A diazirine-based nucleoside analogue for efficient DNA interstrand photocross-linking

A diazirine-based nucleoside analogue (DBN) efficiently forms DNA interstand cross-linking under near-UV irradiation. This new base analogue may find broad applications in biotechnology and phototherapy.     

A non-contact single optical fiber multi-optical tweezers probe: Design and fabrication

Optical tweezers have developed into a versatile and widely used tool; compared with the traditional optical tweezers, optical traps built with a single optical fiber provide a more flexible solution towards compact, integrated multiple traps. But the single optical tweezers have their own short comings—the manipulation working on the micro-particles is not non-contact, because of the fabrication method of the optical fiber probe. However we propose new single fiber multi-optical tweezers which are simple, low-cost and can manipulate micro-particles in a non-contact manner and non-invasively.     

Preparation of mesoporous submicrometer silica capsules via an interfacial sol-gel process in inverse miniemulsion

Mesoporous silica capsules with submicrometer sizes were successfully prepared via the interfacial hydrolysis and condensation reactions of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in inverse miniemulsion by using hydrophilic liquid droplets as template. The inverse miniemulsions containing pH-controlled hydrophilic droplets were first prepared via sonication by using poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P(E/B)-PEO) or SPAN 80 as surfactant. TEOS was directly introduced to the continuous phase of an inverse miniemulsion. The silica shell was formed by the deposition of silica on the surface of droplets. The formation of capsule morphology was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The mesoporous structure was verified by nitrogen sorption measurements. The specific surface area could be tuned by the variation of the amount of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and TEOS, and the pore size by the amount of CTAB. The influences of synthetic parameters on the particle size and morphology were investigated in terms of the amount of CTAB, pH value in the droplets, TEOS amount, surfactant amount, and type of solvent with low polarity. A formation mechanism of silica capsules was proposed.     

Preparation of polyacrylonitrile via SET‐LRP catalyzed by lanthanum powder in the presence of VC

A novel catalyst system based on La(0)/hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) complexes is used for single electron transfer‐living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) of acrylonitrile (AN) in the presence of ascorbic acid (VC) with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) as a initiator and N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent. Compared with SET‐LRP of AN in the absence of VC, monomer conversion is markedly increased. SET‐LRP of AN in the presence of VC is also conducted in the presence of air. The kinetic studies show that the polymerizations both in the absence of oxygen and in the presence of air proceed in a well‐controlled manner. With the respect to the polymerization in the absence of oxygen, the polymerization in the presence of air provides slower reaction rate and broader polydispersity. Effects of amount of VC, La, CCl₄, and are investigated in detail. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4088–4094     

Toughening polypropylene with nanoscale rubber particles

A new kind of powdered rubber, ultra-fine full-vulcanized powdered rubber (UFPR), was invented and used for toughening polypropylene. The UFPR dispersed well in the PP matrix on a nanoscale. Both toughness and stiffness of PP can be improved by toughening with UFPR. DSC data showed that UFPR has some nucleation effect on PP. When PP was toughened with UFPR and EPDM together, the impact strength showed a synergistic toughening effect.     

A Copper-Based Reverse ATRP Process for the Living Radical Polymerization of 4-Vinylpyridine: Discussion on Optimum Reaction Conditions

In this original experiment, reverse atom transfer radical polymerization technique using CuCl₂/hexamethyl tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me₆-TREN) as catalyst complex was applied to living radical polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) with azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. N,N-Dimethylformamide was used as solvent to improve the solubility of the reaction system. The polymerization not only showed the best control of molecular weight and its distribution, but also provided a rather rapid reaction rate with the molar ratio of [4VP]:[AIBN]:[CuCl₂]:[Me₆-TREN] = 400:1:2:2. The rate of polymerization increased with increasing the polymerization temperature and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 51.5 kJ· mol¹. Use of Cl as the halogen in copper halide had many advantages over the use of Br. The resulting poly(4-vinylpyridine) was successfully used as the macroinitiator to proceed the block polymerization of styrene in the presence of CuCl/Me₆-TREN catalyst complex via a conventional ATRP process in DMF.     

Promoting Surface Electric Conductivity for High-Rate LiCoO2

The cathode materials work as the host framework for both Li⁺ diffusion and electron transport in Li-ion batteries. The Li⁺ diffusion property is always the research focus, while the electron transport property is less studied. Herein, we propose a unique strategy to elevate the rate performance through promoting the surface electric conductivity. Specifically, a disordered rock-salt phase was coherently constructed at the surface of LiCoO₂, promoting the surface electric conductivity by over one magnitude. It increased the effective voltage (V_eff) imposed in the bulk, thus driving more Li⁺ extraction/insertion and making LiCoO₂ exhibit superior rate capability (154 mAh g⁻¹ at 10 C), and excellent cycling performance (93 % after 1000 cycles at 10 C). The universality of this strategy was confirmed by another surface design and a simulation. Our findings provide a new angle for developing high-rate cathode materials by tuning the surface electron transport property.     

丙烯酰胺双水相聚合体系稳定性研究

通过浊点滴定法测定了不同温度下PAAmPEGH2O双水相体系相图,发现分相浓度随着温度的升高先增后降,55℃时分相浓度最低.双水相聚合体系微观结构显示,分散相以砾状液滴形式均匀分散在连续相中.研究了聚合过程中聚合体系粘度的变化,以及聚合温度、分散介质、单体、引发剂及乳化剂等对聚合体系最终粘度的影响,聚合体系最终粘度在一定范围内随分散介质和单体浓度增加变化不大,但是超过某一浓度后聚合体系粘度急剧增加;聚合体系中加入少量乳化剂对体系粘度影响不大,但加入大量乳化剂后体系稳定性变差,聚合体系粘度急剧增加;聚合体系最终粘度随着聚合温度升高先降后增,与相图的预测结果一致.     

Interface and properties of epoxy resin modified by elastomeric nano-particles

Epoxy resin has been widely used as structuralmaterials and adhesives in electronics, aerospace in-dustries and etc. for its impressive overall properties.However, epoxy network is brittle and notch sensitive,which restricts its application scope. As a re…