New Journal of Chemistry最新文献

Plutonium (Pu) is a chemically and radiologically toxic element, primarily of anthropogenic origin. Reagents that specifically sequester Pu have been developed in the frame of nuclear waste processing and storage. Other potential applications of Pu chelators are in vivo decorporation and environmental remediation. Although the medical application has been addressed for a long time by the development of Pu-specific binders, studies concerning the environmental application are scarce. A desferrioxamine-B ([(DFO)H₄]⁺)-derived tetrahydroxamate chelator, 1H₄, which was originally designed for the sequestration of Zr⁴⁺ for ⁸⁹Zr-ImmunoPET applications, was grafted on a commercial hydrophilic resin, CM Sephadex C-25®. The resin beads were subsequently embedded in an agarose gel, and the resulting material was used for the extraction of ²³⁸Pu(IV) from dilute aqueous solutions at pH 6.5. Comparison of the results with those obtained using the commercial Chelex®-100 resin and the H₃DFO-based CM Sephadex C-25® extracting materials showed that Pu was more strongly bound to the 1H₄-functionalized resin than to Chelex®-100 and the H₃DFO-based resins, which confirms that the tetrahydroxamate chelator 1⁴⁻ forms a more stable Pu(IV) complex than the trihydroxamate DFO³⁻ siderophore. The fabricated material could be considered in the development of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) devices for the environmental monitoring of Pu.

Meat packaging poses severe challenges to the food industry because of the highly perishable and biologically active nature of meat. The principal role of meat packaging is to prevent moisture loss, exclude foreign odors and flavors, and reduce the effects of oxidation. To ensure these targets are met, a smart packaging material is crucial to the meat industry. The present study proposes an innovative approach to develop multifunctional meat packaging films enriched with carbon dots (CDs). Pomegranate peel-derived CDs (i.e. pCDs) were fabricated using a facile hydrothermal method. The pCDs were characterized by UV, photoluminescence, infrared and transmission electron spectroscopy techniques. The pCDs were reinforced in a gum arabic/guar gum composite matrix and formulated for meat preservation. The incorporation of produced pCDs augmented the mechanical properties, barrier property, UV-blocking attributes and thermal stability of the resulting nanocomposite films. The nanocomposite films exhibited good antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals. For assessing the food preservation behavior, the leaching of pCDs was studied in different food simulant media. The mechanism of pCD release mostly adhered to the anomalous nature of release from the polymer matrix. The excellent biocompatibility of the pCD-reinforced films on 3T3-L1 cells indicated the nontoxic nature after 72 h. The shelf-life of chicken meat was observed to be extended significantly by using the GA/GG@pCD³ film for active packaging. These results demonstrate the viability of the developed nanocomposite film as a promising active food packaging material.

The oxidation of amino acids in environmentally benign systems represents a significant step toward greener synthetic methodologies. In this study, we report the first metal catalyst-free, micelle-mediated oxidation of isoleucine using potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline aqueous medium, leveraging the catalytic potential of two non-ionic surfactants: Tween 20 and TX-100. This study underscores how subtle differences in micellar architecture, hydrophobicity, and interfacial polarity profoundly influence the reaction kinetics and substrate encapsulation. A comprehensive set of experimental techniques, including dynamic light scattering (DLS), ¹H-NMR analysis, tensiometry, fluorometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC), provide strong evidence supporting the analysis of the kinetic profiles. Additionally, FT-IR spectroscopy has been employed to characterize the functional groups present in the oxidized product, 2-methylbutanal, a flavour-active compound. Remarkably, Tween 20 exhibited a 7.8-fold rate enhancement at 0.2 mM (4 times its CMC) whereas TX-100 afforded only a 1.7-fold increase under comparable conditions. Menger–Portnoy's pseudo-phase model provided mechanistic insights, revealing a substantially higher binding constant (K_s = 8.985 mM⁻¹) for Tween 20, suggesting stronger substrate–micelle affinity. DLS measurements corroborated more efficient encapsulation of isoleucine in the Tween 20 micellar system. The shorter average life time for the 0.2 mM Tween 20 system (∼5.7 ns) in TCSPC analysis also suggests that the probe molecule (pyrene) experiences a more polar and more flexible microenvironment. These findings highlight the critical role of surfactant microstructure in modulating catalytic efficiency and demonstrate the potential of non-ionic micellar media as tunable, green reaction platforms for amino acid oxidation. This work establishes a new paradigm in sustainable oxidation chemistry by replacing traditional metal catalysts with non-toxic surfactant-based systems, providing broad implications for green, sustainable synthesis and micellar catalysis.

NiO and α-Fe₂O₃ were prepared and incorporated onto the as-synthesized ZSM5 zeolite. The resulting powder was used as a photocatalyst in the elimination of the rhodamine B pollutant from aqueous solution under ultraviolet radiation at 252 nm. NiO and α-Fe₂O₃ have porous structures in face-centered cubic and rhombohedral phases, respectively. A band gap of 2.3 and 3.7 eV was reported for α-Fe₂O₃ and NiO, respectively. By acid and charge titration, the point of zero electric charge was calculated to be 11.9, 8.36 and 11.7 for ZSM5, α-Fe₂O₃ and NiO, respectively. The effect of three parameters: pH, rhodamine B concentration, and mass ratio of metal oxide to zeolite was investigated by experimental design with the response surface method. The removal of rhodamine B from the aqueous solution has been done with the help of two phenomena, adsorption on a zeolite and photocatalytic oxidation in the presence of metal oxide. NiO-ZSM5 had a better performance for rhodamine B removal, with an efficiency of 90.48% compared to α-Fe₂O₃-ZSM5 with 69.13% efficiency. Increasing the concentration of rhodamine B had a negligible effect on its removal percentage for both photocatalysts.

