The test reactions for photocatalytic water splitting resulted in improved H2 evolution rates of 6.1-72.6 μmol/h under UV-visible-light irradiation, and stable solar H2 evolution of up to 5 days was demonstrated.Manganese is a redox-sensitive element in soils and sediments that plays an important role in the retention of trace elements. Under anoxic conditions, clay minerals were shown to increase Cd retention by favoring the precipitation of Mn(II) phases.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/sulfopin.html  In this study, we investigated the influence of aeration on anoxically formed Mn solid phases and its impact on Cd retention in the presence of two clay minerals with low Fe contents, a natural kaolinite (KGa-1b) and a synthetic montmorillonite (Syn-1). Ca-saturated KGa-1b and Syn-1 were pre-equilibrated with Mn2+ and Cd2+ under anoxic conditions for 1 or 30 days and subsequently exposed to air for 1 or 30 days. The analysis with synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) revealed that extended anoxic pre-equilibration (30 days) partially prevented the oxidation of sorbed Mn(II) (MnSiO3 and Mn(II)Al-LDH). Extended exposure to ambient air and short anoxic pre-equilibration favored the formation of feitknechtite (β-MnOOH) and birnessite (δ-MnO2). Aeration resulted in a decrease of pH and a net release of Cd2+ into the solution, indicating that Cd re-sorption by Mn(III/IV)-phases was insufficient to compensate for the release of Cd2+ due to dissolution of Mn(II)-containing phases and the decrease in pH. Our results demonstrate the significance of clay minerals in the (trans)formation of Mn-containing phases and their impact on trace metal retention in environments undergoing fluctuating redox conditions.Clenbuterol (CLE) and ractopamine (RAC) are two kinds of typical β2-adrenergic agonists which pose a serious threat to the health of human beings. In this work, 10 kinds of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high stability and various pore features are screened to assess adsorption performance for CLE and RAC. An Al(III)-MOF (BUT-19) with abundant ethyl groups exhibits exceptional performance in removing CLE and RAC from water. The maximum adsorption capacity for CLE and RAC are up to 294.1 and 366.3 mg/g under the optimum adsorption conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, the adsorption mechanism effects of pH, temperature, and coexisted ions are investigated systematically. It is found that the MOF pore size and weak hydrogen-bond interactions between CLE/RAC molecules and the MOF are the main causes leading to the extraordinary adsorption. This study provides a new idea for the purposeful design and synthesis of MOFs for removing environmental pollutants and sheds light on the depuration of contaminated water.Materials that dynamically respond to their environment have diverse applications in artificial muscles, soft robotics, and smart textiles. Inspired by biological systems, humidity- and water-responsive actuators that bend, twist, and contract have been previously demonstrated. However, more powerful artificial muscles with large strokes and high work densities are needed, especially those that can be made cost-effectively from eco-friendly materials. We here derive such muscles from naturally abundant lotus fibers. A coiled lotus fiber yarn muscle provides a large, reversible tensile stroke of 38% and a work capacity during contraction of 450 J/kg, which is 56 times higher than that of natural skeletal muscles and higher than that for any other reported natural fiber muscles. In addition, highly twisted lotus fiber yarn muscles provide a fully reversible torsional stroke of 200°/mm of muscle length and a peak rotation speed of 200 rpm, with a generated specific torque of 488 mN·m/kg for a 2.5 cm long muscle. Potential applications of these lotus fiber yarn muscles are demonstrated for a weight-lifting artificial limb and a smart textile.Establishing a stable, stress-relieving configuration is imperative to achieve a reversible silicon anode for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we propose a silicon composite anode (denoted as T-Si@C), which integrates free space and mixed carbon shells doped with rigid TiO2/Ti5Si3 nanoparticles. In this configuration, the free space accommodates the silicon volume fluctuation during battery operation. The carbon shells with embedded TiO2/Ti5Si3 nanoparticles maintain the structural stability of the anode while accelerating the lithium-ion diffusion kinetics and mitigating interfacial side reactions. Based on these advantages, T-Si@C anodes demonstrate an outstanding lithium storage performance with impressive long-term cycling reversibility and good rate capability. Additionally, T-Si@C//LiFePO4 full cells show superior electrochemical reversibility. This work highlights the importance of rational structural manipulation of silicon anodes and affords fresh insights into achieving advanced silicon anodes with long life.A tetra-armed cyclen (L) with two substituted 3,5-difluorobenzyl and two substituted pyridine-4-yl methyl groups at the 1,4- and 7,10-positions of the cyclen ring as side arms was synthesized. When L was reacted with 1 equiv of the silver(I), dimetallo[3.3]paracyclophane-like 22 cyclic dimer, [Ag2(L)2](PF6)2, was obtained. The reaction of L with 2 equiv of silver(I) gave a 36 cyclic trimer, [Ag6(L)3(CH3CN)3](OTf)6·3CH3CN. Furthermore, reversible complexation between the 22 cyclic dimer and 36 cyclic trimer was confirmed by 1H NMR and the CSI mass in the addition of silver(I) or the [2.2.2]cryptand.High-resolution electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry has revealed a gas-phase isomer of the ubiquitous, extremely well-studied Au25(SR)18 cluster both in anionic and cationic form. The relative abundance of the isomeric structures can be controlled by in-source activation. The measured collision cross section of the new isomer agrees extremely well with a recent theoretical prediction (Matus, M. F.; et al. Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 8087) corresponding to a Au25(SR)18- isomer that is energetically close and topologically connected to the known ground-state structure via a simple rotation of the gold core without breaking any Au-S bonds. The results imply that the structural dynamics leading to isomerization of thiolate-protected gold clusters may play an important role in their gas-phase reactions and that isomerization could be controlled by external stimuli.