A new system using $TiO_2$ (nano-sized, band-gap 3.14 eV)-impregnated spherical ZnS (micro-sized, band-gap 2.73 eV) nano/micro-composites (Ti 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, and 0.05 mol %/ZnS) was developed to enhance the production of hydrogen from methanol/water splitting. The ZnS particles in a spherical morphology with a diameter of about 2-4 mm which can absorb around 455 nm were prepared by hydrothermal method. This material was used as a photocatalyst with loading by nano-sized $TiO_2$ (20-30 nm) for hydrogen production. The evolution of $H_2$ from methanol/water (1:1) photo splitting over the $TiO_2$/ZnS composite in the liquid system was enhanced, compared with that over pure $TiO_2$ and ZnS. In particular, 1.2 mmol of $H_2$ gas was produced after 12 h when 0.005 mol % $TiO_2$/ZnS nano/micro-composite was used. On the basis of cyclic voltammeter (CV) and UV-visible spectrums results, the high photoactivity was attributed to the larger band gap and the lower LUMO in the $TiO_2$/ZnS composite, due to the decreased recombination between the excited electrons and holes.

A polymer support immobilized acidic ionic liquid was prepared by copolymerization of 3-vinyl-1-(4-sulfonic acid)butylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate with styrene in the presence of benzoyl peroxide and its primary application as a solid acidic heterogeneous catalyst to the synthesis of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines through a one-pot three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, ethyl acetoacetate and ammonium acetate was investigated. The results showed that this heterogeneous catalyst has high catalytic activity and the desired products were obtained in good to high yields. Moreover, the catalyst was found to be reusable and a considerable catalytic activity still could be achieved after third run.

A new thiourea based receptor (1) was synthesized and applied to fluoride ion recognition in acetonitrile solution. Receptor 1 displayed dual changes in absorption and fluorescence emission intensities selectively for fluoride ions. The interaction of 1 with fluoride undergoes a deprotonation process that is confirmed by $^1H$ NMR titration.

A metal-free and efficient procedure for the oxidation of alcohols into the corresponding carbonyl compounds has been described using ammonium nitrate in the presence of silica sulfuric acid under mild and heterogeneous conditions. The use of non-toxic and inexpensive materials, simple and clean work-up, short reaction times and good yields of the products are among the advantages of this method.

Many literatures focus on the biological relevance and the identification of biomarkers for disease activity assessment while less attention has been paid to the development of standard procedures for sample preparation and storage based on liquid chromatography technique. The influencing factors including protein precipitation, storage temperature, storage time, and reconstitution by ultra pure water were analyzed employing HPLC-DAD. The effects were investigated from five participants over three months by principal components analysis (PCA) and the values of percent changes (PC). The samples with protein precipitation might slow the rate of bacterial enzymatic conversion. After protein precipitation, the average PC of urine samples ($0.136{\pm}0.013$, n = 5) is relatively less than that of the serum samples ($0.173{\pm}0.026$, n = 5) for three months. Minimal effects on metabolic profiles of serum and urine (PC < 0.15) are reasonable for metabolomic studies after protein precipitation and storage at $-20^{\circ}C$ for two months.

A rapid, specific, and reliable LC-MS/MS-based bioanalytical method was developed and validated in rat plasma for the simultaneous quantitation of amitriptyline and its metabolite nortriptyline. Chromatographic separation of these analytes was achieved on a Gemini C18 column ($50{\times}4.60mm$, $5{\mu}m$) using reversed-phase chromatography. The mobile phase was an isocratic solvent system consisting of 1% formic acid in water and methanol (10:90, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The analytical range was set as 0.1-500 ng/mL for amitriptyline and 0.08-500 ng/mL for nortriptyline using a $200{\mu}L$ plasma sample. The accuracy and precision of the assay were in accordance with FDA regulations for the validation of bioanalytical methods. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in six rats after oral administration of amitriptyline (15 mg/kg). This method allows laboratory scientists to rapidly determine amitriptyline and nortriptyline concentrations in plasma.

Relations between fitted parameters for photoionization spectra both below and above the thresholds in the systems involving 3 channels are obtained using phase-shifted version of the multichannel quantum-defect theory. Analytical continuation of the photoionization cross sections in the form of ${\langle}{\sigma}_{below}{\rangle}_{v_{below}}={\sigma}_{above}$ examined using several representations.

