Surface modification of γ-alumina membranes by silane coupling for CO2 separation

Top layers of γ-Al₂O₃ composite membranes have been modified by the silane coupling technique using phenyltriethoxysilane for improving the separation factor of CO₂ to N₂. The separation efficiency of the modified membranes was strongly dependent upon the hydroxylation tendency of the support materials and the amount of the special functional group (i.e. phenyl radical) which was coupled onto a top layer. The separation factor through the TiO₂ supported γ-Al₂O₃ membrane was found to be fairly enhanced by silane coupling, but in case of the -Al₂O₃ supported membrane was not. The CO₂/N₂ separation factor through the modified γ-Al₂O₃/TiO₂ composite membrane is 1.7 at 90°C and ΔP = 2 × 10⁵ Pa for the binary mixture containing 50 vol% CO₂. The separation factor is proportional to the CO₂ concentration in the gas mixture, and the modified membrane is stable up to 100°C. The main mechanism of the CO₂ transport through the modified γ-Al₂O₃ layer is known to be a surface diffusion.     

Biocatalytic precipitation induced by an affinity reaction on dendrimer-activated surfaces for the electrochemical signaling from immunosensors

We have developed a strategy of signal generation for immunosensors that transduces biospecific affinity recognition reactions into electrochemical signals. The cyclic voltammetric method, tracking the precipitation of insoluble products onto the sensing surface and the subsequent decrement in the electrode area, was chosen for signal registration. Precipitation of insolubilities was induced by the catalytic reaction of enzymes, which were labeled to the biospecifically attached protein or antibody molecules. As a model system for affinity recognition, we have investigated the functionalization of biotin groups to the sensing monolayer and their biospecific interactions with anti-biotin antibody molecules. The immunosensing interface was developed onto the dendrimer-activated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), as the base template for the functionalization of the antigen moiety and signal generation. The advantages of using dendrimer-activated SAMs in comparison to the plain modified thiolate SAMs for the sensing surface were shown in terms of sensing performances, and the analytical characteristics of the resulting immunosensor were examined. Additionally, the sensing system was applied for biotin/(strept)avidin couples, extending the applicability of the developed strategy.     

Efficient excitation energy transfer in long meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin arrays bearing a 5,15-bisphenylethynylated Zn(II) porphyrin acceptor

Electronically coupled porphyrin arrays are suitable for artificial light harvesting antenna in light of a large absorption cross-section and fast excitation energy transfer (EET). Along this line, an artificial energy transfer model system has been synthesized, comprising of an energy donating meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin array and an energy accepting 5,15-bisphenylethynylated Zn(II) porphyrin linked via a 1,4-phenylene spacer. This includes an increasing number of porphyrins in the meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin array, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 (Z1A, Z2A, Z3A, Z6A, Z12A, and Z24A). The intramolecular singlet-singlet EET processes have been examined by means of the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. The steady-state fluorescence comes only from the acceptor moiety in Z1A-Z12A, indicating nearly the quantitative EET. In Z24A that has a molecular length of ca. 217 A, the fluorescence comes largely from the acceptor moiety but partly from the long donor array, indicating that the intramolecular EET is not quantitative. The transient absorption spectroscopy has provided the EET rates in real time scale: (2.5 ps)(-1) for Z1A, (3.3 ps)(-1) for Z2A, (5.5 ps)(-1) for Z3A, (21 ps)(-1) for Z6A, (63 ps)(-1) for Z12A, and (108 ps)(-1) for Z24A. These results have been well explained by a revised F?rster equation (Sumi formula), which takes into account an exciton extending coherently over several porphyrin pigments in the donor array, whose length is not much shorter than the average donor-acceptor distance. Advantages of such strongly coupled porphyrin arrays in light harvesting and transmission are emphasized in terms of fast EET and a large absorption cross-section for incident light.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles using microwave processes and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of orange II

The nanosized titania and TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were prepared by the microwave-hydrothermal method. The effect of physical properties TTIP/TEOS ratio and calcination temperature has been investigated. The major phase of the pure TiO₂ particle is of the anatase structure, and a rutile peak was observed above 800°C. In TiO₂/SiO₂ particles, however, no significant rutile phase was observed, although the calcination temperature was 900°C. No peaks for the silica crystal phase were observed at either silica/titania ratio. The crystallite size of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles decreases as compared to pure TiO₂ at high calcination temperatures. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles show higher activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of orange II as compared to pure TiO₂ particles.     

