Proteins Entrapped in Silica Monoliths Prepared from Glyceroxysilanes

The preparation of discrete polyol based silane precursors derived from glycerol by a simple one-pot process is described. These polyol-based silanes could be hydrolyzed under mild pH conditions and upon gelation resulted in the formation of optically clear, monolithic, mesoporous silica. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions lead to cure rates that are very sensitive to ionic strength, but are almost unaffected by pH in contrast to those of alkoxysilanes derived from primary alcohols such as Si(OEt)₄. Residual glycerol in the silica monolith could be removed by washing, or could be left in the silica to reduce the magnitude of shrinkage during long term storage. The biocompatible glyceroxysilane precursors lead to materials that were able to retain the activity of entrapped enzymes over repeated cycles of use for periods of up to several months.     

Reversible nonlinear conduction in high‐density polyethylene/acetylene carbon black composites at various ambient temperatures

The reversible nonlinear conduction (RNC) in of high‐density polyethylene/acetylene carbon black composites with different degrees of crosslinking was studied above room temperature and below the melting point of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE). The experimental current density‐electric field strength curves can be overlapped onto a master curve, suggesting that the microscopic mechanisms for the appearance of RNC exist regardless of the ambient temperature and the crosslinking degree of the HDPE matrix. The relationship between the crossover current density and the linear conductivity can be explained in the framework of the dynamic random‐resistor‐network model. According to these results, two electron‐tunneling models are suggested to interpret the microscopic conduction behavior. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1212–1217, 2004     

Mutual influence of the morphology and capillary rheological properties in nylon/glass‐fiber/liquid‐crystalline‐polymer blends

Nylon‐6/glass‐fiber (GF)/liquid‐crystalline‐polymer (LCP) ternary blends with different viscosity ratios were prepared with three kinds of nylon‐6 with different viscosities as matrices. The rheological behaviors of these blends were characterized with capillary rheometry. The morphology was observed with scanning electron microscopy and polarizing optical microscopy. This study showed that although LCP did not fibrillate in binary nylon‐6/LCP blends, LCP fibrillated to a large aspect ratio in some ternary blends after GF was added. The addition of 5 wt % LCP significantly reduced the melt viscosity of nylon‐6/GF blends to such an extent that some nylon‐6/GF/LCP blends had quite low viscosities, not only lower than those of neat resins and nylon‐6/GF blends but also lower than those of corresponding nylon‐6/LCP blends. The mutual influence of the morphology and rheological properties was examined. The great reduction of the melt viscosity was considered the result of LCP fibrillation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1619–1627, 2004     

Influence of solvents on the formation of ultrathin uniform poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) nanofibers with electrospinning

Although there have been many reports on the preparation and applications of various polymer nanofibers with the electrospinning technique, the understanding of synthetic parameters in electrospinning remains limited. In this article, we investigate experimentally the influence of solvents on the morphology of the poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) micro/nanofibers prepared by electrospinning PVP solution in different solvents, including ethanol, dichloromethane (MC) and N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Using 4 wt % PVP solutions, the PVP fibers prepared from MC and DMF solvents had a shape like a bead‐on‐a‐string. In contrast, smooth PVP nanofibers were obtained with ethanol as a solvent although the size distribution of the fibers was somewhat broadened. In an effort to prepare PVP nanofibers with small diameters and narrow size distributions, we developed a strategy of using mixed solvents. The experimental results showed that when the ratio of DMF to ethanol was 50:50 (w/w), regular cylindrical PVP nanofibers with a diameter of 20 nm were successfully prepared. The formation of these thinnest nanofibers could be attributed to the combined effects of ethanol and DMF solvents that optimize the solution viscosity and charge density of the polymer jet. In addition, an interesting helical‐shaped fiber was obtained from 20 wt % PVP solution in a 50:50 (w/w) mixed ethanol/DMF solvent. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3721–3726, 2004     

Viscosity,particle size distribution,and structural investigation of tetramethyloxysilane/2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate sols during the sol–gel process with acid and base catalysts

The tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)/2‐hydroxylethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hybrid gels were synthesized with acid and base catalysts, via the in situ polymerization of HEMA, with and without the cosolvent methanol. With methanol in the TMOS/HEMA sol, the enhanced esterification and depolymerization reactions of the silanols resulted in a slower growth of silica particles. The silica particles that were synthesized with an acid catalyst were less than 40 nm. The thermal resistance of the poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) chains was enhanced by the addition of colloidal silica. The Fourier transform infrared characterizations and the exothermal peaks on the differential scanning calorimetry traces of these hybrid gels indicated chemical hybridization occurring as a result of condensation of the colloid silica and PHEMA at higher temperatures. Hence, the residual weight content of the hybrid gel after its synthesis with the base catalyst was even higher than the content of TMOS in the hybrid sol. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3476–3486, 2004     

Time-resolved chemiluminescence technique for the microdetermination of proteins based on their complexation with copper(II).

Based on the complexation between proteins and Cu(II) coupled with the time-resolved chemiluminescence (CL) technique, a highly sensitive and quantitative assay for measuring proteins in solution is described. The complexes of proteins with Cu(II) have a strongly catalytic effect on the luminol-H2O2 CL reaction. Because the CL emission produced by the complexes is much more long-lived than that by Cu(II), the CL signals originating from proteins can be easily identified and measured with a time-resolved technique. On this basis, bovine albumin fraction V (BAF V) can be quantitatively determined in the range of 0.01 - 5.0 microg/ml with a detection limit of 5.8 ng/ml. The results show that the proposed assay exhibits a small variation in the response values for the same amount of different proteins, as compared to the Lowry as well as Bradford assays. The CL assay has also been studied for the detection of immobilized proteins.     

Colorimetric recognition of different enzymology-concerning transition metals based on a hybrid cluster complex.

A hybrid cluster complex, formed by chelating a chromogenic ligand to a [2Fe-2S] cluster, sensitively exhibited differential colorimetric responses towards Hg2+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Pb2, Sn2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe3+ and Co2+ in water at physiological pH. Speciation of some of these metal elements, such as Cr(III) and Sn(IV), was also studied by UV/Vis absorption.     

Estimation of kinetics parameters for the adsorption of human serum albumin onto hydroxyapatite-modified silver electrodes by piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance analysis.

The adsorption of human serum albumin onto hydroxyapatite-modified silver electrodes has been in situ investigated by utilizing the piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance technique. The changes of equivalent circuit parameters were used to interpret the adsorption process. A kinetic model of two consecutive steps was derived to describe the process and compared with a first-order kinetic model by using residual analysis. The experimental data of frequency shift fitted to the model and kinetics parameters, k1, k2, psi1, psi2 and qr, were obtained. All fitted results were in reasonable agreement with the corresponding experimental results. Two adsorption constants (7.19 kJ mol(-1) and 22.89 kJ mol(-1)) were calculated according to the Arrhenius formula.     

螺旋线径向挤压变形对其慢波结构冷测特性的影响

 介绍了用MAFIA软件的准周期边界条件计算螺旋线行波管慢波结构的色散和耦合阻抗，以及用ANSYS软件对螺旋线径向挤压变形建模的方法，并对螺旋线受挤压径向变形对其冷测特性的影响进行了详细的分析。结果表明:螺旋线径向挤压变形会导致相速增大，而在通常的变形范围内耦合阻抗也会增加；当变形继续增大时耦合阻抗上升到最大值后开始下降。     

反射式微光机电系统(MOEMS)的研究现状与展望

反射式微光机电系统是微光机电系统中的重要组成部分,近年来得到了较快的发展。介绍了反射式微光机电系统(MOEMS)的研究现状和最新进展。根据反射式微光机电系统的分类,列举了一些具有代表性的反射式MOEMS器件。简要介绍了反射式MOEMS的加工工艺;阐述了反射式MOEMS的应用领域;展望了发展前景。