Prominent Intrinsic Proton Conduction in Two Robust Zr/Hf Metal-Organic Frameworks Assembled by Bithiophene Dicarboxylate.

To date, developing crystalline proton-conductive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with an inherent excellent proton-conducting ability and structural stability has been a critical priority in addressing the technologies required for sustainable development and energy storage. Bearing this in mind, a multifunctional organic ligand, 3,4-dimethylthiophene[2,3-b]thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (H2DTD), was employed to generate two exceptionally stable three-dimensional porous Zr/Hf MOFs, [Zr6O4(OH)4(DTD)6]·5DMF·H2O (Zr-DTD) and [Hf6O4(OH)4(DTD)6]·4DMF·H2O (Hf-DTD), using solvothermal means. The presence of Zr6 or Hf6 nodes, strong Zr/Hf-O bonds, the electrical influence of the methyl group, and the steric effect of the thiophene unit all contribute to their structural stability throughout a wide pH range as well as in water. Their proton conductivity was fully examined at various relative humidities (RHs) and temperatures. Creating intricate and rich H-bonded networks between the guest water molecules, coordination solvent molecules, thiophene-S, -COOH, and -OH units within the framework assisted proton transfer. As a result, both MOFs manifest the maximum proton conductivity of 0.67 × 10-2 and 4.85 × 10-3 S·cm-1 under 98% RH/100 °C, making them the top-performing proton-conductive Zr/Hf-MOFs. Finally, by combining structural characteristics and activation energies, potential proton conduction pathways for the two MOFs were identified.

Superprotonic conductivity of ketoenamine covalent-organic frameworks grafted by imidazole-based units.

The achievement of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high stability and exceptional proton conductivity is of tremendous practical importance and challenge. Given this, we hope to prepare the highly stable COFs carrying CN connectors and enhance their proton conductivity via a post-modification approach. Herein, one COF, TpTta, was successfully synthesized by employing 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) and 4,4',4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)-trianiline (Tta) as starting materials, which has a ß-ketoenamine structure bearing a large amount of -NH groups and intramolecular H-bonds. TpTta was then post-modified by inserting imidazole (Im) and histamine (His) molecules, yielding the corresponding COFs, Im@TpTta and His@TpTta, respectively. As a result, their proton conductivities were surveyed under changeable temperatures (30-100 °C) and relative humidities (68-98 %), revealing a degree of temperature and humidity dependence. Impressively, under identical conditions, the optimum proton conductivities of the two post-modified COFs are 1.14 × 10-2 (Im@TpTta) and 3.45 × 10-3 S/cm (His@TpTta), which are significantly greater than that of the pristine COF, TpTta (2.57 × 10-5 S/cm). Finally, their proton conduction mechanisms were hypothesized based on the computed activation energy values, water vapor adsorption values, and structural properties of these COFs. Additionally, the excellent electrochemical stability of the produced COFs was expressed, as well as the prospective application value.

Ligand-Functionalized MIL-68-type Indium(III) Metal-Organic Frameworks with Prominent Intrinsic Proton Conductivity.

Indium-based metal-organic frameworks (In-MOFs) have now become an attractive class of porous solids in materials science and electrochemistry due to their diverse structures and promising applications. In the field of proton conduction, to find more crystalline MOFs with splendid proton-conductive properties, herein, five three-dimensional isostructural In-MOFs, MIL-68-In or MIL-68-In-X (X = NH2, OH, Br, or NO2) using terephthalic acid (H2BDC) or functionalized terephthalic acids (H2BDC-X) as multifunctional linkages were efficiently fabricated. First, the outstanding structural stability of the five MOFs, including thermal and water stability, was verified by thermal analysis and powder X-ray diffraction. Subsequently, the H2O-mediated proton conductivities (σ) were fully assessed and compared. Notably, their σ evinced a significant positive correlation between the temperature or relative humidity (RH) and varied with the functional groups on the organic ligands. Impressively, their highest σ values are up to 10-3-10-4 S/cm (100 °C/98% RH) and change in this order: MIL-68-In-OH (1.72 × 10-3 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-NH2 (1.70 × 10-3 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-NO2 (4.47 × 10-4 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-Br (4.11 × 10-4 S/cm) > MIL-68-In (2.37 × 10-4 S/cm). Finally, the computed activation energy values under 98 or 68% RHs are assessed, and the related proton conduction mechanisms are speculated. Moreover, after electrochemical testing, these MOFs illustrate remarkable structural rigidity, laying a meritorious material foundation for future applications.

