Photoinduced electron transport process in electrochemical cell I. Phenomenological description

The process of electron transport plays an essential role in the fundamental phenomena of life like photosynthesis, respiration and vision as well as in photoelectronic devices. However, the molecular mechanisms of the electron way and factors governing the transport rate in such systems are still unclear. Several groups have reported theoretical approaches for searching the mechanisms by using statistical mechanics, coherent dynamics and quantum mechanics. The current density vector inside the semiconducting layer is determined. In this paper we consider the problem of transport of electron promoted in the electrochemical cell constructed of two electrodes with the dye molecules immersed in. We describe the process of electron promotion by refractive light wave on the vacuum–semiconductor boundary as well as on the semiconducting electrode and the dye molecule layer in terms of extended phenomenological electrodynamics formalism. The results of our theoretical model show that such a theoretical approach will give more information on the mechanism of electron transport and will give insight in the determination of some electric features of materials.     

Characterization of SiO2-P2O5-ZrO2 Sol-Gel/NAFION™ Composite Membranes

Composite membranes were prepared by (a) infiltrating NAFION with SiO₂-P₂O₅-ZrO₂ sol, and (b) recasting a film using NAFION solution containing SiO₂-P₂O₅-ZrO₂ sol. The membranes were characterized by Differential Thermal Analysis and ac-impedance spectroscopy as a function of relative humidity. The influences of the heat treatment (80°C–150°C) and cleaning on the electrical properties were investigated. The incorporation of SiO₂-P₂O₅-ZrO₂ gels into NAFION lead to improvements in its thermal stability and proton conductivity.     

Electrochemical characteristics of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9|La0.6Sr0.4CoO3-δ + Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 half-cell

The analysis of the medium temperature half-cell Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_1.9|70 wt% La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3- (LSCO) + 30 wt % Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_1.9 (CGO) has been made by electrochemical impedance, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The shape of complex impedance plots depends on temperature and cathodic polarisation of the electrode. Nyquist (Z, Z-) plots were fitted by equivalent circuit taking into account the electrolyte properties (at very high frequencies), charge transfer process at grain boundaries (at high frequencies), and medium and low frequency O₂ reduction process at the cathode surface and inside the porous cathode material. Two different time constants have been obtained for the cathode process, i.e. for electroreduction of oxygen. It was found that the addition of CGO into the cathode material (LSCO) only somewhat decreases the surface catalytic activity but the noticeably higher low-frequency resistance (i.e. mainly diffusion-like mass transfer resistance R_D) values at lower temperatures have been calculated. It was found that the mainly bulk diffusion-limited process at T773 K deviates toward the kinetically mixed process (diffusion + charge transfer) with increasing temperature.     

A comparison of double-focusing sector field ICP-MS, ICP-OES and octopole collision cell ICP-MS for the high-accuracy determination of calcium in human serum

Human serum is routinely measured for total calcium content in clinical studies. A definitive high-accuracy and low-uncertainty method is required for reference measurements to underpin medical diagnoses. This study presents a novel octopole collision cell ICP-MS, high-accuracy, methodology and comparison of that technique with double-focusing sector field ICP-MS and an ICP-OES method. Double-matched isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) was employed for ICP-MS techniques and an exact matching bracketing technique using scandium as an internal standard was used for ICP-OES analysis. Medium resolution mode was utilised for double-focusing sector field ICP-MS analysis to resolve the dominant interferences on the ⁴⁴Ca/⁴²Ca isotope pair. Hydrogen reaction gas was employed to chemically resolve a number of polyatomic interferences predominantly through charge transfer reactions in the octopole collision cell. Comparison data presented for NIST CRM 909b human serum analysis from all three techniques demonstrates highest accuracy (99.6%) and lowest uncertainty (1.1%) for octopole collision cell ICP-MS. Data from ICP-OES using a non-IDMS technique produces comparably accurate data and low-uncertainties. The much higher total expanded uncertainties for double-focusing sector field ICP-MS compared with octopole collision cell data are explained by lower precision on the measurement of the ⁴⁴Ca/⁴²Ca isotope ratio. Data for octopole collision cell ICP-MS submitted for an international blind trial comparison (CCQM K-14) demonstrated excellent agreement with the mean of all participants with a low expanded uncertainty.     

Inclusion of molybdenocene dichloride (Cp2MoCl2) in 2-hydroxypropyl- and trimethyl-β-cyclodextrin: Structural and biological properties

Organometallic-cyclodextrin inclusion compounds were obtained by the treatment of molybdenocene dichloride (Cp₂MoCl₂) with the modified cyclodextrins (CDs) heptakis-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-CD (TRIMEB) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HPβCD) in aqueous solution. The products were isolated by liophilisation and characterised in the solid-state by powder XRD, thermogravimetric analysis, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, and ¹³C CP MAS NMR spectroscopy. The results are consistent with inclusion of Cp₂MoCl₂, rather than hydrolysis products such as [Cp₂Mo(H₂O)X]⁺ (X = Cl, OH) or [Cp₂Mo(H₂O)₂]²⁺. The pure non-included metallocene Cp₂MoCl₂ and its inclusion compounds with unmodified β-CD, TRIMEB and HPβCD were screened for their potential antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity, in both human cancer and healthy cell lines. Inclusion in CD was found to enhance the cytotoxic effect of Cp₂MoCl₂, with the TRIMEB adduct displaying the highest anti-tumour activity, along with the lowest toxicity towards non-neoplastic cells.     

Vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell culture on NaOH-treated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) films: a preliminary study for vascular graft development

Tissue engineering offers the potential of providing vessels that can be used to replace diseased and damaged native blood vessels. The endothelization of a synthetic vascular graft minimizes the failures associated with blood clotting and platelet activation. The aim of this study was to culture vascular-derived endothelial and smooth muscle cells on both untreated and NaOH-treated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) films, a biocompatible and bio-resorbable polymer, and to evaluate the behavior of both cell types as a preliminary study for vascular graft development. PCL films were prepared by hot pressing; characterized by DSC, IR, SEM, and scanning force microscopy; and treated with NaOH to increase the surface hydrophilicity before cell culture. Endothelial and smooth muscle cells, isolated from pig cava vein, were characterized by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy studies of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Good adhesion, growth, viability and morphology of both the endothelial and smooth muscle cells on PCL films were obtained, but a light stimulation of mitochondrial activity was observed during short culture times. NaOH treatment improved the adhesion and enhanced the proliferation in both cell types. This verified the possible use of this modified polymer as a support in the preparation of a synthetic vascular graft. [Diagram: see text] SEM micrograph of smooth muscle cells cultured on NaOH-treated PCL film. (Original magnification: 1000x).     

Determination of doxorubicin in human plasma by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and multi-way analysis

Direct determination of doxorubicin (DXR), a cytotoxic anthracycline antibiotic, in human plasma was accomplished based on excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence measurements and multi-way chemometric methods based on parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and N-PLS. Several different procedures, such as residual analysis, core consistency diagnostic (CONCORDIA) and split-half analysis were employed to determine the correct number of factors in PARAFAC. These procedures converged to a choice of two factors, attributed to DXR and to the sum of two fluorescence species present in the plasma. Sample PARAFAC loadings were employed to build a regression model against concentration, resulting in a RMSECV of 0.060 μg ml⁻¹. N-PLS using two factors produced a RMSECV of 0.045 μg ml⁻¹. Figures of merit (FOM), such as sensitivity (SEN), selectivity (SEL) and limit of detection (L_D) were determined for both PARAFAC and N-PLS.     

LSGMC5含量对于二甲醚燃料电池复合Ni-Fe阳极性能的影响

用浸渍法制备了掺杂不同质量分数的La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.15Co0.05O3-δ (LSGMC5)粉末的Ni8-Fe2-LSGMC5复合阳极, 并采用交流阻抗和直流极化技术考察了以氢气和二甲醚为燃气时该复合阳极的电化学性能及相应电池的功率输出特性. 结果表明, 在电极中掺入LSGMC5 粉末, 能显著地改善电极的形貌和电极/电解质界面结构, 减小欧姆电阻和极化电阻. 电极中LSGMC5 粉末含量对于氢气及二甲醚电化学氧化性能的影响显著不同. 以二甲醚为燃气时, 电极极化电阻随LSGMC5 粉末含量的增加而减小, 其中LSGMC5 掺杂量为30%的复合阳极具有最高的电化学性能, 相应电池在1073、1023、973 K 时的输出功率分别为1.00、0.61、0.40 W·cm-2; 以氢气为燃气时, LSGMC5 掺杂量为20%的复合阳极具有最好的电化学性能, 随着LSGMC5 掺杂量的进一步增加, 电极极化电阻显著增大.     

Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determination of Efavirenz in Human Plasma

A simple, rapid, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for estimation of efavirenz in human plasma has been developed and validated. Chromatography was performed with C₁₈ analytical column and 50:50 acetonitrile–phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) as mobile phase. Compounds were monitored by UV detection at 247 nm. The retention time for efavirenz was 6.45 min and that for the internal standard, nelfinavir, was 2.042 min. Response was a linear over the concentration range of 0.1 μg–10 μg mL⁻¹ in human plasma. The method was simple, specific, precise and accurate and was useful for bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic studies of efavirenz.     

Capillary Electrophoresis for the Simultaneous Determination of Metals by Using Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid as Complexing Agent and Vancomycin as Complex Selector

A new separation system of capillary electrophoresis for the simultaneous determination of metals by using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid （EDTA） as complexing agent and employing vancomycin as complex selector was described. The Z-shape cell capillary electrophoresis was used to enhance the sensitivity for the determination of the complexes of Cu（Ⅱ）, Ni（Ⅱ）, Co（Ⅱ） and Fe（Ⅲ） with EDTA. The partial filling method （co-current mode） was used in order to increase the selectivity of the electrophoretic method, meanwhile vancomycin was not present at the detector path during the detection of metal-EDTA complexes. The vancomycin concentration, phosphate concentration and pH of the buffer strongly influenced mobility, resolution and selectivity of the studied analytes. Under the optimal condition, the relative standard deviations （n=5） of the migration time and the peak area were less than 3.14% and 7.35%, respectively. Application of the Z-shape cell capillary electrophoresis method with UV detection and vancomycin loading led to the reliable determination of these metal ions in tap water and the recoveries were 97%-101%. The detection limits based on a signal to noise ratio of 3 ： 1 were found in the range of 2-10 μg·L^-1.