A PVC-based pentathia-15-crown-5 membrane potentiometric sensor for mercury(II)

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based membrane of pentathia-15-crown-5 exhibits good potentiometric response for Hg²⁺ over a wide concentration range (2.51 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.00 × 10⁻¹ mol dm⁻³) with a slope of 32.1 mV per decade of Hg²⁺ concentration. The response time of the sensor is as fast as 20 s. The electrode has been used for a period of six weeks and exhibits fairly good discriminating ability towards Hg²⁺ in comparison to alkali, alkaline and some heavy metal ions. The electrode can be used in the pH range from 2.7 to 5.0.     

Time-resolved fluorescence analysis of the mobile flavin cofactor in p -hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase

Conformational heterogeneity of the FAD cofactor in p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) was investigated with time-resolved polarized flavin fluorescence. For binary enzyme/substrate (analogue) complexes of wild-type PHBH and Tyr222 mutants, crystallographic studies have revealed two distinct flavin conformations; the ‘in’ conformation with the isoalloxazine ring located in the active site, and the ‘out’ conformation with the isoalloxazine ring disposed towards the protein surface. Fluorescence-lifetime analysis of these complexes revealed similar lifetime distributions for the ‘in’ and ‘out’ conformations. The reason for this is twofold. First, the active site of PHBH contains various potential fluorescence-quenching sites close to the flavin. Fluorescence analysis of uncomplexed PHBH Y222V and Y222A showed that Tyr222 is responsible for picosecond fluorescence quenching free enzyme. In addition, other potential quenching sites, including a tryptophan and two tyrosines involved in substrate binding, are located nearby. Since the shortest distance between these quenching sites and the isoalloxazine ring differs only little on average, these aromatic residues are likely to contribute to fluorescence quenching. Second, the effect of flavin conformation on the fluorescence lifetime distribution is blurred by binding of the aromatic substrates: saturation with aromatic substrates induces highly efficient fluorescence quenching. The flavin conformation is therefore only reflected in the small relative contributions of the longer lifetimes.     

Homooxacalix[3]arene Derivatives as Ionophores for Serotonin‐Selective Membrane Electrodes

Homooxacalix[3]arene derivatives are effective ionophores for constructing serotonin‐selective membrane electrodes. An electrode based on one of the derivatives, tris(methoxyphenylpropyloxy)hexahomooxacalix[3]arene‐triethyl ether, with potassium tetrakis(p‐chlorophenyl)borate (20 mol% relative to the ionophore) as an ionic additive and bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sebacate as a solvent mediator in a poly(vinyl chloride) membrane matrix, displayed much better selectivity for serotonin than for various organic ammonium ions and inorganic cations. The electrode exhibited a near‐Nernstian response to serotonin in the concentration range of 2×10^?4 to 1×10^?2 M with a slope of 56.4 mV per concentration decade in physiological saline containing 150 mM NaCl and 10 mM Na₂HPO₄/NaH₂PO₄ (pH 7.4). The limit of the detection was 8×10^?5 M. The selectivity pattern of this electrode was quite different from that of an electrode using calix[6]arene‐hexaacetic acid hexaethyl ester, a well‐known ionophore for primary organic ammonium ions, which did not induce an enhanced response to serotonin. The developed electrode was used for the active loading of serotonin in liposomes induced by transmembrane pH gradients.     

Conduction mechanism of metal-TiO2–Si structures

The conduction model has been proposed for the metal-TiO₂–Si (MIS) structures. Rutile films have been prepared on Si substrates by magnetron sputtering of TiO₂ target and annealing in the air at temperatures T?=?800 and 1050 K. The current-voltage (CVC) and capacitance-voltage characteristics of the structures have been measured over the range of T?=?283–363 K. At positive potentials on the gate, the conductivity of the MIS structures is determined by the space charge-limited current in the dielectric layer.     