Long-afterglow phosphors are fluorescent materials with unique optical properties and excellent light-conversion capabilities. However, their further applications are constrained by the monochromatic emission of long-afterglow materials. Meanwhile, perovskite quantum dots (QDs) exhibit high quantum yields and rich color tunability, yet their stability hinders practical implementation. Herein, we successfully synthesized the novel luminescent nanocomposite material consisting of SiO₂-shell-coated SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺,Nd³⁺ (SAO) and CsPbBr₃ QDs (0.1SAO@CsPbBr₃@SiO₂) via the sol–gel method. The SiO₂ shell (2–8 nm thick) effectively isolates the material from environmental degradation. The fluorescence lifetime of the 0.1SAO@CsPbBr₃@SiO₂ composite extended to 1.45 s (compared to only 12.88 ns for pure QDs), achieving afterglow energy transfer from SAO to the QDs. Furthermore, the composite material was successfully applied to fabricate an “emergency exit” luminescent sign and a “leaf”-patterned anti-counterfeiting label. Additionally, a green LED device was developed, achieving a luminous efficiency of 3.68 lm W⁻¹ at a driving current of 20 mA with CIE color coordinates of (0.223, 0.744). This research provides a novel pathway for optimizing the stability of perovskite QD–long-afterglow phosphor composite systems and demonstrates promising industrialization potential in the fields of lighting, anti-counterfeiting, and emergency signage.

Three porphyrin-based covalent organic polymers, denoted as MPp–PDA (M = 2H, Zn, and Co), were successfully synthesized through Schiff base condensation between aldehyde-functionalized porphyrin derivatives (MPp) and p-phenylenediamine (PDA). The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, XPS, SEM, TEM, TGA, and PXRD. Benefiting from their strong light-harvesting ability and high structural stability, the MPp–PDA series were employed as heterogeneous photocatalysts for the selective oxidation of thioanisole. As expected, all three polymers exhibited high conversion, good selectivity, and excellent reusability. Notably, the metal-free H₂Pp–PDA outperformed its metallated counterparts, achieving significantly higher substrate conversion. Furthermore, H₂Pp–PDA demonstrated outstanding cycling stability, maintaining a sulfoxide yield above 90% with nearly 99% selectivity over five consecutive runs. Quenching experiments and EPR measurements further identified that O₂˙⁻ and ¹O₂ are the reactive oxygen species involved in the photocatalytic oxidation process.

Encryption and anti-counterfeiting technologies are important in the field of information security. The traditional luminescent anti-counterfeiting technology uses ultraviolet light to excite and convert luminescence, which is easily counterfeited. In this work, Ca₅Ga₆O₁₄:Pr³⁺ was prepared, which has three luminescence modes: photoluminescence, long persistent luminescence, and mechanoluminescence; when co-doped with Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ in Ca₅Ga₆O₁₄:Pr³⁺, up-conversion luminescence and near-infrared mechanoluminescence were introduced, because of which its optical anti-counterfeiting ability was further improved. Based on the various luminescence modes of the phosphor mentioned above, a multi-mode anti-counterfeiting model has been designed. The results show that this phosphor has great potential for optical anti-counterfeiting applications, and also provides ideas for the future optical anti-counterfeiting research.

This paper presents a high-performance electrochemical sensor for the sensitive and selective detection of epinephrine (EP), fabricated by integrating zirconium phosphate (ZrP), Cu-β-cyclodextrin (Cu-β-CD), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The morphology and structural properties of the composite were systematically characterized. The ZrP/Cu-β-CD/MWCNTs modified GCE exhibited exceptional electrochemical performance, attributed to the synergistic effect of its components. The ZrP/Cu-β-CD/MWCNTs-based sensor showed a wide linear detection range for EP, spanning 3–80 µM and 80–239 µM, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.39 µM. Amperometric i–t measurements revealed excellent selectivity, enabling accurate EP determination even in the presence of common interfering substances. Moreover, the sensor showed good reproducibility and long-term stability over 25 days. In practical applications, the sensor was successfully applied to the detection of EP in human serum samples, achieving recovery rates ranging from 90.245% to 102.280%. These results highlight that the ZrP/Cu-β-CD/MWCNTs-based electrochemical sensor is a promising tool for potential clinical diagnosis and point-of-care testing of EP-related diseases.

Correction for ‘The preparation of a 9,9′-spirobi[9H-9-silafluorene]-based porous organic polymer for fluorescence sensing of iodide ions and 2,4-dinitrophenol’ by Qi Peng, New J. Chem., 2025, 49, 17959–17967, https://doi.org/10.1039/D5NJ02871J.

The incorporation of Cu-species, leveraging their variable valence states, represents a promising strategy for enhancing photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. However, the underlying mechanism through which multivalent Cu-species facilitate this process remains inadequately elucidated, motivating further investigation. Herein, multivalent copper-modified SrTiO₃ nanofibers (Cu_xO/STO-Y) were synthesized via an electrospinning method combined with a glucose-assisted hydrothermal process. The optimized Cu_xO/STO-2 nanofiber photocatalyst demonstrated a CO₂ photoreduction rate to CH₃OH of 7.26 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹. According to the characterization results, loading Cu_xO species onto the SrTiO₃ nanofiber surface can broaden the light-responsive range, further improving the separation efficiency of electrons and holes. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that photogenerated electrons from SrTiO₃ preferentially migrated and accumulated on Cu_xO sites, thereby prolonging charge carrier lifetimes and ultimately improving the CO₂ photoreduction efficiency. This work highlights the crucial role of valent-engineered Cu-species in enhancing the performance of photocatalysts.