Structural and mechanical properties of Laponite-PEG hybrid films

Inorganic/organic hybrids were obtained by the sol-gel type organic modification reaction of Laponite sidewalls with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) bearing alkoxysiloxy terminal functionality. By casting an aqueous dispersion of the hybrid, the flexible and transparent hybrid films were obtained. Regardless of the inorganic/organic component ratio, the hybrid film had the ordered structure of Laponite in-plane flat arrays. The mechanical strength of hybrid films was drastically improved by the presence of cross-linking among alkoxysilyl functionalities of PEG terminals and the absence of PEG crystallines. Hybrid films, especially those that consisted of PEG with short chain, showed good mechanical properties that originate from quasi-homogeneous dispersion of components due to anchoring of PEG terminal to Laponite sidewall and interaction of PEG to Laponite surface.     

Origins of oxygen atoms in a marine ladder-frame polyether: evidence of monooxygenation by 18O-labeling and using tandem mass spectrometry

Yessotoxin is a ladder-frame polyether produced by the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum. Previous labeling experiments using (13)C-acetate established the unique assembly of the carbon chain from intact and cleaved acetate units. The origins of ether and hydroxy oxygens in the molecule, which would yield further information regarding the assembly of the ladder-frame structure, have yet to be established. In this study, we describe the incorporation of (18)O in one experiment where the dinoflagellate was cultured under (18)O(2) atmosphere and in a second where the culture media was supplemented with [(18)O(2)]acetate. Labeled yessotoxin obtained from these experiments was subjected to collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry to determine the positions of (18)O-incorporation pattern in the molecule. Detailed analyses of product ions from the fragmentation processes led to the identification of (18)O-labeled positions and the incorporation ratios. The data revealed that the ether oxygens were labeled from (18)O(2) and the hydroxy oxygen on C32 was derived from [(18)O(2)]acetate. These results support a proposed biosynthetic mechanism of marine ladder-frame polyethers that a polyene precursor was oxidized by a monooxygenase after acetate condensation.     

Sensitive Detection of Small Molecule–Protein Interactions on a Metal–Insulator–Metal Label‐Free Biosensing Platform

The need to develop label‐free biosensing devices that enable rapid analyses of interactions between small molecules/peptides and proteins for post‐genomic studies has increased significantly. We report a simple metal–insulator–metal (MIM) geometry for fabricating a highly sensitive detection platform for biosensing. MIM substrates consisting of an Au–PMMA–Ag nanolayer were extensively studied using both theoretical and experimental approaches. By monitoring reflectivity changes at the normal incidence angle, we observed molecular interactions as the thickness of the biolayer increased on the substrate surface. These interactions included the adsorption of various proteins (Mw=6–150 kD) and interactions between small molecules (Mw≤2 kD) and the immobilized proteins. The interaction of designed monosaccharide‐modified designed peptides with various lectins was also clearly detected. These interactions could not be detected by the conventional Au‐only substrate. Thus, the MIM approach affords a powerful label‐free biosensing device that will aid our understanding of protein interactions and recognition.     

Clathrate formation of Diels–Alder adduct of phencyclone and acenaphthylene. Key role of CH/π and bidentate CH/O interactions of the phenanthrene ring in construction of host framework

Two clathrate hosts (3a and 3b) were synthesized via the Diels–Alder reaction of phencyclone (1a) and tetracyclone (1b) with acenaphthylene (2), and the clathrate formation properties of these hosts towards a variety of organic guests were investigated. In the presence of aprotic solvents (i.e., aromatic, ketonic and etheric solvents), host 3a formed inclusion complexes with a 2:1 stoichiometric host/guest ratio, whereas 3b primarily formed 1:1 complexes. The desolvation temperatures of the 3a·guest complexes were extremely high in comparison to the boiling points of the pure guest liquids and were also much higher than those of the corresponding 3b·guest complexes, which contain the conformationally flexible stilbene moiety. Structural analyses of the 3a·guest complexes (i.e., 3a·benzene, 3a·toluene, 3a·1,4-dioxane, 3a·acetone and 3a·pentan-3-one) show that the aromatic CH/π (edge-to-face) interactions between phenanthrene and the acenaphthene ring as well as the interaction of the ‘bidentate’ CH/O hydrogen bond between the phenanthrene-ring hydrogen and the bridged carbonyl oxygen play a key role in the construction of the characteristic host ‘column’ structures. The guest molecule of the 3a·benzene complex is held between the stacking columns by aromatic CH/π interactions of the acenaphthene rings of adjacent host molecules. The stable clathrate formation of 3a is discussed based on X-ray structural analyses of six clathrates and PM6 molecular orbital calculations for the clathration model of 3a·benzene.     

