Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Hot Paper: Theoretical understanding of single-stranded DNA assisted dispersion of graphene

29 Apr 2013

This article has been made free to access for a short time!

Functionalisation of graphene by adsorbed single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) enables the dispersion of graphene in aqueous solution. The resulting composites are of great interest as biomaterials with applications in areas such as molecular diagnostics, biosensors and DNA sequencing. Hence, there is much to be gained from an improved understanding of the interaction between graphene and ssDNA.

In this hot paper, Manna and Pati use atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the structural topology, energetics and electronic structure of ssDNA hybridized with graphene. They find the adsorption process is influenced by competing π–π stacking interactions, which are highly dependent on the chemical nature of the nucleobase and the sequence type of the ssDNA. Mixed nucleobase sequence ssDNA is proposed as a better candidate for dispersing graphene than ssDNA containing homologous base sequences.

This research provides a fundamental understanding of the adsorption of ssDNA on graphene, and therefore has important implications for the design of graphene-based biomaterials.

Theoretical understanding of single-stranded DNA assisted dispersion of graphene
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, 1, 91-100 DOI: 10.1039/C2TB00184E

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Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles in February

25 Apr 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

This month sees the following Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles that are in the top ten most accessed for February:

Development of high performance OLEDs for general lighting
Hisahiro Sasabe and Junji Kido
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1699-1707
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00584K

Inkjet printing of organic electronics – comparison of deposition techniques and state-of-the-art developments
Anke Teichler , Jolke Perelaer and Ulrich S. Schubert
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1910-1925
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00255H

Bis(carbazolyl) derivatives of pyrene and tetrahydropyrene: synthesis, structures, optical properties, electrochemistry, and electroluminescence
Bilal R. Kaafarani , Ala’a O. El-Ballouli , Roman Trattnig , Alexandr Fonari , Stefan Sax , Brigitte Wex , Chad Risko , Rony S. Khnayzer , Stephen Barlow , Digambara Patra , Tatiana V. Timofeeva , Emil J. W. List , Jean-Luc Brédas and Seth R. Marder
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1638-1650
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00474G

Ferromagnetism in metal oxide systems: interfaces, dopants, and defects
Vishal P. Thakare , Onkar S. Game and Satishchandra B. Ogale
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1545-1557
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00172A

Water soluble pentacene
Chandrani Pramanik , Yushu Li , Anup Singh , Weimin Lin , Jennifer L. Hodgson , Jonathan B. Briggs , Simka Ellis , Peter Müller , Nicol E. McGruer and Glen P. Miller
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 2193-2201
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00278K

Two-dimensional semiconductors: recent progress and future perspectives
Xiufeng Song , Jinlian Hu and Haibo Zeng
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 2952-2969
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00710C

Solution-processable graphene oxide as an efficient hole injection layer for high luminance organic light-emitting diodes
Shengwei Shi , Veera Sadhu , Reda Moubah , Guy Schmerber , Qinye Bao and S. Ravi P. Silva
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1708-1712
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00707C

Fluorinated 9,9′-spirobifluorene derivatives as host materials for highly efficient blue organic light-emitting devices
Zhanfeng Li , Bo Jiao , Zhaoxin Wu , Peng Liu , Lin Ma , Xiaoli Lei , Dongdong Wang , Guijiang Zhou , Huaiming Hu and Xun Hou
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 2183-2192
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00466J

A host material consisting of a phosphinic amide directly linked donor–acceptor structure for efficient blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes
Atsushi Wada , Takuma Yasuda , Qisheng Zhang , Yu Seok Yang , Isao Takasu , Shintaro Enomoto and Chihaya Adachi
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 2404-2407
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00939D

Quantitative X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies: electronic structure elucidation of Cu2S and CuS
Prashant Kumar , Rajamani Nagarajan and Ritimukta Sarangi
DOI: 10.1039/C3TC00639E
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 2448-2454

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Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry B articles in February

22 Apr 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

This month sees the following Journal of Materials Chemistry B articles that are in the top ten most accessed for February:

Individual inorganic nanoparticles: preparation, functionalization and in vitro biomedical diagnostic applications
R. Ladj , A. Bitar , M. Eissa , Y. Mugnier , R. Le Dantec , H. Fessi and A. Elaissari
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1381-1396
DOI: 10.1039/C2TB00301E

Polymorphous ZnO complex architectures: selective synthesis, mechanism, surface area and Zn-polar plane-codetermining antibacterial activity
Guo-Xiu Tong , Fang-Fang Du , Yan Liang , Qian Hu , Ruo-Nan Wu , Jian-Guo Guan and Xian Hu
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 454-463
DOI: 10.1039/C2TB00132B

