Bright and compact alloyed quantum dots with broadly tunable near-infrared absorption and fluorescence spectra through mercury cation exchange

We report a new strategy based on mercury cation exchange in nonpolar solvents to prepare bright and compact alloyed quantum dots (QDs) (Hg(x)Cd(1-x)E, where E = Te, Se, or S) with equalized particle size and broadly tunable absorption and fluorescence emission in the near-infrared. The main rationale is that cubic CdE and HgE have nearly identical lattice constants but very different band gap energies and electron/hole masses. Thus, replacement of Cd(2+) by Hg(2+) in CdTe nanocrystals does not change the particle size, but it greatly alters the band gap energy. After capping with a multilayer shell and solubilization with a multidentate ligand, this class of cation-exchanged QDs are compact (6.5 nm nanocrystal size and 10 nm hydrodynamic diameter) and very bright (60-80% quantum yield), with narrow and symmetric fluorescence spectra tunable across the wavelength range from 700 to 1150 nm.     

Adaptive Flexible Sialylated Nanogels as Highly Potent Influenza A Virus Inhibitors

Flexible multivalent 3D nanosystems that can deform and adapt onto the virus surface via specific ligand–receptor multivalent interactions can efficiently block virus adhesion onto the cell. We here report on the synthesis of a 250 nm sized flexible sialylated nanogel that adapts onto the influenza A virus (IAV) surface via multivalent binding of its sialic acid (SA) residues with hemagglutinin spike proteins on the virus surface. We could demonstrate that the high flexibility of sialylated nanogel improves IAV inhibition by 400 times as compared to a rigid sialylated nanogel in the hemagglutination inhibition assay. The flexible sialylated nanogel efficiently inhibits the influenza A/X31 (H3N2) infection with IC₅₀ values in low picomolar concentrations and also blocks the virus entry into MDCK‐II cells.     

The Polarization Effect in Surface‐Plasmon‐Induced Photocatalysis on Au/TiO2 Nanoparticles

Controlling the interaction of polarization light with an asymmetric nanostructure such as a metal/semiconductor heterostructure provides opportunities for tuning surface plasmon excitation and near‐field spatial distribution. However, light polarization effects on interfacial charge transport and the photocatalysis of plasmonic metal/semiconductor photocatalysts are unclear. Herein, we reveal the polarization dependence of plasmonic charge separation and spatial distribution in Au/TiO₂ nanoparticles under 45° incident light illumination at the single‐particle level using a combination of photon‐irradiated Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and electromagnetic field simulation. We quantitatively uncover the relationship between the local charge density and polarization angle by investigating the polarization‐dependent surface photovoltage (SPV). The plasmon‐induced photocatalytic activity is enhanced when the polarization direction is perpendicular to the Au/TiO₂ interface.     

Fast and Long‐Lasting Iron(III) Reduction by Boron Toward Green and Accelerated Fenton Chemistry

Generation of hydroxyl radicals in the Fenton system (Fe^II/H₂O₂) is seriously limited by the sluggish kinetics of Fe^III reduction and fast Fe^III precipitation. Here, boron crystals (C‐Boron) remarkably accelerate the Fe^III/Fe^II circulation in Fenton‐like systems (C‐Boron/Fe^III/H₂O₂) to produce a myriad of hydroxyl radicals with excellent efficiencies in oxidative degradation of various pollutants. The surface B?B bonds and interfacial suboxide boron in the surface B₁₂ icosahedra are the active sites to donate electrons to promote fast Fe^III reduction to Fe^II and further enhance hydroxyl radical production via Fenton chemistry. The C‐Boron/Fe^III/H₂O₂ system outperforms the benchmark Fenton (Fe^II/H₂O₂) and Fe^III‐based sulfate radical systems. The reactivity and stability of crystalline boron is much higher than the popular molecular reducing agents, nanocarbons, and other metal/metal‐free nanomaterials.     

