Reduced Reaction Time Research Articles

Eco-friendly Syntheses of Bioactive Iodoflavone from Chalcone under Microwave Condition for the Screening of Their Antibacterial Activity

Flavonoids possess potent biological activity due to the presence of heterocyclic ring moiety and have been established as one of the biologically important scaffolds. Iodinated-flavones were synthesized from corresponding chalcones. Both conventional and microwave techniques were used to synthesize these compounds to make a comparative study. A significant reduction in reaction time and increase in % yield has been observed in the microwave technique. Spectroscopic techniques such as UV, IR, and NMR have been used to confirm the structures of all compounds. Agar disk diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the newly synthesized compounds against some bacterial strains such as Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus spp, Shigella spp. etc. Iodoflavone was found to be higher potency against most the bacteria, while others were moderately active. J. of Sci. and Tech. Res. 3(1): 69-76, 2021

Inter-comparison of oxidative potential metrics for airborne particles identifies differences between acellular chemical assays

Oxidative potential (OP) has been identified as an important factor underlying the health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM). OP denotes the ability of PM to deplete antioxidants and to form reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the lung. OP can be quantified using a variety of chemical assays and analytical techniques. Despite the widespread use of various OP metrics, there is no consensus or comprehensive inter-laboratory assessment on how these assays compare. In this work for the first time, we compared 11 OP indicators from acellular assays using standard reference material of urban PM. The OP indicators included ascorbic acid, glutathione, glutathione disulfide, cysteine, cystine, dithiothreitol, H2O2, •OH, O2•-, and empirical and theoretical redox potential of simulated lung lining fluid (SLF). The indicators showed first-order kinetics at low PM concentration (25 μg mL−1), whereas the kinetics were non-linear at higher PM concentrations. The indicators demonstrated mainly linear dose-response relationships at PM concentrations 25–100 μg mL−1, following similar trends with water-soluble transition metals, but they were not always proportional to PM concentrations, and demonstrated substantial differences in their sensitivities to PM. The results indicate the importance of using reduced reaction time for reliable OP quantification due to non-linearity in assay responses at high PM concentrations. This work shows that the choice of molecular probes and measurement techniques must be carefully considered when planning studies on OP of ambient air and should importantly include the association of OP metrics with health outcomes.

Bioinspired Pd-Cu Alloy Nanoparticles as Accept Agent for Dye Degradation Performances.

Dye degradation is a key reaction in organic decomposition production through electron donor transferring. Palladium (Pd) is the best-known element for synthesis Pd-based catalyst, the surface status determines the scope of relative applications. Here we first prepare Pd-Cu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) by co-reduction of Cu(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) and Pd(C5HF6O2)2 in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and glutathione (GSH). The obtained Pd-Cu is about ~10 nm with super-hydrophilicity in aqueous mediums. The structural analysis clearly demonstrated the uniform distribution of Pd and Cu element. The colloidal solution keeps stability even during 30 days. Bimetallic Pd-Cu NPs shows biocompatibility in form of cell lines (IMEF, HACAT, and 239 T) exposed to colloidal solution (50 µg mL-1) for 2 days. It shows the catalytic multi-performance for dye degradation such as methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), and methylene blue (MB), respectively. The as-synthesized nanoparticles showed one of the best multiple catalytic activities in the industrially important (electro)-catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to corresponding amines with noticeable reduced reaction time and increased rate constant without the use of any large area support. In addition, it exhibits peroxidase-like activity in the 3, 3', 5, 5'-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) color test and exhibit obvious difference with previous individual metal materials. By treated with high intensity focused ultrasound filed (HIFU), Pd-Cu NPs might be recrystallized and decreased the diameters than before. The enhancement in catalytic performance is observed obviously. This work expedites rational design and synthesis of the high-hierarchy alloy catalyst for biological and environment-friendly agents.

