Latest ArticlesIt is still a challenge to eliminate efficiently fluoride ion from groundwater, especially to design and synthesis an adsorbent possessing high adsorption capacity, recyclability and wide pH application conditions. Herein we present millimeter-sized sulfate-type zirconium alginate hydrogel beads with 3D network structure (AHB@Zr-SO42−) that exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 101.3 mg/g with wide pH applicability (pH 3−9). This material have ~2.5 times higher adsorption capacity than that of pure zirconium alginate hydrogel beads (AHB@Zr) and it was ascribed to ion exchange between SO42− and F− on the surface of AHB@Zr-SO42−, which was verified via ion chromatography measurement coupled with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR Spectrometer) analysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the ion exchange process between SO42− and F− in AHB@Zr-SO42− was energetically favorable than OH− and F− in AHB@Zr. In addition, 310 bed volumes (BV) of effluent was realized via column adsorption of groundwater containing fluoride on AHB@Zr-SO42− and indicated that it is a promising candidate for mitigating the problem of fluoride-containing groundwater.
The development of multifunctional theranostic nano-agents is an important resolution for personalized treatment of cancer. In this work, we synthesized a new kind of gadolinium boride nanoparticles (GBN) by a microwave-assisted chemical etching method, and discovered their optical characteristics including fluorescence imaging and near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion capability. Bright greenishyellow fluorescence enabled for intracellular localization, while effective NIR-photothermal conversion supported photothermal therapy (PTT). In vitro and in vivo results indicated that GBN exhibited a superior antitumor performance and high biocompatibility. This study demonstrated a promising multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform for cancer treatment.
Recent studies have shown that CTP may act as a ligand to regulate the activity of its target proteins in many biological processes. However, proteome-wide identification of CTP-binding proteins remains challenging. Here, we employed a biotinylated CTP affinity probe coupled with stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomics approach to capture, identify and quantify CTP-binding proteins in human cells. By performing two types of competitive SILAC experiments with high vs. low concentrations of CTP probe (100 vs. 10 µmol/L) or with CTP probe in the presence of free CTP, we identified 90 potential CTP-binding proteins which are involved in a variety of biological processes, including protein folding, nucleotide binding and cell-cell adhesion. Together, we developed a chemical proteomic method for uncovering the CTP-binding proteins in human cells, which could be widely applicable for profiling CTP-binding proteins in other biological samples.
The rapid degradation of organic pollutants, process monitoring and online controlling to obtain advanced products and decreased by-products are great and challenging tasks in environmental treatments. Herein, an accelerated plasma degradation in milliseconds was achieved by combining electrospray-based acceleration and plasma-based degradation. Taking the degradation of chloroaniline as an example, 97% of the degradation can be achieved in milliseconds. The velocity distribution of droplets was determined to be 40–50 m/s after being degraded for 0.30 ms, which exhibited different degradation behaviors in different milliseconds. Simultaneously, by virtue of the real-time and on-line detection ability of ambient mass spectrometry, intermediates, by-products and advanced products were monitored. Therefore, degradation mechanisms for different degradation times were proposed, which would provide theoretical guidance on obtaining efficient and green degradation. The fabrication, examining and understanding of accelerated plasma degradation not only enlarged application of accelerated reactions, but also promoted green and efficient degradation for environmental treatments.
Functional dicyclophanes with various substituents (e.g., NO2, Br, OCH3 and OH) were synthesized via one-pot SN2 reaction. Dicyclophanes can form nanospheres via the head-to-tail self-assembly between the cavities and the TPE units to exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in aqueous solution. These AIE-active nanospheres with cationic feature exhibited selective recognition with fluorescence response for anionic ATP via electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic effects in water.
The perfluoroalkylsulfonylation (CF3SO2, C2F5SO2 and CHF2SO2) in the enaminone CH bonds has been developed simply via the promotion of molecular iodine by using stable and cheap sodium perfluoroalkyl sulfinates as coupling partners. The stereoselective synthesis of E-configurated α-perfluoroalkylsulfonyl enaminones has been realized via unprecedented CH bond elaboration and CC double bond configuration inversion by free radical process.
