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Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach,... Jun 2024Molecular doping is commonly utilized to tune the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors. However, applying this technique to electrically dope inorganic...
Molecular doping is commonly utilized to tune the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors. However, applying this technique to electrically dope inorganic materials like metal oxide semiconductors is challenging due to the limited availability of molecules with suitable energy levels and processing characteristics. Herein, n-type doping of zinc oxide (ZnO) films is demonstrated using 1,3-dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (CO-DMI), a thermally activated organic n-type dopant. Adding CO-DMI into the ZnO precursor solution and processing it atop a predeposited indium oxide (InO) layer yield InO/n-ZnO heterojunctions with increased electron field-effect mobility of 32.6 cm V s compared to 18.5 cm V s for the pristine InO/ZnO bilayer. The improved electron transport originates from the ZnO's enhanced crystallinity, reduced hydroxyl concentrations, and fewer oxygen vacancy groups upon doping. Applying the optimally doped InO/n-ZnO heterojunctions as the electron-transporting layers (ETLs) in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) yields cells with improved power conversion efficiency of 19.06%, up from 18.3% for devices with pristine ZnO, and 18.2% for devices featuring the undoped InO/ZnO ETL. It is shown that the all-around improved OPV performance originates from synergistic effects associated with CO-DMI doping of the thermally grown ZnO, highlighting its potential as an electronic dopant for ZnO and potentially other metal oxides.
PubMed: 38949017
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202310933 -
Synlett : Accounts and Rapid... Nov 2023Potassium trifluoroborates have gained significant utility as coupling partners in organic synthesis, particularly in the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. Recently,...
Potassium trifluoroborates have gained significant utility as coupling partners in organic synthesis, particularly in the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. Recently, they have also been used as radical precursors under oxidative conditions to generate carbon-centered radicals. These versatile reagents have found new applications in photoredox catalysis, including radical substitution, conjugate addition reactions, and transition metal dual catalysis. In addition, this photomediated redox neutral process has enabled radical-radical coupling with persistent radicals in the absence of a metal, and this process remains to be fully explored. In this study, we report the radical-radical coupling of benzylic potassium trifluoroborate salts with isolated acyl azolium triflates, which are persistent radical precursors. The reaction is catalyzed by an organic photocatalyst and forms isolable tertiary alcohol species. These compounds can be transformed into a range of substituted ketone products by simple treatment with a mild base.
PubMed: 38948905
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1738448 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition that can be managed with treatment, but it is challenging to get IBD cured. Resveratrol, a non-flavonoid...
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition that can be managed with treatment, but it is challenging to get IBD cured. Resveratrol, a non-flavonoid polyphenolic organic compound derived from various plants, has a potential effect on IBD. The current research was set out to investigate the therapeutic effects of resveratrol on animal models of IBD. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Chinese databases was performed. The literature search process was completed independently by two people and reviewed by a third person. The risk of bias in the included literature was assessed using the Collaborative Approach to Meta Analysis and Review of Animal Data from Experimental Stroke (CAMARADES) 10-point quality checklist. The meta-analysis utilized Review Manager 5.4 software to evaluate the efficacy of resveratrol, with histopathological index as the primary outcome measure. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on this indicator. Additionally, meta-analyses were carried out on different outcomes reported in the literature, including final disease activity index, final body weight change, colon length, splenic index, and inflammatory factors. After conducting a thorough literature search and selection process, a total of 28 studies were ultimately included in the analysis. It was found that over half of the selected studies had more than five items with low risk of bias in the bias risk assessment. Relevant datas from included literature indicated that the histopathological index of the resveratrol group was significantly lower than that of the control group (WMD = -2.58 [-3.29, -1.87]). Subgroup analysis revealed that higher doses of resveratrol (>80 mg/kg) had a better efficacy (WMD = -3.47 [-4.97, -1.98]). Furthermore, The data summary and quantitative analysis results of SI and colon length also showed that resveratrol was effective in alleviating intestinal mucosal pathological injury of IBD. In terms of biochemical indicators, the summary analysis revealed that resveratrol affected interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) significantly. These effects may be attributed to the mechanism of resveratrol in regulating immune response and inhibiting oxidative stress. This review suggests that resveratrol demonstrated a notable therapeutic impact in preclinical models of IBD, particularly at doses exceeding 80 mg/kg. This efficacy is attributed to the protective mechanisms targeting the intestinal mucosa involved in the pathogenesis of IBD through various pathways. As a result, resveratrol holds promising prospects for potential clinical use in the future.
PubMed: 38948464
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1411566 -
MLife Jun 2024Sulfate-reducing microorganisms extensively contribute to the corrosion of ferrous metal infrastructure. There is substantial debate over their corrosion mechanisms. We...
