Functionalized POSS-Modified SEBS-Based Composite Anion-Exchange Membranes for AEMFCs

Inspired by the strategy of rubber reinforcement, the N-methylpiperidium functionalized POSS was designed and synthesized to improve the ion conductivity as well as the mechanical and thermal properties of SEBS-based anion-exchange membranes (AEMs). A series of Pi-POSSx%/Pi-SEBS AEMs were prepared and assembled into MEAs for the fuel cell performance test. The addition of Pi-POSS fillers significantly enhanced the comprehensive performance of the AEMs. Especially, the Pi-POSS15%/Pi-SEBS composite membrane with the highest IEC value exhibited ion conductivities of 30.70 mS cm–1 at 30 °C and 69.11 mS cm–1 at 80 °C and the best alkaline stability. The Pi-POSS15%/Pi-SEBS composite membrane showed a maximum power density of 219 mW cm–2 at 80 °C, which was higher than the original Pi-SEBS membrane (117 mW cm–2). This work discloses a promising approach for improving the AEM performance with well-designed inorganic–organic composite fillers

Orderly Arranged Fluorescence Dyes as a Highly Efficient Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Probe for Peroxynitrite

Chemiluminescence (CL) probes for reactive oxygen species (ROS) are commonly based on a redox reaction between a CL reagent and ROS, leading to poor selectivity toward a specific ROS. The energy-matching rules in the chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) process between a specific ROS donor and a suitable fluorescence dye acceptor is a promising method for the selective detection of ROS. Nevertheless, higher concentrations of fluorescence dyes can lead to the intractable aggregation-caused quenching effect, decreasing the CRET efficiency. In this report, we fabricated an orderly arranged structure of calcein–sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) molecules to improve the CRET efficiency between ONOOH* donor and calcein acceptor. Such orderly arranged calcein–SDS composites can distinguish peroxynitrite (ONOO^–) from a variety of other ROS owing to the energy matching in the CRET process between ONOOH* donor and calcein acceptor. Under the optimal experimental conditions, ONOO^– could be assayed in the range of 1.0–20.0 μM, and the detection limit for ONOO^– [signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3] was 0.3 μM. The proposed strategy has been successfully applied in both detecting ONOO^– in cancer mouse plasma samples and monitoring the generation of ONOO^– from 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1). Recoveries from cancer mouse plasma samples were in the range of 96–105%. The success of this work provides a unique opportunity to develop a CL tool to monitor ONOO^– with high selectivity in a specific manner. Improvement of selectivity and sensitivity of CL probes holds great promise as a strategy for developing a wide range of probes for various ROS by tuning the types of fluorescence dyes

Manipulating the Defect Structure (<i>V</i>_O) of In₂O₃ Nanoparticles for Enhancement of Formaldehyde Detection

Because defects such as oxygen vacancies (<i>V</i>_O) can affect the properties of nanomaterials, investigating the defect structure–function relationship are attracting intense attention. However, it remains an enormous challenge to the synthesis of nanomaterials with high sensing performance by manipulating <i>V</i>_O because understanding the role of surface or bulk <i>V</i>_O on the sensing properties of metal oxides is still missing. Herein, In₂O₃ nanoparticles with different contents of surface and bulk <i>V</i>_O were obtained by hydrogen reduction treatment, and the role of surface or bulk <i>V</i>_O on the sensing properties of In₂O₃ was investigated. The X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer, electron paramagnetic resonance, photoluminescence, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Hall analysis, and the sensing results indicate that bulk <i>V</i>_O can decrease the band gap and energy barrier and increase the carrier mobility, hence facilitating the formation of chemisorbed oxygen and enhancing the sensing response. Benefiting from bulk <i>V</i>_O, In₂O₃–H10 exhibits the highest response, good selectivity, and stability for formaldehyde detection. However, surface <i>V</i>_O does not contribute to the improvement of formaldehyde-sensing performance, and the black In₂O₃–H30 with the highest content of surface <i>V</i>_O exhibits the lowest response. Our work provides a novel strategy for the synthesis of nanomaterials with high sensing performance by manipulating <i>V</i>_O

Extraction of coastal raft cultivation area with heterogeneous water background by thresholding object-based visually salient NDVI from high spatial resolution imagery