bPAK-interacting exchange factor may regulate actin cytoskeleton through interaction with actin

p21-activated kinase (PAK)-interacting exchange factor (PIX) is known to be involved in regulation of Cdc42/Rac GTPases and PAK activity. PIX binds to the proline-rich region of PAK, and regulates biological events through activation of Cdc42/Rac GTPase. To further investigate the role of PIX we produced monoclonal antibodies (Mab) against bPIX. Three clones; N-C6 against N-terminal half and C-A3 and C-B7 against C- terminal half of bPIX were generated and characterized. N-C6 Mab detected bPIX as a major band in most cell lines. C-A3 Mab recognizes GIT-binding domain (GBD), but it does not interfere with GIT binding to bPIX. Using C-A3 Mab possible bPIX interaction with actin in PC12 cells was examined. bPIX Mab (C-A3) specifically precipitated actin of the PC12 cell lysates whereas actin Mab failed to immunoprecipitate bPIX. Co-sedimentation of PC12 cell lysates with the polymerized F-actin resulted in the recovery of most of bPIX in the cell lysates. These results suggest that bPIX may not interact with soluble actin but with polymerized F-actin and revealed that bPIX constitutes a functional complex with actin. These data indicate real usefulness of the bPIX Mab in the study of bPIX role(s) in regulation of actin cyoskeleton.     

Effective isolation of magnesium lithospermate B and its inhibition of aldose reductase and fibronectin on mesangial cell line

We developed an effective isolation method of magnesium lithospermate B from Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix and found for the first time that magnesium lithospermate B shows strong in vitro inhibition (IC50=0.04 microM) of aldose reductase (AR), 2.5 times than that of clinically used epalrestat (IC50=0.1 microM) and accumulation of fibronectin dose dependently.     

Decarbopalladation of pi-allylpalladium intermediates formed from palladium-catalyzed arylations of 3-allen-1-ols

[reaction: see text] Unusual palladium-catalyzed arylative fragmentations of acyclic 3-allen-1-ols were observed. Oxidative addition of Pd(0) to aryl halides would form the arylpalladium halides, which added to the central carbon of allenes via carbopalladation to form the pi-allylpalladium intermediates. The pi-allylpalladium intermediates would be reductively eliminated via carbon-carbon cleavage to give the arylated dienes and the alpha-hydroxyalkylpalladium intermediates, which were further reductively eliminated to the corresponding aldehydes.     

Photochemical interaction of polystyrene nanospheres with 193 nm pulsed laser light

The photochemical interaction of 193 nm light with polystyrene nanospheres is used to produce particles with a controlled size and morphology. Laser fluences from 0 to 0.14 J/cm2 at 10 and 50 Hz photofragment nearly monodisperse 110 nm spherical polystyrene particles. The size distributions before and after irradiation are measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), and the morphology of the irradiated particles is examined with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the irradiated particles have a smaller mean diameter ( approximately 25 nm) and a number concentration more than an order of magnitude higher than nonirradiated particles. The particles are formed by nucleation of gas-phase species produced by photolytic decomposition of nanospheres. A nondimensional parameter, the photon-to-atom ratio (PAR), is used to interpret the laser-particle interaction energetics.     

Mimicry of tandem repeat peptides against cell surface carbohydrates

Our approach to multivalent peptide construction relies on tentacle peptides, also known as a multiple antigenic peptides, which contain two and four repeats of a selected peptide. In this communication, we report the results of preliminary studies aimed at (1) the selection of short peptides against the carbohydrate, sLeX, (2) the synthesis of tentacle dimers and tetramers of the selected peptides, and (3) the determination of affinities and specificities of the peptides to several related carbohydrates by using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and the equilibrium dialysis techniques. Binding affinity studies, as well as assays of in vitro binding of the peptides to a sLeX-specific cell line, have shown that the tetrameric peptides bind to the cell surface sugars.     

Photophysical properties of porphyrin tapes

The novel fused Zn(II)porphyrin arrays (Tn, porphyrin tapes) in which the porphyrin macrocycles are triply linked at meso-meso, beta-beta, beta-beta positions have been investigated by steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements along with theoretical MO calculations. The absorption spectra of the porphyrin tapes show a systematic downshift to the IR region as the number of porphyrin pigments increases in the arrays. The fused porphyrin arrays exhibit a rapid formation of the lowest excited states (for T2, approximately 500 fs) via fast internal conversion processes upon photoexcitation at 400 nm (Soret bands), which is much faster than the internal conversion process of approximately 1.2 ps observed for a monomeric Zn(II)porphyrin. The relaxation dynamics of the lowest excited states of the porphyrin tapes were accelerated from approximately 4.5 ps for the T2 dimer to approximately 0.3 ps for the T6 hexamer as the number of porphyrin units increases, being explained well by the energy gap law. The overall photophysical properties of the porphyrin tapes were observed to be in a sharp contrast to those of the orthogonal porphyrin arrays. The PPP-SCI calculated charge-transfer probability indicates that the lowest excited state of the porphyrin tapes (Tn) resembles a Wannier-type exciton closely, whereas the lowest excited state of the directly linked porphyrin arrays can be considered as a Frenkel-type exciton. Conclusively, these unique photophysical properties of the porphyrin tapes have aroused much interest in the fundamental photophysics of large flat organic molecules as well as in the possible applications as electric wires, IR sensors, and nonlinear optical materials.