On the High Viscosity of Aqueous Solution of Lysozyme Induced by Some Organic Solvents

A remarkably high viscosity has been induced in protein aqueous solutions by the addition of certain structurally related organic solvents. The effect has been observed for lysozyme aqueous solutions containing tetramethylurea (TMU), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide, and hexamethylphosphortriamide. The effect has also been induced in ferrocytochrome c aqueous solutions by TMU. Critical concentrations for both the protein and organic solvent were verified for the onset of the viscosity increase. A common feature of the solvents which were able to induce the effect is a dipolar moiety (C=O, S → O and P → O) and a nonpolar region represented by the methyl groups. The resulting fluids show an extremely restricted flow and a typical non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic behavior. Use was made of¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectroscopy to characterize protein structural modifications and of¹³C NMR to investigate changes in relaxation times and chemical shifts in the solvent/water solutions. A systematic rheological characterization of the systems was undertaken for some of the solvents, and unusual patterns of viscous effects were identified for the solvent/water systems both with and without protein. The process was found to be at least partially reversible, as concluded from the recovered original solution rheological characteristics and the original protein¹H NMR spectrum, after eliminating the organic solvent by ultrafiltration. The whole process was characterized as consisting of two mutually independent stages. The first involves an extensive conformational transition of the polypeptide backbone, from a predominantly α-helical to increased random coiled and β-sheet structures, with the occurrence of nonorthodox protein secondary structures at regions above the solvent critical point. The second stage consists of short-lived interchain contacts leading to an entanglement of the macromolecular system as a whole. A microphase reversion in the organic solvent/water mixture, supported by¹³C NMR and rheological results, is proposed as the driving force causing the observed behavior.     

A study of the formation of silica-supported mixed magnesium-manganese spinel oxides from multicomponent gels

The effects of thermal treatment on composite materials prepared by the gelation of sols comprising large concentrations of metal oxide precursor salts have been investigated, in order to determine the compositional and thermal requirements for forming spinel magnesium manganates in such systems. The preparative technique has been found to give rise to derived gel materials in which the metal oxide phase, in the form of regular spherical particles, is dispersed throughout a continuous silica matrix. Silica-supported mixed magnesium and manganese spinel oxide phases were obtained for systems comprising at least 30 wt% metal nitrate after heating to temperatures between 700 and 850°C, but not without concomitant formation of Mn₂O₃ and modification of the silica network by magnesium.     

Determination of dopamine in synthetic cerebrospinal fluid by SWV with a graphite–polyurethane composite electrode

This work describes an electroanalytical investigation of dopamine using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the graphite–polyurethane composite electrode (GPU). In CV studies, well-defined redox peaks characterize the oxidation process at the GPU electrode, which is indicative of electrocatalytic effects associated with active sites on the GPU electrode surface. A new analytical methodology was developed using the GPU electrode and square wave voltammetry (SWV) in BR buffer solution (0.1 mol L^–1; pH 7.4). Analytical curves were constructed under optimized conditions (f=60s^–1, E_a=50 mV, E_I=2 mV) and detection and quantification limits of 6.4×10^–8 mol L^–1 (12.1 g L^–1) and 5.2×10^–6 mol L^–1 (0.9 mg L^–1), respectively, were achieved. The precision of the method was checked by performing ten successive measurements for a 9.9×10^–6 mol L^–1 dopamine solution. For intra-assay and inter-assay precisions, the relative standard deviations were 1.9 and 2.3%, respectively. In order to evaluate the developed methodology, the determination of dopamine was performed with good sensitivity and selectivity, without the interference of ascorbic acid in synthetic cerebrospinal fluid, which indicates that the new methodology enables reliable analysis of dopamine.     

A density functional study on magnetic exchange interaction between Mn(II) ion and nitronyl nitroxide radical in <Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-and <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-metal-radical complexes

The magneto-structural correlation between a Mn(ll) ion, coordinated in an octahedral environment, and two nitronyl nitroxide radical ligands in trans- and cis-metal-radical complexes is investigated by the broken symmetry (BS) approach within density functional theory (DFT). The dependences of coupling constants J on three structural parameters: (i) bond angle θ (Mn-O-N (nitroxide)); (ii) rotating angle ψ, defined by the nitronyl nitroxide radical plane rotating around the axial Mn-O (nitroxide); (iii) bond distance R (Mn-O (nitroxide)) are directly calculated. Our calculations showed that both trans- and cis-Mn(ll)-radical complexes behave a stronger antiferromagnetic interaction, consistent with experiments. In view of molecular orbital theory, the direct exchanges, including σ-type and π-type exchanges, are responsible for the magnetic exchange pathways. There is a preferable linear correlation between the calculated coupling constants J and the overlap integral squares S b between the local magnetic orbitals at the various rotating angle ψ at the fixed bond angle θ and bond distance R, in both trans- and cis-Mn(ll)-radical complexes.     