<p>The development of high spatial resolution satellite imaging has enabled the acquisition of mariculture area information. This data could play an important role in mariculture investigations, ocean disaster evaluations, and coastal management. Because chlorophyll is concentrated in the widely distributed raft culture (a major kind of mariculture), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be used for extraction. However, extensive coastal raft culture is easily confused with the heterogeneous water background. This results in unsatisfactory extraction when surveying a large water area with heterogeneous water background. By combining object-based image analysis and the centre-surround mechanism of a visual attention model, we propose an object-based visually salient NDVI (OBVS-NDVI) feature. Comparison experiments using Gaofen-2 spectral imagery of Luoyuan Bay, Fuzhou, China, indicate that OBVS-NDVI can effectively discriminate raft cultivation areas over large areas with a heterogeneous water background.</p

Controllable Defect Redistribution of ZnO Nanopyramids with Exposed {101̅1} Facets for Enhanced Gas Sensing Performance

ZnO nanopyramids (NPys) with exposed crystal facets of {101̅1} were synthesized via a one-step solvothermal method, having a uniform size with a hexagonal edge length of ∼100 nm and a height of ∼200 nm. Technologies of XRD, TEM, HRTEM, Raman, PL, and XPS were used to characterize the morphological and structural properties of the products, while the corresponding gas sensing properties were determined by using ethanol as the target gas. For the overall goal of defect engineering, the effect of aging temperature on the gas sensing performance of the ZnO NPys was studied. The test results showed that, at the aging temperature of 300 °C, the gas sensing property has been improved to the best, with the fast response-recovery time and the excellent selectivity, because the ZnO₃₀₀ has the most electron donors for absorbing the largest content of O^2–. Model of defect redistribution was used to explicate the changing of the surface defects at different aging temperatures. The findings showed that, in addition to V_O, Zn_i was the dominant defect of the {101̅1} crystal facet. The gas sensing performance of the ZnO NPys was determined by the contents of V_O and Zn_i, with all of the defects redistributed on the surface. All of the results will be noticeable for the improvement of the sensing performance of materials with special crystal facet exposing

Additional file 4: Table S4. of Pirfenidone attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by regulating Nrf2/Bach1 equilibrium

Original data of ELISA in cell supernatant, serum and BALF (XLS 61 kb

Additional file 3: Table S3. of Pirfenidone attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by regulating Nrf2/Bach1 equilibrium

Original data of RT-PCR in MLF. (XLS 28 kb

Highly Sensitive and Selective Ethanol Sensor Fabricated with In-Doped 3DOM ZnO

ZnO is an important n-type semiconductor sensing material. Currently, much attention has been attracted to finding an effective method to prepare ZnO nanomaterials with high sensing sensitivity and excellent selectivity. A three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) ZnO nanostructure with a large surface area is beneficial to gas and electron transfer, which can enhance the gas sensitivity of ZnO. Indium (In) doping is an effective way to improve the sensing properties of ZnO. In this paper, In-doped 3DOM ZnO with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity has been synthesized by using a colloidal crystal templating method. The 3DOM ZnO with 5 at. % of In-doping exhibits the highest sensitivity (∼88) to 100 ppm ethanol at 250 °C, which is approximately 3 times higher than that of pure 3DOM ZnO. The huge improvement to the sensitivity to ethanol was attributed to the increase in the surface area and the electron carrier concentration. The doping by In introduces more electrons into the matrix, which is helpful for increasing the amount of adsorbed oxygen, leading to high sensitivity. The In-doped 3DOM ZnO is a promising material for a new type of ethanol sensor

Additional file 5: Table S5. of Pirfenidone attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by regulating Nrf2/Bach1 equilibrium

Original data of ROS expression. (XLS 25 kb

Rational Design of Lamellar π–π Stacked Organic Crystalline Materials with Short Interplanar Distance

Organic crystalline materials having a lamellar π–π stacked structural motif with short interplanar distance are significant for many applications. By asymmetrically introducing perfluoroalkyl substituents onto and polarizable sulfur atoms into N-containing heteroaromatics, we successfully synthesized a novel type of aromatic material that preferentially forms lamellar π–π stacked crystalline materials with a interplanar π–π distance of 3.247 Å, more than 0.1 Å shorter than that of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) where interplanar distance ranges from 3.35 to 3.39 Å