Mechanochemically accelerated deconstruction of chemically recyclable plastics.

Plastics redesign for circularity has primarily focused on monomer chemistries enabling faster deconstruction rates concomitant with high monomer yields. Yet, during deconstruction, polymer chains interact with their reaction medium, which remains underexplored in polymer reactivity. Here, we show that, when plastics are deconstructed in reaction media that promote swelling, initial rates are accelerated by over sixfold beyond those in small-molecule analogs.

Insight into the Ionizing Surface Potential Method and Aqueous Sodium Halide Surfaces.

Complementing the microscopic picture of the surface structure of electrolyte solutions set out by previous theoretical and experimental studies, the ionizing surface potential technique offers a unique approach to quantifying the impact of aqueous inorganic ions upon the interfacial electric field of the air-aqueous interface. In this Feature Article, we review the vulnerability of theoretical and empirically derived χ values as a normative reference for aqueous ion surface potentials. Instead, we recognize and evaluate aqueous ion surface potentials relative to well-known ionic surfactants cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

Thermodynamic Signatures of the Origin of -Hofmeister Selectivity for Phosphate at Aqueous Interfaces.

The selectivities and driving forces governing phosphate recognition by charged receptors at prevalent aqueous interfaces is unexplored relative to the many studies in homogeneous solutions. Here we report on electrostatic binding versus hydrogen-bond-assisted electrostatic binding of phosphate (HPO) for two important receptor classes in the unique microenvironment of the air-water interface. We find that the methylated ammonium receptor () is dominated by electrostatic binding to phosphate anions and fails to be selective for phosphate binding over chloride, whereas the highly phosphate-selective guanidinium receptor () provides synergistic hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions.

Iron(III) Speciation Observed at Aqueous and Glycerol Surfaces: Vibrational Sum Frequency and X-ray.

Aqueous solutions of FeCl have been widely studied to shed light on a number of processes from dissolution, mineralization, biology, electrocatalysis, corrosion, to microbial biomineralization. Yet there are little to no molecular level studies of the air-liquid FeCl interface. Here, both aqueous and glycerol FeCl solution surfaces are investigated with polarized vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy.

Increased Adult and (Diptera: Culicidae) Abundance in a Dengue Transmission Hotspot, Compared to a Coldspot, within Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

The assumption that vector abundance differences might drive spatial and temporal heterogeneities in vector-borne disease transmission is common, though data supporting it is scarce. Here, we present data from two common mosquito species (Linnaeus) and Say, biweekly sampled as adults, from March 2016 through December 2017, with BG-sentinel traps in two neighboring districts of Kaohsiung City (KC), Taiwan. One district has historically been a dengue transmission hotspot (Sanmin), and the other a coldspot (Nanzih).

Epidemiological Characteristics and Space-Time Analysis of the 2015 Dengue Outbreak in the Metropolitan Region of Tainan City, Taiwan.

The metropolitan region of Tainan City in southern Taiwan experienced a dengue outbreak in 2015. This manuscript describes basic epidemiological features of this outbreak and uses spatial and temporal analysis tools to understand the spread of dengue during the outbreak. The analysis found that, independently of gender, dengue incidence rate increased with age, and proportionally affected more males below the age of 40 years but females above the age of 40 years.

Formation of hollow and mesoporous structures in single-crystalline microcrystals of metal-organic frameworks via double-solvent mediated overgrowth.

The creation of hierarchical porosity in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could benefit various applications of MOFs such as gas storage and separation. Having single-crystalline microcrystals instead of poly-crystalline composites is critical for these potential applications of MOFs with hierarchical porosity. We developed a room temperature synthetic method to generate uniform hollow and mesoporous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) microcrystals with a single-crystalline structure via overgrowing a ZIF-8 shell in methanol solution on a ZIF-8 core with water adsorbed in the pores.

Electrochemically induced surface metal migration in well-defined core-shell nanoparticles and its general influence on electrocatalytic reactions.

Bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts provide enhanced activity, as combining metals allows tuning of electronic and geometric structure, but the enhancement may vary during the reaction because the nanoparticles can undergo metal migration under catalytic reaction conditions. Using cyclic voltammetry to track the surface composition over time, we carried out a detailed study of metal migration in a well-defined model Au-Pd core-shell nanocatalyst. When subjected to electrochemical conditions, Au migration from the core to the shell was observed.

Effects of surfactants on the purple membrane and bacteriorhodopsin: solubilization or aggregation?

Using steady-state spectroscopic and zeta potential methods, we have unraveled the interaction of the purple membrane (PM) and bacteriorhodopsin (bR) with various surfactants below their critical micelle concentrations. We found that the charged hydrophilic heads of ionic surfactants play a role in perturbing the structure and conformation of PM and bR and that ionic surfactants of opposite charges cause opposing effects. Specifically, the addition of a low concentration (0.