Pertraction of methylene blue using a mixture of D2EHPA/M2EHPA and sesame oil as a liquid membrane

An experimental study on the pertraction of methylene blue (MB) through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) using a mixture of mono-(2-etylhexyl) ester of phosphoric acid (M2EHPA) and bis-(2-etylhexyl) ester of phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and sesame oil as the liquid membrane (LM) was performed. Parameters affecting the pertraction of MB such as initial MB concentration, carrier concentration, feed phase pH, and stripping phase concentration were analyzed. Optimal experimental conditions for MB pertraction (permeability of 5.63 × 10^?6) were obtained after a 7 h separation with the MB concentration in the feed phase of 80 mg L^?1, D2EHPA/M2EHPA concentration in membrane phase of 40 vol. %, feed pH of 6, and acetic acid concentration in the stripping phase of 0.4 mol L^?1. Kinetics of transport and stability of the SLM system were also studied and the mass transfer coefficient for this system was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to morphologically characterize the membrane surface.     

Retention of lysozyme activity by physical immobilization in nanocellulose aerogels and antibacterial effects

Aerogels prepared from aqueous dispersions of anionic and cationic cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were investigated as solid supports for enzymes and silver nanoparticles and to elicit a sustained antibacterial effect. The imparted stabilization in dry conditions was studied with aerogels that were cast after mixing the enzymes with CNFs followed by dehydration (freeze-drying). The activity of lysozyme immobilized in the given CNF system was analyzed upon storage in liquid and air media. In contrast with aqueous solutions of free, unbound enzyme, which lost activity after the first day, the enzyme immobilized physically in unmodified and cationic CNF presented better stability (activity for a longer time). However, the enzyme activity was reduced in the case of anionic CNF, which was prepared by TEMPO-mediated oxidation (TO-CNF). Both humidity and temperature reduced the stability of the enzyme immobilized in the respective CNF aerogel. The antibacterial activity of CNF aerogels carrying lysozyme was also tested against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The results were compared with those obtained from CNF systems loaded with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) after in situ synthesis via UV reduction. Storage in cold or dry conditions preserved the activity and antibacterial performance of enzyme-loaded CNF aerogels. As expected, the lysozyme-containing aerogels showed lower inhibition than the AgNP-containing aerogel. In this latter case, the antibacterial activity depended on the concentration and size of the nanoparticles. Compared to unmodified CNF and TO-CNF, the aerogels prepared with cationic CNF, loaded with either lysozyme or AgNPs, showed remarkably better antibacterial activity. Similar experiments were conducted with horseradish peroxidase, which confirmed, to different degrees, the observations derived from the lysozyme systems. Overall, the results indicate that non-toxic and biodegradable CNF is a suitable support for bio-active materials and is effective in protecting and retaining enzymatic and antibacterial activities.     

纳米孔碳负载Fe3O4催化剂上苯直接羟基化制苯酚

Fe3O4/CMK-3 was prepared by impregnation and used as a catalyst for the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol with hydro-gen peroxide. The iron species in the prepared catalyst was Fe3O4 because of the partial reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) on the surface of CMK-3. The high catalytic activity of the catalyst arises from the formation of Fe3O4 on the surface of CMK-3 and the high selectivity for phenol is attributed to the consumption of excess hydroxyl radicals by CMK-3. The effect of temperature,re...     

Mechanism for degradation of Nafion in PEM fuel cells from quantum mechanics calculations

We report results of quantum mechanics (QM) mechanistic studies of Nafion membrane degradation in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Experiments suggest that Nafion degradation is caused by generation of trace radical species (such as OH(●), H(●)) only when in the presence of H(2), O(2), and Pt. We use density functional theory (DFT) to construct the potential energy surfaces for various plausible reactions involving intermediates that might be formed when Nafion is exposed to H(2) (or H(+)) and O(2) in the presence of the Pt catalyst. We find a barrier of 0.53 eV for OH radical formation from HOOH chemisorbed on Pt(111) and of 0.76 eV from chemisorbed OOH(ad), suggesting that OH might be present during the ORR, particularly when the fuel cell is turned on and off. Based on the QM, we propose two chemical mechanisms for OH radical attack on the Nafion polymer: (1) OH attack on the S-C bond to form H(2)SO(4) plus a carbon radical (barrier: 0.96 eV) followed by decomposition of the carbon radical to form an epoxide (barrier: 1.40 eV). (2) OH attack on H(2) crossover gas to form hydrogen radical (barrier: 0.04 eV), which subsequently attacks a C-F bond to form HF plus carbon radicals (barrier as low as 1.00 eV). This carbon radical can then decompose to form a ketone plus a carbon radical with a barrier of 0.86 eV. The products (HF, OCF(2), SCF(2)) of these proposed mechanisms have all been observed by F NMR in the fuel cell exit gases along with the decrease in pH expected from our mechanism.     

Raman active jagged-shaped gold-coated magnetic particles as a novel multimodal nanoprobe

The creation of novel engineered multimodal nanoparticles (NPs) is a key focus in bionanotechnology and can lead to deep understanding of biological processes at the molecular level. Here, we present a multi-component system made of gold-coupled core-shell SPIONs, as a new nanoprobe with signal enhancement in surface Raman spectroscopy, due to its jagged-shaped gold shell coating.     

An overview on the copper-promoted synthesis of five-membered heterocyclic systems

The development of novel approaches for the preparation of small-sized heterocyclic products has remained an extremely attractive but challenging proposition. Copper has been known as one of the most applicable and significant transition metals utilized in the synthesis of organic products. A couple of factors such as high earth abundance and versatile catalysis resulted in the growth of copper-promoted synthesis of five-membered heterocyclic products. Utilizations such as making coins and electrical equipment express the importance of copper, as well. Here, a comprehensive overview of the copper-catalyzed synthesis of five-membered heterocyclic products is presented, focusing on the developments over the past 4 years.     

Electrostatic fringes effect in systems with three charged parallel micro-beams

This paper presents the geometric analysis of the electric field edge effect in three charged rectangular conductors. This effect is taken into account for evaluating the electric capacitance and the force between charged bodies. The comprehensive model presented in this work includes seven geometric parameters to fully define the system and calculate a correction factor to the analytical model. The correction factor is presented as closed-form equations. Instead of using finite element models, these equations can be used for determining the gradient of capacitance and the electrostatic force between charged bodies.     

Supported benzimidazole‐salen Cu(II) complex: An efficient,versatile and highly reusable nanocatalyst for one‐pot synthesis of hybrid molecules

A novel and efficient nanocatalyst consisting of benzimidazole‐salen Cu(II) complex on surface‐modified silica (BS‐Cu(II)@SiO₂) was prepared. The heterogeneous nanocatalyst was characterized by FESEM, TEM, EDX, FT‐IR, XRD, ICP, and TGA. The nanocatalyst was used for the one‐pot synthesis of some target hybrid molecules. An efficient four component C–H bond activation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition and condensation/cyclization/aromatization sequence toward triazole‐benzimidazole derivatives is disclosed. This methodology provides a general and rapid synthetic route to some new triazole‐benzimidazole hybrids under mild reaction conditions. In addition, the heterogeneous nanocatalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture and used several times without noticeable leaching or loss of its catalytic activity. We believe this interesting one‐pot reaction as well as benzimidazole‐salen Cu(II) complex pave the way to the design and synthesis of other new hybrid molecules and metal catalysts, respectively.