Graphene Based Circular Shaped Micro Strip Patch Antenna Array for 2.45 GHz ISM Band Application

Wireless Personal Communications - Graphene based circular microstrip patch antenna array is presented in this paper. First a single circular patch to resonate at 2.45 GHz is designed in...     

A novel CoN4-driven self-assembled molecular engineering for oxygen reduction reaction

The poor kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) invites a quest for the development of low-cost and efficient non-Pt electrocatalysts for fuel cells. Herein, a nanocomposite (g-[Co₂N₈]) was synthesized by coordination assembly of CoN₄ macrocyclic moieties on graphene surface. The CoN₄ macrocyclic complex was characterized by UV–Vis, FT-IR, Mass, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectral studies, whereas UV–Vis, FT-IR, and Mass spectral, Raman, XRD and TEM studies were utilized to characterize the nanocomposite g-[Co₂N₈]. The results suggested that [CoN₄] units are present in self-assembled [Co₂N₈] species. Further, the nanocomposite g-[Co₂N₈] was examined for ORR activity by employing cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry and found that the formal potential (E_1/2) of g-[Co₂N₈] (+0.90 V) was more positive than 20% Pt/C (+0.86 V), indicating a remarkable ORR performance of g-[Co₂N₈] in comparison to 20% Pt/C, followed by 4e-mechanism. Moreover, the nanocomposite (g-[Co₂N₈]) displayed better ORR activity in comparison to [CoN₄] complex which can be attributed to the synergistic incorporation of endo and exo N₄–Co²⁺ moieties in the [Co₂N₈] species. In addition, g-[Co₂N₈] electrocatalyst exhibited a comparable stability to 20% Pt/C catalyst after 5000 cycles. This work will help to design multi-metallic coordination polymers with similar or different metal ions in N₄-arrangement for various energy related electrocatalysis.     

Diverse Functions of Tim50, a Component of the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Protein Translocase

Mitochondria are essential in eukaryotes. Besides producing 80% of total cellular ATP, mitochondria are involved in various cellular functions such as apoptosis, inflammation, innate immunity, stress tolerance, and Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Mitochondria are also the site for many critical metabolic pathways and are integrated into the signaling network to maintain cellular homeostasis under stress. Mitochondria require hundreds of proteins to perform all these functions. Since the mitochondrial genome only encodes a handful of proteins, most mitochondrial proteins are imported from the cytosol via receptor/translocase complexes on the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes known as TOMs and TIMs. Many of the subunits of these protein complexes are essential for cell survival in model yeast and other unicellular eukaryotes. Defects in the mitochondrial import machineries are also associated with various metabolic, developmental, and neurodegenerative disorders in multicellular organisms. In addition to their canonical functions, these protein translocases also help maintain mitochondrial structure and dynamics, lipid metabolism, and stress response. This review focuses on the role of Tim50, the receptor component of one of the TIM complexes, in different cellular functions, with an emphasis on the Tim50 homologue in parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei.