Exploring the role of the spacers and acceptors on the triphenylamine-based dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Six triphenylamine-based dyes were explored for their application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Dyes 1–3 and dyes 4–6 possess cyanoacrylic acid (C-acceptor) and rhodanine-3-acetic acid (R-acceptor), respectively. Stilbene (in dyes 2 and 5) and bis(styryl)benzene (in dyes 3 and 6) were used as π-spacers. There is no π-spacer in the dye 1 and 4. To elucidate the role of π-spacers, optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of the dyes were studied. Among C-acceptor dyes, dye 2 exhibits the highest light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.45%, followed by dye 3 (4.16%). Similarly, among R-acceptor dyes, dye 5 is the best. These results indicate that stilbene is a better π-spacer over bis(styryl)benzene. Although bis(styryl)benzene could extend the light absorption range (in dye-adsorbed TiO₂ film), its tendency to promote intermolecular π-π stacking is possibly the reason for its poor performance in DSSCs. Furthermore, the conjugation break in the R-acceptor moiety attached to the TiO₂ surface limits the electron injection of R-acceptor dyes poorer than C-acceptor dyes. Density functional theory calculations were performed for the dye-(TiO₂)₈ cluster, assuming a bidentate chelation of a carboxylic acid group with Ti⁴⁺ of TiO₂ anatase. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis indicated relatively more electron-accepting ability of cyanoacrylic acid over rhodanine-3-acetic acid.     

不同润湿表面液体沸腾的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学方法研究纳米尺度下液氩在过热基板上的沸腾过程。通过调节固液间相互作用的方式改变壁面润湿性，模拟并分析了壁面润湿性对沸腾过程中能量传递和液体运动情况的影响。结果表明：不同润湿性表面均会发生固液分离的现象，但是固体表面附近吸附的氩原子数密度随润湿性增强而增大；润湿性较强时，液体的能量上升快，热通量高，液体内部温度梯度大，发生固液分离时间早，系统中氩的温度和能量低，上升过程中液氩密度、厚度变化小；润湿性较弱时，液体的能量上升慢，热通量小，液体内部温度梯度小，发生固液分离时间延后，系统中氩的温度、能量更高，上升过程中液氩密度、厚度变化较大。下部气体压力整体上大于上部气体压力，发生固液分离时润湿性越强的表面上液体上下压差越大，首次上升过程能达到的高度越高，所需时间越短。     

Application of ultrasound treatment for modulating the structural,functional and rheological properties of black bean protein isolates

The modulating effect of ultrasound treatments at varying powers and times on the structural and functional properties of black bean protein isolate (BBPI) was investigated. Compared with native BBPI, low-power (150 W) and medium-power (300 W) ultrasound treatments increased the solubility, foaming and emulsifying properties of BBPI, especially at 300 W, 24 min. This effect arises predominantly due to increased exposure of hydrophobic groups, which serve to increase the interactions between the protein and water molecules. Additionally, an increase in the protein surface activity improved the absorption of protein molecules at the oil–water and air–water interfaces. Rheology data showed that increased hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions improved the water-holding capacity of BBPI gels following ultrasound treatment. However, high-power (450 W) ultrasound treatment weakened the functional properties of BBPI, and this was likely due to the formation of macromolecular BBPI aggregates. Overall, this study indicates that ultrasound treatment could be a promising approach for modulating other plant protein resources as well as expanding the application of black bean protein.     

氧化铈-二氧化硅介孔材料制备及对铜离子的吸附性能

采用共沉淀法和沉淀浸渍法制备了纳米氧化铈-二氧化硅（CeO₂-SiO₂）介孔材料吸附剂,主要考察了其对水中铜离子（Cu²⁺）的吸附行为。通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）和氮吸附（BET）等手段对合成的介孔材料进行了性能表征,并通过静态吸附实验分析了溶液pH、溶液初始金属离子质量浓度、吸附剂用量、吸附时间等条件对介孔材料吸附Cu²⁺性能的影响。结果表明：共沉淀法制备的纳米CeO₂-SiO₂介孔材料对Cu²⁺的去除效果较沉淀浸渍法要好;当溶液pH=7.0时CeO₂-SiO₂介孔材料对Cu²⁺的吸附效果最好,20 min时基本达到吸附平衡;溶液初始Cu²⁺浓度增大Cu²⁺去除率降低,Cu²⁺累计吸附量增大;随着吸附剂用量增加Cu²⁺去除率增大,当CeO₂-SiO₂吸附剂用量为0.15 g/L时对Cu²⁺的去除率趋于稳定;CeO₂-SiO₂吸附剂对不同金属离子吸附性能由大到小的顺序为Cu²⁺、Fe²⁺、Mn²⁺,该吸附过程均符合准二级动力学模型。     

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/mesoporous silica thermosensitive composite hydrogels for drug loading and release

Temperature-sensitive hydrogels are attracting increasing attention for controlled drug delivery. However, achieving high drug loadings and sustained drug release remains challenging. Herein, we describe the successful synthesis of a series of novel temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA)/mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) hydrogels by physical crosslinking of NIPA with MSN. The external and internal structures, temperature sensitivity, drug-loading capacity, and blood compatibility of the PNIPA/MSN composite hydrogels are studied. Results show that MSN addition improved the network structure and adjusted the size of the hole, MSN could also act as drug carrier, thereby enhancing the drug loading capacity. The composite hydrogels underwent a phase transition at 33.7 °C (at the lower critical solution temperature). The hemolysis rate of the composite hydrogels was less than 1%, thus they can be classified as a nonhemolytic materials with good biocompatibility. The composite hydrogels reported here thus have great potential in drug transport and temperature-activated drug release. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48391.     

