Detecting pore size distribution of activated carbon by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance

In this study, the transverse relaxation time (T₂) of activated carbon (AC) in different relative environment humidity was detected firstly by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LFNMR). The pore size (diameter) of AC distributions was calculated by the relationship between T₂ and surface relaxation rate (ρ), where ρ was obtained by the detection of nine porous materials with known pore size. The results showed that the pore size distributions of AC calculated by ρ < 0.19 nm/ms were in good agreement with that obtained by nitrogen adsorption method and proved that LFNMR as a new detection method was feasible for characterizing AC pore size distribution.     

Effect of temperature on the interactions between cellulose and lignin via molecular dynamics simulations

Cellulose - Heating is essential in various biomass pre-treatments and thermal conversion processes. It is of practical significance to study the characteristics of cellulose-lignin and...     

Revealing the Effect of Surface Composition on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Fe Alloy Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Performance

The designs of efficient and inexpensive Pt-based catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are essential to boost the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, the highly catalytic performance PtFe alloys supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorating nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) have been successfully prepared via co-engineering of the surface composition and electronic structure. The Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst with moderate Fe³⁺ feeding content (0.86 mA/mg_Pt) exhibits 2.26-fold enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.38 mA/mg_Pt). Furthermore, the CO oxidation initial potential of Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is lower relative to Pt/C catalyst (0.71 V and 0.80 V). Benefited from the optimal surface compositions, the anti-corrosion ability of MWCNT, strong electron interaction between PtFe alloys and MWCNTs and the N-doped carbon (NC) layer, the Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst presents an improved MOR performance and anti-CO poisoning ability. This study would open up new perspective for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the DMFCs field.     

Exact solutions of an asymmetric double well potential

Journal of Mathematical Chemistry - The analytical solutions of an asymmetric double well potential $$V(x)=a\, x^2-b\, x^3+c\, x^4$$ are found to be a triconfluent Heun function $$H_{T}(\alpha ,...     

Simultaneous determination of cinnamaldehyde and its metabolite in rat tissues by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Cinnamaldehyde (CA), an active ingredient isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Cinnamomi, has a wide range of bioactivities. To clarify the distribution characteristics of CA, a selective and sensitive method utilizing gas chromatography–mass spetrometry was initially developed for simultaneously determining the concentration of CA and its metabolite cinnamyl alcohol in rat tissues. Selected ion masses of m/z 131, 105 and 92 were chosen, and separation of the analytes was performed on a DB‐5 ms (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm, thickness) capillary column by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The calibration curves demonstrated good linearity and reproducibility over the range of 20–2000 and 20–4000 ng/mL for various tissue samples. Recoveries ranged from 86.8 to 107.5%, while intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations were all <11.3%. The analysis method was successfully applied in tissue distribution studies for CA and cinnamyl alcohol. As CA and cinnamyl alcohol may inter‐convert to one another, simultaneous determination of both analytes provides a comparative and accurate data for tissue study. The concentrations of CA and cinnamyl alcohol remaining in spleen were the highest among the main organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and brain. In addition, there was no long‐term accumulation of CA in rat tissues. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of a Sc3N@C80‐Corrole Electron Donor–Acceptor Conjugate

Embedding endohdedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) into electron donor–acceptor systems is still a challenging task owing to their limited quantities and their still largely unexplored chemical properties. In this study, we have performed a 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of a corrole‐based precursor with Sc₃N@C₈₀ to regioselectively form a [5,6]‐adduct ( 1 ). The successful attachment of the corrole moiety was confirmed by mass spectrometry. In the electronic ground state, absorption spectra suggest sizeable electronic communications between the electron acceptor and the electron donor. Moreover, the addition pattern occurring at a [5,6]‐bond junction is firmly proven by NMR spectroscopy and electrochemical investigations performed with 1 . In the electronically excited state, which is probed in photophysical assays with 1 , a fast electron‐transfer yields the radical ion pair state consisting of the one‐electron‐reduced Sc₃N@C₈₀ and of the one‐electron‐oxidized corrole upon its exclusive photoexcitation. As such, our results shed new light on the practical work utilizing EMFs as building blocks in photovoltaics.     

DECOMPOSITION OF （1＋1）-DIMENTIONAL,（2W1）-DIMENTIONAL SOLITON EQUATIONS AND THEIR QUASI-PERIODIC SOLUTIONS

A new spectral problem is proposed, and nonlinear differential equations of the corresponding hierarchy are obtained. With the help of the nonlinearization appr...     

Electrochemiluminescence Enhanced by the Synergetic Effect of Porphyrin and Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for Uric Acid Detection

The design and exploration of efficient, stable and environmentally compatible organic emitters for an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor is a promising topic. Herein, a novel environmentally-friendly luminophore, ZnBCBTP@MWCNTs, were fabricated via self-assembly of porphyrin molecules (ZnBCBTP) onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The resulting luminophore ZnBCBTP@MWCNTs displayed not only the highly ECL property and but also the good accelerated electron mobility. Then, a label-free ECL biosensor based ZnBCBTP@MWCNTs was constructed for the ultrasensitive detection of uric acid. Excitingly, this proposed ECL biosensor performed a good linear relationship in the range of 0–300 μM with a low detection limit of 1.4 μM, thus offering another reliable and feasible sensing platform for clinical bioanalysis with good selectivity, stability, and repeatability.     

Investigations in the recrystallization of evolved gases from pyrolysis process of melamine

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A complete analysis of the thermal process about melamine was presented, in which different methods were applied to determine the characteristic of the...