Stable Radicals with Protective Umbrellas Integrated on the Surface of 2D Layered Materials

Radicals are closely related to human life and health and have been widely used in biology, chemistry, functional materials, etc. However, the high reactivity, disorder, and short half-lives limit their wide applications. Therefore, it remains a great challenge to prepare stable and ordered radicals. Herein, radicals are prepared with protective umbrellas (diethylmethyleneamine, DEMA) that are integrated on the surface of 2D layered materials to isolate water and oxygen and enhance the stability of radicals. Taking 2D black phosphorus (BP) as an example: triethylamine reacts with dichloromethane to form quaternary ammonium salts with further Hoffmann elimination to produce DEMA radicals that could react with one electron of a lone pair electrons in P on the surface of BP to produce P radicals, which shows a prolonged half-life of 21 days at room temperature. First-principle calculations and electron paramagnetic resonance fitting confirm that the steric hindrance constructed by dense DEMA passivation layer acts as a protective umbrella and the 2D coupling of P radicals and other P atoms in 2D BP plane to enhance the stability and strong superexchange interaction of P radicals. Furthermore, it is a general strategy to produce stable radicals integrated on the 2D plane.     

Solution-Synthesized Multifunctional Janus Nanotree Microswimmer

Synthetic active matters are perfect model systems for non-equilibrium thermodynamics and of great potential for novel biomedical and environmental applications. However, most applications are limited by the complicated and low-yield preparation, while a scalable synthesis for highly functional microswimmers is highly desired. In this paper, an all-solution synthesis method is developed where the gold-loaded titania-silica nanotree can be produced as a multi-functional self-propulsion microswimmer. By applying light, heat, and electric field, the Janus nanotree demonstrated multi-mode self-propulsion, including photochemical self-electrophoresis by UV and visible light radiation, thermophoresis by near-infrared light radiation, and induced-charge electrophoresis under AC electric field. Due to the scalable synthesis, the Janus nanotree is further demonstrated as a high-efficiency, low-cost, active adsorbent for water decontamination, where the toxic mercury ions can be reclaimed with enhanced efficiency.     

Chromium-promoted preparation of forsterite refractory materials from ferronickel slag by microwave sintering

The chromium-promoted preparation of forsterite refractory materials from ferronickel slag was investigated by microwave sintering of the slag with the additions of sintered magnesia and 0–10 wt% chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃). The thermodynamic calculations revealed that the addition of Cr₂O₃ can promote the formations of spinel and liquid phase and maintain high content of forsterite below 1500 °C. The experimental results showed that there existed a stronger promoting effect of Cr₂O₃ additive on the properties of refractory materials in the microwave field than that in conventional sintering. It was attributed to the preferential formation and growth of spinel with stronger microwave absorption than other phases (e.g., enstatite), the existence of more forsterite, and the enhanced densification in association with the presence of more liquid phase at the same temperature. By microwave sintering of the mixture of ferronickel slag, 25 wt% sintered magnesia, and 4 wt% Cr₂O₃ at 1350 °C for 20 min, a superior refractory material with refractoriness of 1801 °C, thermal shock resistance of 6 times, bulk density of 2.97 g/cm³, apparent porosity of 1.4%, and compressive strength of 197 MPa was obtained. Compared with that prepared by conventional sintering at 1350 °C for 2 h, the refractoriness and thermal shock resistance were increased by 175 °C and 100%, respectively. The present study provided a novel method for preparing high-quality refractory materials from ferronickel slag and relevant industrial wastes.     

Synthesis and performance evaluation of a new drag reducer based on acrylamide/12-allyloxydodecyl acid sodium

Hydraulic fracturing with slickwater is a field-proven stimulation technology used in tight reservoirs. Because of the high pumping rate associated with slickwater fracturing, drag reduction (DR) is critical in minimizing pressure drop and the success of oilfield operations. In this paper, a new type of drag reducer (SPR) was synthesized with acrylamide and 12-allyloxydodecyl acid sodium, and its drag reduction performance was evaluated. The results showed that the new drag reducer features low molecular weight, fast-dissolving rate and low interfacial tension. The algorithm of estimating the drag reduction rate of non-Newtonian fluid SPR was proposed and validated. Empirical or semianalytical models for estimating the friction ratio (σ) or friction factor (λ or f) were used to simulate the turbulence behavior of the SPR drag reducer under different Reynolds numbers (Re). The modified Virk's correlation could accurately model the turbulent behavior of the SPR drag reducer. A unified calculation formula was established in this study for different pipe diameters.     

