Highly dispersed palladium nanoclusters incorporated in amino‐functionalized silica spheres for the selective hydrogenation of succinic acid to γ‐butyrolactone

Highly dispersed palladium nanoclusters incorporated on amino‐functionalized silica sphere surfaces (Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂) were fabricated by a simple one‐pot synthesis utilizing 3‐(2‐aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane (AAPTS) as coordinating agent. Uniform palladium nanoclusters with an average size of 1.1 nm can be obtained during the co‐condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and AAPTS owing to the strong interaction between palladium species and amino groups in AAPTS. The palladium particle size can be controlled by addition of AAPTS and plays a significant role in the catalytic performance. The Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂ catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity for succinic acid hydrogenation with 100% conversion and 94% selectivity towards γ‐butyrolactone using 1,4‐dioxane as solvent at 240°C and 60 bar for 4 h. Moreover, the Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂ catalyst is robust and readily reusable without loss of its catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural evolution in amorphous silicon and germanium thin films.

The structural evolution in amorphous silicon and germanium thin films has been investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) in conjunction with autocorrelation function (ACF) analysis. The results established that the structure of as-deposited semiconductor films is of a high density of nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous matrix. In addition, from ACF analysis, the structure of a-Ge is more ordered than that of a-Si. The density of embedded nanocrystallites in amorphous films was found to diminish with annealing temperature first, then to increase. The conclusions also corroborate well with the results of diminished medium-range order in annealed amorphous films determined previously by a variable coherence microscopy method.     

Synthesis and characterization of a polyfluorene containing carbazole and oxadiazole dipolar pendent groups and its application to electroluminescent devices

We have synthesized a blue‐light‐emitting polyfluorene (PF) derivative ( PF‐CBZ‐OXD ) that presents bulky hole‐transporting carbazole and electron‐transporting oxadiazole pendent groups functionalized at the C‐9 positions of alternating fluorene units. The results from photoluminescence and electrochemical measurements indicate that both the side chains and the PF main chain retain their own electronic characteristics in the copolymer. An electroluminescent device incorporating this polymer as the emitting layer was turned on at 4.5 V; it exhibited a stable blue emission with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 1.1%. Moreover, we doped PF‐CBZ‐OXD and its analogue PF‐TPA‐OXD with a red‐light‐emitting iridium phosphor for use as components of phosphorescent red‐light emitters to investigate the effect of the host's HOMO energy level on the degree of charge trapping and on the electrophosphorescent efficiency. We found that spectral overlap and individual energy level matching between the host and guest were both crucial features affecting the performance of the electroluminescence devices. Atomic force microscopy measurements indicated that the dipolar nature of PF‐CBZ‐OXD , in contrast to the general nonpolarity of polydialkylfluorenes, provided a stabilizing environment that allowed homogeneous dispersion of the polar iridium triplet dopant. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2925–2937, 2007     

Synthesis of molecular imprinted organic-inorganic hybrid polymer binding caffeine

Random copolymers of poly{(methacrylamide)-co-(vinyl trimethoxysilane)} and poly{(methacrylic acid)-co-(vinyl trimethoxysilane)} were synthesized via a free radical polymerization reaction. Acid catalyzed sol-gel process of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with aforementioned polymers in the presence of methyl xanthine class of alkaloid like caffeine resulted in the formation of highly transparent monoliths. Solvent extraction of the template leaves behind the recognition sites intact with high selectivity towards the print molecule. The ionic and non-specific adsorptions, which are considered to be the main disadvantages of the molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), are prevented to a considerable extent by the end capping of surface silanol groups. The template binding efficiencies of MIP were determined by HPLC analysis.     

Roles of rhenium diimine complexes as metal‐ion probes and photosensitizers in functional polyurethanes

Polyurethanes incorporated with rhenium diimine complexes were synthesized. The polymers exhibited interesting morphologies and solution properties. Results from gel permeation chromatography suggested the formation of polymer aggregates in solutions. The polymers could act as probes for metal ions. The addition of metal ions to polymer solutions led to significant changes in the electronic absorption properties of the polymer solutions. This was attributed to the interactions between the polyether moieties and metal ions. The metal complexes could also act as efficient photosensitizers. After doping with charge‐transport viologens, the photoconductivity of the polymers was greatly enhanced. The experimental quantum efficiency was simulated with Onsager's theory. The thermalization distances and the primary yields were typically 12–14 Å and 10^?3, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1708–1715, 2003     

Time-resolved chemiluminescence technique for the microdetermination of proteins based on their complexation with copper(II).

Based on the complexation between proteins and Cu(II) coupled with the time-resolved chemiluminescence (CL) technique, a highly sensitive and quantitative assay for measuring proteins in solution is described. The complexes of proteins with Cu(II) have a strongly catalytic effect on the luminol-H2O2 CL reaction. Because the CL emission produced by the complexes is much more long-lived than that by Cu(II), the CL signals originating from proteins can be easily identified and measured with a time-resolved technique. On this basis, bovine albumin fraction V (BAF V) can be quantitatively determined in the range of 0.01 - 5.0 microg/ml with a detection limit of 5.8 ng/ml. The results show that the proposed assay exhibits a small variation in the response values for the same amount of different proteins, as compared to the Lowry as well as Bradford assays. The CL assay has also been studied for the detection of immobilized proteins.     

Ceramic Films via Organometallic Complex as Single Source Precursor

Fe2(CO)6(μ-S2) was used as a single source precursor in attempt to produce FeS film via MOCVD. Pyrolysis of Fe2(CO)6(μ-S2) at temperature below 500℃ produced Fe1-xS or Fe7S8 powder as indicated by its powder X-ray spectra. At 750 ℃, polycrystalline FeS powder was obtained. In film deposition, polycrystalline Fe1-xS or Fe7Ss films were obtained on Si(100) and Ag/Si(100) substrates below 500 ℃. SEM micrographs showed the film on Si(100) substrate containing whisker like grains. However, pillar like grains were obtained on Ag/Si(100) substrate.Deposition rates are also different for different substrates as evaluated by the thickness of the films, which were obtained by SEM micrographs of the cross section of the films. At 750℃, similar polycrystalline Fe1-xS or Fe7S8 film was obtained.     

Compact, reliable asymmetric optical configuration for cost-effective fabrication of multiplex dot matrix hologram in anti-counterfeiting applications

This study presents a compact optical configuration that can generate a multiplex dot-matrix hologram with complex interlaced images for anti-counterfeiting applications on valuable paper. Varying the orientation of the interference plane can enable the multiplex hologram to be recorded without changing the interference angle of two laser beams. With its simple asymmetric optical setup, a multiplex hologram with many interlaced images can be efficiently fabricated, increasing the cost of imitation. Experimental details of the asymmetric optical setup are also described.     

One Alkenylphenol and Steroids from the Aquatic Plant Monochoria Vaginalis

Two new compounds have been isolated from the whole plant of Monochoria vaginalis and characterized as: (10Z)‐1‐(2,6‐dihydroxyphenyl)octadec‐10‐en‐1‐one ( 1 ) (20R, 24R)‐campest‐5‐ene‐3β, 4β‐diol ( 2 ) together with nine known ones. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectral data and chemical evidence.