Following the growth of surface films on lithium and their thermal behavior in standard LiPF6 solutions using differential scanning calorimetry

In this paper, we report on attempts to use differential scanning calorimetric measurements of aged Li electrodes for the study of the kinetics of the growth of surface films on the active metal. Standard, commonly used alkyl carbonate solutions such as ethylene and di-methyl carbonates with LiPF6 were explored. Heating Li samples in solutions after aging by DSC, resulted in well-resolved curves of reaction heats vs temperature. Exothermic reactions occurring at temperatures below 150 degrees C could be attributed to changes related to the surface films and their heat evolved, increased as a function of storage time, and hence these heats represent the thickness of the surface films that grow upon storage. Scanning electron microscopy of the Li surfaces as a function of storage and heating to different temperatures confirmed that the thermal reactions of Li surfaces in these solutions up to 150 degrees C relate to the surface films only. XPS studies revealed that these processes of the surface films change the metastable organic Li salts to more stable inorganic compounds such as LiF and Li2O. Massive red-ox reactions, between the salt anion and the solvents and between the solution species and the active metal, occur at temperatures higher than 150 degrees C. The kinetics of growth of the surface films on Li show an inverse logarithmic behavior, expected for thin surface films with which the rate-limiting step of their growth depends on ions transport across the film.     

DNA-CNT nanowire networks for DNA detection

The ability to detect biological analytes in a rapid, sensitive, operationally simple, and cost-effective manner will impact human health and safety. Hybrid biocatalyzed-carbon nanotube (CNT) nanowire-based detection methods offer a highly sensitive and specific platform for the fabrication of simple and effective conductometric devices. Here, we report a conductivity-based DNA detection method utilizing carbon nanotube-DNA nanowire devices and oligonucleotide-functionalized enzyme probes. Key to our sensor design is a DNA-linked-CNT wire motif, which forms a network of interrupted carbon nanotube wires connecting two electrodes. Sensing occurs at the DNA junctions linking CNTs, followed by amplification using enzymatic metalization leading to a conductimetric response. The DNA analyte detection limit is 10 fM with the ability to discriminate single, double, and triple base pair mismatches. DNA-CNT nanowires and device sensing gaps were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal Raman microscopy, supporting the enhanced conductometric response resulting from nanowire metallization.     

Catalytic degradation of the nerve agent VX by water-swelled polystyrene-supported ammonium fluorides

The catalytic degradation of the nerve agent VX (O-ethyl S-2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methylphosphonothioate) by water-swelled polymer-supported ammonium fluorides is described. VX (0.06-0.53 mol/mol F(-)) is rapidly degraded (t(1/2) ～ 10-30 min) to form the "G-analogue" (O-ethyl methylphosphonofluoridate), which hydrolyzes (t(1/2) ～ 1-1.5 h) to the nontoxic EMPA (ethyl methylphosphonic acid). The toxic desethyl-VX is not formed. The catalytic effect of fluoride is maintained even when 6 equiv of VX are loaded. GB (O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) and desethyl-VX agents are also degraded under these conditions.     

pH‐Responsive Pillar[6]arene‐based Water‐Soluble Supramolecular Hexagonal Boxes

We describe the preparation of the first water‐soluble pH‐responsive supramolecular hexagonal boxes (SHBs) based on multiple charge‐assisted hydrogen bonds between peramino‐pillar[6]arenes 2 with the molecular “lid” mellitic acid ( 1 a ). The interaction between 2 and 1 a , as well as the other “lids” pyromellitic and trimesic acids ( 1 b and 1 c , respecively) were studied by a combination of experimental and computational methods. Interestingly, the addition of 1 a to the complexes of the protonated form of pillar[6]arene 2 , that is, 3 , with bis‐sulfonate 4 a or 4 b , immediately led to guest escape along with the formation of closed 1 a₂2 supramolecular boxes. Moreover, the process of the openning and closing of the supramolecular boxes along with threading and escaping of the guests, respectively, was found to be reversible and pH‐responsive. This study paves the way for the easy and modular preparation of different SHBs that may have myriad applications.     

