Synthesis and Characterization of Poly[bis(p-oxybenzaldehyde diethylamino)phosphazenes], Poly[bis(p-oxybenzaldehyde)phosphazenes], Poly[bis(diethylamino)phosphazenes] and their Self- assembly Behaviors

Polydichlorophosphazenes (PDCP) were synthesized through ring opening polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP). The polymerization behavior of HCCP under varying conditions of time and amount of catalyst was investigated. The chlorine atoms in polydichlorophosphazenes (PDCP) were substituted with p-oxybenzaldehyde and (or) diethylamine to synthesize poly[bis(p-oxybenzaldehyde diethylamino)phosphazenes](PPOBADEAP), poly[bis(p-oxybenzaldehyde)phosphazenes] (PPOBAP) and poly[bis(diethyl amino) phosphazenes] (PDEAP). The supporting evidence for the success of this synthesis was provided by nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR, and ³¹P-NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The self-assembly behavior of PPOBADEAP, PPOBAP and PDEAP was observed in different solvents by the same concentration of polymers. The optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated that PPOBADEAP formed various morphologies in different solvents while PPOBAP and PDEAP did not show self-assembly behavior at the same conditions.     

Interaction of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes and insulin

Insulin, a peptide that has been used for decades in the treatment of diabetes, has well-defined properties and delivery requirements. Liposomes, which are lipid bilayer vesicles, have gained increasing attention as drug carriers which reduce the toxicity and increase the pharmacological activity of various drugs. The molecular interaction between (uncharged lipid) dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes and insulin has been characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction. The characteristic protein absorption band peaks, Amide I (at about 1660?cm^?1) and Amide II band (at about 1546?cm^?1) are potentially reduced in the liposome insulin complex. Wide-angle x-ray scattering measurements showed that the association of insulin with DPPC lipid of liposomes still maintains the characteristic DPPC diffraction peaks with almost no change in relative intensities or change in peak positions. The absence of any shift in protein peak positions after insulin being associated with DPPC liposomes indicates that insulin is successfully forming complex with DPPC liposomes with possibly no pronounced alterations in the structure of insulin molecule.     

Shape-persistent macrocycles with intraannular polar groups: synthesis, liquid crystallinity, and 2D organization

The synthesis of macrocycles with intraannular polar ester groups and extraannular oligo-alkyl groups is described. The compounds exhibit stable liquid crystalline phases showing fan-shaped textures under the polarizing microscope, typical for a columnar order of the molecules. X-ray powder diffraction data of the LC phase indicate that the unit cell contains two symmetry-related units, a feature pointing most probably to a restricted rotation of the macrocycles within a stack. The X-ray data were further supported by solid-state NMR experiments, showing that the rigid core of the compounds does not rotate with kHz or higher frequencies within the column in the LC phase. Apart from the organization of the molecules in the LC phase, the 2D organization of the macrocycles at the solvent-highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) interface was investigated and showed that these compounds are capable of nanofunctionalizing the HOPG surface in the multinanometer regime.     

Comparison between the electrocatalytic properties of different metal ion phthalocyanines and porphyrins towards the oxidation of hydroxide

This work reports on the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydroxide using different central metal ion phthalocyanines and porphyrins immobilized on gold electrodes. The apparent electrocatalytic activity of cobalt phthalocyanine or porphyrin modified electrodes was found to be the greatest among the present series of metal ion macrocycles investigated. Copper and unmetallated phthalocyanine or porphyrin modified electrodes show no electrocatalytic behaviour towards hydroxide, such as bare gold. A possible mechanism for the enhanced reactivity of cobalt ion macrocycles towards the oxygen evolution is given. It is also stated that the electrocatalytic activity towards an adsorbate involves several aspects, such as the coordination state of the central metal ion, the nature of the ligand, the stability of the complexes, the number of d electrons, the energy of orbitals and the strength of the bonding between the central metal ion and the axial ligand.     

