Search

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with different content of surface functional groups which are carboxyl groups (CNF–OX), carbonyl groups (CNF–CO) and hydroxyl groups (CNF–OH) and nitrogen-containing groups (CNF–ON) are synthesized, and their electrocatalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution are investigated. The result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization indicates that a higher concentration of carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups and hydroxyl groups are imported onto the CNF–OX, CNF–CO and CNF–OH, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry shows that both the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing groups can improve the electrocatalytic activity of CNFs for ORR. The CNF–ON/GC electrode, which has nitrogen-containing groups, exhibits the highest current density of ORR. Rotating disk electrode (RDE) characterization shows that the oxygen reduction on CNF–ON/GC electrode proceeds almost entirely through the four-electron reduction pathway, the CNF–OX/GC, CNF–CO/GC and CNF–OH/GC electrodes proceed a two-electron reduction pathway at low potentials (−0.2 V to −0.6 V) followed by a gradual four-electron reduction pathway at more negative potentials, while the untreated carbon nanofiber (CNF–P/GC) electrode proceeds predominantly by a two-electron reduction pathway within the whole range of potential studied.

Pt nanoparticles supported on the acid-treated carbon nanofiber (CNF-OX) and LiAlH4-treated carbon nanofiber (CNF-OH) are synthesized via ethylene glycol reduction method. The nature of oxygen-containing surface groups on the CNF-OX and CNF-OH is investigated by potentiometric titration and XPS characterization. Titration of the support materials shows that LiAlH4 can effectively convert the carboxylic acid groups (from 0.21 mmol g−1 to 0.06 mmol g−1) to hydroxyl groups (from 0.09 mmol g−1 to 0.17 mmol g−1), which is agreed well with the results of XPS characterization. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization shows that the Pt nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the two modified CNFs, and the Pt nanoparticles supported on the CNF-OH have a smaller particle size and a more uniform particle size distribution. Rotating disk electrode (RDE) analysis reveals that Pt/CNF-OH exhibits a better activity for ORR than Pt/CNF-OX, and this may be associated with the smaller particle size and better dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on the CNF-OH.

The anti-cariogenic properties of tea have been suggested for decades. Tea polyphenols, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), have been shown to inhibit dental plaque accumulation, but the exact mechanisms are not clear at present. We hypothesise that EGCG suppresses gtf genes in Streptococcus mutans at the transcriptional level disrupting the initial attachment of S. mutans and thus the formation of mature biofilms.In this study, the effect of EGCG on the sucrose-dependent initial attachment of S. mutans UA159 in a chemically defined medium was monitored over 4 h using a chamber slide model. The effects of EGCG on the aggregation and gtf B, C, D gene expression of S. mutans UA159 were also examined.It was found that EGCG (7.8-31.25 μg/ml) exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of the initial attachment of S. mutans UA159. EGCG did not induce cellular aggregation of S. mutans UA159 at concentrations less than 78.125 μg/ml. Analysis of data obtained from real-time PCR showed that EGCG at sub-MIC level (15.6 μg/ml) significantly suppressed the gtf B, C, D genes of S. mutans UA159 compared with the non-treated control (p0.05).These findings suggest that EGCG may represent a novel, natural anti-plaque agent that inhibits the specific genes associated with bacterial biofilm formation without necessarily affecting the growth of oral bacteria.

UV laser irradiation induced structural modification in amorphous silica was characterized using Fourier transform infrared and X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy. Laser irradiation experiment was conducted using a 3 ω , 355 nm beam from a pulsed Nd-YAG laser with pulse length of 6.8 ns and laser repetition rate of 1 Hz at ambient conditions. The examined laser fluence was controlled at a relatively low level, ranging from 0 to 4 J/cm 2 . The IR spectra revealed that the vibration frequency of the rocking mode of Si O Si covalent bond shifted to lower wave number, while the bending mode and asymmetric stretching mode of Si O Si covalent bond shifted to higher frequency. This result suggested that the length of Si O Si covalent bond was decreased, the bond angle was increased and the irradiation modified material was densified after irradiation. The high resolution XPS spectra of Si 2p and O 1s illustrated the chemical shift of silicon and oxygen ions after irradiation. The XPS chemical shift of the Si 2p peak about 1.1 eV revealed the existence of low valence silicon ions Si 3+ species in silica glass after irradiation. The chemical shift of the O 1s peak about 0.9 eV illustrated the emergence of non-bridging oxygen ions during laser irradiation. The deconvoluted peak area and FWHM value of low valence silicon ions and non-bridging oxygen ions all exhibited exponentially growth as the linearly elevation of laser fluence. UV laser-induced photolysis of Si O covalent bond was suggested to be responsible for the formation and increase of low valence silicon ions and non-bridging oxygen ions. These FT-IR and XPS data revealed that short range structural modifications were important structure alterations in silica glass before the emergence of distinct and large size damage crater.

