A superhydrophobic bilayer surface was created with a contact angle (CA) of 157.3 ± 1° and sliding angle (SA) of 2° ± 0.5° using a simple one-step solvothermal process. The bionic micro/nano structures are similar to the flower of a carnation and common sowthistle, which plays an important role in resisting corrosion. In addition, potentiodynamic polarization shows that the superhydrophobic bilayer

In chain-growth polymerization, the polymerization behaviors are governed by the nature of monomer depending on the side-chain structure (e.g. conjugated/non-conjugated, electron-rich/deficient), leading to limitations in (co)polymers we can synthesize. This highlight review summarizes recent development in polymer reactions to overcome such limitations. The key is the design of transformable monomers

A method for the selective synthesis of 9-substituted fluorenols (FOLs) was developed by suppressing intermolecular cyclization and promoting intramolecular C–H functionalization. This protocol was applied to the synthesis of heteroring-fused FOLs. Further, the obtained FOLs were converted to fulvenes by dehydration.

We have recently developed a series of arsenic ligands based on practical synthetic strategies. Herein, three kinds of bidentate arsenic ligands with rigid linkers were selected to construct dinuclear rhombic copper(I) iodide (CuI) complexes, whose structures were analyzed by X-ray crystallography. They had sufficient solubility in organic solvents, and it was confirmed that their coordination forms

We fabricated a p-type nickel oxide (NiO)/gold nanoparticle (Au-NP)/n-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) structure in which Au-NPs are placed in the p-n junction of TiO2 and NiO. The photoelectric properties of NiO/Au-NPs/TiO2 suggest that the main driving force of the hole separation from Au-NPs to NiO is the local electric field of the depletion layer of the p-n junction of TiO2 and NiO rather than the

Molecular assembly is a widely applied synthetic strategy for the construction of multimolecular architectures at a nanoscale or microscale that can simultaneously target numerous components. Upon the control over size, shape, valency, etc. molecular assembly can fit the demands to regulate cellular responses even cell fate by approaching different cellular sub-organelles as potential cancer therapy

Local chemical functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been developed as a means of defect doping to enhance the near infrared photoluminescence properties of the materials. Wavelength-tunable and exciton trapping-induced bright emission appears from locally functionalized SWCNTs (lf-SWCNTs). Molecularly designed lf-SWCNTs based on our approach produce new dynamic switching

We present an electrodeposition method for fabricating thiolated polymer-based hydrogels through oxidation of hydroquinone (HQ). HQ is oxidized to benzoquinone (BQ) at an electrode, and the generated BQ is utilized for disulfide formation through an electrocatalytic reaction. As a simple demonstration of bioapplications, an electrodeposited hydrogel containing glucose oxidase was applied for glucose

Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the disproportionation of superoxide. This review summarizes intracellular processes for metal binding and disulfide formation in SOD1, both of which are essential to stabilization of the protein structure as well as its enzymatic function. Also, failure of those processes as a possible cause of a neurodegenerative disease through

A wide variety of synthetic molecular machines has been designed and synthesized to construct nanometer-scale ones whose molecular motions can be precisely controlled by external stimuli. A helical structure is one of the most intriguing structural motifs to realize such molecular machines, because of its unique spring-like shape that enables reversible extension and contraction motions. This short

In this study, chiral guanidine catalyzed acylative kinetic resolution of racemic 2-bromo-1-arylethanols was achieved with high selectivity. Irrespective of the electronic nature and the substitution patterns on the aromatic rings, a variety of substrates were suitable for this reaction. The branched acyl component was considered to be optimal for obtaining high s-values. The transition state of the

Oriented chitosan films, prepared by elongation, are applied to a surface wrinkling system via a horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed surface reaction of ferulic acid and drying. The wrinkle morphologies of the obtained films are strongly affected by drying compression stress inverse to the elongation direction, probably caused by an entropic spring. The most oriented chitosan film elongated until a fracture

Macrocyclization can help improve pharmacological activity, metabolic stability, cell permeability and oral absorption to create better drug candidates. For example, enhancing the oral absorption of the compounds can allow a change in administration route. We tried to improve the oral bioavailability of ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin having a unique side chain with a 2,5-dihydro-6-h

Third-generation cephalosporins possess broad spectrum and potent activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In order to establish a general methodology for improving the oral bioavailability of third-generation cephalosporins, we designed and prepared a series of novel prodrugs of cefetamet using cefetamet pivoxil as a substrate by converting the amino group at the aminothiazole

Inorganic nanoparticles are an attractive material that shows unique properties that different from their bulk counterparts. Assembly of nanoparticles with soft materials is an effective approach to leverage their unusual properties for the fabrication of functional devices. Among the various soft materials, polymer brushes are expected to offer exciting opportunities due to their unique conformational

A 14N and 1H NMR spectroscopic study was carried out to shed light on the microscopic aspects of the reaction of model alkylamines at a supercritical temperature of 400 °C. It is disclosed that NH3 and ROH (R = CH3CH2 and CH3 (CH2)3) are initially produced from the hydrolysis of ethylamine and butylamine, respectively. When the water density is doubled from 0.2 g cm−3, the pseudo-first-order reaction

A single stranded DNA (ssDNA) labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was grafted on hexaniobate nanosheets as confirmed by infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, and confocal laser scanning microscopy; this is the first case that a ssDNA was grafted on nanosheets. The grafted ssDNA retained the capability of hybridization with complementary ssDNA to form double stranded DNA so that the fluorescence

Ferredoxin is a type of electron carrier protein involved in many biological redox reactions and also incorporated as an electron transfer domain and subunit in redox enzyme complexes. MvhB-type polyferredoxin is an iron-sulphur protein composed of three to seven 2[4Fe-4S]-ferredoxin domains. In this short review, we introduce the structure and function of MvhB-type polyferredoxin modules in methanogenic

Functions and performance metrics are much sought after by materials researchers and editors; not to be sidelined, however, are fundamental design works directed at general methodological breakthrough and wide-scope applicability. For a close union of form and function is often crucial in catalysing paradigm shift. We use two forms of contrast to illustrate: the hard/soft design in carboxyl-thiol molecules

We present droplet manipulation using a digital microfluidic device comprising downward electrodes. Using this device, we demonstrated droplet transportation, programmable dispensing, and droplet coalescence without existing technical constraints on droplet manipulation. This device is expected to be useful for droplet-based multi-content screening and high-throughput screening in the field of analysis

Exfoliation of layered materials provides nanosheets, such as monolayers and few-layers. In recent years, nanosheets have attracted much interest as two-dimensional (2D) materials for their diverse properties and applications originating from the anisotropic characteristic structures. Exfoliation methods have been developed depending on types of the interactions between the layers, such as van der

In recent years, inverse material design using machine learning techniques have attracted attention for material developments. Almost all of the studies use crystal structures of materials, although material engineers rarely store the crystal information and they only save chemical compositions and target properties for high-throughput materials discovery. Thus, we propose a method to generate chemical

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) utilizes Au nanostructured surfaces where demonstrate significant enhancement properties due to the localized surface plasmon phenomena. Here we systematically fabricated homogeneous polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)-stabilized Au nanostars with controlling size and apex shape by the molecular weight of PVP, so as to elucidate the correlation between structural and

Microscopic studies on electrolyte solution / electrode interfaces provide the most fundamental information not only for understanding the electric double layer formed at the interfaces but also for designing sophisticated electrochemical devices. Various types of in situ techniques, performed without taking the electrode out of electrolyte solutions, have become indispensable tools. Among them, electrochemical

Silylative dearomatizations of indole-2-carboxylates were accomplished using a copper(I) catalyst and silylboronates. This reaction presumably proceeds through regioselective addition of silylcopper(I) species to indole substrates followed by highly diastereoselective protonation of the resulting copper(I) enolate intermediates to afford the corresponding dearomative silylation products. The first

We report a versatile method for preparing a particulate composite based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) via the self-organized precipitation method. The particulate composite had a core–shell structure, and depending on the molecular weight of the PEG, two types of particulates could form: one with CNCs as the core and the other with CNCs as the shell.

Decarbonylative cyanation of acyl fluorides can be catalyzed by a Pd/Xantphos system. This protocol is also applicable to the conversion of acyl chlorides.

Paper-based electrochemical biosensors are a promising alternative to conventional biosensors. Herein, a screen-printed paper-based electrochemical flow biosensor was developed. The sensor comprised carbon-based working and counter electrodes and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode that was printed directly on paper, thereby forming a flow path. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on polystyrene (PS)

Herein, we succeeded in reproducibly synthesizing palladium nanoparticles with narrow size distribution inside metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) by using pressured H2 gas as a reductant. In addition, by controlling the crystallinity of the MOFs, the particle size could be precisely controlled.

Ligands which incorporate second-sphere intramolecular hydrogen bonding show potential for enhancing selectivity and binding strength for beryllium. In this highlight review, recent advances in the design of tetradentate ligands to selectively bind beryllium are discussed, as is the use of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and 9Be nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as tools

The electronic and chemical properties of ZnO surfaces are greatly affected by the adsorption of H atoms. The interaction of H atoms with ZnO(0001) and ZnO(000-1) surfaces has been investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) methods. When the ZnO(000-1) surface is exposed to atomic H at 200 K, one desorption peak of H2 is observed at 455 K (α-peak). In the case of ZnO(0001), two desorption

