Investigation of the role of NaBH<Subscript>4</Subscript> in the chemical synthesis of gold nanorods

An improvement in the previously reported seed-mediated chemical synthesis of gold nanorods (GNRs) is reported. Monodisperse GNRs have been synthesized in a one-step protocol. The addition of controlled quantity of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) directly into the growth solution produced uniform GNRs, formed by in situ nucleation and growth. In order to arrive at the conclusion, we studied the formation of GNRs with various seeds, of metals of widely differing crystal structures, and there were no variations in the properties of the GNRs formed. The role of NaBH₄ in the growth of GNR, which has not been covered in previous reports, is discussed in detail. The dependence of longitudinal plasmon peak on the concentration of NaBH₄ is compared with the dependence of residual concentration of NaBH₄ in the seed solution, which is added to the growth solution in seed-mediated synthesis. The study shows that NaBH₄ plays an important role in the formation of GNRs. This proposed protocol offers a number of advantages: one-step preparation of GNRs, significant reduction in the preparation time to 10 min, high monodispersity of GNRs, and tailorability of the aspect ratio depending on NaBH₄ concentration. It is suggested that NaBH₄ added to the growth solution leads to in situ formation of the seed particles of the size of 3–5 nm which enables the growth of GNRs. The growth of GNRs suggested here is likely to have an impact on the preparation of other anisotropic structures. Our single-pot methodology makes the procedure directly adaptable for commercial-scale production of GNRs and for their synthesis even in undergraduate laboratories.     

STDP-driven networks and the C. elegans neuronal network

We study the dynamics of the structure of a formal neural network wherein the strengths of the synapses are governed by spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). For properly chosen input signals, there exists a steady state with a residual network. We compare the motif profile of such a network with that of a real neural network of C. elegans and identify robust qualitative similarities. In particular, our extensive numerical simulations show that this STDP-driven resulting network is robust under variations of the model parameters.     

One-, two-, and three-dimensional superstructures of gold nanorods induced by dimercaptosuccinic acid

A method is described for assembling gold nanorods into one-, two-, and three-dimensional superstructures. The addition of dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) into the nanorod solution was found to induce self-assembly of the latter to one-dimensional "tapelike", two-dimensional "sheetlike" and three-dimensional "superlattice-like" structures depending on the DMSA concentration. The assembly was found to follow a smectic structure, where the nanorod long axes are parallel to each other. The rods are spaced 8.5 +/- 0.3 nm apart in the resulting structures, which extend over several micrometers in length. Organizations perpendicular to the grid were also found. The nanorod tapes were found to bend, and they form circular assemblies as well. The assembly and morphology of the nanorod structures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. The effect of the DMSA concentration as well as the pH of the medium was also studied. On the basis of several control experiments utilizing similar molecules, charge neutralization of the nanorods by the carboxylic group of DMSA was found to be the principal reason for such an assembly, while the mercapto groups render additional stability to its structure. A mechanistic model of the assembly is proposed. This type of assembly would plausibly function as a plasmonic waveguide in potential nanodevices.     

A New Macroporous Luminescent Hydrogel from Poly(allylamine)

The synthesis of a novel highly swelling, macroporous hydrogel from poly(allylamine) using 3‐chloropentan‐2,4‐dione as a crosslinker is reported. The swelling of the hydrogel was sensitive to changes in pH, temperature, and the extent of crosslinking. The dry gel exhibited a regular honeycomb network with smooth macropores. The hydrogel was inherently luminescent, and so was a metal polychelate.     

Nanocrystalline NaNbO3 and NaTaO3: Rietveld studies,Raman spectroscopy and dielectric properties

Nanocrystalline NaNbO₃ and NaTaO₃ have been synthesized by the reverse micellar technique for the first time. The particle size of NaNbO₃ was found to be 18 nm while that of NaTaO₃ was found to be 40 nm (much smaller size than most of the earlier reports on NaTaO₃). Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data and Raman spectroscopy confirm that the nanoparticles of NaNbO₃ and NaTaO₃ have orthorhombically distorted structures with Pmc2₁ and Pbnm space groups, respectively. The dielectric constant at 25 °C of NaNbO₃ and NaTaO₃ was found to be 209 and 147 at 1 kHz, respectively. The antiferroelectric transition in NaNbO₃ shifts to lower temperature (325 °C) in the nanocrystalline solid.     

Grafting of vinyl monomers onto sisal fiber in aqueous solution

Graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto sisal fibers (chemically modified) was studied using the Mn(III)/EDTA redox system in aqueous solution. The effects of time, monomer (AN), metal ion [Mn(III)] substrate [ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)], temperature, and acid concentration on graft yield have been studied. The effects of thiourea on the graft yield has also been studied. A suitable mechanism is proposed.     

Soluble,thermally stable,flame retardant quinoline-based poly(ester amide)s

A new diamine was prepared via reaction between 8-hydroxy-5-nitroquinoline and 4-nitrobenzoyl chloride, followed by reduction of the nitro groups of the resulted compound. Novel quinoline-based poly(ester-amide)s were produced through polycondensation reactions of the prepared diamine with different diacid chlorides. The monomer and poly(ester-amide)s were characterized and properties of the polymers including solution viscosity, thermal behavior and stability, solubility, and crystallinity were studied.

High thermal stability and improved solubility was observed for the polymers, indicating successful designing of monomer and related polymers for overcoming the main issue of thermally stable polymers, i.e. the problem of increasing solubility versus high thermal stability.

Also, by changing the diacid chlorides for the preparation of poly(ester-amide)s, the structure-property relations were investigated.