Interfacial effects on thermoelectric functions

We investigated the effects of added oxide to FeSi₂ on thermoelectric properties in order to improve the figure of merit. The oxide was not suggested to chemically react with the mother material (FeSi₂), where the oxide materials existed in the grain boundaries. The oxide addition played a role to reduce thermal conductivity and possessed electrical resistivity as well as non oxide-added FeSi₂. Hereafter, the appropriate added amount of Yb₂O₃ showed the largest effect on the figure of merit among other oxides.     

An application of fragment interaction analysis based on local MP2

We have developed a method named ‘fragment interaction analysis based on local MP2’ (abbreviated as FILM). This method enables us to decompose the interaction energy associated with dispersion interactions into contributions of localized occupied orbitals. In this study, the basis set dependence of the results derived from FILM was examined. The results suggested that the individual ratio of pair correlation energies of selected orbital pairs to the total dispersion interaction was almost independent of the basis set size. As an illustrative example, detailed analysis was performed on the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease complexed with lopinavir molecule.     

Role of Arg123 in Light‐driven Anion Pump Mechanisms of pharaonis Halorhodopsin†

Halorhodopsin (HR) acts as a light‐driven chloride pump which transports a chloride ion from the extracellular (EC) to the cytoplasmic space during a photocycle reaction that includes some photointermediates initiated by illumination. To understand the chloride uptake mechanisms, we focused on a basic residue Arg123 of HR from Natronomonas pharaonis (NpHR), which is the only basic residue located in the EC half ion channel. By the measurements of the visible absorption spectra in the dark and the light‐induced inward current through the membrane, it was shown that the chloride binding and transport ability of NpHR completely disappeared by the change of arginine to glutamine. From flashphotolysis analysis, the photocycle of R123Q differed from that of wildtype NpHR completely. The response of the R123H mutant depended on pH. These facts imply that the positive charge at position 123 is essential for chloride binding in the ground state and for the chloride uptake under illumination. On the basis of the molecular structures of HR and the anion‐transportable mutants of bacteriorhodopsin, the effects of the positive charge and the conformational change of the Arg123 side chain as well as the chloride‐pumping mechanism are discussed.     

Development of sulfide glass-ceramic electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium rechargeable batteries

Development of Li₂S–P₂S₅-based glass-ceramic electrolytes is reviewed. Superionic crystals of Li₇P₃S₁₁ and Li_3.25P_0.95S₄ were precipitated from the Li₂S–P₂S₅ glasses at the selected compositions. These high temperature or metastable phases enhanced conductivity of glass ceramics up to over 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature. The original (or mother) glass electrolytes itself showed somewhat lower conductivity of 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and have important role as a precursor for obtaining the superionic crystals, which were not synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction. The substitution of P₂O₅ for P₂S₅ at the composition 70Li₂S·30P₂S₅ (mol%) improved both conductivity and electrochemical stability of glass-ceramic electrolytes. The all-solid-state In/LiCoO₂ cell using the 70Li₂S·27P₂S₅·3P₂O₅ (mol%) glass-ceramic electrolyte showed initial capacity of 105 mAh g⁻¹ (gram of LiCoO₂) at the current density of 0.13 mA cm⁻² and exhibited higher electrochemical performance than that using the 70Li₂S·30P₂S₅ glass-ceramic electrolyte.     

“Clickable” affinity ligands for effective separation of glycoproteins

In this paper, we present a new modular approach to immobilize boronic acid ligands that can offer effective separation of glycoproteins. A new “clickable” boronic acid ligand was synthesized by introducing a terminal acetylene group into commercially available 3-aminophenyl boronic acid. The clickable ligand, 3-(prop-2-ynyloxycarbonylamino)phenylboronic acid (2) could be easily coupled to azide-functionalized hydrophilic Sepharose using Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction under mild condition. Compared to other boronic acid affinity gels, the new affinity gel displayed superior effectiveness in separating model glycoproteins (ovalbumin and RNase B) from closely related bovine serum albumin and RNase A in the presence of crude Escherichia coli proteins. Because of the simplicity of the immobilization through “click chemistry”, the new ligand 2 is expected to not only offer improved glycoprotein separation in other formats, but also act as a useful building block to develop new chemical sensors for analysis of other glycan compounds.     

Influence of head shape of solid body plunging into water on splash formation

Abstract  

We experimentally investigated the influence of a head shape of a solid body plunging into water on splash formation. Three different head shapes were tested: a hemisphere, cone, and circular cylinder. A hemisphere as a tail shape is common to all three head shapes. We captured images of splash formation using a high-speed CMOS camera. We found that a film flow generated at an early stage when a body impacts the water surface influences subsequent events until the splash sequence is completed. We explain the origin of the film flow according to the principle of conservation of momentum. The film flow as the primary splash originates from water displaced by the head. The meridian line, which connects the head to the tail of the body, affects separation of the film flow and causes the secondary splash. The air cavity generated when the body plunges into the water is also influenced by the head shape. The tertiary splash is formed by a reaction of the air cavity, which is detached from the body. We found that the secondary dome-type splash obstructs growth of the tertiary splash. Thus, we conclude that the head shape affects all events of the splash.