Lab-in-a-tube: on-chip integration of glass optofluidic ring resonators for label-free sensing applications

The fabrication of tubular rolled-up optofluidic ring resonators (RU-OFRRs) based on glass (SiO(2)) material with high quality factors is reported. A novel methodology combining lab-on-a-chip fabrication methods and rolled-up nanotech is presented for the fabrication of fully integrated tubular optofluidic sensors. The microfluidic integration of several RU-OFRRs on one chip is solved by enclosing the microtubes with a patterned robust SU-8 polymeric matrix. A viewport on each microtube enables exact excitation and monitoring of whispering gallery modes with a photoluminescence spectroscopy system under constant ambient conditions, while exchanging the content of the RU-OFRR with liquids of different refractive indices. The refractrometric sensor capabilities are investigated regarding signal stability, sensitivity and reliability. The sensitivity of the integrated RU-OFRR, which is the response of the modes to the change in refractive index of the liquid, is up to 880 nm/refractive index units (RIU).     

Biotechnological Frontiers of DNA Nanomaterials Continue to Expand: Bacterial Infection using Virus-Inspired Capsids

The elegant geometry of viruses has inspired bio-engineers to synthetically explore the self-assembly of polyhedral capsids employed to protect new cargo or change an enzymatic microenvironment. Recently, Yang and co-workers used DNA nanotechnology to revisit the icosahedral capsid structure of the phiX174 bacteriophage and reloaded the original viral genome as cargo into their fully synthetic architecture. Surprisingly, when using a favorable combination of structural rigidity and dynamic multivalent cargo entrapment, the synthetic particles were able to infect non-competent bacterial cells and produce the original phiX174 bacteriophage. This work presents an exciting new direction of DNA nanotech for bio-engineering applications which involve bacterial interactions.     

Microbots swimming in the flowing streams of microfluidic channels

We describe the motion of self-propelled catalytic Ti/Fe/Pt rolled-up microtubes (microbots) in the microchannels of a microfluidics system. Their motion is precisely controlled by a small magnetic field, and the transport of multiple spherical microparticles into desired locations is achieved. The microbots are powerful enough to propel themselves against flowing streams. The integration of “smart and powerful” microbots into microchip systems can lead to multiple lab-on-a-chip functions such as separation of cells and biosensing.     

柴油机尾气净化催化剂的最新研究进展

柴油机尾气排放的污染物已经引起了严重的环境污染问题,催化净化技术是柴油机尾气污染治理必不可少和最有效的处理技术之一,而高效催化剂的研制和开发是催化净化技术的核心.本文以柴油机尾气中最难处理的两种污染物NOx和碳烟颗粒(PM)的催化处理技术为主线,综述了NOx的催化还原(选择性催化还原(SCR)和贮存还原(NSR))催化剂、碳烟的催化燃烧催化剂、NOx和碳烟颗粒同时消除的催化剂及柴油机尾气四效催化剂的最新研究进展,并总结性地提出了目前该研究方向存在的主要问题和发展方向.     

Catalytic Living Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Using Vinyl Ethers as Effective Chain-Transfer Agents

A catalytic living ring-opening metathesis copolymerization (ROMP) method is described that relies on a degenerative, reversible and regioselective exchange of propagating Fischer-carbenes. All characteristics of a living polymerization such as narrow dispersity, excellent molar mass control and the ability to form block copolymers are achieved by this method. The method allows the use of up to 200 times less ruthenium complex than traditional living ROMP. We demonstrate the synthesis of ROMP-ROMP diblock copolymers, ATRP from a ROMP macro-initiator and living ROMP from a PEG-based macro chain transfer agent. The cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly synthesis of degradable polymers and block copolymers enabled by this strategy will find various applications in biomedicine, materials science, and technology.     

Cargo Transportation and Methylene Blue Degradation by Using Fuel-Powered Micromotors

In the past two decades, micromotors have experienced rapid development, especially in environmental remediation, the biomedical field, and in cargo delivery. In this study micromotors have been synthesized from a variety of materials. Different functional layers and catalytic layers are formed through template electrodeposition (the bottom-up method). At the same time, the article analyzes the influence of hydrogen peroxide concentration, surfactant type and concentration on the speed of the micromotors. Cargo transportation through tubular micromotors has always been a problem that people are eager to solve. In this article, we electrodeposit a layer of Ni in the microtubes, which effectively guides the microtubular motors to complete the cargo transportation. The potential applications of micromotors are also being explored. We added the prepared micromotors to the methylene blue solution to effectively enhance the degradation.     

