Aliya Anwar – Page 8 – Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

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Urine-fuelled distress signal

13 Mar 2015

The UK laboratory behind the pee-powered mobile phone has gone a wee bit further and turned recycled photocopier paper into microbial fuel cells that instigate radio transmissions when fed fresh urine.

The device could find use in remote locations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacteria to generate electricity from waste fluids. However, they are hindered by expensive and toxic components, low power output and lengthy inoculation periods, with the mobile phone-charging MFCs requiring bulky and specialist materials. In contrast, the new paper-based MFCs from Jonathan Winfield, at the Bristol BioEnergy Centre, and co-workers are much smaller, lighter and cheaper.

Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Urine-activated origami microbial fuel cells to signal proof of life
Jonathan Winfield, Lily D. Chambers, Jonathan Rossiter, John Greenman and Ioannis Ieropoulos
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5TA00687B

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Petrified beetles

05 Mar 2015

Scientists in Germany have successfully preserved delicate structural details in scarab beetles by using an ionic polymer to drive carbonisation. Due to their fossil-like and stable carbon structure, the specimens are anticipated to last for thousands of years.

The beetle starts off blue but turns brown when covered with the polymer coating

Jiayin Yuan, who led the study at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, explains how his team discovered the technique: ‘In the past year we began to investigate interactions between poly(ionic liquid)s [PILs] and natural matrixes like cotton. Cotton coated with PIL and carbonised was thermally stable and its natural bio-matrix was preserved. For this reason, and motivated by an intrinsic curiosity typical of us scientists, we wanted to explore and push forward this effect to its limit.’

Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Microstructure replication of complex biostructures via poly(ionic liquid)-assisted carbonization
Martina Ambrogi, Karoline Täuber, Markus Antonietti and Jiayin Yuan
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 5778-5782
DOI: 10.1039/C5TA00149H

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Infrared camouflage that sticks

24 Feb 2015

US scientists have developed an adhesive tape that can help objects match the infrared reflectance of their surroundings and disguise them from being seen by infrared cameras. The flexible coating – based on a protein found in cephalopod skin – can moderate reflectance simply by stretching and may find application in military camouflage kit.

Cephalopods – such as squid, octopuses and cuttlefish – are nature’s masters of disguise. Their skins contain iridophores, cells that reflect and manipulate incident light to spectacular effect. Their plasma membranes fold to encompass lamellar-like platelets containing reflectin. Reversible phosphorylation of reflectin changes the size and structure of the lamellae, changing the iridophore’s reflectance across the visible spectrum.

Cuttlefish and other cephalopods are some of nature’s best camouflage artists © Shutterstock

Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Infrared invisibility stickers inspired by cephalopods
Long Phan, David D. Ordinario, Emil Karshalev, Ward G. Walkup IV, Michael A. Shenk and Alon A. Gorodetsky
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5TC00125K

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Next generation lithium–sulfur batteries given DNA boost

12 Feb 2015

In a creative application of rational design, scientists in China have turned to nature to help overcome one of the key challenges facing the most probable successor to the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are cheaper, more sustainable and already capable of delivering up to three times the energy density of most Li-ion cells. However, they are held back by poor stability; a problem these researchers have confronted by functionalising the electrodes with DNA.

Li–S cells typically consist of a lithium metal anode and a carbon–sulfur cathode separated by a liquid electrolyte. Lithium ions dissolve from the anode during discharge, reacting with sulfur to form lithium polysulfides (Li₂S_x) at the cathode, while the reverse occurs on charging. Some of the polysulfide intermediates are unfortunately soluble in the electrolyte and their dissolution from the cathode leads to irreversible loss of the active sulfur, adversely affecting cell performance.

Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.

Functionalising electrodes with DNA significantly enhances performance © Shutterstock

The original article can be read below:

High-performance lithium/sulfur batteries by decorating CMK-3/S cathodes with DNA
Qiyang Li, Chenggang Zhou, Zhuan Ji, Bo Han, Liang Feng and Jinping Wu
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA06083K

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Plant plaster protects wine from vine decline

27 Jan 2015

Esca is a big problem for the wine industry © Shutterstock

A breathable and biodegradable adhesive patch to block fungal invasion of vine pruning wounds has been developed by nanotechnology scientists in the US.

Symptoms of fungal disease esca, or vine decline, include reduced yields, stunted growth and even the sudden death of vines. Esca is prevalent throughout the world and poses a significant threat to the wine industry – some countries have lost 40% of their grape harvest to the fungus. Often whole collections of vines have to be removed and replaced. No fungicide treatment is available – sodium arsenite was previously used for control in Europe, but is now banned for health reasons.

Interested? To read the full article, please visit Chemistry World.

The original article can be accessed below:

Biodegradable and Biocompatible Soy Protein/Polymer/Adhesive Sticky Nano-textured Interfacial Membranes for Prevention of Esca Fungi Invasion into Pruning Cuts and Wounds of Vines
Soumyadip Sett, Min Wook Lee, Martin Weith, B Pourdeyhimi and Alexander Yarin
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4TB01887G

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2nd Workshop on Shape-Responsive Fluorophores

07 Jan 2015

The 2nd Workshop on Shape-Responsive Fluorophores will be held at the Telluride Intermediate School in Colorado, USA on June 23 – 27th 2015.

Telluride

The workshop will focus on the phenomenology, origin, and the practical application of shape-selective fluorophores, and will include a wide variety of both theorists and experimenters working actively on these systems. We expect that the Telluride meeting will bring together the scientists, both academic and industrial, from all over the world.

Several topics will be explicitly discussed: an aggregation-induced emission phenomenon in a wide range of organic fluorophores; the fluorescent rotors; mechanofluorescence; encapsulation of fluorescent probes in small hosts; and the development of turn-on fluorescent ligands for proteins and DNA/RNA.

