Spin polarisation in dual catalysts for the oxygen evolution and reduction reactions

Strongly correlated catalysts can be understood from precise quantum approximations. Incorporating properly electronic correlations thus let’s define Spin rules in catalysis, opening a new door towards optimum compositions for the most important reactions for a sustainable future.     

Evidence for an Ordering Transition near 120 K in an Intrinsically Disordered Protein,Casein

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are proteins that possess large unstructured regions. Their importance is increasingly recognized in biology but their characterization remains a challenging task. We employed field swept Electron Spin Echoes in pulsed EPR to investigate low-temperature stochastic molecular librations in a spin-labeled IDP, casein (the main protein of milk). For comparison, a spin-labeled globular protein, hen egg white lysozyme, is also investigated. For casein these motions were found to start at 100 K while for lysozyme only above 130 K, which was ascribed to a denser and more ordered molecular packing in lysozyme. However, above 120 K, the motions in casein were found to depend on temperature much slower than those in lysozyme. This abrupt change in casein was assigned to an ordering transition in which peptide residues rearrange making the molecular packing more rigid and/or more cohesive. The found features of molecular motions in these two proteins turned out to be very similar to those known for gel-phase lipid bilayers composed of conformationally ordered and conformationally disordered lipids. This analogy with a simpler molecular system may appear helpful for elucidation properties of molecular packing in IDPs.     

GC-MS/MS法对焙烤食品及其塑料包装材料中25种磷酸三酯类与邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物的同时测定

建立了气相色谱-质谱/质谱(GC-MS/MS)测定焙烤食品及其塑料包装材料中25种磷酸三酯类及邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物的高通量检测方法。焙烤食品以乙腈-丙酮(8∶2,体积比)超声提取,采用50 mg C18和50 mg PSA混合填料进行Qu ECh ERS净化;塑料包装材料经二氯甲烷-甲醇超声提取后直接检测。样液经DB-5 ms色谱柱分离,选择反应监测(SRM)模式测定。25种化合物在各自线性范围内的相关系数不小于0.997 5,方法检出限为10~500μg/kg,平均回收率为80.2%~119.6%,相对标准偏差(n=6)为1.5%~9.4%。该方法操作简单,净化效果好,可有效消除基质效应,适用于不同焙烤食品及其塑料包装材料中磷酸三酯类及邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物的同时测定。     

Multi-bond network hydrogels with robust mechanical and self-healable properties

Multi-bond network(MBN) which contains a single network with hierarchical cross-links is a suggested way to fabricate robust hydrogels. In order to reveal the roles of different cross-links with hierarchical bond energy in the MBN, here we fabricate poly(acrylic acid) physical hydrogels with dual bond network composed of ionic cross-links between carboxylFe3+ interactions and hydrogen bonds, and compare these dually cross-linked hydrogels with singly and ternarily cross-linked hydrogels. Simple models are employed to predict the tensile property, and the results confirm that the multi-bond network with hierarchical distribution in the bond energy of cross-links endows hydrogel with effective energy-dissipating mechanism. Moreover, the dually cross-linked MBN gels exhibit excellent mechanical properties(tensile strength up to 500 k Pa, elongation at break ~ 2400%) and complete self-healing after being kept at 50 °C for 48 h. The factors on promoting self-healing are deeply explored and the dynamic multi-bonds are regarded to trigger the self-healing along with the mutual diffusion of long polymer chains and ferric ions.     

