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The ladder-like polysilsesquioxanes containing both the bio-mimicking adhesive polycatechol and polyethylene oxide (CA-PEO-LPSQ) were synthesized as an organic-inorganic hybrid material and applied as a surface modifier for the preparation of a compatible polyethylene (PE) separator in high performing lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The dip-coating of CA-PEO-LPSQ onto PE (PE-M) separator was optimized at different alkaline pH values. The PE-M separator contained an inorganic ladder-like polysilsesquioxane-based backbone chain with organic moieties PEO and catechol acting as functional groups for enhancing the surface wettability, lithium ion conductivity, and thermal and electrochemical stability. The LIBs fabricated using PE-M as the separator, LiCoO2 as the cathode, and Li metal foil as the anode showed excellent capacity retention of 96% and 82% after the first cycle and 300th cycle at 0.5C rate, respectively, when compared to bare a PE separator exhibiting 95% and 15%, respectively.

Highly conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanotubes were fabricated by vapor deposition polymerization using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanopororus template. Highly ordered PEDOT nanotube arrays with high respect ratios were produced using this process. The nanoscale diameter and microscale length of the nanotubes were controlled by the pore sizes and depths of the AAO membranes, respectively. The PEDOT nanotubes in the bulk sample had a very high conductivity of 2,000 S/cm. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, transmission and scanning electron microscopies, and atomic force microscopy were used to determine the structure as well as the electrical and optical properties of the PEDOT nanotubes.

Rapid progress in nanotechnology has made it increasingly easier to nanostructure metal materials. This paper describes the formation of uniform silver nanowires by reducing silver acetate with PLLA polymer. The silver nanowires were prepared by wetting a porous template at 350 °C using 1.5 wt.% CH2Cl2 solution containing PLLA/silver acetate in a ratio of 1:1. A thermal analysis in the temperature range of 100 °C to 400 °C was carried out by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). An exothermic reaction peak associated with pure silver occurred at 352 °C at a heating rate of 5 °C/min. From the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectra analysis of the silver and PLLA composites, it was obtained that the absorption peak of the PLLA became weak by heating to successively higher temperatures in the range of 230 °C to 350 °C. The DSC and ATR results showed that the PLLA can be directly and easily removed at 350 °C, leaving the pure metal inside the pores. The silver nanowires consisted of nanoparticles whose average diameter was about 26.5 nm. And those nanowires with an aspect ratio of about 13 showed an UV-vis absorption peak, which is attributed to the surface plasmon excitation at 350 nm and 377 nm.

TiO2 nanotube layers can be formed with titanium in the electrolytes containing fluoride by electrochemical method. The role of fluoride ion, the crystallinity of the anodic oxide, and the chemical state were investigated. The results show the anodic film is composed of oxide and a little amount of hydroxide. The presence of F− ions leads to chemical dissolution of Ti oxide layer and prevents hydroxide precipitation. Consequently, chemical dissolution rate increases with increasing the fluoride content in the range of 0–2% (in mass fraction) because F− ions in electrolyte attack the interface and allow the ions of the electrolyte to easily penetrate into the interface. The as-anodized TiO2 nanotubes exhibit an amorphous structure. Thermally treated nanotubes are composed of mixtures of the anatase and rutile phases.

Mesoporous titanium dioxide films were fabricated on titanium plates by micro-arc oxidation method. To increase the photocatalytic activity of the films, NH4NO3 was added to the H2SO4 solution, and anodizing was carried out at high voltages using a DC power supply. The crystal structure, chemical composition, surface morphology and the optical property of the films were investigated by XPS, XRD, UV-VIS spectroscopy and SEM. The photocatalytic activity of the films was evaluated by the decomposition of aniline blue, and the activity of the films for the degradation turned out to be improved by the additives to the electrolyte solution. The enhanced photocatalytic activity might result from the increased porosity and nitrate ion incorporation into the anodic films by micro arcing, and thereby the TiO2 layer might exhibit an improved absorption property for the visible light.

Objectives: By utilizing serological analysis of a recombinant cDNA expression library (SEREX), we previously found that autoantibodies to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are specifically present in the sera of patients with SLE. In this study, recombinant proteins of various domains of PARP were used to determine the PARP domain that is associated with SLE. Methods: We produced four recombinant PARP proteins, which contained various PARP domains, and then carried out enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using these recombinant proteins to identify domains useful for SLE diagnosis. The recombinant proteins used in this analysis were; ADPNF (amino acids 1–234), ET-L2 (amino acids 339–680), ET-L3 (amino acids 681–1014), and ADPCF (amino acids 300–1014). Result: ELISA with ADPNF or ET-L2 showed low sensitivity in the sera of patients with SLE (14.3% and 17.0% respectively), whereas ELISA with ET-L3 or ADPCF showed high sensitivity in the sera of patients with SLE (34.0% and 49.1%, respectively). Autoantibodies to ADPCF were not found in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (0/30), systemic sclerosis (0/30) or healthy donors (0/54) and were rarely found in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (1/30) and Sjogren syndrome (1/14). Autoantibodies to ADPCF were closely associated with the presence of an oral ulcer in SLE (P=0.03, by the chi-square test). Conclusion: The high sensitivity and specificity shown by autoantibodies to ADPCF protein could be used as a valuable serologic maker for the diagnosis of SLE.