Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Templated by Amphiphilic RTILs

This article reports a novel preparation of mesoporous silica with series of 1-alky-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C_nMIM)Br (n = 12, 14, 16), a kind of amphiphilic room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), as a template via a sol-gel nanocasting technique. The pore morphology and structures of these mesoporous silica were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the RTIL bearing longer alkyl chain is preferred to form the mesoporous silica material with bigger pores. (C₁₆MIM)Br has been chosen to study how the various influencing factors affect the synthesis and structure of the mesoporous silica material, such as the acid concentration, the solling time, the gelling time and the calcination time. N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms measurement was used to characterize the pore size distribution and BET surface area. The results indicate that all of the factors can make an influence on the preparation of the mesoporous silica, which is more sensitive to the concentration of the acid.     

基于核酸分子杂交的免疫芯片抗体固定新方法

基于核酸分子杂交原理构建了一种新型抗体固定方法.先将抗体与寡核苷酸单链交联,再将两者的复合物与固相载体表面上的互补寡核苷酸链结合,从而将抗体固定到载体的表面.在磁珠表面对该固定方法进行实验,证明了方法的可行性.以本方法构建了针对转基因Bt Cry1Ac蛋白的免疫芯片,用Cy3标记二抗对其探针固定效果进行分析,并且在芯片上对Bt Cry1 Ac蛋白进行梯度浓度检测试验.结果表明,以本方法构建的抗体芯片,探针分布具有良好的特异性;探针层分布均匀,非特异吸附小;检测灵敏度达到0.01 ～ 0.05 μg/L;此外,通过杂交核酸双链的解离成功实现了芯片的再生,有助于解决传统抗体固定方法中芯片不可再生的问题.     

SAPO-11分子筛晶化过程研究

采用X射线衍射、X射线荧光光谱、扫描电镜和固体核磁等方法研究了SAPO-11分子筛的水热晶化过程.结果表明,晶化初期,SAPO-11和一种具有磷硅铝组成的未知晶相同时生成;随着晶化的进行,中间相溶解,SAPO-11的生成速率大大增加,呈现快速晶化的特征;至2.33h后,SAPO-11的结晶度接近100%,并保持至晶化结束.硅从晶化初期即参与了SAPO-11的形成,它在晶体中的含量随晶化时间的延长而逐渐增加.硅原子主要以硅岛的形式分布于SAPO-11分子筛骨架中,从而导致多种硅配位环境的存在.分析显示,SAPO-11分子筛呈现外表面富硅的特点,结合晶化过程的分析可推测,硅在SAPO-11分子筛晶体中的分布不均匀,其含量从内向外递增.     

Investigation on sound absorption properties of kapok fibers

Sound absorption properties of natural kapok fibers have been investigated. Kapok fibrous assemblies with different bulk density, thickness, fiber length and orientation were manufactured, and their acoustical performances were evaluated by using an impedance tube instrument. Results show that the kapok fiber has excellent acoustical damping performance due to its natural hollow structure, and the sound absorption coefficients of kapok fibrous assemblies are significantly affected by the bulk density, thickness and arrangement of kapok fibers but less dependent on the fiber length. Compared with assemblies of commercial glass wool and degreasing cotton fibers, the kapok fiber assemblies with the same thickness but much smaller bulk density may have the similar sound absorption coefficients. Theoretical modelling of the acoustical damping performance of kapok fibers shows a good agreement with the experimental data. All the results demonstrate that kapok fiber is a promising light and environment-friendly sound absorption material.     

Novel high birefringence bistolane liquid crystals with lateral fluorosubstituent

Twelve compounds based on lateral fluorinated bistolane moieties with cyano or trifluoromethyl terminal groups were synthesised with Hagihara–Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. The molecular structures of the compounds were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The transition temperatures, optical textures and optical anisotropies were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and ultraviolet microscopy. The effects of the terminal substituents and lateral fluorosubstituent group on their physical properties were investigated and discussed. The compounds with lateral double fluorosubstituent and cyano terminal group exhibited nematogenic texture, while other compounds showed smectic phase. All the compounds exhibited wide liquid crystal temperature ranges and high clearing points. Interestingly, the compounds have the high birefringence in the range of between 0.480 and 0.633.     