Experimental evaluation of simultaneous variations in biodiesel yield and color using choline hydroxide catalyst in an ultrasonic reactor

Different color pigments in the vegetable oils can remain as impurities in the final biodiesel product and can cause negative impacts on its oxidation stability. Therefore, simultaneous optimization of the biodiesel color parameters and its production reaction yield can effectively diminish the costs of subsequent purification process. The current research study focuses on investigating color variations of waste cooking oil based methyl ester catalyzed by choline hydroxide (ChOH) in a lab-scale ultrasonic reactor. To intensify the reaction and enhance the biodiesel yield and color quality, the reaction time (A), catalyst amount (B), and ultrasonic amplitude (C) were optimized utilizing the response surface methodological (RSM) approach based on the Box-Behnken (BBD) experimental design. Under ChOH catalyzed conditions, the optimum values of A, B, and C were determined to be 4 min, 3 wt%, and 90%, respectively. The model predicted the biodiesel yield to be 95.89% and its color parameter values including lightness, redness and yellowness to be 56.49, 1.72, and 65.09, respectively. Data analysis showed that increasing the catalyst amount to 3 wt% increased the yield as well as lightness, redness and yellowness of the biodiesel color but decreased its redness. Moreover, by increasing the catalyst amount and ultrasonic amplitude, various pigments (including red) were significantly reduced. Also, a direct correlation observed between the yield and yellowness of the biodiesel. The application of an ultrasonic reactor in this research resulted in reduced reaction time, consumption of catalyst, and methanol compared to previous studies that used various other reactors and ChOH as catalyst.

Combination of oscillatory and hydrodynamic system for biodiesel production from sunflower oil

In recent years, biodiesel as renewable energy has attracted much attention. The major aims of the biodiesel production method are high conversion and reduced reaction time. This study aimed to optimize biodiesel production from sunflower oil using the transesterification method in oscillatory-hydrodynamic combined systems. The dimensions of the smooth periodic constriction reactor (SPC), tube diameter (D), the diameter of constricted area (d0), and baffle spacing (l) were obtained at 5, 2, and 13 mm, respectively. The process optimization was carried out by response surface methodology. The results indicated that by increasing residence time from 30 s to 90 s, the yield was increased about 6%. By increasing the catalyst concentration from 0.75% to 1%, the yield increased approximately 6%; increasing the molar ratio from 6:1 to 9:1 increases the yield. The yield was also increased with the reaction temperature rise from 30 °C to 40 °C. Then, by increasing the temperature from 40 °C to 50 °C, the methyl ester content was increased from 81.59% to 85.75%. The optimum point was tested and compared with the ASTM D6751 standard. The results showed that transesterification of sunflower oil with this combined system could function as a good alternative to diesel.

Brighter Time: A Smartphone App Recording Cognitive Task Performance and Illuminance in Everyday Life.

Light is an influential regulator of behavioural and physiological state in mammals. Features of cognitive performance such as memory, vigilance and alertness can be altered by bright light exposure under laboratory and field conditions. However, the importance of light as a regulator of performance in everyday life is hard to assess and has so far remained largely unclear. We set out to address this uncertainty by developing a tool to capture measures of cognitive performance and light exposure, at scale, and during everyday life. To this end, we generated an app (Brighter Time) which incorporated a psychomotor vigilance (PVT), an N-back and a visual search task with questionnaire-based assessments of demographic characteristics, general health, chronotype and sleep. The app also measured illuminance during task completion using the smartphone’s intrinsic light meter. We undertook a pilot feasibility study of Brighter Time based on 91-week-long acquisition phases within a convenience sample (recruited by local advertisements and word of mouth) running Brighter Time on their own smartphones over two study phases in winter and summer. Study compliance was suitable (median = 20/21 requested task completions per subject). Statistically significant associations were observed between subjective sleepiness and performance in all tasks. Significant daily variations in PVT and visual search performance were also observed. Higher illuminance was associated with reduced reaction time and lower inverse efficiency score in the visual search. Brighter Time thus represents a viable option for large-scale collection of cognitive task data in everyday life, and is able to reveal associations between task performance and sleepiness, time of day and current illuminance. Brighter Time’s utility could be extended to exploring associations with longer-term patterns of light exposure and/or other light metrics by integrating with wearable light meters.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Following a Paired Associative Stimulation Protocol Based on a Video Game Neuromodulates Cortical Excitability and Motor Behavior.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can be used to modulate cortico-spinal excitability following a paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocol. Movement-related cortical stimulation (MRCS) is a PAS protocol based on the synchronization of a single-pulse TMS with a movement task. However, plasticity and motor performance potentiation due to MRCS has been related exclusively to single-movement tasks. In order to unveil the effects of an MRCS protocol in complex movements, we applied PAS synchronized with a movement-related dynamic task (MRDT) with a customized video game. In 22 healthy subjects, we measured the reaction time (RT), trajectory error (TE), and the number of collected and avoided items when playing the custom video game to evaluate the task motor performance. Moreover, we assessed the recruitment curve of Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) with five different intensities to evaluate the motor corticospinal excitability. MEPs were recorded in Abductor Pollicis Brevis (APB) and Abductor Digiti Minimi (ADM), before, right after, and 30 min after the PAS intervention, in an active versus sham experimental design. The MRCS PAS intervention resulted in RT reduction, and motor corticospinal excitability was modulated, reflected as significant MEP amplitude change at 110% RMT intensity in ADM and at 130% RMT intensity in APB. RTs and ADM MEP amplitudes correlated positively in specific time and intensity assessments. We conclude that the proposed PAS protocol facilitated RT performance in a complex task. This phenomenon might be useful to develop neurorehabilitation strategies with complex movements, similar to activities of daily living.