Thermoplastic and low dielectric constants polyimides based on BPADA-BAPP

ABSTRACT

The thermoplastic and low dielectric constants polyimides were introduced. The polyimides were prepared by pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) or 4,4?-(4,4?-Isopropylidenediphenoxy)diphthalic anhydride (BPADA) as anhydride monomer and 4,4?-oxydianiline (ODA) or 2,2-bis(4-(4-aminephenoxy)phenyl)propane (BAPP) as amine monomer. The polyimides were well characterized by FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic thermomechanical analysis, dielectric measurement, and tensile test. The dielectric constants were 2.32–2.95 compared with 3.10 of ODA-PMDA polyimide, while partly polyimides were thermoplastic. The results indicated anhydride monomers, containing lateral methyl groups, made polyimides become thermoplastic. The results of molecular simulations via Materials Studio also proved this conclusion.     

高分子絮凝剂处理高浓度化妆品原料生产废水研究

化妆品原料生产过程中产生的废水水质成分复杂、有机物含量高、难降解，利用混凝工艺处理该废水能够减缓生化处理单元的负担，提高污水处理效率。为揭示无机高分子混凝剂混凝过程中污染物的去除机制和污泥性质的变化，考察了不同的絮凝剂聚合氯化铝（PAC）、聚合硫酸铁（PFS）、聚合氯化铝铁（PAFC）和助凝剂聚丙烯酰胺（PAM）投加浓度对污染物去除率和污泥性质的影响。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、X射线能谱（EDX）、扫描电镜（SEM）、热重分析仪（TGA）分析污泥絮体官能团、表面形貌、元素组成和热稳定性的变化，采用三维荧光光谱（3D-EEM）和超滤技术分析出水中有机物分子量的分布规律和有机物成分的变化，优化最佳混凝工艺运行条件。结果表明：进水中的天然有机物（NOM）荧光强度高，有机物分子量主要分布在>100×10³和<3×10³区间，其所占比例分别为22.89%和50.57%。当进水COD为6700~7500 mg/L时，在助凝剂PAM投加浓度为0.03 g/L，PAC、PFS和PAFC投加浓度分别为2.8 g/L、2.8 g/L和3.0 g/L的条件下，COD去除率分别为87.20%、79.89%和83.74%，出水浊度分别为2.54 NTU、9.3 NTU和5.51 NTU，NOM荧光强度大大减弱。其中，PAC+PAM对废水中有机物去除效果最好，出水有机物分子量主要分布在(10~30)×10³和<3×10³范围内，其所占比例分别为31.84%和25.92%，形成的混凝污泥具有较好的热稳定性，污泥表面蓬松,呈多孔网状结构。混凝工艺可吸附脂类大分子物质，提高了高浓度化妆品原料生产废水的可生化性。     

How Catalytic Order Drives the Complexification of Molecular Replication Networks

Catalytic replication networks have frequently served to study emergent phenomena in complex mixtures. In a series of recent research papers, we have analyzed the effects of the autocatalytic reaction order on various behaviors of these networks, and in particular, on their possibility to evolve and mimic functions often observed in cell biochemistry. In this review, we first discuss and derive properties of minimal self-replication, with an emphasis on catalytic order, reaction order, and properties directly affected by the order. We then expand our discussion to include catalytic networks, and review some of the implications of symmetry and order in these networks. Consequently, we look at open catalytic networks and their oscillations in replication product formation, again emphasizing the critical role played by the catalytic order. Finally, we describe an extension of the catalytic networks research using the quasispecies model, where we note the implications of the order on the phase transitions observed in these systems. Further implications of these results for emergence and evolution are discussed.     

刮膜式分子蒸馏器液体停留时间分布及壁面结构优化

在刮膜式分子蒸馏器中,可以通过液体的停留时间分布反映物料蒸发分离特性,研究其规律对改进蒸馏器内的流场结构、优化操作参数和装置的设计都具有重要意义。今采用计算流体力学的方法,建立三维CFD模型,研究了进料速率和转子转速对停留时间分布规律的影响,并且与实验值进行对比验证;对蒸馏器壁面进行了优化,包括水平圆环、倾斜圆环和网状圆环三种优化壁面,并且对其分别进行模拟计算和实验验证。模拟结果显示出与实验结果相同的规律。结果表明,在研究范围内,停留时间随着进料速率的增大而减小;随着转子转速的增大,停留时间先增大,达到一定转速后,停留时间反而减小。经过壁面优化以后,在相同的进料速率和转子转速下,水平圆环壁面和网状圆环壁面的停留时间得到延长,倾斜圆环壁面的停留时间适当缩短;壁面湍动程度增大,有利于传质传热,提高了分离效率。