In this study, single-crystal-like anatase TiO(2) nanowires were formed in a network structure by surfactant-assisted self-assembling processes at low temperature. The crystal lattice planes of the nanowires and networks of such wires composed of many nanoparticles were almost perfectly aligned with each other due to the "oriented attachment" mechanism, resulting in the high rate of electron transfer through the TiO(2) nanonetwork with single-crystal-like anatase nanowires. The direction of crystal growth of oriented attachment was controlled by changing the mole ratio of acetylacetone to Ti, that is, regulating both the adsorption of surfactant molecules via control of the reaction rate and the surface energy. A single-crystalline anatase exposing mainly the [101] plane has been prepared, which adsorbed ruthenium dye over 4 times higher as compared to P-25. A high light-to-electricity conversion yield of 9.3% was achieved by applying the titania nanomaterials with network structure as the titania thin film of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) are polypeptide growth factors with diverse functions. Fgf21, a unique member of the Fgf family, is expected to function as a metabolic regulator in an endocrine manner. Hepatic Fgf21 expression was increased by fasting. The phenotypes of hepatic Fgf21 transgenic or knockdown mice and high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet-fed mice suggests that Fgf21 stimulates lipolysis in the white adipose tissue during normal feeding and is required for ketogenesis and triglyceride clearance in the liver during fasting. However, the physiological roles of Fgf21 remain unclear. To elucidate the physiological roles of Fgf21, we generated Fgf21 knockout (KO) mice by targeted disruption. Fgf21 KO mice were viable, fertile, and seemingly normal. Food intake, oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure were also essentially unchanged in Fgf21 KO mice. However, hypertrophy of adipocytes, decreased lipolysis in adipocytes, and decreased blood nonesterified fatty acid levels were observed when Fgf21 KO mice were fed normally. In contrast, increased lipolysis in adipocytes and increased blood nonesterified fatty acid levels were observed in Fgf21 KO mice by fasting for 24 h, indicating that Fgf21 stimulates lipolysis in the white adipose tissue during feeding but inhibits it during fasting. In contrast, unexpectedly, hepatic triglyceride levels were essentially unchanged in Fgf21 KO mice. In addition, ketogenesis in Fgf21 KO mice was not impaired by fasting for 24 h. The present results indicate that Fgf21 regulates lipolysis in adipocytes in response to the metabolic state but is not required for ketogenesis and triglyceride clearance in the liver.

Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells were produced using single-crystalline TiO 2 nanotubes as a thin-film semiconductor because of the very high electron transfer through single-crystalline TiO 2 nanotubes when compared to that through nanoporous TiO 2 films composed of nanoparticles. The dye-sensitized solar cells with single-crystalline TiO 2 nanotubes showed more than double the short-circuit current density than those made of titania nanoparticles Degussa P-25 in the thin-film thickness region. Titania nanotubes were synthesized using molecular assemblies composed of surfactant molecules, i.e., laurylamine hydrochloride, and titanium alkoxide, i.e., tetraisopropylorthotitanate modified with acetylacetone, as a template. They have outer and inner diameters of about 10 and 5 nm, respectively, a length in the range from 30 nm to several hundred nanometers, and have a single-crystalline structure of anatase, as confirmed on lattice images observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The light to electricity conversion of the titania nanotube cells was around 5%. They also showed the highest photocatalytic activity when compared to the commercially available nanocrystalline titania.

Titania nanotubes with high photo-catalytic activity were synthesized in laurylamine hydrochloride / tetraisopropyl orthotitanate modified with acetylacetone system. Formation of nanotubes was confirmed by transmission electron microscope images. These titania nanotubes had crystal structure of anatase and showed high photo-catalytic activity, i.e., the activity is about three times higher than Degussa-P-25 and higher than ST-01.