Traditional flame retardants, often derived from petrochemical sources, pose significant environmental and health concerns due to their potential toxicity and persistence in the environment. In this study, a biobased hyperbranched polymer flame retardant named QB was synthesized using quercetin and phenylphosphoryl dichloride by a one-step method. The QB copolymer was characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography, revealing its high thermal stability and polymeric nature, with a weight-average molecular weight of 78 299 g/mol. QB was subsequently incorporated into bisphenol A-type epoxy resins using 4–4 diamino diphenylmethane as a curing agent to prepare the flame-retardant epoxy composite. With additions of only 1 wt % QB, EQB-1 achieved a UL 94 V-0 rating in the vertical burning test and an impressive limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 28.2%. Moreover, the addition of the 3 wt % QB in EP resulted in a maximum reduction of 32.9% in the peak of heat release rate and a 37.4% reduction in the smoke produce rate, indicating its outstanding flame-retardant and smoke suppression properties, which are attributed to a mainly condensed-phase flame-retardant mechanism. Furthermore, the impact and flexural strength of the composite were maintained and a slight improvement was observed. The findings of this research are expected to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly flame-retardant epoxy systems that meet industry standards while promoting the use of renewable materials. This work supports sustainability by replacing petrochemical flame retardants with renewable quercetin-based materials, reducing toxicity and environmental impact.
Rich chemistry and surface functionalization provide MXenes enhanced electrochemical activity yet severely exacerbate their self-discharge behavior in supercapacitors. However, this self-discharge behavior and its related mechanism are still remaining issues. Herein, we propose a chemically interface-tailored regulation strategy to successfully unravel and efficiently alleviate the self-discharge behavior of Ti3C2Tx MXene-based supercapacitors. As a result, Ti3C2Tx MXenes with fewer F elements (∼0.65 atom %) show a positive self-discharge rate decline of ∼20% in comparison with MXenes with higher F elements (∼8.09 atom %). Such decline of the F elements can highly increase tight-bonding ions corresponding to an individual self-discharge process, naturally resulting in a dramatic 50% increase of the transition potential (VT). Therefore, the mixed self-discharge rate from both tight-bonding (contain fewer F elements) and loose-bonding ions (contain more F elements) is accordingly lowered. Through chemically interface-tailored engineering, the significantly changed average oxidation state and local coordination information on MXene affected the interaction of ion counterparts, which was evidently revealed by X-ray absorption fine structures. Theoretically, this greatly improved self-discharge performance was proven to be from higher adsorption energy between the interface of the electrode and the electrolyte by density functional theory. Therefore, this chemically interface-tailored regulation strategy can guide the design of high-performance MXene-based supercapacitors with low self-discharge behavior and will promote its wider commercial applications.
Abstract Efficient electrocatalysts capable of operating continuously at industrial ampere‐level current densities are crucial for large‐scale applications of electrocatalytic water decomposition for hydrogen production. However, long‐term industrial overall water splitting using a single electrocatalyst remains a major challenge. Here, bimetallic polyphthalocyanine (FeCoPPc)‐anchored Ru nanoclusters, an innovative electrocatalyst comprising the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) active Ru and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) active FeCoPPc, engineered for efficient overall water splitting are demonstrated. By density functional theory calculations and systematic experiments, the electrocatalytic coenhancement effect resulting from unique charge redistribution, which synergistically boosts the HER activity of Ru and the OER activity of FeCoPPc by optimizing the adsorption energy of intermediates, is unveiled. As a result, even at a large current density of 2.0 A cm −2 , the catalyst exhibits low overpotentials of 220 and 308 mV, respectively, for HER and OER. It exhibits excellent stability, requiring only 1.88 V of cell voltage to achieve a current density of 2.0 A cm −2 in a 6.0 m KOH electrolyte at 70 °C, with a remarkable operational stability of over 100 h. This work provides a new electrocatalytic coenhancement strategy for the design and synthesis of electrocatalyst, paving the way for industrial‐scale overall water splitting applications.
Recyclable/reversible adhesives have attracted growing attention for sustainability and intelligence but suffer from low adhesion strength and poor durability in complex conditions. Here, we demonstrate an aromatic siloxane adhesive that exploits stimuli-responsive reversible assembly driven by π-π stacking, allowing for elimination and activation of interfacial interactions via infiltration-volatilization of ethanol. The robust cohesive energy from water-insensitive siloxane assembly enables durable strong adhesion (3.5 MPa shear strength on glasses) on diverse surfaces. Long-term adhesion performances are realized in underwater, salt, and acid/alkali solutions (pH 1-14) and at low/high temperatures (-10-90°C). With reversible assembly/disassembly, the adhesive is closed-loop recycled (~100%) and reused over 100 times without adhesion loss. Furthermore, the adhesive has unique combinations of high transparency (~98% in the visible light region of 400-800 nm) and flame retardancy. The experiments and theoretical calculations reveal the corresponding mechanism at the molecular level. This π-π stacking-driven siloxane assembly strategy opens up an avenue for high-performance adhesives with circular life and multifunctional integration.
The giant Dahutang tungsten (W) deposit has a total reserve of more than 1.31 Mt WO3. Veinlet-disseminated scheelite and vein type wolframite mineralization are developed in this deposit, which are related to Late Mesozoic biotite granite. Four major types of alterations, which include albitization, potassic-alteration, and greisenization, and overprinted silicification developed in contact zone. The mass balance calculate of the four alteration types were used to further understanding of the mineralization process. The fresh porphyritic biotite granite has high Nb, Ta, and W, but low Ca and Sr while the Jiuling granodiorite has high Ca and Sr, but low Nb, Ta, and W concentrations. The altered porphyritic biotite granite indicated that the Nb, Ta, and W were leached out from the fresh porphyritic biotite granite, especially by sodic alteration. The low Ca and Sr contents of the altered Neoproterozoic Jiuling granodiorite indicate that Ca and Sr had been leached out from the fresh granodiorite by the fluid from Mesozoic porphyritic biotite granites. The metal W of the Dahutang deposit was mainly derived from the fluid exsolution from the melt and alteration of W-bearing granites. This study of alteration presents a new hydrothermal circulation model to understand tungsten mineralization in the Dahutang deposit.
Supplementary Figure Legends 1-3 from Down-regulation of Rap1GAP via Promoter Hypermethylation Promotes Melanoma Cell Proliferation, Survival, and Migration
Bioorthogonal chemistry represents plenty of highly efficient and biocompatible reactions that proceed selectively and rapidly in biological situations without unexpected side reactions towards miscellaneous endogenous functional groups. Arise from the strict demands of physiological reactions, bioorthogonal chemical reactions are natively selective transformations that are rarely found in biological environments. Bioorthogonal chemistry has long been applied to tracking and real-time imaging of biomolecules in their physiological environments. Thereinto, tetrazine bioorthogonal reactions are particularly important and have increasing applications in these fields owing to their unique properties of easily controlled fluorescence or radiation off-on mechanism, which greatly facilitate the tracking of real signals without been disturbed by background. In this mini review, tetrazine bioorthogonal chemistry for in vivo imaging applications will be attentively appraised to raise some guidelines for prior tetrazine bioorthogonal chemical studies.