Aging is the major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This is attributable primarily to adverse changes in arteries, notably, increases in large elastic artery stiffness and endothelial dysfunction mediated by inadequate concentrations of the vascular-protective molecule, nitric oxide (NO), and higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation. Inorganic nitrite is a promising prec...

Biomineralization templated by organic molecules to produce inorganic-organic nanocomposites is a fascinating example of nature using bottom-up strategies at nanoscale to accomplish highly ordered multifunctional materials. One such nanocomposite is bone, composed primarily of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals that are embedded within collagen fibrils with their c-axes arranged roughly parallel ...

Mixed surfactant systems have the potential to impart controlled combinations of functionality and pore structure to mesoporous metal oxides. Here, we combine a functional glucopyranoside surfactant with a cationic surfactant that readily forms liquid crystalline mesophases. The phase diagram for the ternary system CTAB/H(2)O/n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C(8)G(1)) at 50 degrees C is measured...

Organic–inorganic hybrid co-polymer thin films were deposited on silicon(100) substrates under the several ratio of TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) against cyclohexene by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) method. Toluene and TEOS were utilized as organic and inorganic precursors each, and hydrogen and argon were also used as a bubbler and carrier gases, respectively. In order to compa...

The effects of gate dielectrics material in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) were investigated. The gate dielectrics were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with cyclohexane and tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS) respectively used as organic and inorganic precursors. The gate dielectrics (gate insulators) were deposited as either organic plasma-polymer or organic–inor...

Organic field-effect transistor (OFETs) are fabricated using thin, vapor-deposited films of both the gate dielectric (vapor-deposited self-assembled nanodielectric, v-SAND) and the organic semiconductor. The nanoscopic self-assembled gate dielectrics are structurally organized via molecular precursor hydrogen-bonding interactions, followed by planarization with a vapor-deposited inorganic SiO(x...

In yeast and filamentous fungi, sulfide can be condensed either with O-acetylhomoserine to generate homocysteine, the precursor of methionine, or with O-acetylserine to directly generate cysteine. The resulting homocysteine and cysteine can be interconverted through transsulfuration pathway. Here, we systematically analyzed the sulfur metabolic pathway of the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast...

The goal of this project was to develop a novel technology that may be used to eventually manufacture a new generation of inorganic membranes and sensors with oriented, uni-directional monosized pores. The premise is that very thin membranes with oriented channels as pores will have a high flux in addition to being highly selective. Applications include: 1) gas separation membranes for oxygen e...

Composite materials can be prepared by the combination of at least two different phases, a continuous and a dispersed one. If one of these phases is on the nanometer scale, than the material is called a nanocomposite. In this context organic-inorganic hybrids stand for a new class of materials formed by two distinct compounds, the polymeric and ceramic, resulting in a crosslinked amorphous nano...

Solution-processed organic-inorganic perovskites are fascinating due to their remarkable photo-conversion efficiency and great potential in the cost-effective, versatile and large-scale manufacturing of optoelectronic devices. In this paper, we demonstrate that the perovskite nanocrystal sizes can be simply controlled by manipulating the precursor solution concentrations in a two-step sequentia...