负载型TiO2-聚酰亚胺亲水复合膜的制备与分离性能

采用溶解－流涎法，湿相转换法和干湿相转换法制轩了负载型ＴｉＯ２－聚酰亚胺亲水复合膜，采用扫描电镜，红外光谱，压汞和透气性实验等手段对该膜的孔径分布，表面结构及扩散性能进行了表征，并讨论了制备亲水对膜孔结构的影响，实验结果表明，三种膜均具有很好的亲水性能，而干湿相转换膜具有良好的孔径分布和分离性能。     

Proton Relaxometry of Long-Lived Spin Order

A study of long-lived spin order in chlorothiophene carboxylates at both high and low magnetic fields is presented. Careful sample preparation (removal of dissolved oxygen in solution, chelating of paramagnetic impurities, reduction of convection) allows one to obtain very long-lived singlet order of the two coupled protons in chlorothiophene derivatives, having lifetimes of about 130 s in D₂O and 240 s in deuterated methanol, which are much longer than the T₁-relaxation times (18 and 30 s, respectively, at a field =9.4 T). In protonated solvents the relaxation times become shorter, but the lifetime is still substantially longer than . In addition, long-lived coherences are shown to have lifetimes as long as 30 s. Thiophene derivatives can be used as molecular tags to study slow transport, slow dynamics and slow chemical processes, as has been shown in recent years.     

Towards advanced circuit board materials: adhesion of copper foil to ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene composite

Polyethylene based composites are attractive materials for advanced circuit board applications because of their unique combination of properties: low dielectric constant and loss factor, light weight, high flexural modulus and low thermal expansion coefficient controlled in all spatial directions. This investigation describes a process to consolidate chopped fibers of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene concurrently with its bonding to a copper foil. Bonding is affected by a thin sheet of low‐density polyethylene, incorporating a crosslinking agent with a concentration gradient across the sheets thickness. In this single step process, the composite material is formed and bonded to the metal foil, achieving good adhesion without the use of extraneous glue. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

纳米晶复合Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe合金制备与磁性能的研究

采用熔体快淬及晶化处理工艺制备Nd11Fe71Co8V1.5Cr1B7.5纳米晶合金。经21m·s-1快淬及640℃ 4min晶化处理后,制成的粘结磁体的磁性能最佳,为:Br=0.64T,JHc=903.5kA·m-1,(BH)max=71kJ·m-3。添加Cr元素可提高内禀矫顽力,从而提高最大磁能积。     

PEO-LiClO_4-ZSM5 composite polymer electrolyte (IV): Polarized optical microscopy study

All solid-state lithium polymer batteries may be one of the best choices for the future electrochemical power source, characterized by high energy densities, good cyclability, reliability and safety[1,2]. Owing to its potential capability to replace the t…     

微波聚合制备单分散、超细聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯微球

在微波辐照下,通过甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)的无乳化剂乳液聚合,制备出粒径单分散、超细聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)微球。微波显著缩短聚合诱导期,加快聚合反应,其部分原因是微波加快引发剂过硫酸钾(KPS)的分解。实验证明微波辐照下KPS的表观分解活化能(ED)由128.3kJ/mol降低到106.0kJ/mol。单体浓度是影响PMMA乳液粒子尺寸的主要因素,在[MMA]小于0.3mol/L时,平均粒径随单体浓度提高而线形增加;[MMA]为0.3～1.0mol/L时,平均粒径稳定在约200nm;之后随单体浓度进一步增加,乳液稳定性变差。引发剂浓度增加对平均粒径影响较小,但增大引发剂浓度可显著降低粒径分散度。选取[MMA]为0.23～0.3mol/L、[KPS]为3×10-3～6×10-3mol/L可以得到粒径200nm的单分散微球。以丙酮/水(体积比1/3)为反应介质,可制备出数均粒径45nm的PMMA纳米粒子。在体系中加入3.5×10-3mol/L的Cu2+,可制备出数均粒径67nm、单分散的PMMA纳米粒子。