We study the orientational transitions in a suspension of carbon nanotubes in a nematic liquid crystal induced by an external magnetic field. The case of a finite orientational anchoring of liquid crystal molecules at the surface of doped carbon nanotubes is considered. It is shown that in a magnetic field the initial homogeneous planar texture of the liquid crystal-carbon nanotubes mixture is disturbed in a threshold manner (Fréedericksz transition). The orientational and concentration distributions of the suspension are studied for different values of the magnetic field strength and segregation intensity of the impurity subsystem. The optical phase lag between ordinary and extraordinary rays of light transmitted through a layer of a liquid crystal composite is calculated. The possibility of changing the nature of the Fréedericksz transition from second order to first order is shown. This tricritical behavior is related to the redistribution of the carbon nanotubes (segregation effect) inside the layer.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6664398 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.10.145 | DOI Listing |
Chempluschem
January 2025
Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Department of Pharmacy, CHINA.
With enrichment of tetracycline (TC) in ecosystems, its accurate detection has become a major concern. Noble-metal nano-particles have attracted great interest as potential materials for sensing applications because of their remarkable electrical properties and adaptability. Herein, a novel electro-chemical detection technique based on carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) as the support material is developed to detect TC with high precision.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioelectrochemistry
January 2025
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Laboratory for Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China. Electronic address:
A ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was developed for ultra-sensitive detection of cortisol using aptamer (Apt) as recognition element, methylene blue (MB) as signal probe, and zirconium metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) as carrier loaded with abundant MB for signal amplification. The carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNTs)-modified Au electrode showed excellent electrochemical performance to immobilize complementary DNA (cDNA) for hybridizing with MB@Zr-MOF-Apt via amide bonds. In the presence of cortisol, it would compete with cDNA for binding the Apt, resulting in the detachment of MB@Zr-MOF-Apt complex from the electrode surface, and the electrochemical signal of MB was decreased, while that of [Fe(CN)] was basically unchanged.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Separation Material and Technology, The Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. Electronic address:
Electrocoagulation (EC) has proven its high efficiency and environmental sustainability for treating several types of wastewaters. However, the primary drawbacks of the conventional EC process are the suitable electrode materials and the relatively high cost due to the requirement for electric energy. To overcome these practical challenges, this study investigated effective oil/water separation by a solar-powered electrocoagulation (SPEC) process using a novel highly conductive basalt fabric (BF) cathode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcc Chem Res
January 2025
The Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, New York 13902, United States.
ConspectusIn the search for efficient and selective electrocatalysts capable of converting greenhouse gases to value-added products, enzymes found in naturally existing bacteria provide the basis for most approaches toward electrocatalyst design. Ni,Fe-carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (Ni,Fe-CODH) is one such enzyme, with a nickel-iron-sulfur cluster named the C-cluster, where CO binds and is converted to CO at high rates near the thermodynamic potential. In this Account, we divide the enzyme's catalytic contributions into three categories based on location and function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
January 2025
Chemical and Biological Engineering - Iowa State University, 618 Bissell Rd, Ames, IA 50011.
Proteins can be rapidly prototyped with cell-free expression (CFE) but in most cases there is a lack of probes or assays to measure their function directly in the cell lysate, thereby limiting the throughput of these screens. Increased throughput is needed to build standardized, sequence to function data sets to feed machine learning guided protein optimization. Herein, we describe the use of fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) as effective probes for measuring protease activity directly in cell-free lysate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!