Manganese oxide catalyzed methane partial oxidation in trifluoroacetic acid: Catalysis and kinetic analysis

Direct oxidation of methane to methanol has been studied for decades, and has yet to be commercialized. Three years ago, UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company, started a government co-sponsored project (NIST/ATP Award 70NANB4H3041) for selective liquid phase oxidation of methane to methanol. Recently we have discovered an efficient methane oxidation by manganese oxide. When used as stoichiometric oxidant, quantitative metal oxide-based yield was observed for methane oxidation. The spent catalyst activity can be 100% regenerated with air under basic conditions. A high methane-based yield (36%) with high selectivity (>95%) was achieved when manganese oxide was used in catalytic amount in the presence of air for methane oxidation. Our online GC analysis showed that catalytic methane oxidation occurs with two-stage reaction kinetics with constant reaction rate at the active stage, which can be explained by a low steady-state active catalyst concentration as observed by in situ UV–vis spectrometer.     

A Simple Method for the Preparation of Nanostructured Aluminate Coatings

A simple method for the preparation of nanostructured aluminate coatings based on the hydrolysis of aluminum nitride powder is described. The coatings were successfully deposited on a sintered yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y–TZP) ceramic substrate. The nanocrystalline coating formed using this method consists of γ-AlOOH (boehmite) in the form of 6-nm-thick and 240-nm-long interconnected lamellas. During a subsequent heat treatment in the temperature range from 900° to 1200°C, this coating was transformed to various transient aluminas without any noticeable change in the morphology.     

Large-area nanopatterned graphene for ultrasensitive gas sensing

Chemical vapor deposited （CVD） graphene is nanopatterned using a spherical block copolymer etch mask. The use of spherical rather than cylindrical block copolymers allows homogeneous patterning of cm-scale areas without any substrate surface treatment. Raman spectroscopy was used to study the con- trolled generation of point defects in the graphene lattice with increasing etching time, confirming that alongside the nanomesh patterning, the nanopatterned CVD graphene presents a high defect density between the mesh holes. The nanopatterned samples showed sensitivities for NO2 of more than one order of magnitude higher than for non-patterned graphene. NO2 concentrations as low as 300 ppt were detected with an ultimate detection limit of tens of ppt. This is the smallest value reported so far for non-UV illuminated graphene chemiresistive NO2 gas sensors. The dramatic improvement in the gas sensitivity is believed to be due to the high adsorption site density, thanks to the combination of edge sites and point defect sites. This work opens the possibility of large area fabrication of nanopatterned graphene with extremely high densities of adsorption sites for sensing applications.     

Activity-Based Protein Profiling of Bile Salt Hydrolysis in the Human Gut Microbiome with Beta-Lactam or Acrylamide-Based Probes

Microbial bile salt hydrolases (BSHs) found in the intestine catalyze the deconjugation of taurine- and glycine-linked bile salts produced in the liver. The resulting bile salts are biological detergents and are critical in aiding lipophilic nutrient digestion. Therefore, the activity of BSHs in the gut microbiome is directly linked to human metabolism and overall health. Bile salt metabolism has also been associated with disease phenotypes such as liver and colorectal cancer. In order to reshape the gut microbiome to optimize bile salt metabolism, tools to characterize and quantify these processes must exist to enable a much-improved understanding of how metabolism goes awry in the face of disease, and how it can be improved through an altered lifestyle and environment. Furthermore, it is necessary to attribute metabolic activity to specific members and BSHs within the microbiome. To this end, we have developed activity-based probes with two different reactive groups to target bile salt hydrolases. These probes bind similarly to the authentic bile salt substrates, and we demonstrate enzyme labeling of active bile salt hydrolases by using purified protein, cell lysates, and in human stool.