Electrocatalytic activities of Nafion/CdSe/Self-doped polyaniline composites to dopamine,uric acid,and ascorbic acid

Composites of Nafion, COOH-capped CdSe, and self-doped polyaniline (SPAN) were used to prepare novel chemical modified glassy carbon electrodes (Nafion/CdSe/SPAN/GCE). The electrocatalytic activities of the modified GCE to the redox reactions of dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA), and ascorbic acid (AA) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). CV curves revealed that the electrocatalytic activities of Nafion/CdSe/SPAN/GCE to oxidations of the analytes in solution of pH 7 were in the order of DA?>?UA?>?AA. This order was consistent with the strong-to-low extent of interactions between the modified GCE and the analytes. These interactions were consistent with the observations that the oxidation rate of DA followed a diffusion-controlled process whereas that of UA followed a surface adsorption-controlled process. The composites of casting at higher pH levels were found to exhibit better CdSe and SPAN dispersions in films and higher electrocatalytic activities. CdSe and SPAN exhibited insignificant synergistic effects on the oxidations of DA when cast from Nafion solutions of both low and high pHs whereas CdSe and SPAN exhibited much synergistic effects on the oxidations of UA when cast from the Nafion solution of high pH at 12.     

Individually Adapted LC-lens Array for 3D Applications

A low driving voltage with fast response LC-lens was developed. By implementing the LC-lens as an array structure, it can be adaptively used for 2D/3D switching and 3D rotation on auto- stereoscopic display. Additionally, it also can be utilized as a depth sensor for 3D capturing.     

Inverse Problems for Sturm–Liouville Equations with Boundary Conditions Linearly Dependent on the Spectral Parameter from Partial Information

In this paper, we study the inverse spectral problems for Sturm–Liouville equations with boundary conditions linearly dependent on the spectral parameter and show that the potential of such problem can be uniquely determined from partial information on the potential and parts of two spectra, or alternatively, from partial information on the potential and a subset of pairs of eigenvalues and the normalization constants of the corresponding eigenvalues.     

Synthesis,Bifunctionalization, and Remarkable Adsorption Performance of Benzene‐Bridged Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas Functionalized with High Loadings of Carboxylic Acids

Highly ordered benzene‐bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) that were functionalized with exceptionally high loadings of carboxylic acid groups (COOH), up to 80 mol % based on silica, have been synthesized and their use as adsorbents for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB), a basic dye pollutant, and for the loading and release of doxorubicin (DOX), an anticancer drug, is demonstrated. These COOH‐functionalized benzene? silicas were synthesized by the co‐condensation of 1,4‐bis(triethoxysilyl) benzene (BTEB) and carboxyethylsilanetriol sodium salt (CES), an organosilane that contained a carboxylic acid group, in the presence of non‐ionic oligomeric surfactant Brij 76 in acidic medium. The materials thus obtained were characterized by a variety of techniques, including powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen‐adsorption/desorption isotherms, TEM, and ¹³C and ²⁹Si solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. Owing to the exceptionally high loadings of COOH groups, their high surface areas, and possible π? π‐stacking interactions, these adsorbents have very high adsorption capacities and extremely rapid adsorption rates for MB removal and for the controlled loading/release of DOX, thus manifesting their great potential for environmental and biomedical applications.     

Oral cancer diagnostics based on infrared spectral markers and wax physisorption kinetics

Infrared microspectroscopy is an emerging approach for disease analysis owing to its capability for in situ chemical characterization of pathological processes. Synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy (SR-IMS) provides ultra-high spatial resolution for profiling biochemical events associated with disease progression. Spectral alterations were observed in cultured oral cells derived from healthy, precancerous, primary, and metastatic cancers. An innovative wax-physisorption-based kinetic FTIR imaging method for the detection of oral precancer and cancer was demonstrated successfully. The approach is based on determining the residual amount of paraffin wax (C₂₅H₅₂) or beeswax (C₄₆H₉₂O₂) on a sample surface after xylene washing. This amount is used as a signpost of the degree of physisorption that altered during malignant transformation. The results of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of oral cell lines indicated that the methylene (CH₂) and methyl group (CH₃) stretching vibrations in the range of 3,000–2,800 cm^?1 have the highest accuracy rate (89.6 %) to discriminate the healthy keratinocytes (NHOK) from cancer cells. The results of wax-physisorption-based FTIR imaging showed a stronger physisorption with beeswax in oral precancerous and cancer cells as compared with that of NHOK, which showed a strong capability with paraffin wax. The infrared kinetic study of oral cavity tissue showed a consistency in the wax physisorption of the cell lines. On the basis of our findings, these results show the potential use of wax-physisorption-based kinetic FTIR imaging for the early screening of oral cancer lesions and the chemical changes during oral carcinogenesis.

Conformational changes of poly(ethylene oxide) in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends by supercritical carbon dioxide

The effects of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) fluids on the morphology and/or conformation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in PEO/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). According to DSC data for a given blend, the melting enthalpy and, therefore, degree of crystallinity of PEO were increased, whereas the melting temperature of PEO was decreased, with SC CO₂ treatment. The enhancement of PEO crystallization with SC CO₂ treatment, as demonstrated by DSC data, was supported by WAXD data. According to FTIR quantitative analyses, before SC CO₂ treatments, the conformation of PEO was transformed from helix to trans planar zigzag via blending with PMMA. This helix‐to‐trans transformation of PEO increased proportionally with increasing PMMA content, with around 0.7% helix‐to‐trans transformation per 1% PMMA incorporation into the blend. For a given blend upon SC CO₂ treatments, the conformation of PEO was transformed from trans to helix. This trans‐to‐helix transformation of PEO decreased with increasing PMMA contents in the blends because of the presence of interactions between the two polymers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2479–2489, 2004     

Thermal and physical properties of flame-retardant epoxy resins containing 2-(6-oxido-6H-dibenz〈c,e〉〈1,2〉oxaphosphorin-6-yl)-1,4-naphthalenediol and cured with dicyanate ester

2-(6-oxido-6H-dibenz(c,e)(1,2)oxaphosphorin-6-yl)-1,4-naphthalenediol (DOPONQ) was prepared by the addition reaction of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) with 1,4-naphthoquinone. The phosphorus-containing diol (DOPONQ) was used as a reactive flame retardant by an advancement reaction with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxy (DGEBA) resin at various stoichiometric ratios. DOPONQ-containing advanced epoxy was separately cured with various dicyanate esters to form flame-retardant epoxy/cyanate ester systems. The effect of the phosphorus content and dicyanate ester structure on the curing characteristic, glass transition temperature, dimensional stability, thermal stability, flame retardancy, and dielectric property was studied and compared with that of the control advanced bisphenol-A epoxy system. The DOPONQ-containing epoxy/cyanate ester systems exhibited higher glass transition temperatures as well as better thermal dimensional and thermal degradation stabilities. The flame retardancy of the phosphorus-containing epoxy/dicyanate ester system increased with the phosphorus content, and a UL-94 V-0 rating could be achieved with a phosphorus content as low as 2.1%.