Divergent Total Synthesis of Euphoranginol C,Euphoranginone D,ent-Trachyloban-3β-ol,ent-Trachyloban-3-one,Excoecarin E,and ent-16α-Hydroxy-atisane-3-one

A divergent synthetic approach to biogenetically related diterpenoids such as ent-kauranes, ent-trachylobanes, ent-beyerane, and ent-atisane has been developed. The unified synthetic route involves the De Mayo reaction to rapidly generate the bicyclo[3.2.1]-octane moiety of ent-kaurane. The key reactions also include bioinspired nucleophilic cyclopropanation generating the [3.2.1.0^2,7]-tricyclic core of ent-trachylobane and regioselective cyclopropane fragmentation furnishing ent-beyerane and ent-atisane through the nucleophilic attack and protonation of the cyclopropane ring. This strategy enables the asymmetric total syntheses of six diterpenoids from the commercially available geraniol.     

Zwitterionic Polydopamine Engineered Interface for In Vivo Sensing with High Biocompatibility

Electrochemical sensing performance is often compromised by electrode biofouling (e.g., proteins nonspecific binding) in complex biological fluids; however, the design and construction of a robust biointerface remains a great challenge. Herein, inspired by nature, we demonstrate a robust polydopamine-engineered biointerfacing, to tailing zwitterionic molecules (i.e., sulfobetaine methacrylate, SBMA) through Michael Addition. The SBMA-PDA biointerface can resist proteins nonspecific binding in complex biological fluids while enhancing interfacial electron transfer and electrochemical stability of the electrode. In addition, this sensing interface can be integrated with tissue-implantable electrode for in vivo analysis with improved sensing performance, preserving ca. 92.0% of the initial sensitivity after 2 h of implantation in brain tissue, showing low acute neuroinflammatory responses and good stability both in normal and in Parkinson′s disease (PD) rat brain tissue.     

Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon with Atomically Dispersed FeN4 for Ultraefficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

The low catalytic activity and poor mass transport capacity of platinum group metal free (PGM-free) catalysts seriously restrict the application of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Catalysts derived from Fe-doped ZIF-8 could in theory be as active as Pt/C thanks to the high intrinsic activity of FeN₄; however, the micropores fail to meet rapid mass transfer. Herein, an ordered hierarchical porous structure is introduced into Fe-doped ZIF-8 single crystals, which were subsequently carbonized to obtain an FeN₄-doped hierarchical ordered porous carbon (FeN₄/HOPC) skeleton. The optimal catalyst FeN₄/HOPC-c-1000 shows excellent performance with a half-wave potential of 0.80 V in 0.5 m H₂SO₄ solution, only 20 mV lower than that of commercial Pt/C (0.82 V). In a real PEMFC, FeN₄/HOPC-c-1000 exhibits significantly enhanced current density and power density relative to FeN₄/C, which does not have an optimized pore structure, implying an efficient utilization of the active sites and enhanced mass transfer to promote the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).     

Strong,Self-Healable,and Recyclable Visible-Light-Responsive Hydrogel Actuators

The most pressing challenges for light-driven hydrogel actuators include reliance on UV light, slow response, poor mechanical properties, and limited functionalities. Now, a supramolecular design strategy is used to address these issues. Key is the use of a benzylimine-functionalized anthracene group, which red-shifts the absorption into the visible region and also stabilizes the supramolecular network through π–π interactions. Acid–ether hydrogen bonds are incorporated for energy dissipation under mechanical deformation and maintaining hydrophilicity of the network. This double-crosslinked supramolecular hydrogel developed via a simple synthesis exhibits a unique combination of high strength, rapid self-healing, and fast visible-light-driven shape morphing both in the wet and dry state. As all of the interactions are dynamic, the design enables the structures to be recycled and reprogrammed into different 3D objects.     

Styrene Hydroformylation with In Situ Hydrogen: Regioselectivity Control by Coupling with the Low‐Temperature Water–Gas Shift Reaction

The hydroformylation of olefins is one of the most important homogeneously catalyzed industrial reactions for aldehyde synthesis. Various ligands can be used to obtain the desired linear aldehydes in the hydroformylation of aliphatic olefins. However, in the hydroformylation of aromatic substrates, branched aldehydes are formed preferentially with common ligands. In this study, a novel approach to selectively obtain linear aldehydes in the hydroformylation of styrene and its derivatives was developed by coupling with a water–gas shift reaction on a Rh single‐atom catalyst without the use of ligands. Detailed studies revealed that the hydrogen generated in situ from the water–gas shift is critical for the highly regioselective formation of linear products. The coupling of a traditional homogeneous catalytic process with a heterogeneous catalytic reaction to tune product selectivity may provide a new avenue for the heterogenization of homogenous catalytic processes.     

