Crosslinking-induced compatibility and toughness enhancement in poly(lactic acid)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) blends with epoxidized soybean oil.

Polylactide (PLA) is inherently brittle and lacks ductility, which greatly restricts its range of applications. In order to address these issues, we blended PLA with biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB-co-4HB)), and introduced epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) as a reactive modifier to enhance the properties of the PLA/P(3HB-co-4HB) blends. Furthermore, we used theoretical calculations, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Soxhlet extraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarising optical microscopy (POM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical testing to investigate the compatibility, crystallization behavior, microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties of the PLA/P(3HB-co-4HB)/ESBO blends.

Synthesis of in-plane MoC/MoO heterostructures by a novel spatial-confined partial oxidation approach for enhanced TEA sensing.

In-plane heterostructures exhibit extraordinary chemical and electron transfer properties, which have received remarkable research attention. However, the synthesis of an in-plane MoC/MoO heterostructure has been rarely reported, and the deep investigation of the effect of its fine structure on reactivity is of great significance. Notably, the in-plane heterostructures endow the material with abundant grain boundaries, which facilitate the formation of surface acid sites and active oxygen species, thus contributing to the sensing performance.

Inducing preferential intercalation of Zn in MnO with abundant oxygen defects for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Unfavorable proton intercalation leading to the generation and shedding of side reaction products is still a major challenge for the performance of manganese-based aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). In this study, we present a porous oxygen-deficient MnO (O-MnO) synthesized through -butyllithium reduction treatment to induce preferential Zn intercalation, thereby effectively mitigating the adverse consequences of proton intercalation for high-performance AZIBs. Remarkably, O-MnO as a cathode material for AZIBs exhibits a specific capacity of 341 mA h g at 0.

Engineering of in-plane SnS-SnO nanosheets heterostructures for enhanced HS sensing.

In-plane heterostructures has attracted considerable interest due to exceptional electron transport properties, high specific surface area, and abundant active sites. However, synthesis of in-plane SnS-SnO heterostructures are rarely reported, and the deep investigation of the fine structure on reactivity is of great significance. Here, we propose partial in-situ oxidation strategy to construct the in-plane SnS-SnO heterostructures and the surface properties, the ratio of two components can be finely tuned by precisely adjusting the treatment temperature.

Oxygen Vacancy Enabled Electronic Structure Engineering of Pt-WO Nanosheets toward Highly Efficient BTEX Sensing.

A Pt nanoparticle-immobilized WO material is a promising candidate for catalytic reactions, and the surface and electronic structure can strongly affect the performance. However, the effect of the intrinsic oxygen vacancy of WO on the d-band structure of Pt and the synergistic effect of Pt and the WO matrix on reaction performance are still ambiguous, which greatly hinders the design of advanced materials. Herein, Pt-decorated WO nanosheets with different electronic metal-support interactions are successfully prepared by finely tuning the oxygen vacancy structure of WO nanosheets.

Ternary Eutectic Electrolyte-Assisted Formation and Dynamic Breathing Effect of the Solid-Electrolyte Interphase for High-Stability Aqueous Magnesium-Ion Full Batteries.

Aqueous rechargeable magnesium batteries hold immense potential for intrinsically safe, cost-effective, and sustainable energy storage. However, their viability is constrained by a narrow voltage range and suboptimal compatibility between the electrolyte and electrodes. Herein, we introduce an innovative ternary deep eutectic Mg-ion electrolyte composed of MgCl·6HO, acetamide, and urea in a precisely balanced 1:1:7 molar ratio.

Boosting the sonophotocatalytic performance of BiOCl by Eu doping: DFT and an experimental study.

Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) has a unique layered structure and uneven charge distribution, resulting in an internal electric field under polarization, which promotes the efficient separation and migration of photogenerated carriers. BiOCl could be a candidate for sonophotocatalysts. However, the low utilization of visible light limits the application of BiOCl in photocatalysts.

Alloying of Cu with Ru Enabling the Relay Catalysis for Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia.

Involving eight electron transfer process and multiple intermediates of nitrate (NO ) reduction reaction leads to a sluggish kinetic and low Faradaic efficiency, therefore, it is essential to get an insight into the reaction mechanism to develop highly efficient electrocatalyst. Herein, a series of reduced-graphene-oxide-supported RuCu alloy catalysts (Ru Cu /rGO) are fabricated and used for the direct reduction of NO to NH . It is found that the Ru Cu /rGO shows the ammonia formation rate of 0.

