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ABSTRACT To develop a microscale processing technique for aromatic polyimides (APIs) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), the relationships between the polymerization condition, the phase behavior during polymerization and the molecular weight of polyamic acid (PAA)-an intermediate in the production of polyimides-were investigated in scCO2 at 50°C. 4,4′-Diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) were used as monomers of aromatic diamine and tetracarboxylic dianhydride, respectively, and 19 mol % of N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) was added to scCO2 as a cosolvent. The cloudy phase appeared immediately when ODA and PMDA were mixed under any experimental conditions. However, the appearances of the phase behaviors during polymerization differed depending on the polymerization pressure and the initial monomer concentration. The number average molecular weight of PAA increased as the monomer concentration was increased in scCO2, as was the case with polymerization in pure DMF at atmospheric pressure, despite differences in the phase behavior. On the other hand, the weight average molecular weight of PAA depended on the phase behaviors during polymerization along with the monomer concentration. Moreover, API obtained from the PAA synthesized in scCO2 was analyzed using a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and thermogravimetric analyzer, and the results were compared with those of APIs obtained by the solution polymerization. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39878. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins play roles in assisting other proteins to fold correctly and in preventing the aggregation and accumulation of proteins in misfolded conformations. However, the process of aging significantly degrades this ability to maintain protein homeostasis. Consequently, proteins with incorrect conformations are prone to aggregate and accumulate in cells, and this aberrant aggregation of misfolded proteins may trigger various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Here, we investigated the possibilities of suppressing α-synuclein aggregation by using a mutant form of human chaperonin Hsp60, and a derivative of the isolated apical domain of Hsp60 (Hsp60 AD(Cys)). In vitro measurements were used to detect the effects of chaperonin on amyloid fibril formation, and interactions between Hsp60 proteins and α-synuclein were probed by quartz crystal microbalance analysis. The ability of Hsp60 AD(Cys) to suppress α-synuclein intracellular aggregation and cytotoxicity was also demonstrated. We show that Hsp60 mutant and Hsp60 AD(Cys) both effectively suppress α-synuclein amyloid fibril formation, and also demonstrate for the first time the ability of Hsp60 AD(Cys) to function as a mini-chaperone inside cells. These results highlight the possibility of using Hsp60 AD as a method of prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostructures of two-dimensional materials realise novel and enhanced physical phenomena, making them attractive research targets. Compared to inorganic materials, coordination nanosheets have virtually infinite combinations, leading to tunability of physical properties and are promising candidates for heterostructure fabrication. Although stacking of coordination materials into vertical heterostructures is widely reported, reports of lateral coordination material heterostructures are few. Here we show the successful fabrication of a seamless lateral heterojunction showing diode behaviour, by sequential and spatially limited immersion of a new metalladithiolene coordination nanosheet, Zn 3 BHT, into aqueous Cu(II) and Fe(II) solutions. Upon immersion, the Zn centres in insulating Zn 3 BHT are replaced by Cu or Fe ions, resulting in conductivity. The transmetallation is spatially confined, occurring only within the immersed area. We anticipate that our results will be a starting point towards exploring transmetallation of various two-dimensional materials to produce lateral heterojunctions, by providing a new and facile synthetic route., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Hiroshi Nishihara at Tokyo University of Science. The image depicts the moment of the growth of the second layer at the liquid-liquid interface to form a heterolaminated film. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202201316., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)