Phase‐Junction Electrocatalysts towards Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media

To ensure sustainable hydrogen production by water electrolysis, robust, earth‐abundant, and high‐efficient electrocatalysts are required. Constructing a hybrid system could lead to further improvement in electrocatalytic activity. Interface engineering in composite catalysts is thus critical to determine the performance, and the phase‐junction interface should improve the catalytic activity. Here, we show that nickel diphosphide phase junction (c‐NiP₂/m‐NiP₂) is an effective electrocatalyst for hydrogen production in alkaline media. The overpotential (at 10 mA cm^?2) for NiP₂‐650 (c/m) in alkaline media could be significantly reduced by 26 % and 96 % compared with c‐NiP₂ and m‐NiP₂, respectively. The enhancement of catalytic activity should be attributed to the strong water dissociation ability and the rearrangement of electrons around the phase junction, which markedly improved the Volmer step and benefited the reduction process of adsorbed protons.     

The Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Walnut Husk and Pellicle by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and HPLC

Husk and pellicle as the agri-food waste in the walnut-product industry are in soaring demand because of their rich polyphenol content. This study investigated the differential compounds related to walnut polyphenol between husk and pellicle during fruit development stage. By using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap), a total of 110 bioactive components, including hydrolysable tannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids and quinones, were tentatively identified, 33 of which were different between husk and pellicle. The trend of dynamic content of 16 polyphenols was clarified during walnut development stage by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This is the first time to comprehensive identification of phenolic compounds in walnut husk and pellicle, and our results indicated that the pellicle is a rich resource of polyphenols. The dynamic trend of some polyphenols was consistent with total phenols. The comprehensive characterization of walnut polyphenol and quantification of main phenolic compounds will be beneficial for understanding the potential application value of walnut and for exploiting its metabolism pathway.     

Synergic Enhancement of High-density Polyethylene through Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene and Multi-flow Vibration Injection Molding: A Facile Fabrication with Potential Industrial Prospects

General-purpose plastics with high strength and toughness have been in great demand for structural engineering applications. To achieve the reinforcement and broaden the application scope of high-density polyethylene(HDPE), multi-flow vibration injection molding(MFVIM) and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE) are synergistically employed in this work. Herein, the MFVIM has better shear layer control ability and higher fabrication advantage for complex parts than other analogous novel injection molding technologies reported.The reinforcing effect of various filling times and UHMWPE contents as well as the corresponding microstructure evolution are investigated.When 5 wt% UHMWPE is added, MFVIM process with six flow times thickens the shear layer to the whole thickness. The tensile strength and modulus increase to 2.14 and 1.39 times, respectively, compared to neat HDPE on the premise of remaining 70% impact strength. Structural characterizations indicate that the enhancement is attributed to the improvement of shish-kebab content and lamellae compactness, as well as related to the corresponding size distributions of undissolved UHMWPE particles. This novel injection molding technology with great industrial prospects provides a facile and effective strategy to broaden the engineering applications of HDPE materials. Besides, excessive UHMWPE may impair the synergistic enhancement effect, which is also reasonably explained.     

The electrochemical Peltier heats of Fe(CN) 6 3− /Fe(CN) 6 4− system at 295.15 K

A specially designed thermo-electrochemical calorimeter was applied to measure the electrochemical Peltier heats (EPH) of Fe(CN) ₆ ^3?/4? system at 295.15 K. The curves of the electrode potential changes and temperature changes against time for Fe(CN) ₆ ^3?/4? couple with five groups of different concentrations were obtained under the condition of various constant-current polarizations. The EPH values for the considered electrode reaction are determined to be ?41.31, ?42.73, ?44.28, ?45.87, and ?46.65 kJ mol^?1 at the respective concentrations of 0.125, 0.175, 0.225, 0.275, and 0.300 mol dm^?3; and the EPH and the apparent enthalpy change corresponding to the infinite dilution to be ?37.42 and ?84.10 kJ mol^?1 at 295.15 K, respectively.     

