Novel rechargeable calcium phosphate nanoparticle-containing orthodontic cement

White spot lesions （WSLs）, due to enamel demineralization, occur frequently in orthodontic treatment. We recently developed a novel rechargeable dental composite containing nanoparticles of amorphous calcium phosphate （NACP） with long-term calcium （Ca） and phosphate （P） ion release and caries-inhibiting capability. The objectives of this study were to develop the first NACP- rechargeable orthodontic cement and investigate the effects of recharge duration and frequency on the efficacy of ion re-release. The rechargeable cement consisted of pyromellitic glycerol dimethacrylate （PMGDM） and ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate （EBPADMA）. NACP was mixed into the resin at 40% by mass. Specimens were tested for orthodontic bracket shear bond strength （SBS） to enamel, Ca and P ion initial release, recharge and re-release. The new orthodontic cement exhibited an SBS similar to commercial orthodontic cement without CaP release （P〉 0.1）. Specimens after one recharge treatment （e.g., 1 min immersion in recharge solution repeating three times in one day, referred to as ＂1 min 3 times＂） exhibited a substantial and continuous re-release of Ca and P ions for 14 days without further recharge. The ion re-release did not decrease with increasing the number of recharge/re-release cycles （P〉 0.1）. The ion re-release concentrations at 14 days versus various recharge treatments were as follows： 1 min 3 times〉3 min 2 times〉 1 min 2 times〉6 min 1 time〉3 min 1 time〉 1 min 1 time. In conclusion, although previous studies have shown that NACP nanocomposite remineralized tooth lesions and inhibited caries, the present study developed the first orthodontic cement with Ca and P ion recharge and long-term release capability. This NACP-rechargeable orthodontic cement is a promising therapy to inhibit enamel demineralization and WSLs around orthodontic brackets.

Boosting the catalytic performance of Cu-SAPO-34in NO_(x) removal via hydrothermal treatment

Phosphate ions promoted Cu-SAPO-34(P-Cu-SAPO-34)were prepared using bulk CuO particles as Cu^(2+)precursor by a solid-state ion exchange technique for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x) with NH_3(NH_3-SCR).The effects of high temperature(H-T)hydrothermal aging on the NO_(x) removal(de-NO_(x))performance of Cu-SAPO-34 with and without phosphate ions were systematically investigated at atomic level.The results displayed that both Cu-SAPO-34 and P-Cu-SAPO-34 presented relatively poor NO_(x) removal activity with a low conversion(<30%)at 250-500℃.However,after H-T hydrothermal treatment(800℃ for 10 hr at 10%H_2O),these two samples showed significantly satisfied NO_(x) elimination performance with a quite high conversion(70%-90%)at 250-500℃.Additionally,phosphate ions decoration can further enhance the catalytic performance of Cu-SAPO-34 after hydrothermal treatment(Cu-SAPO-34H).The textural properties,morphologies,structural feature,acidity,redox characteristic,and surface-active species of the fresh and hydrothermally aged samples were analyzed using various characterization methods.The systematical characterization results revealed that increases of 28%of the isolated Cu^(2+)active species(Cu^(2+)-2Z,Cu(OH)^(+)-Z)mainly from bulk CuO and 50%of the Bronsted acid sites,the high dispersion of isolated Cu^(2+)active component as well as the Bronsted acid sites were mainly responsible for the accepted catalytic activity of these two hydrothermally aged samples,especially for P-Cu-SAPO-34H.

Material conversion from paper sludge ash in NaOH solution to synthesize adsorbent for removal of Pb^(2+),NH_4^+and PO_4^(3-) from aqueous solution

Material conversion from paper sludge ash （PSA） in NaOH solution was attempted to synthesize the adsorbent for removal of inorganic pollutants, such as Pb^2＋, NH^4＋ and PO4^3- from aqueous solution. PSA of 0.5 g was added into 10 mL of 3 mol/L NaOH solution, and then heated at 80, 120, and 160℃ for 6-48 hr to obtain the product. PSA mainly composed of two crystalline phases, gehlenite （Ca2Al2SiO7） and anorthite （CaAl2Si2O8）, and amorphous phase. Hydroxysodalite （Na6Al6Si6O24-8H2O） was formed at 80℃, and anorthite dissolved, whereas gehlenite remained unaffected. Katoite （Ca3Al2SiO4（OH）8） was formed over 120℃, and hydroxycancrinite （Nas（OH）2Al6Si6O24·2H2O） was formed at 160℃, due to the dissolution of both gehlenite and anorthite. Specific surface areas of the products were almost same and were higher than that of raw ash. Cation exchange capacities （CECs） of the products were also higher than that of raw ash, and CEC obtained at lower temperature was higher. Removal abilities of products for Pb^2＋, NH4＋, and PO4^3- were higher than that of raw ash. With increasing reaction temperature, the removal efficiencies of Pb^2＋ and NH4＋ decreased due to the decrease of CEC of the product, while removal efficiency for PO4^3- was almost same. The concentrations of Si and AI in the solution and the crystalline phases in the solid during the reaction explain the formation of the product phases at each temperature.

Highly [010]-oriented self-assembled LiCoPO4/C nanoflakes as high-performance cathode for lithium ion batteries

In this artide, highly [010]-oriented self-assembled LiCoPO4/C nanoflakes were prepared through simple and facile solution-phase strategies at low temperature and ambient pressure. The formation of 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural and levoglucosan via the dehydration of glucose during the reaction played a key role in mediating the morphology and structure of the resulting products. LiCoPO4 highly oriented along the （010）-facets exposed Li^＋ ion transport channels, facilitating ultrafast lithium ion transportation. In turn, the unique assembled mesoporous structure and the flake-like morphology of the prepared products benefit lithium ion batteries constructed using two-dimensional （2D） LiCoPO4/C nanoflakes self- assembles as cathodes and commercial Li4Ti5O12 as anodes. The tested batteries provide high capacities of 154.6 mA·h·g^-1 at 0.1 C （based on the LiCoPO4 weight of 1 C = 167 mA·h·g^-1） and stable cycling with 93.1% capacity retention after 100 cycles, which is outstanding compared to other recently developed LiCoPO4 cathodes.

Anion/Cation (H_2PO_4^- and Fe^(3+)) induced dual luminescence quenching effect based on terbium solid sensor

An investigation on the photophysical properties of the newly designed terbium imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid complex encapsulated in the inert matrices (tetraethoxysilane, TEOS) was performed. The composite material was very stable and showed strong green emission in pure water. Interestingly, we discovered that the luminescence of hybrid material was selectively responsive to H2PO4-. 1H-NMR and fluorescence spectra supported that the receptor had strong affinity to dihydrogen phosphate. Meanwhile, the luminescence was quenched by Fe3+ when adding different metal ions such as Fe3+, Pd2+, Cd2+, Co2+ and Mn2+ concomitantly. Moreover, thin film was successfully pre-pared by the same materials and it also exhibited selective recognition behavior to the above two ions.