Directed by the temperature-induced phase transformation in the alkane (from heptane to dodecane)-P123-water-TEOS quadru-component system, i.e., from a swollen inverse hexagonal phase (H 2 ) to a swollen lamellar phase (L α ) and then to a swollen normal micelles phase (L 1 ), complex silica materials, such as mesoporous nanofibres, multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and mesocellular foams (MCFs), are constructed.Since the discovery of highly ordered mesoporous silicas, 1 a new era of supermolecular self-assembly of mesoporous materials has begun. Due to their potential industrial applications, the controlled construction of ordered porous silica materials has always been one of the focused issues in this field. Generally, controlling the self-assembly of organic (i.e., surfactant)-inorganic composites was considered to be the key factor in the construction of mesoporous materials. Up to now, various routes have been explored to get structural/morphological variations. Specifically, different reaction compositions and conditions can remarkably alter the self-assembly of inorganic-organic composites, and various mesostructures can then be constructed. 2-6The oil-water-surfactant emulsion systems have been widely studied for their potential applications in oil refineries.7 Emulsion morphology transformation in the oil-water-triblock copolymer systems has been well documented, 8 e.g., different lyotropic liquid crystalline or solution phases have been observed. 8a,bFor oil-water-surfactant systems, although various mesoporous silica materials have been obtained, most of these works were focused on pore size expansion and other aspects of the mesoporous materials. 9-11For instance, a small amount of TMB, acting as a swelling agent, was proven to be effective in the synthesis of ordered large-pore SBA-15. 1c However, when a large amount of TMB was used, due to the relatively strong interaction between aromatics and the copolymer surfactants, 8d highly organized/ordered structures were difficult to maintain, instead, mesocellular foam (MCF) structures often resulted.11 Thus, it seems that a proper interaction between an additional component (besides water and surfactant) and the copolymer surfactant is crucial in constructing highly ordered structures. In our previous studies, it was demonstrated that alkanes with different chain lengths interact differently with the P123 surfactant. 10 Only those of suitable chain length, i.e., ranging from hexane to decane, are good matches to P123 copolymers, and can thus be used to build highly ordered large-pore SBA-15. It is well known that the amphiphilic behavior of triblock copolymers is sensitive to temperature changes, which has been used to control the wall thickness of 1c Therefore, by altering the initial reaction temperature, it is possible to tune the relative affinity of the P123 surfactant, and the phase behavior of the alkane-water-surfactant-TEOS emulsion system. Based on our recent studies, 10b herein, by finely tuning the reaction compositions of the alkane-water-P1...

Despite extensive studies on hydrogen production via steam reforming of alcohols and sugar alcohols, catalysts typically suffer a variety of issues from poor hydrogen selectivity to rapid deactivation. Here, we summarize recent advances in fundamental understanding of functionality and structure of catalysts for alcohol/sugar alcohol steam reforming, and provide perspectives on further development required to design highly efficient steam reforming catalysts.

Optically pure reagents that are able to deliver a trifluoromethylthio group with good to excellent enantioselectivities.

Aromatic methyl ketones and cyclic asymmetric ketones underwent hydrophosphorylation with P-stereogenic H-P species in the presence of potassium carbonate to produce P,C-stereogenic tertiary α-hydroxyl phosphinates in excellent yields with up to 99 : 1 dr. The diastereoselectivity was induced by a reversible conversion of less stable stereomer of product to that of a more stable one via an equilibrium, which was confirmed by aldehyde/ketone exchanging reaction. Toward the exchange, aliphatic or aldehyde carbonyl were more active than aromatic or ketone carbonyls, respectively. The stability difference between the two diastereomers was controlled by the sizes of substituents linking to phosphorus or α-carbon.