Nafion-graphene composite film modified glassy carbon electrode for voltammetric determination of p-aminophenol

A Nafion-graphene (Nafion-GR) nanocomposite film modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated by a simple drop-casting method, and used in the electrochemical detection of p-aminophenol (4-AP). Owing to the large surface area, good conductivity of GR and good affinity of Nafion, the sensor exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of 4-AP. The electrochemical behaviors of 4-AP on Nafion/GR film modified glassy carbon electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. A calibration curve is constructed in the same matrix, urine, as the unknown samples to be analyzed. The Nafion-GR film modified electrode was linearly dependent on the 4-AP concentration and the linear analytical curve was obtained in the ranges of 0.5–200 μM with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and the detection limit was 0.051 μM. The Nafion-graphene nanocomposite modified electrode exhibited good reusability than pure graphene modified GCE. This procedure can be used for the determination of p-aminophenol in the presence of its degradation products and paracetamol. Finally, the proposed method was successfully used to determine p-aminophenol in local tap water samples in urine samples and pharmaceutical preparations.     

Cucurbit[7]uril: A High‐Affinity Host for Encapsulation of Amino Saccharides and Supramolecular Stabilization of Their α‐Anomers in Water

Cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), an uncharged and water‐soluble macrocyclic host, binds protonated amino saccharides (D ‐glucosamine, D ‐galactosamine, D ‐mannosamine and 6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐D ‐glucose) with excellent affinity (K_a=10³ to 10⁴ M ^?1). The host–guest complexation was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and MALDI‐TOF mass spectral analyses. NMR analyses revealed that the amino saccharides, except D ‐mannosamine, are bound as α‐anomers within the CB[7] cavity. ITC analyses reveal that CB[7] has excellent affinity for binding amino saccharides in water. The maximum affinity was observed for D ‐galactosamine hydrochloride (K_a=1.6×10⁴ M ^?1). Such a strong affinity for any saccharide in water using a synthetic receptor is unprecedented, as is the supramolecular stabilization of an α‐anomer by the host.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Intramolecular Oxidative Amidation of Alkenes in the Synthesis of 1,3‐ and 1,4‐Amino Alcohols and 1,3‐Diamines

An efficient and practical Pd‐catalyzed intramolecular oxidative allylic amidation provides facile access to derivatives of 1,3‐ and 1,4‐amino alcohols and 1,3‐diamines. The method operates under mild reaction conditions (RT) with molecular oxygen (1 atm) as the sole reoxidant of Pd. Excellent diastereoselectivities were attained with substrates bearing a secondary stereogenic center     

Combining [Arene–Ru] with Azocarboxamide to Generate a Complex with Cytotoxic Properties

Azocarboxamide (azcH) has been combined for the first time with [Ru–Cym] to generate metal complexes with N,N‐ and N,O‐coordination mode, [(Cym)Ru(azc)Cl] and [(Cym)Ru(azcH)Cl]⁺[PF₆]^?. Geometric and electronic structures of the complexes are reported along with their in vitro activities against different tumour cell lines and preliminary results on solution chemistry. Compound [(Cym)Ru(azc)Cl] exhibited remarkable cytotoxic properties. It was cell‐type specific and had comparable IC₅₀ values towards both cancer cells and their drug‐resistant subline. A tenfold increase in the sensitivity towards [(Cym)Ru(azc)Cl] was noted for the tumour cells with depleted intracellular glutathione (GSH) level, suggesting the essential role of GSH in cell response to this compound.     

Biodegradable polymer blends and composites: An overview

Biodegradable polymers belong to a family of polymer materials that found applications ranged from medical applications including tissue engineering, wound management, drugs delivery, and orthopedic devices, to packaging and films applications. For broadening their potential applications, biodegradable polymers are modified utilizing several methods such as blending and composites forming, which lead to new materials with unique properties including high performance, low cost, and good processability. This paper reviews the recent information about the morphology of blends consisting of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymers and associated mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties of these systems as well as their degradation behavior. In addition, the mechanical performance of composites based on biodegradable polymers is described.     

一种经氟化和热处理在双壁碳纳米管上生成缺陷的方法(英文)

