Structure-Property Relationships and Models of Controlled Drug Delivery of Biodegradable Poly (D, L-lactic acid) Microspheres

An oil-in-water (O/W) solvent evaporation method was used to prepare biodegradable microspheresbased on poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PLA). Nifedipine, a hydrophobic drug, was chosen as a model molecule in the studyof drug entrapment and release. Effect of preparation conditions on the size, morphology, drug loading, and releaseprofiles of micropheres was investigated. Based on in vitro release experimental findings, a diffusion/dissolutionmodel was presented for quantitative description of the resulting release behaviors and drug release kinetics fromPLA microspheres analyzed. The mathematical models were used to predict the effect of microstructure on theresulting drug release. It provided an approach to determine the suitable structure parameters for microspheres toachieve desired drug release behaviors.

Estimation of surface tension of organic compounds using quantitative structure-property relationship

A novel quantitative structure-property relationship （QSPR） model for estimating the solution surface tension of 92 organic compounds at 20℃ was developed based on newly introduced atom-type topological indices. The data set contained non-polar and polar liquids, and saturated and unsaturated compounds. The regression analysis shows that excellent result is obtained with multiple linear regression. The predictive power of the proposed model was discussed using the leave-one-out （LOO） cross-validated （CV） method. The correlation coefficient （R） and the leave-one-out cross-validation correlation coefficient （Rcv） of multiple linear regression model are 0.991 4 and 0.991 3, respectively. The new model gives the average absolute relative deviation of 1.81% for 92 substances. The result demonstrates that novel topological indices based on the equilibrium electro-negativity of atom and the relative bond length are useful model parameters for QSPR analysis of compounds.

Study of structure-property relationship of semiconductor nanomaterials by off-axis electron holography

As the scaling down of semiconductor devices, it would be necessary to discover the structure-property relationship of semiconductor nanomaterials at nanometer scale. In this review, the quantitative characterization technique off-axis electron holography is introduced in details, followed by its applications in various semiconductor nanomaterials including group IV, compound and two-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures in static states as well as under various stimuli. The advantages and disadvantages of off-axis electron holography in material analysis are discussed, the challenges facing in-situ electron holographic study of semiconductor devices at working conditions are presented, and all the possible influencing factors need to be considered to achieve the final goal of fulfilling quantitative characterization of the structure-property relationship of semiconductor devices at their working conditions.

Polyimide structure-Property Relationships I. Polyimide Properties υs Dianhydride Configuration

X-ray crystal structures of 2,2',3,3'-and 3, 3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (2,2',3,3'- and 3,3',4,4'-BPDA) were determined. The dianhydride isomers have different symmetry caused by difference in two anhydride group positions and the dihedral angles between the two phenyl rings are 62.9°for 2,2',3,3',-BPDA and 0°for 3,3',4,4'-BPDA respectively. The polyimides from 2,2',3,3'-BPDA exhibit enhanced solubility, higher thermal stability, and higher glasstransition temperature (Tg) compared with those from 3,3',4,4'-BPDA.

Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship on Prediction of Surface Tension of Nonionic Surfactants

A quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) study has been made for the prediction of the surface tension of nonionic surfactants in aqueous solution. The regressed model includes a topological descriptor, the Kier & Hall index of zero order (KH0) of the hydrophobic segment of surfactant and a quantum chemical one, the heat of formation (fHD) of surfactant molecules. The established general QSPR between the surface tension and the descriptors produces a correlation coefficient of multiple determination, 2r=0.9877, for 30 studied nonionic surfactants.

Structure-Property Relationship Analysis of D-Penicillamine-Derivedβ-Polythioesters with Varied Alkyl Side Groups

The ring-opening polymerization of heterocyclic monomers and the reversed ring-closing depolymerization of corresponding polymers with neutral thermodynamics are broadly explored to establish a circular economy of next-generation plastics.Polythioesters(PTEs),analogues of polyesters,are emerging materials for this purpose due to their high refractive index,high crystallinity,dynamic property and responsiveness.In this work,we synthesize and polymerize a series of D-penicillamine-derivedβ-thiolactones(NRPenTL)with varied side chain alkyl groups,and study the structure-property relationship of the resulting polymers.The obtained PTEs exhibit tunable glass transition temperature in a wide range of 130–50℃,and melting temperature of 90–105℃.In addition,copolymerizations of monomers with different side chains are effective in modulating material properties.The obtained homo and copolymers can be fully depolymerized to recycle monomers.This work provides a robust molecular platform and detailed structure-property relationship of PTEs with potential of achieving sustainable plastics.

