Quantification of alkalinity of deep eutectic solvents based on (H-) and NMR.

Alkaline deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been widely employed across diverse fields. A comprehensive understanding of the alkalinity data is imperative for the comprehension of their performance. However, the current range of techniques for quantifying alkalinity is constrained. In this investigation, we formulated a series of alkaline DESs and assessed their basicity properties through a comprehensive methodology of Hammett functions alongside 1H NMR analysis. A correlation was established between the composition, structure and alkalinity of solvents. Furthermore, a strong linear correlation was observed between the Hammett basicity (H-) of solvents and initial CO2 adsorption rate. Machine learning techniques were employed to predict the significant impact of alkaline functional components on alkalinity levels and CO2 capture capacity. This study offers valuable insights into the design, synthesis and structure-function relationship of alkaline DESs.

Calcined ZnTi-Layered Double Hydroxide Intercalated with H3 PW12 O40 with Efficiently Photocatalytic and Adsorption Performances.

Wastewater treatment is of great significance to environmental remediation. The exploration of efficient and stable methods for wastewater treatment is still a challenging issue. Herein, a heterojunction material with photocatalysis and adsorption properties has been designed to remove the complex pollutants from wastewater. The heterojunction material (ZnO/TiO2 -PW12 , PW12 =[PW12 O40 ]3- ) was synthesized by calcining the ZnTi-layered double hydroxide (ZnTi-LDH) intercalated with the Keggin-type polyoxometalate H3 PW12 O40 . In the construction of ZnO/TiO2 -PW12 it was found that the polyanionic PW12 remained unchanged in the process of forming the proposed heterojunction. The photochemical properties verify that heterojunction synergistic with PW12 facilitated the separation of photoproduced electron-hole pairs and thus suppressed the recombination. Therefore, ZnO/TiO2 -PW12 exhibits excellent photocatalytic property, and the efficiency of Cr(VI) photoreduction reached more than 90 % in the first 3 min. Furthermore, the electrostatic force between the PW12 and cationic dyes makes ZnO/TiO2 -PW12 having an outstanding adsorption performance for cationic dyes, such as rhodamine B, crystal violet and methyl blue. Such heterojunction material combined with polyoxometalate puts forward new insights for the design of functional materials for water treatment with low cost and high efficiency.

Role of masks in mitigating viral spread on networks.

Masks have remained an important mitigation strategy in the fight against COVID-19 due to their ability to prevent the transmission of respiratory droplets between individuals. In this work, we provide a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the impact of mask-wearing. To this end, we propose a novel agent-based model of viral spread on networks where agents may either wear no mask or wear one of several types of masks with different properties (e.g., cloth or surgical). We derive analytical expressions for three key epidemiological quantities: The probability of emergence, the epidemic threshold, and the expected epidemic size. In particular, we show how the aforementioned quantities depend on the structure of the contact network, viral transmission dynamics, and the distribution of the different types of masks within the population. Through extensive simulations, we then investigate the impact of different allocations of masks within the population and tradeoffs between the outward efficiency and inward efficiency of the masks. Interestingly, we find that masks with high outward efficiency and low inward efficiency are most useful for controlling the spread in the early stages of an epidemic, while masks with high inward efficiency but low outward efficiency are most useful in reducing the size of an already large spread. Last, we study whether degree-based mask allocation is more effective in reducing the probability of epidemic as well as epidemic size compared to random allocation. The result echoes the previous findings that mitigation strategies should differ based on the stage of the spreading process, focusing on source control before the epidemic emerges and on self-protection after the emergence.

A Weak Acidic and Strong Coordinated Deep Eutectic Solvent for Recycling of Cathode from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The leaching and recycling of valuable metals via environmentally benign solvents is important because of the ever-increasing waste lithium-ion batteries, but it remains a challenge. Herein, a multi-functional deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on lactic acid (LA) and guanidine hydrochloride (GHC) was used to extract cobalt and lithium ions from LiCoO2 . Due to the strong acidity (protons) and abundant chlorine coordinating ions of LA/GHC, the solubility of LiCoO2 in LA/GHC could reach as high as 19.9 mg g-1 (stirred at 80 °C for 24 h), and a little LiCoO2 powder even could be dissolved at room temperature without stirring. Oxalic acid was used to strip and separate the oxalates of cobalt and lithium. Furthermore, LA/GHC could be recycled with a similar dissolving performance. This work avoided using corrosive acids and could be realized at low temperature (80 °C), making it energy-saving and cost-effective. It shows DESs have great potential in extracting strategically important metals from LiCoO2 cathodes and provides an efficient and green alternative for sustainable recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries.

Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System of Phillygenin: Formulation Development, Characterization and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation.

Phillygenin, as an active ingredient of Forsythia suspensa, possesses a wide range of biological and pharmacological activity. However, its development and application are restricted due to its poor bioavailability and low solubility. Our work aimed to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system to improve the oral bioavailability of phillygenin. The composition of the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system was preliminary screened by the pseudo-ternary phase diagram. Subsequently, the central composite design method was employed to optimize the prescription of the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system loaded with phillygenin. The prepared self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin was characterized in terms of morphology, droplet size distribution, polydispersity index and stability. Then, the in vitro dissolution and the oral bioavailability were analyzed. The optimized self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin consisted of 27.8% Labrafil M1944CS, 33.6% Cremophor EL, 38.6% polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400) and 10.2 mg/g phillygenin loading. The prepared self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin exhibited spherical and uniform droplets with small size (40.11 ± 0.74 nm) and satisfactory stability. The in vitro dissolution experiment indicated that the cumulative dissolution rate of the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin was significantly better than that of free phillygenin. Furthermore, after oral administration in rats, the bioavailability of phillygenin was significantly enhanced by the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system. The relative bioavailability of the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin was 588.7% compared to the phillygenin suspension. These findings suggest that the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of phillygenin can be a promising oral drug delivery system to improve the absorption of phillygenin.