Electrospinning synthesis and photocatalytic property of CaFe2O4/MgFe2O4 heterostructure for degradation of tetracycline

CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires with heterostructure had been successfully synthesized by electrospinning method. The obtained samples were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV‐Vis DR) and Environment scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The novel CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity for degrading of tetracycline (TC) under visible light. Compared with bare CaFe₂O₄ or MgFe₂O₄ samples, the prepared CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ (Ca:Mg:Fe = 3:2:10) composited nanowires show the best photocatalytic performance with a degradation efficiency of 40% after 150 min reaction time. This enhancement is attributed to the heterostructure of CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires, which effectively repress the recombination of photo‐generated electrons and holes. Based on heterostructure and energy band positions, the enhancement of mechanism under visible‐light enhances the photocatalytic activity.     

Solvothermal Transformation of a Calcium Oleate Precursor into Large‐Sized Highly Ordered Arrays of Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Microtubes

Hydroxyapatite (HAP), a well‐known member of the calcium phosphate family, is the major inorganic component of bones and teeth in vertebrates. The highly ordered arrays of HAP structures are of great significance for hard tissue repair and for understanding the formation mechanisms of bones and teeth. However, the synthesis of highly ordered HAP structure arrays remains a great challenge. In this work, inspired by the ordered structure of tooth enamel, we have successfully synthesized three‐dimensional bulk materials with large sizes (millimeter scale) that are made of highly ordered arrays of ultralong HAP microtubes (HOAUHMs) by solvothermal transformation of calcium oleate precursor. The core–shell‐structured oblate sphere consists of a core that is composed of HAP nanorods and a shell that consists of highly ordered HAP microtube arrays. The prepared HOAUHMs are large: 6.0 mm in diameter and up to 1.4 mm in thickness. With increasing solvothermal reaction time, the HOAUHMs grow larger; the microtubes become more uniform and more ordered. This work provides a new synthetic method for synthesizing highly ordered arrays of uniform HAP ultralong microtubes that are promising for biomedical applications.     

Synthesis and photopolymerization kinetics of a single-molecular hydrogen-abstract free radical photoinitiator 1,3-Benzodioxole-5-yl-Methyl-Maleimide

1,3-benzodioxole-5-yl-methyl-maleimide (BDOMM), a type of hydrogen-abstraction photoinitiator with both hydrogen donor and acceptor in one molecule for free radical photopolymerization, was synthesized through the reaction of piperonyl amine and maleic anhydride and characterized by IR, UV and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results obtained indicated that the introduction of BDOMM could avoid the use of additional amine coinitiator, decrease the leachablity of photoinitiator and maintain high photo-initiation efficiency.     

Electrochemical Phase Evolution of Metal-Based Pre-Catalysts for High-Rate Polysulfide Conversion

In situ evolution of electrocatalysts is of paramount importance in defining catalytic reactions. Catalysts for aprotic electrochemistry such as lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries are the cornerstone to enhance intrinsically sluggish reaction kinetics but the true active phases are often controversial. Herein, we reveal the electrochemical phase evolution of metal-based pre-catalysts (Co₄N) in working Li-S batteries that renders highly active electrocatalysts (CoS_x). Electrochemical cycling induces the transformation from single-crystalline Co₄N to polycrystalline CoS_x that are rich in active sites. This transformation propels all-phase polysulfide-involving reactions. Consequently, Co₄N enables stable operation of high-rate (10 C, 16.7 mA cm⁻²) and electrolyte-starved (4.7 μL mg_S⁻¹) Li-S batteries. The general concept of electrochemically induced sulfurization is verified by thermodynamic energetics for most of low-valence metal compounds.     

Oxidation of methanol catalyzed by silica-supported polystannazane–copper complex

Silica-supported polystannazane–copper complex has been prepared and used as a catalyst for the oxidation of methanol. The results showed that the catalyst could catalyze the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde at a high yield and selectivity at 30°C and under 1 atm mild conditions. The N/Cu mole ratio in the complex, temperature and the amount of NaOH additive had much influence on the catalytic activity. The complex was stable during the reaction and could be used repeatedly.     

Global and local performance metric with inertia effects

Nonlinear Dynamics - A complex system’s structural–dynamical interplay plays a profound role in determining its collective behavior. Irregular behavior in the form of macroscopic chaos,...