Synthesis of amine-modified mesoporous materials for CO2 capture by a one-pot template-free method

A one-pot template-free route was developed for the synthesis of novel tetraethylenepentamine modified porous silica as CO₂ adsorbents, the obtained materials were characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption, thermogravimetry, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the amine species were inserted into the silica skeleton, which considerably enhanced their dispersion. Compared with similar materials derived from impregnation, the porous structure of the silica can be better reserved, leading to a promising CO₂ adsorption capacity of 3.98 mmol CO₂/g-adsorbent and a fast adsorption kinetic in simulated flue gas at 348 K. The resulted adsorbents could also be easily regenerated and showed a good durability in multiple adsorption–desorption cycles. All these features make this method a promising option for the preparation of CO₂ adsorbents.     

Bio-inspired fabrication of well-oriented ZnO nanorod arrays film and its superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity

A highly oriented ZnO nanorod array film was fabricated on glass substrate by combinations of Sol–Gel and hydrothermal. The film exhibits perfect superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 155° and a glide angle of 4° after being surface modified by fluoroalkylsilane, which is similar with wings’ property and structures of large yellow spots mosquitoes. Interestingly, the ZnO nanorods film were converted from superhydrophobicity into superhydrophilicity under ultraviolet light for 2 h due to the decomposition of fluoroalkyl chain of fluoroalkylsilane and the photosensitivity of ZnO surface. The transition mechanisms of wettability are discussed on the basis of correlated theories.     

Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Dots: A Facile and General Preparation Method,Photoluminescence Investigation,and Imaging Applications

Carbon dots (Cdots) are an important probe for imaging and sensing applications because of their fluorescence property, good biocompatibility, and low toxicity. However, complex procedures and strong acid treatment are often required and Cdots suffer from low photoluminescence (PL) emission. Herein, a facile and general strategy using carbonization of precursors and then extraction with solvents is proposed for the preparation of nitrogen‐doped Cdots (N‐Cdots) with 3‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐L ‐alanine (L ‐DOPA), L ‐histidine, and L ‐arginine as precursor models. After they are heated, the precursors become carbonized. Nitrogen‐doped Cdots are subsequently extracted into N,N′‐dimethylformamide (DMF) from the carbogenic solid. A core–shell structure of Cdots with a carbon core and the oxygen‐containing shell was observed. Nitrogen has different forms in N‐Cdots and oxidized N‐Cdots. The doped nitrogen and low oxidation level in N‐Cdots improve their emission significantly. The N‐Cdots show an emission with a nitrogen‐content‐dependent intensity and Cdot‐size‐dependent emission‐peak wavelength. Imaging of HeLa cells, a human cervical cancer cell line, and HepG2 cells, a human hepatocellular liver carcinoma line, was observed with high resolution using N‐Cdots as a probe and validates their use in imaging applications and their multicolor property in the living cell system.     

Synthesis and Morphology Control of AM‐6 Nanofibers with Tailored ‐V‐O‐V‐ Intermediates

Microporous vanadosilicates with octahedral VO₆ and tetrahedral SiO₄ units, better known as AM‐6, have been hydrothermally synthesized with different morphologies by controlling the Na/K molar ratio of the initial gel mixtures. The morphology of the AM‐6 materials changed from bulky cube to nanofiber aggregates as the Na/K molar ratio decreased from 1.9 to 0.2. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the VO₃^? intermediate species plays an important role in the formation of the nanofiber morphology. The orientation of ‐V‐O‐V‐ chains in nanofiber aggregates was examined by confocal polarized micro‐Raman spectroscopy. It was found that these aggregates are assemblies of short ‐V‐O‐V‐ chains perpendicular to the axis of nanofibers. The obtained AM‐6 nanofibers greatly increase the exposed proportion of V? O terminals, and thus improve the catalytic performance.     

Self‐Assembled Poly(N‐methylaniline)–Lignosulfonate Spheres: From Silver‐Ion Adsorbent to Antimicrobial Material

Self‐assembled poly(N‐methylaniline)–lignosulfonate (PNMA–LS) composite spheres with reactive silver‐ion adsorbability were prepared from N‐methylaniline by using lignosulfonate (LS) as a dispersant. The results show that the PNMA–LS composite consisted of spheres with good size distribution and an average diameter of 1.03–1.27 μm, and the spheres were assembled by their final nanofibers with an average diameter of 19–34 nm. The PNMA–LS composite spheres exhibit excellent silver‐ion adsorption; the maximum adsorption capacity of silver ions is up to 2.16 g g^?1 at an adsorption temperature of 308 K. TEM and wide‐angle X‐ray results of the PNMA–LS composite spheres after absorption of silver ions show that silver ions are reduced to silver nanoparticles with a mean diameter of about 11.2 nm through a redox reaction between the PNMA–LS composite and the silver ions. The main adsorption mechanism between the PNMA–LS composite and the silver ions is chelation and redox adsorption. In particular, a ternary PNMA–LS–Ag composite achieved by using the reducing reaction between PNMA–LS composite spheres and silver ions can be used as an antibacterial material with high bactericidal rate of 99.95 and 99.99 % for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus cells, respectively.     

