Forming a Homeotropic SmA Structure of Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Resin on an Amine-Modified Surface.

The molecular orientation of a liquid crystalline (LC) epoxy resin (LCER) on silane coupling surfaces of amorphous soda-lime-silica glass substrates was investigated. The LC epoxy monomer on the silane coupling surfaces of the substrates was revealed to form a smectic A (SmA) phase with planar alignments because of the relatively low surface free energy. An LCER with a curing agent, however, formed a homeotropically aligned SmA structure by curing on a substrate surface modified using a silane coupling agent with amino groups.

Fluoride-free synthesis of high-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates by seed-assisted aging treatment for starting gel.

High-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates (Si/Al molar ratio >100) were synthesized hydrothermally in the absence of fluoride media, where the seed-assisted aging treatment played an important role on the crystallization. These aluminosilicates showed a long catalytic lifetime with high selectivity toward lower olefins in the methanol-to-olefins reaction.

A mild aqueous synthesis of ligand-free copper nanoparticles for low temperature sintering nanopastes with nickel salt assistance.

An organic ligand-free aqueous-phase synthesis of copper (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) under an air atmosphere was successfully achieved by reducing copper(II) oxide particles with a leaf-like shape in the presence of Ni salts at room temperature. The resulting Cu NPs with a mean particle diameter of ca. 150 nm exhibited low-temperature sintering properties due to their polycrystalline internal structure and ligand-free surface.

Transcription-induced formation of paired Al sites in high-silica CHA-type zeolite framework using Al-rich amorphous aluminosilicate.

The paired Al species pre-formed in Al-rich amorphous aluminosilicates were transcribed into high-silica CHA-type zeolite frameworks under hydrothermal conditions, which offers a new approach to creating paired Al sites in zeolite frameworks. This Al-pair-rich CHA exhibited a higher Sr uptake than the control CHA zeolite synthesized by the conventional procedure.

A nanoparticle-mist deposition method: fabrication of high-performance ITO flexible thin films under atmospheric conditions.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films with low resistivity and high transparency in the visible light region have been prepared on flexible plastic films by a deposition method using water mist containing ITO nanoparticles (NPs) under atmospheric conditions. The ITO NP-mist was generated by ultrasonic irradiation of a water dispersion. Our developed protrusion-rich ITO NPs were applied as the ITO NPs.

Magnetorheological Fluids with Surface-Modified Iron Oxide Magnetic Particles with Controlled Size and Shape.

This study is focused on surface-modified FeO@SiO particles with precisely controlled sizes and shapes applied in magnetorheological (MR) fluids. After the preparation of the monodisperse spindle-shaped and cubic FeO@SiO particles, surface modification with dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTM) was carried out a silane coupling reaction to increase the dispersion stability of the particles. Afterward, MR fluids were prepared by mixing the DTM-modified FeO@SiO particles with silicon oil.

Organic Structure-Directing Agent-Free Synthesis of Mordenite-Type Zeolites Driven by Al-Rich Amorphous Aluminosilicates.

Mordenite (MOR)-type zeolites with a Si/Al molar ratio of up to 13 with crystallite sizes of ca. 60 nm were successfully synthesized from Al-rich aluminosilicates with a Si/Al ratio of 2 and additional SiO under seed-assisted hydrothermal conditions for 6 h or longer without any organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs). In stark contrast, under the same hydrothermal conditions for 6 h, control experiments using starting reagent(s), such as Al-poor aluminosilicate, pure SiO, tetraethyl orthosilicate, and Al(NO), all of which are typically employed for zeolite synthesis, failed to yield MOR-type zeolites.

Self-assembly of photoresponsive azo-containing phospholipids with a polar group as the tail.

Vesicles or micelles prepared from amphiphiles with azobenzene (Az) moieties and long alkyl chains have attracted much attention in drug delivery systems. To induce release behavior from smart carriers - photoisomerization of the Az groups, UV light exposure is typically used, but it can damage DNA and hardly penetrates cells. In this paper, Az-containing phospholipids without long alkyl tails were designed and synthesized; in these compounds, the end group of the Az moiety was substituted with a -NO and -OCH group (abbreviated N6 and M6, respectively).

