Preparation of Cu–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles surface-capped with dodecanethiol and their tribological properties as lubricant additive

Cu–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles surface-capped with dodecanethiol were prepared via the controlled reduction of nickel nitrate and copper nitrate in the presence of dodecanethiol as ligand and hydrazine hydrate as reductant. The morphology and structure of the Cu–Ni nanoparticles were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Furthermore, the tribological properties of the Cu–Ni nanoparticles as a lubricant additive in liquid paraffin were evaluated with a four-ball machine, and the morphology and elemental composition of the worn surfaces were analyzed by three-dimensional non-contact surface profilometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicated that Cu–Ni nanoparticles prepared at a sufficient dodecanethiol concentration showed almost no signs of aggregation, and exhibited good dispersibility in various apolar solvents. The addition of the Cu–Ni nanoparticles improved the load-carrying capacity as well as friction-reducing and anti-wear abilities of liquid paraffin, attributed to the rolling effect of agglomerated Cu–Ni nanocores released by the Cu–Ni nanoparticles during sliding, and the formation of a boundary lubricating film containing tribochemical reaction products such as iron oxides and iron sulfate.     

Improvement of antibacterial activity of copper nanoclusters for selective inhibition on the growth of gram-positive bacteria

In general, copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) possess very low or even virtually no bactericidal effect. Herein,we report a novel CuNCs possessing significantly high antibacterial activity, that is tannic acid (TA)capped CuNCs (TA-CuNCs). TA-CuNCs exhibit strong absorption and excitation-dependent fluorescence within pH 2-12, resulting from the functional groups of TA-CuNCs due to two prototropic equilibria,phenolphenolate and carboxyliccarboxylate. There exists synergistic effect of TA and copper nanoclusters which endows TA-CuNCs remarkable antibacterial capability as a microbicide, as characterized by the effective inhibition on the growth of gram-positive bacteria by damaging the cell membrane. By incubating 1 x 10~7 CFU/mL of gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis with 30 μg/mL of TA-CuNCs for 10 min, the bacteria are completely inhibited, while under same conditions the viabilities of gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa remain 85.0%, 72.0%, respectively. In addition, TA-CuNCs exhibit low cytotoxicity and favorable biocompatibility demonstrated by standard methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay with HepG2 and 293 Tcells, giving rise to cell viability of 94.2% for HepG2 and 96.7% for 293 T by incubating 10~6 cell/mL with 200 μg/mL of TA-CuNCs for 24 h. These results make TA-CuNCs a potential alternative as bactericide for infection treatment caused by gram-positive bacteria.     

Separating Growth from Nucleation for Facile Control over the Size and Shape of Palladium Nanocrystals

In order to maximize the performance of nanocrystals in a specific application, it is necessary to control both their size and shape. Here we report a one-pot protocol that allows us to separate growth from nucleation for achieving better control over the size and shape of Pd nanocrystals. The two processes are temporally separated from each other, although the synthesis is carried out in the same reaction container. Size control is achieved by simply varying the ratio between the amounts of precursor allocated to the growth and nucleation processes. With the involvement of seeds at a fixed number, increasing the amount of precursor for growth leads to increasingly larger nanocrystals. Shape control is made possible by varying the capping agent, with bromide leading to a cubic shape and citrate inducing the formation of an octahedral shape. The synthesis can also be scaled up by at least tenfold without compromising the quality.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of 〔Co_3(CO)_9(μ_3-C)C(O)OCH_2〕_2

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Synthesis and Crystal Structure of [Co3（CO）9（μ3—C）C（O）OCH2]2

The title compound [Co3(CO)9(μ3-C)C(O)OCH2]2 was synthesized by the reaction of [Cl3CC(O)OCH2]2 with Co2(CO)8 at 40～50 ℃. Crystal data: C24H4O22Co6, Mr=997.88, monoclinic, space group P21/n(#14), a=9.330(2), b=15.197(4), c=11.783(4), β=91.16(2)°, V=1670.4(7) 3, Z=2, Dc=1.984 g/cm3, μ(MoKα)=30.01 cm-1, F(000)=972.00, T=293K, final R=0.045, Rw=0.051 for 1936 observed reflections with I＞2σ(I). The structure contains two centrosymmetric dimeric molecules in a unit cell, each of which has two tetrahedral skeletons (CCo3) connected through a C(O)OCH3CH2OC(O) bridge.     

The Influence of the Capping Agent on the Oxidation of Silver Nanoparticles: Nano‐impacts versus Stripping Voltammetry

The influence of capping agents on the oxidation of silver nanoparticles was studied by using the electrochemical techniques of anodic stripping voltammetry and anodic particle coulometry (“nano‐impacts”). Five spherical silver nanoparticles each with a different capping agent (branched polyethylenimine (BPEI), citrate, lipoic acid, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) were used to perform comparative experiments. In all cases, regardless of the capping agent, complete oxidation of the single nanoparticles was seen in anodic particle coulometry. The successful quantitative detection of the silver nanoparticle size displays the potential application of anodic particle coulometry for nanoparticle characterisation. In contrast, for anodic stripping voltammetry using nanoparticles drop casting, it was observed that the capping agent has a very significant effect on the extent of silver oxidation. All five samples gave a low oxidative charge corresponding to partial oxidation. It is concluded that the use of anodic stripping voltammetry to quantify nanoparticles is unreliable, and this is attributed to nanoparticle aggregation.     

