Application of self-assembly for replacing chromate in corrosion protection of zinc

Due to the toxic and carcinogenic properties of hexavalent chromium ion, the corrosion protection with chromating technique needs replacement. Several environmentally friendly alternative metal pretreatments have already been proposed. One of these methods is the application of self-assembling molecules to form mono- or multilayers on the metal surfaces. These layers can prevent metal dissolution due to their dense and stable structure. The objective of our studies was to protect zinc surface against corrosion, with a thin phosphonate layer. Aqueous solutions of diphosphonic acid with different alkyl chain lengths were applied with different treatment times. The layer formation, stability, and corrosion protection of these films were monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the effect of 1,5-diphosphono-pentane (DPP) on zinc was studied by polarization curves. The wetting properties were determined by static contact angle measurement. 1,5-Diphosphono-pentane forms a thin layer, with a pronounced protective ability in neutral aqueous solutions. The application of self-assembling molecules can be a promising method to replace the chromating technique on zinc surface.     

Thin layer distillation for matrix isolation in flow analysis

Analyte transfer from the matrix in a thin layer distillation (TLD) cell and its subsequent measurement were investigated in a flow injection configuration. We designed the cell such that the donor and acceptor streams flowed in parallel channels separated by a thin dividing wall. The matrix transfer process involved room-temperature distillation of the analyte into the headspace of the TLD cell and its subsequent condensation/uptake by a concurrently flowing acceptor stream. There are no membranes; hence there are no membrane-related problems. The TLD system design was optimized with respect to its dimensions and operational parameters. Throughput and sensitivity were compared with a conventional pervaporation flow injection (PFI) system for ammonia and five different amines. For the higher molecular mass amines, the TLD approach provided comparable or superior performance. The TLD technique should be an attractive approach for online analysis of volatile chemical species in ‘dirty’ samples, especially for volatile analytes of higher molecular mass.     

Amperometric detection of hydrazine by cyclic voltammetry and flow injection analysis using ruthenium modified glassy carbon electrodes

Glassy carbon electrodes modified with (5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline)bis(bipyridine)ruthium(II) chloride hydrate, [(bpy)₂Ru(5-phenNH₂)]Cl₂·H₂O, are shown to oxidize hydrazine with excellent sensitivity. The presence of an amine group on the ruthenium complex facilitates electropolymerization onto the electrode surface. Using cyclic voltammetry, a large catalytic current is observed upon oxidation of hydrazine in phosphate buffer (pH 5.0), compared to the current obtained from the ruthenium-modified electrode with no hydrazine present. The sensitivity of cyclic voltammetry is sufficient for obtaining a linear calibration curve for hydrazine over the range of 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻² M. Hydrodynamic amperometry was used to determine the working potential for flow injection analysis. The limit of detection for hydrazine was determined to be 8.5 μM using FIA. The thickness of these films was shown to increase linearly with the number of electropolymerization cycles, in the range of 1000-2500 nm for 5-20 cycles, respectively, using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). RBS analysis also suggests that the film is multilayered with the outermost layers containing a high ruthenium concentration, followed by layers where the concentration of ruthenium decreases linearly and approaches zero at the electrode surface.     

Microgel-based engineered nanostructures and their applicability with template-directed layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte assembly in protein encapsulation

A novel strategy for the fabrication of microcapsules is elaborated by employing biomacromolecules and a dissolvable template. Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) microparticles were used as sacrificial templates for the two-step deposition of polyelectrolyte coatings by surface controlled precipitation (SCP) followed by the layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption technique to form capsule shells. When sodium alginate was used for inner shell assembly, template decomposition with an acid resulted in simultaneous formation of microgel-like structures due to calcium ion-induced gelation. An extraction of the calcium after further LbL treatment resulted in microcapsules filled with the biopolymer. The hollow as well as the polymer-filled polyelectrolyte capsules were characterized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning force microscopy (SFM). The results demonstrated multiple functionalities of the CaCO(3) core - as supporting template, porous core for increased polymer accommodation/immobilization, and as a source of shell-hardening material. The LbL treatment of the core-inner shell assembly resulted in further surface stabilization of the capsule wall and supplementation of a nanostructured diffusion barrier for encapsulated material. The polymer forming the inner shell governs the chemistry of the capsule interior and could be engineered to obtain a matrix for protein/drug encapsulation or immobilization. The outer shell could be used to precisely tune the properties of the capsule wall and exterior. [Diagram: see text] Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) image of microcapsules (insert is after treating with rhodamine 6G to stain the capsule wall).     

