Selective oxidation of semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes by hydrogen peroxide

Selective oxidation of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by H2O2 was conducted at varying heating times and monitored by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. A major increase in the relative absorption intensity indicated a higher than 80% concentration of metallic SWCNTs in the final product. Here, it is suggested that semiconducting SWCNTs are more reactive than metallic SWCNTs because of hole-doping by H2O2, resulting in faster oxidation.     

Multivariate Calibration of Near Infrared Spectroscopy in the Presence of Light Scattering Effect: A Comparative Study

When analyzing heterogeneous samples using spectroscopy, the light scattering effect introduces non-linearity into the measurements and deteriorates the prediction accuracy of conventional linear models. This paper compares the prediction performance of two categories of chemometric methods: pre-processing techniques to remove the non-linearity and non-linear calibration techniques to directly model the non-linearity. A rigorous statistical procedure is adopted to ensure reliable comparison. The results suggest that optical path length estimation and correction (OPLEC) and Gaussian process (GP) regression are the most promising among the investigated methods. Furthermore, the combination of pre-processing and non-linear models is explored with limited success being achieved.     

Carbon nanotube-nucleobase hybrids: nanorings from uracil-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been covalently functionalized with uracil nucleobase. The hybrids have been characterized by using complementary spectroscopic and microscopic techniques including solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. The uracil‐functionalized SWCNTs are able to self‐assemble into regular nanorings with a diameter of 50–70 nm, as observed by AFM and TEM. AFM shows that the rings do not have a consistent height and thickness, which indicates that they may be formed by separate bundles of CNTs. The simplest model for the nanoring formation likely involves two bundles of CNTs interacting with each other via uracil–uracil base‐pairing at both CNT ends. These nanorings can be envisaged for the development of advanced electronic circuits.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of oxytetracycline by near-infrared spectroscopy

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, in combination with chemometrics, enable the analysis of raw materials without time-consuming sample preparation methods. The aim of our work was to estimate critical parameters in the analytical specification of oxytetracycline, and consequently the development of a method for quantification and qualification of these parameters by NIR spectroscopy. A Karl Fischer (K.F.) titration to determine the water content, a colorimetric assay method, and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to identify the oxytetracycline base, were used as reference methods, respectively. Multivariate calibration was performed on NIR spectral data using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares (PLS 1) and principal component regression (PCR) chemometric methods. Multivariate calibration models for NIR spectroscopy have been developed. Using PCA and the Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) approach, we established the cluster model for the determination of sample identity. PLS 1 and PCR regression methods were applied to develop the calibration models for the determination of water content and the assay of the oxytetracycline base. Comparing the PLS and PCR regression methods we found out that the PLS is better established by NIR, especially as the spectroscopic data (NIR spectra) are highly collinear and there are many wavelengths due to non-selective wavelengths. The calibration models for NIR spectroscopy are convenient alternatives to the colorimetric method and to the K.F. method, as well as to FT-IR spectroscopy, in the routine control of incoming material.     

Application of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] for splitting of single-walled carbon nanotube bundles in polystyrene/SWCNT composite

Dispersions of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in organic solutions containing poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) were studied by Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. This polymer interacts with the nanotube resulting in the appearance of a new red-shifted absorption band in the electronic spectrum. This indicates the formation of a charge-transfer complex between MEH-PPV and SWCNTs. Additives of MEH-PPV make it possible to achieve stable suspensions of nanotubes in styrene. A polystyrene/SWCNT/MEH-PPV composite with a high degree of bundle splitting was obtained by polymerization. It was shown that the luminescence intensity of the nanotubes in the Raman spectrum can serve as a indicator for the estimation of the degree of splitting of SWCNT bundles in the composite.     

