Although polymers are very important and vastly used materials, their physical properties are limited. Therefore, they are reinforced with fillers to relieve diverse restrictions and expand their application areas. The exceptional properties of graphene make it an interesting material with huge potential for application in various industries and devices. The interfacial interaction between graphene and the polymer matrix improved the uniform graphene dispersion in the polymer matrix, enhancing the general nanocomposite performance. Therefore, graphene functionalization is essential to enhance the interfacial interaction, maintain excellent properties, and obstruct graphene agglomeration. Many studies have reported that graphene/polymer nanocomposites have exceptional properties that enable diverse applications. The use of graphene/polymer nanocomposites is expected to increase sustainably and to transform from a basic to an advanced material to offer optimum solutions to industry and consumers.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPRassociated (Cas) proteins provide microbial adaptive immunity against bacteriophages. In type I-F CRISPR-Cas systems, multiple Cas proteins (Csy1-4) comprise a surveillance complex (Csy complex) with CRISPR RNA (crRNA) for target recognition. Here, we report the biochemical characterization of the Csy1-Csy2 subcomplex from Xanthomonas albilineans, including the analysis of its interaction with crRNA and also AcrF2, an anti-CRISPR (Acr) protein from a phage that infects Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The X. albilineans Csy1 and Csy2 proteins (XaCsy1 and XaCsy2, respectively) formed a stable heterodimeric complex that specifically bound the 8-nucleotide (nt) 5′ handle of the crRNA. In contrast, the XaCsy1-XaCsy2 heterodimer exhibited reduced affinity for the 28-nt X. albilineans CRISPR repeat RNA containing the 5′-handle sequence. Chromatographic and calorimetric analyses revealed tight binding between the Acr protein from the P. aeruginosa phage and the heterodimeric subunit of the X. albilineans Csy complex, suggesting that AcrF2 recognizes conserved features of Csy1-Csy2 heterodimers. We found that neither XaCsy1 nor XaCsy2 alone forms a stable complex with AcrF2 and the 5′-handle RNA, indicating that XaCsy1-XaCsy2 heterodimerization is required for binding them. We also solved the crystal structure of AcrF2 to a resolution of 1.34 Å, enabling a more detailed structural analysis of the residues involved in the interactions with the Csy1-Csy2 heterodimer. Our results provide information about the order of events during the formation of the multisubunit crRNA-guided surveillance complex and suggest that the Acr protein inactivating type I-F CRISPR-Cas systems has broad specificity.
Hexene-functionalized graphitic nanoplatelets (He- f-GN) were easily prepared using a mechanochemical reaction between solid graphite and liquid 1-hexene. The He- f-GN exhibited outstanding properties (e.g., high specific surface area, high crystallinity and so on) and could be well distributed in various solvents including formic acid. The He- f-GN/Nylon 6_X nanocomposites were simply prepared using the solution method, and showed excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability compared with the neat Nylon 6. Specifically, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the He- f-GN/Nylon 6_1 nanocomposites increased by approximately 32.5% and 33.7%, respectively, compared to the neat Nylon 6 due to the special properties of the He- f-GN and its excellent compatibility with Nylon 6 chains. The He- f-GN also acts as nucleation sites, increasing the crystallinity of Nylon 6, and generated hydrogen bonds with the amide groups of the Nylon 6. The new filler, He- f-GN, provides an effective way to increase the performance of polymer, demonstrating good application prospects.
Owing to the rapid climate change, a high-performance energy storage system (ESS) for efficient energy consumption has been receiving considerable attention. ESS, such as capacitors, usually has issues with the ion diffusion of electrode materials, resulting in a decrease in their capacitance. Notably, appropriate pore diameter and large specific surface area (SSA) may result in an effective ion diffusion. Therefore, graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotube (graphene@MWCNT) hybrid nanomaterials, with covalent bonds between the graphene and MWCNT, were prepared via an edge-chemistry reaction. The properties of these materials, such as high porosity, large SSA, and high electroconductivity, make them suitable to be used as electrode materials for capacitors. The optimal ratio of graphene to MWCNT can affect the electrochemical performance of the electrode material based on its physical and electrochemical properties. The supercapacitor using optimal graphene-based hybrid electrode material exhibited highest specific capacitance value as 158 F/g and excellent cycle stability.
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