Combustion behavior and thermal stability of TPU composites based on layered yttrium hydroxides and graphene oxide

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Layered yttrium hydroxides (LYH)- and graphene oxide (GO)-supported layered yttrium hydroxides (GO–LYH) were synthesized by a co-precipitation...     

Stereoselective Palladium‐Catalyzed C−F Bond Alkynylation of Tetrasubstituted gem‐Difluoroalkenes

A stereoselective Pd(PPh₃)₄‐catalyzed C?F bond alkynylation of tetrasubstituted gem‐difluoroalkenes with terminal alkynes has been developed. This method gives access to a great variety of conjugated monofluoroenynes bearing a tetrasubstituted alkene moiety with well‐defined stereochemistry. Chelation‐assisted oxidative addition of Pd to the C?F bond is proposed to account for the high level of stereocontrol. An X‐ray crystal structure of a key monofluorovinyl Pd^II intermediate has been obtained for the first time as evidence for the proposed mechanism.     

Visible-NIR Photodetectors Based on Low-Dimensional GeSe Micro-Crystals: Designed Morphology and Improved Photoresponsivity

GeSe micro-sheets and micro-belts have been synthesized by a facile one-pot wet chemical method in 1-octadecene solvent and oleic acid solvent, respectively. The adsorption of more oleic acid molecules on the (002) plane promoted growth along [010] direction of the GeSe micro-belts and limited carrier transport in this direction, resulting in higher carrier concentration and mobility of the GeSe micro-belts. The performance of the photodetectors based on the single GeSe micro-sheet and the single GeSe micro-belt was investigated under illumination at 532 nm, 980 nm and 1319 nm. Both, photodetectors based on a single GeSe micro-sheet and a single GeSe micro-belt, exhibit a high photoresponse, short response/recovery times, and long-term durability. Moreover, the photodetector based on a single GeSe micro-belt displays a broadband response with a high responsivity (5562 A/W at 532 nm, 1546 A/W at 980 nm) and detectivity (3.01×10¹² Jones at 532 nm, 8.38×10¹¹ Jones at 980 nm). These excellent characteristics render single GeSe micro-belts very interesting for use as highly efficient photodetectors, especially in the NIR region.     

Hydrochromic CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals for Anti‐Counterfeiting

Hydrochromic materials that can reversibly change color upon water treatment have attracted much attention owing to their potential applications in diverse fields. Herein, for the first time, we report that space‐confined CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals (NCs) are hydrochromic. When CsPbBr₃ NCs are loaded into a porous matrix, reversible transition between luminescent CsPbBr₃ and non‐luminescent CsPb₂Br₅ can be achieved upon the exposure/removal of water. The potential applications of hydrochromic CsPbBr₃ NCs in anti‐counterfeiting are demonstrated by using CsPbBr₃ NCs@mesoporous silica nanospheres (around 100 nm) as the starting material. Owing to the small particle size and negatively charged surface, the as‐prepared particles can be laser‐jet printed with high precision and high speed. We demonstrate the excellent stability over repeated transformation cycles without color fade. This new discovery may not only deepen the understanding of CsPbX₃, but also open a new way to design CsPbX₃ materials for new applications.     

Optimization of l‐arginine purification from Corynebacterium crenatum fermentation broth

l ‐Arginine has many special physiological and biochemical functions, with wide applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Few studies on the purification of l ‐arginine from fermentation broth have been conducted; however, none of them were systematic enough for industrial scale‐up. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a highly efficient and systematic process for the purification of l ‐arginine from fermentation broth. In this study, we screened out a cation exchange resin, D155, having high exchange capacity, high selectivity, and easy elution capacity, and analyzed its adsorption isotherm, thermodynamics, and kinetics using different models. Further, the process parameters of fixed‐bed ion exchange adsorption and elution were optimized, and the penetration curve during the operation was modeled. Based on the fixed‐bed ion‐exchange parameters, a 30‐column continuous ion‐exchange system was designed, and the flow velocity in each zone was optimized. Finally, to obtain a high purity of l ‐arginine, the purification tests were conducted using anion exchange resin 711, and an l ‐arginine yield of 99.1% and purity of 98.5% was obtained. This effective and economical method also provides a promising strategy for separation of other amino acids from the fermentation broth, which is of great significance to the l ‐arginine fermentation industry.