New Journal of Chemistry最新文献

The preparation of porous carbon materials via the carbonization of organic polymer materials is an effective method for controllably fabricating high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors. In this study, porous carbon materials were prepared by carbonizing poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. The poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel was synthesized through a simple freeze–thaw cross-linking process. Compared with directly carbonizing poly(vinyl alcohol) powder, the carbonization of the poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel produced an excellent hierarchical pore structure. In the sample preparation stage, an integrated carbonization-activation process was adopted. The maximum specific surface area of the obtained porous carbon was 1724.7 m² g⁻¹. The electrochemical performance of the obtained porous carbon electrodes was studied in detail by systematically regulating the relevant parameters in the preparation of the poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. In a 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte, the porous carbon electrode achieved a maximum specific capacitance of 143 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹, which is 13 times higher than that of the directly carbonized poly(vinyl alcohol) powder (10 F g⁻¹). The obtained porous carbon electrode also showed excellent stability in the long-cycle tests. The large specific surface area is the main factor leading to the high specific capacitance of the obtained electrode. These results provide new insights and effective approaches for the further development of high-performance electrodes for energy storage devices.

Carbon dots (CDs), as an emerging class of carbon-based nanoluminophores, present a promising avenue for constructing efficient room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) systems. To broaden the precursor library, ten different aminopyrimidine derivatives were selected as carbon sources in this work. Through a facile one-pot thermal treatment, a series of highly efficient RTP composite materials were successfully prepared. Among these, the product derived from minoxidil (MND), exhibited a photoluminescence quantum yield of 20.9% and an ultralong phosphorescence lifetime of 1.43 seconds. The phosphorescence emission color could be tuned from blue to green by adjusting the MND loading. Comprehensive characterization and theoretical calculations revealed the existence of dual emission centers within the material: one originating from nitrogen-doped CDs and the other from incompletely carbonized MND molecules. Benefiting from the dual tunability of both color and lifetime, the material was successfully applied in multi-level dynamic information encryption. This study confirms the feasibility of using aminopyrimidine derivatives as carbon sources for RTP materials, providing a new strategy for developing low-cost intelligent anti-counterfeiting materials.

The present study is concerned with the synthesis of a Schiff base-functionalized organosilane via a click reaction and its subsequent characterization via¹H and ¹³C NMR, mass spectrometry and FT-IR spectroscopy. The synthesized compound demonstrated highly selective and sensitive sensing behavior towards V(III), as shown through UV-visible spectroscopy and fluorescence analysis. The LOD values obtained from absorption and emission spectroscopy are 87.7 × 10⁻⁹ M and 46.4 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively. The binding mode between (5) and V(III) was verified by ¹H NMR, mass spectrometry, and infrared spectroscopy (FT). Compound (5) exhibited remarkable antiproliferative properties against HeLa cells, which was proved through in vitro and molecular docking analysis. Molecular docking results reveal the presence of an effective binding interaction between (5) and a tyrosine kinase protein. The findings demonstrate that the Schiff base-functionalized organosilane is a promising candidate in metal ion sensing and antiproliferative applications, providing a foundation for further exploration of multifunctional sensing and therapeutic functions.

Surface modification strategies play a vital role in preventing calculus formation and bacterial adhesion, which are crucial for improving the performance of degradable implantable medical devices such as ureteral stents. In this study, poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone) (PGACL), a representative biodegradable polyester with excellent elasticity and degradability, was selected as the substrate. Chitosan–amino acid graft copolymers were synthesized via EDC/HOBt mediated acylation and immobilized onto aminated PGACL sheets through a Schiff-base coupling reaction, followed by silver–ion coordination to introduce antibacterial properties. FTIR and ¹H NMR analyses confirmed that different types of amino acids were successfully grafted onto the chitosan backbone. The modified PGACL sheets exhibited significantly improved hydrophilicity, enhanced antibacterial activity, and strong resistance to calculus formation, while maintaining favorable cytocompatibility. Among all coatings, the one containing thiol groups showed the best comprehensive performance, attributed to the formation of stable Ag–S coordination structures between thiol (–SH) groups and Ag⁺ ions. These results demonstrate that chitosan–amino acid–silver coatings provide a biocompatible and efficient surface-engineering strategy with both antibacterial and anti-calculus functions, offering a promising approach for the development of next-generation degradable polymeric materials for urological applications.

