Immobilizing redox enzymes at mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes

Three key challenges are stimulating intensive research in the development of productive direct electron transfer mode enzyme electrodes: proper enzyme orientation, high enzyme loading, and full retention of enzyme activity. In this review, we summarize some significant advances that have been reported in the last years on the design of mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes as enzyme scaffolds and of innovative methodologies for wiring enzymes to electrodes. Particular attention is given to investigations on physical factors that determine a favorable enzyme immobilization, to provide rational guidelines for the design of productive enzymatic electrodes. Finally, some emerging trends focused on the spatial organization of either single enzymes or enzyme cascades are also briefly addressed.     

Study on the Relationship between Emulsion Properties and Interfacial Rheology of Sugar Beet Pectin Modified by Different Enzymes

The contribution of rheological properties and viscoelasticity of the interfacial adsorbed layer to the emulsification mechanism of enzymatic modified sugar beet pectin (SBP) was studied. The component content of each enzymatic modified pectin was lower than that of untreated SBP. Protein and ferulic acid decreased from 5.52% and 1.08% to 0.54% and 0.13%, respectively, resulting in a decrease in thermal stability, apparent viscosity, and molecular weight (Mw). The dynamic interfacial rheological properties showed that the interfacial pressure and modulus (E) decreased significantly with the decrease of functional groups (especially proteins), which also led to the bimodal distribution of particle size. These results indicated that the superior emulsification property of SBP is mainly determined by proteins, followed by ferulic acid, and the existence of other functional groups also promotes the emulsification property of SBP.     

Pulse radiolysis study of the initial steps of the polymerization of cyclohexyl acrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate

Pulse radiolysis with kinetic spectroscopic detection was applied to study the kinetics of the first steps of radiation induced polymerization of cyclohexyl acrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate in cyclohexane solvent. The reactions were initiated by cyclohexyl radicals produced in the radiolysis of the solvent. The transient absorption spectra of the -carboxyalkyl type radicals produced in addition reaction show maxima around 300 nm. This shifts to longer wavelength with time after the pulse. This phenomenon was explained by the oligomerization reaction. From the kinetic curves average rate coefficients of termination for the oligomer radicals (2k_t) were determined as a function of time elapsed after the electron pulse. The values obtained were compared with those calculated for other (acrylate and methacrylate type) monomers.     

烟气中Hg的氧化机理的研究

本文对Ｈｇ与Ｃｌ２在烟气中的氧化反应进行了热力平衡计算和动力学计算。平衡计算的结果表明有ＣＩ元索存在时Ｈｇ的氧化率为１００％，而在相同的条件下动力学计算纺果为Ｈｇ的氧化率在２０％～８０％之间变化，与实验结果吻合。实际的氧化反应是一种超平衡状态，不能达到理想的平衡状态。因此应采用动力学与热力平衡分析相结合的方法研究Ｈｇ在烟气中的反应机理。同时，计算结果显示Ｃｌ含量对Ｈｇ的氧化率的影响很大．     

New ligands for the Fe(III)‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

A series of (di)picolinic acids and their derivates are investigated as novel complexing tridentate or bidentate ligands in the iron‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in N,N‐dimethylformamide at 100 °C with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrontrile as an initiator. The polymerization rates and polydispersity indices (1.32–1.8) of the resulting polymers are dependent on the structures of the ligands employed. Different iron complexes may be involved in iron‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization, depending on the type of acid used. ¹H NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the structure of the resulting polymers. Chain‐extension reactions have been performed to further confirm the living nature of this catalytic system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2912–2921, 2006     

Monte Carlo study of interfacial silicon suboxide layers and oxidation kinetics

A simple simulation scheme that simultaneously describes the growth kinetics of SiO₂ films at the nanometer scale and the SiO_x/Si interface dynamics (its extent, and spatial/temporal evolution) is presented. The simulation successfully applies to experimental data in the region above and below 10 nm, reproduces the Deal and Grove linear-parabolic law and the oxide growth rate enhancement in the very thin film regime (the so-called anomalous region). According to the simulation, the oxidation is governed mainly by two processes: (a) the formation of a transition suboxide layer and (b) its subsequent drift towards the silicon bulk. We found that it is the superposition of these two processes that produces the crossover from the anomalous oxidation region behavior to the linear-parabolic law.     

Non-isothermal short-range-order kinetics of binary alloys as influenced by solute-vacancy complexes

A model describing the roles of bound and unbound vacancies is proposed in order to predict defect decay and short-range-order kinetics of quenched binary alloys during linear heating experiments. This is an alternative treatment of a previous approach. The model has been applied to the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves of Cu-5 at.% Zn quenched from different temperatures. An expression to calculate the activation energy for migration of solute-vacancy complexes was also developed which make use of DSC trace data. A value of 89.12±0.32 kJ mol^-1 was obtained for the above alloy. The relative contribution of bound and unbound vacancies to partition of effective activation energy corresponding to the ordering process as influenced by quenching temperature was also assessed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ultrasonic spectroscopic evaluation of the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene

An in situ ultrasonic spectroscopy technique was used to study the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene catalyzed by bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)benzylidene ruthenium dichloride. A reaction cell employing a flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) window for pulse echo ultrasonic spectroscopy was used to monitor the polymerization. The changes in the density, wave speed, acoustic modulus, and attenuation were all simultaneously monitored. In comparison with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy data, the changes in the density, velocity, and modulus only accurately measured the rate constant for the metathesis of the cyclopentyl unsaturation. The ultrasonic values were within 6% of the values determined by FTIR. The activation energy for metathesis of the cyclopentyl unsaturation was 84 kJ mol^?1, following first‐order kinetics. Rate constants for the polymerization of the norbornyl unsaturation could not be determined by ultrasound. The gel point, vitrification, and qualitative information about the reaction rate could be determined from the change in the attenuation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1323–1333, 2003