Recent advances and actual challenges in late transition metal catalyzed hydrosilylation of olefins from an industrial point of view

Hydrosilylation of olefins is the key catalytic reaction for the production of industrially important organosilicon compounds such as organofunctional silanes and silicones. Moreover catalytic hydrosilylation is used for crosslinking of silicone polymers to elastomers and silicone-based release coatings, and for coupling of silanes and siloxanes to organic polymers. Industrially relevant aspects of hydrosilylation are dominated by the selectivity, activity (defined by the turnover frequency (TOF)), and stability (defined by the turnover number (TON)) of hydrosilylation catalysts as well as switchable catalyses. Furthermore, the high and volatile price of platinum as the industrially most important catalytic metal is a strong motivation for the reduction of precious metal consumption, such as homogeneous catalyst recycling or increasing the TOF resp. TONs of established hydrosilylation catalysts, or employing lower-priced transition metal catalysts. The selectivity of hydrosilylation determines yield and production costs of functional silanes, e.g. hydrosilylation products of allyl chloride, but is of equal importance for the product quality of silane-modified organic polymers and hybrid polymers. As industrial applications of hydrosilylation curing silicones, such as release coatings and elastomers, continuously move towards higher production speed, this requires catalytic systems capable of very high activity resp. turnover frequencies at temperatures typically above 100 °C, but allowing shelf-stable silicone compositions and therefore requiring suppression of any catalytic activity at ambient conditions prior use. This form of switchable catalysis employs carefully designed catalytic systems, which are activated by heating or photoactivation in a very short period of time, demanding very high standards of industrial hydrosilylation chemistry.     

The catalyst industry of Japan (2)

The trends of the catalyst industry in Japan are described based on the statistical data published by the Japanese government offices. Three topical items in the recent catalytic technology developments in Japan are described: resid FCC, methylmethacrylate, and emission control for lean-burn engines.     

探索战略性新兴产业发展模式,推动纳米技术应用产业发展

作为开展纳米科技研究较早、论文专利成果显著的纳米科技大国,我国的纳米技术产业化发展明显滞后,尚未形成纳米技术的＂产业＂共识.苏州是国内第一个把纳米技术产业作为引领转型升级的战略性新兴产业的区域,这一战略选择得到了国家、中国科学院和江苏省的高度支持.战略性新兴产业发展需要＂顶层设计、系统规划＂.苏州借鉴国际经验,结合国情和区域实际,提出构建纳米技术产业生态圈,按照产业发展需求规划布局和整合产业资源要素,形成有效互动的产业发展模式,得到国内外纳米技术科技界、产业界和政府部门的普遍认同.     

Unique Possibilities of Dynamic Metal–Polymer Interactions in Selective Hydrogenation

Rationally designed polymers can function as supports or promoters for metal catalysts, imparting distinct catalytic properties in selective hydrogenation. With strongly metal–ligating functional groups, mobile polymer chains can spontaneously decorate the metal catalyst surfaces under mild conditions, forming stable metal–polymer interfaces. We have termed this phenomenon ‘dynamic metal–polymer interaction (DMPI),’ which can be roughly considered as an organic version of the strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) concept. The polymer chains that dynamically interact with the metal surface can control the adsorption of reactants and products through competitive adsorption, significantly improving selectivity and catalyst stability. One of the remarkable advantages of using polymers as catalytic materials is that their molecular structures, such as molecular weight, crystallinity, and chemical functionality, can be tailored using rich organic chemistry. This, in turn, allows us to precisely tune the metal–polymer interactions and catalytic properties. In this Concept, we will discuss how metal–polymer interfaces can be designed and utilized for selective hydrogenation, with a particular emphasis on the industrially relevant acetylene partial hydrogenation reaction.     

