Novel Electroactive Proton-Doped Conducting Poly(aromatic ethers) with Good Fluorescence Properties via Electropolymerization

Modification of Polyethylene Glycol-Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate Polymeric Micelles Loaded with Curcumin for Cellular Internalization and Cytotoxicity to Wilms Tumor 1-Expressing Myeloblastic Leukemia K562 Cells

Curcumin loaded in micelles of block copolymers of ω-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) and N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide modified with aliphatic dilactate (CD) or aromatic benzoyl group (CN) were previously reported to inhibit human ovarian carcinoma (OVCAR-3), human colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), and human lymphoblastic leukemia (Molt-4) cells. Myeloblastic leukemia cells (K562) are prone to drug resistance and differ in both cancer genotype and phenotype from the three mentioned cancer cells. In the present study, CD and CN micelles were prepared and their effects on K562 and normal cells were explored. The obtained CD and CN showed a narrow size distribution with diameters of 63 ± 3 and 50 ± 1 nm, respectively. The curcumin entrapment efficiency of CD and CN was similarly high, above 80% (84 ± 8% and 91 ± 3%). Both CD and CN showed suppression on WT1-expressing K562 and high cell-cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. However, CD showed significantly higher cytotoxicity to K562, with faster cellular uptake and internalization than CN. In addition, CD showed better compatibility with normal red blood cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells than CN. The promising CD will be further investigated in rodents and possibly in clinical studies for leukemia treatment.

Synthesis and characterization of some novel polythiophene derivatives containing pyrazoline

Eight polythiophene derivatives containing pyrazoline side groups were synthesized by a chemical oxidative coupling polymerization using FeCl₃. The crystal structures of four monomers were determined which confirm the almost perpendicular orientation of the thiophene and pyrazoline rings, while the other substituents are more coplanar. Analyses of IR, ¹H-NMR, Raman and UV-Vis spectra demonstrated that the suggested polymerization was successful to generate the synthesized polythiophenes with the expected structures. The morphology of the synthesized polythiophenes was studied by SEM. The different substituents attached to the 1- and 3-positions of the pyrazoline side chain led to differences in optical properties, electrical conductivity, and thermal stability of the synthesized polythiophenes. By adding a pyrazoline side chain to polythiophenes, some polymers achieve good solubility, electrical conductivity of about 1.3 × 10^–6 S/cm, high fluorescence intensity (above 40,000 a.u.) at 505–550 nm and thermal stability up to 590°C in the air.

Electrochromic polymers with multiple redox couples applied to monitor energy storage states of supercapacitors

Electrochromic polymers with multiple separate redox couples are used to monitor the energy storage states of supercapacitors by appearance colour.

Acid-catalyzed synthesis of condensed polycyclic diaryl ethers from arenols

Diaryl ethers containing condensed polycyclic aryl groups were synthesized from arenols in the presence of a catalytic amount of p-chlorobenzenesulfonic acid. Symmetrical binaphthyl, biphenanthryl, and bipyrenyl ethers were obtained in high yields. Unsymmetrical derivatives were also synthesized from 9-phenanthrol and arenols, using combinations of reactive and unreactive substrates.

Effects of different electrolytes and film thicknesses on structural and thermoelectric properties of electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) films

The effects of the type of electrolyte and film thickness on the structural and thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrates prepared using electropolymerization were investigated. Two electrolytes were prepared using two different solvents: a water/methanol solvent (protic solvent) and acetonitrile (aprotic solvent) with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and LiCF₃SO₃, typically included in electrolytes as dopants. The electrochemical properties of the two electrolytes were analyzed; it was found that the polymerization process for EDOT on an ITO substrate varied based on the electrolyte used. When the electropolymerization time was increased, the surface morphology of the PEDOT films prepared using the water/methanol solvent appeared to contain grains approximately 100 nm in size whereas the PEDOT films prepared using acetonitrile appeared to contain aggregated grains connected by polymeric networks. Even though there were differences in the surface morphology and chemical bonds determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy/attenuated total reflectance analysis, the thermoelectric properties were strongly dependent on the film thickness and were only weakly dependent on the type of electrolyte used. The highest power factor was 41.3 μW (m⁻¹ K⁻²) for a PEDOT film with a thickness of 0.5 μm prepared using the water/methanol solvent electrolyte.

