Multiwall carbon nanotube@mesoporous carbon with core-shell configuration: a well-designed composite-structure toward electrochemical capacitor application: A multiwall carbon nanotube@mesoporous carbon composite has been prepared for electrochemical capacitor applications by scientists at Fudan University, China. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 13025-13031)
New BODIPY chromophores bound to polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) with improved thermo- and photostability: Stable hybrid dyes that are analogs of the BODIPY laser dye PM567 have been prepared by Spanish researchers. The dyes show higher thermostability in solid state, as well as higher photostability in thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) than the parent unbound dyes. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 12803-12811)
Reversible assembly of metal nanoparticles induced by penicillamine. Dynamic formation of SERS hot spots: A system for pH-driven reversible assembly of gold nanoparticles has been reported by a team of scientists working in Spain and the UK. The surface of the nanoparicles is modified with a submonolayer of penicillamine. Changes to the hydrogen bonding between different nanoparticles caused by changes in pH is thought to be responsible for the reversible assembly of the nanoparticles. The aggregation of the nanoparticles also creates SERS hotspots. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C1JM12175H, Advance Article)
In situ cross-linkable gelatin–poly(ethylene glycol)–tyramine hydrogel via enzyme-mediated reaction for tissue regenerative medicine: A hydrogel made from gelatin–poly(ethylene glycol)–tyramine has been developed by South Korean scientists. The hydrogel could act an injectable scaffold for tissue regenerative medicine they claim. An enzyme-mediated reaction allows the hydrogel to be formed in situ. Controlling the reaction conditions allowed the team to prepare hydrogels with storage moduli that ranged from approximately 200 to over 8000 Pa. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C1JM12527C, Advance Article)
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