In this study, we prepare a kind of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on N-ethyl-N′-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF4), LiBF4 and poly(vinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) [P(VdF-HFP)] copolymer. The resultant SPE displays high thermal stability above 300 °C and high room temperature ionic conductivity near to 10−3 S cm−1. Its electrochemical properties are improved with incorporation of a zwitterionic salt 1-(1-methyl-3-imidazolium)propane-3-sulfonate (MIm3S). When the SPE contains 1.0 wt% of the MIm3S, it has a high ionic conductivity of 1.57 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature, the maximum lithium ions transference number of 0.36 and the minimum apparent activation energy for ions transportation of 30.9 kJ mol−1. The charge–discharge performance of a Li4Ti5O12/SPE/LiCoO2 cell indicates the potential application of the as-prepared SPE in lithium ion batteries.

A macaroni-like Li 1.2 V 3 O 8 nanomaterial was directly prepared through a facile solution route using β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as a template reagent. Its crystal structure was determined by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. From the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs, we observed that the as-prepared Li 1.2 V 3 O 8 material consisted of the aggregated macaroni-like nanoparticles and showed a porous structure. The electrochemical properties of the as-prepared Li 1.2 V 3 O 8 in 1.0 M Li 2 SO 4 aqueous electrolyte were studied through cyclic voltammograms and charge–discharge measurements. The results revealed that the as-prepared Li 1.2 V 3 O 8 could deliver the initial specific capacities of 189, 140, and 101 mAh g −1 at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 C, respectively. It suggests that the as-prepared Li 1.2 V 3 O 8 should have an attractive future to be applied in aqueous rechargeable lithium battery (ARLB).

A foaming process was used to prepare porous polymer membranes (PPMs) based on poly(vinylidene diflouride-co-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer for lithium ion batteries. In this simple process, urea, the foaming agent, was decomposed into gases and was removed at an elevated temperature to get the porous structure within the polymer matrix. When the weight ratio of urea to P(VDF-HFP) is 5:6, the PPM presents the highest porosity, 70.2%, and the prepared gelled polymer electrolyte shows an ionic conductivity up to 1.43 × 10 −3 S cm −1 at room temperature. This provides another way to prepare gelled polymer electrolytes easily for application in rechargeable lithium batteries.

A kind of porous nanocomposite polymer membranes (NCPMs) based on poly(vinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-HFP)) incorporated with different amounts of TiO 2 nanoparticles from in situ hydrolysis of Ti(OC 4 H 9 ) 4 was prepared by a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technology. The SEM micrographs reveal that a porous structure exists in the NCPMs, which changes with the incorporated amount of TiO 2 . The NCPMs incorporated with 9.0 wt.% of mass fraction of TiO 2 possess the highest porosity, 67.3%, and appear as flexile fracture with an elongation ratio, 74.4%. At this content, the ionic conductivity of the NCPE is up to 0.94 × 10 −3 S cm −1 at room temperature and the activation energy for ions transport reaches the lowest, 18.71 kJ mol −1 . It is of great potential application in lithium ion batteries.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, which can occur after acute infection and last for years, is characterized by severe and persistent fatigue. Others have reported decreases in mouse running activity following infection and have suggested this may provide an animal model for studying chronic fatigue. Voluntary running is a highly motivated activity in mice, which will often run 5–7 mi/day in our laboratory. Following 2 weeks of acclimation to running wheels with food and water available ad lib, female BALB/c mice received 0.2-mL tail vein injections of killed Brucella abortus (BA) or saline vehicle. Subsequently the effects on voluntary running and grooming behavior were determined. Injection of BA caused an immediate large decrease in running and a lack of grooming. Vehicle injections produced no changes in behavior. After the first several days of reduced running behavior, levels of running and grooming slowly returned back to normal over the next 2–4 weeks, with substantial individual differences in the rate of recovery. The pattern of running during recovery was intriguing in that BA mice first ran at normal levels just after the lights went out, but they stopped after only 1–2 h. As recovery proceeded, they gradually increased the duration of the running bout during the night. Because this model uses voluntary exertion and the ability to run for longer periods of time characterizes recovery, the model may be a good one for studying the biologic underpinnings of chronic fatigue.

The stability of superconducting properties of epitaxial Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films in water has been investigated at room temperature. The measurements of Tc, Jc and XRD θ–θ scans proved that the superconductivity of the completely crystalline film was very stable in water at room temperature. If the film is mixed with amorphous inclusion of BaO and CaO, it can be corroded in water. If the film is polluted by photoresist, silver dag, indium or silver, it is rapidly corroded in water.