Gold nanowire assembling architecture for H2O2 electrochemical sensor

Morphological control of nanomaterials is of great interest due to their size and shape-dependent chemical and physical properties and very important applications in many fields such as biomedicine, sensors, electronics and others. In this paper, we reported a simple strategy for synthesizing gold nanowire assembling architecture at room temperature. It is found that two important factors, the proper volume ratio of ethanol to water and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), will play important roles in synthesizing flower-like short gold nanowire assembling spheres. Furthermore, the obtained flower-like gold assembling spheres with high surface-to-volume ratio have been employed as enhancing materials for electrochemical sensing H2O2. The present electrochemical sensing platform exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of H2O2. The detection limit for H2O2 was found to be 1.2 mu M, which was lower than certain enzyme-based biosensors.

Selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline in dense phase carbon dioxide over Ni/gamma-Al2O3: Significance of molecular interactions

The selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (NB) over Ni/gamma-Al2O3 Catalysts Was investigated using different media of dense phase CO2, ethanol, and n-hexane. In dense phase CO2, the total rate of NB hydrogenation was larger than that in organic solvents under similar reaction conditions; the selectivity to the desired product, aniline, was almost 100% over the whole conversion range of 0-100%. The phase behavior of the reactant mixture in/under dense phase CO2 was examined at reaction conditions. In situ high-pressure Fourier transform infrared measurements were made to study the molecular interactions Of CO2 with the following reactant and reaction intermediates: NB, nitrosobenzene (NSB), and N-phenylhydroxylamine (PHA). Dense phase CO2 strongly interacts with NB, NSB, and PHA, modifying the reactivity of each species and contributing to positive effects on the reaction rate and the selectivity to aniline. A possible reaction pathway for the hydrogenation of NB in/under dense phase CO2 over Ni/gamma-Al2O3 is also proposed.

N,N,N ',N '-Tetramethylchloroformamidinium Chloride-Mediated Cyclizations of beta-Oxo Amides: Facile and Divergent One-Pot Synthesis of Substituted 2H-Pyrans, 4H-Pyrans and Pyridin-2(1H)-ones

An efficient and divergent one-pot synthesis of substituted 2H-pyrans, 4H-pyrans and pyridin-2(1H)-ones from beta-oxo amides based on the selection of the reaction conditions is reported. Mediated by N,N,N',N'-tetramethylchloroformamidinium chloride, beta-oxo amides underwent intermolecular cyclizations in the presence of triethylamine at room temperature to give substituted 2H-pyrans in high yields, which could be converted into substituted 4H-pyrans in the presence of sodium hydroxide in ethanol at room temperature, or into substituted pyridin-2(1H)-ones under reflux.

Quantum dot electrochemiluminescence in aqueous solution at lower potential and its sensing application

The unique strategy for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on the quantum dots (QDs) oxidation in aqueous solution to detect amines is proposed for the first time. Actually, there existed two QDs ECL peaks in anhydrous solution, one at high positive potential and another at high negative potential. However, here we introduced the QDs oxidation ECL in aqueous solution to fabricate a novel ECL sensor. Such sensor needed only lower positive potential to produce ECL, which could prevent the interferences resulted from high potential as that of QDs reduction ECL in aqueous solution. Therefore, the present work not only extended the QDs oxidation ECL application field from anhydrous to aqueous solution but also enriched the variety of ECL system in aqueous solution. Furthermore, we investigated the QDs oxidation ECL toward different kinds of amines, and found that both aliphatic alkyl and hydroxy groups could lead to the enhancement of ECL intensity. Among these amines, 2-(dibutylamino)ethanol (DBAE) is the most effective one, and accordingly, the first ECL sensing application of the QDs oxidation ECL toward DBAE is developed; the as-prepared ECL sensor shows wide linear range, high sensitivity, and good stability.

A Facile and Practical One-Pot Synthesis of beta-Oxo Thioamides from beta-Oxo Amides and Isothiocyanates

A facile and practical one-pot synthesis of beta-oxo thioamides from beta-oxo amides has been developed. By treatment with isothiocyanates in ethanol in the presence of potassium carbonate, a series of beta-oxo amides was converted, under reflux, in high yields into the corresponding beta-oxo thioamides.

Effects of ultrahigh pressure extraction conditions on yields and antioxidant activity of ginsenoside from ginseng

Ultrahigh pressure technique was employed to extract ginsenosides from roots of ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). The optimal conditions for ultrahigh pressure extraction (UPE) of total ginsenosides were quantified by UV-vis spectrophotometry with the ginsenoside Re as standard, the signal ginsenosides were quantified by HPLC and ELSD with ginsenosides Re, Rg(1), Rb-1, Rc and Rb-2 as standards. Orthogonal design was applied to evaluate the effects of four independent factors (extraction pressure, extraction temperature, extraction time and ethanol concentration) on the yield and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of ginsenoside, which are based on microwave extraction (ME), ultrasound extraction (UE), soxhlet extraction (SE) and heat reflux extraction (HRE) method. The results showed that UPE method can produce ginsenoside with the highest yield and the best radical scavenging activity compared to other used ones. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of the plant cells after ultrahigh pressure treatment was obtained to provide visual evidence of the disruption effect.

