Cucurbituril As A Versatile Tool to Tune the Functions of Proteins

Tuning the functions of proteins is a key issue in chemistry and biochemistry. The modification of proteins by chemical or biological methods is proven to be a classical method that allows proteins to achieve multiple functions. Compared with traditional methods, cucurbiturils as a new series of macrocyclic supramolecular hosts have been explored to modify and control protein functions because they could recognize and bind to short aromatic peptide sequences specifically. After guest molecules are incorporated into proteins by chemical and biological methods, CB[n]-induced supramolecular protein assemblies show distinct functions in catalysis, biosensor and drug delivery. Herein we review the recent progress in the field of functional regulation of proteins with cucurbiturils.     

Nickel@Nickel Oxide Core–Shell Electrode with Significantly Boosted Reactivity for Ultrahigh‐Energy and Stable Aqueous Ni–Zn Battery

The main bottlenecks of aqueous rechargeable Ni–Zn batteries are their relatively low energy density and poor cycling stability, mainly arising from the low capacity and inferior reversibility of the current Ni‐based cathodes. Additionally, the complicated and difficult‐to‐scale preparation procedures of these cathodes are not promising for large‐scale energy storage. Here, a facile and cost‐effective ultrasonic‐assisted strategy is developed to efficiently activate commercial Ni foam as a robust cathode for a high‐energy and stable aqueous rechargeable Ni–Zn battery. 3D Ni@NiO core–shell electrode with remarkably boosted reactivity and an area of 300 cm² is readily obtained by this ultrasonic‐assisted activation method (denoted as SANF). Benefiting from the in situ formation of electrochemically active NiO and porous 3D structure with a large surface area, the as‐fabricated SANF//Zn battery presents ultrahigh capacity (0.422 mA h cm^?2) and excellent cycling durability (92.5% after 1800 cycles). Moreover, this aqueous rechargeable SANF//Zn battery achieves an impressive energy density of 15.1 mW h cm^?3 (0.754 mW h cm^?2) and a peak power density of 1392 mW cm^?3, outperforming most reported aqueous rechargeable energy‐storage devices. These findings may provide valuable insights into designing large‐scale and high‐performance 3D electrodes for aqueous rechargeable batteries.     

Influence of preheating of fly ash precursors to produce geopolymers

This study has been focused on the effect of pretreatment of FA and POFA after geopolymerization on the mechanical properties. The aim of this work was to simplify the pretreatment that it can easily industrial be applied, using existing technology. Previous work has shown that a reduction in particle size increases the mechanical properties. However, this method involves a milling process which is not applicable for a wide industrial application. Hence, FA and POFA particles have been heated to 300°C, 500°C, and 800°C but applying different pretreatments: (i) predried at 110°C (reference sample); (ii) as received; (iii) prewetted; (iv) prewetted and later quenched in cold water. It was found that during the treatment the particle size increased due to thermal stress cracking. During fast heating, trapped pore water cannot be removed as fast as it evaporates and hence the particles crack. This increase in particle size caused an increase in compressive strength. In addition, heating to 300°C and 500°C caused a dehydroxylation of FA and POFA. This dehydroxylation resulted in a higher initial reactivity, reducing the setting time and improved mechanical strength.     

C3S and C2S hydration in the presence of Na2CO3 and Na2SO4

This study analyses the behavior of calcium silicates C₃S and C₂S hydrated in two alkaline media, Na₂CO₃ and Na₂SO₄. The silicates were synthesized with laboratory reagents and hydrated in water, to which solid‐state alkaline activators with 4 wt% Na₂CO₃ or 4 wt% Na₂SO₄ were added. Two‐ and 28‐day mechanical strength values were determined and the reaction products were characterized with XRD, SEM/EDX, and ²⁹Si and ²³Na MAS NMR. The findings showed that the presence of Na₂CO₃ hastened hydration kinetics and stimulated early‐age mechanical strength development in both silicates. The most significant effect of sodium sulfate, however, was observed in the 28‐day material in both silicates, in which it raised strength by stimulating the precipitation of C–S–H gels with a high percentage of Q² units.     

