Zr Metal Research Articles

Association Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Central Nervous System Tumors: A Case-Control Study Using Single and Multi-Metal Models

(1) Background: Neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS) encompass a cluster of malignant diseases originating from tissues or structures within the CNS. Environmental factors, including heavy metals, may contribute to their development. Therefore, this research was to investigate the association between heavy metal exposure and CNS tumor susceptibility using single and muti-metal models. (2) Methods: 63 CNS tumor patients and 71 controls were included. Urine samples from the CNS tumor patients and controls were analyzed for 47 metals using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in this study. Statistical analyses included conditional Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, logistic regression, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR). (3) Results: In the single metal model, higher levels of seventeen metals might be associated with a lower incidence of CNS tumor, while higher exposure levels of five metals are associated with a higher incidence of tumor. LASSO regression selected nine metals for further BKMR analysis. The joint effects showed decreased tumor risk with increased metal mixture concentration. The level of the metals Ge, As, Rb, Zr, and Sn may be related to the incidence of meningiomas and gliomas. (4) Conclusions: This study explored the association between various metals and CNS tumors, providing ideas for future prospective cohort studies and laboratory studies, and providing a foundation for new ideas in the prevention and treatment of CNS tumors.

Metal-organic frameworks as anchors for giant unilamellar vesicle immobilization.

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are ideal for studying cellular mechanisms due to their cell-mimicking morphology and size. The formation, stability, and immobilization of these vesicles are crucial for drug delivery and bioimaging studies. Separately, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are actively researched owing to their unique and varied properties, yet little is known about the interaction between MOFs and phospholipids. This study investigates the influence of the metal-phosphate interface on the formation, size distribution, and stability of GUVs with different lipid compositions. GUVs were electroformed in the presence of a series of MOFs. The results show Al, Zn, Cu, Fe, Zr, and Ca metal centers of MOFs can coordinate to phospholipids on the surface of GUVs, leading to the formation of functional GUV@MOF constructs, with stablilities over 12 hours. Macroscopically, society has seen biology (people, plants, microbes) interacting with inorganic materials regularly. We now explore how microscopic biological models behave in the presence of inorganic constructs. This research opens new avenues for advanced biomedical applications interacting tailored frameworks with liposomes.

A reliable, colloidal synthesis method of the orthorhombic chalcogenide perovskite, BaZrS3, and related ABS3 nanomaterials (A = Sr, Ba; B = Ti, Zr, Hf): a step forward for earth-abundant, functional materials.

Recently, chalcogenide perovskites, of the form ABX3, where typically A = alkaline earth metals Ca, Sr, or Ba; B = group IV transition metals Zr or Hf; and X = chalcogens S or Se, have become of interest for their potential optoelectronic properties. In this work, we build upon recent studies and show a general synthesis protocol, involving the use of carbon disulfide insertion chemistry, to generate highly reactive precursors that can be used towards the colloidal synthesis of numerous ABS3 nanomaterials, including BaTiS3, BaZrS3, BaHfS3, α-SrZrS3 and α-SrHfS3. We overcome the shortcomings in the current literature where BaZrS3 nanoparticles are synthesized in separate phases via colloidal methods and lack a reproducible protocol for orthorhombic perovskite nanoparticles. We present a high-temperature, hot-injection method that reliably controls the formation of the colloidal BaZrS3 nanoparticles with the Pnma orthorhombic distorted perovskite structure. We show that the alternate phase, most notably denoted by its extra peaks in the pXRD pattern, is distinct from the distorted perovskite phase as it has a different bandgap value obtained via UV-vis measurements. We also show that the reaction byproducts, resulting from the use of oleylamine and CS2, have their own photoluminescence (PL) and their residual presence on the surface of the nanoparticles complicates the interpretation of PL from the nanoparticles. The utility of these nanomaterials is also assessed via the measurement of their absorption properties and in the form of highly stable colloidal inks for the fabrication of homogeneous, crack-free thin films of BaZrS3 nanoparticles.