New [$^{18}F$]F-fluorination methods using a minimized amount of precursor has been developed by controlling the base concentration. In the first method, pre-conditioning of the anion exchange cartridge with $K_2CO_3$ solution or water was carried out. The trapped [$^{18}F$]fluoride on the cartridge was then eluted by KOMs or KOTf solution. [$^{18}F$]F-Fluorination could be performed without additional base. In the second method, the QMA cartridge was preconditioned with KOMs solutions. Trapped [$^{18}F$]fluoride on the QMA was then eluted with KOMs and additional base, such as KOH, $K_2CO_3$, and $KHCO_3$, was added into the reaction vessel. Method 1 showed a [$^{18}F$]F-incorporation yield of 20.9% for [$^{18}F$]FLT synthesis with 5 mg of precursor. Unlike method 1, a [$^{18}F$]F-incorporation yield of 91.4% was achieved from the same amount of precursor in method 2.

Dendrimers are a novel class of nonlinear polymers and due to their extensive applications in different fields, called versatile polymers. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are one of the most important dendrimers that have many applications in nanobiotechnology and industry. Generally aldehyde terminated dendrimers are prepared by activation of amine terminated dendrimers by glutaraldehyde which has two problems, toxicity and possibility of crosslink formation. In this study, novel aldehyde-terminated PAMAM dendrimer was prepared and used for covalent immobilization of trypsin by the aim of finding a special reagent which can prevent crosslinking and deactivation of the enzyme. For this purpose aminoacetaldehydedimethylacetal (AADA) was used as spacer group between aldehyde-terminated PAMAM and trypsin.The findings of this study showed that immobilization of trypsin not only resulted higher optimal temperature, but also increased the thermal stability of the immobilized enzyme in comparison to the free enzyme.

This study presents a facile way synthesizing disc-like lipid bilyaer nanostructures with a cationic amphiphilic polyelectrolyte. The cationic amphiphilic polyelectrolyte was in a form of partially quarternized copolymer and was synthesized with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and stearyl methacrylate. At some concentration ranges of the polymer, the addition of the polymer to lipid components during the preparation of bilayer nanostructures resulted in discs with a fairly high yield (~99%). The mechanism for the formation of the nanostructures was discussed based on the physical properties of these nanostructures and by comparing the nanostructures obtained with an anionic amphiphilic polyelectrolyte.

A series of novel polytriazoleimides were prepared from various aromatic dianhydrides and a new kind of 1,2,3-triazole-containing aromatic diamine synthesized by the Cu (I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction in DMAc, and characterized by FT-IR, $^1H$-NMR, XRD, DSC and TGA techniques. The results show the polytriazoleimides are soluble in most of strong polar solvents and have inherent viscosity values of 0.51-0.62 dL/g(DMAc). The polytriazoleimide films exhibit a tensile strength of 62.3-104.5 MPa and an elongation at breakage of 4.0-8.1%, a glass transition temperature ($T_g$) of $257-275^{\circ}C$, a decomposition temperature (at 5% weight loss) of $350-401^{\circ}C$ in $N_2$ atmosphere, and a dielectric constant of 2.47-3.01 at 10 MHz, which depend on the structure of the polymers. The polytriazoleimides perform good resistance to acid and alkali solution.

One-dimensional $TiO_2$ array grown on optically transparent electrode holds a promise as a photoelectrode for photoelectrochemical water splitting; however, its crystal structure is rutile, imposing constraints on the potent use of this nanostructure. To address this issue, a heterojunction with type-II band alignment was fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. One-dimensional core/shell structured $TiO_2$/ZnO heterojunction was superior to $TiO_2$ in the photoelectrochemical water splitting because of better charge separation and more favorable Fermi level. The heterojunction also possesses better light scattering property, which turned out to be beneficial even for improving the photoelectrochemical performance of semiconductor-sensitized solar cell.

Dimethylaluminum isopropoxide (DMAI, $(CH_3)_2AlO^iPr$) as a single precursor, which contains one aluminum and one oxygen atom, has been adopted to deposit non-stoichiometric aluminum oxide ($AlO_x$) films by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition without an additional oxygen source. The atomic concentration of Al and O in the deposited $AlO_x$ film was measured to be Al:O = ~1:1.1 and any serious interfacial oxide layer between the film and Si substrate was not observed. Gaseous by-products monitored by quadruple mass spectrometry show that ${\beta}$-hydrogen elimination mechanism is mainly contributed to the $AlO_x$ CVD process of DMAI precursor. The current-voltage characteristics of the $AlO_x$ film in Au/$AlO_x$/Ir metalinsulator-metal (MIM) capacitor structure show high ON/OFF ratio larger than ${\sim}10^6$ with SET and RESET voltages of 2.7 and 0.8 V, respectively. Impedance spectra indicate that the switching and memory phenomena are based on the bulk-based origins, presumably the formation and rupture of filaments.

