Eco-friendly and low-cost amidoxime-functionalized microcrystalline cellulose/mesoporous silica composite for the selective adsorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Eco-friendly and low-cost composite, amidoxime-functionalized microcrystalline cellulose/mesoporous silica (MCC/MS-AO), were synthesized by...     

Flower-like titanium dioxide as novel co-reaction accelerator for ultrasensitive “off–on” electrochemiluminescence aptasensor construction based on 2D g-C3N4 layer for thrombin detection

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - An ultrasensitive “signal-off–on” electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor is constructed based on f1-TiO2/g-C3N4/PDA for thrombin...     

The Coordination Chemistry of f-Block Elements in Molten Salts

The coordination chemistry of f-block elements (lanthanide and actinide) in molten salts has become a resounding topic in view of its great importance to the research and development (R&D) of molten salt reactors and pyroprocessing. In this Review article, a general overview of the coordination chemistry of f-block elements in molten salts is provided including past achievements and recent advances. Particular emphases are placed on the oxidation state, speciation, and solution structure of f-block metal ions in molten salts, as well as their relationships with the salt composition. Furthermore, this review briefly discusses the spectroscopic and theoretical methods that complement each other in revealing the coordination properties.     

Developing the Low-Temperature Oxidation Mechanism of Cyclopentane: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

At present, the reactivity of cyclic alkanes is estimated by comparison with acyclic hydrocarbons. Due to the difference in the structure of cycloalkanes and acycloalkanes, the thermodynamic data obtained by analogy are not applicable. In this study, a molecular beam sampling vacuum ultraviolet photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MB-VUV-PI-TOFMS) was applied to study the low-temperature oxidation of cyclopentane (CPT) at a total pressure range from 1–3 atm and low-temperature range between 500 and 800 K. Low-temperature reaction products including cyclic olefins, cyclic ethers, and highly oxygenated intermediates (e. g., ketohydroperoxide KHP, keto-dihydroperoxide KDHP, olefinic hydroperoxides OHP and ketone structure products) were observed. Further investigation of the oxidation of CPT – electronic structure calculations – were carried out at the UCCSD(T)-F12a/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-31+ G(d,p) level to explore the reactivity of O₂ molecules adding sequentially to cyclopentyl radicals. Experimental and theoretical observations showed that the dominant product channel in the reaction of CPT radicals with O₂ is HO₂ elimination yielding cyclopentene. The pathways of second and third O₂ addition – the dissociation of hydroperoxide – were further confirmed. The results of this study will develop the low-temperature oxidation mechanism of CPT, which can be used for future research on accurately simulating the combustion process of CPT.     

Flow-induced shear stress and deformation of a core–shell-structured microcapsule in a microchannel

A numerical model was developed and validated to investigate the fluid–structure interactions between fully developed pipe flow and core–shell-structured microcapsule in a microchannel. Different flow rates and microcapsule shell thicknesses were considered. A sixth-order rotational symmetric distribution of von Mises stress over the microcapsule shell can be observed on the microcapsule with a thinner shell configuration, especially at higher flow rate conditions. It is also observed that when being carried along in a fully developed pipe flow, the microcapsule with a thinner shell tends to accumulate stress at a higher rate compared to that with a thicker shell. In general, for the same microcapsule configuration, higher flow velocity would induce a higher stress level over the microcapsule shell. The deformation gradient was used to capture the microcapsule's deformation in the present study. The effect of Young's modulus on the microcapsule shell on the microcapsule deformation was investigated as well. Our findings will shed light on the understanding of the stability of core–shell-structured microcapsule when subjected to flow-induced shear stress in a microfluidic system, enabling a more exquisite control over the breakup dynamics of drug-loaded microcapsule for biomedical applications.     

Preparation and Properties of Sr3B2O6:Dy3+, Eu3+ White Phosphors Using the High-Temperature Solid-State Method

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - Sr3B2O6:Dy3+, Eu3+ single-matrix white-light-emitting materials are prepared using the high-temperature solid-state method. The microstructure, emission spectrum,...     

EcoLens: visual analysis of ecological regions in urban contexts using traffic data

Journal of Visualization - The increasing availability of spatiotemporal data provides unprecedented opportunities for understanding the structure of an urban area in terms of people’s...     

Chiral phase transition and equation of state in chiral imbalance

The chiral phase transition and equation of state are studied within a novel self-consistent mean-field approximation of the two-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. In this newly developed model, modifications to the chemical μ and chiral chemical \begin{document}$\mu_5$\end{document} potentials are naturally included by introducing vector and axial-vector channels from Fierz-transformed Lagrangian to the standard Lagrangian. In the proper-time scheme, the chiral phase transition is a crossover in the \begin{document}$T-\mu$\end{document} plane. However, when \begin{document}$\mu_5$\end{document} is incorporated, our study demonstrates that a first order phase transition may emerge. Furthermore, the chiral imbalance will soften the equation of state of quark matter. The mass-radius relationship and tidal deformability of quark stars are calculated. The maximum mass and radius decrease as \begin{document}$\mu_5$\end{document} increases. Our study also indicates that the vector and axial-vector channels exhibit an opposite influence on the equation of state.