ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gang Yuan, Xiao Zhao, Yeru Liang, Lin Peng, Hanwu Dong, Yong Xiao, Chaofan Hu, Hang Hu, Yingliang Liu, Mingtao Zheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As a new class of zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots have triggered intensive research interest in various fields. However, the low surface area, hydrophilicity, and agglomeration characteristics limit their applications in energy storage fields. Herein, we demonstrate that nitrogen-doped carbon dots can be employed as efficient nanoenhancer to boost the electrochemical performance of three-dimensional graphene. The as-prepared materials exhibit an interconnected framework with abundant oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, which enable fast penetration and transport of electrolyte ions and provide more active sites and electric conductivity. Employed as binder-free electrode for supercapacitors, the resultant materials present high specific capacitance (338 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and areal capacitance (604 μF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) at a current density of 0.5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which is much higher than that of pristine three-dimensional graphene (190 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, and 114 μF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉), with an enhancement of 78% and 430%, respectively. Moreover, superior long-term cycling stability (94% of capacitance retention after 20 000 charging/discharging cycles at 10 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) as well as improved electric conductivity can also be achieved. These results certify that nitrogen-doped carbon dots can be applied as nanobooster to comprehensively improve the performance of graphene for high-performance electrochemical energy storage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Small nitrogen-doped carbon dots (〈em〉N〈/em〉-CDs) are employed as efficient nanoenhancer to significantly boost the electrochemical performances of three-dimensional graphene (3DG) for supercapacitors.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312931-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuanyuan Zhang, Lili Wang, Fengying Dong, Qiao Chen, Haiyan Jiang, Mei Xu, Jinsheng Shi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-based ternary composite materials are generally synthesized by two- or multi-step method and special precursor of CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 is usually utilized in synthesis of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which are time-consuming, laborious and relatively costly. In this paper, for the first time, a facile one-step solvothermal method is used to fabricate Z-scheme Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 ternary composites. Interestingly, ethylene glycol not only acts as solvent for the reaction system, but also reduced Bi〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 into metallic Bi and itself is oxidized to CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉, which could construct Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. On this occasion, Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 ternary composites are obtained after one-step method. High resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly reveals each component in composites. The as-prepared samples could be applied in various photocatalytic activities. Under solar light irradiation, Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 composites exhibited prominent photodegradation performances for both ciprofloxacin and bisphenol A. Meanwhile, these composites could also be used in efficient photoreduction of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The efficient photocatalytic activity could be mainly ascribed to Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism in ternary composites, which is determined by surface redox reactions, active species trapping experiment, electron spin resonance spectrum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312918-ga1.jpg" width="425" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hua Guo, Ya Su, Yanling Shen, Yumei Long, Weifeng Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Optimizing heterostructure of nanocomposites holds great potential for making full use of their ability. Herein, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were in situ synthesized over the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) via one-step pyrolyzation route using a single source precursor. The precursor of melamine chloroauric (C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉H〈sub〉6〈/sub〉N〈sub〉6〈/sub〉H〈sup〉+〈/sup〉⋅AuCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) was obtained through chemical precipitation reaction between melamine and chloroauric acid. The morphological analysis confirmed the compact contact between Au nanoparticles and g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. Then, the Au-g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanocomposites were employed to fabricate electrochemical sensor by modifying glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Electrochemical experiments showed that the Au-g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards tetracycline oxidation as compared with either pure g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 or Au nanoparticles. Based on cyclic voltammetry (CV) method, the sensor was applied in the detection of tetracycline with a low detection limit of 0.03 μM (S/N = 3) and the linear range of concentration were 0.1–20 μM and 20–200 μM, respectively. Moreover, such an electrochemical sensor demonstrated high stability and good selectivity. Finally, the electrochemical sensor was applied to drug assays and exhibited sufficient precision and accuracy. Therefore, this work paves a new way of preparing g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉–based heterostructures and provides an efficient method for the detection of tetracycline in clinical analysis and quality control.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718313018-ga1.jpg" width="419" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mingmei Zhang, Hong Liu, Ying Wang, Tianjiao Ma〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Three-dimensional (3D) flower center/petal nanostructure exhibits excellent electrochemical performance because of their unique unfold ultra-thin multi-layer structure benefit to the rapid transmission of electrons and the full infiltration of the electrolyte. A three-phase Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 nanosflower is constructed by one step alcohothermal technique using a mixture solvent of glycerol, diethylene glycol and ethylenediamine. Ethylenediamine successfully functions as the complexing agent of metal ions to slowly release the metal ions in the process of reaction, which encourage the flower petal nanostructure formation. Interestingly, when the proportion of iron increased, a novel Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 flower center/petal nanostructure come into being. Benefiting from the interconnected structure of the multi-layer shell, the Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@ Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 nanosflower displays high specific capacitance of 670.4C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, excellent rate capability of 79.2% (531.0C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 20 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), and longer cycling stability of 92.1% retained capacitance after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the assembled hybrid supercapacitor demonstrates high energy density of 49.9 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at power density of 770.0 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Our results provide a new strategy to design metal sulfides with special structure for application to asymmetrical supercapacitor cathode material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A three-phase core/shell flower-like Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 is successfully constructed by one step alcohothermal technique using a mixture solvent of glycerol, diethylene glycol and ethylenediamine. The as-obtained composites become a promising electrode material for the next generation energy storage devices with high specific capacitance (670.4C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), excellent energy density (49.9 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at power density of 770.0 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), as well as good long-term cycling stability (almost 88.9% retention after 10,000 cycles).〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312906-ga1.jpg" width="496" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ngoc-Hanh Cao-Luu, Quoc-Thai Pham, Zong-Han Yao, Fu-Ming Wang, Chorng-Shyan Chern〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉How to encapsulate poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) mesoglobule cores by silica shells greatly affects the resultant nanoparticle structures. Incorporation of acrylamide (AM) unit into PNIPAM in combination with 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GLYMO, as a coupling agent) effectively induces nucleation and growth of silica on PNIPAM core surfaces, where the –NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 of acrylamide reacts with the epoxide of GLYMO while GLYMO further participates in subsequent sol-gel reaction of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), thereby leading to desirable particle morphology.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉PNIPAM-based core–silica shell nanoparticles were prepared by sol〈em〉-〈/em〉gel reaction of TEOS and GLYMO in the presence of polymeric core particles. The major parameters investigated in a systematic fashion include acrylamide concentration and weight ratio of polymer:GLYMO:TEOS. GPC, DLS, DSC, FE-SEM, TEM, FTIR and TGA were then used to characterize polymeric cores and hybrid nanoparticles.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉The particle morphology was governed primarily by the acrylamide content and the weight ratio of PNIPAM/AM:GLYMO:TEOS, and desirable hybrid nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution were achieved. The LCST of PNIPAM-based mesoglobules increases with increasing acrylamide content. Encapsulation of PNIPAM-based mesoglobules with silica also reduces their thermo-sensitivity. This is the first report of developing a novel approach to prepare PNIPAM-based mesoglobule core–silica shell nanoparticles with controllable particle morphologies.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312888-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Patryk Wąsik, Annela M. Seddon, Hua Wu, Wuge H. Briscoe〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We present a box counting fractal dimension (FD) analysis of the dendritic patterns obtained under conditions far from equilibrium 〈em〉via〈/em〉 rapid evaporation of a sessile drop containing 〈em〉reactive〈/em〉 ZnO nanoparticles. These dendrites were manifestations of solidified Bénard-Marangoni (BM) instability convection cells, and we previously noted that their complex hierarchical morphologies were superficially analogous to the foliage of red algae, Spanish dagger, or spider plant. The fractal dimension of the Bénard-Marangoni dendrites was found to vary in the range of 1.77–1.89 and also depend on the size of the Bénard-Marangoni cells. These fractal dimension results were correlated with the morphological details of the Bénard-Marangoni cells and ZnO particle characteristics, providing a quantitative description of such complex surface patterns emerging from the dynamic process of the Bénard-Marangoni instability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312773-ga1.jpg" width="498" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Fang, Xingchang Lu, Junyi Hu, Geng Zhang, Xinsheng Zheng, Limin He, Jianbo Cao, Jiangjiang Gu, Feifei Cao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Emerging carbon dots (CDs) are widely used as fluorescent probes in biological and environmental fields, nevertheless, the control of CDs based on different detection mechanisms is rarely reported. In this paper, green luminescent CDs (G-CDs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal treatment of benzoxazine monomers (BZM). The obtained G-CDs showed pH dependent photoluminescence, which could be designed as fluorescence turn-on and turn-off sensors. The G-CDs exhibited weak photoluminescence at pH = 7.0 and could be turned on by Zn(II) selectively with the limitation of 0.32 μM in the concentration range from 1 to 100 μM. When pH = 10.0, Cr(VI) could quench the strong fluorescence of G-CDs efficiently, and the limit of detection was 0.99 μM with a linear range of 1–50 μM. Furthermore, the fluorescence turn-on and turn-off performance of G-CDs was attributed to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) of Zn(II) and the inner filter effect (IFE) of Cr(VI), respectively. The excellent probes were successfully applied for the detection of Zn(II) in biological system and Cr(VI) in environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312839-ga1.jpg" width="463" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Huihui Sun, Katarzyna Zielinska, Marina Resmini, Ali Zarbakhsh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In dermal drug delivery, the influence of the chemical structure of the carriers on their penetration mechanisms is not yet fully understood. This is a key requirement in order to design highly efficient delivery systems. In this study, neutron reflectivity is used to provide insights into the interactions between thermoresponsive 〈em〉N〈/em〉-isopropylacrylamide based nanogels, cross-linked with 10%, 20% and 30% 〈em〉N,N'〈/em〉-methylenebisacrylamide, and skin lipid multi-bilayers models. Ceramide lipid multi-bilayers and ceramide/cholesterol/behenic acid mixed lipid multi-bilayers were used for this work. The results indicated that in both multi-bilayers the lipids were depleted by the nanogels mainly through hydrophobic interactions. The ability of nanogels to associate with skin lipids to form water-dispersible complexes was found to be a function of the percentage cross-linker. An enhanced depletion of lipids was further observed in the presence of benzyl alcohol, a well-known skin penetration enhancer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312840-ga1.jpg" width="294" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zexing Wu, Min Song, Zijin Zhang, Jie Wang, Xien Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Investigation of non-precious, highly-active and durable catalysts is an essential criteria for the development of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, reduced graphene oxide coupled with molybdenum phosphide (MoP-RGO) is prepared through a facile and scalable one-step strategy. Three strategies are developed to tune the electrocatalytic performance of MoP-RGO including optimize the pyrolysis temperature, add NaCl template and introduction of sulfur atoms. After the optimization, the overpotentials at 10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 reduced from 238 to 152 mV (alkaline electrolyte) and 232 to 144 mV (acid medium), respectively. This work mainly focus on exploiting various strategies to tune the electrocatalytic performance of non-precious catalysts for HER which can provide multiple avenues to develop efficient electrocatalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Pyrolysis temperature, NaCl template and sulfur atom are used to tune the electrocatalytic performance of MoP-RGO. After the optimized process, the overpotentials needed to deliver 10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 reduced from 238 to 152 mV (alkaline electrolyte) and 232 to 144 mV (acid medium), respectively.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312657-ga1.jpg" width="353" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Prakhar Sengar, Karelid Garcia-Tapia, Kanchan Chauhan, Akhil Jain, Karla Juarez-Moreno, Hugo A. Borbón-Nuñez, Hugo Tiznado, Oscar E. Contreras, Gustavo A. Hirata〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The current photodynamic therapy (PDT) is majorly hindered by the shallow penetration depth and oxygen dependency, limiting its application to deep-seated solid hypoxic tumors. Thus, it is meaningful to develop efficient X-ray mediated PDT system capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both the normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite, YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX with an amalgamation of UV-emitting Y〈sub〉2.99〈/sub〉Pr〈sub〉0.01〈/sub〉Al〈sub〉5〈/sub〉O〈sub〉12〈/sub〉 (YAG:Pr) nanoscintillator, and zinc oxide (ZnO) and protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) as photosensitizers. YAG:Pr surface was coated with a ZnO layer (∼10 nm) by atomic layer deposition, and then PpIX was covalently conjugated via a linker to give YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX. The photo- and cathodoluminescence analyses gave the evidences of efficient energy transfer from YAG:Pr to ZnO at ∼320 nm, and YAG:Pr@ZnO to PpIX at Soret region (350–450 nm). The nanohybrid was able to produce both, Type I and Type II ROS upon direct and indirect photoactivation with UV〈sub〉365nm〈/sub〉 and UV〈sub〉290nm〈/sub〉, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity of non-activated YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX in mouse melanoma cells revealed low toxicity, which significantly enhanced upon photoactivation with UV〈sub〉365nm〈/sub〉 indicating the photokilling property of the nanohybrid. Overall, our preliminary studies successfully demonstrate the potential of YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX to overcome the limited penetration and oxygen-dependency of traditional PDT.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312876-ga1.jpg" width="287" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xueyi Guo, Weijia Wang, Xiuhong Yuan, Ying Yang, Qinghua Tian, Yang Xiang, Yan Sun, Zhiming Bai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Magnetic nano capture agent (MNCA)-based magnetic separation is considered as a promising approach to rapidly isolate heavy metals from blood. Limited removal efficiency and potential biosafety risks are the major challenges for the clinical use of MNCA-based magnetic separation. Here, we report a highly-efficient MNCA-based magnetic separation of heavy metals from blood in continuous multi-stage adsorption mode. The interactions between MNCA and blood components (〈em〉e.g.〈/em〉 blood cells and plasma proteins) and the MNCA-induced cellular immune responses are studied in detail. The distribution and redistribution of heavy metals in blood are quantitatively analyzed. It demonstrates that concentration dependent redistribution can increase the contact between heavy metals and MNCA, leading to improvement on heavy metal removal efficiency. The removal performance is tested in batch mode and in continuous mode. Results show that 97.97% of Pb and 96.53% of Cd are removed from blood in 120 min using continuous multi-stage adsorption mode, and the residual concentrations of Pb and Cd in blood decrease from 400 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 to 8.11 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 13.84 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. This study paves an effective way for heavy metal intoxication therapy by MNCA-based magnetic separation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831292X-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hélène Labie, Adeline Perro, Véronique Lapeyre, Bertrand Goudeau, Bogdan Catargi, Rachel Auzély, Valérie Ravaine〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A simple route to deliver on demand hydrosoluble molecules such as peptides, packaged in biocompatible and biodegradable microgels, is presented. Hyaluronic acid hydrogel particles with a controlled structure are prepared using a microfluidic approach. Their porosity and their rigidity can be tuned by changing the crosslinking density. These negatively-charged polyelectrolytes interact strongly with positively-charged linear peptides such as poly-〈span〉l〈/span〉-lysine (PLL). Their interactions induce microgel deswelling and inhibit microgel enzymatic degradability by hyaluronidase. While small PLL penetrate the whole volume of the microgel, PLL larger than the mesh size of the network remain confined at its periphery. They make a complexed layer with reduced pore size, which insulates the microgel inner core from the outer medium. Consequently, enzymatic degradation of the matrix is fully inhibited and non-affinity hydrophilic species can be trapped in the core. Indeed, negatively-charged or small neutral peptides, without interactions with the network, usually diffuse freely across the network. By simple addition of large PLL, they are packaged in the core and can be released on demand, upon introduction of an enzyme that degrades selectively the capping agent. Single polyelectrolyte layer appears as a simple generic method to coat hydrogel-based materials of various scales for encapsulation and controlled delivery of hydrosoluble molecules.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311238-ga1.jpg" width="395" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pengfei Chen, Pingxing Xing, Zhiqiang Chen, Xin Hu, Hongjun Lin, Leihong Zhao, Yiming He〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper is designed for elevating the photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-evoultion performance of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 through the modification of AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanocubes. Via the microwave heating method, g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 was in-situ formed on AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 surface to fabricate a close contact between the two semiconductors in forty minutes. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments were performed to confirm the binary structure of the synthesized AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 composite. N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-adsorption and visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) analyses indicated that the addition of AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 to g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 showed nearly negligible influence on the specific surface area and the optical property. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy experiment suggested that the AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 displayed reduced PL emission and longer lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers than g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, which could be ascribed to the suitable band potential and the intimate contact of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. This result was also confirmed by the transient photocurrent response experiment. The influence of the enhanced charge separation was displayed in their photocatalytic reaction. AgNbO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 sample showed enhanced performance in photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-generation under visible light illumination. The H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-evolution rate is determined to be 88 μmol·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉·h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which reaches 2.0 times of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. This study provides a feasible and rapid approach to fabricate g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 based composite.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311007-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Yang, Liujie Wang, Zhihua Ma, Mingdeng Wei〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A newly self-supported electrode composed of Mn〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 on Ni foam/graphene (NF/graphene/Mn〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) was synthesized in situ by electrodeposition, and was used as a supercapacitor electrode for the first time. An ultrahigh specific capacitance of 630 Fg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 can be achieved at a current density of 0.5 Ag〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The maximum energy density of 94.4 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 can be achieved, and the capacitance retention can be maintained about 97% after 20,000 cycles at 10 Ag〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The electrochemical properties, including specific capacitance, energy density and cycling performance, were better than those in previous reports on Mn〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-graphene electrodes. Such an outstanding property may be attributed to its unique characteristics, such as self-supported structure, favorable electric conductivity and cellular-like porous morphology.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A self-supported electrode composed of Mn〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 on Ni foam/graphene was firstly synthesized and exhibited an ultra-high specific capacitance of 630 Fg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 0.5 Ag〈sup〉−1.〈/sup〉〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311536-ga1.jpg" width="337" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jianhui Li, Haiting Yan, Dongfeng Dang, Wei Wei, Lingjie Meng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Graphene has attracted enormous attention due to its unique physical properties and attractive applications in many fields. However, it is an ongoing challenge to develop a facile and low-cost method for the large scale preparation of high-quality graphene (HQGr). In this work, we have developed an improved liquid-phase exfoliation method to mass produce HQGr. This method is quite simple but efficient by exfoliation of graphite in organic solvent with the co-assistance of sodium citrate and water. Remarkably, the concentration of as-exfoliated HQGr was as high as 0.71 mg/mL under optimal conditions, while the oxygen content in HQGr was only 2.39%. After annealing at 500 °C for 2 h in argon atmosphere, the mean conductivity of annealed HQGr was as high as 1.4 × 10〈sup〉4〈/sup〉 S m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Therefore, this facile method for liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite has excellent potential in the industrial-scale production of HQGr for numerous applications in energy storage, optical and electronic fields.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉High-quality graphene (HQGr) was efficiently prepared by exfoliation of graphite in organic solvent with the co-assistance of sodium citrate and water. The effects of alkali metal species, solvent type and the volume ratio of NMP/water in co-solvent on the exfoliation efficiency of graphite were studied systematically. HQGr have great potential for numerous applications in optical and electronic fields, such as anode material of lithium ion batteries.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311755-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jingwen Wang, Min Zheng, Zhigang Xie〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Carrier-free nanodrugs named BCNPs were prepared by the coassembly of 2,5-bis(4-(diethylamino)benzylidene)cyclopentanone (BDBC) and curcumin (CCM) in the absence of surfactants. The as-synthesized BCNPs possess high dispersity and stability in aqueous media, along with favorable photostability and good biocompatibility. Comparing with their counterparts BDBC and CCM, BCNPs exhibit higher singlet oxygen yield and better two-photon photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy. Moreover, BCNPs display dramatically enhanced ability for inhibiting the growth of HeLa cells, which benefits from the synergistic treatment of BDBC and CCM under the irradiation of 450/808 nm. This work highlights the potential of using simple coassembly strategy to codelivery of multiple drugs in one single formulation for cancer therapy.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311767-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rui Zhang, Xiupeng Liu, Tingting Zhou, Tong Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hollow metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) materials with controllable shells have attracted increasing attention because of their interesting properties and potential applications in sensors, catalysis, biology, etc. Cuprous oxide (Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O), which is a typical p-type semiconductor material, has four kinds of nanostructures (i.e., single-, double-, triple-, and quadruple-shelled spheres) and was successfully synthesized by the simple regulation of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) concentration. All as-obtained samples were at the nanometer level, and the hollow layers were also located between the two shells of the Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanostructures. The structural evolution and formation mechanism of the core-in-hollow multishelled nanostructure were also studied in this work. Moreover, the gas sensing performance of four kinds of materials was measured. The performance of the quadruple-shelled Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O-based formaldehyde (HCHO) sensor was greater than that of other sensors. The results indicated that the well-defined multishelled structure may significantly enhance HCHO detection by facilitating the gas adsorption quantity and transport rate.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A controllable multishelled Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanoparticles-based sensing platform exhibits an excellent response/recovery formaldehyde behavior at a working temperature of 120 °C.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311573-ga1.jpg" width="329" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Liang Wang, Ji He, Lingli Zhu, Yilei Wang, Xuequan Feng, Binge Chang, H. Enis Karahan, Yuan Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Graphene hydrogels hold great potential for the disinfection of bacteria-contaminated water. However, the intrinsic antibacterial activity of graphene hydrogels is not satisfactory, and the incorporation of other antibacterial agents often results in their unwanted releases. Here, we present a new strategy to improve the antibacterial activities of graphene hydrogels. We first synthesized a new pi-conjugated molecule containing five aromatic rings and two side-linked quaternary ammonium (QA) groups, denoted as piQA. Next, we fabricated composite gravity filters by assembling piQA with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hydrogel. The rGO hydrogel helps to form a sponge-like physical sieve, contributes to the overall antibacterial activity, and provides abundant pi-rich surfaces. The large aromatic cores of piQA allow the formation of collectively strong pi-pi interactions with rGO, resulting in a high piQA mass loading of ∼31 wt%. Due to the sieving effect of rGO hydrogel and the synergistic antibacterial activity of rGO and piQA, the filters prepared based on piQA-rGO assemblies can remove over 99.5% of Gram-negative 〈em〉Escherichia coli〈/em〉 (〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉) and Gram-positive 〈em〉Staphylococcus aureus〈/em〉 (〈em〉S. aureus〈/em〉) cells with a high-water treatment capacity of 10 L g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Furthermore, the piQA-rGO assemblies show low toxicity towards two different mammalian cell lines (L929 and macrophages), and the release of piQA is also negligible. Overall, the new piQA-rGO assembly demonstrates high potential for water disinfection applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311597-ga1.jpg" width="380" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuxi Zhang, Hao Fang, Yanqiao Zhang, Ming Wen, Dandan Wu, Qingsheng Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Tremendous attention has been focused on exploring highly efficient and economical catalysts to the reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol for the purpose of green chemistry. However, it is still a challenge to elevate the catalysts with high activity and desirable recyclability. Herein, Cobalt-Cobalt Ferrite (Co-CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) nanobrushes have been synthesized by controlled growth-reduction process in one step, which is applied to catalyze the reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol. 〈em〉In situ〈/em〉 generated active Co(0) can induce Co-CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanobrushes to achieve higher catalytic activity with a reaction rate of 0.0457 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for the reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol due to the synergetic effect between 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 generated Co(0) and its induced defects on the CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 support. Compared with other catalysts calculated and gathered in Table S1 in Supporting Information, as-designed Co-CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanobrushes can be employed as a good candidate for the nitro-reduction reaction.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Induced by active Co(0), as-designed Co-CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 complex structures show excellent catalytic performance on the reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol to 〈em〉p〈/em〉-aminophenol, suggesting as a good catalyst candidate for the nitro-reduction reaction in line with the purpose of Green Chemistry.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312104-ga1.jpg" width="312" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanxiao Li, Congjie Wei, Chenglin Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Silver nanowire graphene (AgNW-GN) composite, as an alternative transparent conductive film (TCF) to conventional indium tin oxide (ITO), has much improved mechanical and electrical properties. These advantages make AgNW-GN an ideal TCF for planar devices. The adhesion of AgNW-GN composite film plays a critical role in these applications. However, the effect of silver nanowire on the adhesion between AgNW-GN and copper substrate remains unexplored. In the present work, AgNW-GN composite films with different AgNW concentrations were prepared and their adhesion with copper substrates was characterized using the double cantilever beam (DCB) experiment and the digital image correlation (DIC). The interfacial failures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed the brittle to ductile interfacial fracture transition with increased amount of AgNW. The interfacial traction separation relations (TSR) were subsequently extracted. The competing interfacial failure mechanism was discovered and modeled between the interfaces of epoxy/composite and composite/copper. The associated transfer criterion was subsequently established combining both experimental and modeling results.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312025-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xuejie Yue, Tao Zhang, Dongya Yang, Fengxian Qiu, Zhangdi Li, Gengyao Wei, Yu Qiao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To maintain personal thermal comfort in cold weather, indoor heating consumes large amount of energy and is a primary source of greenhouse gas emission. Traditional clothes are too thick for thermal comfort in cold outdoor environment, resulting the lower wearing comfort. In this work, a multifunctional Ag nanoparticles/cellulose fibers thermal insulation membrane starting from waste paper cellulose fibers was prepared via simple silver mirror reaction and subsequent vacuum filtration process to improve the infrared reflection properties of membranes for human thermal insulation. The sphere-like Ag nanoparticles were tightly anchored on surface of waste paper cellulose fibers, forming an Ag nanoparticles infrared radiation reflection coating with high infrared reflectance, resulting in high thermal insulation capacity of the thermal insulation membrane. In addition, Ag nanoparticles endow the thermo insulation membrane with excellent antibacterial activity, and the thermo insulation membranes can effectively inhibit the growth of both 〈em〉Staphylococcus aureus〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Escherichia coli〈/em〉. In this thermal insulation system, the thermo insulation membranes show superhydrophilicity and porosity, which allow the membranes to be breathable for comfortable wearing feeling. These promising results including high infrared reflection for high thermal insolating, high breathability for wearing comfort, and excellent antibacterial activity make the Ag/cellulose thermo insulation membranes promising candidates for applications in human thermal management, energy regulation and other facilities.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311974-ga1.jpg" width="280" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Faisal Rehman, Khalid Mahmood, Arshi Khalid, Muhammad Shahzad Zafar, Madsar Hameed〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉ZnO as an electron transporting material (ETM) in perovskite solar cells has many benefits, including low temperature processability and high mobility. We explore here for the first time, hysteresis-less mesostructured perovskite solar cells with an incredible steady-state efficiency of 20.62% particularly enhancement of the device stability. We anticipated a device structure consisting of a novel fully-solution-processed and low-temperature barium hydroxide hybridized boron-doped ZnO (B:ZnO) bilayer film as electron transport material (ETM). We modify the design of ETMs with reduced trap states density is very crucial to obtain highly stabilized power conversion efficiency (PCE) and adjustable architectures in perovskite solar cells which should produce an impact on emerging highly efficient devices and their future commercialization.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A uniquely structured bilayer ETM is studied for the first time, as an electron transporting material in detail for hybrid perovskite solar cells leading to power conversion efficiency above 20.5%.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311998-ga1.jpg" width="251" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hui Sun, Tianshu Yao, Xi Xie, Yuxi Lu, Yan Wang, Zirou Xu, Jie Han, Xiaobing Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bi〈sub〉5−〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉y〈/sub〉〈/em〉Eu〈em〉〈sub〉y〈/sub〉〈/em〉Fe〈sub〉1−〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Ni〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉 (〈em〉x〈/em〉 = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20; 〈em〉y〈/em〉 = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) nanosheet-based nanoflowers as magnetic recyclable visible-light photocatalysts toward Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. As started from Bi〈sub〉5〈/sub〉FeTi〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉 (BFTO), Ni was firstly employed to substitute for Fe at B-site to improve the magnetism for magnetic recyclability. After Ni doping (Bi〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Fe〈sub〉1−〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Ni〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉: BFNTO-〈em〉x〈/em〉, 〈em〉x〈/em〉 = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20), both the ferromagnetism and photocatalytic activity were obviously improved, where BFNTO-0.1 (Bi〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Fe〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉) exhibited the maximum remnant and statured magnetization of 0.14 and 0.82 emu/g respectively. To further improve the magnetism and photocatalytic activity, Eu was chosen to substitute for Bi at A-site. Both ferromagnetism and photocatalytic properties of Bi〈sub〉5−〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉y〈/sub〉〈/em〉Eu〈em〉〈sub〉y〈/sub〉〈/em〉Fe〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉 (BEFNTO-〈em〉y〈/em〉, 〈em〉y〈/em〉 = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) were further improved by optimizing the doped europium content. The BEFNTO-0.1 (Bi〈sub〉4.9〈/sub〉Eu〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Fe〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉15〈/sub〉) showed enhanced photocatalytic activity and could be recycled simply by applying a magnet bar. This work may provide a basis for further developing new visible-light photocatalysts because the layer-structured Aurivillius phase has significant potential in elemental doping and further structural engineering applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311305-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kairuo Zhu, Changlun Chen, Haiyan Wang, Yi Xie, Muhammad Wakeel, Abdul Wahid, Xiaodong Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Layered double oxides (LDO) and γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 have been demonstrated to be promising adsorbents to remove radioactive elements from aqueous media. Herein, magnetic γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles decoration onto porous layered double oxides belts (γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/LDO) were fabricated by in situ solid-state thermolysis technique combined with Fe(III)-loaded layered double hydroxides as a precursor. The microstructure, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/LDO were characterized in detail. The as-obtained γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/LDO was employed as an adsorbent for the elimination of U(VI) from water. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir model with the maximal adsorption capacity of U(VI) onto γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/LDO being 526.32 mg·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 303 K and pH 5, which surpassed pristine LDO and many other materials. The Fourier transformed infrared spectra and the X-ray photoelectron spectra analysis suggested that the interaction mechanism was mainly controlled by the surface complexation and electrostatic interactions. All in all, the γ-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/LDO with remarkable adsorption capacity, excellent regeneration, and easy magnetic separation opens a new expectation as a suitable material for the cleanup of U(VI) from contaminated water.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311949-ga1.jpg" width="286" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Luping Sha, Qinfu Zhao, Da Wang, Xian Li, Xiudan Wang, Xinyao Guan, Siling Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉“Gate” engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) have been extensively applied in cancer theranostics. Due to the complexity of tumor development and progression, with chemotherapy alone, it has often been difficult to achieve a good therapeutic effect. Currently, it has been shown that the combination with photothermal therapy overcomes the shortcoming of chemotherapy. In most studies, the photothermal effect has proven to accelerate drug release from nanocarriers and ablate malignant cells directly, but the influence on the intracellular fate of nanocarriers remains unknown. Herein, a lipophilic cyanine dye Cypate acting as a photothermal converting agent was conjugated on the external surface of MSN through a disulfide bond (MSN-Cy) and 〈em〉〈span〉d〈/span〉〈/em〉-〈em〉α〈/em〉-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) was coated on the outside of the MSN-Cy via a hydrophobic interaction (TCMSN) to cover the pores, preventing drug preleakage in the circulation. The TCMSN underwent exocytosis through the lysosome-mediated pathway. Moderate heat induced by near-infrared light promoted lysosome disruption, which thus partly inhibited lysosome-mediated particle exocytosis. In the meantime, TPGS, as a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, blocked the drug efflux. This research elaborated the photothermal effect from a new perspective—inhibiting particle exocytosis. The as-designed “gate” engineered MSN realized a double inhibition of drug efflux and particle exocytosis from cancer cells, thus sustaining the drug action time and enhancing the antitumor activity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311640-ga1.jpg" width="482" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zanru Guo, Hongjian Gu, Qiang Chen, Zhanfeng He, Wenyuan Xu, Jiali Zhang, Yongxin Liu, Leyan Xiong, Longzhen Zheng, Yujun Feng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉The effective separation and recovery of oils from water is important for the protections of ecosystems and the environment. Polymeric porous monoliths have been demonstrated as attractive absorbents for oil/water separation. However, the recyclability was mainly realized by squeezing, combustion, or centrifugation, which may restrict in elastic materials, destroy the adsorbates or need special apparatus. Thus it is desirable to developing monoliths with controllable oil absorption and desorption.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉A series of “smart” monoliths with pH-induced switchable wettability were fabricated by high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) polymerization and epoxide ring-opening for the incorporation of amine groups. The resultant monoliths and their wettabilities were examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption and contact angle analysis, respectively. The oil separation efficiency and recyclability were evaluated.