Synthesis of mesoporous carbons using ordered and disordered mesoporous silica templates and polyacrylonitrile as carbon precursor

Mesoporous carbons were synthesized from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) using ordered and disordered mesoporous silica templates and were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, and thermogravimetry. The pores of the silica templates were infiltrated with carbon precursor (PAN) via polymerization of acrylonitrile from initiation sites chemically bonded to the silica surface. This polymerization method is expected to allow for a uniform filling of the template with PAN and to minimize the introduction of nontemplated PAN, thus mitigating the formation of nontemplated carbon. PAN was stabilized by heating to 573 K under air and carbonized under N2 at 1073 K. The resulting carbons exhibited high total pore volumes (1.5-1.8 cm3 g(-1)), with a primary contribution of the mesopore volume and with relatively low microporosity. The carbons synthesized using mesoporous templates with a 2-dimensional hexagonal structure (SBA-15 silica) and a face-centered cubic structure (FDU-1 silica) exhibited narrow pore size distributions (PSDs), whereas the carbon synthesized using disordered silica gel template had broader PSD. TEM showed that the SBA-15-templated carbon was composed of arrays of long, straight, or curved nanorods aligned in 2-D hexagonal arrays. The carbon replica of FDU-1 silica appeared to be composed of ordered arrays of spheres. XRD provided evidence of some degree of ordering of graphene sheets in the carbon frameworks. Elemental analysis showed that the carbons contain an appreciable amount of nitrogen. The use of our novel infiltration method and PAN as a carbon precursor allowed us to obtain ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with (i) very high mesopore volume, (ii) low microporosity, (iii) low secondary mesoporosity, (iv) large pore diameter (8-12 nm), and (v) semi-graphitic framework, which represent a desirable combination of features that has not been realized before for OMCs.     

Cationic Heteroconjugation Constants in the OHN+ and NHO+ Systems in Propylene Carbonate: Dependence on Difference in Basicity

Cationic heteroconjugation equilibria of more than ninety systems consisting of substituted pyridines, their N-oxides, and trimethylamine N-oxide, i. e., in systems with mixed hydrogen bridges of type OHN⁺ (NHO⁺) were studied in propylene carbonate. Both experimental systems without proton transfer, BH⁺/B₁, and those with proton transfer, B₁H⁺/B, were explored. The stability of the mixed hydrogen bridges, OHN⁺ (NHO⁺), is compared with that of the OHC⁺-type bridges. The influence of the difference in basicity of the conjugate base of the proton donor and the proton acceptor on the presence of the proton transfer equilibria, and, consequently, the possibility of determination of the cationic heteroconjugation constant values is discussed.     

Pressure effect on grain boundary wetting at various temperatures

Bicrystals of Fe-6 at.% Si alloy containing <001> 5 tilt grain boundaries with a deposited zinc layer have been annealed at various hydrostatic pressure at four temperatures between 700° and 905°C. After the anneals the dihedral angle of the grain boundary groove formed at the site of the grain boundary intersection with the solid-melt interphase boundary has been measured. The transition from complete to incomplete wetting of the grain boundary by the zinc-rich melt (dewetting phase transition) has been found to occur as the pressure increased at all temperatures studied. The temperature dependence of the dewetting transition pressure p _w has been determined. That dependence has a minimum at a temperature of 790°C, which is close to the peritectic temperature in the Fe–Zn system (782°C). A thermodynamic analysis of the wetting phenomena in the two-component system, based on Becker's regular solution model for the surface tension of the interphase boundary, explains the minimum in the p _w (T) dependence.     

Multicomponent analysis with a computerized flow injection system using LED photometric detection

An original computer-controlled solid-state photometer has been developed and its potential for simultaneous multicomponent flow-injection analysis of binary and ternary mixtures is demonstrated. The device is simple in construction. Its principle of operation is based on rapid sequential measurements of the absorbance of the complexes formed by the analytes with chromogenic reagents at the wavelengths corresponding to the emission maxima of three light emitting diodes (563, 580 and 638 nm).     

New phosphonic analogs of aspartic and glutamic acid by aminoalkylation of trivalent phosphorus chlorides with ethyl acetyloacetate or ethyl levulinate and benzyl carbamate

Preparation of the phosphonic analogs of -methylaspartic (4 a–d), glutamic (7 a–b) and -methylpyroglutamic (5 a–b) acids by aminoalkylation of trivalent phosphorus chlorides with ethyl esters of oxoalkyloacids and benzyl carbamate is described. The phosphonic analogs of pyroglutamic acid (8 a–b) was obtained by the cyclization of the corresponding esters (9 a–b). The stability of the phosphonic analogs of pyroglutamic acid in acidic and alkaline media was also studied.

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Die Herstellung von neuen Phosphonanalogen der Asparagin- und Glutaminsäure in der Reaktion von trivalenten Phosphorchloriden mit Ethyl-acetyloacetat oder Ethyl-lävulinat bzw. Benzylcarbaminat

Zusammenfassung Es wurde die Darstellung der Phosphonanalogen der -Methylasparaginsäure (4 a–d), Glutamin- (7 a–b) und -Methylpyroglutaminsäure (5 a–b) in der Reaktion der trivalenten Phosphorchloride und der Oxoalkansäureethylester sowie des Benzylcarbaminats beschrieben. In der Ringschlußreaktion der Ester (9 a–b) erhält man Phosphonanaloge der Pyroglutaminsäure. Die Stabilität der Analogen der Pyroglutaminsäure wurde in sauren und alkalischen Medien geprüft.