Efficient synthetic routes were developed to prepare a sizable amount (4-15 grams) of the chiral epoxides 4-6 as versatile intermediates for the synthesis of aspartyl protease inhibitors of therapeutic interest such as HIV protease and ${\beta}$-secretase. Oxidative cleavage of the C(2)-C(3) double bond of L-ascorbic acid followed by functional group manipulation led to the preparation of the epoxide 10, which was opened with an azide to yield a common aziridine intermediate 12. Through opening of the aziridine ring of 12 with either a carbon or a sulfur nucleophile, chiral epoxide precursors 4-6 could be prepared for various HIV protease inhibitors. Except for the final low melting epoxides 5 and 6, all intermediates were obtained as crystalline solids, thus the synthetic pathway can be easily applied to a large-scale synthesis of the chiral epoxides.

Human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($hPPAR{\gamma}$) has been implicated in numerous pathologies, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Previously, we verified that amentoflavone is an activator of $hPPAR{\gamma}$ and probed the molecular basis of its action. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of amentoflavone in cancer cells and demonstrated that amentoflavone showed strong cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cell lines. We showed that $hPPAR{\gamma}$ expression in MCF-7 and HeLa cells is specifically stimulated by amentoflavone, and suggested that amentoflavone-induced cytotoxic activities are mediated by activation of $hPPAR{\gamma}$ in these two cancer cell lines. Moreover, amentoflavone increased PTEN levels in these two cancer cell lines, indicating that the cytotoxic activities of amentoflavone are mediated by increasing of PTEN expression levels due to $hPPAR{\gamma}$ activation.

This study describes the ability of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) for the determination of imidacloprid and carbendazim in tomato samples. A novel liquid crystal crown ether modified hybrid silica monolithic column was synthesized, characterized and developed as separation column for the first time. Baseline separation of imidacloprid and carbendazim could be achieved using a mobile phase containing 90% (v/v) 20 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile. The matrix matched calibration curves were linear with correlation coefficient $r^2$ > 0.9998 in the range of 0.20-10.00 mg/L. The limits of detection for imidacloprid and carbendazim were 0.061 and 0.15 mg/kg, respectively, which were below the maximum residue limits established by the European Union as well as Codex Alimentarius. Average recoveries for imidacloprid and carbendazim varied from 101.6-108.0% with relative standard deviations lower than 6.3%. This method was applied to the analysis of tomatoes collected from local markets.

The two chelates based on calix[4]arene and thiacalix[4]arene have been synthesized and used as neutral ionophores for preparing PVC based membrane sensor selective to $Ho^{3+}$ ion. The addition of potassium tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate (KTpClPB) and various plasticizers, viz., NDPE, o-NPOE, DOP, TEP and DOS have been found to improve significantly the performance of the sensors. The best performance was obtained with the sensor no. 6 having membrane of $L_2$ with composition (w/w) ionophore (2%): KTpClPB (4%): PVC (37%): NDPE (57%). This sensor exhibits Nernatian response with slope $21.10{\pm}0.3mV/decade$ of activity in the concentration range $3.0{\times}10^{-8}-1.0{\times}10^{-2}M\;Ho^{3+}\;ion$, with a detection limit of $1.0{\times}10^{-8}M$. The proposed sensor performs satisfactorily over a wide pH range of 2.8-10, with a fast response time (5 s). The sensor was also found to work successfully in partially non-aqueous media up to 25% (v/v) content of methanol, ethanol and acetonitrile, and can be used for a period of 4 months without any significant drift in potential. The electrode was also used for the determination of $Ho^{3+}$ ions in synthetic mixtures of different ions and the determination of the arsenate ion in different water samples.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate hydrogen bonding characteristics of hydroxyl groups in glucose aqueous solutions with different concentrations. The hydrogen bonding abilities and strength of different O and H atom types have been calculated and compared. The acceptor/donor efficiencies have been predicted and it has been found that: (1) O2-HO2 and O3-HO3 are more efficient intramolecular hydrogen bonding acceptors than donors; (2) O1-HO1, O4-HO4 and O6-HO6 are more efficient intramolecular hydrogen bonding donors than acceptors; (5) O1-HO1 and O6-HO6 are more efficient intermolecular hydrogen bonding acceptors than donors while hydroxyl groups O2-HO2 and O4-HO4 are more efficient intermolecular hydrogen bonding donors than acceptors. The hydrogen bonding abilities of hydroxyl groups revealed that: (1) the hydrogen bonding ability of OH2-$H_w$ is larger than that of hydroxyl groups in glucose; (2) among the hydroxyl groups in glucose, the hydrogen bonding ability of O6-HO6 is the largest and the hydrogen bonding ability of O4-HO4 is the smallest; (3) the intermolecular hydrogen bonding ability of O6-HO6 is the largest; (4) the order for intramolecular hydrogen bonding abilities (from large to small) is O2-HO2, O1-HO1, O3-HO3, O6-HO6 and O4-HO4.