High n-type and p-type conductivities and power factors achieved in a single conjugated polymer.

The charge transport properties of conjugated polymers are commonly limited by the energetic disorder. Recently, several amorphous conjugated polymers with planar backbone conformations and low energetic disorder have been investigated for applications in field-effect transistors and thermoelectrics. However, there is a lack of strategy to finely tune the interchain π-π contacts of these polymers that severely restricts the energetic disorder of interchain charge transport.

BiOCl Heterojunction photocatalyst: Construction, photocatalytic performance, and applications.

BiOCl semiconductors have attracted extensive amounts of attention and have substantial potential in alleviating energy shortages, improving sterilization performance, and solving environmental issues. To improve the optical quantum efficiency of layered BiOCl, the lifetimes of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and BiOCl reduction capacity. During the past decade, researchers have designed many effective methods to weaken the effects of these limitations, and heterojunction construction is regarded as one of the most promising strategies.

Two Structurally Similar Co Cluster-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks Containing Open Metal Sites for Efficient CH/CO Separation.

To reasonably design and synthesize metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high stability and excellent adsorption/separation performance, the pore configuration and functional sites are very important. Here, we report two structurally similar cluster-based MOFs using a pyridine-modified low-symmetry ligand [HL = 2,6-bis(2',5'-dicarboxyphenyl)pyridine], [(NHMe)][Co(L)(OCH)(μ-OH)·2DMF]·2DMF·2HO () and [Co(L)(μ-OH)(HO)]·2HO·4DMF (). The structures of and are built from Co clusters, which have one-dimensional open channels, but their microporous environments are different due to the different ways in which ligands bind to the metals.

Ultra-sensitive HS sensor based on sunflower-like In-doped ZnO with enriched oxygen vacancies.

Metal oxide sensors face the challenge of high response and fast recovery at low operating temperatures for the detection of toxic and flammable hydrogen sulfide (HS) gases. Herein, novel In-doped ZnO with a sunflower-like structure and tunable surface properties was rationally synthesized. The substitutional In atom in the ZnO crystal can dramatically enhance the concentration of oxygen vacancies (O), the In-ZnO sites are responsible for fast recovery, and the formation of sub-stable sulfide intermediates gives rise to the high response towards HS.

Molecular-Level Zn-Ion Transfer Pump Specifically Functioning on (002) Facets Enables Durable Zn Anodes.

The modification of metallic Zn anode contributes to solving the cycling issue of Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) by restraining the dendrite growth and side reactions. In this regard, modulating (002) Zn is an effective way to prolong the lifespan of ZIBs with a parallel arrangement of Zn deposition. Herein, the authors propose to add trace amounts of Zn(BF ) additive in 3 M ZnSO to promote in-plane Zn deposition by forming a BF -[Zn(H O) ] -[Zn(BF ) ] transfer process and specifically functioning on (002) facets.

Light-responsive self-strained organic semiconductor for large flexible OFET sensing array.

With the wide application of organic semiconductors (OSCs), researchers are now grappling with a new challenge: design and synthesize OSCs materials with specific functions to satisfy the requirements of high-performance semiconductor devices. Strain engineering is an effective method to improve the semiconductor material's carrier mobility, which is fundamentally originated from the rearrangement of the atomic packing model of materials under mechanic stress. Here, we design and synthesize a new OSC material named AZO-BTBT-8 based on high-mobility benzo[b]benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene (BTBT) as the semiconductor backbone.

Cocrystallization Enabled Spatial Self-Confinement Approach to Synthesize Crystalline Porous Metal Oxide Nanosheets for Gas Sensing.

Crystalline metal oxide nanosheets show exceptional catalytic performance owing to the large surface-to-volume ratio and quantum confinement effect. However, it is still a challenge to develop a facile and general method to synthesize metal oxide nanosheets. Herein, we report a cocrystallization induced spatial self-confinement approach to synthesize metal oxide nanosheets.

