Biomass Derived Sheet-like Carbon/Palladium Nanocomposite: An Excellent Opportunity for Reduction of Toxic Hexavalent Chromium

Palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) immobilized on a garlic skin-derived activated carbons (GACs) is reported. The morphology, structure, surface compositions, and textural properties of the GACs and Pd@GAC catalyst were investigated by a variety of physicochemical characterization techniques, which revealed a dispersion of Pd NPs with average particle size of ca. 21 nm on sheet-like graphitized GACs with surface areas and pore volumes as high as 1836 m² g^–1 and 0.89 cm³ g^–1, respectively. As a result, the Pd@GAC with a Pd loading of ca. 1–2 wt% exhibited superior activity for catalytic reduction of toxic Cr­(VI) to Cr­(III) surpassing most metal-based catalysts reported in the literature. As evidenced by a comprehensive UV–vis spectrophotometric study, the eco-friendly Pd@GAC catalyst reported herein, which can be facilely prepared with biowaste feedstocks, also showed excellent catalytic performances for efficient reduction of Cr­(VI) with extraordinary stability and recyclability over at least five repeated catalytic test cycles

Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement in Alkoxy-Bridged Binuclear Rhenium(I) Complexes: Application as Sensor for Explosives and Interaction with Microheterogeneous Media

The aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) characteristics of the two alkoxy-bridged binuclear Re­(I) complexes [{Re­(CO)₃(1,4-NVP)}₂(μ₂-OR)₂] (<b>1</b>, R = C₄H₉; <b>2</b>, C₁₀H₂₁) bearing a long alkyl chain with 4-(1-naphthylvinyl)­pyridine (1,4-NVP) ligand are illustrated. These complexes in CH₂Cl₂ (good solvent) are weakly luminescent, but their intensity increased enormously by almost 500 times by the addition of poor solvent (CH₃CN) due to aggregation. By tracking this process via UV–vis absorption and emission spectral and TEM techniques, the enhanced emission is attributed to the formation of nanoaggregates. The nanoaggregate of complex <b>2</b> is used as a sensor for nitroaromatic compounds. Furthermore, the study of the photophysical properties of these binuclear Re­(I) complexes in cationic, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), anionic, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and nonionic, <i>p-tert</i>-octylphenoxypolyoxyethanol (TritonX-100, TX-100), micelles as well as in CTAB–hexane–water and AOT–isooctane–water reverse micelles using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy and TEM analysis reveals that the nanoaggregates became small and compact size

Construction of a Near-Infrared-Activatable Enzyme Platform To Remotely Trigger Intracellular Signal Transduction Using an Upconversion Nanoparticle

Photoactivatable (caged) bioeffectors provide a way to remotely trigger or disable biochemical pathways in living organisms at a desired time and location with a pulse of light (uncaging), but the phototoxicity of ultraviolet (UV) often limits its application. In this study, we have demonstrated the near-infrared (NIR) photoactivatable enzyme platform using protein kinase A (PKA), an important enzyme in cell biology. We successfully photoactivated PKA using NIR to phosphorylate its substrate, and this induced a downstream cellular response in living cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. In addition, this system allows NIR to selectively activate the caged enzyme immobilized on the nanoparticle surface without activating other caged proteins in the cytosol. This NIR-responsive enzyme–nanoparticle system provides an innovative approach to remote-control proteins and enzymes, which can be used by researchers who need to avoid direct UV irradiation or use UV as a secondary channel to turn on a bioeffector

A Molecular Triangle as a Precursor Toward the Assembly of a Jar-Shaped Metallasupramolecule

The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ and 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole in toluene afforded the molecular triangle [Re₃(μ₂-Im)₃(CO)₁₂] (<b>1</b>; Im = imidazolate). This air-stable complex <b>1</b> acted as a precursor, which could then be further transformed into the complex [{Re­(CO)₃}₃(μ₂-Im)₃(μ₃-L)] (<b>2</b>; L = 1,3,5-tris­(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene) upon reaction with the flexible ligand L under solvothermal conditions. Complex <b>2</b> can also be produced directly in a one-pot reaction from Re₂(CO)₁₀, 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole, and the flexible ligand L. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that compound <b>1</b> has a triangular-shaped structure, which is the smallest rhenium triangle known, as of this writing. Complex <b>2</b> adopted a jar-shaped structure. The photophysical properties of complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were studied

A Molecular Triangle as a Precursor Toward the Assembly of a Jar-Shaped Metallasupramolecule

The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ and 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole in toluene afforded the molecular triangle [Re₃(μ₂-Im)₃(CO)₁₂] (<b>1</b>; Im = imidazolate). This air-stable complex <b>1</b> acted as a precursor, which could then be further transformed into the complex [{Re­(CO)₃}₃(μ₂-Im)₃(μ₃-L)] (<b>2</b>; L = 1,3,5-tris­(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene) upon reaction with the flexible ligand L under solvothermal conditions. Complex <b>2</b> can also be produced directly in a one-pot reaction from Re₂(CO)₁₀, 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole, and the flexible ligand L. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that compound <b>1</b> has a triangular-shaped structure, which is the smallest rhenium triangle known, as of this writing. Complex <b>2</b> adopted a jar-shaped structure. The photophysical properties of complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were studied

A Molecular Triangle as a Precursor Toward the Assembly of a Jar-Shaped Metallasupramolecule

The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ and 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole in toluene afforded the molecular triangle [Re₃(μ₂-Im)₃(CO)₁₂] (<b>1</b>; Im = imidazolate). This air-stable complex <b>1</b> acted as a precursor, which could then be further transformed into the complex [{Re­(CO)₃}₃(μ₂-Im)₃(μ₃-L)] (<b>2</b>; L = 1,3,5-tris­(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene) upon reaction with the flexible ligand L under solvothermal conditions. Complex <b>2</b> can also be produced directly in a one-pot reaction from Re₂(CO)₁₀, 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole, and the flexible ligand L. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that compound <b>1</b> has a triangular-shaped structure, which is the smallest rhenium triangle known, as of this writing. Complex <b>2</b> adopted a jar-shaped structure. The photophysical properties of complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were studied

A Molecular Triangle as a Precursor Toward the Assembly of a Jar-Shaped Metallasupramolecule

The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ and 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole in toluene afforded the molecular triangle [Re₃(μ₂-Im)₃(CO)₁₂] (<b>1</b>; Im = imidazolate). This air-stable complex <b>1</b> acted as a precursor, which could then be further transformed into the complex [{Re­(CO)₃}₃(μ₂-Im)₃(μ₃-L)] (<b>2</b>; L = 1,3,5-tris­(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene) upon reaction with the flexible ligand L under solvothermal conditions. Complex <b>2</b> can also be produced directly in a one-pot reaction from Re₂(CO)₁₀, 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole, and the flexible ligand L. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that compound <b>1</b> has a triangular-shaped structure, which is the smallest rhenium triangle known, as of this writing. Complex <b>2</b> adopted a jar-shaped structure. The photophysical properties of complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were studied