 94%, and the turbidity of the effluent was less than 1 NTU in effective filtration cycle. The effective filtration cycle can last for more than 5 h or longer. Meanwhile, the removal rate of UV₂₅₄ was above 33%, and the concentration of iron ions in the effluent is less than 0.15 mg L^?1. Turbidity and iron indicators have reached the national drinking water standards. It was also found the mechanism of iron?carbon micro electrolytic enhanced filtration by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. And It was also speculated the reasons for the reaction passivation.     

Effect of ultraviolet absorption reagent for determination of piperidinium ionic liquid cations by ion pair chromatography with indirect ultraviolet detection

Indirect ultraviolet detection method is a simple and effective method for the determination of ionic liquid cations without ultraviolet absorption group. This paper focused on the influence of different background ultraviolet absorption reagents on the determination of piperidinium ionic liquid cations by ion pair chromatography with indirect ultraviolet detection. Ultraviolet absorption reagents are divided into cationic (4-aminophenol hydrochloride, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, and N-ethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate), anionic (potassium biphthalate and 5-sulfosalicylic acid), and amphiprotic (p-aminobenzoic acid). The results showed that piperidinium cations can be separated and detected by cationic and anionic ultraviolet absorption reagents. In general, the cationic ultraviolet absorption reagents have the best effect for separation and detection of the piperidinium cations by ion pair chromatography with indirect ultraviolet detection.