Synthesis of unimolecular reversed micelle consisting of a poly(L‐lactide) shell and hyperbranched D‐mannan core

A novel biodegradable unimolecular reversed micelle consisting of a poly(L ‐lactide) (PLA) shell and a hyperbranched D ‐mannan (HBM) core, that is, a chestnut‐shaped polymer (PLA–HBM), was synthesized by the polymerization of L ‐lactide on HBM with 4‐(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) as the catalyst. The obtained polymers were soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, and chloroform but insoluble in H₂O. The molecular weights of the PLA chain on PLA–HBM tended to increase with increasing polymerization time. The number of PLA chains on PLA–HBM could be controlled by the ratio of DMAP to the sugar unit in HBM. The obtained copolymer, PLA–HBM, acted as a unimolecular reversed micelle with an encapsulation ability toward the hydrophilic molecule. In addition, the entrapped hydrophilic molecules were slowly released from the core of PLA–HBM, and the release rate was accelerated by the breaking of the PLA chains of the shell when proteinase K as a hydrolase of PLA was used. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 406–413, 2006     

Reduction of core in cage protein for application to electron device

For application to floating nanodots gate memory, ferritin core, ferrihydrite nanodot, array was made and reduced to be conductive. Ammonia plasma treatment was employed to reduce the ferrihydrite cores. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the plasma treated cores embedded in a SiN film are successfully reduced from ferrihydrite to metal iron. It was elucidated that hydrogen radicals or ions in the plasma combine with oxygen atoms in the core and, consequently, the core is reduced to a conductive state. Transmission electron microscope analysis before and after the treatment showed that the reduced core size was smaller than ferrihydrite core by approximately 2 nm, which is consistent with theoretical calculation of the shrink size accompanying core reduction to α-Fe. The plasma treated cores embedded in SiO₂ film are found to be iron oxides, which indicates that the metal iron nanodots are vulnerable to oxygen and easy to be reoxidized.     

Synthesis of ethynylpyrene-modified 3-deaza-2′-deoxyguanosines as environmentally sensitive fluorescent nucleosides: Target DNA-sequence detection via changes in the fluorescence wavelength

Novel pyrene-labeled environmentally sensitive fluorescent (ESF) nucleosides [^1p3zG (1a) and ^2p3zG (1b)] possessing the 3-deazaguanine skeleton were synthesized. Among them, ^1p3zG (1a) exhibited longer fluorescence emission wavelengths compared with the previously reported naphthalene-modified ESF nucleoside ^3nzG (48–71?nm longer in polar solvents) and showed remarkable solvent-polarity-sensitive fluorescence properties. Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) probes containing ^1p3zG (1a) clearly discriminated target DNAs by the change in the emission wavelength and intensity through monitoring the microenvironmental change around the DNA minor groove. Thus, these pyrene-labeled ESF nucleosides can be applied in gene detection and molecular diagnostics, as well as in the structural analysis of nucleic acids.     

Multispectral incoherent holography based on measurement of differential wavefront curvature

Optical Review - We propose a technique of multispectral incoherent holography. The differential wavefront curvature is measured, and the principle of Fourier transform spectrometry is applied to...     

Data-driven exploration for pressure-induced superconductors using diamond anvil cell with boron-doped diamond electrodes and undoped diamond insulating layer

ABSTRACT

Data-driven exploration for pressure-induced superconductors was performed based on the high-throughput first-principles screening of electronic band structures. In the screening conditions, we focused on the characteristics including a narrow band gap, flat band feature, and possibility of metallization under high pressure. The 27 promising compounds were screened out from the database of Atomwork for the candidates of new pressure-induced superconductors. Among the candidates, we actually synthesized three compounds in a single crystal, and all candidates exhibited the pressure-induced superconductivity. For the in-situ electrical transport measurements, we developed a novel configuration of diamond anvil cell with boron-doped diamond electrodes and an undoped diamond insulating layer. The discovered new pressure-induced superconductors via the data-driven approach and the developed diamond anvil cell were summarized in this paper.     

Near-Infrared Electrochromic Behavior of Dibenzothiepin Derivatives Attached with Two Michler's Hydrol Blue Units

10,11-Bis[bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methylene]dibenzo[bf]thiepin ( 1 ) and -oxepin ( 2 ) were prepared as stable yellow crystalline compounds, which are the cyclic analogues of electron-donating hexaarylbutadienes. Upon two-electron oxidation, they are reversibly transformed into the title dications ( 1 ²⁺ and 2 ²⁺) exhibiting near-infrared (NIR) absorptions, which were also isolated as stable salts. These redox pairs can serve as new entries into less well-explored organic NIR-electrochromic systems, and the separation of redox peaks (electrochemical bistability) was attained for 1 / 1 ²⁺ and 2 / 2 ²⁺, thanks to drastic geometrical changes between neutral and dicationic states, as revealed by a series of X-ray analyses. Thiepin-S,S-dioxide analogue ( 3 / 3 ²⁺) exhibits quite similar dynamic redox behavior due to nonaromatic nature of the dibenzothiepin and -oxepin unit in 1 ²⁺ and 2 ²⁺, whereas the thiepin-S-oxide derivative ( 4 / 4 ²⁺) does not exhibit bistability due to the smaller change in geometry upon electron transfer, showing that a subtle change of a bridging atom in the central seven-membered ring can modify the redox properties.