Solution processable diketopyrrolopyrrole semiconductor: towards bio-electronic applications

In this paper, the possibility to use diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) for the construction of electrical devices designed to interact with animal cells was studied. For this purpose, the biocompatibility and electrical properties of the selected DPP derivative (3,6-bis(5-(benzofuran-2-yl)thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-bis(2-ethyl-hexyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione) [referred as DPP(TBFu)₂] were researched. The electrical properties were studied using model organic field-effect transistors. Mainly investigated was under what conditions maximum charge carrier mobility can be achieved. Using the cumulative effect of self-assembled monolayers on dielectrics and electrodes and detailed thermal analysis of the DPP, a higher charge carrier mobility was achieved than has been previously reported (5.5?×?10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1). The biocompatibility was studied based on a culture of 3T3 fibroblasts. This research revealed that DPP(TBFu)₂ can be used in applications involving direct contact with living animal cells. The conclusions found with these model devices can be applied to components suitable for biosensing applications, e.g., water- or electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors.     

Simultaneous Determination of 11 Elements in Fly Ash by Inductively Coupled Plasma Orthogonal Acceleration Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry After Closed-Vessel Microwave-Assisted Extraction with Ammonium Fluoride

A method for simultaneous multi-element analysis of fly ash samples by inductively coupled plasma orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (oaTOF-ICP-MS) after closed-vessel microwave extraction with ammonium fluoride was introduced here. Corrosive and/or toxic acids like HF, HCl or HClO₄, as well as HNO₃, which are commonly used during sample preparation of the fly ash samples, are avoided in this method. The spectral effects due to the formation of different Cl, Na, K, Ca, Mg-containing polyatomic species interfering with the determination of a number of elements like As, Se or Ni during the oaTOF-ICP-MS analysis are negligible. Under the optimum experimental extraction conditions evaluated using a fractional factorial design (10 mg of the sample extracted with 5 mL of 140 g/L NH₄F for 10 min at 200°C), analysis of the resulting supernatant with Rh as an internal standard enabled precise and accurate simultaneous determination of 11 elements (Li, Be, Ni, As, Se, Rb, Sb, Cs, W, Tl and U) at trace and ultratrace levels. The accuracy was assessed by analysing two certified reference materials, namely Fine Fly Ash CTA-FFA-1 and Constituent Elements in Coal Fly Ash Standard Reference Material® 1633b. The precision of the reported method was better than 10%.     

Pairs of Semisimple Lie Algebras and their Maximal Reductive Subalgebras

Let \(\mathfrak g\) be a semisimple Lie algebra over a field \(\mathbb K\), \(\text{char}\left( \mathbb{K} \right)=0\), and \(\mathfrak g_1\) a subalgebra reductive in \(\mathfrak g\). Suppose that the restriction of the Killing form B of \(\mathfrak g\) to \(\mathfrak g_1 \times \mathfrak g_1\) is nondegenerate. Consider the following statements: ( 1) For any Cartan subalgebra \(\mathfrak h_1\) of \(\mathfrak g_1\) there is a unique Cartan subalgebra \(\mathfrak h\) of \(\mathfrak g\) containing \(\mathfrak h_1\); ( 2) \(\mathfrak g_1\) is self-normalizing in \(\mathfrak g\); ( 3) The B-orthogonal \(\mathfrak p\) of \(\mathfrak g_1\) in \(\mathfrak g\) is simple as a \(\mathfrak g_1\)-module for the adjoint representation. We give some answers to this natural question: For which pairs \((\mathfrak g,\mathfrak g_1)\) do ( 1), ( 2) or ( 3) hold? We also study how \(\mathfrak p\) in general decomposes as a \(\mathfrak g_1\)-module, and when \(\mathfrak g_1\) is a maximal subalgebra of \(\mathfrak g\). In particular suppose \((\mathfrak g,\sigma )\) is a pair with \(\mathfrak g\) as above and σ its automorphism of order m. Assume that \(\mathbb K\) contains a primitive m-th root of unity. Define \(\mathfrak g_1:=\mathfrak g^{\sigma}\), the fixed point algebra for σ. We prove the following generalization of a well known result for symmetric Lie algebras, i.e., for m=2: (a) \((\mathfrak g,\mathfrak g_1)\) satisfies ( 1); (b) For m prime, \((\mathfrak g,\mathfrak g_1)\) satisfies ( 2).     

Man-tailored cellulose-based carriers for invertase immobilization

Cellulose-based carriers Granocel were specially prepared and optimised for covalent immobilization of enzymes. The effects of carrier characteristics such as pore size, chemistry of anchor groups and their density on invertase immobilization efficiency were evaluated. It was found that the preferential adsorption/binding of the enzyme to a carrier during coupling and its activity after immobilization depended on microenvironmental effects created by hydrophilic surface of the carrier, functional groups and their activators. The best preparations (activity approx. 300 U/mL, high storage stability) were obtained for NH₂-Granocel activated with glutaraldehyde. It is probably due to Granocel modification with pentaethylenehexamine that gave a 19-atom spacer arm. The enzyme concentration in coupling mixture was optimised as well. The kinetic parameters of sucrose hydrolysis for native and immobilized invertase were evaluated. Compared to the native invertase, K _m value of immobilized enzyme was only twice higher with about three times lower substrate inhibition. Reaction runs in a well mixed batch reactors with native and immobilized invertase showed slightly slower reaction rate in the case of the enzyme covalently bound to Granocel. Very good stability of cellulose-based carrier was proved experimentally by 20 successive reaction runs in a batch reactor.     

