Ultrathin gold nanowires can be obtained by reducing polymeric strands of oleylamine-AuCl complexes formed via aurophilic interaction

This Communication describes a facile route to the preparation of ultrathin gold nanowires using linear chains formed from [(oleylamine)AuCl] complex via aurophilic interaction. The linear chains, with AuI...AuI bonds as the backbone and surrounded by oleylamines, can group together to form bundles of polymeric strands. When the AuI was reduced to Au0 by reacting with Ag nanoparticles in hexane, the polymeric strands functioned as both the source of Au and the template to mediate the nucleation and growth of Au nanowires. Using this method, we were able to produce Au nanowires with an average diameter of approximately 1.8 nm and an aspect ratio of >1000 in high yields (approximately 70%).     

Wave propagation in fractured porous media

A theory of wave propagation in fractured porous media is presented based on the double-porosity concept. The macroscopic constitutive relations and mass and momentum balance equations are obtained by volume averaging the microscale balance and constitutive equations and assuming small deformations. In microscale, the grains are assumed to be linearly elastic and the fluids are Newtonian. Momentum transfer terms are expressed in terms of intrinsic and relative permeabilities assuming the validity of Darcy's law in fractured porous media. The macroscopic constitutive relations of elastic porous media saturated by one or two fluids and saturated fractured porous media can be obtained from the constitutive relations developed in the paper. In the simplest case, the final set of governing equations reduce to Biot's equations containing the same parameters as of Biot and Willis.Now at Izmir Institute of Technology, Anafartalar Cad. 904, Basmane 35230, Izmir, Turkey.     

Effect of pH on lipid oxidation of red onion skin extracts treated with washed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) muscle model systems

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pH on the lipid oxidation of red onion skin extracts (ROSEs) treated with washed tilapia muscle model systems (WTMS). Minced and buffered washed samples were prepared at pH 6.3 and 6.8. The WTMS were treated with2 different concentrations of red onion skin prior to storage for 5 days. Lipid oxidation was investigated via peroxide values (PVs), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and the formation of volatile compounds. Fatty acid profiles of the samples were also identified. The ROSEs were able to significantly suppress the PV (~71%) and TBARS (~42%) formation. Hexanal and octanal formations in the WTMS were relatively less in the ROSE-treated samples. The WTMS samples prepared at pH 6.3 were more vulnerable to lipid oxidation than those prepared at pH 6.8. Red onion skin polyphenols may increase the lag phase of lipid oxidation, depending on pH levels, resulting in the shelf life extension of raw fish.     

Aerodynamic and energy-efficiency-based assessment of plasma actuator's position on a NACA0015 airfoil

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of research papers on plasma and its use in active flow control applications. The main objective of this study is to assess the plasma actuator's position on a NACA0015 airfoil in terms of aerodynamic forces. In addition, optimization of the plasma actuator's position and its configuration are studied in order to identify the optimum configuration for improvement in lift coefficient. The experiments are conducted in an open-suction-type wind tunnel at Reynolds numbers of 48,000, 75,000, and 100,000. The plasma actuators are mounted on various positions (x/C) starting from the leading edge to trailing edge of the airfoil. The experimental results on aerodynamic force measurement are presented to illustrate the increasing lift effect of the generated plasma. It is also shown that the plasma actuators used as an active flow control device appears to shift the stall angle of the airfoil. The results of the experimental study suggest that the energy efficiency of airborne systems can be improved with the use of plasma actuators due to its increasing lift coefficient effect. This result becomes a vital finding considering that the same flight can be achieved with less fuel and less amount of environmental pollution for the same distance of journey. It is also worth mentioning that increasing lift effect would mean taking off from a shorter runway or allowing the airborne vehicle with the ability to fly with additional payload.     

Reactions of pentachloro-2-nitrobutadiene with some aliphatic and heterocyclic thiols and a crystallographic study

In this study, S-, S,S- and S,O-substituted novel nitrodiene compounds were synthesized. Cyclization products were formed when difunctional nucleophiles were used. The stereoisomerism of a heterocyclic nitrodiene is discussed with the help of XRD studies. The structures of all compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹⁹F NMR, MS) and microanalysis.     

The syntheses of some novel (naphthalen-1-yl-selenyl)acetic acid derivatives

Some new (naphthalen-1-yl-selenyl)acetic acids derivatives 7a-d have been synthesized by two different methods, using naphthylselenols or naphthylselenocyanates. The structures of the products were investigated by spectroscopic methods.     

Sol–gel processing and electrochemical characterization of monoclinic Li3FeF6

To find new cathode materials for future applications in lithium-ion batteries, lithium transition metal fluorides represent an interesting class of materials. In principle the Li intercalation voltage can be increased by replacing oxygen in the cathode host structure with the more electronegative fluorine. A facile pyrolytic sol–gel process with trifluoroacetic acid as fluorine source was established to synthesize monoclinic Li₃FeF₆ using nontoxic chemicals. The acicular Li₃FeF₆ powder was characterized with X-ray diffraction and a detailed structure model was calculated by Rietveld analysis. For the preparation of cathode films to cycle versus lithium monoclinic Li₃FeF₆ was ball milled with carbon and binder down to nanoscale. After 100 cycles galvanostatic cycling (C/20) 47 % fully reversible capacity of the initial capacity (129 mAh/g) could be retained. To the best of our knowledge the results presented in this work include the first rate performance test for monoclinic Li₃FeF₆ up to 1 C maintaining a capacity of 71 mAh/g. The redox reaction involving Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ during Li insertion/extraction was confirmed by post-mortem XPS and cyclic voltammetry.     

Concanavalin A Binding on PHEMA Beads and Their Interactions with Myeloma Cells

The aim of this study is to prepare concanavalin A (Con A) bound poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) beads for cell affinity chromatography. In the first step, PHEMA beads were produced by suspension polymerization, and activated by cyanogen bromide (CNBr) in an alkaline medium (pH 11.5), and then, the bio-ligand “Con A” was attached by covalent binding onto the CNBr activated beads. PHEMA beads were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area and pore size measurements. The PHEMA beads have a spherical shape and porous structure. The specific surface area of the PHEMA beads was found to be 39.7 m²/g with a size range of 150–200 μm in diameter and the swelling ratio was 55%. The amount of bound Con A was controlled by changing pH and the initial concentrations of CNBr and Con A. The non-specific adsorption of Con A on the plain PHEMA beads was 0.1 mg/g. The maximum Con A binding was 4.8 mg/g at pH 7.25. Both plain and Con A bound PHEMA beads were interacted first with the myeloma cell suspension in phosphate buffer. Myeloma cell attachment was very low for the plain PHEMA beads, while the number of myeloma cells attached increased almost 20 fold when the Con A bound beads were used. In order to look at whether or not the interaction of the Con A bound PHEMA beads and myeloma cells are affected from the biological molecules and other cells in the medium. We selected sheep blood itself as the medium, and mixed with the myeloma cell suspension and changed the environment. Cell adhesion decreased but not very significantly by changing the medium from simple buffer to sheep blood.