Pillar[n]arenes: Chemistry and Their Material Applications

Background Pillar[n]arene(PA[n])contains a symmetrical structures,where para-bridge connection between the units looks like a column-like or pillar shape and polygonal structure from side and top views,respectively.The attached groups to the PA[n]are pointing towards the opposite directions along the columnar axis.     

Li ion diffusion in Li4Ti5O12 thin film electrode prepared by PVP sol-gel method

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin films for rechargeable lithium batteries were prepared by a sol-gel method with poly(vinylpyrrolidone). Interfacial properties of lithium insertion into Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film were examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiostatic intermittent titration technique (PITT). Redox peaks in CV were very sharp even at a fast scan rate of 50 mV s⁻¹, indicating that Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film had a fast electrochemical response, and that an apparent chemical diffusion coefficient of Li⁺ ion was estimated to be 6.8×10⁻¹¹ cm² s⁻¹ from a dependence of peak current on sweep rates. From EIS, it can be seen that Li⁺ ions become more mobile at 1.55 V vs. Li/Li⁺, corresponding to a two-phase region, and the chemical diffusion coefficients of Li⁺ ion ranged from 10⁻¹⁰ to 10⁻¹² cm² s⁻¹ at various potentials. The chemical diffusion coefficients of Li⁺ ion in Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ were also estimated from PITT. They were in a range of 10⁻¹¹-10⁻¹² cm² s⁻¹.     

Rose Bengal‐Sensitized Photooxidation of the Dipeptides l‐Tryptophyl‐l‐Phenylalanine,l‐Tryptophyl‐l‐Tyrosine and l‐Tryptophyl‐l‐Tryptophan: Kinetics,Mechanism and Photoproducts¶

The Rose Bengal‐sensitized photooxidations of the dipeptides l ‐tryptophyl‐l ‐phenylalanine (Trp‐Phe), l ‐tryptophyl‐l ‐tyrosine (Trp‐Tyr) and l ‐tryptophyl‐l ‐tryptophan (Trp‐Trp) have been studied in pH 7 water solution using static photolysis and time‐resolved methods. Kinetic results indicate that the tryptophan (Trp) moiety interacts with singlet molecular oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g)) both through chemical reaction and through physical quenching, and that the photooxidations can be compared with those of equimolecular mixtures of the corresponding free amino acids, with minimum, if any, influence of the peptide bond on the chemical reaction. This is not a common behavior in other di‐ and polypeptides of photooxidizable amino acids. The ratio between chemical (k_r) and overall (k_t) rate constants for the interaction O₂(¹Δ_g)‐dipeptide indicates that Trp‐Phe and Trp‐Trp are good candidates to suffer photodynamic action, with k_rlk_t values of 0.72 and 0.60, respectively (0.65 for free Trp). In the case of Trp‐Tyr, a lower k_rlk_t value (0.18) has been found, likely as a result of the high component of physical deactivation of O₂(¹Δ_g) by the tyrosine moiety. The analysis of the photooxidation products shows that the main target for O₂(¹Δ_g) attack is the Trp group and suggests a much lower accumulation of kynurenine‐type products, as compared with free Trp. This is possibly because of the occurrence of another accepted alternative pathway of oxidation that gives rise to 3a‐oxidized hydrogenated pyrrolo[2,3‐b]indoles.     

Synthesis and Characterization of p—[Perfluoro—1—（2—fluorosulfonylethoxy）]ethylated Polystyrene

A new fluorinated polystyrene bearing a p-sulbstiuted perfluoro[1-(2-fluorosulfonylethoxy)]ethyl group was synthesized via one-electron oxidation of polystyrene by perfluoro[2-(2-fluorosulfonylethoxy)]propionyl peroxide at different peroxide to polystyrene molar ratios.The yield of perfluoroalkylation decreases with the increase of the reactant molar ratio.The modified polymer has been characterized by various techniques:the ring pefluoro[1-(2-fluorosulfonylethoxy)]ethylation has been proved by FT-IR and ^19FNMR;the X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS) show the maximum binding energy of F18,O18,C18(two kinds of carbon atoms,namely C-H and C-F)and S2p,respectively; desulfonylation of the fluorinated polystyrene appearing at 217℃ has been found by its thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).The determinations of contact angle,refractive index and glass transition temperature of the modified polymer have disclosed that when the contact angle increases with the increase of the molar ratio,the refractive index and glass transition temperature decrease.The polydispersity values indicate that the degradation of the polymer chains did not occur during the reaction.     

