Electroactive Polymers: Developments of and Perspectives for Dielectric Elastomers

We present the development and applications of dielectric elastomers. For the last 10 years the significance of this class of polymers has risen as more applications seem possible and first products have been commercialized.     

Stabilization of zeylenone in rat plasma by the presence of esterase inhibitors and its LC‐MS/MS assay for pharmacokinetic study

Six esterase inhibitors, namely EDTA·2Na⁺, NaF, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, dichlorvos, bis‐nitrophenyl phosphate (BNPP) and thenoyltrifluoroacetone, and the mixture of NaF and BNPP, were evaluated for the stabilization of labile benzoate containing zeylenone in rat plasma. The mixture appeared to exhibit the most effectively stabilizing effect with the degraded content of zeylenone decreasing from >60% (in the absence of inhibitors) to <6%. Following the stabilization by the addition of NaF (5 mm ) and BNPP (5 mm ), the analytes in rat plasma were acidified by formic acid and extracted into ethyl acetate at 0°C. After chromatographic separation, the detection of zeylenone was performed on a 3200 Q‐Trap with positive ion electrospray mode, monitoring the ion transition m/z 383.2 → 105.0. The method was validated over the range from 2.68 to 1340 ng/mL with inter‐ and intra‐run precision for the quality control samples being less than 6.8%. The assay accuracy was within 100 ± 7.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after the intratracheal administration of zeylenone in free drug or polymeric micellar solutions. The results showed that the pulmonary absorption of zeylenone loaded in micelles was significantly retarded compared with that of free drug solutions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chiral sensing of Eu(III)‐containing achiral polymer complex from chiral amino acids coordination induction

The β‐diketonate‐based achiral polymer P‐1 could be synthesized by the polymerization of 3,7‐dibromo‐2,8‐dimethoxy‐5,5‐dioctyl‐5H‐dibenzo[b,d]silole ( M1 ) with (Z)?1,3‐bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)?3‐hydroxyprop‐en‐1‐one ( M2 ) via typical Sonogashira coupling reaction. The β‐diketonate unit in the main chain backbone of P‐1 can further coordinate with Eu(TTA)_x [TTA^? = 4,4,4‐trifluoro‐1‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)butane‐1,3‐dionate anion, X = 1, 2, 3] to afford corresponding Eu(III)‐containing polymer complexes. The resulting achiral polymer complex P‐2 (X = 2) can exhibit strong circular dichroism (CD) response toward both N‐Boc‐l and d‐ proline enantiomers. The CD signal was preliminarily attributed to coordination induction between chiral N‐Boc‐proline and the Eu(III) complex moiety. The linear regression analysis of CD sensing shows a good agreement between the magnitude of molar ellipticity and concentration of chiral N‐Boc‐l or d‐ proline, which indicates this kind Eu(III)‐containing achiral polymer complex can be used as a chiral probe for enantioselective recognition of N‐Boc‐l or d‐ proline enantiomers based on Cotton effect of CD spectra. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3080–3086     

Simulation of near-infrared photodiode detectors based on β-FeSi_2/4H-SiC heterojunctions

In this paper,we propose a near-infrared p-type β-FeSi2/n-type 4H-SiC heterojunction photodetector with semiconducting silicide(β-FeSi2) as the active region for the first time.The optoelectronic characteristics of the photodetector are simulated using a commercial simulator at room temperature.The results show that the photodetector has a good rectifying character and a good response to near-infrared light.Interface states should be minimized to obtain a lower reverse leakage current.The response spectrum of the β-FeSi2/4H-SiC detector,which consists of a p-type β-FeSi2 absorption layer with a doping concentration of 1×1015cm-3 and a thickness of 2.5 μm,has a peak of 755 mA/W at 1.42 μm.The illumination of the SiC side obtains a higher responsivity than that of the β-FeSi2 side.The results illustrate that the β-FeSi2/4H-SiC heterojunction can be used as a near-infrared photodetector compatible with near-infrared optically-activated SiC-based power switching devices.     

Efficient Synthesis and Plant-Growth Regulating Activities of 1-Aryloxyacetyl-4-(2-benzofuroyl)- semicarbazides

Under grinding and solvent-free conditions via a one-pot procedure, the reaction of 2-benzofuroyl chloride with ammonium thiocyanate and aryloxyacetetic acid hydrazide afforded 1-aryloxyacetyl-4-(2-benzofuroyl)-thiosemicarbazide. Not isolating, the resulting thiosemicarbazides were further ground with HIO₄·H₂O to give a series of new 1-aryloxyacetyl-4-(2-benzofuroyl)-semicarbazides in high yields. Structures of compounds are confirmed by elemental analyses and IR and ¹H NMR spectra.     

石墨烯基复合材料应用于光电二氧化碳还原的基本原理，研究进展和发展前景

In response to aggravated fossil resources consuming and greenhouse effect, CO₂ reduction has become a globally important scientific issue because this method can be used to produce value-added feedstock for application in alternative energy supply. Photoelectrocatalysis, achieved by combining optical energy and external electrical bias, is a feasible and promising system for CO₂ reduction. In particular, applying graphene in tuning photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction has aroused considerable attention because graphene is advantageous for enhancing CO₂ adsorption, facilitating electrons transfer, and thus optimizing the performance of graphene-based composite electrodes. In this review, we elaborate the fundamental principle, basic preparation methods, and recent progress in developing a variety of graphene-based composite electrodes for photoelectrochemical reduction of CO₂ into solar fuels and chemicals. We also present a perspective on the opportunities and challenges for future research in this booming area and highlight the potential evolution strategies for advancing the research on photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction.