Chemical, structural, and thermal properties of Zn(II)-Cr(III) layered double hydroxides intercalated with sulfated and sulfonated surfactants

Zn(II)-Cr(III)-LDHs (layered double hydroxides) containing sulfated or sulfonated surfactants as the interlamellar anion were synthesized by the coprecipitation method. The syntheses were conducted under various different experimental conditions, such as the Zn : Cr ratio, pH, and aging time. In each of the prepared materials, unlike previously reported data, the interlayer anion arrangement did not change, being consistent with a perpendicular monolayer. The thermal decomposition process of the prepared materials was studied by a set of analysis methods, such as TG/DTA, TG/MS, PXRD, and FT-IR. From the results obtained it was possible to conclude that, in an air atmosphere, the anions decomposed by a partial combustion, leading to the formation of sulfide. The results also showed that sulfonated surfactants containing LDHs are much more stable than those containing sulfated surfactants. A mechanism was proposed for the thermal decomposition of such LDHs based on the experimental results.     

Flexible ureasil hybrids with tailored optical properties through doping with metal nanoparticles

Hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposites containing uniform distributions of metal nanoparticles have been prepared by mixing a preformed nanoparticle colloid with the precursors of a ureasil, prior to the sol-gel transition. These nanocomposites possess not only high optical quality and optical features dictated by the size and shape of the nanoparticle dopants but also a high degree of flexibility, which can largely enhance the range of applications in practical devices. The deposition of a uniform silica shell on the nanoparticle surface prior to the sol-gel transition was found to be required to maintain the colloidal stability during the process and, thus, to retain the optical properties in the final nanocomposite material. This method can be readily extended to other materials, such as semiconductor and magnetic nanoparticles.     

A study of two-electron quantum dot spectrum using discrete variable representation method

A variational method called discrete variable representation is applied to study the energy spectra of two interacting electrons in a quantum dot with a three-dimensional anisotropic harmonic confinement potential. This method, applied originally to problems in molecular physics and theoretical chemistry, is here used to solve the eigenvalue equation to relative motion between the electrons. The two-electron quantum dot spectrum is determined then with a precision of at least six digits. Moreover, the electron correlation energies for various potential confinement parameters are investigated for singlet and triplet states. When possible, the present results are compared with the available theoretical values.     

石墨烯的制备、功能化及在化学中的应用

石墨烯是最近发现的一种具有二维平面结构的碳纳米材料, 它的特殊单原子层结构使其具有许多独特的物理化学性质. 有关石墨烯的基础和应用研究已成为当前的前沿和热点课题之一. 本文仅就目前石墨烯的制备方法、功能化方法以及在化学领域中的应用作一综述, 重点阐述石墨烯应用于化学修饰电极、化学电源、催化剂和药物载体以及气体传感器等方面的研究进展, 并对石墨烯在相关领域的应用前景作了展望.     

反相液相色谱中固定相和流动相对柱相比的贡献

依据柱相比的热力学定义和反相液相色谱中溶质的计量置换保留理论(the stoichiometric dispheement heory of solute for retention，SDT-R)，对反相液相色谱中固定相和流动相性质、温度对柱相比的影响进行了研究。结果表明：固定相的种类和配基的疏水性对柱相比影响较大，而流动相中有机溶剂的种类，特别是脂肪酸作为置换剂时，对柱相比的影响更大，而柱相比受温度的影响较小。此外，通过用27种小分子溶质对柱相比的测定，其logI和Z良好的线性关系，进一步证明柱相比是一个与溶质性质无关的常数。     