Formal nullwertige Bis(aren)Germylenkomplexe von Zirconium und Hafnium

AbstractZirconium‐ und Hafniumtetrachlorid bilden mit einem intramolekularen Germylen‐Phosphor‐Lewis‐Paar Addukte (2, 3). Durch eine Zweielektronenreduktion mittels [MesNacnacMg]2 werden zweiwertige Komplexe mit einer η6‐Trip‐Koordination am Zr(II)‐ und Hf(II)‐Metallatom erhalten (4, 5). Die weitere Reduktion dieser M(II)‐Komplexe führt zu nullwertigen Komplexen von Zirconium (6) und Hafnium (7), welche strukturell charakterisiert wurden. Zwei Areneinheiten und das Germylen koordinieren am Metall. Für beide Derivate 6 und 7 wurde für die koordinierende P‐Phenyleinheit eine gefaltete Konformation festgestellt. Die nullwertigen Komplexe können auch durch die Vierelektronenreduktion eines Reaktionsgemisches der Metalltetrachloride mit dem Germylen‐Phosphor‐Lewis‐Paar in guten Ausbeuten erhalten werden. Durch die Reaktion der nullwertigen Verbindungen mit Kohlenstoffmonoxid wurden Carbonylkomplexe synthetisiert. Dimethylbutadien zeigt eine Reaktion mit einer der koordinierten Areneinheiten und dem Germylenliganden der nullwertigen Komplexe, wodurch ein Cyclohexadienyl‐ und ein Triorganogermatligand gebildet werden. Im Falle des Zirconiums ist diese Reaktion reversibel.

Formally Zerovalent Bis(arene) Germylene Complexes of Zirconium and Hafnium.

Tetrachlorides of zirconium and hafnium form adducts (2, 3) with an intramolecular germylene phosphine Lewis pair. Two electron reduction treating the adducts with [MesNacnacMg]2 gives the low-valent metal complexes (4, 5) featuring η6-Trip coordination at the Zr(II) and Hf(II) metal atom. Reduction of the M(II)-complexes gives the zerovalent metal complexes of zirconium (6) and hafnium (7), which have been structurally characterized. Two arene moieties and the germylene exhibit metal coordination. Puckered coordination of a P-phenyl unit was observed for both derivatives 6 and 7. Four electron reduction of a reaction mixture of metal tetrachloride with the germylene phosphine Lewis pair also gives the zerovalent complexes in good yield. Carbonyl complexes were synthesized treating the reduced metal complexes with carbon monoxide. Dimethylbutadiene shows a reaction with an arene moiety and the coordinated germylene ligand of the zerovalent complexes. A cyclohexadienyl and a triorganogermate ligand are formed. For zirconium this reaction is reversible at room temperature.

Optical properties of rutile TiO[formula omitted] with Zr, Mo, Zn, Cd impurities

To explore quasiparticle (QP) energy gaps and photoabsorption spectra of rutile TiO2 with nonmagnetic transition metal (Zr, Mo, Zn, Cd) impurities, we conducted a Γ-point only GW ＋ Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) calculation on a 72 (or 71) atom supercell. Our findings reveal that Zn and Cd impurities must coexist, at least partly, with oxygen vacancies to maintain charge neutrality. Among the systems considered, Mo, Zn, or Cd doped rutile TiO2 may exhibit optical absorption and catalytic activity under visible light. The resulting QP energy gaps (ΔɛQP) and photoabsorption energies (PAEs) are fairly in good agreement with both experimental and theoretical data currently available. The necessary conditions for the applicability of the Γ-point only approach in the GW ＋ BSE framework were found to be: (1) The Γ-point only GW calculation should reproduce a reasonable band gap. (2) The “superficial” exciton binding energy (the diagonal element of Wvc;vc−2Xvc;vc between v= VBM and c= CBM, where W and X are the direct and exchange terms of the BSE matrix elements, respectively) must be positive or marginally negative. (3) The “real” exciton binding energy (ΔɛQP− the lowest PAE) should be positive, even if it is exceptionally small.

Development of a dual-spectroscopic system to rapidly measure diisopropyl methyl phosphonate (DIMP) decomposition and temperature in a reactive powder environment.

The development of systems to measure and optimize emerging energetic material performance is critical for Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) defeat. In order to assess composite metal powder efficacy on CWA simulant defeat, this study documents a combination of two spectroscopic systems designed to monitor the decomposition of a CWA simulant and temperature rises due to combusting metal powders simultaneously. The first system is a custom benchtop Polygonal Rotating Mirror Infrared Spectrometer (PRiMIRS) incorporating a fully customizable sample cell to observe the decomposition of Diisopropyl Methyl Phosphonate (DIMP) as it interacts with combusting composite metal particles. The second is a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) used to monitor increases in background gas temperatures as the composite metal powders combust. The PRiMIRS system demonstrates a very high signal to noise ratio (SNR) at slow timescales (Hz), reasonable SNR when operating at faster timescales (100Hz), and capabilities of resolving spectral features with a FWHM resolution of 15 cm-1. TDLAS was able to monitor temperature rises between room temperature and 230 ± 5 °C while operating at 100Hz. For testing, liquid DIMP was inserted in a preheated stainless steel (SS) cell to generate DIMP vapor and (Al-8Mg):Zr metal powders were ignited in a SS mount with a resistively heated nichrome wire at one end of the cell. The ignited particles propagated across the cell containing DIMP vapor. The path averaged gas temperature in the preheated SS cell rises rapidly (100ms) and decays slowly (<5s) but remains below 230 °C during particle combustion, a temperature at which the thermal decomposition of DIMP is not observed over similarly short timescales (seconds). However, when combusting particles were introduced to the DIMP vapor (heterogeneous environment), spectral signatures indicative of decomposition product formation, such as isopropyl-methyl phosphonate (IMP) and isopropyl alcohol, were observed within seconds.

