Cr2 O3 Promoted In2 O3 Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol.

Cr2 O3 was applied to study the modification of In2 O3 based catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol reaction. Combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc., the structure of the catalysts was characterized. The reaction performances for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol were evaluated on a stainless-steel fix-bed reactor. The results showed that solid solutions were formed for the Cr2 O3 promoted In2 O3 catalysts. The important role of electronic interaction between Cr2 O3 and In2 O3 was revealed in the hydrogenation reaction. In1.25 Cr0.75 O3 sample exhibited the highest methanol yield, which was 2.8 times higher than that of pure In2 O3 . No deactivation was observed for In1.25 Cr0.75 O3 sample during the 50 hours of reaction. The improved catalytic performance may be due to the formation of the solid solutions and the highest amount of oxygen vacancies.

Electrodeposition of High-Quality Ni/SiC Composite Coatings by Using Binary Non-Ionic Surfactants.

In order to increase the hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of nickel-based coatings, pure nickel is often co-electrodeposited with silicon carbide (SiC) particles. However, SiC particles tend to agglomerate and precipitate in the bath, which reduces the amounts of nanoparticles and causes nonuniformity. Herein, we solve these problems by using binary non-ionic surfactants (Span 80 and Tween 60) to effectively disperse SiC particles (binary-SiC) in the bath, which suppresses nanoparticles agglomeration and leads to uniformly distributed SiC particles in the composite coatings. In comparison to the Ni/SiC coatings electrodeposited from the commonly used SDS-modified SiC, the coatings prepared with binary-SiC (Ni/binary-SiC) show finer crystallization and a smoother surface. In addition, the Ni/binary-SiC coatings exhibit higher hardness (556 Hv) and wear resistance (2.95 mg cm-2). Furthermore, higher corrosion resistance is also achieved by the Ni/binary-SiC coatings.

Fast Growth of Strain-Free AlN on Graphene-Buffered Sapphire.

We study the roles of graphene acting as a buffer layer for growth of an AlN film on a sapphire substrate. Graphene can reduce the density of AlN nuclei but increase the growth rate for an individual nucleus at the initial growth stage. This can lead to the reduction of threading dislocations evolved at the coalescence boundaries. The graphene interlayer also weakens the interaction between AlN and sapphire and accommodates their large mismatch in the lattice and thermal expansion coefficients; thus, the compressive strain in AlN and the tensile strain in sapphire are largely relaxed. The effective relaxation of strain further leads to a low density of defects in the AlN films. These findings reveal the roles of graphene in III-nitride growth and offer valuable insights into the efficient applications of graphene in the light-emitting diode industry.

Architecting carbon-coated Mo2CTx/MoSe2 heterostructures enables robust potassium storage.

Herein, carbon-coated MoSe2 decorated Mo2CTx MXene heterostructures (MoSe2/Mo2CTx@C) have been fabricated. Mo2CTx works as a dual-function electron/ion conductor, which not only provides high conductivity and mechanical strength, but also prevents the severe self-aggregation of few layered MoSe2 nanosheets. The high reversible capacities of 405 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 150 cycles and 258 mA h g-1 at 2000 mA g-1 after 400 cycles could be achieved for a potassium-ion battery.

Electrodeposition of Polyporous Sn-Ni Coating in Deep Eutectic Solvents for Removing Organic Dyes.

Materials with a high specific surface area including a porous structure have been widely researched due to the applicability in the adsorption of various organic dyes. However, further application of porous materials is limited by the complicated and expensive preparation process. Herein, a Sn-Ni coating with a polyporous structure is successfully prepared via a simple and high-efficiency electrodeposition approach in deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The prepared Sn-Ni coating exhibits a uniform polyporous structure with a diameter of 15 µm. Furthermore, the coating shows excellent adsorption capacity in the removal of acid grain black organic dyestuff. With the rise of preparation temperature from 85 to 105 °C, the electrochemical active surface area and the ratio of nickel increase, which further enhance dye adsorption capacity.

Expression of MECOM is associated with unfavorable prognosis in glioblastoma multiforme.

BACKGROUND: MDS1 and EVI1 complex locus protein EVI1 (MECOM) is an oncogenic transcription factor in several kinds of cancers. However, the clinical significance of MECOM in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has not been well elucidated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study enrolled 86 resected samples of GBM in three medical centers. We detected the expression of MECOM in all the 86 samples by immunohistochemistry and compared the difference of MECOM mRNA between tumor tissues and adjacent tissues with real-time polymerase chain reaction. With immunoblotting, we detected the MECOM expression in different GBM cell lines. Moreover, we analyzed the correlation between MECOM expression and clinicopathologic factors with chi-square test, and evaluated the prognostic value of MECOM with univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: In GBM tissue, the percentage of MECOM high expression is 41.9% (36/86). The mRNA of MECOM in tumor tissues is remarkably higher than that in adjacent tissues, indicating the oncogenic role of MECOM in GBM. MECOM exists in all the detected cell lines with different abundance. Moreover, MECOM is correlated with poorer overall survival rate (P=0.033) and can be identified as an independent prognostic factor in GBM (P=0.042). CONCLUSION: MECOM could be considered as an independent prognostic factor in GBM, predicting it as a potential and promising molecular drug target.

Preparation of Pd-based metal monolithic catalysts and a study of their performance in the catalytic combustion of methane.

A series of Pd/SBA-15/Al2O3/FeCrAl and Pd/5 wt% Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2/SBA-15/Al2O3/FeCrAl (x = 0-1) metal monolithic catalysts were prepared and characterized by various techniques. The catalytic activity and the stability of the catalysts for methane combustion were evaluated. All the catalysts retain the SBA-15 mesoporous structure, with PdO being confined in its channels. The results show that the addition of Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 as promoters can improve the activity and stability of the catalysts. The stabilities of the metal monolithic catalysts are much better than those of Pd/ SBA-15 particle catalysts. The catalyst with ZrO2 as promoter exhibits the best activity and stability (T90= 395 degrees C), and the conversion of methane remains constant during the 700 h test.