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Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 6232

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ioana Demetrescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of General Chemistry, Politehnica University of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: biomaterials; physical chemistry; biomaterials science; electrochemistry; corrosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Eleonora-Mihaela Ungureanu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 1-7 Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: physical chemistry; organic electrochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Molecules is dedicated to recent advances in applied chemistry research areas and comprises a diverse selection of exclusive papers from the Editorial Board Members (EBMs) and Topical Advisory Panel Members of the Section “Applied Chemistry”. It focuses on highlighting recent interesting investigations conducted in the laboratories of our section’s EBMs and aims to represent our section as an attractive open access publishing platform for applied chemistry research.

Prof. Dr. Ioana Demetrescu
Prof. Dr. Eleonora-Mihaela Ungureanu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • applied chemistry
  • new molecules/materials
  • analytical methods and techniques
  • electrochemistry and catalysis
  • green chemistry
  • theoretical chemistry

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1817 KiB  
Article
Modified Polyethylene Oxide Solid-State Electrolytes with Poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene)
by Jinwei Yan, Wen Huang, Tangqi Hu, Hai Huang, Chengwei Zhu, Zhijie Chen, Xiaohong Fan, Qihui Wu and Yi Li
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2422; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112422 - 31 May 2025
Viewed by 301
Abstract
Lithium-ion batteries are restricted in development due to safety issues such as poor chemical stability and flammability of organic liquid electrolytes. Replacing liquid electrolytes with solid ones is crucial for improving battery safety and performance. This study aims to enhance the performance of [...] Read more.
Lithium-ion batteries are restricted in development due to safety issues such as poor chemical stability and flammability of organic liquid electrolytes. Replacing liquid electrolytes with solid ones is crucial for improving battery safety and performance. This study aims to enhance the performance of polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based polymer via blending with poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)). The experimental results showed that the addition of P(VDF-HFP) disrupted the crystalline regions of PEO by increasing the amorphous domains, thus improving lithium-ion migration capability. The electrolyte membrane with 30 wt% P(VDF-HFP) and 70 wt% PEO exhibited the highest ionic conductivity, widest electrochemical window, and enhanced thermal stability, as well as a high lithium-ion transference number (0.45). The cells assembled with this membrane electrolyte demonstrated an excellent rate of performance and cycling stability, retaining specific capacities of 122.39 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.5C, and 112.77 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 1C and 25 °C. The full cell assembled with LiFePO4 as the positive electrode exhibits excellent rate performance and good cycling stability, indicating that prepared solid electrolytes have great potential applications in lithium batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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16 pages, 2450 KiB  
Article
Development and Validation of a Simple and Cost-Effective LC-MS/MS Method for the Quantitation of the Gut-Derived Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide in Human Plasma of Healthy and Hyperlipidemic Volunteers
by Nikolaos A. Parisis, Panoraia Bousdouni, Aikaterini Kandyliari, Maria-Helen Spyridaki, Amalia Despoina Koutsogianni, Christina Telli, Konstantinos K. Tsilidis, Antonios E. Koutelidakis and Andreas G. Tzakos
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112398 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 274
Abstract
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbial metabolite of dietary precursors, including choline and carnitine. Elevated levels of TMAO in human plasma have been associated with several diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, neurological disorders, and cancer. This has led [...] Read more.
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbial metabolite of dietary precursors, including choline and carnitine. Elevated levels of TMAO in human plasma have been associated with several diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, neurological disorders, and cancer. This has led to an increased interest in the accurate determination of TMAO in human blood, for which a reliable, cost-effective and sensitive analytical method should be established. LC-MS/MS has emerged as a powerful tool for the determination of TMAO due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and ability to handle complex matrices. Herein, we describe the development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of TMAO in human blood plasma. Our method involves a simple sample preparation protocol, involving a protein precipitation step along with a non-deuterated IS, followed by a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Additionally, the method was adapted and implemented on an UPLC-QTOF/MS. The method was validated using the guidelines set by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for assay performance and robustness in human plasma and successfully applied to plasma derived from healthy and hyperlipidemic volunteers. The developed method was found to be specific, sensitive, and accurate for the determination of TMAO in human plasma, with a lower limit of quantification of 0.25 µM. The intra- and inter-assay precision and trueness were within acceptable limits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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13 pages, 3342 KiB  
Article
Effects of Diverse Acrylates on the Electro-Optical Performance of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films
by Nan Sun, Zuowei Zhang and Huai Yang
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2284; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112284 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 231
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of different functional groups on the electro-optical properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films. Twelve acrylate monomers with functional groups like amino, halogen, and double-bond were introduced into PDLC films, and twelve samples were prepared. The electro-optical properties [...] Read more.
