Inclusion complexation of (11-ferrocenylundecyl)trimethylammonium bromide by β-cyclodextrin and its effects on electrochemical behavior of the surfactant

This report describes the influence of β-cyclodextrin complexation on thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the electrode reaction of (11-ferrocenylundecyl)trimethylammonium bromide in aqueous media. The host attracted the reduced form having a less positive charge more strongly than the corresponding oxidized one. Thus, a hydrophobic interaction between the non-polar host cavity and the ferrocene moiety plays an important role in the inclusion complexation. Fast-scan voltammetric behavior of the amphiphilic ion suggested that inclusion-ejection processes practically attain equilibrium in the scan-rate range below 10 V s⁻¹, because of their fast rates. The relation between the peak current and peak potential leads to the conclusion that the enveloped guest exchanges no electrons directly with an electrode. The mean diffusion coefficient of the surfactant can be written as a linear combination of the contributions from a free monomolecular, a micelle-forming, and a host-bound surfactant. Since the binding affinity of the ferrocene moiety for the host cavity is much stronger than the aggregation force between the amphiphilic molecules in aqueous media, the host disrupts the micelles by incorporating the surfactant molecule into its cavity.     

Development of novel method for screening microorganisms using symbiotic association between insect (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki) and intestinal microorganisms

It is becoming increasingly difficult to isolate novel useful microorganisms from the natural environment using conventional screening methods based on pure culture techniques. A novel method for screening microorganisms in symbiotic association with insects was developed. This method involves the following two steps. In the first step, the existence of desired microorganisms that grow well by degrading difficult-to-degrade materials in the gut of insects is detected using the survivability of insects as an indicator. In the second step, the desired microorganisms are selected from the surviving insects. The second step is based on an idea that the guts of insects act as continuous-culture systems whereby microorganisms that cannot degrade diet components are washed out whereas those that can degrade diet components are retained and made to multiply in the gut. Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki was fed with an artificial diet containing phenol as a model of lignin-derived and difficult-to-degrade compound. Each C. formosanus feeding on an artificial diet containing 100 mg/l phenol had different levels of adaptation to the toxicity of phenol. About 20% of C. formosanus fed with an artificial diet containing 100 mg/l phenol died within a few days whereas others survived for more than 10 d. The structure of the intestinal microorganisms of the surviving C. formosanus fed with the 100 mg/l phenol artificial diet gradually changed and was very different from that of the bacterial communities obtained from the enrichment culture of wood-feeding C. formosanus using an artificial medium containing phenol as a sole carbon source. Furthermore, Only three species (as DGGE band) were detected from the gut of wood-feeding C. formosanus, whereas 200 times more phenol-degrading microorganisms were detected in the gut of C. formosanus feeding on a phenol artificial diet. Out of these nine species (as DGGE band) of phenol-degrading microorganisms were isolated. The screening method developed in this study can also be applied to various insects, leading to the isolation of various microorganisms that can degrade difficult-to-degrade compounds.     

Removal of entrapped iron compounds from isothermally treated catalytic chemical vapor deposition derived multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Compositional changes of the residual iron compounds in isothermally treated catalytic chemical vapor deposition derived multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been monitored using ⁵⁷Fe transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence. The iron phases entrapped in the as-synthesized carbon nanotubes consist of γ-iron, α-iron, Fe₃C and Fe_1−xS. The Fe_1−xS phase decomposes completely around 1500 °C while the iron carbide phase decomposes in the temperature range of 1500-2400 °C. The obtained apparent activation energy of ca. 76 kcal/mol suggests that the entrapped iron was removed via a diffusion process during thermal treatment.     

Effect of heating process on the formation of nanoparticles of elastin model polypeptide, (GVGVP)251, by gamma-ray crosslinking

Nanoparticles were prepared by the thermosensitive aggregation of the elastin model polypeptide, (GVGVP)₂₅₁, and gamma-ray crosslinking. Three different heating processes, “slow heating,” “fast heating,” and “heat shock,” were used for the aggregation of the peptide, followed by gamma-ray crosslinking. Only the “heat shock” process successfully yielded stable nanoparticles with diameters of less than ca. 150 nm and a narrow size distribution. Circular dichroism (CD) spectrometry showed that this polypeptide formed a type-II β-turn structure when the temperature was increased to above the cloudy point in the case of the “heat shock” process; suggesting that this structure might contribute to stable nanoparticle formation by gamma-rays. CD spectrometry also suggested that this structure would be affected during the formation of stable crosslinked particles.     

Fracture dynamics of sprayed and laser-glazed titania by an inverse processing of elastic waves

A new elastic wave (EW) or acoustic emission (AE) monitoring and signal processing system has been developed and used to elucidate the fracture behavior of sprayed and laser-glazed ceramic coatings. The system measures the minute surface displacements excited by the propagation of elastic waves. It enables elucidation of the fracture dynamics (fracture mode and kinetics) of stressed coatings. The surface displacement at the sensor position was computed by the convolution integral of an assumed source wave with the dynamic Green’s function until signals resembled the measured wave. This new signal processing method was used to determine the fracture strength and dynamics of microcracks in sprayed and laser-glazed titania subjected to four-point bending. It was found that mode II shear cracking along the interface between the coating and substrate occurred prior to mode I cleavage cracking. The fracture strength of laser-glazed titania was higher than that of as-sprayed titania in most cases; however, this depended on the coating structure. This article introduces the principle of source inversion processing of elastic waves, the monitoring system, laser glazing of sprayed titania, and experimental work on the fracture behavior of titania coatings.     

