Utilizing the Space‐Charge Region of the FeNi‐LDH/CoP p‐n Junction to Promote Performance in Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

The modulation of electron density is an effective option for efficient alternative electrocatalysts. Here, p‐n junctions are constructed in 3D free‐standing FeNi‐LDH/CoP/carbon cloth (CC) electrode (LDH=layered double hydroxide). The positively charged FeNi‐LDH in the space‐charge region can significantly boost oxygen evolution reaction. Therefore, the j at 1.485 V (vs. RHE) of FeNi‐LDH/CoP/CC achieves ca. 10‐fold and ca. 100‐fold increases compared to those of FeNi‐LDH/CC and CoP/CC, respectively. Density functional theory calculation reveals OH^? has a stronger trend to adsorb on the surface of FeNi‐LDH side in the p‐n junction compared to individual FeNi‐LDH further verifying the synergistic effect in the p‐n junction. Additionally, it represents excellent activity toward water splitting. The utilization of heterojunctions would open up an entirely new possibility to purposefully regulate the electronic structure of active sites and promote their catalytic activities.     

Synthesis,Electronic Properties and WOLED Devices of Planar Phosphorus‐Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We describe the synthesis and the physical properties of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing a phosphorus atom at the edge. In particular, the impact of the successive addition of aromatic rings on the electronic properties was investigated by experimental (UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical studies (DFT). The physical properties recorded in solution and in the solid state showed that the P‐containing PAHs exhibit properties expected for an emitter in white organic light‐emitting diodes (WOLEDs).     

Scattering of a Gaussian beam by an anisotropically coated circular cylinder

A solution to the problem of Gaussian beam scattering by an anisotropically coated circular cylinder is presented. The incident Gaussian beam source is expanded as an approximate expression in the simple form with a Tayor’s series. The transmitted field in the anisotropically coated region is expressed as a infinite summation of eigen plane waves with different polar angles. The unknown coefficients of the scattered fields are obtained with the aid of the boundary conditions. The infinite series can be truncated under the prerequisite of achieving the solution convergence. Only the case of transverse-electric polarization is discussed. The similar formulation of transverse-magnetic polarization can be obtained by adopting the similar method. Some numerical results are presented and discussed. The result is in agreement with that available as expected when the Gaussian beam degenerates to a plane wave incidence case.     

Amphiphilic block copolymer self‐assemblies of poly(NVP)‐b‐poly(MDO‐co‐vinyl esters): Tunable dimensions and functionalities

Functional, degradable polymers were synthesized via the copolymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) and 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane (MDO) using a macro‐xanthate CTA, poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone), resulting in the formation of amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(NVP)‐b‐poly(MDO‐co‐VAc). The behavior of the block copolymers in water was investigated and resulted in the formation of self‐assembled nanoparticles containing a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic corona. The size of the resultant nanoparticles was able to be tuned with variation of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of the core and corona by changing the incorporation of the macro‐CTA as well as the monomer composition in the copolymers, as observed by Dynamic Light Scattering, Static Light Scattering, and Transmission Electron Microscopy analyses. The concept was further applied to a VAc derivative monomer, vinyl bromobutanoate, to incorporate further functionalities such as fluorescent dithiomaleimide groups throughout the polymer backbone using azidation and “click” chemistry as postpolymerization tools to create fluorescently labeled nanoparticles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2699–2710     

On‐the‐Spot Immobilization of Quantum Dots,Graphene Oxide,and Proteins via Hydrophobins

Class I hydrophobin Vmh2, a peculiar surface active and versatile fungal protein, is known to self‐assemble into chemically stable amphiphilic films, to be able to change wettability of surfaces, and to strongly adsorb other proteins. Herein, a fast, highly homogeneous and efficient glass functionalization by spontaneous self‐assembling of Vmh2 at liquid–solid interfaces is achieved (in 2 min). The Vmh2‐coated glass slides are proven to immobilize not only proteins but also nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO) and quantum dots (QDs). As models, bovine serum albumin labeled with Alexa 555 fluorophore, anti‐immunoglobulin G antibodies, and cadmium telluride QDs are patterned in a microarray fashion in order to demonstrate functionality, reproducibility, and versatility of the proposed substrate. Additionally, a GO layer is effectively and homogeneously self‐assembled onto the studied functionalized surface. This approach offers a quick and simple alternative to immobilize nanomaterials and proteins, which is appealing for new bioanalytical and nanobioenabled applications.     

Characterization of new Pt(IV)–thiazole complexes: Analytical,spectral, molecular modeling and molecular docking studies and applications in two opposing pathways

New thiazole derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized, then coordinated with PtCl₄ salt. Also, the newly synthesized Pt(IV) complexes were investigated analytically (elemental and thermogravimetric analyses), spectrally (infrared, UV–visible, mass, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, X‐ray diffraction) as well as theoretically (kinetics, modeling and docking). The data extracted led to the establishment of the best chemical and structural forms. Octahedral geometry was the only formula proposed for all complexes, which is favorable for d⁶ systems. The molecular ion peaks from mass spectral analysis coincide with all analytical data, confirming the molecular formula proposed. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed discrimination of features between crystalline particles and other amorphous morphology. By applying Gaussian09 as well as HyperChem 8.2 programs, the best structural forms were obtained, as well as computed significant parameters. Computed parameters such as softness, hardness, surface area and reactivity led us towards application in two opposing pathways: tumor inhibition and oxidation activation. The catalytic oxidation for CO was conducted over PtO₂, which was yielded from calcination of the most reactive complex. The success of catalytic role for synthesized PtO₂ was due to its particulate size and surface morphology, which were estimated from XRD patterns and SEM images, respectively. The antitumor activity was tested versus HCT‐116 and HepG‐2 cell lines. Mild toxicity was recorded for two of the derivatives and their corresponding complexes. This degree of toxicity is more favorable in most cases, due to exclusion of serious side effects, which is coherently attached with known antitumor drugs.     

基于吸收系数的生脉注射液中聚山梨酯80含量测定新方法

聚山梨酯80又名吐温80，为一种亲水型非离子表面活性剂，是食品、保健品和药品中常用的辅料，作为增溶剂和澄清剂广泛用于中药注射剂。近年来，不良反应的发生使得聚山梨酯80的质量和应用愈加受到重视，有研究认为其加入可能引起注射剂不良反应增加。为避免超量使用，有必要对该辅料的投料加以严格控制。中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80的含量测定是当下研究的热点和难点，可以通过分光光度法、分子排阻-蒸发光散射检测法(SEC-ELSD)、液质联用法(LC-MS)直接测定，也可以水解后法经液相色谱-紫外检测法(HPLC-UV)或气相色谱法(GC)间接测定。但由于聚山梨酯80为聚氧乙烯聚合数目不同的混合物、不同厂家生产的聚山梨酯80化学组分及比例存在较大差异，难以采用统一的转换公式或对照品准确定量。此外，中药注射剂的复杂基质造成的假阳性干扰也对定量提出了挑战。为解决以上问题，以生脉注射液为例，提出基于吸收系数的中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80含量测定新方法。优化检测波长、显色剂种类、液液萃取过程振荡和静置时间，在6个不同品牌仪器上测得聚山梨酯80-硫氰酸钴配合物的吸收系数(E1%_{1 cm})为104.23，相对标准偏差(RSD)为2.08%。生脉注射液稀释10倍后，精密量取供试品溶液1.0 mL，精密加入硫氰酸钴溶液10 mL，二氯甲烷20 mL，涡旋振荡3 min。将混合液移至分液漏斗中，静置30 min，取下层二氯甲烷液，将前1 mL弃去，接收约15 mL，在320 nm处测定吸光度，再根据Lambert-Beer定律，利用获得的吸收系数计算得到聚山梨酯80的含量。方法阴性无干扰，精密度和重复性相对标准偏差均低于3%，平均回收率为98.42%。为进一步验证方法的准确性，分别采用吸收系数法和标准曲线法测定了2个厂家的10批生脉注射液，并与实际投料量比较。配对t检验结果表明，当置信度为95%时，两种方法无显著性差异，吸收系数法测得结果与企业生产中聚山梨酯的实际投料量也无显著性差异。研究采用前人未采用的、灵敏度更高的320 nm为检测波长，显著降低了基质干扰，克服了中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80测定结果与实际投料量难以吻合的问题。吸收系数法无需使用对照品，亦不用制备标准曲线，可为中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80的检查标准提供切实可行的解决方案。所建方法灵敏、准确、快速、简便，为含聚山梨酯80制剂的质量控制提供了关键常数及新的思路。     

锡苯和铅苯二聚反应的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论B3LYP方法,研究了锡苯和铅苯的[2+2],[4+2]及[4+4]二聚反应的微观机理和势能剖面,考察了Sn(Pb)原子上的2,4,6-三甲基苯基(Mes)取代基对反应势能剖面的影响.研究结果表明,所有反应均为协同过程,且大多数情况下,2个C—Sn(Pb)键同步形成.[2+2]和[4+2]反应在热力学和动力学上均比相应的[4+4]反应容易进行,而[4+2]反应在动力学上比相应的[2+2]反应有利.Sn(Pb)原子上的Mes取代基在热力学和动力学上均不利于反应的进行.铅苯的动力学稳定性与锡苯相当,但其热力学稳定性高于锡苯.     

Thermodynamic study of transthyretin association (wild‐type and senile forms) with heparan sulfate proteoglycan: pH effect and implication of the reactive histidine residue

The tetramer destabilization of transthyretin into monomers and its fibrillation are phenomena leading to amyloid deposition. Heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) has been found in all amyloid deposits. A chromatographic approach was developed to compare binding parameters between wild‐type transthyretin (wtTTR) and an amyloidogenic transthyretin (sTTR). Results showed a greater affinity of sTTR for HSPG at pH 7.4 compared with wtTTR owing to the monomeric form of sTTR. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters showed that van der Waals interactions were involved at the complex interface for both transthyretin forms. For sTTR, results from the plot representing the number of protons exchanged vs pH showed that the binding mechanism was pH‐dependent with a critical value at a pH 6.5. This observation was due to the protonation of a histidine residue as an imidazolium cation, which was not accessible when TTR was in its tetrameric structure. At pH >6.5, dehydration at the binding interface and several contacts between nonpolar groups of sTTR and HSPG were also coupled to binding for an optimal hydrogen‐bond network. At pH <6.5, the protonation of the His residue from sTTR monomer when pH decreased broke the hydrogen‐bond network, leading to its destabilization and thus producing slight conformational changes in the sTTR monomer structure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.