Facile synthesis of gold nanoflowers as SERS substrates and their morphological transformation induced by iodide ions

We report a new strategy to prepare gold nanoflowers(AuNFs) using a two-step seed-mediated method. The as-prepared AuNFs were employed as surface-enhance Raman scattering(SERS) substrates, showing strong signal enhancement. We further found that iodide ions(I~–) could selectively induce the morphological transformation of AuNFs to spheres, resulting in a blue-shift of the localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) bands, a color change of the AuNFs solution from blue to red, and decreased SERS activity. This behavior allows the AuNFs to be used in the determination of I~–.     

A posteriori error estimates of stabilized finite volume method for the Stokes equations

In this work, the residual‐type posteriori error estimates of stabilized finite volume method are studied for the steady Stokes problem based on two local Gauss integrations. By using the residuals between the source term and numerical solutions, the computable global upper and local lower bounds for the errors of velocity in H¹ norm and pressure in L² norm are derived. Furthermore, a global upper bound of u ? u_h in L²‐norm is also derived. Finally, some numerical experiments are provided to verify the performances of the established error estimators. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

被孔隙介质约束的弹性杆中的导波*

为了研究导波在被孔隙介质约束的弹性杆结构中的传播规律,分析孔隙参数对导波传播特性的影响,本文建立了无限大孔隙介质包裹圆柱体的理论模型,利用孔隙介质弹性波动理论,分析了导波的频散曲线,以及圆柱半径和孔隙参数对于导波传播特性的影响。结果表明,在该结构中传播的纵向导波存在频散特性。内部圆柱半径的改变影响波导结构,从而影响导波传播。外部孔隙介质的渗透率对于导波频散的影响较小,孔隙度的改变影响孔隙介质体波波速,从而影响导波频散曲线的截止频率。同时,导波存在较小的衰减,且衰减随孔隙度增大而增大。这些结果对于后续开展无限大介质包裹弹性杆结构的超声无损评价提供了一定的理论参考。     

Synchronous fluorescence determination of human serum albumin with methyl blue as a fluorescence probe

A new synchronous fluorescence scan analysis was developed for the determination of HSA with high sensitivity with a triphenylmethane acid dye methyl blue as a fluorescence probe. When Deltalambda=140 nm, the synchronous fluorescence peak of methyl blue is located at 323 nm and the synchronous fluorescence intensity of the methyl blue is significantly increased in the presence of trace HSA due to the complex formed between methyl blue and HSA at pH 4.1. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graphs are linear over the range 0.03-266.0 and 266.0-665.0 microg mL(-1) for human serum albumin (HSA). Limit of determination were 0.03 microg mL(-1) for HSA. In the detection of HSA in human serum samples, this method gave values close the clinical data got from hospital.     

Stepwise interfacial self-assembly of nanoparticles via specific DNA pairing

In the present work, we succeeded in alternatively depositing inorganic nanoparticles and functionalized DNA bases onto the water/oil interface from the water and oil bulk phases. The ligands used were functional thymines and adenines. Their thiol and phosphate groups were used to cap inorganic nanoparticles and their thymine and adenine groups to alter the surface functionality of the nanoparticles, thus enabling a layer-by-layer growth fashion of nanoparticles at the interface. The multiple particle ligation rendered the resulting nanoparticle films rather mechanically robust. As results, the freestanding asymmetric bilayer and trilayer films, composed of negatively-charged Au, positively-charged CdTe, and/or organic Ag nanoparticles were constructed; their areas were as large as over several centimetres, depending on the sizes of the containers used. Our work should bring up a novel methodology to generate asymmetric multilayer films of nanoparticles with a defined control of electron or charge across the films.     

Microstructure design of nanoporous TiO2 photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cell modules

The optimization of dye-sensitized solar cells, especially the design of nanoporous TiO2 film microstructure, is an urgent problem for high efficiency and future commercial applications. However, up to now, little attention has been focused on the design of nanoporous TiO2 microstructure for a high efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell modules. The optimization and design of TiO2 photoelectrode microstructure are discussed in this paper. TiO2 photoelectrodes with three different layers, including layers of small pore size films, larger pore size films, and light-scattering particles on the conducting glass with the desirable thickness, were designed and investigated. Moreover, the photovoltaic properties showed that the different porosities, pore size distribution, and BET surface area of each layer have a dramatic influence on short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and fill factor of the modules. The optimization and design of TiO2 photoelectrode microstructure contribute a high efficiency of DSC modules. The photoelectric conversion efficiency around 6% with 15 x 20 cm2 modules under illumination of simulated AM1.5 sunlight (100 mW/cm2) and 40 x 60 cm2 panels with the same performance tested outdoor have been achieved by our group.     

Single-walled carbon nanotube binding peptides: probing tryptophan's importance by unnatural amino acid substitution

Peptides selected from phage-displayed libraries have been found to exhibit high-affinity binding to carbon nanotubes including single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and single-walled carbon nanohorns. One unique feature of these peptides is that their amino acid sequences are rich in tryptophan and histidine residues. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of the tryptophan residue in a newly identified SWNT-binding peptide, UW-1, which contains the motif, XTHXXPWTX, where X is any amino acid. Tryptophan was altered in the following ways: mutation to alanine or substitution with three unnatural tryptophan analogues, i.e., 5-fluorotryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and 7-azatryptophan. Analysis of experimental and computational data suggests that the highest occupied molecular orbital of the tryptophan residue in the peptide interacts with the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital from the SWNT. This information should be important in permitting modulation of peptide affinities to these nanomaterials.     

Protein detection and quantitation by tetraphenylethene-based fluorescent probes with aggregation-induced emission characteristics

Three functionalized derivatives of tetraphenylethylene (TPE), namely, 1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene (1), 1,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene (2), and 1,2-bis[4-(3-sulfonatopropoxyl)phenyl]-1,2-diphenylethene sodium salt (3), were synthesized and their fluorescence properties were investigated. All the TPE molecules are nonluminescent in the solution state but are induced to emit efficiently by aggregate formation. This novel process of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is rationalized to be caused by the restriction of intramolecular rotations of the dye molecules in the aggregate state. The possibility of utilizing the AIE effect for protein detection and quantification is explored using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein, with salt 3 being found to perform as a stable, sensitive, and selective bioprobe.     

Supramolecular interaction of ethylenediamine linked beta-cyclodextrin dimer and berberine hydrochloride by spectrofluorimetry and its analytical application

The supramolecular interaction of β-cyclodextrin dimer with berberine hydrochloride was studied in aqueous KH₂PO₄-H₃PO₄ buffer solution of pH 2.00 at room temperature by spectrofluorimetry. The apparent association constant of the complex was 1.53 × 10⁴ L mol⁻¹. Based on the significant enhancement of fluorescence intensity of supramolecular sandwich complexes, a spectrofluorimetric method with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed for the determination of berberine hydrochloride in aqueous solution in presence of ethylenediamine linked β-CD dimer. The linear range of the method was 12.8-1.00 × 10⁴ ng mL⁻¹ with the detection limit 3.6 ng mL⁻¹. There was no interference from the normally used in tablets and serum constituents. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of berberine hydrochloride in tablets and serum. And then it has a promising potential in therapeutic drug monitoring, pharmokinetis and clinical application.