Covalent

Quantum dots are highly fluorescent and photostable, making them excellent tools for imaging. When using these quantum dots in cells and animals, however, intracellular biothiols (such as glutathione and cysteine) can degrade the quantum dot monolayer, compromising function. Here, we describe a label-free method to quantify the intracellular stability of monolayers on quantum dot surfaces that couples laser desorption/ionization mass

The entire construction industry has come to a stage where the use of conventional aggregates in the production of concrete has become a rarity due to the depletion of these precious natural resources and the entire construction is left with two alternative one is to find a suitable replacement of conventional aggregates and the other is to stop its usage. since without its usage, life survival is difficult. Hence the world is left with the usage of the first alternative i.e. to find an alternative to conventional aggregate. A step in this direction the research pertains to the usage of the cent percentage recycled demolished coarse and fine concrete aggregates as a suitable replacement material for its usage in the construction industry. The surface Modification and surface treatment methods found to be an effective way of improving the properties of the recycled aggregates and its usage in concrete/mortar has yielded improved mechanical and durable properties. The Fourier transformed –infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies were done to find the functional groups in the concrete/mortar mass and its significant impact on the properties and its internal behavior. The FTIR studies done on the aggregate and the concrete/cement mortar mass helped in understanding the formation of the internal mass, the contribution of internal atoms, identification of functional groups and their bond strength, and also the polarity of the bond and its impact on the mechanical properties.

A key goal of nanotechnology is the development of artificial machines capable of converting molecular movement into macroscopic work. Although conversion of light into shape changes has been reported and compared to artificial muscles, real applications require work against an external load. Here, we describe the design, synthesis and operation of spring-like materials capable of converting light energy into mechanical work at the macroscopic scale. These versatile materials consist of molecular switches embedded in liquid-crystalline polymer springs. In these springs, molecular movement is converted and amplified into controlled and reversible twisting motions. The springs display complex motion, which includes winding, unwinding and helix inversion, as dictated by their initial shape. Importantly, they can produce work by moving a macroscopic object and mimicking mechanical movements, such as those used by plant tendrils to help the plant access sunlight. These functional materia...

Two [3]catenane 'molecular flasks' have been designed to create stabilized, redox-controlled tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) dimers, enabling their spectrophotometric and structural properties to be probed in detail. The mechanically interlocked framework of the [3]catenanes creates ...