Poly(ionic liquid)-regulated green one-pot synthesis of Au@Pt porous nanospheres for the smart detection of acid phosphatase and organophosphorus inhibitor.

Here, a green poly(ionic liquid)-regulated one-pot method is developed for the synthesis of Au@Pt core-shell nanospheres (PNSs) under mild reaction conditions in water. It is found that the poly(ionic liquid) poly[1-methyl-3-butyl (3-hydroxy) imidazole] chloride (PIL-Cl) is very vital to guide the construction of Au@Pt PNSs. The as-obtained Au@Pt-1 PNSs have perfect spherical outlines, porous core-shell structures and large specific surface area by which they exhibit excellent peroxidase-like activity in acidic media and can be used to develop a simple and reliable colorimetric sensing platform.

Single-/Co-Driving of Tetracycline, Triclocarban and Zinc on Microbial Community, Resistome and Function in the Cyanobacteria-Blooming Freshwater Ecosystem.

Environmental concentrations of antimicrobials can inhibit Cyanobacteria, but little is known about their effects on Cyanobacteria-blooming freshwater ecosystem. Here, a 21 days' outdoor freshwater mesocosm experiment was established to study effects of single and combined tetracycline, triclocarban and zinc at environmental concentrations on microbial community, microbial function and antimicrobial resistance using amplicon- and metagenomic-based methods. Results showed that three chemicals reshaped the microbial community with magnified effects by chemical combinations.

Airborne antibiotic resistome and microbiome in pharmaceutical factories.

Antimicrobial resistance is considered to be one of the biggest public health problems, and airborne transmission is an important but under-appreciated pathway for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Previous research has shown pharmaceutical factories to be a major source of ARGs and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in the surrounding receiving water and soil environments. Pharmaceutical factories are hotspots of antibiotic resistance, but the atmospheric transmission and its environmental risk remain more concerns.

Potassium Poly(heptazine imide) Coupled with TiC MXene-Derived TiO as a Composite Photocatalyst for Efficient Pollutant Degradation.

The photocatalytic degradation of pollutants is an effective and sustainable way to solve environmental problems, and the key is to develop an efficient, low-cost, and stable photocatalyst. Polymeric potassium poly(heptazine imide) (K-PHI), as a new member of the carbon nitride family, is a promising candidate but is characterized by a high charge recombination rate. To solve this problem, K-PHI was in-situ composited with MXene TiC-derived TiO to construct a type-II heterojunction.

Airborne antibiotic resistome and human health risk in railway stations during COVID-19 pandemic.

Antimicrobial resistance is recognized as one of the greatest public health concerns. It is becoming an increasingly threat during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increasing usage of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics and disinfectants, in healthcare facilities or public spaces. To explore the characteristics of airborne antibiotic resistome in public transport systems, we assessed distribution and health risks of airborne antibiotic resistome and microbiome in railway stations before and after the pandemic outbreak by culture-independent and culture-dependent metagenomic analysis.

Imidacloprid treatments induces cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater communities under sub-tropical conditions.

Imidacloprid is one of the most used neonicotinoid insecticides all over the world and is considered as a contaminant of concern due to its high toxicity potential to aquatic organisms. However, the majority of the studies that have evaluated the effects of imidacloprid on aquatic organisms were conducted under temperate conditions. In the present study, a mesocosm experiment was conducted under sub-tropical conditions to assess the effects of imidacloprid on the structure (macroinvertebrates, zooplankton and phytoplankton) and functional endpoints of an aquatic ecosystem and to compare the results with similar temperate and (sub-)tropical mesocosm studies.

The effects of the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide on the structure and functioning of freshwater communities under sub-tropical conditions: A mesocosm study.

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a chemotherapy drug which is widely used in the treatment of neoplastic diseases and have often been detected in urban and hospital wastewater, and surface waters. However, at present the effects of CP on aquatic organisms and ecosystems are poorly understood. The main objective of the present study was to assess the effect of CP on the structure and functioning of a sub-tropical freshwater ecosystem (macroinvertebrates, zooplankton and phytoplankton) at environmental relevant concentrations.

The Ionic Liquid-HO Interface: A New Platform for the Synthesis of Highly Crystalline and Molecular Sieving Covalent Organic Framework Membranes.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are highly porous crystalline polymers with uniform pores and large surface areas. Combined with their modular design principle and excellent properties, COFs are an ideal candidate for separation membranes. Liquid-liquid interfacial polymerization is a well-known approach to synthesize membranes by reacting two monomers at the interface.

Ionic Liquid-Modulated Synthesis of Porous Worm-Like Gold with Strong SERS Response and Superior Catalytic Activities.

Porous gold with well-defined shape and size have aroused extensive research enthusiasm due to their prominent properties in various applications. However, it is still a great challenge to explore a simple, green, and low-cost route to fabricate porous gold with a "clean" surface. In this work, porous worm-like Au has been easily synthesized in a one-step procedure from aqueous solution at room temperature under the action of ionic liquid tetrapropylammonium glycine ([N][Gly]).

An aqueous synthesis of porous PtPd nanoparticles with reversed bimetallic structures for highly efficient hydrogen generation from ammonia borane hydrolysis.

Fine construction of porous bimetallic nanomaterials with tunable components and structures is of great importance for their catalytic performance and durability. Herein, we present a facile and mild one-pot route for the preparation of porous PtPd bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) with reversed structures in aqueous solution for the first time. To this end, a common ionic liquid (IL) 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C16mim]Cl) is utilized to direct the growth and assembly of porous structures of PtPd NPs.

Synthesis of various gold hierarchical architectures assisted by functionalized ionic liquids in aqueous solutions and their efficient SERS responses.

Developing a simple and green route for the controlled synthesis of hierarchical nanomaterials with anisotropic particles as subunits is highly desirable and technically important. Here, a functionalized ionic liquid (FIL) assisted strategy is developed for the preparation of hierarchical Au nanomaterials at room temperature. Various morphologies of Au products, including nanoplate-built flowers, nanobar-built flowers and nanourchins, have been well achieved using the current route in aqueous solutions of imidazolium ILs with different functional groups, such as 1-carboxymethy-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([CMmim]Cl), 1-hydroxylethyl- 3-methylimidazolium chloride ([HEmim]Cl), and 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3- methylimidazolium chloride ([APmim]Cl).

Co-immobilization of cellulase and lysozyme on amino-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: An activity-tunable biocatalyst for extraction of lipids from microalgae.

An activity-tunable biocatalyst for Nannochloropsis sp. cell-walls degradation was prepared by co-immobilization of cellulase and lysozyme on the surface of amino-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) employing glutaraldehyde. The competition between cellulase and lysozyme during immobilization was caused by the limited active sites of the MNPs.

Nanoreactors stable up to 200 °C: a class of high temperature microemulsions composed solely of ionic liquids.

It is a challenge to develop microemulsions which can serve as nanoreactors for the synthesis of nanoparticles and chemical reactions at high temperature. In this work, a class of novel high temperature microemulsions consisting solely of ionic liquids have been designed and prepared for the first time. It is found that nanoscale droplets formed in the ionic liquid microemulsions can be maintained up to 200 °C, and the size distribution of the droplets can be easily tuned by selection of the ionic liquids and varying compositions of the systems.

Efficient Photoelectrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid: A Functionalized Ionic Liquid as an Absorbent and Electrolyte.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of carbon dioxide (CO ) is a potential method for production of fuels and chemicals from a C1 feedstock accumulated in the atmosphere. However, the low solubility of CO in water, and complicated processes associated with capture and conversion, render CO conversion inefficient. A new concept is proposed in which a PEC system is used to capture and convert CO into formic acid.

Density Functional Study of Trimetallic AuPdPt (x + y + z = 7) Clusters and Their Interactions with the O Molecule.

Density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the structural and energetic properties of trimetallic AuPdPt clusters with x + y + z = 7. The possible stable geometrical configurations with their electronic states are determined. We analyze the chemical order, binding energies, vertical ionization potential, electron affinity, and HOMO-LUMO gaps as a function of the whole concentration range.

A facile synthesis of gold micro/nanostructures at the interface of 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and water.

The development of a simple, template-free, and one-step strategy to synthesize nanostructured Au architectures with fascinating morphology is highly desirable and technically important due to their valuable applications in varied fields. In this work, the "green" strategy of "tunable ionic liquids-water (ILs-H2O) interfacial synthesis" developed previously by us is utilized for feasible synthesis of gold needle mushroom-like micro/nanostructures at the 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4bim][Tf2N]) - water interface and ambient conditions. The as-obtained gold needle mushrooms (AuNMs) have been characterized and analyzed systemically by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

Reversible Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Transition of Ionic Liquids Driven by Carbon Dioxide.

Ionic liquids (ILs) with a reversible hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition were developed, and they exhibited unique phase behavior with H2O: monophase in the presence of CO2, but biphase upon removal of CO2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Thus, coupling of reaction, separation, and recovery steps in sustainable chemical processes could be realized by a reversible liquid-liquid phase transition of such IL-H2O mixtures. Spectroscopic investigations and DFT calculations showed that the mechanism behind hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition involved reversible reaction of CO2 with anion of the ILs and formation of hydrophilic ammonium salts.

Ionic liquids-water interfacial preparation of triangular Ag nanoplates and their shape-dependent antibacterial activity.

As a class of green and designable solvents, ionic liquids (ILs) have been used extensively in inorganic synthesis. In those schemes, ILs were usually used as reaction media to replace water and organic solvents, and/or used as stabilizer and capping agents to act like an amphiphilic molecule or polymer. However, the unique properties of ILs were not fully utilized in the area of material preparation.

Thermal-induced formation of a three-dimensional nanoplasmonic sensor from Ag nanocubes with high stability and reusability.

Nanoplasmonic sensors based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metal nanoparticles have many advantages, such as real-time detection, no need for reagent labelling, and no use of complicated equipment. However, the nanoplasmonic sensors with two dimensional structures usually suffer from a low LSPR signal and thus low sensitivity due to the low density of the nanoparticles. In addition, complicated surface functionalization is always required to suppress the non-specific binding of the analyst to the substrate of the sensor, because the two types of surface, that is, metal and substrate surfaces, are simultaneously exposed to the reaction medium.

Tunable synthesis of Ag films at ionic liquid-aqueous interfaces.

A new concept of "tunable ionic liquid (IL)-H(2)O interfacial synthesis" is proposed and used practically in the synthesis of Ag films with various morphologies at the IL-H(2)O interface by employing ILs with different anions and/or different alkyl chain lengths.