Structure-property relationship on aggregation-induced emission properties of simple azine-based AIEgens and its application in metal ions detection

In recent twenty years,aggregation-induced emission(AIE),due to its excellent application prospect,has aroused widespread interests.The development of novel and easy to make AIE luminogens(AIEgens)is an attractive subject.For this purpose,it is very important to study the structure-property relationship of AIEgens.Because azine derivatives are easy to synthesis and some of them have nice AIE properties,herein,a series of azine derivatives(ADs)were employed as models to study the influence of different functional groups,electronic effects and structures on the AIE properties of azine derivatives.The AIE mechanism were studied by single crystal analysis,density functional theory(DFT)calculations and so on.The results indicated that the o-hydroxyl aryl substituted azine compounds could show good AIE properties.Meanwhile,the AIE properties of o-hydroxyl aryl substituted azine compounds were also influenced by the electronic effects of the aryl groups in the azine compounds.The o-hydroxyl groups could form intramolecular hydrogen bond with imine group,which play key role to restrict the intramolecular rotation of the aryl groups and act as base stone for the AIE process of this kind compounds.The HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of o-hydroxyl substituted azine are smaller than other homologous compounds,which is agree with the proposed AIE mechanism.Finally,thanks to the AIE properties,the o-hydroxy-substituted azines could be used as efficient Al^(3+)and Cu^(2+)fluorescent chemosensors in different conditions.In addition,test strips based on AD10 has been prepared,which can conveniently detect Cu^(2+)in industrial wastewater.This research supplied a way for the design of novel easy to make AIEgens through simple azine derivatives.

High-rate electrochemical H_(2)O_(2) production over multimetallic atom catalysts under acidic–neutral conditions

Hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))production by the electrochemical 2-electron oxygen reduction reaction(2e−ORR)is a promising alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone process,and single-atom electrocatalysts show the unique capability of high selectivity toward 2e−ORR against the 4e−one.The extremely low surface density of the single-atom sites and the inflexibility in manipulating their geometric/electronic configurations,however,compromise the H_(2)O_(2) yield and impede further performance enhancement.Herein,we construct a family of multiatom catalysts(MACs),on which two or three single atoms are closely coordinated to form high-density active sites that are versatile in their atomic configurations for optimal adsorption of essential*OOH species.Among them,the Cox–Ni MAC presents excellent electrocatalytic performance for 2e−ORR,in terms of its exceptionally high H_(2)O_(2) yield in acidic electrolytes(28.96 mol L^(−1) gcat.^(−1) h^(−1))and high selectivity under acidic to neutral conditions in a wide potential region(>80%,0–0.7 V).Operando X-ray absorption and density functional theory analyses jointly unveil its unique trimetallic Co2NiN8 configuration,which efficiently induces an appropriate Ni–d orbital filling and modulates the*OOH adsorption,together boosting the electrocatalytic 2e−ORR capability.This work thus provides a new MAC strategy for tuning the geometric/electronic structure of active sites for 2e−ORR and other potential electrochemical processes.

Rational design of diamond through microstructure engineering:From synthesis to applications

Diamond possesses excellent thermal conductivity and tunable bandgap.Currently,the high-pressure,high-temperature,and chemical vapor deposition methods are the most promising strategies for the commercial-scale production of synthetic diamond.Although diamond has been extensively employed in jewelry and cutting/grinding tasks,the realization of its high-end applications through microstructure engineering has long been sought.Herein,we discuss the microstructures encountered in diamond and further concentrate on cutting-edge investigations utilizing electron microscopy techniques to illuminate the transition mechanism between graphite and diamond during the synthesis and device constructions.The impacts of distinct microstructures on the electrical applications of diamond,especially the photoelectrical,electrical,and thermal properties,are elaborated.The recently reported elastic and plastic deformations revealed through in situ microscopy techniques are also summarized.Finally,the limitations,perspectives,and corresponding solutions are proposed.

