Volume 49 Issue 12, December 2017

Diverse functionalized insulated conjugated polymers (ICPs) were synthesized via co-polymerization between insulated conjugated monomers and various functional units. The functional moieties strongly affected their π-conjugation, which provided sensitivity towards external stimuli. Chemical and physical inputs, such as redox, light, ions and gases, could be detected by modulating their optical and electrical properties. Moreover, the insulating structures inhibited undesired π–π interactions and prohibited thermal fluctuation in the conjugated backbones, enhancing the physical properties of the sensing materials. Accordingly, cooperative effects were observed between the insulation and functional moieties in functionalized ICPs.

DNA has been focused as a key component for the fabrication of metal nanoarchitectures due to its intrinsic properties and advantages, such as a well-ordered structure, rich chemical functionality and programmable base-pairing interactions, as well as the availability of multiple enzymes for manipulations. In this focus review, various approaches for DNA-templated metal nanoarchitecture fabrication are introduced. The approaches include DNA-mediated metal nanoparticle formation, DNA-templated conductive nanowire fabrication by metal depositions, sequence-selective metal deposition onto DNA for elaborate nanowire fabrication and DNA brushes as templates for use on solid substrates.

Shapeable synthesis of porous silica frameworks was achieved in an aqueous system using polyacrylamide (PAAm) gel as an organic template and hydrolyzed silicon alkoxide as a silica source. Macroscopically shaped frameworks comprised of 10- to 50-nm diameter silica particles are obtained via PAAm–silica precursor gels. The mechanical properties of the silica frameworks depending on the packing density are controlled by changing the silica content in PAAm gels.

Small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering measurements were conducted on blends of deuterated polyethylene and hydrogenateted polyethylene with various molecular weights drawn just below the melting temperature at three drawing rates to study role of molecular weigh in shish-kebab formation. It was found that low molecular weight component was mainly included in shish for the present experimental condition. The result contradicts our previous result, showing that there are various shish-kebab formation mechanisms that are not known so far.

Equivalent circuit with two units for the 3.11 vol% PI/VGCF composite and three units for the 6.28 vol% PI/VGCF composite was proposed to study the complicated relaxation behavior. The first unit was: interface between bulk and electrode; the second unit was: interface between adjacent VGCFs inserting PI; the third unit was: carrier movement within VGCFs.

Recyclable carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) with controlled degradability and stability were developed by using acid-degradable acetal linkage-containing epoxy resin (BA-CHDMVG). The obtained BA-CHDMVG-based CFRPs exhibited almost the same tensile and thermal properties as those of the conventional BA-based CFRPs and underwent smooth degradation through hydrolysis with the treatment of hydrochloric acid in a tetrahydrofuran (THF)/water (9/1) mixed solvent. On the other hand, in the absence of organic solvents, the BA-CHDMVG-based CFRPs have sufficient stability toward acid in the normal living environment.

Functional oligochitosan-nanosilica (OCS/nSiO₂) hybrid material is likely to be considered as natural vaccine for the growth and disease resistance of the plants. Study on hybrid material from low-cost and waste products such as OCS from chitosan and chitin, and nSiO₂ from rice husk is likely to create a novel material with special synergistic effect. The plants treated with OCS/nSiO₂ were not completely diseased by Colletotrichum sp. The biomass, the length, the chlorophyll content of the plants treated with OCS, nSiO₂ or OCS/nSiO₂ were higher than those of the control plants.