Enhancement of gamma-ray radiolysis of carbon dioxide with the assistance of solid materials

This work is devoted to enhance gamma-ray radiolysis of CO₂ with the assistance of coexisting metal materials. It is found that lower energy electrons which are generated through interactions of γ-photons with the coexisting metal materials and ejected to CO₂ gas actually enhance decomposition of CO₂ to produce CO. The increment of CO production agrees well with the increment of the deposited energy in CO₂, given by the lower energy electrons emitted from the materials, which is calculated by a numerical simulations code MCNP. It is also suggested that the volumetric decomposition of CO₂ dominates the decomposition at the material’s surface.     

Conductive Nanoscopic Fibrous Assemblies Containing Helical Tetrathiafulvalene Stacks

Tetrathiafulvalenes (TTF) S‐TTF and R‐TTF having four chiral amide end groups self‐organize into helical nanofibers in the presence of 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7′,8,8′‐tetracyano‐p‐quinodimethane (F₄TCNQ). The intermolecular hydrogen bonding among chiral amide end groups and the formation of charge‐transfer complexes results in a long one‐dimensional supramolecular stacking, and the chirality of the end groups affects the molecular orientation of TTF cores within the stacks. Electronic conductivity of a single helical nanoscopic fiber made of S‐TTF and F₄TCNQ is determined to be (7.0±3.0)×10^?4 S cm^?1 by point‐contact current‐imaging (PCI) AFM measurement. Nonwoven fabric composed of helical nanofibers shows a semiconducting temperature dependence with an activation energy of 0.18 eV.     

Isotropic transition of amphiphilic side-chain type liquid crystalline di-block copolymers

The effects of nitrogen (N₂) pressure on amphiphilic di-block copolymer, PEO₁₁₄-b-PMA(Az)₄₀, were investigated by scanning transitiometry. The isotropic transition temperature increased with the increase of pressure above 20 MPa. The hydrostatic pressure effects evaluated with the Clapeyron equation were smaller than the value obtained by mercury as a pressurizing medium because the amount of absorbed gas decreases the volume change at the isotropic transition.     

Synthesis of poly[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl acrylate-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] and its control of enzyme activity in supercritical carbon dioxide

Poly[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl acrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate], P(POA-co-PEGm) was prepared as a new surfactant for scCO₂. The random copolymer was obtained by the radical polymerization of 2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl acrylate (POA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGm) in DMF. The molar ratio of the POA and PEGm units in the copolymer was POA/PEGm = 0.972/0.028 by ¹H NMR. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were estimated by size exclusion chromatography to be Mn = 133,000 and Mw/Mn = 8.25, respectively. It was suggested that the copolymer formed micellar aggregates with the cores of the PEGm chains in scCO₂, based on the analyses of the copolymer in hexafluorobenzene by ¹H NMR and dynamic light scattering. The copolymer was soluble in scCO₂ and had a cloud point at a much higher pressure than the critical pressure. It was found that the copolymer solubilized CO₂-insoluble proteins such as bovine serum albumin and subtilisin Carlsberg in scCO₂. The solubility of the copolymer was not influenced by the presence of the proteins; however, the solubility decreased in the presence of a small amount of water along with the protein. The activity of the subtilisin slightly decreased when only placed in scCO₂, whereas a marked decrease in the activity was observed for the subtilisin in the presence of the copolymer in scCO₂. The subtilisin activity decreased as the CO₂ pressure increased.