The role of chromium and nickel on the thermal and mechanical properties of FeNiCr austenitic stainless steels under high pressure and temperature: a molecular dynamics study

The effect of Cr and Ni content on thermo-mechanical properties of FeNiCr austenitic stainless steel under ambient and high pressure and temperature were investigated by MD simulations. The FCC structure was selected as optimum structure for FeNiCr system based on obtained MD results from Bonny EAM potential and valid experimental results. The structural and mechanical properties of pure Fe, Ni, and Cr were also estimated based on this potential, indicating good agreement with experimental results. These properties were computed for four experimental case studies which showed less than 10% error. Moreover, the elastic constants of the Fe–(8–18)Ni–(18–25)Cr systems were estimated. Results showed that bulk modulus increases by increasing the Ni and Cr contents, which can be connected to the changes in bonding electrons. The thermal properties of FeNiCr were calculated in ambient and high pressure. Although thermo-mechanical properties confirm good agreement with experimental results at the ambient condition, however, they indicate that FeNiCr Bonny potential is not applicable at high pressure. In order to tackle this issue, a hybrid potential was used at high Pressure/Temperature. The results illustrate enhanced mechanical properties, increase of melting point and reduction of LTE in high pressure and deteriorated mechanical properties at high temperature.     

Development of silver-containing austenite antibacterial stainless steels for biomedical applications Part I: microstructure characteristics,mechanical properties and antibacterial mechanisms

The as-quenched (AQ) microstructure of the Ag-containing alloys was found to be essentially a mixture of austenite (γ) and Ag phases. The Ag phase precipitates had a face-centered-cubic structure and lattice parameter a = 4.09 Å. When the alloy contained Ag ≥0.2 wt%, the mechanical properties were slightly enhanced because of the precipitate strengthening by the Ag phase precipitates. Moreover, the Ag-containing alloys exhibited ductile fracture after tensile testing. The results of an antibacterial test revealed that the Ag phase precipitates play a key role in the antibacterial mechanism of Ag-containing alloys: Ag⁺ ions released from the Ag phase precipitates can kill bacteria. It is suggested that as AISI 316L alloy has an Ag content ≥0.2 wt%, it will have excellent antibacterial properties against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with an antibacterial rate of nearly 100%.     

Construction of 1-2D Cu(or Cu) metal-organic architectures with metal thiocyanates and bipyridyl spacers: Syntheses, structures, and thermal properties

Three new coordination polymers based on IB metal thiocyanates, [Cu^II(NCS)₂(DMSO)₄(meso-dpb)]_n (1), (2), [Cu^I(NCS)(pia)]_n (3) (dpb = 2,3-di(4-pyridyl)-2,3-butanediol, bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane, pia = N,N′-(1,2-phenylene)diisonicotinamide), have been synthesized by the pre-assembly method and characterized by X-ray crystallography. In 1, Cu^II cations are bridged by meso-dpb ligands to form a one-dimensional (1D) linear chain. Compound 2 consists of 2D undulated layers of (4, 4) topology that show twofold parallel interpenetration. In the case of 3, the M^I center adopts tetrahedral coordination geometry and the 2D networks are formed by organic ligand with “folding ruler-shaped” NCS⁻-M chains. The thermal properties of 1-3 were also investigated.     

Solution and Membrane-Bound Conformations of the Tandem C2A and C2B Domains of Synaptotagmin 1: Evidence for Bilayer Bridging

Synaptotagmin 1 (syt1) is a synaptic vesicle membrane protein that functions as the Ca²⁺ sensor in neuronal exocytosis. Here, site-directed spin labeling was used to generate models for the solution and membrane-bound structures of a soluble fragment of syt1 containing its two C2 domains, C2A and C2B. In solution, distance restraints between the two C2 domains of syt1 were measured using double electron-electron resonance and used in a simulated annealing routine to generate models for the structure of the tandem C2A-C2B fragment. The data indicate that the two C2 domains are flexibly linked and do not interact with each other in solution, with or without Ca²⁺. However, the favored orientation is one where the Ca²⁺-binding loops are oriented in opposite directions. A similar approach was taken for membrane-associated C2A-C2B, combining both distances and bilayer depth restraints with simulated annealing. The restraints can only be satisfied if the Ca²⁺ and membrane-binding surfaces of the domains are oriented in opposite directions so that C2A and C2B are docked to opposing bilayers. The result suggests that syt1 functions to bridge across the vesicle and plasma membrane surfaces in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner.     