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉The monoliths with macroporous structure can undergo switchable wettability under reversible pH stimulation. As an absorbent, the monoliths not only separated and recovered organic solvents and oils (including crude oil) from aqueous mixtures through a reversible and recyclable absorption and desorption process upon alternating the pH between 7.0 and 1.0, but also continuously expulsed oils from water surfaces in a continuous manner with the aid of external driving pressures. Moreover, the monoliths also allowed the effective separation of surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high separation efficiency.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Smart macroporous monoliths with pH-induced switchable wettability and reversible oil absorption-desorption ability were developed.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718310968-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ling-Li Min, Li-Ming Yang, Ren-Xiang Wu, Lu-Bin Zhong, Zhi-Hua Yuan, Yu-Ming Zheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel iron-doped chitosan electrospun nanofiber mat (Fe@CTS ENM) was synthesized, which was proven to be effective for the removal of arsenite (As(III)) from water at neutral pH condition. The physiochemical properties and adsorption mechanism were explored by SEM-EDS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the As(III) adsorption performance of the Fe@CTS ENM with various process parameters, such as adsorbent dose, solution pH, initial As(III) concentration, contact time, ionic strength, coexisting anions, and natural organic matter. The experimental results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 36.1 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Especially, when the adsorbent dosage was higher than 0.3 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, the As(III) concentration was reduced from 100 µg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 to less than 10 µg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which indicated the Fe@CTS ENM could effectively remove trace As(III) from water over a wide pH range (from 3.3 to 7.5). Kinetics study demonstrated that the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 2.0 h, corresponding to a fast uptake of As(III). The presence of common co-ions and humic acid had little effect on the As(III) adsorption. XPS analysis suggested that the Fe〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉O, C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉OH, C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉O〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉C and C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉N groups on the adsorbent surface play dominant roles in the adsorption of As(III). Adsorption-desorption regeneration test further demonstrated that no appreciable loss in the adsorption capacities was observed, which confirmed that the Fe@CTS ENM maintained a desirable life cycle that was free of complex synthesis processes, expensive and toxic materials, qualifying it as an efficient and low-cost As(III) adsorbent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311512-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenbo Dong, Dongbo Wang, Hou Wang, Mengke Li, Fei Chen, Feiyue Jia, Qi Yang, Xiaoming Li, Xingzhong Yuan, Jilai Gong, Hailong Li, Jun Ye〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, a series of In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UiO-66 composites were fabricated through a one-step solvothermal method for the first time. The diffraction peaks, composition, morphology, and chemical states of the composites were first characterized through X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, or transmission electron microscope. Then, the performances of as-obtained In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UiO-66 composites were assessed by the removal of tetracycline under 1 h dark condition and 1 h visible-light irradiation. Experimental results showed that all the In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UiO-66 composites exhibited greater tetracycline removal, as compared with the two parent materials (i.e., UiO-66 and In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉). The highest tetracycline removal was obtained by the developed In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UiO-66 composite with Zr: In molar ratio of (0.37:1), labelled as ISUO-0.37, with the maximal tetracycline removal capacity of 106.3 mg/g being achieved, which was greater than that of UiO-66, In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, or other photocatalysts documented in the literature. The mechanism investigations revealed that compared with UiO-66 and In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, ISUO-0.37 had higher adsorption capability and photocatalytic performance. Although the specific surface area of ISUO-0.37 (74.57 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g) was lower than that of either UiO-66 (388.6 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g) or In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (76.36 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g), the former possessed greater pore diameter and adsorption sites such as 〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉OH, C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/dbnd"〉O, O〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉O, C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/dbnd"〉C, and C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉H, which might be the reason for ISUO-0.37 showing the enhanced adsorption capability. The trapping experiment and electron spin resonance measurements demonstrated that 〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 and h〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 were the major contributors to the photo-degradation of tetracycline in this work, and more 〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 and h〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 were produced by ISUO-0.37, as compared with In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. Further investigation with the diffused spectra of reflectance showed that ISUO-0.37 had better visible light absorption than either In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 or UiO-66, which may be the reason for ISUO-0.37 producing more 〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉. In addition, photoluminescence emission spectra confirmed that the recombination rate of photoexcited electron-hole pairs of ISUO-0.37 composite is much lower than that of In〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which may increase h〈sup〉+〈/sup〉. It was also found that ISUO-0.37 showed excellent structural stability and recyclability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311962-ga1.jpg" width="453" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Guangle Li, Jinbo Fei, Youqian Xu, Jong-Dal Hong, Junbai Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉At present, photophosphorylation in natural or artificial systems is accomplished by the production of protons or their pumping across the biomembranes. Herein, different from this strategy above, we demonstrate a designed system which can effectively enhance photophosphorylation by photo-induced proton-scavenging through molecular assembly. Upon the introduction of photobase generators, a (photo-) chemical reaction occurs to produce hydroxyl ions. Accompanying the further extramembranous acid-base neutralization reaction, an outbound flow of protons is generated to drive the reconstituted adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase to produce ATP. That is, contrary to biochemistry, the proton gradient to drive photophosphorylation derives from the scavenging of protons present in the external medium by hydroxyl ions, produced by the partially photo-induced splitting of photobase generator. Such assembled system holds great potential in ATP-consuming bioapplications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Contrary to biochemistry, a designed system effectively enhances photophosphorylation by photo-induced proton-scavenging through molecular assembly.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311561-ga1.jpg" width="294" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Junyan Zhang, Yongxin Song, Dongqing Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉The shape of the liquid film (SLF) between a glass slide and an oil droplet immersed in an aqueous solution is influenced by the direct current (DC) electric field. The liquid film, consisting of the central film region and the meniscus film region, is formed between a floating oil droplet and a glass slide overhead.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉The SLF was experimentally studied in aqueous solutions of different ionic concentrations and pH values. After the DC electric fields were applied along the glass slide in horizontal direction, the diameter of central film and the thickness of meniscus film were measured by the interference method with an optical microscope.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉The diameter of the central film decreases with the increase in the applied electric fields and declines at higher pH values while increases when the ionic concentration increases. The meniscus film becomes thicker with the increase in applied electric fields and is thicker in pH = 11 solution and thinner in pH = 3 and 1 mM NaCl solution. This is the first study of dynamic thin liquid film under DC electric field, which may be attributed to the balance of dielectrophoretic (DEP) force, colloidal force and the deformable characteristic of the oil droplet.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311056-ga1.jpg" width="255" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shinya Higashimoto, Takuto Nakase, Shun Mukai, Masanari Takahashi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The copper-indium-sulfide (CIS) ternary colloids were synthesized in “green” water solvent at room temperature employing mercapto-alkyl carboxylic linker molecules such as thioglycolic acid (TGA), thioacetic acid (TAA), 2-mercaptopropionic acid (2-MPA) and 〈span〉l〈/span〉-cysteine (Cys). The stability of the CIS colloids is strongly influenced by the structures of linker molecules, and short linker molecules induce strong adsorption of the CIS colloids on the TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, exhibiting strong visible-light absorption and high photo-conductivities. Effects of linker molecules capping CIS colloids on the solar cell performances were demonstrated. The solar cell performances for the CIS-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 improve as an increase of photo-conductivity of the CIS-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electrodes. In particular, the CIS(TAA)-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 photoelectrode employing the shortest linker molecules (TAA) exhibited the highest PCE yielding with 6.33% (short-circuit current: 14.0 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉, open-circuit voltage: 0.91 V and fill factor: 48.0%).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311731-ga1.jpg" width="478" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Muhammad Ali, Sarmad Al-Anssari, Muhammad Arif, Ahmed Barifcani, Mohammad Sarmadivaleh, Linda Stalker, Maxim Lebedev, Stefan Iglauer〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 geological storage (CGS) involves different mechanisms which can store millions of tonnes of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 per year in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers. But their storage capacity is influenced by the presence of different carboxylic compounds in the reservoir. These molecules strongly affect the water wetness of the rock, which has a dramatic impact on storage capacities and containment security. However, precise understanding of how these carboxylic acids influence the rock’s CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-wettability is lacking.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉We thus systematically analysed these relationships as a function of pressure, temperature, storage depth and organic acid concentrations. A particular focus was on identifying organic acid concentration thresholds above which storage efficiency may get influenced significantly.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉These thresholds (defined for structural trapping as a water contact angle θ 〉 90°; and for capillary trapping when primary drainage is unaffected, i.e. θ 〉 50°) were very low for structural trapping (∼10〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉–10〈sup〉−7〈/sup〉 M organic acid concentration C〈sub〉organic〈/sub〉) and extremely low for capillary trapping (10〈sup〉−7〈/sup〉 M to below 10〈sup〉−10〈/sup〉 M C〈sub〉organic〈/sub〉). Since minute organic acid concentrations are always present in deep saline aquifers and certainly in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, significantly lower storage capacities and containment security than previously thought can be predicted in carbonate reservoirs, and reservoir-scale models and evaluation schemes need to account for these effects to de-risk CGS projects.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718310257-ga1.jpg" width="451" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jing Du, Lixin Wang, Lei Bai, Shijia Dang, Li Su, Xiujuan Qin, Guangjie Shao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Development of highly-active and noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions is a challenge, and optimizing the structure and the composition of the relative materials is critical to obtain the high-quality catalysts. Ni-based compounds are being explored as noble-metal-free electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reactions but the Ni-based needs to be modified effectively. In this work, we co-electrodeposited Ni nanoparticles, hydrophilic graphene and graphene oxide layers on Ni foam to synthesize Ni-HG-rGO/NF catalysts. It was presented a Datura-like shape allowing for high performance with current densities of −10 and −100 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 for HER at overpotentials of −50 and −132 mV, a low Tafel slope of −48 mV dec〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and excellent long-term stability in 1.0 M NaOH solution. These results demonstrate that the Ni-HG-rGO/NF electrode can be a competitive electrode materials for HER in alkaline conditions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831138X-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaowei Cheng, Le Huang, Xuanyu Yang, Ahmed A. Elzatahry, Abdulaziz Alghamdi, Yonghui Deng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Owing to the high costs and instability of natural enzymes, the development of enzyme mimics based on inorganic nanomaterials has attracted a wide concern in recent years. In this work, a stable nanocomposite composed of highly dispersed CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles decorated on zeolite Y as support (CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y) was synthesized by a facile wet impregnation method, and the CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y nanocomposite was firstly proposed as an efficient peroxidase-mimicking nanozyme for accurate detection of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and glucose. The best catalyst was the nanocomposite with CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 to zeolite Y mass ratio of 0.20 (denoted as 20CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y), showing a better affinity and higher catalytic constant to the substrate of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) than horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzymes by the steady-state kinetic analysis. The enzyme-mimicking catalyst could be used over a wider range of pH and temperature for a long-time reuse in TMB oxidation. A facile colorimetric assay was set up for the accurate detection of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and glucose, with the detection limits of 0.323 μM and 35.4 μM, respectively. The CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y-based peroxidase mimic was used to precisely detect the glucose concentration in real blood serum samples, exhibiting a great potential to be constructed as a reliable biosensor for glucose detection in some complex systems. The superior peroxidase-mimicking performance of CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y nanocomposite is attributed to the synergistic effects of outstanding activity of highly dispersed CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles (5–10 nm) and adsorption properties of zeolite Y with large surface area (517 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and pore volume (0.329 cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A facile colorimetric assay was developed for the accurate detection of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and glucose with the CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Y hybrid nanocomposite as a highly efficient peroxidase-mimicking nanozyme, which shows the synergistic effects of outstanding activity of highly dispersed CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles and high surface area and pore volume of zeolite Y as support.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311858-ga1.jpg" width="253" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Michaela Sochorová, Pavla Audrlická, Martina Červená, Andrej Kováčik, Monika Kopečná, Lukáš Opálka, Petra Pullmannová, Kateřina Vávrová〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cholesterol (Chol) is one of the major skin barrier lipids. The physiological level of Chol in the stratum corneum (SC) appears to exceed its miscibility with other barrier lipids, as some Chol is phase separated. Chol synthesis is essential for epidermal homeostasis, yet the role of these Chol domains in SC permeability is unknown. We investigated the impact of Chol depletion on the permeability properties and microstructure of model membranes and human SC. X-ray powder diffraction of membranes constructed from isolated human skin ceramides or synthetic ceramides confirmed that only approximately half of the normal Chol amount can be incorporated in either long or short periodicity lamellar phases. The long periodicity lipid arrangement persisted even in the absence of Chol. Infrared spectroscopy suggested that Chol had negligible effects on the lipid chain order and packing at physiological skin temperature. Chol depletion of the model membranes or isolated human SC did not compromise the barrier function to water and two model permeants. On the contrary, the membrane with the Chol content reduced to 40% of the normal value, where no separated Chol was observed, was significantly less permeable than the control. Thus, a 0.4:1:1 M ratio of Chol/ceramides/fatty acids appears sufficient for skin lipids to limit water loss and prevent the entry of environmental substances. We speculate that the SC Chol domains may have roles in the skin other than barrier function.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311883-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nan Lu, Xi Zhang, Ruiqi Na, Wendi Ma, Chongyang Zhang, Yuchao Luo, Yongfeng Mu, Shuling Zhang, Guibin Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The synthesis of a nanocomposite gel polymer electrolytes (NGPEs) using Li〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-functionalized SPEEK (SPEEK(Li)) nanofiber membrane as a matrix, cross-linked PVA as a gelled agent and LiClO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 as an electrolytic salt for electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) were reported in this work. Compared with conventional PVA based gel electrolyte, the “SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉Li〈sup〉+〈/sup〉” functional groups and the pores structure of the SPEEK(Li) nanofiber membrane improves the ionic conductivity as well as mechanical stability, which made the prepared NGPEs exhibited a high ionic conductivity of 8.9 × 10〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 S cm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at ambient temperature and a large voltage stability window range from 0 to 2.0 V. The fabricated symmetric EDLCs showed a specific capacitance of 146.96 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a current density of 0.5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, with a maximum energy density of 18.26 W h kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Meanwhile, the EDLCs showed outstanding cyclical stability of 98% specific capacitance retention after 3000 cycles GCD testing, all of these results indicated that the NGPEs should be appropriate to EDLCs and next-generation energy storage systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311020-ga1.jpg" width="383" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elisangela P. Da Silva, Manuel E.G. Winkler, Willyan M. Giufrida, Lucio Cardozo-Filho, Christian G. Alonso, Jardel B.O. Lopes, Adley F. Rubira, Rafael Silva〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Photocatalytic activity of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles is highly dependent on their phase composition. The coexistence of anatase and rutile phases in a single nanoparticle eases the electron transfer process between the phases, and favors the separation of photogenerated pairs. In this work, highly photoactive mixed-phase TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanostructures were prepared by supercritical antisolvent precipitation (SAS), an environmentally friendly technology. It is shown here that this methodology has the remarkable ability to produce highly porous (515 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g) and crystalline TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles. The phase composition of as-prepared TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 samples can be tailored through annealing process. Several mixed-phase TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 samples were tested to assess the correlation between photocatalytic activity and phase composition. The photocatalytic performance is strongly affected by the anatase-rutile ratio, since the synergism between phases enhances the charge separation, reducing the recombination effect of the photogenerated pairs (e〈sup〉−〈/sup〉/h〈sup〉+〈/sup〉). It was found that the nanocatalyst composed by 7.0 wt% of rutile phase and 93.0 wt% of anatase phase, named as TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉_650, presented the highest photodegradation for both methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes. Interestingly, TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 samples prepared by SAS have superior photoactivity than the benchmark photocatalyst names as P25, which is a widely used TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 material composed of anatase and rutile phases.