An Amino‐Acid‐Based Self‐Healing Hydrogel: Modulation of the Self‐Healing Properties by Incorporating Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials

An amino‐acid‐based (11‐(4‐(pyrene‐1‐yl)butanamido)undecanoic acid) self‐repairing hydrogel is reported. The native hydrogel, as well as hybrid hydrogels, have been thoroughly characterized by using various microscopic techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and by using rheological experiments. The native hydrogel exhibited interesting fluorescence properties, as well as a self‐healing property. Interestingly, the self‐healing, thixotropy, and stiffness of the native hydrogel can be successfully modulated by incorporating carbon‐based nanomaterials, including graphene, pristine single‐walled carbon nanotubes (Pr‐SWCNTs), and both graphene and Pr‐SWCNTs, within the native gel system. The self‐recovery time of the gel was shortened by the inclusion of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), Pr‐SWCNTs, or both RGO and Pr‐SWCNTs. Moreover, hybrid gels that contained RGO and/or Pr‐SWCNTs exhibited interesting semiconducting behavior.     

Use of genetic algorithms with multivariate regression for determination of gelatine in historic papers based on FT-IR and NIR spectral data

Quantitative non-destructive analysis of individual constituents of historic rag paper is crucial for its effective preservation. In this work, we examine the potentials of mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy, however, in order to fully utilise the selectivity inherent to spectroscopic multivariate measurements, genetic algorithms were used to select spectral data derived from information-rich FT-IR or UV-vis-NIR measurements to build multivariate calibration models based on partial least squares regression, relating spectra to gelatine content in paper. A selective but laborious chromatographic method for the quantification of hydroxyproline (HYP) has been developed to provide the reference data on gelatine content. We used 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) to derivatise HYP, which was subsequently determined using reverse-phase liquid chromatographic separation and fluorimetric detection. In this process, the sample is consumed, which is why the method can only be used as a reference method.The sampling flexibility afforded by small-size field-portable spectroscopic instrumentation combined with chemometric data analysis, represents an attractive addition to existing analytical techniques for cultural heritage materials.     

Oxidation, deformation, and destruction of carbon nanotubes in aqueous ceric sulfate

A simple wet chemical method involving only ultrasonic processing in dilute ceric sulfate (CS) was used to functionalize carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Unexpectedly, single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs) were cut, oxidized, and disintegrated by sonication in 0.1 N CS for 2-5 h. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Raman scattering, and photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to probe wall damage during the chemical processing. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy were used to evaluate the conductivity of the CS-treated CNTs. This one-step process resulted in the destruction of SWCNTs to produce nonconducting amorphous carbon. MWCNTs were oxidized and converted to graphitic materials and amorphous carbon with retained conductivity.     

Comparison of various chemometric evaluation approaches for on-line FT-NIR transmission and FT-MIR/ATR spectroscopic data of methyl methacrylate solution polymerization

For the evaluation of vibrational spectroscopic data acquired on-line to a chemical reaction a broad range of different chemometric algorithms is available. The present study reports the comparative results obtained by different chemometric techniques from the data acquired by light-fiber coupled Fourier-transform near infrared (FT-NIR) transmission spectroscopy and Fourier-transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode to monitor the solution polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). We have found that the results obtained by the application of multivariate curve resolution (MCR) methods to the MIR spectral data acquired during the polymerization of MMA are quite comparable to the results derived by partial least-squares calibration. In the case of the NIR data univariate calibration yields somewhat poorer results than multivariate calibration and MCR, but still inside an acceptable range.     

