Boroxine Nanotubes: Moisture‐Sensitive Morphological Transformation and Guest Release

Boroxines, (R‐BO)₃, which can be easily synthesized via a dehydration reaction of boronic acids, R–B(OH)₂, selectively self‐assemble in toluene into nanofibers, nanorods, nanotapes, and nanotubes, depending on the aromatic substituent (R). Spectroscopic measurements show that the nanotube consists of a J‐aggregate of the boroxine. Humidification converts the morphology from the nanotube to a sheet as a result of the hydrolysis of the boroxine components and subsequent molecular‐packing rearrangement from the J‐aggregate to an H‐aggregate. Such a transformation leads to the compulsive release of guest molecules encapsulated in the hollow cylinder of the nanotube. The hydrolysis and the molecular‐packing rearrangement described above are suppressed by coordination of pyridine to the boron atom, with the resulting moiety acting as a Lewis acid of the boroxine component. The pyridine‐coordinated nanotube is transformed into a helical coil by humidification. Guest release during the nanotube‐to‐helical‐coil transformation is much slower than during the nanotube‐to‐sheet transformation, but faster than from a nanotube that did not undergo morphological transformation. The storage and release of guest molecules from the boroxine nanotubes can be precisely controlled by adjusting the moisture level and the concentration of Lewis bases, such as amines.     

Transparent,Stimuli‐Responsive Films from Cellulose‐Based Organogel Nanoparticles

The use of bio‐based nanoscaled cellulose for the construction of novel functional materials has progressed rapidly over the past years. In comparison to most of studies starting with the hydrophilic nanoscaled cellulose, surface‐stearoylated cellulose nanoparticles (SS‐CNPs) are used in this report for the construction of multifunctional, responsive films. SS‐CNPs with an average size of 115 ± 0.5 nm are obtained after the surface‐modification of cellulose under heterogeneous conditions. Crystalline cellulose core is present within SS‐CNPs according to solid‐state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. SS‐CNPs show excellent dispersibility in nonpolar solvents and form temperature‐responsive organogels in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at low temperature or after long time storage at room temperature. Moreover, transparent and self‐standing films of SS‐CNPs from their THF‐suspension show solvent‐responsive surface wettability and responsive shape‐memory property. SS‐CNPs can also be used for the fabrication of nanocomposite films together with nonpolar compounds, such as (2‐stearoylaminoethyl) rhodamine B. Thus, these novel SS‐CNPs derived from sustainable cellulose fibers are promising candidates for the construction of novel functional materials.     

一种磁性介孔硅纳米探针及其对Fe~(3+)的识别和脱除

制备了一种可用于Fe~(3+)检测和脱除的香豆素类磁性介孔硅纳米探针MMS-C,通过TEM、FT-IR、XRD、N2吸附手段表征了其结构。性能测试结果表明,MMS-C在甲醇中对Fe~(3+)表现荧光猝灭的响应和较高的识别选择性。此外,MMS-C对Fe~(3+)具有一定的脱除能力,脱除率为38.9%。     

Application of stimuli responsive polymers for sustainable ion exchange chromatography

Ion exchange processes are widely used in the food, bioprocessing and related industries for the isolation of proteins and other ionic species. Traditional ion exchange resins require salts, acids or bases for releasing adsorbed molecules creating a strong saline waste stream with negative environmental and economic impact. Stimuli responsive polymers (SRPs) with ion exchange functional groups can be used to selectively capture and release charged molecules from a complex mixture using physical stimuli to trigger conformational transitions in the polymer. The structural change of the polymers in response to a stimulus may lead to reduced ligand–target molecule interaction resulting in the release of the captured molecule without the use of chemical reagents, thereby reducing the environmental burden associated with ion exchange processes. The use of temperature responsive polymers has already been demonstrated for such applications at analytical scale. However, little progress has been made to extend these discoveries to the development of materials and methods amenable to industrial scale processing. So far, other SRPs such as, electric, magnetic and light responsive polymers remain largely unexplored for such application. This article discusses the potential of temperature responsive and other SRPs for developing sustainable ion exchange processes. It also highlights the material science and engineering challenges that need to be overcome to bring such processes to industrial application.     

真空磁绝缘线B-dot电流探测器的研制

为了测量阳加速器新真空磁绝缘线的电流,研制并标定了B-dot探测器。2个B-dot的探测器分别安装在磁绝缘线的入口和中部,输出信号与被测电流的微分成正比,经RC积分后获得电流信号。B-dot探测器采用在线标定,当阴阳极短接点数量较少,且位置距离探测器较近时,会因真空绝缘线(MITL)电流密度不均匀导致标定不准确,故需增多短接点。当短接点的位置距离探测器约2m时,即使只设置2个连接点,探测器位置的MITL电流密度近似均匀。加速器实验结果表明:在MITL阴阳极较近的位置,将B-dot探头安装在阳极孔中不影响磁绝缘效果,B-dot探测器测试稳定可靠,其设计和标定方法可行。