In situ hydrodynamic lateral force calibration of AFM colloidal probes

Lateral force microscopy (LFM) is an application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to sense lateral forces applied to the AFM probe tip. Recent advances in tissue engineering and functional biomaterials have shown a need for the surface characterization of their material and biochemical properties under the application of lateral forces. LFM equipped with colloidal probes of well-defined tip geometries has been a natural fit to address these needs but has remained limited to provide primarily qualitative results. For quantitative measurements, LFM requires the successful determination of the lateral force or torque conversion factor of the probe. Usually, force calibration results obtained in air are used for force measurements in liquids, but refractive index differences between air and liquids induce changes in the conversion factor. Furthermore, in the case of biochemically functionalized tips, damage can occur during calibration because tip-surface contact is inevitable in most calibration methods. Therefore, a nondestructive in situ lateral force calibration is desirable for LFM applications in liquids. Here we present an in situ hydrodynamic lateral force calibration method for AFM colloidal probes. In this method, the laterally scanned substrate surface generated a creeping Couette flow, which deformed the probe under torsion. The spherical geometry of the tip enabled the calculation of tip drag forces, and the lateral torque conversion factor was calibrated from the lateral voltage change and estimated torque. Comparisons with lateral force calibrations performed in air show that the hydrodynamic lateral force calibration method enables quantitative lateral force measurements in liquid using colloidal probes.     

Identification of novel inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 with structure-based virtual screening

Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) has proved to be an attractive target for the development of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. We report the first example for a successful application of the structure-based virtual screening to identify the novel inhibitors of MKP-1. It is shown that the efficiency of virtual screening can be enhanced significantly by the incorporation of a new solvation energy term in the scoring function. The newly found inhibitors have desirable physicochemical properties as a drug candidate and reveal a moderate potency with IC₅₀ values ranging from 20 to 50 μM. Therefore, they deserve a consideration for further development by structure–activity relationship studies to optimize the inhibitory activities. Structural features relevant to the stabilization of the inhibitors in the active site of MKP-1 are discussed in detail.     

Fabrication and performance of nanoporous TiO2/SnO2 electrodes with a half hollow sphere structure for dye sensitized solar cells

The incorporation of nano-crystalline semiconductors with novel kinds of ordered microstructure is a very important area of research in the field of dye sensitized solar cells. A sol–gel method involving hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide was used to form TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of SiO₂ spheres. In this process, 1, 5, or 10 wt% of SnCl₂.2H₂O was added to the sol–gel solution. To prepare TiO₂/SnO₂ nanoparticles with a half hollow sphere structure, SiO₂ was removed with NaOH solution. The crystal phase, crystal shape, and surface properties of the metal oxide nanocrystals were studied by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The photovoltaic performance of the TiO₂/SnO₂ nanoparticles with half hollow sphere structures was measured. The dye sensitized solar cell using nanoporous TiO₂ as electrode materials exhibits an overall conversion efficiency of 7.36% with a light intensity of 100 mW/cm². The short circuit photocurrent (I_sc), open circuit photovoltage (V_oc), and conversion efficiency (η) of these solar cells were improved over conventional materials.     

Preparation of shape-persistent macrocycles with a single pyridine unit by double cross-coupling reactions of aryl bromides and alkynes

A double Sonogashira-type coupling reaction between aryl bromides and alkynes using a catalytic Pd/XPhos (2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropylbiphenyl) system was introduced as an efficient method for the synthesis of shape-persistent macrocycles (SPMs). This approach is advantageous in the synthesis of SPMs with a single pyridine unit.     

Spin crossover in the cyanide-bridged Mo(V)Mn(III) single-chain magnet containing Fe(II) cations

A 1D Mo(V)Mn(III) chain compound balanced by {Fe[HC(3,5-Me(2)pz)(3)](2)}(2+) dications was prepared. This complex displays a typical single-chain magnet character associated with the Mo(V)Mn(III) chain and a spin crossover phenomenon arising from cationic Fe(II) subunits. The spin crossover behavior tends to slightly affect single-chain magnetic properties at low temperature.     

The feasibility of a pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid solvent for non-graphitic carbon electrodes

The feasibility of a pyrrolidinium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) as the solvent for lithium-ion batteries is tested by analyzing its intercalation behavior and thermal stability. The RTIL-cations are intercalated into a graphitic carbon and a part of them are irreversibly trapped inside the graphene layers. These trapped cations block Li⁺ intercalation to give only a marginal capacity. In contrast, such a cation insertion/trapping is absent in two non-graphitic carbons; hard carbon and soft carbon. A stable cycle performance with a Li⁺ insertion capacity of about 200 mAh g^{− 1} is attained. The absence of RTIL-cation insertion is evidenced by the cyclic voltammograms and Raman spectra. A calorimetric study reveals that this RTIL has a higher thermal stability and less reactivity with lithiated carbons as compared with the carbonate-based solvent. The use of this RTIL solvent for the non-graphitic carbons seems to be feasible.     

Light emitting properties of SiAlON:Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> green phosphor

SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor was successfully synthesized by solid-state synthesis for application to white-LED. The phase development, microstructure, photoluminescence and thermal quenching properties were investigated in detail. The prepared SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor had a rod-like morphology with a uniform particle distribution in length. The SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor absorbed a broad UV–Vis spectral region and showed a single intense broadband emission near 540 nm. The prepared SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor showed superior thermal quenching properties compared to silicate green phosphor. The light emitting properties of white-LED prepared by SiAlON:Eu²⁺ as green phosphor was investigated. The white-LED using the prepared SiAlON:Eu²⁺ green phosphor exhibited good optical stability in high driving currents compared to silicate phosphor.     

Electric current effect on the energy barrier of magnetic domain wall depinning: origin of the quadratic contribution

The energy barrier of a magnetic domain wall trapped at a defect is measured experimentally. When the domain wall is pushed by an electric current and/or a magnetic field, the depinning time from the barrier exhibits perfect exponential distribution, indicating that a single energy barrier governs the depinning. The electric current is found to generate linear and quadratic contributions to the energy barrier, which are attributed to the nonadiabatic and adiabatic spin-transfer torques, respectively. The adiabatic spin-transfer torque reduces the energy barrier and, consequently, causes depinning at lower current densities, promising a way toward low-power current-controlled magnetic applications.     

The influence of incorporating organic molecules or inorganic nanoparticles on the optical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube films

Organic molecules and inorganic nanoparticles were incorporated into transparent and conductive single- or double-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT or DWNT) films, and their electrical and optical properties were measured. When organic tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F₄TCNQ) molecules were incorporated into the nanotube films, sheet resistance was reduced to ∼50% of those from the pristine SWNT and DWNT films. Larger improvements were observed with Au nanoparticle decoration or HNO₃/SOCl₂ dipping processes. The sheet resistances were measured to be at 75% of transmittance for HNO₃/SOCl₂-treated DWNT films and at 77% for Au-incorporated DWNT films, making their electrical conductivities 200%-300% better than those of the pristine DWNT films. It was observed that DWNTs have better electrical/optical performance than SWNTs. The relative influence of various dopants, F₄TCNQ, Au, and HNO₃/SOCl₂ as well as microwave irradiation on the optical and electrical properties was identified by using Raman and UV-vis-NIR spectra.     

Trap-state-assisted white light emission from a CdSe nanocrystal integrated hybrid light-emitting diode

This Letter reports on the fabrication of hybrid white-light-emitting diodes made of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) integrated on InGaN/GaN LEDs. Using core type and core/shell type CdSe NCs, the white light properties are systematically engineered for white light generation with high color rendering index (CRI). Unlike CdSe/ZnS core/shell NCs, which exhibited a unique narrowband edge emission, core type CdSe NCs offered extended broad emission toward orange/red wavelengths associated with deep trap states. Consequently, the light-emitting properties of the devices showed strong dependence on the type of NCs used, and devices with CdSe NCs offered admirable characteristics, such as Commission Internationale d'Eclairage coordinates of (0.356, 0.330) and a CRI as high as 87.4.