Large-scale preparation of polyaniline nanospheres anchored with thiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles

Reported herein is the preparation of a new nanostructured composite consisting of PANI(SH) (where PANI(SH) is poly(aniline-co-4-aminothio phenol)) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)) via "seed"-induced bulk polymerization. The PANI(SH)-AuNPs composite was designated as PANI(SH)-Au-NS(P). The composite was characterized in terms of its morphology and structural, thermal, and electrochemical properties. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image of PANI(SH)-Au-NS(P) revealed the presence of PANI(SH) nanospheres (sizes: approximately 150-250 nm) with finely distributed AuNPs (approximately 10 nm). The usefulness of PANI(SH)-Au-NS(P) as an electrocatalyst towards the oxidation of methanol was tested.     

Photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity of tungsten doped TiO2 nanotube layers in the near visible region

In the present work we study the effect of WO₃ doping on the photo-electrochemical behavior of self-organized TiO₂ nanotube layers. Mixed oxide nanotubes were grown by anodization of Ti–W alloys containing 0.2 and 9% W, with a thicknesses of the oxide nanotube layers adjusted to about 1.1–1.2 μm. We show that by WO₃ doping, the near visible photoresponse and photocatalytic performance can drastically be enhanced. While a content of 9 at% WO₃ in photoresponse experiments is most beneficial, in long term experiments a higher efficiency is observed for the 0.2 at% W content. This is due to a gradual leaching of WO₃ (dissolution into the electrolyte) for the higher WO₃ content. This demonstrates that under optimized WO₃ doping conditions a lasting visible light activation of TiO₂ nanotubes can be achieved.     

Thermal properties of silicate esters

Fourteen dimethyldialkoxysilanes are prepared by reacting dimethyldichlorosilane with corresponding alcohols in the liquid phase. Their physicochemical properties are determined by standard methods and their tentative empirical formulae are elucidated. The thermal conductivity values of dimethyldialkoxysilanes are determined using a two slab guarded hot plate apparatus over a temperature range of 30–190°C. The thermal conductivity values of dimethyldialkoxysilanes calculated from empirical equations are found to vary from -14% to +19%. Because thermal conductivity is an important parameter in heat transfer calculations, and to minimise the deviation of the values, new equations involving easily measurable ultrasonic parameters have been formulated. The proposed equations have been tested for the series of dimethyldialkoxysilanes, tetraalkoxysilanes and polydimethylsiloxanes. The thermal conductivity values computed from the proposed equations are comparable with experimental thermal conductivity values. Further, an equation involving the calculation of thermal conductivity values at varying temperatures is also proposed.     

An Efficient Privacy-Preserving ID Centric Authentication in IoT Based Cloud Servers for Sustainable Smart Cities

Wireless Personal Communications - Smart cities or Smart societies require Internet of Things (IoT), for connecting numerous devices to enormous asset pools in cloud computing. This coordination of...     

A two-level authentication scheme for clone node detection in smart cities using Internet of things

Clone node attack in IoT sensor devices remains a grave security concern as it paves the way for sinkhole, wormhole, and selective forwarding attacks. In this paper, a two-level authentication scheme named Fingerprint-based Zero-Knowledge Authentication (FZKA) algorithm is proposed to improve the detection rate of clone node among the sensor devices. In the fingerprint generation phase, the base station calculates a distinct fingerprint value for each and every node in the network by gathering neighborhood information, represented in the form of superimposed s-disjunct code matrix. The calculated fingerprint is considered as a secret value and distributed to each cluster nodes for the process of authentication. The FZKA algorithm improves the cloned node detection accuracy with minimal detection time. The simulation results highlight the cloned node detection rate of the proposed scheme by a margin of 92.5% against the existing Exponential Smoothing Algorithm (ETS), Position Verification Method, and Message Verification and Passing algorithms.     

Electrochemical synthesis of self-organized TiO2 nanotubular structures using an ionic liquid (BMIM-BF4)

We show that an ionic liquid consisting of imidazolium salt with a BF₄ counter ion (BMIM-BF₄) can directly be used to grow well-defined layers of self-organized TiO₂ nanotubes. For this a Ti metal substrate is anodized in this electrolyte for potential range between 3 V_Ag/AgCl and 10 V_Ag/AgCl without addition of free fluoride species (fluorides are used in all previous tube growth procedures). Key factors that influence the morphology and geometry of the resulting nanotubular layer are the anodic potential, the anodization time and particularly the water content in the ionic liquid. The resulting nanotubes layers have thickness in the range of approximately 300-650 nm; with individual tubes that have diameters between 27 nm and 43 nm.     

Morphological instability leading to formation of porous anodic oxide films

Electrochemical oxidation of metals, in solutions where the oxide is somewhat soluble, produces anodic oxides with highly regular arrangements of pores. Although porous aluminium and titanium oxides have found extensive use in functional nanostructures, pore initiation and self-ordering are not yet understood. Here we present an analysis that examines the roles of oxide dissolution and ionic conduction in the morphological stability of anodic films. We show that patterns of pores with a minimum spacing are possible only within a narrow range of the oxide formation efficiency (the fraction of oxidized metal atoms retained in the film), which should exist when the metal ion charge exceeds two. Experimentally measured efficiencies, over diverse anodizing conditions on both aluminium and titanium, lie within the different ranges predicted for each metal. On the basis of these results, the relationship between dissolution chemistry and the conditions for pore initiation can now be understood in quantitative terms.     

Whole-Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel Germline Variant in PTK7 Gene in Familial Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide. Only 5% of all CRC cases are due to germline mutations in known predisposition genes, and the remaining genetic burden still has to be discovered. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing on six members of a Polish family diagnosed with CRC and identified a novel germline variant in the protein tyrosine kinase 7 (inactive) gene (PTK7, ENST00000230419, V354M). Targeted screening of the variant in 1705 familial CRC cases and 1674 healthy elderly individuals identified the variant in an additional familial CRC case. Introduction of this variant in HT-29 cells resulted in increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; it also caused down-regulation of CREB, p21 and p53 mRNA and protein levels, and increased AKT phosphorylation. These changes indicated inhibition of apoptosis pathways and activation of AKT signaling. Our study confirmed the oncogenic function of PTK7 and supported its role in genetic predisposition of familial CRC.     

Determination of end groups in poly(methylmethacrylate peroxide) by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and IR spectroscopy

Summary A detailed comprehensive investigation has been made to unequivocally analyse the end groups of a vinyl polyperoxide polymer namely, poly(methylmethacrylate peroxide), PMMAP, using Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometric (FABMS) technique. Further evidence to FABMS analysis has been sought from IR spectroscopic analysis on the same polymer. It has been found that PMMAP contains both hydroxyl and hydroperoxide end groups which has been explained by the chain transfer reaction of growing chain with the degradation product of PMMAP.