Supramolecular tessellations by the exo-wall interactions of pagoda[4]arene

Supramolecular tessellation has gained increasing interest in supramolecular chemistry for its structural aesthetics and potential applications in optics, magnetics and catalysis. In this work, a new kind of supramolecular tessellations (STs) have been fabricated by the exo-wall interactions of pagoda[4]arene (P4). ST with rhombic tiling pattern was first constructed by P4 itself through favorable π···π interactions between anthracene units of adjacent P4. Notably, various highly ordered STs with different tiling patterns have been fabricated based on exo-wall charge transfer interactions between electron-rich P4 and electron-deficient guests including 1,4-dinitrobenzene, terephthalonitrile and tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile. Interestingly, solvent modulation and guest selection played a crucial role in controlling the molecular arrangements in the co-crystal superstructures. This work not only proves that P4 is an excellent macrocyclic building block for the fabrication of various STs, but also provides a new perspective and opportunity for the design and construction of supramolecular two-dimensional organic materials.

Electric Bicycle

An Electrical Bicycle is a traditional bicycle propelled by an electrical motor. It has a dynamo and 220V wall charge facility. The voltage generated by the dynamo is used to run the bicycle. The electric bicycle is designed in such a way that the rider can have two modes of operation. The rider can choose the bicycle to be driven by an electric motor or it can be driven manually by pedaling. This can also be used in the recent road condition with existing charging facilities.

SIMULATION OF A PERFECT DIELECTRIC DROP IN ELECTRO-OSMOTIC FLOW OF AN ELECTROLYTE THROUGH A MICROCHANNEL

This research uses a computational fluid dynamic model to simulate motion and deformation of a dielectric drop in electrolyte solution in a microchannel. Wall charge density, the Debye-Hückel parameter and the Weber number are varied for uncharged, positively and negatively charged drop interfaces. Drop flow and deformation were analysed and the effects of charge distribution, electric field and permittivity jump were discussed. For a positively charged channel wall, negatively charged drops moved faster and positively charged drops moved slower than an uncharged drop. This effect increased for a higher We. Vortex flow was observed inside the drop. For a low surface tension, the drops were elongated due to electric forces acting on its surface with the charged drops deforming more than the uncharged one. When the permittivity component of the force was removed, the drop had a horizontal deformation that was sufficiently high to cause the negatively charged drop to break up.

Effect of Surface Conduction on Propagation of Ion-Concentration Shock Waves in Isotachophoresis

Isotachophoresis (ITP) is a widely used nonlinear electrophoretic technique for preconcentration and separation of ionic species. Typically, ITP is performed in microchannels where the effect of surface conduction due to electric double layer (EDL) at channel walls is negligible compared to bulk conduction. However, when electrophoretic techniques such as ITP are integrated in nanochannels or shallow microchannels, surface conduction can alter bulk electrophoretic transport. The existing mathematical models for multispecies electrophoretic transport do not account for the competing effects of surface and bulk conduction. We present a mathematical model for multispecies electrophoretic transport incorporating the effects of surface conduction on bulk ion-transport. Our one-dimensional model is capable of describing electrophoretic systems consisting of arbitrarily large number of co-ions, having same charge polarity as the wall charge, and a single counter-ion. Based on numerical solutions of the governing equations, we show that unlike in conventional ITP where surface conduction is negligible, the zone concentrations do not obey the Kohlrausch regulating function when surface conduction is prominent. Moreover, our simulations show that surface conduction alters the propagation speeds of ion-concentration shock waves in ITP. In addition, surface conduction results in additional shock and expansion waves in ITP which are otherwise not present in conventional ITP.