Effect of the milling process on the thermal behavior and crystallinity of buckwheat starch

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Buckwheat starch is an alternative source to supply the high global demand for starch. The properties of starch can be modified through chemical and...     

Probing the Catalytic Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide Decorated with Au Nanoparticles Triggered by Visible Light

Hybrid materials in which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is decorated with Au nanoparticles (rGO–Au NPs) were obtained by the in situ reduction of GO and AuCl₄^?_(aq) by ascorbic acid. On laser excitation, rGO could be oxidized as a result of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation in the Au NPs, which generates activated O₂ through the transfer of SPR‐excited hot electrons to O₂ molecules adsorbed from air. The SPR‐mediated catalytic oxidation of p‐aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p′‐dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) was then employed as a model reaction to probe the effect of rGO as a support for Au NPs on their SPR‐mediated catalytic activities. The increased conversion of PATP to DMAB relative to individual Au NPs indicated that charge‐transfer processes from rGO to Au took place and contributed to improved SPR‐mediated activity. Since the transfer of electrons from Au to adsorbed O₂ molecules is the crucial step for PATP oxidation, in addition to the SPR‐excited hot electrons of Au NPs, the transfer of electrons from rGO to Au contributed to increasing the electron density of Au above the Fermi level and thus the Au‐to‐O₂ charge‐transfer process.     

The effect of the external lateral electric field on the luminescence intensity of InAs/GaAs quantum dots

We report on low-temperature microphotoluminescence (μ-PL) measurements of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) exposed to a lateral external electric field. It is demonstrated that the QDs’ PL signal could be increased severalfold by altering the external and/or the internal electric field, which could be changed by an additional infrared laser. A model which accounts for a substantially faster lateral transport of the photoexcited carriers achieved in an external electric field is employed to explain the observed effects. The results obtained suggest that the lateral electric fields play a major role for the dot luminescence intensity measured in our experiment—a finding which could be used to tailor the properties of QD-based optoelectronic applications. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

The gas phase reaction between CO2 and lanthanide atoms. A test of a model for the isokinetic effect

Summary Co₃O₄, NiCo₂O₄ and LaCo₂O₄catalysts were synthesizedby the citric acid-ligated method. These catalysts containing Co-oxide active components can largely lower the temperature of soot combustion under tight contact conditions. Under the conditions of loose contact NiCo₂O₄ cannot promote soot combustion, but LaCo₂O₄ can effectively promote soot combustion because the nanometric perovskite-type catalyst LaCoO₃produced in the LaCo₂O₄sample.</o:p>     

Coulometric determination of NAD+ and NADH in normal and cancer cells using LDH, RVC and a polymer mediator

An electrochemical method for the measurement of NAD(+) and NADH in normal and cancer tissues using flow injection analysis (FIA) is reported. Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrodes with entrapped l-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and a new redox polymer containing covalently bound toluidine blue O (TBO) were employed for this purpose. Both NAD(+) and NADH were estimated coulometrically based on their reaction with LDH. The latter was immobilized on controlled pore glass (CPG) by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde and packed within the RVC. The concentrations of NAD(+) and NADH in the tissues, estimated using different electron mediators such as ferricyanide (FCN), meldola blue (MB) and TBO have also been compared. The effects of flow rate, pH, applied potential (versus Ag/AgCl reference) and adsorption of the mediators have also been investigated. Based on the measurements of NAD(+) and NADH in normal and cancer tissues it has been concluded that the NADH concentration is lower, while the NAD(+) concentration is higher in cancer tissues. Amongst the electron mediators TBO was found to be a more stable mediator for such measurements.