The Early Bird (discounted) registration deadline is 15 January 2015. For more information, the Workshop website is available here.

Also of interest

We are delighted to announce that Journal of Materials Chemistry C is planning to produce a themed issue on the topic of Shape-Responsive Fluorophores in early 2016. Please e-mail the Editorial Office at materialsc-rsc@rsc.org if you are interested in contributing an article. The Guest Editors for this issue are the Telluride meeting organisers Dr Kyril Solntsev (Georgia Institute of Technology) and Professor Ben Zhong Tang (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology).

This themed issue will have a broad, inclusive scope and will cover all the aspects of the recent exciting progress in shape-responsive fluorophores, including the synthesis, characterisation, and applications of molecules and functional materials; within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry C (materials for optical, magnetic and eletronic devices).

The submission deadline for this themed issue is 1 September 2015.

Manuscripts can be submitted using the Journal online article submission service. Please clearly state that the manuscript is submitted in response to the call for papers for the themed issue on Shape-Responsive Fluorophores.

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Catching water with imitation beetle bumps

22 Dec 2014

Inspired by both desert beetles and marine mussels, scientists in Saudi Arabia have devised a new method for creating micropatterned superhydrophobic surfaces that efficiently harvest fog.

The Namib Desert beetle survives by collecting moisture from the air

In semi-arid, desert regions, particularly in coastal areas where morning fog is abundant and rainfall is scarce, fog harvesting can be a crucial source of water. Indeed, the Namib Desert beetle is known to survive by collecting water from fog thanks to its unique back structure. An array of hydrophilic bumps across a waxy superhydrophobic surface collect then route droplets into the beetle’s mouth.

Interested? The full story can be read at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Inkjet printing for direct micropatterning of a superhydrophobic surface: toward biomimetic fog harvesting surfaces
Lianbin Zhang, Jinbo Wu, Mohamed Nejib Hedhili, Xiulin Yang and Peng Wan
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA05862C

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12th International Symposium on Functional π-Electron Systems

17 Dec 2014

The 12th International Symposium on Functional pi-Electron Systems (Fpi-12) will be held in Seattle, Washington, USA on July 19 – 24^th 2015.

These conferences have become one of the major conferences in the area of organic electronics, and we hope that Fpi-12 will follow the success of previous Fpi conferences organized in Japan (Osaka in 1989, 1999, and 2006 and Kobe in 1992), USA (Santa Cruz in 1995, Ithaca in 2004, Atlanta in 2009), Europe (Ulm, Germany, in 2002, Graz, Austria, in 2008 and Arcachon, France in 2013), and China (Beijing, in 2011).

Fpi-12 is expected to attract 400-500 participants from all over the world to discuss their new achievements in research fields including:

design and synthesis of new π-conjugated molecules and polymers
organic and polymeric semiconducting materials for thin film transistors
organic and polymeric photovoltaic and photo-detective materials and devices
organic light-emitting materials for display and lighting application
hybrid/perovskite materials and devices
conjugated polymers and oligomers in chemo/bio-sensors
bioelectronics

Abstract submission is open till January 31^st 2015.

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Plastic bottles recycled into cigarette filters

09 Dec 2014

A method to recycle the common plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from fizzy drinks bottles into membranes for filtration, including cigarette filter tips, has been developed by scientists in Sweden and the US. The process involves dissolving PET in a solvent mixture of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane, which is then electrospun to produce fibre mats to be used as filters.

PET is widely recycled into engineered plastics, automobiles, fleece fabric, containers and films, however some applications such as protective clothing and membrane separation and filtration still use the more expensive virgin PET. This work, which stemmed from a collaboration between researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and the University of Illinois, provides a proof-of-concept for synthesising filters from recycled PET to give cigarette filters which absorb up to 20 times more cigarette smoke than classic filter tips.

Interested? The full article can be read at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Electrospinning of recycled PET to generate tough mesomorphic fibre membranes for smoke filtration
I. N. Strain, Q. Wu, A. M. Pourrahimi, M. S. Hedenqvist, R. T. Olsson and R. L. Andersson
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA06191H

The filtration capacities of the fibre mats were tested using a cigarette as the smoke source

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The 114th General Meeting of the Korean Chemical Society

20 Nov 2014

Journal of Materials Chemistry B would like to congratulate Won Hoon Choi (Kyung Hee University) and Dawoon Song (Chungbuk University) who were

Won Hoon Choi (pictured) won for his poster prize titled: Mutation in the Core Particle Enhances Mammalian Proteasome Activity by Open-Gate and Dawoon Song was awarded for his title: Synthesis and evaluation of novel 2,4-diaminopyrimidines bearing substituted tetrahydrobenzoazepines for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor as anticancer agents. awarded Poster prizes at the Korean Chemical Society Fall Meeting which took place at the Kimdae jung Convention Center, Gwangju, Korea from the 15th – 17th October 2014.

The KCS (Korean Chemical Society) meets twice a year and aims to cover all aspects of chemistry. A workshop on scientific publishing was hosted by Dr. Richard Threlfall on the final day of the meeting which provided information on the full publishing process with the intention of enabling authors to gain the best outcome in journal publishing.

Further information about the organisation can be found here.

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Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Author Archive

Urine-fuelled distress signal

Petrified beetles

Infrared camouflage that sticks

Next generation lithium–sulfur batteries given DNA boost

Plant plaster protects wine from vine decline

2nd Workshop on Shape-Responsive Fluorophores

Catching water with imitation beetle bumps

12th International Symposium on Functional π-Electron Systems

Plastic bottles recycled into cigarette filters

The 114th General Meeting of the Korean Chemical Society

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