The nature of the active sites involved in the gold catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction between iodobenzene and phenylacetylene, and in the competitive homocoupling reactions, has been investigated by means of DFT calculations, kinetic measurements, and synthesis of catalysts with different gold surface species. Several catalyst models have been theoretically investigated to simulate gold nanoparticles of different size either isolated, supported on inert materials, or supported on CeO 2 . The mechanistic studies show that IB dissociation occurs on low coordinated Au 0 atoms present in small gold nanoparticles, either isolated or supported, while PA is preferentially adsorbed and activated on Au δ+ species existing at the metal−support interface. When this occurs, the activation energy of the rate-determining step of the Sonogashira reaction, which has been found experimentally to be the bimolecular coupling, is minimized. The product distribution obtained with Au/CeO 2 catalysts containing different ratios of Au 0 /Au δ+ sites confirms the positive role played by cationic gold in the Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. Importantly, only metallic Au 0 atoms present in gold nanoparticles are required to perform the homocoupling of iodobenzene.

An electron microscopy study, in combination with modeling and image simulation, of four different reconstituted ferritin samples: recombinant human H and L homopolymers, and H and L heteropolymers of native L-subunit-rich horse spleen and H-subunit-rich human heart ferritins, points out the existence of a correlation between iron core shape and protein shell.

A strong focus on Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIOs) has been appreciated recently especially for their use in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). However, some questions are being raised over these particles due to their long-term toxicity related to the production of toxic free iron during their biodegradation. Here we show by Electron Microscopy how SPIOs (P904) (Guerbet, Paris) are degraded after they are taken up by macrophages, so that iron from the SPIO core is progressively incorporated into the iron-storing protein ferritin (a nontoxic form of iron).

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Purpose Fused filament fabrication or fused deposition modeling (FFF/FDM) has as one of its main restrictions the surface quality intrinsic to the process, especially linked to the layer thickness used during manufacture. The purpose of this paper is to study the possibility of improving the surface quality of polylactic acid (PLA) parts manufactured by FFF using the shot blasting technique. Design/methodology/approach The influence of corundum blasting on 0.2 mm layer thickness FDM PLA parts treated with two sizes of abrasive, different exposure times and different incidence pressures. Findings As a result, improvements of almost 80% were obtained in the surface roughness of the pieces with high exposure times, and more than 50% in just 20 s. Originality/value This technique is cheap, versatile and adaptable to different part sizes and geometries. Furthermore, it is a fast and environmentally friendly technique compared to conventional machining or vapor smoothing. Despite this, no previous studies have been carried out to improve the quality of this technology.

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