Fluorenyl-containing sulfonated poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone)s (SPFEEKK) for fuel cell applications

A series of fluorenyl-containing sulfonated poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone)s (SPFEEKK) were synthesized via aromatic nucleophilic substitution polymerization. The sulfonation content (SC) was controlled by the feed ratios of sulfonated and nonsulfonated monomers. Flexible and strong membranes in the sulfonic acid form were obtained from cast membranes in the sodium salt forms by treatment with acid. The thermal properties, water uptake, swelling ratio, water state, oxidative stability, proton conductivity and methanol permeability were investigated. All the polymers had proton conductivities greater than 1 × 10⁻² S/cm at room temperature, and the conductivity values of m-SPFEEKK-80 and p-SPFEEKK-80 were up to 1.86 × 10⁻¹ and 1.78 × 10⁻¹ S/cm at 100 °C. This series of polymers also possessed good dimensional stability in water and low methanol crossover.     

Thermotropic liquid crystalline properties of semiperfluoroalkyloxyphenyl and perfluoroalkylphenyl β-D-glucopyranosides

The synthesis of two series of semiperfluoroalkyloxyphenyl and perfluoroalkylphenyl β-D-glucopyranosides is described. Their mesomorphic properties are studied by DSC, polarized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. All mesophases are identified as smectic A with a bimolecular in-layer arrangement.     

Singular value decomposition of energy matrices in theoretical atomic structure calculations

The singular value decomposition, SVD, is applied to the linear eigenvalue problem in atomic structure calculations. By comparing with recent calculations of energy levels in neutral Ca, it is shown that the SVD can give quite accurate results and much faster than normal diagonalization techniques, even of the Davidson type. However, the energy levels calculated in this approach are more strongly bound than the real eigenvalues, and this is ascribed to an artefact of the SVD, caused by the use of a discretized continuum in the calculations. This effect can lead to fairly large errors if there is strong CI present. The property of the linear eigenvalue problem that the spectrum is unchanged when a constant is added to the diagonal does not apply to the SVD. This means that it is impossible to solve the problems connected with a discretized continuum simply by shifting the spectrum.     

A Maltol-Containing Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complex as a Potential Anticancer Agent

Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Chemotherapy, despite its severe side effects, is to date one of the leading strategies against cancer. Metal-based drugs present several potential advantages when compared to organic compounds and they have gained trust from the scientific community after the approval on the market of the drug cisplatin. Recently, we reported the ruthenium complex ([Ru(DIP)₂(sq)](PF₆) (where DIP is 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenantroline and sq is semiquinonate) with a remarkable potential as chemotherapeutic agent against cancer, both in vitro and in vivo. In this work, we analyse a structurally similar compound, namely [Ru(DIP)₂(mal)](PF₆), carrying the flavour-enhancing agent approved by the FDA, maltol (mal). To possess an FDA approved ligand is crucial for a complex, whose mechanism of action might include ligand exchange. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterisation of [Ru(DIP)₂(mal)](PF₆), its stability in solutions and under conditions that resemble the physiological ones, and its in-depth biological investigation. Cytotoxicity tests on different cell lines in 2D model and on HeLa MultiCellular Tumour Spheroids (MCTS) demonstrated that our compound has higher activity than cisplatin, inspiring further tests. [Ru(DIP)₂(mal)](PF₆) was efficiently internalised by HeLa cells through a passive transport mechanism and severely affected the mitochondrial metabolism.