A new route for the preparation of cyano‐containing poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) microgel latex for specific immobilization of antibodies

A prepolymerization process was used to prepare functionalized poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) latexes with surface cyano groups. The functionalized latexes prepared were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, scanning electron microscopy and quasi‐elastic light scattering. In addition, the polymerization conversion and the water‐soluble polymer amounts were quantified. The polymerization conversions were found to be above 80% with 5–14 wt% of water soluble polymer formation. The immobilization of antibody (immunoglobulin) onto such cyano‐containing thermally sensitive particles, suggests the feasibility of specific dipole–dipole interactions between the cyano and hydroxyl functional groups from particle and antibody, respectively. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrochemical boron-doped diamond film microcells micromachined with femtosecond laser: application to the determination of water framework directive metals

Planar electrochemical microcells were micromachined in a microcrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin layer using a femtosecond laser. The electrochemical performances of the new laser-machined BDD microcell were assessed by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) determinations, at the nanomolar level, of the four heavy metal ions of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD): Cd(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Hg(II). The results are compared with those of previously published BDD electrodes. The calculated detection limits are 0.4, 6.8, 5.5, and 2.3 nM, and the linearities go up to 35, 97, 48, and 5 nM for, respectively, Cd(II), Ni(II) Pb(II), and Hg(II). The detection limits meet with the environmental quality standard of the WFD for three of the four metals. It was shown that the four heavy metals could be detected simultaneously in the concentration ratio usually measured in sewage or runoff waters.     

Magnetron sputtered tungsten oxide films activated by dip-coated platinum for ppm-level hydrogen detection

Platinum-activated tungsten oxide (Pt-WO₃) films are prepared for hydrogen (H₂) sensing applications. In this study, WO₃ films were fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering and Pt clusters were deposited on them by dip-coating. The microstructure, chemical composition and phase structure of Pt-WO₃ films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. It was observed that a reconditioning period is required after a rest period of the sensor for obtaining a stable signal. A thermal treatment at 450 °C for 24 h is proposed to solve this problem.     

On piecewise smoothness of conjugacy of class P circle homeomorphisms to diffeomorphisms and rotations

We give a characterization of piecewise C ¹ class P-homeomorphism f of the circle with irrational rotation number and finitely many break points which is piecewise C ¹ conjugate to a C ¹-diffeomorphism. The following properties are equivalent:

?(i)?f is conjugate to a C ¹-diffeomorphism of the circle by a piecewise C ¹-homeomorphism. (ii)?The product of jumps of f in the break points contained in a same orbit is trivial. (iii)?f is conjugate to a C ¹-diffeomorphism of the circle by a piecewise linear (PL)-homeomorphism or a piecewise quadratic homeomorphism.

For a PL-homeomorphism f having the property (ii): f is conjugate to a rotation either by a PL-homeomorphism or by a piecewise analytic homeomorphism.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Nonionic Bolaamphiphiles

A series of nonionic bolaamphiphiles were synthesized from the reaction of fluoroalkylene (dimercaptoacetates) with maleate crown ethers. Surface activity of the new surfactants was evaluated on the basis of surface tension measurements. The new fluorinated bolamphiphiles exhibit a remarkable lowering of surface tension in comparison with nonfluorinated analogues.