Wettability of pristine and alkyl-functionalized graphane

Graphane is a hydrogenated form of graphene with high bandgap and planar structure insensitive to a broad range of chemical substitutions. We describe an atomistic simulation approach to predict wetting properties of this new material. We determine the contact angle to be 73°. The lower hydrophobicity compared to graphene is explained by the increased planar density of carbon atoms while we demonstrate that the presence of partial charges on carbon and hydrogen atoms plays only a minor role. We further examine the effects of graphane functionalization by alkyl groups of increasing chain lengths. The gradual increase in contact angle with chain length offers a precise control of surface wettability. A saturated contact angle of 114° is reached in butylated form. We find the saturation of contact angle with respect to the length of the functional groups to coincide with the loss of water's ability to penetrate the n-alkyl molecular brush and interact with carbon atoms of the underlying lattice. Since no experimental data have yet become available, our modeling results provide the first estimate of the wettability of graphane. The results also show how its alkyl functionalization provides the basis for a variety of chemical modifications to tune hydrophilicity while preserving the planar geometry of the substrate.     

有机膨润土吸附水中重金属和有机污染物的性能及机理研究

螯合剂柱撑有机膨润土IMB-TMA-Am能有效吸附水中有机物对硝基苯酚(PNP)和重金属离子Cu2 ,其中IMB为内蒙膨润土;CTMA为溴化十六烷基三甲基季铵盐阳离子;Am分别为有机螯合剂乙二胺(En)、三乙烯四胺(TETA)和四乙烯五胺(TEPA)。实验结果表明:螯合剂柱撑有机膨润土对有机污染物的吸附主要表现为有机物在长碳链疏水介质中的分配,其吸附能力和膨润土内有机碳、氮含量一致;对水中重金属离子的吸附机理是Cu2 和进入膨润土层间的有机螫合剂Am形成了配合物,其吸附能力和所形成配合物的稳定性一致。     

Characterization of the barrier properties of composites of HDPE and purified cellulose fibers

The present work presents and discusses the interrelation between composition, morphology, thermal history, mechanical and barrier properties to oxygen and limonene of composites of HDPE/MA-PE/cellulose fibers of significant interest in, among others, food packaging applications. From the overall results, it was observed that increasing the loading of purified alpha-cellulose fibers in the polyethylene matrix beyond 10 wt.% led to a decrease in the permeability coefficient of d-limonene, effect which was found to be primarily related to a decrease in the overall solubility of this strongly plasticizing aroma component. On the other hand, the oxygen permeability was found to decrease to a significant extend with increasing fiber content beyond 5 wt.%, but this effect was more strongly ascribed to a significant decrease in the diffusion coefficient. Therefore, the fibers are thought to generate a more tortuous path for the non-interacting gas molecules to travel across the composites thickness, even when tested at high relative humidity conditions. Optimum fiber loading levels in terms of overall property balance were found to be around 20 wt.%.     

Reconstruction of pristine and hydrolyzed quartz surfaces

Reconstruction of the most common pristine and hydrolyzed surfaces of quartz was investigated with periodic density functional theory calculations. Surface energies of reconstructed pristine faces, pertinent to quartz growth morphologies in melts, are found to range from 0.071 eV/A2 for the (101) surface to 0.139 eV/A2 for the (001) surface, and they increase as (101) < (102) < (112) < [(100), (111)] < (110) < (001). Four types of reconstruction reactions are observed: (1) formation of two-membered rings from vicinal silyl and siloxy sites, (2) formation of a pair of tricoordinated/unicoordinated oxygen atoms, (3) formation of three-membered rings, and (4) transformation of silanone sites into siloxane sites. The main features of reconstructed pristine quartz surfaces are two-membered rings formed from bridged siloxy and silyl sites on all investigated surfaces, a stable site complex with geminal positively charged tricoordinated and negatively charged unicoordinated oxygen atoms revealed on the (112) surface, and charged nonbridged siloxy/silyl sites, which are more stable than radical siloxy/silyl sites. Hydrolyzed surface energies range from -0.010 eV/A2 for the (001) surface to 0.002 eV/A2 for the (101) surface and increase as (001) < (110) < (102) < (111) < (100) < (112) < (101). The hydrolyzed surface stability is found to depend strongly on inter-site silanol hydrogen bonding. Observed networks of hydrogen bonds are important for interactions between silica surfaces and biomolecules in an aqueous environment.     

