Copper(I) complex covalently anchored on graphene oxide as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for Sonogashira reaction

In this study, the organosilane‐functionalized graphene oxide as a stabilizer was prepared by a facile one‐step silylation approach. [Cu(PPh₃)₃Cl] complex was successfully immobilized onto the graphene oxide surface through coordination interaction with organosilane ligand spacers. The supported catalyst showed enhanced catalytic performance toward Sonogashira reaction of aryl halides with phenylacetylene in water solvent compared with the homogeneous analogues, and it could be readily recycled and reused several times without discernible loss of its activity.     

Green and one‐pot surface coating of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles with natural amino acids and biocompatibility investigation

We report the synthesis of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) coated with various natural amino acids (AAs) using a one‐pot reaction in an aqueous medium. Several AAs, which contained hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, were selected to study their effects on size, morphology and toxicity of IONPs. Functionalized IONPs were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopies. Furthermore, vibrating sample magnetometry analysis shows these nanoparticles have excellent magnetic properties. Cellular toxicity of IONPs was also investigated on HFF2 cell lines. The AA‐coated IONPs are non‐toxic and biocompatible. Natural AA‐coated IONPs show a potential for their development in in vitro and in vivo biomedical fields due to their non‐toxicity, good ζ‐potential and related small size and narrow size distribution.     

Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol on Hierarchical Pd/SnO2 Nanosheets with Abundant Pd–O–Sn Interfaces

Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into fuels using electricity generated from renewable sources helps to create an artificial carbon cycle. However, the low efficiency and poor stability hinder the practical use of most conventional electrocatalysts. In this work, a 2D hierarchical Pd/SnO₂ structure, ultrathin Pd nanosheets partially capped by SnO₂ nanoparticles, is designed to enable multi‐electron transfer for selective electroreduction of CO₂ into CH₃OH. Such a structure design not only enhances the adsorption of CO₂ on SnO₂, but also weakens the binding strength of CO on Pd due to the as‐built Pd–O–Sn interfaces, which is demonstrated to be critical to improve the electrocatalytic selectivity and stability of Pd catalysts. This work provides a new strategy to improve electrochemical performance of metal‐based catalysts by creating metal oxide interfaces for selective electroreduction of CO₂.     

XPS study of the SnO2 films modified with Rh

In this paper, we have analyzed the effect of the rhodium surface modification on the surface state of SnO₂ films. SnO₂ films, subjected for the surface modification, were deposited by spray pyrolysis, while Rh was deposited by using a microelectron beam evaporation. The thickness of the Rh coating varied in the range 0 to 0.1 monolayer. An explanation of the observed effects was proposed. Basing on the results of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it was assumed that at a small thickness of the rhodium covering, Rh was in a the well‐dispersed state, close to atomically dispersed state. The growth in the size of the nanoparticles began mainly when the thickness of the Rh covering exceeeded 0.01 monolayer. The size of clusters did not exceed 0.5 to 1.0 nm.     

Two Nickel(II) Coordination Polymers Based on Tri(p‐carboxyphenyl) phosphane Oxide with Highly Selectively and Sensitively Detection of Acetone

Two nickel(II) coordination polymers, namely, {[Ni_1/2(TPO)_1/3(bib)_1/2(H₂O)] · H₂O}_n ( 1 ), and [Ni(HTPO)(bpy)(H₂O)₂]_n ( 2 ), were assembled from tripodal ligand of tripodal tri(p‐carboxyphenyl) phosphane oxide (H₃TPO) and two N‐donors [bib = 1,4‐bis(imidazolyl)benzene, and bpy = 4,4′‐bipyridine]. Their structures were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis and further characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Structural analysis reveals that complex 1 is an interestingly 3D (3,4)‐connected {10³}₂{10⁶}₃ net, whereas complex 2 is a 1D polymeric chain, which was further expanded into a 3D supramolecular structure through hydrogen bonds. Luminescent sensing measurements show two nickel CPs can selectively and sensitively detect for acetone from normal solvents (DMF, DMA, DMSO, MeOH, EtOH, CH₃CN, H₂O, and N‐butanol).     

Triphenylphosphane Oxide Complexes of Lanthanide Nitrates: Polymorphs and Photophysics

A series of mer‐[Ln(NO₃)₃(Ph₃PO)₃] complexes were prepared from Ln(NO₃)₃ · xH₂O and Ph₃PO in chloroform (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, and Er). The La and Nd complexes were 0.25 CHCl₃ solvates, whereas the others were solvent‐free. The identical reaction using Yb(NO₃)₃ · xH₂O produced the unique salt trans‐[Yb(NO₃)₂(Ph₃PO)₄][Yb(NO₃)₄(Ph₃PO)] · Et₂O. All nitrate ions in all complexes are η²‐chelating. A comparison of the various [Ln(NO₃)₃(Ph₃PO)₃] structures, including those in the literature, reveals at least four common polymorphs, each of which is represented by isomorphic structures of multiple Ln ions. Luminescence of mer‐[Ln(NO₃)₃(Ph₃PO)₃] (Ln = Y, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, and Dy), trans‐[Yb(NO₃)₂(Ph₃PO)₄][Yb(NO₃)₄(Ph₃PO)] and Ph₃PO assignments are reported. Latva's empirical rule allows for the antenna effect, in which energy is transferred from the triplet state of the Ph₃PO ligand, to occur only for Tb³⁺. Excitation via Ph₃PO results in strong green luminescence for Tb³⁺ having twice the intensity as that which results from direct excitation of the f‐f transitions.     