Two new bibenzyl glucosides, 3,3',4',5-tetramethoxybibenzyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 3,4,4',5-tetramethoxybibenzyl-3'-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (2), together with five known ones, chrysotobibenzyl (3), erianin (4), chrysotoxine (5), gigantol (6) and tristin (7) were isolated from the stems of Dendrobium chrysotoxum. The structures of those compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. Moreover, compounds 1-7 were assessed for inhibitory activity of two enzymes-AChE (acetylcholine esterase) and BChE (butyrylcholine esterase).

A rapid and practical green route for N-formylation of primary and secondary amines with formic acid at room temperature under the solvent-free conditions using HEU zeolite as a heterogeneous, reusable and highly efficient catalyst is described. The process is remarkably simple and environmentally benign. Excellent chemoselectivity was observed for the conversion of primary amines in the presence of secondary amines.

Aggregation of titania nanotubes (TNTs) fabricated by hydrothermal method were calcined in air and dry nitrogen; Changes in morphology and crystallinity of the nanotubes were studied by means of TEM, EDX, and XPS. EDX patterns and XPS spectra proved that there were a certain densities of oxygen vacancies in TNTs annealed in $N_2$. The photocatalysis experiments revealed TNTs/$N_2$ possesses significantly higher photocatalytic efficiency than TNTs annealed in dry air to degrade methylene blue. The correlation between oxygen vacancies and photocatalytic property may be attributed to: 1) oxygen vacancies might have affected results on water molecules adsorption and increase of the hydroxyl concentration; and 2) oxygen vacancies resulted in some changes in electronic structure of TNTs/$N_2$ aggregation and Fermi level extends into the conducting band.

The kinetics and mechanism of the pyridinolysis ($XC_5H_4N$) of dimethyl isothiocyanophosphate are investigated in acetonitrile at $55.0^{\circ}C$. The Hammett and Br$\ddot{o}$nsted plots for substituent X variations in the nucleophiles exhibit two discrete slopes with a break region between X = 3-Ac and 4-Ac. These are interpreted to indicate a mechanistic change at the break region from a concerted to a stepwise mechanism with a rate-limiting expulsion of the isothiocyanate leaving group from the intermediate. The relatively large ${\beta}x$ values imply much greater fraction of frontside nucleophilic attack TSf than that of backside attack TSb. The steric effects of the two ligands play an important role to determine the pyridinolysis rates of isothiocyanophosphates.

Aqueous solution of oxygenated Direct yellow 12 dye has been evaluated spectrophotometrically as a possible gamma rays dosimeter. The neutral (pH-7), alkaline (pH-12.5) and acidic (pH-5.5) aqueous solution of the dye were prepared and exposed to various gamma doses. Absorption spectra of unirradiated and irradiated solutions were recorded at 400 nm peak. The increase in absorbance with the increase in irradiation dose was observed from 1 to 6 kGy. The stability response of the dye solution for different environmental conditions such as temperature (low & high), light and darkness were investigated during post irradiation storage for ten days. The dye solution showed high stability in darkness for the studied period. The optical density of the dye solution was found to be decreased at high temperature storage.

