In Situ Confocal Raman Mapping Study of a Single Ti-Assisted ZnO Nanowire

In this work, we succeeded in preparing in-plane zinc oxide nanowires using a Ti-grid assisted by the chemical vapor deposition method. Optical spatial mapping of the Confocal Raman spectra was used to investigate the phonon and geometric properties of a single ZnO nanowire. The local optical results reveal a red shift in the non-polar E₂ high frequency mode and width broadening along the growth direction, reflecting quantum-confinement in the radial direction.     

Hepatoprotection by palm tocotrienol‐rich fraction

Tocotrienols, a group of important phytonutrients of palm oil, have been shown to possess antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotectory, and anti‐inflammatory activities. In this study, our objective was to examine the protective effects of tocotrienol‐rich fraction (TRF) from palm oil on chronic carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)‐induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Animals were subjected to vehicle only (control), CCl₄ only, CCl₄ + 100 mg/kg silymarin (silymarin), CCl₄ + 25 mg/kg TRF (TRF‐25) and CCl₄ + 50 mg/kg TRF (TRF‐50) treatments for a period of 8 wks. Results showed that daily oral administration of TRF‐25, TRF‐50, and silymarin prevented the elevation of serum glutamate oxalate transaminase (sGOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (sGPT), liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), triglycerides and total cholesterol levels, as well as enhancing the liver catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels in rats with hepatotoxicity. At 50 mg/kg, the hepatoprotection of TRF was as good as or better than silymarin (100 mg/kg) in normalization of oxidative stress parameters in liver injury rats. These results suggest that TRF exerts effective protection against chronic CCl₄‐induced hepatic injury in rats, and its mechanism of action could be related to reducing oxidative stress in the liver tissue.     

Novel impacts of glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PETG) to crystallization behavior of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) within stretched miscible blends

For studied blends of amorphous glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PETG) and semicrystalline polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), melt miscibility is understood from the linear variation of a single glass transition temperature (T_g) over the entire composition range. The diluent effect of PETG component severely retarded the crystallization of PEN component within blends. Nevertheless, after being through isothermal stretching at 120 °C, crystallization was able to progress efficiently during heating in a continuous manner. Instead of being thermally relaxed back to amorphous state, parallel sliding motions of stretched PEN segments toward crystallization appear rather dominant. Within stretched blends, the PETG content emerged as a critical factor to the crystallinity increase of PEN fraction and the absence of lattice defect, instead of behaving as a diluent component. Furthermore, as being indicated by in-situ small-angle X-ray experiments, regular lamellar stacking gradually developed within stretched blends through heating, which indicates the involvement of thermally activated self-association of randomly distributed crystalline lamellae. With including a higher fraction of PETG component, these secondary ordering processes including lamellar thickening can be activated at lower temperature. Hence, the accompanied thermal relaxation of flexible PETG segment is inferred able to lubricate the sliding of stretched PEN segments in amorphous regions via lowering encountered frictional hindrance, and thus enhance both primary and secondary ordering processes within stretched blends.     

Using nanoparticles to synthesize erbium-doped light-emitting thin film

We applied Er₂O₃ nanoparticles, P₂O₅ particles, and spin-on-glass (SOG) solution to form erbium-doped silica thin films exhibiting photoluminescence at 1530 nm. We further investigated the annealing condition and composition of the spin-coated film. The addition of P₂O₅ improved PL peak intensity of the erbium-doped film fivefold. The weight ratio of Er₂O₃ nanoparticles to P₂O₅ particles in the SOG was found to be 0.54 for efficient light emission.     

Highly Photoluminescent and Stable Aqueous ZnS Quantum Dots

We report an all-aqueous synthesis of highly photoluminescent and stable ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with water as the medium, i.e. first synthesizing ZnS QDs with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as the capping molecule, followed by replacing some of MPA with (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPS). The resultant MPS-replaced ZnS QDs were about 5 nm in size with a cubic zinc blende crystalline structure, and had both MPA and MPS on the surface as confirmed by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. They exhibited blue trap-state emissions around 415 nm and a quantum yield (QY) of 75% with Rhodamine 101 as the reference, and remained stable for more than 60 days under the ambient conditions. Through the capping molecule replacement procedure, the MPS-replaced ZnS QDs avoided the shortcomings of both the MPA-ZnS QDs and the MPS-ZnS QDs, and acquired the advantages of strong photoluminescence and good stability, which are important to the QDs' applications especially for bioimaging.     

Effect of red mold rice on blood coagulation and anticoagulation factors in a rat model of hyperlipidemia

The bioactive monacolin K found in red mold rice (RMR) is identical in structure to lovastatin, and has the effect of lowering the cholesterol level in human blood. Statins not only lower atherosclerosis caused by thrombus, but also reduce the death rate from coronary artery disease. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of Monascus purpureus NTU 803 fermented-RMR on blood coagulation and anticoagulation factors in hyperlipidemic rats. Rats were fed a high-lipid diet for 8 weeks to induce hyperlipidemia and fed various doses of RMR. The results showed that RMR prolonged the bleeding time of the rats, inhibited platelet coagulation, lowered the fibrinogen content in the blood, increased the antithrombin III and protein C content in the blood, and reduced lipid plaque in the aorta. RMR was effective for preventing the formation of thrombus and reducing the occurrence of atherosclerosis.     

Designing the morphology of ceria particles by precursor complexes

Ceria-based materials are widely used as catalysts, catalyst supports and electrolytes in many industrial applications. The morphological requirements of ceria particles vary depending on their applications. Here we show that complex morphologies of ceria particles can be achieved by using precursor complexes in the spray pyrolysis (SP) method. Three precursor complexes have been investigated: the complex of cerium acetate hydrate (CeA) and cerium nitrate hydrate (CeN); CeA and cerium ammonium nitrate (CeAN); and CeN and CeAN. Our results suggest that the morphological formation mechanism is highly correlated with the factors of precursor solubilities, solvent evaporation rates and precursor melting temperatures.     

Structure and characterization of the multilayered Ti-DLC films by FCVA

This work presents a simple approach for the synthesis of multilayered titanium-diamond-like carbon (multilayered Ti-DLC) films on a Si substrate by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) system using Ti-coated graphite target to supply carbon as well as the dopant titanium. This study focuses on the characterization of microstructure, surface roughness, mechanical strength and electrical resistivity. The results indicated that the multilayered Ti-DLC films exhibit better mechanical properties than the Ti-free and Ti-implanted DLC films, and both multilayered Ti- and Ti-implanted DLC films have similar Ti atomic concentrations. The surface roughness of the multilayered Ti-DLC films shows a value much lower than the other films. The film microstructure consists in TiC nanocrystals precipitated in the amorphous carbon matrix with a multilayered structure. Because of the high hardness and low roughness, the multilayered Ti-DLC films can be used as biomedical, wear-resistant and solid lubricant coatings.