Pinxian Xi

A facile chemical method to produce superparamagnetic graphene oxide-Fe3O4 hybrid composite and its application in the removal of dyes from aqueous solution

A superparamagnetic graphene oxide–Fe3O4 hybrid composite (GO–Fe3O4) was prepared via a simple and effective chemical method. Amino-functionalized Fe3O4 (NH2-Fe3O4) particles are firmly deposited on the graphene oxide sheets. The graphene oxide sheets could prevent NH2-Fe3O4 particles from agglomeration and enable a good dispersion of these oxide particles. The as-prepared GO–Fe3O4 hybrid composite had a much higher thermal stability than graphene oxide. The amount of NH2-Fe3O4 loaded on GO was estimated to be 23.6 wt% by atomic absorption spectrometry. The specific saturation magnetization (Ms) of the GO–Fe3O4 hybrid composite is 15 emu g−1. The magnetic GO–Fe3O4 composite has been employed as adsorbent for the magnetic separation of dye contaminants from water. The adsorption test of dyes (Methylene Blue (MB) and Neutral Red (NR)) demonstrates that it only takes 30 min for MB and 90 min for NR to attain equilibrium. The adsorption capacities for MB and NR in the concentration range studied are 167.2 and 171.3 mg g−1, respectively. The GO–Fe3O4 hybrid composite can be easily manipulated in magnetic field for desired separation, leading to the removal of dyes from polluted water. These GO–Fe3O4 hybrid composites have great potential applications in removing organic dyes from polluted water.

NiO/CoN Porous Nanowires as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Zn–Air Batteries

The development of highly efficient bifunctional catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for improving the efficiency of the Zn-air battery. Herein, we report porous NiO/CoN interface nanowire arrays (PINWs) with both oxygen vacancies and a strongly interconnected nanointerface between NiO and CoN domains for promoting the electrocatalytic performance and stability for OER and ORR. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations demonstrate that the decrease of the coordination number for cobalt, the enhanced oxygen vacancies on the NiO/CoN nanointerface, and strongly coupled nanointerface between NiO and CoN domains are responsible for the good bifunctional electrocatalytic performance of NiO/CoN PINWs. The primary Zn-air batteries, using NiO/CoN PINWs as an air-cathode, display an open-circuit potential of 1.46 V, a high power density of 79.6 mW cm-2, and an energy density of 945 Wh kg-1. The three-series solid batteries fabricated by NiO/CoN PINWs can support a timer to work for more than 12 h. This work demonstrates the importance of interface coupling and oxygen vacancies in the development of high-performance Zn-air batteries.

A new rhodamine-based chemosensor for Cu2+ and the study of its behaviour in living cells.

A new rhodamine-based chemosensor (L1) was synthesized, and it exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity for the copper cation over other commonly coexistent metal ions in aqueous solution. Upon the addition of Cu(2+), the spirolactam ring of L1 was opened and a 1 : 1 metal-ligand complex was formed. Fluorescent imaging of Cu(2+) in living cells is also successfully demonstrated.

Biomimetic and Cell-Mediated Mineralization of Hydroxyapatite by Carrageenan Functionalized Graphene Oxide

In bone tissue engineering, it is imperative to design multifunctional biomaterials that can induce and assemble bonelike apatite that is close to natural bone. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized by carrageenan. The resulting GO-carrageenan (GO-Car) composite was further used as a substrate for biomimetic and cell-mediated mineralization of hydroxyapatite (HA). It was confirmed that carrageenan on the GO surface facilitated the nucleation of HA. The observation of the effect of the GO-Car on the adhesion, morphology, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells was investigated. In vitro studies clearly show the effectiveness of GO-Car in promoting HA mineralization and cell differentiation. The results of this study suggested that the GO-Car hybrid will be a promising material for bone regeneration and implantation.

Study on synthesis, structure, and DNA-binding of Ni, Zn complexes with 2-phenylquinoline-4-carboylhydrazide

2-Phenylquinoline-4-carboylhydrazide (HL), and its novel nickel(II), zinc(II) complexes [M(HL)(2)(L)].2H(2)O.NO(3) (M=Ni (1), M=Zn (2)), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, and IR spectra. The crystal structure of [Ni(HL)(2)(L)].2H(2)O.NO(3) obtained from ethanol solution was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis, crystallized in the rhombohedral system, space group R3 , Z=18, a=31.913(3)A, b=31.913(3)A, c=27.709(2)A, alpha=90 degrees , beta=90 degrees , gamma=120 degrees , R(1)=0.0647. The interactions of the complexes and the ligand with calf thymus DNA had been investigated using UV-Vis spectra, fluorescent spectra, CD (circular dichroism) spectra, CV (cyclic voltammetry) and viscosity measurements. These compounds were tested against MFC (mouse forestomach carcinoma) cell lines. The complex 1 showed significant cytotoxic activity against MFC cell lines. The cleavage reaction on plasmid DNA has been monitored by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results suggest that the two complexes bound to DNA via a groove binding mode and the complexes can cleave pBR322 DNA.

