Co-continuous network polymers using epoxy monolith for the design of tough materials.

High-performance polymer materials that can exhibit distinguished mechanical properties have been developed based on material design considering energy dissipation by sacrificial bond dissociation. We now propose co-continuous network polymers (CNPs) for the design of tough polymer materials. CNP is a new composite material fabricated by filling the three-dimensionally continuous pores of a hard epoxy monolith with any cross-linked polymer having a low glass transition temperature (T).

Sensory neurons that respond to sex and aggregation pheromones in the nymphal cockroach.

In the common pest cockroach, Periplaneta americana, behavioural responses to the sex and aggregation pheromones change in an age-dependent manner. Nymphs are attracted by the aggregation pheromone periplanolide-E (PLD-E) but not by the sex pheromone periplanone-B (PB) in faeces. Adults display prominent behaviours to PB but not to PLD-E.

Dissimilar Materials Bonding Using Epoxy Monolith.

The epoxy monolith with a highly porous structure is fabricated by the thermal curing of 2,2-bis(4-glycidyloxyphenyl)propane and 4,4'-methylenebis(cyclohexylamine) in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) as the porogen via polymerization-induced phase separation. In this study, we demonstrated a new type of dissimilar material bonding method for various polymers and metals coated with the epoxy monolith. On the basis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, the pore size and number of epoxy monoliths were evaluated to be 1.

Li⁺ selective podand-type fluoroionophore based on a diphenyl sulfoxide derivative bearing two pyrene groups.

New podand-type fluoroionophores having two pyrene moieties: 2,2´-bis(1-pyrenylacetyloxy)diphenyl sulfide (3), 2,2´-bis(1-pyrenylacetyloxy)diphenyl sulfoxide (4), and 2,2´-bis(1-pyrenylacetyloxy)diphenyl sulfone (5), have been synthesized by connecting two 1-pyrenecarbonylmethyl groups with the two hydroxy groups of 2,2´-dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide, sulfoxide, and sulfone, respectively. Their complexation behavior toward alkali metal ions was examined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Among these fluoroionophores, compound 4, having a sulfinyl group, showed high selectivity toward Li⁺.

Efficient construction of a diabody using a refolding system: anti-carcinoembryonic antigen recombinant antibody fragment.

Recombinant fragments of the variable region of antibodies are useful in many experimental and clinical applications. However, it can be difficult to obtain these materials in soluble form after their expression in bacteria. Here, we report an efficient procedure for preparing several variable-domain fragments (Fv), single-chain Fv (scFv), and a diabody (the smallest functional bispecific antibody) of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) antibody by overexpression in Escherichia coli in inclusion bodies, using a refolding system to obtain renatured proteins.