Latest ArticlesA metal-free photocatalytic oxidative decarboxylation reaction at room temperature was developed for the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes and ketones from the corresponding arylacetic acids. The reaction was realized under blue-light irradiation by adding 1 mol% of 4CzIPN as photocatalyst and air as oxidant. This reaction represents a novel decarboxylation of a sp3-hybridized carboxylic acids without traditional heating, additional oxidants, and metal reagents under mild conditions.
The recent evolution of active components yielded brilliant progresses for organic solar cells (OSCs), yet the mechanism is needed to be clearly understood. In this work, two electron acceptors, a linear SN6-2Br and a V-shaped BTP-2Br, are developed with nitrogen atoms introduced to replace the traditional sp3-hybridized carbon in the fused ring. BTP-2Br possesses an electron-deficient central core, which exhibits slightly blue-shifted absorption as well as deepened HOMO-level compared with SN6-2Br. The corresponding photovoltaic performance from V-shaped BTP-2Br based devices exhibit superior performance especially in short-circuit current (Jsc), despite an enhanced absorption and charge carrier mobilities for SN6-2Br. The primary reason for the higher Jsc from BTP-2Br is faster exciton diffusion and dissociation in blends, than those of SN6-2Br. As a result, PBDB-TF:BTP-2Br based devices achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.84% with an voltage-loss of only 0.46 V, which is one of the lowest values ever reported. Moreover, we fabricated semitransparent OSCs that exhibit an excellent PCE of 9.62% with average visible transparency of 20.1%.
The controlled self-assembly of discrete metal-organic nanocapsules (MONCs), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on the MONCs are achieved. Specifically, the solvothermal reaction of nickel nitrate hexahydrate and C-methylpyrogallol[4]arene in mixed DMF/MeOH solution leads to the unexpected form of discrete nickel-seamed hexameric pyrogallol[4]arene MONCs, and MONC-based three-dimensional (3D) MOF. Notably, the latter MOF is constructed from the aforementioned nickelseamed MONC building blocks and formate linkers in-situ generated from the hydrolysis of DMF solvent. Interestingly, introducing pyridine and formic acid in the reaction conditions leads to the controlled assemblies of the discrete MONC and MONC-based 3D MOF structures. Moreover, the variabletemperature magnetic susceptibilities of both the abovementioned compounds have been investigated, indicating typical antiferromagnetic interactions between the metal centers.
Sulfate radical anion (SO4·-) based Fenton-like reaction have recently received a large quantity of attention owing to their strong oxidative capacity and high selectivity toward organic pollutants. However, the development of a high-efficient catalyst for activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with a fast separation is still challengeable. Herein, magnetic mesoporous silica composites with a yolk-shell structure (Fe@void@mSiO2) have been prepared via a successive coating strategy, followed by a hightemperature in-situ treatment and demonstrated as a high-efficient and fast magnetic separable catalyst for the activation of PMS. The resultant material possesses a well-defined yolk-shell structure with high specific surface area (~495.0 m2/g), uniform pore size (~6.9 nm) and super large magnetic susceptibility (~105 emu/g). Owing to the unique properties, the material possesses an excellent degradation activity for tetracyclines (TC), which is much higher than the commercialized Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) nanoparticles. Additionally, the catalyst is able to work over a broad pH range and be quickly recycled by using an external magnetic field. This research provides a promising strategy for the synthesis and design of multifunctional catalyst for the Fenton-like process.
