Singlewall carbon nanotubes covered with polystyrene nanoparticles by in‐situ miniemulsion polymerization

This work is to make carbon nanotubes dispersible in both water and organic solvents without oxidation and cutting nanotube threads. Polystyrene‐singlewall carbon nanotube (PS‐SWNT) composites were prepared with three different methods: miniemulsion polymerization, conventional emulsion polymerization, and mixing SWNT with PS latex. The two factors, crosslinking and surface coverage of PS are important factors for the mechanical and electrical properties, including dispersion states of SWNT in various solvents. The PS‐SWNT composite prepared via a conventional emulsion polymerization showed SWNT bundles entirely covered with PS, whereas the PS‐SWNT composite prepared via a miniemulsion polymerization showed SWNT partially covered with crosslinked PS nanoparticles. The method of mixing SWNTs with PS latex did not show the well dispersed state of carbon nanotubes because PS was not crosslinked and was dissolved in a solvent, and nanotubes separated from PS precipitated. So the PS nanoparticle‐SWNT composite had lower electrical resistance, and higher mechanical strength than the other composites made by the latter two methods. As the amount of SWNT increases, the bare surface area of SWNT increases and the electrical conductivity increases in the composite made by the miniemulsion polymerization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 573–584, 2006     

Differentiation of chiral phosphorus enantiomers by P and H NMR spectroscopy using amino acid derivatives as chemical solvating agents

The ability of commercially available amino acid derivatives, especially Fmoc-Trp(Boc)-OH, to differentiate enantiomers of chiral phosphonates, phosphinates, phosphates, phosphine oxides, and phosphonamidates is demonstrated with (31)P, (13)C, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The chiral differentiation provided a rapid and convenient method for measuring the enantiomeric purity of these phosphorus compounds.     

Construction of solutions with exactly k blow-up points for the Schrödinger equation with critical nonlinearity

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger equation: (1) $${{i\partial u} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{i\partial u} {\partial t}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\partial t}} = - \Delta u - \left| u \right|^{{4 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {4 N}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} N}} uandu\left( {0,.} \right) = \varphi \left( . \right),$$ whereu:[0,T)×? ^N →?. For any given pointsx ₁,x ₂,...,x _k in ? ^N , we construct a solution of Eq. (1),u(t), which blows up in a finite timeT at exactlyx ₁,x ₂,...,x _k . In addition, we describe the precise behavior of the solutionu(t) whent→T, at the blow-up points {x ₁,x ₂,...,x _k } and in ? ^N ?{x ₁,x ₂,...,x _k }.     

Linear equations depending differentiably on a parameter

We investigate operator functionsT(x) inBanach spaces, depending differentiably (meaning of classC orC ) on a parameterx and enjoying a certain regularity property. Iff is a given differentiable function such that the equationT(x)e=f(x) is solvable for eachx then the existence of a functione is proved which belongs to the same differentiability class asf andT, solving the equationT(x)e(x)f(x) identically inx. As an application we extend a result ofJ. Leiterer [9] and give a comprehensive answer to a question posed byJ.L. Taylor in [15] concerning the exactness of certain cochain complexes.     

Nanoscale organization of the pathogen receptor DC-SIGN mapped by single-molecule high-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

DC-SIGN, a C-type lectin exclusively expressed on dendritic cells (DCs), plays an important role in pathogen recognition by binding with high affinity to a large variety of microorganisms. Recent experimental evidence points to a direct relation between the function of DC-SIGN as a viral receptor and its spatial arrangement on the plasma membrane. We have investigated the nanoscale organization of fluorescently labeled DC-SIGN on intact isolated DCs by means of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) combined with single-molecule detection. Fluorescence spots of different intensity and size have been directly visualized by optical means with a spatial resolution of less than 100 nm. Intensity- and size-distribution histograms of the DC-SIGN fluorescent spots confirm that approximately 80 % of the receptors are organized in nanosized domains randomly distributed on the cell membrane. Intensity-size correlation analysis revealed remarkable heterogeneity in the molecular packing density of the domains. Furthermore, we have mapped the intermolecular organization within a dense cluster by means of sequential NSOM imaging combined with discrete single-molecule photobleaching. In this way we have determined the spatial coordinates of 13 different individual dyes, with a localization accuracy of 6 nm. Our experimental observations are all consistent with an arrangement of DC-SIGN designed to maximize its chances of binding to a wide range of microorganisms. Our data also illustrate the potential of NSOM as an ultrasensitive, high-resolution technique to probe nanometer-scale organization of molecules on the cell membrane.