Dynamic NMR study of the rotation around "biphenyl-type" bonds in polycyclic sulfoxides

In a recent paper, we reported on the base-catalyzed rearrangement of bis-propargylic sulfoxides that eventually leads to polycyclic products featuring an unsaturated, cyclic substituent such as cyclohexenyl or phenyl. Due to steric constraints, the latter is positioned roughly perpendicularly to the tricyclic core, and in most cases, two rotamers can be observed in the ground state. In the present work, we report on the synthesis and the products of both symmetrical and asymmetrical starting materials. We also measure, by NMR techniques, the rotation rate of the side chain for several such polycyclic sulfoxides. The barriers for this process, which is similar to a biphenyl rotation, are very strongly dependent on the nature of the substrate, ranging between <7 and 21.0 kcal.mol(-1) for sulfoxides with two five-membered rings and two seven-membered rings, respectively. These barriers can be successfully simulated by molecular-mechanics calculations, and the geometries of the transition states are discussed.     

On the molecular mass of Lumbricus erythrocruorin

A critical examination of the published molecular mass of erythrocruorin (Ec) from Lumbricus and related earthworm species reveals that the results do cluster, not at one, but at two values of the molecular mass. One cluster corresponds to approximately 3.6 MDa as predicted from the Vinogradov model for the hexagonal bilayer (HBL) assembly of Lumbricus terrestris EC and as estimated from the crystal structure of HBL at 5.5 A resolution. The other cluster corresponds to approximately 4.4 MDa. However, in contrast to the controversy over the molecular mass, there is a consensus that the sedimentation coefficient of intact L. terrestris Ec is approximately 60S. Drawing on the occurrence of central subunits in Ec of Oenone fulgida and few other annelid species, we propose for the 4.4 MDa molecule a model of HBL supplemented by a central mass. The proposed model abides by D6 symmetry and is a suitable candidate to represent 60S Lumbricus terrestris Ec.     

The relationship between DEA efficiency and the type of production function, the degree of homogeneity, and error variability

In this paper, we use simulations to investigate the relationship between data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency and major production functions: Cobb-Douglas, the constant elasticity of substitution, and the transcendental logarithmic. Two DEA models were used: a constant return to scale (CCR model), and a variable return to scale (BCC model). Each of the models was investigated in two versions: with bounded and unbounded weights. Two cases were simulated: with and without errors in the production functions estimation. Various degrees of homogeneity (of the production function) were tested, reflecting a constant increasing and decreasing return to scale. With respect to the case with errors, three distribution functions were utilized: uniform, normal, and double exponential. For each distribution, 16 levels of the coefficient of variance (CV) were used. In all the tested cases, two measures were analysed: the percentage of efficient units (from the total number of units), and the average efficiency score. We applied a regression analysis to test the relationship between these two efficiency measures and the above parameters. Overall, we found that the degree of homogeneity has the largest effect on efficiency. Efficiency declines as the errors grow (as reflected by larger CV and of the expansion of the probability distribution function away from the centre). The bounds on the weights tend to smooth the effect, and bring the various DEA versions closer to one other. The type of efficiency measure has similar regression tendencies. Finally, the relationship between the efficiency measures and the explanatory variables is quadratic.     

Incompatible elasticity and the immersion of non-flat Riemannian manifolds in Euclidean space

We study a geometric problem that originates from theories of nonlinear elasticity: given a non-flat n-dimensional Riemannian manifold with boundary, homeomorphic to a bounded subset of ? ⁿ , what is the minimum amount of deformation required in order to immerse it in a Euclidean space of the same dimension? The amount of deformation, which in the physical context is an elastic energy, is quantified by an average over a local metric discrepancy. We derive an explicit lower bound for this energy for the case where the scalar curvature of the manifold is non-negative. For n = 2 we generalize the result for surfaces of arbitrary curvature.