Fe(III) grafted MoO3 nanorods for effective electrocatalytic fixation of atmospheric N2 to NH3

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) offers a carbon-neutral process to fix nitrogen into ammonia, but its feasibility depends on the development of highly efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, we report that Fe ion grafted on MoO₃ nanorods synthesized by an impregnation technique can efficiently enhance the electron harvesting ability and the selectivity of H⁺ during the NRR process in neutral electrolyte. In 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution, the electrocatalyst exhibited a remarkable NRR activity with an NH₃ yield of 9.66 μg h^?1 mg^?1_cat and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 13.1%, far outperforming the ungrafted MnO₃. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the Fe sites are major activation centers along the alternating pathway.     

New horizon in mechanochemistry—high-temperature,high-pressure mechanical synthesis in a planetary ball mill—with magnesium hydride synthesis as an example

A new route of materials synthesis, namely, high-temperature, high-pressure reactive planetary ball milling (HTPRM), is presented. HTPRM allows for the mechanosynthesis of materials at fully controlled temperatures of up to 450 °C and pressures of up to 100 bar of hydrogen. As an example of this application, a successful synthesis of magnesium hydride is presented. The synthesis was performed at controlled temperatures (room temperature (RT), 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, and 325 °C) while milling in a planetary ball mill under hydrogen pressure ($>$50 bar). Very mild milling conditions (250 rpm) were applied for a total milling time of 2 h, and a milling vial with a relatively small diameter (φ = 53 mm, V = ～0.06 dm³) was used. The effect of different temperatures on the synthesis kinetics and outcome were examined. The particle morphology, phase composition, reaction yield, and particle size were measured and analysed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The obtained results showed that increasing the temperature of the process significantly improved the reaction rate, which suggested the great potential of this technique for the mechanochemical synthesis of materials.     

Complex study of protective Cr3C2–NiAl coatings deposited by vacuum electro-spark alloying,pulsed cathodic arc evaporation,magnetron sputtering,and hybrid technology

Coatings were obtained by vacuum electro-spark alloying (VESA), pulsed cathodic arc evaporation (PCAE), magnetron sputtering (MS) techniques and VESA-PCAE-MS hybrid technology using Cr₃C₂–NiAl electrodes. The structure of the coatings was analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Mechanical properties were determined by nanoindentation, while tribological properties were assessed using pin-on-disk tribometer. Corrosion resistance was estimated by voltammetry in 1 N H₂SO₄ and 3.5%NaCl solutions. Oxidation resistance tests were performed at 800°С in air. The VESA coating had the highest thickness, low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. PCAE coating demonstrated the highest hardness (24 GPa) and elastic recovery (59%), oxidation resistance and superior corrosion resistance both in 1 N H₂SO₄ (i_corr = 70 μА/cm²) and 3.5%NaCl (i_corr = 0.74 μА/cm²) solutions. The MS coating had average mechanical properties and low corrosion current density (71 μА/cm²) in 1 N H₂SO₄. Deposition of coatings using VESA-PCAE-MS hybrid technology led to an increase in corrosion and oxidation resistance at least by 1.5 times in comparison with the VESA coating.     

Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Defense/Stress Responses Activated by Chitosan in Sycamore Cultured Cells

Chitosan (CHT) is a non-toxic and inexpensive compound obtained by deacetylation of chitin, the main component of the exoskeleton of arthropods as well as of the cell walls of many fungi. In agriculture CHT is used to control numerous diseases on various horticultural commodities but, although different mechanisms have been proposed, the exact mode of action of CHT is still unknown. In sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) cultured cells, CHT induces a set of defense/stress responses that includes production of H₂O₂ and nitric oxide (NO). We investigated the possible signaling role of these reactive molecules in some CHT-induced responses by means of inhibitors of production and/or scavengers. The results show that both reactive nitrogen and oxygen species are not only a mere symptom of stress conditions but are involved in the responses induced by CHT in sycamore cells. In particular, NO appears to be involved in a cell death form induced by CHT that shows apoptotic features like DNA fragmentation, increase in caspase-3-like activity and release of cytochrome c from the mitochondrion. On the contrary, reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear involved in a cell death form induced by CHT that does not show these apoptotic features but presents increase in lipid peroxidation.     

Alloying behavior and novel properties of CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

An equiatomic CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). During MA, a solid solution with refined microstructure of 10 nm which consists of a FCC phase and a BCC phase was formed. After SPS consolidation, only one FCC phase can be detected in the HEA bulks. The as-sintered bulks exhibit high compressive strength of 1987 MPa. An interesting magnetic transition associated with the structure coarsening and phase transformation was observed during SPS process.     

