Designing Moisture-Swing CO₂ Sorbents through Anion Screening of Polymeric Ionic Liquids

Polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) are promising CO₂ sorbents, as their behaviors are tunable by assembling ion pairs. This work aims to design CO₂ sorbents with unique moisture-swing adsorption performance by assembling different anions on quaternary-ammonium-based PILs. Two aspects of the sorbent design were studied: the suitability of the CO₂ affinity for different applications (e.g., direct air capture or flue gas capture) and capability for moisture-swing adsorption. Carbonate, fluoride, and acetate were chosen as counteranions, as they are representative anions with different basicity, valence, and water affinity. CO₂ affinity was found to positively correlate with the p<i>K</i>a value of the counteranion, except for fluoride, which has an intrinsic character of attracting protons. The moisture swing capacity is determined by the difference between the hydration energies of the reactant and product after CO₂ adsorption and followed the order carbonate > fluoride > acetate. Further investigations revealed that the repulsion between the two quaternary ammonium cations could promote the dissociation of hydrated water, which results in the lowest activation energy for CO₂ adsorption for the PIL with carbonate. Therefore, the PIL with carbonate is potentially a desirable candidate for air capture and moisture-swing regeneration, while the PIL with acetate is suitable for CO₂ capture under high partial pressure and regeneration through conventional approaches. This study provides a quantitative microscopic insight into the role of the anion in CO₂ adsorption and paves the way toward the optimal PIL structure for CO₂ capture under specific circumstances

Cyclo[4]carbazole, an Iodide Anion Macrocyclic Receptor

A novel preorganized and rigid iodide anion macrocyclic receptor, cyclo[4]­carbazole (<b>Cy­[4]­C</b>), is reported here. The structure of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The binding affinity of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> for iodide anion was investigated by UV–vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure of the complex between <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> and chloroform also provided evidence for the recognition ability of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> toward iodide anion. Furthermore, the 1:1 complexation stoichiometry between <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> and iodide anion was confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and molecular modeling

Cyclo[4]carbazole, an Iodide Anion Macrocyclic Receptor

A novel preorganized and rigid iodide anion macrocyclic receptor, cyclo[4]­carbazole (<b>Cy­[4]­C</b>), is reported here. The structure of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The binding affinity of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> for iodide anion was investigated by UV–vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure of the complex between <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> and chloroform also provided evidence for the recognition ability of <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> toward iodide anion. Furthermore, the 1:1 complexation stoichiometry between <b>Cy­[4]­C</b> and iodide anion was confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and molecular modeling

Effect of Phenol and Alkylamide Interaction on α‑Glucosidase Inhibition and Cellular Antioxidant Activity during In Vitro Digestion: Using Szechuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum genus) as a Model

Although recent evidence indicated significant phenol and alkylamide interaction in aqueous solutions, the gastrointestinal digestion influence of the combination remains unclear. This study aims to investigate phenol and alkylamide interaction during in vitro digestion, focusing on bioaccessibility and bioactivity, including α-glucosidase inhibition and cellular antioxidant activity. Additionally, the structural mechanism of phenol and alkylamide interaction during in vitro digestion was explored. The results indicated that the presence of phenols and alkylamides significantly increased or decreased their respective bioaccessibility, depending on the Zanthoxylum varieties. Furthermore, although antagonistic phenol/alkylamide interaction was evident during α-glucosidase inhibition, cellular oxidative stress alleviation, and antioxidant gene transcription upregulation, this effect weakened gradually as digestion progressed. Glycoside bond cleavage and the methylation of phenols as well as alkylamide isomerization and addition were observed during digestion, modifying the hydrogen bonding sites and interaction behavior. This study provided insights into the phenol/alkylamide interaction in the gastrointestinal tract