SOD mimetic activity of salicylatocopper complexes

Investigation of salicylatocopper complexes in the presence of a nitrogen donor ligand is a growing research area due to the interesting mimetic activities of such complexes. Here, three X-salicylatocopper (where X = 3-methyl, or 4-methoxy) complexes with three different N-donor ligands, [Cu(μ-menia)(3-Mesal)₂(menia)(H₂O)]₂ (I), Cu(3-Mesal)₂(denia)₂(H₂O)₂ (II), Cu(4-MeOsal)₂(2-pyme)₂ (III), are presented (where 3-Mesal = 3-methysalicylate, 4-MeOsal = 4-methoxysalicylate, menia = N-methylnicotinamide, 2-pyme = 2-pyridylmethanol). The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-VIS spectrophotometry. Cyclic voltammetry and the superoxide dismutase activity of the prepared complexes in solution were measured and the complexes were characterized by means of the inhibition concentration IC₅₀. In addition, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of these complexes was compared with those of the parent ligand copper acetate, native SOD enzyme, and the related copper complexes containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The resulting SOD activity was correlated to the composition, structure and redox stability of the prepared complexes. The best value of the inhibition concentration was found for complex I (IC₅₀ = 2.24 µM), which classifies this complex into a group of good superoxide scavengers.     

Contribution to the determination of the global minimum time for the brachistochronic motion of a holonomic mechanical system

The problem of the brachistochronic motion of a holonomic scleronomic mechanical system is analyzed. The system moves in an arbitrary field of known potential forces. The problem is formulated as an optimal control task, where generalized speeds are taken as control variables. The problem considered is reduced to solving the corresponding two-point boundary-value problem (TPBVP). In order to determine the global minimal solution of the TPBVP, an appropriate numerical procedure based on the shooting method is presented. The global minimal solution represents the solution with the minimum time of motion. The procedure is illustrated by an example of determining the brachistochronic motion of a disk that performs plane motion in a vertical plane in a homogeneous field of gravity.     

Immobilization of porphyrins in poly(hydroxymethylsiloxane)

Three tetracationic porphyrins differing in the position of charged nitrogen atoms on the peripheral substituents — 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP4), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP2), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-trimethylammoniophenyl) porphyrin (TMAPP), and hydrophobic 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), were immobilized by adsorption and encapsulation in poly(hydroxymethylsiloxane) (PHOMS). The so prepared porphyrin-PHOMS composites were characterized by porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence and diffuse reflectance UV-VIS spectroscopy. It was found that porphyrins are immobilized in the PHOMS matrix in the free base monomer form Their irradiation produced singlet oxygen O₂(¹Δ_g) with the lifetime of 10–30 μs.     

A three-phase nonequilibrium model for catalytic distillation

Nonequilibrium model for steady state simulation of catalytic distillation is presented. Mathematical model takes into account both mass and heat transfers across the gas liquid interface and through the liquid-solid (catalyst) interface. Equations describing the mentioned phenomena are based on the effective diffusivity approach. The resulting system of nonlinear algebraic equations was implemented in the FORTRAN programming language and solved by the BUNLSI (Ferraris & Tronconi, 1986) solver. The described model was verified using the experimental data obtained from a continuous distillation column equipped with catalytic packing. As an experimental model system, synthesis of propyl propionate from propan-1-ol and propionic acid was chosen. Comparison of experimental and simulation data is presented, and appropriateness of the developed model for other types of catalytic distillation processes is discussed. Presented at the 35th International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 26–30 May 2008.     

Modular access to heterocycles: methyl 3-aminobenzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]thiophene-2-carboxylate–thiourea linkage or pyrimidine-4-one-2-thione formation

Abstract  Modular conditions for the formation of thioureas or pyrimidine-4-one-2-thiones connected to the benzo[b]thiophene, benzene and indole structures were performed. A benzo[b]thiophene isothiocyanate derivative was used as a model to study the condensation with simple aromatic amines and amino-l-sorbose derivative. The construction of pyrimidine-4-one-2-thiones using basic conditions afforded efficiently new heterocyclic aromatics, which were further transformed using the alkylated sulfur as a leaving group in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Graphical abstract        

Morphological characterization of ex situ prepared bismuth film electrodes and their application in electroanalytical determination of the biomolecules

A study on the preparation and characterization of the potentiostatically prepared bismuth films (BiFs), in order to obtain satisfactory electroanalytical tool, is presented. BiFs formed on glassy carbon were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dependence of the BiFs properties upon electrolytes composition and electrochemical parameters are discussed and diagnostic criteria that allow estimation of the BiF morphology are proposed. Analytical performance data of the formed BiF electrodes were obtained by their application to the determination of glutathione (GSH) and folic acid (FA) using square-wave cathodic stripping voltammetry. The dependence of the analytical performance of the formed BiFs on their specific surface areas, along with their different morphology, is discussed. Adequate method and parameters for the electrochemical formation of optimal BiF, in order to fulfill the analytical requirements, are proposed. The best analytical performance was obtained with films formed from acetic buffer solution spiked with EDTA, as a consequence of the improved surface coverage and most arranged homogenous structure of the film. This electrode displays a linear response range toward GSH with estimated detection limit of 0.005 μM and sensitivity of 3.28 μA μM^?1 for linear range of 0.01 to 0.1 μM. Also, the utilization of the BiF electrode for the determination of FA was demonstrated by direct electroreduction of FA.