10-10/11 :: October/November 2010

nanotimes News in Brief

and, when doped with lithium salt, reasonable ionic conductivities. Image: The plateau value of the real part of conductivity represents the ionic conductivi- ty at a given temperature. Frequency and tempera- ture dependent dielectric data was collected using a Novocontrol Dielectric Broadband Spectrometer. © Angewandte Chemie International Edition

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acid has been designed, synthesized, and confirmed by NMR that displays the utmost similarity to the analyte.

The single-crystal X-ray structures of the solvated species TATP·methanol (1:1) and the TATP derivate were determined. In both compounds, the mo- lecules exhibit D3 symmetry and adopt a twisted boat-chair conformation. The hapten was coupled to bovine serum albumin, and mice were immu- nized. An immune response against TATP was elici- ted, and selective antibodies were detected in the mouse serum, which should be very useful for the development of a TATP biosensor system. An ELISA with a limit of detection for TATP of 65 µg L−1 is shown. © Langmuir

Surya S. Moganty, N. Jayaprakash, Jennifer L. Nugent, J. Shen, Lynden A. Archer: Ionic Liquid Tethered Na- noparticle Hybrid Electrolytes, In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, October 20, 2010, DOI:10.1002/ anie.201004551:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201004551

Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an improvised ex- plosive, is a potential security threat because of its cost-efficient synthesis and the difficulty in detecting it. Researchers at the German BAM, Federal Insti- tute for Materials Research and Testing, develo- ped a method for detecting TATP very fast, sim- ple and reliable. A highly selective antibody could provide the necessary specificity to the detection process. To obtain antibodies, a hapten made from acetone, hydrogen peroxide, and 7-oxooctanoic

A new type of nanoparticle resembling the six- pointed Star of David (Magen David) that is the symbol on the flag of Israel has been discovered by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusa- lem. The discovery, the researchers say, may lead to new ways for sensing of glucose in diagnosing diabetes or provide a catalyst to capture the sun‘s energy and turn it into clean fuel. The researchers generated a three-dimensional image of the tiny nanoparticles using a powerful electron microscope and found that the Stars of David are, remarkably,

Maria Astrid Walter, Dietmar Pfeifer, Werner Kraus, Franziska Emmerling, Rudolf J. Schneider, Ulrich Panne, and Michael G. Weller: Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP): Hapten Design and Development of Antibodies, In: Langmuir, Volume 26(2010), Issue 19, October 5, 2010, pages 15418-15423, DOI:10.1021/la1018339: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la1018339