Electrochemiluminescence sensor based on partial sulfonation of polystyrene with carbon nanotubes

Herein, homogenously partial sulfonation of polystyrene (PSP) was performed. An effective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on PSP with carbon nanotube (CNTs) composite film was developed. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy were applied to characterize this composite film. The PSP was used as an immobilization matrix to entrap the ECL reagent Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) due to the electrostatic interactions between sulfonic acid groups and Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) cations. The introduction of CNTs into PSP acted not only as a conducting pathway to accelerate the electron transfer but also as a proper matrix to immobilize Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) on the electrode by hydrophobic interaction. Furthermore, the results indicated the ECL intensity produced at this composite film was over 3-fold compared with that of the pure PSP film due to the electrocatalytic activity of the CNTs. Such a sensor was verified by the sensitive determinations of 2-(dibutylamino)ethanol and tripropylamine.

A novel alcohol dehydrogenase biosensor based on solid-state electrogenerated chemiluminescence by assembling dehydrogenase to Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-Au nanoparticles aggregates

Based on electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), a novel method for fabrication of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) biosensor by self-assembling ADH to Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) -AuNPs aggregates (Ru-AuNPs) on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode surface has been developed. Positively charged Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) could be immobilized stably on the electrode surface with negatively charged AuNPs in the form of aggregate via electrostatic interaction. On the other hand, AuNPs are favourable candidates for the immobilization of enzymes because amine groups and cysteine residues in the enzymes are known to bind strongly with AuNPs. Moreover, AuNPs can act as tiny conduction centers to facilitate the transfer of electrons. Such biosensor combined enzymatic selectivity with the sensitivity of ECL detection for quantification of enzyme substrate, and it displayed wide linear range, high sensitivity and good stability.

Spectrophotometric determination of water content in alcohol organic solvents

In this work, the absorption spectral characteristics and color-change reaction mechanism of cobalt(II) chloride(COCl2) in alcohol organic solvents has been investigated in the presence of water, and then the optimum conditions for determining the water content in the solvents were selected. Results indicated that the absorption spectra Of COCl2 in alcohols decreased with the increment of water content. At the maximum absorption wavelength of 656 nm, there were good linear relationships between the logarithm of the absorbance and the water content in organic solvents such as ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol and n-butanol with related coefficients in the range of 0.9996 similar to 0.9998. For determining water content in organic solvents, this method is simple, rapid, sensitive, reproducible and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the linear range cannot restrict determination of the water content in organic solvents. This method had been applied to determine the water content in ethanol and n-butanol with satisfactory recovery of water in n-butanol between 98.41%-101.29%.

Electrostatic interaction hybrids from water-borne conductive polyaniline and inorganic precursor containing carboxyl group

Electrostatic interaction conductive hybrids were prepared in water/ethanol solution by the sol-gel process from inorganic sol containing carboxyl group and water-borne conductive polyaniline (cPANI). The electrostatic interaction hybrids film displayed 1-2 orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity in comparison with common hybrids film, showing remarkable conductivity stability against water soaking. Most strikingly, it displayed ideal electrochemical activity even in a solution with pH = 14, which enlarged the conducting polyaniline application window to strong alkaline media.

Water-resistant conducting hybrids from electrostatic interactions

Conductive hybrids were prepared in a water/ethanol solution via the Solgel process from an inorganic sol containing carboxyl groups and water-borne conductive polyaniline (cPANI). The inorganic sol was prepared by the hydrolysis and condensation of methyltriethoxysilane with the condensed product of maleic anhydride and aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a catalyst, for which the carboxyl counterion along the cPANI backbone acted as an electrostatic-interaction moiety. The existence of this electrostatic interaction could improve the compatibility of the two components and contribute to the homogeneous dispersion of cPANI in the silica phase. The electrostaticinteraction hybrids displayed a conductivity percolation threshold as low as 1.1 wt % polyaniline in an emeraldine base, showing 2 orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity than that without electrostatic interactions. The electrostatic-interaction hybrids also showed good water resistance; the electrical conductivity with a cPANI loading of 16 wt % underwent a slight change after 14 days of soaking in water.

Motion of integrated CdS nanoparticles by phase separation of block copolymer brushes

A new method of reversibly moving US nanoparticles in the perpendicular direction was developed on the basis of the phase separation of block copolymer brushes. Polystyrene-b-(poly(methyl methaerylate)-co-poly(cadmium dimethacrylate)) (PS-b-(PMMA-co-PCdMA)) brushes were grafted from the silicon wafer by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). By exposing the polymer brushes to H2S gas, PS-b-(PMNlA-co-PCdNlA) brushes were converted to polystyrene-b-(poly(methyl methacrylate) -co-poly(methacrylic acid)(CdS)) (PS-b-(PMMA-co-PMAA(CdS))) brushes, in which US nanoparticles were chemically bonded by the carboxylic groups of PMAA segment. Alternating treatment of the PS-b-(PMMA-co-PMAA(CdS)) brushes by selective solvents for the outer block (a mixed solvent of acetone and ethanol) and the inner PS block (toluene) induced perpendicular phase separation of polymer brushes, which resulted in the reversible lifting and lowering of US nanoparticles in the perpendicular direction. The extent of movement can be adjusted by the relative thickness of two blocks of the polymer brushes.

Synthesis and assembly of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles

Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by reducing the mixture of HAuCl4 and K2PtCl6 with ethanol in the presence of cinnamic acid (C6H5CHCHCO2H, CA) through a thermal process. It was found that the isolated NPs could gradually self-assemble into chain-like structures, ultimately to 3-dimensional network nanostructures by adjusting the molar ratio of CA to K2PtCl6. Energy-dispersive Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction was used to confirm the formation of Au-Pt bimetallic nanostructures. It was worthwhile noting that the bimetallic NPs with the novel structures prepared by our method exhibited an attractive catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in an acidic solution.