Physical properties and electrochemical performance of LiMn2O4 cathode materials prepared by a precipitation method

LiMn₂O₄ powder for lithium-ion batteries was prepared by a precipitation method, and the effects of calcination temperature on the physical properties and electrochemical performance of the samples were investigated by various methods. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the lattice parameter (a) and the unit cell volume (v) decrease with the increasing calcination temperature, and the LiMn₂O₄ sample calcined at 750°C has smaller particle size and higher crystallinity than other samples. The results of the electrochemical experiments showed that the sample calcined at 750°C has larger peak currents, higher initial capacity, and better cycling capability, because of its lower charge-transfer resistance and larger diffusion coefficient of Li⁺ ions than those of other samples.     

Synthesis and conformational analysis by 1H NMR and restrained molecular dynamics simulations of the cyclic decapeptide [Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly]

Summary The design of enzyme mimics with therapeutic and industrial applications has interested both experimental and computational chemists for several decades. Recent advances in the computational methodology of restrained molecular dynamics, used in conjunction with data obtained from two-dimensional ¹H NMR spectroscopy, make it a promising method to study peptide and protein structure and function. Several issues, however, need to be addressed in order to assess the validity of this method for its explanatory and predictive value. Among the issues addressed in this study are: the accuracy and generizability of the GROMOS peptide molecular mechanics force field; the effect of inclusion of solvent on the simulations; and the effect of different types of restraining algorithms on the computational results. The decapeptide Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly, which corresponds to the sequence of ACTH_1–10, has been synthesized, cyclized, and studied by two-dimensional ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Restrained molecular dynamics (RMD) and time-averaged restrained molecular dynamics (TARMD) simulations were carried out on four different distance-geometry starting structures in order to determine and contrast the behavior of cyclic ACTH_1–10 in vacuum and in solution. For the RMD simulations, the structures did not fit the NOE data well, even at high values of the restraining potential. The TARMD simulation method, however, was able to give structures that fit the NOE data at high values of the restraining potential. In both cases, inclusion of explicit solvent molecules in the simulation had little effect on the quality of the fit, although it was found to dampen the motion of the cyclic peptide. For both simulation techniques, the number and size of the NOE violations increased as the restraining potential approached zero. This is due, presumably, to inadequacies in the force field. Additional TARMD vacuum-phase simulations, run with a larger memory length or with a larger sampling size (16 additional distance-geometry structures), yielded no significantly different results. The computed data were then analyzed to help explain the sparse NOE data and poor chymotryptic activity of the cyclic peptide. Cyclic ACTH_1–10, which contains the functional moieties of the catalytic triad of chymotrypsin, was evaluated as a potential mimic of chymotrypsin by measurement of the rate of hydrolysis of esters of L-and d-phenylalanine. The poor rate of hydrolysis is attributed to the flexibility of the decapeptide, the motion of the side chains, which result in the absence of long-range NOEs, the small size of the macrocycle relative to that of the substrate, and the inappropriate orientation of the Gly, His, and Ser residues. The results demonstrate the utility of this method in computer-aided molecular design of cyclic peptides and suggest structural modifications for future work based on a larger and more rigid peptide framework.     

Synthesis and characterization of maleimide polymers with pendant pyrazole groups. IV. Copolymerization of pyrazole-modified maleimides with vinyl ethers

The synthesis of maleimides that have pyrazolic or bipyrazolic pendant groups is described. Their homopolymerization and their copolymerization with 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether (CEVE) is reported. The homopolymerizations of such maleimides were performed under various conditions and led to low molecular-weight polymers. However, alternating copolymers were obtained from CEVE as comonomers whatever the monomers feed compositions. A similar behavior was also observed for maleimides that do not exhibit any spacer, whereas for bulky vinyl ethers, random copolymers were produced. A comparison of the thermal behavior between these copolymers (glass transition temperatures, T_g, and decomposition temperatures) and other copolymers having different spacers between the nitrogenated cycles and the chain are related. Thus, an important decrease of T_g, was observed when C₃H₆CO₂CH₂ groups were used as the spacer instead of methylene groups. Moreover, the thermal weakness of these copolymers may come from the substituents of the vinyl ether and is discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Spectroelectrochemical and Voltammetric Studies of L‐DOPA

The electrooxidation of L -dopa at GC electrode was studied by in situ UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) and cyclic voltammetry. The mechanism of electrooxidation and some reaction parameters were obtained. The results showed that the whole electrooxidation reaction of L -dopa at glassy carbon (GC) electrode was an irreversible electrochemical process followed by a chemical reaction in neutral solution (EC mechanism). The spectroelectrochemical data were treated by the double logarithm method together with nonlinear regression, from which the formal potential E⁰=228 mV, the apparent electron-transfer number of the electrooxidation reaction αn=0.376 (R=0.99, SD=0.26), the standard electrochemical rate constant k⁰=(3.93±0.12)×10⁻4 cm s⁻¹ (SD=1.02×10⁻²), and the formation equilibrium constant of the following chemical reaction k_c=(5.38±0.34)×10⁻¹ s⁻¹ (SD=1.02×10⁻²) were also obtained.     

