Temperature/Light Dual‐Responsive Inclusion Complexes of α‐Cyclodextrins and Azobenzene‐Containing Polymers

Three kinds of photoresponsive copolymers with azobenzene side chains were synthesized by radical polymerization of N‐4‐phenylazophenylacrylamide (PAPA) with N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), N,N‐diethylacrylamide (DEAM) or N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAM) respectively. Their structures were characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Their reversible photoresponses were studied with or without α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD), which showed that both the copolymers and their inclusion complexes with α‐CD underwent rapid photoisomerization. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the copolymers and their inclusion complexes with α‐CD were investigated by cloud point measurement, which showed that the LCST of three kinds of copolymers increased largely after adding α‐CD. After UV irradiation on the solutions of copolymers and their inclusion complexes, the LCST of the copolymers increased slightly with the absence of α‐CD, while decreased largely with the presence of α‐CD. Furthermore, the LCST reverted to its originality after visible light irradiation. This change of LCST could be reversibly controlled by UV and visible light irradiation alternately. In particular, in the copolymer of PAPA and DMAM, the reversible water solubility of the inclusion complexes could be triggered by alternating UV and visible light irradiation.     

Improved electrochemical performance of nano-crystalline Li2FeSiO4/C cathode material prepared by the optimization of sintering temperature

Li₂FeSiO₄/C cathode materials have been prepared using the conventional solid-state method by varying the sintering temperature (650 °C, 700 °C and 750 °C), and the structure and electrochemical performance of Li₂FeSiO₄/C materials are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), galvanostatic charge–discharge tests, respectively. The results show that Li₂FeSiO₄ nano-crystals with a diameter of about 6–8 nm are inbedded in the amorphous carbon, and the Li₂FeSiO₄/C material obtained at 700 °C exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 195 mA?h g^?1 at 1/16 C in the potential range of 1.5–4.8 V. The excellent electrochemical performance of Li₂FeSiO₄/C attributes to the improvement of conductivity and reduction of impurity by the optimization of the sintering temperature.     

Improved Photovoltaic Performance of MEH-PPV/PCBM Solar Cells via Incorporation of Si Nanocrystals

We have studied the effect of silicon nanocrystals （SiNCs） as a third component on performance of organic bulk heterojunction solar cells composed of poly[2-methoxy,5-（2＇-ethylhexyloxy）-l,4-phenylene vinylene] （MEH- PPV）：[6,6]-phenyI-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） blend film. By adding suitable amounts of SiNCs into MEH-PPV：PCBM blend, the device performance such as external quantum efficiency, short circuit current density （Js（）, and power conversion efficiency （PCE） improved. Incorporation of 2.5% SiNCs in the blend led to 13.6% improvement of Jsc, which in turn resulted in 18% improvement of PCE up to 2.28%. The improved performance was mainly due to the improvements both in the charge generation from the interface of MEH-PPV/SiNCs and the charge collection at the cathode.     

Resonant-Mie-scattering of aggregates of phosphomolybdate and papaverine for measuring activities and screening inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes

A resonant-light-scattering (RLS) method was proposed to quantify phosphate for screening inhibitors of isozymes of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE). In acidified mixtures of phosphate, papaverine and molybdate, there were aggregates exhibiting micrometre sizes, no absorbance peaks over 360 nm but strong RLS peaks at 392 nm; Mie scattering thus accounted for the RLS signals. When papaverine was added before molybdate to acidified samples of phosphate, RLS signals at 392 nm were stable from 5 to 25 min since the addition of molybdate; after optimization, phosphate from 0.40 to 3.60 μM was quantifiable. This RLS method tolerated 60 mg L⁻¹ proteins besides common PDE inhibitors and dimethyl sulfoxide in acidified samples of phosphate; the integration of this RLS method with the coupled action of a phosphomonoesterase on PDE product was thus rational to measure PDE activities without the removal of proteins in samples. By quantifying activities of a truncated mutant of human PDE4B2 via this RLS method, Michaelis–Menten constant, inhibition constants of rolipram, papaverine and theophylline varied over three magnitudes and were consistent with those estimated by an improved malachite green assay of phosphate, respectively. Hence, this novel RLS method was promising for screening inhibitors of PDE isozymes.     