Combined effects of metallic dopants and nonmetallic impurities on interface cohesion in tungsten alloys by first-principles

The effect of element segregation on interface cohesion demonstrates significant potential in tailoring the mechanical performances of materials. In this study, we have investigated the impact of co-segregation of transition metal (Re, Zr and Ti) and non-metallic impurity elements (O and C) on the cohesion properties of two typical interfaces, W/HfC phase boundary (PB) and Σ5(310) grain boundary (GB) in W alloys, using first-principles calculations. Our findings reveal that O atom exhibits comparable segregation tendency at both the PB and GB interfaces, but the PB has a stronger resistance to O-embrittlement than the GB. C atom preferentially segregates at the GB and enhances the interface cohesion. In addition, Re atoms tend to segregate at both the interfaces and enhance the interface cohesion. Co-segregation of Zr/Ti and O atoms at the interface leads to a reduction in impurity O concentration within the W matrix, and further decreases the interface cohesion. In contrast, C atom mitigates the GB embrittlement induced by Zr/Ti atom owing to the formation of W-C bonds. This work deepens the understanding of how the co-segregation of alloying and non-metallic impurity elements affects the interface properties, offering theoretical guidance for optimizing the mechanical performance of W-based materials.

Electrochemical Study of Zr from Anodic Dissolution using a Consumable Zirconium Nitride Anode

The use of catalysts in the chemical industry is key to a clean energy transition, as catalysts are essential for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell and metal-air battery technologies. Today, it is common to use catalysts based on Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), e.g., Pt and Pd, but this comes with a high cost as well as the use of strategic raw materials defined by the European Union. It has therefore been investigated other more abundant and cheaper materials.Nitride-based materials have been studied and identified as promising catalysts for the chemical industry, and it has been reported that a zirconium nitride (ZrN)-based catalyst had an even greater performance as a catalyst in alkaline ORR than the state-of-the-art Pt-based catalysts, thus, being a promising replacement for future catalysts. It is, however, important to include how new and upcoming catalysts are to be recycled, as the chemical industry is dependent on a reliable access to the materials to keep up with the green transition that electrochemical technology is a central part of.Through the FIREFLY project, the present work is focusing on how electrochemical technologies can be used to recover metals from spent catalysts from the chemical industry. Novel electrochemical processes using consumable anodes have been reported for other materials, such as TiOxCy and TiN, but not for ZrN. The present work has therefore focused on the use of ZrN as a consumable anode in an electrochemical recovery of Zr metal.A mechanically stable ZrN anode was made from synthetic ZrN powder. The anodic dissolution of Zr ions has been demonstrated in an equimolar NaCl-KCl molten chloride mixture at 1000 K, by potentiostatic electrolysis using a molybdenum (Mo) cathode and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode as illustrated in Figure 1. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the molten chloride was performed before and after electrolysis, using a tungsten (W) or glassy carbon (GC) working electrode and a graphite counter electrode.It was successfully demonstrated that Zr species were dissolved into the molten chloride mixture as presented in the insert in Figure 1. The CV results showed a two-step electrochemical process, which is believed to be related to the reduction Zr (IV) to Zr (II), and from Zr (II) to Zr metal. Analysis of the voltammetric curves obtained at different sweep rates showed diffusion controlled electrochemical reactions. The diffusion coefficients were calculated and correlated well with those reported in the literature. Post-mortem analyses were carried out of a molten chloride bath sample and of the ZrN anode. Inductively Couple Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the presence of Zr species in the bath and Zr-Cl-N-O complexes at the ZrN anode surface, which verifies a successful electrochemical consumption through anodic dissolution. Acknowledgements: This work has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 101091715.Figure 1 CVs obtained on a W working electrode before (black graph) and after anodic dissolution of a ZrN anode in an electrochemical cell using a 3-electrode set-up as shown in the insert. The A’/A (purple curve) and the B’/B (green curve) electrochemical systems were related to Zr(IV)/Zr(II) and Zr(II)/Zr, respectively. Sweep rate 200 mV/s. Figure 1

ZrN-Based Multilayers Prepared by Reactive Sputtering as Coatings for Electrode Plates of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers.