This study investigated the influence of different functional groups on the electro-optical properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films. Twelve acrylate monomers with functional groups like amino, halogen, and double-bond were introduced into PDLC films, and twelve samples were prepared. The electro-optical properties and microstructure of the films were characterized. The results show that compared to films with amino and halogen groups, those with hydroxyl groups have the best balance of driving voltage and contrast, achieving higher contrast at lower driving voltage, making this preparation scheme ideal for low-voltage, high-contrast PDLC films. Also, in the presence of hydroxyl groups, introducing double bonds increases saturation voltage and decreases saturation. Hydrogen-bond engineering through strategically positioned hydroxyl groups in acrylate monomers optimizes PDLC performance by enabling compact polymer networks and controlled phase separation, achieving superior contrast ratios (163) and low saturation voltages (15.8 V), while amino groups induce steric limitations and dual-bond systems that disrupt hydrogen-bond efficacy, highlighting hydroxyl spatial design as critical for electro-optical optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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22 pages, 14767 KiB  
Article
Experiments and Calculation on New N,N-bis-Tetrahydroacridines
by Madalina-Marina Hrubaru, Constantin Draghici, Francis Aurelien Ngounoue Kamga, Elena Diacu, ThankGod C. Egemonye, Anthony C. Ekennia and Eleonora-Mihaela Ungureanu
Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4082; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174082 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1033
Abstract
Tetrahydroacridines arouse particular interest due to the potential possibilities of application in the medical field and protection against corrosion. Bis-tetrahydroacridines were newly synthesized by Pfitzinger condensation of 5,5′-(ethane-1,2-diyl) diindoline-2,3-dione with several cyclanones. NMR, MS, and FT-IR were used to prove their molecular [...] Read more.
Tetrahydroacridines arouse particular interest due to the potential possibilities of application in the medical field and protection against corrosion. Bis-tetrahydroacridines were newly synthesized by Pfitzinger condensation of 5,5′-(ethane-1,2-diyl) diindoline-2,3-dione with several cyclanones. NMR, MS, and FT-IR were used to prove their molecular structure. In addition, a computer-aided study was performed for the lowest energy conformers of each structure, in vacuum conditions, at ground state using DFT models to assess their electronic properties. UV–Vis and voltammetric methods (cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, and rotating disk electrode voltammetry) were used to investigate their optical and electrochemical properties. The results obtained for these π-conjugated heteroaromatic compounds lead to the conclusion that they have real potential in applications in different fields such as pharmaceuticals and especially as corrosion inhibitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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17 pages, 7314 KiB  
Article
Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Based Nanowire-Imprinted Membranes with High Flux for Efficient and Selective Separation of Artemisinin/Artemether
by Minjia Meng, Jiajia Ren, Chuanxun Zhang, Wanqi Du and Jixiang Wang
Molecules 2024, 29(16), 3868; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29163868 - 15 Aug 2024
Viewed by 996
Abstract
A traditional phase transformation method is commonly used to prepare molecular imprinting membranes for selective separation. However, traditional molecularly imprinted polymers are mostly micron-sized particles, and the imprinting sites in their membrane are easily embedded, leading to a reduced adsorption capacity and decreased [...] Read more.