利用地球上丰富的炭黑和NiS_2双助催化剂修饰提高CdS纳米片体系的可见光产氢活性(英文)

光催化产氢技术是目前解决能源和环境问题的最有潜力的方法之一,因此制备安全高效的光催化剂已成为目前的研究热点.在目前研究的各种光催化剂中,CdS光催化剂因为具有较窄的带隙(2.4 eV)和合适的导带位置,所以在可见光催化产氢领域受到广泛关注.然而,光生电子/空穴对易复合和光腐蚀作用极大地限制了CdS光催化剂的放大应用.因此,人们采用众多改性策略以提高CdS光催化剂的可见光产氢活性,其中构建CdS纳米结构和负载助催化剂被认为是最有效的方式.构建CdS纳米结构既可以缩短载流子的迁移路径,也可以减少CdS晶体中的缺陷.很多不同纳米结构的CdS光催化剂已经被开发,例如纳米线、纳米颗粒和纳米棒等.因为制备过程极为复杂繁琐,所以CdS纳米片的研究鲜见报道.本文采用乙酸鎘和硫脲为原材料,通过简单的溶剂热法合成了CdS纳米片.在CdS的各类助催化剂中,由于常用的Pt,Ag和Au等贵金属的高成本和低储量等问题严重限制了它们的实际应用,所以近年来众多非贵金属助催化剂(例如MoS_2,WS2,NiS,NiO和WC等)得到了广泛关注.由于非贵金属助催化剂存在弱电导率和低功函数等问题,影响了对光生电子的收集和利用.纳米碳材料具有极高的电导率、强可见光吸收、有效的载流子分离和较多的反应位点等优点,因此组合纳米碳材料和非贵金属助催化剂被认为是一种有效的解决方案.本文首次采用炭黑和NiS_2作为双助催化剂改性CdS纳米片,通过简单的溶剂热/沉淀两步法成功合成了廉价高效的CdS/CB/NiS_2三元光催化体系.光催化产氢性能测试表明,CdS-0.5%CB-1%NiS_2展现出最高的光催化效率(166.7μmol h~(-1)),分别是CdS NSs和CdS-1.0%NiS_2的5.16和1.87倍.X射线衍射、高分辨电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱结果证实了CdS催化剂的片状结构,且炭黑和NiS_2成功负载在CdS纳米片表面.紫外-可见漫反射结果表明,随着炭黑和NiS_2的负载,复合催化剂的吸收边缘产生明显的红移,且对可见光的吸收增强.荧光光谱、阻抗和瞬态光电流曲线测试结果证明,炭黑和NiS_2的加入可以有效地促进光生电子/空穴对分离.极化曲线结果表明,加入炭黑和NiS_2可以降低CdS的产氢过电势,因此加速表面产氢动力学.总之,炭黑和NiS_2之间显著的协同效应极大地提高了可见光吸收,促进光生电子/空穴对分离,加速表面产氢动力学,最终得到了三元光催化体系极高的光催化产氢活性.     

Polymorph‐Dependent Green,Yellow, and Red Emissions of Organic Crystals for Laser Applications

Color tuning of organic solid‐state luminescent materials remains difficult and time‐consuming through conventional chemical synthesis. Herein, we reported highly efficient polymorph‐dependent green (P1), yellow (P2), and red (P3) emissions of organic crystals made by the same molecular building blocks of 4‐(2‐{4‐[2‐(4‐diphenylamino‐phenyl)‐vinyl]‐phenyl}‐vinyl)‐benzonitrile (DOPVB). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and spectroscopic data reveal that all three polymorphs follow the herringbone packing motif in H‐type aggregations. On the one hand, from P1, P2 to P3, the reduced pitch translation along π stacks increases the intermolecular interactions between adjacent molecules, therefore leading to gradually red‐shifted emissions from 540, 570 to 614 nm. On the other hand, the edge‐to‐face arrangement and large roll translations avoid strong π–π overlap, making P1, P2 and P3 highly emissive with record‐high solid‐state fluorescence quantum yields of 0.60, 0.98, and 0.68, respectively. Furthermore, the optically allowed 0–1 transitions of herringbone H‐aggregates of P1, P2 and P3 naturally provide a four‐level scheme, enabling green and yellow amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) with very low thresholds.     

