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Now showing 1 - 10 of 54
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    ConsensusPrime—A Bioinformatic Pipeline for Ideal Consensus Primer Design
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Collatz, Maximilian; Braun, Sascha D.; Monecke, Stefan; Ehricht, Ralf
    Background: High-quality oligonucleotides for molecular amplification and detection procedures of diverse target sequences depend on sequence homology. Processing input sequences and identifying homogeneous regions in alignments can be carried out by hand only if they are small and contain sequences of high similarity. Finding the best regions for large and inhomogeneous alignments needs to be automated. Results: The ConsensusPrime pipeline was developed to sort out redundant and technical interfering data in multiple sequence alignments and detect the most homologous regions from multiple sequences. It automates the prediction of optimal consensus primers for molecular analytical and sequence-based procedures/assays. Conclusion: ConsensusPrime is a fast and easy-to-use pipeline for predicting optimal consensus primers that is executable on local systems without depending on external resources and web services. An implementation in a Docker image ensures platform-independent executability and installability despite the combination of multiple programs. The source code and installation instructions are publicly available on GitHub.
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    3,3′-Dimethyl-1,1′-methyl­enediimidazolium tetra­bromido­cobaltate(II)
    (Chester : IUCr, 2018) Peppel, Tim; Spannenberg, Anke
    The title compound, (C9H14N4)[CoBr4], was obtained as single crystals directly in very low yield as a side product in the reaction of 1,1′-bis­(1-methyl­imidazolium)acetate bromide and CoBr2. The title compound consists of an imidazolium-based dication and a tetra­bromido­cobaltate(II) complex anion, which are connected via C—H...Br inter­actions in the crystal. The dihedral angle between the imidazolium rings in the cation is 72.89 (16)°. The CoII ion in the anion is coordinated tetra­hedrally by four bromide ligands [Co—Br = 2.4025 (5)–2.4091 (5) Å and Br—Co—Br = 106.224 (17)–113.893 (17)°]. The compound exhibits a high melting point (>300°C) and is a light-blue solid under ambient conditions.
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    Effects of Promoter on Structural and Surface Properties of Zirconium Oxide-Based Catalyst Materials
    (Basel : MDPI AG, 2020) Borovinskaya, E.S.; Oswald, S.; Reschetilowski, W.
    Ternary mixed oxide systems CuO/ZnO/ZrO2 and CuO/NiO/ZrO2 were synthesized by one-pot synthesis for a better understanding of the synthesis-property relationships of zirconium oxide-based catalyst materials. The prepared mixed oxide samples were analysed by a broad range of characterisation methods (XRD, N2-physisorption, Temperature-Programmed Ammonia Desorption (TPAD), and XPS) to examine the structural and surface properties, as well as to identify the location of the potential catalytically active sites. By XPS analysis, it could be shown that a progressive enrichment of the surface composition with copper takes place by changing from ZnO to NiO as a promoter. Thus, by addition of the second component, not only electronic but also the geometric properties of active sites, i.e., copper species distribution within the catalyst surface, can be affected in a desired way.
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    A Facile Chemical Method Enabling Uniform Zn Deposition for Improved Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021) Liu, Congcong; Lu, Qiongqiong; Omar, Ahmad; Mikhailova, Daria
    Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have gained great attention due to their high safety and the natural abundance of Zn. Unfortunately, the Zn metal anode suffers from dendrite growth due to nonuniform deposition during the plating/stripping process, leading to a sudden failure of the batteries. Herein, Cu coated Zn (Cu–Zn) was prepared by a facile pretreatment method using CuSO4 aqueous solution. The Cu coating transformed into an alloy interfacial layer with a high affinity for Zn, which acted as a nucleation site to guide the uniform Zn nucleation and plating. As a result, Cu–Zn demonstrated a cycling life of up to 1600 h in the symmetric cells and endowed a stable cycling performance with a capacity of 207 mAh g−1 even after 1000 cycles in the full cells coupled with a V2O5-based cathode. This work provides a simple and effective strategy to enable uniform Zn deposition for improved ZIBs.
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    Shape-adaptive single-molecule magnetism and hysteresis up to 14 K in oxide clusterfullerenes Dy2O@C72 and Dy2O@C74 with fused pentagon pairs and flexible Dy-(μ2-O)-Dy angle
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020) Velkos, G.; Yang, W.; Yao, Y.-R.; Sudarkova, S.M.; Liu, X.; Büchner, B.; Avdoshenko, S.M.; Chen, N.; Popov, A.A.
    Dysprosium oxide clusterfullerenes Dy2O@Cs(10528)-C72 and Dy2O@C2(13333)-C74 are synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Carbon cages of both molecules feature two adjacent pentagon pairs. These pentalene units determine positions of endohedral Dy ions hence the shape of the Dy2O cluster, which is bent in Dy2O@C72 but linear in Dy2O@C74. Both compounds show slow relaxation of magnetization and magnetic hysteresis. Nearly complete cancelation of ferromagnetic dipolar and antiferromagnetic exchange Dy⋯Dy interactions leads to unusual magnetic properties. Dy2O@C74 exhibits zero-field quantum tunneling of magnetization and magnetic hysteresis up to 14 K, the highest temperature among Dy-clusterfullerenes.