Pseudo-first-order rate constants $k_{amine}$ have been measured spectrophotometrically for the reactions of benzyl 4-pyridyl carbonate 6 with a series of alicyclic secondary amines in $H_2O$ at $25.0^{\circ}C$. The plots of $k_{amine}$ vs. [amine] curve upward, indicating that the reactions proceed through a stepwise mechanism with two intermediates, a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate $T^{\pm}$ and its deprotonated form $T^-$. This contrasts to the report that the corresponding reactions of benzyl 2-pyridyl carbonate 5 proceed through a forced concerted pathway. The $k_{amine}$ values for the reactions of 6 have been dissected into the second-order rate constant $Kk_2$ and the thirdorder rate constant $Kk_3$. The Br${\o}$nsted-type plots are linear with ${\beta}_{nuc}=0.94$ and 1.18 for $Kk_2$ and $Kk_3$, respectively. The $Kk_2$ for the reaction of 6 is smaller than the second-order rate constant $k_N$ for the corresponding reaction of 5, although 4-pyridyloxide in 6 is less basic and a better nucleofuge than 2-pyridyloxide in 5.

To test the efficiency of the BDD electrode for complete mineralization of organic wastewater, phenol and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) were treated electrochemically with both an active Pt/Ti electrode and a nonactive boron doped diamond (BDD) electrode, respectively, in neutral aqueous medium. Aqueous solutions of both phenol and 2-chlorophenol were treated electrochemically using an in-house fabricated flow through electrochemical cell (FTEC). The experimental variables included current input, treatment time, and the flow rate of the solutions. Depending on the magnitude of the applied current and reaction time, the compounds were either completely degraded or partially oxidized to other intermediates. Removal efficiencies reached as high as 93.2% and 94.8% both at the Pt/Ti electrode and BDD electrode, respectively, at an applied current of 200 mA for a 3.0 hr reaction and a flow rate of 4 mL/min. The BDD electrode was much more efficient for the complete mineralization of phenol and 2-chlorophenol than the Pt/Ti electrode.

The template synthesis of copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes derived from 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol with diethylenetriamine or 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane produce the 12-membered $N_3O$ and 17-membered $N_4O$ macrocyclic complexes, respectively. The geometry of the complexes has been determined with the help of electronic and EPR spectroscopic values and found to be five coordinated square pyramidal and, six coordinated distorted tetragonal for 12-membered and 17-membered macrocyclic complexes, respectively. Electrochemical studies of the mononuclear $N_3O$ and $N_4O$ copper(II) complexes show one irreversible oneelectron reduction wave at $E_{pc}=-1.35$ and -1.15 V respectively, and the corresponding nickel(II) complexes show irreversible one-electron reduction wave at $E_{pc}=-1.25$ and -1.22 V, respectively. The nickel(II) complexes show irreversible one-electron oxidation wave at $E_{pa}=+0.84$ and +0.82 V, respectively. All the complexes were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity against the human pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Deep blue fluorescent host materials based on a novel spiro[benzo[c]fluorene-7,9'-fluorene] core structure with side aromatic wings in the 5- and 9-positions, namely, 5,9-di(naphthalen-2-yl)spiro[benzo[c]fluorene-7,9'-fluorene] (DN-SBFF), 5,9-bis(4-t-butylphenyl)spiro[benzo[c]fluorene-7,9'-fluorene] (BP-SBFF), and 5,9-bis(4-fluorophenyl)spiro[benzo[c]fluorene-7,9'-fluorene] (FP-SBFF), were designed and successfully prepared using the Suzuki reaction. The physical properties of these materials and their EL characteristics as blue host materials doped with N,N,N',N'-tetraphenylspiro[benzo[c]fluorene-7,9'-fluorene]-5,9-diamine (TPA-SBFF) were investigated. The device used comprised ITO/N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis[4-(phenyl-m-tolyl-amino)phenyl]-biphenyl-4,4'-diamine (DNTPD)/N,N'-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine (NPB)/(FP-SBFF):dopant x%/tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum ($Alq_3$)/LiF. The device obtained using FP-SBFF doped with TPA-SBFF showed high color purity (0.13, 0.18) and an efficiency of 6.61 cd/A at 7 V.