Hydrogen-bond formation of the residue in H-loop of the nucleotide binding domain 2 with the ATP in this site and/or other residues of multidrug resistance protein MRP1 plays a crucial role during ATP-dependent solute transport

MRP1 couples ATP binding/hydrolysis to solute transport. We have shown that ATP binding to nucleotide-binding-domain 1 (NBD1) plays a regulatory role whereas ATP hydrolysis at NBD2 plays a crucial role in ATP-dependent solute transport. However, how ATP is hydrolyzed at NBD2 is not well elucidated. To partially address this question, we have mutated the histidine residue in H-loop of MRP1 to either a residue that prevents the formation of hydrogen-bonds with ATP and other residues in MRP1 or a residue that may potentially form these hydrogen-bonds. Interestingly, substitution of H827 in NBD1 with residues that prevented formation of these hydrogen-bonds had no effect on the ATP-dependent solute transport whereas corresponding mutations in NBD2 almost abolished the ATP-dependent solute transport completely. In contrast, substitutions of H1486 in H-loop of NBD2 with residues that might potentially form these hydrogen-bonds exerted either full function or partial function, implying that hydrogen-bond formation between the residue at 1486 and the γ-phosphate of the bound ATP and/or other residues, such as putative catalytic base E1455, together with S769, G771, T1329 and K1333, etc., holds all the components necessary for ATP binding/hydrolysis firmly so that the activated water molecule can efficiently hydrolyze the bound ATP at NBD2.     

Preparation, crystal structures and spectroscopic properties of novel [MCl3 − n(P)3 + n] (M = Co, Rh; n = 0, 1, 2 or 3) series of complexes containing tripodal tridentate phosphine, 1,1,1-tris(dimethylphosphinomethyl)ethane

Cobalt(III) and rhodium(III) complexes of the series of [M^IIICl_3 − n(P)_3 + n]ⁿ⁺ (M = Co or Rh; n = 0, 1, 2 or 3) have been prepared with the use of 1,1,1-tris(dimethylphosphinomethyl)ethane (tdmme) and mono- or didentate phosphines. The single-crystal X-ray analyses of both series of complexes revealed that the M-P and M-Cl bond lengths were dependent primarily on the strong trans influence of the phosphines, and secondarily on the steric congestion around the metal center resulting from the coordination of several phosphine groups. In fact, the M-P(tdmme) bonds became longer in the order of [MCl₃(tdmme)] < [MCl₂(tdmme)(PMe₃)]⁺ < [MCl(tdmme)(dmpe)]²⁺ (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) < [M(tdmme)₂]³⁺ for both Co^III and Rh^III series of complexes, while the M-Cl bond lengths were shortened in this order (except for [M(tdmme)₂]³⁺). Such a steric congestion around the metal center can also account for the structural and spectroscopic characteristics of the series of complexes, [MCl(tdmme)(dmpm, dmpe or dmpp)]²⁺ (dmpm = bis(dimethylphosphino)methane, dmpp = 1,3-bis(dimethylphosphino)propane). The X-ray analysis for [CoCl(tdmme)(dmpm or dmpe)](BF₄)₂ showed that all Co-P bonds in the dmpm complex were shorter by 0.03-0.04 Å than those in the dmpe complex. Furthermore, the first d-d transition energy of the Co^III complexes and the ¹J_Rh-P(tdmme) coupling constants observed for the Rh^III complexes indicated an unusual order in the coordination bond strengths of the didentate diphosphines, i.e., dmpm > dmpe > dmpp.