Insulating Polymers as Additives to Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells: The Effect of Miscibility

Adding insulating polymers to conjugated polymers is an efficient strategy to tailor their mechanical properties for flexible organic electronics. In this work, we selected two insulating polymers as additives for high-performance photoactive layers and investigated the mechanical and photovoltaic properties in organic solar cells (OSCs). The insulating polymers were found to reduce the electron mobilities in the photoactive layers, and hence the power conversion efficiencies were significantly decreased. More importantly, we found that the insulating polymers exhibited negative effect on the mechanical properties of the photoactive layers, with reduced Young's modulus and low crack onset strains. Further studies revealed that the insulating polymers had poor miscibility with the photoactive layers, providing large domains and more cavities in blend thin films, which act as negative effect for the tensile test. The studies indicate that rational selection of insulating polymers, especially enhancing the non-covalent interaction with the photoactive layers, will be critically important for the stretchable OSCs.     

Comparison of Nitrogen Activation on Trinuclear Niobium and Tungsten Sulfide Clusters Nb3Sn and W3Sn (n=0–3): A DFT Study

The reaction of N₂ with trinuclear niobium and tungsten sulfide clusters Nb₃S_n and W₃S_n (n=0–3) was systematically studied by density functional theory calculations with TPSS functional and Def2-TZVP basis sets. Dissociations of N−N bonds on these clusters are all thermodynamically allowed but with different reactivity in kinetics. The reactivity of Nb₃S_n is generally higher than that of W₃S_n. In the favorite reaction pathways, the adsorbed N₂ changes the adsorption sites from one metal atom to the bridge site of two metal atoms, then on the hollow site of three metal atoms, and at that place, the N−N bond dissociates. As the number of ligand S atoms increases, the reactivity of Nb₃S_n decreases because of the hindering effect of S atoms, while W₃S and W₃S₂ have the highest reactivity among four W₃S_n clusters. The Mayer bond order, bond length, vibrational frequency, and electronic charges of the adsorbed N₂ are analyzed along the reaction pathways to show the activation process of the N−N bond in reactions. The charge transfer from the clusters to the N₂ antibonding orbitals plays an essential role in N−N bond activation, which is more significant in Nb₃S_n than in W₃S_n, leading to the higher reactivity of Nb₃S_n. The reaction mechanisms found in this work may provide important theoretical guidance for the further rational design of related catalytic systems for nitrogen reduction reactions (NRR).     

有机碳材料在光电催化系统中的作用

有机碳材料因电荷传导效率高、结构可调、无污染等特点被广泛应用于光电催化领域。将含有机碳材料的催化剂作为电极材料已成为光电催化领域的研究热点之一。本文介绍了几种常见的有机碳材料的结构、特点、制备方法及其研究方向,并将含有机碳材料的电极进行分类。主要总结并论述了有机碳材料在光电催化系统中的五种作用:(1)作为催化剂;(2)作为光敏剂(3)作为电子介质;(4)作为催化剂载体;(5)作为光电极的稳定剂,最后阐述了有机碳材料在光电催化系统中的研究现状及难点问题。     

Block Copolymer Supported Gold Nanoparticles Assemblies with Exposed Gold Surface

Polymer-involved nanoparticles or nanoparticle assemblies are now facing a crossroad, where the exposure of nanoparticle and multiple nanoparticles cannot be obtained at the same time. Therefore, a new series of nanoparticle clusters is synthesized, where multiple gold nanoparticles assemble with amphiphilic block copolymers supporting inside. The exposure of gold nanoparticles of the structure is confirmed and increases the reduction rate of 4-nitrophenol by 60%. The assemblies can also be used as surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) probes with an enhancement factor(EF) as high as 3×10³.     