Preparation of antifog and antibacterial coatings by photopolymerization

This paper contains a kind of ultraviolet‐cured antifogging and antibacterial coating. A quaternary ammonium salt (14QAS), which was synthesized in this paper, has been implemented as a monomer. The chemical structure of 14QAS has been confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The nitrogen atom on the surface of the coatings with 14QAS was observed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Surface wettability of the polymer film was studied by contact angle analysis, which confirmed the hydrophilicity of the coatings with low water contact angle (~25°). The antifog properties were evaluated under different conditions. The antibacterial activity of coatings with 14QAS reached 99.9% against S. aureus and E. coli. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel Nickel Redox Polymer as an Efficient Electrode Material for Electrochemical Sensing

A novel redox polymer comprised of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid‐Ni²⁺ (EDTA‐Ni) complex serving as doping anions has been synthesised by a facile one‐step electrochemical approach and utilized as an efficient electrode material for sensitive luteolin detection. The morphology, chemical structure and composition of the redox polymer were analyzed by SEM, UV‐vis and FT‐IR spectrum. Electrochemical tests revealed that the redox polymer was highly electrochemically reversible and exhibited good electrocatalytic activity to the redox reactions of luteolin with a linear range covering from 1 nM to 10 µM with a low detection limit of 0.3 nM of luteolin.     

Formation and surface properties of raspberry-like silica particles: effect of molecular weight of the coating poly(methacrylic acid) brushes

In this work, silica particles were firstly modified with poly(methyl methacrylate) and then converted to poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA). The PMAA brushes with different molecular weight were used to modify the seed particles and learn the formation process of the raspberry-like particles. Silica particles with core–shell structure were obtained when the silica seed particles were modified only with carboxyl functional groups. With the increase of the molecular weight of PMAA brushes, uniform raspberry-like silica particles appeared gradually. But when the molecular weight of PMAA brushes was above 136,100, the morphologies became complicated. The electric charge of the polymer brushes was also found to have influence on the final morphologies of the particles. The contact angle (CA) tests showed that films composed of nanoparticles with uniform raspberry-like structures had an average CA of 157.2°, which indicated great prospects in the super-hydrophobic applications.     

Rapid and subnanomolar assay of recombinant human erythropoietin by capillary electrophoresis using NanoOrange precolumn labeling and laser‐induced fluorescence detection

Because of less functionally critical carbohydrate sectors that contributed to the stability, efforts have been made to quantify intact recombinant human erythropoietin. A simple, rapid capillary electrophoresis with laser‐induced fluorescence method for the assay of recombinant human erythropoietin was developed, with a limit of detection of intact recombinant human erythropoietin at subnanomolar concentration (up to 10 ng/mL or 3 × 10^?10 M), which is among the lowest reported. High sensitivity was accomplished by precolumn derivatization with the noncovalent dye NanoOrange. Capillary electrophoresis separation and reaction conditions were carefully manipulated for avoiding microheterogeneity of glycoforms and inhomogeneity of multiple labeling products. The fluorescence signal was linear over the range of 10 ng/mL–10 μg/mL, corresponding to the detection requirement of recombinant human erythropoietin in biofluids and pharmaceutical samples, as demonstrated by a real sample analysis. Although the salt in reaction mixtures showed a detrimental effect on the fluorescence of the derivatives, this method could tolerate a certain amount of salt, extending its application in biofluid analysis. In addition, zero‐order fluorescence emission kinetics was obtained, indicating that the rapid decay of recombinant human erythropoietin was derived from a self‐quenching effect.     

Three-dimensional nonlinear vibration model and fatigue failure mechanism of deepwater test pipe

Nonlinear Dynamics - In deepwater test condition, the riser–test pipe (tubing string) system (RTS) is subject to the vortex-induced effect on riser, flow-induced effect on test pipe and...     

Heterogeneous gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization between ynals and amidines: An efficient and practical synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines

A novel and highly efficient heterogeneous gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization between ynals and amidines has been developed that proceeds smoothly under mild conditions and provides a general and practical method for the synthesis of a wide variety of 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines with high atom-economy, good to high yield, and recyclability of the gold(I) catalyst. The present method is an attractive alternative to construct substituted pyrimidines.