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    Effect of Selective Laser Melting on Microstructure, Mechanical, and Corrosion Properties of Biodegradable FeMnCS for Implant Applications
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2020) Hufenbach, Julia; Sander, Jan; Kochta, Fabian; Pilz, Stefan; Voss, Andrea; Kühn, Uta; Gebert, Annett
    Selective laser melting (SLM) of biodegradable metallic materials offers a great potential for manufacturing customized implants. Herein, SLM processing of a novel Fe–30Mn–1C–0.02S twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) alloy and the resulting structural, mechanical, and corrosion properties are presented. The occurring rapid solidification results in a fine-grained austenitic microstructure with mainly homogeneous element distribution, which is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD). By processing the alloy via SLM, significantly higher strengths under tensile and compressive load in comparison with those for the as-cast counterpart and a 316L reference steel are achieved. Electrochemical corrosion tests in a simulated body fluid (SBF) indicate a moderate corrosion activity, and a beneficial uniform degradation is shown in immersion tests in SBF. Regarding the envisaged application for vascular implants, SLM-processed stent prototypes out of the novel alloy are presented and a first functionality test is shown. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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    Quinoidal Azaacenes: 99 % Diradical Character
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2020) Intorp, S.N.; Hodecker, M.; Müller, M.; Tverskoy, O.; Rosenkranz, M.; Dmitrieva, E.; Popov, A.A.; Rominger, F.; Freudenberg, J.; Dreuw, A.; Bunz, U.H.F.
    Quinoidal azaacenes with almost pure diradical character (y=0.95 to y=0.99) were synthesized. All compounds exhibit paramagnetic behavior investigated by EPR and NMR spectroscopy, and SQUID measurements, revealing thermally populated triplet states with an extremely low-energy gap ΔEST′ of 0.58 to 1.0 kcal mol−1. The species are persistent in solution (half-life≈14–21 h) and in the solid state they are stable for weeks.
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    Substrate Developments for the Chemical Vapor Deposition Synthesis of Graphene
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2020) Shi, Q.; Tokarska, K.; Ta, H.Q.; Yang, X.; Liu, Y.; Ullah, S.; Liu, L.; Trzebicka, B.; Bachmatiuk, A.; Sun, J.; Fu, L.; Liu, Z.; Rümmeli, M.H.
    Since the isolation of graphene and numerous demonstrations of its unique properties, the expectations for this material to be implemented in many future commercial applications have been enormous. However, to date, challenges still remain. One of the key challenges is the fabrication of graphene in a manner that satisfies processing requirements. While transfer of graphene can be used, this tends to damage or contaminate it, which degrades its performance. Hence, there is an important drive to grow graphene directly over a number of technologically important materials, viz., different substrate materials, so as to avoid the need for transfer. One of the more successful approaches to synthesis graphene is chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which is well established. Historically, transition metal substrates are used due to their catalytic properties. However, in recent years this has developed to include many nonmetal substrate systems. Moreover, both solid and molten substrate forms have also been demonstrated. In addition, the current trend to progress flexible devices has spurred interest in graphene growth directly over flexible materials surfaces. All these aspects are presented in this review which presents the developments in available substrates for graphene fabrication by CVD, with a focus primarily on large area graphene.
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    Revealing the Chemical Composition of Birch Pollen Grains by Raman Spectroscopic Imaging
    (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 2022) Stiebing, Clara; Post, Nele; Schindler, Claudia; Göhrig, Bianca; Lux, Harald; Popp, Jürgen; Heutelbeck, Astrid; Schie, Iwan W.
    The investigation of the biochemical composition of pollen grains is of the utmost interest for several environmental aspects, such as their allergenic potential and their changes in growth conditions due to climatic factors. In order to fully understand the composition of pollen grains, not only is an in-depth analysis of their molecular components necessary but also spatial information of, e.g., the thickness of the outer shell, should be recorded. However, there is a lack of studies using molecular imaging methods for a spatially resolved biochemical composition on a single-grain level. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was implemented as an analytical tool to investigate birch pollen by imaging single pollen grains and analyzing their spectral profiles. The imaging modality allowed us to reveal the layered structure of pollen grains based on the biochemical information of the recorded Raman spectra. Seven different birch pollen species collected at two different locations in Germany were investigated and compared. Using chemometric algorithms such as hierarchical cluster analysis and multiple-curve resolution, several components of the grain wall, such as sporopollenin, as well as the inner core presenting high starch concentrations, were identified and quantified. Differences in the concentrations of, e.g., sporopollenin, lipids and proteins in the pollen species at the two different collection sites were found, and are discussed in connection with germination and other growth processes.
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    Calciothermic Synthesis of Very Fine, Hydrogenated Ti and Ti–Nb Powder for Biomedical Applications
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2020) Lindemann, Inge; Gebel, Bernhard; Pilz, Stefan; Uhlemann, Margitta; Gebert, Annett
    Due to their excellent biocompatibility, titanium and titanium–niobium alloys are especially interesting for biomedical applications. With regard to favorable near-net shape production, Ti powder synthesis is the key hurdle. Extensive research has been in progress for alternative synthesis methods since decades. Herein, an efficient alternative method to the conventional powder production process to prepare spherical powders with very small sizes (<45 μm) for high-strength materials is shown. Very fine, hydrogenated Ti and Ti–Nb alloy powders are stable in air and are synthesized by calciothermic reduction in hydrogen. The herein presented reduction using CaH2 starts directly from the oxides instead of chlorides. Correlations of size and morphology of the as-synthesized TiH2 and (Ti,Nb)H2 powders with the precursors (TiO2, Nb2O5, and CaH2) are illustrated and are used to tailor the desired powders.