Separation of antidepressants by capillary electrophoresis with in-line solid-phase extraction using a novel monolithic adsorbent

The separation of three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with fully integrated solid-phase extraction (SPE) is described. Polymeric monolithic SPE modules were prepared in situ within a fused silica capillary from either butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate or 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate. Using a 1 cm SPE module placed at the inlet of the capillary, a mixture of sertraline, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine was extracted from aqueous solution by applying a simple pressure rinse. Under pressure-driven conditions, efficient elution was possible from both SPE materials investigated using 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 3.5 in acetonitrile (20/80, v/v). Two different strategies were investigated for the efficient elution and subsequent CE separation. Injection of an aqueous sample plug directly into the non-aqueous elution/separation buffer was found to be unsuitable with poor elution profiles observed in the electrodriven mode. Alternatively, a sample plug equivalent to several capillary volumes could be injected by pressure followed by filling the capillary with the non-aqueous elution/separation buffer from the outlet end using a combination of pressure and electrodriven flow. Using a neutral monolith, efficient elution/separation was not possible due to an unstable electroosmotic flow (EOF), however, by adding the ionisable monomer, 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate to the SPE module to increase and stabilise the EOF, it was possible to achieve efficient elution from the SPE module, followed by baseline separation by CE using a 200 mM acetate buffer, pH 3.5 in acetonitrile (10/90, v/v). With enrichment factors of over 500 achieved for each of the analytes this demonstrates the potential of in-line SPE-CE for the sensitive analysis of these drugs.     

Analysis of charge transport in gels containing polyoxometallates using methods of different sensitivity to migration

Two methods have been used for examination of transport of charge in gels soaked with DMF and containing dissolved polyoxometallates. The first method is based on the analysis of both Cottrellian and steady-state currents and therefore is capable of giving the concentration of the electroactive redox centres and their transport (diffusion-type) coefficient. The second method provides the real diffusion coefficients, i.e. transport coefficients free of migrational influence, for both the substrate and the product of the electrode reaction. Several gels based on poly(methyl methacrylate), with charged (addition of 1-acrylamido-2-methyl-2-propanesulphonic acid to the polymerization mixture) and uncharged chains, have been used in the investigation. The ratio obtained for the diffusion coefficient (second method) and transport coefficient (first method) was smaller for the gels containing charged polymer chains than for the gels with uncharged chains. In part these changes could be explained by the contribution of migration to the transport of polyoxomatallates in the gels. However, the impact of the changes in the polymer-channel capacity at the electrode surface while the electrode process proceeds was also considered. These structural changes should affect differently the methods based on different time domains.     

Investigation of the optical anisotropy of PET and PEN films by VIS-FUV to IR spectroscopic ellipsometry

In the last years, a significant amount of research is being performed in the field of polymer research for novel applications, such as flexible electronic devices, photovoltaic cells, high performance optics, data storage, etc. Toward this direction, in this work, the optical anisotropy of biaxially stretched poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) films has been extensively investigated. The optical properties of the films have been studied in terms of their optical, electronic and vibrational response, by Fourier transform IR spectroscopic ellipsometry (FTIRSE) (900-3500 cm⁻¹) and Vis-fUV variable angle SE (1.5-6.5 eV) techniques. The films optical anisotropy is the result of the stretching procedure during their fabrication, which results to the structural rearrangement of the macromolecular chains parallel to the stretching direction and to a higher structural symmetry. During the SE spectra analysis, the films have been approximated as uniaxial materials with their optic axis parallel to the sample/ambient interface leading to the accurate determination of the principal components ?_||(ω) and ?_⊥(ω) of the dielectric function ?(ω). The detailed study of the electronic transitions has been performed in the Vis-fUV region, where the characteristic features corresponding to the n → π* electronic transitions of the carbonyl -CO group and the ¹A_1g → ¹B_1u transition due to the π → π* excitation of the π-electron structures have been identified and analysed. Furthermore, the FTIRSE spectra allowed the accurate identification and assignment of the features of ?(ω) to the vibrational modes of the various bonding structures characteristic of the PET and PEN macromolecular chains.     