Homeotropically Aligned Monodomain-like Smectic-A Structure in Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Films: Analysis of the Local Ordering Structure by Microbeam Small-Angle X-ray Scattering.

For the development of functional thin films with high thermal conductivity, the local ordering structure of a cured liquid crystalline epoxy resin (LCER) droplet was investigated by using synchrotron radiation microbeam small-angle X-ray scattering. The cured LCER in the vicinity of a substrate with low surface free energy was revealed to form a polydomain smectic-A (SmA) structure in which the normal direction of the layers was random in each domain, although the alignment was planar near the air interface. On the other hand, the cured LCER on a substrate with high surface free energy formed a homeotropically aligned SmA structure in the region within 21 μm from the surface of the substrate.

Magnetic field induced uniaxial alignment of the lyotropic liquid-crystalline PMMA-grafted FeO nanoplates with controllable interparticle interaction.

Magnetite (FeO) nanoplates with a hexagonal platelet shape were synthesized by two steps: hydrothermal synthesis of iron(iii) oxide (α-FeO) nanoplates followed by wet chemical reduction of the α-FeO nanoplates. Then, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chains were grafted onto the surface of the hexagonal FeO nanoplates (F) surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP), which ensures dispersion stability in organic solvents and ionic liquids. After mixing with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([Emim][NTf ]), a representative ionic liquid, the resulting PMMA-modified F were found to show good lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LC) behaviour in [Emim][NTf ] and to exhibit a fast response to the application of an external magnetic field.

Self-assembled structure of dendronized CdS nanoparticles.

Self-assembled dendronized CdS nanoparticles have been attracting considerable attention because of their photoluminescence properties depending on annealing treatments. In this study, their annealing-induced self-assembled structure was investigated via scanning transmission electron microscopy; thin foil specimens of self-assembled dendronized CdS nanoparticles were prepared by ultramicrotomy and the STEM images revealed their ordered structure and the effect of the annealing treatment. In addition, a structural order belonging to the P213 space group was identified via an autocorrelation analysis.

Ambient Aqueous-Phase Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles and Nanopastes with Low-Temperature Sintering and Ultra-High Bonding Abilities.

Copper nanoparticles (NPs) with an average particle diameter of 50-60 nm were successfully obtained by reducing an aqueous solution of a copper(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid complex with an aqueous hydrazine solution at room temperature under an air atmosphere. Copper NP-based nanopastes were printed onto a glass substrate using a metal screen mask and pressureless sintered under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 °C for 30 min. The electrical resistivity of the resulting copper electrode was 16 μΩ · cm.

Mechanochemically assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Sn-substituted MFI-type silicates.

Substitution of Al atoms in a zeolite framework by catalytic metal atoms has attracted considerable attention because the catalytic behavior can be tuned by the substituted atoms. In the present study, Sn-substituted MFI-type silicates were synthesized using a hydrothermal reaction of an amorphous Si-O-Sn precursor prepared by mechanochemical grinding of SiO and Sn(OH). The mechanochemical treatment was found to be a key technique for obtaining the amorphous Si-O-Sn precursor, where tetrahedral Sn species were incorporated into the amorphous matrix.

Highly Oriented Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Film: Robust High Thermal-Conductive Ability.

The molecular orientation effect of a liquid crystalline (LC) epoxy resin (LCER) on thermal conductivity was investigated, with the thermal conductivity depending on the surface free energy of amorphous soda-lime-silica glass substrate surfaces modified using physical surface treatments. The LC epoxy monomer was revealed to form a smectic A (SmA) phase with homeotropic alignments on the surfaces of substrates that possess high surface free energies of 71.3 and 72.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds by a Pore Tuning Approach Using Anisotropically Shaped SnO Nanocrystals.

Gas sensing with oxide nanostructures is increasingly important to detect gaseous compounds for safety monitoring, process controls, and medical diagnostics. For such applications, sensor sensitivity is one major criterion. In this study, to sensitively detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at very low concentrations, we fabricated porous films using SnO nanocubes (13 nm) and nanorods with different rod lengths (50-500 nm) that were synthesized by a hydrothermal method.

Solvation Mechanism of Task-Specific Ionic Liquids in Water: A Combined Investigation Using Classical Molecular Dynamics and Density Functional Theory.