The effects of electrolyte type and film thickness on the structural and thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrates prepared using electropolymerization were investigated.

1-[(Anthracen-9-yl)carbonyl]-2,7-dimethoxynaphthalene: a chain-like structure composed of face-to-face type dimeric molecular aggregates

The asymmetric unit of the title compound contains two independent mol­ecules (A and B). In the crystal, mol­ecules of each conformer make a face-to-face type dimeric mol­ecular aggregate with two pairs of C—H⋯π hydrogen bonds (A) or a pair of (sp²)C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds (B). The dimeric mol­ecular aggregates composed of same conformers are linked to each other into a chain through π–π stacking inter­actions (A) or a pair of C—H⋯π hydrogen bonds (B) along the b axis. The chains are aligned along the c axis by weak van der Waals inter­actions or (sp²)C—H⋯O=O hydrogen bonds, and they are alternately stacked along the a axis.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C₂₇H₂₀O₃, contains two independent mol­ecules (A and B). The anthracene ring system is connected to the 2,7-di­meth­oxy­naphthalene core in a twisted manner, with dihedral angles of 86.38 (5) and 79.36 (8)°, respectively, for conformers A and B. In the crystal, face-to-face type dimeric mol­ecular aggregates of each conformer are observed. The dimer of conformer A is formed by two pairs of C—H⋯π inter­actions, and that of conformer B by a pair of (sp²)C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers of conformer A are linked to each other via a π–π stacking inter­action between the anthracene rings to form a chain along the b axis and the chains are aligned along the c axis, forming a sheet structure. The dimers of conformer B are connected to each other via a couple of C—H⋯π inter­actions to form a chain along the b axis. The chains are aligned along the c axis through (sp²)C—H⋯O=C hydrogen bonds, forming a sheet parallel to the bc plane. The sheets of conformers A and B are alternately stacked along the a axis via two kinds of inter­molecular (sp²)C—H⋯O=C hydrogen bonds.

Biomass-derived carbonaceous positive electrodes for sustainable lithium-ion storage

Biomass derived carbon materials have been widely used as electrode materials; however, in most cases, only electrical double layer capacitance (EDLC) is utilized and therefore, only low energy density can be achieved. Herein, we report on redox-active carbon spheres that can be simply synthesized from earth-abundant glucose via a hydrothermal process. These carbon spheres exhibit a specific capacity of ∼210 mA h gCS(-1), with high redox potentials in the voltage range of 2.2-3.7 V vs. Li, when used as positive electrode in lithium cells. Free-standing, flexible composite films consisting of the carbon spheres and few-walled carbon nanotubes deliver high specific capacities up to ∼155 mA h gelectrode(-1) with no obvious capacity fading up to 10,000 cycles, proposing to be promising positive electrodes for lithium-ion batteries or capacitors. Furthermore, considering that the carbon spheres were obtained in an aqueous glucose solution and no toxic or hazardous reagents were used, this process opens up a green and sustainable method for designing high performance, environmentally-friendly energy storage devices.

Enhanced electrochemical capacitance of polyimidazole coated covellite CuS dispersed CNT composite materials for application in supercapacitors

The capacitance of the newly prepared covellite CuS dispersed on the CNT surface electrode material on nickel foam is enhanced after polyimidazole coating.

Synthesis and characterization of chiral PEDOT enantiomers bearing chiral moieties in side chains: chiral recognition and its mechanism using electrochemical sensing technology

This manuscript reports a couple of novel polymers of side-chain functionalized PEDOT. The new polymers can be employed to successfully recognize 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine enantiomers and we also discuss the mechanism of chiral recognition.

