Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Delafresnaye, Florian Feist, Jordan P. Hooker, Christopher Barner-Kowollik
Summary: This study introduces a method for synthesizing microspheres using sunlight as a purely light-driven platform, producing stable particles without the need for initiators, surfactants, or heating. This unconventional approach provides a new opportunity for particle synthesis, different from the traditional thermally-driven methods.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Hai Zhong, Yingjie Zhang, Jianping Deng
Summary: This article reports on the construction of novel ternary chiral porous hybrid particles (TCPHPs) using alkynylated cellulose nanocrystals (A-CNCs), helical substituted polyacetylene, and inorganic silica, displaying anticipated optical activity and enantio-differentiating performance towards chiral drugs.
Article
Polymer Science
Yan-Fang Zhang, Xu Chen, Xiao-Song Yu, Jia-Xin Chen, Ming-Qu Hu, Bo-Yuan Zheng, Yi-Xin Liu, Shuang Yang, Er-Qang Chen
Summary: It is discovered that dynamic helical cis-poly(phenylacetylene) can form folded chain lamellae in the liquid crystal phase. Through atomic force microscopy experiments, adjacent and nonadjacent folds at the liquid crystal-amorphous interface were directly visualized.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hui Zou, Shan Tai, Shu-Yang Zhao, Li Zhou, Na Liu, Zong-Quan Wu
Summary: Optically active helical polycarbenes were synthesized by catalyzing the living and controlled helix-sense-selective polymerization (HSSP) of methyl salicylate modified diazoacetate monomer with pi-allylPdCl using chiral phosphine ligands. The resulting helical polycarbenes could be postpolymerization modified to produce functional polycarbenes efficiently.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaohong Liu, Michael G. Debije, Johan P. A. Heuts, Albert P. H. J. Schenning
Summary: Liquid-crystalline polymer particles prepared using classical polymerization techniques are gaining attention for various applications. Different preparation methods yield particles with varying sizes, molecular orientations, and liquid-crystalline phases. There are challenges and prospects in the preparation of these particles using classical polymerization techniques.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yanyan Wang, Liuqian Bao, Jiajing Sun, Yuanyuan Ding, Jiasheng Shi, Zhengyu Duan, Zhiyong Chen
Summary: This study describes the synthesis of micro-sized fluorinated microspheres and demonstrates their tunable particle size and wettability through alternating fluorine monomers. The resulting microspheres exhibit superhydrophobicity and can be utilized as a stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jia Xu, Zihao Liu, Qiang Li, Yabin Wang, Tariq Shah, Mudasir Ahmad, Qiuyu Zhang, Baoliang Zhang
Summary: This study developed a novel synthetic strategy to prepare wrinkled magnetic composite microspheres with excellent microwave absorbing properties, providing important references for the design and preparation of new magnetic composite materials.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yan Wang, Luwei Zhang, Taka-Aki Asoh, Hiroshi Uyama
Summary: The study successfully synthesized chiral hierarchical porous monoliths in a flexible and highly efficient one-step method, without the need for complex doping or procedures. The monoliths exhibited hierarchical pore structure with throughpore and high surface area, and their porous structures and pore size could be adjusted by changing the conditions of phase separation. Additionally, the prepared monoliths showed good optical activity, thermal stability and mechanical properties, and were applied in enantioselective crystallization with promising performance.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoyan Guan, Sheng Wang, Ge Shi, Jie Zhang, Xinhua Wan
Summary: The study investigates the cis-trans isomerization of amides in synthetic macromolecules and its potential to induce helical inversion, mimicking natural protein behavior. The results show that the size of the N-alkyl substituents significantly influences the helical inversion caused by the cis-trans isomerization, with N-methyl groups favoring helical transition and N-propyl groups leading to predominantly cis isomers without inducing helical inversion upon thermal treatment.
Article
Polymer Science
Bao-Rui Gao, Yong-Jie Wu, Lei Xu, Hui Zou, Li Zhou, Na Liu, Zong-Quan Wu
Summary: Helical polycarbenes with optical activity were designed and synthesized in an environmentally friendly manner. These polymers exhibited stable helical conformations with preferred handedness and showed efficient chiral separation ability.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Shuyi Yuan, Lei Zhao, Fangqin Wang, Lilan Tan, Datong Wu
Summary: Chiral resolution is important and challenging due to the different biological activity and physicochemical property of (R)- and (S)-isomers. Optically active helical polymers have been synthesized as chiral selectors, which are used for chromatographic chiral separation and enantioselective adsorption/crystallization, with good enantioseparation efficiency.
JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Manuel Nunez-Martinez, Emilio Quinoa, Felix Freire
Summary: Controlled ON/OFF stereocomplexation of dynamic helical polymer-metal nanoparticle nanocomposites is achieved by using poly(phenylacetylene) (PPA) as the coating agent of metal nanoparticles. The materials can exist as dispersed metal nanoparticles (stereocomplex OFF) or fiber-like aggregates (stereocomplex ON), depending on the secondary structure of the polymer. The formation/disruption of the stereocomplex can be triggered by elongation and/or compression of the polymer, and the supramolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, play a key role in the reversible control of stereocomplexation.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Sophia Do, Jash Canilao, Sophia Stepp, George Youssef
Summary: Cross-linked polyurea microspheres were successfully fabricated, exhibiting similar characteristics to bulk polyurea including highly textured surface morphology and superior mechanical properties. Analysis showed that the microspheres inherited the overall chemical structure and hygrothermal properties of bulk polyurea, with an elastic modulus four times stiffer than that of bulk polyurea.
Article
Polymer Science
Yuanyuan Gu, Lijia Liu, Yudan Wang, Chunhong Zhang, Hongxing Dong, Toshiki Aoki
Summary: The study found that polyacetylene prepared using chiral phenylacetylene exhibits a reversible one-handed twisting behavior at a critical twisting temperature, and efficient chiral amplification is observed in a chiral/achiral copolyacetylene. The twisting behavior is affected by the composition of the copolymer and the size of the amine.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huimin Duan, Jiawei Li, Jiadan Xue, Dongming Qi
Summary: A series of alanine-based coil copolymers were synthesized and their complexes with metal ions exhibited enhanced helical chirality through coordination. The formation of helical molecular orbitals was triggered by the coordination with copper ions. This study provides important insights into the enhancement of helical chirality in self-assembly and offers a new strategy for studying homochiral amplification in biological supramolecular systems.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Ghulam Yasin, Muhammad Arif, Jiameng Ma, Shumaila Ibraheem, Donglin Yu, Lipeng Zhang, Dong Liu, Liming Dai
Summary: A new advanced anode material, nitrogen-rich sulfur-doped porous carbon (NSPC), has been developed for lithium-ion batteries, exhibiting high performance and prolonged cycle life.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Feng Liu, Lei Shi, Xuanni Lin, Donglin Yu, Cai Zhang, Rui Xu, Dong Liu, Jieshan Qiu, Liming Dai
Summary: A novel polydopamine-metal complex-assisted pyrolysis strategy was used to produce catalysts with hierarchically porous carbon support and highly exposed dense-FeN4 sites, leading to significantly enhanced performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and superior power densities in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The quantitative relationship between the active site activity and ORR performance was established, highlighting the dominating role of FeN4 site density in the observed excellent PEMFC performance. This work provides a useful guidance for the design and development of novel highly-efficient single-atomic catalysts for renewable energy applications.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2022)
Article
Electrochemistry
Huamei Xie, Biao Zhang, Chuangang Hu, Ning Xiao
Summary: Li-CO2 batteries have high theoretical energy density and promising CO2 capture capacity, but the irreversible formation of Li2CO3 can cause performance degradation. This study developed holey CNTs as cathode catalysts for stable and rechargeable operation of Li-CO2 batteries with excellent performance.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lei Shi, Xuanni Lin, Feng Liu, Yongde Long, Ruyi Cheng, Chunhui Tan, Liu Yang, Chuangang Hu, Shenlong Zhao, Dong Liu
Summary: This article proposes a simple but efficient method to synthesize a geometrically deformed single Fe site catalyst by trace NaCl-coating-assisted pyrolysis of Fe-containing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. The newly developed catalysts exhibit improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance due to the significantly exposed active sites and enhanced mass transport. The enhanced intrinsic activity is attributed to the synergy of deformed Fe-N-4 moieties and the surrounding graphitic N dopant. Additionally, the locally increased graphitization can efficiently reduce carbon corrosion, thereby promoting catalyst stability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Biao Zhang, Zikai Li, Huamei Xie, Yanling Dong, Pengfei Xu, Dan Wang, Anru Guo, Dong Liu
Summary: A highly cross-linked 3D conductive polymeric network has been prepared to enhance the cycle stability and energy storage performance of silicon microparticles in lithium-ion batteries.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinyue Ma, Lei Shi, Lipeng Zhang, Chuangang Hu, Dong Liu
Summary: By modulating the N/B dopants and corresponding B-N pairs, NBCs can achieve syngas generation with tunable CO/H2 ratios. This study opens up a new avenue for carbon-based metal-free catalysts to produce syngas with controllable CO/H2 ratios.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Pengfei Xu, Xiao Jin, Biao Zhang, Xin Wang, Dong Liu
