Nanoarchitectonics of Mesoporous M2P2O7 (M = Mn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II)) and M2-xCoxP2O7 and Transformation to Their Metal Hydroxides with Decent Charge Capacity in Alkali Media.

A general synthetic method has been developed to synthesize spherical mesoporous metal pyrophosphate (m-M2P2O7) particles and to fabricate graphite rod-coated (GR-M2P2O7) electrodes, which are important as energy storage materials. The clear aqueous solution of the ingredients (namely, [M(H2O)6](NO3)2, H4P2O7, water, and P123) assembles, upon excess water evaporation, into a mesostructured M2HxP2O7(NO3)x·nH2O-P123 semisolid that is calcined to produce the spherical m-M2P2O7 (where M is Ni, Co, Mn, Ni/Co, or Mn/Co) particles, coated over GR, and calcined to fabricate the GR-M2P2O7 electrodes. The mesostructured and mesoporous materials are characterized using diffraction (XRD), spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR, XPS, and EDX), N2 adsorption-desorption, and imaging (SEM and TEM) techniques. The electrochemical/chemical investigations showed that the GR-M2P2O7 electrodes transform to ß-M(OH)2 in alkali media. The spherical m-Ni2P2O7 particles transform into spherical ultrathin nanoflakes of ß-Ni(OH)2. However, the m-Mn2P2O7 and m-Co2P2O7 particles transform to much thicker ß-Mn(OH)2 and ß-Co(OH)2 plate-like nanoparticles, respectively. The size and morphology of the ß-M(OH)2 particle depend on the Ksp of the M2P2O7 and determine the charge capacity (CC) and specific capacitance (SC) of the electrodes. The ß-Ni(OH)2 and ß-Ni0.67Co0.33(OH)2 electrodes display high CC (129 and 170 mC/cm2, respectively) and SC (234.5 and 309 mF/cm2, respectively) values. However, these values are almost 10× smaller in ß-Mn(OH)2, ß-Co(OH)2, ß-Mn1-xCox(OH)2, and cobalt-rich ß-Ni1-xCox(OH)2 electrodes.

Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Mesophases of Lithium Dihydrogen Phosphate and 10-Lauryl Ether Stabilized with Water or Phosphoric Acid.

The molten phase of transition metal and lithium salts self-assemble with non-ionic surfactants to form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophases, which are important in the development of gel-electrolytes and mesoporous materials. Here, we show that LiH2 PO4 forms a semi-stable LLC mesophase with 10-lauryl ether (C12 H25 (OCH2 CH2 )10 OH, C12 E10 ), decoded as Li-EO-X (X is LiH2 PO4 /C12 E10 mole ratio and between 2 and 200). The stability of the Li-EO-X phase is improved by increasing salt concentration (X>20) in the media. The semi-stable Li-EO-X mesophase is further stabilized by adding either water by controlling the humidity or H3 PO4 (PA) to the media. The phase behaviour of the above samples was investigated using POM, XRD, conductivity, and ATR-FTIR measurements. The addition of PA not only brings stability and higher conductivity (increase from 0.1 to 8.9 mS/cm) to the mesophase but also produce an LLC gel-electrolyte with a high buffer capacity that may be useful and important in various applications.

Role of Water in the Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Mesophase of Lithium Salts and Non-ionic Surfactants.

The lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophase forms upon evaporation of water from aqueous solutions of LiX salts (X is Cl-, Br-, NO3-, or SCN-) and a surfactant [C12H25(OCH2CH2)10OH, abbreviated as C12E10]. The LiX/C12E10/H2O aqueous solutions have been monitored (during evaporation of their excess water to obtain stable LLC mesophases) by gravimetric, spectroscopic, and conductivity measurements to elucidate the role of water in these mesophases. The water/salt molar ratio in stable mesophases changes from 1.5 to 8.0, depending on the counteranion of the salt and the ambient humidity of the laboratory. The LiX/C12E10/H2O LLC mesophases lose water at lower humidity levels and absorb water at higher humidity levels. The LiCl-containing mesophase holds as few as four structural water molecules per LiCl, whereas the LiNO3 mesophase holds 1.5 waters per salt (least among those assessed). This ratio strongly depends on the atmospheric humidity level; the water/LiX mole ratio increases by 0.08 ± 0.01 H2O in the LLC mesophases per percent humidity unit. Surprisingly, the LLC mesophases are stable (no salt leaching) in broad humidity (10-85%) and salt/surfactant mole ratio (2-10 LiX/C12E10) ranges. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic data show that the water molecules in the mesophase interact with salt species more strongly in the LiCl mesophase and more weakly in the case of the nitrate ion, which is evident by the shift of the O-H stretching band of water. The O-H stretching peak position in the mesophases decreases in the order νLiCl > νLiBr > νLiSCN > νLiNO3 and accords well with the H2O/LiX mole ratio. The conductivity of the LLC mesophase also responds to the amount of water as well as the nature of the counteranion (X-). The conductivity decreases in the order σLiCl > σLiBr > σLiNO3 > σLiSCN at low salt mole ratios and in the order σLiBr > σLiCl > σLiNO3 > σLiSCN at higher ratios due to structural changes in the mesophase.