ZrN and TiN thin coatings have been investigated for use on stainless steel for bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers. Films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering using Ar and N2 from metallic Zr and Ti targets on different substrates to perform a deep characterization of their relevant properties. The effect of the deposition parameters, such as N2/Ar ratio, working pressure, or supplied power, has been explored. The structural, electrical, compositional, and optical properties of the films have been investigated by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, 4-probe van der Pauw resistance, Rutherford backscattering, and optical reflectance and Raman spectroscopies, providing significant information about the films. Finally, after optimization of the preparation parameters to obtain suitable films, the electrochemical behavior of stainless steel coated by different films has been tested. The obtained corrosion current density for a ZrN/TiN/ZrN trilayer on mirror-polished AISI-304 stainless steel evidence their potential as electrodes in bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane electrolyzers.

Aliphatic amine-modified recombinant endoskeleton UiO-66 efficiently enhances CO2 capture performance

Rational chemical modification engineering of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is an effective means to improve their CO2 capture efficiency. In this study, we prepare UiO-66 MOF impregnated with different types of aliphatic amines using solvothermal and impregnation techniques, respectively, and investigated their performances in CO2 adsorption and CO2/N2 separation using the isothermal adsorption method. Aliphatic amines successfully chemically modifies UiO-66, and their molecules effectively occupied the pores of the UiO-66 framework, which has been confirmed by material characterization, experiments, and DFT-FMO calculations. There are significant improvements in the ability to capture CO2 when aliphatic amines were added to UiO-66 compared to pure UiO-66 (1.39 mmol/g up to 2.11 mmol/g-2.53 mmol/g), attributed to the different types and numbers of amines, and there were also differences in the Zr metal clusters and BDC ligands. Meanwhile, The material has better CO2/N2 adsorption IAST selectivity(98) because its surface area is changed and N2 does not interact specifically with the adsorbent. Furthermore, the CO2 adsorption capacity remains constant across multiple adsorption cycles, highlighting the adsorbent's stability and reliability during repetitive CO2 capture. This study provides new ideas and perspectives for improving the CO2 capture efficiency of UiO-66.

DBD plasma induced SMOSI and encapsulation for regulation of Brønsted-Lewis acid sites of Cr-MOFs@ZrO2

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma for the synthesis of Zr-MOFs followed by the calcination and combination with Cr-MOFs was presented to prepare a Brønsted-Lewis bifunctional catalyst for the conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The strong electric field on the catalyst surface formed by DBD plasma induced the enhancement of strong metal oxide support interaction (SMOSI), which could be indicated by XPS. SMOSI could change the embedding degree of metal micro-particles. SMOSI accompanied with the encapsulation of Zr metal nanoparticles could regulate the acid sites of the catalysts. Lewis acid played an important role in the isomerization of glucose to fructose, while Brønsted acid played a key role in the further conversion of glucose. The strong Brønsted acid sites determined the conversion of glucose to HMF. Cr-MOFs@ZrO2-D with the DBD plasma method afforded a higher Brønsted to Lewis acid ratio, compared with Cr-MOFs@ZrO2-S with the hydrothermal method. Glucose conversion of 97.9 % and HMF yield of 38 % were obtained with DMF solvent system and Cr-MOFs@ZrO2-D at 150 °C for 2h. This research provided a new method for preparing Zr-MOFs by DBD plasma and a new idea to comprehensively understand the role of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites in glucose conversion.