Pure graphene oxide doped conducting polymer nanocomposite for bio-interfacing
Xiliang Luo , Cassandra L. Weaver , Susheng Tan and Xinyan Tracy Cui
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1340-1348
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00006K

Redox active gels: synthesis, structures and applications
Xiaofeng Sui , Xueling Feng , Mark A. Hempenius and G. Julius Vancso
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1658-1672
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00209H

Hyaluronic acid-conjugated graphene oxide/photosensitizer nanohybrids for cancer targeted photodynamic therapy
Fangyuan Li , Sin-Jung Park , Daishun Ling , Wooram Park , Jung Yeon Han , Kun Na and Kookheon Char
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1678-1686
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00506B

Highly water-soluble BODIPY-based fluorescent probes for sensitive fluorescent sensing of zinc(ii)
Shilei Zhu , Jingtuo Zhang , Jagadeesh Janjanam , Giri Vegesna , Fen-Tair Luo , Ashutosh Tiwari and Haiying Liu
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1722-1728
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00249G

Bionanomaterials for bone tumor engineering and tumor destruction
Gary Blackburn , Timothy G. Scott , Ilker S. Bayer , Anindya Ghosh , Alexandru S. Biris and Abhijit Biswas
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1519-1534
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00536D

A pH-responsive controlled release system using layered double hydroxide (LDH)-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Qishan Zheng , Yanli Hao , Peirong Ye , Liangqia Guo , Hanyin Wu , Qingquan Guo , Jinzhi Jiang , Fengfu Fu and Guonan Chen
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1644-1648
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00518F

Functionalized-chitosan/quantum dot nano-hybrids for nanomedicine applications: towards biolabeling and biosorbing phosphate metabolites
Herman S. Mansur , Alexandra A. P. Mansur , Elisabete Curti and Mauro V. De Almeida
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1696-1711
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00498H

In situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in butterfly wings for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)
Zhongde Mu , Xiangwei Zhao , Zhuoying Xie , Yuanjin Zhao , Qifeng Zhong , Ling Bo and Zhongze Gu
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 1607-1613
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB00500C

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

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11th International Conference on Materials Chemistry (MC11) deadlines approaching soon

18 Apr 2013

By Sam Keltie, Executive Editor.

Deadline dates for the 11th International Conference on Materials Chemistry (MC11) are fast approaching:

Poster abstract submission – 10 May
Early bird registration – 24 May

Act now to:

Submit your poster abstract
Secure an Early bird discount – £50 saving on the standard fee

Calling academic and industrial scientists working on the chemistry, physics and materials science of functional materials – come and take part in this exciting conference.

Hear the best in the field and take advantage of many opportunities for discussion with other researchers in materials chemistry

For more information visit: http://rsc.li/mc11

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Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry A articles in February

18 Apr 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

This month sees the following Journal of Materials Chemistry A articles that are in the top ten most accessed for February:

Self-assembly of Ni–Fe layered double hydroxide/graphene hybrids for reducing fire hazard in epoxy composites
Xin Wang , Shun Zhou , Weiyi Xing , Bin Yu , Xiaming Feng , Lei Song and Yuan Hu
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 4383-4390
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA00035D

Nanostructured morphology control for efficient supercapacitor electrodes
Sheng Chen , Wei Xing , Jingjing Duan , Xijun Hu and Shi Zhang Qiao
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 2941-2954
DOI: 10.1039/C2TA00627H

LiMnPO₄– A next generation cathode material for lithium-ion batteries
Vanchiappan Aravindan , Joe Gnanaraj , Yun-Sung Lee and Srinivasan Madhavi
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 3518-3539
DOI: 10.1039/C2TA01393B

Mechanically alloyed composite anode materials based on SiO–Sn x Fe y C z for Li-ion batteries
Bo Liu , Ali Abouimrane , Dennis E. Brown , Xiaofeng Zhang , Yang Ren , Zhigang Zak Fang and Khalil Amine
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 4376-4382
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA00101F

Facile synthesis of SnO₂ nanoparticles dispersed nitrogen doped graphene anode material for ultrahigh capacity lithium ion battery applications
B. P. Vinayan and S. Ramaprabhu
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 3865-3871
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA01515G

Self-assembly of nanostructures towards transparent, superhydrophobic surfaces
Yudi Rahmawan , Lebo Xu and Shu Yang
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 2955-2969
DOI: 10.1039/C2TA00288D

Porous covalent–organic materials: synthesis, clean energy application and design
Zhonghua Xiang and Dapeng Cao
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 2691-2718
DOI: 10.1039/C2TA00063F

Theoretical investigation of Li₂MnSiO4 as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries: a DFT study
Mohammad Mahdi Kalantarian , Sirous Asgari and Piercarlo Mustarelli
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 2847-2855
DOI: 10.1039/C2TA01363K

Synthesis of microporous organic polymers with high CO₂-over-N₂ selectivity and CO₂ adsorption
Chao Xu and Niklas Hedin
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 3406-3414
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA01160G

Novel D–p–A structured porphyrin dyes with diphenylamine derived electron-donating substituents for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells
Sung Ho Kang , In Taek Choi , Min Soo Kang , Yu Kyung Eom , Myong Jong Ju , Ji Yeoun Hong , Hong Seok Kang and Hwan Kyu Kim
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 3977-3982
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA01128C

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

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Hot Paper: Bioreducible polypeptide micelles for chemotherapy

15 Apr 2013

By James Serginson, web writer.

The use of antitumour drugs has always been problematic due to the risk of severe side-effects consistent with such cytotoxic compounds. A logical method of reducing side effects is to exercise more control over the deployment of drugs, ensuring that they are only delivered to cancer cells and not across the entire body. The first stage in the development of such a system is the design of biocompatible drug carriers.

Drug carriers must be designed in such a way that they do not interfere with the therapeutic action of the drug yet also be sufficiently resilient that their payload is not released before their cellular destination. A solution to this is to use a chemical trigger that exploits differences in the extracellular and intracellular environments. One such difference is redox potential. Inside the cell, the concentration of the thiol-containing tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is around one order of magnitude higher than it is outside the cell. Disulfides (-S-S-) can be rapidly degraded by GSH meaning that structures that contain them are extremly unstable inside the cell yet remain completely stable in the mildly oxidising conditions found in the extracellular milieu.

Ding et al. prepared micelles consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(ε-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine) (PZLL) linked by a disulfide group. Upon entering the cell, it was envisaged that the fission of the disulfide would greatly undermine the structural integrity of the micelle. The carriers formed were of the order of 100 nm in size and were loaded with the drug Doxorubicon (DOX). In a non-reducing environment more than 50% of the drug was held after sixty hours; in the presence of GSH less than 10% was held demonstrating the effectiveness of the trigger. In vitro efficacy of the micelles was demonstrated using cellular imaging and the biocompatibility of the micelles was found to be extremely high.

Biocompatible reduction-responsive polypeptide micelles as nanocarriers for enhanced chemotherapy efficacy in vitro

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, 1, 69. DOI: 10.1039/c2tb00063f

James Serginson is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. He currently works at Imperial College London carrying out research into nanocomposites.

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Mesoporous materials from macroalgae: Journal of Materials Chemistry A article in Chemistry World

11 Apr 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

It is estimated that less than 1% of the world’s macroalgae biomass is currently utilised but UK scientists have found a use for some of it – in the preparation of highly mesoporous materials.

Mesoporous materials have a variety of applications including catalysts and drug delivery systems. Previously, other biomass sources, such as peas, potatoes and corn, have been considered for use in the production of mesoporous materials. However, by using seaweed as the biomass source, James Clark, and co-workers, at the University of York, UK, managed to form mesoporous material, without the need for costly processes, such as supercritical carbon dioxide drying.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Shaped mesoporous materials from fresh macroalgae
J. R. Dodson , V. L. Budarin , A. J. Hunt , P. S. Shuttleworth and J. H. Clark
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 5203-5207
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA10568G

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Power-up with edible electronics: Journal of Materials Chemistry B article in Chemistry World

09 Apr 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

Scientists in the US have designed an ingestible electronic device that is composed entirely of edible materials and produces its own electric current.

Since 2008, Christopher Bettinger and colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have been working on biodegradable electronics for medical devices. The team’s overarching goal is to develop electronically-active medical devices that can be implanted, are functional and break-down in the body. ‘Two issues that seem to keep coming up along the way are how will these devices be powered and how can we integrate devices with the body in a non-invasive manner?’ says Bettinger. ‘The idea of edible current sources is to serve as power supplies for medical devices that can be taken orally – so they’re non-invasive – using materials that are ingested in common diets.’