A traditional phase transformation method is commonly used to prepare molecular imprinting membranes for selective separation. However, traditional molecularly imprinted polymers are mostly micron-sized particles, and the imprinting sites in their membrane are easily embedded, leading to a reduced adsorption capacity and decreased selectivity. In this study, an ultra-long nanowire with a diameter of about 15 nm was synthesized for the separation of artemisinin (ART), and its adsorption capacity was as high as 198.29 mg g−1 after imprinting polymerization. Molecular imprinting membranes were prepared, using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), and polysulfone (PSF) as the membrane matrix, for comparison. The average membrane pore size of PVDF-MIM was about 480 nm, and PVDF-MIM had the highest adsorption capacity (69 mg g−1) for ART. The optimal flow rate for PVDF-MIM’s dynamic adsorption of ART was 7 mL min−1. Under this optimal flow rate, selectivity experiments were carried out to obtain the separation factor of PVDF-MIM (α = 8.37), which was much higher than the corresponding values of PES-MIM and PSF-MIM. In addition, the hydrophobicity and low flux of PES-MIM and PSF-MIM lead to higher non-specific adsorption. The hydrophobicity of PVDF-MIM is lower than that of PES-MIM and PSF-MIM, which greatly reduces the non-specific adsorption of the membrane, thus increasing the selectivity of the membranes. Therefore, the effective density of the imprinting sites in the pores and the membrane structure are the main factors determining the efficient separation of molecularly imprinted membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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19 pages, 26118 KiB  
Article
A Novel Low-Density-Biomass-Carbon Composite Coated with Carpet-like and Dandelion-Shaped Rare-Earth-Doped Cobalt Ferrite for Enhanced Microwave Absorption
by Tao Shang, Hongwei Zhu, Yichun Shang, Ruixia Wu and Xuebing Zhao
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112620 - 2 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1220
Abstract
A novel low-density composite for the absorption of microwaves was prepared by loading La-doped spinel cobalt ferrite (La-CFO) onto biomass carbon (BC) derived from corn stalks using a hydrothermal method. This composite (La-CFO@BC) not only maintained the advantageous properties of low density and [...] Read more.
A novel low-density composite for the absorption of microwaves was prepared by loading La-doped spinel cobalt ferrite (La-CFO) onto biomass carbon (BC) derived from corn stalks using a hydrothermal method. This composite (La-CFO@BC) not only maintained the advantageous properties of low density and abundant porosity, but also exhibited a unique morphology, with La-CFO displaying a carpet-like structure interspersed with dandelion-shaped particles. The incorporation of La-CFO effectively tuned the electromagnetic parameters of the composite, thereby improving its impedance-matching attributes and its ability to absorb microwave radiation. At a frequency of 12.8 GHz for electromagnetic waves and with a thickness of 2.5 mm, La-CFO@BC demonstrated remarkable performance in microwave absorption, attaining a noteworthy minimum reflection (RLmin) of −53.2 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.4 GHz. Furthermore, by varying the thickness of the La-CFO@BC within the range of 1.0 to 5.5 mm, the EAB could be broadened to 13.8 GHz, covering the entire X-band, the entire Ku-band, and a substantial portion of the C-band. This study demonstrated that La-CFO@BC was a promising alternative for electromagnetic wave attenuation, which offered superior performance in microwave absorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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14 pages, 2507 KiB  
Article
[FeIIICl(TMPPH2)][FeIIICl4]2: A Stand-Alone Molecular Nanomedicine That Induces High Cytotoxicity by Ferroptosis
by Xiao Wang, Jia-Hao Feng, Chun-Mei Zeng, Ze-Sheng Zhang, Feng-Lin Cao, Wen-Hua Zhang, Jin-Xiang Chen and David J. Young
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2495; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112495 - 24 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1572
Abstract
Developing clinically meaningful nanomedicines for cancer therapy requires the drugs to be effective, safe, simple, cheap, and easy to store. In the present work, we report that a simple cationic Fe(III)-rich salt of [FeIIICl(TMPPH2)][FeIIICl4]2 [...] Read more.
Developing clinically meaningful nanomedicines for cancer therapy requires the drugs to be effective, safe, simple, cheap, and easy to store. In the present work, we report that a simple cationic Fe(III)-rich salt of [FeIIICl(TMPPH2)][FeIIICl4]2 (Fe-TMPP) exhibits a superior anticancer performance on a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines, including breast, colorectal cancer, liver, pancreatic, prostate, and gastric cancers, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the range of 0.098–3.97 μM (0.066–2.68 μg mL−1), comparable to the best-reported medicines. Fe-TMPP can form stand-alone nanoparticles in water without the need for extra surface modification or organic-solvent-assisted antisolvent precipitation. Critically, Fe-TMPP is TME-responsive (TME = tumor microenvironment), and can only elicit its function in the TME with overexpressed H2O2, converting H2O2 to the cytotoxic •OH to oxidize the phospholipid of the cancer cell membrane, causing ferroptosis, a programmed cell death process of cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members and Topical Advisory Panel Members of Molecules in the Section “Applied Chemistry”)
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