In vivo lifetimes of the three color-sectors in bioluminescence emissions of the firefly Luciola praeusta at different temperatures

Bioluminescence emissions from fireflies have been well-studied for over a century. From the apparent features of the emitted light, conclusions have been drawn and hypotheses put forward on the characteristics of the highly efficient light emitting system. The basic emitter oxyluciferin, being chemically unstable, is difficult to study in isolation and, therefore, its analogs have been prepared and analyzed. In this letter, the lifetimes of the excited-state emitter oxyluciferin are measured, and an inference is drawn on the chemiluminescence reaction in vivo. The light from the Indian species of firefly Luciola praeusta contains three color-sectors: green, yellow, and red, and hence three optical filters are used to study time-resolved emissions from these sectors at different temperatures. All the three color-sectors are observed to be temperature sensitive in the time domain. An exponential variation of lifetime with temperature is observed for the emissions in these three regions.     

Biohybrid based on layered terbium hydroxide and applications as drug carrier and biological fluorescence probe

Aspirin (abbr. ASA) is intercalated into the layered terbium hydroxide (LTbH) by anion exchange method. Structure, chemical compositions, thermostability, morphology, luminescence property, cytotoxic effects and controlled‐release behaviors have been investigated. The ASA molecules may embed between layers with monolayered vertical arrangement, and the thermal stability of organics was enhanced after intercalation. The Tb³⁺ luminescence in ASA‐LTbH composites was enhanced compared with LTbH precusor and the luminescence intensity increased with the deprotonation degree. The cytotoxic effect of LTbH was observed with a sulforhodamine B (SRB) colorimetric assay, which revealed that the LTbH showed low cytotoxic effects. In addition, the ASA‐LTbH composites exhibited a sustained release of ASA in Na₂HPO₄‐NaH₂PO₄ buffer solution at pH 6.86 and 37°C. Construction of LRHs composites with drug molecules provided a beneficial pathway for preparing biohybrid based on LRHs, which may have potential applications in drug delivery carrier and biological fluorescence probe.     

Improved device reliability in organic light emitting devices by controlling the etching of indium zinc oxide anode

A controllable etching process for indium zinc oxide （IZO） films was developed by using a weak etchant of oxalic acid with a slow etching ratio. With controllable etching time and temperature, a patterned IZO electrode with smoothed surface morphology and slope edge was achieved. For the practical application in organic light emitting devices （OLEDs）, a sup- pression of the leak current in the current-voltage characteristics of OLEDs was observed. It resulted in a 1.6 times longer half lifetime in the IZO-based OLEDs compared to that using an indium tin oxide （ITO） anode etched by a conventional strong etchant of aqua regia.     

Ni/TPC催化剂的制备、表征及在秸秆热解燃气重整中的应用

以废弃汽车外轮胎热解后的副产物轮胎热解焦（Tyre pyrolysis char，TPC）为原料，利用均匀沉淀法制备以轮胎焦为载体的负载型Ni/TPC催化剂，采用EDX、SEM、XRD、TG、BET手段对催化剂进行了表征与分析，同时使用管式炉测试了Ni/TPC催化剂在秸秆热解燃气重整中的催化性能，并考察了热解温度、保温时间、镍负载量及催化时间对秸秆热解燃气重整效果的影响。研究结果表明，TPC富含焦和金属，Ni/TPC催化剂分散均匀，热稳定性好，比表面积为62 m²/g。催化剂活性测试显示，Ni/TPC催化剂用于作物秸秆热解燃气重整具有很强的催化活性，可显著提高燃气中可燃气体含量；热解温度在750℃、保温时间10 min、30%的Ni负载量时Ni/TPC催化剂的催化效率最高，连续使用850 min后，燃气中的H₂含量仍相对提高到50%以上，长时间使用后活性结构由Ni₃ZnC_0.7转变成FeNi₃，催化活性依然较强且趋于稳定，TPC可以作为良好的新型镍基催化剂载体。