Highly transparent silica monoliths embedded with high concentration oxide nanoparticles

Silica monoliths embedded with high concentration of γ-Fe₂O₃ or TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by a sol–gel procedure designed according to the inherent properties of oxide colloids. In the first step, highly dispersible oxide nanoparticles were produced using an in situ modification sol–gel strategy. Then, these particles were re-dispersed in silicon alkoxide-containing solution to form a stable colloidal solution. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions of alkoxide were catalyzed by an organic base (morpholine). Due to the large molecule size of morpholine, the electric double layer on the surface of colloidal particles was not compressed by the ionized morpholine molecules. The colloidal solution thus remained stable during the gelation process. Through this procedure, oxide nanoparticles could be immobilized homogeneously in the pores of a silica matrix, forming highly transparent and crack-free monoliths.     

Sol–gel based synthesis of ultrafine tetragonal BaTiO3

Ultrafine tetragonal BaTiO₃ nanocrystals have been prepared by a sol–gel based method. By adjusting the volume ratio of H₂O/DEG (diethylene glycol) in the solutions, hydrolysis rate of tetra-n-butyl titanate was strongly inhibited and the particle size could be controlled as small as 4–8 nm. The powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy characterizations exhibit that the nanocrystals are spherical and well crystallized. The Raman spectrum shows the products are composed of the orthorhombic phase and tetragonal phase. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum revealed that a surface modification layer was formed around the BaTiO₃ nanocrystals, which can prevent them from aggregation and help to form a stable, high solid content sol.     

Preparation and characterization of ZrCO/C composite aerogels

Zr-containing organic aerogels were synthesized by ligand substitution reaction of polyzirconoxone and 2, 4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, followed by polymerization with formaldehyde, and then supercritical drying using CO₂. After carbonization and carbothermal reduction under an argon atmosphere, ZrCO/C composite aerogels with controllable zirconium content (47.8–78.6 wt%) were obtained. The carbothermal reduction was substantially completed at 1,500 °C, and the obtained ZrCO/C composite aerogels exhibit low oxygen contents (9.4–6.7 wt%) and high surface areas (589–147 m²/g). Pore morphologies of the ZrCO/C composite aerogels were investigated in detail by nitrogen sorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy and its associated energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis measurements. The results show that the aerogels are composed of carbon framework and Zr-conglomerations, and the surface area of aerogel is severely affected by its zirconium content. The presence of reductive ZrC crystals can greatly enhance the oxidation resistance ability of amorphous carbon framework and prevent collapse.     

EXAFS and DFT studies of microscopic structure with different density upon Zn(II) adsorption on anatase TiO2

Microscopic structures of Zn(II) adsorbed on anatase TiO₂ surface with different densities were studied using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Quantitative analysis of the EXAFS spectra showed that microscopic structures of Zn(II) were fourfold coordinated complexes, and different microscopic structures were present of the solid surface. Three modes of corner–corner/sharing-corner/sharing-edge adsorptions on anatase (101) face cluster were calculated by the DFT method. The results from DFT method were consistent with the EXAFS fittings. The optimized Zn–O average distance of the Zn–O tetrahedron was determined as about 2.00 Å. The Zn–Ti distance was 3.69 Å for the corner–corner adsorption, 3.35 Å for the sharing-corner adsorption, and 3.02 Å for the sharing-edge adsorption. According to the adsorption energies calculated by the DFT method, the microscopic structure of corner–corner adsorption was less stable than those of the other adsorption modes. With the increasing adsorption density, the corner–corner adsorption mode would be enhanced more intensively than the other adsorption modes.     

Formation and Properties of Self‐Assembly‐Driven Fluorescent Nanoparticle Sensors

Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNPs) are obtained in water by self‐assembly from a polymeric ionic liquid, fluorescent carboxylate moiety, and a surfactant through two main supramolecular interactions, that is, ionic bonds and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions. The hydrophobicity of the surfactant is tunable and a highly hydrophobic surfactant increases the fluorescence intensity and stability of the FNPs. The fluorescence of the FNPs is sensitive to a quenching effect by various ions with high selectivity, and consequently, they may be used as sensors. The self‐assembly approach used to generate the FNPs is considerably simpler than other methods based on more challenging synthetic methods and the flexibility of the approach should allow a wide and diverse range of FNPs to be prepared with specific sensor applications.     

Potent Antimalarial 1,2,4‐Trioxanes through Perhydrolysis of Epoxides

Perhydrolysis of a sterically congested multifunctional epoxide was achieved in ethereal H₂O₂ with the aid of a recently developed Mo catalyst. The resulting hydroperoxide cyclized to give a 1,2,4‐trioxane, which could be readily elaborated into qinghaosu and a range of novel analogues. Some of the compounds with two such trioxane moieties showed in vitro antimalarial activity comparable to or even better than that of artesunate or chloroquine.     

Structural and Dynamic Basis of Human Cytochrome P450 7B1: A Survey of Substrate Selectivity and Major Active Site Access Channels

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 7B1 is a steroid cytochrome P450 7α‐hydroxylase that has been linked directly with bile salt synthesis and hereditary spastic paraplegia type 5 (SPG5). The enzyme provides the primary metabolic route for neurosteroids dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cholesterol derivatives 25‐hydroxycholesterol (25‐HOChol), and other steroids such as 5α‐androstane‐3β,17β‐diol (anediol), and 5α‐androstene‐3β,17β‐diol (enediol). A series of investigations including homology modeling, molecular dynamics (MD), and automatic docking, combined with the results of previous experimental site‐directed mutagenesis studies and access channels analysis, have identified the structural features relevant to the substrate selectivity of CYP7B1. The results clearly identify the dominant access channels and critical residues responsible for ligand binding. Both binding free energy analysis and total interaction energy analysis are consistent with the experimental conclusion that 25‐HOChol is the best substrate. According to 20 ns MD simulations, the Phe cluster residues that lie above the active site, particularly Phe489, are proposed to merge the active site with the adjacent channel to the surface and accommodate substrate binding in a reasonable orientation. The investigation of CYP7B1–substrate binding modes provides detailed insights into the poorly understood structural features of human CYP7B1 at the atomic level, and will be valuable information for drug development and protein engineering.     

离子排斥色谱法测定人体粪便中五种短链脂肪酸

建立了一种离子排斥色谱分离测定人体粪便中5种短链脂肪酸(SCFA:乙酸、丙酸、异丁酸、丁酸、异戊酸)的方法。以体积分数0.1%磷酸为流动相、提取的样品在50℃下用Shodex Rspak KC-811离子排斥柱分离,紫外检测器在210 nm处测定其中的有机酸。被测组分的浓度与其峰面积在2.5~500 mg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数R2≥0.999,各组分测定的相对标准偏差在2.3%~3.9%之间,平均加标回收率在85.5%~105.7%。     

室内环境中脑控轮椅的路径跟踪控制

为了实现室内环境中脑控轮椅的自主导航,提出了一种简单有效的路径跟踪控制方法。给定的路径通常被表示为一系列离散点,根据这一特点,提出了分段直线路径跟踪方法,即依次跟踪由前后两个路径点构成的直线路径到达目标点。基于预瞄点技术并结合模糊算法和传统的PID控制方法设计控制器,完成各分段直线路径的跟踪,并给出了有效的切换条件。实验结果表明,本文提出的路径跟踪控制方法能够使脑控轮椅在室内环境中精确地跟踪给定路径。     

基于ARM11的热力站远程水质监控系统设计

为实现对循环水水质的远程监测,设计并开发了一种基于嵌入式技术的热力站远程水质监测系统的监测终端。监测终端由水质传感器、GPRS模块、通信转换模块及嵌入式开发板组成。嵌入式开发板以ARM11系列的Tiny6410为硬件基础,并嵌入WinCE系统作为软件平台,同时加入SQLite数据库以实现将水质传感器采集到的氯离子、PH值、溶解氧等参数的本地存储、查询及图表显示。最后监测终端通过GPRS模块与数据中心建立无线连接,接收数据中心的配置命令,并将现场测得数据发送到远端数据中心。调试结果表明：远程监测终端实现了循环水水质远程监测的功能要求,对于实现水质自动化监测具有一定的理论意义和实用价值。