Enhanced Biphasic Reactions in Amphiphilic Silica Mesopores.

In this study, we investigated the effect of the pore volume and mesopore size of surface-active catalytic organosilicas on the genesis of particle-stabilized (Pickering) emulsions for the dodecanal/ethylene glycol system and their reactivity for the acid-catalyzed biphasic acetalization reaction. To this aim, we functionalized a series of fumed silica superparticles (size 100-300 nm) displaying an average mesopore size in the range of 11-14 nm and variable mesopore volume, with a similar surface density of octyl and propylsulfonic acid groups. The modified silica superparticles were characterized in detail using different techniques, including acid-base titration, thermogravimetric analysis, TEM, and dynamic light scattering. The pore volume of the particles impacts their self-assembly and coverage at the dodecanal/ethylene glycol (DA/EG) interface. This affects the stability and the average droplet size of emulsions and conditions of the available interfacial surface area for reaction. The maximum DA-EG productivity is observed for A200 super-SiNPs with a pore volume of 0.39 cm3·g-1 with an interfacial coverage by particles lower than 1 (i.e., submonolayer). Using dissipative particle dynamics and all-atom grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, we unveil a stabilizing role of the pore volume of porous silica superparticles for generating emulsions and local micromixing of immiscible dodecanal and ethylene glycol, allowing fast and efficient solvent-free acetalization in the presence of Pickering emulsions. The micromixing level is interrelated to the adsorption energy of self-assembled particles at the DA/EG interface.

Facile synthesis of wide bandgap ZrS2 colloidal quantum dots for solution processed solar-blind UV photodetectors.

We present a facile one-pot method for the successful synthesis of heavy metal-free ZrS2 colloidal quantum dots (QDs) with a wide bandgap. To achieve this, we employed 1-dodecanethiol (DT) as a sulfur precursor, enabling the controlled release of H2S in situ during the reaction at temperatures exceeding 195 °C. This approach facilitated the synthesis of small-sized ZrS2 QDs with precise control.

Solution Processed Photodetectors with PVK-WS2 Nanotube/Nanofullerene Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Films.

Organic-inorganic hybrid photodetectors have attracted increased interest due to their exceptional properties, such as flexibility, transparency, and low cost for many promising applications. Low-dimensional tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanostructures have outstanding electrical and optical properties, making them ideal candidates for ultrasensitive photodetector devices. In this paper, photodetectors were fabricated with hybrid thin films containing two different WS2 nanomaterials, one-dimensional (1D) WS2 nanotubes (WS2-NTs) and a zero-dimensional (0D) WS2 nanofullerene (WS2-FLs) hybrid with poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK). The electrical responses of the devices under visible-light illuminations were studied. The photodetector devices with 0D WS2-FLs/PVK hybrid thin films have relatively higher sensitivity and stable voltage responses to visible light. Besides, the hybrid film shows a strong surface-enhanced Raman effect (SERS). These materials and new strategies enable the creation of a new class of processed photodetectors for practical applications.

Organic foams stabilized by Biphenyl-bridged organosilica particles.

HYPOTHESIS: Can surface-active particles be designed à la carte just by incorporating functional groups mimicking the structure of the solvent and gas? This is based on the idea that, to achieve good foamability, the particle wettability needs to be finely tuned to adjust the liquid-particle and gas-particle surface tensions. In practice, could particles containing phenyl rings and alkyl chains assemble at the air-liquid interface and stabilize foams based on aromatic solvents? EXPERIMENTS: A library of organosilica particles was prepared by sol-gel synthesis using aromatic organosilane precursors. The particles were characterized by TGA, FTIR and 13C/29Si MAS NMR. The foaming properties were studied after hand shaking and high-speed homogenization. The influence of particle wettability and solvent properties on foam formation was systematically investigated. A comparison was carried out between biphenyl-bridged particles and various stabilizers on foamability in benzyl alcohol. FINDINGS: Biphenyl-bridged particles could stabilize foams in aromatic solvents with a high foam volume fraction up to 96% using Ultra-Turrax. The presence of biphenyl rings and short alkyl chains was crucial for foamability. Organic foams were prepared for aromatic solvents with intermediate surface tension (35-44 mN m-1) and contact angle in the range 32-53°. Biphenyl-bridged particles outperformed polytetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated surfactants in benzyl alcohol.

The influence of music tempo on mental load and hazard perception of novice drivers.

INTRODUCTION: Many novice drivers listen to music while driving, but the effect of music-listening on novice driver's safety is uncertain. We explored how music tempo affects two key aspects of novice drivers' cognitive functioning, mental load and hazard perception. METHOD: In a within-subjects experimental design study, 37 novice drivers completed a hazard perception test in simulated traffic situations under four randomly-ordered conditions: while listening to fast, medium, slow tempo music, and without listening to any music. Mental load was recorded both subjectively and through psychophysiological measures during all conditions. RESULTS: When listening to fast-tempo music, novice drivers' subjective load value, heart rate and respiratory rate were significantly higher than that during the other two music tempo conditions and the no music condition. Skin temperature was significantly higher during fast-tempo music than during the slow music tempo and no music conditions. When listening to slow-tempo music, drivers' R-R interval (variability in heart rate, with longer intervals reflecting lower mental load) was significantly longer than while listening to fast and mid-tempo music, and their hazard perception scores were significantly higher than the other three conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Listening to fast tempo music was associated with increased mental load and reduced hazard perception ability in traffic among novice drivers. Listening to slow tempo music did not increase novice drivers' mental load and offered some benefit to their hazard perception.