Redox-Active Ferrocene Polymer for Electrode-Active Materials: Step-by-Step Synthesis on Gold Electrode Using Automatic Sequential Polymerization Equipment.

Redox-active polymers have garnered significant attention as promising materials for redox capacitors, which are energy-storage devices that rely on reversible redox reactions to store and deliver electrical energy. Our focus was on optimizing the electrochemical performance in the design and synthesis of redox-active polymer electrodes. In this study, a redox-active polymer was prepared through step-by-step synthesis on a gold electrode.

Control of Bandgaps and Energy Levels in Water-Soluble Discontinuously Conjugated Polymers through Chemical Modification.

Bandgap and energy levels are crucial for developing new electronic and photonic devices because photoabsorption is highly dependent on the bandgap. Moreover, the transfer of electrons and holes between different materials depends on their respective bandgaps and energy levels. In this study, we demonstrate the preparation of a series of water-soluble discontinuously π-conjugated polymers through the addition-condensation polymerization of pyrrole (Pyr), 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene (THB) or 2,6-dihydroxytoluene (DHT), and aldehydes, including benzaldehyde-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt (BS) and 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (THBA).

Electrical Conductivities of Narrow-Bandgap Polymers with Two Types of π-Conjugated Post-Crosslinking.

Bandgap energy is one of the most important properties for developing electronic devices because of its influence on the electrical conductivity of substances. Many methods have been developed to control bandgap, one of which is the realization of conducting polymers using narrow-bandgap polymers; however, the preparation of these polymers is complex. In this study, water-soluble, narrow-bandgap polymers with reactive groups were prepared by the addition-condensation reaction of pyrrole (Pyr), benzaldehyde-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt (BS), and aldehyde-containing reactive groups (aldehyde and pyridine) for post-crosslinking.

Synthesis of Reactive Water-Soluble Narrow-Band-Gap Polymers for Post-Crosslinking.

In this study, water-soluble, narrow-band-gap polymers containing reactive groups were prepared by the addition-condensation of pyrrole (Pyr), benzaldehyde-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt (BS), and terephthalaldehydic acid (TPA) or -hydroxybenzaldehyde (-HB). TPA and -HB were used for the post-crosslinking reaction between polymers. The polymers were characterized by employing various analyses such as H-NMR, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV-Vis-NIR.

Bovine serum albumin-capped gold nanoclusters conjugating with methylene blue for efficient O generation via energy transfer.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-capped gold nanoclusters (BSA-Au NCs) are attractive photosensitizers for efficient singlet oxygen O generation owing to their high-water solubility, low toxicity, and the broad absorption from UV to visible wavelengths, and the long lifetime of the electronic excitations (of the order of microseconds). However, the O generation efficiency of BSA-Au NCs is relatively low. In the present study, a conjugate of BSA-Au NCs and methylene blue (MB) (BSA-Au NC-MB conjugate) has been developed to improve O generation for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT).

Structure-controlled polymers prepared by pseudo-living addition-condensation polymerization and their application to light harvesting.

An A,B-block amphiphilic polymer and a branched polymer were prepared by using a new type of pseudo-living addition-condensation polymerization. The first polymer showed an interphase photoinduced energy transfer in a micellar system, while the second type showed efficient light-harvesting ability.

In situ sensitive fluorescence imaging of neurons cultured on a plasmonic dish using fluorescence microscopy.

A plasmonic dish was fabricated as a novel cell-culture dish for in situ sensitive imaging applications, in which the cover glass of a glass-bottomed dish was replaced by a grating substrate coated with a film of silver. Neuronal cells were successfully cultured over a period of more than 2 weeks in the plasmonic dish. The fluorescence images of their cells including dendrites were simply observed in situ using a conventional fluorescence microscope.