High activity PtRu/C catalysts synthesized by a modified impregnation method for methanol electro-oxidation

A modified impregnation method was used to prepare highly dispersive carbon-supported PtRu catalyst (PtRu/C). Two modifications to the conventional impregnation method were performed: one was to precipitate the precursors ((NH4)(2)PtCl6 and Ru(OH)(3)) on the carbon support before metal reduction: the other was to add a buffer into the synthetic solution to stabilize the pH. The prepared catalyst showed a much higher activity for methanol electro-oxidation than a catalyst prepared by the conventional impregnation method. even higher than that of current commercially available, state-of-the-art catalysts. The morphology of the prepared catalyst was characterized using TEM and XRD measurements to determine particle sizes, alloying degree, and lattice parameters. Electrochemical methods were also used to ascertain the electrochemical active surface area and the specific activity of the catalyst.

Kinetic study of formic acid oxidation on carbon supported Pd electrocatalyst

The oxidation of formic acid at the Pd/C catalyst electrode is a completely irreversible kinetic process with the reaction order of 1.0. The oxidation rate of formic acid is increased with increasing the concentration of formic acid and is decreased with increasing H+ concentration. The apparent negative reaction order with respect to H+ is about -0.18 or -0.04 in H2SO4 or HClO4 solution respectively, because bisulfate anions would inhibit formic acid oxidation at some extent. The kinetic parameters, charge transfer coefficient and the diffusion coefficient of formic acid were obtained under the quasi steady-state conditions.

Highly Active Carbon-supported PdSn Catalysts for Formic Acid Electrooxidation

PdSn/C catalysts with different atomic ratios of Pd to Sn were synthesised by a NaBH4 reduction method. Electrochemical tests show that the alloy catalysts exhibit significantly higher catalytic activity and stability for formic acid electrooxidation (FAEO) than the Pd/C catalyst prepared with the same method. XRD and TEM indicate that a particle-size effect is not the main cause for the high performance. XPS confirms that Pd is modified by Sn through an electronic effect which can decrease the adsorption strength of poisonous intermediates on Pd and thus promote the FAEO greatly.

One step to detect the latent fingermarks with gold nanoparticles

A simple and environment friendly chemical route for detecting latent fingermarks by one-step single-metal nanoparticles deposition method (SND) was achieved successfully on several non-porous items. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) synthesized using sodium borohydride as reducing agent in the presence of glucose, were used as working solution for latent fingermarks detection. The SND technique just needs one step to obtain clear ridge details in a wide pH range (2.5-5.0), whereas the standard multi-metal deposition (MMD) technique requires six baths in a narrow pH range (2.5-2.8). The SND is very convenient to detect latent fingermarks in forensic scene or laboratory for forensic operators. The SND technique provided sharp and clear development of latent fingermarks, without background staining, dramatically diminished the bath steps.

The synthesis of perylene-coated graphene sheets decorated with Au nanoparticles and its electrocatalysis toward oxygen reduction

Chemically converted graphene (CCG)/3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA)/Au-ionic liquid (Au-IL) composites (CCG/PTCA/Au-IL) have been prepared by a chemical route that involves functionalization of CCG with PTCA followed by deposition of Au-IL. Transmission electron microscopy revealed well-distributed Au with a high surface coverage. The identity of the hybrid material was confirmed through X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The CCG/PTCA/Au-IL composites exhibited good electrocatalytic behavior toward oxygen reduction. The results indicate that modification of CCG with Au-IL could play an important role in increasing the electrocatalytic activity of CCG.

Cytotoxicity of liver targeted drug-loaded alginate nanoparticles

In this study, novel liver targeted doxorubicin (DOX) loaded alginate (ALG) nanoparticles were prepared by CaCl2 crosslinking method. Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA, a liver targeted molecule) modified alginate (GA-ALG) was synthesized in a heterogeneous system, and the structure of GA-ALG and the substitution degree of GA were analyzed by H-1 NMR, FT-IR and elemental analysis. The drug release profile under the simulated physiological condition and cytotoxicity experiments of drug-loaded GA-ALG nanoparticles were carried out in vitro. Transmission electron micrographs (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis showed that drug-loaded GA-ALG nanoparticles have spherical shape structure with the mean hydrodynamic diameter around 214 +/- 11 nm.

Synthesis, characterization and electrophosphorescent properties of mononuclear platinum(II) complexes based on 2-phenylbenzoimidazole derivatives

The rational design, synthesis and characterization of five phosphorescent platinum complexes [(C boolean AND N) Pt(acac)] [Hacac = acetylacetone, HC boolean AND N = 1-methyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)benzoimidazole (H-FMBI), 1-methyl-2-phenylbenzoimidazole (H-MBI), 1,2-diphenyl-benzoimidazole (H-PBI), 1-(4-(3,6-di-t-butylcarbazol-9-yl)) phenyl-2-phenylbenzoimidazole (t-BuCz-H-PBI), and 1-(4-(3,6-di-(3,6-di-t-butyl-carbazol-9-yl))carbazol-9-yl) phenyl-2-phenylbenzoimidazole (t-BuCzCz-H-PBI)] have been discussed. The crystal structure of (MBI) Pt(acac) shows a nearly ideal square planar geometry around Pt atom and the weak intermolecular interactions with pi-pi spacing of 3.55 angstrom. All of the complexes emit green phosphorescence from the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited state with high quantum efficiency (0.08-0.17) at room temperature.

