Highly Ordered 1D Fullerene Crystals for Concurrent Control of Macroscopic Cellular Orientation and Differentiation toward Large-Scale Tissue Engineering.

A highly aligned 1D fullerene whisker (FW) scaffold in a centimeter area is fabricated by interfacial alignment. The resulting aligned FW scaffold enables concurrent control over cellular orientation and differentiation to muscle cells. This aligned FW scaffold is made by a facile method, and hence the substrate is a promising alternative to other cell scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Nonionic amphiphile nanoarchitectonics: self-assembly into micelles and lyotropic liquid crystals.

Amphiphiles, molecules that possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties, are architecturally simple molecules that can spontaneously self-assemble into complex hierarchical structures from lower to higher dimensions either in the bulk phase or at an interface. Recent developments in multifunctional nanostructure design using the advanced concept of nanoarchitectonics utilize this simple process of assembly. Amphiphilic self-assemblies involving lipids or proteins mimic the structure of biological systems, thus highlighting the necessity of a fundamental physical understanding of amphiphilic self-assembly towards a realization of the complex mechanisms operating in nature.

Manipulation of shell morphology of silicate spheres from structural evolution in a purely inorganic system.

We have investigated the structural transformation of solid silica spheres into various more complex spherical structures including flower-like, thick or thin nanosheet-shelled and porous shelled spheres. In the absence of organic additives, sodium salts contained in this inorganic reaction system apparently direct the silica dissolution and regrowth of dissolved silicate at the nanometer-scale, leading to the formation of a nanosheet network rather than solid aggregates. Subsequent removal of the salts by simple water washing results in voids in the siloxane network and a significant availability of surface silanol groups so that the resulting nanosheets and spheres composed of them possess large surface areas, pore volumes, and morphological flexibility, which can be varied by an applied stimulus.

Detection of ethanol in alcoholic beverages or vapor phase using fluorescent molecules embedded in a nanofibrous polymer.

An alcohol sensor was developed using the solid-state fluorescence emission of terphenyl-ol (TPhOH) derivatives. Admixtures of TPhOH and sodium carbonate exhibited bright sky-blue fluorescence in the solid state upon addition of small quantities of ethanol. A series of terphenol derivatives was synthesized, and the effects of solvent polarities and the structures of these π-conjugated systems on their fluorescence were systematically investigated by using fluorescence spectroscopy.

Chiral sensing by nonchiral tetrapyrroles.

Enantiomeric excess (ee) is a measure of the purity of an enantiomer of a chiral compound with respect to the presence of the complementary enantiomer. It is an important aspect of chemistry, especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals and asymmetric catalysis. Existing methods for determination of enantiomeric excesses using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy mostly rely on special chiral reagents (auxiliaries) that form two or more diastereomeric complexes with a chiral compound.

Acute hypopituitarism complicating Russell's viper envenomation: case series and systematic review.

Background: Chronic hypopituitarism following Russell viper envenomation (RVE) is a rare but well-recognized syndrome. The clinical features, associations, management and outcomes of RVE associated-acute hypopituitarism (AHP) are not well described.

Aims: To describe the clinical features, intensive care unit (ICU) management and outcomes of a series of patients with RVE-AHP and identify the clinical associations of RVE-AHP.

Nanoporous carbon tubes from fullerene crystals as the π-electron carbon source.

Here we report the thermal conversion of one-dimensional (1D) fullerene (C60) single-crystal nanorods and nanotubes to nanoporous carbon materials with retention of the initial 1D morphology. The 1D C60 crystals are heated directly at very high temperature (up to 2000 °C) in vacuum, yielding a new family of nanoporous carbons having π-electron conjugation within the sp(2)-carbon robust frameworks. These new nanoporous carbon materials show excellent electrochemical capacitance and superior sensing properties for aromatic compounds compared to commercial activated carbons.