Role of stabilizing agents in the formation of stable silver nanoparticles in aqueous solution: Characterization and stability study

The stability of silver nanoparticles is controlled mainly by two major factors, namely, aggregation and oxidation. In the present study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized by using different series of reducing agents like a strong reducing agent (sodium borohydride), a mild reducing agent (tri-sodium citrate), and a weak reducing agent (glucose) with different capping agents, namely, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP K 30), starch, and sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (NaCMC). The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and anti-microbial activity. The particle size of silver nanoparticles varies in the following order: sodium borohydride < tri-sodium citrate < glucose. Combination of sodium borohydride–polyvinyl pyrrolidone and tri-sodium citrate-polyvinyl pyrrolidone yields stable silver nanoparticles compared to other combinations of reducing agents and capping agents. The stability results confirmed that a refrigerated condition (8°C) was more suitable for storage of silver nanoparticles. Anti-microbial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized in a sodium borohydride–polyvinyl pyrrolidone mixture shows a larger zone of inhibition compared to other silver nanoparticles. Anti-microbial results confirmed that the anti-microbial activity is better with smaller particle size. The size and stability of silver nanoparticles in the presence of different combinations of stabilizing and capping agents are reported.     

一种改善红光顶发射OLED色纯度及角度依赖特性的方法研究

在Si/SiO₂衬底上生长金属银作为阳极,4,4,4-tris(3-methylphenylpheny-lamino)-triphenylamine(m-MTDATA):MoOx/m-MTDATA/N,N-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N-diphenyl-1,1-biphenyl-4,4-diamine(NPB)作为空穴注入及传输层,发光层采用4,4-N,N-dicarbazole-biphenyl(CBP)掺杂磷光染料(1-(phenyl)isoquinoline)iridium(III) acetylanetonate(Ir(piq)₂(acac))的结构,4,7-di-phenyl-1,10-phenanthroline(BPhen)作为空穴阻挡层及电子传输层,阴极为LiF(1 nm)/Al(2 nm)/Ag(20 nm)复合阴极结构.通过在光取出的复合阴极上方生长一层CBP光学覆盖层,有效地改善了复合阴极膜系的透射率,从而改善了顶发射结构的光学耦合输出特性,在提高器件的正向发光效率的同时还使色坐标往深红光区移动.并且生长光学覆盖层结构的器件角度依赖特性明显得到改善,这对于制作高显示质量的显示器件具有重要意义.在原有结构的基础上增加20 nm的NPB掺杂磷光染料Ir(piq)₂(acac)作发光层,从而得到双发光层结构为NPB:Ir(piq)₂(acac)(1%,20 nm)/CBP:Ir(piq)₂(acac)(1%, 20 nm).由于NPB具有较高的空穴迁移率,避免了由于光学厚度的增加而引起器件工作电压的大幅升高,而双发光层的结构有利于增大激子复合区域,提高辐射复合几率,减少非辐射损耗,实现主客体之间高效的三线态能量传递,相对单发光层顶发射结构,双发光层结构不仅提高了器件的发光效率,而且改善了器件的色坐标.     

Chirality and Template‐Mediated Induction of Helical Preferences in Achiral β‐Peptides

This study describes chirality‐ or template‐mediated helical induction in achiral β‐peptides for the first time. A strategy of end capping β‐peptides derived from β‐hGly (the smallest achiral β‐amino acid) with a chiral β‐amino acid that possesses a carbohydrate side chain (β‐Caa; C‐linked carbo β‐amino acid) or a small, robust helical template derived from β‐Caas, was adopted to investigate folding propensity. A single chiral (R)‐β‐Caa residue at the C‐ or N‐terminus in these oligomers led to a preponderance of right‐handed 12/10‐helical folds, which was reiterated more strongly in peptides capped at both the C‐ and N‐terminus. Likewise, the presence of a template (a 12/10‐helical trimer) at both the C‐ and N‐terminus resulted in a very robust helix. The propagation of the helical fold and its sustenance was found in a homo‐oligomeric sequence with as many as seven β‐hGly residues. In both cases, the induction of helicity was stronger from the N terminus, whereas an anchor at the C terminus resulted in reduced helical propensity. Although these oligomers have been theoretically predicted to favor a 12/10‐mixed helix in apolar solvents, this study provides the first experimental evidence for their existence. Diastereotopicity was found in both the methylene groups of the β‐hGly moieties due to chirality. Additionally, the β‐hGly units have shown split behavior in the conformational space to accommodate the 12/10‐helix. Thus, end capping to assist chiralty‐ or template‐mediated helical induction and stabilization in achiral β‐peptides is a very attractive strategy.     

Enhanced thermal stability of Ag ohmic reflector for InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode using a Ru capping layer

A Ru capping layer is employed to improve the thermal stability of Ag ohmic reflectors for high-power GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The 20-nm-thick Ru capping layer is shown to be fairly effective in suppressing agglomeration by forming RuO₂. The Ag/Ru contacts exhibit specific contact resistance of 8.1 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm² and reflectance of ∼89% at a wavelength of 450 nm when annealed at 500 °C for 1 min, which are much better than that of Ag only contacts. Blue LEDs fabricated with the 500 °C-annealed Ag/Ru contacts give a forward voltage of 2.98 V at an injection current of 20 mA, which is lower than that (3.02 V) of LEDs with the 500 °C-annealed Ag only contacts. LEDs with the 500 °C-annealed Ag/Ru contacts show 25% higher output power (at 20 mA) than LEDs with the 500 °C-annealed Ag only contacts. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy examinations are performed to describe the improved electrical performance of the Ag/Ru contacts.