Cobalt(II) and Manganese(II) Complexes of Sodium Monensinate A Bearing Nitrate Co-Ligands.

Monensic acid is a natural polyether ionophore and is a therapeutic of first choice in veterinary medicine for the control of coccidiosis. Although known as a sodium-binding ligand, it can also form a variety of coordination species depending on experimental conditions applied. In this study, we present the crystal structures and properties of Co(II) and Mn(II) complexes of sodium monensinate (MonNa) derived from the reaction of MonNa with cobalt or manganese dinitrates.

Difference in the Catalytic Activity of Atoms in the Corners and at the Edges of Gold Nanoparticles: Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reaction.

The goal of this work is to investigate the catalytic activities of low-coordination atoms located in gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles with sizes from 0.7 to 40 nm deposited on γ-AlO were used as a catalyst.

Local Stress in Cylindrically Curved Lipid Membrane: Insights into Local Versus Global Lateral Fluidity Models.

Lipid membranes, which are fundamental to cellular function, undergo various mechanical deformations. Accurate modeling of these processes necessitates a thorough understanding of membrane elasticity. The lateral shear modulus, a critical parameter describing membrane resistance to lateral stresses, remains elusive due to the membrane's fluid nature.

Dynamics of Aggregation in Systems of Self-Propelled Rods.

We highlight camphene-camphor-polypropylene plastic as a useful material for self-propelled objects that show aggregation while floating on a water surface. We consider self-propelled rods as an example of aggregation of objects characterized by non-trivial individual shapes with low-symmetry interactions between them. The motion of rods made of the camphene-camphor-polypropylene plastic is supported by dissipation of the surface-active molecules.

Continuous Tuning of Intersystem Crossing Times in Rose Bengal Water/Methanol Solutions.

We use femtosecond transient broadband absorption spectroscopy (TAS) to characterize Rose Bengal in water/methanol solutions and reveal a continuous tunability of intersystem crossing (ISC) times by changing the mole fraction of the solvents. We find that the transients of excited state absorptions (ESAs) in Rose Bengal at ∼430 nm can be attributed to transitions from the singlet state S, with decay times of 74 ps via ISC in pure water and up to 405 ps in pure methanol. TA measurements at near-infrared wavelengths, on the other hand, reveal the rise of an ESA at ∼1080 nm from the triplet state T with time constants of 68 and 491 ps in pure water and methanol, respectively, strongly supporting the associated UV-vis TAS data.

Filling the gaps: Introducing plasticizers into π-conjugated OPE-NH Langmuir layers for defect-free anisotropic interfaces and membranes towards unidirectional mass, charge, or energy transfer.

The construction of ultrathin membranes from linearly aligned π-electron systems is advantageous for targeted energy, charge, or mass transfer. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique enables the creation of such membranes, especially with amphiphilic π-electron systems. However, these systems often aggregate, forming rigid Langmuir monolayers with defects or holes.

Design of a Duplex-to-Complex Structure-Switching Approach for the Homogeneous Determination of Marine Biotoxins in Water.

In this report, we describe a fluorescent assay for the detection of six marine toxins in water. The mechanism of detection is based on a duplex-to-complex structure-switching approach. The six aptamers specific to the targeted cyanotoxins were conjugated to a fluorescent dye, carboxyfluorescein (FAM).

Effect of Silver Nanoparticle Size on Antibacterial Activity.

The ubiquitous use of products containing AgNPs results in the entry of nanoparticles into the environment. Both nanoparticles and Ag released upon their oxidative dissolution have a toxic effect on living microorganisms. The antibacterial activity of spherical silver nanoparticles of 10.

Hydrogel for Sustained Delivery of Therapeutic Agents.

In recent years, hydrogels have emerged as a highly promising platform for the sustained delivery of therapeutic agents, addressing critical challenges in drug delivery systems, from controlled release to biocompatibility [...

Image-based fuzzy logic control for pressure-driven droplet microfluidics as autosampler for multimodal imaging microscopy.

Here we present a highly customisable image-based fuzzy logic control (FLC) method for pressure-driven droplet microfluidics. The system is designed to position droplets of different sizes in microfluidic chips of varying channel size in the centre of the region of interest (ROI) using two parallel multiple input single output (MISO) FLCs. Overall, 95.

Enamel surface roughness after orthodontic adhesive removal: an in vitro study comparing four clearance methods.

Purpose: Adhesive remnants removal is the last key step influencing orthodontic treatment outcomes. Four different clearance methods (CM) of orthodontic adhesive were evaluated to determine, which achieved the smoothest enamel surface in the shortest time.