Photoemission from buried interfaces in SrTiO3/LaTiO3 superlattices

We have measured photoemission spectra of SrTiO3/LaTiO3 superlattices with a topmost SrTiO3 layer of variable thickness. A finite coherent spectral weight with a clear Fermi cutoff was observed at chemically abrupt SrTiO3/LaTiO3 interfaces, indicating that an "electronic reconstruction" occurs at the interface between the Mott insulator LaTiO3 and the band insulator SrTiO3. For SrTiO3/LaTiO3 interfaces annealed at high temperatures (approximately 1000 degrees C), which leads to Sr/La atomic interdiffusion and hence to the formation of La(1-x)Sr(x)TiO3-like material, the intensity of the incoherent part was found to be dramatically reduced whereas the coherent part with a sharp Fermi cutoff was enhanced due to the spread of charge. These important experimental features are well reproduced by layer dynamical-mean-field-theory calculation.     

Experimental signature of medium modifications for rho and omega mesons in the 12 GeV p+A reactions

The invariant mass spectra of e+e- pairs produced in 12 GeV proton-induced nuclear reactions are measured at the KEK Proton Synchrotron. On the low-mass side of the meson peak, a significant enhancement over the known hadronic sources has been observed. The mass spectra, including the excess, are well reproduced by a model that takes into account the density dependence of the vector meson mass modification, as theoretically predicted.     

Application of in-situ attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for the understanding of complex reaction mechanism and kinetics: formic acid oxidation on a Pt film electrode at elevated temperatures

The potential of in-situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements in an attenuated total reflection configuration (ATR-FTIRS) for the evaluation of reaction pathways, elementary reaction steps, and their kinetics is demonstrated for formic acid electrooxidation on a Pt film electrode. Quantitative kinetic information on two elementary steps, formic acid dehydration and CO(ad) oxidation, and on the contributions of the related pathways in the dual path reaction mechanism are derived from IR spectroscopic signals in simultaneous electrochemical and ATR-FTIRS measurements over a wide temperature range (25-80 degrees C). Linearly and multiply bonded CO(ad) and bridge-bonded formate are the only formic acid related stable reaction intermediates detected. With increasing temperature, the steady-state IR signal of CO(ad) increases, while that of formate decreases. Reaction rates for CO(ad) formation via formic acid dehydration and for CO(ad) oxidation as well as the activation energies of these processes were determined at different temperatures, potentials, and surface conditions (with and without preadsorbed CO from formic acid dehydration) from the temporal evolution of the IR intensities of CO(ad) during adsorption/reaction transients, using an IR intensity-CO(ad) coverage calibration. At potentials up to 0.75 V and temperatures from 25 to 80 degrees C, the "indirect" CO pathway contributes less than 5% (at potentials < or =0.6 V significantly below 1%) to the total Faradaic reaction current, making the "direct" pathway by far the dominant one under the present reaction conditions. Much higher activation energies for CO(ad) formation and CO(ad) oxidation compared with the effective activation energy of the total reaction, derived from the Faradaic currents, support this conclusion.     

Photoelectrochemical decomposition of water into H2 and O2 on porous BiVO4 thin-film electrodes under visible light and significant effect of Ag ion treatment

The photoelectrochemical properties of porous BiVO4 thin-film electrodes on conducting glass for H2 production from water under visible light were investigated. BiVO4 films were prepared by the metal-organic decomposition method, and particles were 90-150 nm in diameter. Under visible-light irradiation, H2 and O2 evolved in a stoichiometric ratio (H2/O2 = 2) from an aqueous solution of Na2SO4 with an external bias. The photocurrent increased with addition of methanol. The band structure of BiVO4 was investigated by open-circuit potential, flat-band potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and calculations based on density functional theory. The top of the valence-band potential of BiVO4 was shifted negatively compared to the potentials of the conventional oxide semiconductors without Bi. We surmise that hybridization between the O-2p and Bi-6s orbitals might contribute to the negative shift of the BiVO4 valence band. Treatment with an aqueous solution of AgNO3 improved the photocurrent of the BiVO4 electrode significantly. The maximum incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency at 420 nm was 44%. This value was the highest among mixed-oxide semiconductor electrodes under visible light irradiation. AgNO3 treatment also improved the stability of the photocurrent. The Ag+ ion in/on the BiVO4 catalyzed the intrinsic photogeneration of oxygen with the holes.     

Enhanced catalase-like activity of manganese salen complexes in water: effect of a three-dimensionally fixed auxiliary

A new Mn(Salen) complex bearing an ureido group as an auxiliary that is three-dimensionally fixed by a cyclopentane ring fused to the Salen structure was developed. This compound exhibited considerably higher catalase-like activity than the original Mn(Salen), i.e., the cyclopentane-fused Mn(Salen) without the auxiliary, under near-physiological conditions.     

Preparation and characterization of long-lived anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

Entry of direct methanol fuel cells into the market requires anode catalyst with stable activity. This paper presents a novel method for stabilizing the activity by immobilizing silica on the catalytic PtRu nanoparticles. Characterization was performed by STEM-EDX, XRD, and ICP. The silica-immobilized PtRu nanoparticles showed high and stable activity toward methanol oxidation. The activity was maintained for 1000 h in sulfuric acidic solution, while the activity of the catalyst with "bare" PtRu nanoparticles decayed after 100 h, showing high durability of the silica-immobilized PtRu nanoparticles catalyst in quasi-anodic acidic environment.