Characterization of polysaccharides purified from Lacquer tree seed cakes and its antioxidant activity

Three polysaccharides, LTPS-1, LTPS-21 and LTPS-31 were isolated and purified from the seed cakes of lacquer tree using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. The total sugar contents of LTPS-1, LTPS-21 and LTPS-31 were 931.8, 958.2 and 895.1 g kg^?1, respectively. LTPS-1 (3.48 kDa) was mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, glucose and galactose in a ratio of 35.36:5.06:1:2. LTPS-21 (11.4 kDa) was mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, mannose and galactose in a ratio of 41.93:21.8:1.01:9.24. LTPS-31 (19.49 kDa) was mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose and mannose in a ratio of 38.31:16.44:1.1. IR analysis suggested they contained lower sulphuric acids, the LTPS-21 and LTPS-31 belonged to β-type polysaccharide. Among the three polysaccharides, LTPS-21 exhibited the strongest reducing power, scavenging activity on ABTS and hydroxyl radicals. These findings suggested that polysaccharides from the seed cakes could be potentially developed as natural functional ingredients in the food and cosmetic industry.     

有机膨润土结构对吡虫啉吸附热力学和动力学的影响机理

为深入了解有机膨润土结构对农药吸附性能的影响机理,论文制备十六烷基三甲基氯化铵(HTMA)载量系列变化的有机膨润土,通过吸附热力学和动力学研究了新烟碱杀虫剂吡虫啉与改性有机膨润土的相互作用和影响农药分子在有机膨润土层间扩散的结构因素。结果显示,季铵盐改性削弱了膨润土片层与吡虫啉的静电结合,但是增强与吡虫啉的疏水相互作用。吡虫啉吸附动力学与有机膨润土层间结构密切相关,低载量(<0.8′CEC)的HTMA对膨润土层间距的影响很小,但是层间堆积密度的增加导致吡虫啉吸附速率常数急剧下降。HTMA载量的进一步增加导致其层间排列方式由单层平铺向双层平铺的转变,层间距急剧增加使得吡虫啉吸附速率常数略有增大。     

Determination of traces of elemental impurities in single walled (SWNT) and multi walled (MWNT) pristine and purified carbon nanotubes by instrumental neutron activation analysis

By using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) it has been shown that some pristine carbon SWNT's and MWNT's of different makes, contain a multitude of trace element impurities at various concentration levels including also amounts which can be considered as nanoelectronically dopant quantities. The same holds for the above mentioned carbon nanotubes also after their inadequately so-called purification. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of intra-tumoral porphyrin following injection of hematoporphyrin derivative or its purified component

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizes either hematoporphyrin derivative (Hpd) or a purified form of Hpd termed DHE, as photosensitizers for treatment of a variety of solid tumors in man. The reasons for long retention of these porphyrins in a wide range of histologically diverse tumors remain obscure. We have found that the RIF fibrosarcoma and SMT-F mammary carcinoma in mice, a intrapancreatic tumor in the hamster and a tumor removed from a patient with a myxoid sarcoma, make take up Hpd or DHE by endocytosis. On the other hand the RIF tumor cells in vitro show a tendency for selective uptake and retention of the more hydrophobic components of the mixture.     

Adsorption of alkyldimethylbenzylammonium and distearyldimethylammonium chlorides by layered silicates from different deposits and some properties of organobentonites

Some properties of layered silicates mined from different bentonite deposits and modified with alkyldimethylbenzylammonium and distearyldimethylammonium chlorides, in particular their swellability in a nonpolar medium, are investigated. Surfactant adsorption is measured. Interplanar spacings of organobentonites are determined by the X-ray diffraction analysis. The data obtained make it possible to conclude that the arrangement of adsorbed organic cations in the interlayer space and the swellability of modified bentonites depend on their cation-exchange capacity. It is shown that a rise in the interplanar spacing increases the swellability and enhances the gelation of the bentonites in nonaqueous media.     