The effect of Fe2+ state in electrical property variations of Sn‐doped hematite powders

The structural, electrical, and chemical properties of Sn‐doped Fe₂O₃ powders were investigated. Various quantities of Sn‐doped Fe₂O₃ powders were synthesized using solid‐state reactions. Rietveld analysis for the powders that were doped below 2% revealed a phase‐pure Sn‐doped Fe₂O₃ structure (i.e., identical to Fe₂O₃ structure). Alternatively, the analysis for the powders that were doped more than 3% exhibited secondary phase. The unit cell volume and electrical conductivity of the phase‐pure samples increased with an increase in the doping concentration. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed an increased Fe²⁺ state with the increase in Sn doping concentration. Therefore, the improved electrical conductivity and unit cell volume with the increase in doping concentration of the phase‐pure powders might be related to the increased Fe²⁺ state.     

Bulk boron carbide nanostructured ceramics by reactive spark plasma sintering

Bulk boron carbide (B₄C) ceramics was fabricated from a boron and carbon mixture by use of one-step reactive spark plasma sintering (RSPS). It was also demonstrated that preliminary high-energy ball milling (HEBM) of the B+C powder mixture leads to the formation of B/C composite particles with enhanced reactivity. Using these reactive composites in RSPS permits tuning of synthesized B₄C ceramic microstructure. Optimization of HEBM + RSPS conditions allows rapid (less than 30 min of SPS) fabrication of B₄C ceramics with porosity less than 2%, hardness of ~35 GPa and fracture toughness of ~ 4.5 MPa m ^1/2     

Enhanced plasticity by deformation-induced nanocrysallization in bulk amorphous Al2O3-ZrO2-Y2O3

Deformation of bulk amorphous Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ with different ratios of A/Z was investigated under compression at 500 °C. A20Z and A40Z exhibited brittle fracture and remained amorphous after compression; however, significant plastic deformation was achieved in A60Z and A80Z. Nanocrystallite of t-ZrO₂ were detected in A60Z and A80Z during the plastic deformation, and deformation-induced nanocrystallization in amorphous oxides was reported for the first time. Ductile transformation temperature was proposed as a criterion for the deformability of amorphous materials. The nanocrystallization improved the plasticity in turn, due to the easier formation of multiple shear bands at the interface between nanocrystallite and amorphous matrix. Crystallization activation energy was identified as a key factor dominating the deformation of amorphous oxides, and low crystallization activation energy could contribute to easy nanocrystallization, lower the ductile transformation temperature, and promote the plasticity. This work gave further understanding of plastic deformation in amorphous oxides.     

抚顺油页岩半焦燃烧特性

为了提高油页岩半焦燃烧特性对以油页岩半焦氧化为主要热源的抚顺油页岩炼油工艺效率,利用扫描电镜与热重分析对450、550、650℃三种不同制焦温度下的抚顺油页岩半焦(J1、J2、J3),进行了表面形态和燃烧特性分析。结果表明,由于挥发分的析出,半焦表面结构变得粗糙,羽化现象严重。由于可燃物质随制焦温度上升析出较多缘故,半焦着火温度随制焦温度的上升而增高,在20℃/min升温速率下,着火温度由J1焦样的384.7℃升高到J3焦样的408.8℃。半焦的活化能在低转化率比在高转化率时要小,这主要是由于在高转化率下,可燃物减少,灰分热阻增加。     

金刚石化学镀镍预处理工艺的改进

为了改进金刚石切割片中的树脂结合剂与磨粒之间相互的粘结程度,以希望达到覆着刺状金属层效果,文中对金刚石化学镀的预处理工艺进行了优化改进。采用了将金刚石粉末加入铬酸洗液中进行浸泡11 h的亲水处理,选择了离子钯活化液实现活化处理。实验结果表明:未经亲水化处理的镍-磷镀层,部分晶面出现漏层现象,而亲水处理过的镀层无此现象;改进工艺能够实现凹凸不平的较厚的镀层的形成;酸性镀液的沉积速率相对较快,但采用该镀液获得的镀层的形貌大都平整光滑,很少出现刺状镀层,碱性镀液沉积速率虽然较低,但施镀温度低,镀液络合稳定常数较高,镀液更稳定,且在碱性镀液中更容易实现人造金刚石表面的刺状镀层的获得。