Solvent terminated natural deep eutectic solvent microextraction for concentration of curcuminoids in Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea

A novel solvent terminated microextraction method based on a natural deep eutectic solvent (L-menthol and lactic acid at a molar ratio of 1:2) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was proposed, which was utilized for the separation and enrichment of bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and curcumin in Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea. The effects of independent parameters on extraction efficiency were optimized by single-factor analysis. Subsequently, four predominated parameters affecting the extraction procedure, including extractant volume, salt concentration, demulsifier consumption, and demulsification time, were further evaluated by a central composite design. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges of calibration curves were 0.005–0.5 μg/mL for bisdemethoxycurcumin, 0.004–0.4 μg/mL for demethoxycurcumin, and 0.0045–0.45 μg/mL for curcumin, respectively. In addition, the developed method provided low detection limits (0.1–0.4 ng/mL) and high enrichment factors (279–350). Its intra-day and inter-day precision were carried out by relative standard deviation ranging from 2.2 to 9.2%. Finally, the applicability of this method was assessed by the analysis of Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and turmeric tea samples. The results showed that these samples were detected successfully and the spiked recoveries over the range of 85.3-108.9% with relative standard deviations of 1.6-8.9% were attained, indicating its high relative recoveries with good precision in real sample analysis.     

Develop a stepwise integrated method to screen biomarkers of Baihe-Dihuang Tang on the treatment of depression in rats applying with composition screened,untargeted, and targeted metabolomics analysis

Baihe-Dihuang Tang is a commonly prescribed remedy for depression. In this study, component screening with untargeted and targeted metabolomics was used to identify potential biomarkers for depression in chronic unpredictable mildly stressed rats. Using this novel identification method, the screening of organic acids, lily saponins, iridoids, and other ingredients formed the basis for subsequent metabolomics research. Baihe-Dihuang Tang supplementation in chronic unpredictable mild-stress-induced depression models, increased their body weight, sucrose preference, brain-derived neurotrophic factor deposition, and spatial exploring. Untargeted metabolomics revealed that Baihe-Dihuang Tang exerts its antidepressant effects by regulating the levels of lipids, organic acids, and its derivatives, and benzenoids in the brain, plasma, and urine of the depressed rats. Moreover, it also modulates the d -glutamine and d -glutamate metabolism and purine metabolism. Targeted metabolomics demonstrated significant reduction in l -glutamate levels in the brains of depressed rats. This could be a potential biomarker for depression. Baihe-Dihuang Tang alleviated depression by regulating the levels of l -glutamate, xanthine, and adenine in the brains of depressed rats. Together, these findings conclusively established the promising therapeutic effect of Baihe-Dihuang Tang on depression and also unraveled the underlying molecular mechanism of its potential antidepressant function.     

An emerging strategy for tracing the anti-erectile dysfunction components of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati by combinatory liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based quantitative analysis,efficacy assessment on impotent rats,and partial least squares regression

Semens of Astragali Complanati own anti-erectile dysfunction effect; however, the components which contribute to the anti-erectile dysfunction effect remain unclear. This work raised a strategy that integrates liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometry-based quantitative analysis, anti-erectile dysfunction assessment on impotent rats, and their relationship analysis for pinpointing anti-erectile dysfunction components from semens of Astragali Complanati. For simultaneous quantification of seven major components in raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati, an accurate and reliable liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed under multiple reaction monitoring mode. Of note, chloramphenicol was employed as the internal standard. The method showed good linearity and repeatability, where the recovery rates of each component ranged from 98.1 to 104.7%, and the precisions of intra- and interday were all within 3.4%. The method has been used for quantification of the seven major components in 10 batches of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati. Then, the anti-erectile dysfunction effects of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati were evaluated on impotent rats. Gray relationship analysis and partial least squares regression were combined for elucidating the relationship. As a result, complanatuside, astragalin, complanatoside B, and kaempferol were found to be responsible for anti-erectile dysfunction effect of Astragali Complanati.     