A chiral route to the synthesis of (2S,3aR,7aS)-tert-butyl hexahydro-2,5-methanopyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine-1(4H)-carboxylate, an intermediate for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors agonists

A synthesis of (2S,3aR,7aS)-tert-butyl hexahydro-2,5-methanopyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine-1(4H)-carboxylate (1A), a key intermediate for tricyclic compounds found as potent α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ligands, following a novel chiral route is described here. The new chiral route circumvented two major challenges in the earlier route by avoiding high catalyst loading of pyrophoric Pd/C and reduced reaction time for the hydrogenation. The current methodology starts with a chirally defined intermediate which gives a strategic advantage over the previous scheme by being more convergent. Some of these improvements are discussed in detail in the current work.

Visible-light-induced decarboxylative alkynylation of carboxylic acids in batch and continuous flow

A green efficient photoredox-catalyzed decarboxylative alkynylation of carboxylic acids with alkynyl bromides has been developed. This broadly applicable protocol is presented wherein α-amino, aliphatic and α-oxy acids are converted into useful alkynylation products. The commercially-available organic photocatalyst 4CzIPN is used as the photocatalyst, organic base DBU is utilized as the base, and DMSO serves as solvent. This strategy features mild conditions, is metal-free, and is environmentally friendly. The batch and continuous-flow protocols described were applied to obtain a broader substrate scope of functionalization (more than 50 examples). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the use of microflow technology enhanced and intensified the reaction process, achieving significantly reduced reaction times (i.e., 10 ​min of residence time).

Neurodynamic correlates for the cross-frequency coupled transcranial alternating current stimulation during working memory performance.

Transcranial current stimulation is a neuromodulation technique used to modulate brain oscillations and, in turn, to enhance human cognitive function in a non-invasive manner. This study investigated whether cross-frequency coupled transcranial alternating current stimulation (CFC-tACS) improved working memory performance. Participants in both the tACS-treated and sham groups were instructed to perform a modified Sternberg task, where a combination of letters and digits was presented. Theta-phase/high-gamma-amplitude CFC-tACS was administered over electrode F3 and its four surrounding return electrodes (Fp1, Fz, F7, and C3) for 20 min. To identify neurophysiological correlates for the tACS-mediated enhancement of working memory performance, we analyzed EEG alpha and theta power, cross-frequency coupling, functional connectivity, and nodal efficiency during the retention period of the working memory task. We observed significantly reduced reaction times in the tACS-treated group, with suppressed treatment-mediated differences in frontal alpha power and unidirectional Fz-delta-phase to Oz-high-gamma-amplitude modulation during the second half of the retention period when network analyses revealed tACS-mediated fronto-occipital dissociative neurodynamics between alpha suppression and delta/theta enhancement. These findings indicate that tACS modulated top-down control and functional connectivity across the fronto-occipital regions, resulting in improved working memory performance. Our observations are indicative of the feasibility of enhancing cognitive performance by the CFC-formed tACS.

Comparing the Efficacy of Two School-Based Approaches of Neurocognitive Training for Enhancing Executive Functions.