Quantum Sensing in a Physiological‐Like Cell Niche Using Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Embedded in Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (fNDs) containing nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers are promising candidates for quantum sensing in biological environments. This work describes the fabrication and implementation of electrospun poly lactic‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA) nanofibers embedded with fNDs for optical quantum sensing in an environment, which recapitulates the nanoscale architecture and topography of the cell niche. A protocol that produces uniformly dispersed fNDs within electrospun nanofibers is demonstrated and the resulting fibers are characterized using fluorescent microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and longitudinal spin relaxometry results for fNDs and embedded fNDs are compared. A new approach for fast detection of time varying magnetic fields external to the fND embedded nanofibers is demonstrated. ODMR spectra are successfully acquired from a culture of live differentiated neural stem cells functioning as a connected neural network grown on fND embedded nanofibers. This work advances the current state of the art in quantum sensing by providing a versatile sensing platform that can be tailored to produce physiological‐like cell niches to replicate biologically relevant growth environments and fast measurement protocols for the detection of co‐ordinated endogenous signals from clinically relevant populations of electrically active neuronal circuits.     

Zinc doped Fe2O3 for boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation to ammonia under mild conditions

Artificial nitrogen fixation is emerging as a promising approach for synthesis of ammonia at mild conditions. Inspired by biological nitrogen fixation based on bacteria containing iron, zinc doped Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are proposed as an efficient and earth abundant electrocatalyst for converting N₂ to NH₃. In neutral media, it achieves a maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 10.4% and a large NH₃ yield rate of 15.1 μg h^?1 mg^?1_cat. at ?0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. This catalyst also exhibits excellent selectivity and stability. Theoretical calculations suggest the reaction follows the associative enzymatic mechanism and it has a barrier of as low as 0.68 eV.     

含氮化合物对NiW体系催化剂芳烃加氢性能的影响

以γ-Al2O3、B改性的γ-Al2O3、F改性的γ-Al2O3、SiO2-Al2O3为载体制备Ni、W含量相同的四种催化剂，通过程序升温还原表征考察活性金属与不同载体的相互作用。利用氮含量不同、四氢萘含量相同的四种原料考察含氮化合物对同种NiW体系催化剂四氢萘加氢的影响以及对活性金属与载体相互作用不同的催化剂四氢萘加氢的影响。结果表明，以γ-Al2O3或SiO2-Al2O3载体制备的催化剂的金属组分与载体相互作用较强，B或F改性的γ-Al2O3能显著削弱活性金属与载体的相互作用；含氮化合物对四氢萘加氢具有强烈的抑制作用，使四氢萘加氢反应的表观活化能增加；在实验研究的四种催化剂中，金属组分与载体相互作用较弱的催化剂受含氮化合物的抑制较强。     

氮化硅/石墨激光合金化涂层的组织结构与性能研究

为获得金属表面特别是高副接触金属表面含自润滑特性且具有高硬度耐磨特性的功能材料 ,研究了 45 # 钢表面激光合金化氮化硅 /石墨复合涂层的工艺方法、组织特征、界面形态及其形成机制 ,利用光学显微镜、扫描电镜和X射线能谱对所形成合金化层的元素分布和含量进行了分析 ,并对试样硬度进行了测定。结果表明 ,合金化层中元素Fe ,Co ,Si,C分布均匀 ;C含量达到了 15 6 9%,大部分以石墨的形式存在 ,具有一定的自润滑性能 ;但在形成合金化层的温度条件下 ,氮化硅分解严重 ;合金化层硬度提高的主要原因是Si Fe ,Co Fe固溶体的强化作用及高碳马氏体的生成和高硬度碳化物的存在。     

机械合金化Fe-Ni粉末的相结构

使用XRD和Moessbauer等方法，研究了在Ar气氛下机械合金化Fe—Ni粉末相结构的变化．结果表明，在机械合金化Fe64-Ni36粉末过程中，fcc相的数量随着球磨时间的增加先增加然后减少，与加乙醇球磨Fe64-Ni36的情形相同．当Ni的含量(原子分数)大于50％时，有fcc相、顺磁相和FeNi3形成，当Ni的含量低于50％时，bcc相的数量随着Ni含量减少而增加．Moessbauer谱的结果表明，因球磨时间或Fe、Ni比例的不同，Fe—Ni球磨粉末固溶体具有不同结构的原子配比。