Highly Flexible and Tailorable Cobalt-Doped Cross-Linked Polyacrylamide-Based Electrolytes for Use in High-Performance Supercapacitors

A novel hydrogel polymer electrolyte was prepared by incorporation of 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BG) to cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM). The electrolyte (PAMBG) was modified with cobalt (II) sulfate with various doping ratios (PAMBGCoX) to increase the capacitance by increasing faradaic reactions. The supercapacitor device assembly was performed by using active carbon (AC) electrodes and hydrogel polymer electrolytes. The specific capacitance of the PAMBGCo5 device indicated 130 F g⁻¹, which is at least a seven-fold improvement due to the insertion of Co as a redox component. The electrolyte device, PAMBGCo5, displays superior performance having an energy density of 38 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 500 W kg⁻¹. Additionally, with the same hydrogel, the device performed 10,000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles via retaining 91% of the initial capacitance. A cost-effective electrolyte, PAMBGCo5, was tested in a carbon-based supercapacitor under bent and twisted conditions at various angles, confirming the robustness of the device.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Chloralose-Derived Thiosemicarbazones and Semicarbazones and Investigation of Their Antimicrobial Properties

Thiosemicarbazones(7–10)/semicarbazones(11–14) were synthesized in good yields via the condensation of α-gluco-, β-gluco-, galacto-, manno- chloralose derived 1,4-furanodialdoses (1-4) with thiosemicarbazide(5)/semicarbazide(6). The structures of all products were characterized by FTIR, NMR spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. The compounds have been found to display moderate antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and antifungal activity against a Candida albicans. MIC values of the compounds range from 260 to 1510 μg/mL.     

Synthesis of novel 2,3‐disubstituted quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one derivatives containing hydrazone skeleton as potent urease inhibitors and their antimicrobial activities

A new series of quinazolinones containing hydrazone moiety were synthesized, and their inhibitory activities on urease were assessed in vitro. Most of the compounds exhibited potent urease inhibitory activity. Among the synthesized compounds, molecule 4a bearing furan ring has the best inhibitory effect against urease with IC₅₀ = 2.90 ± 0.11 μg/mL. Compounds 4f , 4g , 4h , 4i , and 4j have hydroxy group on phenyl ring. Compound 4i is the most active inhibitor among these compounds with IC₅₀ = 5.01 ± 0.10 μg/mL, which has 3‐Cl and 4‐Br on phenyl ring. Also, newly synthesized compounds had been tested for their antimicrobial effects against three of Gram‐positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus 702 Roma, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615) and three of Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853). Antimicrobial activity results show that compounds 4a , 4h , 4j , 4f , and 4l have the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 1000 μg/mL to all tested bacteria. The other compounds have the MIC value of >1000 μg/mL to all tested bacteria.     

A contemporary linear representation theory for ordinary differential equations: probabilistic evolutions and related approximants for unidimensional autonomous systems

In this paper, we build on our previous research on probabilistic foundations of dynamical systems and introduce a theory of linear representation for ordinary differential equations. The theory is developed for explicit ODEs and can be further extended to cover implicit cases. In this report, we investigate the case of a canonical single unknown autonomous system. First we construct a linear representation to get an infinite linear ODE set with a constant coefficient matrix which can be transformed into an upper triangular form. Then we find its approximate truncated solutions. We describe a number of properties of the theory using this framework. The companion of this paper expands this canonical approach to cover multidimensional cases using the theory of folded arrays which is another line of research established by our research group.     

Evaluation of carbonic anhydrase and paraoxonase inhibition activities and molecular docking studies of highly water-soluble sulfonated phthalocyanines

