Surface Of Silica Nanoparticles Research Articles

NanoFN10: A High-Contrast Turn-On Fluorescence Nanoprobe for Multiphoton Singlet Oxygen Imaging.

An "off-on" fluorescent nanoprobe for near-infrared multiphoton imaging of singlet oxygen has been developed. The nanoprobe comprises a naphthoxazole fluorescent unit and a singlet-oxygen-sensitive furan derivative attached to the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. In solution, the fluorescence of the nanoprobe increases upon reaction with singlet oxygen both under one- and multiphoton excitation, with fluorescence enhancements up to 180-fold. The nanoprobe can be readily internalized by macrophage cells and is capable of imaging intracellular singlet oxygen under multiphoton excitation.

A Simple Aptamer-Based Nanoconjugate Assay for Diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) as a bone marrow stem cell clonal disease appears from the proliferation of granulocyte cells at all stages of maturation. If the disease diagnosis is not early, patients enter the blastic phase, which decreases their survival rate to 3-6months. It implies the significance of the early diagnosis of CML. In this study, we introduce a simple array for diagnosis of the K562 cells as the human immortalized myeloidleukemiacell line. The developed aptamer-based biosensor (aptasensor) includes the T2-KK1B10 aptamer strands attached to the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) with the cavities accumulated from rhodamine B and coated by both Ca2+ ions and ATP aptamer. The aptamer-based nanoconjugate can enter the K562 cells through the complexation of the T2-KK1B10 aptamer with the cells. The ATP in the cells and low level of intracellular Ca2+ ion release both the aptamer and ion from the surface of the MSNPs. The liberated rhodamine B results in an increased fluorescence intensity. Fluorescence microscope imaging and flow cytometry histogram display a strong fluorescence emission for the K562 cells (CML cells) exposed to the nanoconjugate in comparison with that for MCF-7 cells. The aptasensor possesses good performance in the blood samples with the advantages of high sensitivity, rapidness, and cost-effectiveness, making it an appropriate tool for the diagnosis of CML disease.

A silica/epoxy resin nanocomposite exhibiting high thermal stability and low thermal expansion based on the uniform dispersion of hydrophilic colloidal silica nanospheres

The present study fabricated high-performance silica/epoxy resin nanocomposites having a low coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CTE) and a high glass transition temperature ( Tg). This was accomplished by dispersing colloidal silica nanospheres having hydrophilic surfaces in epoxy resins, which limited the motion of the polymer chains. Nanocomposites were produced wherein isolated primary particles of colloidal silica without silane surface modification were dispersed uniformly. These particles were generated via the breakdown of loosely bound agglomerates of spherical silica particles during the agitation of a dispersion in an epoxy resin solution. Hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups on the hydrophilic surfaces of the dispersed silica nanoparticles and the cross-linked epoxy polymer network evidently limited thermally-induced motion of the polymer chains, resulting in a considerable reduction in the CTE and an increase in the Tg for the nanocomposite.

Preparation and Characterization of the Myricetin-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Surface Decorated with Polydopamine and Evaluation of Its Anti-cancer and Anti-oxidant Activities In Vitro

Preparation and Characterization of the Myricetin-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Surface Decorated with Polydopamine and Evaluation of Its Anti-cancer and Anti-oxidant Activities In Vitro

Development of red-luminescent hybrids as contrast agents for cell imaging: A correlation among surface, luminescence, and biological properties

TTA (2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone), DBM (dibenzoylmethane), and EPHEN (5,6-Epoxy-5,6-dihydro- [1,10] phenanthroline) have generated europium complexes with excellent red emission properties. However, for bio applications, these complexes have been grafted on the surface of silica nanoparticles (SNP), by different approaches, due to their low water solubility. Here, we report how three approaches influence the surface, luminescent, and biological properties of 50 and 170 nm-SNP functionalized with carboxylic acid or phenanthroline ligands, useful to anchor TTA and DBM-Eu-complexes. TTA-hybrids exhibited better photophysical properties over the DBM ones, although intermolecular interactions between TTA and silica surface groups are likely to influence their properties. Aiming at such biological application, approach 3 resulted in the luminescent PHEN-hybrids with the highest values of intrinsic (φEuEu) and absolute quantum yields (φEuL), color purity of 100%, and high sensibilization efficiency (η). However, depending on the approach used, different surface charges were observed for the hybrids that directly impacted their cytotoxicity in Huh 7.5 cells. The larger the size of the nanoparticle or the more positive its surface charge is, the lower the toxicity of the hybrid. Even considering the presence of the protein corona effect, estimated in DMEM medium, the initial surface charge, observed in the buffer solution, plays an important role in the nanoparticle-cell interaction. Confocal microscopy images revealed that the hybrids were internalized by cells regardless of their size and surface charge, and their luminescence was also detectable, making them promising candidates for cell imaging applications as luminescent contrast agents.

