Mechanism for nucleation and growth of electrochemical deposition of palladium(II) on a platinum electrode in hydrochloric acid solution

Palladium(II)and chloride ions tend to form complexes in aqueous solution.Both theoretical and experimental(by UV spectrum)results indicate that there are four complexes formed in aqueous solution containing 3 mol/L hydrochloric acid and 20mmol/L PdCl2.This work evaluates the kinetics of electrochemical deposition of palladium on a Platinum electrode.For this purpose,palladium electrodeposition was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry(CV),potentiostatic current-time transients(CTTs)and Tafel curve.By CTTs curves,the regions corresponding to the charge transfer control,mixed control and diffusion control were identified.In the diffusion control region,palladium electrodeposition mechanism was characterized as progressive nucleation with three-dimensional(3D)growth under diffusion control;as for the mixed control region,an adsorption(IAds),ion transfer(IIT),and nucleation and growth(ING)model were proposed to analyze the current-time transients quantitatively,which could separate the IAds,IIT and ING perfectly.     

An Exceptional Peroxide Birefringent Material Resulting from d–π Interactions

Birefringent materials, which can modulate the polarization of light, are almost exclusively limited to oxides. Peroxides have long been overlooked as birefringent materials, because they are usually not stable in air. Now, the first peroxide birefringent material Rb₂VO(O₂)₂F is reported, the single crystals of which keep transparency after being exposed in the air for two weeks. Interestingly, Rb₂VO(O₂)₂F does not feature an optimal anisotropic structure, but its birefringence (Δn=0.189 at 546 nm) exceeds those of the majority of oxides. According to the first‐principles calculations, this exceptional birefringence should be attributed to the strong electronic interactions between localized π orbital of O₂^2? anions and V⁵⁺ 3d orbitals, which may be also favorable to the stability in the air for Rb₂VO(O₂)₂F. These findings distinguish peroxides as a brand‐new class of birefringent materials that may possess birefringence superior to the traditional oxides.     

Design,synthesis and insecticidal-activity evaluation of N-pyridylpyrazolo-5-methyl amines and its derivatives

In searching for novel insecticidal leads, a series of N-pyridylpyrazolo-5-methyl amines and their derivatives were designed and synthesized. Among the 22 target compounds obtained, bioassays indicated that some of the target compounds exhibited good insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella (P. xylostella) and Spodoptera frugiperda (S. frugiperda). In particular, compound 9j revealed the best insecticidal activity against P. xylostella, with a LC₅₀ value of 22.11 mg/L, and compound 9q had the best insecticidal activity against S. frugiperda which with 73.99% of mortality rate at 100 mg/L. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis showed that 4-CF₃ at the position of R¹ linked with N-pyridylpyrazole via amide bond could enhance the insecticidal activity of the target compounds. This study provides valuable clues for the further design and optimization of N-pyridylpyrazole derivatives.     

Preparation and properties of water‐absorbent composites of chloroprene rubber,starch, and sodium acrylate

The effects of the amounts of starch, sodium acrylate (NaAA) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) on the properties of chloroprene rubber (CR)/starch/NaAA composites prepared by melting method were investigated. The results showed that the addition of starch improved the mechanical properties, but decreased the water‐absorbing capacity of the composite, most likely due to the decrease in the local concentration of the main water‐absorbing material sodium polyacrylate and the increase in crosslinking density of the composite resulting from the reaction between starch and CR. This reaction was verified by the vulcanized curves, DSC curves, and the cut surface morphology. The as‐prepared composite demonstrated higher water‐absorbing capacity, resulting from the incorporation of NaAA. The mechanical properties decreased with increasing the DCP loading, and the water‐absorbing ratio is the maximum at 1.0 phr DCP. The tensile strength of the composite decreased significantly after water immersion, due to the absorbed water acting as a plasticizer. The extracted component from composites after water immersion is mainly sodium polyacrylate according to Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy analysis. The morphology of the composites before and after water immersion was observed by optical transmission microscopy (OTM). The results indicated that the starch exhibits a good dispersion state, and the water‐absorbing capacity results primarily from sodium polyacrylate. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent-Triggered Self-Folding of Hydrogel Sheets

Intense investigations have been attracted to the development of materials which can reconfigure into 3D structures in response to external stimuli. Herein we report on the design and self-folding behaviors of hydrogels composed of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) and 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (MEO\begin{document}$_{2}$\end{document}MA). Upon immersion into a variety of solvents at room temperature, the resulting P(MEO\begin{document}$_{2}$\end{document}MA-co-OEGMA) hydrogel sheets self-fold into 3D morphologies, and the observed transformation in shape is reversible. We further show that composition of the gel, gaseous environment, and preparation procedure play important roles in the self-folding behavior of the resulting hydrogels. This work provides a facile approach for fabricating self-folding hydrogels.     