Supramolecular Polymerizations

Unimers of both natural and synthetic origin self‐assemble into linear, helical, columnar, planar and three‐dimensional structures depending upon the functionality of supramolecular interactions. Recent reports describing the mechanism of formation, properties and possible applications of these systems are critically reviewed. The assembling of one‐dimensional systems produces equilibrium polymers showing a length distribution and a degree of polymerization that may far exceed that of typical condensation polymers. Their growth may occur by a step‐by‐step process akin to polycondensation, and by cooperative processes such as helical growth or growth coupled to liquid crystallinity. Of particular interest are functional systems based on the coupling of a chemical reaction to supramolecular polymerization, and systems based on a covalent polymer hosted within the cavity of a supramolecular one. The assembly of two and three‐dimensional systems occurs through a process akin to crystallization. The supramolecular organization of amphiphiles such as block copolymers is currently well described by the mean‐field theory of unstable modes in homogeneous melts. An alternative, less sophisticated approach considers the growth of specifically designed building blocks. Possible applications are in areas that expand the uses of covalent polymers, electrochemical and photonic devices, ion‐selective channels, separation processes, microengines mimicking the performance of biological systems, storage of sequential information, biocompatible and patterned surfaces, sensors. A classification including additional systems that have been described as supramolecular polymers is presented.     

Solid Ion Conductors in Heterogeneous Catalysis

The electrochemical measurement of oxygen activity using ion-conducting solid electrolytes (λ-sensors) has become widely known, at least since the application of three-way catalysts in the postcombustion of exhaust gases from spark-ignition engines. However, the use of solid ion conductors is not limited to control devices. There are various other potential applications and numerous problems which can be studied: the formation of oxides in the course of catalytic reactions on metal surfaces, the improvement of selectivity and yield of catalytic reactions, such as the epoxidation of ethylene on silver catalysts and, finally, the cogeneration of electrical energy during oxidation reactions, such as the partial oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde.     

Polymer Nanoassembly as Delivery Systems and Anti‐Bacterial Toolbox: From PGMAs to MSN@PGMAs

Researches on cargo delivery systems have received burgeoning attention and advanced rapidly. For synthetic nanodevices, polymer nanoassemblies and their inorganic‐organic hybrid materials, especially smart mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN)‐polymer hybrids (e. g., MSN@PGMAs), have attracted increasing attention in recent years. Their superior characteristics and unique features such as dynamic transition of morphology endow them the ability to efficiently entrap cargo molecules and undergo smart cargo delivery and release in response to various external stimuli. In this Personal Account, we present our recent research progress in the construction of cargo delivery systems based on polymers, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and its derivatives in particular, ranging from polymer nanoparticles, reverse micelles, to vesicles and reverse vesicles, and their performance in the delivery and controlled release of model molecules and therapeutic agents. Significantly, MSN‐PGMA hybrid nanoassemblies (MSN@PGMAs), constructed with the aid of atom transfer radical polymerization, host‐guest interactions, or layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly techniques, and their potential bio‐related applications and anti‐bacterial applications as new nanocarriers are reviewed. Finally, the prospects and challenges of such nanoplatforms are also discussed.     

Cargo-towing synthetic nanomachines: towards active transport in microchip devices

This review article discusses the use of synthetic catalytic nano motors for cargo manipulations and for developing miniaturized lab-on-chip systems based on autonomous transport. The ability of using chemically-powered artificial nanomotors to capture, transport and release therapeutic payloads or nanostructured biomaterials represents one of the next major prospects for nanomotor development. The increased cargo-towing force of such self-propelled nanomotors, along with their precise motion control within microchannel networks, versatility and facile functionalization, pave the way to new integrated functional lab-on-a-chip powered by active transport and perform a series of tasks. Such use of cargo-towing artificial nanomotors has been inspired by on-chip kinesin molecular shuttles. Functionalized nano/microscale motors can thus be used to pick a selected nano/microscale chemical or biological payload target at the right place, transport and deliver them to a target location in a timely manner. Key challenges for using synthetic nanomachines for driving transport processes along microchannel networks are discussed, including loading and unloading of cargo and precise motion control, along with recent examples of related cargo manipulation processes and guided transport in lab-on-a-chip formats. The exciting research area of cargo-carrying catalytic man-made nanomachines is expected to grow rapidly, to lead to new lab-on-a-chip formats and to provide a wide range of future microchip opportunities.     

Motion Control of Micro‐/Nanomotors

As we progress towards employing self‐propelled micro‐/nanomotors in envisioned applications such as cargo delivery, environmental remediation, and therapeutic treatments, precise control of the micro‐/nanomotors direction and their speed is essential. In this Review, major emerging approaches utilized for the motion control of micro‐/nanomotors have been discussed, together with the lastest publications describing these approaches. Future studies could incorporate investigations on micro‐/nanomotors motion control in a real‐world environment in which matrix complexity might disrupt successful manipulation of these small‐scale devices.     

