Electrodes in stripping voltammetry: from a macro- to a micro- and nano-structured surface

A correlation between the morphology of the solid surface and electrochemical response was found in microscopic and electrochemical investigations. A shift of the oxidation potentials of metals to more negative values was observed on electrodes with microstructured surface with respect to similar processes on macrostructured electrodes. The formation of passivating films, causing reverse current and deteriorating the analytical signal, was not observed, and the performance characteristics of voltammetric procedures were improved. The experimental data indicated the increased electrochemical activity of modifying metal particles with a decrease in the particle size. As a result of the deliberate change of the surface composition and the formation of a micro- and nano-structured surface, a new generation of electrodes was developed with excellent electroanalytical characteristics.     

Conducting polymer nanostructures and their application in biosensors

Nowadays, functionalized conducting polymer nanomaterials have been received great attention in nanoscience and nanotechnology because of their large surface area. This article reviews various methods for synthesis of conducting polymer nanostructures and their applications in sensing materials, focusing on hard-template, soft-template and other methods and the formation mechanism of conducting polymer nanostructures by these methods. Conducting polymer nanostructures, such as nanotubes, nanowires, and nanoparticles, as sensing platforms for various applications are also summarized.     

Trimetallic nanostructures and their applications in electrocatalytic energy conversions

The advancement and growth of nanotechnology lead to realizing new and novel multi-metallic nanostructures with well-defined sizes and morphology,resulting in an improvement in their performance in various catalytic applications.The trimetallic nanostructured materials are synthesized and designed in different architectures for energy conversion electrocatalysis.The as-synthesized trimetallic nanostructures have found unique physiochemical properties due to the synergistic combination of the three different metals in their structures.A vast array of approaches such as hydrothermal,solvothermal,seedgrowth,galvanic replacement reaction,biological,and other methods are employed to synthesize the trimetallic nanostructures.Noteworthy,the trimetallic nanostructures showed better performance and durability in the electrocatalytic fuel cells.In the present review,we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent strategies employed for synthesizing trimetallic nanostructures and their energy-related applications.With a particular focus on hydrogen evolution,alcohol oxidations,oxygen evolution,and others,we highlight the latest achievements in the field.     

Self‐assembled honeycomb polycarbonate films deposited on polymer piezoelectric substrates and their applications

Self‐assembled honeycomb polycarbonate films were deposited on polymer piezoelectric (poled polyvinylidene fluoride) substrates under a fast dip‐coating process. Ordered structures with micro‐scaled pores dispersed in the polycarbonate matrix were obtained, demonstrating two‐dimensional (2D) hexagonal packing. A theoretical model explaining the self‐assembling process is proposed. Fabricated structures have a potential as 2D tunable photonic crystals. Photonic bandgap location was estimated. Visible‐IR transmittance spectrum of the self‐assembled films was studied with a FT‐IR spectrometer. Diffraction properties of the honeycomb patterns were investigated. High transparency of the components makes possible IR optics applications of obtained structures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Superhydrophobic polyolefin surfaces: controlled micro- and nanostructures

Superhydrophobic polyolefin surfaces were prepared by simultaneous micro- and nanostructuring. Electropolished aluminum foil was microstructured with a micro working robot and then anodized in polyprotic acid. The surface microstructure can be tailored by adjusting the settings of the micro working robot and the nanostructure by adjusting the parameters of the anodization procedure. Surface structuring was done by injection molding where a microstructured anodized aluminum oxide mold insert was used to pattern the surfaces. Structuring had a marked effect on the contact angle between the injection-molded polyolefins and water. When the optimized microstructure was covered with nanostructure, the static contact angle between polypropylene and water obtained a value of about 165 degrees and the sliding angle decreased to about 2.5 degrees. The superhydrophobic state was achieved.     

Functionalization of chitosan polymer and their applications

The deacetylated derivative of chitin i.e. chitosan is an advantageous and interesting bioactive polymer. Despite its biodegradability, it consists of many reactive primary and secondary hydroxyl (–OH) and amino (–NH₂) functional groups which allow the possibilities of chemical modifications. The several chemical modifications such as alkylation, acylation, quaternization, phthaloylation, sulfation, thiolation, carboxymethylation, graft copolymerization etc. carried out. The chemical modification results various types of derivatives with modified properties for specific applications in varied area mainly of pharmaceutical, biomedical, biotechnological, cosmetic, agricultural, food and non-food industries as well as in water treatment, paper, and textile industry. The ability of chitosan to undergo versatile modifications and applications presents a great opportunity to scientific community and to industry.     

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights recent advances in various approaches towards synthesis of ZnO nanostructures and thin films and their applications in biosensor technology.     

