Dormancy and double-activation strategy for construction of high-performance mixed-matrix membranes.

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) have the potential for energy-efficient gas separation by matching the superior mass transfer and anti-plasticization properties of the fillers with processability and scaling up features of the polymers. However, construction of high-performance MMMs has been prohibited due to low filler-loading and the existence of interfacial defects. Here, high MOF-loaded, i.e., 55 wt %, MMMs are developed by a 'dormancy and double-activation' (DDA) strategy. High MOF precursor concentration suppresses crystallization in the membrane casting solution, realizing molecular level mixing of all components. Then, the polymeric matrix was formed with uniform encapsulation of MOF nutrients. Subsequently, double-activation was employed to induce MOF crystallization: the alkali promotes MOFs nucleation to harvest small porous nanocrystals while excessive ligands activate the metal ions to enhance the MOFs conversion. As such, quasi-semi-continuous mass transfer channels can be formed in the MMMs by the connected MOFs nanocrystals to boost the gas permeability. The optimized MMM shows significantly ameliorated CO2 permeability, i.e., 2841 Barrer, five-fold enhancement compared with pristine polymer membrane, with a good CO2 /N2 selectivity of 36. Besides, the nanosized MOFs intensify their interaction with polymer chains, endowing the MMMs with good anti-plasticization behaviour and stability, which advances practical application of MMMs in carbon capture.

Rapid Fabrication of High-Permeability Mixed Matrix Membranes at Mild Condition for CO2 Capture.

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), conjugating the advantages of flexible processing-ability of polymers and high-speed mass transfer of porous fillers, are recognized as the next-generation high-performance CO2 capture membranes for solving the current global climate challenge. However, controlling the crystallization of porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and thus the close stacking of MOF nanocrystals in the confined polymer matrix is still undoable, which thus cannot fully utilize the superior transport attribute of MOF channels. In this study, the "confined swelling coupled solvent-controlled crystallization" strategy is employed for well-tailoring the in-situ crystallization of MOF nanocrystals, realizing rapid (<5 min) construction of defect-free freeway channels for CO2 transportation in MMMs due to the close stacking of MOF nanocrystals. Consequently, the fabricated MMMs exhibit approximately fourfold enhancement in CO2 permeability, i.e., 2490 Barrer with a CO2 /N2 selectivity of 37, distinctive antiplasticization merit, as well as long-term running stability, which is at top-tier level, enabling the large-scale manufacture of high-performance MMMs for gas separation.

Synthesis and fungicidal activity of novel 2-aryl-3-(1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)-6(8)-methyl-1,3-benzoxazines.

A class of novel 2-aryl-3-(1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)-6(8)-methyl-1,3-benzoxazines was prepared by reactions of 2-methyl-6-((1,3,4-thiadiazolylamino)methyl)phenols or 4-methyl-2-((1,3,4-thiadiazolylamino)methyl)phenols and 2- or 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in the presence of TMSCl in refluxing toluene. The electron-donating methyl group on the benzene ring played an essential role on the reactivity of the substituted phenols, which was proved by DFT calculation. The fungicidal activity of the resultant products were also preliminarily evaluated, most of which displayed moderate to good fungicidal activity. Especially, compound 6f showed 98.0% activity against Sclerotonia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea at concentration of 25µg/mL.

Theoretical study on intermolecular interactions between furan and dihalogen molecules XY(X,Y=F,Cl,Br).

Equilibrium geometries, interaction energies, atomic charge, and charge transfer for the intermolecular interactions between furan and dihalogen molecules XY(X; Y=F,Cl,Br) were studied at the MP2aug-cc-pVDZ level. Three types of geometry are observed in these interactions: the pi-type geometry (I), in which the XY lies above the furan ring and almost perpendicularly to the C4-C5 bond of furan; the sigma-type geometry (II), where the X atom is pointed toward the nonbonding electron pair (n pair) of oxygen atom in furan; and the chi-type geometry (III), describing a blueshift hydrogen bond formed between the hydrogen atom of furan and dihalogen molecules XY. The calculated interaction energies show that the pi-type structures are more stable than the corresponding sigma-type and chi-type structures. To study the nature of the intermolecular interactions, an energy decomposition analysis was carried out and the results indicate that both the pi-type and sigma-type interactions are dominantly inductive energy in nature, while dispersion energy governs the chi-type interactions.

Study on the nature of interaction of furan with various hydrides.

The nature of interactions of furan with various hydrides (Y) (Y=HF,HCl,H2O,H2S,NH3,PH3) is investigated using ab initio calculations. The contribution of attractive (electrostatic, inductive, and dispersive) and repulsive (exchange) components to the interactions energy is analyzed. HF, H2O, and NH3 favor sigma o-type H bonding, while HCl, H2S, and PH3 favor pi-type H bonding. Interaction energy decomposition reveals that sigma o-type complexes interactions are predominantly electrostatic in nature, while the dispersion and electrostatic interactions dominate the pi-type complexes.