Au(i)-, Ag(i)-, and Pd(ii)-coordination-driven diverse self-assembly of an N-heterocyclic carbene-based amphiphile.

Au(i)-, Ag(i)-, and Pd(ii)-coordination-driven diverse self-assembly of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based amphiphile was demonstrated herein. The transition metals had significant effects over the whole system, setting the self-assembly direction of the NHC-based amphiphile. More specifically, Au(i)- and Ag(i)-coordination to the NHC-based amphiphile promoted the formation of spherical and hexagonal structures, while Pd(ii)-coordination promoted the formation of cylindrical and lamellar structures.

HO production on a carbon cathode loaded with a nickel carbonate catalyst and on an oxide photoanode without an external bias.

Efficient HO production both on a carbon cathode modified with various metal salts and on an oxide photoanode was investigated. The cathodic current density and faradaic efficiency for HO production (FE(HO)) on a carbon cathode in KHCO aqueous solution were significantly improved by the loading of an insoluble nickel carbonate basic hydrate catalyst. This electrode was prepared by a precipitation method of nickel nitrate and KHCO aqueous solution at ambient temperature.

Rapid and continuous fabrication of TiO nanoparticles encapsulated by polyimide fine particles using a multistep flow-system and their application.

PI fine particles encapsulating a large number of TiO nanoparticles (PI FPs/TiO NPs) were successfully fabricated rapidly and continuously by the emulsion re-precipitation method using a multistep flow synthetic system. The fabricated material, PI FPs/TiO NPs, was spherical in structure with a diameter of 214 nm, and the mean size of TiO NPs was 5.2 nm.

Temperature effects on the C-H symmetric stretching vibrational frequencies of guest hydrocarbon molecules in 5, 56 and 56 cages of sI and sII clathrate hydrates.

C-H symmetric stretching vibrational frequencies of CH, CH and CH molecules encapsulated in 5, 56 and 56 cages of structures I (sI) and II (sII) clathrate hydrates measured by Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range of 93-183 K was analysed. The slopes of the symmetric stretch vibrational frequencies under changing temperatures (Δ/Δ) for CH, CH and CH molecules encapsulated in sII 56 cages were smaller than those for molecules in sI 56 cages, although sI 56 cages are smaller than sII 56 cages. We compared the results of Δ/Δ in this study with the geometrical properties of each host water cage, and these comparisons suggest that the geometry of host water cages affects Δ/Δ.

Improving thermal and mechanical properties of biomass-based polymers using structurally ordered polyesters from ricinoleic acid and 4-hydroxycinnamic acids.

Biomass-based copolymers with alternating ricinoleic acid and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapinic acid) exhibit a repeating structure based on soft and hard segments, derived from ricinoleic and 4-hydroxycinnamic acids, respectively. To achieve this alternating sequence, copolymers were synthesised by the self-condensation of hetero-dimeric monomers derived by the pre-coupling of methyl ricinolate and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid. The glass transition temperature ( ) was observed to increase as the number of methoxy groups on the main chain increased; the values of poly(coumaric acid--ricinoleic acid), poly(ferulic acid--ricinoleic acid), and poly(sinapinic acid--ricinoleic acid) are -15 °C, -4 °C, and 24 °C respectively, 58 °C, 69 °C, and 97 °C higher than that of poly(ricinoleic acid).

Z-Scheme Water Splitting under Near-Ambient Pressure using a Zirconium Oxide Coating on Printable Photocatalyst Sheets.

Sunlight-driven water splitting systems operating under ambient pressure are essential for practical renewable hydrogen production. Printable photocatalyst sheets, composed of a hydrogen evolution photocatalyst (HEP), an oxygen evolution photocatalyst (OEP), and conductive metal nanoparticles, are cost-effective and scalable systems. However, the decrease in water splitting activity under ambient pressure due to reverse reactions hampers their practical application.

Effect of temperature and large guest molecules on the C-H symmetric stretching vibrational frequencies of methane in structure H and I clathrate hydrates.

