Latest ArticlesThe first example of Nd@C3N4-photoredox/chlorine dual catalyzed alkylation with unactivated alkanes as the alkyl sources has been developed, which allows for the synthesis of various 4-alkylated cyclic sulfonyl ketimines. In this process, chlorine functions as both a redox and hydrogen atom transfer catalyst. The synergism of the reversible Nd2+/Nd3+ and Cl¯/Cl˙ redox pairs significantly enhances overall photocatalytic efficiency. The in vitro anticancer activity of 4-alkylated products was evaluated by using the CCK8 assay against both human choroidal melanoma (MUM-2B) and lung cancer (A549) cell. Compound 3da showed approximately triple the potency of 5-fluorouracil.
White light illumination is essential in daily life, however, the substantial amount of blue light it contains can damage human eyes. Therefore, it is important to block this high-energy blue light to protect visual health. In this study, yellow-emitting carbon dots (CDs) with a quantum yield exceeding 94% were synthesized using citric acid and urea. These CDs effectively absorb blue light. By incorporating them into polystyrene, multiple films termed CDs-based blue light blocking films (CBFs) were developed, each offering different levels of blue light absorption. These CBFs exhibited excellent transparency and efficient blue light filtering capabilities. This study highlights the potential of high quantum yield CDs, which specifically absorb blue light, as foundational materials for developing light-blocking solutions against high-energy short-wavelength light.
The photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) process has been extensively investigated, however, the recovery of photocatalysts has remained a persistent challenge in the field. In light of this issue, a novel approach involving the development of iron-based ionic liquids as photocatalysts has been pursued for the first time, with the goal of simultaneously facilitating the LMCT process and addressing the issue of photocatalyst recovery. Remarkably, the iron-based ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate (C4mim-FeCl4) demonstrates exceptional recyclability and stability for the photocatalytic hydroacylation of olefins. This study will pave the way for new approaches to photocatalytic organic synthesis using ionic liquids as recyclable photocatalysts.
Nitrogen-doping of carbon support (N-C) for platinum (Pt) nanoparticles to form Pt/N-C catalyst represents an effective strategy to promote the electrocatalysis of cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. For fundamental understanding, clearly identifying the metal-support effect on enhancement mechanisms of ORR electrocatalysis is definitely needed. In this work, the impact of Pt-support interaction via interfacial Pt-N coordination on electrocatalytic ORR activity and stability in Pt/N-C catalyst is deeply studied through structural/compositional characterizations, electrochemical measurements and theoretical DFT-calculations/AIMD-simulations. The resulting Pt/N-C catalyst exhibits a superior electrocatalytic performance compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst in both half-cell and H2-O2 fuel cell. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that the interfacial Pt-N coordination enables electron transfer from N-C support to Pt nanoparticles, which can weaken the adsorption strength of oxygen intermediates on Pt surface to improve ORR activity and induce the strong Pt-support interaction to enhance electrochemical stability.
This work develops a protein imprinted nanosphere with varied recognition specificity for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (Lyz) under different UV light through a gradient dual crosslinked imprinting strategy (i.e., covalent crosslinking and dynamic reversible crosslinking). The imprinting cavities are initially constructed using irreversible covalent crosslinking to specifically recognize BSA, and then the coumarin residues in the imprinting cavities are crosslinked under 365 nm UV light to further imprint Lyz, because Lyz has smaller size than BSA. Since the photo-crosslinking of coumarin is a reversible reaction, the imprinting cavities of Lyz can be de-crosslinked under 254 nm UV light and restore the imprinting cavities of BSA. Moreover, the N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) and pyrrolidine residues copolymerized in the polymeric surface of the nanospheres are temperature- and pH-responsive respectively. Therefore, the protein rebinding and release behaviors of the nanospheres are controlled by external temperature and pH. As a result, the materials can selectively separate BSA from real bovine whole blood and Lyz from egg white under different UV light. This study may provide a new strategy for construction of protein imprinted materials with tunable specificity for different proteins.
Semi-heterogeneous photocatalysis has emerged as a powerful and productive platform in organic chemistry, which provides mild and eco-friendly conditions for a diverse range of bond-forming reactions. The synergy of homogeneous catalysts and heterogeneous catalysts inherits their main advantages, such as higher activities, easy separation and superior recyclability. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in recyclable semi-heterogenous protocols for the light promoted bond-forming reactions and identify directions for future research according to the different photocatalysts/metal/redox catalysts involved. Notably, this review is not a comprehensive description of reported literature but aim to highlight and illustrate key concepts, strategies, reaction model, reaction conditions and mechanisms.
With the impact of energy crisis and environmental problems, it is urgent to develop green sustainable energy. Osmotic energy stored in the salinity difference between seawater and river water is one of the sustainable, abundant, and renewable energy. However, the membranes used to capture osmotic energy by reverse electrodialysis (RED) always suffer from low ion selectivity, low stability and low power. Hydrogels with three-dimensional (3D) networks have shown great potential for ion transportation and energy conversion. In this work, based on the homogeneity and porosity characteristics of acrylamide (AM) hydrogel, as well as the remarkable stability and abundant negative charge of 3-sulfopropyl acrylate potassium salt (SPAK), a high-performance AM/SPAK cation-selective hydrogel membrane was successfully developed for harvesting osmotic energy. Compared to AM hydrogels, utilizing AM/SPAK as a monomer mixture greatly facilitated the preparation of homogeneous polymers, exhibiting a porous structure, exceptional ion selectivity, and remarkable stability. A maximum output power density of 13.73 W/m2 was achieved at a 50-fold NaCl concentration gradient, exceeding the commercial requirement of 5 W/m2. This work broadens the idea for the construction and application of composite hydrogel in high efficiency osmotic energy conversion.
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