Protein Assays on Organic Electronics: Rational Device and Material Designs for Organic Transistor-Based Sensors

Artificial receptor-based protein assays have various attractive features such as a long-term stability, a low-cost production process, and the ease of tuning the target specificity. However, such protein sensors are still immature compared with conventional immunoassays. To enhance the application potential of synthetic sensing materials, organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are some of the suitable platforms for protein assays because of their solution processability, durability, and compact integration. Importantly, OFETs enable the electrical readout of the protein recognition phenomena of artificial receptors on sensing electrodes. Thus, we believe that OFETs functionalized with artificial protein receptors will be a powerful tool for the on-site analyses of target proteins. In this Minireview, we summarize the recent progress of the OFET-based protein assays including the rational design strategies for devices and sensing materials.     

Palladium/Copper Dual Catalysis for the Cross‐Coupling of Aryl(trialkyl)silanes with Aryl Bromides

Whereas aryl(trialkyl)silanes are considered to be ideal organometallic reagents for cross‐coupling reactions owing to their stability, low toxicity, solubility, and easy accessibility, they are generally inert under typical cross‐coupling conditions. Disclosed herein is a palladium/copper catalytic system that enables the cross‐coupling of trimethyl, triethyl, tert‐butyldimethyl, and triisopropyl aryl silanes with aryl bromides. This process is applicable to the sequential C?H and C?Si bond arylation of thiophenes and the synthesis of poly(thiophene–fluorene)s.     

Recent topics in annulation reaction via double CH bond cleavage and double CC bond formation

Cyclic compounds have been consistently key components in organo functional molecules. To construct cycles, a catalytic two CH bond-cleaving annulation is one of the most ideal and straightforward methods with atom and step economies. Recently, many patterns of such annulation reactions have been developed, which construct a variety of cyclic compounds consisted of from simple to complex frameworks. This Digest focuses a recent progress in two or more than three CH bond-cleaving annulation reactions and is outlined as follows: (1) intramolecular annulation, (2) intermolecular annulation via double CH bond cleavages in one molecule, and (3) intermolecular annulation via double CH bond cleavages in two molecules.     

Application of the DV-Xα cluster method to calculations of the electronic structure of silicate and phosphate glasses

The electronic structure of simple silicate and phosphate clusters, which are assumed to exist in rapidly quenched Li₂O---SiO₂ and Li₂O---P₂O₅ glasses, has been calculated by the discrete variational (DV)-Xα molecular orbital method. The calculations have been carried out for several sizes of clusters, namely, tetrahedral units (SiO₄⁴⁻ and PO₄³⁻), dimers (Si₂O₇⁶⁻ and P₂O₇⁴⁻), and trimers (Si₃O₉⁶⁻ and P₃O₉³⁻). For both systems the valence electronic state is characterized by an occupied valence band, with O 2p components, and an unoccupied band of Si or P orbitals, separated by an energy gap. The energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the loest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) decreases with increasing cluster size. A mulliken population analysis show that the negative effective charge on the non-bridging oxygens is decreased with decreasing energy gap. The bond order of the Si---O and P---O bonds, and thus the strength of these bonds, is increased with increasing cluster size.     

Properties of ZrO2---Al2O3 composite powders prepared from Zr---Al metallo-organic compounds

Zr---Al metallo-organic compounds (zircoaluminates), having (CH₂)₄COOH, (CH₂)₁₂CH₃ and (CH₂)₂NH₂ as the organofunctional groups, were treated preliminary by (1) spray-drying, (2) gelation of addition of 10% NH₄OH aqueous solution followed by spray-drying and (3) rotary evaporation under a reduced pressure. After the treatment they were heated in air to prepare ZrO₂---Al₂O₃ composite powders. The IR and DTA profiles for the treated compounds indicated that the procedures modified the structures for the zircoaluminates. The stability of tetragonal ZrO₂ for the ZrO₂---Al₂O₃ composite powder were dependent on the modification in the structure for the zircoaluminates. Balloon shaped particles, 0.5–2 μm in diameter, were obtained through procedure (1) and spherical particles, 1–4 μm in diameter, through (2). Tetragonal ZrO₂ grains, 0.1–0.2 μm in diameter, were dispersed in the particles when heated at 1400°C.     

