Screening seven-electron boron-centered radicals for dinitrogen activation

The activation of dinitrogen is significant as nitrogen-containing compounds play an important role in industries. However, the inert NN triple bond caused by its large HOMO-LUMO gap (10.8 eV) and high bond dissociation energy (945 kJ mol-1 ) renders its activation under mild conditions particularly challenging. Recent progress shows that a few main group species can mimic transition metal complexes to activate dinitrogen. Here, we demonstrate that a series of seven-electron (7e) boron-centered radical can be used to activate N2 via density functional theory calculations. It is found that boron-centered radicals containing amine ligand perform best on the thermodynamics of dinitrogen activation. In addition, when electron-donating groups are introduced at the boron atom, these radicals can be used to activate N2 with low reaction barriers. Further analysis suggests that the electron transfer from the boron atom to the π* orbitals of dinitrogen is essential for its activation. Our findings suggest great potential of 7e boron radicals in the field of dinitrogen activation.

Understanding the Dynamic Aggregation in Single-Atom Catalysis

The dynamic response of single-atom catalysts to a reactive environment is an increasingly significant topic for understanding the reaction mechanism at the molecular level. In particular, single atoms may experience dynamic aggregation into clusters or nanoparticles driven by thermodynamic or kinetic factors. Herein, the inherent mechanistic nuances that determine the dynamic profile during the reaction will be uncovered, including the intrinsic stability and site-migration barrier of single atoms, external stimuli (temperature, voltage, and adsorbates), and the influence of catalyst support. Such dynamic aggregation can be beneficial or deleterious on the catalytic performance depending on the optimal initial state. Those examples will be highlighted where in situ formed clusters, rather than single atoms, serve as catalytically active sites for improved catalytic performance. This is followed by the introduction of operando techniques to understand the structural evolution. Finally, the emerging strategies via confinement and defect-engineering to regulate dynamic aggregation will be briefly discussed.

Synergistic Charge Transfer Effect in Ferrous Heme-CO Bonding within Cytochrome P450

We conducted ab initio valence bond (VB) calculations employing the valence bond self-consistent field (VBSCF) and breathing orbital valence bond (BOVB) methods to investigate the nature of the coordination bonding between ferrous heme and carbon monoxide (CO) within cytochrome P450. These calculations revealed the significant influence exerted by both proximal and equatorial ligands on the π-backdonation effect from the heme to the CO. Moreover, our VB calculations unveiled a phenomenon of synergistic charge transfer (sCT). In the case of ferrous heme-CO bonding, the significant stabilization in this sCT arises from cooperative resonance between the VB structures associated with σ donation and π backdonation. Unlike many other ligands, CO possesses the unique ability to establish two mutually perpendicular π-backdonation orbital interaction pairs, leading to an intensified stabilization attributed to σ-π resonance. Furthermore, while of a smaller energy magnitude, sCT due to one π-π pair is also present, contributing to the differential stabilization of ferrous heme-CO bonding.

Wearable Microneedle Patch for Colorimetric Detection of Multiple Signature Biomarkers in vivo Toward Diabetic Diagnosis

Type 2 diabetes is rapidly emerging as a global public health problem. While blood glucose monitoring has been the primary method of managing diabetes for decades, the increasing global prevalence of the disease suggests that there might be a need to identify additional biomarkers for a more precise early diagnosis. Herein, a microneedle patch based wearable sensor is developed for the purpose of diabetic diagnosis. Utilizing methacrylic acid modified gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol in the fabrication of microneedles has improved their mechanical properties for skin penetration and increased swelling capacity for interstitial fluid extraction, thanks to the double crosslinking mechanism. The fabricated microneedles are further integrated with test paper functionalized with enzyme and dye molecules to detect multiple signature biomarkers of diabetes in vivo through a colorimetric reaction. Such a wearable microneedle patch  holds significant promise for the real-time monitoring of various biomarkers related to chronic diseases and aging.

Emerging Strategies for the Synthesis of Correlated Single Atom Catalysts

People have been looking for an energy-efficient and sustainable method to produce future chemicals for decades. Heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) with atomic dispersion of robust, well-characterized active centers are highly desirable. In particular, correlated SACs with cooperative interaction between adjacent single atoms allow the switching of the single-site pathway to the dual or multisite pathway, thus promoting bimolecular or more complex reactions for the synthesis of fine chemicals. Herein, the structural uniqueness of correlated SACs, including the intermetal distance and electronic interaction in homo/heteronuclear metal sites is featured. Recent advances in the production methods of correlated SACs, showcasing the research status and challenges in traditional methods (such as pyrolysis, wet impregnation, and confined synthesis) for building a comprehensive multimetallic SAC library, are summarized. Emerging strategies such as process automation and continuous-flow synthesis are highlighted, minimizing the inconsistency in laboratory batch production and allowing high throughput screening and upscaling toward the next-stage chemical production by correlated SACs.

Design and Control of a Highly Redundant Rigid-flexible Coupling Robot to Assist the COVID-19 Oropharyngeal-Swab Sampling

The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) has caused mortality and morbidity worldwide. Oropharyngeal-swab (OP-swab) sampling is widely used for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in the world. To avoid the clinical staff from being affected by the virus, we developed a 9-degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid-flexible coupling (RFC) robot to assist the COVID-19 OP-swab sampling. This robot is composed of a visual system, UR5 robot arm, micro-pneumatic actuator and force-sensing system. The robot is expected to reduce risk and free up the clinical staff from the long-term repetitive sampling work. Compared with a rigid sampling robot, the developed force-sensing RFC robot can facilitate OP-swab sampling procedures in a safer and softer way. In addition, a varying-parameter zeroing neural network-based optimization method is also proposed for motion planning of the 9-DOF redundant manipulator. The developed robot system is validated by OP-swab sampling on both oral cavity phantoms and volunteers.