Super flexibility of a 2D Cu-based porous coordination framework on gas adsorption in comparison with a 3D framework of identical composition: framework dimensionality-dependent gas adsorptivities

Selective synthetic routes to coordination polymers [Cu(bpy)(2)(OTf)(2)](n) (bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine, OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate) with 2- and 3-dimensionalities of the frameworks were established by properly choosing each different solvent-solution system. They show a quite similar local coordination environment around the Cu(II) centers, but these assemble in a different way leading to the 2D and 3D building-up structures. Although the two kinds of porous coordination polymers (PCPs) both have flexible frameworks, the 2D shows more marked flexibility than the 3D, giving rise to different flexibility-associated gas adsorption behaviors. All adsorption isotherms for N(2), CO(2), and Ar on the 3D PCP are of type I, whereas the 2D PCP has stepwise gas adsorption isotherms, also for CH(4) and water, in addition to these gases. The 3D structure, having hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores, shows the size-selective and quadrupole-surface electrical field interaction dependent adsorption. Remarkably, the 2D structure can accommodate greater amounts of gas molecules than that corresponding to the inherent crystallographic void volume through framework structural changes. In alcohol adsorption isotherms, however, the 2D PCP changes its framework structure through the guest accommodation, leading to no stepwise adsorption isotherms. The structural diversity of the 2D PCP stems from the breathing phenomenon and expansion/shrinkage modulation.     

Stabilization of sensing performance for mixed-potential-type zirconia-based hydrocarbon sensor

The recently reported sensing characteristics of the mixed-potential-type yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based hydrocarbon (HC) sensor attached with ZnCr₂O₄-sensing electrode (SE) were found to be changed after the 10-day operation at 550 °C under the wet condition (5 vol.% water vapor). To improve the stability of the present sensor, the several modifications of the SE material by adding YSZ powder were examined. As a result, the sensor using the laminated (ZnCr₂O₄/YSZ)-SE gave the stable electromotive force (emf) response against 100 ppm C₃H₆ at 550 °C for about one month examined. Based on the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and the AC complex-impedance measurements, it was concluded that the stable behavior of the sensor using the laminated (ZnCr₂O₄/YSZ)-SE was provided by the stabilization of the interface between ZnCr₂O₄ grains and YSZ particles. The fabricated sensor exhibited the linear dependence of sensitivity on the logarithm of either C₃H₆ concentration (in the range of 20-800 ppm) or mixtures of various hydrocarbons (HCs) (in the range of 90-2600 ppmC). In addition, the emf response was not altered by the change of O₂ (2-20 vol.%), H₂O (0-10.8 vol.%) and CO₂ (0-20 vol.%) concentrations, and no interference of other gases (CO, NO, NO₂, H₂, and CH₄) was observed.     

The influence of interface states and bulk carrier lifetime on the minority carrier behavior in an illuminated metal/insulator/GaN structure

An influence of electronic states at an insulator/GaN interface on the behavior of excess holes in an ultraviolet-illuminated metal/ SiO₂/n-GaN structure has been studied by numerical simulations for weak (gate bias of −0.1 V ) and strong (−1 V ) depletion, in a wide range of excitation light intensities (from 10¹⁰ to 10²⁰ photons cm⁻² s⁻¹) and for various bulk carrier lifetimes (from 1 to 100 ns). It has been found that the interface states with densities of 10¹² eV ⁻¹ cm⁻² dramatically reduce the total (integrated in the whole GaN layer) density of photogenerated holes and thus degrade the sensitivity of the metal/insulator/GaN-based photodetector.     

Control of the coordination structure of organometallic palladium complexes in an apo-ferritin cage

We report the preparation of organometallic Pd(allyl) dinuclear complexes in protein cages of apo-Fr by reactions with [Pd(allyl)Cl]2 (allyl = eta3-C3H5). One of the dinuclear complexes is converted to a trinuclear complex by replacing a Pd-coordinated His residue to an Ala residue. These results suggest that multinuclear metal complexes with various coordination structures could be prepared by the deletion or introduction of His, Cys, and Glu at appropriate positions on protein surface.     

Selective adsorption of bacterial cells onto zeolites

Zeolites adsorb microbial cells on their surfaces and selective adsorption for specific microorganisms was seen with certain zeolites. Tests for the adsorption ability of zeolites were conducted using various established microbial cell lines. Specific cell lines were shown to selectively absorb to certain zeolites, species to species.

In order to understand the selectivity of adsorption, we tested adsorption under various pH conditions and determined the zeta-potentials of zeolites and cells. The adsorption of some cell lines depended on the pH, and some microorganisms were preferentially adsorbed at acidic pH. The values of zeta-potentials were used for calculating the electric double layer interaction energy between zeolites and microbial cells. There was a correlation between the experimental adsorption results and the interaction energy. Moreover, we evaluated the surface hydrophobicity of bacterial cells by using the microbial adherence to hydrocarbon (MATH) assay. In addition, we also applied this method for zeolites to quantify relative surface hydrophobicity. As a result, we found a correlation between the adsorption results and the hydrophobicity of bacterial cells and zeolites. These results suggested that adsorption could be explained mainly by electric double layer interactions and hydrophobic interactions.