Pt-free solar driven photoelectrochemical hydrogen fuel generation using 1T MoS2 co-catalyst assembled CdS QDs/TiO2 photoelectrode.

The solar-to-hydrogen generation from the TiO2-CdS-ZnS-MoS2 (TCZM) heterointerface was demonstrated. We found that a Pt-free CdS quantum dot-sensitized TiO2 mesoporous electrode with a metallic-type 1T MoS2 co-catalyst resulted in 0.11 ml cm(-2) h(-1) H2 fuel generation in unassisted potential mode, which was strikingly improved to 1.

Highly ordered nanoporous carbon films with tunable pore diameters and their excellent sensing properties.

Ordered porous carbon films with tunable pore diameters, immobilized with glucose oxidase (GOD) have been fabricated and employed for the construction of a biosensor for glucose molecules. The as-prepared porous films have large specific surface areas and highly ordered porous structure with uniform pore sizes, which are critical for the immobilization of large amounts of GOD and support the promotion of heterogeneous electron transfer. The developed biosensors give enough room for the encapsulation of a high amount of GOD molecules and show excellent biosensing performance with a linear response to glucose concentration ranging from 0.

Breaking aggregation in a tetrathiafulvalene-fused zinc porphyrin by metal-ligand coordination to form a donor-acceptor hybrid for ultrafast charge separation and charge stabilization.

A novel electron rich, tetrathiafulvalene fused zinc porphyrin, (TTF)4PZn, has been newly synthesized and characterized using spectral and electrochemical methods. In spite of the presence of eight t-butyl groups, (TTF)4PZn exhibited appreciable aggregation in solution. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging of the aggregates revealed their spherical particulate morphology.

Philadelphia chromosome positive pre-T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a rare case report and short review.

Pre-T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a relatively rare leukemia. Twenty to 30 % of adult B cell leukemia cases are Philadelphia chromosome positive and it has a therapeutic and prognostic significance. Incidence and outcome of Ph+ T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T cell ALL) is unknown.

Multicolour fluorescent memory based on the interaction of hydroxy terphenyls with fluoride anions.

Memory operations based on variation of a molecule's properties are important because they may lead to device miniaturization to the molecular scale or increasingly complex information processing protocols beyond the binary level. Molecular memory also introduces possibilities related to information-storage security where chemical information (or reagents) might be used as an encryption key, in this case, acidic/basic reagents. Chemical memory that possesses both volatile and non-volatile functionality requires reversible conversion between at least two chemically different stable or quasi-stable states.

Rapid exchange between atmospheric CO2 and carbonate anion intercalated within magnesium rich layered double hydroxide.

The carbon cycle, by which carbon atoms circulate between atmosphere, oceans, lithosphere, and the biosphere of Earth, is a current hot research topic. The carbon cycle occurring in the lithosphere (e.g.

Mesoporous BN and BCN nanocages with high surface area and spherical morphology.

Novel mesoporous BN and BCN materials with cage type porous structure and spherical morphology have been synthesized using carbon nanocages with 3D porous structure as a template via an elemental substitution method at a low synthesis temperature. The obtained materials exhibit a large specific pore volume with uniform pore size distribution and the specific surface area ranging from 945 to 1023 m(2) g(-1).

Stimulation of electro-oxidation catalysis by bulk-structural transformation in intermetallic ZrPt₃ nanoparticles.

Although compositional tuning of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been extensively investigated, possible control of the catalytic performance through bulk-structure tuning is surprisingly overlooked. Here we report that the bulk structure of intermetallic ZrPt3 NPs can be engineered by controlled annealing and their catalytic performance is significantly enhanced as the result of bulk-structural transformation. Chemical reduction of organometallic precursors yielded the desired ZrPt3 NPs with a cubic FCC-type structure (c-ZrPt3 NPs).

Demonstration of ultrarapid interfacial formation of 1D fullerene nanorods with photovoltaic properties.