Achiral Calcium‐Oxalate Crystals with Chiral Morphology from the Leaves of Some Solanacea Plants

The leaves of some plants, particularly among the Solanacea, contain crystals of calcium oxalate with a peculiar chiral pseudo‐tetrahedral morphology, even though the calcium oxalate crystal structure is centrosymmetric, hence achiral. We studied the morphology of these crystals extracted from the leaves of three Solanacea plants: the potato, the hot pepper, and a species of wild Solanum. The crystal morphology was the same in all three species. Based on the examination of more than 100 crystals from each plant, we showed that the crystal morphology is chiral with invariant chirality. We suggest that morphological chirality is induced by macromolecules during nucleation from a specific, genetically encoded crystal plane, and is further established during subsequent controlled crystal growth. This is one of few examples where it is possible to deduce a molecular mechanism for biologically induced breaking of morphological symmetry in organisms. A very high level of recognition is required by the macromolecules to allow them to distinguish between symmetry‐related crystal planes. It is also surprising that this finely controlled mechanism of crystal formation, including the chiral morphology, has been conserved during evolution.     

Surface and bulk properties of severely fluorinated carbon fibres

The development of ultra-inert composites using fluorinated carbon fibres as the reinforcement requires fluorinated carbon fibres with a durable surface composition. Here we report the effect of direct fluorination using an F₂/N₂ mixture at 653 K on the surface and bulk properties of two types of high strength carbon fibres. These were treated up to a surface fluorine content of ∼64 at.% and a bulk fluorine content of ∼15 mass%. A colour change was observed after fluorination caused by the changes in the graphitic band structure of the carbon fibres by the introduction of carbon sp³ hybridisation. The tensile strength and Young's modulus decrease after fluorination by up to 33 and 22%, respectively. XRD shows marginal changes in the interlayer distance but the crystallite size increases. Changes in the electrical conductivity of the fluorinated carbon fibres indicate that the modification is confined to the near surface volume. Predominantly covalent C-F bonds are formed as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and measured zeta (ζ)-potentials. Hence the fluorinated fibres are hydrophobic and have low surface tensions. This and the large increase in fibre surface area, as determined by nitrogen adsorption, is expected to facilitate interfacial interaction between fluorinated carbon fibres and fluoropolymers.     

Electrochemical Immunoassay for Carbohydrate Antigen‐125 Based on Polythionine and Gold Hollow Microspheres Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes

A new electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of carbohydrate antigen‐125 (CA125), a carcinoma antigen, was developed by immobilization CA125 antibody (anti‐CA125) on gold hollow microspheres and porous polythionine (PTH) modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). The gold hollow microspheres provided a biocompatible microenvironment for proteins, and greatly amplified the coverage of anti‐CA125 molecules on the electrode surface. The performance and factors influencing the immunosensor were investigated in detail. The detection is based on the current change before and after the antigen‐antibody interaction. Under optimal conditions, the amperometric changes were proportional to CA125 concentration ranging from 4.5 to 36.5 U/mL with a detection limit of 1.3 U/mL (at 3σ). The CA125 immunosensor exhibited good precision, high sensitivity, acceptable stability, accuracy and reproducibility. The as‐prepared immunosensors were used to analyze CA125 in human serum specimens. Analytical results suggest that the developed immunoassay has a promising alternative approach for detecting CA125 in the clinical diagnosis.