Enhancing electrochemical water-splitting efficiency with superaerophobic nickel-coated catalysts on Chinese rice paper.

The quest for efficient hydrogen production highlights the need for cost-effective and high-performance catalysts to enhance the electrochemical water-splitting process. A significant challenge in developing self-supporting catalysts lies in the high cost and complex modification of traditional substrates. In this study, we developed catalysts featuring superaerophobic microstructures engineered on microspherical nickel-coated Chinese rice paper (Ni-RP), chosen for its affordability and exceptional ductility. These catalysts, due to their microspherical morphology and textured surface, exhibited significant superaerophobic properties, substantially reducing bubble adhesion. The nickel oxy-hydroxide (NiOxHy) and phosphorus-doped nickel (PNi) catalysts on Ni-RP demonstrated effective roles in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), achieving overpotentials of 250 mV at 20 mA cm-2 and 87 mV at -10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH, respectively. Moreover, a custom water-splitting cell using PNi/Ni-RP and NiOxHy/Ni-RP electrodes reached an impressive average voltage of 1.55 V at 10 mA cm-2, with stable performance over 100 h in 1 M KOH. Our findings present a cost-effective, sustainable, and easily modifiable substrate that utilizes superaerophobic structures to create efficient and durable catalysts for water splitting. This work serves as a compelling example of designing high-performance self-supporting catalysts for electrocatalytic applications.

Corrosion-resistant cobalt phosphide electrocatalysts for salinity tolerance hydrogen evolution.

Seawater electrolysis is a viable method for producing hydrogen on a large scale and low-cost. However, the catalyst activity during the seawater splitting process will dramatically degrade as salt concentrations increasing. Herein, CoP is discovered that could reject chloride ions far from catalyst in electrolyte based on molecular dynamic simulation. Thus, a binder-free electrode is designed and constructed by in-situ growth of homogeneous CoP on rGO nanosheets wrapped around the surface of Ti fiber felt for seawater splitting. As expected, the as-obtained CoP/rGO@Ti electrode exhibits good catalytic activity and stability in alkaline electrolyte. Especially, benefitting from the highly effective repulsive Cl- intrinsic characteristic of CoP, the catalyst maintains good catalytic performance with saturated salt concentration, and the overpotential increasing is less than 28 mV at 10 mA cm-2 from 0 M to saturated NaCl in electrolyte. Furthermore, the catalyst for seawater splitting performs superior corrosion-resistance with a low solubility of 0.04%. This work sheds fresh light into the development of efficient HER catalysts for salinity tolerance hydrogen evolution.

[Quality characteristic comparison of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus from different place].

The contents of schisandrol A, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, schisandrin A , schisandrin B, schisandrin C in Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus (SCF) were determined simultaneously by HPLC. Collect 100-seed weight, color, pulp content, longitude and latitude of SCF of different batches were collected. SIMCA-P and SPSS were applied to make PLS-DA analysis of 24 batches of SCF and correlation analysis of relevant parameters. According to the 13 parameters, SCF from three different places of origin could be distinguished effectively. It was found that the content of chemical component of SCF increased with latitude and longitude first, and then decrease. The results provide some theoretical basis for study of SCF genuineness and traditional method of identifying just from experience.

Effect of added alkalizer and surfactant on dissolution and absorption of the potassium salt of a weakly basic poorly water-soluble drug.

Telcagepant potassium salt (MK-0974) is an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor inhibitor investigated for the treatment of acute migraine. Under gastric pH conditions, the salt rapidly gels, then converts to an insoluble neutral form that creates an impervious shell on the tablet surface, resulting in a slow and variable release dissolution rate and poor bioavailability. Early attempts to develop a solid dosage form, including solid dispersion and nanosuspension formulations, resulted in low exposures in preclinical studies. Thus, a liquid-filled soft gelatin capsule (SGC) formulation (oblong 20) was used for clinical studies. However, a solid dosage form was desirable for commercialization. The slow dissolution of the tablet formulations was overcome by using a basifying agent, arginine, and inclusion of a nonionic surfactant, poloxamer 407. The combination of arginine and poloxamer in the formulation created a local transient basic microenvironment that promoted the dissolution of the salt and prevented rapid precipitation of the neutral form on the tablet surface to form the gel layer. The tablet formulation achieved fast absorption and comparable exposure to the SGC formulation. The final optimized 280 mg tablet formulation was successfully demonstrated to be bioequivalent to the 300 mg SGC formulation.