Summary: In this study, a soluble organic cathode material is developed for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibits high reversible capacity and stability. The high stability is attributed to the insoluble property caused by hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the amino functionalization reduces the band gap of HATN, leading to improved conductivity and performance.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Songnan Niu, Bo Zhao, Dong Liu
Summary: In this study, a defect-rich carbon was developed as a high-performance cathode catalyst for the I-2 conversion reaction in Zn-I-2 batteries, exhibiting excellent iodine reduction reaction activity and high electrochemical performance. The defect engineering strategy demonstrated in this work provides a promising approach for enhancing the performance of Zn-I-2 batteries.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Biao Zhang, Yanling Dong, Jingrui Han, Yunjing Zhen, Chuangang Hu, Dong Liu
Summary: A physicochemical dual cross-linking conductive polymeric network is designed to address the poor stability and cycling performance of silicon microparticles as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. This network enables stress dissipation and enhances the electrode interface stability through folded molecular chains slipping and sequential cleavage of H-bonds. The resulting electrode demonstrates high capacity retention and low capacity loss, making it a promising strategy for practical high-capacity anodes in energy-dense batteries.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yanling Dong, Biao Zhang, Fugui Zhao, Feng Gao, Dong Liu
Summary: A novel dendrimer-based binder is developed to improve the electrochemical performance of Si anodes. The composite binder, consisting of PMM dendrimer and PAA crosslinker, allows for maximum interface interaction, strong average peeling force, and high elastic recovery rate. The Si electrode based on this binder exhibits high specific capacity, long-term cycle stability, and outstanding rate capability.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuliang Zhao, Wenjuan Xue, Zefeng Jiang, Dong Liu, Chuangang Hu, Hongliang Huang
Summary: Effective adsorption of radioactive iodine (I2) contaminants is important for environmental protection. This study focused on high adsorption rate rather than just high adsorption capacity. Two novel cationic covalent triazine frameworks (CCTFs) with abundant pyridine cation sites were successfully prepared under high-temperature polymerization conditions. These CCTFs exhibited ultra-high stability, high surface area, and a large electrostatic potential gradient. The synthesized CCTFs showed super-fast I2 vapor adsorption rates and could remove 99.9% of I2 contaminant in a high-concentration I2/hexane solution within 0.5 min.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Feng Liu, Lei Shi, Xuanni Lin, Biao Zhang, Yongde Long, Fenghui Ye, Riqing Yan, Ruyi Cheng, Chuangang Hu, Dong Liu, Jieshan Qiu, Liming Dai
Summary: Here, a conceptual strategy for introducing spatial sulfur (S)-bridge ligands to regulate the coordination environment of Fe-Co-N dual-metal centers (Spa-S-Fe,Co/NC) is reported. The Spa-S-Fe,Co/NC catalyst showed significantly enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance and satisfactory long-term durability in acidic electrolyte. Experimental and theoretical studies revealed that the excellent acidic ORR activity with remarkable stability observed for Spa-S-Fe,Co/NC is attributable to the charge-modulation of Fe-Co-N bimetallic centers by the spatial S-bridge ligands, achieving optimal adsorption-desorption of ORR oxygenated intermediates. These findings provide a unique perspective to optimize the electrocatalytic performance of catalysts with dual-metal centers by regulating their local coordination environment.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yongde Long, Jinguo Lin, Fenghui Ye, Wei Liu, Dan Wang, Qingqing Cheng, Rajib Paul, Daojian Cheng, Baoguang Mao, Riqing Yan, Linjie Zhao, Dong Liu, Feng Liu, Chuangang Hu
Summary: By proposing a possible cleavage mechanism, the study demonstrates that abundant carbon nanotube tips can be formed and easily modified with heteroatoms, enabling precise modulation of the atomic environment at the tips. CNTs with N,S-rich tips show a wide potential window and high selectivity for H2O2.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pengfei Xu, Feng Gao, Dong Liu
Summary: A novel organic polymer cathode material with high theoretical capacity and superior electrochemical performance is developed through precise monomer design and controllable synthesis. The polymer electrode possesses abundant redox sites, well-defined porosity, and conjugated structure, enabling high capacity and rapid ion/charge transport.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yanling Dong, Hanqing Li, Biao Zhang, Fugui Zhao, Feng Gao, Dong Liu
Summary: A composite network with high electronic and ionic conductivity is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of microsized silicon anodes. The resultant electrode exhibits high capacity, high-rate capability, and good cycle stability due to the high stretchability of the composite network.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)