Hydrophilic Organic Electrodes on Flexible Hydrogels.

Prompted by the rapidly developing field of wearable electronics, research into biocompatible substrates and coatings is intensifying. Acrylate-based hydrogel polymers have gained widespread use as biocompatible articles in applications such as contact and intraocular lenses. Surface treatments and/or coatings present one strategy to further enhance the performance of these hydrogels or even realize novel functionality. In this study, the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is deposited from the vapor phase onto hydrated hydrogel substrates and blended with biocompatibilizing coconstituents incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) moieties. Plasma pretreatment of the dehydrated hydrogel substrate modifies its surface topography and chemical composition to facilitate the attachment of conductive PEDOT-based surface layers. Manipulating the vapor phase polymerization process and constituent composition, the PEDOT-based coating is engineered to be both hydrophilic (i.e. to promote biocompatibility) and highly conductive. The fabrication of this conductively coated hydrogel has implications for the future of wearable electronic devices.

The Development of a Continuous Intravascular Glucose Monitoring Sensor.

BACKGROUND: Glycemic control in hospital intensive care units (ICU) has been the subject of numerous research publications and debate over the past 2 decades. There have been multiple studies showing the benefit of ICU glucose control in reducing both morbidity and mortality. GlySure Ltd has developed a glucose monitor based on a diboronic acid receptor that can continuously measure plasma glucose concentrations directly in a patient's vascular system. The goal of this study was to validate the performance of the GlySure CIGM system in different patient populations. METHODS: The GlySure Continuous Intravascular Glucose Monitoring (CIGM) System was evaluated in both the Cardiac ICU (33 patients) and MICU setting (14 patients). The sensor was placed through a custom CVC and measured the patients' blood glucose concentration every 15 seconds. Comparison blood samples were taken at 2 hourly then 4 hourly intervals and measured on a YSI 2300 STAT Plus or an i-STAT. RESULTS: Consensus error grid analysis of the data shows that the majority of the data (88.2% Cardiac, and 95.0% MICU) fell within zone A, which is considered to be clinically accurate and all data points fell within zones A and B. The MARD of the Cardiac trial was 9.90% and the MICU trial had a MARD of 7.95%. Data analysis showed no significant differences between data generated from Cardiac and MICU patients or by time or glucose concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The GlySure CIGM System has met the design challenges of measuring intravascular glucose concentrations in critically ill patients with acceptable safety and performance criteria and without disrupting current clinical practice. The accuracy of the data is not affected by the patients' condition.

Copper(I) alkynyl clusters, [Cu(x+y)(hfac)(x)(C[triple chemical bond]CR)(y)], with Cu(10)-Cu(12) cores.

The facile syntheses and the structures of five new Cu(I) alkynyl clusters, [Cu(12)(hfac)(8)(C[triple chemical bond]CnPr)(4)(thf)(6)]xTHF (1), [Cu(12)(hfac)(8)(C[triple chemical bond]CtBu)(4)] (2), [Cu(12)(hfac)(8)(C[triple chemical bond]CSiMe(3))(4)] (3), [Cu(10)(hfac)(6)(C[triple chemical bond]CtBu)(4)(diethyl ether)]/[Cu(10)(hfac)(6)(C[triple chemical bond]CtBu)(3)(C[triple chemical bond]CnPr)(diethyl ether)] (4) and [Cu(10)(hfac)(6)(C[triple chemical bond]CtBu)(4)(diethyl ether)] (5) are reported, in which hfacH=1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentan-2,4-dione. The first independent molecule found in the crystals of 4 (4 a) proved to be chemically identical to 5. The Cu(10) and Cu(12) cores in these clusters are based on a central "square" Cu(4)C(4) unit. Whilst the connectivities of the Cu(10) or Cu(12) units remain identical the geometries vary considerably and depend on the bulk of the alkynyl group, weak coordination of ether molecules to copper atoms in the core and CuO intramolecular contacts formed between Cu-hfac units on the periphery of the cluster. Similar intermolecular contacts and interlocking of Cu-hfac units are formed in the simple model complex [Cu(2)(hfac)(2)(HC[triple chemical bond]CtBu)] (6). When linear alkynes, C(n)H(2n+1)C[triple chemical bond]CH, are used in the synthesis and non-coordinating solvents are used in the workup, further association of the Cu(4)C(4) cores occurs and clusters with more than eighteen copper atoms are isolated.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Series of Edge-Sharing Octahedral-Tetrahedral-Octahedral Linear Trinuclear Complexes [M(3)(L1O)(4)](2+), Where M = Mn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) and L1OH Is the "Heteroscorpionate" Ligand (2-Hydroxyphenyl)bis(pyrazolyl)methane.

The mixed functionality pyrazole/phenol ligand (2-hydroxyphenyl)bis(pyrazolyl)methane, L1OH, has been used to prepare a series of linear trimetallic systems with the general structural motif [M(3)(L1O)(4)](2+), where M = Mn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). Each of these complexes has been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography giving the following structural parameters: [Zn(3)(L1O)(4)][BF(4)](2).H(2)O, C(52)H(44)N(16)B(2)F(8)O(5)Zn(3), monoclinic, a = 18.572(4) Å, b = 22.400(5) Å, c = 15.921(3), beta = 112.439(8) degrees, space group C2/c, Z = 4; [Cu(3)(L1O)(4)] [BF(4)](2).2MeCN, C(56)H(44)N(18)B(2)Cu(3)F(8)O(4), monoclinic, a = 40.574(2) Å, b = 16.701(1) Å, c = 19.841(2) Å, beta = 111.388(5) degrees, space group C2/c, Z = 8; [Ni(3)(L1O)(4)][ClO(4)](2).MeCN.0.5H(2)O, C(54)H(44)N(17)Cl(2)Ni(3)O(12.5), monoclinic, a = 12.324(4) Å, b = 26.537(2) Å, c = 18.829(3) Å, beta = 102.78(1) degrees, space group C2/c, Z = 4; [Co(3)(L1O)(4)][BF(4)](2).MeCN, C(54)H(44)N(17)B(2)Co(3)F(8)O(4), monoclinic, a = 12.395(2) Å, b = 26.483(3) Å, c = 18.703(4) Å, beta = 103.22(2) degrees, space group C2/c, Z = 4; [Mn(3)(L1O)(4)(MeCN)][ClO(4)](2).1.4MeCN, C(56.68)H(44)N(18.34)Cl(2)Mn(3)O(12), orthorhombic, a = 15.471(2) Å, b = 17.364(2) Å, c = 24.216(2) Å, space group Pbcn, Z = 4. For Zn(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), and Co(2+) the central metal atom of the linear trimetallic [M(3)(L1O)(4)](2+) unit is four coordinate and has a pseudotetrahedral geometry with a dihedral angle, omega, between the two M(central)O(2)M(terminal) planes of 79.9 degrees (Zn), 61.2 degrees (Co), 60.4 degrees (Ni), and 46.8 degrees (Cu). The central Mn(2+) atom of [Mn(3)(L1O)(4)(MeCN)][ClO(4)](2).1.4MeCN is five-coordinate, with a trigonal bipyramidal stereochemistry, the result of an equatorially coordinated MeCN solvent molecule. Variable-temperature magnetic data indicate that the Ni, Cu, and Mn complexes display modest antiferromagnetic coupling between the metal centers, while the Co derivative is strongly ferromagnetically coupled.