Determination of Phenolic Compounds Based on Co‐Immobilization of Methylene Blue and HRP on Multi‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes

This work evaluated an amperometric biosensor based on multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), chemically modified with methylene blue (Met) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), for detection of phenolic compounds. The dependences of the biosensor response due to the enzyme immobilization procedure, HRP amounts, pH and working potential were investigated. The amperometric response for catechol using the proposed biosensor showed a very wide linear response range (1 to 150 μmol L^?1), good sensitivity (50 nA cm^?2 μmol^?1 L), excellent operational stability (after 300 determinations the response remained at 97%) and very good storage stability (lifetime>3 months). Based on all these characteristics, it is possible to affirm that the material is promising for phenol detection due to its good electrochemical response and enzyme stabilization. The biosensor response for various phenolic compounds was investigated.     

One-dimensional Ising chain with competing interactions: Exact results and connection with other statistical models

We study the ground state properties of a one-dimensional Ising chain with a nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic interactionJ ₁, and akth neighboranti-ferromagnetic interactionJ _k . WhenJ _k/J₁=–1/k, there exists a highly degenerate ground state with a residual entropy per spin. For the finite chain with free boundary conditions, we calculate the degeneracy of this state exactly, and find that it is proportional to the (N+k–1)th term in a generalized Fibonacci sequence defined by,F _N ^(k) =F _N–1 ^(k) +F _N–k ^(k) . In addition, we show that this one-dimensional model is closely related to the following problems: (a) a fully frustrated two-dimensional Ising system with a periodic arrangement of nearest-neighbor ferro- and antiferromagnetic bonds, (b) close-packing of dimers on a ladder, a 2× strip of the square lattice, and (c) directed self-avoiding walks on finite lattice strips.Work partially supported by grants from AFOSR and ARO.     

Structural studies of 4-aryloctahydro-pyrido[1,2-c]pyrimidine derivatives

¹³C cross-polarisation magic angle spinning NMR data have been reported for four derivatives of 4-aryl-octahydro-pyrido[1,2-c]pyrimidine-1,3-dione and the X-ray diffraction data for two (with 2′-Me and 2′-OMe). The crystal structures show the presence of centrosymmetric cyclic dimers with intermolecular C1O?H-N or C3O?H-N hydrogen bonds, the configuration at the chiral centres (C4 and C4_a) was determined as RR (SS). The twisting of aromatic ring at C4 with respect to the pyrido[1,2-c]pyrimidine skeleton is about 68-109°.     

Robust liquid crystal droplets

The preparation and properties of cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal droplets encapsulated by the polymerizable lecithin 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiynoyl)-sn-glyero-3-phosphocholine (DC_8,9PC) are described. Under a wide variety of preparation conditions the droplets obtain a diameter of approximately 10 mum. These droplets are stable for periods of over one year at room temperature. Furthermore, they are stable upon temperature cycling between the nematic and isotropic phases and between the smectic A to nematic to isotropic phase transitions.     

Twist-bend nematics,liquid crystal dimers,structure–property relations

ABSTRACT

One of the current challenges in liquid crystal science is to understand the molecular factors leading to the formation of the intriguing twist-bend nematic phase (N_TB) and determine its properties. During our earlier hunt for the N_TB phase created on cooling directly from the isotropic phase and not the nematic phase, we had prepared 30 symmetric liquid crystal dimers. These had odd spacers and methylene links to the two mesogenic groups; desirable but clearly not essential features for the formation of the N_TB. Here, we report the phases that the dimers exhibit and their transition temperatures as functions of both the lengths of the spacer and the terminal chains. In addition we describe the transitional entropies, their optical textures, the X-ray scattering patterns and the ²H NMR spectra employed in characterising the phases. All of which may lead to important properties of the twist-bend nematic phase.     

