Versatile crosslinking synthesis of an EDTA-modified UiO-66-NH2/cotton fabric composite for simultaneous capture of heavy metals and dyes and efficient degradation of organophosphate.

The metal-organic frameworks/cotton fabric composites (MOFs/CFCs) have emerged as a new type of prospective materials for environmental cleanup, due to their convenient recyclability and high removal efficiency towards hazardous pollutants. However, their practical applications are limited by complicated synthetic conditions, insufficient interface bonding and poor adsorption capacity. Herein, for the first time, a robust ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-functionalized MOFs/CFC is prepared based on UiO-66-NH2 crystals by using EDTA dianhydride as the cross-linking agent, and applied for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and dyes, as well as degradation of chemical warfare agents. The as-prepared EDTA-UiO-66-NH2/CFC shows extraordinary monocomponent adsorption performance with maximum adsorption capacity of 158.7, 126.2, 131.5, 117.4 and 104.5 mg/g for Cd(II), Cu(II), methylene blue, crystal violet and safranin O, respectively. Interestingly, in metal-dyes binary system, the uptake of Cu(II) by EDTA-UiO-66-NH2/CFC increases significantly when co-existing high concentration of dyes. The results indicate that the synergistic and simultaneous removal of both dyes and metal from complex systems can be realized by EDTA-UiO-66-NH2/CFC via multiple mechanisms. The EDTA-UiO-66-NH2/CFC also exhibits an outstanding catalytic performance for degrading dimethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphate. Besides, it can be reused for several times without obvious decrease of its adsorption and catalysis efficiencies. More impressively, the cross-linking reaction approach can not only anchor UiO-66-NH2 crystals firmly onto cotton fabric, but also facilitate in-situ formation of abundant adsorption sties on the adsorbent surface. Therefore, this work offers a simple and versatile synthetic strategy to develop high-performance environmental material for multiple pollutants remediation.

Surgical Ligation for the Treatment of an Unusual Presentation of Type II Abernethy Malformation.

Abernethy malformation is a very rare congenital vascular malformation consisting of diversion of portal blood away from liver, and it is commonly associated with multiple congenital anomalies. Here, we present a case of a male from China with nonspecific abdominal pain associated with an unusual pattern of type II Abernethy malformation, whose was diagnosed with a portosystemic shunt via a giant portal-inferior vena cava fistula (17.22 mm in diameter). The patient underwent a surgical ligation of the portocaval shunt and recovered well. We believe that this is the first case of a type II Abernethy malformation presenting as a portosystemic shunt via the giant portal-inferior vena cava fistula.

Selective adsorption of D- and L-phenylalanine on molecularly-imprinted polymerized organogels formed using polymerizable gelator N-octadecyl maleamic acid.

The polymerizable gelator N-octadecyl maleamic acid (ODMA) can self-assemble in selected polymerizable organic solvents, such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methylacrylic acid (MAA) to form thermally stable polymerizable organogels. A mixture consisting of HEMA and MAA as the monomer and functional monomer, PEG dimethacrylates (PEG200DMA) as the crosslinker, BOC-L-phenylalanine (BPA) or L-phenylalanine ethyl ester (PEE) as the chiral templates, was gelatinized by ODMA firstly and subsequently polymerized by in situ UV irradiation or thermal initiation. The molecularly imprinted polymerized organogels were obtained after the removal of the templates through ethanol extraction. Selective adsorption of D- and L-phenylalanine was performed on the polymerized organogels. The results indicate rather high adsorption efficiency obtained for L-phenylalanine compared with that for D-phenylalanine, which was found to be dependent on the concentrations of ODMA, content of template, and the method of polymerization. Herein, the concentration of ODMA in the organogels played an important role for the adsorption efficiency of D- and L-phenylalanine.

Formation mechanism of supramolecular hydrogels in the presence of L-phenylalanine derivative as a hydrogelator.

A novel chiral hydrogelator, L-phenylalanine derivative can self-assemble in aqueous media at different pH values to form supramolecular hydrogels. The images of the FE-SEM indicate that different aggregates of TC(18)PheBu in morphology were formed, which further lead to the formation of spherical crystallites as observed by polarized optical microscope (POM). The FT-IR spectra of the supramolecular hydrogels reveal that intermolecular hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interactions are the driving forces for the self-assembly of TC(18)PheBu. Fluorescence spectra of TC(18)PheBu in aqueous solutions in the presence of pyrene as a probe further confirm the importance of hydrophobic interactions for the self-assembly. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of TC(18)PheBu in supramolecular hydrogels in the presence of KF indicate that the hydrogen-bonding interaction can be disrupted by fluoride ions, which further confirm the importance of hydrogen bonding for the self-assembly of TC(18)PheBu.