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can directly convert renewable biogas into electricity with high efficiency at high temperature, however the long-term stability of SOFCs is significantly affected by the carbon deposition on the anode during cell operation. Herein, we report a novel carbon removal approach by high temperature infrared light driven photocatalytic oxidation. Upon the comparison of electrochemical performance of Ni-YSZ anode and TiO2 modified Ni-YSZ anode in the state-of-the-art single cell (Ni-YSZ/YSZ/LSCM), the modified anodes exhibit markedly improved peak powder density with simulated biogas fuel (70% CH4+ 30% CO2) at 850 ℃ with less coking after 40 h operation. The high activity and carbon deposition resistance of the modified anode is possibly attributed to the in situ generated hydroxyl radical from the reduced TiOx powder under high temperature infrared light excitation, which is supported by detailed analysis of microstructural information of anodes and the powder-based thermo-photocatalytic experiments.
Although transition metal phospho-sulfides deliver outstanding electrochemical performance, complex preparation methods hindered their further development. Herein, we report a facile one-step electrodeposition approach to deposit interconnected nanowalls-like nickel cobalt phospho-sulfide (Ni-Co-P-S) nanosheets onto the surface of carbon cloth. The thin Ni-Co-P-S nanosheets with multi-components and synergetic effects delivered rich active sites, further enhancing reversible capacitance. Therefore, the as-prepared Ni-Co-P-S electrode materials exhibit excellent electrochemical performance in a three-electrode system, showcasing a high specific capacitance of 2744 F/g at 4 A/g. The full supercapacitors based on Ni-Co-P-S as positive electrode and active carbon as negative electrode showcase a high specific capacitance of 110.9 F/g at 1 A/g, impressive energy density of 39.4 Wh/kg at a power density of 797.5 W/kg in terms of excellent cycling stability (91.87% retention after 10, 000 cycles). This simple electrode position strategy for synthesizing Ni-Co-P-S can be extended to prepare electrode materials for various sustainable electrochemical energy storage/conversion technologies.
Hydrogen isotope separation is a challenging task due to their similar properties. Herein, based on the chemical affinity quantum sieve (CAQS) effect, the D2/H2 separation performance of M2(m-dobdc) (M = Co, Ni, Mg, Mn; m-dobdc4− = 4,6-dioxido-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate), a series of honeycomb-shaped MOFs with high stability and abundant open metal sites, are studied by gases sorption and breakthrough experiments, in which two critical factors, gas uptake and adsorption enthalpy, are taken into consideration. Among these MOFs, Co2(m-dobdc) exhibits the longest D2 retention time of 180 min/g (H2/D2/Ne: 1/1/98) at 77 K because of its second-highest adsorption enthalpy (10.7 kJ/mol for H2 and 11.8 kJ/mol for D2) and the best sorption capacity (5.22 mmol/g for H2 and 5.49 mmol/g for D2) under low pressure of 1 kPa and 77 K), which make it a promising material for industrial hydrogen isotope separation. Moreover, the results indicate that H2 and D2 capacities under low pressure (about 1 kPa) dominate the final D2/H2 separation property of MOFs.
The mixture of p-(methoxy)calix[n]arenes (n = 6, 7 or 8) was prepared in one step from p-methoxyphenol under basic conditions, and their fully methylated derivatives p-(dimethyloxy)calix[n]arenes (n = 6, 7 or 8) were also prepared and purified by column chromatography to indentify their structures. In this process, the single crystal of p-(dimethyloxy)calix[7]arene was obtained and its structure was confirmed. The proportion of p-(methoxy)calix[6]-, [7]- and [8]-arenes in the mixture obtained from the reaction was investigated under different reaction conditions, and p-(methoxy)calix[6]- and [8]-arenes could be separated from the mixture by solvent extraction. In addition, the host-guest interaction of p-(dimethyloxy)calix[6]arene with methyl-4, 4′-bipyridinium hexafluorophosphate in organic solvents was investigated.