Preparation and characterization of ZnO nanorods from NaOH solutions with assisted electrical field

ZnO naorods on ZnO-coated seed substrates were fabricated by solution chemical method from Zn(NO₃)₂/NaOH under assisted electrical field. The working mechanism of electrical field was analyzed and the factors affecting the rod growth such as potential, precursor concentration and growth temperature were elucidated. The structural and optical properties are characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, HRTEM and UV-vis. The results indicated that the nanorods have wurtzite structure without electrical field and are primarily of zincite structure under electrical field; when the electrical field is 1.1-1.3 V, not only the elevation of ion diffusion and adsorption lower the crystallite/solution interfacial energy and then the crystal nucleation barrier by increasing charge intensity, but also the production of H⁺ through oxidation of OH⁻ increases properly the degree of solution supersaturation near the substrate, and thus lowers the activation energy. Both the two processes do favor to rod growth. With increasing precursor concentration in this system, the average diameter and length of ZnO nanorods increase, leading to decreasing of optical transmittance. The maximum rod growth rate at given concentration of Zn²⁺ occurs at a specific temperature.     

Exploring bioanalytical applications of assisted protein reassembly

Reassembly of protein from its peptide fragments is a technique that can have many applications in the bioanalytical field. Typically, a reporter protein fragmented into its two peptides is employed as a label in this study. This fragments of peptide can reassemble yielding an active functional reporter. This reassembly of the protein can be assisted by non-covalently interacting peptides or proteins, which are attached to the fragmented reporter. This technique has been employed in several applications including study of protein–protein interactions, antibody screening, immunoassays, and high-throughput screening. This review focuses on different reporters employed in the study of reassembly of proteins and applications of this strategy in bioanalysis.     

二苯并18－冠－6辅助钡离子在1，2－二氯乙烷／水微界面转移的伏安研究

应用液／液界面微电极对二苯并１８－冠－６（ＤＢ１８－Ｃ－６）辅助推动Ｂａ~（２＋）在１，２－二氯乙烷／水（ＤＣＥ／Ｗ）界面转移的电化学过程进行了详细探讨，证明该过程遵循ＴＩＣ机理，是受扩散控制的可逆过程。通过转移电流和反应物浓度之间的线性关系，测定了Ｂａ~（２＋）以及用其它方法难以测定的ＤＢ１８－Ｃ－６。     

离子源辅助电子枪蒸发制备Ge1－xCx薄膜

应用电子枪蒸发纯Ge,考夫曼离子源辅助的方法在Ge基底上沉积了Ge1－xCx薄膜.制备过程中,Ge作为蒸发材料,CH4作为反应气体.通过改变CH4/(CH4+Ar)的气体流量比（G）,制备了G从40％到85％的Ge1－xCx薄膜.应用X射线衍射仪（XRD）测量了Ge1－xCx薄膜的晶体结构,使用傅里叶红外光谱仪（FTIR）测量了2～22 μm的光学透过率,X射线光电子能谱测试（XPS）计算得到C的含量随G的变化关系,用纳米压痕硬度测试计测量了Ge1－xCx薄膜的硬度,原子力显微镜（AFM）测量了G为60％,85％时Ge1－xCx薄膜的表面粗糙度.测试结果表明：制备的Ge1－xCx薄膜在不同的G值下均为无定形结构.折射率随着G值的增加而减小,在3.14～3.89之间可变,并具有良好的均匀性以及极高的硬度.     

Comparison of hot Soxhlet and accelerated solvent extractions with microwave and supercritical fluid extractions for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated derivatives strongly adsorbed on soot collected inside a diesel particulate filter

Several methods of extraction were optimized to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their nitrated derivatives and heavy n-alkanes from a highly adsorptive particulate matter resulting from the combustion of diesel fuel in a diesel engine. This particular carbonaceous particulate matter, collected at high temperatures in cordierite diesel particulate filters (DPF), which are optimized for removing diesel particles from diesel engine exhaust emissions, appeared extremely refractory to extractions using the classical extracting conditions for these pollutants. In particular, the method of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is described in detail here. Optimization was performed through experimental design to understand the impact of each factor studied and the factors’ possible interactions on the recovery yields. The conventional extraction technique, i.e., Soxhlet extraction, was also carried out, but the lack of quantitative extractions led us to use a more effective approach: hot Soxhlet. It appeared that the extraction of the heaviest PAHs and nitroPAHs by either the optimized ASE or hot Soxhlet processes was far from complete. To enhance recovery yields, we tested original solvent mixtures of aromatic and heteroaromatic solvents. Thereafter, these two extraction techniques were compared to microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). In every case, the only solvent mixture that permitted quantitative extraction of the heaviest PAHs from the diesel soot was composed of pyridine and diethylamine, which has a strong electron-donor character. Conversely, the extraction of the nitrated PAHs was significantly improved by the use of an electron-acceptor solvent or by introducing a small amount of acetic acid into the pyridine. It was demonstrated that, for many desirable features, no single extraction technique stound out as the best: ASE, MAE or SFE could all challenge hot Soxhlet for favourable extractions. Consequently, the four optimized extraction techniques were performed to extract the naturally polluted diesel soot collected inside the DPF. Comparisons with the NIST standard reference material SRM 1650b showed that the soot collected from the DPF contained 50% fewer n-alkanes, and also markedly lower levels of PAHs (44 less concentrated) than SRM 1650b, and that the ratio of nitroPAHs to PAHs was increased. These results were attributed to the high temperatures reached inside the particulate filter during sampling runs and to the contribution of the catalytic DPF to aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons abatement.     

