Fluorine-18 labeled tracers for PET studies in the neurosciences

This chapter focuses on fluorine-18, the positron emitter with the longest half-life, the lowest positron energy and probably, the most challenging chemistry. The incorporation of F-18 into organic compounds presents many challenges, including: the need to synthesize and purify the compound within a 2--3 hour time frame; the limited number of labeled precursor molecules; the need to work on a microscale; and the need to produce radiotracers which are chemically and radiochemically pure, sterile and pyrogen-free, and suitable for intravenous injection. The PET method and F-18 labeling of organic molecules are described followed by highlights of the applications of F-18 labeled compounds in the neurosciences and neuropharmacology. It is important to emphasize the essential and pivotal role that organic synthesis has played in the progression of the PET field over the past twenty years from one in which only a handful of institutions possessed the instrumentation and staff to carry out research to the present-day situation where there are more than 200 PET centers worldwide. During this period PET has become an important scientific tool in the neurosciences, cardiology and oncology. It is important to point out that PET is by no means a mature field. The fact that a hundreds of different F-18 labeled compounds have been developed but only a few possess the necessary selectivity and sensitivity in vivo to track a specific biochemical process illustrates this and underscores a major difficulty in radiotracer development, namely the selection of priority structures for synthesis and the complexities of the interactions between chemical compounds and living systems. New developments in rapid organic synthesis are needed in order to investigate new molecular targets and to improve the quantitative nature of PET experiments

Electrospun Polyaniline Fibers as Highly Sensitive Room Temperature Chemiresistive Sensors for Ammonia and Nitrogen Dioxide Gases

Electrospun polyaniline (PAni) fibers doped with different levels of (+)-camphor-10-sulfonic acid (HCSA) are fabricated and evaluated as chemiresistive gas sensors. The experimental results, based on both sensitivity and response time, show that doped PAni fibers are excellent ammonia sensors and that undoped PAni fibers are excellent nitrogen dioxide sensors. The fibers exhibit changes in measured resistances up to 60-fold for ammonia sensing, and more than five orders of magnitude for nitrogen dioxide sensing, with characteristic response times on the order of one minute in both cases. A time-dependent reaction-diffusion model is used to extract physical parameters from fitting experimental sensor data. The model is then used to illustrate the selection of optimal material design parameters for gas sensing by nanofibers.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Contract ARO W911NF-07-D-0004

Gas Sensors Based on Electrospun Nanofibers

Nanofibers fabricated via electrospinning have specific surface approximately one to two orders of the magnitude larger than flat films, making them excellent candidates for potential applications in sensors. This review is an attempt to give an overview on gas sensors using electrospun nanofibers comprising polyelectrolytes, conducting polymer composites, and semiconductors based on various sensing techniques such as acoustic wave, resistive, photoelectric, and optical techniques. The results of sensing experiments indicate that the nanofiber-based sensors showed much higher sensitivity and quicker responses to target gases, compared with sensors based on flat films

In situ production of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in molten salt phase for thermal energy storage and heat-transfer fluid applications

In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles (average particle size 16 nm) were successfully produced in molten salt phase and were showed to significantly enhance the specific heat capacity of a binary eutectic mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate (60/40) by 5.4 % at 390 °C and 7.5 % at 445 °C for 3.0 wt% of precursors used. The objective of this research was to develop a cost-effective alternate method of production which is potentially scalable, as current techniques utilized are not economically viable for large quantities. Enhancing the specific heat capacity of molten salt would promote more competitive pricing for electricity production by concentrating solar power plant. Here, a simple precursor (TiOSO4) was added to a binary eutectic mixture of potassium and sodium nitrate, heated to 450 °C, and cooled to witness the production of nanoparticles