Luminescent triphenylamine-based metal-organic frameworks: recent advances in nitroaromatics detection.

Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs), as one branch of MOFs, have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their good crystallinity, structural diversity, tunable porosity and easily induced fluorescence emission. Importantly, their photoluminescence (PL) properties can be adjusted by altering metal ions or metal clusters and organic ligands in one hybrid system. Among the various sensing applications, using LMOFs as chemical sensors to detect the explosive and environment pollution causing nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) is an important topic. In this account, we describe the recent advancements in the field of NAC detection by LMOFs based on the triphenylamine (TPA) unit as the π-conjugated fluorophore.

A new ZnII metallocryptand with unprecedented diflexure helix induced by V-shaped diimidazole building blocks.

Taking advantage of V-shaped ligands, a ZnII metallocryptand, namely {[Zn2(didp)2(m-bdc)2]}n, (1) [didp = 2,8-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-dibenzothiophene and m-H2bdc = isophthalic acid], has been hydrothermally synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a 26-membered butterfly-type metallomacrocycle [Zn2(didp)2]. One m-bdc2- ligand bridges [Zn2(didp)2] units to form a laterally non-symmetric [Zn2(didp)2(m-bdc)] metallocryptand with an exo-exo conformation. Another crystallographically independent m-bdc2- functions as a secondary synthon to bridge discrete metallocryptands into a 1D zigzag chain architecture. Undoubtedly, the choice of two matched ligands in this work is crucial for metallocryptand construction and structure expansion. Interestingly, a rare helical chain with two flexures in one single L and/or R strand is observed. Another important feature is the C-O...π interactions, by which the dimensionality extension of (1) can be induced. Fluorescence measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations illustrate that the emission of (1) can probably be attributed to ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT).

One-pot concomitant preparation of two copper(II) coordination polymers with different configurations of bridging bithiophene ligands.

By employing the conjugated bithiophene ligand 5,5'-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bithiophene (bibp), which can exhibit trans and cis conformations, two different CuII coordination polymers, namely, poly[[µ-5,5'-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bithiophene-κ2N:N'](µ2-4,4'-oxydibenzoato-κ2O:O')copper(II)], [Cu(C14H8O5)(C14H10N4S2)]n or [Cu(bibp)(oba)]n, (I), and catena-poly[µ-aqua-bis[µ-5,5'-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bithiophene-κ2N:N']bis(µ3-4,4'-oxydibenzoato)-κ3O:O':O'';κ4O:O',O'':O'-dicopper(II)], [Cu2(C14H8O5)2(C14H10N4S2)(H2O)]n or [Cu2(bibp)(oba)2(H2O)]n, (II), have been prepared through one-pot concomitant crystallization and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that the most interesting aspect of the structure is the existence of sole trans and cis conformations of the bibp ligand in a single net of (I) and (II), respectively. Compound (I) displays a threefold interpenetrating three-dimensional framework with a 4-connected {65.8} cds topology, whereas (II) features a one-dimensional chain structure. In the crystal of (II), the polymeric chains are further extended through C-H...O hydrogen bonds and C-H...π interactions into a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture. In addition, strong intramolecular O-H...O hydrogen bonds formed between the bridging water molecules and the carboxylate O atoms improve the stability of the framework of (II). Furthermore, solid-state UV-Vis spectroscopy experiments show that compounds (I) and (II) exhibit optical band gaps which are characteristic for optical semiconductors, with values of 2.70 and 2.26 eV, respectively.