4H-silicon carbides deposited by diamond films have wide applications in many fields such as semiconductor heterojunction, heat sink and mechanical sealing. Nucleation plays a critical role in the deposition of the diamond film on 4H-silicon carbides. Nevertheless, as a typical polar material, the fundamental mechanism of diamond nucleation on different faces of 4H-silicon carbides has not been fully understood yet. In this contribution, nucleation of diamond was performed on the carbon- and silicon-faces of 4H-silicon carbides in a direct current chemical vapor deposition device. The nucleation density on the carbon-face is higher by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to the silicon-face. Transmission electron microscopy verifies that there are high density diamond nuclei on the interface between the carbon-face and the diamond film, which is different from columnar diamond growth structure on the silicon-face. Transition state theory calculation reveals that the unprecedented distinction of the nucleation density between the carbon-face and the silicon-face is attributed to different desorption rates of the absorbed hydrocarbon radicals. In addition, kinetic model simulations demonstrate that it is more difficult to form CH2(s)-CH2(s) dimers on silicon-faces than carbon-faces, resulting in much lower nucleation densities on silicon-faces.
Aerobic oxidation using pure dioxygen gas as the oxidant has attracted much attention, but its application in synthetic chemistry has been significantly hampered by the complexity of catalytic system and potential risk of high-energy dioxygen gas. By employing 1, 2-diethoxyethane as a catalyst and ambient air as an oxidant, an efficient protocol for the construction of various aryl-alkyl and diaryl ketones through oxidative cleavage of gem-disubstituted aromatic alkenes under minimal solvent conditions has been achieved.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative approach for effective cancer treatment, which can directly destroy local tumor cells due to the generation of cytotoxic singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tumor cells. Intriguingly, PDT-mediated cell death is also associated with anti-tumor immune response. However, immunosuppression of tumor microenvironment is able to limit the immune response induced by PDT, it is therefore necessary to combine with immunocheckpoint inhibitor and immunoadjuvant for synergistic treatment of tumors. Herein, the recent advances of PDT, immunotherapy, and photodynamic immunotherapy are reviewed.
To improve aqueous solubility and anti-ischemic activity of 3-n-butylphthalide (NBP), we designed and synthesized the ring-opened derivative of NBP-ferulic acid-glucose trihybrids (S1-S8). These hybrids inhibited adenosine diphosphate (ADP)- or arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation, among them, S2 was 30-fold more water-soluble, and over 10-fold more potent in inhibition of platelet aggregation, as well as reduced ROS generation and protected primary neuronal cells from OGD/Rinduced damage, in comparison with NBP. Additionally, S2 was more active than its three moieties alone or in combination, suggesting that the activity of S2 may be attributed to the synergistic effects of these moieties. Importantly, in vivo studies indicated that S2 not only possessed good pharmacokinetic profile, but also improved NBP distribution in rodent brain, suggesting that the glucose moiety in S2 may be recognized by glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) on blood-brain barrier (BBB), promoting it to penetrate through BBB. Our findings suggest that S2 may be a promising candidate for the intervention of ischemic stroke, warranting further study.
Acellular tissue matrix scaffolds are much closer to tissue's complex natural structure and biological characteristics, thus assess great advantages in cartilage engineering. We used rabbit costal cartilage to prepare acellular microfilaments and further 3D porous acellular cartilage scaffold via crosslinking. Poly (L-lysine)/hyaluronic acid (PLL/HA) multilayer film was then built up onto the surface of the resulting porous scaffold. Furthermore, TGF-β3 was loaded into the PLL/HA multilayer film coated scaffold to obtain a 3D porous acellular cartilage scaffold with sustained releasing of TGF-β3 up to 60 days. The success of this project will provide a new way for the treatment of articular cartilage defects. Meanwhile, the anchoring and on-site sustained releasing of growth factors mediated by polyelectrolyte multilayered film can also provide a new method for improving the biocompatibility and the biofunctionality for other implanted biomaterials.
An unexpected bistricyclic aromatic ene AF was synthesized in a tin(Ⅱ) chloride-mediated reductive aromatization reaction. The obtained AF showed a highly overcrowded structural conformation as revealed by X-ray crystallography. Interestingly, AF exhibited reversible high-contrast mechanochromism and thermochromism between pale and red color. The obvious chromism is likely ascribed to the conformation transformation and trace amount of diradical species formation upon stimulus.