Chemometric tools in electroanalytical chemistry: Methods for optimization based on factorial design and response surface methodology

The aim of this paper is to give a brief overview of chemometric techniques based on factorial designs and response surface methodologies used in the optimization of electroanalytical methods. Chemometric techniques have several important advantages over one-way optimization for analytical applications, including a relatively low cost, a reduced number of experiments, and possibilities to evaluate interactions among variables. These techniques also enable the selection of optimal experimental conditions, helping to avoid trivial mistakes during optimization. Despite these facts, chemometric techniques have rarely been applied to electroanalytical data, especially in comparison with their use in spectroscopy. The application of chemometric methods in electroanalytical chemistry has been mostly used for solving overlapping signals, multivariate calibration methods, model identification and optimization of analytical procedures. This review is focused on the latter applications and overviews the role of full or fractional factorial designs (first-order designs), as well as second-order designs, such as central composite, Doehlert and Box-Behnken designs, for optimization of electroanalytical methods. A discussion of chemometric-related advantages is also given for stripping analyses, flow injection systems with amperometric detection, differential pulse voltammetry, square wave voltammetry and electrochemical sensor preparation.     

Current activities of ISO TC229/WG2 on purity evaluation and quality assurance standards for carbon nanotubes

The current standardization activities of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) TC229 on “Nanotechnology” are introduced with focus on the work of WG2 (Working Group 2) for “measurement and characterization”. Seven project groups of WG2 are actively preparing standard protocols (technical specifications) for characterization of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by measurement methods such as TEM (transmission electron microscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray analysis), UV–Vis–NIR (ultraviolet-visible-near infrared) absorption spectroscopy, NIR-photoluminescence spectroscopy, EGA (evolved gas analysis)–GC–MS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), and Raman spectroscopy; this work is described. The features of purity evaluation of SWCNTs by these methods are also briefly described and compared. Also described are two project groups of WG2 that are preparing standard protocols for characterization of multiwall CNTs (MWCNTs), aiming at the purity control by measurement of moisture content, ash content, metallic constituents, volatile content, polyaromatic hydrocarbon content, and carbon materials excluding MWCNTs. Other important properties for characterization of MWCNT, for example disorder, burning property, stacking nature, length, morphology, and inner/outer diameter, etc., are also mentioned. Finally, the importance and urgency of standardization for potential risk assessment of CNTs is briefly described, and current joint activity of ISO TC229 WG2 and WG3 for physicochemical characterization of engineered nanoscale materials for toxicological assessment is introduced.     

Chemometrics in pharmaceutical analysis: an introduction, review, and future perspectives

Chemometrics is the application of statistical and mathematical methods to analytical data to permit maximum collection and extraction of useful information. The utility of chemometric techniques as tools enabling multidimensional calibration of selected spectroscopic, electrochemical, and chromatographic methods is demonstrated. Application of this approach mainly for interpretation of UV-Vis and near-IR (NIR) spectra, as well as for data obtained by other instrumental methods, makes identification and quantitative analysis of active substances in complex mixtures possible, especially in the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations present in the market. Such analytical work is carried out by the use of advanced chemical instruments and data processing, which has led to a need for advanced methods to design experiments, calibrate instruments, and analyze the resulting data. The purpose of this review is to describe various chemometric methods in combination with UV-Vis spectrophotometry, NIR spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, electroanalysis, chromatographic separation, and flow-injection analysis for the analysis of drugs in pharmaceutical preparations. Theoretical and practical aspects are described with pharmaceutical examples of chemometric applications. This review will concentrate on gaining an understanding of how chemometrics can be useful in the modern analytical laboratory. A selection of the most challenging problems faced in pharmaceutical analysis is presented, the potential for chemometrics is considered, and some consequent implications for utilization are discussed. The reader can refer to the citations wherever appropriate.     

"Click" on tubes: a versatile approach towards multimodal functionalization of SWCNTs