[Monitoring of Coagulation Status and Evaluation of Antiplatelet Aggregation in Patients with CHD by Using TEG].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of thromboelastography (TEG) to monitor in vivo blood coagulation status and the efficacy of antiplatelet aggregation drugs in the patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after oral anticoagulation. METHODS: Seventy one CHD patients were enrolled in CHD group and 380 healthy persons with normal TEG were enrolled in the control group. After admission, all CHD patients were administrated with routine anti-platelet aggregation drugs at a clinically recommended dose. Then, TEG was applied to monitor the basic blood coagulation indexes, such as R value, K value, α angle, MA value, CI value and a series of related indexes on platelet inhibition. RESULTS: Above 80% of the basic blood coagulation indexes in TEG were within normal reference range in the CHD group. the R value, MA value, α angle and CI value in the CHD group were not significanly different, from that in the control group, but the K value significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, relatively higher ratio of male was included in the CHD patients at much older age (P<0.05), 83.1% of the CHD patients achieved significant anti-platelet aggregation effect (platelet inhibition rate>50%). Other antiplatelet aggregation indexes, MAADP, MAck and MAA suggested a 9.86%, 4.23% and 12.68% risk of thrombogenesis, respectively. Among all the related antiplatelet aggregation indexes, MAck showed the strongest correlation with age (correlation coefficient, 0.111), and ADP% most highly correlated with body mass (correlation coefficient, 0.160). CONCLUSION: TEG results can provide valuable coagulation information for clinicians, thus certainly guiding in the treatment for CHD patients receiving anti-platelet therapy. Moreover, the application of TEG can also provide accurate information for further individualized treatment of CHD patients, which would funther inprove the safety of anti-thrombotic therapy.

A triphenylamine-functionalized luminescent sensor for efficient p-nitroaniline detection.

The combination of π-conjugated fluorophores within a hybrid system gives rise to a triphenylamine-functionalized material [Zn(bpba)(NO3)] (1) (Hbpba = 4-(bis(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)amino)benzoic acid). Compound 1 features a 2D + 2D → 2D parallel polycatenation structure with 63-hcb net. Photophysical studies revealed that the title phase showed superior sensitivity towards p-nitroaniline (p-NA) with a low detection limit (down to ∼0.10 ppm). Specifically, following a new detection route, vapor-sensing experiments using a saturated ethanol solution of nitroaromatic isomers have been established for the first time. Highly sensitive and selective detection of p-NA by the proposed material with a rapid response time (t = 30 s, QE > 90.0%) as compared to that via the control isomers (t = 60s, QE < 6.0%) demonstrates an attractive feasible route and a promising luminescent sensor for nitroaromatic detection.

A new CdII coordination polymer with a self-penetrating architecture induced by the molecular conformation of a rigid bithiophene ligand.

The design and synthesis of coordination polymers with a self-penetrating architecture has attracted much interest not only due to their interesting structures but also due to their potential applications. 5,5'-Bis(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2'-bithiophene (bpbp), as a conjugated bithiophene ligand, can exhibit trans and cis conformations and this can lead to the construction of a self-penetrating architecture. In addition, the semi-rigid ancillary ligand 4,4'-oxybis(benzoic acid) (H2oba) can adopt different coordination modes, resulting in coordination polymers with high-dimensional skeletons. A new CdII coordination polymer based on mixed ligands, namely poly[diaquapentakis[µ-5,5'-bis(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2'-bithiophene-κ2N:N']bis(nitrato-κ2O,O')tetrakis(µ3-4,4'-oxydibenzoato)-κ10O:O,O':O'',O''';κ6O:O':O''-pentacadmium(II)], [Cd5(C14H14O5)4(NO3)2(C18H12N2S2)5(H2O)2]n, (I), has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that there are three crystallographically independent CdII cations, three bpbp ligands, two deprotonated oba2- ligands, one nitrate ligand and one coordinated water molecule in the asymmetric unit. One CdII centre is seven-coordinated, exhibiting a distorted {CdN2O5} pentagonal bipyramidal geometry, while the other two Cd centres are both six-coordinated, showing slightly distorted {CdN2O4} octahedral geometries. The most interesting feature is the co-existence of trans and cis conformations in a single net, allowing structural interpenetration via self-threading and yet the expected self-penetrating structure was obtained. Topological analysis shows that the whole three-dimensional framework can be classified as a 3-nodal (4,6,6)-c net with Schläfli symbol {613.82}2{66}, which is a new topology. Furthermore, the luminescence properties of (I) were examined in the solid state at room temperature.