极长与极短的铜铜距离-吡唑环三核亚铜配合物亲铜作用本质及发光调控

本文结合近年来亲金属作用研究领域的进展,针对本课题组在环三核亚铜配合物方面的最新研究成果,讨论了两个铜(I)–铜(I)作用相差悬殊的体系。一是通过构筑具有环三核单元的三棱柱笼状配合物,确认在正堆积模式下即使环三核单元之间亲铜作用极弱依然可以在磷光发射态中产生强亲铜作用,且通过配体的预留配位点与Cu_2I_2簇连结从而得到自校准大范围发光温度计;二是通过与亲铜作用正交的Br―Br卤键,实现环三核亚铜配合物前所未有的极短铜(I)–铜(I)距离,通过各种电子结构分析方法研究其本质。结果表明即使当铜(I)–铜(I)距离很接近铜的范德华半径和时,其本质依然为闭壳层作用,而Br―Br作用总为闭壳层作用,且该体系中最强的Br―Br作用很好地体现出一个Br原子的σ穴和另一个Br原子的负静电势区域的匹配性。     

Toward Precise Antitumoral Photodynamic Therapy Using a Dual Receptor-Mediated Bioorthogonal Activation Approach

Targeted delivery and specific activation of photosensitizers can greatly improve the treatment outcome of photodynamic therapy. To this end, we report herein a novel dual receptor-mediated bioorthogonal activation approach to enhance the tumor specificity of the photodynamic action. It involves the targeted delivery of a biotinylated boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based photosensitizer, which is quenched in the native form by the attached 1,2,4,5-tetrazine unit, and an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting cyclic peptide conjugated with a bicycle[6.1.0]non-4-yne moiety. Only for cancer cells that overexpress both the biotin receptor and EGFR, the two components can be internalized preferentially where they undergo an inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder reaction, leading to restoration of the photodynamic activity of the BODIPY core. By using a range of cell lines with different expression levels of these two receptors, we have demonstrated that this stepwise “deliver-and-click” approach can confine the photodynamic action on a specific type of cancer cells.     

Synchronous Dual Electrolyte Additive Sustains Zn Metal Anode with 5600 h Lifespan

Despite conspicuous merits of Zn metal anodes, the commercialization is still handicapped by rampant dendrite formation and notorious side reaction. Manipulating the nucleation mode and deposition orientation of Zn is a key to rendering stabilized Zn anodes. Here, a dual electrolyte additive strategy is put forward via the direct cooperation of xylitol (XY) and graphene oxide (GO) species into typical zinc sulfate electrolyte. As verified by molecular dynamics simulations, the incorporated XY molecules could regulate the solvation structure of Zn²⁺, thus inhibiting hydrogen evolution and side reactions. The self-assembled GO layer is in favor of facilitating the desolvation process to accelerate reaction kinetics. Progressive nucleation and orientational deposition can be realized under the synergistic modulation, enabling a dense and uniform Zn deposition. Consequently, symmetric cell based on dual additives harvests a highly reversible cycling of 5600 h at 1.0 mA cm⁻²/1.0 mAh cm⁻².     

Prevalence and Significance of Approximate Symmetry in Organic Pc Structures

A survey has been made of the well determined (R≤0.050) organic crystal structures that have only a single glide plane (e. g., are in space group Pc) and that have more than one crystallographically independent formula unit (Z′>1); the goal was to discover what fraction have additional approximate symmetry. Of the 377 unique structures examined 8 % should almost certainly been refined in a higher-symmetry unit cell; 86 % of the remaining 347 have approximate symmetry that is periodic in at least one dimension. While these percentages are similar to those found for P1 structures (C. P. Brock, Acta Crystallogr., Sect. B 2022 , 78, 576–588), the types of approximate symmetry differ because 89 % of the P1, Z′>1 structures were composed of enantiopure material. The 347 reliable Pc structures include 118 that are slightly distorted or mimicked Cc and P2₁/c structures, 15 of which were reported as having been determined at room temperature. The distortions in another 72 are so large that the approximate symmetry must be seen as periodic in two dimensions only. These results suggest that symmetry lowering may accompany transformation of a crystal nucleus to a macroscopic crystal.