A new method for fabrication of gel emulsions and their application in preparation of novel porous materials.

In the research of gel emulsions, it is a great challenge to develop a new method for fabrication of gel emulsions and utilize them in preparing novel porous materials containing metal complexes. In this work, we proposed to use coordination self-assemblies of two building blocks, organic ligands and metal ions, as stabilizers to prepare gel emulsions, which could be used as templates to prepare porous materials containing metal complexes. Aromatic carboxylic ligands CDCn (n = 4, 6, 8, and 10) containing cholesterol groups were designed and synthesized, and were used as organic ligands to fabricate new W/O gel emulsions through the coordination self-assembly with Tb3+/Eu3+ at the oil-water interface. The gel emulsions based on CDC6 possess injection molding properties, which were rarely seen in conventional gel emulsions. EDX mapping and XPS and FTIR analyses revealed that the coordination self-assembly of CDC6 and Tb3+ at the oil-water interface was the main driving force for the gel emulsion formation. CDC6/Tb3+/styrene/H2O gel emulsions could be further used as templates to prepare low-density porous metal complex/polymer composites with typical luminescence emissions of terbium complexes. This work extends the method for preparation of gel emulsions and develops a novel approach to obtain porous materials containing metal complexes.

The excellent photocatalytic NO removal performance relates to the synergistic effect between the prepositive NaOH solution and the g-C3N4 photocatalysis.

Photocatalysis technology is used to remove the low concentration NO in recent years. However, the effect of this process is not very satisfactory. In this study, it was found that the prepositive NaOH solution could significantly improve the photocatalytic NO removal activity of g-C3N4. The apparent quantum yield of g-C3N4 in the NO removal process was increased 3.5 times by the prepositive NaOH solution. The reason is that there was a synergistic effect formed between the prepositive NaOH solution and the photocatalytic NO removal process. The prepositive NaOH solution not only could increase the humidity and pH value in the photocatalytic unit, but also could improve the adsorption ability of g-C3N4 for the H2O, NO, and O2. Moreover, the prepositive NaOH solution reduced the difficulty of the photogenerated carriers' transport and the ·OH generation. This study provided a new idea for the removal of low-concentration NOx.

Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Activity of Novel Quinazoline Derivatives.

In an attempt to explore a new class of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, novel 4-stilbenylamino quinazoline derivatives were synthesized through a Dimorth rearrangement reaction and characterized via IR, ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HRMS. Methoxyl, methyl, halogen, and trifluoromethyl groups on stilbeneamino were detected. These synthesized compounds were evaluated for antitumor activity in vitro against eight human tumor cell lines with an MTS assay. Most synthesized compounds exhibited more potent activity (IC50 = ~2.0 µM) than gefitinib (IC50 > 10.0 µM) against the A431, A549, and BGC-823 cell lines. Docking methodology of compound 6c and 6i binding into the ATP site of EGFR was carried out. The results showed that fluorine and trifluoromethyl played an important role in efficient cell activity.

Rapid catalytic microwave method to damage Microcystis aeruginosa with FeCl3-loaded active carbon.

In recent years, effective methods for cyanobacterial blooms treatment have been an important issue. In this study, we demonstrated a rapid catalytic microwave method to deal with Microcystis aeruginosa with FeCl(3)-loaded active carbon. Microcystis aeruginosa damage process was monitored by measuring optical density, chlorophyll-a content, superoxide dismutase activity, l-glutathione content, and turbidity of the treated Microcystis aeruginosa suspension. It was found that this method could quickly and efficiently induce the degradation of Microcystis aeruginosa. On the basis of control experiments and characterization results, we attributed the excellent catalytic performance to the synergy effect between hole-doping of the catalyst and hot spot of microwave irradiation. This work provides a fast and green treatment method for cyanobacterial blooms.

Formation mechanism of zigzag patterned P(NIPAM-co-AA)/CuS composite microspheres by in situ biomimetic mineralization for morphology modulation.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/copper sulfide (P(NIPAM-co-AA)/CuS) composite microspheres with variable zigzag patterned surfaces have been synthesized by employing an in situ biomimetic mineralization reaction between H2S and Cu2+ immersed in P(NIPAM-co-AA) microspheres for morphology modulation. The morphology and composition of the P(NIPAM-co-AA)/CuS composite microspheres with zigzag patterned surfaces prepared in different conditions were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR). The polymeric microgels swelled by Cu(Ac)2 solution after freeze-drying treatment were of porous structure, indicating that there were polymeric frameworks and rich-water domains in the microgels before the deposition. Furthermore, due to the limited uneven deposition of metal sulfide on the polymeric skeleton of the hydrogel surface, the surface polymeric skeleton will be anisotropically shrunk when the composite microspheres lose water and shrink, thus forming a wrinkle pattern on the surface of the composite microspheres. The factors affecting the deposition amount and distribution of metal sulfide will affect the zigzag patterned morphology. Based on the experimental results, a formation mechanism of the P(NIPAM-co-AA)/CuS composite microspheres with zigzag patterned surface, "the deformed shrinkage of the surface texture", has been proposed. The formation mechanism of the surface morphology in the composite microspheres is helpful for understanding and controlling the process of mineralization, for preparing materials expected by controlling the experiment conditions, and for expanding the application of the composites.

Efficient visible light driven photocatalytic removal of NO with aerosol flow synthesized B, N-codoped TiO2 hollow spheres.

In this study, we demonstrate that aerosol assisted flow synthesized B, N-codoped TiO(2) photocatalyst possesses superior photocatalytic activity to pure and single element doped counterparts on the degradation of NO in a flow system under both simulated solar light and visible light irradiation. Characterization results revealed that B, N-codoped TiO(2) photocatalyst was composed of hollow microspheres. Boron and nitrogen were in the form of Ti-O-B and N-Ti-O structures, respectively. The introduction of B and N into the TiO(2) lattice could effectively tune the band gap of TiO(2) and extend its optical response to the visible-light region. The synergistic effect of B and N codoping on visible light driven photocatalytic activity enhancement of TiO(2) was discussed on the basis of experimental results.

Sol-gel nanocasting synthesis of patterned hierarchical LaFeO3 fibers with enhanced catalytic CO oxidation activity.

Hierarchical LaFeO3 fibers were prepared by a sol-gel nanocasting method using a cotton cloth as the template. The resulting LaFeO3 fibers inherited the initial network morphology of the template very well and showed enhanced catalytic CO oxidation activity and satisfactory stability compared to the counterpart particles prepared by the conventional sol-gel method.