Amperometric nonenzymatic determination of glucose based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with nickel(II) oxides and graphene

We have developed a stable and sensitive nonenzymatic glucose sensor by modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with a composite incorporating nickel(II) oxides and reduced graphene. The oxides were generated by directly electrodepositing nickel on the GCE with a graphene modifier using a multi-potential pulse process, and then oxidizing nickel to nickel(II) oxides by potential cycling. In comparison to the conventional nickel(II) oxides-modified GCE, this new nickel(II) oxides-graphene modified GCE (NiO-GR/GCE) has an about 1.5 times larger current response toward the nonenzymatic oxidation of glucose in alkaline media. The response to glucose is linear in the 20 μM to 4.5 mM concentration range. The limit of detection is 5 μM (at a S/N of 3), and the response time is very short (<3 s). Other beneficial features include selectivity, reproducibility and stability. A comparison was performed on the determination of glucose in commercial red wines by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and revealed the promising aspects of this sensor with respect to the determination of glucose in real samples.

Synthesis of oxazole and furan derivatives via Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed C≡X bond insertion of cyclic 2-diazo-1,3-diketones with nitriles and arylacetylenes

Abstract

A convenient and efficient procedure for the synthesis of 2-substituted-6,7-dihydrobenzo[d]oxazol-4(5H)-ones and 2-aryl-6,7-dihydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-ones through a Rh₂(OAc)₄-catalyzed C≡X (X?=?N, C) insertion of cyclic 2-diazo-1,3-diketones with nitriles and aromatic alkynes has been developed. This reaction uses readily available starting materials and stable cyclic 2-diazo-1,3-diketone compounds, with desired products formed in good to high yields. A tentative mechanism involving a C≡X bond insertion and 1,5-dipolar electrocyclization/ring opening and cyclization sequence for this reaction is proposed.     

Influence of clay on the morphology and phase separation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) blends

The effect of clay on the morphology and phase-separation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styreneco-acrylonitrile)(PMMA/SAN) blends and the variation of clay dispersion have been investigated. With the evolution of phase separation in PMMA/SAN, most of the clays are first located at the boundaries between PMMA and SAN, and then gradually move to the PMMA-rich domain, owing to the affinity of clay to PMMA. The introduction of clay causes the increase of binodal and spinodal temperatures of PMMA/SAN and enlarges their metastable region, indicating the phase stabilizing effect of clay on the matrix. But the influence of clay on the cloud points obviously depends on the composition of PMMA/SAN. The selective adsorption of PMMA on the clay results in the difference between the composition of surface layer and that of polymer matrix. Hence, the clay plays the role of an agent changing the conditions of phase structure formation.     

The (100) orientation evolution and temperature-dependent electrical properties of Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3–PbTiO3 ferroelectric films

The 0.2Bi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃–0.8PbTiO₃ (0.2BZT–0.8PT) ferroelectric thin film was successfully fabricated on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a sol–gel method. The result indicates that the film exhibits the (100) preferred orientation and has a relatively dense and uniform microstructure with a thickness of ~230 nm. The formation mechanism of the oriented films was ascribed to the growth of the (100) oriented PbO layer at ~450 °C during a layer-by-layer crystallization process. Temperature-dependent electrical properties of the 0.2BZT–0.8PT films were investigated, showing that the film has a potential for high temperature applications.     

Bioconjugation of Proteins with a Paramagnetic NMR and Fluorescent Tag

Site‐specific labeling of proteins with lanthanide ions offers great opportunities for investigating the structure, function, and dynamics of proteins by virtue of the unique properties of lanthanides. Lanthanide‐tagged proteins can be studied by NMR, X‐ray, fluorescence, and EPR spectroscopy. However, the rigidity of a lanthanide tag in labeling of proteins plays a key role in the determination of protein structures and interactions. Pseudocontact shift (PCS) and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) are valuable long‐range structure restraints in structural‐biology NMR spectroscopy. Generation of these paramagnetic restraints generally relies on site‐specific tagging of the target proteins with paramagnetic species. To avoid nonspecific interaction between the target protein and paramagnetic tag and achieve reliable paramagnetic effects, the rigidity, stability, and size of lanthanide tag is highly important in paramagnetic labeling of proteins. Here 4′‐mercapto‐2,2′: 6′,2′′‐terpyridine‐6,6′′‐dicarboxylic acid (4MTDA) is introduced as a a rigid paramagnetic and fluorescent tag which can be site‐specifically attached to a protein by formation of a disulfide bond. 4MTDA can be readily immobilized by coordination of the protein side chain to the lanthanide ion. Large PCSs and RDCs were observed for 4MTDA‐tagged proteins in complexes with paramagnetic lanthanide ions. At an excitation wavelength of 340 nm, the complex formed by protein–4MTDA and Tb³⁺ produces high fluorescence with the main emission at 545 nm. These interesting features of 4MTDA make it a very promising tag that can be exploited in NMR, fluorescence, and EPR spectroscopic studies on protein structure, interaction, and dynamics.