The investigation of carbonic anhydrase and paraoxonase enzyme inhibition properties of water-soluble zinc and gallium phthalocyanine complexes ( 1 and 2 ) are reported for the first time. The binding of p-sulfonylphenoxy moieties to the phthalocyanine structure favors excellent solubilities in water, as well as providing an inhibition effect on carbonic anhydrase (CA) I and II isoenzymes and paraoxonase (PON1) enzyme. According to biological activity results, both complexes inhibited hCA I, hCA II, and PON1. Whereas 1 and 2 showed moderate hCA I and hCA II (off-target cytosolic isoforms) inhibitory activity (Ki values of 26.09 µM and 43.11 µM for hCA I and 30.95 µM and 33.19 µM for hCA II, respectively), they exhibited strong PON1 (associated with high-density lipoprotein [HDL]) inhibitory activity (Ki values of 0.37 µM and 0.27 µM, respectively). The inhibition kinetics were analyzed by Lineweaver–Burk double reciprocal plots. It revealed that 1 and 2 were noncompetitive inhibitors against PON1, hCA I, and hCA II. These complexes can be more advantageous than other synthetic CA and PON inhibitors due to their water solubility. Docking studies were carried out to examine the interactions between hCA I, hCA II, and PON1 inhibitors and metal complexes at a molecular level and to predict binding energies.     

Synthesis and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of some 1,2,4-triazol-5(3)-one derivatives

In this study, starting from 4-amino-5-(4-chlorobenzyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-one ( 1 ), the 4-Amino-5-(4-chlorobenzyl)-2-undecyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one ( 2 ) was first synthesized and this compound was converted to Schiff base derivatives ( 3a-e ). In the second step of the study, the 2-[3-(4-chlorobenzyl)-5-oxo-1-undecyl-1,5-dihydro-4H-1,2,4-triazole-4-yl]-acetohydrazide ( 6 ), which was used as a key product in the synthesis of many heterocyclic compounds was synthesized in four steps, and then this compound was converted into methylidene acetohydrazide ( 7a-e ), thiosemicarbazide ( 8a-e ), and 1,2,4-triazole-5-thione ( 9a-e ) derivatives. Also, in the last part of the study, 1,2,4-triazole-5-thione derivatives were changed into Mannich bases ( 10a-b ) bearing a 4-phenylpiperazine ring. These new compounds were tested with regard to pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibition activity, and compound 3b , 3d , 7d , 8d , and 9d showed a considerable anti-lipase activity at various concentrations. The activity of compounds 7b (IC₅₀ = 1.45 ± 0.12 μM) was the highest in terms of IC₅₀, comparable to that of orlistat, a well-known PL inhibitor used as an antiobesity drug.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Novel 2,4‐Dihydro‐5‐[4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones and Potentiometric Determination of Their pKa in Nonaqueous Solvents

The novel 4‐amino‐ or 4‐aryl‐substituted 2,4‐dihydro‐5‐[(4‐trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones 3a – 3g were synthesized by reaction of N‐(ethoxycarbonyl)‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzenehydrazonic acid ethyl ester ( 2 ) and primary amines or hydrazine by microwave irradiation. Compounds 3a – 3g were potentiometrically titrated with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (Bu₄NOH) in four nonaqueous solvents, i.e., ⁱPrOH, ^tBuOH, MeCN, and N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Also half‐neutralization potential values and the corresponding pK_a values were determined in all cases.     

Diffusion-controlled detection of trinitrotoluene: interior nanoporous structure and low highest occupied molecular orbital level of building blocks enhance selectivity and sensitivity

Development of simple, cost-effective, and sensitive fluorescence-based sensors for explosives implies broad applications in homeland security, military operations, and environmental and industrial safety control. However, the reported fluorescence sensory materials (e.g., polymers) usually respond to a class of analytes (e.g., nitroaromatics), rather than a single specific target. Hence, the selective detection of trace amounts of trinitrotoluene (TNT) still remains a big challenge for fluorescence-based sensors. Here we report the selective detection of TNT vapor using the nanoporous fibers fabricated by self-assembly of carbazole-based macrocyclic molecules. The nanoporosity allows for time-dependent diffusion of TNT molecules inside the material, resulting in further fluorescence quenching of the material after removal from the TNT vapor source. Under the same testing conditions, other common nitroaromatic explosives and oxidizing reagents did not demonstrate this postexposure fluorescence quenching; rather, a recovery of fluorescence was observed. The postexposure fluorescence quenching as well as the sensitivity is further enhanced by lowering the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the nanofiber building blocks. This in turn reduces the affinity for oxygen, thus allocating more interaction sites for TNT. Our results present a simple and novel way to achieve detection selectivity for TNT by creating nanoporosity and tuning molecular electronic structure, which when combined may be applied to other fluorescence sensor materials for selective detection of vapor analytes.