取代基物化参数及其在药物定量构效关系中的应用

把取代基电性、立体及疏水性物化参数组合建立一种新取代基描述方法, 对环尿素类和N,N-二甲基-2-溴苯乙胺类衍生物进行结构表征. 对训练样本集通过逐步回归筛选变量, 所建多元线性回归方程R2分别为0.853和0.960, 留一法交互检验Rcv2分别为0.723和0.901；用预测集样本作外部预测, 所得Qext2分别为0.7617和0.7653. 结果显示：环尿素类化合物结构中苯环邻位立体、间位疏水、对位疏水及立体因素对该类药物抗HIV活性产生阻抑作用； N,N-二甲基-2-溴苯乙胺类苯环上取代基立体因素及对位给电子效应有利于提高肾上腺素能阻断活性.     

邻氨基酚在硫堇分子自组装膜修饰金电极上的电化学行为及其测定

在 0 .0 5 mol/L p H4.2的 HAc- Na Ac- PHP(邻苯二甲酸氢钾 )缓冲溶液中 ,用硫堇分子自组装膜修饰金电极对邻氨基酚的电化学行为进行了初步研究。研究发现 ,邻氨基酚在 - 0 .1 V左右出现一可逆氧化还原峰 ,在 0 .38V( vs.SCE)左右产生一阳极峰。两峰均由邻氨基酚的氧化还原引起 ,较正处的阳极峰表现出吸附波的性质 ,该峰较灵敏 ,适于伏安测定。该峰的峰电流与邻氨基酚的浓度在 1 .0× 1 0 - 6 ～ 5 .0× 1 0 - 4mol/L范围内呈线性关系 (相关系数 r =0 .9991 )。该方法可用于邻氨基酚含量的测定     

Investigation of the Electrochemical Reduction of Benzophenone in Aprotic Solvents Using the Method of Cyclic Voltammetry

The reduction of benzophenone (Bzph) in 3-pentanone (PEN), acetone (ACE), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetonitrile (ACN) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with n-tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF₆) as background electrolyte was studied using the technique of cyclic voltammetry at the temperature of 263.15 K. The half-wave potentials (E _1/2) were extracted. The reduction of Bzph occurs in two successive one-electron steps to produce first the free radical anion Bzph⁻ and then the dianion Bzph²⁻. The results indicated that the radical anion Bzph⁻ is reoxidized to Bzph in all investigated solvent media whereas the dianion Bzph²⁻ is reoxidized to Bzph⁻ only in THF. The heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constants (k _s ) were evaluated by employing the electrochemical rate equation proposed by Nicholson. The rate of electron transfer for the Bzph/Bzph⁻ couple was found to be relatively slow in all investigated solvent media. Consequently, the electron-transfer processes can be recognized as quasi-reversible. The diffusion coefficients (D) of Bzph in the investigated solvent media have been calculated using the modified Randles-Sevcik equation. The effect of the physical and chemical properties of the solvent medium on the electrochemical behavior of Bzph has been examined.     

掺硼多晶金刚石膜的电化学性能研究

采用EACVD(Electron Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition)方法制备了掺硼金刚石膜, 并用扫描电镜、拉曼光谱及霍尔效应等测试方法对其表面形貌、生长特性、载流子浓度以及导电性能进行了分析. 测试结果表明, 掺硼金刚石膜是由微米级晶粒组成的多晶膜, 其载流子浓度为4.88×1020 cm-3, 电阻率为0.03 Ω·cm, 是高品质金刚石膜. 用该金刚石膜制作电化学电极, 利用循环伏安法分别测量了金刚石膜电极在氯化钾空白底液、亚铁氰化钾溶液和左旋半胱氨酸溶液中的循环伏安曲线, 发现该金刚石膜电极在水溶液中具有宽的电化学窗口(约为3.7 V)和接近零的背景电流, 在生物制剂的检测中具有很高的灵敏度和良好的稳定性, 是一种理想的电化学电极材料.     

Electrocatalytic Determination of Ascorbic Acid at the Surface of 2,7‐Bis(ferrocenyl ethyl)fluoren‐9‐one Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

A chemically modified carbon paste electrode with 2,7‐bis(ferrocenyl ethyl)fluoren‐9‐one (2,7‐BFEFMCPE) was employed to study the electrocatalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid in aqueous solution using cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The diffusion coefficient (D=1.89×10^?5 cm² s^?1), and the kinetic parameter such as the electron transfer coefficient, α (=0.42) of ascorbic acid oxidation at the surface of 2,7‐BFEFMCPE was determined using electrochemical approaches. It has been found that under an optimum condition (pH 7.00), the oxidation of ascorbic acid at the surface of such an electrode occurs at a potential about 300 mV less positive than that of an unmodified carbon paste electrode. The catalytic oxidation peak currents show a linear dependence on the ascorbic acid concentration and linear analytical curves were obtained in the ranges of 8.0×10^?5 M–2.0×10^?3 M and 3.1×10^?5 M–3.3×10^?3 M of ascorbic acid with correlation coefficients of 0.9980 and 0.9976 in cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively. The detection limits (2δ) were determined to be 2.9×10^?5 M and 9.0×10^?6 M with cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively. This method was also examined for determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Studies of the electrochemical behavior of epinephrine at a homocysteine self-assembled electrode

The self-assembled electrode with the homocysteine monolayer (Hcy/Au) has been characterized by infrared spectroscopy and ac impedance spectroscopy in electrolyte. The Hcy/Au electrode is demonstrated to promote the electrochemical response of epinephrine (E) by cyclic voltammetry. A pair of well-defined redox waves was obtained and the calculated standard rate constant (k_s) is 2.1×10⁻² cm s⁻¹ at the self-assembled electrode. The reduction peak of E can be used to determine the concentration of E in presence of ascorbic acid (AA) owing to the Hcy/Au also promoting the electrochemical oxidation of AA.