Electrical transport properties of pristine and iodine doped polyetherimides

Electrical conduction behavior of pristine and iodine doped polyetherimides(PEI) has been investigated under both transient and steady state conditions in the operating temperature range 50-200℃at various electric fields of 12-60 kV/cm.The transient currents show the hyperbolic decay character,and the decay exponent p(a measure of current decay rate) decreases with temperature(7) and doping concentration.The origin of transient currents has been attributed to the dipolar nature of carbonyl((?)C=O) groups...     

Phonon dynamics and electron-phonon coupling in pristine picene

The paper reports a complete analysis of the phonon structure of crystalline picene, a recently announced organic semiconductor. Both lattice and intramolecular vibrations are investigated. An exhaustive assignment of lattice phonons is obtained through polarized Raman spectra assisted by lattice dynamics calculations based on a well tested atom-atom potential model. Raman, infrared spectra and density functional (DFT) calculations are used for the characterization of intramolecular modes. Coupling between low-frequency molecular vibrations and lattice phonons is accounted for. Molecule-to-molecule transfer integrals, as well as the Peierls and Holstein (non-local and local) coupling constants, are evaluated through the semiempirical method INDO/S (Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap with Spectroscopic parametrization).     

A first principle study of pristine and BN-doped graphyne family

Based on first principle calculation using generalized gradient approximation, we report electronic properties of graphyne and its related structures (graphdiyne, graphyne-3, graphyne-4). Boron and nitrogen atoms are systematically substituted into the position of carbon atom and the corresponding changes of the properties are reported. All the structures are found to be direct band gap semiconductors with band gap depending on the concentration and position of the doping material. Our band structure calculation clearly shows that the band gap can be tuned by B–N doping and the spin-polarized calculation depicts the nonmagnetic nature of these structures. The possibility of modulating the band gap provides flexibility for its use in nanoelectronic devices. Projected density of state (PDOS) analysis shed insights on the bonding nature of these novel materials, whereas from the view point of Crystal Orbital Hamilton Population (–COHP) analysis, the nature of chemical bonding between neighbouring atoms and the orbital participating in bonding and antibonding have been explored in details.     

Electron transfer in pristine and functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes

Since their very first days, electron transfer has always played a special role in carbon nanotubes' life. In view of their structural and electronic uniqueness, carbon nanotubes have been proposed either as bulk electrode materials for sensing and biosensing in advanced electrochemical devices, or as molecular-sized electrodes for very fast electrode kinetics investigations. Alternatively, electron transfer has been used to probe the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes by either direct voltammetric inspection or coupling with spectroscopic techniques, ultimately allowing, in the case of true solutions of individual uncut single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), to single-out their redox potentials as a function of diameter. For their redox properties, as emerged from these studies, SWNTs represent unique building blocks for the construction of photofunctional nanosystems to be used in efficient light energy conversion devices.     

Density-functional calculations of HCN adsorption on the pristine and Si-doped graphynes

Graphyne, a lattice of benzene rings connected by acetylene bonds, is one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp- and sp²-bonded carbons differing from the hybridization of graphene (considered as pure sp²). Here, HCN adsorption on the pristine and Si-doped graphynes was studied using density-functional calculations in terms of geometric, energetic, and electronic properties. It was found that HCN molecule is weakly adsorbed on the pristine graphyne and slightly affects its electronic properties. While, Si-doped graphyne shows high reactivity toward HCN, and, in the most favorable state, the calculated adsorption energy is about ?10.1 kcal/mol. The graphyne, in which sp-carbon was substituted by Si atom, is more favorable for HCN adsorption in comparison with sp²-carbon. It was shown that the electronic properties of Si-doped graphyne are strongly sensitive to the presence of HCN molecule and therefore it may be used in sensor devices.     

