Gold–carbon three dimensional film electrode prepared from oppositely charged conductive nanoparticles by layer-by-layer approach

Gold–carbon three dimensional film electrode was prepared from oppositely charged conductive particles by layer-by-layer approach. This was done by alternative immersion of indium tin oxide plate into suspension of positive (gold) and negative (carbon) particles. The film formation is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The nanoparticulate film is stable and the obtained electrode exhibits catalytic current of dioxygen reduction connected with the presence of gold nanoparticles. After adsorption of bilirubin oxidase similar effect is observed with substantial decrease of overpotential – typical for bioelectrocatalytic reaction. Both catalytic currents are proportional to the number of immersion and withdrawal steps.     

Benzophenone‐(phenylthio)acetic acid phosphonium salts as initiators of free‐radical photopolymerization of vinyl monomers: Mechanistic studies

The mechanism of the benzophenone‐sensitized photooxidation of phosphonium salts of (phenylthio)acetic acid was studied as a means for understanding how these salts function as coinitiators in the free‐radical photopolymerization of vinyl monomers. Both steady‐state and nanosecond flash photolytic methods were used to determine, in a quantitative manner, the mechanism of primary and secondary photoreactions for three quaternary phosphonium salts containing butyl and/or phenyl groups, i.e., P⁺(C₄H₉)₄, P⁺(C₄H₉)(C₆H₅)₃, and P⁺(C₆H₅)₄. It was found that the initial polymerization rates were the same for all three phoshonium salts of (phenylthio)acetic acid and were equal to those found previously for tetralkyl ammonium salts. The polymerization rates were more than twice the rates found for direct initiation by benzophenone and by the benzophenone‐(phenylthio)acetic acid initiating system. These results correlate well with the large quantum yields of ^?CH₂SC₆H₅ radicals (the main initiating radicals) found in the complementary photochemical investigation. It was found that a detailed knowledge of the photochemical reactions in the photoinitiating systems was critical to understand the kinetics of polymerization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8013–8022, 2008     

Design and optimisation of multimode 1D photonic band gap waveguide

The modal characteristics of planar waveguides with photonic band gap guiding properties are studied. It is demonstrated that a slight deviation from the periodicity in the photonic band gap multilayers can result in multimode transmission within the guiding layer. Possible applications of the results for avoiding single mode regime destruction due to fabrication process imperfection, as well as for designing such waveguides for conventional and emerging new applications of multimode photonic devices, are pointed out.     

Hirsch induction and torsion units in group rings

Supported by Canadian NSERC Grant A-5300 and Polish Scientific Grant 211399101.     

The plane‐width of graphs

Map the vertices of a graph to (not necessarily distinct) points of the plane so that two adjacent vertices are mapped at least unit distance apart. The plane‐width of a graph is the minimum diameter of the image of its vertex set over all such mappings. We establish a relation between the plane‐width of a graph and its chromatic number. We also connect it to other well‐known areas, including the circular chromatic number and the problem of packing unit discs in the plane. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 68: 229‐245, 2011     

Investigation of the interactions of lupane type pentacyclic triterpenes with outer leaflet membrane phospholipids--Langmuir monolayer and synchrotron X-ray scattering study

Lupane type pentacyclic triterpenes (LTs) are pharmacologically active natural products isolated from different plants. They have broad spectrum of therapeutic action ranging from anticancer via anti-HIV, antibiotic to anti-inflammatory and anti-protozoal activity. Many scientific papers underline that the key stage in the LT mechanism of action is their incorporation into cellular membrane and the interaction with the structural lipids. In our research we apply Langmuir monolayers as a versatile platform for the investigation of these phenomena, since till now important aspects concerning this issue are incomprehensible. We focus our attention on the interactions of lupeol and betulinic acid with choline-headgroup structural lipids: a representative of saturated glycerophosphatidylcholines (DPPCs), and octadecyl-sphingomyelin--a representative of membrane sphingolipids. Application of complementary physicochemical techniques such as the Langmuir technique, Brewster angle microscopy, and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction supported by thermodynamic analysis enabled us to investigate the intermolecular interactions in such binary model systems. Our results corroborate that LT is miscible with the outer leaflet membrane phospholipids, both DPPC and SM in the whole range of mole ratios. Moreover, the introduction of LT into the phospholipid film, even in small proportion, leads to the loss of periodical ordering of the phospholipid molecules and the disappearance of the diffraction signal as observed by GIXD. Our results also proved that LT does not form any surface complexes of fixed stoichiometry resembling the well characterized lipid rafts.     

ChemInform Abstract: La4.27Mg2.89Zn30, a New Structure Type with Strong Positional Disorder.

The title compound is prepared from the elements (670 K, 3 d; annealing at 1070 K, 3 h) and its structure is determined by single crystal XRD.