Precisely Constructing Molecular Junctions in Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks for Efficient Artificial Photosynthetic CO2 Reduction.

The development of artificial photocatalysts to convert CO2 into renewable fuels and H2O into O2 is a complex and crucial task in the field of photosynthesis research. The current challenge is to enhance photogenerated charge separation, as well as to increase the oxidation capability of materials. Herein, a molecular junction-type porphyrin-based crystalline photocatalyst (Ni-TCPP-TPyP) was successfully self-assembled by incorporating a nickel porphyrin complex as a reduction site and pyridyl porphyrin as an oxidation site via hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions. The resulting material has a highly crystalline structure, and the formation of inherent molecular junctions can accelerate photogenerated charge separation and transport. Thus, Ni-TCPP-TPyP achieved an excellent CO production rate of 309.3 µmol g-1 h-1 (selectivity, ~100%) without the use of any sacrificial agents, which is more than ten times greater than that of single-component photocatalyst (Ni-TCPP) and greater than that of the most organic photocatalysts. The structure-function relationship was investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Our work provides new insight for designing efficient artificial photocatalysts, paving the way for the development of clean and renewable fuels through the conversion of CO2 using solar energy.

Diterpenes from oriental tobacco Nicotiana tabacum 'YNOTBS1' and their bioactivities.

Seven diterpenes including two new seco-cembranoid basmanoids A (1) and B (2), and two new labdane basmadanes A (3) and B (4), and three known compounds (-)-dehydro-nor-ambreinolid (5), (13E)-8-hydroxy-13-labden-12-one (6), and 14,15,16-dinor-7-oxolabda-8-ene-13-oic acid (7) were isolated from oriental tobacco Nicotiana tabacum 'YNOTBS1'. Compounds 1-3 and 5 showed anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity with inhibition rates in the range of 30-69% at the concentration of 1 mg/mL. However, none of them exhibited any inhibitory effects against nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS and IFN-γ-induced RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and anti-proliferative activities against cancer cell lines SMMC-7721 and A-549.

Unwilling but not unable to control: Ego depletion increases effortful dishonesty with material rewards.

Previous studies have found that ego depletion increases dishonesty. However, it remains unclear whether ego depletion makes participants unable to exert self-control or unwilling to exert self-control when it increases dishonesty. The present study aimed to clarify this. Based on the process model, ego depletion causes individuals to pay more attention to material rewards and increases the motivation to act on impulse. Therefore, it is possible that ego-depleted participants are unwilling, rather than unable, to be honest. We conducted two experiments to examine this hypothesis. Results showed that ego depletion increased material-based dishonesty even when the dishonest behavior was more complicated and effortful than was the honest behavior. However, participants were reluctant to cheat just for convenience, and ego depletion had no apparent effect on convenience-based dishonesty without any material rewards. The theoretical implications and future directions of these results are discussed.

Hierarchical nanostructures of diblock copolymer thin films directed by a saw-toothed substrate.

An extensive and systematic calculation was performed to explore hierarchical cylindrical structures and the order-to-order transitions of AB diblock copolymers (f(A) = 0.3) on a saw-toothed substrate using self-consistent mean-field theory. We obtained fifteen relatively simple morphologies, including the existing morphologies observed experimentally and from simulations, and five more complicated structures, by varying the lateral periodicity of the substrate, the film thickness of diblock copolymers, the interaction between the A-block and the substrate and the tilt angles (or the shape) of the substrate. These structures show that the orientation and number of layers of cylinders can be tailored. Even lamellae and spherical microdomains were observed. Most interestingly, hierarchical structures are also observed, such as the morphology of C(ab)(//) within the upper cylinder perpendicular to the bottom cylinder, SC(b)(//) morphology that the upper is a cylinder but the bottom is a sphere. In addition, we discussed these complex hierarchical structures in detail and have analyzed the order-to-order transitions between the cylindrical morphologies with distinct orientations and layers.