Neurocognitive training has been shown to improve a range of cognitive/executive functions and behavior in children. Delivering this training in a school context may enhance its ecological validity and improve training outcomes. The current study examined the efficacy of two school-based neurocognitive training approaches for enhancing executive functions (EF) in typically developing children: neurocognitive training with no teacher positive feedback (NCT), and neurocognitive training with teacher positive feedback (NCT-TPF). Using a randomized control design, 45 children were randomly allocated to the no-training control, NCT, or NCT-TPF group and completed pre- and post-training assessments on the core executive function (EF) domains of inhibitory control, working memory, and task switching. Teachers’ subjective acceptance of the two training protocols was investigated to explore potential ecological validity. The two training groups completed six sessions of training in a kindergarten over a 3-week period. The results showed significant post-training improvements in an untrained inhibitory control task for both training groups when compared with the control group. Different effects were found for each group for the untrained task switching task. While reduced reaction time (RT) in correct Color and Shape trials at Time 2 were reported for the NCT-TPF group, there was no difference compared to the control group for the NCT group. The NCT group showed increased RT in Switch trials but reduced Shape errors compared to controls at Time 2, while these effects were not significant for the NCT-TPF group. An unexpected outcome was that children in both training conditions did not show a significant improvement in an untrained working memory task. Teachers’ subjective acceptance consistently supported including positive feedback as part of NCT. While further research is needed, these results support use of neurocognitive training and/or neurocognitive training with teacher positive feedback for typically developing children in a school context.

Spontaneous attribution of underspecified belief of social partners facilitates processing shared information

The main question of Theory of Mind research is not only how we represent others’ mental states, but also how these representations influence our first-person interaction with our surrounding environment. A novel theory of belief files proposes that we should think about belief tracking as an online, spontaneous, and effortless mechanism giving rise to structured representations, thus easing the use of beliefs in behavior selection. Beliefs are formed by two different sub mechanisms: (1) opening an empty placeholder belief file, for a particular intentional agent, and (2) filling it up with mental content attributed to the agent. This theory opens the possibility of exploiting theory of mind abilities even in situations when we can attribute only underspecified mental contents to others. The goal of the present study was to provide a proof of concept test: whether spontaneous belief tracking starts effortlessly even when we do not know a partner’s actual belief content. We created an object detection paradigm, where the visual access of a virtual agent to the object to be detected by the participant was manipulated. The agent getting access to the information for processing always preceded the participant getting access to it, resulting in the need of attributing belief without specified content in it. Our results have shown that participants detected the object with a reduced reaction time when the observed agent had visual access to the object’s expected place compared to when the participant watched the same scenario, but the object’s location remained occluded for the observed agent and thus was revealed only for the participant. This suggests that the information processing of humans speeds up when another agent has access to a piece of information as well. Thus, we do track agents’ potential beliefs without knowing its actual content. This study contributes to our understanding of the effect of spontaneous computation of others’ mental states on first-person information processing.

Inhibition of PCDD/Fs in a full-scale hazardous waste incinerator by the quench tower coupled with inhibitors injection

The control of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) from the flue gas in hazardous waste incinerators (HWIs) is an intractable problem. To figure out the formation mechanism of PCDD/Fs and reduce the emission, a field study was carried out in a full-scale HWI. Ca(OH)2 & (NH4)H2PO4 or CH4N2S & (NH4)H2PO4 were injected into the quench tower, and the detailed inhibition effect on PCDD/Fs formation by the inhibitors coupled with quench tower was studied. Gas and ash samples were collected to analyze PCDD/Fs. XPS, EDS characterization and Principal component analysis were adopted to further analyze the de novo and precursors synthesis. The PCDD/Fs emissions reduced from 0.135 ng I-TEQ/Nm3 to 0.062 or 0.025 ng I-TEQ/Nm3 after the injection of Ca(OH)2 & (NH4)H2PO4 or CH4N2S & (NH4)H2PO4, respectively. The quench tower was found mainly hindering de novo synthesis by reducing reaction time. CP-route was the dominant formation pathway of PCDD/Fs in quench tower ash. Ca(OH)2 & (NH4)H2PO4 effectively inhibit precursors synthesis and reduce proportions of organic chlorine from 4.11% to 2.86%. CH4N2S & (NH4)H2PO4 show good control effects on both de novo and precursors synthesis by reducing chlorine content and inhibiting metal-catalysts. Sulfur-containing inhibitors can cooperate well with the quench tower to inhibit PCDD/Fs formation and will be effective to reduce dioxins formation in high chlorine flue gas. The results pave the way for further industrial application of inhibition to reduce PCDD/Fs emissions in the HWIs flue gas.