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311792-ga1.jpg" width="309" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Na Zhang, Ying Huang, Mingyue Wang, Xudong Liu, Meng Zong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel hierarchical composites for coupling thistle-like CoNi with dielectric Ag decorated graphene in paraffin wax as high performance microwave absorber has been synthesized by a facile two-step strategy. The components, particle size, microstructure and morphology of the resulting composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectra, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, etc. Due to the unique flower structure and good synergistic effect of dielectric loss and magnetic loss, thistle-like CoNi@dielectric Ag decorated graphene composites have showed glorious microwave absorption intensity and frequency width. The maximum reflection loss of −61.9 dB can be gained at 6.96 GHz, which has rarely been reported yet. In addition, the corresponding effective bandwidth with reflection loss less than −10 dB is 5.6 GHz ranging from 12.4 to 18 GHz at only 1.67 mm thickness. This highly efficient and broad band features endow thistle-like CoNi@dielectric Ag decorated graphene composites with promising applications in microwave absorption, electromagnetic shielding, information safety, direct broadcast satellite and military radar fields.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Synthesis and microwave absorption properties schematic diagram.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718310877-ga1.jpg" width="273" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jianqiang Wang, Hao Guo, Xiaonan Shi, Zhikan Yao, Weihua Qing, Fu Liu, Chuyang Y. Tang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report a novel membrane surface modification method using a fast polydopamine coating (fPDAc) strategy. Specifically, NaIO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 was introduced in the coating process to accelerate the polydopamine deposition rate. Surface properties and separation performances of fPDAc-coated reverse osmosis membranes were characterized and compared to those obtained using the conventional slow polydopamine coating (sPDAc) strategy. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements showed greatly increased polydopamine deposition rate using the fPDAc method, resulting in a reduction of 97% coating time to reach an areal mass of 2000 ng/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉. Both fPDAc and sPDAc enhanced the surface hydrophilicity and reduced the membrane surface charge. At relatively low areal mass deposition (〈1000 ng/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉), fPDAc-coated membranes showed improved NaCl rejection together with only mild loss of pure water flux. Nevertheless, this rejection enhancement effect was not noticeable when extensive polydopamine coating was applied due to the undesirable cake-enhanced concentration polarization effect. The extensive polydopamine coating was further accompanied with severe loss of membrane permeability, suggesting that shorter coating time (e.g., 4 min) is preferred using the fPDAc method. Our study provides a more rapid and effective membrane surface coating method compared to the conventional sPDAc method.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312049-ga1.jpg" width="312" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaoyan Lu, Wei Jia, Hui Chai, Jindou Hu, Shiqiang Wang, Yali Cao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Simple solid-state chemical reaction was adopted to synthesize NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanomaterials with different crystal phase without the use of organic solvent or templating agent. The as-prepared NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉·xH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O, α-NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and β-NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanostructures were investigated as the electrode materials for supercapacitors. The β-NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanorods were composed of the nanoparticles, which exhibited relatively high specific capacitances about 1415 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a charge density of 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 80.2% of the initial reversible capacity was maintained after 1000 cycles. The β-NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉//rGO asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) system was assembled in serials, which displayed high specific energy density of 29.3 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a high power density of 187 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. This ASC system can drive the light-emitting diode (LED) effectively and give out light about 40 min, even easily light two LEDs in serials for 20 min. The remarkable electrochemical performances make the as-prepared NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanostructures an excellent candidate as electrode materials for advanced supercapacitors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The β-NiMoO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanomrods were successfully fabricated by a green solid-state chemical approach and exhibit high electrochemical performance for supercapacitors.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311172-ga1.jpg" width="272" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 535〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Harkirat Kaur, Girivyankatesh Hippargi, Girish R. Pophali, Amit Bansiwal〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Triclosan, an antimicrobial micro-pollutant with a high bio-accumulation potential represented by its high octanol-water partition coefficient (log K〈sub〉ow〈/sub〉) of 4.76 is commonly encountered in water and wastewater worldwide. The present study focuses on biomimetic surface modification of commercial activated carbon (PAC) with long chain fatty acid namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) resulting in enhanced affinity for the hydrophobic micro-pollutant; triclosan (TCS). The sorption process of the resulting modified lipophilic carbon (PAC〈sub〉M〈/sub〉) was investigated for the effect of various experimental conditions. The Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models had a better fit. PAC〈sub〉M〈/sub〉 exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity of 395.2 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in contrast to 71.5 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 obtained for PAC. The surface morphology in terms of surface area, surface acidity, pore size, contact angle, etc. and were also evaluated. The contact angle of 134.3° obtained for PAC〈sub〉M〈/sub〉 confirmed its highly hydrophobic nature. The efficacy of PAC〈sub〉M〈/sub〉 was also evaluated using real-world secondary treated effluent containing triclosan confirming its applicability for tertiary treatment of wastewater. The study established that the biomimetic approach of creating lipid-like sites on the carbon surface results in the enhanced removal of lipophilic micro-pollutants. It can also be utilized for the removal and recovery of a wide variety of other organic micro-pollutants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718311743-ga1.jpg" width="235" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ahmad Tayyebi, Tayyebeh Soltani, Byeong-Kyu Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (c-BVO) was prepared via simple calcination of solvothermally processed tetrahedral BiVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. The physicochemical and morphological properties of c-BVO demonstrated the successful synthesis of the photoactive monoclinic phase from the tetrahedral phase, which has low photoactivity properties. The photoactivities of c-BVO were investigated using the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements in acidic (pH = 2.5), neutral (pH = 6.5) and basic (pH = 9.5) media. The photocatalytic activity of c-BVO was increased with increasing pH, achieved 99% MB degradation in the basic condition, compared with 70 and 45% in the neutral and acidic media, respectively. Although the tetrahedral BiVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 showed mainly adsorption with negligible photodegradation, c-BVO demonstrated both good adsorption and photodegradation activities. The PEC results indicated that the photocurrent density was affected by both pH and applied voltage. Impedance measurements showed faster charge transfer in the neutral condition than in the acidic and basic electrolytes. The incident photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) showed very low activity for tetrahedral BiVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, but in comparison it was enhanced by 20- and 10-fold for c-BVO in the visible and simulated solar light, respectively.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718310208-ga1.jpg" width="309" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 534〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ying Yang, Dehong Zeng, Senjie Yang, Lin Gu, Baijun Liu, Shijie Hao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Core-shell structured carbon nanofiber@metal oxide is one of the most promising hybrid electrodes as supercapacitors, in which the pseudocapacitive metal oxides can be fully exerted and stabilized on the carbonaceous scaffolds. However, facile fabrication of mesoporous carbon nanofibers and integration of them with metal oxides are challenging. Herein, we report a new type of mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNs), derived from zinc-trimesic acid fibers, acting as the scaffolds to anchor nickel cobaltite (NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) nanosheets after surface O-functionalization. The resultant core-shell OMCN@NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanostructure is demonstrated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental mapping, bright-field/high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) studies. The anchored NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets are dense (97.4%), and have a strong interaction with OMCN, as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-temperature programmed reduction (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-TPR) techniques. As expected, the OMCN@NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 is highly efficient, showing a high specific capacitance of 1631 F g〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉 at the current density of 1 A g〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉, excellent rate capability and superior cycling stability up to 5000 cycles within a high capacitance retention ratio of 94.5%. This research opens the avenue to fabricate high-efficiency carbon-metal oxide electrodes using metal-organic framework fiber-derived mesoporous carbon nanofibers and integration of them with NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets by increasing the interfacial interaction.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets coated on zinic-trimesic acid fiber-derived mesoporous carbon nanofibers within surface O-functionalities as high-performance electrode for supercapacitors.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831110X-ga1.jpg" width="276" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 537〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): P.V. Ostroverkhov, A.S. Semkina, V.A. Naumenko, E.A. Plotnikova, P.A. Melnikov, T.O. Abakumova, R.I. Yakubovskaya, A.F. Mironov, S.S. Vodopyanov, A.M. Abakumov, A.G. Majouga, M.A. Grin, V.P. Chekhonin, M.A. Abakumov〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉Hydrophobic bacteriochlorin based photosensitizer (PS) can be effectively immobilized on MNP covered by human serum albumin (HSA). PS loading into MNP protein shell allows solubilizing PS in water solution without altering its photodynamic activity. MNP@PS can serve as diagnostic tool for tracking PS delivery to tumor tissues by MRI.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Immobilization on MNP-HSA-PEG was performed by adding PS solution in organic solvents with further purification. MNP@PS were characterized by DLS, HAADF STEM and AFM. Absorbance and fluorescence measurements were used to assess PS photophysical properties before and after immobilization. MNP@PS internalization into CT26 cells was investigated by confocal microscopy in vitro and MRI/IVIS were used for tracking MNP@PS delivery to tumors in vivo.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉MNP@PS complexes were stable in water solution and retained PS photophysical activity. The length of side chain affected MNP@PS size, loading capacity and cell internalization. In vitro testing demonstrated MNP@PS delivery to cancer cells followed by photoinduced toxicity. In vivo studies confirmed that as-synthetized complexes can be used for MRI tracking over drug accumulation in tumors.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312852-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 537〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Önder Tekinalp, Sacide Alsoy Altinkaya〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The aim of this study is to prepare high flux, stable, antifouling nanofiltration membranes through single bilayer polyelectrolyte deposition. To this end, a tight ultrafiltration support membrane was prepared from a polysulfone/sulfonated polyethersulfone blend. Deposition of a polyethyleneimine and alginate pair on this support has reduced the molecular weight cut off from 6 kDa to below 1 kDa. The pure water permeability and polyethylene glycol 1000 rejection of the coated membrane were found to be 15.5 ± 0.3 L/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉·h·bar and 90 ± 0.6%, respectively, by setting the deposition pH for each layer to 8 and the ionic strengths to 0.5 M and 0 M. This membrane has exhibited significantly higher permeability than commercial membranes with the same molecular weight cut off, retaining 98% of the initial flux during 15 h filtration of bovine serum albumine. In addition, the membrane has been able to completely remove anionic dyes from aqueous solution by showing 99.9% retentions to Reactive red 141, Brilliant blue G and Congo red with a 2 bar transmembrane pressure. High flux and membrane stability in acidic and salty environments have been achieved when deposition conditions favor high adsorption levels for the first layer and strong ionic cross-linking between the carboxyl group on the alginate and the amine groups on the polyethyleneimine.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312864-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): V.I. Kovalchuk, E.V. Aksenenko, A.V. Makievski, V.B. Fainerman, R. Miller〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The dilational visco-elasticity of surfactant adsorption layers was measured at low frequencies by the drop profile analysis tensiometry using oscillating drops. As the studied non-ionic surfactant C〈sub〉13〈/sub〉DMPO (tridecyl dimethyl phosphine oxide) is soluble in water and in hexane, the partitioning of the surfactant between the two solvents had to be taken into consideration. The diffusion controlled exchange of matter theory was generalized in order to take into consideration the curvature of the interface, the diffusional transport in both adjacent bulk phases as well as the transfer across the liquid interface. Using two configurations, i.e. water drop in hexane and hexane drop in water, it is shown that the frequency dependence of the visco-elasticity modulus and the phase angle can be well described when the correct partition coefficient is applied. The surface activity of the selected surfactant C〈sub〉13〈/sub〉DMPO is optimum to demonstrate the impact of matter transfer across the interface on the dilational visco-elasticity of interfacial adsorption layers of non-ionic surfactants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831453X-ga1.jpg" width="254" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ke Chen, Qiaohui Fan, Changlun Chen, Zhongshan Chen, Ahmed Alsaedi, Tasawar Hayat〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Identification of the role of the specific surface area and surface structure as a key factor for photocatalytic performance remains a controversial topic. In this work, three types of N-doped anatase TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 with different morphologies are newly synthesized by changing the addition order for the reagents. Methyl orange, Rhodamine B and Congo red are selected to showcase the photoactivity of the synthesized N-doped TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The photocatalytic experimental results show that Congo red can be selectively and rapidly degraded by three different N-doped TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 samples. Interestingly, although a microspiny sphere structure possesses a larger specific surface area compared to a microflower structure, a microflower structure dominated by {1 0 0} and {1 0 1} facets exhibits a higher photocatalytic efficiency compared to a microspiny structure dominated by {1 0 1} facets, as demonstrated by a quicker photodegradation rate for Congo red, higher photocurrent density, smaller semicircle in the electrochemical impedance spectrum, and lower photoluminescence intensity. Thus, the result suggests that the surface structure plays a more important role compared to the surface area. In addition, a hollow microsphere structure with the largest specific surface area exhibits the best performance in terms of photodegradation, charge separation ability and electron-hole recombination efficiency, indicating that the proper surface morphology combined with a large specific surface area is greatly promising for enhancement of photoactivity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314747-ga1.jpg" width="250" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tejaswi Soori, Thomas Ward〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉In this manuscript we examine the stability of an evaporating-unbounded axisymmetric liquid bridge confined between parallel-planar similar or chemically different substrates using both theory and experiments. With a quasistatic assumption we use hydrostatics to estimate the minimum stable volume 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si23.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉V〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="italic"〉min〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 via the Young-Laplace equation for Bond numbers 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si84.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉0〈/mn〉〈mo〉⩽〈/mo〉〈mi mathvariant="italic"〉Bo〈/mi〉〈mo〉⩽〈/mo〉〈mn〉1〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, and top/bottom wall contact angles 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si85.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉5〈/mn〉〈mi〉°〈/mi〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈mi〉θ〈/mi〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈mn〉175〈/mn〉〈mi〉°〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 although the primary focus is on wetting and partial wetting fluids. Solving the Young-Laplace equation requires knowledge of appropriate capillary pressure values, which appear as a constant, and may not provide unique solution. To examine uniqueness of numerical solutions and volume minima determined from the Young-Laplace equation for unbounded-axisymmetric liquid bridges we analyzed capillary pressure for large and small liquid volume-asymptotic limits at zero Bond number.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Experiments were performed to compare with the volume minima calculations for Bond numbers 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si86.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉0.04〈/mn〉〈mo〉⩽〈/mo〉〈mi mathvariant="italic"〉Bo〈/mi〉〈mo〉⩽〈/mo〉〈mn〉0.65〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉. Three substrates of varying surface energy were used, with purified water as the primary liquid. Volume estimates and contact angle data were extracted via image analysis and evaporation rates measured from this data are reported.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉Volume minima were in the range 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si87.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉0.1〈/mn〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉V〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="italic"〉min〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈mn〉20〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si39.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="normal"〉μ〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉l depending on Bond number. There was good agreement when comparing predicted volume minima and those determined from experiments for the range of parameters studied.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314590-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cameron S. Giglio, Osayuki Osazuwa, Marianna Kontopoulou, Aristides Docoslis〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The role of surfactant (Pluronic® F 127) concentration on the yield and morphological characteristics of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) produced from the sonication of aqueous graphene suspensions is investigated in this work. By employing a wide surfactant concentration range (0.1−15 wt%) and sonication power densities up to 420 W L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 we identify two graphene exfoliation regimes: the first occurs at low sonication power densities (〈340 W L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and produces GNPs with sizes 200–300 nm, aspect ratios between 70 and 100, and concentrations up 1 mg mL〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. In that regime, the surfactant concentration has no effect on the exfoliation results. In the second exfoliation regime (〉340 W L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), surfactant concentrations greater than 10 wt% produce dramatic increases in GNP yields, namely up to 3.0 mg mL〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, and overall larger GNPs (350–500 nm) with smaller aspect ratios (5–60). We attribute these changes to the onset of a more energy intensive mechanism, termed cleavage. Cleavage involves the separation of graphite clusters in sub-bulk multi-layered graphene entities, as opposed to exfoliation, which involves the separation of individual or few-layer GNPs. Choosing an exfoliation regime by tuning simple process parameters enables control over the yield, size and morphology of the produced GNPs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831467X-ga1.jpg" width="252" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shaojun Peng, Yongzhi Men, Ruihong Xie, Yefei Tian, Wuli Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Zwitterionic polymer nanocarriers have attracted much attention in recent years due to their desirable biocompatibility and anti-fouling properties. However, the super-hydrophilic and neutral charge of zwitterionic polymer results in weak interactions with negatively charged cell membranes, which leads to suboptimal uptake by tumor cells. Herein, a series of biodegradable poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine-〈em〉s-s〈/em〉-vinylimidazole) (PMV) nanogels with uniform spherical shape was fabricated by one-step reflux precipitation polymerization, which was clean and efficient. The PMV nanogels remained in zwitterionic state at physiological pH (pH 7.4) and were converted rapidly to positive charged state at tumor extracellular pH (pH 6.5). Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and acid-base titration experiment proved that the charge-conversion ability of PMV nanogels was attributed to protonation of the imidazole ring in an acidic environment. Protein stability experiment showed that PMV nanogels exhibited a protein-adsorption resistance at pH 7.4 for as long as 7 days while adsorbed protein rapidly at pH 6.5. Moreover, PMV nanogels showed a reducing-labile property, which was able to degrade into short linear polymer chains in the presence of reduction agents. Therefore, the doxorubicin (DOX) release profile was controlled finely with a low DOX leakage under physiological conditions (7.8% in 48 h) and a rapid DOX release in 10 mM glutathione at pH 7.4 (78.9% in 48 h). Confocal laser scanning microscope and flow cytometry showed that the PMV nanogels exhibit an enhanced cellular uptake by tumor cells at pH 6.5 compared with pH 7.4, which allows for a severe cytotoxic effect of DOX-loaded PMV nanogels against tumor cells.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Biodegradable phosphorylcholine-based zwitterionic polymer nanogels with charge-conversion ability at tumor extracellular pH were fabricated by one-step reflux precipitation polymerization, leading to the enhanced tumor cellular uptake and controlled drug release.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314693-ga1.jpg" width="352" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elka S. Basheva, Krassimir D. Danov, Gergana M. Radulova, Peter A. Kralchevsky, Hui Xu, Yee Wei Ung, Jordan T. Petkov〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypotheses〈/h6〉 〈p〉The micellar solutions of sulfonated methyl esters (SME) are expected to form stratifying foam films that exhibit stepwise thinning. From the height of the steps, which are engendered by micellar layers confined in the films, we could determine the micelle aggregation number, surface electric potential, and ionization degree. Moreover, addition of the zwitterionic surfactant cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is expected to transform the small spherical micelles of SME into giant wormlike aggregates.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Stratifying films from SME solutions are formed and the heights of the steps are recorded. The viscosity of mixed SME + CAPB solutions is measured at various concentrations and weight ratios of the two surfactants.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉By theoretical analysis of the foam film data, we established that at 30–100 mM SME spherical micelles are formed and their aggregation number was determined. The addition of calcium ions, as in hard water, does not produce significant effect. However, SME and CAPB exhibit a strong synergism with respect to micelle growth as indicated by the high solution’s viscosity. For this reason, the SME + CAPB mixtures represent a promising system for formulations in personal-care and house-hold detergency, having in mind also other useful properties of SME, such as high hard water tolerance, biodegradability and skin compatibility.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314681-ga1.jpg" width="459" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Houjuan Qi, Min Teng, Miao Liu, Shouxin Liu, Jian Li, Haipeng Yu, Chunbo Teng, Zhanhua Huang, Hu Liu, Qian Shao, Ahmad Umar, Tao Ding, Qiang Gao, Zhanhu Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N〈em〉-CQD〈/em〉s) were successfully synthesized using rice residue and glycine as carbon and nitrogen sources by one-step hydrothermal method. High quantum yield (23.48%) originated from the effective combination of nitrogen with various functional groups (C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/dbnd"〉O, N〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉H, C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉N, COOH and C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉O〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉C). The N-CQDs showed a fluorescence with the wavelength varied from 420 to 500 nm and the maximum emission wavelength being at 440 nm. N-CQDs have been importantly applied as probe to detect Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 and tetracycline (TCs) antibiotics with remarkable performance. Using the linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 concentration, the N-CQDs could be employed as a simple, efficient sensor for ultrasensitive Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 detection ranging from 3.32 to 32.26 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.7462 µM. The N-CQDs showed the applicability to detect TCs. The detection limits of tetracycline, terramycin and chlortetracycline were 0.2367, 0.3739 and 0.2791 µM, respectively. The results of TC by fluorescence method in real water samples were in good agreement with standard Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) method. The N-CQDs have various potential applications including sensitive and selective detection of Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 and TCs, and cellular imaging with low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and high permeability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphic abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314875-ga1.jpg" width="486" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jianhao Qiu, Xingguang Zhang, Kailuo Xie, Xiong-Fei Zhang, Yi Feng, Mingmin Jia, Jianfeng Yao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized MOFs are attractive materials for photocatalytic reactions, and outstanding catalytic performances can be expected, especially when they have intrinsically matched crystal faces between metals and MOFs. This study discovered that the photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aldehydes was enhanced over Au/UiO-66-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 or Au/UiO-66 but suppressed over Pt loaded counterparts, whereas the reduction of Cr(VI) was boosted over both two catalysts. In reactions, the conversion of benzyl alcohol was 17.1% over UiO-66-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and 7.6% over UiO-66, and an enhanced conversion was obtained over Au/UiO-66-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (30.5%) and Au/UiO-66 (24.1%). However, the conversion was decreased over Pt/UiO-66-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (9.3%) and Pt/UiO-66 (〈1%). Experimental results revealed strong correlations between Zr-MOFs and loaded metal NPs, as Zr centers promoted the formation of Pt(200) planes that suppressed the production of ·O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 intermediates to oxidize aromatic alcohols, whereas Pt(200) exhibited no effect on the Cr(VI) reduction triggered by photo-induced electrons. The findings in this study on constructing noble metal NPs functionalized Zr-MOFs catalysts with specially-matched crystal structures and on distinguishing photocatalytic mechanisms on oxidation of alcohols and reduction of Cr(VI) would provide valuable information for designer (photo)catalysts based on MOFs and their applications in such as catalysis and environmental remediation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314577-ga1.jpg" width="247" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mengru Wang, Wanhua Liu, Yanqiu Zhang, Meng Dang, Yunlei Zhang, Jun Tao, Kun Chen, Xin Peng, Zhaogang Teng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The development of effective targeted therapies for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a challenge. This targeted drug delivery system used a near-infrared fluorescence dye cyanine 5.5 (Cy5.5) and an ICAM-1 antibody on thioether-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMOs). The ICAM-1 antibody and cyanine 5.5-engineered PMOs (PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM) offer excellent 〈em〉in vivo and in vitro〈/em〉 biocompatibility. The PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM shows a loading capacity up to 400 mg/g of doxorubicin (DOX). The drug release profile of the DOX-loaded targeted delivery system (DOX@PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM) is pH-sensitive. Confocal microscopy showed that the PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM efficiently targets and enters TNBC cells. In 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 experiments, the DOX@PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM accumulates more in TNBCs than in the control groups and exhibits better therapeutic effects on TNBC; thus, it is a promising treatment strategy for TNBC.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Target therapy for TNBC with ICAM-1 antibody mediated mesoporous drug delivery system DOX@PMO-Cy5.5-ICAM.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314668-ga1.jpg" width="274" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bochuan Tan, Shengtao Zhang, Hongyan Liu, Yuwan Guo, Yujie Qiang, Wenpo Li, Lei Guo, Chunliu Xu, Shijin Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Food flavors of 2-isobutylthiazole (ITT) and 1-(1,3-Thiazol-2-yl)ethanone (TEO) for the corrosion inhibition of X65 steel in H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 were studied by electrochemical methods, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and theoretical calculations. Electrochemical experiments show that ITT and TEO can effectively inhibit the corrosion of cathode and anode of X65 steel, and they are mixed-type corrosion inhibitors. Surface topography analysis (SEM and AFM) also visually demonstrate that ITT and TEO form an effective barrier film on the X65 steel surface to isolate the corrosive medium. Theoretical calculations profoundly explain the inhibition mechanism of ITT and TEO at the molecular level. In addition, the adsorption behavior of ITT and TEO on the surface of X65 steel is consistent with Langmuir isotherm adsorption. The results of experimental and theoretical studies have shown that the inhibition effect of TEO is better than ITT for X65 in 0.5 M H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314553-ga1.jpg" width="265" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Julia Elistratova, Alsu Mukhametshina, Kirill Kholin, Irek Nizameev, Maksim Mikhailov, Maxim Sokolov, Rafil Khairullin, Regina Miftakhova, Ghazal Shammas, Marsil Kadirov, Konstantin Petrov, Albert Rizvanov, Asiya Mustafina〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present work introduces a facile synthetic route to embed phosphorescent K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}I〈sub〉6〈/sub〉] and (nBu〈sub〉4〈/sub〉N)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}(CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉COO)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉] clusters (C) onto silica-water interface of amino-decorated silica nanoparticles (SNs, 60 ± 6 nm). The assembled C-SNs gain in the luminescence intensity, which remains stable within three months after their assembly. High uptake capacity of the clusters (8700 of K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}I〈sub〉6〈/sub〉] and 6500 of (nBu〈sub〉4〈/sub〉N)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}(CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉COO)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉] per the each nanoparticle) derives from ionic self-assembly and coordination bonds between the cluster complexes and ionic (amino- and siloxy-) groups at the silica surface. The coordination 〈em〉via〈/em〉 amino- or siloxy-groups restricts aquation and hydrolysis of the embedded clusters, in comparison with the parent K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}I〈sub〉6〈/sub〉] and (nBu〈sub〉4〈/sub〉N)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉[{Mo〈sub〉6〈/sub〉I〈sub〉8〈/sub〉}(CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉COO)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉. High potential of the assembled nanoparticles in the ROS generation was revealed by EPR measurements facilitated by spin trapping. The high positive charge and convenient colloid stability of the assembled C-SNs hybrids are the prerequisite for their efficient cellular uptake, which is exemplified in the work by MCF-7 cell line. The measured dark and photoinduced cytotoxicity of the C-SNs hybrids reveals significant photodynamic therapy effect on the MCF-7 cancer cell line versus the normal cells. This effect is entirely due to the embedded clusters and is dependent on the chemical composition of the cluster.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314474-ga1.jpg" width="250" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bijan K. Paul, Narayani Ghosh, Saptarshi Mukherjee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The binding interaction of a prospective anti-cancer photosensitizer, norharmane (NHM, 9〈em〉H〈/em〉-pyrido[3,4-〈em〉b〈/em〉]indole) with double stranded RNA reveals a primarily intercalative mode of binding. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic results demonstrate the occurrence of drug-RNA binding interaction as manifested through environment-sensitive prototropic equilibrium of NHM. However, the key finding of the present study lies in unraveling the complexities in the NHM-RNA binding thermodynamics. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) results reveal the presence of two thermodynamically different binding modes for NHM. An extensive temperature-dependence investigation shows that the formation of Complex I is enthalpically (ΔH〈sub〉I〈/sub〉 〈 0) as well as entropically (TΔS〈sub〉I〈/sub〉 〉 0) favored with the enthalpic (entropic) contribution being increasingly predominant in the higher (lower) temperature regime. On the contrary, the formation of Complex II reveals a predominantly enthalpy-driven signature (ΔH〈sub〉I〈/sub〉 〈 0) along with unfavorable entropy change (TΔS〈sub〉I〈/sub〉 〈 0) with gradually decreasing enthalpic contribution with temperature. Such differential dependences of ΔH〈sub〉I〈/sub〉 and ΔH〈sub〉II〈/sub〉 on temperature subsequently lead to opposing heat capacity changes underlying the formation of Complex I and II (〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si3.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msubsup〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="normal"〉Δ〈/mi〉〈mi〉C〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉p〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mi〉I〈/mi〉〈/msubsup〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈mn〉0〈/mn〉〈mspace width="5.0pt"〉〈/mspace〉〈mi〉a〈/mi〉〈mi〉n〈/mi〉〈mi〉d〈/mi〉〈mspace width="5.0pt"〉〈/mspace〉〈msubsup〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="normal"〉Δ〈/mi〉〈mi〉C〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉p〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="italic"〉II〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msubsup〉〈mo〉〉〈/mo〉〈mn〉0〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉). A negative ΔC〈sub〉p〈/sub〉 underpins the pivotal role of ‘hydrophobic effect’ (release of ordered water molecules) for the formation of Complex I, while a positive ΔC〈sub〉p〈/sub〉 marks the thermodynamic hallmark for ‘hydrophobic hydration’ (solvation of hydrophobic (or nonpolar) molecular surfaces in aqueous medium) for formation of Complex II. A detailed investigation of the effect of ionic strength enables a component analysis of the total free energy change (ΔG).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314450-ga1.jpg" width="262" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Orlando Marin, Maria Alesker, Shani Guttman, Gregory Gershinsky, Eitan Edri, Hagay Shpaisman, Rodrigo E. Guerra, David Zitoun, Moshe Deutsch, Eli Sloutskin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉Temperature-controlled self-faceting of liquid droplets has been recently discovered in surfactant-stabilized alkane-in-water emulsions. We hypothesize that similar self-faceting may occur in emulsion droplets of UV-polymerizable linear hydrocarbons. We further hypothesize that the faceted droplet shapes can be fixed by UV-initiated polymerization, thus providing a new route towards the production of solid polyhedra.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Temperature-induced shape variations were studied by optical microscopy in micron-size emulsion droplets of UV-polymerizable alkyl acrylate. When polymerized, the resultant solid particles’ 3D shape and internal structure were determined by combined scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) slicing. The SEM and FIB nanoscale resolution provided a far greater detail imaging than that achievable for the liquid droplets, which could only be studied by optical microscopy, severely limiting their 3D shape determination.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉We demonstrate the formation of solid icosahedra, polyhedral platelets, and rods of hitherto-unreported sizes, well below the 3D-printing resolution (〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si13.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mo〉∼〈/mo〉〈mn〉20〈/mn〉〈mspace width="0.25em"〉〈/mspace〉〈mi mathvariant="normal"〉μ〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉m). The presence of icosahedral shapes and the absence of any resolvable internal structure at sub-〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si14.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="normal"〉μ〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉m length scales, are in line with the surface-freezing-driven mechanism proposed for the faceting phenomenon. Further development of the method presented here may allow large-quantity production of shaped micron- to nano- sized colloidal building blocks for 3D metamaterials and other applications.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314322-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jin Soo Lim, Gunn Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Polyphenylene superhoneycomb network (PSN) and covalent triazine framework (CTF) are experimentally realized periodically porous graphene derivatives. Such ultrathin layers with homogeneously distributed pores of controllable sizes are highly desirable for applications in molecular separations such as water purification. The permeation energy barrier is expected to be a function of not only the pore size, but also the specific permeation trajectory as determined by hydrogen bonding interactions at the water-pore interface.〈/p〉 〈p〉Here, we report a detailed first-principles study of permeation of a single H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O molecule through a monolayer PSN and CTF-0, as well as its diffusion behavior inside a bilayer PSN. The calculated energy barrier of 1.44 eV indicates the infeasibility of using PSN as a water permeation membrane. However, the barrier decreases considerably to 0.94 eV when three C-H pairs at the pore are replaced with N atoms into CTF-0. Inside a bilayer PSN, we find facile interlayer sliding as well as interlayer expansion owing to out-of-plane reorientation of the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O molecule. In all cases, the functional groups at the pore significantly alter the orientation of the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O molecule and the corresponding barriers. Such atomistic insights at the porous interface would provide a valuable guidance in advancing rational pore design principles.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314280-ga1.jpg" width="488" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mengqi Li, Dongqing Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The nonlinear electrokinetic motion of electrically induced Janus droplets (EIJDs) in a microchannel is studied in this paper. The EIJDs were fabricated by operating the positively charged aluminum oxide nanoparticles to partially cover the oil droplets with electric field. The nanoparticle coverage of the EIJDs changes with the electric field strength, which leads to the variation of the electrophoretic mobility of the EIJDs. Therefore, the electrokinetic velocity of the EIJDs in a microchannel changes nonlinearly with the electric field strength. In this research, the variations of the nanoparticle coverage under both constant and time-varying electric fields were studied first. The results indicate that the nanoparticle coverage of the EIJDs decreases with the increase of the electric field strength, and an empirical equation for calculating nanoparticle coverage as a function of the electric field was derived. Under time-varying electric field, the variation of nanoparticle coverage lags behind the change of electric field, and the nanoparticle coverage changes differently under different time-varying electric fields. The experimental results of the electrokinetic motion of the EIJDs in a microchannel confirm that the electrokinetic velocity increases nonlinearly with the electric field. Due to the lag of the nanoparticle coverage change, the variation of the electrokinetic velocity in a microchannel is different between the increasing and decreasing periods of the time-varying electric field.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314243-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Liang Chang, Yun Hang Hu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Capacitive deionization (CDI), which is one of up-and-coming water treatment technologies, is based on ion electrostatic adsorption on electrode surface. Herein, three-dimensional channel-structured graphene (CSG), which was synthesized via exothermic reaction between liquid potassium and carbon monoxide gas, was demonstrated as an efficient electrode material for CDI. Namely, the CSG electrode exhibited a specific capacity of 207.4 F/g at 0.2 A/g in 1 M NaCl aqueous solution. In a batch-mode recycling system, the electrosorption capacity of CSG can achieve 5.70 and 9.60 mg/g at 1.5 V in 50 and 295 mg/l NaCl aqueous solutions, respectively. The excellent electrosorption capacity of CSG, especially under low saline concentration, can be attributed to the synergistic effect of its large surface area (711.9 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g), unique channel structure, and oxygen functional groups.