Synergetic Lithium and Hydrogen Bonds Endow Liquid-Free Photonic Ionic Elastomer with Mechanical Robustness and Electrical/Optical Dual-Output.

Photonic ionic elastomers (PIEs) capable of multiple signal outputs are intriguing in flexible interactive electronics. However, fabricating PIEs with simultaneous mechanical robustness, good ionic conductivity, and brilliant structure color still remains challenging. Here, the limitations are broken through introducing the synergistic effect of lithium and hydrogen bonds into an elastomer. In virtue of lithium bonding between lithium ions and carbonyl groups in the polymer matrix as well as hydrogen bonding between silanol on the surface of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and ether groups along polymer chains, the PIEs demonstrate mechanical strength up to 4.3MPa and toughness up to 8.6MJm-3 . Meanwhile, the synchronous electrical and optical output under mechanical strains can be achieved in the PIEs with the presence of dissociated ions contributed by lithium bond and non-close-packed SiNPs stabilized by the hydrogen bond. Moreover, due to their liquid-free nature, the PIEs exhibit extraordinary stability and durability, which can withstand extreme conditions including both high and low temperatures as well as high humidity. This work provides a promising molecular engineering route to construct high-performance photonic ionic conductors toward advanced ionotronic applications.

Molecular imprinting of miR-559 on a peptide-immobilized poly L-DOPA/silica core-shell and in vitro investigating its effects on HER2-positive breast cancer cells.

In a significant percentage of breast cancers, increased expression of the HER2 receptor is seen and is associated with the spread and worsening of the disease. This research aims to investigate the effect of miR-559 (which targets HER2 mRNA) on SKBR3 breast cancer cells and the possibility of their effective delivery with polymeric nanoparticles and tumor-targeting peptides. L-DOPA monomers were polymerized on the surface of silica nanoparticles in the presence of miR-559 (as a molecular template for molecular imprinting) then an anti-HER2 peptide coupled to the surface of these polymeric nanocomposites (miR-NC-NL2), and the effects of this construct against a HER2-positive breast cancer cells (SKBR3 cells) investigated in vitro conditions. The results showed that miR-NC-NL2 is selective for HER2-positive cells and delivers the miR-559 to them in a targeted manner. miR-NC-NL2 decreased the proliferation of SKBR3 cells and reduced the expression and production of HER2 protein in these cells. Effective and targeted delivery of miR-559 to HER2-positive cancer cells by the miR-NC-NL2 promises the therapeutic potential of this nascent structure based on its inhibitory effect on cancer growth and progression. Of course, animal experiments require a better understanding of this structure's anti-tumor effects.

Targeting ROS-induced osteoblast senescence and RANKL production by Prussian blue nanozyme based gene editing platform to reverse osteoporosis

Blocking the reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced osteoblast senescence and massive RANKL release is the key to alleviate the vicious osteoporotic micro-environment in aged skeleton. In this study, we constructed a composite nanoparticle by confining the growth of Prussian blue nanozyme (PBzyme) on the surface of a sub-50 nm hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HPB), which presented strong ROS scavenging ability. The abundant mesoporous structure made it available to combine receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid and skeletal targeting agent alendronate (HPB@RC-ALN) together to modulate the osteoporotic micro-environment. Our results indicate HPB@RC-ALN confined ROS generation and alleviated osteoblast senescence as revealed by dihydroethidium and senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining. The rejuvenated osteoblasts presented robust osteogenic ability as shown by alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining in vitro, as well as the micro-computed tomography (μCT) in vivo. Meanwhile, efficient transfection of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid by HPB@RC-ALN precisely achieved RANKL gene editing target and knocked the RANKL gene out in osteoblasts as confirmed by T7E1 digestion and western blot assays. Hence, the osteoclast formation was significantly suppressed as shutting down the RANKL production by HPB@RC-ALN in the senescent osteoblast. At last, the μCT revealed fully reversed bone volume in ovariectomized mice after HPB@RC-ALN injection into the bone remodeling site. Overall, the constructed nanozyme based gene editing platform achieved bidirectional regulation of osteoblast-osteoclast through rescuing cellular senescence and blocking RANKL production. This strategy provides a new theoretical base for osteoporosis management.

Superhydrophobic coatings from macromolecular fluorinated silica nanoparticles through START polymerization and “grafting onto” strategy

Fluorinated substances are often introduced to enhance the hydrophobicity of surfaces of various materials. In this work, fluorinated macromolecular coupling agents (AB)nA-b-PIPMSAm are prepared via successive step transfer-addition and radical-termination (START) polymerization and photocontrolled iodine-mediated reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) at room temperature, which is then decorated on the surface of silica nanoparticles followed by iodine removal for preparing iodine-free macromolecular fluorinated silica nanoparticles (macro-F-SiNPs-I). Superhydrophobic coatings were produced simply by spin coating of the macro-F-SiNPs-I onto glass or dip coating on cotton substrates. The effect of a variety of parameters on surface superhydrophobicity, such as the solvent for spinning coating, concentration of macro-F-SiNPs-I, size of silica nanoparticles and chemical structures of (AB)nA-b-PIPMSAm, were studied in detail, and the superhydrophobic surfaces with water contact angle (WCA = 172.6°) could be facilely achieved under optimum conditions. In addition, the resultant macro-F-SiNPs-I coatings are quite stable against acidic (pH = 1), basic (pH = 13) or high salty solutions, and their excellent superhydrophobic performance was also confirmed by self-cleaning and oil/water separation experiments, which displayed fascinating promise in practical applications on a large scale.

Improvement of UV aging resistance of PBAT composites with silica-immobilized UV absorber prepared by a facile method

Prolonging the service life of polymer materials by enhancing their aging resistance is an effective and practical way to reduce the polymer waste. In this work, to improve the migration resistance and thermal stability of commercial UV absorber used in polymer composites, a solvent & coupling agent-free method with only one-step reaction was proposed to immobilize a commercial UV absorber 2‑hydroxy-4-(octyloxy)benzophenone (UV-531) onto the surface of silica nano particles (SiO2). UV-531 was chemically bonded on the surface of SiO2 with the loading weight of 12%. The as-prepared immobilized UV-531 (SiO2–531) could be homogeneously dispersed in the matrix of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and showed significantly improved migration resistance and thermal stability compared with free UV-531. For example, the initial decomposition temperature of SiO2–531 is about 200 °C higher than that of free UV-531. Therefore, PBAT/SiO2–531 composites showed even better anti-UV aging performance than PBAT/SiO2 composites with twofold added free UV-531 during accelerated ultraviolet weathering and long-term natural climatic aging tests. For example, PBAT/SiO2–531 composites can maintain higher retentions of tensile strength and elongation at break than PBAT/SiO2 composites with free UV-531 does after accelerated UV aging. Hopefully, the proposed facile method to enhance the anti-UV aging efficiency of commercial UV absorber may potentially uncover an extensive family of building blocks for constructing highly anti-aging plastic composites.

Functional Nanocomposites in the Development of Flexible Armor

The idea of flexible body armor has been around for many years. Initial development included shear thickening fluid (STF) as a backbone polymer to impregnate ballistic fibers such as Kevlar. At the core of the ballistic and spike resistance was the instantaneous rise in viscosity of STF during impact. Increase in viscosity was due to the hydroclustering of silica nanoparticles dispersed in polyethylene glycol (PEG) through a centrifuge and evaporation process. When STF composite was dry, hydroclustering was not possible due to absence of any fluidity in PEG. However, particles embedded within the polymer, covered the Kevlar fiber and offered some resistance to spike and ballistic penetration. The resistance was meagre and hence, the goal was to improve it further. This was achieved by creating chemical bonds between particles, and by strongly attaching particles to the fiber. PEG was replaced with silane (3-amino propyl trimethoxysilane), and a fixative cross-linker, Glutaraldehyde (Gluta), was added. Silane installed an amine functional group on the silica nanoparticle surface, and Gluta created strong bridges between distant pairs of amine groups. Amide functional groups present in Kevlar also interacted with Gluta and silane to form a secondary amine, allowing silica particles to attach to fiber. A network of amine bonding was also established across the particle-polymer-fiber system. In synthesizing the armor, silica nanoparticles were dispersed in a mixture of silane, ethanol, water, and Gluta, maintaining an appropriate ratio by weight, and using a sonication technique. Ethanol was used as a dispersion fluid and was evaporated later. Several layers of Kevlar fabric were then soaked with the admixture for about 24 h and dried in an oven. Armor composites were tested in a drop tower according to NIJ115 Standard using spikes. Kinetic energy at impact was calculated and normalized with the aerial density of the armor. NIJ tests revealed that normalized energy for 0-layer penetration increased from 10 J-cm2/g (STF composite) to 220 J-cm2/g for the new armor composite, indicating a 22-fold enhancement. SEM and FTIR studies confirmed that this high resistance to spike penetration was due to the formation of stronger C-N, C-H, and C=C-H stretches facilitated by the presence of silane and Gluta.