Composition-dependent catalytic performance of Au_(x)Ag_(25-x) alloy nanoclusters for oxygen reduction reaction

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)occurs at the cathode of electrochemical devices like fuel cells and in the Huron-Dow process,reducing oxygen to water or hydrogen peroxide.Over the past years,various electrocatalysts with enhanced activity,selectivity,and durability have been developed for ORR.However,an atomic-level understanding of how materials composition affects electrocatalytic performance has not yet been achieved,which prevents us from designing efficient catalysts based on the requirements of practical applications.This is partially because of the polydispersity of traditional catalysts and their unknown structure dynamics in the electrocatalytic reactions.Here we establish a full-spectrum of atomically precise and robust Au_(x)Ag_(25-x)(MHA)18(x=0–25,and MHA=6-mercaptohexanoic acid)nanoclusters(NCs)and systematically investigate their composition-dependent catalytic performance for ORR at the atomic level.The results show that,with the increasing number of Au atoms in Au_(x)Ag_(25-x)(MHA)18 NCs,the electron transfer number gradually decreases from 3.9 for Ag25(MHA)18 to 2.1 for Au25(MHA)18,indicating that the dominant oxygen reduction product alters from water to hydrogen peroxide.Density functional theory simulations reveal that the Gibbs free energy of OOH adsorption(ΔGOOH*)on Au25 is closest to the idealΔGOOH*of 4.22 eV to produce H_(2)O_(2),while Ag alloying makes theΔGOOH*deviate from the optimal value and leads to the production of water.This study suggests that alloy NCs are promising paradigms for unveiling composition-dependent electrocatalytic performance of metal nanoparticles at the atomic level.

Structure-property relationships in ILs: A study of the alkyl chain length dependence in vaporisation enthalpies of pyridinium based ionic liquids

The enthalpies of vaporization for the series of pyridinium-based ionic liquids with bis（trifluoromethylsulfonyl）imide anion [CnPy][NTfz] （n = 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6） have been determined with the quartz crystal microbalance technique combined with the Langmuir evaporation. The linear dependence of vaporization enthalpies on the chain length has been revealed. New approach based on volumetric, surface tension, and speed of sound measurements has been developed for estimation of heat capacity differences between gas and liquid phase, which were required for adjustment of measured vaporization enthalpies to the ref- erence temperature 298 K.

A computational toolbox for molecular property prediction based on quantum mechanics and quantitative structure-property relationship

Chemical industry is always seeking opportunities to efficiently and economically convert raw materials to commodity chemicals and higher value-added chemicalbased products.The life cycles of chemical products involve the procedures of conceptual product designs,experimental investigations,sustainable manufactures through appropriate chemical processes and waste disposals.During these periods,one of the most important keys is the molecular property prediction models associating molecular structures with product properties.In this paper,a framework combining quantum mechanics and quantitative structure-property relationship is established for fast molecular property predictions,such as activity coefficient,and so forth.The workflow of framework consists of three steps.In the first step,a database is created for collections of basic molecular information;in the second step,quantum mechanics-based calculations are performed to predict quantum mechanics-based/derived molecular properties(pseudo experimental data),which are stored in a database and further provided for the developments of quantitative structure-property relationship methods for fast predictions of properties in the third step.The whole framework has been carried out within a molecular property prediction toolbox.Two case studies highlighting different aspects of the toolbox involving the predictions of heats of reaction and solid-liquid phase equilibriums are presented.

Application of quantum chemical descriptors into quantitative structure-property relationship models for prediction of the photolysis half-life of PCBs in water

Quantitative structure-property relationship(QSPR)models were developed for prediction of photolysis half-life(t_(1/2))of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs)in water under ultraviolet(UV)radiation.Quantum chemical descriptors computed by the PM3 Hamiltonian software were used as independent variables.The cross-validated Q^(2)_(cum)value for the optimal QSPR model is 0.966,indicating good prediction capability for lg t_(1/2)values of PCBs in water.The QSPR results show that the largest negative atomic charge on a carbon atom(Q-C)and the standard heat of formation(ΔH_(f))have a dominant effect on t_(1/2)values of PCBs.Higher Q_(C)^(-)values or lowerΔHf values of the PCBs leads to higher lg t_(1/2)values.In addition,the lg t_(1/2)values of PCBs increase with the increase in the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital values.Increasing the largest positive atomic charge on a chlorine atom and the most positive net atomic charge on a hydrogen atom in PCBs leads to the decrease of lg t_(1/2)values.

