Large-scale fabrication of wafer-size colloidal crystals, macroporous polymers and nanocomposites by spin-coating

This paper reports a simple spin-coating technique for rapidly fabricating three types of technologically important materials--colloidal crystal, macroporous polymer, and polymeric nanocomposite, each with high crystalline qualities and wafer-scale sizes. Dispersion of monodisperse silica colloids in triacrylate monomers is spin-coated onto a variety of substrates. Shear-induced ordering and subsequent polymerization lead to the formation of three-dimensionally (3D) ordered colloidal crystals trapped inside a polymer matrix. The thickness of as-synthesized colloidal crystal-polymer nanocomposite is highly uniform and can be controlled simply by changing the spin speed and time. Selective removal of the polymer matrix and silica spheres lead to the formation of large-area colloidal crystals and macroporous polymers, respectively. The wafer-scale process is compatible with standard semiconductor microfabrication, as multiple micrometer-sized patterns can be created simultaneously for potential device applications. Normal-incidence transmission spectra in the visible and near-infrared regions show distinct peaks due to Bragg diffraction from 3D ordered structures. The spin-coating process opens a new route to the fundamental studies of shear-induced crystallization, melting and relaxation.     

Enhancement of Photocurrent Generation of a Novel Stilbazolium Dye Dimer in LB Monolayer Films

A novel dye dimer,bis-{[1-(N-hexadecyl-4-pyridinium)-2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminopheyl)] ethenyl} methane diiodide (C16BP) was synthesized,and the photoelectrochemistry of the dye Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer modified ITO electrode was investigated.For comparison,the photoelectrochemistry of the monomer (E)-N-hexadexyl-4-[2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl) ethenyl] pyridinium iodide (C16P) was also measured.The results show that the photocurrent generation property of the dimer is enhanced.The photocurrent generation quantum yield is 0.38% for C16BP,while that for C16P is 0.23%.     

Real-time Quantitative RT-PCR for CT9 Level in Human Cancer

Introduction Malignantdiseasesarecharacterizedbytheunreg ulatedgrowthoftransformedcells.Inrecentyears,dramaticinsightsintothemolecularmechanismsofthis phenomenonhavebeenachievedfrombasiccancerre search.Manycellularfunctionsareregulatedbychan gesingeneexpr…     

Regioselective Re(I)-catalyzed coupling of terminal alkynes, Et2NH, and CO2 leading to anti-Markovnikov adducts

ReBr(CO)₅-catalyzed addition of Et₂NH and CO₂ to terminal alkynes afforded anti-Markovnikov adducts of alkenyl carbamates in good to excellent yield and high regioselectivity.     

Synthesis and Structure of MnCl2(HDpyF) (HDpyF = N,N′‐di(2‐pyridyl)formamidine): New Crystallographic Disorder and Bonding Mode of the HDpyF Ligand

The reaction of N,N′‐di(2‐pyridyl)formamidine (HDpyF) with MnCl₂‐4H₂O afforded the complex MnCl₂(HDpyF), which was characterized by X‐ray crystallography. The HDpyF ligand chelates to the Mn(II) center through the first and the third nitrogen atoms to form a six‐membered ring, leaving the second and the fourth nitrogen atoms uncoordinated. The HDpyF ligand is crystallographically disordered such that two different molecules can be solved. The neutral HDpyF ligand adopts the new s‐cis‐syn‐s‐trans conformation.     

A zwitterion of 1,5‐bis­(2‐hydroxy­benzamido)‐3‐aza­pentane: a two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding network involving dimers

The title compound, 2‐{N‐[2‐(2‐hydroxy­benzamido)ethyl­ammonio­ethyl]amino­carbon­yl}phenolate, C₁₈H₂₁N₃O₄, crystallizes in a zwitterionic form as a result of inter­molecular proton transfer and possesses a negatively charged phenolate group and a protonated amino group. The 2‐hydroxy­benzamide and 2‐(amino­carbonyl)­phenolate moieties attached to the two ends of the C—C—N—C—C backbone adopt a cis conformation in relation to this backbone. All N‐ and O‐bound H atoms are involved in hydrogen‐bond formation; the zwitterions are first linked into head‐to‐tail dimers, which are further organized into a two‐dimensional network parallel to the crystallographic bc plane.     