Electrochemical‐Reduction‐Assisted Assembly of a Polyoxometalate/Graphene Nanocomposite and Its Enhanced Lithium‐Storage Performance

Herein, we present an electrochemically assisted method for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the assembly of polyoxometalate clusters on the reduced GO (rGO) nanosheets for the preparation of nanocomposites. In this method, the Keggin‐type H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ (SiW₁₂) is used as an electrocatalyst. During the reduction process, SiW₁₂ transfers the electrons from the electrode to GO, leading to a deep reduction of GO in which the content of oxygen‐containing groups is decreased to around 5 %. Meanwhile, the strong adsorption effect between the SiW₁₂ clusters and rGO nanosheets induces the spontaneous assembly of SiW₁₂ on rGO in a uniformly dispersed state, forming a porous, powder‐type nanocomposite. More importantly, the nanocomposite shows an enhanced capacity of 275 mAh g^?1 as a cathode active material for lithium storage, which is 1.7 times that of the pure SiW₁₂. This enhancement is attributed to the synergistic effect of the conductive rGO support and the well‐dispersed state of the SiW₁₂ clusters, which facilitate the electron transfer and lithium‐ion diffusion, respectively. Considering the facile, mild, and environmentally benign features of this method, it is reasonable as a general route for the incorporation of more types of functional polyoxometalates onto graphene matrices; this may allow the creation of nanocomposites for versatile applications, for example, in the fields of catalysis, electronics, and energy storage.     

Bioconjugation of Proteins with a Paramagnetic NMR and Fluorescent Tag

Site‐specific labeling of proteins with lanthanide ions offers great opportunities for investigating the structure, function, and dynamics of proteins by virtue of the unique properties of lanthanides. Lanthanide‐tagged proteins can be studied by NMR, X‐ray, fluorescence, and EPR spectroscopy. However, the rigidity of a lanthanide tag in labeling of proteins plays a key role in the determination of protein structures and interactions. Pseudocontact shift (PCS) and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) are valuable long‐range structure restraints in structural‐biology NMR spectroscopy. Generation of these paramagnetic restraints generally relies on site‐specific tagging of the target proteins with paramagnetic species. To avoid nonspecific interaction between the target protein and paramagnetic tag and achieve reliable paramagnetic effects, the rigidity, stability, and size of lanthanide tag is highly important in paramagnetic labeling of proteins. Here 4′‐mercapto‐2,2′: 6′,2′′‐terpyridine‐6,6′′‐dicarboxylic acid (4MTDA) is introduced as a a rigid paramagnetic and fluorescent tag which can be site‐specifically attached to a protein by formation of a disulfide bond. 4MTDA can be readily immobilized by coordination of the protein side chain to the lanthanide ion. Large PCSs and RDCs were observed for 4MTDA‐tagged proteins in complexes with paramagnetic lanthanide ions. At an excitation wavelength of 340 nm, the complex formed by protein–4MTDA and Tb³⁺ produces high fluorescence with the main emission at 545 nm. These interesting features of 4MTDA make it a very promising tag that can be exploited in NMR, fluorescence, and EPR spectroscopic studies on protein structure, interaction, and dynamics.     

Highly Stereoselective Conjugate Addition and α‐Alkynylation Reaction with Electron‐Deficient Alkynes Catalyzed by Chiral Scandium(III) Complexes

The highly Z‐selective asymmetric conjugate addition of 3‐substituted oxindoles to alkynyl carbonyl compounds has been developed by using scandium complexes of chiral N,N′‐dioxides under mild conditions. The thermodynamically unstable Z‐olefin derivatives were obtained in excellent yields and high enantiomeric and geometric control. The catalyst was also found to be effective in the asymmetric acetylenic substitution reaction of 3‐substituted oxindoles, giving excellent enantioselectivities.     

Microwave‐Induced In Situ Synthesis of Zn2GeO4/N‐Doped Graphene Nanocomposites and Their Lithium‐Storage Properties

Zn₂GeO₄/N‐doped graphene nanocomposites have been synthesized through a fast microwave‐assisted route on a large scale. The resulting nanohybrids are comprised of Zn₂GeO₄ nanorods that are well‐embedded in N‐doped graphene sheets by in situ reducing and doping. Importantly, the N‐doped graphene sheets serve as elastic networks to disperse and electrically wire together the Zn₂GeO₄ nanorods, thereby effectively relieving the volume‐expansion/contraction and aggregation of the nanoparticles during charge and discharge processes. We demonstrate that an electrode that is made of the as‐formed Zn₂GeO₄/N‐doped graphene nanocomposite exhibits high capacity (1463 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1), good cyclability, and excellent rate capability (531 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 3200 mA g^?1). Its superior lithium‐storage performance could be related to a synergistic effect of the unique nanostructured hybrid, in which the Zn₂GeO₄ nanorods are well‐stabilized by the high electronic conduction and flexibility of N‐doped graphene sheets. This work offers an effective strategy for the fabrication of functionalized ternary‐oxide‐based composites as high‐performance electrode materials that involve structural conversion and transformation.     

Collective Total Synthesis of Englerin A and B,Orientalol E and F,and Oxyphyllol: Application of the Organocatalytic [4+3] Cycloaddition Reaction

The concise collective total synthesis of englerin A and B, orientalol E and F, and oxyphyllol has been accomplished in 10–15 steps, with the total synthesis of orientalol E and oxyphyllol being achieved for the first time. The success obtained was enabled by the realization of the [4+3] cycloaddition reaction of 9 and 10 . Other features of the synthesis include 1) the intramolecular Heck reaction to access the azulene core, 2) the epoxidation–S_N2′ reduction sequence to access the allylic alcohol, 3) the efficient regioselective and stereoselective formal hydration of the bridging C?C bond in the synthesis of englerins, and 4) the late‐stage chemo‐ and stereoselective C? H oxidation in the synthesis of orientalol E. The total synthesis of these natural products has enabled the structural revision of oxyphyllol and established the absolute stereochemical features of the organocatalytic [4+3] cycloaddition reaction. The identification of 5 as the natural product oxyphyllol, the success in converting 5 to orientalol E, along with the fact that englerins and oxyphyllol were isolated from plants of the same genus Phyllanthus gives support to our proposed biosynthetic pathways. This work may enable detailed biological evaluations of these natural products and their analogues and derivatives, especially of their potential in the fight against renal cell carcinoma (RCC).