Finally, by using the zeolites Na-BEA and H-Y, we succeeded in clearly separating three representative microbes from a mixture of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Zeolites could adsorb each of the bacterial cell species with high selectivity even from a mixed suspension. Zeolites can therefore be used as effective carrier materials to provide an easy, rapid and accurate method for cell separation.     

Gene transfer device utilizing micron-spiked electrodes produced by the self-organization phenomenon of Fe-alloy

In the diffusional phase transformation of two-phase alloys, the new phase precipitates form the matrix phase at specific temperatures, followed by the formation of a mixed microstructure comprising the precipitate and the matrix. It has been found that by specific chemical-etching treatment, the precipitate in Fe-25Cr-6Ni alloy projects substantially and clusters at the surface. The configuration of the precipitate has an extremely high aspect ratio: it is several microns in width and several tens of microns in length (known as micron-spiked). This study targets the development of a gene transfer device with a micro-spike produced based on the self-organization phenomenon of the Fe-25Cr-6Ni alloy. With this spike-projected device, we tried to efficiently transfer plasmid DNA into adherent cells by electric pulse-triggered gene transfer using a plasmid-loaded electrode (electroporation-based reverse transfection). The spiked structure was applied to a substrate of the device to allow efficient gene transfer into adherent cells, although the general substrate was flat and had a smooth surface. The results suggest that this unique spike-projected device has potential applications in gene transfer devices for the analysis of the human genome in the post-genome period.     

Solvent and pressure effects on quenching by oxygen of 9,10-dimethylanthracene fluorescence in liquid n-alkanes: a study on solvent cage effects

The fluorescence quenching by oxygen of 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMEA) in liquid ethane and propane at pressures up to 60 MPa and 25 degrees C was investigated. The apparent activation volumes for the quenching rate constant, k(q),DeltaV++(q) , were 5.0 +/- 3.4 and 7.4 +/- 1.0 cm(3)/mol, whereas those for the solvent viscosity, eta,DeltaV++(eta) , were 190 +/- 22 and 42 +/- 1 cm(3)/mol in ethane and propane at 6.0 MPa, respectively. These results were discussed together with those in n-alkanes (C(4)-C(7)) and methylcyclohexane (MCH) that were previously reported, and it was found that DeltaV++(q) increases monotonically but DeltaV++(eta) decreases rapidly with increasing the number of carbon atoms in n-alkanes. The plot of ln k(q) against ln eta showed a leveling-off with decreasing eta. These observations were analyzed satisfactorily by the pressure dependence of the solvent viscosity on k(q) coupled with that of the radial distribution function, g(sigma), at contact with a hard sphere assumption. The apparent bimolecular rate constant, k(bim,0), for the quenching in the solvent cage was evaluated by extrapolating to g(sigma)eta = 0 in the plot of g(sigma)/k(q) against g(sigma)eta, and it was found that k(bim,0) decreased with increasing the radius of the solvent molecule. From the solvent size dependence of k(bim,0), the solvent cage effect was discussed phenomenologically.     

Comprehensive two-dimensional capillary supercritical fluid chromatography in stop-flow mode with synchronized pressure programming

A comprehensive two-dimensional capillary supercritical fluid chromatography method was developed. The interface consisted of a ten-port valve, a capillary trap and two fused silica restrictors. The primary column was operated in stop-flow mode: the flow in the primary column was stopped during the separation of the second dimension. The pressure of the system was controlled with a single pump. The pressure program was synchronized with the sampling: the pressure was only ramped up during the sampling time, when the primary column effluent was transferred from the first dimension to the trap, and was maintained constant during the second-dimension separation. All of the operations were automated using in-house software. The separation characteristics of the present system can be readily regulated by changing the size of the restrictors and/or the programmed pressure rate. The use of synchronized pressure programming allowed the sampling duration and/or the second-dimension separation time (and therefore, the total analysis time) to be changed without affecting the separation pattern. Widely different selectivities were attained depending on the combination of the three columns with different polarities (such as the nonpolar DB-1, the medium-polarity DB-17 and the polar DB-WAX columns) used. The present system afforded improved separation and identification capabilities for analytes in complex mixtures.     

扭矩转化器（T／C）内部叶片流道流场的二维PIV实验研究

本文利用二维ＰＩＶ技术研究了汽车无级调连装置中扭矩转化器内部叶片流道流场的复杂流动,实验结果表明泵和透平在不同转速下,静子叶片流道中的流场体现出不同的流动特征,文中还对实验误差进行了分析,提出了减少误差的措施,通过叶栅流动理论分析说明了本文结果的可靠性。