Synergistic effect of Fe/Zr dual doping endows hydrophilic spinel-structured H4Ti5O12 ion sieves for efficient lithium extraction from liquid resources

The practical application of spinel-structured H4Ti5O12(HTO) lithium-ion sieves (LISs) is hampered by their poor adsorption properties and recyclability. Within this research, the surface properties and internal structure of lithium-ion sieve (LIS) materials were modulated by co-doping Fe and Zr metal ions to enhance their adsorption properties. The results show that Fe and Zr have been successfully introduced to the LIS lattice, increasing Li-O bond length of position 8a and O2− content. The synthesized H4Ti4.77Fe0.2Zr0.03O12 (HTFZO-II) LIS was made up of evenly distributed nanosheets layered on top of one another to create an open laminar structure, which possesses a hydrophilic surface (contact angle: 17.8°), a high surface area (95.89 m2/g), and hierarchical porous structure. Compared with the undoped HTO, the HTFZO-II LISs enjoy a high capacity for Li+ adsorption (28.72 mg/g), a strong cycling stability (Ti4+ dissolving loss: 0.12 %), and a fast reaching of the equilibrium in adsorption (adsorption equilibrium: 4 h). Theoretical calculation of DFT shows that Li(H2O)4+ on HTFZO-II and HTO dehydration were partially dehydrated into Li(H2O)+. The energy required for the dehydration of Li(H2O)4+ on HTFZO-II is lower than that on undoped HTO, indicating that metal ion doping modification was beneficial for the dehydration of hydrated lithium ions on the adsorbent surface, thereby accelerating the exchange reaction between H+ and dehydrated Li+ ions. This study reveals the key role of the synergistic effect of multi-element co-doping in enhancing the adsorption performance and structural stability of LISs.

Optimized Design of Quinary High-Entropy Transition Metal Carbide Ceramics Based on First Principles

In this paper, we developed models for 21 quinary high-entropy transition metal carbide ceramics (HETMCCs), composed of carbon and the transition metals Ti, Zr, Mo, V, Nb, W, and Ta, employing the Special Quasirandom Structures (SQS) method. We investigated how the transition metal elements influence lattice distortion, mixing enthalpy, Gibbs free energy of mixing, and the electronic structure of the systems through first-principles calculations. The calculations show that 21 systems can form a stable single phase, among which (TiMoVNbTa)C5, (ZrMoNbWTa)C5, and (MoVNbWTa)C5 exhibit superior stability. The formation energy and migration energy of carbon vacancies in systems with strong single-phase stability were calculated to predict their radiation resistance. The formation energy of carbon vacancies is closely related to the types of surrounding transition metal elements, with values ranging between the maximum and minimum formation energies observed in binary transition metal carbides (TMCs). The range of migration energy for carbon vacancies is wider than that observed in TMCs, which can hinder their long-range migration and enhance the radiation resistance of the materials.

Tuning CO2 Hydrogenation to Light Olefin Selectivity via Cu/Zn/Zr Supported on Modified SAPO‐34

AbstractTo alleviate CO2 emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, a groundbreaking bifunctional catalyst system was introduced, which ingeniously merged CZZ with modified SAPO‐34 zeolite, to convert CO2 into light olefins. Different metals were impregnated into SAPO‐34 to form MeSAPO‐34 (Me = Zn, Zr, Mn) and the metal Zr content was altered. Furthermore, CZZ and MeSAPO‐34 was combined into CZZ/MeSAPO‐34 composite catalysts, which was used for CO2 hydrogenation. The MeSAPO‐34 and xZrSAPO‐34 catalysts were rigorously characterized by various techniques, revealing key physicochemical attributes. This innovative approach harnessed the synergistic effects between the metallic CZZ component and the modified zeolite to facilitate a series of reactions, effectively generating C2‐C4‐rich hydrocarbons. Benefiting from weak acid, higher oxygen vacancy concentration and interactions between components, the CZZ/ZrSAPO‐34 catalyst system has shown remarkable efficiency in enhancing the light olefin selectivity. The key aspects of this system are its ability to modulate surface acidity and oxygen vacancy concentration, thus creating favorable conditions for light olefin production via enhanced tandem reaction based on CO2 hydrogenation. This work enriches our insight into designing novel composite catalysts for promoting CO2 conversion and hence mitigating CO2 emissions.

Metal-Organic Framework Sub-Nanochannels within the Confined Micropipettes: Precise Construction Makes It a Universal Aptamer-Based Sensing Platform.

It is crucial to precisely construct metal-organic framework (MOF) sub-nanochannels at the tip of micro/nanopipettes for fundamental research and sensing applications. The quality of the MOF modification plays a significant role in influencing subsequent research, particularly in sensing applications. In this work, we present a precise method of constructing MOF sub-nanochannels at the tip of glass micropipettes, which serve as a universal aptamer-based sensing platform for the selective detection of proteins. In situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping, and fluorescence microscopy results demonstrate that the synthesized MOF (UiO-66) nanocrystals fully block the orifice of glass micropipettes (UiO-66-GMs) without forming any nanometer-scale cracks and remain confined within the geometric boundaries of the orifice. The terminal phosphate-modified aptamer readily binds to the surface of UiO-66-GMs through metal (Zr)-phosphate coordination, ultimately forming the aptamer sensor (Apt-UiO-66-GMs). The selective quantification of proteins is achieved via a decrease in current resulting from protein binding to the aptamer. Our results indicate that the precisely constructed Apt-UiO-66-GMs sensor enables highly selective and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and holds potential for real sample detection. Furthermore, given the sharp tip of the micropipets and the external sensing interface we have constructed, our aptamer-based sensing platform also opens avenues for single-cell analysis and in vivo sensing.