In this study, we used a CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dot (QD) as a fluorescent probe and developed a quantum dot-based fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (QD-FLISA) to quantitatively determine procalcitonin (PCT) levels in samples. The QD-antibody probe had a high fluorescent intensity and excellent stability, which meet the needs of commercial fluorescent probe materials. Due to the excellent

To show that artifacts can readily form during research on marine natural products, a common marine sesquiterpenoid 1 was treated with sunlight in the presence of a pigment. Another set of solutions were prepared and kept in shade under bench for two weeks as negative controls. As results, four oxygenated derivatives 2-5 were obtained. A unique structure of a highly oxidized molecule 5 was solved by

In this paper, phase behavior, ionic conductivity, and current-voltage response were evaluated for gels consisting of imogolite nanotubes crosslinked by dicarboxylic acid in ionic liquid to obtain knowledge for designing their physical and electrochemical properties. The phase behavior and ionic conductivity of the gels vary depending on structure of dicarboxylic acid and polarity of solvent. Furthermore

Coassembly of lipids and polyamidoamine amphiphilic dendrons (AD) is expected to possess the desirable character as drug delivery carrier. However, there are a few studies about structure and properties of these coassemblies. In this study, coassemblies (lipid-AD) were prepared by different generation and composition ratio of AD, and then the structure and their properties were characterized, especially

In this work, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and sodium hypophosphite (NaH2PO2) were simultaneously used as reductants to prepare [email protected] core-shell nanoparticles with a particle size of 300-500 nm. Results proved that the [email protected] particles with different particle sizes could be obtained by changing the molar ratio of NaBH4 to NaH2PO2 and reaction temperature. The characterization of

A cyclic (alkyl)(amino)bromoborane (CAABBr) was synthesized by a reaction of the corresponding hydroborane with bromine in the presence of triethylamine. Reduction of the resulting CAABBr with Li/LiCl powder generated a thermally labile cyclic (alkyl)(amino)boryllithium (CAABLi) which was characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Quenching of the mixture reduced by Li powder and 4,4’-di-tert-butylbiphenyl

A facile synthetic method of unsymmetric tetraarylpyrazines by sequential cross-couplings is disclosed. This 5-step synthesis was achieved from 2-amino-3,5-dibromo-6-chloropyrazine through four-times cross-couplings and diazotization. Dibenzo-fused quinoxaline synthesis was also accomplished by further intramolecular coupling.

Integrated artificial photosynthesis is an approach to establish the optimized systems for carbon recycling by combining high-efficiency photovoltaic and CO2 electrolysis at high productivity and selectivity. In contrast to natural photosynthesis, the integrated system aims at high energy conversion efficiency from sunlight to hydrocarbon products taking advantage of both high efficiency in photovoltaic

To alleviate the pressure of natural resources and solve the environment problems of solid waste, we recognized the urgency of finding the substitute of belite cement raw materials, and synthesized a belite cement from solid waste. The results show that the belite cement can be successfully prepared by calcinating carbide slag, silica fume, and red mud; The Ca2+ in the mineral crystal structure can

Nitric oxide (NO) is generated in some biological systems. Due to its radical character, it exhibits high reactivity, but biological system can manage NO without giving any damage to bio-compounds in cell. As a model system to understand how the NO dynamics is controlled in cell, we have been studying denitrification of microbial respiration, in which NO is generated as an intermediate product. In

A noncylindrical cycloarylene was designed with [4]helicene as an arylene panel and was assembled by R/S-biaryl linkages. By determining the molecular structures of four stereoisomers (3 diasteromers and 1 enantiomer pair), we found that the structural mathematics of congeners can be best described by R/S-configurations of biaryls and not by panel orientations. Comparisons with structurally relevant

Trp-cage is an artificial 20-residue protein and forms a hydrophobic core at its central cage upon the folding. In the present study, the folding of Trp-cage was addressed by parallel cascade selection molecular dynamics (PaCS-MD). Our results of PaCS-MD indicate that flip of the side chain of tryptophan (W6) was correlated with the overall folding. In conclusion, flip of stochastic side chain of W6

An inverse opal structure was created using artificial melanin particles composed of a polystyrene core and a polydopamine shell as the template. The melanin-mimicking polydopamine that remained inside the inverse opal structure effectively absorbed multiple scattered light, producing bright structural color that was reversibly changed by solvent penetration.

The mixed-anion fluorosulfide Yb3F4S2 was examined as a solid electrolyte for all-solid-state fluoride-ion batteries. The synthesized Yb3F4S2 compound by solid-state reaction under vacuum contained Yb2O2S impurities, which originated from the starting materials. The conduction properties of Yb3F4S2 are discussed herein based on the electrochemical impedance and DC blocking measurements, which indicate

The functionalization of self-supporting graphene (SSG) which in-situ grows on the flexible graphite sheet is performed by an electrochemical exfoliation in a HCl solution and then a diazonium reaction using p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid. The functionalized SSG is defined as F-SSG. The grafting yield of benzenesulfonic acid groups on F-SSG is up to 7.5%. The conductivity of the F-SSG is 502.7 S/cm.

A Re catalyst supported on TiO2 (Re/TiO2) promoted the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction, exhibiting high selectivity toward CO. Operando X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements revealed that the redox of Re species was responsible for promotion of the reaction. The Re/TiO2 catalyst also possessed remarkable durability and maintained >99.9% CO selectivity for more than 1000

We prepared a kind of iron-carbon-based non-precious catalyst doped with N and S simultaneously (Fe/N/S/C) by using the salt recrystallization method. The electrochemical test results demonstrated that the Fe/N/S/C catalyst obtained by the salt recrystallization method showed a much better catalytic activity for ORR than that without using the salt recrystallization under the acidic condition. The

We proposed a competitive method for rapid and sensitive detection of spermine using CB[7]-PHE (CB[7] = cucurbit[7]uril, PHE = phenazopyridine) as a platform. The LOD was determined to be 21 nM and showed good calibration curve in the concentration range of 0.071-14 μM, which is sufficient below the critical concentration for cancer diagnosis. More interestingly, the addition of spermine to CB[7]-PHE

The FAU-type zeolite membrane was applied to the efficient transesterification of methyl acetate with 2-propanol. When the transesterification reaction was carried out using DOWEX 50W as a catalyst, the conversion of methyl acetate reached 38% at equilibrium. Removal of the by-produced methanol selectively from the equilibration solution using the FAU-type zeolite membrane increased the conversion

The chemical state of Pd supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) changed dynamically and sensitively between Pd0 and Pd2+ by switching atmosphere between H2 and O2. In contrast, Pd supported on graphene oxide (GO) did not show such dynamic redox properties. The catalytic activity in dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions also depended on the oxygen content of GO.

Strained bow-shaped macrocycles, namely, molecular bows (MBs), consist of a rigid π-conjugated unit (bow-limb) with a flexible chain (bowstring) under tension joining both ends. Because of their unique topology, MBs not only exhibit unique properties induced by bent bow-limbs, but also play a vital role in the construction of advanced materials, such as carbon nanotubes and catalysts. This highlight

Development of heterogeneous catalysts for the energy conversion has been required to solve environmental issues arising from the combustion of fossil fuels. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is one of promising power generation devices alternative to the internal combustion engine. PEFC performance is strongly dependent on the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction at cathode because

Detection of picric acid (PA) is essential for social security, environment protection and human health. In this work, we have designed and synthesized a photostable fluorescent probe with aggregation-induced emission character enabling rapidly sensing PA in pure water. This probe showed high sensitivity and selectivity to PA with the limit of detection as 320 nM, and was also utilized as paper strips

Radiocesium (RCs)-carrying materials derived from the Fukushima nuclear accident consist of RCs-sorbing minerals (CsSMs) and RCs-bearing silicate-glass microparticles (CsMPs). We reveal that while acid treatment has little effect on CsMPs, it significantly decreases the radioactivity of CsSMs due to dissolution. Using this difference, we propose a novel approach to estimating the contributions of CsMPs

This highlight review describes the syntheses of 2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes, focusing on synthetic studies of the macrocyclic diamine alkaloids, sarain A and madangamines. These alkaloids have a 2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane that is fused with an N-heterocycle. Researchers employed unique strategies to construct different structures with additional substituents and functional groups in the target molecule

Rodlike two-component mixed crystals composed of 1-(5-methyl-2-phenyl-4-thiazolyl)-2-(5-methyl-2-p-tolyl-4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (1a) and 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-p-tolyl-4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (2a) undergo light-driven bending upon alternate irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. To provide stability of the crystals in organic solvents, the crystal surface was coated with

Dialysis and peptization, which are colloid chemical solution process, is simple and effective techniques for controlling hydrolysis reaction of hydrated metal cations. These synthetic processes enable to obtain stable sol with dispersion of doped oxide nanoparticles with wide molar fraction range from metal chloride aqueous and glycol solutions. Furthermore, control and introduction of lattice defects

Here, we report experimental evidence of interparticle spatial overlapping of orbitals to result in interparticle charge-transfer excitation (ICTE) at an anatase-rutile interface which is expected to be applicable to clarify the relative band position of metal-oxides and mixture homogeneity of mixture samples measured by reversed double-beam photoacoustic spectroscopy.

An ultralight bacterial cellulose/polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (BC/PP-g-MA) composite cryogel was fabricated using a facile temperature induced phase separation (TIPS) method followed by freeze-drying. The presence of PP-g-MA endowed BC cryogel with the vital hydrophobicity for oil adsorption from water. With low density, high porosity, and high surface area, the obtained BC/PP-g-MA composite