In Situ Electrochemical Synthesis and Deposition of Discotic Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene Molecules on Electrodes: Self-Assembled Structure, Redox Properties, and Application for Supercapacitor

Discotic hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) molecules are synthesized by electrochemical cyclodehydrogenation reaction and in situ self-assembled to π-electronic, discrete nanofibular objects with an average diameter about 70 nm, which are deposited directly onto the electrode. The nanofibers consist of columnar arrays of the π-stacked HBC molecules and the intercolumnar distance is determined to be 1.19 nm by X-ray diffraction, which corresponds well to the distance of 1.1 nm observed by high-resolution transmitting electron microscopy. The diameter of the molecular columns matches the size of the discotic HBC molecule indicating face-to-face π-stacking of HBC units in the column. The HBC nanofibers on electrode are redox active, and the nanosized columnar structures provide a huge surface area, which is a great benefit for the charging/discharging process, delivering excellent capacitance of 155 F g(-1) . The described electrochemical deposition method shows great advantage for self-assembling the family of insoluble and structurally designable graphene-like nano materials, which constitutes an important step toward molecular electronics.

Regioselective synthesis of polygamma (γ) acid

The oxidative polymerization of 6-amino-4-hydroxy-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid was carried out in an aqueous alkaline medium. The polymer showed uncommon multicolored emission behavior in DMSO, emitting blue, green, and yellow light at 405, 480, and 532 nm, respectively.

Molecular design of DBT/DBF hybrid thiophenes π-conjugated systems and comparative study of their electropolymerization and optoelectronic properties: from comonomers to electrochromic polymers

A series of DBT/DBF end-capped with thiophenes comonomers were designed and electropolymerized to yield electrochromic polymers with good performances.

Highly stable hybrid selenophene-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene as electrically conducting and electrochromic polymers

A family of four novel selenophene–EDOT oligomers were synthesized using Stille coupling and electropolymerized to form highly stable conducting hybrid polymers with excellent electrochromic properties.

Synthesis of novel chiral l-leucine grafted PEDOT derivatives with excellent electrochromic performances

PEDOT–Boc–Leu and PEDOT–Leu exhibit excellent electrochromic performance, and are promising optoelectronic materials.

Poly(mono-, bi- or trifuran): effect of oligomer chain length on the electropolymerization performances and polymer properties

Herein we demonstrated the effect of oligomer chain length on the electropolymerization and properties of the resulting polyfuran films.

Electrochemiluminescence biosensor based on conducting poly(5-formylindole) for sensitive detection of Ramos cells

A signal-on electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor devoted to the detection of Ramos cells was fabricated based on a novel conducting polymer, poly(5-formylindole) (P5FIn), which was synthesized electrochemically by direct anodic oxidation of 5-formylindole (5FIn). This ECL platform was presented by covalently coupling the 18-mer amino-substituted oligonucleotide (ODN) probes with aldehyde groups that are strongly reactive toward a variety of nucleophiles on the surface of solid substrates. The specific identification and high-affinity between aptamers and target cells, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) enhanced ECL nanoprobes, along with P5FIn induced ECL quenching contributed greatly to the sensitivity and selectivity. The ECL signals were logarithmically linear with the concentration of Ramos cells in a wide determination range from 500 to 1.0 × 10(5) cells mL(-1), and the corresponding detection limit was 300 cells mL(-1).

Simple Label-Free Femtomolar DNA Detection Based on a Nanostructure Composite Material: MWNT-Doped Poly(indole-6-carboxylic acid)

A nanostructure composite material consisting of poly(indole-6-carboxylic acid) (PICA) and carboxylic groups ended multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was directly electrosynthesized from indole-6-carboxylic acid (ICA) monomer and MWNTs in one step, in which MWNTs was also used as supporting electrolytes. And a simple electrochemical sensor for recognition of target DNA related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) was directly fabricated by means of this composite material. The corresponding detection limit is 2.0 fmol L^-1. This interesting conducting polymer with a very large surface area will provide new insights into how a biosensor is designed.