RSC Advances最新文献

Effective corrosion control strategies are highly desired to reduce the fate of corrosion. One widely adopted approach is the use of corrosion inhibitors, which can significantly mitigate the detrimental effects of corrosion. This systematic review provides a thorough analysis of corrosion inhibitors, including both inorganic and organic compounds. It explores the inhibition mechanisms, highlighting the remarkable inhibitive efficiency of organic compounds attributed to the presence of heteroatoms and conjugated π-electron systems. The review presents case studies and investigations of corrosion inhibitors, shedding light on their performance and application potential. Moreover, it compares the efficacy, compatibility, and sustainability of emerging environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors, including biopolymers from natural resources as promising candidates. The review also highlights the potential of synergistic impacts between mixed corrosion inhibitors, particularly organic/organic systems, as a viable and advantageous choice for applications in challenging processing environments. The evaluation of inhibitors is discussed, encompassing weight loss (WL) analysis, electrochemical analysis, surface analysis, and quantum mechanical calculations. The review also discusses the thermodynamics and isotherms related to corrosion inhibition, further improving the understanding of inhibitor's behavior and mechanisms. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and practitioners involved in corrosion control, offering insights and future directions for effective and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibition strategies.

Detection of chiral molecules in a high-efficiency way is very important to meet the demands for chiral analysis in drug testing, asymmetric synthesis, etc. Herein, we have developed a novel route to realize the rapid determination of concentration and configuration of primary amine-based chiral molecules. An aldehyde functionalized acid & base-sensitive fluorane dye (R–C) was used as the active agent to be reacted with the chiral molecules through an aldimine condensation reaction. After the mixing operation, concentration and configuration of the detected chiral molecule could be facilely read from the UV-vis absorption spectra and CD spectra, respectively.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a crucial enzyme involved in folate metabolism and serves as a prime target for anticancer and antimicrobial therapies. In this study, a series of 4-pyrrolidine-based thiosemicarbazones were synthesized and evaluated for their DHFR inhibitory activity. The synthesis involved a multistep procedure starting from readily available starting materials, leading to the formation of diverse thiosemicarbazone 5(a–r) derivatives. These compounds were then subjected to in vitro assays to evaluate their inhibitory potential against DHFR enzyme. The synthesized compounds 5(a–r) exhibited potent inhibition with IC₅₀ values in the range of 12.37 ± 0.48 μM to 54.10 ± 0.72 μM. Among all the derivatives 5d displayed highest inhibitory activity. Furthermore, molecular docking and ADME studies were performed to understand the binding interactions between the synthesized compounds and the active site of DHFR. The in vitro and in silico data were correlated to identify compounds with promising inhibitory activity and favorable binding modes. This comprehensive study provides insights into the structure–activity relationships of 4-pyrrolidine-based thiosemicarbazones as DHFR inhibitors, offering potential candidates for further optimization towards the development of novel therapeutic agents.

The adsorption behavior of twelve drug molecules (5-fluorouracil, nitrosourea, pyrazinamide, sulfanilamide, ethionamide, 6-thioguanine, ciclopirox, 6-mercaptopurine, isoniazid, metformin, 4-aminopyridine, and cathinone) on B₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocages was studied using density functional theory. In general, the drug molecules prefer to bind with the boron atom of the B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage and the aluminium atoms of the Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocage. However, a hydrogen atom is transferred from each of 5-fluorouracil, nitrosourea, 6-thioguanine, ciclopirox, and 6-mercaptopurine to the nitrogen atom of the Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocage. All the drug molecules are found to be chemisorbed on the B₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocages. The adsorption energies of the drug/B₁₂N₁₂ system are linearly correlated with the molecular electrostatic potential minimum values of the drug molecules. The transfer of the hydrogen atom from the drug molecules to the nitrogen atom of the Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocage leads to relatively high adsorption energies. We observed significant changes in the reactivity parameters (e.g. electronic chemical potential) of the nanocages due to the chemisorption process. Overall, the QTAIM analysis indicates that the interactions between drug molecules and nanocages have a partial covalent character. Among the studied systems, the adsorption process was more spontaneous for the ciclopirox/Al₁₂N₁₂ system in water.

Safe drinking water and a clean living environment are essential for good health. However, the extensive and growing use of hazardous chemicals, particularly carcinogenic dyes like methylene blue, methyl orange, rhodamine B, and malachite green, in both domestic and industrial settings, has led to a scarcity of potable water and environmental challenges. This trend poses a serious threat to human society, sustainable global development, and marine ecosystems. Consequently, researchers are exploring more advanced methods beyond traditional wastewater treatment to address the removal or degradation of these toxic dyes. Conventional approaches are often inadequate for effectively removing dyes from industrial wastewater. In this study, we investigated bimetallic metal–organic frameworks (BMOFs) as a solution to these limitations. BMOFs demonstrated outstanding dye removal and degradation capabilities due to their multifunctionality, water stability, large surface area, adjustable pore size, and recyclability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of research on dye removal from wastewater using BMOFs, including their synthesis methods, types of dyes, and processes involved in dye removal, such as degradation and adsorption. Finally, the review discusses the future potential and emerging opportunities for BMOFs in sustainable water treatment.