We describe herein a three-dimensionally diverse micropatterning of poly(lactic acid), as a biopolymer, using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based room-temperature ionic liquids (bmim-based RTILs), [bmim]X (X = $SbF_6$, $PF_6$, $NTf_2$, Cl). Utilizing the hydrophobic bmim-based RTILs, [bmim]X (X = $SbF_6$, $PF_6$, $NTf_2$) and a phase separation technique, we were able to produce white and opaque membranes with a three-dimensional structure closely packed with particles ($10-50{\mu}m$ in diameter). The particlulate structure, made by the assistance of [bmim]$NTf_2$ and DCM, interestingly transformed to a fibrous structure by using a cosolvent, e.g., DCM/$CF_3CH_2OH$. When we used an increased amount of [bmim]$NTf_2$, the particles were effectively detached and macrosized ($100-500{\mu}m$ in diameter) and the oval-shaped beads were obtained in a powder form. By varying the counter-anion type of the imidazolium-based RTIL, for example from $NTf_2^-$ to $Cl^-$, the particulate 3D-morphology was once more transformed to a porous structure. These reserch results could be potentially useful, as a method to fabricate particulate scaffolds, fibrous or porous scaffolds, and beads as a biopolymer device in diverse fields including drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and biomedical engineering.

Two new metal(II) complexes, $[Mn(dpa)(phen)(H_2O)_2]_n$ (1) ($H_2dpa$ = dephenic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and $[Ni_2(nda)(phen)_2(H_2O)_6](nda)(H_2O)$ (2) ($H_2nda$ = 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In complex 1, Mn(II) ion is six-coordinated, and Mn(II) ions are bridged by dpa ligands into 1D chains. While, the complex 2 is dimer and two Ni(II) ions are bridged by one nda ligand cooperated with the terminal ligand phen. In each complex, the dicarboxylate ligand is coordinated to metal(II) ions as a bis-monodentate.

Perovskite structured barium titanate particles ($BaTiO_3$) platelets were synthesized by molten salt synthesis and topochemical microcrystal conversion. As the precursors of $BaTiO_3$, plate-like $BaBi_4Ti_4O_{15}$ particles were first synthesized by the reaction of $Bi_4Ti_3O_{12}$, $BaCO_3$, and $TiO_2$ at $1080^{\circ}C$ for 3 h in $BaCl_2$-KCl molten salt. After the topochemical reactions, layer-structured $BaBi_4Ti_4O_{15}$ particles transformed to the perovskite $BaTiO_3$ platelets. $BaTiO_3$ particles with thickness of approximately $0.5{\mu}m$ and a length of $10-15{\mu}m$ retained the morphology feature of the $BaBi_4Ti_4O_{15}$ precursor. For <001> $Pb(Mg_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})O_3-32.5PbTiO_3$ (PMNT)-5 wt % PbO piezoelectric ceramics textured with 5 vol % of $BaTiO_3$ templates, the Lotgering factor reached 0.82, and $d_{33}$ was 870 pC/N.

Ag deposited N-$TiO_2$ composite nanoparticles were prepared via $NH_3$ plasma treatment. X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the prepared $TiO_2$ samples. The plasma treatment did not change the phase composition and particle sizes of $TiO_2$ samples, but extended its absorption edges to the visible light region. The photocatalytic activities were tested in the degradation of an aqueous solution of a reactive dyestuff, methylene blue, under visible light. The photocatalytic activities of Ag deposited N-$TiO_2$ composite nanoparticles were much higher than Ag-$TiO_2$, N-$TiO_2$, and P25. A possible mechanism for the photocatalysis was proposed.

To improve the performance of $LiFePO_4F$, a novel sol-gel process is developed. For comparison, ceramic process is also implemented. From X-ray diffraction results we know that each sample adopts a triclinic $P{\bar{1}}$ space group, and they are isostructural with amblygonite and tavorite. The scanning electron microscope images show that the homogeneous grains with the dimension of 300-500 nm is obtained by the sol-gel process; meanwhile the sample particles obtained by ceramic process are as big as 1000-3000 nm. By galvanostatic tests and at electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method, the sample obtained by sol-gel process presents better electrochemical properties than the one obtained by ceramic process.

A novel approach for metabolite extraction and fingerprinting was introduced based upon the nano-baskets and emulsion liquid membrane-nuclear magnetic resonance (ELM-NMR) technique. The objective of this method is optimizing the fingerprints, minimizing the metabolic variation from analysis, increasing the likelihood differences, and obtaining the maximum extraction yield. Low molecular weight metabolites in rat serum were recovered by ELMs using 12 nano-baskets of calixarene, as both emulsifier and carrier. The yields of ELMs were optimized by the method of one-at-a-time. According to NMR data, the maximum metabolic variation was achieved using scaffold 4 (4 wt %), n-decane membrane, stirring rate of 300 rpm, treat and phase ratios of 0.3 and 0.8, respectively. The results revealed that some calixarenes tend to extract non-specific macromolecules; and repeatability of fingerprints for 7-mediated ELM was maximum and for 3-mediated ELM was minimum. The yield of extractions was obtained to be higher for n-decane and lower for carbon tetrachloride. Among different membranes, the fingerprints by chlorinated liquid membranes were more repeatable than using toluene or n-decane.