Materials And Methods: 75 intact premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were included, sixty had an orthodontic bracket bonded and subsequently removed, and fifteen served as the control group.

Nanofiltration Membranes Containing a Metal-Polyphenol Network Layer: Using Casting Solution pH as a Tool to Tailor the Separation Performance.

Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes containing metal-polyphenol network (MPN) selective layers were fabricated using a supramolecular self-assembly between tannic acid (TA) and ferric ion (Fe). The TA-Fe thin film was coated on a porous polyacrylonitrile support using aqueous solutions of TA and FeCl via a layer-by-layer deposition technique. The pH of the TA solution was used as a tool to alter the membrane characteristics.

Photoinduced hydrogen dissociation in thymine predicted by coupled cluster theory.

The fate of thymine upon excitation by ultraviolet radiation has been the subject of intense debate. Today, it is widely believed that its ultrafast excited state gas phase decay stems from a radiationless transition from the bright ππ* state to a dark nπ* state. However, conflicting theoretical predictions have made the experimental data difficult to interpret.

Photoinduced removal of molecular oxygen from solutions.

We propose a new, simple and efficient procedure of light-driven deoxygenation of solutions based on hydroperoxides formation upon irradiation. Efficient and fast removal of molecular oxygen is caused by photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen, which then reacts with the solvent (2-methyltetrahydrofuran or tetrahydrofuran). Oxygen depletion makes it possible to observe processes normally undetectable in non-degassed liquid samples at room temperature, such as phosphorescence and triplet-triplet annihilation.

Sub-millielectronvolt Line Widths in Polarized Low-Temperature Photoluminescence of 2D PbS Nanoplatelets.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are promising materials for classical and quantum light sources due to their efficient photoluminescence (PL) and versatile chemistry. While visible emitters are well-established, excellent (near-infrared) sources are still being pursued. We present the first comprehensive analysis of low-temperature PL from two-dimensional (2D) PbS nanoplatelets (NPLs).

Surface potentials of conductors in electrolyte solutions.

When we place conducting bodies in electrolyte solutions, their surface potential Φs appears to be much smaller in magnitude than the applied one Φ0 and normally does not obey the classical electrostatic boundary condition of a constant potential expected for conductors. In this paper, we demonstrate that an explanation of these observations can be obtained by postulating that diffuse ions condense at the "wall" due to the reduced permittivity of a solvent. For small values of Φ0, the surface potential responds linearly.

Experimental and Theoretical Insights on Gas Trapping of Noble Gases in MFU-4-Type Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Isostructural metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), namely MFU-4 and MFU-4-Br, in which the pore apertures are defined by anionic side ligands (Cl and Br, respectively), were synthesized and loaded with noble gases. By selecting the type of side ligand, one can fine-tune the pore aperture size, allowing for precise regulation of the entry and release of gas guests. In this study, we conducted experiments to examine gas loading and release using krypton and xenon as model gases, and we complemented our findings with computational modeling.

Design of polyurethane composite foam obtained from industrial PET wastes and MXenes for EMI shielding applications.

The primary aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize polyurethane (PUR) foams derived from the depolymerization products of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and MXenes (NbAlC). The depolymerized PET products were produced through a zinc acetate-catalyzed glycolysis process using diethylene glycol (DEG) as solvent. These glycolysis products were then reacted with 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), commercial polyols, and MXenes to produce the PUR foams.

Double coordination shell modulation of nitrogen-free atomic manganese sites for enhancing oxygen reduction performance.

The rational design and fabrication of the active sites of single-atom catalysts (SACs) remains the main breakthrough for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Although metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) materials have been reported to exhibit good ORR performance, the M-N bond is prone to oxidation and subsequent destruction in Fenton-like reactions. Here, we report a nitrogen-free Mn-based SAC (Mn-SOG-600) anchored on a nitrogen-free graphene substrate, where manganese is bound to four oxygen atoms and one sulfur atom across two different coordination shells.

Engineering Biomimetic Microvascular Capillary Networks in Hydrogel Fibrous Scaffolds via Microfluidics-Assisted Co-Axial Wet-Spinning.

The microvascular bed plays a crucial role in establishing nutrient exchange and waste removal, as well as maintaining tissue metabolic activity in the human body. However, achieving microvascularization of engineered 3D tissue constructs is still an unsolved challenge. In this work, we developed biomimetic cell-laden hydrogel microfibers recapitulating oriented microvascular capillary-like networks by using a 3D bioprinting technique combined with microfluidics-assisted coaxial wet-spinning.