Structural, morphological, optical and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnFe2O4 thin films grown via an electrodeposition method

Zn2SnO4@Ti ceramic film anode preparation by microarc oxidation for 2e- WOR degradation of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH)

The main challenge facing the anodic electro-Fenton through the 2e- water oxidation reaction (WOR) for toxics degradation lies in the electrode's stability, because the anodic oxygen evolution (OER) generated O2 will inevitably exfoliate the electro-active components loaded on the electrode substrate. To address this point, two aspects need attention: 1) Identifying a catalyst that exhibits both excellent electrocatalytic activity and selectivity can improve the faradaic efficiency of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); 2) Employing novel methods for fabricating highly stable electrodes, where active sites can be firmly coated. Consequently, this study utilized microarc oxidation (MAO) to prepare a ceramic film electrode Zn2SnO4@Ti at 300 V. Zn2SnO4 acts as an WOR electrocatalyst and further improved the generation of H2O2 for treating real wastewater containing Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). From the perspective of characterization of electrode structure, Zn2SnO4@Ti forms a stable active coating, the electrochemical yield of H2O2 is high up to 78.4 μmol h-1 cm-2, and the selectivity of H2O2 is over 80% at 3.3 V vs. RHE, which can be fully applied to scenarios where it is inconvenient to transport H2O2 and need in-situ safe production. Additionally, the prepared electrodes exhibit significant stability, suitable for various applications, providing insightful preparation strategies and experiences for constructing highly stable anodes.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular modeling studies of pyrazole-benzofuran hybrids as new α-glucosidase inhibitor

In this work, new derivatives of biphenyl pyrazole-benzofuran hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro through enzymatic assay for inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase activity. Newly identified inhibitors were found to be four to eighteen folds more active with IC₅₀ values in the range of 40.6 ± 0.2-164.3 ± 1.8 µM, as compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 10.0 μM). Limited Structure-activity relationship was established. A kinetic binding study indicated that most active compound 8e acted as the competitive inhibitors of α-glucosidase with K_i = 38 μM. Molecular docking has also been performed to find the interaction modes responsible for the desired inhibitory activity. As expected, all pharmacophoric features, used in the design of the hybrid, are involved in the interaction with the active site of the enzyme. In addition, molecular dynamic simulations showed compound 8e oriented vertically into the active site from mouth to the bottom and stabilized the enzyme domains by interacting with the interface of domain A and domain B and the back side of the active site while acarbose formed non-binding interaction with the residue belong to the domain A of the enzyme.