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Self-deployable current sources fabricated from edible materials
Young Jo Kim , Sang-Eun Chun , Jay Whitacre and Christopher J. Bettinger
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB20183J

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Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles in January

18 Mar 2013

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

This month sees the following Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles that are in the top ten most accessed for January:

High-performance pure blue phosphorescent OLED using a novel bis-heteroleptic iridium(iii) complex with fluorinated bipyridyl ligands
Florian Kessler , Yuichiro Watanabe , Hisahiro Sasabe , Hiroshi Katagiri , Md. K. Nazeeruddin , Michael Grätzel and Junji Kido
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1070-1075
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00836J

Development of high performance OLEDs for general lighting
Hisahiro Sasabe and Junji Kido
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1699-1707
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00584K

Benzo[1,2-b:6,5-b’]dithiophene(dithiazole)-4,5-dione derivatives: synthesis, electronic properties, crystal packing and charge transport
Yulia A. Getmanenko , Marina Fonari , Chad Risko , Bhupinder Sandhu , Elena Galán , Lingyun Zhu , Paul Tongwa , Do Kyung Hwang , Sanjeev Singh , He Wang , Shree Prakash Tiwari , Yueh-Lin Loo , Jean-Luc Brédas , Bernard Kippelen , Tatiana Timofeeva and Seth R. Marder
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1467-1481
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00805J

High-performance flexible asymmetric supercapacitors based on 3D porous graphene/MnO2 nanorod and graphene/Ag hybrid thin-film electrodes
Yuanlong Shao , Hongzhi Wang , Qinghong Zhang and Yaogang Li
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1245-1251
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00235C

Cyanostilbene-based intelligent organic optoelectronic materials
Liangliang Zhu and Yanli Zhao
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1059-1065
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00593J

Dithiazole-fused naphthalene diimides toward new n-type semiconductors
Xin Chen , Yunlong Guo , Luxi Tan , Ge Yang , Yonghai Li , Guanxin Zhang , Zitong Liu , Wei Xu and Deqing Zhang
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1087-1092
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00308B

Naphthodithiophenes as building units for small molecules to polymers; a case study for in-depth understanding of structure–property relationships in organic semiconductors
Itaru Osaka , Shoji Shinamura , Toru Abe and Kazuo Takimiya
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 1297-1304
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00261B

Full-colour fluorescent materials based on mixed-lanthanide(iii) metal–organic complexes with high-efficiency white light emission
Huabin Zhang , Xiaochen Shan , Liujiang Zhou , Ping Lin , Renfu Li , En Ma , Xiangguang Guo and Shaowu Du
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 888-891
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00414C

Synthesis of graphene by low-temperature exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide under ambient atmosphere
Bin Shen , Dingding Lu , Wentao Zhai and Wenge Zheng
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013,1, 50-53
DOI: 10.1039/C2TC00044J

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

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DNA as a flame retardant material – J Mater. Chem. A article featured on Wired.com

14 Mar 2013

By Sam Keltie, Executive Editor.

This article has been made free to access for a short time!

An article in Journal of Materials Chemistry A has been featured on Wired.com and in Chemistry World. The article describes a novel approach to creating flame-retardant materials by a team of scientists from Italy, who have used DNA to protect textiles against fire. Using herring sperm as their DNA source, the researchers have created samples of cotton that can withstand direct application of a flame and an irradiative heat flux without ignition of the material. DNA has all of the desirable characteristics of a flame-retardant chemical, without the environmentally unfriendly drawbacks of many of the materials currently in use. Using DNA as a bulk chemical is becoming more viable option as new industrial processes are discovered.

DNA: a novel, green, natural flame retardant and suppressant for cotton
Jenny Alongi, Riccardo Andrea Carletto, Alessandro Di Blasio, Federico Carosio, Francesca Bosco and Giulio Malucelli
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, Advance Article. DOI: 10.1039/C3TA00107E.

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J Mater. Chem. A articles featured on Wired.com

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Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Hot Paper: Theoretical understanding of single-stranded DNA assisted dispersion of graphene

Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles in February

Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry B articles in February

11th International Conference on Materials Chemistry (MC11) deadlines approaching soon

Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry A articles in February

Hot Paper: Bioreducible polypeptide micelles for chemotherapy

Mesoporous materials from macroalgae: Journal of Materials Chemistry A article in Chemistry World

Power-up with edible electronics: Journal of Materials Chemistry B article in Chemistry World

Top 10 most-read Journal of Materials Chemistry C articles in January

DNA as a flame retardant material – J Mater. Chem. A article featured on Wired.com

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