A new methodology for high drug loading wet granulation formulation development.

A new methodology that enables efficient and rapid development of high drug load (>85%) high shear wet granulation formulations is proposed and tested in this work. Correlations between the API properties, the binder types, the granulation fluid levels, and the product attributes revealed in course of the study are discussed. The key feature of the methodology is that an excipient is added to the formulation only when it is demonstrated that it is required to improve processability or performance of the formulation. To evaluate this approach, three compounds: simvastatin, etoricoxib, and metformin hydrochloride were selected as model drug substances. These compounds differ significantly with respect to their particle size distributions, wettability, and solubility. The compounds were granulated using a range of granulation fluid levels, with or without a polymeric binder. Granule size distribution, strength, flowability, dissolution, and compactibility were characterized. Select granulations were further compressed into tablets, both "as-is" and with addition of extragranular excipients. One formulation was also investigated in an in vivo dog PK study. The study demonstrated that using the methodology, high drug load formulations with satisfactory attributes could be successfully developed for all three model compounds. Applicability and benefits of the proposed methodology are discussed.

Supramolecular behavior of the amphiphilic drug (2R)-2-ethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid arginine salt (a novel PPARalpha/gamma dual agonist).

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the aggregation properties of an amphiphilic drug. METHODS: Aggregation of the drug was studied by various methods including phase-contrast and polarized microscopy, spectrophotometry, surface tensiometry, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Lymph-cannulated rats were used to assess fractions of drug that were absorbed into lymphatics. RESULTS: During the pharmaceutical development of an alpha/gamma dual PPAR agonist, a derivative of a chromane-2-carboxylic acid (compound 1), it was discovered that the compound was able to form various aggregates in aqueous media from pH 6.5 to 7.1, whereas aggregating predominantly into micelles at higher pH values. Critical micelle concentrations seemed to be quite low, about 0.25 mM (0.17 mg/mL) in deionized water as determined by spectrophotometric (dye) and surface tensiometry (du Nuoy) methods. Aggregation of compound 1 into large supramolecular aggregates was visualized via phase-contrast microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The observed aggregates ranged from 250 nm to greater than 10 microm in size. Formation of liquid crystalline phases was observed by polarized microscopy as the material was gradually hydrated with water. Lymph studies in rats indicated that up to 6.9% of the orally administered dose of compound 1 in pH 6.5 buffer appeared in lymph, suggesting that supramolecular aggregation may also occur in vivo leading to partitioning between the portal and the lymph routes. CONCLUSIONS: The aforementioned supramolecular aggregation was found to have a profound effect on the pharmaceutical development of the drug and potentially on in vivo absorption of the drug.

Crystal structure and surface properties of an investigational drug--a case study.

In this study we investigate the correlations between the single crystal structure, the crystal habitat and morphology, and surface energetics of an investigational pharmaceutical compound. Crystal structure of this investigational pharmaceutical solid has been solved from single crystal X-ray analysis. Crystallographic data are as follows: triclinic, P1 (no. 1), a = 6.1511 (8) A, b = 13.5004 (18) A, c = 17.417 (2) A, alpha = 68.259 (2) degrees, beta = 80.188 (2) degrees, gamma = 82.472 (2) degrees, V = 1320.2 (3) A(3), Z = 2. The external morphology of this crystalline solid was predicted by molecular modelling using attachment energies to be thin-plate like with a dominant face (001). The predicted morphology was confirmed by scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and the Miller Index of the dominant face was complemented by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) method. The microscopic layering structures of crystals and surface stability of the dominant faces were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Contact angle measurement showed that the surface of the dominant face is hydrophilic as predicted from crystal structure.