Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Porous Brass by Chemical Dealloying for Efficient Emulsion Separation.

By taking advantage of typical dealloying and subsequent aging methods, a novel homogeneous porous brass with a micro/nano hierarchical structure was prepared without any chemical modification. The treatment of commercial brass with hot concentrated HCl solution caused preferential etching of Zn from Cu62Zn38 alloy foil, leaving a microporous skeleton with an average tortuous channel size of 1.6 µm for liquid transfer. After storage in the atmosphere for 7 days, the wettability of the dealloyed brass changed from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic with a contact angle > 156° and sliding angle < 7°. The aging treatment enhanced the hydrophobicity of the brass by the formation of Cu2O on the surface. By virtue of the opposite wettability to water and oil, the aged brass separated surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with separation efficiency of over 99.4% and permeate flux of about 851 L·m-2·h-1 even after recycling for 60 times. After 10 times of tape peeling or sandpaper abrasion, the aged brass maintained its superhydrophobicity, indicating its excellent mechanical stability. Moreover, the aged brass still retained its superhydrophobicity after exposure to high temperatures or corrosive solutions, displaying high resistance to extreme environments. The reason may be that the bicontinuous porous structure throughout the whole foil endows stable mechanical properties to tolerate extreme environments. This method should have a promising future in expanding the applications of alloys.

Trinuclear Zinc(II) Complexes Derived from N,N'-Bis(5-bromosalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine: Syntheses, Crystal Structures and Antimicrobial Activity.

Two new trinuclear zinc(II) complexes, [Zn3I2L2(H2O)2] (1) and [Zn3(CH3OH)(DMF)L2(NCS)2] (2), where L is the dianionic form of N,N'-bis(5-bromosalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine (H2L), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR and UV spectra. Structures of the complexes were further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Both complexes are trinuclear zinc compounds. Both compounds are solvated, with water ligand for 1 and methanol ligand for 2. The outer two Zn atoms are in square pyramidal coordination, while the inner one is in octahedral coordination. The effect of the complexes on the antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans were evaluated, and gave interesting results.

Synthesis, Structures, and Antibacterial Activities of Hydrazone Compounds Derived from 4-Dimethylaminobenzohydrazide.

A series of three new hydrazone compounds derived from the condensation reactions of 4-dimethylaminobenzohydrazide with 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde, 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzaldehyde and 3-methoxybenzaldehyde, respectively, were prepared. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and UV-vis spectra, HRMS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystals of the compounds are stabilized by hydrogen bonds. The compounds were assayed for antibacterial (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescence and Staphylococcus aureus) and antifungal (Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans) activities by MTT method. The results indicated that compound 2 is an effective antibacterial material.

Facile Preparation of Li0.44MnO2 Nanorods and Their Enhanced Electrochemical Lithium Storage Performance.

In this paper, we present a fast and green method to prepare Li0.44MnO2 nanorods by Li/Na ion exchange of Na0.44MnO2 templates. XRD and SEM confirm that the products still maintain the crystal and geometric structure of Na0.44MnO2 temples. Electrochemical tests show the capacity of Li0.44MnO2 nanorods is up to 218 mAh · g-1 at the current density of 0.1 A · g-1. Especially, the capacity of electrode is still located at 90 mAh · g-1 at the current density of 5.0 A· g-1 after cycling for 100 times. So Li0.44MnO2 nanorods have a potential application in the next generation of advanced batteries.

Synthesis, Characterization and Crystal Structures of Oxidovanadium(V) Complexes with Schiff Base and Pyrone Ligands and Their Antimicrobial Activity.

Two oxidovanadium(V) complexes, [VOLLa] (1) and [VOLLb] (2), where L is the dianionic form of the Schiff base ligand 2-(((2-hydroxyethyl)imino)methyl)-6-methylphenol (H2L), La and Lb are the deprotonated forms of 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (HLa) and 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one (HLb), respectively, have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR and single-crystal X-ray crystallographic determination. The V atoms in the complexes are in octahedral coordination, with the Schiff base ligand mer-coordinated to the metal atoms through the phenolate O, imino N and hydroxyl O atoms, and with the pyrone ligands coordinated to the metal atoms through the two O atoms. The effect of the compounds on the antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans was studied.