Sulfate-reducing microorganisms extensively contribute to the corrosion of ferrous metal infrastructure. There is substantial debate over their corrosion mechanisms. We investigated Fe corrosion with , the sulfate reducer most often employed in corrosion studies. Cultures were grown with both lactate and Fe as potential electron donors to replicate the common environmental condition in which organic substrates help fuel the growth of corrosive microbes. Fe was corroded in cultures of a hydrogenase-deficient mutant with the 1:1 correspondence between Fe loss and H accumulation expected for Fe oxidation coupled to H reduction to H. This result and the extent of sulfate reduction indicated that was not capable of direct Fe-to-microbe electron transfer even though it was provided with a supplementary energy source in the presence of abundant ferrous sulfide. Corrosion in the hydrogenase-deficient mutant cultures was greater than in sterile controls, demonstrating that H removal was not necessary for the enhanced corrosion observed in the presence of microbes. The parental H-consuming strain corroded more Fe than the mutant strain, which could be attributed to H oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction, producing sulfide that further stimulated Fe oxidation. The results suggest that H consumption is not necessary for microbially enhanced corrosion, but H oxidation can indirectly promote corrosion by increasing sulfide generation from sulfate reduction. The finding that was incapable of direct electron uptake from Fe reaffirms that direct metal-to-microbe electron transfer has yet to be rigorously described in sulfate-reducing microbes.
PubMed: 38948142
DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12133 -
Frontiers in Chemistry 2024Interfacial charge transfer reactions involving cations and electrons are fundamental to (photo/electro) catalysis, energy storage, and beyond. Lithium-coupled electron...
Interfacial charge transfer reactions involving cations and electrons are fundamental to (photo/electro) catalysis, energy storage, and beyond. Lithium-coupled electron transfer (LCET) at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is a preeminent example to highlight the importance of charge transfer in modern-day society. The thermodynamics of LCET reactions define the minimal energy for charge/discharge of LIBs, and yet, these parameters are rarely available in the literature. Here, we demonstrate the successful incorporation of tungsten oxides (WO) within a chemically stable Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), MOF-808. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the composite, WO@MOF-808, in Li-containing acetonitrile (MeCN)-based electrolytes showed an irreversible, cathodic Faradaic feature that shifted in a Nernstian fashion with respect to the Li concentration, i.e., ∼59 mV/log [(Li)]. The Nernstian dependence established 1:1 stoichiometry of Li and e. Using the standard redox potential of Li, the apparent free energy of lithiation of WO@MOF-808 (ΔG) was calculated to be -36 ± 1 kcal mol. ΔG is an parameter of WO@MOF-808, and thus by deriving the similar reaction free energies of other metal oxides, their direct comparisons can be achieved. Implications of the reported measurements will be further contrasted to proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions on metal oxides.
PubMed: 38947957
DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1427536 -
ACS Omega Jun 2024Toluene is a common and significant volatile organic compound (VOC). Although it finds extensive application in various industrial processes (chemical manufacturing,... (Review)
Review
Toluene is a common and significant volatile organic compound (VOC). Although it finds extensive application in various industrial processes (chemical manufacturing, paint and adhesive production, and as a solvent), it creates a huge environmental impact when emitted freely into the atmosphere. Two solutions were found to mitigate the emission of this pollutant: the total oxidation to CO and HO and the selective oxidation into benzaldehyde. This review discusses the two main alternatives for tackling this problem: converting the toluene into carbon dioxide by total oxidation or into benzaldehyde by selective oxidation. It presents new catalytic advances, new trends, and the advantages and disadvantages of both methods.
PubMed: 38947821
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c01023 -
ACS Omega Jun 2024Although atmospheric plasma treatment is an industrially widespread, scalable, and environmentally friendly method, it has been generally used for surface modification,...
Although atmospheric plasma treatment is an industrially widespread, scalable, and environmentally friendly method, it has been generally used for surface modification, decontamination, or sterilization. In this paper, a novel, sustainable, green, and ultrafast oxidation method is described for aldehydes on a preparative thin-layer chromatographic plate as a solid support. The plasma treatment has proven to be suitable for producing the corresponding carboxylic acids by using only air as a reactant source under mild reaction conditions, while the isolation of the products is also directly integrated into the oxidation process. Extensibility to other reaction types is not explored yet, but we are sure that this novel synthesis conception carries a lot of possibilities.
PubMed: 38947793
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c01596 -
IScience Jun 2024Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are ubiquitously distributed across various biospheres and play key roles in global sulfur and carbon cycles. However, few deep-sea SRB...
Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are ubiquitously distributed across various biospheres and play key roles in global sulfur and carbon cycles. However, few deep-sea SRB have been cultivated and studied , limiting our understanding of the true metabolism of deep-sea SRB. Here, we firstly clarified the high abundance of SRB in deep-sea sediments and successfully isolated a sulfate-reducing bacterium (zrk46) from a cold seep sediment. Our genomic, physiological, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that strain zrk46 is a novel species, which we propose as . We found that supplementation with sulfate, thiosulfate, or sulfite promoted strain zrk46 growth by facilitating energy production through the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, which was coupled to the oxidation of organic matter in both laboratory and deep-sea conditions. Moreover, metatranscriptomic results confirmed that other deep-sea SRB also performed the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, strongly suggesting that SRB may play undocumented roles in deep-sea sulfur cycling.
PubMed: 38947506
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110095 -
Heliyon Jun 2024Despite the well-documentation of the effects of straw returning on soil structural stability and fertility, its long-term impacts on profile aggregate size composition...
Despite the well-documentation of the effects of straw returning on soil structural stability and fertility, its long-term impacts on profile aggregate size composition and organic carbon (OC) fractions remain poorly investigated. To address this research gap, the present nine-year field trial explored the co-effects of straw returning and chemical fertilization on soil total OC (TOC), dissolved OC (DOC), resistant OC (ROC), easily oxidative OC (EOC), as well as soil aggregate size composition of different soil depths (0-15, 15-30, and 30-50 cm) in a paddy field, East China. To do so, four different treatments were set up, including no straw returning plus no fertilization (CK), conventional fertilization (F), straw returning plus conventional fertilization (SF), and straw returning plus 80 % conventional fertilization (SDF). Our findings revealed that the >2 mm aggregates were dominant in all treatments, particularly in SF and SDF 0-30 cm soil layers ranging from 62 to 70 % (P < 0.05). The highest TOC contents happened in SF topsoil 0.25-2 mm aggregates (0-30 cm; 21.4 g/kg), 44.4 and 21.1 % higher than the CK and F treatments, respectively (P < 0.05). Regardless of soil depth, the highest EOC contents occurred in SDF 0.25-2 mm aggregates varying from 2.36 ± 0.1 to 7.7 ± 0.57 g/kg (P < 0.05). Further, the highest ROC and DOC contents took place in SF 0.25-2 mm and SF > 2 mm aggregates, respectively, differing from 3.86 to 15.8 g/kg and 250-413 mg/kg, respectively (P < 0.05). It is also worth noting that SF had the highest crop productivity with the seasonal yields of 3.51 and 13.5 t ha for rapeseed and rice, respectively (P < 0.05). Altogether, our findings suggested that long-term straw returning coupled with conventional (SF) or 80 % conventional (SDF) fertilization are the most efficient schemes for the formation/stability of soil aggregates, as well as for the accumulation of different soil OC fractions and crop productivity in the Chaohu Lake agricultural soils of East China.
PubMed: 38947469
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32392 -
International Journal of Nanomedicine 2024Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a promising alternative to autologous bone grafting for the clinical treatment of bone defects, and inorganic/organic composite...
BACKGROUND
Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a promising alternative to autologous bone grafting for the clinical treatment of bone defects, and inorganic/organic composite hydrogels as BTE scaffolds are a hot spot in current research. The construction of nano-hydroxyapatite/gelatin methacrylate/oxidized sodium alginate (nHAP/GelMA/OSA), abbreviated as HGO, composite hydrogels loaded with bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) will provide a suitable 3D microenvironment to promote cell aggregation, proliferation, and differentiation, thus facilitating bone repair and regeneration.
METHODS
Dually-crosslinked hydrogels were fabricated by combining GelMA and OSA, while HGO hydrogels were formulated by incorporating varying amounts of nHAP. The hydrogels were physically and chemically characterized followed by the assessment of their biocompatibility. BMP7-HGO (BHGO) hydrogels were fabricated by incorporating suitable concentrations of BMP7 into HGO hydrogels. The osteogenic potential of BHGO hydrogels was then validated through in vitro experiments and using rat femoral defect models.
RESULTS
The addition of nHAP significantly improved the physical properties of the hydrogel, and the composite hydrogel with 10% nHAP demonstrated the best overall performance among all groups. The selected concentration of HGO hydrogel served as a carrier for BMP7 loading and was evaluated for its osteogenic potential both in vivo and in vitro. The BHGO hydrogel demonstrated superior in vitro osteogenic induction and in vivo potential for repairing bone tissue compared to the outcomes observed in the blank control, BMP7, and HGO groups.
CONCLUSION
Using hydrogel containing 10% HGO appears promising for bone tissue engineering scaffolds, especially when loaded with BMP7 to boost its osteogenic potential. However, further investigation is needed to optimize the GelMA, OSA, and nHAP ratios, along with the BMP7 concentration, to maximize the osteogenic potential.
Topics: Alginates; Animals; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7; Gelatin; Tissue Engineering; Hydrogels; Durapatite; Osteogenesis; Rats; Bone Regeneration; Tissue Scaffolds; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Methacrylates; Male; Humans; Bone and Bones
PubMed: 38946885
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S461996