LBL分子沉积法制备葡萄糖氧化酶电极

采用以静电力为主的逐层分子交替沉积技术制备葡萄糖氧化酶（GOD）电极.通过带有正电荷的聚二甲基二烯丙基铵盐酸盐（PDDA）和带有负电荷的GOD交替沉积在修饰有3-巯基-1-丙基磺酸钠（MPS）的金电极表面.以甲酸二茂铁为电子媒介体,用循环伏安法检测GOD电极对葡萄糖的响应.结果表明,当GOD电极组装层数小于4时,电流响应随着层数的增加而增大,超过4层时电流响应减小.其中4层GOD修饰电极的线性范围为0.55～6.63 mmol•L－1,当pH为7.0时,响应最大.同时电极的检测重现性能良好,相对标准偏差为2.4％.     

显微共焦拉曼光谱研究电化学合成聚苯胺膜

显微共焦拉曼技术被用来研究电化学合成的聚苯胺（PANI）膜. 研究结果表明：在不同的激发光聚焦深度，聚苯胺膜的拉曼光谱有明显变化.从而反映出聚苯胺膜的掺杂程度在膜生长过程中随膜厚度的增长而增加. 并由X射线电子能谱（XPS）和紫外吸收光谱（UV）分析证实.     

Spectroelectrochemical Measurements at Colloidal Au Multilayer Optically Transparent Electrodes

Application of thin colloidal Au multilayers on glass substrates as optically transparent electrodes is reported herein. Evaluation of the electrode by scanning electron microscopy and as an optically transparent thin layer electrode (OTTLE) illustrate its use for spectroelectrochemical applications. A spectroelectrochemical Nernst plot acquired for the oxidation of o‐tolidine yielded a value of E°=0.605 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and n=1.88. Both of these values are in excellent agreement with previously published values obtained using a traditional Au minigrid OTTLE. The colloidal Au multilayer electrode is expected to offer many advantages over the minigrid OTTLE in specific applications. These advantages include direct control over microscopic surface topography, large electrochemical surface area, applicability to many different electrode geometries, and increased microscopic surface roughness for SERS and SPR applications.     

Investigation of the detection limit for the determination,by pyrolysis-capillary GC,of the thickness of ultra thin PMMA layers coated on to PET film

The determination of nanometer thick layers of poly(methyl methacrylate) coated on to the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film has been investigated by high resolution pyrolysis gas chromatography without sample pretreatment or modification of the instrumentation used. A good linear relationship was observed between the quantity of the characteristic pyrolysate and the thickness of the poly(methyl methacrylate) layer; the detection limit was sufficient to enable the quantitation of poly(methyl methacrylate)-to-poly(ethylene terephthalate) film thickness ratios of 1:20000 in composite materials.     

Spectroscopic Interrogation of Layer-by-layer Assembled Films of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes

Layer-by-layer fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolyte films have been studied. The photoluminescence of conjugate polyelectrolytes was observed to be highly tunable during this film assembly process. Efficient photoinduced electron transfer from thus prepared highly luminescent film to a natural electron-transfer protein cytochrome c has also been observed.     

MICRO-PHASE SAEPARATION IN EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE PARTICLES DURING CURING PROCESS

Sub-micron sized phenolic epoxy resin waterborne particles were prepared by phase inversion emulsification. Micro-phase separation occurred during the curing process at high temperature. The as-prepared samples possessed one glass transition temperature （Tg） and two exothermal processes during DSC heating scannings. After being thermally treated above the exothermal peak temperature, they possessed two glass transition temperatures with the disappearance of exothermal peaks, whilst a core/shell structure was formed. This was likely related with the outward diffusion of reactive oligomers to the outer layer of particles.