Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Aerogels Derived from Starch Biomass with Improved Electrochemical Properties for Li-Ion Batteries.

Among all advanced anode materials, graphite is regarded as leading and still-unrivaled. However, in the modern world, graphite-based anodes cannot fully satisfy the customers because of its insufficient value of specific capacity. Other limitations are being nonrenewable, restricted natural graphite resources, or harsh conditions required for artificial graphite production.

A Strategy to Optimize the Performance of Bio-Derived Carbon Aerogels by a Structuring Additive.

In this work, we investigated the influence of gum arabic (GA) as a structuring additive, on the electrochemical behavior of bio-derived carbon aerogels (CAGs). Modified carbonaceous materials were prepared by the gelatinization process of potato starch (PS) with the addition of GA in various quantities, followed by the thermal treatment of the obtained gels in an inert gas atmosphere. The obtained anode materials were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), galvanostatic charge/discharge tests (GCDT), extensive cycling (LT-GCDT) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) methods.

The Temperature Effect on the Electrochemical Performance of Sulfur-Doped LiMnO in Li-Ion Cells.

The application of modified spinel materials in commercial systems relates to the verification of their parameters under different conditions. Hence, in this study, the influence of temperature on the electrochemical behavior of sulfur-doped spinel (LiMnOS), with reference to stoichiometric spinel (LiMnO), was investigated. The electrochemical characteristics of Li-ion cells based on the fabricated spinels were investigated using galvanostatic charge-discharge tests (GCDT), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

Electrochemical Properties and Structure Evolution of Starch-Based Carbon Nanomaterials as Li-Ion Anodes with Regard to Thermal Treatment.

The influence of the pyrolysis temperature on the structural, textural, and electrochemical properties of carbon aerogels obtained from potato, maize, and rice starches was analyzed. The carbonization of organic precursors, followed by gelatinization, exchange of solvent, and drying process, was carried out in an argon atmosphere at temperatures ranging from 600 °C to 1600 °C. The nanostructured carbons were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) as well as N-adsorption/desorption (N-BET) methods.

Synthesis, Antibacterial, and Anticancer Evaluation of Novel Spiramycin-Like Conjugates Containing C(5) Triazole Arm.

Huisgen cycloaddition allowed obtaining of novel triazole-bridged antibiotics (6-16) with the reconstructed C(5) arm of spiramycin. (1)H-(1)H NOESY couplings indicated the structure of novel derivatives in solution and demonstrated that the rebuilt C(5) arm is slightly differently oriented relative to the aglycone part if compared to that of spiramycin (1). Combined analysis of biological data together with experimentally determined lipophilicity (clogP) and solubility show the importance of the chemical nature of the newly introduced triazole C(5) arm in the presence of attractive antibacterial and anticancer potency.

Structure-activity relationship studies of new rifamycins containing l-amino acid esters as inhibitors of bacterial RNA polymerases.

New rifamycins (1-12) combined with different l-amino acids, containing methyl, ethyl, tert-butyl and benzyl groups at the ester part, via amine linkage, were synthesized and their structures in solution were determined by spectroscopic FT-IR and 1D and 2D NMR methods as well as visualized by DFT calculations. Two types of rifamycin structures were detected in solution: a zwitterionic one with the transferred proton from O(8)H phenol to secondary N(38) atom and a pseudocyclic structure stabilized via formation of intramolecular H-bond within the protonated basic C(3)-substituent. The presence of these rifamycins' structures influenced physico-chemical (logP, solubility) parameters and antibacterial properties.

MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF FOOD SUPPLEMENTS.

Many specialists note that the food offered today - as a result of very complex technological processing - is devoid of many components that are important for the organism and the shortages have to be supplemented. The simplest for it is to consume diet supplements that provide the missing element in a concentrated form. In accordance with the applicable law, medicinal products include all substances or mixtures of substances that are attributed with properties of preventing or treating diseases with humans or animals.

The effect of complexation of 3-formylrifamycin SV macrocyclic ether derivatives with metal cations and small nitrogen-containing organic molecules on antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. epidermidis.

Spectroscopic studies of ether rifamycins (1-9) have shown that all these compounds tend to be zwitterions with different localizations of intramolecularly transferred proton, which influences their solubility and logP values. According to ESI MS studies, rifamycins 3 and 4 form complexes with Li(+) or Na(+), while the other ones (7-9) coordinate small organic molecules, which can be further replaced by Na(+) cation. Biological assays revealed that the use of 7-9 in the form of complexes with small organic molecules improves their antibacterial potency as a result of changed: logP, solubility and binding mode with bacterial RNA polymerases.

Nanostructured Titanium-10 wt% 45S5 Bioglass-Ag Composite Foams for Medical Applications.

The article presents an investigation on the effectiveness of nanostructured titanium-10 wt% 45S5 Bioglass-1 wt% Ag composite foams as a novel class of antibacterial materials for medical applications. The Ti-based composite foams were prepared by the combination of mechanical alloying and a "space-holder" sintering process. In the first step, the Ti-10 wt% 45S5 Bioglass-1 wt% Ag powder synthesized by mechanical alloying and annealing mixed with 1.