Multi-Objective Optimization Accelerates the De Novo Design of Antimicrobial Peptide for .

Humans have long used antibiotics to fight bacteria, but increasing drug resistance has reduced their effectiveness. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising alternative with natural broad-spectrum activity against bacteria and viruses. However, their instability and hemolysis limit their medical use, making the design and improvement of AMPs a key research focus.

Preparation and anti-inflammation activity of λ-carrageenan oligosaccharides degraded by a novel λ-carrageenase Car3193.

To date, less attention has been paid to λ-carrageenases and their enzymatic hydrolysates than to κ- and ι-carrageenases and their hydrolysates. In this study, a Gram-negative strain Polaribacter sp. NJDZ03 was isolated from the surface of an Antarctic macroalga, Desmarestia sp.

Developing a Fluorinated Benzothiadiazole-Based Polymer Donor as Guest to Construct High-Performance Ternary Solar Cells.

Benzothiadiazole (BT) has shown promising applications in fullerene solar cells. However, few BT-based polymer donors exhibited a noticeable power conversion efficiency (PCE) for the fused-ring small molecular acceptor-based polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we developed a D-A (D: donor, A: acceptor) polymer donor F-1 based on fluorinated BT (ffBT) as A unit and chlorinated benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene (BDT-2Cl) as D unit.

Boosting Formate Production in Electrocatalytic CO Reduction on Bimetallic Catalysts Enriched with In-Zn Interfaces.

We present an effective strategy for developing the dispersing strong-binding metal In on the surface of weak-binding metal Zn, which modulates the binding energy of the reaction intermediates and further facilitates the efficient conversion of CO to formate. The In-Zn interface (In-Zn2) benefits from the formation of active sites through favorable orbital interactions, leading to a Faradaic efficiency of 82.7% and a formate partial current density of 12.

Glyoxylic acid monohydrate promoted reductive addition of sodium sulfinates to pillar[4]arene[1]quinone.

An efficient synthesis of sulfonate esters through reductive addition of sodium sulfinates to pillar[4]arene[1]quinone has been established (15 examples). Compared to the arylsulfonylation of -quinone with sodium arylsulfinates under other acidic conditions, this work affords the hydroquinone-type 4--sulfonyl derivatives by using glyoxylic acid monohydrate as a promoter. The protocol features mild reaction conditions and high selectivity and is an alternative protocol for the -sulfonylation of pillar[4]arene[1]hydroquinone.

Ru-Catalyzed Switchable Reactions of Acrylic Acids with Glyoxylate: Access to Functionalized γ-Butenolides.

We herein report a switchable coupling of acrylic acids with ethyl glyoxylate under ruthenium catalysis enabling the synthesis of diverse functionalized γ-butenolides. The carboxyl-directed vinylic C-H cleavage and dual nucleophilic addition to aldehyde are achieved to deliver hydroxymethylated butanolides under mild and oxidant-free conditions. Alternatively, a controlled and unprecedented tandem C-H cyclization/oxidative homocoupling reaction is realized by using silver salt as the oxidant to generate a range of dimeric butenolides bearing vicinal all-carbon quaternary centers.

Electron Delocalized Ni Active Sites in Spinel Catalysts Enable Efficient Urea Oxidation.

The urea oxidation reaction (UOR) has attracted much attention as an efficient alternative reaction to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to its low required overpotential. Despite significant progress in efficient nickel-based catalysts, the fundamental issues regarding product selectivity control and dissociation mechanism during the UOR process have not been clarified. Here, we report that tuning the electron delocalization strength of Ni sites significantly affects the OH binding sites, altering urea molecule dissociation patterns in alkaline systems.

Ce/Ce Ion Redox Shuttle Stabilized Cu for Efficient CO Electroreduction to CH.

The CO electroreduction reaction has advantages in clean and pollution-free carbon conversion, but it still faces challenges in carbon utilization efficiency and improving the selectivity of C products. Although the dynamic Cu state is known to favor the C-C coupling process, the suitable Cu species for electrocatalytic reduction of CO are difficult to maintain under the conditions of strong reduction and large current. Herein, we propose a Ce doping strategy to stabilize the Cu state (Ce/CuO) during the CORR process, which enables a high Faradaic efficiency of 60 % for multi-carbon products (40 % for CH, 14 % for CHCHOH, and 6 % for CHCOOH), and 25 h stability at -1.

Water-Vapor-Triggered Dual-Mode Optical Responses in Rare-Earth-Doped Hollow Nanospheres.

Multimode responsive optical materials are garnering ever-increasing attention due to their diverse applications. This work showcases a film assembled with rare-earth-doped CaF hollow nanospheres that exhibit water-vapor-triggered dual-mode optical responses. Upon exposure to flowing water vapor, the film rapidly (less than 1.

Substrate-Controlled Electrochemical Reaction of 2-Alkynylbenzamides, Inorganic Sulfites, and Alcohols.

Isoindolones constitute a dominant structural class in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. In this research, an electrochemical reaction involving 2-alkynylbenzamides, inorganic sulfites, and alcohols was first established to provide sulfonyl ester-substituted 3-hydroxyisoindolinone derivatives in moderate to good yields with excellent functional group tolerance. When bulky aryl-substituted 2-alkynylbenzamides are utilized as substrates, sulfonyl ester-substituted 3-alkylideneisoindolinones can be selectively generated with good chemoselectivity.

Long-Term Stable EuO-Loaded Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoprobes with Coordination-Enhanced Photoluminescence for Ultrasensitive Lateral Flow Immunoassay.