Study on hydrophilicity of polymer surfaces improved by plasma treatment

Surface properties of polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) samples treated by microwave-induced argon plasma have been studied with contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanned electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that plasma treatment modified the surfaces both in composition and roughness. Modification of composition makes polymer surfaces tend to be highly hydrophilic, which mainly depended on the increase of ratio of oxygen-containing group as same as other papers reported. And this experiment further revealed that CO bond is the key factor to the improvement of the hydrophilicity of polymer surfaces. Our SEM observation on PET shown that the roughness of the surface has also been improved in micron scale and it has influence on the surface hydrophilicity.     

Kinetic performance appraisal of poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolithic high-performance liquid chromatography columns for biomolecule analysis

A broad appraisal of the kinetic performance of organic polymeric monolithic columns is reported using commercially available poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolithic columns (Dionex ProSwift™ RP-1S). Analysis of a protein digest sample at elevated temperatures (≥80 °C) indicated no apparent analyte degradation using an inert polymeric stationary phase. Comparison between low molecular weight solute and peptide separations highlighted the markedly different mass transport processes observed on macroporous monolithic beds and an improved C term at elevated temperature in both instances. The current usefulness of this column format for biomolecule analysis was further studied via employment of a kinetic performance characterisation for the first time to provide direction for column development servicing this application.     

A new class of polymeric complexes having Pt-Ag interactions: Crystal structure of |{[(PPh3)(C6F5)Pt(μ-Cl)]2Ag}(μ-Cl)2Ag(MeOH)|n

The reaction of (NBu₄)[trans-PtCl₂(C₆F₅)L] (L = PPh₃, AsPh₃) with AgClO₄ (1:1) molar ratio in a CH₂Cl₂/MeOH mixture leads to the polymeric complexes [PtAgCl₂(C₆F₅)L]_n (L = PPh₃1, AsPh₃2). The structure of complex |{[(PPh₃)(C₆F₅)Pt(μ-Cl)]₂Ag}(μ-Cl)₂Ag(MeOH)|_n (1·MeOH) has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, showing a chain polymer in which the silver atoms are in two different environments with or without Pt-Ag bond.     

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell based on a polymer gel electrolyte with in situ synthesized ionic conductors

A polymer gel electrolyte with in situ synthesized Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors was prepared for fabricating a quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (QS-DSSC). The in situ synthesized Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors show weaker influence on the liquid electrolyte absorbency of the polymer gel electrolyte than that of Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors dissolved in liquid electrolyte. Owing to the higher liquid electrolyte absorbency, the polymer gel electrolyte with in situ synthesized Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors shows higher ionic conductivity than that of polymer gel electrolyte with Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors absorbed from liquid electrolyte. QS-DSSC containing the polymer gel electrolyte with in situ synthesized Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors shows 3.815% energy conversion efficiency, which is 21.6% higher than that of QS-DSSC containing polymer gel electrolyte with Acac-Py-I₂ ionic conductors absorbed from liquid electrolyte.     

高温水热合成具有高稳定性的有序介孔材料

高温水热合成路线作为合成具有超高稳定性的介孔材料越来越受到人们的重视.本文对高温水热合成有序介孔材料的发展过程作一个简单的综述,合成路线包括使用碳氟表面活性剂和碳氢表面活性剂作为复合模板,有机季铵盐与碳氢表面活性剂作为复合模板以及最近报道的采用碳氢表面活性剂作为单一模板来合成系列的有序介孔材料,其组成为二氧化硅、氧化钛硅以及聚合物等.     

“高分子物理”课程教学中的整体性思路初探

在"高分子物理"课程教学中,主要难点是教学内容比较繁杂,所涉及的概念很多且较抽象,各种高分子材料的结构和性能差异性大,不易把握其共性。以高分子结构、性能和分子运动的中间态,即高分子链的远程结构中分子链的形态、高聚物性能的高弹性和链段运动为基础,避开繁杂抽象的具体概念,以简洁的方式来呈现高分子物理的教学内容,帮助学生在渐进的教学过程之初便建立一个形象化的整体性思路,以此作为后续教学的指导性思路,在整个教学过程中进一步展开和强化,教学效果很好。     

小形变时杨氏模量等于三倍的剪切模量

尽管高聚物是黏弹性材料,具有时间依赖性和温度依赖性,但在小形变时,弹性理论中的一些假定和定理仍能用来讨论黏弹性高聚物的形变。应力与应变之比是模量,在小形变时,单向拉伸的杨氏模量约等于三倍的剪切模量,E≈3G。