The production and verification of pristine semi-fluorinated thiol monolayers on gold

In this work the interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and a monofluorinated phospholipid, 1-palmitoyl-2-[16-fluoropalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine] (F-DPPC), was studied by using Langmuir monolayer and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) techniques. Different amounts of F-DPPC were spread on a previously formed HSA monolayer located at the air/water interface at 25 °C and the mixed monolayers thus obtained showed the existence of a liquid expanded-liquid condensed (LE-LC) phase transition (at 14 mN/m), attributed to the pure F-DPPC monolayer, coexisting with a second transition (at 22-24 mN/m) corresponding to the protein conformational change from an unfolded state to another in “loops” configuration. Relative thickness measurements recorded during the compression of the mixed monolayers showed the existence of an “exclusion” surface pressure (π_exc), above which the protein is squeezed out the interface, but not totally. BAM images reveal that some protein molecules in a packed “loops” configuration remain at the interface at surface pressures higher than the “exclusion” surface pressure. The application of the Defay-Crisp phase rule to the phase diagram of the F-DPPC/HSA system can explain the existence of certain regions of surface pressure in which the mixed monolayer components are miscible, as well as those others that they are immiscible.     

Effect of temperature on the action spectra of pristine and Cu-grafted titania

The dependence of action spectra for pristine and Cu-grafted anatase TiO₂ on temperature for photocatalytic acetone vapor oxidation at 40, 100 and 140 °C is described. The results obtained demonstrate the thermal inhibition of activity under UV irradiation for pristine titania at 140 °C, while for TiO₂ grafted with copper species this inhibition is suppressed. Photonic efficiency of visible radiation energy utilization by Cu-grafted titania increases with temperature and exceeds the corresponding value for pure anatase in the investigated temperature range.     

Atomic layer deposition of metal oxides on pristine and functionalized graphene

We investigate atomic layer deposition (ALD) of metal oxide on pristine and functionalized graphene. On pristine graphene, ALD coating can only actively grow on edges and defect sites, where dangling bonds or surface groups react with ALD precursors. This affords a simple method to decorate and probe single defect sites in graphene planes. We used perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) to functionalize the graphene surface and selectively introduced densely packed surface groups on graphene. Uniform ultrathin ALD coating on PTCA graphene was achieved over a large area. The functionalization method could be used to integrate ultrathin high-kappa dielectrics in future graphene electronics.     

Roles of radical characters of pristine and nitrogen-substituted hydrographene in dioxygen bindings

We investigate by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations how hydrogen-terminated graphenes (hydrographenes) with and without nitrogen impurities interact with dioxygen. The current study aims at searching whether hydrographenes can be utilized as cathode catalysts in fuel cell with a focus on dioxygen binding, the first step in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). If hydrographenes have a nanometer-size rhombic structure with zigzag edges, unpaired electrons are localized at their edges with or without the nitrogen impurities. Spin localization comes from frontier orbitals of the nanometer-size hydrographenes whose amplitudes appear only at their edges. Due to their radical characters, dioxygen can bind to an edge carbon atom of the hydrographenes under the condition where fuel cell is usually operated. There are two types of dioxygen binding into a hydrographene: one is a Pauling fashion where one C-O bond is formed and the other is a bridging fashion with two formed C-O bonds. In the bridging fashion, the formation of the two C-O bonds activates dioxygen, and then radical characters of the oxygen atoms completely disappear. In contrast, the Pauling fashions retain an unpaired electron on the oxygen atom that does not participate to the C-O bond formation. The existence of radical oxygen atoms would facilitate the next step in ORR (the initial proton transfer to an adsorbed dioxygen), whereas such facilitative effects cannot be seen in its absence. According to DFT calculations, the Pauling-type bindings are always energetically preferred over the bridging-type bindings. In particular, the C→N substitution enhances the preferences of the Pauling-type binding over the bridging-type binding compared with the pristine case. Accordingly DFT calculations demonstrate that radical characters of edge carbons of a nanometer-sized rhombic hydrographene play a crucial role in dioxygen bindings in a Pauling fashion that would be responsible for enhancing the catalytic activity in fuel cell.