Inorganic lanthanide nanomaterials as photoluminescent biolabels have attracted increasing attention due to their superior physicochemical properties. However, unstable conjugation of inorganic lanthanide nanomaterials with biological function units (such as antibodies) induces instability of conjugated complexes in aqueous solution, limiting their clinical application. In this study, we developed a rapid point-of-care testing (POCT) platform strategy based on coordination-enhanced time-resolved luminescence of specially nanostructural lanthanide particles for lateral flow immunoassay (CE-TRFIA).

Functionalized iminodiacetic acid pectin/montmorillonite hydrogel for enhanced adsorption of 4-nitrophenol from simulated water: An integrated approach of response surface optimization and non-linear modeling.

This research focuses on the modification of pectin through an amination reaction, followed by the development of a novel iminodiacetic acid-functionalized pectin/montmorillonite hydrogel nanocomposite (IMAP/MMT) using gamma radiation. This composite was investigated as an adsorbent for 4-nitrophenol removal from aqueous solutions. Central composite design was utilized for numerical optimization, identifying the maximum adsorption capacity under optimal conditions [0.

Introduction to the themed collection in honour of Professor Christian Leumann.

Marcel Hollenstein and Eugen Stulz introduce the cross-journal themed collection celebrating Christian Leumann's retirement.

Metal-catalyzed divergent synthesis from ylides with 3-arylbenzo[][1,2,3]triazin-4(3)-ones.

The present work reveals a new metal-catalyzed synthetic reaction involving 1,2,3-benzotriazinones with carbonyl sulfoxonium ylide and iodonium ylide, resulting in divergent products. Within this catalytic system, 3-phenylbenzo[][1,2,3]triazin-4(3)-one derivatives undergo C-H alkylation processes facilitated by a Cp*Rh(III) catalyst when combined with a carbonyl sulfoxonium ylide. On the other hand, when iodonium ylide substrates are used, they undergo an alkenylation reaction facilitated by a Cp*Ir(III) catalyst.

Recent progress in asymmetric radical reactions enabled by chiral iron catalysts.

Transition-metal-catalyzed radical asymmetric reactions offer a versatile and effective platform for accessing chiral organic molecules with high enantiopurity. Given that iron is the most abundant and less toxic transition metalic element available, the application of iron catalysts is considered to be a more sustainable and attractive approach. Over the last decade, several exciting and notable achievements have been witnessed.

Slippery hydrogel surface on PTFE hollow fiber membranes for sustainable emulsion separation.

Establishing an efficient and sustainable membrane module is of great significance for practical oil/water emulsion separation. Superwetting membranes have been extensively studied but cannot meet long lasting separation owing to inevitable membrane fouling. Herein, we constructed a hydrogel-mediated slippery surface on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow fibers and then designed a flexible and swing hollow fiber membrane module inspired by fish gill respiration, which achieved sustainable emulsion separation.

Highly Stable Propane Dehydrogenation on a Self-Supporting Single-Component ZnSiO Catalyst.

Current industrial propane dehydrogenation (PDH) processes predominantly use either toxic Cr-based or expensive Pt-based catalysts, necessitating urgent exploration for alternatives. Herein, we present ZnSiO, an easily prepared, cost-effective material, as a highly efficient and stable catalyst for PDH. Uniquely, ZnSiO nanocrystals do not require dispersion on support materials, commonly needed for catalytic active oxide clusters, but function as a self-supporting catalyst instead.

Ligand-Enabled Copper-Catalyzed Ullmann-Type S-C Bond Formation to Access Sulfilimines.

A copper-catalyzed Ullmann-type cross-coupling reaction of sulfenamides with aryl iodides is developed. The key to success is the use of a 2-methylnaphthalen-1-amine-derived amide ligand, which enables the formation of an S-C bond to access functionalized sulfilimines in good to excellent yields at room temperature. This method has the advantages of mild conditions, a broad substrate scope, good functional group compatibility, and high chemoselectivity.

Observation of polarity changes in Sjogren's syndrome mice using a targeting lysosomes and ratiometric fluorescent probe.

Utilizing non-invasive, real-time dynamic imaging and high-resolution detection tools to track polarity changes in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) contributes to a better understanding of the disease progression. Herein, a ratiometric polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe (DIM) was designed and synthesized, DIM consisted of dicyanoisophorone as the fluorophore and morpholine moiety as lysosome targeting. DIM showed a ratiometric response to polarity and high selectivity (unaffected by viscosity, pH, ROS, RNS, etc.

Optimization and Tradeoff Analysis for Multiple Configurations of Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage Systems in Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol Sector.

Bio-energy systems with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) will be essential if countries are to meet the gas emission reduction targets established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. This study seeks to carry out a thermodynamic optimization and analysis of a BECCS technology for a typical Brazilian cogeneration plant. To maximize generated net electrical energy (MWe) and carbon dioxide CO capture (Mt/year), this study evaluated six cogeneration systems integrated with a chemical absorption process using MEA.

Effects of Alkali Elements on Copper Indium Gallium Aluminum Selenide Flexible Solar Cells Fabricated on Polyimide Substrates.

Polycrystalline Cu(InGaAl)Se (CIGAS) thin films were prepared on polyimide (PI) foils by depositing aluminum (Al) and CIGS precursor layers. Three ceramic CIGS quaternary targets with different sodium (Na) contents were used for investigating the influences of alkali doping at an annealing temperature of 500 °C. The Al concentration was enriched at the front interfaces of absorber films with different Na doping amounts after annealing.

Construction of Surface Ru─O─Co Units With Optimized Co Spin States for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction and Evolution.

The introduction of noble metal into spinel structure is an effective strategy to develop efficient oxygen evolution/reduction reaction (OER/ORR) catalysts. Herein, surface Co is substituted by Ru in Ru-MnCoO/NCNTs by ion-exchange, where presence of Ru─O─Co unit facilitates electron transfer. This strong electron coupling effect leads downward shift in d-band center and a narrowing of d-p bandgap.