Indecomposable representations and boson realizations of the nonlinear deformed angular momentum algebra of Witten’s first type

In this paper indecomposable representations and boson realizations of the nonlinear angular momentum algebra $\mathcal{R}_{q,p}^{c_1,c_2,c_3}$ of Witten’s first type are investigated in a purely algebraic manner. Explicit form of the master representation of $\mathcal{R}_{q,p}^{c_1,c_2,c_3}$ on the space of its universal enveloping algebra is given. Then, from this master representation, other indecomposable representations are obtained in explicit form. Various kinds of single-boson, single inverse boson, and double-boson realizations of $\mathcal{R}_{q,p}^{c_1,c_2,c_3}$ are respectively obtained by generalizing the Holstein–Primakoff realization, the Dyson realization, and the Jordan–Schwinger realization of the Lie algebras SU(2) and SU(1,1). For each kind, the unitary realization, the nonunitary realization, and their connection by the corresponding similarity transformation are respectively discussed. Using a kind of double-boson realizations, the irreducible representation of $\mathcal{R}_{q,p}^{c_1,c_2,c_3}$ in the angular momentum basis is given.     

Dimesogenic compounds with an electron-attracting terminal group

Non-symmetric dimesogens composed of a classical aromatic mesogenic unit linked to a cholesteryl moiety by a flexible spacer form several types of smectic periodicities: one is connected to the cholesteryl length and the other to the length of the associated dimesogens. In some peculiar cases, anomalies of periodicity resulting from the competition between these incommensurate lengths are observed through the occurrence of two-dimensional modulated phases or incommensurate low ordered smectic phases (S_ic). As part of our continuing effort to understand the influence on the smectic arrangement of the molecular parameters of such non-symmetric dimesogens, new homologues with a cholesteryl unit linked by a pentamethylene spacer to an aromatic mesogenic moiety bearing different electron attracting terminal groups have been prepared. For these compounds, only the periodicity resulting from the associated dimesogens is observed. Nevertheless, an incommensurate smectic phase can be induced by mixing one of these compounds with another appropriate dimesogen. Molecular mechanics calculations suggest that the origin of the different smectic structures is strongly connected to the repartition of electrostatic potential along the dimesogen.     

Silaffin Peptides as a Novel Signal Enhancer for Gravimetric Biosensors

Application of biomimetic silica formation to gravimetric biosensors has been conducted for the first time. As a model system, silaffin peptides fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were immobilized on a gold quartz crystal resonator for quartz crystal microbalances using a self-assembled monolayer. When a solution of silicic acid was supplied, silica particles were successfully deposited on the Au surface, resulting in a significant change in resonance frequency (i.e., signal enhancement) with the silaffin–GFP. However, frequency was not altered when bare GFP was used as a control. The novel peptide enhancer is advantageous because it can be readily and quantitatively conjugated with sensing proteins using recombinant DNA technology. As a proof of concept, this study shows that the silaffin domains can be employed as a novel and efficient biomolecular signal enhancer for gravimetric biosensors.     

Etching Characteristics and Mechanisms of Mo and Al2O3 Thin Films in O2/Cl2/Ar Inductively Coupled Plasmas: Effect of Gas Mixing Ratios

An investigation of etching behaviors for Mo and Al₂O₃ thin films in O₂/Cl₂/Ar inductively coupled plasmas at constant gas pressure (6 mTorr), input power (700 W) and bias power (200 W) was carried out. It was found that an increase in Ar mixing ratio for Cl₂/Ar plasma results in non-monotonic etching rates with the maximums of 160 nm/min at 60 % Ar for Mo and 27 nm/min at 20 % Ar for Al₂O₃. The addition of O₂ in the Cl₂/Ar plasma causes the non-monotonic Mo etching rate (max. 320 nm/min at 40–45 % O₂) while the Al₂O₃ etching rate decreases monotonically. The model-based analysis of etching kinetics allows one to relate the non-monotonic etching rates in Cl₂/Ar plasma to the change in the etching regime from the ion-flux-limited mode (at low Ar mixing ratios) to the neutral-flux-limited mode (for high Ar mixing ratios). In the Cl₂/O₂/Ar plasma, the non-monotonic Mo etching rate is probably due to the change in reaction probability.     

Biological Removal of Phosphate at Low Concentrations Using Recombinant Escherichia coli Expressing Phosphate-Binding Protein in Periplasmic Space

During wastewater treatment, phosphate removal is an important and challenging process; thus, diverse technologies, including those derived from biological means, have been devised for efficient phosphate removal. Although conventional biological methods are effective in decreasing wastewater phosphate levels to ~1 mg/L, long periods of microbial adaptation are required for effective phosphate removal, and the removal efficiency of these methods is relatively poor at lower phosphate concentrations. In the present work, we constructed a recombinant Escherichia coli with periplasmic-expressed phosphate-binding protein (PBP) and investigated its biological removal ability for low phosphate levels. We found that the PBP-expressing recombinant E. coli cells showed efficient (> 94 %) removal of phosphate at low concentrations (0.2–1.0 mg/L) in a treated cell mass-dependent manner. Collectively, we propose that our PBP-expressing recombinant whole-cell system could be successfully used during wastewater treatment for the biological removal of low concentrations of phosphate.