Detection of layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly multilayer films by low‐temperature plasma mass spectrometry

The detection of layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly multilayer films was carried out using low‐temperature plasma (LTP) mass spectrometry (MS) under ambient conditions. These multilayer films have been prepared on quartz plates through the alternate assembling of oppositely charged 4‐aminothiophenol (4‐ATP) capped Au particles and thioglycolic acid (TGA) capped Ag particles. An LTP probe was used for direct desorption and ionization of chemical components on the films. Without the complicated sample preparation, the structure information of 4‐ATP and TGA on films was studied by LTP‐MS. Characteristic ions of 4‐ATP (M) and TGA (F), including [M]^+?, [M‐NH₂]⁺, [M‐HCN‐H]⁺, and [F + H]⁺, [F‐H]⁺, [F‐OH]⁺, [F‐COOH]⁺ were recorded by LTP‐MS on the films. However, [M‐CS‐H]⁺ and [F‐SH]⁺ could not be observed on the film, which were detected in the neat sample. In addition, the semi‐quantitative analysis of chemical components on monolayer film was carried out, and the amounts of 4‐ATP and TGA on monolayer surface were 45 ng/mm² and 54 ng/mm², respectively. This resulted the ionization efficiencies of 72% for 4‐ATP and 54% for TGA. In order to evaluate the reliability of present LTP‐MS, the correlations between this approach and some traditional methods, such as UV–vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscope and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were studied, which resulted the correlation coefficients of higher than 0.9776. The results indicated that this technique can be used for analyzing the films without any pretreatment, which possesses great potential in the studies of self‐assembly multilayer films. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancing the electrochemical performance of Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2 by surface modification with nickel–manganese composite oxide

Li-rich layered Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂ has been surface modified by nickel–manganese composite oxide (Ni_0.5Mn_1.5O _x ) to serve as a novel cathode material with novel layered spinel structure for lithium-ion battery. The as-prepared Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂ before and after surface modification by Ni_0.5Mn_1.5O _x as well as simply blended Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂ with spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄, have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electronic microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Electrochemical studies indicate that the Ni_0.5Mn_1.5O _x surface modified Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂ with peculiar layered spinel character dramatically represented increased discharge capacity, improved cycling stability as well as excellent rate capability at high-voltage even up to 5.0 V.     

First‐Principles Investigation of Anisotropic Electron and Hole Mobility in Heterocyclic Oligomer Crystals

Based on quantum chemistry calculations combined with the Marcus–Hush electron transfer theory, we investigated the charge‐transport properties of oligothiophenes (nTs) and oligopyrroles (nPs) (n=6, 7, 8) as potential p‐ or n‐type organic semiconductor materials. The results of our calculations indicate that 1) the nPs show intrinsic hole mobilities as high as or even higher than those of nTs, and 2) the vertical ionization potentials (VIPs) of the nPs are about 0.6–0.7 eV smaller than the corresponding VIPs of the nTs. Based on their charge‐transport ability and hole‐injection efficiency, the nPs have potential as p‐type organic semiconducting materials. Furthermore, it was also found that the maximum values of the electron‐transfer mobility for the nTs are larger by one‐to‐two orders of magnitude than the corresponding maximum values of hole‐transfer mobility, which suggests that the nTs have the potential to be developed as promising n‐type organic semiconducting materials owing to their electron mobility.     

燃料电池铂钴锰合金催化剂的制备及性能

为提高PtCo/C合金催化剂的电化学性能,采用微波法合成铂钴锰催化剂前驱体,经高温热处理形成合金,最后通过酸处理得到铂钴锰合金催化剂(PtCoMn/C)。电化学测试结果表明:适量锰的添加可提升PtCo/C催化剂的活性和耐久性。PtCoMn/C催化剂在 0.9 V(vs RHE)电压下的质量比活性(MA)达到 0.666 A·mg_Pt^-1,是传统 Pt/C 的 2.66 倍,是 PtCo/C 催化剂的 1.30 倍。在30 000圈催化剂加速耐久性测试中,PtCoMn/C合金催化剂的电化学活性面积(ECSA)和质量比活性(MA)仅下降6.9%和27.1%,均远低于Pt/C催化剂。     

3,4-Dinitrobenzamide Functionalized CdTe/ZnTe Quantum Dots as a Nanoprobe for Imaging Glutathione S-Transferase in Living Cells

A novel fluorescent nanoprobe for glutathione S‐transferase (GST) has been developed by incorporating 3,4‐dinitrobenzamide (a specific substrate of GST) onto CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots. The probe itself displays a low background signal due to the strong quenching effect of the electron‐withdrawing unit of 3,4‐dinitrobenzamide on the quantum dots. However, GST can efficiently catalyze the nucleophilic substitution of reduced glutathione on the p‐nitro group of the nanoprobe, leading to a large fluorescence enhancement. Most notably, this enhancement shows high selectivity and sensitivity towards GST instead of the other biological substances. With this nanoprobe, a simple fluorescence imaging method for intracellular GST has been established, and its applicability has been successfully demonstrated for imaging GST in different living cells, which reveals that A549 cells express GST about 3 times higher than NIH‐3T3 and Hela cells.     

Two new cyclic diarylheptanoids from the stems of Ostryopsis nobilis

Two new cyclic diarylheptanoids named ostryopsitrienol(1) and ostryopsitriol(2),together with six known compounds,were isolated from the stems of endemic medicinal plant of Ostryopsis nobilis (Betulaceae).The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by means of HRMS,~1D NMR,~2D NMR and X-ray crystallography analysis.