A cost effective,sensitive, and environmentally friendly sample preparation method for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in solid samples

A simple, cost effective, and yet sensitive sample preparation technique was investigated for determining Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in solid samples. The method comprises ultrasonic extraction, Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE), and thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to increase analytical capacity in laboratories. This method required no clean-up, satisfied PAHs recovery, and significantly advances cost performance over conventional extraction methods, such as Soxhlet and Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE). This study evaluated three operational parameters for ultrasonic extraction: solvent composition, extraction time, and sample load. A standard material, SRM 1649 a (urban dust), was used as the solid sample matrix, and 12 priority PAHs on the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) list were analyzed. Combination of non-polar and polar solvents ameliorated extraction efficiency. Acetone/hexane mixtures of 2:3 and 1:1 (v/v) gave the most satisfactory results: recoveries ranged from 63.3% to 122%. Single composition solvents (methanol, hexane, and dichloromethane) showed fewer recoveries. Comparing 20 min with 60 min sonication, longer sonication diminished extraction efficiencies in general. Furthermore, sample load became a critical factor in certain solvent systems, particularly MeOH. MAE was also compared to the ultrasonic extraction, and results determined that the 20-min ultrasonic extraction using acetone/hexane (2:3, v/v) was as potent as MAE. The SBSE method using 20 mL of 30% alcohol-fortified solution rendered a limit of detection ranging from 1.7 to 32 ng L⁻¹ and a limit of quantitation ranging from 5.8 to 110 ng L⁻¹ for the 16 US EPA PAHs.     

Electrochemical Investigation of Heavy Metal Ion Transfer Across the Water/1,2‐Dichloroethane Interface Assisted by 9‐Ethyl‐3‐Carbazolecarboxaldehyde‐Thiosemicarbazone

The transfer of heavy metal ions across the polarized water/1,2‐dichloroethane (1,2‐DCE) interface assisted by 9‐ethyl‐3‐carbazolecarboxaldehyde‐thiosemicarbazone (ECCAT) in the 1,2‐DCE phase has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Voltammetric waves of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions were reversible and quasi‐reversible, respectively, whereas that of Hg(II) and Zn(II) ion were irreversible. The voltammogram of Cu(II) ion showed a two‐step wave, however the nature of the transfer could not be satisfactorily evaluated by analyzing the cyclic voltammetric data. When Ni(II) and Co(II) was used no peak was visible under the experimental conditions used in this study. The dependence of the half‐wave potentials of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions on the ligand concentration reveals that their ion‐transfer is assisted by the formation of 1:3 metal‐ECCAT complex in 1,2‐DCE. The over‐all association constants of [Pb(ECCAT)₃]²⁺ and [Cd(ECCAT)₃]²⁺ complexes in DCE‐phase have been determined to be log β =14.03 and log β =15.44, respectively.     

Comparative study of corona discharge simulation techniques for electrode configurations inducing non-uniform electric fields

Numerical modeling of corona discharges has followed the same set of procedures for many years. Corona discharges on large scales are modeled only for ion drift, neglecting ionization. Studies of the ionization zone are often conducted in uniform axisymmetric configurations. However, in configurations that induce non-uniform electric fields, a combination of the two procedures is necessary to accurately capture the discharge physics and ion distribution. The present study conducts numerical simulations of a wire-cylinder corona using both the models and demonstrates the necessity of including the ionization physics to obtain improved accuracy, particularly in the presence of non-uniform electric fields.     

Review of recent advances in the preparation of organic polymer monoliths for liquid chromatography of large molecules

In recent years the use of monolithic polymers in separation science has greatly increased due to the advantages these materials present over particle-based stationary phases, such as their relative ease of preparation and good permeability. For these reasons, these materials present high potential as stationary phases for the separation and purification of large molecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and cells. An example of this is the wide range of commercial available polymer-based monolithic columns now present in the market.     

Accelerating vinegar aging by combination of ultrasonic and magnetic field assistance

Most fermented foods need a natural aging process to enrich desired flavours. This process is normally the bottleneck for cost-effective production. Therefore, it is desirable to accelerate the process and obtain products with the same flavour profile. Here, we used physical interventions (ultrasonic field, alternating magnetic field, or combination of both) to assist the aging process with naturally brewed vinegar as a case example. Flavour profiles of different physical-assisted aging process were compared with that of the naturally aged vinegar by using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC–MS) and electronic nose. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation analyses show that ultrasonic and alternating magnetic fields treatment could accelerate the aging process of vinegar. The highest accelerating aging effect was combination of ultrasonic and magnetic field followed by individual ultrasonic or magnetic field and natural process (combination of ultrasonic and magnetic field > ultrasonic or magnetic field individual > natural process). These results suggest that physical field intervention could potentially be used for acceleration of aging of fermented products without affecting flavour quality.