Variable lignin structure revealed in leaves.

Lignin has long been a trait of interest, especially in bioenergy feedstocks such as . While the stem lignin of is well studied, foliar lignin has received significantly less consideration. To this end, leaves from 11 field grown, natural variant genotypes were investigated by NMR, FTIR, and GC-MS.

Statistical copolymer metal organic nanotubes.

Metal-organic nanotubes (MONTs) are 1-dimensional crystalline porous materials that are formed from ligands and metals in a manner identical to more typical 3-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MONTs form anisotropically in one dimension making them excellent candidates for linker engineering for control of chemical composition and spacing. A novel series of MONTs was synthesized utilizing a mixture of 1,2,4-ditriazole ligands containing both a fully protonated aryl moiety and its tetrafluorinated analog in ratios of, 0 : 1, 1 : 4, 1 : 1, 4 : 1, and 1 : 0, respectively.

Non-ergodicity of a globular protein extending beyond its functional timescale.

Internal motions of folded proteins have been assumed to be ergodic, , that the dynamics of a single protein molecule averaged over a very long time resembles that of an ensemble. Here, by performing single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a multi-domain globular protein, cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine phosphatase (SHP2), we demonstrate that the functional inter-domain motion is observationally non-ergodic over the time spans 10 to 10 s and 10 to 10 s. The difference between observational non-ergodicity and simple non-convergence is discussed.

3D printed interdigitated supercapacitor using reduced graphene oxide-MnO /MnO based electrodes.

In this study hybrid nanocomposites (HNCs) based on manganese oxides (MnO /MnO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are synthesized as active electrodes for energy storage devices. Comprehensive structural characterizations demonstrate that the active material is composed of MnO /MnO nanorods and nanoparticles embedded in rGO nanosheets. The development of such novel structures is facilitated by the extreme synthesis conditions (high temperatures and pressures) of the liquid-confined plasma plume present in the Laser Ablation Synthesis in Solution (LASiS) technique.

Preparation of lignin nanospheres based superhydrophobic surfaces with good robustness and long UV resistance.

Lignin is an ideal substance for preparation of functional materials. Specifically, lignin nanospheres (LNPs) are formed by self-assembly of lignin molecules and show great application prospects in drug delivery, electrochemistry, catalysis, At present, most superhydrophobic surfaces are mainly built using non-degradable inorganic particles and are still beset by defects such as poor environmental performance, easy aging, and low mechanical strength. In this study, an aqueous mixture containing LNPs, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was sprayed onto wood surfaces and then modified by 1,1,2,2-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (FOTS) to obtain a superhydrophobic surface.

Controlling the elasticity of polyacrylonitrile fibers ionic liquids containing cyano-based anions.

As the predominant precursor for high-performance carbon fiber manufacturing, the fabrication of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based composite fibers attracts great interest. Ionic liquids (ILs) have recently been investigated for melt-spinning of ultrafine PAN fibers. The plasticizing properties of ILs are significantly affected by the structure of ILs and can be influenced by electronegativity, steric effects, Herein, we report a facile strategy to control the elasticity of the PAN/ILs fibers by tuning the anion structure of ILs.

A facile preparation of superhydrophobic L-CNC-coated meshes for oil-water separation.

A superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh (called "mesh" in short) is an ideal device to solve oil pollution accidents by oil-water separation. However, its widespread application is prevented by complicated preparation, weak durability, and particularly poor mechanical strength. It is well known that the used adhesives play a key role in the mechanical strength of superhydrophobic coatings.

Actinide tetra-N-heterocyclic carbene 'sandwiches'.

Highly-symmetrical, thorium and uranium octakis-carbene 'sandwich' complexes have been prepared by 'sandwiching' the An(iv) cations between two anionic macrocyclic tetra-NHC ligands, one with sixteen atoms and the other with eighteen atoms. The complexes were characterized by a range of experimental methods and DFT calculations. X-ray crystallography confirms the geometry at the metal centre can be set by the size of the macrocyclic ring, leading to either square prismatic or square anti-prismatic shapes; the geometry of the latter is retained in solution, which also undergoes reversible, electrochemical one-electron oxidation or reduction for the uranium variant.

A new platform for development of photosystem I based thin films with superior photocurrent: TCNQ charge transfer salts derived from ZIF-8.

The transmembrane photosynthetic protein complex Photosystem I (PSI) is highly sought after for incorporation into biohybrid photovoltaic devices due to its remarkable photoactive electrochemical properties, chiefly driving charge separation with ∼1 V potential and ∼100% quantum efficiency. In pursuit of these integrated technologies, three factors must be simultaneously tuned, namely, direct redox transfer steps, three-dimensional coordination and stabilization of PSI aggregates, and interfacial connectivity with conductive pathways. Building on our recent successful encapsulation of PSI in the metal-organic framework ZIF-8, herein we use the zinc and imidazole cations from this precursor to form charge transfer complexes with an extremely strong organic electron acceptor, TCNQ.

