Photoreduced Ag/sodium alginate supramolecular hydrogel as a sensitive SERS membrane substrate for rapid detection of uranyl ions.

Background: In the fields of environmental monitoring and nuclear emergency, in order to obtain the relevant information of uranyl-induced environmental pollution and nuclear accident, it is necessary to establish a rapid quantitative analytical technique for uranyl ions. As a new promising technique, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is hopeful to achieve this goal. However, uranyl ions are easily desorbed from SERS substrates under acidic conditions, and the structures of SERS substrates will be destroyed in the strong acidic aqueous solutions.

Highly Sensitive Adsorption and Detection of Iodide in Aqueous Solution by a Post-Synthesized Zirconium-Organic Framework.

Effective methods of detection and removal of iodide ions (I) from radioactive wastewater are urgently needed and developing them remains a great challenge. In this work, an Ag decorated stable nano-MOF UiO-66-(COOH) was developed for the I to simultaneously capture and sense in aqueous solution. Due to the uncoordinated carboxylate groups on the UiO-66-(COOH) framework, Ag was successfully incorporated into the MOF and enhanced the intrinsic fluorescence of MOF.

A novel synthesis of graphene quantum dots via thermal treatment of crude graphite oxide in a dry and alkaline condition, and their application in uranyl detection.

In this article, a novel method to synthesize graphene quantum dots was developed via thermal treatment of crude graphite oxide (GO) in a dry and alkaline condition to cut the crude GO sheets into small graphene quantum dots (named as aGQDs). The aGQDs are nano-scale reduced graphene oxide pieces with the sizes around 5-10 nm. The aGQDs could disperse in water for their richment of oxygen-containing groups.

The physical chemistry of uranium (VI) immobilization on manganese oxides.

Manganese oxides show strong affinity towards uranium, and have a promising application in uranium immobilization in environmental protection. We successfully synthesized a series of Mn oxide materials of different structures and investigated their U(VI) immobilization performances. The results showed that all Mn oxides share similar sorption capacities per unit surface area, implying similar physical chemistry during immobilization.

Synthesis of sandwich-like MnO@reduced graphene oxide nano-composites via modified Hummers' method and its application as uranyl adsorbents.

Efficient and sustainable remediation technologies for uranium have recently been gaining more and more interest. Adsorption techniques are facile, effective and universal for kinds of heavy metal ions. In this paper, sandwich-like MnO@reduced graphene oxide (MnO@G) nano-composites were prepared facilely and greenly by adding NaOH solution into crude graphite oxide suspension prepared via the Hummers' method to modify the pH.

The contribution of photoinduced charge-transfer enhancement to the SERS of uranyl(VI) in a uranyl-AgO complex.

Charge-transfer (CT) is an important enhancement mechanism in the field of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that typically increases the Raman intensity of molecules by as much as 10-100 times. Herein, a low-cost AgO aggregates substrate was prepared via a facile chemical precipitation method, and the calculated CT-based enhancement factor of the uranyl ions adsorbed on it reached as high as 10, a metal-comparable value. The efficient photoinduced CT process from the valence band of AgO to the LUMO of uranyl ions under appropriate excitation sources resulted in the repulsion of the axial oxygen atoms of the OUO bond, which enhanced its polarizability, creating a more intense Raman mode.

Assembly of porphyrin-based uranium organic frameworks with (3,4)-connected pto and tbo topologies.

Three (3,4)-connected uranyl-organic frameworks (UOFs) with pto and tbo topologies were synthesized. The UOF with a pto net possesses a 2-fold interpenetrating network and exhibits 2D interconnected channels. The UOF with a tbo net is constructed from two types of ultralarge nanocages.

Self-assembly of silver nanoparticles as high active surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate for rapid and trace analysis of uranyl(VI) ions.

A facile surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on the self-assembly of silver nanoparticles on the modified silicon wafer was obtained, and for the first time, an advanced SERS analysis method basing on this as-prepared substrate was established for high sensitive and rapid detection of uranyl ions. Due to the weakened bond strength of OUO resulting from two kinds of adsorption of uranyl species ("strong" and "weak" adsorption) on the substrate, the ν symmetric stretch vibration frequency of OUO shifted from 871cm (normal Raman) to 720cm and 826cm (SERS) along with significant Raman enhancement. Effects of the hydrolysis of uranyl ions on SERS were also investigated, and the SERS band at ~826cm was first used to approximately define the constitution of uranyl species at trace quantity level.

LEV-zeotype magnesium aluminophosphates with variable Mg/Al ratios.

By using two different organic amines, n-methylpiperidine and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH), as the structure-directing agents (SDAs), two magnesium aluminophosphate molecular sieves |(C(6)H(14)N)(2)|[Mg(2)Al(7)(PO(4))(9)] and |(C(6)H(14)N(2))(1.4)(H(2)O)(2)H(2)|[Mg(2)Al(5)(PO(4))(7)], denoted as MgAPO-CJ67(a) and MgAPO-CJ67(b), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. They are the first example of Mg incorporated aluminophosphates with the LEV-zeotype structure.

Divalent-metal-stabilized aluminophosphates exhibiting a new zeolite framework topology.

Two divalent-metal-containing aluminophosphates, (C(5)H(14)N(2))[Co(2)Al(4)P(6)O(24)] and (C(5)H(14)N(2))[Zn(2)Al(4)P(6)O(24)] (denoted as MAPO-CJ62; M = Co, Zn), have been hydrothermally synthesized by using N-methylpiperazine as the structure directing agent. Their structures are determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma, and thermogravimetric and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analyses. Both of these two compounds exhibit a new zeolite framework topology.

Protective effect of ligustrazine on accelerated anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody nephritis in rats is based on its antioxidant properties.

Ligustrazine has a renoprotective effect against nephritis. In this study, we further characterized the renoprotective properties of ligustrazine in an experimental model using accelerated anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody (AGBM-Ab). Ligustrazine was given i.

Differential effects of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists on doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

The aim of this study was to compare the roles of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists nifedipine, nitrendipine, amlodipine on doxorubicin (DXR)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats using biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical approaches. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups: control; DXR; DXR+nifedipine (15 mg/kg); DXR+nitrendipine (10 mg/kg); DXR+amlodipine (5 mg/kg). Results showed that treatment with DXR alone caused significant changes in the levels of urinary protein, serum creatinine (SCr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN).