Search

An Ag/AgBr/Bi5O7I heterojunction was developed using a simple in situ co-precipitation method. Ag/AgBr nanoparticles were tightly bound to Bi5O7I, improving charge transfer at the heterojunction interface. The photocatalytic activities of the Ag/AgBr/Bi5O7I composites were studied by monitoring the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and through the generation of a transient photocurrent under visible-light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). The Ag/AgBr/Bi5O7I composites displayed enhanced photocatalytic activities compared to either pure Ag/AgBr or Bi5O7I. Charge carrier behavior was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) which indicated the enhanced separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes, thus giving to the higher photocatalytic activity. The high-performance semiconductor heterojunction developed in this work is a good candidate for photocatalytic application.

Sialon-SiC composite powders were synthesized from kyanite tailings through the carbothermal reduction nitridation (CRN) technique. Using Sialon-SiC composites to substitute Si3N4 composites via the CRN technique synthesize Sialon/Si3N4-SiC composite refractories. The phase composition, cross section morphology, and the substituent amount of Sialon-SiC composites impact on refractories mechanical properties were investigated, respectively. The optimized synthesis temperature for the CRN reaction was found to be 1550 °C for 4 h with the excess carbon 20%. The substituent amount of Sialon-SiC was 25%, the mechanical properties of Sialon/Si3N4-SiC composite refractories reached optimal performance, which bending strength value was 41.8 MPa and compression strength value was 61.6 MPa.

Super-grade bauxite, pure silicon carbide, andalusite and metal silicon were used as the raw materials to produce plastic phase mullite-SiC bricks. By analysis of the microstructure, physical and chemical properties, it proves that the introduction of metal plastic phase can improve the properties of bricks, such as lower porosity, higher cold crush strength, and wearing resistance. It also can improve the toughness, and effectively relieve the thermal and mechanical stress when using in cement kilns. By analysis of the comparison with MA spinel bricks and ordinary mullite-SiC bricks, the plastic phase mullite-SiC bricks have good thermal shock resistance and lower thermal conductivity. The result shows that the bricks can replace MA spinel bricks using in the transition zone of cement kilns and realizes the aim of saving energy and a long service life.

Cordierite samples were prepared using quartz sand tailings, industrial alumina and magnesite tailings as raw materials by high-temperature reaction. The influence of mineral composition and sintering temperature on the final phase composition and physical properties of cordierite were studied. The results shown that a large number of cordierite generated at 1300 °C. When the ratio of Al2O3/SiO2 equals to 1.08, the flexural strength of samples increased to 27.66 MPa.

The performance and phase behavior of Quartz - Aluminum Matrix Composites at different temperatures were studied. Quartz aluminum matrix composites were prepared by powder metallurgy method. At the temperature that was less than 660.4°C(the melting point of aluminum), a portion of quartz was happened decomposition and revivification to silicon, most aluminum still existed in the form of metal aluminum. All quartz were happened at the temperature that was higher than 660.4°C. When the temperature is 700°C, the compressive strength of S5(added 40% quartz) is up to 46.02MP. The higher the value of compressive strength was, the less the amount of quartz were happened decomposition. At the temperature more than the melting point of aluminum, Quartz was revivification to silicon, aluminum is oxidized to Al2O3. When the amount of silica exceeded 10%, the mechanical properties of composites declined consequently.

Phosphate minerals of apatite from three mines with different amounts of gangue minerals were activated by milling to increase their microcrystallinity and subsequent dissolution in a citric acid solution to serve as slow-release fertilizers for agricultural production. XRD (X-ray diffraction), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared), and SEM (Scanning electron microscope) were employed to characterize the properties of the prepared samples, such as changes in microcrystallinity, mineral composition, lattice structure, and granule morphology during the milling. With prolonged milling time, accompanied with the progress in microcrystallinity, the ratio of the formed amorphous compositions increased, resulting in higher dissolution in citric acid solution. In the case of carrot plants, the addition of the microcrystalline phosphate rock together with phosphorus bacteria allowed an efficient nutrient (P, K, and N) uptake as high as 77.0%, 36.7%, and 32.2%, which increased by 91.3%, 123.0%, and 105.2%, respectively, from the growth on an original soil without any addition, demonstrating clear contribution of the activated apatites in agricultural production.

In this study the phase behavior of diatomite during magnesiothermic reduction process was investigated. Two packing routes were adopted to estimate the reduction effectiveness at a low reaction temperature of 650 °C for 2h. The phase and microstructure evolution of diatomite were investigated by XRD, SEM, EDS. The results show that diatomite was sucessessfully reduced by the magnesium vapor and reaction products were Si, MgO, and Mg2Si when the raw diatomite was blended with Mg powder. Mg2Si and MgO were alternatively and incompletely dissolved after being immersed in a 1 M HCl solution for 6 h. Meanwhile, the reactant molar ratio had an important influence on products when the raw diatomite was separated with the Mg powder. A small amount of diatomite was reacted to generate MgO and Mg2Si as the molar ratio of Mg and diatomite was 2:1. By contrast, with the molar ratio increasing to be 10:1, diatomite was completely reacted to be Mg2Si and MgO.

The non-sintering Ti (C,N)-Si3N4-SiC composite refractories were prepared using natural quartz, rutile and silicon carbide particles/powders as the raw materials, phenolic resin and urotropin as a complex binder and silicon powder as the additive. The influence of the binder amount on the density, flexural strength, volume shrinkage and the microstructure of the non-sintering Ti (C,N)-Si3N4-SiC composite refractories was studied in detail. The results showed that the amount of binder has significant effects on the properties of the non-sintering Ti (C,N)-Si3N4-SiC composite refractories. The bulk density decreased and the apparent porosity increased as the amount of binder increased, and the flexural strength increased and then decreased as the amount of binder increased, and the volume shrinkage increased with the increase of the amount of binder. The binder is propitious to the properties of the non-sintering Ti (C,N)-Si3N4-SiC composite refractories, but excessive binder will result in the degradation of properties of the as-fabricated composite refractories, the optimum amount of complex adhesive is 15%.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) plays a key role in type II diabetes and Alzheimer's diseases, to which non-ATP competitive inhibitors represent an effectively therapeutical approach due to their good specificity. Herein, a series of small molecules benzothiazepinones (BTZs) as novel non-ATP competitive inhibitors of GSK-3β have been designed and synthesized. The in vitro evaluation performed by luminescent assay showed most BTZ derivatives have inhibitory effects in micromolar scale. Among them compounds 6l, 6t and 6v have the IC50 values of 25.0 μM, 27.8 μM and 23.0 μM, respectively. Moreover 6v is devoid of any inhibitory activity in the assays to other thirteen protein kinases. Besides, SAR is analyzed and a hypothetical enzymatic binding mode is proposed by molecular docking study, which would be useful for new candidates design.

Silicon nitride (β-Si3N4) nano-belts had been synthesized by used silica bricks and carbon powder as raw materials through carbothermal reduction nitridation. The morphology and microstructure of β-Si3N4 nano-belts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/HRSEM), energy disperse spectrum (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results showed that the well-crystallized β-Si3N4 nano-beltes were grown with thinness of 50-150nm and width of 3-5μm. The relatively purer β-Si3N4 were prone to be thin films with thinness of 150nm, while the as-grown SiCN (impurityβ-Si3N4with C elements) were presented as nanorods with cross section length of 150*150nm. Orientation growth mechanism by grain dislocation and vapor-solid (VS) mechanism were both involved in the growth of nanostructures of β-Si3N4 nano-beltes and SiCN nanorods.

In this study, β-Sialon/Al2O3/TiN diphase powder was synthesized using low-grade bauxite and rutile via carbothermal reduction-nitridation. The phase transitions of low-grade bauxite and rutile in the carbothermal reduction and nitridation process were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS. The effects of different reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, rutile addition on the phase composition and microstructure of products were analyzed. The results showed that β-Sialon/Al2O3/TiN powder was prepared using low-grade bauxite and rutile as raw materials and coke as reducing agent by carbothermal reduction-nitridation reaction in flowing nitrogen atmosphere of 0.03 MPa at 1350-1375 °C, for 4 h.

Mg2+2+,Al3+ Co-doped Li3V2(PO4)3/C powder was synthesized by sol-gel method under nitrogen. The crystal structure and micrograph ofLi3V2(PO4)3/C powder before and after doping was investigated by XRD, SEM and FT-IR. The effect of Mg2+/Al3+ Co-doping onLi3V2(PO4)3/C powder was discussed. The results indicated that Mg2+2+,Al3+ Co-doping did not change the crystal structure of Li3V2(PO4)3, but decreased the grain size of the as-synthesized powder. The FT-IR analysis indicated that weak Al-O bond was generated after doping.

Doped ceria-based (Gd0.2Ce0.8O1.9, GDC) solid electrolytes were prepared by Solid-phase synthesis method. The effect of doping bismuth oxide and samarium oxide on the phase and microstructure of GDC was investigated. The phase composition was analyzed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD).The single cubic fluorite structure was observed after doping these oxides. Appearance and microstructure of doped ceria-based solid electrolytes were analyzed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the doped trivalent cations had entered into the ceria structure uniformly. The density, porosity rate and water absorption of GDC were measured by Archimedes principle. It indicated that the density of doped GDC solid electrolyte increased with the rising of sintering temperature.

Lanthanum magnesium hexaaluminate (LaMgAl11O19, LMA) has attracted much interest as its widely used in solid state lasers, TV phosphors and fluorescent lamps. In this paper, LaMgAl11O19 ceramic was pressureless sintered at 1650 °C for 10 h in air atmosphere using LaMgAl11O19 powders prepared by solid-state reaction at 1500 °C for 4 h. The result indicated that the synthesis temperature of LaMgAl11O19 powders was about 1500 °C. The LMA ceramic sample was dense and had a microstructure of platelet-like gains. The excitation spectrum shows two wide bands with the peaks at about 254 nm and 265 nm by monitoring the strongest 362 nm emission, and the emission spectra is consisted of a broad band emission with their peaks near 362 nm with a half-width about 5 nm exciting with 265 nm wavelength.

In this paper, the mineral composition and main mineral morphology of bauxite were studied from ZhongXiang deposit, HuBei province. Through Electron Microscope Identification, there are two main rock types, oolitic, bean-like and aphanitic or fine crystalline structure of bauxite. The main mineral morphology is micro-crystalline or flake, crumby forms. The mineral and chemical compositions of samples were investigated by XRD, EPMA analysis tests. The EPMA results showed that Al2O3 content is 47.95% ~ 75.04%, in association with other isomorphous impurities, such as Si, Fe, Ti and Mg in varying proportions. The mineral compositions of bauxite ore are mainly aluminum, iron, silicon minerals, which totally account for from 83.01% to 86.40%. The XRD revealed that diaspore, hematite and kaolinite are the major mineral components in the bauxite ores. The bauxite from ZhongXiang deposits is a type of high diaspore bauxite, partly with clay minerals. Furthermore, the function of bauxite as a good fire-resistant material was discussed.

Ti(C,N) powder was prepared via carbothermal reduction nitridation (CRN) using rutile and carbon black as the raw material. The phase evolution and the reaction mechanism during the CRN synthesis of Ti(C,N) were investigated, and the effect of reaction temperature and C/TiO2molar ratio on the phase composition and x value in TiC1–xNxwas analyzed. The XRD and SEM results show that: Ti(C,N) powder was synthesized at 1500°C for 4h with the C/TiO2molar ratio of 2.2, under the nitrogen pressure of 0.2MPa. Irregular granular structure and the growth stripes were observed in the final products. The growth of Ti(C,N) grains in CRN process was followed by the gas-solid mechanism.The phase compositions of the products were quite dependent on the reaction temperature and the C/TiO2molar ratio. The TiN content in Ti(C,N) decreased with the increase of reaction temperature. TiC1–xNxpowder with different x values can be synthesized by optimizing the experiment conditions including the synthesis temperature and the C/TiO2molar ratio.

Calcium hexaluminate (CA6) because of its high stability, high melting point and low thermal conductivity properties make it as a new high-temperature insulation materials are valued. In this paper, chemical analysis and XRD were used to investigate the composition of the white beach sand mineral from Perth coast of Western Australia. The main composition of it was carbonate. White beach sand as calcium source respectively, and industrial alumina as aluminum source synthesized CA6 at 1550°C-1650°C for 3h. The results showed that: synthetic CA6 shapes in platelet crystalline. Influence of different amounts of alumina and sintering temperature on synthesis of calcium hexaluminate are studied.The main phase of the samples with different amounts of alumina which decrease or increase 5%, 10% and 15% alumina around theory are CA6. The porosity of the samples obtained is about 53%. The bending strength of Sample S-0 of theoretical ratio values up to 7.73Mpa. Sintering temperature from 1500°C to 1650°C is not conductive to the improvement of apparent porosity of CA6 materials.

In this paper, we focus on the phase behaviors of talc minerals by carbothermal reduction (CR) method. The effects of temperature and carbon addition are both discussed in our work. In the experiment, acid-leaching talc was employed as raw material, carbon coke powders were adopted as reducing agent. The XRD results show that: When acid-leaching talc was used as raw material, quartz and few enstatite can be obtained at 1300 °C, with the temperature increasing, the diffraction intensities of enstatite increased. At 1550 °C, enstatite transformed to magnesium silicate and obvious β-SiC can be detected. At 1600 °C, the main phases in the final product are magnesium silicate and β-SiC. The SEM results reveal that the preferred, as-fabricated silicon carbide has morphology of irregular shape. Relatively pure β-SiC can be obtained by using acid-leaching talc mixed together with excess 50% of theoretical quantity of carbon powder sintered at 1550 °C for 4 h.

In this paper, Na0.54K0.42Li0.4NbO3 nano-powders were prepared by the sol-gel method, Na2CO3, K2CO3, Li2CO3and Nb2O5as raw materials, citric acid as coordination agent, ethylene glycol as esterifying agent, polyethylene glycol as dispersing agent. From the XRD, TG-DTA and TEM analysis, powders’ size, lattice constants and surface topography were studied. The results showed that under the condition of 600°C × 2h, nano-powders showed good dispersiveness and no reuniting, with pure orthorhombic perovskite structure and various grain sizes was 40.78 nm.

By using the industrial waste boron mud as raw material, graphite as reductant, coke particles as burying materials. During carbothermal reduction process, the Mg-Fe forsterite phase in boron mud row materials can transformed into forsterite and Fe2O3 at 1550°C and 1600°C for 3 h, and the Fe3C can be generated from the partial reduction of Fe2O3 with graphite, The main phase in samples calcined under 1650°C for 3 h contained forsterite, Fe2O3, Fe3C and β-SiC. The compound powder of Mg2SiO4 and β-SiC was prepared through the carbothermal reduction process. The effects of different graphite proportion (theoretical proportion, exceeding 10%, 50% and 100%) and firing temperature (1550°C, 1600°C and 1650°C) on the phase transformation and microstructure of the products were investigated by XRD, SEM and EDS. The results show that β-SiC powders were obtained at 1650°C for 3 h when graphite content was theoretical.

Phase behaviors of zircon at different temperatures via carbothermal reduction-nitridation were investigated in this study. By using zircon as raw material, with carbon coke as reducing agent, the influence of reaction temperatures (1450, 1500, 1550 and 1600 °C, respectively) on phase behaviors and microstructure of the products was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results shows that by carbothermal reduction-nitridation, the main phases in the final products of zircon are m-ZrO2, c-ZrO2, β-SiC, ZrN and β-Si3N4at different temperatures for 4 hours.

In this study we observed the phase behavior of silica brick used in the process of carbothermal reduction. At 1550°C, there are liner β-SiC in clumps huddled together; At 1550°C, short line clumps changed into filamentous, mixed together. There are many particles and some β-SiC lines and few filamentous β-SiC at 1600°C . Different ratio of carbon coke also effect the phase behavior. From the results we obtained SiC powders. SiC refractory powders were prepared via carbothermal reduction method using used silica bricks as raw materials. The effects of carbon content, temperature and holding time on the phase composition and microstructure were analyzed. XRD and SEM analyses show that: β-SiC refractory powders were synthesized at 1600°C for 6 h with100 wt% excessive of carbon content. With the increase of carbon content, the reaction temperature and holding time, content of β-SiC gradually increased while that of cristobalite decreased.

The effect of elements such as Ti, Al, Hf, Zr and B on hot tearing susceptibility during directional solidification was explored by tube-like samples with thickness of 1.0 mm, 1.5mm and 2.0mm in wall. Results of SEM of elements on solidification of casting Ni-based superalloys were presented. The influential extent among the investigated elements is found to be: the largest is Ti, then Zr, B and Al, and Hf is the smallest. Titanium promotes the formation of (γ+γ´) eutectic, increases sizes of the eutectic. Increasing Al content results in the size of γ+γ´ eutectic and the number of γ´. Increasing Zr content promotes γ+γ´ eutectic.Varying B content shows little microstructural evolution.

Nd-Sialon microcrystals with a novel orthogonal array morphology were developed by inducing catalysis of Fe for the first time, via a combination of vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) and vapor-solid (VS) growth mechanisms. The chemical composition of Nd-Sialon crystals was determined to be NdSi 5.4 Al 1.6 O 0.6 N 9.4 . The morphology of the tips strongly depended on the relative position of the liquid droplet to the crystal. Furthermore, the crystal growth process of Nd-Sialon microcrystals with the novel morphology was discussed. The Nd-Sialon single crystal shows UV-to-blue emission when it is excited by a wavelength of 325 nm. Nd-Sialon is envisioned to have potential in many functional applications, such as white LEDs, detector arrays, MEMS, and optical components. This work shines a light on the growth of Nd-Sialon single crystals for potential laser application.

In this paper, Y2O3-Al2O3-ZrO2 nano-ceramic coatings were prepared on 316L stainless steel substrate at 600°C for 0.5 hour by sol-gel method, using Y(NO3)3•6H2O, ZrO(NO3)•2H2O and Al(NO3)3•9H2O as raw materials, hexamethylenetetramine as catalyst. Phases and morphology of these coatings were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. Effect of heat treatment temperature on microstructure of the coatings was studied. Y2O3-Al2O3-ZrO2 coatings with grain size about 50nm tightly integrated with metal substrate after densely sintering at 600°C. The grain sizes have grown up with increasing temperature.

Si3N4-SiC-C refractory composites were prepared under the condition of 1450°C × 3h with electrofoging anthracite, Si3N4, SiC as the raw material and the modification emulsified bitumen as the binder. The effects of the silicon and silica fine powder additives on the compressive strength of Si3N4- SiC-C refractory composites were studied. The results indicated that adding an appropriate ratio range of silicon or silica fine powder in the composites both can improve the compressive strength of the material.

Two MCrAlY overlay coatings (NiCrAlYSi and NiCoCrAlYHf) were deposited on a DS superalloy of Ni-Al-Cr-Co-W-Mo-Ta-Hf system by vacuum arc deposition method. The two coatings show a good protection for the DS superalloy during the isothermal oxidation test at 1150 for 100 h. A continuous alumina-based scale was formed at the surfaces of the coated specimens after oxidation. Y2O3, NiO and SiO2 are also detectable in the oxide scale. For the Hf-bearing coating, some HfO2 particles exist at the interface between the coating and the substrate. But after the cyclic thermal oxidation at 1100°C, the Hf-free coating exhibited better oxidation resisitance than the Hf-bearing coating. The HfO2 blocks between the coat and the substrate may be the crack initiation which leads to the failure of the coating.

In this paper, phase transition of forsterite in carbothermal reduction processing was studied. Phase composition and microstructure of the products were characterized by XRD, SEM and XRF. The influences of calcination temperature (1400, 1500, and 1600 °C), carbon content (lacking 50% and 10%, theoretical content, exceeding 10%, 50% and 100%) and holding time (1 h, 2 h and 4 h) on phase composition of carbothermal reduction products were discussed. The results showed that forsterite can be reduced to β-SiC, Fe and MgAl2O4 when it was reacted with carbon exceeded 50wt% of theoretical content at 1600°C for 4 h, while it was stable when treated below 1500°C.

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) nanopowders were synthesized by sol-gel method using Fe(NO3)3·9H2O, Y(NO3)3·6H2O as raw materials. The influence of heat treatment, the citric acid to metal nitrates molar ratio (CA / MN) and PH value on the synthesized powders were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analyses (DTA/TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). YIG powders with average grain size of 80~90nm were synthesized after calcining at 1000°C for 4h.

Transformation of the microstructure of molybdenum disilicide heating unit in nitrogen atmosphere at 1700°C was investigated by XRD, SEM and EDS. The results showed that MoSi2 was transformed to polyhedral Si3N4 crystals groups distributed across in the matrix with irregular geometry Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si crystals, and the Si3N4 crystal groups were dense areas, while the Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si groups were loose areas after being heated in nitrogen atmosphere at 1700°C for 3h. The thickness of conversion zone of MoSi2 matrix was about 30μm and the loose Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si areas can damage the dense structure of MoSi2 matrix.

Single phase YIG powders were synthesized successfully using Fe2O3 and Y2O3 as starting materials by solid state reaction, and YIG ceramics were prepared by pressureless sintering. The influence of synthesizing temperature and Fe2O3 content on the final production were studied The effect of Fe2O3 content on volume density and microstructure of the sintered YIG was also investigated. The results showed that single phase YIG powders were synthesized by solid state reaction at 1400°C for 3h. When Fe2O3 content was excessive 3 wt%, YIG ceramics with a density of 5.294g·cm-3 was fabricated by sintering at 1480°C for 2.5h.

Fe-SiAlON-MoSi2 composites were prepared using FeSi75, α-Al2O3, and MoSi2 powders as starting materials at 1400 oC, 1500 oC, 1600 oC and 1700 oC, respectively, for 3h in a flowing nitrogen under the pressure of 0.9MPa. The results showed that the main phases of Fe-SiAlON-MoSi2 composite were β-SiAlON with deferent Z-values, MoSi2, and Fe3Si. Z-value of the obtained β-SiAlON depanded on α-Al2O3 content and the sintering temperature. The morphology of SiAlON phase changed from fibre-like of low Z-value to hexagonal prism-like of high Z-value.

High pressure die casting is the most common method in making magnesium alloys for both auto parts and 3C products. Pressure variations in the mold during mold filling and solidification process have direct influences on the quality and properties of die castings. In this paper, a cylinder head cover was produced to experimentally study pressure variations in the mold during magnesium alloy die-casting process in real time for the first time. Pressure varies at different positions in the mold during die casting process. This study indicates that mold filling and solidification process of magnesium alloy die castings can be described by pressure curves obtained by pressure measurement at different test positions in the cavity in real time.

A variety of benzothiazepinone derivatives (V) (25 examples) are synthesized as novel non-ATP competitive inhibitors of GSK-3β based on the cyclization of 2-aminobenzenethiol with acrylic acids.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is an important serine/threonine kinase that has been proved as a key target for neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Up to date, most of known inhibitors are bound to the ATP-binding pocket of GSK-3β, which might lead widespread effects due to the high homology between kinases. Recently, some of its non-ATP competitive inhibitors had been confirmed having therapeutical effects owing to their high selectivity. This finding opens a new pathway to study hopeful drugs for treatment of these diseases. However, it is still a challenge nowadays on how to efficiently find non-ATP competitors. Here, we successfully discovered a novel scaffold of benzothiazepinones ( BTZs ) as selective non-ATP competitive GSK-3β inhibitors through virtual screening approach. A 3D receptor model of substrate binding site of GSK-3β was constructed and applied to screen against drug-like Maybridge database through Autodock program. BTZ compounds were top ranked as efficient hits and were then synthesized for further screening. Among them, the representative compound 4j showed activity to GSK-3β (IC 50 : 25 μM) in non-ATP competitive mechanism, and nearly no inhibitory effect on other 10 related protein kinases. Overall, the results point out that BTZ compounds might be useful in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes mellitus as novel GSK-3β inhibitors. It also suggests, on the other hand, that virtual screening would provide a valuable tool in combination with in vitro assays for the identification of novel selective and potent inhibitors.

Well-aligned TiO2nanotube arrays were fabricated by anodizing Ti foil in viscous F−containing organic electrolytes, and the crystal structure and morphology of the TiO2nanotube array were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, and TEM, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2nanotube arrays was evaluated in the photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in different supporting solutions. The excellent performance of ca. 97% for color removal was reached after 90 min in the PEC process compared to that of PC process which indicates that a certain external potential bias favors the promotion of the electrode reaction rate on TiO2nanotube array when it is under illumination. In addition, it is found that PEC process conducted in supporting solutions with low pH and containing Cl−is also beneficial to accelerate the degradation rate of MB.

Acute hepatic failure was induced experimentally in rats by intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 mL kg−1 carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and the effects on the expression and function of P-glycoprotein in the liver, kidney and brain were evaluated. The CCl4 injection significantly increased the indicators of hepatic function (glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase), but not of renal function (blood urea nitrogen, glomerular filtration rate). In rats with acute hepatic failure, the hepatic P-glycoprotein concentration increased 1.5-fold and the ATP concentration decreased to approximately 40% that in control rats. In contrast, P-glycoprotein concentrations in the kidney and brain and ATP concentrations in the kidney remained unchanged. The in-vivo P-glycoprotein function in these tissues was suppressed as evaluated by biliary and renal secretory clearances and brain distribution of rhodamine 123, a P-glycoprotein substrate. These findings suggest that factors other than P-glycoprotein concentration are involved in the systemic suppression of P-glycoprotein function in diseased rats. In Caco-2 cells, plasma collected from CCl4-treated rats exhibited a greater inhibitory effect on P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of rhodamine 123 than that from control rats, suggesting the accumulation of an endogenous P-glycoprotein substrate/inhibitor in the plasma of diseased rats. In fact, the plasma concentration of corticosterone, an endogenous P-glycoprotein substrate, increased 2-fold in CCl4-treated rats compared with control rats. It was demonstrated that P-glycoprotein function is systemically suppressed in rats with CCl4-induced acute hepatic failure, not only in the target organ (liver), but also in other organs (kidney and brain), although the P-glycoprotein concentration remained unchanged in the kidney and brain, and increased in the liver. In the systemic suppression of the P-glycoprotein function in the diseased state, the alteration of plasma concentrations or components of endogenous P-glycoprotein-related compounds, such as corticosterone, would likely be involved.

TiO2 nanotube array was fabricated via anodization, and the resulting film was investigated by XRD and SEM. The degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye demonstrated its superior photoelectrochemical...

A new environment friendly method to synthesize sialon composites using fly ash with high content of Al2O3 by carbon-thermal reduction-nitridation was presented. The results showed that sintering temperature and the pressure of N2 gas are in favor of the nitrification synthesis of Sialon composites. When Samples wear buried in silicon powder and sintered at 1400°C under N2 atmosphere, Sialon (Si4Al2O2N6) had been synthesized.

One of the major challenges in creating devices with core–shell nanotubular heterostructures has been the coating of conformal nanolayers inside the open volume of a nanoporous template. Here we show two facile assembly strategies developed, utilizing either electrochemical or solvothermal methodology, for the successful synthesis of novel SnO2@TiO2 coaxial nanotube arrays (SnO2@TNTs). Remarkably enhanced Li+ ion storage performance of the prepared nanohybrids with favorable and well-defined tubular structures is demonstrated to be derived from the synergistic effect with improved electronic conductivity and dual lithium storage mechanism, which highlights their potential as a new alternative material for electrochemical energy storage.

The title compound, C20H16N2O4S, was prepared by introduction of a 2-nitrobenzyl group to 2-(furan-2-yl)-2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)-one via an alkaline-catalysed reaction. The thiazepine ring adopts a twist-boat conformation. The furan ring is oriented at dihedral angles of 56.75 (14) and 10.82 (14)° with respect to the two benzene rings, while the two benzene rings make a dihedral angle of 62.96 (10)°. Weak intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds occur in the crystal structure.

Single phase Sialon was synthesized successfully from fly ash by carbothermal reductionnitridation reaction in this paper. The effects of synthesizing temperature (1200°C, 1300°C, 1400°C and 1450°C) and carbon content (stoichiometric content, exceeding 10%, 50% and 100%) on the final production were studied by XRD and SEM. Synthesis mechanism of β-Sialon was also analysized. The results indicated that single phase β-Sialon with z=3 was obtained using fly ash as raw materials and carbon black of stoichiometric content as reducer by carbothermal reduction- nitridation reaction in flow nitrogen at 1450°C for 3h. Temperature and content of carbon had significant effect on the synthesis of β-Sialon.