Structural Characterization of Graphene Nanosheets for Miniaturization of Potentiometric Urea Lipid Film Based Biosensors

The present article describes a miniaturized potentiometric urea lipid film based biosensor on graphene nanosheets. Structural characterization of graphene nanosheets for miniaturization of potentiometric urea lipid film based biosensors have been studied through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. UV‐Vis and Fourrier transform IR (FTIR) spectroscopy have been utilized to study the pre‐ and postconjugated surfaces of graphene nanosheets. The presented potentiometric urea biosensor exhibits good reproducibility, reusability, selectivity, rapid response times (～4 s), long shelf life and high sensitivity of ca. 70 mV/decade over the urea logarithmic concentration range from 1×10^?6 M to 1×10^?3 M.     

A sensitive LC‐MS/MS method for the quantification of febuxostat in human plasma and its pharmacokinetic application

An improved, simple and highly sensitive LC‐MS/MS method has been developed and validated for quantification of febuxostat with 100 μL human plasma using febuxostat‐d₇ as an internal standard (IS) according to regulatory guidelines. The analyte and IS were extracted from human plasma via liquid–liquid extraction using diethyl ether. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax C₁₈ column using a mixture of acetonitrile and 5 mm ammonium formate (60:40, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The total run time was 5.0 min and the elution of febuxostat and IS occurred at 1.0 and 1.5 min, respectively. A linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 1–6000 ng/mL (r > 0.99). The precursor to product ion transitions monitored for febuxostat and IS were m/z 317.1 → 261.1 and 324.2 → 262.1, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (%RSD) were within 1.29–9.19 and 2.85–7.69%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies in humans. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of <Superscript>99</Superscript>Mo production cross-section from the <Superscript>100</Superscript>Mo(n,2n) reaction with quasi monoenergetic neutron based on the <Superscript>9</Superscript>Be(p,n) reaction

The production cross-section of the medical isotope, ⁹⁹Mo from the enriched ¹⁰⁰Mo(n,2n) reaction with the average neutron energies of 21.9 and 26.5 MeV has been determined for the first time by using an off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The average neutron energies were generated by using the ⁹Be(p,n) reaction with the proton energies of 35 and 45 MeV from the MC50 cyclotron of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) at Seoul, South Korea. The ¹⁰⁰Mo(n,2n) reaction cross-section as a function of neutron energy was also calculated theoretically by using the computer code TALYS-1.8 and EMPIRE-3.2 Malta. The experimental results are in close agreement with the theoretical values from TALYS-1.8. However, the present data at the neutron energy of 21.9 MeV is slightly lower and at 26.5 MeV is higher than the values from EMPIRE-3.2 Malta.     

Solvent‐assisted anionic ring opening polymerization of glycidol: Toward medium and high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerols

Hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) are globular structures with a large number of functionalizable hydroxyl groups and have excellent in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility profiles comparable to polyethylene glycol. This work introduces a facile method for the synthesis of medium molecular weights (M_ws) (50–300 kDa) HPGs, which has been difficult to synthesize with low polydispersity, with the assistance of solvents by ring opening polymerization. The influence of different solvents (1,4‐dioxane, tetrahydropyran (THP), ethylene glycol diethyl ether (EGDE) and decane), solvent to glycidol ratio, concentration of glycidol and the time of polymerization on M_w and polydispersity of HPGs has been studied. The M_w and polydispersity of HPGs are significantly affected by the nature of the polymerization phase (homogeneous or heterogeneous) and chemical structure of the solvent. The differences in the solvation of the potassium cations and change in the nucleophilicity of the alkoxide anion in various solvents may be responsible for the changes in M_w and PDI of the HPG. The M_w of the HPG decreases in the order 1,4‐dioxane > THP > EGDE >decane. The microstructure, solution and thermal properties of the HPG do not depend on the nature of solvent. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2614–2621     

Bentonite-modified electrochemical sensors: a brief overview of features and applications

Bentonites are promising materials for electrochemical sensing because of their unique physicochemical properties. They have relatively high surface area, good adsorption and ion-exchange ability, highly tunable surface and interlayer composition, non-toxic nature, and excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, they are outstanding substrates for stable immobilization of different functional moieties. The primary focus of this review article is to highlight the applications of bentonite-modified electrodes for the analysis of organic and inorganic analytes in different matrices. A brief summary on the necessity of analysis of different compounds is provided. For the first time, features and applications of bentonite-modified electrodes are critically appraised. The key features of bentonite-modified electrodes that enhance their electrocatalytic activity toward detection of certain target analytes are highlighted. At the end, an account of current status of bentonite-modified electrodes along with future research directions is provided.     

Temperature dependent electrical conductivity of polyaniline/Y2O3 composites

Composites of polyaniline with yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) nanoparticles have been prepared by chemical polymerizations method by increasing the weight percentage of yttrium oxide. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra (FTIR) were used to characterize the composites. XRD and FTIR pattern indicate that Polyaniline (PANI) is intercalated into the layers of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles successfully by in situ polymerization and therefore the degree of crystallinity increases due to crystalline of yttrium oxide nanoparticles. The scanning electron micrographs (SEM) also confirm the formation of dual phase of platelet as well as of flaky structure in PANI-Y₂O₃. Temperature dependant DC conductivity showed three dimensional variable ranges hopping (3D VRH) model. Activation energy, density of states and hopping length are calculated and found to be influenced by intercalating PANI into the layers of Y₂O₃ clay.