Differential 3D shape retrieval

We are presenting a differential three-dimensional (3-D) shape profiling method that is based on the combination of orthogonal fringe projection. It allows us to compute depth gradient maps in a fast and efficient manner. What we are demonstrating is that depth gradients can be computed in a simple way by measuring fringe deformation throughout a novel single-shot approach. We show the usefulness and potential applications of the proposed approach. Validation experiments are presented as well.     

NHC‐Pd complex‐catalyzed double carbonylation of aryl iodides with secondary amines to α‐keto amides

A series of palladium–NHC compounds were prepared and their catalytic activity in the double carbonylation of aryl iodides to synthesize α‐keto amides were examined. Palladium complexes bearing mixed NHC–phosphine exhibited high efficiency for the double carbonylation reaction. The effects of different solvents, base, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO), pressure, various amine and aryl iodides were investigated. Both electron‐rich and electron‐deficient aryl iodides afforded the corresponding substituted α‐keto amides in moderate to good yields. A possible mechanism was also proposed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chiral separation of phenylalanine and tryptophan by capillary electrophoresis using a mixture of β‐CD and chiral ionic liquid ([TBA] [l‐ASP]) as selectors

In this paper, a simple, effective and green capillary electrophoresis separation and detection method was developed for the quantification of underivatized amino acids (dl ‐phenylalanine; dl ‐tryptophan) using β‐Cyclodextrin and chiral ionic liquid ([TBA] [l ‐ASP]) as selectors. Separation parameters such as buffer concentrations, pH, β‐CD and chiral ionic liquid concentrations and separation voltage were investigated for the enantioseparation in order to achieve the maximum possible resolution. A good separation was achieved in a background electrolyte composed of 15 mm sodium tetraborate, 5 mm β‐CD and 4 mm chiral ionic liquid at pH 9.5, and an applied voltage of 10 kV. Under optimum conditions, linearity was achieved within concentration ranges from 0.08 to 10 µg/mL for the analytes with correlation coefficients from 0.9956 to 0.9998, and the analytes were separated in less than 6 min with efficiencies up to 970,000 plates/m. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of amino acid enantiomers in compound amino acids injections, such as 18AA‐I, 18AA‐II and 3AA. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A rapid,highly efficient,and general protocol for the synthesis of functionalized triarylmethanes: a straightforward access for the synthesis of (−)-tatarinoid C

A rapid, efficient, and convenient synthesis of functionalized triarylmethane is described by the Friedel–Crafts alkylation of methoxybenzenes with a variety of aldehydes in the presence of BF₃·OEt₂. The generality of the method is demonstrated by screening a variety of di- or tri-substituted arenes as well as substituted aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehydes. (−)-Tatarinoid C is synthesized in a single step following the same protocol.     

Time domain topology optimization of 3D nanophotonic devices

We present an efficient parallel topology optimization framework for design of large scale 3D nanophotonic devices. The code shows excellent scalability and is demonstrated for optimization of broadband frequency splitter, waveguide intersection, photonic crystal-based waveguide and nanowire-based waveguide. The obtained results are compared to simplified 2D studies and we demonstrate that 3D topology optimization may lead to significant performance improvements.     

Synthesis of 15P-Conjugated PPy-modified Gold Nanoparticles and Their Application to Photothermal Therapy of Ovarian Cancer

In this work, we synthesized the polypyrrole（PPy） modified gold nanoparticles and demonstrated their negligible cytotoxicity in vitro. These nanoparticles have also been demonstrated to efficiently ablate different kinds of tumor cells in vitro under the irradiation of the near-infrared laser. When the PPy modified gold nanoparticles were conjugated with the tumor-targeted molecule of 15P（sequence： SHSWHWLPNLRHYAS）, these conjugates displayed hyperthermia effects on the human ovarian cancer cell line SK-OV-3 cells in vitro under the irradiation of near-infrared laser, showing great tumor-targeted treatment efficiency. To determine the potential hyperthermia effect of PPy modified gold nanoparticles or 15P-conjugate on tumor cells in vivo, the SK-OV-3 cells were used to induce the subcutaneous tumor-bearing nude mice. The significant inhibition effects of near-infrared laser mediated PPy modified gold nanoparticles or 15P-conjugate on the tumor growth were observed. These composite results suggest that the 15P-conjugated PPy modified gold nanoparticles exhibit great biocompatibility, particularly tumor-targeted effect and the effective photothermal ablation of tumor cells, which warrants the potential therapeutic value of this conjugate for further application to the in vivo localized tumor therapy.     

A novel one pot multi-component strategy for facile synthesis of 5-aryl-[1,2,4]triazolidine-3-thiones

We have disclosed an efficient, one pot, novel multi-component approach for the synthesis of 5-aryl-[1,2,4]triazolidine-3-thiones from aldehyde, hydrazine hydrate, and trimethylsilyl isothiocyanate (TMSNCS) in the presence of catalytic amount of sulfamic acid. High yields, easy work-up procedure, no chromatographic separation, and novelty in multi-component strategy are the main merits of the present strategy.     

Versatile functional poly(3‐hexylthiophene) for hybrid particles synthesis by the grafting onto technique: Core@shell ZnO nanorods

We demonstrate an efficient strategy to anchor poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) onto zinc oxide (ZnO) surfaces. Synthesis of a novel triethoxysilane‐terminated regioregular P3HT is herein reported and supported by thorough characterization. Three triethoxysilane‐terminated P3HTs of different molar masses were prepared via a hydrosilylation reaction from allyl‐terminated P3HT. MALDI‐TOF and ¹H NMR were performed to characterize the polymer and show that around 80% of the chains are end‐functionalized. These polymers were then grafted onto the ZnO nanorods to create a macromolecular self‐assembled monolayer. This versatile technique could be subsequently applied to different metal oxide surfaces, such as silicon, titanium, or indium‐tin oxide, and represents a new one‐pot strategy based on triethoxysilane coupling reaction. Importantly, the influence of the molar mass on the grafting density and the polymer shell thickness was studied via thermo gravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties of the hybrid materials were determined by UV–visible absorption and photoluminescence to show a quenching effect of P3HT fluorescence by ZnO when grafted. This electronic transfer associated with an improved miscibility of the ZnO@P3HT, makes these hybrid materials suitable candidates for photovoltaic applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 30–38     

Nucleophilic substitution of ferrocenyl alcohols catalyzed by bismuth(III) in aqueous medium at room temperature

A nucleophilic substitution reaction of an α‐ferrocenyl alcohol with various amines, indoles and thiols was successfully developed by using a catalytic amount of Bi(NO₃)₃.5H₂O at room temperature without the aid of phase transfer catalyst. The reactions proceeded in aqueous media, leading to the formation of new C=C, C=N and C=S bonds bearing ferrocenyl substituent with high efficiency. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

AgOTf‐catalyzed transesterification of β‐keto esters

AgOTf proved to be an effective catalyst for the transesterification of β‐keto esters with primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols. The products were obtained in high yield within a reasonable reaction time period. The kinetics of the transesterification reaction were also studied and the reaction was found to follow second‐order kinetics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.