Organic functionalization of carbon nanotube sidewalls is a tool of primary importance in material science and nanotechnology, equally from a fundamental and an applicative point of view. Here, an efficient and versatile approach for the organic/organometallic functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) capable of imparting multimodality to these fundamental nanostructures, is described. Our strategy takes advantage of well-established Cu-mediated acetylene-azide coupling (CuAAC) reactions applied to phenylazido-functionalized SWCNTs for their convenient homo-/heterodecoration with a number of organic/organometallic frameworks, or mixtures thereof, bearing terminal acetylene pendant arms. Phenylazido-decorated SWCNTs were prepared by chemoselective arylation of the CNT sidewalls with diazonium salts under mild conditions, and subsequently used for the copper-mediated cycloaddition protocol in the presence of terminal acetylenes. The latter reaction was performed in one step by using either single acetylene derivatives or equimolar mixtures of terminal alkynes bearing either similar functional groups (masked with orthogonally cleavable protecting groups) or easily distinguishable functionalities (on the basis of complementary analytical/spectroscopic techniques). All materials and intermediates were characterized with respect to their most relevant aspects/properties by TEM microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with MS analysis of volatiles (TG-MS), elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry (CV), Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The functional loading and related chemical grafting of both primary amino- and ferrocene-decorated SWCNTs were spectroscopically (UV/Vis, Kaiser test) and electrochemically (CV) determined, respectively.     

Layer-by-layer fabrication and characterization of DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotube particles

Carbon nanotubes have been proposed as support materials for numerous applications, including the development of DNA sensors. One of the challenges is the immobilization of DNA or other biological molecules on the sidewall of carbon nanotubes. This paper introduces a new fabrication of DNA-carbon nanotubes particles using the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Poly(diallyldimethylammonium) (PDDA), a positively charged polyelectrolyte, and DNA as a negatively charged counterpart macromolecule are alternatively deposited on the water-soluble oxidized SWCNTs. Pure DNA/PDDA/SWCNTs particles can be prepared and separated by simple unltracentrifugation. The characterization of DNA/PDDA/SWCNTs particles was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). An electrode modified by the DNA/PDDA/SWCNTs particles shows a dramatic change of the electrochemical signal in solutions of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) ((Ru(bpy)(3)2+) as a reporting redox probe. A preliminary application of the DNA-modified carbon nanotubes in the development of DNA sensors used in the investigation of DNA damage by nitric oxide is presented.     

蒿甲醚在单壁碳纳米管修饰电极上的电催化还原

研制了单壁碳纳米管(SWCNTs)修饰玻碳电极。用交流阻抗谱法(EIS)和扫描电镜(SEM)研究了电极膜性能,应用循环伏安法(CV)、计时库仑法(CC)、计时电流法(CA)研究了蒿甲醚在修饰电极上的电化学行为。结果表明,SWCNTs修饰电极对蒿甲醚的还原有良好的电催化活性,其还原反应为双电子过程,电极反应的扩散系数及速率常数分别为6·67×10-4cm2·s-1及8·54×10-2mol·L-1·s-1。在优化实验条件下,还原峰的峰电位位于-0·85V,其峰电流与蒿甲醚浓度在6·71×10-7~2·45×10-4mol·L-1范围内呈良好线性,检出限达4·02×10-7mol·L-1,相对标准偏差(n=10)为4·2%,可用于蒿甲醚样品的含量测定。     

“Click” on Tubes: a Versatile Approach towards Multimodal Functionalization of SWCNTs

Organic functionalization of carbon nanotube sidewalls is a tool of primary importance in material science and nanotechnology, equally from a fundamental and an applicative point of view. 1 , 2 Here, an efficient and versatile approach for the organic/organometallic functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) capable of imparting multimodality to these fundamental nanostructures, is described. Our strategy takes advantage of well‐established Cu‐mediated acetylene‐azide coupling (CuAAC) reactions applied to phenylazido‐functionalized SWCNTs for their convenient homo‐/heterodecoration with a number of organic/organometallic frameworks, or mixtures thereof, bearing terminal acetylene pendant arms. Phenylazido‐decorated SWCNTs were prepared by chemoselective arylation of the CNT sidewalls with diazonium salts under mild conditions, and subsequently used for the copper‐mediated cycloaddition protocol in the presence of terminal acetylenes. The latter reaction was performed in one step by using either single acetylene derivatives or equimolar mixtures of terminal alkynes bearing either similar functional groups (masked with orthogonally cleavable protecting groups) or easily distinguishable functionalities (on the basis of complementary analytical/spectroscopic techniques). All materials and intermediates were characterized with respect to their most relevant aspects/properties by TEM microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with MS analysis of volatiles (TG‐MS), elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry (CV), Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The functional loading and related chemical grafting of both primary amino‐ and ferrocene‐decorated SWCNTs were spectroscopically (UV/Vis, Kaiser test) and electrochemically (CV) determined, respectively.     