Nanoscale defects in the outer tube to preserve the electrical and optical features of the inner tube can be engineered to exploit the intrinsic properties of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) for various promising applications. We demonstrated a selective way to make defects in the outer tube by the fluorination of DWCNTs followed by the thermal detachment of the F atoms at 1000 °C in argon. Fluorinated DWCNTs with different amounts of F atoms were prepared by reacting with fluorine gas at 25, 200, and 400 °C that gave the stoichiometry of CF0.20, CF0.30, and CF0.43, respectively. At the three different temperatures used, we observed preservation of the coaxial morphology in the fluorinated DWCNTs. For the DWCNTs fluorinated at 25 and 200 °C, the strong radial breathing modes (RBMs) of the inner tube and weakened RBMs of the outer tube indicated selective fluorine attachment onto the outer tube. However, the disappearance of the RBMs in the Raman spectrum of the DWCNTs fluorinated at 400 °C showed the introduction of F atoms onto both inner and outer tubes. There was no significant change in the morphology and optical properties when the DWCNTs fluorinated at 25 and 200 °C were thermally treated at 1000 °C in argon. However, in the case of the DWCNTs fluorinated at 400 °C, the recovery of strong RBMs from the inner tube and weakened RBMs from the outer tube indicated the selective introduction of substantial defects on the outer tube while preserving the original tubular shape. The thermal detachment of F atoms from fluorinated DWCNTs is an efficient way to make highly defective outer tubes for preserving the electrical conduction and optical activity of the inner tubes.     

Anisotropic Electrical,Magnetic, and Thermal Properties of In3Ni2 Intermetallic Catalyst

We present the anisotropic electrical and thermal transport coefficients (electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, thermoelectric power, thermal conductivity), the magnetic properties, the specific heat and the electronic density of states of a monocrystalline In₃Ni₂ intermetallic compound, representing a precious-metal-free (and noble-metal-free) intermetallic catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The investigated physical parameters were determined along three orthogonal crystal-symmetry directions of the trigonal structure, the twofold axis, the 3 axis and within the mirror plane. All the investigated tensorial and vectorial quantities show the same anisotropy, with the quantities being isotropic for the twofold direction and in the mirror plane, whereas there is small, though still significant anisotropy to the 3 direction. The In₃Ni₂ crystal conducts the electricity and heat somewhat less efficiently along the 3 direction than along the twofold direction and in the mirror plane, but the differences are not large, of about 20 %. In₃Ni₂ is a diamagnetic intermetallic compound, with a presumably simple Fermi surface and electrons as the majority charge carriers.     

Structural Peculiarities and Thermoelectric Study of Iron Indium Thiospinel

The homogeneity range of ternary iron indium thiospinel at 873 K was investigated. A detailed study was focused on two distinct series (y=z): 1) a previously reported charge-balanced (In_0.67+0.33y□_0.33−0.33y)_tetr[In_2−zFe_z]_octS₄ (A1-series; □ stands for vacancy; the abbreviations “tetr” and “oct” indicate atoms occupying tetrahedral 8a and octahedral 16d sites, respectively) and 2) a new charge-unbalanced (In_0.67+y□_0.33−y)_tetr[In_2−zFe_z]_octS₄ (A2-series). Fe atoms were confirmed to exclusively occupy an octahedral position in both series. An unusual reduction of the unit cell parameter with increasing Fe content is explained by differences in the ionic radii between Fe and In, as well as by an additional electrostatic attraction originating from charge imbalance (latter only in A2-series). The studied compound is an n-type semiconductor, and its charge carrier concentration increases or decreases for larger Fe content within the A1- and A2-series, respectively. The thermal conductivity κ_tot is significantly reduced upon increasing vacancy concentration, whereas the change of power factor is insufficient to drastically improve the thermoelectric figure of merit.     

CoMnO2-Decorated Polyimide-Based Carbon Fiber Electrodes for Wire-Type Asymmetric Supercapacitor Applications

In this work, we report the carbon fiber-based wire-type asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). The highly conductive carbon fibers were prepared by the carbonized and graphitized process using the polyimide (PI) as a carbon fiber precursor. To assemble the ASC device, the CoMnO₂-coated and Fe₂O₃-coated carbon fibers were used as the cathode and the anode materials, respectively. Herein, the nanostructured CoMnO₂ were directly deposited onto carbon fibers by a chemical oxidation route without high temperature treatment in presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidizing agent. FE-SEM analysis confirmed that the CoMnO₂-coated carbon fiber electrode exhibited the porous hierarchical interconnected nanosheet structures, depending on the added amount of APS, and Fe₂O₃-coated carbon fiber electrode showed a uniform distribution of porous Fe₂O₃ nanorods over the surface of carbon fibers. The electrochemical properties of the CoMnO₂-coated carbon fiber with the concentration of 6 mmol APS presented the enhanced electrochemical activity, probably due to its porous morphologies and good conductivity. Further, to reduce the interfacial contact resistance as well as improve the adhesion between transition metal nanostructures and carbon fibers, the carbon fibers were pre-coated with the Ni layer as a seed layer using an electrochemical deposition method. The fabricated ASC device delivered a specific capacitance of 221 F g⁻¹ at 0.7 A g⁻¹ and good rate capability of 34.8% at 4.9 A g⁻¹. Moreover, the wire-type device displayed the superior energy density of 60.2 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 490 W kg⁻¹ and excellent capacitance retention of 95% up to 3000 charge/discharge cycles.