Volume 51, Issue 10, October 2022

The distribution of cocatalyst components on SrTiO₃:Al as a water splitting photocatalyst was investigated in detail using electron microscopy. It was found that Pt/Cr₂O₃ for H₂ evolution and CoOOH for O₂ evolution were selectively photodepositted on different facets of the SrTiO₃:Al, indicating anisotropic transport of photogenerated carriers.

The foam stability of an aqueous solution with high ethanol concentration was assessed under the co-addition of an anionic surfactant, a long-chain alcohol, and an inorganic electrolyte. The addition of the electrolyte resulted in a decreased surface tension and an increased surface viscosity, leading to an enhanced foam stability. This study proposes a new strategy for formulating foam-type disinfectants.

The total synthesis of (±)-azaspirene was accomplished over 12 steps in a 17% overall yield. The convergent strategy involved the coupling of an isocyanate and a 3(2H)-furanone and an intramolecular aldol reaction to construct the spiro core, whose crystallization-induced diastereomer transformation afforded the thermodynamically stable 3, which produced the desired (±)-azaspirene.

Comprehensive photoluminescence properties of 1,2,3,5-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,6-dicyanobenzene (4CzIPN) in a single-crystal state are reported. We found that a 4CzIPN single-crystal has forward and reverse intersystem crossing rate constants that are one order of magnitude greater than those of the amorphous film. Further, an unusual longlived emission was observed in the single-crystal, indicating that the 4CzIPN excitons spontaneously dissociate into free carriers.

This study prepared MnHCF nanocubes by citric acid-assisted method and aplplied them in zinc ion batteries. In addition, we found that using ethanol as the electrolyte solvent can avoid the dissolution and phase change of MnHCF during the electrochemical reactions thus improving the cycling stability of the Zn/MnHCF battery.

Poly(9,10-anthryleneethynylene)s bearing benzyl ether dendrimers with alkyl peripheral groups were synthesized with high average degree of polymerization by improving the solubility of poly(anthryleneethynylene)s. The UV–vis and CD spectra of poly(9,10-anthryleneethynylene)s bearing chiral menthoxy groups in addition to the dendritic side groups proved their ordered aggregation state in solution.

To establish the stereostructure of a marine cytotoxic bromotriterpenoid iubol, its asymmetric synthesis has been performed. The synthesis features a one-pot process for the tetrahydropyranyl D ring construction through a stoichiometric Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation followed by a titanium chelation-assisted 6-exo oxacyclization. We report its asymmetric synthesis, revision of the proposed structure to the C22-epimer, and its cytotoxic activity.

The carrier transport properties of solar cells fabricated with colloidal AgBiS₂ nanocrystals (NCs) are affected by the type of ligands. The adsorption strength of ligands was a useful figure of merit that can explain the correlation between the ligand type and solar cell performance. Among the halide ligands, the cell with a Br ligand shows the highest solar cell performance.

Montmorillonite (MMT), a layered clay mineral, was dispersed in ionic liquids (ILs) to prepare MMT-IL dispersions. After standing for several weeks, MMT-IL dispersions separated into an upper transparent layer and a lower turbid layer. Only the turbid layer showed birefringence under crossed-Nicol, indicative of liquid crystallinity. MMT-IL liquid crystals were aligned under a magnetic field of 0.5 T in strength.

In the presence of excess Et₂Zn, 1-substituted cyclopropanol undergoes dimerization reaction to afford a 2-methylcyclopentane-1,3-diol derivative as a single meso-diastereomer in moderate to good yield. The reaction is considered to proceed via aldol reaction between two molecules of zinc homoenolate, followed by intramolecular carbonyl addition. The product of the present reaction serves as a precursor to 1,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopentadiene and its transition metal complex.

We synthesized a new type of asymmetric binuclear Ag(I) complex, [Ag₂(dppaO₂)₂(dppbz)], consisting of two chelating dppaO₂⁻ ligands (dppaO₂⁻ = N,N-bis(diphenylphosphino)amide-dioxide) and one bridging dppbz ligand (dppbz = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)-benzene), which showed relatively strong green luminescence in the solid state.

An iron(II) complex of a novel tripodal 2,2′-bipyridine ligand bearing perfluoroalkyl linkers showed anion-dependent fac/mer isomerization. In the complexes with bromide and triflate anions, the mer isomer was preferentially formed. The bistriflimide anion shifted the equilibrium to the fac isomer. The different isomerization behaviors were probably caused by differences in the hydrogen bond mode of the isomers with anions.

The silica/GO membrane prepared with a TEOS/GO mass ratio of 190 and reaction time of 3 h showed a six-fold increase in water permeance and MWCO of 800, which is almost the same as that of a GO membrane.

Inspired by the energy conversion processes through the discrete 120° rotation by ATPase, here we newly developed a multiblock amphiphilic triptycene that can be incorporated into the lipid bilayers. The incorporation was confirmed by microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. We also found that depending on the concentration, multiblock amphiphilic triptycene assembled within the lipid bilayers.

The helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) motif plays a key role in non-sequence-specific DNA binding. d-peptides are composed of d-amino acids and attractive biomolecules for medical applications. In this study, we report the interactions between l/d-HhH-N peptides and different DNA structures. The interaction of the d-HhH-N peptide with DNA is dependent on the DNA structure and shows different binding properties than l-HhH-N peptide.

Silica-coated ZSM-5 with high crystallinity and related hierarchical catalysts using simultaneous generation of ZSM-5 and mesoporous silica with gel skeletal reinforcement exhibited the high selectivity of p-xylene among xylene mixture in catalytic cracking of low-density polyethylene, which reached more than 95%. Linear relationship between pore volume and relative activity suggested that the formation of hierarchical structure would increase the activity.