Dewetting of polymethyl methacrylate on the patterned elastomer substrate by solvent vapor treatment

The dewetting evolution process of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film on the flat and prepatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates (with square microwells) by the saturated solvent of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) treatment has been investigated at room temperature by the optical microscope (OM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The final dewetting on the flat PDMS substrate led to polygonal liquid droplets, similar to that by temperature annealing. However, on the patterned PDMS substrate, depending on the microwells' structure of PDMS substrate and defect positions that initiated the rupture and dewetting of PMMA, two different kinds of dewetting phenomena, one initiated around the edge of the microwells and another initiated outside the microwells, were observed. The forming mechanism of these two different dewetting phenomena has been discussed. The microwells were filled with liquid droplets of PMMA after dewetting due to the formation of fingers caused by the pinning of the three-phase-line at the edge of the microwells and their rupture.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of high-molecular-weight poly(ether imide)s by phase-transfer catalysis

A facile and rapid polycondensation reaction of disodium bisphenol A with bis(chlorophthalimide)s was preformed with a domestic microwave oven in o-dichlorobenzene by phase-transfer catalysis. The polymerization reactions, in comparison with conventional heating polycondensation, proceeded rapidly and were completed within 25 min. The polymerizations gave the corresponding poly(ether imide)s with inherent viscosities of 0.55-0.92 dL g(-1). The effects of various factors on the polymerization, such as the amount of the catalyst, the reaction time, and the microwave power were studied. The properties of the polymers were briefly characterized.

Effect of dye concentration on the charge carrier transport in molecularly doped organic light-emitting diodes

The effect of the concentration of 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7, 7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) as dopant in tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum (Alq(3)) on the charge carrier transport in Alq(3):DCJTB was investigated by measuring the steady current-voltage characteristics and the transient electroluminescence. The dopant concentration dependence of the current-voltage relationship clearly indicates the carrier trapping by the DCJTB molecule. The DCJTB concentration significantly affects the electron mobility in Alq(3):DCJTB. The mobility has a nontrivial dependence on the doping level. For relatively low doping levels, less than 1%, the electron mobility of Alq(3):DCJTB decreases with the doping level. An increasing mobility is then observed if the dopant concentration is further increased, followed by a decrease for doping levels larger than similar to2%. The change of the electron mobility with the DCJTB concentration in Alq(3) is attributed to the additional energetic disorder due to potential fluctuations caused by the dipole-dipole interaction of random distribution dopant at the relatively low doping concentration, and to the phase separation at the high doping concentration.

Developments and applications of supported liquid phase catalysts

Supported liquid phase catalyst (SLPC) is one of effectively heterogenized homogeneous catalysts using organometallic complexes as active components, which are dissolved in a small quantity of liquid phase dispersed in the form of isle or film on the surface of supports. The SLPC has successfully been applied for several chemical transformations and this article will review recent results with respect to the preparation and catalytic performance, the applicability to continuous flow operations, and the capability of multifunctional catalysis.

Determination of Hg(II) in waters by on-line preconcentration using Cyanex 923 as a sorbent - Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry

Using a solid phase extraction mini-column home-made from a neutral extractant Cyanex 923, inorganic Hg could be on-line preconcentrated and simultaneously separated from methyl mercury. The preconcentrated Hg (11) was then eluted with 10% HNO3 and subsequently reduced by NaBH4 to form Hg vapor before determination by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). Optimal conditions for and interferences on the Hg preconcentration and measurement were at 1% HCl, for a 25 mL sample uptake volume and a 10 mL min(-1) sample loading rate. The detection limit was 0.2 ng L-1 and much lower than that of conventional method (around 15.8 ng L-1). The relative standard deviation (RSD) is 1.8% for measurements of 40 ng L-1 of Hg and the linear working curve is from 20 to 2000 ng L-1 (with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996). The method was applied in determination of inorganic Hg in city lake and deep well water (from Changchun, Jilin, China), and recovery test results for both samples were satisfactory.

Solution-phase synthesis of Au@ZnO core-shell composites

A novel solution-phase method for the preparation of Au@ZnO core-shell composites was described. With this method, the composites were grown without heating that is usually needed in other solution methods. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) results show that the diameter of Au@ZnO core-shell composites is about 10.5 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to characterize Au@ZnO core-shell composites. The optical properties of Au@ZnO core-shell composites, including UV-vis absorption and photo luminescence (PL), were observed at room temperature.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) diblock copolymers with an organic amino calcium catalyst

The quasiliving characteristics of the ringopening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone (CL) catalyzed by an organic amino calcium were demonstrated. Taking advantage of this feature, we synthesized a series of poly (F-caprolactone) (PCL)-poly(L-lactide) (PLA) cliblock copolymers with the sequential addition of the monomers CL and L-lactide. The block structure was confirmed by H-1-NMR, C-13-NMR, and gel permeation chromatography analysis. The crystalline structure of the copolymers was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis. When the molecular weight of the PLA block was high enough, phase separation took place in the block copolymer to form PCL and PLA domains, respectively.

A rapid solid-phase synthesis to soluble oligothiophene molecular wires

A novel method for the preparation of oligothiophene molecular wires is described via a bi-directional solid-phase synthesis. Using an alternating sequence of bromination and Stille coupling reactions, oligomers were obtained up to the heptamer in excellent yield and purity.