Emotional working memory training improves cognitive inhibitory abilities in individuals with borderline personality trait: A randomized parallel-group trial

BackgroundCognitive inhibition impairment is one of the causes of impulsive behaviors in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of emotional working memory training (EWMT) on cognitive inhibition in individuals with a clinically significant borderline personality trait. MethodsIn a randomized, parallel-group trial, 40 individuals with borderline personality trait, were selected out of 1000 screened individuals and were randomly assigned to the experimental (N = 20) and waiting-list control (N = 20) groups based on the score on the Borderline Personality Scale and the follow-up Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of EWMT and the control group did not receive any intervention (waiting list). Participants completed the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) and Go/No-Go task Before and after the intervention. ResultsEWMT significantly reduced reaction time of incongruent trials in the SCWT and commission errors in the Go/No-Go task after the intervention only in the experimental group. Furthermore, the interference score in SCWT and commission error rate at the post-intervention time were significantly lower for the experimental vs the waitlist group. LimitationsThe single-blind design and absence of follow-up measures. ConclusionsEWMT can improve cognitive inhibition in individuals with borderline personality trait and could be used for therapeutic purposes of impulsivity behavior in BPD.

Slow yoga breathing improves mental load in working memory performance and cardiac activity among yoga practitioners.

This study investigated the immediate effect of slow yoga breathing (SYB) at 6 breaths per minute (bpm) simultaneously on working memory performance and heart rate variability (HRV) in yoga practitioners. A total of 40 healthy male volunteers performed a working memory task, ‘n-back’, consisting of three levels of difficulty, 0-back, 1-back, and 2-back, separately, before and after three SYB sessions on different days. The SYB sessions included alternate nostril breathing (ANB), right nostril breathing (RNB), and breath awareness (BAW). Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant reduction in reaction time (ms) in 2-back condition immediately after ANB (−8%), RNB (−8%) and BAW (−5%) practices. Similarly, the accuracy was improved in the 0-back condition after RNB (4%), and in the 2-back condition after ANB (6%) and RNB (6%) practices. These results suggest that SYB practice enhances cognitive abilities (8–9%) related to memory load and improves the functioning of cardiac autonomic activity, which is required for the successful completion of mental tasks.Trial registered in the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI/2018/01/011132).

Thermal and Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of New Highly Functionalized Bis-β-lactams from Available Compounds via Bisketene as an Intermediate.

The synthesis of highly functionalized bis-β-lactams containing aromatic rings was achieved by thermal and microwave-assisted methods starting from easily available 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid and 2,2′-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol precursors. The approach to these valuable heterocyclic scaffolds involved formal [2π + 2π] cycloadditions between Schiff bases and novel bisketenes, which were generated in situ, followed by an electrocyclic reaction of zwitterionic intermediates. Reactions carried out under microwave irradiation were clean and gave high yields with significantly reduced reaction times. Interestingly, in the thermal method, the reaction proceeded in a stereospecific manner, and only the trans–cis or cis–cis isomers were formed. However, under the microwave conditions, the reaction proceeded stereoselectively, and other possible isomers such trans–trans and cis–trans isomers were formed in addition to the product formed under thermal conditions. More interestingly, when the two compounds that did not produce any products under thermal conditions were reacted under microwave conditions, one formed the trans–cis isomer and the other formed the cis–trans and trans–trans isomers as two products .

Life Cycle Assessment of the Catalytic Pyrolysis of High‐Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and High‐Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

AbstractPollution by plastics constitutes an urgent problem that demands immediate actions, including development of efficient polymer recycling technologies. In this scenario, the catalytic degradation of plastic wastes constitutes a promising technology, as suitable catalysts can be used to perform cracking reactions and controlled plastic degradation, yielding high quality end products. Catalyst investments are expected to be recovered by benefits related to reduction of reaction temperature and time and by manufacture of higher valued products. However, proper environmental assessment of catalyst usage has yet to be performed in most plastics chemical recycling processes. For these reasons, in the present study, life cycle assessment (LCA) based on system expansion methodologies is carried out to determine the environmental impacts of catalytic pyrolysis transformations of high‐impact polystyrene (HIPS) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) using zeolite H‐USY (ultrastable Y) and SO4/SnO2 catalysts, respectively, based on actual collected experimental data to represent conversions and yields. Surprisingly, the obtained results indicate that the use of catalysts for plastic waste degradation reactions can be environmentally disadvantageous sometimes, depending on the blend of obtained products. Therefore, the environmental impact of catalysts on plastics chemical recycling should be carefully assessed to avoid problems derived from positive bias, which assumes that the catalytic process is necessarily better than the noncatalytic counterpart. However, the positive impacts of styrene and olefins recovery can indeed contribute with positive environmental performances of both catalytic and non‐catalytic processes, particularly regarding global warming, acidification, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and ozone layer depletion.