Dry Fractionation Approach in Concentrating Tocopherols and Tocotrienols from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate: A Green Pretreatment Process for Vitamin E Extraction

Palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) is a rich source of vitamin E. As compared to other vegetable oil, PFAD has higher tocotrienol (70–80%) over tocopherol content, which makes it a valuable source for vitamin E extraction. Current vitamin E extraction methods are not sustainable due to the intensive usage of chemical and high operational cost. Hence, the present study investigated for the first time using dry fractionation process as a green and economical pretreatment method for separating solid fraction (stearin) and liquid fraction (olein) in order to concentrate vitamin E from PFAD in olein fraction. We examined the dry fractionation conditions: crystallization ending temperature (36–44 °C), cooling rate (0.3 and 1.5°C min⁻¹), stirring speed (20–125 rpm), and holding time (0–60 min) on the composition of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids as well as vitamin E content in liquid fraction (olein) and solid fraction (stearin) using gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. In most of these conditions, vitamin E was ultimately higher in olein fraction as compared to stearin fraction, which is correlated with the high degree of unsaturation. Under a cooling rate of 0.3°C min⁻¹, 90 rpm stirring speed, and ending crystallization of 38 °C, the highest vitamin E rich olein fraction was attained with 1479 ± 10.51 ppm in 50 g olein fraction as compared to 1366 ± 7.94 ppm in 500 g of unfractionated PFAD.     

A Highly Sensitive,Reversible, and Bidirectional Humidity Actuator by Calcium Carbonate Ionic Oligomers Incorporated Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride)

Sensitivity and multi-directional motivation are major two factors for developing optimized humidity-response materials, which are promising for sensing, energy production, etc. Organic functional groups are commonly used as the water sensitive units through hydrogen bond interactions with water molecules in actuators. The multi-coordination ability of inorganic ions implies that the inorganic ionic compounds are potentially superior water sensitive units. However, the particle forms of inorganic ionic compounds produced by classical nucleation limit the number of exposed ions to interact with water. Recent progress on the inorganic ionic oligomers has broken through the limitation of classical nucleation, and realized the molecular-scaled incorporation of inorganic ionic compounds into an organic matrix. Here, the incorporation of hydrophilic calcium carbonate ionic oligomers into hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is demonstrated. The ultra-small calcium carbonate oligomers within a PVDF film endow it with an ultra-sensitive, reversible, and bidirectional response. The motivation ability is superior to other bidirectional humidity-actuators at present, which realizes self-motivation on an ice surface, converting the chemical potential energy of the humidity gradient from ice to kinetic energy.     

Photoregulation of Gene Expression with Ligand-Modified Caged siRNAs through Host/Guest Interaction

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) can effectively silence target genes through Argonate 2 (Ago2)-induced RNA interference (RNAi). It is very important to control siRNA activity in both spatial and temporal modes. Among different masking strategies, photocaging can be used to regulate gene expression through light irradiation with spatiotemporal and dose-dependent resolution. Many different caging strategies and caging groups have been reported for light-activated siRNA gene silencing. Herein, we describe a novel caging strategy that increases the blocking effect of RISC complex formation/process through host/guest (including ligand/receptor) interactions, thereby enhancing the inhibition of caged siRNA activity until light activation. This strategy can be used as a general approach to design caged siRNAs for the photomodulation of gene silencing of exogenous and endogenous genes.     

Bioinspired Triboelectric Soft Robot Driven by Mechanical Energy

A sustainable power source is a key technical challenge for practical applications of electrically responsive soft robots, especially the required voltage is over several thousand volts. Here, a practicable new technology, triboelectric soft robot (TESR) system with the primary characteristics of power source from mechanical energy, is developed. At its heart is TESR with bioinspired architectures made of soft-deformable body and two triboelectric adhesion feet, which is driven and accurately controlled through triboelectric effect, while reaching maximum crawling speeds of 14.9 mm s⁻¹ on the acrylic surface. The characteristics of the TESR, including displacement and force, are tested and simulated under the power of a rotary freestanding triboelectric nanogenerator (RF-TENG). Crawling of TESR is successfully realized on different materials surfaces and different angle slopes under the driven of RF-TENG. Furthermore, a real-time visual monitoring platform, in which TESR carries a micro camera to transmit images in a long narrow tunnel, is also achieved successfully, indicating that it can be used for fast diagnosis in an area inaccessible to human beings in the future. This study offers a new insight into the sustainable power source technologies suitable for electrically responsive soft robots and contributes to expanding the applicability of TENGs.