Properties of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) and sunflower head residue biocomposites

Utilization of low‐value agricultural waste for polymer composite materials has great environmental and economical benefits. Sunflower head residue (SHR) as an agricultural waste may be used as a reinforcement in polymeric materials because of its fiber characteristics. In this work, composites of biodegradable poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) and SHR were prepared via melt‐extrusion compounding. To improve interfacial compatibility, maleic anhydride (MA) grafted PBAT (PBAT‐g‐MA) was prepared and used as a compatibilizer for the PBAT/SHR composites. The effects of the concentrations of SHR and PBAT‐g‐MA on the morphology, mechanical properties, melt rheology, and water resistance of the composites were examined. Interfacial adhesion between phases in the PBAT/SHR composites was enhanced by the introduction PBAT‐g‐MA as interface‐strengthening agent, resulting in improved mechanical properties and moisture resistance of the composite. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44644.     

Terpendole E and its Derivative Inhibit STLC‐ and GSK‐1‐Resistant Eg5

Terpendole E is first natural product found to inhibit mitotic kinesin Eg5, but its inhibitory mechanism remains to be revealed. Here, we report the effects of terpendole E and 11ketopaspaline (a new natural terpendole E analogue) on the Eg5–microtubule interaction and in several Eg5 mutants. 11‐Ketopaspaline is a shunt product from terpendole E, and it shows potent inhibitory activity against the microtubule‐stimulated ATPase activity of Eg5. Unlike other Eg5 inhibitors, such as S‐trityl‐L ‐cysteine (STLC) and GSK‐1, both terpendole E and 11‐ketopaspaline only partially inhibited Eg5–microtubule interaction. Furthermore, terpendole E and 11‐ketopaspaline inhibited several Eg5 mutants that are resistant to STLC (Eg5^D130A, Eg5^L214A) or GSK‐1 (Eg5^I299F, Eg5^A356T), but with the same extent of inhibition against wild‐type Eg5. Because Eg5^D130A and Eg5^L214A show cross‐resistance to most known Eg5 inhibitors, which bind the L5 loop, these results suggest that terpendole E and its analogues have a different binding site and/or inhibitory mechanism to those for L5 loop‐binding type Eg5 inhibitors.     

Preparation of All Polyester‐Based Semi‐IPN Elastomers Containing Self‐Associative or Non‐Associative Guest Chains via Post‐Blending Cross‐Linking

Mechanical properties of semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) elastomers consisting of chemical networks and self‐associative/non‐associative guest chains are demonstrated. Amorphous low T_g polyesters with thiol side groups (PE‐SH) are first synthesized by melt polycondensation. PE‐SH are then converted to polyesters containing COOH side groups (PE‐COOH) and amide side groups (PE‐amide) through Michael addition reaction of thiol groups with acrylic acid and acrylamide, respectively. Homogeneous semi‐IPN elastomers are obtained by thermal cross‐linking for bulk mixtures of PE‐COOH and PE‐amide in the presence of diepoxy cross‐linkers, where COOH and epoxy groups are reacted to form chemical cross‐links while the amide units form self‐complementary hydrogen bonds. Another sample containing non‐associative chains is also prepared by using polyester with N,N‐dimethylamide units, instead of PE‐amide. Dynamic mechanical analysis reveals that guest chain incorporation systematically brings plateau modulus reduction and a unique relaxation with higher tan δ value depending on the fraction and nature of guest chains. Tensile properties are also affected by the fraction and nature of guest chains; the incorporation of hydrogen bonded chains are beneficial to enhance breaking elongation and toughness without the sacrifice of maximum stress. The knowledge found in this work will be thus beneficial for creating tough soft materials with damping applications.     

Safety evaluation of rechargeable cells with lithium metal anodes and amorphous V2O5 cathodes

Rechargeable cells with lithium metal anodes have a very large theoretical energy density and are a promising cell system. However, rechargeable lithium metal cells are not yet currently commercially available. One of the biggest problems with the cells is the poor safety aspect resulting from the high chemical reactivity of lithium. We have been studying a cell system consisting of an amorphous (a-)V2O5P2O5 (95:5 in molar ratio) cathode, a lithium (Li) metal anode and an organic electrolyte in fabricating an AA-size prototype. In this paper, we report recent progress on our rechargeable lithium metal cell focusing on its safety.     

An Approach to a Higher‐Power‐Density Power Supply for a 380‐V DC Distribution System

A methodology for realizing a higher‐power‐density DC‐DC converter has been proposed for a power unit installed in a 380‐V DC distribution system. The possibility of the converter design will be strengthened by using the series–parallel connection topology for isolated DC‐DC converters. A converter prototype with a power density of 10 W/cm³ has been fabricated, and the feasibility of the converter design has been confirmed experimentally. This result contributes to the realization of a highly efficient and highly space‐saving 380‐V DC distribution system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(3): 51–62, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22494