A series $[C_3Omim]$[X] of imidazolium cation-based ILs, with ether functional group on the alkyl side-chain have been synthesized and structure of the materials were confirmed by various techniques like $^1H$, $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopy, MS-ESI, FTIR spectroscopy and EA. More specifically, the influence of changing the anion with same cation is carried out. The absorption capacity of $CO_2$ for ILs were evaluated at 30 and $50^{\circ}C$ at ambient pressure (0-1.6 bar). Ether functionalized ILs shows significantly high absorption capacity for $CO_2$. In general, the $CO_2$ absorption capacity of ILs increased with a rise in pressure and decreased when temperature was raised. The obtained results showed that absorption capacity reached about 0.9 mol $CO_2$ per mol of IL at $30^{\circ}C$. The most probable mechanism of interaction of $CO_2$ with ILs were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy, $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopy and result shows that the absorption of $CO_2$ in ether functionalized ILs is a chemical process. The $CO_2$ absorption results and detailed study indicates the predominance of 1:1 mechanism, where the $CO_2$ reacts with one IL to form a carbamic acid. The $CO_2$ absorption capacity of ILs for different anions follows the trend: $BF_4$ < DCA < $PF_6$ < TfO < $Tf_2N$. Moreover, the as-synthesized ILs is selective, thermally stable, long life operational and can be recycled at a temperature of $70^{\circ}C$ or under vacuum and can be used repeatedly.

We report the synthesis and thermal annealing of Si-core/ZnO-shell nanorods using a two-step process comprising the metal-assisted electroless etching of Si and the sputter deposition of ZnO. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the cores of the annealed core-shell nanorods were single crystal diamond cubic-type Si, whereas the shells of the annealed core-shell nanorods were single crystal wurtzite-type ZnO. The PL spectra of Si nanorods consisted of a broad red emission band and a weaker blue emission band. The major emission band of Si nanorods was shifted from 700 nm (in the red region) to 440 nm (in the violet region) by ZnO coating. The violet emission of the core-shell nanorods was enhanced in intensity considerably by annealing in an oxidizing atmosphere. The origin of the PL enhancement by annealing is also discussed.

The spin exchange parameters of $VOSb_2O_4$ were evaluated by performing energy-mapping analysis based on density functional calculations. The spin exchange interaction between the nearest-neighbor $V^{4+}$ ions is strongly antiferromagnetic while other interactions are negligible. Thus, the magnetic structure of $VOSb_2O_4$ is best described by a spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain with no spin frustration.

A molecular orbital study is presented of the magnetic coupling in the one-dimensional vanadium oxide $Ba_2V_3O_9$ with a bridge formed by two different types of $VO_4$ tetrahedra. The concept of complementary versus counter-complementary effect has been used to explain the structural origin of the magnetic behavior of the compound. Namely, the observed antiferromagnetic coupling is dominated by the orbital complementarity of the V(1) tetrahedra sharing only one oxygen corner with two adjacent $VO_6$ octahedra. The second type of V(2) tetrahedra does not provide a noticeable contribution to the magnetic coupling due to the orbital counter-complementarity of the bridging ligand.

Conductive honeycomb-patterned polystyrene (PS) thin films were prepared by the formation of a polyaniline (PANI) thin layer on the surface of the patterned PS thin films using simple one-step chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. The in situ chemical oxidation polymerization of aniline hydrochloride solution on the patterned structure of the PS films was conducted in the presence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to prepare the PANI-MWCNT/PS composite film. The concentration (wt %) of MWCNT was varied in the range of 1%-3% by weight. The dependence of surface morphology of the PANI/PS and PANI-MWCNT/PS composite film to the polymerization time was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The room temperature DC conductivity was obtained by the four-probe technique. The conductivity of the PANI-MWCNT/PS composite film was affected both by the MWCNT concentration and polymerization time. In addition, DC electrical field was loaded during the oxidative polymerization to affect the distribution of the MWCNT included in the composite film, varying the loading voltage in the range of 0.1-3.0 V. The conductivity of the PANI-MWCNT/PS composite film was increased as loading voltage rose. However, this increase stops at a voltage higher than the critical value.