Polystyrene-Supported Dimethylformamides as Phase Transfer Catalysts in Solid-Solid-Liquid System

Abstract

Polymer-supported dimethylformamides were prepared by copolymerization of N-methyl-N-(p-vinylbenzyl)formamide, styrene, and divinylbenzene with AIBN. These polymers displayed catalytic activity for the reaction of alkyl bromides with alkali metal thiocyanates and potassium acetate in a solid-solid-liquid triphase system, although the corresponding monomeric formamides were inactive. The catalytic activity depended remarkably on the copolymer composition. Further, the catalytic reaction was affected by some experimental parameters such as stirring speed, particle size, degree of crosslinking, and solvent. A plausible catalytic reaction mechanism consisting of collisional contact between the solid catalysts and reagents was proposed.     

Highly efficient catalytic microengines: template electrosynthesis of polyaniline/platinum microtubes

Highly efficient catalytic microtubular engines are synthesized rapidly and inexpensively using an electrochemical growth of bilayer polyaniline/platinum microtubes within the conically shaped pores of a polycarbonate template membrane. These mass-produced microtubular engines are only 8 μm long, are self-propelled at an ultrafast speed (of over 350 body lengths s(-1)), and can operate in very low levels of the hydrogen peroxide fuel (down to 0.2%). The propulsion characteristics and optimization of these microtubular engines are described, along with their efficient operation in different biological environments which holds great promise for biomedical applications.     

A Protein‐Based Encapsulation System with Calcium‐Controlled Cargo Loading and Detachment

Protein‐based encapsulation systems have a wide spectrum of applications in targeted delivery of cargo molecules and for chemical transformations in confined spaces. By engineering affinity between cargo and container proteins it has been possible to enable the efficient and specific encapsulation of target molecules. Missing in current approaches is the ability to turn off the interaction after encapsulation to enable the cargo to freely diffuse in the lumen of the container. Separation between cargo and container is desirable in drug delivery applications and in the use of capsids as catalytic nanoparticles. We describe an encapsulation system based on the hepatitis B virus capsid in which an engineered high‐affinity interaction between cargo and capsid proteins can be modulated by Ca²⁺. Cargo proteins are loaded into capsids in the presence of Ca²⁺, while ligand removal triggers unbinding inside the container. We observe that confinement leads to hindered rotation of cargo inside the capsid. Application of the designed container for catalysis was also demonstrated by encapsulation of an enzyme with β‐glucosidase activity.     

Controllable alignment of nematics by nanostructured polymeric layers

A method for a continuous control of the pretilt angle of the easy axis in the range 0–90° degrees and of the anchoring strength by using nanostructured polymers as alignment layers is described. The nanostructured polymers are blends of two different side-chain polymers each of them promoting planar and homeotropic alignment, respectively. A model to interpret the alignment of a nematic liquid crystal induced by such polymer layers is proposed. We show that in this case the anisotropic part of the surface tension can be approximated by a simple extension of the Rapini–Papoular expression. The predicted trend of the pretilt of the easy axis versus the concentration of the side-chain polymer promoting the planar alignment, for instance, is in good agreement with the experimental data. We also show that the effective anchoring strength of the system depends on the concentration of the side-chain polymer promoting planar alignment, and exhibits a minimum for a well-defined value of this quantity. The results obtained in this work seems to be of importance for liquid crystal displays technology since the control of the pretilt and the anchoring strength strongly affect the performance of liquid crystal displays.     

柴油车尾气排放PM2.5氧化消除催化剂的设计、制备与催化作用

柴油机尾气中的炭烟颗粒(PM2.5)已经引起了严重的环境污染问题,作为控制柴油车尾气中炭烟颗粒使用最有效和最经济的技术手段—催化净化技术成为当前研究的热点,而开发高效的催化剂是催化净化技术中最活跃、最重要的因素.本文总结了近年来柴油炭烟燃烧催化剂的最新研究进展,重点介绍了本研究组近年来在柴油炭烟氧化催化剂的设计、制备和催化作用机理方面的研究结果和进展,主要包括:低共熔点催化剂、纳米催化剂、三维有序大孔催化剂及三维有序大孔氧化物担载贵金属催化剂的最新研究进展,并报道了上述催化剂对炭烟燃烧的反应机理.最后,总结性地提出了目前炭烟催化燃烧中存在的主要问题和发展方向.