Oxygen-assisted shape control in polyol synthesis of silver nanocrystals

We have found that the shape of silver nanocrystals is conveniently controlled by injection of oxygen gas during the polyol reduction of silver ions. The presence of oxygen effectively promotes the oxidative etching of multiple twined particles. Adjusting the flow rate of the oxygen gas yields uniformly-sized silver nanocubes, right bipyramids, nanowires, and spherical nanoparticles depending on the injection rate of the oxygen gas. Electron diffraction and high resolution TEM observations of the synthesized nanocrystals show our nanocrystals do consist of silver, not of silver oxide. SERS activities of the synthesized nanocrystals were also examined.     

Synthesis and characterization of a biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane and an endohedral cobalt(II) complex

Hemicryptophanes are covalent molecular cages, constructed from a cyclotriveratrylene-based host unit and a functional unit linked by covalent spacers, which have been designed to accommodate endohedral functionalities in the cavity. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of the rigid, biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane 1 were investigated by NMR, ESI-MS, and X-ray crystallography. The structure of the inclusion complex, in which a dichloromethane molecule was constructed encapsulated within 1, was characterized by X-ray crystallography. An endohedral, cobalt(II) hemicryptophane complex 2 was also synthesized and characterized ESI-MS and X-ray crystallography. The X-ray crystal structure of 2 showed that the biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane had three components—a molecule each of chloroform and acetonitrile, and a cobalt(II) ion—within its cavity.     

Universal generation of higher-order multiringed Laguerre-Gaussian beams by using a spatial light modulator

Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams of various higher-order radial modes are generated by using a reflective phase-only liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulator (SLM). Because of the LCOS SLM's phase-modulation characteristic of a wide spatial bandwidth, a phase modulation scheme effectively generates higher-order LG beams of up to the fifth-order radial mode. We also perform correlation analyses between the observed and the theoretical two-dimensional mode profiles to universally obtain correlation coefficients of more than 0.946, which suggest mode generations of high quality.     

Multicomponent Molecular Orbital–Climbing Image–Nudged Elastic Band Method to Analyze Chemical Reactions Including Nuclear Quantum Effect

To analyze the H/D isotope effects on hydrogen transfer reactions in XHCHCHCHY?XCHCHCHYH (X, Y=O, NH, or CH₂) including the nuclear quantum effect of proton and deuteron, we propose a multicomponent molecular orbital‐climbing image‐nudged elastic band (MC_MO–CI–NEB) method. We obtain not only transition state structures but also minimum‐energy paths (MEPs) on the MC_MO effective potential energy surface by using MC_MO–CI–NEB method. We find that nuclear quantum effect affects not only stationary‐point geometries but also MEPs and electronic structures in the reactions. We clearly demonstrate the importance of including nuclear quantum effects for H/D isotope effect on rate constants (k_H/k_D).     

Detection of interfacial phenomena with osteoblast-like cell adhesion on hydroxyapatite and oxidized polystyrene by the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation

The adhesion process of osteoblast-like cells on hydroxyapatite (HAp) and oxidized polystyrene (PSox) was investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) techniques in order to clarify the interfacial phenomena between the surfaces and cells. The interfacial viscoelastic properties (shear viscosity (η(ad)), elastic shear modulus (μ(ad)), and tan δ) of the preadsorbed protein layer and the interface layer between the surfaces and cells were estimated using a Voigt-based viscoelastic model from the measured frequency (Δf) and dissipation shift (ΔD) curves. In the ΔD-Δf plots, the cell adhesion process on HAp was classified as (1) a mass increase only, (2) increases in both mass and ΔD, and (3) slight decreases in mass and ΔD. On PSox, only ΔD increases were observed, indicating that the adhesion behavior depended on the surface properties. The interfacial μ(ad) value between the material surfaces and cells increased with the number of adherent cells, whereas η(ad) and tanδ decreased slightly, irrespective of the surface. Thus, the interfacial layer changed the elasticity to viscosity with an increase in the number. The tan δ values on HAp were higher than those on PSox and exceeded 1.0. Furthermore, the pseudopod-like structures of the cells on HAp had periodic stripe patterns stained with a type I collagen antibody, whereas those on PSox had cell-membrane-like structures unstained with type I collagen. These results indicate that the interfacial layers on PSox and HAp exhibit elasticity and viscosity, respectively, indicating that the rearrangements of the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton changes cause different cell-surface interactions. Therefore, the different cell adhesion process, interfacial viscoelasticity, and morphology depending on the surfaces were successfully monitored in situ and evaluated by the QCM-D technique combined with other techniques.     

Effect of interfacial proteins on osteoblast-like cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite nanocrystals

A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique was employed to detecting the protein adsorption and subsequent osteoblast-like cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals. The interfacial phenomena with the preadsorption of three proteins (albumin (BSA), fibronectin (Fn), and collagen (Col)), the subsequent adsorption of fetal bovine serum (FBS), and the adhesion of the cells were investigated. The QCM-D measured the frequency shift (Δf) and dissipation energy shift (ΔD), and the viscoelastic properties of the adlayers were evaluated using ΔD-Δf plot and Voigt-based viscoelastic model. The Col adsorption significantly showed higher Δf, ΔD, elasticity, and viscosity values as compared to the BSA and Fn adsorption, and the subsequent FBS adsorption depended on the preadsorbed proteins. The ΔD-Δf plot of the cell adhesion also showed a different behavior depending on the surfaces, and the Fn- and Col-modified surfaces showed the rapid mass and ΔD changes by forming the viscous interfacial layers with cell adhesion, indicating that the processes were affected by the cellular reaction through the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The confocal laser scanning microscope images of adherent cells showed a different morphology and pseudopod on the surfaces. The cells adhered to the surfaces modified with the Fn and Col had significantly uniaxially expanded shapes and fibrous pseudopods, and those modified with the BSA had a round shape. Therefore, the different cell-protein interactions would cause the arrangement of the ECM and the cytoskeleton changes at the interfaces, and these phenomena were successfully detected by the QCM-D and Voigt-based model.     

Dinuclear macrocyclic palladium complexes having pincer coordinating groups and their catalytic properties in Mizoroki-Heck reactions

An improved synthetic method of palladium(II) dinuclear macrocyclic complexes have been described. Each of the two isomers of the complexes [Pd₂LBr₂] has a macrocyclic ligand L in which two 2,6-bis(diaminomethyl)phenyl units coordinate to the Pd(II) centers with N, C, N donor atoms. Substitution of the bromo ligands of one of the isomer of the complexes with acetonitrile ligands affords a new dinuclear complex. Catalytic activities of these complexes were studied for the Mizoroki-Heck type reactions of iodobenzene and styrene. High turnover number up to 30,000 was achieved using one of the isomer of the complexes.