Modification of Working Electrode Surface with Carbon Nanotubes as an Electrochemical Sensor for Estimation of Melting Points of DNA

Screen-printed with three electrode system was used in this study. A working electrode has been printed from carbon nanotubes based paste on silver layer modified with nano-patterned structures for the first case. In the second case, vertically aligned carbonnanotubes were grown on the Au working electrode. The process of the nanotubes growing was tested to create homogenous and high density carbon nanotubes layer directly on the thick-film silver layer. Based on the characterization of electrodes, we used Au based for detection of nucleic acids. Moreover, we were able to estimated melting points of DNA. © 2009

Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers with Biodegradable Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Coating: Their Effect on the Growth of Maize and the Dynamics of N Release in Soil

Fertilizers play an essential role in agriculture due to the rising food demand. However, high input fertilizer concentration and the non-controlled leaching of nutrients cause an unwanted increase in reactive, unassimilated nitrogen and induce environmental pollution. This paper investigates the preparation and properties of slow-release fertilizer with fully biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) coating that releases nitrogen gradually and is not a pollutant for soil. Nitrogen fertilizer (calcium ammonium nitrate) was pelletized with selected filler materials (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), struvite, dried biomass). Pellets were coated with a solution of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) in dioxolane that formed a high-quality and thin polymer coating. Coated pellets were tested in aqueous and soil environments. Some coated pellets showed excellent resistance even after 76 days in water, where only 20% of the ammonium nitrate was released. Pot experiments in Mitscherlich vegetation vessels monitored the effect of the application of coated fertilizers on the development and growth of maize and the dynamics of N release in the soil. We found that the use of our coated fertilizers in maize nutrition is a suitable way to supply nutrients to plants concerning their needs and that the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) that was used for the coating does not adversely affect the growth of maize plants

Preparation and characterisation of coatings for controlled-release fertilizers

The literary research of this Master's thesis is dedicated to controlled-release fertilizers (CRF). There is written the description of particular representatives of this kind of fertilizer and it also contains principles of nutrition's release mechanisms. Theoretical part is mainly focused on coated fertilizers, materials used for their production, coating technological processes and on a mathematical description of the diffusion transport which is the key of the mass transfer through polymer coatings. The laboratory preparation of innovative coatings based on modified vegetable oils is the main part of the experimental part of the thesis. It consists of the precursors' synthesis which can be applied on the fertilizer's surface in a liquid phase and polymerized by the UV-radiation in combination with an appropriate photoinitiator. There is described the synthesis of additional modifiers of precursors' viscosity and coatings' diffusive properties based on bio-source reactants such as sorbitol or ethyl lactate. The synthesized products are characterized by various methods such as volumetry, FTIR method or viscosimetry. The last part of the thesis contains the description of diffusive characteristics of coatings prepared out of the synthesized precursors

Extraction of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from Biomas

Polyhydroxyalkanoáty jsou skupina biopolymerů vyskytujících se uvnitř buněk mikroorganismů. Na základě jejich zjištěných fyzikálně-chemických vlastností je možné vnímat je jako alternativu běžně používaných materiálů petrochemického původu jako jsou polypropylen a polyethylen. Bakalářská práce se zabývá izolací konkrétního druhu PHA z biomasy a obsahuje experimentální část a literární rešerší týkající se této problematiky. Pojednává o původu a využitelnosti PHA, úskalích jejich biotechnologické produkce a především se zabývá různými možnostmi jejich izolace. Předmětem experimentální části bylo srovnat výsledky extrakce PHA z biomasy pomocí dvou rozpouštědel na esterové bázi. Sledovanými parametry byla molekulová hmotnost polymeru, extrakční schopnost rozpouštědel a jejich odolnost proti hydrolýze. Cílem práce bylo ověřit koncept izolace P3HB pomocí nehalogenovaného bio-rozpouštědla za vhodných podmínek.Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a group of biopolymers which occur in cells of microorganisms. These biopolymers can be considered as alternatives to commonly used petrochemical materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene due to their physical and chemical properties. This bachelor thesis focuses on isolation of particular kind of PHA from biomass and contains both experimental and theoretical part. It consists of information about the origin and usage of PHA, challenges and problems of their biotechnological production and mainly various ways of downstream. Experimental part includes comparison of PHA extraction from biomass done by two ester solvents. Studied parameters were molecular weight of the polymer, solvent extraction ability and their resistance against hydrolysis. The main goal of this thesis was to verify the best process conditions of isolation done by nonhalogenated bio-solvent.

High-Pressure Depolymerization of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Using Bio-Based Solvents: A Way to Produce Alkyl Esters Which Can Be Modified to Polymerizable Monomers

The polyesters poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) used in various applications such as food packaging or 3D printing were depolymerized by biobased aliphatic alcohols—methanol and ethanol with the presence of para-toluenesulphonic acid (p-TSA) as a catalyst at a temperature of 151 °C. It was found that the fastest depolymerization is reached using methanol as anucleophile for the reaction with PLA, resulting in the value of reaction rate constant (k) of 0.0425 min−1 and the yield of methyl lactate of 93.8% after 120 min. On the other hand, the value of constant k for the depolymerization of PHB in the presence of ethanol reached 0.0064 min−1 and the yield of ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate was of 76.0% after 240 min. A kinetics study of depolymerization was performed via LC–MS analysis of alkyl esters of lactic acid and 3-hydroxybutanoic acid. The structure confirmation of the products was performed via FT-IR, MS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. Synthesized alkyl lactates and 3-hydroxybutyrates were modified into polymerizable molecules using methacrylic anhydride as a reactant and potassium 2-ethylhexanoate as a catalyst at a temperature of 80 °C. All alkyl esters were methacrylated for 24 h, guaranteeing the quantitative yield (which in all cases reached values equal to or of more than 98%). The methacrylation rate constants (k′) were calculated to compare the reaction kinetics of each alkyl ester. It was found that lactates reach afaster rate of reaction than 3-hydroxybutyrates. The value of k′ for themethacrylated methyl lactate reached 0.0885 dm3/(mol·min). Opposite to this result, methacrylated ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate’s constant k′ was 0.0075 dm3/(mol·min). The reaction rate study was conducted by the GC-FID method and the structures were confirmed via FT-IR, MS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR

Senzorické vlastnosti vícestěnných uhlíkovách nanotrubic připarvených v MW plazmatu: Elektronické a elektrochemické chování, detekce plynů, autoemisní vlastnosti, absorbce infračerveného záření

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-MWCNTs) with an average diameter below 80 nm and a thickness of the uniform VA-MWCNT layer of about 16 um were grown in microwave plasma torch and tested for selected functional properties. IR absorption important for a construction of bolometers was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Basic electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry. Comparing the obtained results with the standard or MWCNT modified screen-printed electrodes, the prepared VA-MWCNT electrodes indicated their high potential for the construction of electrochemical sensors. Resistive CNT gas sensor revealed a good sensitivity to ammonia taking into account room temperature operation. Field emission detected from CNTs was suitable for the pressure sensing application based on the measurement of emission current in the diode structure with bending diaphragm. The advantages of microwave plasma torch growth of CNTs, i.e., fast processing and versatility of the process, can be therefore fully exploited for the integration of surface-bound grown CNTs into various sensing structures.Vertikálně uspořádané vícestěnné uhlíkové nanotrubice (VA-MWCNTs) se středním průměrem pod 80 nm a tloušťce VA-MWCNT vrstvy asi 16 um byly vyrobeny v mikrovlnném plazmovém výboji a testovány na vybrané funkční vlastnosti. IR absorpce důležitá pro stavbu bolometrů byla studována pomocí Fourierovy infračervené spektroskopie. Základní elektrochemická charakterizace byla provedena pomocí cyklické voltametrie. Srovnáme-li získané výsledky se standardními nebo MWCNT modifikovanými tištěnými elektrodami, připravené VA-MWCNT elektrody ukazují vysoký potenciál pro konstrukci elektrochemických senzorů. Rezistivní CNT senzor plynu ukázal dobrou citlivost na amoniak při pokojové teplotě. Emisni vlastnosti rovněž potvrdili, že CNTs jsou vhodné pro aplikaci ve snímačích tlaku, kdy je měřena změna emisního proudu ve struktuře diody během ohýbání membrány. Výhody růstu CNTs v mikrovlnném plazmovém výboji, jako jsou rychlost a všestrannost procesu, mohou být plně využity pro integraci povrchově vázaných, přímo rostlých, CNTs do různých snímacích struktur