Large molecules such as 2-methylbutane (CH) or 2,2-dimethylbutane (CH) form structure H (sH) hydrates with methane (CH) as a help gas. In this study, the Raman spectra of the C-H symmetric stretch region of CH enclathrated within various sH hydrates and structure I CH hydrates were analyzed in the temperature range 137.7-205.

Retraction: Effect of temperature and large guest molecules on the C-H symmetric stretching vibrational frequencies of methane in structure H and I clathrate hydrates.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/C7RA12334E.].

Controlled release of basic fibroblast growth factor from a water-floatable polyethylene nonwoven fabric sheet for maintenance culture of iPSCs.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is an essential supplement for culture media to support the proliferation of human pluripotent stem cells, while preserving their pluripotency. However, it is extremely unstable under cell culture conditions at 37 °C. Therefore, a culture medium supplemented with bFGF needs to be changed every day to maintain an effective concentration of bFGF.

Anticancer drug delivery to cancer cells using alkyl amine-functionalized nanodiamond supraparticles.

Nanocarriers have attracted increasing interest due to their potential applications in anticancer drug delivery. In particular, the ability of nanodiamonds (NDs) to spontaneously self-assemble into unique nano-structured architectures has been exploited in the development of nanocarriers. In this context, we synthesized functional supraparticles (SPs) by the self-assembly of alkyl amine-modified NDs for use in anticancer chemotherapy.

Switching the optical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube hybrid films using a photoresponsive dispersant as a dopant.

The light-induced switching of the optical and electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was demonstrated following hybridisation with an azobenzene-based photoresponsive dispersant in solid film. The resultant SWCNT/photoresponsive dispersant hybrid film showed switching of absorbance in the near-infrared region by the irradiation of UV and visible lights, which was caused by the change of the doping ability of the dispersant to SWCNT. In addition, the switching of the electrical properties of the SWCNT hybrid film was also observed.

One millimeter per minute growth rates for single wall carbon nanotube forests enabled by porous metal substrates.

We report an exceptionally high-efficiency synthesis of long single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) forests using porous substrates (metal meshes) in place of nonporous flat substrates. This study examined the dependence of the growth efficiency on various mesh structures, including wire diameter, aperture size, and total surface area. We demonstrated that the synthesis of SWCNT forests is highly dependent on the initial porosity as well as maintaining the open pores throughout the duration of the growth.

Retracted Article: Effect of temperature and large guest molecules on the C-H symmetric stretching vibrational frequencies of methane in structure H and I clathrate hydrates.

Large molecules such as 2-methylbutane (CH) or 2,2-dimethylbutane (CH) form structure H (sH) hydrates with methane (CH) as a help gas. In this study, the Raman spectra of the C-H symmetric stretch region of CH enclathrated within various sH hydrates and structure I CH hydrates were analyzed in the temperature range 83-183 K. Thermal expansions of these sH hydrate samples were also measured using powder X-ray diffraction.

A New Cell Separation Method Based on Antibody-Immobilized Nanoneedle Arrays for the Detection of Intracellular Markers.

Focusing on intracellular targets, we propose a new cell separation technique based on a nanoneedle array (NNA) device, which allows simultaneous insertion of multiple needles into multiple cells. The device is designed to target and lift ("fish") individual cells from a mixed population of cells on a substrate using an antibody-functionalized NNA. The mechanics underlying this approach were validated by force analysis using an atomic force microscope.

Breakdown of metallic single-wall carbon nanotube paths by NiO nanoparticle point etching for high performance thin film transistors.

A selective and highly local etching of the metallic single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was demonstrated by using a NiO nanoparticle (NP) point etching technique. Following the NiO NP point etching at temperatures ranging from 250 to 350 °C, the current on/off ratios of the SWCNT field effect transistors (FETs) increased over 50-fold from ∼10 s to ∼10(4). Furthermore, the unavoidable drop in on-state current due to the reduction in current paths could be minimized to within one order of magnitude.