Chemical synthesis and structural analysis of guanylate cyclase C agonist linaclotide

Linaclotide and its D-enantiomer were obtained through Fmoc solid phase peptide synthesis method and co-crystalized through racemic crystallization. The crystal structure showed that linaclotide has a tight, three-beta turns structure immobilized by three pairs of disulfide bonds.     

One‐Step Synthesis of Hybrid Core–Shell Metal–Organic Frameworks

Epitaxial growth of MOF‐on‐MOF composite is an evolving research topic in the quest for multifunctional materials. In previously reported methods, the core–shell MOFs were synthesized via a stepwise strategy that involved growing the shell‐MOFs on top of the preformed core‐MOFs with matched lattice parameters. However, the inconvenient stepwise synthesis and the strict lattice‐matching requirement have limited the preparation of core–shell MOFs. Herein, we demonstrate that hybrid core–shell MOFs with mismatching lattices can be synthesized under the guidance of nucleation kinetic analysis. A series of MOF composites with mesoporous core and microporous shell were constructed and characterized by optical microscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction, gas sorption measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. Isoreticular expansion of microporous shells and orthogonal modification of the core was realized to produce multifunctional MOF composites, which acted as size selective catalysts for olefin epoxidation with high activity and selectivity.     

Dynamic Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence by Photoactivation

Smart materials with ultralong phosphorescence are rarely investigated and reported. Herein we report on a series of molecules with unique dynamic ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) features, enabled by manipulating intermolecular interactions through UV light irradiation. Our experimental data reveal that prolonged irradiation of single‐component organic phosphors of PCzT, BCzT, and FCzT under ambient conditions can activate UOP with emission lifetimes spanning from 1.8 to 1330 ms. These phosphors can also be deactivated back to their original states with short‐lived phosphorescence by UV irradiation for 3 h at room temperature or through thermal treatment. Additionally, the dynamic UOP was applied successfully for a visual anti‐counterfeiting application. These findings may provide unique insight into dynamic molecular motion for optical processing and expand the scope of smart‐response materials for broader applications.     

低阶煤热萃取物与瘦煤共炭化焦炭的微观结构及显微强度研究

以众唯瘦煤作为主炼焦煤,大同长焰煤萃取物作为添加剂,进行共炭化处理制备坩埚焦。利用偏光显微镜法定量研究焦炭光学显微组分,获得焦炭的各向异性指数(DRAS);采用XRD及分峰拟合的方法研究了焦炭的微晶粒径(L_c)、芳香缩合度(I_a)、石墨化度(g);利用Raman光谱结合分峰拟合的方法研究了焦炭中理想石墨微晶含量(I_g)。对所得焦炭的光学显微组分进行定量分析发现:大同长焰煤热解萃取产物的添加对共炭化焦炭的光学显微组分有显著的影响,利用偏光显微镜法计算出焦炭的DRAS与XRD和Raman计算的焦炭微晶参数呈现很好一致性。并且,焦炭的显微强度与其微观结构关联性极大。     

Temperature-programmed precise control over the sizes of carbon nanospheres based on benzoxazine chemistry

On the basis of benzoxazine chemistry, we have established a new way to synthesize highly uniform carbon nanospheres with precisely tailored sizes and high monodispersity. Using monomers including resorcinol, formaldehyde, and 1,6-diaminohexane, and in the presence of Pluronic F127 surfactant, polymer nanospheres are first synthesized under precisely programmed reaction temperatures. Subsequently, they are pseudomorphically and uniformly converted to carbon nanospheres in high yield, due to the excellent thermal stability of such polybenzoxazine-based polymers. The correlation between the initial reaction temperature (IRT) and the nanosphere size fits well with the quadratic function model, which can in turn predict the nanosphere size at a set IRT. The nanosphere sizes can easily go down to 200 nm while retaining excellent monodispersity, i.e., polydispersity <5%. The particle size uniformity is evidenced by the formation of large areas of periodic assembly structure. NMR, FT-IR, and elemental analyses prove the formation of a polybenzoxazine framework. As a demonstration of their versatility, nanocatalysts composed of highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles in the carbon nanospheres are fabricated, which show high conversion and selectivity, great reusability, and regeneration ability, as evidenced in a selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde under moderate conditions.