A Robust,Precious-Metal-Free Dye-Sensitized Photoanode for Water Oxidation: A Nanosecond-Long Excited-State Lifetime through a Prussian Blue Analogue

Herein, we establish a simple synthetic strategy affording a heterogeneous, precious metal-free, dye-sensitized photoelectrode for water oxidation, which incorporates a Prussian blue (PB) structure for the sensitization of TiO₂ and water oxidation catalysis. Our approach involves the use of a Fe(CN)₅ bridging group not only as a cyanide precursor for the formation of a PB-type structure but also as an electron shuttle between an organic chromophore and the catalytic center. The resulting hetero-functional PB-modified TiO₂ electrode demonstrates a low-cost and easy-to-construct photoanode, which exhibits favorable electron transfers with a remarkable excited state lifetime on the order of nanoseconds and an extended light absorption capacity of up to 500 nm. Our approach paves the way for a new family of precious metal-free robust dye-sensitized photoelectrodes for water oxidation, in which a variety of common organic chromophores can be employed in conjunction with CoFe PB structures.     

Adsorption thermodynamic and desorption studies of U(VI) on modified silica gel (SiAPMS-HL)

In this study, the adsorption process was examined by various isotherm models Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich and equilibrium data were successfully described by Langmuir model. Adsorption thermodynamics of uranium (VI) on modified silica gel (SiAPMS-HL) has been studied within a temperature range from 293 to 333 K and the thermodynamic parameters, such as equilibrium constant (K _D), standard free energy changes (ΔG°), standard enthalpy change (ΔH°) and standard entropy change (ΔS°), have been obtained. The desorption studies were conducted in batch system to investigate the kind, concentration and volume of the eluent.     

DNA damaging activities of methanol extract of Ajuga postii and iridoid glucoside reptoside

An iridoid glucoside reptoside (1) has been isolated as a DNA damaging active agent by bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of Ajuga postii. Furthermore, from the acetone extract of A. postii two known triterpenic compounds ursolic acid, alpha-amyrin and two steroidal compounds (24S)-24-ethylcholesta-5,25-dien-3beta-ol and beta-sitosterol were isolated. Their structures were elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR techniques and mass data.     

Syntheses and structural characterizations of 2-pyridyl(N/O)spirocyclotriphosphazene derivatives

The Cl exchange reaction of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, N₃P₃Cl₆ (1), with one equimolar amount of sodium salt of N/O donor type bidentate ligand containing a 2-pyridyl pendant arm (2) afforded, regioselectively, the partly substituted 2-pyridyl(N/O)spirocyclotriphosphazene (3; with a yield of 65%) in THF. The reactions of 3 with excess pyrrolidine, morpholine and 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decane (DASD) led to the formation of the tetraamino-2-pyridyl(N/O)spirocyclotriphosphazenes (3a-3c) in high yields. Compound 3 also gave both tetrapiperidino (3d) and gem-bispiperidino (3e) products with excess piperidine. The structures of all the compounds were determined by elemental analyses, ESI-MS, FTIR, HSQC, HMBC and ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR techniques. The crystal structure of 3c was identified by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Besides, the compound 3e had one stereogenic P atom, and its chirality was verified by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy in the presence of (S)-(+)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(9’-anthryl)-ethanol (CSA).     

Organic vapor sensing properties and characterization of α-naphthylmethacrylate LB thin films

Determination of organic vapor sensing properties of α-Naphthylmethacrylate (α-NMA) monomer based Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) thin films was aimed in this study. LB thin film fabrication was performed on quartz glass and quartz crystal substrates in order to investigate the characterization and organic vapor properties of α-NMA materials by using UV-Visible, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) techniques. π-A isotherm graph was taken and a suitable surface pressure value were primarily determined as 13?mN m^?1 for successful α-NMA LB thin film fabrication. Transfer ratio value was found to be ≥ 0.93 for quartz glass and quartz crystal substrates. The typical frequency shift per layer was obtained as 16.93?Hz/layer and the deposited mass onto a quartz crystal was calculated as 271.30?ng/layer (1.02?ng mm^?2). The sensing responses of α-NMA LB films against dichloromethane, chloroform, toluene and m-xylene were measured by QCM system. Dichloromethane created the maximum shift in the resonance frequency than other organic vapors used in this study. Results exhibited that α-NMA LB thin films were potential candidates for organic vapor sensing applications, especially high sensitive detection of dichloromethane at room temperature.     

