Ferrocenylethynyl‐Terminated Azobenzenes: Synthesis,Electrochemical, and Photoisomerization Studies

Ferrocenylethynyl‐terminated derivatives 8 – 12 have been synthesized and characterized by electrochemistry and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The electrochemical and photophysical studies indicate that the electronic communication in ferrocenylethynyl‐substituted derivatives is strongly influenced by the substituted position of the ferrocenylethynyl moiety. In situ electrochemical oxidation or chemical oxidation caused a characteristically weak ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer (LMCT) band to appear at 700–1000 nm. Subsequent electrochemical reduction or chemical reduction recovered the most of the original curve and the color of the solution as well. Among the derivatives, compound 8 exhibits the highest cis/trans molar ratio (64:36) in the photostationary state (PSS) upon light irradiation at 365 nm. Compound 8 exhibits excellent fatigue resistance and reversibility under several repeated reversible isomerization cycles.     

Dual-peptide-modified alginate hydrogels for the promotion of angiogenesis

The ability to supply suitable blood vessel system is a major challenge for artificial thick tissue engineering. Angiogenesis is a key point during the process of microvascular formation. Many bioactive molecules such as extra cellular matrix(ECM) proteins and adhesion peptides derived from the ECM are applied to promote angiogenesis. In this work, two adhesion peptides, YIGSR and REDV, were selected to modify sodium alginate(ALG) to obtain YIGSR- and REDV-alginate conjugates(ALG-YIGSR, and ALG-REDV, respectively). We mixed the two peptide-conjugates together in a series of concentration ratios to prepare bioactive surfaces for in vitro studies and hydrogel scaffolds for in vivo studies. In vitro studies showed that surfaces modified with 1.09 pmol/mm2 peptide had the best affinity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) than that with high or low concentrations of peptides. In addition, surfaces modified with dual peptides could significantly promote HUVECs proliferation, where ALG-YIGSR:ALG-REDV at a mole ratio of 5:1 exhibited the best enhancement ability. Furthermore, the in vivo angiogenesis results demonstrated that hydrogel scaffolds composed of mixed ALG-YIGSR and ALG-REDV at the 5:1 ratio had angiogenic induction potential by stimulating new blood vessel formation, and showed higher blood vessel density than scaffolds composed of a single peptide. These results demonstrated that a mixed combination of peptide alginate conjugates could be a potential scaffold to stimulate and induce angiogenesis in tissue engineering applications.     

Surfactant-Free and Controlled Synthesis of Hexagonal CeVO4 Nanoplates: Photocatalytic Activity and Superhydrophobic Property

Nanomaterials with both superhydrophobic surface properties as well as photocatalytic activities could have important industrial applications. Herein, we synthesized CeVO₄ nanocrystals with hexagonal nanoplate structures from the reaction of decavanadate (K₆V₁₀O₂₈⋅9 H₂O) and CeCl₃⋅H₂O precursors via a hydrothermal method. This synthetic route has four advantages: 1) the reaction condition is relatively mild, 2) it doesn′t need surfactants or templates, 3) it requires no expensive equipment, and 4) products are of higher purity. During synthesis, solution pH, and reaction temperature were found to play important roles in determining the growth process and final morphologies of the CeVO₄ products. These products were characterized spectrophotometrically and via scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the wettability of the as-synthesized film CeVO₄ nanoplates was studied by measuring water contact angle (CA). The largest CA measured was at 169.5 ° for a glass substrate treated with 0.06 g mL⁻¹ CeVO₄ followed by 2 % 1 H, 1 H, 2 H, 2 H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. Finally, the CeVO₄ nanoplates exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV irradiation and was stable even after repeated cycles of use.     

Physical Chemistry of the Interaction of Cellulose with Lignin during Wood Surface Treatment with a Phosphate Flame Retardant

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - A phosphate flame-retardant hardener (PFH) produced on the basis of industrial orthophosphoric acid and acetic anhydride was proposed for reducing the...     

Pyrolysis of Polyurethanes. Process Features and Composition of Reaction Products

Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry - An increase in the production and consumption of polyurethane products used in heavy and light industry, in the construction industry, automotive, medicine,...     

Effect of Support on Catalytic Properties of Platinum-Containing Catalysts in Hydrogenation of a Biphenyl–Diphenylmethane Eutectic Mixture

Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry - Pt/Sup catalysts with SiO2, MCM-48, and Al2O3 supports (Sup) were prepared. The catalysts were studied by methods of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption,...