The catalytic dehydrogenative coupling of thiols with amines to produce desired sulfenamides and disulfides is an important catalytic reaction in industry. Presented herein is a protocol for the highly efficient electrochemical dehydrogenative coupling of thiols with amines/thiols to form S-N/S-S bonds, enabling the synthesis of S-N/S-S bonds under ambient conditions in the absence of oxidants, acids/bases or toxic (explosive) electrolytes, and the majority of the corresponding products are generated in yields of up to 99%. This protocol is believed to have great potential for industrial application.

Presented here is the first example of synthesizing an array of primary-, secondary-, and tertiary-α-ketoamides with a non-metal catalyst nBuNI from methyl ketones and inexpensive readily available amine/ammonium salts; the reactions proceeded smoothly under mild conditions, TBHP was used as an oxidant and the corresponding α-ketoamides were afforded in moderate to excellent yields.

Enhancing the lubrication property and bacterial resistance is extremely important for interventional biomedical implants to avoid soft tissue damage and biofilm formation. In this study, a zwitterionic phosphorylcholine coating (PMPC) was successfully developed to achieve surface functionalization of a polyurethane (PU)-based ureteral stent via subsurface “grafting from” photopolymerization. Typical surface characterizations such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and surface wettability and morphology analyses examined by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the phosphorylcholine polymer was grafted on the substrate with a thickness of 180 nm. Additionally, the tribological experiment performed by a universal material tester showed that the lubrication performance of PU–PMPC was significantly improved compared with that of PU. The in vitro experiments indicated that the PMPC coating was biocompatible and stably modified on the surface of the substrate with an excellent bacterial resistance rate of >90%. Furthermore, the result of the in vivo experiment showed that the anti-encrustation performance of the surface-functionalized ureteral stent was better than that of the bare ureteral stent. The great enhancement in the lubrication, bacterial resistance, and anti-encrustation properties of the phosphorylcholine coating was thought to be due to the hydration effects of the zwitterionic charges. In summary, the bioinspired zwitterionic phosphorylcholine coating developed herein achieved significantly improved lubrication, bacterial resistance, and anti-encrustation performances and could be used as a convenient approach for surface functionalization of interventional biomedical implants.

Biofouling causes numerous adverse impacts on devices and instruments in a marine environment. The main purpose of the present study is to develop a bioinspired and ecofriendly coating for inhibiting marine biofouling. Herein, based on a bacteriostatic and bactericidal synergistic method, we reported a selfadhesive lubricating copolymer with functional pendant groups, which was synthesized by free radical polymerization using dopamine methacrylamide (DMA), 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), and N-methacryloyloxy benzoisothiazolinone (M-BIT). The copolymer could self-adhere on the steel sheet with a simple dip-coating method and formed an effective antifouling coating on the surface. The adhesion behavior and lubrication property of the copolymer were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The antibacterial test demonstrated that the copolymer was efficient in inhibiting the accumulation of bacterial biofilm and normal growth of E. coli and S. aureus, and the algae inhibition test revealed that the copolymer had great suppression ability against Chlorella and Nitzschia closterium. Furthermore, the marine field test showed that the copolymer was endowed with excellent antifouling property, which was owing to the bacteriostatic performance of zwitterionic phosphocholine groups in MPC and the bactericidal effect of M-BIT. In conclusion, the bioinspired copolymer can achieve effective marine biofouling prevention by a bactericidal and bacteriostatic synergistic strategy, and it may be used as a self-adhesive coating for achieving surface functionalization of marine devices and instruments.