Regulating Interfacial Desolvation and Deposition Kinetics Enables Durable Zn Anodes with Ultrahigh Utilization of 80.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) represent a promising technology for large-scale energy storage due to their high capacity, intrinsic safety and low cost. However, Zn anodes suffer from poor reversibility and cycling stability caused by the side-reactions and dendrite issues, which limit the Zn utilization in the ZIBs. Herein, to improve the durability of Zn under high utilization, an aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) interphase is presented.

An AIE-Active Ultrathin Polymeric Self-Assembled Monolayer Sensor for Trace Volatile Explosive Detection.

This work has prepared polymeric self-assembled monolayer (SAM) sensors for the detection of trace volatile nitroaromatic compound (NAC) explosives by fluorescence quenching. A typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethene (TPE) polymerizes into PTPE to increase the fluorescence intensity in the SAMs, and the phosphoric acid acts as the anchor group to form stable covalent bonds with the Al O substrate. This design takes advantage of the high sensitivity and good stability of SAMs, and high fluorescence intensity, and "wire effect" of the conjugated polymers.

A Formaldehyde Sensor Based on Self-Assembled Monolayers of Oxidized Thiophene Derivatives.

High-performance formaldehyde sensors play an important role in air quality assessment. Herein, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) sensor for trace formaldehyde (FA) is fabricated based on the fluorescence enhancement of oxidized thiophene derivatives. In the primary SAM molecules, the functional backbone trithiophene (3T) links to the anchor through an -propyl group.

Fast-Scanning Chip-Calorimetry Measurement of Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(Glycolic Acid).

We report fast-scanning chip-calorimetry measurement of isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) in a broad temperature range. We observed that PGA crystallization could be suppressed by cooling rates beyond -100 K s and, after fast cooling, by heating rates beyond 50 K s. In addition, the parabolic curve of crystallization half-time versus crystallization temperature shows that PGA crystallizes the fastest at 130 °C with the minimum crystallization half-time of 4.

Template-Directed Bifunctional Dodecahedral CoP/CN@MoS Electrocatalyst for High Efficient Water Splitting.

Designing high efficient and noble metal-free bifunctional electrocatalysts for both hydrogen and oxygen generation is still critical and challenged. In this study, hierarchical dodecahedral-structured CoP/CN@MoS is prepared through a two-step calcination treatment and a solvothermal approach. The metal-organic framework of ZIF-67 is chosen to serve as the template and for providing Co sources, in which ZIF-67 is first transformed to Co nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon polyhedrons and then transformed to CoP/CN.

High selective detection of mercury (II) ions by thioether side groups on metal-organic frameworks.

Mercury ions can significantly affect the organism and environment even at a very low concentration. Thus, great efforts have been devoted to developing high sensitive electrochemical sensors, especially the one that not only detect the mercury ions but also effective sensitive to thymine-Hg-thymine in aqueous solution. Metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) possess hollow nature and are easy for grafting functional groups, however, there is still no attempts for working as electrochemical sensors in detecting mercury ions.

Correction to: A glassy carbon electrode modified with N-doped carbon dots for improved detection of hydrogen peroxide and paracetamol.

The authors of "A glassy carbon electrode modified with N-doped carbon dots for improved detection of hydrogen peroxide and paracetamol (Microchimica Acta 185, no. 2 (2018): 87)" wish to replace the incorrect images of Fig. 1C, 1D shown below.

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Stone⁻Wales Defected Graphene Decorated with the Half-Metallocene of ( = Fe, Co, Ni): A First Principle Study.

The geometrical, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of the half-metallocene of ( = Fe, Co, Ni) adsorbed on Stone⁻Wales defected graphene (SWG) were studied using the density functional theory (DFT), aiming to tune the band structure of SWG. The introduction of cyclopentadienyl (Cp) and half-metallocene strongly affected the band structure of SWG. The magnetic properties of the complex systems originated from the 3D orbitals of ( = Fe, Co, Ni), the molecular orbital of Cp, and SWG.

A glassy carbon electrode modified with N-doped carbon dots for improved detection of hydrogen peroxide and paracetamol.

Nitrogen doped carbon dots (NCDs) were synthesized using a low temperature approach and used to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via dipping. The oxygen groups on the surface of the NCDs, and the charge delocalization of the NCDs warrant an excellent electrocatalytic activity of the GCE toward oxidation of paracetamol (PA) and reduction of HO. PA and HO were detected at 0.