Amino-functionalized MIL-101(Fe) metal-organic framework as a viable fluorescent probe for nitroaromatic compounds

Microchimica Acta - A highly luminescent iron(III)-based amino-functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) of type NH2-MIL-101(Fe) was synthesized by a solvothermal method. Its structure and...     

Capacitive storage performance of nanorod assembly of polyaniline

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Herein, we report a good capacitive storage performance of nanorod assembly of polyaniline (PANI). PANI was synthesized by a facile method using...     

Electrochemical Activation of Graphite Nanosheets Decorated with Palladium Nanoparticles for High Performance Amperometric Hydrazine Sensor

Herein, we have demonstrated a preparation of palladium nanoparticles on electroactivated graphite nanosheets modified screen printed carbon electrode (PdNPs‐EGNS/SPCE) by a simple electrochemical method. The well‐prepared electrocatalyst was potentially applied to the high performance electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine in neutral medium. The PdNPs‐EGNS novel composite was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the average diameter and thickness of PdNPs and EGNS were found to be ～38 nm and 85 nm, respectively. The high performance electrocatalytic determination of hydrazine was performed by the amperometric i‐t method. The fabricated sensor displayed irreversible electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine with diffusion‐controlled electrode process. The oxidation of hydrazine at PdNPs‐EGNS/SPCE showed wider linear range 0.05–1415 µM and high sensitivity 4.382 µA µM^?1 cm^?2. The as‐prepared electrocatalyst achieved quick response towards hydrazine with a lower detection limit 4 nM.     

Isobutylene‐rich macromonomers: Dynamics and yields of peroxide‐initiated crosslinking

New isobutylene‐rich elastomers bearing multiple pendant styrenic, acrylic, maleimidic, vinylic, and allylic functional groups have been prepared and examined in the context of peroxide‐initiated crosslinking. Halide displacement from brominated poly(isobutylene‐co‐isoprene) (BIIR) by the requisite carboxylate nucleophiles in homogeneous toluene solutions provide the desired esters in quantitative yield without complications from dehydrohalogenation or premature crosslinking. Heating the resulting macromonomers with dicumyl peroxide to 160 °C under solvent‐free conditions gives thermoset derivatives, with reaction rates and yields depending markedly on functional group structure. In general, high cure extents can only be achieved using highly reactive pendant functional groups, owing to the competitive balance between crosslinking through C?C oligomerization, and degradation through β‐scission of backbone macroradical intermediates. Independent control of crosslinking rates and cure extents is gained through the use of nitroxyl radical traps bearing acrylate functionality. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 123–132     

In Vivo Laser Tomographic Imaging of Mouse Leg by Coherent Detection Imaging Method

The coherent detection imaging (CDI) technique based on the optical heterodyne detection method enables selective filtering of the directional coherent retaining emergent photons from biological tissues with a highly scattering nature. Therefore, the CDI can acquire on-axis information in the transillumination mode and use the same data-acquisition protocol and reconstruction algorithm as those in X-ray computed tomography (CT). Although the CDI-based laser CT cannot image thick subjects such as the head and chest, it can delineate subjects with a thickness up to several cm at a spatial resolution of sub-millimeters. We are planning to apply the technique to early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we performed an experiment using mice to confirm the feasibility. We compared in vivo CT images at the level of ankle joints of two mice, one normal and the other with collagen induced arthritis (CIA) as an RA model, and demonstrated that there occur significant discrepancies between the two distributions of image intensities, i.e., reconstructed scattering coefficients in each region of interest (ROI) prepared. We suggest that combining the morphological information with the quantitative information can be effective for early diagnosis of bone diseases and disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.     

A rapid and highly sensitive method for the determination of glimepiride in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pre-clinical pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-positive electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of glimepiride (GPD) in human plasma. GPD and the internal standard (IS, glibenclamide) were extracted from a small aliquot of human plasma (200 microL) by a simple liquid-liquid extraction technique using ethyl acetate as extraction solvent. The compounds were separated on a YMC Propack, C18, 4.6x50 mm column using a mixture of ammonium acetate buffer, acetonitrile and methanol (30:60:10, v/v) as mobile phase at 0.5 mL/min on an API 4000 Sciex mass spectrometer connected to an Agilent HPLC system. Method validation and pre-clinical sample analysis was performed as per FDA guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. GPD and IS were detected without any interference from human plasma matrix. The method was proved to be accurate and precise at linearity range of 0.02-100.00 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The method was robust with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.02 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day accuracies for GPD were 88.60-113.50 and 96.82-103.93%, respectively. The inter-day precision was better than 12.21%. This method enabled faster and reliable determination of GPD in a pre-clinical study.     

Thin films of discotic liquid crystals and their applications

ABSTRACT

Discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) are considered as fascinating systems due to their unique property of self-assembly to yield different columnar structures. DLCs are organic semiconductors and create pathways for the development of numerous optical and electrical devices. The thin films of DLCs can be considered as low dimensional system which can exhibit remarkable optical and physical properties. In this article, we present a review on ultrathin films of some interesting DLC molecules at air–water and air–solid interfaces. The Langmuir monolayer and Langmuir–Blodgett films of DLC molecules are extensively studied. The ultrathin films of DLC molecules can yield highly anisotropic layer wherein the molecular orientation and aggregation can have large impact on the physicochemical properties of the film. Different surface phases with different molecular orientations as function of surface density and temperature can be obtained by forming the Langmuir monolayer of the DLC molecules at the air–water interface. The Langmuir monolayer in a particular phase can be deposited onto the active area of a device layer-by-layer by employing a highly controlled Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Here, we report some interesting results related on molecular orientation of the DLC molecules at different interfaces. Such aggregation of DLC molecules in ultrathin films may find applications in thin film-based electro-optical devices.