The solvation behavior of task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) containing a common, L-histidine derived imidazolium cation [C20H28N3O3](+) and different anions, bromide-[Br](-) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide-[NTF2](-), in water is examined, computationally. These amino acid functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) are taken into account because of their ability to react with rare earth metal salts. It has been noted that the TSIL with [Br](-) is more soluble than its counterpart TSIL with [NTF2](-), experimentally.

Dynamic and Reversible Polymorphism of Self-Assembled Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Systems Derived from Cyclic Bis(ethynylhelicene) Oligomers.

A self-assembled lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) system exhibiting dynamic and reversible polymorphism was developed using the synthetic cyclic ethynylhelicene oligomers cyclobis[(M)-D-n] (n = 4 and 6), in which two oligomer moieties are connected by two flexible linkers. The cyclic molecular structure was designed to control aggregation properties ranging from the molecular level to the macroscopic level. The cyclic oligomer changed its structure between random coils and an intramolecular homo-double helix induced by temperature and solvents.

New insights into morphology of high performance BHJ photovoltaics revealed by high resolution AFM.

Direct imaging of the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) thin film morphology in polymer-based solar cells is essential to understand device function and optimize efficiency. The morphology of the BHJ active layer consists of bicontinuous domains of the donor and acceptor materials, having characteristic length scales of several tens of nanometers, that reduces charge recombination, enhances charge separation, and enables electron and hole transport to their respective electrodes. Direct imaging of the morphology from the molecular to macroscopic level, though, is lacking.

Size control of magnetite nanoparticles in excess ligands as a function of reaction temperature and time.

The novel synthesis of monodisperse magnetite Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles of varying sizes using a solventless synthetic method was developed. Iron salt was treated in excess oleylamine and oleic acid as ligands. The effect of the reaction temperature and time on the particle size was investigated and the particle sizes were easily tuned from 5.

Preparation of manganese doped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in zincblende phase and their magnetic properties.

In this study, the random dope of Mn into CdS nanoparticles in zincblende phase has been carried out under the mild reaction condition. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-Vis spectrometer, PL spectrometer, and SQUID. EDX showed that the compositions of Mn doped CdS nanoparticles were readily controlled.

Simple cubic packing of gold nanoparticles through rational design of their dendrimeric corona.

The first simple-cubic liquid crystal was obtained by coating monodisperse Au nanoparticles (NPs) with a thick corona of amino-substituted organic dendrons. This unusual structure was determined by grazing-incidence diffraction and electron density reconstruction and explained by analyzing the radial density profile of the corona. Another novel structure is proposed for the phase preceding the cubic one: a hexagonal superlattice composed of alternating dense and sparse strings of Au NPs.

Phospholipids with a stimuli-responsive thermotropic liquid-crystalline moiety.

Lyotropic liquid-crystalline phospholipids having an electro- and/or light-responsive mesogenic core were prepared. These LCs show lyotropic smectic A, smectic C, rectangular columnar, and nematic phases. We succeeded in the dynamic control of these LC phases by applying an electric field, which could lead to electrically switchable phospholipid bilayers.

pH-dependence of selenate removal from liquid phase by reductive Fe(II)-Fe(III) hydroxysulfate compound, green rust.

Removal of selenate ion from the liquid phase by hydroxysulfate green rust (GR(SO4)) was investigated in the pH range from 7.5 to 10.0.

Triethylsilane as a mild and efficient reducing agent for the preparation of alkanethiol-capped gold nanoparticles.

The reaction of HAuCl(4).4H(2)O and n-C(12)H(25)SH with 1 equiv. of Et(3)SiH in an organic solvent affords spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with narrow dispersity.

Reproducibility of maxillofacial anatomic landmarks on 3-dimensional computed tomographic images determined with the 95% confidence ellipse method.

Objective: To assess the plotting reproducibility of landmarks on 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images through use of the 95% confidence ellipse in order to propose sufficiently stable coordinate systems for 3D-CT measurements.

Materials And Methods: Six dentists plotted 19 landmarks twice on 3D-CT images. Scatterplots and the 95% ellipses were produced 3-dimensionally, and the areas of the ellipses were calculated for evaluating the reproducibility of landmarks.