Acid-Functionalised Magnetic Ionic Liquid [AcMIm]FeCl4 as Catalyst for Oxidative Hydroxylation of Arylboronic Acids and Regioselective Friedel-Crafts Acylation

An acid-functionalised, magnetic, room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-acyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate ([AcMIm]-FeCl4), was synthesised and its optical, magnetic, and thermal properties were investigated. The magnetic moment (0.05402 emu in 2 T magnetic fields) showed strong paramagnetic behaviour, and thermogravimetric analysis indicated very good thermal stability with a decomposition temperature higher than 230 degrees C. Additionally, [AcMIm] FeCl4 efficiently catalysed the oxidative ipso-hydroxylation of arylboronic acids and regioselective Friedel-Crafts acylation without external organic solvent or additives, such as acids, base, and ligands. This functionalised ionic liquid, [AcMIm]FeCl4, was recycled and reused at least six times without significant loss of its catalytic properties and stability

Feeling through Spacesuits: Application of Space-Resilient E-Textiles to Enable Haptic Feedback on Pressurized Extravehicular Suits

Extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits frequently remain bulky and pressurized, which impedes astronauts' ability to engage with the proximate environment and with fellow astronauts. In this project, a concept prototype for a sensate skin intended for the exterior of an EVA suit is manufactured using commercially available electronic fabric sensors. This prototype is then shown to discriminate between surfaces relevant to space explorers (metallic objects, rocky surfaces, and spacesuit gloves), implying that each surface can be translated into a unique sensory experience. Specifically, haptic actuators flush against the astronaut's biological skin can transduce sensory data from the external environment through the pressurized suit, allowing the astronaut to feel touch input right through the spacesuit. The key contribution of this work is to introduce a plausible application area for space-resilient electronic textiles using commercial off-the-shelf fabric sensors for demonstration

Quality improvement of paper from bamboo and hardwood furnish through fiber fractionation

299-305This study is aimed to improve the quality of paper made from hardwoods (70-80%) and bamboo furnish (20-30%) through fractionation process. The fiber fractionation followed by selective processing of each fraction proved to be a better option to produce paper of improved quality in terms of strength, optical and printing properties. The paper also discusses the machine runnability with fractionated pulp samples based on Wet web properties and fines content of fractionated pulp. The possibilities of using different fractions in different grades were also explored. This is a good opportunity for mills having multiple paper machines and making different varieties of paper

Hierarchical Mesoporous RuO2/Cu2O Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Oxidative Homo/Hetero Azo-Coupling of Anilines

Herein, we have reported hierarchical mesoporous RuO2/Cu2O nanoparticle-catalyzed selective aerobic oxidative homo/hetero azo-coupling of anilines under oxidant/base/additive-free conditions. The synergistic effect of the individual oxides was established by the density functional theory calculations and experimental studies