Preparation of bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles by combination of sol-gel and coprecipitation method

SiO2-CaO-P2O5 ternary bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles were prepared via the combination of sol-gel and coprecipitation processes. Precursors of silicon and calcium were hydrolyzed in acidic solution and gelated in alkaline condition together with ammonium dibasic phosphate. Gel particles were separated by centrifugation, followed by freeze drying, and calcination procedure to obtain the bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles. The investigation of the influence of synthesis temperature on the nanopartilce's properties showed that the reaction temperature played an important role in the crystallinity of nanoparticle. The glass ceramic particles synthesized at 55 degrees C included about 15% crystalline phase, while at 25 degrees C and 40 degrees C the entire amorphous nanopowder could be obtained.

The Surface Modification of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles by the Ring Opening Polymerization of gamma-Benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride

The surface modification of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles by the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) was proposed to prepare the poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG)-grafted HA nanoparticles (PBLG-g-HA) for the first time. HA nanoparticles were firstly treated by 3-aminopropylthriethoxysilane (APS) and then the terminal amino groups of the modified HA particles initiated the ROP of BLG-NCA to obtain PBLG-g-HA. The process was monitored by XPS and FT-IR. The surface grafting amounts of PBLG on HA ranging from 12.1 to 43.1% were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the ROP only underwent on the surface of HA nanoparticles without changing its bulk properties. The SEM measurement showed that the PBLG-g-HA hybrid could form an interpenetrating net structure in the self-assembly process.

Design of Fluorescent Assays for Cyanide and Hydrogen Peroxide Based on the Inner Filter Effect of Metal Nanoparticles

We have demonstrated the design of a new type fluorescent assay based on the inner filter effect (IFE) of metal nanoparticles (NPs), which is conceptually different from the previously reported metal NPs-based fluorescent assays. With a high extinction coefficient and tunable plasmon absorption feature, metal NPs are expected to be capable of functioning as a powerful absorber to tune the emission of the fluorophore in the IFE-based fluorescent assays. In this work, we presented two proof-of-concept examples based on the IFE of Au NPs by choosing MDMO-PPV as a model fluorophore, whose fluorescence could be tuned by the absorbance of Au NPs with a much higher sensitivity than the corresponding absorbance approach.

Ethanol electrooxidation on Pt/C catalysts promoted with praseodymium oxide nanorods

The Pt/C electrocatalysts containing Pr6O11 nanorods were successfully prepared. By various electrochemical characterization methods, it was demonstrated that the Pr6O11 nanorods have an obviously promotive role for ethanol electrooxidation catalyzed by Pt/C. However, according to the stripping experiment, the promotive effect of Pr6O11 does not result from the easier electrooxidation of the intermediate adsorbate on Pt-Pr6O11/C than on Pt/C. It was supposed that Pr6O11 could promote a certain step in ethanol oxidation, and that the special morphology of the nanorods could further enhance the activity compared with nanoparticles.

Sensitive turn-on fluorescent detection of cyanide based on the dissolution of fluorophore functionalized gold nanoparticles

We report a simple fluorescent method for sensitive cyanide detection based on the dissolution of Rhodamine B-adsorbed gold nanoparticles by cyanide.

Au nanoparticles grafted sandwich platform used amplified small molecule electrochemical aptasensor

We report a sensitively amplified electrochemical aptasensor using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a model. ATP is a multifunctional nucleotide thatis most important as a "molecular currency" of intracellular energy transfer. In the sensing process, duplexes consisting of partly complementary strand (PCS1), ATP aptamer (ABA) and another partly complementary strand (PCS2) were immobilized onto Au electrode through the 5'-HS on the PCS1. Meanwhile, PCS2 was grafted with the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) to amplify the detection signals. In the absence of ATP, probe methylene blue (MB) bound to the DNA duplexes and also bound to guanine bases specifically to produce a strong differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signal. But when ATP exists, the ABA-PCS2 or ABA-PCS1 part duplexes might be destroyed, which decreased the amount of MB on the electrode and led to obviously decreased DPV signal.

Electrochemiluminescence detection of NADH and ethanol based on partial sulfonation of sol-gel network with gold nanoparticles

We developed a stable, sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor based on the synthesis of a new sol-gel material with the ion-exchange capacity sol-gel to coimmobilize the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) and enzyme. The partial sulfonated (3-mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane sol-gel (PSSG) film acted as both an ion exchanger for the immobilization of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) and a matrix to immobilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs/PSSG/Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) film modified electrode allowed sensitive the ECL detection of NADH as low as 1 nM. Such an ability of AuNPs/PSSG/Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) film to promote the electron transfer between Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) and the electrode suggested a new, promising biocompatible platform for the development of dehydrogenase-based ECL biosensors. With alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) as a model, we then constructed an ethanol biosensor, which had a linear range of 5 mu M to 5.2 mM with a detection limit of 12 nM.

Turn-on fluorescent detection of cyanide based on the inner filter effect of silver nanoparticles

A simple, sensitive fluorescent method for detecting cyanide has been developed based on the inner filter effect (IFE) of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). With a high extinction coefficient and tunable plasmon absorption feature, Ag NPs are expected to be a powerful absorber to tune the emission of the fluorophore in the IFE-based fluorescent assays. In the present work, we developed a turn-on fluorescent assay for cyanide based on the strong absorption of Ag NPs to both excitation and emission light of an isolated fluorescence indicator. In the presence of cyanide, the absorber Ag NPs will dissolve gradually, which then leads to recovery of the IFE-decreased emission of the fluorophore. The concentration of Ag NPs in the detection system was found to affect the fluorescence response toward cyanide greatly. Under the optimum conditions, the present IFE-based approach can detect cyanide ranging from 5.0 x 10 (7) to 6.0 x 10 (4) M with a detection limit of 2.5 x 10 (7) M, which is much lower than the corresponding absorbance-based approach and compares favorably with other reported fluorescent methods.