Construction and Evaluation of pH‐Responsive Nitrogen‐Containing Metal–Organic Frameworks as Oral Drug Carriers

ABSTRACTMetal–organic framework (MOF) is a porous material composed of metal ions/clusters and organic ligands. It has attracted much attention due to its high specific surface area, good biocompatibility, chemical modifiability, and diversity of components. Among many MOFs, zirconium‐based MOFs are particularly suitable for biological applications due to their optimal stability and low toxicity to hydrolysis. However, due to the weak coordination bonds between many metal clusters and organic ligands, most MOFs are prone to collapse in acidic environments, and the stability of MOFs as drug carriers cannot be guaranteed so that they cannot be widely used as oral drug carriers. This study synthesized the three MOFs using metal Zr ion clusters as the center and different nitrogen‐containing organic ligands, which are stable in gastric acid, namely, UiO‐66‐PDC, UiO‐66‐NH2, and UiO‐66‐NO2. The anionic drug loxoprofen (LOX) was loaded and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and x‐ray diffraction. The adsorption and release behaviors of LOX and the three MOFs were studied from the molecular point of view by computer simulation. A series of behaviors and mechanisms of pH‐responsive nitrogen‐containing MOFs as oral drug carriers were further explored through rat pharmacokinetic experiments, the everted gut sac experiments, and intestinal absorption mechanism experiments. The experimental results show that there is a strong electrostatic interaction between anionic drug LOX and UiO‐66‐PDC under simulated gastric acid environment, which prolongs the half‐life of the drug, proving that LOX@UiO‐66‐PDC is a promising new oral drug delivery system.

High-order harmonic generation in the laser-induced plasmas produced on the surfaces of transition metals (Rh, Ru, Nb, and Zr) from the fifth period of periodic table

High-order harmonic generation in the laser-induced plasmas produced on the surfaces of transition metals (Rh, Ru, Nb, and Zr) from the fifth period of periodic table

Microfluidic Synthesis of Defective and Hierarchical Pore Zr Metal–Organic Framework Materials and CO2 Adsorption Performance Study

Microfluidic Synthesis of Defective and Hierarchical Pore Zr Metal–Organic Framework Materials and CO₂ Adsorption Performance Study

Synergistic impact of Fe–Zr in novel hybrid aminoclay catalytic TFC membrane for ultrafast emerging pollutant remediation

Finding new class of materials to overcome limitation in conventional membranes is a challenging task. Use of naturally stable and sustainable alternative materials stock is an emerging task. In this direction, a novel iron-zirconium hybrid aminoclay (FZ-AC) has emerged as a promising catalyst effectively employed to alleviate fouling concerns within the framework of a biopolymer-based thin film composite (TFC), constructed on a cellulose acetate (CA) support. Notably, FZ-AC exhibits remarkable catalytic activity in the degradation of foulants through potential free radicals generated from Fe and Zr active centres in synergy with oxidising agent. The optimised catalytic membrane (FZ-TFC-1) exhibited an ultrafast degradation of congo red (CR), eriochrome black-T (EBT), crystal violet (CV), methylene blue (MB), red-brown dye (RBn), bisphenol-A (BPA), azithromycin (AZC), and Cr(VI) within 4 min. The cooperative action of redox centres of Fe and Zr metal ions synergistically accelerated the swift production of reactive species and facilitated the efficient degradation of pollutants within a notably short timeframe. Furthermore, >95% of above dyes rejection was achieved with >67 L m−2.h−1 of flux. The results of a long-term study demonstrated that FZ-TFC membranes exhibit exceptional stability, retaining their performance for a duration up to 150 h. This extended period of stability underscores the superiority of these membranes over alternative counterparts, suggesting their robustness and reliability for sustained operation in various applications. This strategic utilization of FZ-AC representing a promising avenue for enhancing the efficacy and longevity of nanofiltration membranes, thereby advancing the frontier of membrane-based separation technologies.