     

Molecularly-imprinted polypyrrole-modified stainless steel frits for selective solid phase preconcentration of ochratoxin A

A molecularly-imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared by electropolymerization of pyrrole (Py) onto a stainless steel frit, using ochratoxin A (OTA) as the template, in order to make a micro solid phase preconcentration (SPP) device. The OTA template was removed with 1% triethylamine (TEA) in methanol. Compared to non-imprinted polypyrrole (PPy), the molecularly-imprinted polypyrrole (MIPPy) enhanced the selective binding of OTA. The percentage recovery improved from 0 to 40% when the OTA sample solution was acidified with 1 M HCl (1% by volume). At a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, maximum OTA binding was reached in 6 min after a total loading of 3.2 ng OTA. Final elution of the OTA was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection, using 20:80 v/v acetonitrile–ammonia buffer (NH₄Cl/NH₃, 20 mM, pH 9.2) as the mobile phase. The MIPPy-SPP-HPLC results clearly demonstrated that the MIPPy-SPP device afforded selective preconcentration of OTA from red wine samples, at OTA concentration levels as low as 0.05 ppb, prior to HPLC analysis.     

Modified electrodes based on lipidic cubic phases

The lipidic cubic phase can be characterized as a curved bilayer forming a three-dimensional, crystallographical, well-ordered structure that is interwoven by aqueous channels. It provides a stable, well-organized environment in which diffusion of both water-soluble and lipid-soluble compounds can take place. Cubic phases based on monoacylglycerols form readily and attract our interest due to their ability to incorporate and stabilize proteins. Their lyotropic and thermotropic phase behaviour has been thoroughly investigated. At hydration over 20%, lipidic cubic phases Ia3d and Pn3m are formed. The latter is stable in the presence of excess water, which is important when the cubic phase is considered as an electrode-modifying material. Due to high viscosity, the cubic phases can be simply smeared over solid substrates such as electrodes and used to host enzymes and synthetic catalysts, leading to new types of catalytically active modified electrodes as shown for the determination of cholesterol, CO(2), or oxygen. The efficiency of transport of small hydrophilic molecules within the film can be determined by voltametry using two types of electrodes: a normal-size electrode working in the linear diffusion regime, and an ultramicroelectrode working under spherical diffusion conditions. This allows determining both the concentration and diffusion coefficient of the electrochemically active probe in the cubic phase. The monoolein-based cubic phase matrices are useful for immobilizing enzymes on the electrode surface (e.g., laccases from Trametes sp. and Rhus vernicifera were employed for monitoring dioxygen). The electronic contact between the electrode and the enzyme was maintained using suitable electroactive probes.     

ESR evidence for structural rearrangements occurring upon MoO3 reduction

Reduction of polycrystalline MoO₃ in the course of heat treatmentin vacuo has been studied by means of ESR. The formation of two different Mo(V) centers has been identified: center A withg_x = 1.946, g_y = 1.960, g_z = 1.868; and center B characterized byg_x = 1.943, g_y = 1.954, g_z = 1.878. Center B exhibited a well-resolved hyperfine structure resulting from naturally abundant odd isotopes of Mo:A_x = 3.2mT, A_y = 3.0mT, A_z = 7.0mT. Species A formed at an early stage of reduction has been identified as Mo(V) in rhombically distorted square pyramidal surrounding, whereas center B appearing in strongly reduced samples shows a distorted octahedral coordination. The results have been interpreted in terms of the crystallographic shear mechanism.     

Atom-transfer radical polymerization of poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers in aqueous media

Soluble comb-shaped and swelling network polymers based on monomethacrylate (M = 2080) and bismethacrylate (M = 4000) poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers, have been synthesized by the controlled atom-transfer radical polymerization in aqueous media. PEG 2000 methyl ether ethyl-2-bromoisobutyrate and 2-bromoisobutyrate, in combination with CuBr, CuBr₂, and 2,2′-bipyridyl, have been used as initiators. The length of the main chain of comb-shaped polymers, as estimated with multidetector chromatography, is in good agreement with the calculated values in the 15–20 range at M _w /M _n = 1.42–1.89. The polymerization of the methacrylate macromonomer proceeds at a high rate and with a nearly quantitative conversion. The replacement of 10–80 mol % CuBr with CuBr₂ appreciably decelerates polymerization and decreases polydispersity to 1.14–1.21, while the experimental and calculated values of chain lengths remain equal. This finding indicates a higher level of process control. The polymer networks thus prepared manifest Gaussian elastic behavior, as is evident from the relationship between the elastic modulus G and the swelling degree Q that is consistent with the classical prediction G ～ Q ^m , where m = ?1/3. Within the framework of the accepted model of networks of this type, this fact suggests the short length of polymethacrylate chains. In addition, the relationship between the time of attainment of the gelation point and the composition of the initiation system agrees with the atomtransfer controlled polymerization mechanism. The efficiencies of various radical polymerization methods for controlling the network structure are compared.     

Precipitation polymerization of aniline in the presence of water‐soluble organic acids

The precipitation polymerization of aniline in the presence of organic acids, including toluene‐4‐sulfonic acid, phenylphosphonic acid, 4‐aminophenylphosphonic acid, and acetophosphonic acid, led in one step to conductive polyaniline. The polyaniline showed very good affinity for water and was easily modified to be water‐soluble. In comparison with the widely studied postpolymerization of doped polyaniline, this reaction allowed reasonably good conductivity to be achieved at a lower acid/polyaniline ratio. Moreover, the easy in situ incorporation of the dopant into the polymer structure caused high stability of the created salt; that is, no dedoping was observed after it was washed with water, methanol, or other solvents. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3562–3569, 2002