Self-Healing of Biocompatible Superhydrophobic Coatings: The Interplay of the Size and Loading of Particles.

The broad application potential of superhydrophobic coatings is limited by the usage of environment-threatening materials and poor durability. The nature-inspired design and fabrication of self-healing coatings is a promising approach for addressing these issues. In this study, we report a fluorine-free and biocompatible superhydrophobic coating that can be thermally healed after abrasion. The coating is composed of silica nanoparticles and carnauba wax, and the self-healing is based on surface enrichment of wax in analogy to the wax secretion in plant leaves. The coating not only exhibits fast self-healing, just in 1 min under moderate heating, but also displays increased water repellency and thermal stability after healing. The rapid self-healing ability of the coating is attributed to the relatively low melting point of carnauba wax and its migration to the surface of the hydrophilic silica nanoparticles. The dependence of self-healing on the size and loading of particles provides insights into the process. Furthermore, the coating exhibits high levels of biocompatibility where the viability of fibroblast L929 cells was ∼90%. The presented approach and insights provide valuable guidelines in the design and fabrication of self-healing superhydrophobic coatings.

Specific nanoarchitecture of silica nanoparticles codoped with the oppositely charged Mn2+ and Ru2+ complexes for dual paramagnetic-luminescent contrasting effects

The silica nanoparticles (SNs) co-doped with paramagnetic ([Mn(HL)]n-,) and luminescent ([Ru(dipy)3]2+) complexes are represented. The specific distribution of [Mn(HL)]n- within the SNs allows to achieve about ten-fold enhancing in magnetic relaxivities in comparison with those of [Mn(HL)]n- in solutions. The leaching of [Mn(HL)]n- from the shell can be minimized through the co-doping of [Ru(dipy)3]2+ into the core of the SNs. The co-doped SNs exhibit colloid stability in aqueous solutions, including those modeling a blood serum. The surface of the co-doped SNs was also decorated by amino- and carboxy-groups. The cytotoxicity, hemoagglutination and hemolytic activities of the co-doped SNs are on the levels convenient for “in vivo” studies, although the amino-decorated SNs cause more noticeable agglutination and suppression of cell viability. The co-doped SNs being intravenously injected into mice allows to reveal their biodistribution in both ex vivo and in vivo conditions through confocal microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging correspondingly.

Nucleolin recognizing silica nanoparticles inhibit cell proliferation by activating the Bax/Bcl-2/caspase-3 signalling pathway to induce apoptosis in liver cancer.

Multifunctional nanocarrier platforms have shown great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. Here, a novel nucleolin-responsive nanoparticle platform was constructed for the concurrent detection of nucleolin and treatment of liver cancer. The incorporation of AS1411 aptamer, icaritin (ICT) and FITC into mesoporous silica nanoparticles, labelled as Atp-MSN (ICT@FITC) NPs, was the key to offer functionalities. The specific combination of the target nucleolin and AS1411 aptamer caused AS1411 to separate from mesoporous silica nanoparticles surface, allowing FITC and ICT to be released. Subsequently, nucleolin could be detected by monitoring the fluorescence intensity. In addition, Atp-MSN (ICT@FITC) NPs can not only inhibit cell proliferation but also improve the level of ROS while activating the Bax/Bcl-2/caspase-3 signalling pathway to induce apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, our results demonstrated that Atp-MSN (ICT@FITC) NPs had low toxicity and could induce CD3+ T-cell infiltration. As a result, Atp-MSN (ICT@FITC) NPs may provide a reliable and secure platform for the simultaneous identification and treatment of liver cancer.

Investigation of silica nanoparticles grafted with sulphonated polymer for enhanced oil recovery at high temperature and high salt

AbstractNano‐fluids' application for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has attracted noticeable attention and formed a new research area in recent years. Currently, the greatest challenge in this area is to formulate stable nano‐fluids for oil reservoirs with high temperatures and salinity. To overcome the limitations of its application in high‐temperature drilling, polymer‐coated nanoparticles (SiO2‐PAMPS NPs) were prepared via solution polymerization of 2‐acrylamide‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulphonic acid (AMPS) from the surface of aminopropyl‐functionalized silica nanoparticles. The SiO2‐PAMPS NPs were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results indicated that the AMPS was successfully grafted onto the surface of silica nanoparticles, and the average diameter of SiO2‐PAMPS NPs was about 16 nm. The nano‐fluids showed noticeable stability in American Petroleum Institute (API) brine (2 wt.% CaCl2 and 8 wt.% NaCl) at 90°C beyond 46 days. When amphipathic nanoparticles were introduced to brine at 90°C, the potential of the nano‐fluids in recovering oil was evaluated by investigating the interfacial tension with kerosene oil and the oil contact angle in the nano‐fluids. The contact angle of the glass sheet surface before treatment was about 144°, while after SiO2‐PAMPS NPs treatment for 72 h, it became about 92°. Meanwhile, the nano‐fluids showed an excellent enhancing emulsibility property, which plays a vital role in promoting the development of EOR in high‐temperature and high‐salt environments.

Application of a Dual-Probe Coloading Nanodetection System in the Process Monitoring and Efficacy Assessment of Photodynamic Therapy: An In Vitro Study.

The oxygen-consuming property of photodynamic therapy (PDT) affects its effects and aggravates tumor hypoxia, thus upregulating the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to exacerbate tumor metastasis and lead to treatment failure. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the dynamic changes in the factors related to PDT and tumor development trends in real time, thus helping to improve PDT efficiency. This study fabricated a fluorescent probe, TPE-2HPro, and a fluorescein-labeled aptamer probe, FAM-AptamerVEGF, to detect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and VEGF through the photoinduced electron-transfer effect and the specific affinity of the aptamer to VEGF, respectively. The two probes were loaded into the inner pores and absorbed on the surface of polydopamine coating-wrapped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN@PDA) to construct the dual-probe-loaded system, MSNTH@PDAApt, which was kept stable in fetal bovine serum (FBS) solution and achieved pH-responsive release behavior, thus helping to increase the accumulation of the two probes in tumor cells. The dichloroacetic acid-mediated in vitro antitumor tests showed that the changing trends of H2O2 and VEGF levels were consistent with the results of related mechanism studies and could be monitored by MSNTH@PDAApt. The in vitro chlorin e6 (Ce6)-mediated PDT treatment demonstrated that when the illumination condition was 650 nm, 50 mW/cm2 for 10 min, cells were more inclined to metastasis and invasion rather than death due to a substantial increase in VEGF expression at the low Ce6 concentrations. With the increase of the Ce6 concentration, the growth of the H2O2 level gradually exceeded that of VEGF, and the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated cell death dominated when the Ce6 concentration was about 2 times its IC50 values. Besides, hypoxia also affected the H2O2 and VEGF changes. These results demonstrated that MSNTH@PDAApt could precisely monitor and assess the tumor development trends during PDT treatment, thus helping improve the treatment effect.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with dual-targeting agricultural sources for enhanced cancer treatment via tritherapy.

In this study, we introduced dual-targeting folic acid (FA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) modified on the surface of rice husk mesoporous silica nanoparticles (rMSNs). The rMSNs were employed as a drug delivery system loaded with camptothecin (CPT) as a model drug, Eu3+ ions as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), bismuth (Bi) for photothermal therapy (PTT), and Gd3+ ions for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to develop novel nanoparticles, rMSN-EuGd-Bi@CPT-HA-FA, with dual-targeted function and triple therapy for cancer treatment. The results of the cell cytotoxicity experiment showed that the A549 cancer cells had a survival rate of approximately 35% when treated with 200 μg mL-1 of rMSN-EuGd-Bi@CPT-HA-FA under 808 nm irradiation for 15 min. The dual-targeted function and synergistic treatment of CPT, PTT, and PDT were also responsible for the 20% survival rate of the A549 cancer cells treated with 200 μg mL-1 of rMSN-EuGd-Bi@CPT-HA-FA under 808 nm irradiation for 30 min. The results showed that rMSN-EuGd-Bi@CPT-HA-FA can effectively combine chemotherapy (through CPT), PDT, and PTT for cancer treatment.

Smart design of a therapeutic nanoplatform for mitochondria-targeted copper-depletion therapy combined with chemotherapy.

Mitochondria-targeted copper-depletion is emerging as an attractive strategy to combat cancer. However, existing copper molecular chelators are non-specific, toxic and ineffective. Here, it is reported that multifunctional nanoparticles (MSN-TPP/BNA-DPA) can not only target mitochondria to deprive copper ions to trigger copper-depletion therapy, but also serve as nanocarriers to deliver anticancer drugs for chemotherapy, which are engineered by conjugating a fluorophore 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalicanhydride (BNA), a copper-depriving moiety dimethylpyridinamine (DPA) and a mitochondrial targeting ligand triphenylphosphonium (TPP) on the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN). BNA and the internal charge transfer of compound BNA-DPA endow MSN-TPP/BNA-DPA with green fluorescence emission upon UV excitation, which can be used to monitor the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. When copper ions bind to DPA, green fluorescence is quenched, providing visualization feedback of copper-depletion. Therapeutically, mitochondria-targeted copper-depletion effectively causes mitochondria damage, elevated oxidative stress and reduced ATP production to induce intensive cancer cell death. Moreover, the mesoporous structure enables MSN-TPP/BNA-DPA to deliver doxorubicin to mitochondria for chemotherapy and enhances copper-depletion therapy through H2O2 production. Together, the synergistic therapeutic effect of enhanced copper-depletion therapy and doxorubicin-mediated chemotherapy achieves a remarkable cancer cell-killing effect and significant tumor growth inhibition in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. This work provides an efficacious strategy for copper-depletion based synergistic cancer therapy.

Ionic Liquid‐Modified Silicon Nanoparticles Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte for High‐Performance Lithium Batteries

AbstractThe excessive nano‐fillers in gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) would trend to agglomeration, which will have adverse effect on the electrochemical performance. Modifying the surface properties of nano‐fillers will be an effective way for resolving the problem. In this paper, an ionic liquid (IL), (1‐(trimethoxysilylpropyl)‐3‐butylimidazole bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [CPIM]TFSI) is grafted onto the surface of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSN), and IL‐modified DMSN (DMSN‐IL) is prepared. The prepared DMSN and DMSN‐IL are respectively introduced into a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐based gel polymer electrolyte (GPE@IL) to form composite polymer electrolytes (GPE@DMSN and GPE@DMSN‐IL), and their physicochemical characteristics and electrochemical performances are investigated. Due to the surface modification, GPE@DMSN‐IL obtains high ionic conductivity of 1.69×10−3 S cm−1 at 30 °C and large Li+ transference number (0.40). Furthermore, the improved mechanical strength and interface stability enable the Li/GPE@DMSN‐IL/LiFePO4 cell to achieve high rate capacity and outstanding cycle performance at high current density, showing ability for using in high‐performance lithium batteries.

Electro-assisted catalytic oxidation of flue gas desulfurization-derived magnesium sulfite using cobalt ferrite as catalyst under moderate condition

The catalysts were prepared by supporting cobalt ferrite (CoxFe3−xO4) on the surfaces of sphere mesoporous silica (MCM−41) nanoparticles. The electro-assisted catalytic oxidation of MgSO3 displayed an improved oxidation rate under moderate temperatures. Electric field and CoFe2O4/MCM−41 exhibited a beneficial synergistic effect because the associated MgSO3 oxidation rate is 3.38 times the oxidation rate when only the electric field was present, and 1.83 times the oxidation rate when only the catalyst was present. The cyclic voltammetry results proved that the catalysts reduced the oxidation potential of SO32− in the presence of an electric field, and increased the electron transfer rate in the oxidation. Both the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization and free radical scavenging experiment results indicated that Co2+ served as the initiator in the generation of superoxide ions (O2−·), which was the primary active free radical responsible for the oxidation of SO32−. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra showed that the electric field and high current density expedited the production of O2−·. The XPS results convincingly demonstrated that the electric field effectively alleviated the catalyst deterioration, and, as a result, significantly improved the catalyst's recyclability. Lastly, the synergistic mechanism between the electric field and the catalyst in the catalytic oxidation of MgSO3 was explored.