A one-step method to produce graphene–Fe3O4 composites and their excellent catalytic activities for three-component coupling of aldehyde, alkyne and amine

The construction of reduced graphene oxide or graphene oxide (GO) with magnetic nanoparticles has gained more and more attention due to its promising and wide applications in catalysis, photoelectric materials, biomedical fields and so on. The synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) or graphene magnetic nanoparticle nanocomposites with well-dispersed decorated particles is still a challenge. Herein, we first report a simple method to prepare graphene–Fe3O4 with uniform Fe3O4 NPs based on decomposition of Fe(CO)5 on the surface of graphene oxide. The main novelty of this work is that the decomposition products of Fe(CO)5 reacted with GO leading to the formation of graphene–Fe3O4. The resulting sample can be easily manipulated by an external magnetic field and exhibits excellent catalytic activity in the A3-coupling reaction. A diverse range of propargylamines were obtained in a moderate to high yield under mild conditions. The separation and reuse of graphene–Fe3O4 were very simple, effective and economical.

Cu2+-selective fluorescent chemosensor based on coumarin and its application in bioimaging

A new fluorescent sensor L1 based on coumarin was synthesized. It shows high sensitivity and selectivity toward Cu(2+) in aqueous solution. The complexation mode and corresponding quenching mechanism were elucidated by ESI-MS and DFT calculations. In addition, biological imaging studies have demonstrated that L1 can detect Cu(2+) in living cells.

An electrochemical biosensor for ascorbic acid based on carbon-supported PdNinanoparticles

Carbon-supported PdNi nanoparticles (PdNi/C) were synthesized using a novel synthetic route, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The overall metallic content (Pd+Ni) was 10% (w/w) and uniformly distributed in the carbon black (90%) matrix. The electrocatalytic performance of the PdNi/C modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was investigated for ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation, and showed better catalytic activity than an equal amount of commercially available palladium carbon catalyst. The oxidation potential of AA was negatively shifted to -0.05 V. The biosensor tolerated a wide linear concentration range for AA, from 1.0×10(-5)M to 1.8×10(-3)M (R=0.9973), with a detection limit of 0.5 μM (S/N=3). Our results demonstrate that PdNi/C nanomaterials have excellent AA sensing capability, including a fast response time, high reproducibility and stability, with great promise in the quantification of AA in real samples. These qualities make the Pd-based bimetallic catalysts promising candidates for amperometric sensing.

Gelatin functionalized graphene oxide for mineralization of hydroxyapatite: biomimetic and in vitro evaluation

We report a facile modification of graphene oxide (GO) by gelatin to mimic charged proteins present in the extracellular matrix during bone formation. The bioinspired surface of GO-gelatin (GO-Gel) composite was used for biomimetic mineralization of hydroxyapatite (HA). A detailed structural and morphological characterization of the mineralized composite was performed. Additionally, MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on the GO-Gel surfaces to observe various cellular activities and HA mineralization. Higher cellular activities such as cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) were observed on the GO-Gel surface compared with the GO or glass surface. The increase of ALP confirms that the proposed GO-Gel promotes the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Moreover, the evidence of mineralization evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and alizarin red staining (ARS) corroborate the idea that a native osteoid matrix is ultimately deposited. All these data suggest that the GO-Gel hybrids will have great potential as osteogenesis promoting scaffolds for successful application in bone surgery.

Spectroscopic studies on binding of 1-phenyl-3-(coumarin-6-yl)sulfonylurea to bovine serum albumin

The interaction of 1-phenyl-3-(coumarin-6-yl)sulfonylurea (SU22) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated by fluorescence quenching spectroscopy combined with UV-absorption, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy techniques under simulative physiological conditions for the first time. Fluorescence data and UV-absorption spectra revealed that the quenching mechanism of fluorescence of BSA by SU22 was a static quenching process and the number of binding sites was about 0.8858; the thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG=-29.23 kJ mol(-1), DeltaH=-47.48 kJ mol(-1), and DeltaS=-61.24 J mol(-1)K(-1)) explained that hydrogen bond and Van der Waals interaction were the main binding force stabilizing the complex. The binding average distance between SU22 and BSA was obtained (3.20 nm) on the basis of the Försters theory. In addition, The CD spectra and FT-IR spectra have proved that BSA secondary structure changed in the presence of SU22 in aqueous solution.