Estimation of photolysis half-lives of dyes in a continuous-flow system with the aid of quantitative structure-property relationship

In this paper the photolysis half-lives of the model dyes in water solutions and under ultraviolet （UV） radiation were determined by using a continuous-flow spectrophotometric method. A quantitative structure- property relationship （QSPR） study was carried out using 21 descriptors based on different chemometric tools including stepwise multiple linear regression （MLR） and partial least squares （PLS） for the prediction of the photolysis half-life （t1/2） of dyes. For the selection of test set compounds, a K-means clustering technique was used to classify the entire data set, so that all clusters were properly represented in both training and test sets. The QSPR results obtained with these models show that in MLR-derived model, photolysis half-lives of dyes depended strongly on energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital （EHoMO）, largest electron density of an atom in the molecule （ED^＋） and lipophilicity （logP）. While in the model derived from PLS, besides aforementioned EHOMO and ED^＋ descriptors, the molecular surface area （Sm）, molecular weight （M-W）, electronegativity （X）, energy of the second highest occupied molecular orbital （EHoMO- 1） and dipole moment （μ） had dominant effects on logt1/2 values of dyes. These were applicable for all classes of studied dyes （including monoazo, disazo, oxazine, sulfo- nephthaleins and derivatives of fluorescein）. The results were also assessed for their consistency with findings from other similar studies.

Prediction on Critical Micelle Concentration of Nonionic Surfactants in Aqueous Solution:Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Approach

In order to predict the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of nonionic surfactants in aqueous solution,a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) was found for 77 nonionic surfactants belonging to eight series. The best-regressed model contained four quantum-chemical descriptors,the heat of formation (ΔH),the molecular dipole moment (D),the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (E_ LUMO ) and the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (E_ HOMO ) of the surfactant molecule; two constitutional descriptors,the molecular weight of surfactant (M) and the number of oxygen and nitrogen atoms (n_ ON ) of the hydrophilic fragment of surfactant molecule; and one topological descriptor,the Kier & Hall index of zero order (KH0) of the hydrophobic fragment of the surfactant. The established general QSPR between lg(cmc) and the descriptors produced a relevant coefficient of multiple determination:R 2=0.986. When cross terms were considered,the corresponding best model contained five descriptors E_ LUMO ,D,KH0,M and a cross term n_ ON ·KH0,which also produced the same coefficient as the seven-parameter model.

Theoretical studies on structure-property relationships of cellulose and nitrocellulose I.Conformation,stability and conductivity

The banding and electronic structures of a series of long-chain macromolecules of cellu- lose,2-,3-,6-mononitrocellulose,2,3-,2,6-,3,6-dinitrocellulose and trinitrocellulose as well as their structural units(i.e.single-,double-or three-ring systems)have been calculated by both the EH and CNDO/2 methods.The increase of molecular total energies is consistent with the decrease of their stabilities at the three conformations of gg,gt and tg.The Mulliken bond order of O—NO_2 bond is the samllest in each molecule at any of the three conformations,which indicates that this bond is the weakest,and supports the view of initial homolytic cleavage of O—NO_2 bond on slow thermal decomposition.The band gap at the edge of the first Brillouin zone far surpasses 5 eV for cellu- lose,and is less than 3 eV for mono-,di-,and trinitrocellulose.The results show that cellulose is a typical insulator,as we know,and it can be predicted that nitrocellulose has electric conductivity similar to that of semiconductor.

BiPh-m-BiDPO as a Hole-Blocking Layer for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes： Revealing Molecular Structure-Properties Relationship

We report a simple hole-blocking material （biphenyl-3,3＇-diyl）bis（diphenylphosphine oxide） （BiPh-m-BiDPO） based on our recent advance. The bis（phosphine oxide） compound shows HOMO/LUMO levels of ∽-6.71/- 2.51 eV. Its phosphorescent spectrum in a solid film features two major emission bands peaking at 2.69 and 2.4eV, corresponding to 0-0 and 01 vibronic transitions, respectively. The measurement of the electron-only devices reveals that BiPh-m-BiDPO possesses electron mobility of 2.28 × 10^-9-3.22× 10^-8cm2 V-1s-1 at E = 2- 5 × 10^5 V/cm. The characterization of the sky blue fluorescent and red phosphorescent pin organic light-emitting diodes （OLEDs） utilizing BiPh-m-BiDPO as the hole blocker shows that its shallow LUMO level as well as the low electron mobility affects significantly the power efficiency and hence operational stability, relative to the luminous efficiency, especially at high luminance. In combination with our recent results, the present study provides an indepth insight on the molecular structure-property correlation in the organic phosphinyl-containing hole-blocking materials.

Understanding Pseudocapacitance Mechanisms by Synchrotron X-ray Analytical Techniques

Pseudocapacitive materials that store charges via reversible surface or near-surface faradaic reactions are capable of overcoming the capacity limitations of electrical double-layer capacitors.Revealing the structure–activity relationship between the microstructural features of pseudocapacitive materials and their electrochemical performance on the atomic scale is the key to build high-performance capacitor-type devices containing ideal pseudocapacitance effect.Currently,the high brightness(flux),and spectral and coherent nature of synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques make it a powerful tool for probing the structure–property relationship of pseudocapacitive materials.Herein,we report a comprehensive and systematic review of four typical characterization techniques(synchrotron X-ray diffraction,pair distribution function[PDF]analysis,soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy,and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy)for the study of pseudocapacitance mechanisms.In addition,we offered significant insights for understanding and identifying pseudocapacitance mechanisms(surface redox pseudocapacitance,intercalation pseudocapacitance,and the extrinsic pseudocapacitance phenomenon in battery materials)by combining in situ hard XAS and electrochemical analyses.Finally,a perspective for further depth of understanding into the pseudocapacitance mechanism using synchrotron X-ray analytical techniques is proposed.

Alkyl-tetralin base oils synthesized from coal-based chemicals and evaluation of their lubricating properties

Naphthenic base oil is an important lubricating base oil and very scarce in the global petroleum resources.Herein,a series of alkylated tetralin fluids similar to naphthenic base oils were produced by the alkylation of tetralin and a-olefins(n-hexene,n-octene,n-decene)with ionic liquid Et_3NHCl/AlCl_(3)as the catalyst,where the applied raw materials are totally derived from the coal chemical industry.The product composition could be controlled by adjusting the feeding ratio of tetralin and olefin.The synthetic fluids were evaluated as lubricating base oils to reveal the structure-property correlations.Their principal physicochemical and tribological properties depend on the chain-length of a-olefins and the number of alkyl groups onto the aromatic rings.Bis-(octyl-or decyl-)alkyl tetralin exhibited good properties in terms of viscosity,thermo-oxidation stability and pour point,as well as friction-reducing and anti-wear performance,showing great potential for producing naphthenic base synthetic oils from coal-based chemicals.

A review on the current status of Fe-Al based ferritic lightweight steel

There is an ever-growing demand for lightweighting of steel for structural applications,particularly for automobile and transportation applications.It is mainly to improve the fuel efficiency,reduce the CO_(2) emissions and cater the increased passenger safety.Hence,the main focus is to reduce the density of the steel structure without affecting other properties.This can be achieved by down-gauging of the conventional steel by replacing the steel with higher strength,however,it is limited by dent resistance and stiffness.So,the novel idea is to reduce the density of the steel itself.It is well-known that addition of Al to steel reduces the density of the steel.About 1wt% of Al addition to steel can reduce the density by 1.3%,decreases the elastic modulus by 2% and it improves the strength by about 40 MPa.There is a new class of low-density/lightweight steel with addition of about 6-9 wt% Al to steel.Addition of higher than 9 wt%of Al in steel leads to embrittlement issues due to ordering and environmental effect.These disordered Fe-Al lightweight steels have raised considerable interest due to their low-density,high ductility,costeffectiveness and feasibility for bulk production.The low-density steels are envisaged in the development of an advanced lightweight ground transportation system,huge structures and also for certain defence applications and in thermal power plants.