微波辅助快速制备2D/1D ZnIn2S4/TiO2 S型异质结及其光催化制氢性能

The threat and global concern of energy crises have significantly increased over the last two decades. Because solar light and water are abundant on earth, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution through water splitting has been considered as a promising route to produce green energy. Therefore, semiconductor photocatalysts play a key role in transforming sunlight and water to hydrogen energy. To date, various photocatalysts have been studied. Among them, TiO₂ has been extensively investigated because of its non-toxicity, high chemical stability, controllable morphology, and high photocatalytic activity. In particular, 1D TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) have attracted increasing attention as effective photocatalysts because of their unique 1D electron transfer pathway, high adsorption capacity, and high photoinduced electron–hole pair transfer capability. However, TiO₂ NFs are considered as an inefficient photocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) because of their disadvantages such as a large band gap (~3.2 eV) and fast recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Therefore, the development of a high-performance TiO₂ NF photocatalyst is required for efficient solar light conversion. In recent years, several strategies have been explored to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ NFs, including coupling with narrow-bandgap semiconductors (such as ZnIn₂S₄). Recently, microwave (MW)-assisted synthesis has been considered as an important strategy for the preparation of photocatalyst semiconductors because of its low cost, environment-friendliness, simplicity, and high reaction rate. Herein, to overcome the above-mentioned limiting properties of TiO₂ NFs, we report a 2D/1D ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂ S-scheme heterojunction synthesized through a microwave (MW)-assisted process. Herein, the 2D/1D ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂ S-scheme heterojunction was constructed rapidly by using in situ 2D ZnIn₂S₄nanosheets decorated on 1D TiO₂ NFs. The loading of ZnIn₂S₄ nanoplates on the TiO₂ NFs could be easily controlled by adjusting the molar ratios of ZnIn₂S₄ precursors to TiO₂ NFs. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples for water splitting under simulated solar light irradiation was assessed. The experimental results showed that the photocatalytic performance of the ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂ composites was significantly improved, and the obtained ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂ composites showed increased optical absorption. Under optimal conditions, the highest HER rate of the ZT-0.5 (molar ratio of ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂= 0.5) sample was 8774 μmol·g^-1·h^-1, which is considerably higher than those of pure TiO₂ NFs (3312 μmol·g^-1·h^-1) and ZnIn₂S₄nanoplates (3114 μmol·g^-1·h^-1) by factors of 2.7 and 2.8, respectively. Based on the experimental data and Mott-Schottky analysis, a possible mechanism for the formation of the S-scheme heterojunction between ZnIn₂S₄ and TiO₂ was proposed to interpret the enhanced HER activity of the ZnIn₂S₄/TiO₂heterojunctionphotocatalysts.      

Determination of degree of conversion as a function of depth of a photo-initiated dental restoration composite—III application to commercial Prodigy Condensable™

In this third work, we evaluated the degree of conversion (DC) versus depth of dental filling composite named Prodigy Condensable™ using infrared spectroscopy. Confirming previous results, there was a gradual reduction of DC with increasing depth but the composite exhibited extreme values of DC, an upper value (45.9%) on the surface and a lower one (6.1%) at a depth of 5 mm. The composite presented the worst performance among materials studied. The composite formulation was 80% of inorganic fillers and BisfenolA/dimethacrylate (BisGMA) (18%)/triethyleneglycoldimethacrylate (TEGDMA) (2.0%) as monomers. As stated before, type/ratio/viscosity of monomers and type, amount, size and size distribution of fillers all together had an important role in the cure reaction contributing to the final performance of the composite.     

Thiocarbonyl rhodium complexes with tricyclohexylphosphine and other nitrogen and phosphorus donor ligands

Summary The preparation of the covalent Rh(OCIO₃)(CS)(PCy₃)₂ and Rh(OClO₃)(CS)(PPh₃)(PCy₃) perchlorato complexes is described, These complexes react with mono- or bidentate nitrogen donor ligands to give new cationic complexes of the [Rh(CS)(PCY₃)₂L]ClO4 and [Rh(CS)(PPh,)(PCy₃)L]ClO₄ types,     

A molecular dynamics study of the pentacyclo-undecane cage amino acid tripeptide

In this paper, we report on the conformational profile of the pentacyclo-undecane (PCU) cage tripeptide carried out by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation using water as an explicit solvent. The MD solution phase studies carried on the model peptide analogues (A)=Ac–Ala–Ala–Ala–NHMe; (B)=Ac–Cage–Cage–Cage–NHMe; (C)=Ac–Ala–Cage–Ala–NHMe and (D)=Ac–Ala–Pro–Ala–NHMe, are used as a complimentary technique to the corresponding gas phase simulated annealing (SA) study previously carried out in our laboratory. No significant structural changes were observed over the MD trajectories. However, the results reported here provide further evidence that the (PCU) cage amino acid exhibits C_7eq, C_7aq, _R and _L conformations, and the theoretical results suggest that the PCU cage amino acid is a strong β-turn inducer. These results support the prediction that when the PCU cage residues are in the (i) and (i+2) positions, the β-turn can be extended in either direction to form anti-parallel β-pleated sheets, thereby forming the basis of the mechanism for the folding back of the chain in a cross-β-turn structure.