Synthesis, reactions, and applications of fluorine-containing multifunctional carbon compounds

The chemistry of compounds containing a carbon atom bearing three or four different labile functional groups has received little attention. These compounds should be of considerable significance in theoretical and synthetic organic chemistry. Among the compounds with multifunctional structures, those having both carbonyl and halogen groups in addition to other heteroatom groups seem especially valuable from a synthetic viewpoint. Their potential use as probes in pure and applied synthetic chemistry has not been exploited, presumably because of structural instability and a paucity of synthetic approaches. Keeping this background in mind, we focused on the synthesis of a new class of multifunctional carbon compounds in which ester carbonyl, halogen, and other heteroatom-derived functional groups are directly attached to the central carbon atom. Fluorine was chosen as the halogen because of the inherent stability of the CF bond and because of the fundamental chemical and biological interest in fluorine-containing compounds. The synthesis, reactions, and some applications of various fluorine-containing multifunctional carbon compounds are described.     

Unconventional spinodal surface fluctuations on polymer films

We study the temporal growth pattern of surface fluctuations on a series of spinodally unstable polymer films where the instability can be adjusted with the film thickness, h0. For the most unstable film studied (whose /(h0 - h(sp))/h(sp)/ = 0.988; h(sp) is the thickness where the second derivative of the interfacial potential of the film equals zero), the growth rate function of the surface modes as a function of the wavevector fits well to the mean-field theory. When the film thickness is increased such that /(h0 - h(sp))/h(sp)/ < or = 0.977, the mean-field theory demonstrates marked disagreement with experiment, notwithstanding the provision of the known corrections from nonlinear effects and thermal noise. We show that the deviations arise from large-amplitude fluctuations induced by homogeneous nucleation, which are not considered in the conventional treatments.     

磁性微纳米材料的功能化及其在食物样品前处理中的应用进展

磁性固相萃取是当前对复杂样品中痕量目标物进行有效分离富集的热门技术,功能化磁性微纳米粒子是该技术应用中的关键材料。本文综述了各种已报道的功能化磁性微纳米材料,总结了包括表面嫁接有机小分子、表面包覆碳或无机氧化物、表面嫁接或包覆聚合物、载体表面或孔道内负载磁性纳米粒子、载体骨架内掺入磁性纳米粒子、物理共混法制备磁性功能材料在内的6种功能化方法,并对功能化磁性微纳米材料在食物样品前处理中的应用进行了简要评述。     

Pickering emulsion-polymerized conducting polymer nanocomposites and their applications

The fabrication of conducting polymer nanocomposites via the Pickering emulsion polymerization process has become a spotlight of the research recently. One of the excellent applications of such conducting polymer nanocomposites is as an electrorheological (ER) fluid, which is a special type of smart suspension with controllable fluidity under an electric field. In this short review, we summarize the range of core–shell-structured conducting polymer nanocomposites synthesized by the Pickering emulsion method and their ER applications.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of CuO micro-/nanostructures and their applications in the oxidative degradation of methylene blue and non-enzymatic sensing of glucose/H2O2

In this paper, we report on the amino acids-/citric acid-/tartaric acid-assisted morphologically controlled hydrothermal synthesis of micro-/nanostructured crystalline copper oxides (CuO). These oxides were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The surface area of metal oxides depends on the amino acid used in the synthesis. The formation mechanisms were proposed based on the experimental results, which show that amino acid/citric acid/tartaric acid and hydrothermal time play an important role in tuning the morphology and structure of CuO. The catalytic activity of as-synthesized CuO was demonstrated by catalytic oxidation of methylene blue in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). CuO synthesized using tyrosine was found to be the best catalyst compared to a variety of CuO synthesized in this study. CuO (synthesized in this study)-modified electrodes were used for the construction of non-enzymatic sensors, which displayed excellent electrocatalytic response for the detection of H(2)O(2) and glucose compared to conventional CuO. The high electrocatalytic response observed for the CuO synthesized using tyrosine can be correlated with the large surface area, which enhances the accessibility of H(2)O(2)/glucose molecule to the active site that results in high observed current. The methodology adopted in the present study provides a new platform for the fabrication of CuO-based high-performance glucose and other biosensors.     

Design,properties, and applications of protein micro- and nanoparticles

The design of protein particles with tailored properties has received an increased attention recently. Several approaches, from simple heat treatment in dilute systems to the combination of heat and mechanical treatments in concentrated protein solutions, have been used to obtain protein particles with varying functional properties. Control of particle size, morphology, surface- and internal properties is crucial for obtaining protein particles with the necessary properties for emerging applications. The latter include not only the use of protein particles in foods, where they can improve the stability of foods at high protein content, but also as food-grade particles for the delivery of bio-actives. By tuning the morphology and size of protein particles, protection or controlled release of various bio-active components may be obtained. We review the various methods that have been used to prepare protein particles and discuss the behavior of the particles in dispersed systems and their possible applications.     