Mandibular Advancement Device Therapy in Japanese Rugby Athletes with Poor Sleep Quality and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may contribute to poor sleep quality. This study assessed subjective sleep quality, the Respiratory Event Index (REI), reaction times, and the therapeutic effects of a custom-made mandibular advancement device (MAD) in male Japanese elite rugby athletes. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and level III sleep test (REI and minimum oxygen saturation [SpO2 min]) were used to evaluate sleep quality. MAD therapy was used daily for 3 weeks. A telephone-based reaction time test of kinetic vision (the ability to identify moving objects) was recorded within 15 min of waking and over 5 days of pre- and post-MAD therapy. Differences in variables were evaluated using paired t-tests. Of the 42 players (mean age, 26.3 ± 3.7 years; mean body mass index, 28.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2) included in this study, 29 (69.0%) had poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5.5), and 27 were diagnosed with OSA (64.3%) (mild = 16/moderate = 9/severe = 2). Six were treated with MAD therapy, which significantly improved the REI (p < 0.01), SpO2 min (p < 0.001), ESS score (p < 0.001), reaction times (p < 0.01), and sleep quality. A significant reduction in reaction times suggests that OSA treatment can improve kinetic vision. Future studies should systematically evaluate the impact of sleep-disordered breathing on kinetic vision in athletes.

Synthesis and characterisation of ionic liquid crystals based on substituted pyridinium cations

ABSTRACT Novel ionic liquid crystals based on pyridinium and methylpyridinium cations with a dodecyl chain and bromide as anion have been prepared and characterised. [C12Pyr][Br] and [C12-n-Pic][Br] (n = 2, 3 or 4) were studied in order to understand the influence of the methyl group position in the mesomorphic behaviour. Neat microwave-assisted reactions were carried out to synthesised [C12Pyr][Br], [C12-3-Pic][Br] and [C12-4-Pic][Br] as a sustainable approach, leading to significantly reduced reaction times (35 min vs. 48 h in conventional method). All prepared compounds were characterised by spectroscopic techniques (1H and 13C-NMR; ATR-FTIR), Elemental Analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Polarised Optical Microscopy (POM) and X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD). It was observed that the presence of water highly influences the phase transformations. Nevertheless, thermotropic smectic phases were detected for all materials with a layer spacing between 20 and 35 Å, compatible with a bilayer interdigitated or tilted lamellar arrangement of the cation’s alkyl chain. This work also indicates new routes for preparing ionic liquid crystals with various functionalities ruled by the synthesis design.

One-Pot Regeneration and Remanufacturing of Spent LiNi1–x–yMnxCoyO2 Materials with Organic Acid

The abundant end-of-use lithium-ion batteries necessitate the recovery of precious transition metals. In this article, we use a green, one-pot process to recover and remanufacture the spent LiNi1–x–yMnxCoyO2 (NMC) cathode materials. The LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC532) was directly recycled through a combined leaching and precipitation process using oxalic acid in recyclable ethanol as leaching solvent. The overall element recycling efficiency was up to 97.3%, and the energy consumption can be reduced by ∼11.4% with reduced reaction time compared to that in the hydrometallurgical method using strong acid. In addition to the transition metals, the lithium was also recovered to regenerate NMC532, which displayed excellent electrochemical performance with an initial specific discharge capacity of 165.3 mA h/g and a Coulombic efficiency of 83.6%. As high as 87.1% capacity was retained after 300 cycles at 1/3 C. In parallel, the spent NMC532 was also successfully remanufactured into NMC811 by adjusting the element stoichiometric ratio, which showed a high initial capacity of 184.1 mA h/g along with a high capacity retention. The usage of environment friendly organic acid and recyclable solvent provides a low-cost technology to recover and remanufacture NMC materials in lithium-ion batteries.