Synthesis of Some Novel Furan‐tagged Thienopyrimidine Derivatives as Antibacterial Agents

Cyclization of 2‐furan‐2‐yl‐4‐mercapto‐6‐methylpyrimidine‐5‐carbonitrile 1 with ethyl chloroacetate gave o‐aminoester thienopyrimidine derivative 3 , which was reacted with a variety of reagents to give a series of novel thienopyrimidines including tetrazolyl thienopyrimidine, pyrrolylthienopyrimidine, pyrimidothienotriazine, and thienodipyrimidines. Some of the synthesized compounds were tested for their antibacterial activities against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria.     

Flow characteristics in a model of a left ventricle in the presence of a dysfunctional mitral mechanical heart valve

Journal of Visualization -     

Comparative Study of Antimicrobial Activity of Silver,Gold, and Silver/Gold Bimetallic Nanoparticles Synthesized by Green Approach

Nanotechnology is one of the most recent technologies. It is uncertain whether the production of small-size nanoparticles (NPs) can be achieved through a simple, straightforward, and medicinally active phytochemical route. The present study aimed to develop an easy and justifiable method for the synthesis of Ag, Au, and their Ag/Au bimetallic NPs (BNPs) by using Hippeastrum hybridum (HH) extract, and then to investigate the effects of Ag, Au, and their Ag/Au BNPs as antimicrobial and phytotoxic agents. Ag, Au, and their Ag/Au BNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, EDX, and SEM analysis. XRD analysis conferring to the face of face-centered cubic crystal structure with an average size of 13.3, 10.72, and 8.34 nm of Ag, Au, and Ag/Au BNPs, respectively. SEM showed that Ag, Au, and Ag/Au BNPs had spherical morphologies, with calculated nano measurements of 40, 30, and 20 nm, respectively. The EDX analysis confirmed the composition of elemental Ag signal of the HH-AgNPs with 22.75%, Au signal of the HH-AuNPs with 48.08%, Ag signal with 12%, and Au signal with 38.26% of the Ag/Au BNPs. The Ag/Au BNPs showed an excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Actinomycetes meriye, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens bacterial strains, as well as against three fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus flavus) compared to HH extract, HH-AgNPs, and HH-AuNPs. However, further investigations are recommended to be able to minimize potential risks of application.     

Megaporous monolithic adsorbents for bioproduct recovery as prepared on the basis of nonwoven fabrics

Megaporous adsorbents were prepared based on nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics and functionalized by covalent modification with polyvinylamine (PVAm) or monotriazinyl-β-cyclodextrin-substituted polyvinylamine (PVAm-MCT-β-CD). Mechanical properties of the resulting fabrics were maintained, as judged by tensile strength tests and scanning electron microscopy. Exceptional porosity (≥82%) and preserved hydrodynamic characteristics (Pe ≥ 63) indicated excellent structural stability when packed. The performance of the constructed adsorbents was evaluated with high molecular weight (proteins) and low molecular weight (dyes) model compounds. The static binding capacity (SBC) for bovine serum albumin (BSA) was 79.7 ± 1.3 and 92.9 ± 8.2 mg/g for PVAm-modified and PVAm-MCT-β-CD-modified fabrics, respectively. The mentioned materials also adsorbed Orange II, an acidic dye (92.4 ± 2.6 and 101.9 ± 2.6 mg/g, respectively), indicating that the hydrophobicity was a prevailing binding mechanism operating at a pH close to isoelectric point. SBC for lysozyme and toluidine blue O (TBO, a basic dye) onto PVAm-MCT-β-CD functionalized PET was 52.7 ± 5.1 and 73.3 ± 0.6 mg/g, respectively. TBOs have also shown some affinity for PVAm functionalized PET, but this was most likely to be mediated by hydrophobicity. On the other hand, operating at a superficial velocity of 90 cm/h, dynamic binding capacity for BSA was 11.4 ± 3.5 and 2.5 ± 0.6 mg/g indicating the importance of possible aggregation mechanisms during protein binding at equilibrium. Thus, PET-based adsorbents require further functional improvement for chromatography applications. However, the easy-to-construct, scalable nonwoven adsorbents deserve further attention as a potential alternative to packed-bed-chromatography adsorbents.