Lipase-catalyzed green synthesis of starch–maleate monoesters and its characterization

The present study reports the green synthesis of starch–maleate (SM) at ambient temperature in solvent-free system using Rhizopus arrhizus lipase as a biocatalyst and maleic acid (MA) as an esterification agent. The synthetic scheme was found to be efficient, economical, and ecofriendly. The newly synthesized SM samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopic techniques. The degree of substitution (DS) was found in the range of 0.53–0.62. Moreover, DS was found to be temperature and time-dependent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) exhibited that maleation did not change the crystalline nature of native starch. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that size of SM granules was in the range of 4–18 µm. The activation energy (E_a) of SM formation was calculated to be 42.94 kcal mol^?1 which clearly indicated the effective and rapid interaction of functional groups. Hence, the solvent-free solid-state synthetic methodology proved to be excellent for the synthesis of novel biomaterials with appreciable high DS for drug delivery and sorption of heavy metal ions from water.     

A Photoferroelectric Perovskite‐Type Organometallic Halide with Exceptional Anisotropy of Bulk Photovoltaic Effects

Perovskite‐type ferroelectrics composed of organometallic halides are emerging as a promising alternative to conventional photovoltaic devices because of their unique photovoltaic effects (PVEs). A new layered perovskite‐type photoferroelectric, bis(cyclohexylaminium) tetrabromo lead ( 1 ), is presented. The material exhibits an exceptional anisotropy of bulk PVEs. Upon photoexcitation, superior photovoltaic behaviors are created along its inorganic layers, which are composed of corner‐sharing PbBr₆ octahedra. Semiconducting activity with remarkable photoconductivity is achieved in the vertical direction, showing sizeable on/off current ratios (>10⁴), which compete with the most active photovoltaic material CH₃NH₃PbI₃. In 1 the temperature‐dependence of photovoltage coincides fairly well with that of polarization, confirming the dominant role of ferroelectricity in such highly anisotropic PVEs. This finding sheds light on bulk PVEs in ferroelectric materials, and promotes their application in optoelectronic devices.     

基于层状过渡金属氧族化合物原位插层结构的研究进展

利用客体插层剂原位插层到二维层状材料, 不仅能够在原子尺度上实现对材料电子结构和本征物理性质的调控, 提高材料的载流子浓度、迁移率、磁学、光学和热学等物理性质, 而且还有望拓展其在光电子器件、能源存储与转化以及光电催化等方面的应用. 近年来, 探索合适的方法制备具有不同类型和功能的二维插层新结构已逐渐成为材料科学、物理、化学等领域的研究热点. 由于独特的电子结构和优异的性能, 二维层状过渡金属氧族化合物材料作为插层主体的插层结构受到了研究人员的广泛关注. 本文选取过渡金属氧族化合物为对象, 综述了不同种类插层剂原位插层合成方法(如碱金属插层、非碱金属原子插层、聚合物插层、有机小分子插层、还原氧化石墨烯插层), 提出了通过系列方法影响层间作用力以及利用晶体各向异性等工艺来实现新型插层结构的原位合成策略, 并展望了新型插层材料在电、磁、光、热、锂电、催化等众多领域的潜在应用前景.     

Enantioselective determination of modafinil in pharmaceutical formulations by capillary electrophoresis, and computational calculation of their inclusion complexes

A fast capillary electrophoretic method is described for the separation and determination of the enantiomers of the novel wake-promoting agent, modafinil. Several parameters affecting the separation were studied, including the type and concentration of chiral selector, buffer pH, buffer concentration, voltage and temperature. Good chiral separation of the racemic mixture was achieved in less than 5 min with resolution factor Rs?=?2.51, using a bare fused-silica capillary and a background electrolyte (BGE) of 25 mM H₃PO₄?1 M tris solution; pH 8.0; containing 30 mg mL^?1 of sulfated-β-cyclodextrin (S-β-CD). The separation was carried out in normal polarity mode at 25 ^?C, 18 kV and using hydrostatic injection. Acceptable validation criteria for selectivity, linearity, precision, and accuracy were included. The developed method was successfully applied to the assay of enantiomers of modafinil in pharmaceutical formulations. The computational calculations for the enantiomeric inclusion complexes rationalized the reasons for the different migration times between the modafinil enantiomers.     

A simple method for quantitative analysis of elements by WD‐XRF using variable dilution factors in fusion bead technique for geologic specimens

A common approach in the quantitative analysis of geological samples by X‐ray fluorescence is to establish calibration lines for elements of interest by using several reference materials (RMs) and/or the combination of RMs and pure chemicals. Herein, we introduce an alternative to use only two RMs, to establish a calibration application. Variation of the dilution factor is employed to generate a dynamic range of concentrations for each RM and to evenly furnish the calibration lines to analyze certain matrices. A wide range of dilution factors were employed from 2–54 times dilution (with respect to the flux to sample ratios). Calibration lines for the major elements including: Si, Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, Mn, and Ti show an extremely high level of linearity with all elements. R² values greater than 0.9990 were obtained for each analyzed element. The calibration application was validated by checking against a variety of geological RMs including petroleum and carbonate rich shale (SGR‐1), Muscovite rich marine shale (SBC‐1), metamorphic rock (SDC‐1), carbonatite (COQ‐1), and types of igneous rocks (GSP‐2, BCR‐2, AGV‐2, QLO‐1, and W‐2). Mixtures of Alumina and Silica (ARG‐1 and ARG‐2) and pure SiO₂ beads were also analyzed to further check the application. Rigorous statistical analysis on the RMs confirms the reliability of the calibration application for the employed matrices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lead sulfate used as the positive active material of lead acid batteries

Lead sulfate is produced when a lead acid battery discharges, and it is also known that big PbSO₄ crystals are less active than the smaller ones because they dissolve slower, thus result in failure of the battery. However, little is known if chemically prepared PbSO₄ can be used as active material of lead acid batteries. Here, we report the preparation of PbSO₄ by facile chemical precipitation of aqueous lead acetate with sodium sulfate and its utilization as the positive active material. The results show that the PbSO₄ alone is not good enough for the purpose, but its mixtures with Pb₃O₄ are as excellent as the industrial leady oxide. For example, the mixtures containing 5, 10, 20, and 30 wt.% of Pb₃O₄ discharge 78.2, 92.9, 88.0, and 91.5 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1, respectively. Also, the one with 10 % Pb₃O₄ remains 93 % capacity in 150, 100 % DOD cycles.     

Frequency intermittency and energy pumping by linear attachments

The present paper considers the problem of realizing an effective targeted energy pumping from a linear oscillator to a set of ungrounded linear resonators attached to it. Theoretical as well as numerical results demonstrate the efficacy of using a complex attachment as a passive absorber of broadband energy injected into the primary structure. The paper unveils also the existence of an instantaneous frequency associated with the master response characterized by intermittency: a rather surprising result for a linear autonomous system. Comparison with nonlinear energy sinks demonstrates that the two systems have some analogies in this respect and that the linear complex attachment is a very efficient energy trap.     

Heat transfer augmentation of a car radiator using nanofluids

The car radiator heat transfer enhancement by using TiO₂ and SiO₂ nanoparticles dispersed in water as a base fluid was studied experimentally. The test rig is setup as a car radiator with tubes and container. The range of Reynolds number and volume fraction are (250–1,750) and (1.0–2.5 %) respectively. Results showed that the heat transfer increases with increasing of nanofluid volume fraction. The experimental data is agreed with other investigator.