The electrochemical evaluation of antipsychotic drug (promethazine) in biological and environmental samples through samarium cobalt oxide nanoparticles

In this work, we developed a perovskite structured samarium cobalt oxide nanoparticles (SmCoO₃ NPs) with the aid of the co-precipitation method. The rare earth metal (Sm) and cobalt oxide combined to form a perovskite lattice structure. One-pot route synthesized SmCoO₃ NPs were scrutinized successfully through various physicochemical techniques. Concerning its effective thermal stability and electrical properties, the synthesized SmCoO₃ NPs have been effectively implemented in the electrochemical evaluation of promethazine hydrochloride (PHY) using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical detection of PHY was performed through SmCoO₃ NPs-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and unmodified GCE. The electron transfer kinetics, effect of scan rate, the influence of pH, electroactive surface area, selectivity, and sensitivity have been studied. The electron charge transfer rate (R_ct) and electrolyte resistance (R_s) were calculated to be 105.59 (Ω) and 150 (Ω) in the ferricyanide probe, indicating great facilitation of the electron transfer between PHY and SmCoO₃ NPs deposited on the electrode surface. Further, the optimized SmCoO₃-modified GCE exemplifies excellent selectivity, storage stability, reproducibility, repeatability, detection limit (5 nM), sensitivity (0.594 μA μM^?1 cm^?2), and wide consecutive linear ranges, respectively. Besides, the proposed method has been effectively employed for the detection of PHY in the various real samples which reveals good recoveries of 95.40–99.17%.     

Key factors for designing single-atom metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) is a sustainable approach to mitigate the increased CO₂ emissions and simultaneously produce value-added chemicals and fuels. Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for CO₂RR with high activity, selectivity, and stability. To design efficient SACs for CO₂RR, the key influence factors need to be understood. Here, we summarize recent achievements on M-N-C SACs for CO₂RR and highlight the significance of the key constituting factors, metal sites, the coordination environment, and the substrates, for achieving high CO₂RR performance. The perspective views and guidelines are provided for the future direction of developing M-N-C SACs as CO₂RR catalysts.     

Two novel heterobimetallic metal-organic frameworks for the enhanced catalytic thermolysis and laser ignition of CL-20

The study of multiple complex catalytic mechanisms is currently one of the great scientific issues for the application of high-energy solid propellants. Two novel heterobimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Ba₄Pb₄(CH₃CO₂)₈ [(CH₆CO₂)₄Pb](CH₃CO₂)₄ (PbBa-MOF) and Ba₂Ni(CO₂H)₆(OH₂)₄ (NiBa-MOF), were prepared via the solvothermal method, and their structures and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques and N₂ adsorption/desorption experiment. The thermal decomposition characteristics of the two MOFs and their catalytic performances on the hexanitro hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) thermolysis were also studied by differential scanning calorimetr (DSC) and thermogravimetric-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-mass spectrum (TG-FTIR-MS) methods. The results showed that the NiBa-MOF presented a lower initial decomposition temperature than the PbBa-MOF, and the difference of the MOFs structures affected the starting point of thermal decomposition. Compared with the pure CL-20, the thermolysis peak temperature and apparent activation energy (E_a) of the CL-20/PbBa-MOF mixture were decreased by 2.2 °C and 23.76 kJ?mol^?1, respectively. The E_a of CL-20/NiBa-MOF mixture was lower and 42.01 kJ?mol^?1, indicating the better catalytic activity of NiBa-MOF. The thermolysis catalytic mechanisms were studied by analyzing the transformation of gas products during the pyrolysis of mixtures. The effect of these two MOFs on the CL-20 thermolysis is primarily owing to the strong attraction of metal cations to electronics, bimetallic synergistic catalysis, and the release of active free radicals. Furthermore, the laser ignition and flame propagation features showed that these two MOFs reduced the minimum ignition power density and ignition delay time of the CL-20, and the flame becomes brighter and more luminous. The influence of the two MOFs on the flame bright spot of CL-20 based mixtures was described.