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314279-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Liguo Yue, Hao Guo, Xiao Wang, Taotao Sun, Hui Liu, Qi Li, Mengni Xu, Yuying Yang, Wu Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper is the first study of the application of non-metallic element modified metal-organic frameworks in supercapacitors. Three-dimensional metal-organic frameworks modified by non-metallic element have a novel flower cluster structure, which effectively improve the structural stability and the electrochemical performance of the supercapacitors. The electrochemical performances of the materials modified by the vulcanizing agent are particularly significant with a high specific capacitance of 1453.5F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a current density of 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and excellent cycle stability (retention rate of 89.23% after 5000 cycles). In addition, the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor S@Ni-MOF//AC also shows a high energy density of 56.85 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at power density of 480 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and good cycle stability with a capacitance retention of 86.67% after 20,000 cycles at current density 5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. As a result, metal-organic frameworks materials modified by the non-metallic element make up for the crystal defects, which can be used as promising electrode materials for practical applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315200-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mingchao Liu, Si Suo, Jian Wu, Yixiang Gan, Dorian AH Hanaor, C.Q. Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉Control of capillary flow through porous media has broad practical implications. However, achieving accurate and reliable control of such processes by tuning the pore size or by modification of interface wettability remains challenging. Here we propose that the liquid flow by capillary penetration can be accurately adjusted by tuning the geometry of porous media.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methodologies〈/h6〉 〈p〉On the basis of Darcy’s law, a general framework is proposed to facilitate the control of capillary flow in porous systems by tailoring the geometric shape of porous structures. A numerical simulation approach based on finite element method is also employed to validate the theoretical prediction.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉A basic capillary component with a tunable velocity gradient is designed according to the proposed framework. By using the basic component, two functional capillary elements, namely, (i) flow accelerator and (ii) flow resistor, are demonstrated. Then, multi-functional fluidic devices with controllable capillary flow are realized by assembling the designed capillary elements. All the theoretical designs are validated by numerical simulations. Finally, it is shown that the proposed concept can be extended to three-dimensional design of porous media.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315108-ga1.jpg" width="383" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Vincent Ball, Jérôme F.L. Duval〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films display either a linear or an exponential increase of their thickness with increasing the number of polycation/polyanion deposition cycles. Each of these growth regimes is further associated with a specific mode of internal PEM charge compensation: either intrinsic in the case of linearly growing films, or extrinsic for exponentially growing films with incorporation of small ions from the neighbouring electrolyte solution. In this report, we investigate by electrochemistry the charge compensation mechanism operational for poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride)-poly(acrylic acid sodium salt) (PDAMAC-PAA)〈em〉〈sub〉n〈/sub〉〈/em〉 films recently found to be out-of-equilibrium immediately after the deposition process despite of their exponential growth mode. It is found here that these films are defined by a negative Donnan potential drop (ca. −160 mV), thus evidencing an extrinsic charge compensation process, and most importantly, by a remarkably slow kinetics for loading of hexacyanoferrate anions, a very unusual property for PEMs with exponential growth. Depending on the film thickness, the diffusion coefficient of the redox probe in the film is found to be of the order of 10〈sup〉−13〈/sup〉 − 10〈sup〉−15〈/sup〉 cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 〈em〉i.e.〈/em〉 about 8 to 10 orders of magnitude less than that typically measured in aqueous solution. This results in a steady state filling of 〈em〉e.g.〈/em〉 a 2.8 µm thick PEM film with the redox probe that is achieved after more than 40 h, a feature in line with the typical 4 to 5 days relaxation timescale of the film structure previously determined by atomic force microscopy and Raman micro-spectroscopy analyses.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315133-ga1.jpg" width="272" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ling Wang, Yitong Wang, Yuanyuan Hu, Guangzhen Wang, Shuli Dong, Jingcheng Hao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Self-assembly exploits a facile non-covalent way to couple structurally different building blocks for creating soft materials with synergetic novel properties and functions. Taking advantage of magneto-properties from magnetic surfactants as well as versatile functional ligand formed by carbon quantum dots with cysteine (cys-CQDs), the magnetic network materials were firstly constructed by using magnetic surfactants and cys-CQDs as self-assembly building blocks. Counterions of Br〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, [GdCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉Br]〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, [HoCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉Br]〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 in surfactants could control the morphology of magnetic network structures, and the concentration of magnetic surfactants manoeuvres a versatile scenario of self-assembly behavior. Self-assembly of cys-CQDs and CTAHo brought out a 10-fold increase in magnetic moment of CTAHo. The fluorescent property of carbon quantum dots firstly served as an effective indicator element to dissect the collective effect in self-assembly process. For the sake of capturing the target sequence-specific DNA molecules, in situ growth of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) upon the magnetic network structures was realized by synergetically electrostatic and coordinated interaction of carboxyl groups and Ag ions. The magnetic Ag self-assemblies anchored thiol-containing DNA, serving as a magnetic separation booster for the target sequence-specific DNA molecules under an applied magnetic field, which will bring light on designing magneto-functional self-assembly materials according to practical application requirements.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314711-ga1.jpg" width="435" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong-Ping Gao, Zi-Bo Zhai, Qian-Qian Wang, Zhi-Qiang Hou, Ke-Jing Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To improve the ineluctable agglomeration and weak inherent conductivity of MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 electrode materials, MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/rGO composite is synthesized by a facile method and it shows large specific surface area and enhanced conductivity. Its particular framework can availably hold back the aggregation of MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and restacking of rGO, and accelerate reversible redox reactions. The MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/rGO composite shows a specific capacity of 536.6 F/g at 1 A/g (257.3 F/g at 40 A/g) and retains 96.9% after 10,000 cycles at 5 A/g. An asymmetric supercapacitor is developed with MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/rGO composite and activated carbon. An energy density of 16.2 Wh/kg is obtained at a power density of 400 kW/kg. Additionally, this device has successfully lighted up a LED, demonstrating its promising application in energy storage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Layered MgAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/reduced graphene oxide is prepared and used as electrode material for asymmetrical supercapacitor with a long cycling life.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314851-ga1.jpg" width="318" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shengqiu Chen, Chunyan Lv, Kai Hao, Lunqiang Jin, Yi Xie, Weifeng Zhao, Shudong Sun, Xiang Zhang, Changsheng Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Multifunctional materials, which can effectively and simultaneously remove various water-soluble contaminants like dyes and heavy metal ions, and separate oil from water, are urgent to meet increasing challenges on wastewater remediation. Herein, a cross-linked poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) modified poly (ether sulfone) nanofibrous membrane (NFM) was fabricated by a facile 〈em〉in-situ〈/em〉 pre-reaction followed by electrospinning. The as-prepared NFM showed excellent hydrophilicity and underwater lipophobicity, therefore expressed excellent water permeability with high water flux (about 5142 L m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). As a result, under solely driven by gravity, the NFM was capable to separate emulsified oil/water emulsion and a wide range of oil/water mixtures. Moreover, repeating separation tests indicated that the NFM had great long-term sustainability even after ten separation cycles. In addition, due to the introduction of PAA and the large surface-to-volume ratio, the NFM also expressed rapid adsorption capacity for cationic dyes as well as heavy metal ions; thus could simultaneously remove these contaminants during the oil/water separation process. Furthermore, the NFM could be also decorated by Ag NPs to endow the membranes with remarkable antibacterial ability against both 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 and 〈em〉S. aureus〈/em〉. Our findings strongly suggested that the multifunctional NFM may have great potential in treating complicated wastewater.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314735-ga1.jpg" width="281" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hongju Wang, Dapeng Wu, Wenpeng Wu, Danqi Wang, Zhiyong Gao, Fang Xu, Kun Cao, Kai Jiang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 microsphere with tunable pore and chamber size are prepared by a simple solventhermal method and used as catalyst for the photocatalytic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reduction. It is found that the hollow microsphere with relative lower surface area of 73.8 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 exhibits increased pore size of 18.1 nm and cavity structure, leading to higher CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 diffusion coefficient of 5.40 × 10〈sup〉−5〈/sup〉 cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 compared with the solid and yolk/shell microspheres. Therefore, the hollow microsphere possesses more accessible sites for CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption, which finally gives rise to the enhanced CO production rate of 10.9 ± 0.7 μmol g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 under simulated sunlight, which is respectively 1.6 and 1.4 times higher than that of solid and yolk/shell microspheres. Electron dynamic study further demonstrates that hollow microsphere shows the highest photocurrent density and the lowest charge recombination among three microspheres structure, which is attributed to the swift CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 diffusion providing fresh CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 molecules to rapidly scavenge the photo-generated electrons and finally leading to the excellence catalytic reduction performances. This method could be adopted as a general strategy to prepare high performance TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalysts with desirable structural qualities for the photocatalytic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reduction under nature sunlight.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphic abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314565-ga1.jpg" width="295" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bojie Yuan, Minghao Sui, Jie Qin, Jingyu Wang, Hongtao Lu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Understanding the interaction between silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and substances in aquatic systems enables Ag NPs to be better applied in science and industry. Moreover, it also could help us to determine the fate of Ag NPs and assess their hazards in aquatic environment. In this work, the interaction of Ag NPs with HCO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, ubiquitous ligand in aquatic systems, during long-term incubation was firstly studied and the possible mechanism was proposed. Results showed that the long-term incubation with HCO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 led to the red-shifting of UV–vis spectra, the increasing of particles zeta potential (more negative), and the declining of the aqueous Ag〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 concentration, as well as the decreasing in the toxicity of Ag NPs suspensions. Furthermore, the ambient temperature was found to have a great impact on the interaction of Ag NPs with HCO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉. The reaction process between Ag NPs and HCO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 was revealed by H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 mediated oxidation experiments. An ultrathin Ag〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 layer was proved to form on the surface of Ag NPs, which should be the reason for the evolution of various properties of Ag NPs described above.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831498X-ga1.jpg" width="260" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhaoyu Bai, Chengzhi Hu, Huijuan Liu, Jiuhui Qu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Selective adsorption and regeneration of adsorbents are great challenges for fluoride removal in drinking water. In this study, a NiAl-layered metal oxide (NiAl-LMO) electrode was successfully prepared and used as an electro-adsorption electrode. With its structural memory effect for anions and high specific capacitance of 575 F·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, the NiAl-LMO electrode exhibits capacitive deionization performance. The maximum adsorption capacity of F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 by the electrode reached 49.28 mg/g, which was 4 times that of Cl〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 and 2 times that of SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉, respectively. The good selectivity for F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 electrosorption was ascribed to the high electronegativity of F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 and the complexation between F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 and hydroxyl aluminum groups. The electrode material has good stability and can be regenerated easily by applying a reverse voltage. After 10 cycles, the F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 adsorption rate by the NiAl-LMO electrode was 94. 4% of the initial adsorption rate. The applied voltage enhanced the selectivity of F〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 adsorption by the NiAl-LMO electrode, and this electrosorption process was mainly dominated by electrical double layer adsorption. Under the conditions of 1.0 V and pH 7, the electrode showed a maximum adsorption efficiency of 73.5%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315017-ga1.jpg" width="343" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaodong Zhang, Xutian Lv, Xiaoyu Shi, Yang Yang, Yiqiong Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are good absorbents that provide high specific surface area, modified pore surface and controllable pore size. The aim of this work is to prepare a MOFs material with good toluene adsorption property in the presence of water. In this paper, modified UiO-66 (University of Oslo 66) was successfully synthesized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as structure-directing agent by a simple solvothermal method. The physical and chemical properties were obtained by a series of characterization instruments. Some missing-linker defect sites were observed on modified materials (defective UiO-66) and were known as the main active sites for toluene adsorption. The defective UiO-66 (PVP-U-0.5, 259 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) demonstrated 1.7 times toluene adsorption capacity of the pristine UiO-66 (151 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) when the PVP/Zr〈sup〉4+〈/sup〉 ratio was 0.5. The interactions between toluene and UiO-66 and PVP-U-0.5 were assessed through the Henry’s law constant (K〈sub〉H〈/sub〉) and the isosteric adsorption heat (ΔH〈sub〉ads〈/sub〉), which indicated that stronger interaction between PVP-U-0.5 and toluene molecules. Moreover, PVP-U-0.5 displayed good adsorption capacity (84 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) at high relative humidity (70% RH). Water temperature programmed desorption experiments revealed that PVP-U-0.5 had more hydrophobic property, which provided a further possibility for practical application for the removal of toluene.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314978-ga1.jpg" width="274" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yinan Wang, Qingchuan Li, Ping Zhang, David O'Connor, Rajender S. Varma, Miao Yu, Deyi Hou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bimetallic alloy nanostructures have garnered much attention due to their unique performances in catalytic processes. However, decline in catalytic activity over the life span has been a protracted limitation, ascribed largely to the aggregation or dissociation of particles and still remains a challenge for manufacturing bimetallic nanostructures of sufficient stability. Herein, a surfactant- and solvent-free greener strategy is presented for the fabrication of bimetallic palladium-platinum (PdPt) nanotubes (NTs), deploying lipid tubules as template and ascorbic acid as a reducing agent; the ensuing NTs comprise crystalline tubal nanostructures of ∼12 μm length, ∼500 nm cross-sectional diameter, and ∼57 nm tube wall thickness. When used for the catalytic reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol (PNP), the PdPt NTs delivered improved kinetic apparent rate constants (〈em〉k〈sub〉app〈/sub〉〈/em〉) compared to Pt NTs (0.5 min〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉〈em〉vs.〈/em〉 0.2 min〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). Moreover, the NTs demonstrated high stability when used over multiple catalytic cycles thus opening up new potential routes for the fabrication of alloy NTs using lipid tubules as templates.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Bimetallic hollow PdPt nanotubes was fabricating in a facile and green route for enhancing catalytic reduction of 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitrophenol.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314942-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pan Sun, Kun Huang, Huizhou Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Separation and recycling of rare-earths using ionic liquids as extractant are becoming a promising approach to replace traditional volatile organic solvents in recent years. Generally, the addition of some special salts could improve the extraction efficiency of rare-earths by numerous non-functional ionic liquids. However, knowledge behind the nature of the salt effect is limited. Here, we found that the enhancement in the extraction of rare-earth ions, Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions, using non-functional ionic liquid, [A336][NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉] (Tricaprylmethylammonium nitrate) was driven by the synergism of Hofmeister bias and complexation behaviors of salt anions with Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions. Molecular dynamic simulations offered a new insight into the interaction mechanism of the ionic liquid with Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions at liquid/liquid interface. It was revealed that salt anions could perform as a bridge to connect Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions and the ionic liquid, so that promoted the extraction of Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions. Therefore, the strong complexation ability of salt anions with Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions and poor hydration of salt anions faciliated the transport of Pr〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 ions across liquid/liquid interface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Enhanced extraction of rare earths by using ionic liquids originate from the synergism of Hofmeister bias and the complexation behavior of salt anions.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314991-ga1.jpg" width="299" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Henry C.W. Chu, Roseanna N. Zia〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We derive a theoretical model for the nonequilibrium stress in a flowing colloidal suspension by tracking the motion of a single embedded probe. While Stokes-Einstein relations connect passive, observable diffusion of a colloidal particle to properties of the suspending medium, they are limited to linear response. Actively forcing a probe through a suspension produces nonequilibrium stress that at steady state can be related directly to observable probe motion utilizing an equation of motion rather than an equation of state, giving a nonequilibrium Stokes-Einstein relation [〈em〉J. Rheol.〈/em〉, 2012, 〈strong〉56〈/strong〉, 1175–1208]. Here that freely-draining theory is expanded to account for hydrodynamic interactions. To do so, we construct an effective hydrodynamic resistance tensor, through which the particle flux is projected to give the advective and diffusive components of a Cauchy momentum balance. The resultant phenomenological relation between suspension stress, viscosity and diffusivity is a generalized nonequilibrium Stokes-Einstein relation. The phenomenological model is compared with the statistical mechanics theory for dilute suspensions as well as dynamic simulation at finite concentration which show good agreement, indicating that the suspension stress, viscosity, and force-induced diffusion in a flowing colloidal dispersion can be obtained simply by tracking the motion of a single Brownian probe.