Fractional-continuous wavelet transforms and ultra-performance liquid chromatography for the multicomponent analysis of a ternary mixture containing thiamine, pyridoxine, and lidocaine in ampules

New chemometric approaches based on the application of partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) algorithms with fractional wavelet transform (FWT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) are proposed for the spectrophotometric multicomponent determination of thiamine hydrochloride (B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), and lidocaine hydrochloride (LID) in ampules without any separation step. In this study PLS and PCR techniques were applied to the raw spectral data, FWT-coefficients, and FWT-CWT-coefficients. These calibration models were labeled as Raw-PLS and Raw-PCR, FWT-PLS and FWT-PCR, and FWT-CWT-PLS and FWT-CWT-PCR, respectively. A new ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) method was developed for the comparison of the results obtained by applying the chemometric calibration methods. Chromatographic separation and determination of B1, B6, and LID in ampules were performed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50x2.1 mm id, 1.7 pm particle size) using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.01 M HCI at a constant flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. These combined chemometric calibrations and UPLC were validated by analyzing various ternary mixtures, B1, B6, and LID. The proposed chemometric approaches (signal processing-multivariate calibrations) and UPLC method were applied to the quantitative multicomponent analysis of marketed ampules containing the vitamins B1 and B6 with LID.     

基于正交信号校正的秸秆青贮饲料粗蛋白近红外分析模型传递方法

探讨了基于不同数据预处理方法的正交信号校正在秸杆饲料近红外光谱模型传递中的应用.以141个秸杆青贮饲料样品为研究对象,以其粗蛋白含量为目标参数,研究了基于无处理、局部中心化、全局中心化和Z-score标准化预处理方法的正交信号校正,在源仪器(SPECTRUM ONE NTS)和目标仪器1(ANTA-RIS)与目标仪器2(FOSS 6500)之间的模型传递效果.实验表明:对于两台傅里叶变换型近红外光谱仪,采用局部中心化、全局中心化和Z-score标准化预处理方法的正交信号校正均可成功实现模型传递,其中局部中心化和全局中心化法的作用效果基本一致,且优于Z-score标准化法.对于傅立叶变换和光栅型近红外光谱仪,全局中心化的作用效果明显优于其它3组处理效果,且只有全局中心化预处理的正交信号校正传递后的模型可用于实际预测.     

Integration of block copolymer-wrapped single-wall carbon nanotubes into a trifunctional epoxy resin. Influence on thermal performance

Novel nanocomposite materials were prepared by incorporating block copolymer-wrapped single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into a trifunctional epoxy resin. The work was focused on the study of the influence of the SWCNTs and the block copolymer based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, Pluronic F68, on the thermal and thermo-oxidative cleavage reactions of the resin. A nanocomposite sample containing 2 wt% Pluronic-wrapped SWCNTs was prepared and its behaviour compared with that of Pluronic/epoxy and SWCNT/epoxy composites. Their thermal performance in both oxidative and inert atmospheres was evaluated by different techniques including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy. A kinetic study of the TGA data in both atmospheres based on the Vyazovkin’s advanced isoconversional method showed differences in the activation energies. Infrared spectroscopy of residues extracted at various steps during dynamic heating indicated a common degradation mechanism for all samples, and improved thermo-oxidative performance in the nanocomposite containing Pluronic-wrapped SWCNTs.