Highly edge-connected factors using given lists on degrees

Let G be a 2k-edge-connected graph with and let for every . A spanning subgraph F of G is called an L-factor, if for every . In this article, we show that if for every , then G has a k-edge-connected L-factor. We also show that if and for every , then G has a k-edge-connected L-factor.     

Search of truncation of (N−1) electron basis containing full connected triple excitations in computing main and satellite ionization potentials via Fock‐space coupled cluster approach

A valence‐universal multireference coupled cluster (VUMRCC) theory, realized via the eigenvalue independent partitioning (EIP) route, has been implemented with full inclusion of triples excitations for computing and analyzing the entire main and several satellite peaks in the ionization potential spectra of several molecules. The EIP‐VUMRCC method, unlike the traditional VUMRCC theory, allows divergence‐free homing‐in to satellite roots which would otherwise have been plagued by intruders, and is thus numerically more robust to obtain more efficient and dependable computational schemes allowing more extensive use of the approach. The computed ionization potentials (IPs) as a result of truncation of the (N−1) electron basis manifold involving virtual functions such as 2h‐p and 3h‐2p by different energy thresholds varying from 5 to 15 a.u. with 1 a.u. intervals as well as thresholds such as 20, 25, and 30 a.u. have been carefully looked into. Cutoff at around 25 a.u. turns out to be an optimal threshold. Molecules such as C₂H₄ and C₂H₂ (X = D,T), and N₂ and CO (X = D,T,Q) with Dunning's cc‐pVXZ bases have been investigated to determine all main and 2h‐p shake‐up and 3h‐2p double shake‐up satellite IPs. We believe that the present work will pave the way to a wider application of the method by providing main and satellite IPs for some problematic N‐electron closed shell systems. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Facile Method for Preparation of Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Poly(furfuryl Alcohol)/PTFE Composites

A stable superhydrophobic surface have been fabricated with poly(furfuryl alcohol) (PFA)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite coatings on steel substrates by using a facile method. The observation of field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that the hierarchical microstructures formed on the surfaces are controlled by varying the curing temperature. This method can be easily operated on substrates of steel, therefore is readily developed to other engineering metal substrates such as aluminum, copper, etc.     

Direct breath figure formation on PMMA and superhydrophobic surface using in situ perfluoro-modified silica nanoparticles

Breath figure formation was carried out directly on the surface of poly(methylmethacrylate) using a mixture of a good solvent, tetrahydrofuran, and a nonsolvent, water. Direct breath figure formation was coined for this method and a mechanism was proposed to describe the figure formation by the method based on hypothesizes available for the normal breath figure formation. The proposed mechanism is such that the sonication effect, immersion time, and water content on characteristics of the obtained figures can be explained. The figured surface was then made superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 175° using in situ growing of perfluoro modified silica nanoparticles inside the figure cell by one-pot method. The spherical modified silica nanoparticles were detected being trapped by figure features providing a mechanical entrapment of the low-surface energy nanoparticles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2013     

Preparation of Gradient Surfaces by Using a Simple Chemical Reaction and Investigation of Cell Adhesion on a Two‐Component Gradient

This article describes a simple method for the generation of multicomponent gradient surfaces on self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold in a precise and predictable manner, by harnessing a chemical reaction on the monolayer, and their applications. A quinone derivative on a monolayer was converted to an amine through spontaneous intramolecular cyclization following first‐order reaction kinetics. An amine gradient on the surface on a scale of centimeters was realized by modulating the exposure time of the quinone‐presenting monolayer to the chemical reagent. The resulting amine was used as a chemical handle to attach various molecules to the monolayer with formation of multicomponent gradient surfaces. The effectiveness of this strategy was verified by cyclic voltammetry (CV), matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), MS imaging, and contact‐angle measurements. As a practical application, cell adhesion was investigated on RGD/PHSRN peptide/peptide gradient surfaces. Peptide PHSRN was found to synergistically enhance cell adhesion at the position where these two ligands are presented in equal amounts, while these peptide ligands were competitively involved in cell adhesion at other positions. This strategy of generating a gradient may be further expandable to the development of functional gradient surfaces of various molecules and materials, such as DNA, proteins, growth factors, and nanoparticles, and could therefore be useful in many fields of research and practical applications.     

Modification of Carbon Electrodes by Anodic Oxidation of Organic Anions

Functionalization of carbon surfaces was first carried out in electrode pre-treatments under drastic electrolysis conditions. As a result of these treatments, the electrode carbon surfaces were modified without selectivity with a wide variety of oxygenated functional groups. However, this lack of selectivity was partially overshot with some electrochemical strategies of covalent immobilization, such as the reduction of aryldiazonium, arylsulfonium and iodonium salts, the oxidation of amines, alkynes and arylacetates. In a variant of these direct methods, the oxidation of the carbon surfaces in presence of alcohols and alkyltrimethylsilanes has also been developed. This sort of derivatization has opened the possibility to incorporate a wide variety of functional groups according to the desired applications. In the majority of these methods, reactive intermediates such as organic free radicals and carbocations are generated, which react with the sp² carbon atoms of the surface to produce covalently modified electrodes. In the particular case of the oxidation process of carboxylates, the loss of carbon dioxide is accompanied with the formation of free radicals and by analogy, it is proposed in this work that other organic anions are also susceptible to be oxidized to yield free radicals that could be covalently attached to carbon electrodes.