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314966-ga1.jpg" width="288" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xuemei Li, Shijian Wang, Xiao Tang, Rui Zang, Peng Li, Pengxin Li, Zengming Man, Cong Li, Shuaishuai Liu, Yuhan Wu, Guoxiu Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sodium super-ionic conductor (NASICON) structured Na〈sub〉3〈/sub〉V〈sub〉2〈/sub〉(PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (NVP), a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), benefits by its unique three-dimensional (3D) channel structure. However, the inherent characteristics of NVP (such as low electrical conductivity) usually lead to inferior rate and long-cycling performance, which miss the requirements of practical application in electrical energy storage systems (ESSs). Herein, we propose the synthesis of porous high-crystalline Na〈sub〉3〈/sub〉V〈sub〉2〈/sub〉(PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/C nanoplates (NVP/C-P) via hydrothermal method and post-calcination. The porous nanoplate structure provides increased specific surface area and shortened diffusion pathway for ion/electron transport. Consequently, NVP/C-P cathodes exhibit a high specific capacity (117 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 0.2 C), exceptional rate performance (76.5 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 100 C) and long cyclic stability (10,000 cycles).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315121-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pingxin Liu, Yueming Ren, Jun Ma, Zhongxiang Zhang, Haoran Song, Tao Yang, Lisha Luo, Xiaowen Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bisphenol A molecular imprinted adsorbent (BMIA) was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel process and showed a good specific binding performance in the water. The further studies showed that the mass transfer process was controlled by in-diffusion, and the synthesis conditions would effect on the amount of imprinting sites. Scatchard model analysis evidenced that the high binding affinity sites and the low binding affinity sites were both on BMIA, and the high binding affinity sites played a key role in the specific binding process. Scatchard model analysis of temperature effect experiments and dosage effect experiments proved that the specific binding sites with high binding affinity and the unexpressed specific binding sites with low binding affinity were the two different states of the imprinting binding sites. The conversion between the two different states depended on the reaction driving force, and the increasing reaction driving force would increase the number of specific binding sites. Especially, the temperature showed a linear positive correlation with the amount of specific binding sites. Finally, a possible model was put forward to explain the two different states conversion mechanism of the imprinting sites.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315029-ga1.jpg" width="265" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yalin Wu, Chunmao Chen, Qingxiang Zhou, Qing X. Li, Yongyong Yuan, Yayan Tong, Hongyuan Wang, Xianqi Zhou, Yi Sun, Xueying Sheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Polyamidoamine dendrimer decorated Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 magnetic nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by Michael addition with methyl acrylate and amidation with ethylenediamine. The decorated magnetic particles were utilized as an effective adsorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of tetrabromobisphenol A and 4-nonylphenol at trace levels from environmental water samples. A number of parameters such as generation number, ionic strength, adsorbent dosage, eluent, adsorption time, elution volume, elution time, pH, humic acid and sample volume were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, a wide linearity was achieved in the range of 0.1–500 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of the analytes with the correlation coefficients (R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) of 0.9985–0.9995. The limits of detection were approximately 0.011 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of tetrabromobisphenol A and 0.017 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of 4-nonylphenol. Satisfactory average recoveries of the analytes ranged from 93.2% to 101.1%. The results indicated that the decorated magnetic nanoparticles can be suitable for extraction of phenols from environmental water samples. The proposed method was sensitive, effective, practical and robust for the determination of tetrabromobisphenol A and 4-nonylphenol in environmental water samples.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315042-ga1.jpg" width="351" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yongqian Shi, Liancong Wang, Libu Fu, Chuan Liu, Bin Yu, Fuqiang Yang, Yuan Hu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Constructing novel graphic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)-based nanohybrids via a facile method for high-performance polymeric materials which exhibit enhanced fire safety properties are highly desirable. Here, the g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/carbon sphere/Cu (denoted as CSACS-C) nanohybrid was prepared by metal ions-induced gel reaction using sodium alginate as a green template, and thereafter introduced into thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix to prepare nanocomposites. Microstructure analyses indicated the successful synthesis of the ternary nanohybrid, where both the g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets and Cu nanoparticles were well-dispersed in the carbon material. Moreover, the ternary nanohybrid showed good distribution in TPU matrices, and exhibited strong interfacial adhesion with the polymeric host. It is worth noting that addition of these nanohybrids led to significantly improved fire safety. Particularly, remarkably reduced pyrolysis gaseous products generation and peak of heat release rate were achieved for TPU/CSACS-C system. This enhanced fire safety was due to the interpretations that the SACS and g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets retarded the heat and mass propagation, while the incorporation of Cu nanoparticles induced earlier thermal decomposition into more char residues and less pyrolysis gaseous products. The work provides a new, simple strategy to prepare nanohybrids for polymeric materials with enhanced fire safety.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314929-ga1.jpg" width="318" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chengzhi Hu, Mengqi Li, Jingqiu Sun, Ruiping Liu, Huijuan Liu, Jiuhui Qu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Electro-ultrafiltration is an effective method for mitigating membrane fouling. Herein, anti-fouling mechanisms for the electro-ultrafiltration of natural organic matter (NOM) were investigated to illuminate the significance of NOM molecular polarity and weight. Results indicated that the membrane flux of NOM electro-ultrafiltration was greatly enhanced by electric field (EF) application, and that the increase in membrane flux magnitude for electro-ultrafiltration was more pronounced for NOM with higher hydrophilicity and larger molecular weight. The electro-ultrafiltration flux of the hydrophilic substances in NOM was enhanced by up to 20% after applying the voltage. The enhancement of membrane flux was more prominent for the electro-ultrafiltration of humic acid (HA) solution with high ionic strength and coexisting Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉. With increasing EF strength in the electro-ultrafiltration of HA, membrane flux increased at first due to the electrokinetic migration of negatively charged HA, and then declined for fields larger than the critical EF, where electro-ultrafiltration reached maximum flux. The HA molecules became polarized under a high EF, which induced aggregation between the molecules and increased affinity between HA and the membrane. This facilitated the formation of a dense cake layer, leading to relatively severe membrane fouling under EF strengths larger than the critical EF.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314887-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mervat Shafik Ibrahim, Sarah Rogers, Najat Mahmoudy, Martin Murray, Agnieszka Szczygiel, Beth Green, Bruce D. Alexander, Peter C. Griffiths〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉The presence of surfactant modulates the surface-chemistry-specific interaction of hard colloidal particles (latex) with HEUR polymers, principally through introducing a preferential solution interaction rather than a competitive surface interaction; addition of surfactant leads to a preponderance of polymer/surfactant solution complexes rather than surface-bound complexes.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉A range of model formulations comprising a hexyl end-capped urethane polymer (C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉-L-(EO〈sub〉100〈/sub〉-L)〈sub〉9〈/sub〉-C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉), sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and a series of polystyrene-butylacrylate latices (PS-BA-L) have been characterised in terms of rheology, particle surface area (solvent relaxation NMR), polymer conformation (small-angle neutron scattering) and solution composition to build up a detailed picture of the distribution of the HEUR in the presence of both surfactant and latex.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉There is very weak adsorption of C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉-L-(EO〈sub〉100〈/sub〉-L)〈sub〉9〈/sub〉-C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 to only the most hydrophobic latex surface studied, an adsorption that is further weakened by the addition of low levels of surfactant. Macroscopic changes in the hydrophobic latex system may be interpreted in terms of bridging flocculation at low polymer concentrations. No adsorption of C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉-L-(EO〈sub〉100〈/sub〉-L)〈sub〉9〈/sub〉-C〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 is observed in the case of hydrophilic surfaces. In most cases, the observed behaviour of the ternary system (polymer/surfactant/particle) is highly reminiscent of the binary (polymer/surfactant) system at the appropriate composition, suggesting that the polymer/surfactant solution interaction is the dominant one.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315005-ga1.jpg" width="327" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alvira Ayoub Arbab, Anam Ali Memon, Kyung Chul Sun, Joo Young Choi, Naveed Mengal, Iftikhar Ali Sahito, Sung Hoon Jeong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Printable Nano carbon colloidal ink has fascinated great attention due to their exceptional potential for large-scale application for powering wearable electronic devices. Though, it is challenging to incorporate various characteristics together such as mechanical stability, solution printability, conductivity, electrocatalytic activity, and heat generating properties in the flexible fabric based electrode system. In this research the development of printable composites made with woven/nonwoven fabrics printed with multiwall carbon nanotubes for flexible and wearable heating system and cathodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), respectively. We report a printable carbon ink of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) synthesized by globular protein serum bovine albumin (BSA). BSA is amino-rich dispersant used to disperse MWCNT and generate tubular porous carbon matrix. High loading ratio of BSA increases the dispersing power of MWCNT and increased porosity of CNT matrix. The proposed Organic Nanocarbon ink (Organic NC) serve the pathways for electron transport leading to higher heat dissipation as the well high conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. It was interesting to reveal that different kinds of woven and nonwoven fabrics displayed exceptional thermal properties when DC voltage was applied. The heat generating properties were highly dependent on the type of fabric and conductive ink uptake. Our proposed Organic NC printed fabric system exhibited superior conductivity with 15–20 Ω resistivity and lower charge transfer resistance R〈sub〉CT〈/sub〉 = 2.69 Ω, demonstrated an 8% power conversion efficiency of DSSC. The proposed research paves the ways for solution printable high performance woven and nonwoven conductive and thermoelectric materials for wearable electronics.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314905-ga1.jpg" width="249" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tran Thanh Tung, Nguyen Viet Chien, Nguyen Van Duy, Nguyen Van Hieu, Md Julker Nine, Campbell J. Coghlan, Diana N.H. Tran, Dusan Losic〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report a synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles chemically immobilized onto reduced graphene oxide sheets (referred to as rGO-Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 NPs) as a gas and vapor sensing platform with precisely designed particle size of 5, 10 and 20 nm to explore their influence of particle size on sensing performance. The rGO-Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 NP sensors have been investigated their responses to different gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at part-per-million (ppm) levels. Results show that the Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 NPs with smaller size (5 and 10 nm) on the rGO surface led to a lower sensitivity, while particles of a size of 20 nm have a significant enhancement of sensitivity compared to the bare rGO sensor. The rGO-Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 NP20 sensor can detect trace amounts of NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 gas and ethanol vapor at the 1 ppm and is highly selective to the NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and ethanol among other tested gases and VOCs, respectively. The particle size causes different distribution behaviour of NPs over rGO surface and interspaced between them, which results in deceased or increased the surface interactions between gas and graphene. The NPs themselves contained different defects level and the charge depletion layer that affect their adsorption gas/vapor molecules, which are explained for different sensing responses.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315182-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sreetama Ghosh, R. Sarathi, Sundara Ramaprabhu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this particular work, a simple, cost-effective and single step process to synthesize magnesium oxide modified nitrogen doped porous carbon (MgO/NMC) by thermal decomposition technique has been elaborated and its high-pressure performance as CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 gas adsorbent is demonstrated. The uniformly distributed porous network in the samples was identified from the morphological studies by FESEM and TEM. Elemental analysis and XPS studies were carried out to understand the Mg and N contents. It has been observed that MgO/NMC shows appreciably high CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (30 mmol g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 20 bar and 25 °C) as well as CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (12 mmol g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 30 bar and 25 °C) adsorption capacity. The surface modification of the samples (caused by the presence of MgO nanoparticles) along with high surface area and good porosity containing interconnected macro-/ meso-/ micropores synergistically improves the adsorption capacity. In addition, high nitrogen content in the nanocomposite enhances the number of basic adsorption sites thereby increasing the gas adsorption capacity. The effect of concentration of MgO on gas adsorption capacities has also been investigated from the adsorption isotherms. The moderate heat of adsorption, as well as good recyclability and selectivity at high pressure, shows that MgO modified nitrogen doped porous carbon composite can be a promising candidate for both CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 storage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315066-ga1.jpg" width="269" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chi Zhang, Jinguo Wang, Shuaifeng Yang, Hao Liang, Yong Men〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Boosting total oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over spinel Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 by cation-substituting effect is an effective solution, but the underlying mechanism has not yet been clearly elucidated. Herein, a series of spinel MCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) hollow mesoporous spheres (HMS) have been synthesized by solvothermal alcoholysis with goals to elaborate the cation-substituting effect on spinel Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 for total oxidation of VOCs. The physicochemical properties of spinel MCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) HMS have been well characterized and correlated with their catalytic activities. Results reveal that CuCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 HMS exhibited superior catalytic activity than those of NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and CoCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 HMS for total oxidation of acetone and their catalytic activities followed the sequence of CuCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 〉 NiCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 〉 CoCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. This phenomenon can be attributed to the cation-substituting effect, which resulted in the synthesized catalysts with different amounts of surface Co〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 cations, active oxygen species, defective sites and reducible capabilities. Meanwhile, kinetics studies offer direct evidence to support that the cation-substituting effect played the decisive role in determining the catalytic activity, and the underlying mechanism has been proposed by correlating the structure-activity relationship. Moreover, CuCo〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 HMS also showed excellent long-term stability and good water tolerance due to its highly stable crystal phase and robust morphological structure, demonstrating its potential applications in the field of VOCs elimination.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718315030-ga1.jpg" width="263" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nanjing Hao, Yuan Nie, Andrew B. Closson, John X.J. Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The merits of microfluidics bring new opportunities for engineering of nanomaterials with well controlled chemical, physical and biological properties for a variety of applications. Herein, using a two-run spiral-shaped microfluidic device, we first develop a facile and straightforward flow synthesis strategy to create two-dimensional mesoporous silica nanosheet (MSN). Such MSN exhibits typical hollow sandwich-like bilayer and unique water ripple-like wrinkle surface, which greatly increase the particulate accessibility for mass transfer. The enhanced on-chip enrichment performance of MSN is further confirmed toward different substrates (dye, protein, drug). These findings not only shed new light on microfluidics-enabled chemicals engineering, but also open up numerous new possibilities by microfluidics in adsorption, separation, and biomedical fields.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314723-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 539〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Juanjuan Peng, Yaoquan Su, Feng-Qing Huang, Qingping Zuo, Liqiang Yang, Junyao Li, Lingzhi Zhao, Lian-Wen Qi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The development of simple, easy-to-operate and real-time detection methods for the active ingredients in herbal medicines has aroused growing interest owing to their pivotal health benefits. In this study, a qualitative and quantitative detection method for the flavonoids was developed based on the specific interaction between flavonoids and bovine serum albumin (BSA). A fluorescent gold nanocluster was imbedded into the cavity enclosed in the tertiary structure of BSA, the fluorescence of which can be quenched by the flavonoids with fast response (〈5 s). This decrease in fluorescence intensity of BSA-AuNCs as output signal enables the real-time visual inspection of flavonoids. We demonstrated that the present approach was capable of detecting quercetin in serum, plasma, and monitoring the content of flavonoids in proprietary Chinese medicine Rutin Tablets. BSA-AuNCs was the first fluorescent probe for the specific determination of active ingredients in herbal medicines. Hence the reported protein-AuNCs sensing platform can serve as a convenient detection strategy in pharmaceutical analysis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314760-ga1.jpg" width="251" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kunzhou Wang, Bin Wang, Huailiang Li, Xianguo Tuo, Kun Xiong, Minhao Yan, Jérémie Courtois〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉Nanoparticles functionalized with ligands which can on-demand and remotely be detached have recently attracted interest as stimuli-responsive materials. Research is now focused on multi-responsive systems, with applications in environmental science and biomedicine. The possibility to covalently couple two different ligands on a single nanoparticles, and to release them independently is investigated. This concept of nanoparticles functionalized with dual on-demand cleavable ligands is exploited in ground water decontamination and radionuclides separation. Efficient separation of contaminants in a single step is expected, simplifying partitioning process and decreasing generation of secondary waste by nuclear industry.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Sub−10 nm Janus superparamagnetic nanoparticles are functionalized by click-chemistry (thiol and Diels-Alder) with two different Actinide-specific chelators. The reversible covalent bonds allow to detach chelators independently by either pH- or thermo-stimulation. The nanoparticles decorated with diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and [(2-furan-2-yl-2-hydroxy-ethylcarbamoyl)-methoxy]-acetic acid (FHECMAA) are incubated with UO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and La〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 (as substitute for Pu〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉) at pH = 3 and 7 before chelator-metal complexes are released. Metal contents are measured to determine separation efficiency.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉Chelators can be detached from Janus nanoparticles with perfect selectivity. The nanoparticles are highly efficient for extraction of metals in acidic medium and show good ability for separation of U and La at neutral pH.