Intrinsic challenges and strategic approaches for enhancing the potential of natural rubber and its derivatives: A review.

Natural rubber (NR) and its derivatives play indispensable roles in various industries due to their unique properties and versatile applications. However, the widespread utilization of NR faces intrinsic challenges such as limited mechanical strength, poor resistance to heat and organic solvent, poor electrical conductivity, and low compatibility with other materials, prompting researchers to explore enhancing its performance. Modified NRs (MNRs) like cyclization, deproteinization, chlorination, epoxidation, or grafting NR demonstrated a few enhanced merits compared to NR.

Physicochemical properties and density functional theory calculation of octahedral UiO-66 with Bis(Trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquids.

In this study, the physicochemical properties and molecular interactions between zirconium-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66) and three different ionic liquids based on bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion (EMIM, BMIM and OMIM) was performed via a combined experimental and computational approach. The ionic liquid loaded UiO-66 or IL@UiO-66 was synthesized and characterized to understand the host-guest interaction. Density functional theory calculation was performed to analyse the electronic structure of IL@UiO-66 to provide molecular insight on the dominant interactions occurred in the hybrid material.

Host-Guest Interactions of Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework with Ionic Liquid.

A metal-organic framework (MOF) is a three-dimensional crystalline compound made from organic ligands and metals. The cross-linkage between organic ligands and metals creates a network of coordination polymers containing adjustable voids with a high total surface area. This special feature of MOF made it possible to form a host-guest interaction with small molecules, such as ionic liquid (IL), which can alter the phase behavior and improve the performance in battery applications.

Ionic Liquid@Metal-Organic Framework as a Solid Electrolyte in a Lithium-Ion Battery: Current Performance and Perspective at Molecular Level.

Searching for a suitable electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery is a challenging task. The electrolyte must not only be chemically and mechanically stable, but also be able to transport lithium ions efficiently. Ionic liquid incorporated into a metal-organic framework (IL@MOF) has currently emerged as an interesting class of hybrid material that could offer excellent electrochemical properties.

Further Molecular Analysis of G6PD Deficiency Variants in Southern Vietnam and a Novel Variant Designated as G6PD Ho Chi Minh (173 A>G; 58 Asp>Gly): Frequency Distributions of Variants Compared with Those in Other Southeast Asian Countries.

We conducted a survey of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency among newborn babies at Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh, southern Vietnam. A total of 90 deficient babies were detected, including 85 in the Kinh ethnic group, 4 Chinese, and 1 in the K'Ho minority group. In the Kinh ethnic group, G6PD variants such as G6PD Viangchan (n=32), Kaiping (n=11), Canton (n=8), Chinese-5 (n=7), Union (n=5) and Quing Yuan (n=4) were detected.