静电纺丝法制备酚醛纤维研究进展

酚醛树脂是一种广泛使用的合成树脂,包括热固性和热塑性两类,具有良好的阻燃性、耐热性和耐腐蚀性。酚醛纤维是由酚醛树脂所制成的交联纤维,传统的酚醛纤维制备方法有熔融纺丝法和湿法纺丝法,后来出现了静电纺丝法。本文根据酚醛树脂的种类分别介绍了热固性、热塑性和热塑/热固混合酚醛树脂三类材料静电纺丝的研究进展。在改善酚醛纤维特性方面,综述了四种优化措施,包括加入无机盐、微波辐射辅助固化、非匀速阶梯式加热固化、氧化石墨烯修饰的静电纺丝法等。此外,对本实验室制备酚醛纤维的研究也进行了概述,阐述了酚醛纤维当前存在的问题及未来发展方向。     

Dimerization of Colloidal Particles through Controlled Aggregation for Enhanced Properties and Applications

Devising syntheses capable of precisely manipulating matter on the nanoscale is central to many areas of research. The underlying motivation is fueled by the fact that at the nanometer scale, the property has a strong correlation with the structure. One such nanostructure that has accrued much attention is the dimer—a structure composed of two colloidal particles separated by a small gap. This Focus Review discusses how colloidal stability can be strategically manipulated to induce dimerization, together with effective purification steps to further improve yields. We conclude the article by providing representative examples for how dimers composed of plasmonic nanoparticles leads to structures with tunable optical properties and strong electric near‐fields, ideal for application in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and mesomorphic characterization of azoesters with a coumarin ring

We have synthesized a homologous series of azoesters consisting of a coumaryl moiety as the end group. Eleven derivatives of this series exhibit mesomorphism. The nematic mesophase is exhibited from ethyl homologue onward, while the smectic phase commences at the pentyl derivative and is exhibited along with the nematic phase up to the hexadecyl derivative. The N-I transition temperatures curves show the usual odd-even effect. All the compounds in this series are thermally stable and exhibit a wide mesomorphic range of nearly 120°C. Their thermal stabilities and other characteristics are discussed.     

W-shaped mesogens and variations of their molecular structure

New bent-core liquid crystalline dimers with W-shaped molecular geometry have been prepared and studied. We have modified the dimer shape by variation of the connecting part between two bent-core units and changing the terminal chains (perfluoroalkyl, siloxanealkyl). Additionally, we have altered the inner bend angle value (120°, 60° and 148°) by utilization of different aromatic units. Mesomorphic properties of new dimers were established based on the texture observation in the polarizing microscope and DSC measurements. Moreover, x-ray structural analysis has been performed for selected dimers to confirm phase identification. For most of the studied dimers, nematic or columnar phases have been detected, for several compounds appearing in a nematic-columnar phase sequence on cooling from the isotropic phase. The studied dimers showed richer polymorphism than their monomeric counterparts.     

功能化离子液体液化木粉及其酚醛复合材料

合成了氯代1-(2-羟乙基)-3-甲基咪唑离子液体[He MIM]Cl、溴代1-乙胺基-3-甲基咪唑离子液体[Ae MIM]Br和氯代1-羧乙基-3-甲基咪唑离子液体[Ce MIM]Cl 3种功能化咪唑离子液体,并分别进行了红外与氢核磁结构表征.然后用3种离子液体液化木粉,液化3 h后向体系直接加入苯酚、甲醛和氢氧化钠,制备酚醛复合材料,并采用FTIR、XRD、DSC和SEM对酚醛复合材料进行结构、性能与形貌测试,研究离子液体种类对木粉液化率及酚醛树脂性能的影响.结果表明,离子液体及其液化木粉产物制备的酚醛复合材料性能得到明显改善.[Ce MIM]Cl液化效果最好,90℃液化率高达24.6%,当[Ce MIM]Cl与木粉质量比为10∶1时,制备的酚醛复合材料的游离醛释放量由原来的3.64%降低到0.92%.离子液体[Ae MIM]Br能将酚醛复合材料的冲击强度由原来的0.93 k J/m2提高到6.96 k J/m2,而[Ae MIM]Br及其液化的木粉产物制备的酚醛复合材料拉伸强度从原来的3.28 MPa提高到9.70 MPa.