Reference values for kaolin-activated thromboelastography in volunteers of Anhui Province in China.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of the coagulation status using thromboelastography (TEG) in Chinese population has less been reported. This study aimed to establish reliable reference values for kaolin-activated TEG in Chinese volunteers. METHODS: A total of 1681 Chinese adult individuals were recruited for this study. The reference individuals were stratified by gender and age, and the TEG values were measured on the basis of strict quality control. The 95% reference values were determined using nonparametric statistical methods. RESULTS: The sex-related 95% reference values were reaction time (R):4.2-8.7 minutes; clotting time (K): 1.2-3.2 minutes; alpha angle (α): 47.0-72.3 degree; maximum amplitude (MA): 49.1-70.5 mm for males, and R: 3.7-9.0 minutes; K: 1.0-3.2 minutes; α: 48.4-74.4 degree; MA: 46.8-72.4 mm for females. Also, the TEG parameters indicated a relatively more hypercoagulable profile in both female and elder groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study established the reference values for kaolin-activated TEG in the target Chinese population, which might provide a reference for both clinical and laboratory studies.

Design and synthesis of stable cobalt-based weak ferromagnetic framework with large spin canting angle.

It still remains a great challenge to design and construct framework-structured weak ferromagnets with large canting angle which is an effective approach for high performance magnets. According to the strategy of antisymmetric interaction causing spin canting, we report the design of four cobalt compounds, which were tested by X-ray single crystal diffraction, TGA, PXRD, and magnetic measurement. Single-crystal structure analysis reveals that compound 1 has a 2D structure, complex 2 has a 3,4-connected 3D framework, and complex 3 exhibits a 3D net structure with rare 3,5-connected 2-nodal ß-SnF2 topology and the solvent MeOH trapped in the 3D channels as guests. The magnetic property of 3 is spin canting just as designed, with TN about 4.0 K and large canting angle of 14.8°. Highly stable compound 3 sustains its framework in air for more than 12 months, in which the guest MeOH molecules can be replaced by water to form complex 4.

A HU-like gene mutation in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae affects the expression of nodulation genes.

NodD is the major regulator of nod genes expression in rhizobia. Previously, a HU-like protein in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae has been identified to bind specifically with nod promoters and be involved in in vitro nodD transcription, but its in vivo function remained unknown. In this work we have cloned and sequenced the R. leguminosarum bv. viciae gene, named hurL, for this HU-like protein. Using the E. coli-expressed HurL proteins, we proved that HurL had high affinity to several nod promoters and showed a stimulation effect on in vitro nodD transcription at appropriate concentration. The R. leguminosarum bv. viciae hurL gene was mutated by insertion of a kanamycin resistance cassette. The obtained hurL mutant strain M704 exhibited poor growth under free-living conditions and failed to induce nodules on Pisum sativum cv. Frisson and Vicia hirsuta. Further studies of NodD production and nod genes-lacZ fusions expression in the hurL mutant revealed that inactivation of hurL led to severe impairment in the nodD expression, repression in the inducible expression of nodA and nodF, and slight enhancement in the expression of px2, a gene identified earlier in this lab. These results suggested that hurL might be required for maintaining the normal expression of nod genes in R. leguminosarum bv. viciae.

Inactivation of the nod box distal half-site allows tetrameric NodD to activate nodA transcription in an inducer-independent manner.

In Rhizobium leguminosarum, NodD can activate nodA transcription in response to inducer flavonoids. Here, we show that the inducible nodA promoter contains an intrinsic part through which NodD can activate nodA transcription in an inducer-independent manner. Evidence was provided that NodD binds to target DNA through anchoring the two half-sites of the nod box as a tetramer. An imperfect inverted repeat AT-N10-GAT was found in each half-site and is critical for NodD binding. Mutation of the inverted repeat of the nod box distal half-site allowed NodD to activate nodA transcription in an inducer-independent manner in vivo, and to modulate the DNA bending of the NodD-nod box complex in the absence of inducer in vitro.

A Promoter Overlapping with that of nodF is Responsible for a New RNA Molecule Transcription in Rhizobium leguminosarum.

The expression of nod genes of rhizobia is controlled at the transcriptional level in a complicated way. In this work, a new promoter, which is responsible for an RNA molecule transcription in the opposite direction to that of nodF, was identified in Rhizobium leguminosarum. This new promoter was characterized to overlap with that of nodF, and the size of px(2), the RNA molecule initiated from this promoter was determined to be of approximately 0.72 kb in length. The study on px2 showed that its transcription depended on the Escherichia coli sigma(70)- like factor of Rhizobium leguminosarum, and that the in vitro transcription of px(2) was inhibited by Px, a newly identified regulatory protein in our lab. The involvement of px(2) in the regulation of nod gene expression is suggested.