This study investigates how subtle variations in amphiphilic peptide sequences and gelation strategies regulate self-assembly and hydrogel formation. Among two peptides with three crosslinking approaches, a CaCO₃ and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) slow-release method enables stable and cell-compatible hydrogels. The findings provide a rational framework for designing injectable hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Correction for ‘Synthesis, characterisation, molecular docking, biomolecular interaction and cytotoxicity studies of novel ruthenium(II)–arene-2-heteroarylbenzoxazole complexes’ by Sourav De et al., New J. Chem., 2019, 43, 3291–3302, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NJ04999H.

Integrating semiconductor photocatalysis with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation has proven to be a highly effective solution for eliminating refractory organic pollutants from water. Herein, a synergistic system that couples bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr), obtained via a hydrothermal process, with PMS under visible light (Vis) is developed. The results show that the BiOBr/PMS/Vis system exhibits obviously enhanced removal efficiency for tetracycline hydrochloride compared to its individual components, along with moderate reusability. Subsequently, the applicability of the system was assessed by determining the influence of inorganic anions, degradation performance in different water matrices, and effectiveness against different pollutants. Notably, the addition of typical inorganic anions, particularly chlorine and carbonate ions, is found to promote the removal efficiency. Moreover, the system performs more effectively in lake water and tap water than in ultrapure water. When applied to various contaminants, including Rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, and levofloxacin, the system achieves high removal efficiency for most compounds. Mechanistic investigations reveal that PMS simultaneously functions as an electron acceptor to facilitate charge separation and participates in a surface redox cycle. During the reaction process, superoxide radicals and photogenerated holes appear to be the dominant reactive species, while hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen play a secondary role. This work provides insights into the cooperative behaviour of photocatalysis and PMS activation and highlights the potential of the BiOBr/PMS/Vis system as an efficient candidate for organic wastewater remediation.

Coal-fired power generation not only emits substantial amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) but also produces the by-product fly ash, causing environmental pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent need for innovative technologies to repurpose waste fly ash and convert CO₂ into clean energy sources. In this study, fly ash was used as the raw material to synthesize Ni/zeolite ZK-14 catalysts via an alkali fusion-hydrothermal method and in situ reduction. Under the optimized conditions, the Ni/zeolite ZK-14 catalyst with 30 wt% Ni loading exhibited superior catalytic performance for CO₂-to-CH₄ directional conversion, with a CO₂ conversion of 54.6% and a CH₄ selectivity of 98.7% at 300 °C. The superior catalytic performance observed in CO₂ methanation can be primarily attributed to the presence of highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles (NPs), abundant weakly basic sites, and the oxygen vacancies on the catalyst. In addition, in situ DRIFTS analysis reveals the formation of HCOO* intermediates, suggesting that 30 wt% Ni/zeolite ZK-14 is a suitable catalyst for the CO₂ methanation reaction via the formate pathway. This study presents a viable strategy for developing fly ash-derived zeolite catalysts for low-temperature CO₂ methanation.

Solar-driven photocatalysis offers a sustainable solution for organic pollutant degradation. Despite their ability to utilize visible light and enhance pollutant adsorption via coordinated unsaturated metal sites on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), their efficiency is limited by rapid charge recombination and a lack of active sites. To address this, oxygen-functionalized Ti₃C₂/NH₂-MIL-68(In) (TC/MIL(In)) Schottky heterojunctions were prepared by an in situ hydrothermal process. The 1 wt% TC/MIL(In) composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic activity, degrading 98.3% of RhB under visible light with 92.5% retention after six cycles. Experiments revealed that the optimal activity of 1 wt% TC/MIL(In) was observed under acidic conditions (pH 2.0–6.0). Additionally, TC/MIL(In) exhibited broad-spectrum degradation capabilities for multiple antibiotics. Mechanism studies revealed that holes (h⁺) play a major role, while photoelectrochemical and DFT calculations further revealed that the close interface contact between TC and MIL(In) optimizes charge dynamics. This work provides a strategic design for high-performance MOF-MXene hybrid photocatalysts in environmental remediation and elucidates the essential electron-transport channel at the Ti₃C₂-MOF junction.