Fabrication of a Novel Polymeric Scaffold for Amperometric Laccase Biosensor

Present work displays the preparation of an electrochemical biosensor using a conjugated polymer and laccase enzyme for catechol quantification in samples. The biosensing system is based on an enzyme immobilization on polymer modified graphite transducer surface. For that purpose, a random conjugated polymer, thienothiophene‐benzoxadiazole‐alt‐benzodithiophene (BOTT), was coated onto a graphite electrode surface via drop casting method followed by immobilization of a biomolecule (laccase) for sensing experiments. Herein, for the first time, we proposed a BOTT polymer as an inexpensive and effective way to fabricate highly sensitive and fast response biosensors. The proposed sensing system possessed superior properties with 0.38 μM limit of detection and 110.81 μA mM^?1 sensitivity. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to examine the surface modifications. The proposed system could be useful for many future studies for catechol quantification in environmental samples.© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2333–2339     

Anticholinesterase activity screening of some novel dithiocarbamate derivatives including piperidine and piperazine moieties

The present study was undertaken to synthesize some novel lipophilic piperazine and piperidinedithiocarbamates and investigate their inhibitory potencies against cholinesterase enzymes. In the synthetic studies, 44 new compounds were isolated. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. Enzymatic studies were carried out using modified Ellman's assay against Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Butrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes, and it was observed that some of the compounds selectively inhibit AChE. Theoretical ADME predictions were calculated for selected compounds in the series. Enzyme kinetics and molecular docking studies were performed for the most active compound C41 and nature of inhibition and interactions between enzyme and ligand were explained.     

A new high‐performance blue to transmissive electrochromic material and use of silver nanowire network electrodes as substrates

Synthesis of a novel, high‐performance blue to transmissive switching electrochromic material is described. The polymer (P1) was prepared by both electrochemical ( P1E ) and chemical ( P1C ) means from the corresponding monomer. The electrochemically synthesized polymer ( P1E ) revealed 64% optical contrast change (on ITO) in the visible region and very fast switching times of 0.32 s (coloration) and 0.90 s (bleaching). On the other hand, the chemically synthesized, solution processable polymer ( P1C ) also showed a high optical contrast value (49%, on ITO) with very fast switching times of 0.86 s for coloration and 0.57 s for bleaching. These high optical contrast values coupled with fast switching times place these materials along with high‐performance blue to transmissive electrochromic polymers. Significantly, these improved characteristics were achieved by side chain engineering of a known, inferior blue to transmissive polymer, PBEBT. Towards fabrication of flexible electrochromic devices, the performance of P1C was also tested on silver nanowire network electrodes. Even though the full potential of the material could not be demonstrated, a good optical contrast of 24% was achieved using these electrodes. Under the same potential range allowed by silver nanowire network electrodes, P1C on ITO showed an optical contrast of 30%. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 1680–1686     

Straightforward access to chiral diol bidentate ligands: their efficient enantioselective induction in the addition of diethylzinc to aromatic aldehydes

Enantiopure C₂‐symmetric diol bidentate ligands have been synthesized in a straightforward manner through a three‐step reaction with good yields. The synthesized C₂‐symmetric diol bidentate ligands were used in the addition of diethylzinc to various aromatic aldehydes, a general catalytic benchmark reaction, in order to assess their enantioselective induction properties. The enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to 1‐naphthaldehyde and 3‐chlorobenzaldehyde was achieved with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of up to 98%. All synthesized ligands were also evaluated in the addition of diethyzinc to aromatic aldehydes including an extra metal such as Ti(IV) (up to 99% ee). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constant potential primal—dual algorithms: A framework

We start with a study of the primal—dual affine-scaling algorithms for linear programs. Using ideas from Kojima et al., Mizuno and Nagasawa, and new potential functions we establish a framework for primal—dual algorithms that keep a potential function value fixed. We show that if the potential function used in the algorithm is compatible with a corresponding neighborhood of the central path then the convergence proofs simplify greatly. Our algorithms have the property that all the iterates can be kept in a neighborhood of the central path without using any centering in the search directions.Research performed while the author was Ph.D. student at Cornell University and was supported in part by the United States Army Research Office through the Army Center of Excellence for Symbolic Methods in Algorithmic Mathematics (ACSyAM), Mathematical Sciences Institute of Cornell University, Contract DAAL03-91-C-0027, and also by NSF, AFOSR and ONR through NSF Grant DMS-8920550.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigation of conducting polymer blends

Electrochemically prepared films of conducting polymers of polypyrrole and polythiophene and their blends with polyamide have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the N1s region of the spectra of films containing polypyrrole the peak corresponding to N(+) at 402.0 eV is separated from that of neutral N. The intensity of the N(+) peak can be correlated with the electrical conductivity of the films and the spectroscopically derived ratio of F/N(+) is close to 4 indicating that one BF(-)(4) dopant ion is incorporated for every oxidized nitrogen center. In the spectra of films of polythiophene and its blends peaks corresponding to S and S(+) can not be resolved but again the F/C ratio correlates with the electrical conductivity.     

Heterogeneous Suzuki reactions catalyzed by Pd(0)-Y zeolite

The Pd(0)-Y zeolite showed high activity in the Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of aryl bromides without added ligands. The type of base and organic solvent were found to be critical for the efficiency of the reaction. The presence of water was essential within the reaction medium. The coupling reactions occurred on the external surface of the zeolite. The catalyst is reusable.