Studies of effect of phase volume ratio on transfer of ionizable species across the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface by a three-electrode setup

The electrochemical behavior of pyridine distribution at the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface with variable phase volume ratios (r=V-0/V-W) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The system was composed of an aqueous droplet supported on a Ag/AgCl disk electrode covered with an organic solution or an organic droplet supported on a Ag/AgTPBCl disk electrode covered with an aqueous solution. In this way, a conventional three-electrode potentiostat can be used to study an ionizable compound transfer process at a liquid/liquid interface with a wide range of phase volume ratios (from 0.0004 to 1 and from 1 to 2500). Using this special cell we designed, only very small volumes of both phase were needed for r equal to unity, which is very useful for the investigation of the distribution of ionizable species at a biphasic system when the available amount of species is limited. The ionic partition diagrams were obtained for different phase volume ratios.

Study of ionizable drugs transfer across the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface with phase volume ratio equal to unity using a three-electrode system

The electrochemical behavior of ionizable drugs (Amitriptyline, Diphenhydramine and Trihexyphenedyl) at the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface with the phase volume ratio (r = V-o/V-w) equal to 1 are investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The system is composed of an aqueous droplet supported at an Ag/AgCl disk electrode and it was covered with an organic solution. In this manner, a conventional three-electrode potentiostat can be used to study the ionizable drugs transfer process at a liquid/liquid interface. Physicochemical parameters such as the formal transfer potential, the Gibbs energy of transfer and the standard partition coefficients of the ionized forms of these drugs can be evaluated from cyclic voltammograms obtained. The obtained results have been summarized in ionic partition diagrams, which are a useful tool for predicting and interpreting the transfer mechanisms of ionizable drugs at the liquid/liquid interfaces and biological membranes.

Study of facilitated potassium ion transfer across a water vertical bar 1,2-dichloroethane interface using different phase volume ratio systems

A study of potassium ion transfer across a water \ 1,2-dichloroethane (W \ DCE) interface facilitated by dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) with various phase volume ratio systems is presented. The key point was that a droplet of aqueous solution containing a redox couple, Fe(CN)(6)(3-)/Fe(CN)(6)(4-), with equal molar ratio, was first attached to a platinum electrode surface, and the resulting droplet electrode was then immersed into the organic solution containing a hydrophobic electrolyte to construct a platinum electrode/aqueous phase/organic phase system. The interfacial potential of the W \ DCE within the series could be externally controlled because the specific compositions in the aqueous droplet make the Pt electrode function like a reference electrode as long as the concentration ratio of Fe(CN)(6)(3-)/Fe(CN)(6)(4-) remains constant. In this way, a conventional three-electrode potentiostat can be used to study the ion transfer process at a liquid \ liquid (L \ L) interface facilitated by an ionophore with variable phase volume ratio (r = V-o/V-w). The effect of r on ion transfer and facilitated ion transfer was studied in detail experimentally. We also demonstrated that as low as 5 x 10(-8) M DB18C6 could be determined using this method due to the effect of the high phase volume ratio.

Application of ionic liquids in organic reactions

Room-temperature ionic liquids are good solvents for a wide of organic, inorganic and organometallic compounds. Typically consisting of nitrogen-containing organic cations and inorganic anions, they are easy to recycle, nonflammable, and have no detectable vapor pressure. More recently, ionic liquids have been found to be excellent solvents for a number of chemical reactions, e. g. hydrogenation, alkylation, epoxidation, Heck-vinylation, Suzuki cross-coupling reactions and enzyme catalyzed organic reactions. This paper focuses on the recent development of using ionic liquids as solvents for transition metal and enzyme catalyzed reactions.

Study on the integrated membrane processes of dehumidification of compressed air and vapor permeation processes

Blend modified polyimide (PI) hollow fiber membranes were used in vapor permeation for gas phase dehydration of ethanol. Dry air sweeping operation was used and the dry air was supplied by a dehumidification membrane module of compressed air. An integrated membrane process was composed. The effects of some factors, such as the modification of membrane materials, the humidity and current velocity of sweeping air, the operation temperature, on the efficiency of dehydration were discussed.

Amperometric biosensor for inert organic solvents based on a sol-gel hybrid material

A unique sol-gel enzyme electrode for inert organic solvents is developed that is based on the partition equilibrium of the substrate between water-organic solvent media and the enzyme membrane.

Amperometric quantification of polar organic solvents based on a tyrosinase biosensor

A novel amperometric biosensor for quantification of the electrochemically inert polar organic solvents based on tyrosinase electrode was preliminarily reported. The biosensor was fabricated by simply syringing an aqueous solution of tyrosinase/PVAVP (PVAVP: copolymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafting with 4-vinylpyridine) onto glassy carbon electrode surface followed by drying the modified electrode at +4 degrees C in a refrigerator. The current generated from electrochemical reduction of quinone is a probe signal. The biosensor can be used for quantification of polar organic solvents, and its mechanism was characterized with in situ steady-state amperometry-quartz crystal microbalance experiments. The detection limit, sensitivity, and dynamic range for certain organic solvents are dependent on the kind and concentration of the substrate probe and the hydrophobicity of the immobilization matrix. The response time for all the tested organic solvents is less than 2 min.