A high-nitrogen energetic salt, 1-amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethylene guanidine salt [G(AHDNE)], was synthesized by reacting of 1-amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethylene (AHDNE) and guanidine hydrochloride in sodium hydroxide aqueous solution. The theoretical investigation on G(AHDNE) was carried out by B3LYP/$6-311+G^*$ method. The thermal behaviors of G(AHDNE) were studied with DSC and TG-DTG methods, and the result presents an intense exothermic decomposition process. The enthalpy, apparent activation energy and pre-exponential constant of the process are $-1060J\;g^{-1}$, $148.7kJ\;mol^{-1}$ and $10^{15.90}s^{-1}$, respectively. The critical temperature of thermal explosion of G(AHDNE) is $152.63^{\circ}C$. The specific heat capacity of G(AHDNE) was studied with micro-DSC method and theoretical calculation method, and the molar heat capacity is $314.69J\;mol^{-1}K^{-1}$ at 298.15 K. Adiabatic time-to-explosion of G(AHDNE) was calculated to be a certain value between 60-72 s. The detonation velocity and detonation pressure were also estimated. G(AHDNE) presents good performances.

Two new chemosensors, rhodamine 6G derivative bearing hydroxyethyl group (1) and rhodamine base derivative bearing 15-crown-5 group (2) were synthesized and their sensing behaviors toward various metal ions were investigated by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. Addition of $Hg^{2+}$ ion to a $CH_3CN$ solution of 1 and 2 gave visual color changes as well as fluorescent OFF-ON observations. Selectivity and sensitivity of 1 towards $Hg^{2+}$ are excellent enough to detect micromolar level of $Hg^{2+}$ ion, even in equeous media and biological sample (HeLa cell).

The $11{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 ($11{\beta}$-HSD1) enzyme is involved in modulation of glucocorticoid activity within target tissues. This enzyme may contribute to obesity and/or metabolic disease through its action in adipose or liver tissue. Inhibition of $11{\beta}$-HSD1 has major therapeutic potential for glucocorticoid-associated diseases, including obesity, diabetes (wound healing), and muscle atrophy. To develop such therapeutics, we performed a pharmacophore-based virtual screening (VS) for identification of novel $11{\beta}$-HSD1 inhibitors and found that the VS hit compounds show potent inhibition of $11{\beta}$-HSD1 enzyme activity. Further, we present a binding model for active compounds. The proposed pharmacophore may serve as a useful guideline for future design of new chemical entities as $11{\beta}$-HSD1-targeted antidiabetic agents.

The gas-phase dehydration of glycerol to acrolein was carried out over silicotungstic acid ($H_4SiW_{12}O_{40}{\cdot}xH_2O$, HSiW) catalysts supported on $SiO_2$, ${\eta}-Al_2O_3$, and silica-aluminas with different Al contents. The HSiW catalysts supported on silica-aluminas showed higher glycerol conversions and acrolein yields during the initial 2 h at $315^{\circ}C$ than did $SiO_2$- and ${\eta}-Al_2O_3$-supported HSiW catalysts. Among the tested catalysts, HSiW/$Si_{0.9}Al_{0.1}O_x$ exhibited the highest space-time yield during the initial 2 h. The loaded HSiW species can change the acid types and suppress the formation of carbonaceous species on Al-rich silica-aluminas. The deactivated HSiW supported on silica-aluminas can be fully regenerated after calcination in air at $500^{\circ}C$. As long as the molar ratio between water and glycerol was in the range of 2-11, the acrolein selectivity increased significantly with increasing water content in the feed, while the surface carbon content decreased owing to the suppression of heavy compounds.

In order to explore the effects of the solvent on the formation rate of polyynes, we investigated the absorption spectra of polyynes obtained by laser ablation of a graphite target in different solvents at 1064 nm. Polyynes so produced were confirmed by the Raman band around $2200cm^{-1}$ which corresponds to the carbon triple bonds. The production of polyynes by laser ablation turned out to be significantly affected by the ratio of the hydrogen and carbon atoms in the solvent molecule. No clear correlations were observed in the formation of polyynes for other properties of the solvent such bond dissociation energy, thermal conductivity, and total mass of hydrogen atoms per volume of solvent.