RSC Advances

doi: 10.1039/c3ra90028bpmid: N/A

doi: 10.1039/c3ra90030dpmid: N/A

Serag, Maged F.; Kaji, Noritada; Habuchi, Satoshi; Bianco, Alberto; Baba, Yoshinobu

doi: 10.1039/c2ra22766epmid: N/A

For years, nanotechnology has shown great promise in the fields of biomedical and biotechnological sciences and medical research. In this review, we demonstrate its versatility and applicability in plant cell biology studies. Specifically, we discuss the ability of functionalized carbon nanotubes to penetrate the plant cell wall, target specific organelles, probe protein-carrier activity and induce organelle recycling in plant cells. We also, shed light on prospective applications of carbon nanomaterials in cell biology and plant cell transformation.

Behera, Gobinda Chandra; Parida, Kulamani; Satapathy, P. K.

doi: 10.1039/c3ra00092cpmid: N/A

Inspired by the recent rapid development of graphene-based work, a reduced graphene oxide–vanadium phosphate (RGO–VPO) composite material is synthesized under visible light irradiation and its catalytic application is evaluated towards the direct formation of adipic acid.

Pocoví-Martínez, Salvador; Francés-Soriano, Laura; Zaballos-García, Elena; Scaiano, Juan C.; González-Béjar, María; Pérez-Prieto, Julia

doi: 10.1039/c3ra23212cpmid: N/A

Gold nanoparticles capped with oleylamine can be effectively transferred from an organic solvent to water in the presence of an acetamidine surfactant by CO2 bubbling and then effectively reverted back to the organic phase by N2 bubbling.

Tan, Yiqun; Yu, Jiancan; Gao, Junkuo; Cui, Yuanjing; Wang, Zhiyu; Yang, Yu; Qian, Guodong

doi: 10.1039/c3ra00120bpmid: N/A

A BA-derived fluorescent pH sensor for use under strongly acidic conditions based on the ICT effect was realized to exhibit high stability, sensitivity and selectivity. This probe can be used to detect acidity within the pH range 0.5–2.5. The design strategy may help to develop probes for targets at high concentrations.

Xiang, Yumi; He, Bingyong; Li, Xuefeng; Zhu, Qing

doi: 10.1039/c3ra22789hpmid: N/A

We report the design and synthesis of a new class of fluorogenic probes based on a monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B)-catalyzed α-carbon oxidation–hydrolysis mechanism. The cell-permeable probes exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity towards MAO-B, and a turn-on response in fluorescence intensity in living cells.

Yu, Yong; Zhou, Zi-Ming; Wen, Wei; Zhao, Yuan-Di

doi: 10.1039/c3ra22952apmid: N/A

TiO2-based composites with tunable properties and improved performance were synthesized by a general and controllable method in environmentally benign conditions. The particle size, phase transformation, and thermal stability of composites can be conveniently tuned through the adjustment of reaction parameters. This work demonstrates that this approach not only helps us to easily and unrestrictedly design composites with the desired properties but it also provides the possibility for a large scale screening of potential functional materials for the future synthesis of smart devices.

Liu, Xiaolin; Lin, Jia; Chen, Xianfeng

doi: 10.1039/c3ra40221epmid: N/A

The surface/volume ratio of TiO2 nanotube arrays determines their electrical, optical and chemical properties for various applications. For dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), it is very important to fabricate long TiO2 nanotube arrays with a larger surface area in order to have more dye loading and achieve higher conversion efficiencies accordingly. In this paper, a convenient anodization method is introduced to synthesize high aspect ratio TiO2 nanotubes at a low voltage and a high temperature. With a high reaction temperature, the diffusion rate of ions in the anodization process was enhanced. At the optimum temperature, nanotubes longer than 16 μm with outside diameters as small as 75 nm could be obtained at a voltage of 20 V. Significantly, using these resulting TiO2 nanotube arrays to fabricate front-side illuminated DSSCs, a conversion efficiency as high as 5.98% could be achieved due to the large surface area and the enhanced attachment of the dye.

Liu, Jie-Qing; Peng, Xing-Rong; Zhang, Wei-Ming; Shi, Lei; Li, Xu-Yang; Chen, Jian-Chao; Qiu, Ming-Hua

doi: 10.1039/c3ra23401kpmid: N/A

Swietemahalactone (1), a novel rearranged phragmalin-type limonoid, was isolated from Swietenia mahagoni. The structure of 1 was established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic methods. Swietemahalactone exhibited antibacterial activity using the agar diffusion method. The key biogenetic pathway of 1 is the semipinacol rearrangement.