Novel alternating copolyoxamides with high crystallinity and heat resistance

Two series of novel alternating copolyoxamides (PAnT-alt-n2 and PAn2-alt-62) are synthesized via solution/solid-state polycondensation (SSP). The alternating structures are analyzed carefully with ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra. The melting behaviors, thermal stabilities, crystal structures and crystallinities are systematically evaluated by DSC, TGA and WAXD. The results reveal that these alternating copolyoxamides possess almost perfect alternating chain structures and have high melting temperature (T_m > 270 °C), high crystallinity (X_c > 32%) and high decomposition temperature (T₅ > 405 °C) as well as low saturated water absorption (<3.5 wt%), which suggests that they have high potential as engineering plastic of high heat resistant.     

Electro-assisted Molecular Assembly Giving Atomic-Scale Catalytic Active-Site Detection

The artificially accurate design of nonmetal electrocatalysts’ active site has been a huge challenge because no pure active species with the specific structure could be strictly controlled by traditional synthetic methods. Species with a multiconfiguration in the catalyst hinder identification of the active site and the subsequent comprehension of the reaction mechanism. We have developed a novel electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy to obtain a pure pentagon ring on perfect graphene avoiding other reconstructed structures. More importantly, the active atom was confirmed by the subtle passivation process as the topmost carbon atom. Recognition of the carbon-defect electrocatalysis reaction mechanism was first downsized to the single-atom scale from the experimental perspective. It is expected that this innovative electro-assisted molecular assembly strategy could be extensively applied in the active structure-controlled synthesis of nonmetal electrocatalysts and verification of the exact active atom.     

Some Results on the Optimal Matching Problem for the Jacobi Model

Potential Analysis - We establish some exact asymptotic results for a matching problem with respect to a family of beta distributions. Let X1,…,Xn be independent random variables with common...     

A Stochastic Subgradient Method for Distributionally Robust Non-convex and Non-smooth Learning

Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications - We consider a distributionally robust formulation of stochastic optimization problems arising in statistical learning, where robustness is with...     

Excellent UV-absorbing cotton fabric with high durability and hydrophobicity based on surface-initiated ATRP of polymerizable organic UV-absorber

Cellulose - Ultraviolet (UV) protective cotton fabric is a convenient and reliable way to protect human body from sunlight. Herein, a polymerizable UV-absorber,...     

Interfacial instability of ferrofluid flow under the influence of a vacuum magnetic field

This study is to numerically test the interfacial instability of ferrofluid flow under the presence of a vacuum magnetic field. The ferrofluid parabolized stability equations(PSEs) are derived from the ferrofluid stability equations and the Rosensweig equations, and the characteristic values of the ferrofluid PSEs are given to describe the ellipticity of ferrofluid flow. Three numerical models representing specific cases considering with/without a vacuum magnetic field or viscosity are created to mathematically examine the interfacial instability by the computation of characteristic values. Numerical investigation shows strong dependence of the basic characteristic of ferrofluid Rayleigh-Taylor instability(RTI) on viscosity of ferrofluid and independence of the vacuum magnetic field.For the shock wave striking helium bubble, the magnetic field is not able to trigger the symmetry breaking of bubble but change the speed of the bubble movement. In the process of droplet formation from a submerged orifice, the collision between the droplet and the liquid surface causes symmetry breaking. Both the viscosity and the magnetic field exacerbate symmetry breaking. The computational results agree with the published experimental results.     

Lower Bounds for the Robustness of Multilevel Coherence

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - Quantum coherence, coming from quantum superposition, occupies a significant position in the field of physics. We put forward a lower bound of the...     

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.     

Photoelectrochemical Cytosensors

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cytosensors, a combination of the PEC process and the living-cell assay, have emerged as a powerful tool in the analytical and biological science. This mini review provides a brief introduction of this arena and summaries the key steps about the development of PEC cytosensors with representative examples, followed by future prospects based on our own opinions.     

Majorana Representation for a Composite System

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - The Majorana representation, which provides an intuitive way to represent the quantum state by stars on the Bloch sphere, has drawn considerable...