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314607-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinxin Liu, Minmin Chang, Bei He, Ling Meng, Xiaohui Wang, Runcang Sun, Junli Ren, Fangong Kong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉High strength hydrogels open new possibilities in the fields of bioengineering and biomedical. In this paper, a highly efficient one-pot strategy was developed to prepare carboxymethyl xylan-g-poly (acrylic acid) (CMX-g-PAA) hydrogels with high compression strength, high elongation and high elasticity by using the metal coordination and the reinforcement of hydroxylate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (HCNTs). Prepared hydrogels were characterized by means of FTIR, XRD, SEM, rheological measurements as well as their swelling and mechanical properties. Results showed that the Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉-carboxyl coordination and HCNTs imparted hydrogels with high strength and good rapid recovery properties, in which the maximum high compressive strength and elongation at break were achieved to 10.4 MPa and 1032%, and the shape of hydrogels almost returned to the original shape after the external force was removed after 30 cycles of compression. These hydrogels also exhibited Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉-triggered shape memory properties. Therefore, as-prepared hydrogels possessing high strength, rapid recovery and shape memory properties, could broaden access for application in intelligent toys, electronic skin, biosensing, and tissue engineering.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Carboxymethyl xylan based hydrogels with high mechanical and shape memory properties was synthesised via metal coordination bonds and nanoparticle reinforcement.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314589-ga1.jpg" width="437" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tian-Yi Ding, Zhi-Gang Zhao, Mao-Fei Ran, Yao-Yue Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Designing highly efficient and low-cost catalysts is essential toward realizing the practical application of hydrogen generation by formic acid decomposition (FAD) under ambient conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis of a hybrid material of Pd nanoparticles encapsulated within carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (Pd-CNTs-in). Transmission electron microscopy images show that most Pd nanoparticles (mean diameter 4.2 ± 0.8 nm) are located inside the nanotubes. Temperature-programmed reduction studies of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reveal that the average reduction temperature of the Pd(II) species adsorbed on the interior wall of the CNTs is 12 °C lower than those adsorbed on the outer walls of the CNT. Moreover, the as-prepared Pd-CNTs-in catalysts show extremely high FAD activity and durability at ambient temperature. The turn over frequency (TOF) value is as high as 1135 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for the initial 10 min and does not decay significantly during the consecutive 3-time recycling studies. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SEIRAS), and gas chromatography (GC) studies indicate that CNT confinement induced electronic structure modulation of Pd could be the major reason for the enhancement of FAD catalysis on the Pd-CNTs-in surface. This work could provide promising strategies for the fabrication of cost-effective and high-active Pd-based catalysts for formic acid dehydrogenation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314516-ga1.jpg" width="275" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ahmed Galal, Hagar K. Hassan, Nada F. Atta, Timo Jacob〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nano-Ru-based perovskites RGO are prepared simultaneously in presence of various 〈em〉A〈/em〉-metal salts (〈em〉A〈/em〉 = Sr, Ba or Ca salts) using two different methods for reaction initiation. No further calcination step is needed for the formation of well-defined perovskite structure. Graphene oxide (GO) is used as a fuel to prepare various Ru-based perovskites for the first time. The resulted low-Ru content nanocomposites are used as supercapacitor electrodes in a neutral electrolyte (1.0 M NaNO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉). The results show that the specific capacitance of the resulted nanocomposites strongly depends on the method of their preparation as well as the type of 〈em〉A〈/em〉-site of the nanocomposites. Ru-based perovskites RGO nanocomposites that are prepared by combustion method show higher specific capacitance than those prepared by microwave irradiation. The maximum specific capacitance of Sr-, Ba- and Ca-RG-C composites at scan rate 2 mV s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 are 564 (598 mF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉), 460 (487 mF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) and 316 (336 mF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. This value is higher than our previous work using a physical mixture between the individually prepared RGO and SrRuO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. Lowest values for specific capacitance are obtained when using CaRuO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/RGO prepared using microwave-assisted method (Ca-RG-M). The resulted 〈em〉A〈/em〉-RG-nanocomposites show very high cycling stability and good specific capacitance compared to other Ru-based structures previously reported in the literature. A correlation is defined between the structure and specific capacitance of the nanocomposites. It is confirmed that the nanocomposite size, morphology and distribution over the RGO matrix influence the supercapacitor characteristics.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314528-ga1.jpg" width="387" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 7 March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 538〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhi-Suo Lv, Xiao-Yan Zhu, Han-Bin Meng, Jiu-Ju Feng, Ai-Jun Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Herein, highly branched Pt@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Pt@Ag NPs) were fabricated by a facile one-pot wet-chemical approach, where poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) served as structure-directing and capping agents. Their structure, morphology and composition were mainly characterized by a set of techniques. And their growth mechanism was discussed in some detail. The prepared catalyst exhibited remarkable enhancement in catalytic activity of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction as a proof-of-concept application, surpassing commercial Pt black and home-made Ag NPs catalysts. Also, the as-obtained catalyst showed superior stability without sacrificing the catalytic activity. These observations endow the catalyst possibility for practical applications in nitrophenols environmental remediation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718314310-ga1.jpg" width="338" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jian Ye, Lina Jin, Xiaoshuang Zhao, Xinye Qian, Mingdong Dong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, magnetic Co/C microrods were successfully synthesized using direct carbonization of [Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉(BTC)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉(H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O)〈sub〉12〈/sub〉] precursors. After the carbonization, the original shape of the precursors was well-maintained, while the magnetic Co nanoparticles were well dispersed in the carbon matrix. The Co/C microrods were used as adsorbents for the adsorption of methyl blue (MB), acid fuchsin (AF), malachite green (MG), rhodamine B (Rh B), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MTB) from their aqueous solutions. The results show that Co/C microrods can selectively adsorb triphenylmethane (TPM) dyes, while the adsorption capacities are about 13960, 11,610 and 4893 mg/g for MB, AF and MG dyes, respectively. The adsorption mechanism can be attributed to 〈em〉π-π〈/em〉 interaction forces between the 〈em〉sp〈sup〉2〈/sup〉〈/em〉 graphitic carbon in Co/C microrods and the triphenyl structure of dyes. In addition, the synthesized magnetic Co/C microrods can be easily removed from water using magnetic separation, and subsequently, regenerated using ethanol treatment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉[Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉(BTC)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉(H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O)〈sub〉12〈/sub〉] microrods synthesized using simple precipitation method at room temperature were used as precursors to prepare Co/C microrods. The as-obtained Co/C microrods showed extremely high selective adsorption capability for TMP dyes due to 〈em〉π-π〈/em〉 interaction forces between the 〈em〉sp〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 graphitic carbon in Co/C microrods and the triphenyl structure of dyes.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312670-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): María E. Villanueva, María L. Cuestas, Claudio J. Pérez, Viviana Campo Dall′ Orto, Guillermo J. Copello〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A smart antibacterial biomaterial based on a keratin hydrogel with pH-dependent behavior and Zinc Oxide nanoplates as biocide agent has been developed. The pH of a chronic wound is basic due to bacterial metabolism. Originally shrank at acid pH, keratin hydrogels swell upon contact with a bacterial contaminated media leading to the release of the nanoparticles. The material has been thoroughly characterized by infrared spectroscopy, Raman, scanning electron microscope, swelling behavior, Differential scanning calorimetry, Small-angle X-ray scattering, rheology, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The results show that 5% of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles concentration is the optimum for wound dressing applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312645-ga1.jpg" width="350" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jinyan Long, Wenzhong Wang, Shuyi Fu, Limou Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, we show for the first time a hierarchical ZnO/ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanotube array photoanode for water splitting to produce hydrogen. In this photoanode, the wrinkle-like ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanosheets (NSs) are grown onto ZnO nanotube arrays through adsorption and annealing reaction. The hierarchical ZnO/ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanotube array photoanode exhibits outstanding PEC water splitting to produce hydrogen due to the remarkable visible-light harvesting ability and the large surface area of wrinkle-like ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 NSs. Under simulated solar light irradiation, the hierarchical ZnO/ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanotube arrays (NTAs) achieve a remarkably enhanced photocurrent density of 1.3 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉, which is 2.2-fold higher than that of pristine ZnO NTAs at 0 V vs Ag/AgCl. Moreover, the hydrogen production rate of the hierarchical ZnO/ZnFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanotube array photoanode is 3.6-fold higher than that of pristine ZnO nanotube array photoelectrode at 0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312700-ga1.jpg" width="463" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Takayuki Takei, Yumiko Yamasaki, Yudai Yuji, Shogo Sakoguchi, Yoshihiro Ohzuno, Gen Hayase, Masahiro Yoshida〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉In our previous study, we prepared millimeter-sized spherical hard capsules by solidifying droplets of liquid monomer or polymer solution placed on superamphiphobic surface. Application of liquid marbles in place of the naked droplets for capsule preparation has a great potential to increase encapsulation efficiency of high volatile ingredients. Further, interfacial thermodynamic prediction of internal configuration of capsules from spreading coefficients may be effective to prepare core/shell capsule.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Droplets of liquid monomer containing a volatile ingredient were rolled on superamphiphobic powders to prepare liquid marbles and solidified by photopolymerization. For preparation of core/shell capsules, the liquid marbles injected with an immiscible water droplet were also solidified.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉A volatile ingredient could be encapsulated with higher efficiency than our previous method. Interfacial thermodynamic prediction of internal configuration of capsules from spreading coefficients indicated successful formation of core/shell capsules. However, photopolymerization of the liquid marbles in a static condition resulted in formation of not only core/shell capsules but also acorn-type capsules. Furthermore, the core/shell capsules were distorted and the shell thickness was not uniform. Rolling of the liquid marbles, which generated centrifugal force inside of the liquid marbles, was effective to prepare spherical capsules with highly uniform shell thickness.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312566-ga1.jpg" width="356" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sampson Anankanbil, Bianca Pérez, Weiwei Cheng, Gustavo Gouveia Ambrosio, Zheng Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉Caffeoyl malate anhydride, as a good nucleophilic acceptor, can react with lipophilic fatty alcohols to yield interface-confined amphiphiles. The resulting novel molecules are hypothesized to deliver combined functionalities of parent natural building blocks, as emulsifier, stabilizer, ion chelator and free radical scavenger.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉Ring-opening reactions of caffeoyl malate anhydride with fatty alcohols of different chain lengths generated a new group of antioxidant amphiphiles. Structural verification was by MS (mass spectrometry), 〈sup〉1〈/sup〉H/〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and FT-IR (Fourier transform infra-red) spectroscopy. Physicochemical characterization was done by use of DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), FT-IR, determinations of critical micelle concentrations (CMC) and calculations of HLB. Antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies demonstrated surface-activity of 〈strong〉G8〈/strong〉–〈strong〉G18.〈/strong〉 Inhibition of iron- and thermally-accelerated lipid oxidation was monitored by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉Derivatization of caffeoyl malate anhydride with fatty alcohols maintained free radical scavenging activity, and improved hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of caffeic acid. Lipid oxidation at 22 °C was significantly inhibited (〈em〉up to 3.5 times〈/em〉) in emulsions stabilized by 〈strong〉G8〈/strong〉–〈strong〉G18〈/strong〉 with or without chitosan compared to emulsions stabilized by commercial emulsifiers and stabilizers. Thermal oxidation (at 80 °C) was 〈em〉10 times〈/em〉 less in emulsions facilitated by 〈strong〉G8〈/strong〉–〈strong〉G18〈/strong〉 in combination with chitosan compared to emulsions stabilized by commercial emulsifiers and stabilizers. This study has developed a simple and straightforward approach for developing value-added compounds from underexplored fatty alcohols.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312785-ga1.jpg" width="262" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tianjiao Meng, Lei Wang, Huixian Jia, Tong Gong, Yue Feng, Ruixin Li, Huan Wang, Yufan Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pt nanoparticles immobilized on zirconium oxide (ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) and porous carbons (Pt/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/PCs) 〈em〉tri〈/em〉-component nanohybrids derived from Pt/ metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized. They were prepared by using Pt/MOFs as a template. Additionally, MOFs (UiO-66, a traditional MOFs) were used as ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and carbon sources without the need of additional precursors. The formation of these composite materials was confirmed through a comprehensive characterization such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The Pt/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/PCs show strong affinity toward the phosphate group and highly electrocatalytic activity for nitro compound on methyl parathion (MP) molecules. The high performance is owing to the combination of unique electrocatalytic activity of Pt species, excellent conductivity of PCs, and good adsorption properties of ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 crystals for MP. The proposed Pt/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/PCs 〈em〉tri〈/em〉-component nanocomposite sensor realized the ultrasensitive detection of MP with a wide linear range between 3.8 × 10〈sup〉−9〈/sup〉 and 1.14 × 10〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 mM and a low limit of detection of 1.45 × 10〈sup〉−9〈/sup〉 mM. Therefore, it can be developed as an effective sensing platform for the detection of MP.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A simple methodology for the synthesis of Pt/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/porous carbons 〈em〉tri〈/em〉-component nanohybrids, a highly effective electrocatalyst for methyl parathion, were prepared by one-step pyrolysis of Pt/MOF-UiO-66 without the need of additional precursors.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312761-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yi Zhang, Ling Chen, Shudi Mao, Zhuo Sun, Yenan Song, Ran Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a simple, cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly method for brackish water desalination. In order to improve the desalination performance, the inner structures of the porous electrodes should provide more space for ion storage and transportation. Therefore, we utilized an efficient method to synthesize porous graphene electrodes based on the technique of pressurized oxidation and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 activation. The prepared electrodes were characterized electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the desalination performance between different samples was compared as well. These results showed that AGE-30 had the highest electrosorption capacity (6.26 mg/g) among all samples, and this was attributed to its high specific surface area (898 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g), high pore volume (1.223 cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉/g), high specific capacitance (56.21F/g), and smaller inner resistance. Thus, the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 activation is confirmed to be a useful method for the enhancement of the graphene electrodes for CDI.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312608-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alireza Shakeri, Hasan Salehi, Farnaz Ghorbani, Mojtaba Amini, Hadi Naslhajian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes with high water flux and low reverse salt flux are the most conventional materials for forward osmosis (FO) process. However, these membranes are not suitable for natural or wastewaters treatment due to the intrinsic physicochemical and surface properties of the rejection layer. The present work shows the fabrication of new thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis membranes incorporate superhydrophilic modified silica nanoparticles. Surface of silica nanoparticles were functionalized by quaternary ammonium groups and subsequently were coated using superhydrophilic wheel polyoxometalates (POM). TFN membranes containing different weight ratio of nanoparticles in PA rejection layer were synthesized by interfacial polymerization (IP) of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) as monomers in aqueous and organic solution, respectively. POM coated silica nanoparticles were dispersed in aqueous solution of MPD monomer prior to IP process. The changing in the performance and physicochemical properties of TFN membranes incorporating with superhydrophilic nanoparticles were investigated by different instrumental analysis and were compared with a pristine TFC membrane. Compared to pristine TFC membrane, the TFN membrane with 0.2 wt% nanoparticle incorporation (TFN〈sub〉w0.2〈/sub〉) showed superior water flux (18 vs. 31 LMH in FO mode) and negligible increases in reverse salt flux (6.25 vs. 8.45 gMH). In addition, better anti-fouling propensity toward protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) and organic (sodium alginate, SA) foulant was observed. Therefore, Using newly developed thin film nanocomposite membranes may provide a novel class of high-performance membrane for FO processes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312669-ga1.jpg" width="330" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lu Zhang, Xiao-Fang Zhang, Xue-Lu Chen, Ai-Jun Wang, De-Man Han, Zhi-Gang Wang, Jiu-Ju Feng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The research for highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts in fuel cells has attracted substantial interest. Herein, bimetallic alloyed Pt〈sub〉71〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉29〈/sub〉 lamellar nanoflowers (LNFs) with abundant active sites were obtained by a one-pot solvothermal method, where cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) and 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (1-N-2-N) served as co-structure-directors, while oleylamine (OAm) as the solvent and reducing agent. The fabricated Pt〈sub〉71〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉29〈/sub〉 LNFs exhibited the higher mass activity (MA, 128.29 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) than those of home-made Pt〈sub〉48〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉52〈/sub〉 nanodendrites (NDs), Pt〈sub〉79〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉21〈/sub〉 NDs and commercial Pt black with the values of 39.46, 49.42 and 22.91 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. Meanwhile, the MA (666.23 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and specific activity (SA, 2.51 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) of the constructed Pt〈sub〉71〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉29〈/sub〉 LNFs for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are superior than those of Pt〈sub〉48〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉52〈/sub〉 NDs (213.91 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 1.99 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉), Pt〈sub〉79〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉21〈/sub〉 NDs (210.09 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 1.12 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) and Pt black (57.03 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 0.25 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉). Also, the Pt〈sub〉71〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉29〈/sub〉 LNFs catalyst exhibited the best durable ability relative to the references. This work demonstrates that the developed strategy provides a facile platform for synthesis of high-performance, low-cost and robust catalysts in practical catalysis, energy storage and conversion.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312748-ga1.jpg" width="264" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