Asymmetric Michael addition catalysed by copper-amyloid complexes.

We developed self-assembled peptides containing a partial amyloid β protein sequence and a metal-coordination site. The amyloid fibril-copper complexes exhibited excellent reactivity and moderate enantioselectivity in Michael addition reactions with 2-azachalcone and dimethylmalonate. The catalytic amyloids were characterized using various measurements to confirm their amyloid-like nanofibre structures.

Surface ligand chemistry on quaternary Ag(In Ga )S semiconductor quantum dots for improving photoluminescence properties.

Ternary and quaternary semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are candidates for cadmium-free alternatives. Among these, semiconductors containing elements from groups 11, 13, and 16 (, I-III-VI) are attracting increasing attention since they are direct semiconductors whose bandgap energies in the bulk state are tunable between visible and near infrared. The quaternary system of alloys consisting of silver indium sulfide (AgInS; bandgap energy: = 1.

A quasi-stable molybdenum sub-oxide with abundant oxygen vacancies that promotes CO hydrogenation to methanol.

Production of methanol from anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO) is a promising chemical process that can alleviate both the environmental burden and the dependence on fossil fuels. In catalytic CO hydrogenation to methanol, reduction of CO to intermediate species is generally considered to be a crucial step. It is of great significance to design and develop advanced heterogeneous catalysts and to engineer the surface structures to promote CO-to-methanol conversion.

Synthesis of small Ni-core-Au-shell catalytic nanoparticles on TiO by galvanic replacement reaction.

We report the first preparation of small gold-nickel (AuNi) bimetallic nanoparticles (<5 nm) supported on titania by the method of galvanic replacement reaction (GRR), evidenced by the replacement of Ni atoms by Au atoms according to the stoichiometry of the reaction. We showed that this preparation method allowed not only the control of the gold and nickel contents in the samples, but also the formation of small bimetallic nanoparticles with strained core-shell structures, as revealed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping. The catalytic characterization by the probe reaction of semi-hydrogenation of butadiene showed that the resulting nickel-based nanocatalysts containing a small amount of gold exhibited higher selectivity to butenes than pure nickel catalysts and a high level of activity, closer to that of pure nickel catalysts than to that of pure gold catalysts.

Controlling the oxidation state of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles prepared by ionic liquid/metal sputtering to enhance plasmon-induced charge separation.

Nanoparticles composed of molybdenum oxide, MoO , were successfully prepared by room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL)/metal sputtering followed by heat treatment. Hydroxyl groups in RTIL molecules retarded the coalescence between MoO NPs during heat treatment at 473 K in air, while the oxidation state of Mo species in MoO nanoparticles (NPs) could be modified by changing the heat treatment time. An LSPR peak was observed at 840 nm in the near-IR region for MoO NPs of 55 nm or larger in size that were annealed in a hydroxyl-functionalized RTIL.

Dynamic Analyses of the Short-Term Effects of Different Bisphosphonates Using Intravital Two-Photon Microscopy.

Bisphosphonates are commonly used for the treatment of bone disorders such as osteoporosis; however, the mechanism by which they affect the dynamics of living mature osteoclasts in vivo remains unknown. Here, we describe the short-term effects of different bisphosphonates on controlling the bone resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts in living bone tissues of mice using intravital two-photon microscopy with a pH-sensing chemical fluorescent probe. Three types of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, risedronate, alendronate, and minodronate, inhibited osteoclastic acidification during osteoporotic conditions just 12 hours after i.