Three-dimensionally Ordered Macroporous Structure Enabled Nanothermite Membrane of Mn2O3/Al

Mn2O3 has been selected to realize nanothermite membrane for the first time in the literature. Mn2O3/Al nanothermite has been synthesized by magnetron sputtering a layer of Al film onto three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) Mn2O3 skeleton. The energy release is significantly enhanced owing to the unusual 3DOM structure, which ensures Al and Mn2O3 to integrate compactly in nanoscale and greatly increase effective contact area. The morphology and DSC curve of the nanothermite membrane have been investigated at various aluminizing times. At the optimized aluminizing time of 30 min, energy release reaches a maximum of 2.09 kJ∙g−1, where the Al layer thickness plays a decisive role in the total energy release. This method possesses advantages of high compatibility with MEMS and can be applied to other nanothermite systems easily, which will make great contribution to little-known nanothermite research

Altered spin state equilibrium in the T309V mutant of cytochrome P450 2D6: a spectroscopic and computational study

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is one of the most important cytochromes P450 in humans. Resonance Raman data from the T309V mutant of CYP2D6 show that the substitution of the conserved I-helix threonine situated in the enzyme’s active site perturbs the heme spin equilibrium in favor of the six-coordinated low-spin species. A mechanistic hypothesis is introduced to explain the experimental observations, and its compatibility with the available structural and spectroscopic data is tested using quantum-mechanical density functional theory calculations on active-site models for both the CYP2D6 wild type and the T309V mutant

Synthesis of nickel picrate energetic film in a 3D ordered silicon microchannel plate through an in situ chemical reaction

Micro-energetic devices with energetic and functional diversity have attracted interest from scientific communities, through features such as the integration of energetic materials into micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). In this study, a method for the preparation of nickel picrate energetic films on the sidewalls of a silicon microchannel plate (Si-MCP) is presented. The Si-MCP was produced by a photoelectrochemical process and a thin film of nickel (Ni) was synthesized by electroless plating of Ni on the sidewalls of the Si-MCP. The thin film of nickel picrate was successfully produced via an in situ chemical reaction method by introducing picric acid into the 3D ordered nickel/silicon microchannel plate (Ni/Si-MCP). Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to study the morphological and structural properties of the thin film. The results demonstrate that picric acid reacted with Ni to form a nickel picrate thin film. Also, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to characterize the thermal decomposition of the energetic film. The approach can solve the problem of integrating organic energetic materials with MEMS devices. Also, nickel picrate can release a mass of energy and gas simultaneously, which further enhances the functional diversity of MEMS devices