Copper sheets corrode easily when exposed to oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions during metal-forming processes. The quest for identifying novel, high-efficiency copper inhibitors and realizing the effective protection of copper surfaces from emulsion corrosion has gradually attracted considerable attention. In this study, two organic heterocyclic derivatives, N,N-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4-methyl-1H-benzotriazol-1-methanamine (NBTAH) and 2,5-bis(octyldithio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (BTDA), were introduced as copper inhibitors into O/W emulsions. Their corrosion inhibition performance was investigated in-depth using electrochemical measurements, surface characterization, adsorption isotherms and wetting techniques. The results indicated that both inhibitors generated anodic passive films on the copper surface, and thus enhanced the corrosion resistance. The maximum corrosion inhibition efficiency achieved was 94.0% with combination of 5 mM NBTAH and 8 mM BTDA. From the surface analysis, it was confirmed that the composite inhibitors could successfully adsorb onto the copper surface via the polar atoms of the benzene, azole, and thiazole rings. The adsorption formed multilayer inhibitor films comprised of Cu–NBTAH and Cu–BTDA chelates. In addition, these films significantly reduced the wettability of the O/W emulsions on the copper surface, thus isolating copper from the corrosive medium. The anti-corrosion mechanism for adsorption and shielding of the composite inhibitors on the copper surface is preliminarily proposed.

In the current study, CO₂ capturing ability of encapsulated ionic liquids (ENILs) i.e., tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl), 1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride (MIMCl), and methylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (MPHP) encapsulated in self assembled belt[14]pyridine (BP) has been studied. The results show that strong van der Waals forces are involved in capturing of CO₂ by these encapsulated ionic liquids. Strong attractive forces arise from synergistic effect of ionic liquid (encapsulated) and atoms of belt. The interaction energies (E_int) ranging from −12.54 to −18.64 kcal mol⁻¹ reveal the capturing of CO₂ by these systems as thermodynamically feasible process. The type and strength of interactions between CO₂ and encapsulated ionic liquids is studied through QTAIM and NCI analyses. NCI analysis clearly shows that capturing of CO₂ is assisted by van der Waals forces between CO₂ and encapsulated ionic liquid complexes. The same feature is confirmed through QTAIM analysis as well. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis' results show the charge transfer between the fragments (encapsulated ionic liquids and CO₂) which is validated further through electron density differences (EDD) analysis. Overall, transfer of charge towards CO₂ from encapsulated ionic liquids is proved through the charge accumulation over CO₂ (i.e., blue isosurfaces on CO₂ molecules) through EDD analysis. The FMO analyses show the decrease in H–L gaps of encapsulated ionic liquids after CO₂ capturing. The successful charge transfer and reduction in H–L gap indicate better interaction in the designed systems thus revealing these systems as a potential candidates for CO₂ capturing. Overall, the best results for CO₂ capture i.e., the highest interaction energy, the lowest H–L gap, and the strongest forces of interactions are shown by methylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (MPHP) encapsulated belt[14]pyridine (BP–MPHP) system. This is due to the larger anion of methylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate as compared to the other two encapsulated ionic liquids with Cl⁻ as anion which enables it to develop strong interactions with CO₂. The designed belt[14]pyridine based encapsulated ionic liquid systems are promising prospects with better CO₂ capture performance and represent a new entrant in the CO₂ capturing systems.

To facilitate rapid, efficient, and accurate detection of miR-96-5p associated with gastric cancer (GC), we developed a bioanalytical platform by integrating surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with lateral flow assay (SERS-LFA). With these SERS-LFA strips, miR-96-5p within the specimen competed with Au rhombic dodecahedron (AuRD) conjugated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) to bond to the immobilized hairpin DNA (hpDNA) probe on the T line. Consequently, higher abundance of miR-96-5p led to reduced conjugation of AuRD on the T line, thereby resulting in diminished SERS intensity. The biosensor exhibited a detection time of approximately 30 min and demonstrated a low limit of detection (LOD) for miR-96-5p in PBS buffer solution, down to 3.7 fM. To validate its clinical utility for the early diagnosis of patients with different degrees of gastric lesions, we performed quantitative evaluations in cohorts that included healthy individuals, patients with mild intraepithelial neoplasia, patients with severe intraepithelial neoplasia, as well as patients diagnosed with GC. The results obtained from the SERS-LFA strips were in agreement with those obtained from the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Given the accomplishments, this biosensor has significant potential for the clinical diagnosis of GC, offering a promising avenue for timely detection and improved patient prognoses.

Self-healing hydrogels have attracted wide attention because of their potential applications in various fields. However, the complex processes, environmental requirements, and insufficient functionality limit their practical application. Herein, we synthesized a chitosan quaternary ammonium salt-oxidized sodium alginate-glycerol-calcium ion (HACC-OSA-Gly-Ca²⁺) biobased hydrogel with a multi-network structure that exhibits excellent self-healing abilities. This was achieved by utilizing reversible dynamic imine bonding, electrostatic interactions, Ca²⁺ ions as crosslinking points, and hydrogen bonding. The oxidation of sodium alginate (SA) with sodium periodate was carried out to obtain oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) with varying oxidation degrees. The resulting OSAs were then introduced into a glycerol–water solvent system containing chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (HACC) and calcium chloride, and this reaction successfully prepared the biobased eco-friendly self-healing hydrogel. The impacts of the oxidation degree (OD) of OSA on the microscopic morphology, mechanical properties, viscoelastic properties, swelling properties, and self-healing properties of the corresponding synthetic hydrogels were investigated. The outcomes indicated that the optimal HACC-OSA-Gly-Ca²⁺ hydrogel possessed good mechanical properties, with a tensile stress of 0.0132 MPa and elongation at break of 551.38%. Furthermore, the multiple bond interactions led to a high self-healing ratio (100%), with an elongation at break of about 614.29%, and excellent adhesion ability (average peel strength of 6.38 kN m⁻¹) on various substrates. Additionally, the composite hydrogels exhibited excellent water retention, thermal stability, and resilience, making them promising for various potential applications. Moreover, the properties of the composite hydrogels could be facilely and finely tuned by varying the oxidation degree of OSA and ratio of each component. Thus, the presented strategy could enrich the construction as well as application of biopolymer-based self-healing hydrogels.