A simple method for preparation of molecularly imprinted nanofiber materials with signal transduction ability

A simple electrospinning method is developed to introduce signal transduction ability into molecularly imprinted nanofibers.     

Application of digital holographic microscopy to investigate the sedimentation of intact red blood cells and their interaction with artificial surfaces

Red blood cells are able to undergo shape change from the "normal" discocyte to either echinocytes or stomatocytes depending on a large variety of membrane and cytoplasmic parameters. Such shape changes can be relatively fast (within seconds) during the sedimentation of the cells in suspension or after the cells are getting in contact with artificial surfaces. High resolution digital holographic microscopy has been applied to study these processes. This method represents a new set-up allowing a contact-less and marker-free quantitative phase-contrast imaging of living cells under conventional laboratory conditions. With the applied technique we were able to detect and analyse fast shape changes of red blood cells.     

Electronic structure calculations on lithium battery electrolyte salts

New lithium salts for non-aqueous liquid, gel and polymeric electrolytes are crucial due to the limiting role of the electrolyte in modern lithium batteries. The solvation of any lithium salt to form an electrolyte solution ultimately depends on the strength of the cation-solvent vs. the cation-anion interaction. Here, the latter is probed via HF, B3LYP and G3 theory gas-phase calculations for the dissociation reaction: LiX <--> Li(+) + X(-). Furthermore, a continuum solvation method (C-PCM) has been applied to mimic solvent effects. Anion volumes were also calculated to facilitate a discussion on ion conductivities and cation transport numbers. Judging from the present results, synthesis efforts should target heterocyclic anions with a size of ca. 150 A(3) molecule(-1) to render new highly dissociative lithium salts that result in electrolytes with high cation transport numbers.     

Modulated TiO2 nanotube stacks and their use in interference sensors

In the present work we control wall thickness oscillations in electrochemically grown TiO₂ nanotube arrays by defined water additions to an organic anodization electrolyte. Such corrugated TiO₂ nanotubes can be used to build optimized optical stacks that show under white light illumination well defined interference patterns which can be used as a self-cleaning platform for label-free sensing applications.     

A self-cleaning nonenzymatic glucose detection system based on titania nanotube arrays modified with platinum nanoparticles

In the present work, we show how TiO₂ nanotube layers that are decorated with a Pt-nanoparticle coating can be fabricated and operated as a reusable glucose sensing system. A critical amount of Pt coating is essential not only to provide an effective catalyst for glucose oxidation but also to establish a sufficient conductivity along TiO₂ nanotube walls to allow an efficient amperometric operation of the electrode. On such an electrode the self-cleaning photocatalytic features of TiO₂ can be maintained and used to re-establish poisoned activity of the Pt particles.     

A combinatorial proof of associativity of Ore extensions

We use a counting argument to show that Ore extensions are associative.     

Lithium-ion intercalation and electrochromism in ordered V2O5 nanoporous layers

Highly ordered V₂O₅ porous layers were fabricated from vanadium metal foils by self-organizing anodization. The defined porous structure of this material provides excellent lithium-ion transportation and intercalation/extraction properties. As a result the highly ordered porous structure shows a very good electrochromic performance with long term switching stability.