Peculiar bond characters of fivefold coordinated octet compound crystals.

The present work exemplifies complementary perspectives offered by the band and bond pictures of solids, with an emphasis on the chemical intuition pertaining to the latter, especially in the presence of interfaces. The modern computational method of constructing a unique set of maximally localized Wannier functions from delocalized band states imparts new interpretations to the familiar concept of chemical bonds in the context of crystalline solids. By bridging the band and bond pictures using advanced computational tools, we reveal for the first time the unusual bond characters of a long-predicted fivefold coordinated structure of binary octet compounds A B consisting of AA' stacked planar AB honeycombs.

A tough and sustainable fiber-forming material from lignin and waste poly(ethylene terephthalate).

In this report we describe repurposing of recycled polyesters as a matrix for lignin-a biorefinery coproduct that is used as a solid fuel and needs to find higher value-to make sustainable high-performance thermoplastic materials. Brittle lignin oligomers, isolated from plant biomass, require a low-melting host polymer matrix to form a rigid and tough renewable material. We demonstrate controlled lignin dispersion and interfacial interactions in softened recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using a simple solvent-free, melt-blending technique.

Monte Carlo simulation of nanoscale material focused ion beam gas-assisted etching: Ga and Ne etching of SiO in the presence of a XeF precursor gas.

Elucidating energetic particle-precursor gas-solid interactions is critical to many atomic and nanoscale synthesis approaches. Focused ion beam sputtering and gas-assisted etching are among the more commonly used direct-write nanomachining techniques that have been developed. Here, we demonstrate a method to simulate gas-assisted focused ion beam (FIB) induced etching for editing/machining materials at the nanoscale.

Nanocellulose supported hierarchical structured polyaniline/nanocarbon nanocomposite electrode layer-by-layer assembly for green flexible supercapacitors.

The development of a hierarchical structured multicomponent nanocomposite electrode is a promising strategy for utilizing the high efficiency of an electroactive material and improving the electrochemical performance. We propose cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogels with a nanoscale fiber-entangled network as the skeleton ( layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly) of electroactive materials polyaniline (PANi), carboxylic multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CMWCNTs), and graphene oxide (GO) to obtain structurally ordered polymer-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite electrodes for high-capacity flexible supercapacitors. The uniformly distributed multilayer nanoarchitecture, interconnected network, and hydrophilicity of the electrode provide a high specific surface area, excellent ion diffusion channels, and large effective contact area, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor electrode.

Utilizing herbarium specimens to quantify historical mycorrhizal communities.

Premise Of The Study: Mycorrhiza are critical to ecosystem functioning, but a lack of historical baseline data limits our understanding of the long-term belowground effects of global change. Herbarium specimens may provide this needed insight. However, it is unknown whether DNA of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be reliably extracted from vascular plant specimen roots.

Nanocellulose/polypyrrole aerogel electrodes with higher conductivity adding vapor grown nano-carbon fibers as conducting networks for supercapacitor application.

Nanocellulose-based conductive materials have been widely used as supercapacitor electrodes. Herein, electrode materials with higher conductivity were prepared by polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy) on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) hybrid aerogels. With increase in VGCF content, the conductivities of CNF/VGCF aerogel films and CNF/VGCF/PPy aerogel films increased.

iNaturalist as a tool to expand the research value of museum specimens.

Premise Of The Study: Innovative approaches to specimen collection and curation are needed to maximize the utility of natural history collections in a new era of data use. Associated data, such as digital images from the field, are routinely collected with recent herbarium specimens. However, these data often remain inaccessible and are rarely curated alongside the associated physical specimens, which limits future data use.

Jolly green MOF: confinement and photoactivation of photosystem I in a metal-organic framework.

Photosystem I (PSI) is a ∼1000 kDa transmembrane protein that enables photoactivated charge separation with ∼1 V driving potential and ∼100% quantum efficiency during the photosynthetic process. Although such properties make PSI a potential candidate for integration into bio-hybrid solar energy harvesting devices, the grand challenge in orchestrating such integration rests on rationally designed 3D architectures that can organize and stabilize PSI in the myriad of harsh conditions in which it needs to function. The current study investigates the optical response and photoactive properties of PSI encapsulated in a highly stable nanoporous metal-organic framework (ZIF-8), denoted here as PSI@ZIF-8.

Layer-by-layer assembled polyaniline/carbon nanomaterial-coated cellulosic aerogel electrodes for high-capacitance supercapacitor applications.

Traditional layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled electrodes are mostly multilayer composites formed on two-dimensional membrane materials. In this case, the electroactive material cannot enter the interior of the substrate. With porous aerogels as the substrate, the LbL assembly of the electroactive material into the three-dimensional aerogel skeleton can be realised, greatly improving the utilisation and the electrochemical performance of the electroactive material.