Latest Results From the HypHI Experiments at GSI: Hypernuclear Spectroscopy with Heavy Ion Induced Reactions

The HypHI Phase 0 experiment with ⁶Li projectiles at 2 AGeV on a carbon target has been performed at GSI in order to demonstrate the feasibility of hypernuclear spectroscopy with induced reaction of heavy ion beams. Current data analyses have shown peaks in invariant mass distributions of p + π ^? for Λ, ³He+ π ^? for ³ _Λ H and ⁴He + π ^? for ⁴ _Λ H. Lifetime values for the corresponding peaks have been also deduced, which are in good agreement with the former known values.     

Preparation of New Fibrous Organic-Inorganic Layered Compounds Derived from Zinc Hydroxyde

Abstract

A new preparation method of the fibrous organic-inorganic nanohybrids was established by the reaction of Zn(OH)₂ with various organic carboxylic acids. Interlayer spacings of the reaction products of Zn(OH)₂ with benzoic acid and p-phenyl azobenzoic acid were 1.46 and 2.04 nm, and these reaction products have layered structure. In IR spectra, new peaks of RCOO-Zn band appeared at around 1400 cm^?1 and 1550 cm^?1 indicating that hydroxyl groups reacted with organic carboxylic acids. SEM images of these reaction products showed fibrous morphology. The TEM image showed that the layer structure was constructed along the fiber direction.     

Scale-model experiments of moving fire whirl over a line fire

A fire whirl, observed during a wildland fire in Brazil in 2010, occurred over a narrow but long line fire and moved along the line fire at nearly a constant speed. There appeared to be no mountains, tall buildings or trees near the scene, indicating that the fire whirl was generated merely by the interaction between the line fire and background wind. Scale-model experiments having different line fire configurations were designed and performed to reconstruct the above-mentioned Brazil fire whirl. Moving fire whirls were successfully reconstructed during the scale-model experiments, the mechanism and conditions of which are discussed herein.     

Functionalization of polyethylene based on metallocene catalysis and its application to syntheses of new graft copolymers possessing polar polymer segments

The control of hydroxylated polyethylene (PE) structures was investigated in the copolymerization of ethylene with allyl alcohol or 10-undecen-1-ol with a specific metallocene, methylaluminoxane, and trialkyl aluminum catalyst system through changes in the copolymerization conditions. The incorporation of allyl alcohol into the PE backbones was controllable through changes in the trialkyl aluminum, leading to terminally hydroxylated PE or a copolymer possessing hydroxyalkyl side chains. The copolymerization of ethylene with 10-undecen-1-ol gave copolymers with hydroxyalkyl side chains of various contents with a variety of molecular weights through changes in the copolymerization conditions. The obtained copolymers were useful as macroinitiators that allowed polar polymer segments to grow on the PE backbones, leading to the creation of graft copolymers that possessed PE and polar polymer segments. In this way, polyethylene-g-poly(propylene glycol) (PE-g-PPG) and polyethylene-g-poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PE-g-PCL) were synthesized. The ¹³C NMR analysis of PE-g-PPG suggested that all the hydroxyl groups were consumed for propylene oxide polymerization, and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated nanoorder phase separation and indistinct phase boundaries. ¹³C NMR and gel permeation chromatography analyses indicated the formation of PE-g-PCL, in which 36–80 mol % of the hydroxyl groups worked as initiators for ϵ-caprolactone polymerization. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3657–3666, 2003     

Morphological studies of a hydrogen-bonded LC polymer obtained by photopolymerization in LC solvents

Anisotropic morphologies and the phase behaviour of a hydrogen-bonded LC polymer obtained by photopolymerization in two kinds of LC solvent are discussed. The hydrogen-bonded LC monomer, 4-(6-acryloyloxyhexyloxy) benzoic acid (A6OBA), was photopolymerized in 4-cyano-4'-hexyloxybiphenyl (6OCB) and in 4-cyano-4'-undecyloxybiphenyl (11OCB), which show a nematic phase and a smectic A phase, respectively. After photo-polymerization, the LC media were removed by extraction and the pure polymer was observed by scanning electron microscopy. SEM images showed that the polymer possessed fibrous morphology with a fibre diameter of a few micrometers, based on polymerization-induced phase separation. The overall geometries reflected typical LC characteristics such as schlieren and focal-conic fan textures. It was found that the hydrogen bond between benzoic acid groups in the monomer was rigid enough to fix the anisotropic phase-separated structure forming during the early stage of phase separation; however, it could not permanently maintain the fibre structure due to dissociation at elevated temperature. X-ray measurements revealed that a well developed layer structure of the hydrogen-bonded mesogen existed in the polymer obtained from the smectic phase of 11OCB, whereas a polymer layer structure could develop only partially from the nematic phase of 6OCB.