Nanometer-sized zirconium dioxide microcolumn separation/preconcentration of trace metals and their determination by ICP-OES in environmental and biological samples

A new method is proposed using a microcolumn (20 mm × 2.0 mm) packed with nanometer-sized zirconia as solid-phase extractor for the separation/preconcentration of Mn, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ni and Co prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) in environmental samples. The factors affecting the separation and preconcentration of analytes such as pH, sample flow rate and volume, eluent concentration and volume were determined, interfering ions were studied, and the optimal experimental conditions were established. The adsorption capacity of nanometer-sized ZrO₂ for Mn, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ni and Co was found to be 1.3, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0, 3.9 and 1.5 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The detection limits of the method were 12, 58, 24, 2, 7 and 36 ng L⁻¹, respectively, with a preconcentration factor of 25. The precision of this method was 1.7% (Mn), 2.9% (Cu), 5.9% (Mn), 3.8% (Mn), 6.2% (Mn) and 4.3% (Mn) with 9 determinations of 10 ng mL⁻¹ of target analytes, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace metals in lake water, dried fish samples, certified reference materials of human hair and milk, and provided satisfactory results.     

The preparation and fluorescence properties of europium nanoparticles

A new structured metallic nanomaterial of europium nanoparticle was prepared using tannic acid as the reductive agent,and nanoeuropium protein conjugates were synthesized by the method of lipoic acid modification on the surface of nanoparticle,which opens a new field of application of lanthanides in nanotechniques.Their properties were also characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy (TEM),and fluorescence spectroscopy.The europium nanoparticle and its protein conjugates solution were stable and water-soluble.The fluorescence intensity of the composite europium nanoparticles was significantly increased in the presence of trace protein,and was linear proportional to the concentration of proteins under optimum conditions.According to this,a fluorimetric method for the determination of protein was developed in this paper.     

Simultaneous Reduction of Nitro Group and S-S Bond in Nitrodisulfides by Samarium Diiodide: A New Approach to Benzothiazolines

Asapowerfulandversatileone-electrontransferreductant,Sml,hasbeenappliedwidelyinorganicsynthesis'.OurpreviousworksonthereductionofnitrocompoundsandreductivecleavageofS-S,Se-Se,Te-TebondswithSml,'ledustoinvestigatethesimultaneousreductionofnitrogroupandS-SbondbySml,.Benzothiazolinesderivativesareimportantreagentsandusefulintermediatesinorganicsynthesisandpharmaceuticalchemistry.Forinstance,theycanbeusedasadditionagentsforphotographicemulsions",effectiveacaricides",antituberculousagents",lubr…     

Energy Landscape of Aptamer/Protein Complexes Studied by Single‐Molecule Force Spectroscopy

Aptamers are single‐stranded nucleic acid molecules selected in vitro to bind to a variety of target molecules. Aptamers bound to proteins are emerging as a new class of molecules that rival commonly used antibodies in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. With the increasing application of aptamers as molecular probes for protein recognition, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism of aptamer–protein interaction. Recently, we developed a method of using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the single‐molecule rupture force of aptamer/protein complexes. In this work, we investigate further the unbinding dynamics of aptamer/protein complexes and their dissociation‐energy landscape by AFM. The dependence of single‐molecule force on the AFM loading rate was plotted for three aptamer/protein complexes and their dissociation rate constants, and other parameters characterizing their dissociation pathways were obtained. Furthermore, the single‐molecule force spectra of three aptamer/protein complexes were compared to those of the corresponding antibody/protein complexes in the same loading‐rate range. The results revealed two activation barriers and one intermediate state in the unbinding process of aptamer/protein complexes, which is different from the energy landscape of antibody/protein complexes. The results provide new information for the study of aptamer–protein interaction at the molecular level.