We demonstrate ultrarapid interfacial formation of one-dimensional (1D) single-crystalline fullerene C60 nanorods at room temperature in 5 s. The nanorods of ∼ 11 μm in length and ∼ 215 nm in diameter are developed in a hexagonal close-pack crystal structure, contrary to the cubic crystal structure of pristine C60. Vibrational and electronic spectroscopy provide strong evidence that the nanorods are a van der Waals solid, as evidenced from the preservation of the electronic structure of the C60 molecules within the rods.

Acid/base switching of the tautomerism and conformation of a dioxoporphyrin for integrated binary subtraction.

Compared with most of the reported logic devices based on the supramolecular approach, systems based on individual molecules can avoid challenging construction requirements. Herein, a novel dioxoporphyrin DPH22 was synthesized and two of its tautomers were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound DPH22 exhibits multichannel controllable stepwise tautomerization, protonation, and deprotonation processes through interactions with H(+) and F(-) ions.

Fabrication of both the photoactive layer and the electrode by electrochemical assembly: towards a fully solution-processable device.

We present an economical route to achieve an all-solution and vacuum-deposition free device for fabrication of both the photoactive layer and the electrode. This low cost strategy offers a wide range of possibilities in terms of chemical and physical properties for the fabrication of tailor-made materials and their devices.

Reaction mediated artificial cell termination: control of vesicle viability using Rh(I)-catalyzed hydrogenation.

Methods for artificial cell control by applying catalytic processes are receiving increasing attention as a basis for artificial control of cellular functions. Here we have developed a Rh(I)-based catalytic hydrogenation reaction of unsaturated bonds of lipids that make up vesicles contained in aqueous media. The reduction reaction was applied to vesicles revealing that oleate vesicles collapse following catalytic reduction with H2 and a Rh(I) catalyst, while the distribution of EggPC liposomes was increased following the reaction.

Self-assembly: from amphiphiles to chromophores and beyond.

Self-assembly has been recognised as a ubiquitous aspect of modern chemistry. Our understanding and applications of self-assembly are substantially based on what has been learned from biochemical systems. In this review, we describe various aspects of self-assembly commencing with an account of the soft structures that are available by assembly of surfactant amphiphiles, which are important scientific and industrial materials.

Arylpyrrole oligomers as tunable anion receptors.

A novel type of arylpyrrole oligomer possessing an appropriate electropositive cavity has been designed, prepared and analysed for use as readily accessible receptors for negatively charged guests. Affinities of the receptors for various anions were determined by UV/Vis titration experiments and in depth insights into the host-guest interactions were gained by performing (1)H NMR titration experiments and X-ray crystallographic structure analyses. Experimentally determined association constants were correlated with the calculated maximum electrostatic potentials of the electropositive cavities of the receptors, allowing estimation of the strengths of host-guest associations in similar compounds.

Tunable, functional carbon spheres derived from rapid synthesis of resorcinol-formaldehyde resins.

In this article, the rapid synthesis of colloidal, spherical polymer resins via enhanced copolymerization and polycondensation of resorcinol with formaldehyde is presented. The ultrasound-mediated technique assembles perfectly spherical resins in less than 5 min due to generated active species and free radicals produced in an aqueous ammonia-ethanol-water solvent. In this report, numerous controlled experiments account for and support the important role of high intensity ultrasounds in the rapid cluster formation, condensation, and gelation process of resorcinol with formaldehyde in the presence of ammonia catalyst.

Aligned 1-D nanorods of a π-gelator exhibit molecular orientation and excitation energy transport different from entangled fiber networks.

Linear π-gelators self-assemble into entangled fibers in which the molecules are arranged perpendicular to the fiber long axis. However, orientation of gelator molecules in a direction parallel to the long axes of the one-dimensional (1-D) structures remains challenging. Herein we demonstrate that, at the air-water interface, an oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)-derived π-gelator forms aligned nanorods of 340 ± 120 nm length and 34 ± 5 nm width, in which the gelator molecules are reoriented parallel to the long axis of the rods.