Evaluation of the genetic algorithm parameters on the optimization performance: a case study on pump-and-treat remediation design

In this study, the impacts of different crossover and encoding schemes on the performance of a genetic algorithm (GA) in finding optimal pump-and-treat (P&T) remediation designs are investigated. For this purpose, binary and Gray encodings of the decision variables are tested. Uniform and two-point crossover schemes are evaluated for two different crossover probabilities. Analysis is performed for two P&T system optimization scenarios. Results show that uniform crossover operator with Gray encoding outperforms the other alternatives for the complex problem with higher number of decision variables. On the other hand, when a simpler problem, which had a lower number of decision variables, is solved, the efficiency of GA is independent of the encoding and crossover schemes.     

Preparation of different thin film catalysts by direct current magnetron sputtering for hydrogen generation

In this study, thin films of Co, Ni, Pd, and Pt were prepared on Co ₃ O ₄ support material in pellet form using the direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering method for use as catalysts for hydrogen generation from NaBH ₄ .Characterization of the catalysts was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to cross-sectional SEM images, catalyst thicknesses were observed in the range of approximately 115.3–495.8 nm. The particle sizes were approximately 25.0, 21.4, 33.9, and 9.5 nm for Ni-Co ₃ O ₄ , Co-Co ₃ O ₄ , Pd-Co ₃ O ₄ , and Pt-Co ₃ O ₄ catalysts, respectively. The increase in NaOH initial concentration provides an increase in the rate of hydrogen generation for Co, Ni, and Pd catalysts. A maximum hydrogen generation rate of 1653 mL/g _cat .min was obtained for the Pt-Co ₃ O ₄ catalyst.     

Anatomical and Phytochemical Characteristics of Different Parts of Hypericum scabrum L. Extracts,Essential Oils,and Their Antimicrobial Potential

Hypericum (Hypericaceae) is a genus that comprises a high number of species around the world. In this study, the roots, aerial parts, flowers, fruits, and aerial parts with flowers from Hypericum scabrum were macerated separately by methanol and water and then fractionated by different solvents of, such as ethyl acetate, n-hexane, butanol, dichloromethane, aqueous residue sub-extracts, and ethnobotanical use. All the extracts, sub-extracts and essential oils of H. scabrum were investigated for the first time in detail for their antimicrobial, total phenolics, and antioxidant activities. Anatomical structures of the root, stem, leaf, upper and lower leaf surface, stamen, sepal, and petal of H. scabrum were examined. The biochemical layout of essential oils was determined by GC and GC/MS. The antioxidant activity was determined by free radical scavenging activity (by DPPH). Antimicrobial activity was applied against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 19659, and C. tropicalis ATCC 750 using microdilution methods. The essentials of the aerial parts, flower, and fruit are characterized by the presence of monoterpene hydrocarbons, whereas roots oil include alkanes. The GC-FID and GC-MS analysis showed that major components of roots, aerial parts, flowers, and fruits oils were undecane (66.1%); α-pinene (17.5%), γ-terpinene (17.4%), and α-thujene (16.9%); α-pinene (55.6%), α-thujene (10.9%), and γ-terpinene (7.7%); α-pinene (85.2%), respectively. The aerial part sub-extracts indicated a greater level of total phenolics and antioxidant potential. The n-hexane sub-extracts (from aerial part, flower, and aerial part with flower) showed the best activity against B. subtilis, with 39.06 µg/mL MIC value. The presented research work indicates that H. scabrum can be a novel promising resource of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.     

How to Build Prussian Blue Based Water Oxidation Catalytic Assemblies: Common Trends and Strategies

Prussian blue (PB) and its analogues (PBAs) have at least a three-century-long history in coordination chemistry. Recently, cobalt-based PBAs have been acknowledged as efficient and robust water oxidation catalysts. Given the flexibility in their synthesis, the structure and morphology of cobalt-based PBAs have been modified for enhanced catalytic activity under electrochemical (EC), photocatalytic (PC), and photoelectrochemical (PEC) conditions. Here, in this review, the work on cobalt-based PBAs is presented in four sections: i) electrocatalytic water oxidation with bare PBAs, ii) photocatalytic processes in the presence of a photosensitizer (PS), iii) photoelectrochemical water oxidation by coupling PBAs to proper semiconductors (SCs), and iv) the utilization of PBA-PS assemblies coated on SCs for the dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical water oxidation. This review will guide readers through the structure and catalytic activity relationship in cobalt-based PBAs by describing the role of each structural component. Furthermore, this review aims to provide insight into common strategies to enhance the catalytic activity of PBAs.