Heterogeneous drying of colloidal polymer films: dependence on added salt

Using magnetic resonance profiling coupled with dynamic light scattering, we have investigated the mechanisms leading to the formation of a partly coalesced surface layer, or "open skin", during film formation from waterborne polymer dispersions. We present the first use of the skewness of the distribution of free water as a model-free indicator of the spatial nonuniformity of drying. The skewness reaches a maximum at the same time at which a strong, static component, presumably originating from a skin at the film/air interface, appears in the light scattering data. Addition of salt to the dispersion increases both the skewness of the distribution of free water and the propensity for skin formation. Surprisingly, the drying is influenced not only by the concentration and valency of the ions in the salt but also by the particular ion. At intermediate particle densities, added salt strongly lowers the cooperative diffusion coefficient, Dcoop. When the particles reach close packing, Dcoop sharply increases. If the particles readily coalesce, the effects of the increased diffusivity will be counteracted, thereby inducing the formation of a skin. A modified Peclet number, Pe, using Dcoop, is proposed, so that the presence of salt is explicitly considered. This modified Pe is able to predict the nonuniformity in drying that leads to skin formation.     

Modification and characterization of thin polymer films for electrochemical applications

Proton-conducting polymer membranes are utilized as the solid electrolyte in low temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC), which are efficient energy converters. We have selected the process of radiation grafting and subsequent sulfonation to prepare novel membranes because of its feasibility as a low cost production method. Investigations of the two first preparations steps, i.e., irradiation and grafting, lead to insight concerning the optimization of these two steps and the dependence of the final membrane properties on the various preparation parameters.     

Molecular orientation ordering in surface layers of polymer films

The spontaneous ordering of fragments of chain molecules near the surface in polymer films is described in terms of the multichain model that allows for local intra-and interchain orientational interactions of chain segments and for transverse fluctuation of their orientation in the approximation of strong planar-orientation order in the layers. Chain packing in the plane-ordered state is impossible unless the interchain interaction parameter has a value of b = 2K ₂/k _B T > b _c. The value of b _c decreases with a growth in chain rigidity (parameter a = 2K ₁/k _B T). The calculated dependence of the limiting values of the quadrupole orientation order parameter S ₀ on the length of the Kuhn statistical segment A = 2a reasonably well describes the experimental data obtained in a study of polymer-homolog (polysaccharide) films by means of the tilted polarized-beam technique at an interchain interaction parameter of b = 1.75. The monolayer thickness (d ? 10 mn) is films of some polysaccharides was calculated from the fit of the theoretical to the experimental dependences of the orientational order parameter and the birefringence on the number of layers.     

Gold nanostructures: engineering their plasmonic properties for biomedical applications

The surface plasmon resonance peaks of gold nanostructures can be tuned from the visible to the near infrared region by controlling the shape and structure (solid vs. hollow). In this tutorial review we highlight this concept by comparing four typical examples: nanospheres, nanorods, nanoshells, and nanocages. A combination of this optical tunability with the inertness of gold makes gold nanostructures well suited for various biomedical applications.     

Synthesis of polysiloxane xerogels with fluorine-containing groups in the surface layer and their sorption properties

Hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl-trimethoxysilane (TFMS) or 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFES) were used to synthesize xerogels functionalized with fluorine-containing groups. According to transmission electron microscopy, the skeletons of synthesized polysiloxane xerogels have globular structures and consist of agglomerates of particles with fluorinated groups on their surfaces. FTIR spectroscopy showed that primary xerogel particles possess spatial polysiloxane networks, with fluorinated groups along with silanol groups and water in the surface layer. According to thermal analyses, the water content was 3–8 wt.%, and it decreased with increasing length of the fluorinated chain. Thermal destruction of the surface layer starts above 300 °C. The sorbents that were obtained were predominantly mesoporous materials with well-developed porous structures (S_BET = 400–960 m² g⁻¹, V_s = 0.66–0.93 cm³ g⁻¹). The influence of the TEOS/functional silane ratio and the natures of the functional groups on the structural and adsorptive properties were shown. The samples synthesized are organophilic. The affinity for n-hexane increases with increasing length of the fluorine-containing chain (PFES) and the content of fluorinated groups in the surface layer. The hybrid organic–inorganic materials that were obtained can be used for adsorption of hydrocarbons, including oil, from water.     

Azo dye doped polymer films for nonlinear optical applications

Azo dye doped polymer films were prepared on glass substrates using spin-coating technique. FTIR, UV-Vis spectra and PL measurements were recorded to characterize the structure of the metanil yellow doped PVA films. Surface morphology and thickness of the films were studied using AFM and FESEM. The magnitude of both real and imaginary parts of third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ3 of metanil yellow were determined by the Z-scan technique. The nonlinear refractive index n2 and the nonlinear absorption coefficient β of the azo dye doped polymer films were calculated respectively. The real part of the third-order susceptibility χ3 is much larger than its imaginary part indicating that the third-order optical response of the metanil yellow doped PVA films is dominated by the optical nonlinear refractive behavior.