Low-temperature oxidation of CO, perhaps the most extensively studied reaction in the history of heterogeneous catalysis, is becoming increasingly important in the context of cleaning air and lowering automotive emissions. Hopcalite catalysts (mixtures of manganese and copper oxides) were originally developed for purifying air in submarines, but they are not especially active at ambient temperatures and are also deactivated by the presence of moisture. Noble metal catalysts, on the other hand, are water tolerant but usually require temperatures above 100 degrees C for efficient operation. Gold exhibits high activity at low temperatures and superior stability under moisture, but only when deposited in nanoparticulate form on base transition-metal oxides. The development of active and stable catalysts without noble metals for low-temperature CO oxidation under an ambient atmosphere remains a significant challenge. Here we report that tricobalt tetraoxide nanorods not only catalyse CO oxidation at temperatures as low as -77 degrees C but also remain stable in a moist stream of normal feed gas. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that the Co(3)O(4) nanorods predominantly expose their {110} planes, favouring the presence of active Co(3+) species at the surface. Kinetic analyses reveal that the turnover frequency associated with individual Co(3+) sites on the nanorods is similar to that of the conventional nanoparticles of this material, indicating that the significantly higher reaction rate that we have obtained with a nanorod morphology is probably due to the surface richness of active Co(3+) sites. These results show the importance of morphology control in the preparation of base transition-metal oxides as highly efficient oxidation catalysts.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The dependence of the host on the interaction of hundreds of extracellular proteins with the cell surface glycosaminoglycan heparan sulphate (HS) for the regulation of homeostasis is exploited by many microbial pathogens as a means of adherence and invasion. The closely related polysaccharide heparin, the widely used anticoagulant drug, which is structurally similar to HS and is a common experimental proxy, can be expected to mimic the properties of HS. Heparin prevents infection by a range of viruses if added exogenously, including S-associated coronavirus strain HSR1 and here, we show that the addition of heparin (100 μg.ml -1 ) to vero cells inhibits invasion by SARS-CoV-2 by 70%. We also demonstrate that heparin binds to the Spike (S1) protein receptor binding domain and induces a conformational change, illustrated by surface plasmon resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy studies. The structural features of heparin on which this interaction depends were investigated using a library of heparin derivatives and size-defined fragments. Binding is more strongly dependent on the presence of 2-O or 6-O sulphation, and the consequent conformational consequences in the heparin structure, than on N-sulphation. A hexasaccharide is required for conformational changes to be induced in the secondary structure that are comparable to those that arise from heparin binding. Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight clinical anticoagulant, also binds the S1 RBD protein and induces conformational change. These findings have implications for the rapid development of a first-line therapeutic by repurposing heparin as well as for next-generation, tailor-made, GAG-based antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 and other members of the Coronaviridae.

No abstract

The results of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that there were double tan δ peaks in the poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)/silica nanocomposite samples at low frequencies. The two relaxations attribute to glass transition for PVA matrix and motions of segments for PVA chains confined by the surface of silica nanoparticles, respectively. The thickness of the interfacial immobilized layer was calculated, and schematic models were founded, which can well interpret the results. The changes of the two relaxations with various silica contents at different frequencies are discussed. It is considered that most of the interfacial PVA chains probably span the two layers. The peak position of the first relaxation moves to high temperature with the increase of frequency for strain lag of the sample whereas the second one shifts to low temperature for the "drag effect" between the intrinsic and interfacial segments of the spanned PVA chains.

No abstract