Nanocomposites based on crosslinked polyacrylic latex/silver nanoparticles for waterborne high‐performance antibacterial coatings

Functional polymer/AgNPs nanocomposites have been prepared. Silver nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized to which polyacrylamide, PAAm, was covalently bound. PAAm was synthesized via a RAFT reaction and carried thiol and carboxylic acid end groups. Thiol was used to bind the polymer to the metal surface and carboxyl for further reactions. The AgNPs were used in a post‐crosslinking reaction with a separately synthesized poly(butyl acrylate‐co‐methyl methacrylate)/polyglycidyl methacrylate core/shell latex bearing epoxy functional groups. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the functional AgNPs effectively crosslinked the latex polymer, and that the final product had excellent mechanical strength. Antibacterial tests revealed that the nanocomposite films had strong antibacterial activity against all types of the bacteria and the immobilization of silver NPs by crosslinking retarded the release of silver in comparison to the uncrosslinked ones. With the presented method, it is possible to obtain ductile antibacterial nanocomposites to be used as waterborne functional coatings. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1435–1447     

Synthesis of Chiral Calix[4]arene Derivative and Evaluation of its Recognition Properties

The article describes the synthesis and extraction properties of a new chiral calix[4]arene Schiff base ligand 5, which has been synthesized from 5,17-diformyl-25,27-bis-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)-26,28-dihidroxycalix[4]arene (4) by treatment with (S)-(-)-1-phenylethylamine. In this synthesis, it was thought to explore the role of chiral, as well as Schiff base sites in the recognition of targeted species ions (such as dichromate anions) as well as neutral/chiral molecules. At low pH, the ligand 5 is more effective for transferring the dichromate anions from an aqueous into a dichloromethane layer; may be due to the protonation of nitrogen atoms.

The extraction properties of ligand 5 towards the some selected α -amino acid methylesters are also reported. However, the ligand 5 did not display any selectivity towards the selected α-amino acid methylesters.     

Sensing and photocatalytic properties of nanosized Cu(I)CN organotin supramolecular coordination polymer based on pyrazine

Orange prismatic crystals of the supramolecular coordination polymer (SCP) _∞³[Cu(CN)₂(Me₃Sn)(Pyz)], SCP 1 , were synthesized using a self‐assembly method under ambient conditions. Nanosized 1 was obtained using the same molar ratio in water by ultrasonic irradiation. SCP 1 was characterized using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. SCP 1 and its nanosized 1 particles were also examined using powder X‐ay diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The luminescence emission of SCP 1 was studied as well as its use as a sensor for the detection of common organic solvents and metal ions. Also, the catalytic activities of nanosized 1 towards various organic dyes were investigated under ambient conditions, UV irradiation and ultrasonic irradiation. Nanosized 1 as a heterogeneous nanoparticle catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity for the degradation of eosin‐Y and acid blue dyes. The mechanism of degradation investigated using various scavenger techniques is proposed and discussed. The catalytic oxidation process is mainly caused by ?OH radicals.     

Comparison of NMR Water Proton T1 Measurements in Healthy and Pathological Blood

water proton T1 in blood from healthy volunteers and patients with acute leukaemia, lymphoma; iron deficiency anaemia, post hepatitic cirrhosis and tuberculosis, was measured by a FT-NMR spectrometer. Relaxation measurements were performed at 60MHz frequency and a temperature of (20 ± 0.5)C. The T1 measured for each disease correlates strongly with hemoglobin content. The spin-lattice relaxation time in each abnormal group was signaficantly (p < 0.001) elevated over normal group. There is little overlap between the healthy and abnormal groups. On the contrast, T1 ranges obtained for malignant groups and non-malignant diseases do overlap.     

A simple homemade spectrophotometer

A simple portable spectrophotometer was constructed and used to perform analytical experiments. The developed model uses available tools and materials such as light emitting diode lamps, compact discs, plastic and cardboard boxes and a cell phone camera to build a design that illustrates the major components of spectrophotometers. The spectra of serial concentrations of KMnO₄ (50?600 μM) were recorded and the values of absorbance were extracted at λ_max to build the calibration curve. A linear relationship between the concentration and absorbance was obtained with the coefficient of determination 0.994. The model was also utilized to study the spectra of KMnO₄, phenolphthalein and bromothymol blue in comparison with a Shimadzu UV-1800 spectrophotometer as a reference instrument. In spite of the differences in the observed spectra, the recorded λ_max were almost identical to those measured by the developed model. The model was successfully used to determine the concentration of sodium alendronate through ligand-exchange complexation with ferric salicylate.     

Capacitive Sensor to Monitor Enzyme Activity by Following Degradation of Macromolecules in Real Time

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - A capacitive sensor was developed to analyze the presence and enzymatic activity of a model protease from standard solutions by following the degradation of...     

The CO2 adsorption performance of aminosilane-modified mesoporous silicas

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Aminosilane-modified MCM-41 and SBA-15 mesoporous silicas were synthesized using sodium silicate extracted from gold mine tailings slurry in this...