Promising solid electrolyte material for an IT‐SOFC: crystal structure of the cerium gadolinium holmium oxide Ce0.8Gd0.1Ho0.1O1.9 between 295 and 1023 K

The crystal structure of Ce_0.8Gd_0.1Ho_0.1O_1.9 (cerium gadolinium holmium oxide) has been determined from powder X‐ray diffraction data. This is a promising material for application as a solid electrolyte for intermediate‐temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT‐SOFCs). Nanoparticles were prepared using a novel sodium alginate sol‐gel method, where the sodium ion was exchanged with ions of interest and, after washing, the gel was calcined at 723 K in air. The crystallographic features of Gd and Ho co‐doped cerium oxide were investigated around the desired operating temperatures of IT‐SOFCs, i.e. 573 ≤ T ≤ 1023 K. We find that the crystal structure is a stable fluorite structure with the space group Fmm in the entire temperature range. In addition, the trend in lattice parameters shows that there is a monotonic increase with increasing temperature.     

Decreasing the shell ratio of core-shell type nanoparticles with a ceria core and polymer shell by acid treatment

Core-shell type nanoparticles with a ceria core and polymer shell have good dispersibility. Some applications, such as fillers for increasing the refractive index and/or protecting resin films from ultraviolet (UV) light, i.e., UV cutting, require a smaller shell. Previous studies have decreased the shell weight by heat treatment in gas; however, the dispersibility of the treated nanoparticles was poor in water or alcohol. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of acid treatment for decreasing the shell weight and also evaluated the dispersibility of acid-treated nanoparticles. The thus-formed nanoparticles treated by acetic acid and formic acid show not only good dispersibility but also a well decreased shell thickness. The structure of the shell after acetic acid treatment was found to be the same as that of the untreated core-shell nanoparticles; moreover, acetic acid was present in the shell. Furthermore, by using the acetic-acid-treated nanoparticles, a transparent resin film without nanoparticle aggregation could be obtained.     

β‐Cyclodextrin Functionalized Nanoporous Graphene Oxides for Efficient Resolution of Asparagine Enantiomers

Efficient resolution of racemic mixture has long been an attractive but challenging subject since Pasteur separated tartrate enantiomers in 19^th century. Graphene oxide (GO) could be flexibly functionalized by using a variety of chiral host molecules and therefore, was expected to show excellent enantioselective resolution performance. However, this combination with efficient enantioselective resolution capability has been scarcely demonstrated. Here, nanoporous graphene oxides were produced and then covalently functionalized by using a chiral host material‐β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD). This chiral GO displayed enantioselective affinity toward the l ‐enantiomers of amino acids. In particular, >99 % of l ‐asparagine (Asn) was captured in a racemic solution of Asn while the adsorption of d ‐enantiomer was not observed. This remarkable resolution performance was subsequently modelled by using an attach‐pull‐release dynamic method. We expect this preliminary concept could be expanded to other chiral host molecules and be employed to current membrane separation technologies and finally show practical use for many other racemates.     

Temperature‐responsive Catalyst for the Coupling Reaction of Carbon Dioxide and Propylene Oxide

The selective synthesis of polypropylene carbonate (PPC) and cyclic propylene carbonate (CPC) from coupling reaction of CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO) is a long term pursuing target. Here we report that a temperature controllable porphyrin aluminum catalyst using 5,10,15,20‐tetra(1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8‐octahydro‐1,4:5,8‐dimethanoanthracen‐9‐yl)porphyrin as ligand, once in conjunction with suitable onium salt, achieved single cycloaddition or copolymerization reaction. Only cycloaddition reaction happened at temperature above 75 °C to produce 100% CPC, whereas copolymerization became dominant to afford PPC with selectivity over 99% at 25 °C, and the obtained PPC showed over 99% carbonate linkage and 92% head‐to‐tail structure. Based on systematic analysis of the electronic and steric feature in the porphyrin ligand, it was found that the electronic feature of the substituent in porphyrin ligand was decisive for PPC selectivity, porphyrin ligand bearing strong electron‐donating substituents displayed a significantly reduced tolerance towards increased temperature with respect to PPC formation. Therefore, temperature‐responsive catalyst could be designed by suitable modification in porphyrin ligand, and such accurate synthesis of target product by one catalyst may create a useful and facile platform for selective PPC or CPC production.