Role of Water in the Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Lithium Iodide-Iodine-Water-C12E10 Mesophase as a Gel Electrolyte in a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell.

By replacing volatile and flammable organic-based electrolytes with gel electrolytes, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) may be a viable and more practical alternative to other clean energy sources. Although they present a promising alternative, gel electrolytes still have some drawbacks for practical applications, such as low ionic conductivity and infusion difficulties into the pores of the working electrode. Here, we introduce a new one-step fabrication method that uses a lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) gel electrolyte (LiI:I2:H2O:C12H25(OCH2CH2)10OH) and a dye (N719) to construct a DSSC that performs (7.32%) 2.2 times better compared with a traditional two-step production. Water plays a key role in the gel electrolyte, where the H2O/LiI mole ratio is around 2.57 under ambient laboratory conditions (ALCs); however, this ratio linearly increases to 4.00 and then to 5.85 at 40 and 75% humidities, respectively, without affecting the two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal structure of the mesophase. The ionic conductivity of the gel electrolyte linearly increases accordingly, by 2.2 (4.8 × 10-5 to 10.6 × 10-5) and 13.1 times (63.0 × 10-5 S/cm) from ALC to 40 and ALC to 75% humidity, respectively. Increasing water in the gel phase improves the conductivity of the LLC mesophase and the short-circuit current (Isc) of the DSSC, but negatively influences the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of the cell, equilibrium reaction between the LiI and I2, and the anchoring of the dye molecules over the titania surface.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Mesoporous Architectured Ru Films Using Supramolecular Templates.

The electrochemical synthesis of mesoporous ruthenium (Ru) films using sacrificial self-assembled block polymer micelles templates, and its electrochemical surface oxidation to RuOx is described. Unlike standard methods such as thermal oxidation, the electrochemical oxidation method described here retains the mesoporous structure. Ru oxide materials serve as high-performance supercapacitor electrodes due to their excellent pseudocapacitive behavior. The mesoporous architectured film shows superior specific capacitance (467 F g-1Ru ) versus a nonporous Ru/RuOx electrode (28 F g-1Ru ) that is prepared via the same method but omitting the pore-directing polymer. Ultrahigh surface area materials will play an essential role in increasing the capacitance of this class of energy storage devices because the pseudocapacitive redox reaction occurs on the surface of electrodes.

Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Mesophases Made of Salt-Acid-Surfactant Systems for the Synthesis of Novel Mesoporous Lithium Metal Phosphates.

Mesoporous lithium metal phosphates are an important class of materials for the development of lithium ion batteries. However, there is a limited success in producing mesoporous lithium metal phosphates in the literature. Here, a lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) templating method was employed to synthesize the first examples of LiMPO4 (LMP) of Mn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II). A homogeneous aqueous solution of lithium and transition metal nitrate salts, phosphoric acid (PA), and surfactant (P123) can be spin coated or drop-cast coated over glass slides to form the LLC mesophases which can be calcined into mesoporous amorphous LMPs (MA-LMPs). The metal salts of Mn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) produce MA-LMPs that crystallize into olivine structures by heat treatment of the LLC mesophase. The Fe(II) compound undergoes air oxidation. Therefore, both Fe(II) and Fe(III) precursors produce a crystalline Li3 Fe2 (PO4 )3 phase at over 400 °C. The MA-LMPs show no reactivity towards lithium, however the crystalline iron compound exhibits electrochemical reactivity with lithium and a good electrochemical energy storage ability using a lithium-ion battery test.

Standing Mesochannels: Mesoporous PdCu Films with Vertically Aligned Mesochannels from Nonionic Micellar Solutions.

Mesoporous bimetallic palladium (Pd) alloy films with mesochannels perpendicularly aligned to the substrate are expected to show superior electrocatalytic activity and stability. The perpendicular mesochannels allow small molecules to efficiently access the active sites located not only at the surface but also within the film because of low diffusion resistance. When compared to pure Pd films, alloying with a secondary metal such as copper (Cu) is cost-effective and promotes resistance against adventitious poisoning through intermediate reactions known to impair the electrocatalytic performance. Here, we report the synthesis of mesoporous PdCu films by electrochemical deposition in nonionic micellar solutions. The mesoporous structures are vertically aligned on the substrate, and the final content of Pd and Cu can be adjusted by tuning the initial precursor molar ratio in the electrolyte solution.

Electrochemical deposition of large-sized mesoporous nickel films using polymeric micelles.

Stable mesoporous nickel (Ni) films can be prepared using polystyrene-b-poly-(oxyethylene) (PS-b-PEO) micelles as sacrificial templates. In this method, positively charged Ni precursors form hydrogen bonds with the PEO segments of the micelles, which are then co-electrodeposited on the surface of a working electrode. Changing the applied voltage during electrodeposition modifies the deposition rate and ultimately controls the architecture of the mesoporous Ni film.

Molten Salt Assisted Self-Assembly: Synthesis of Mesoporous LiCoO2 and LiMn2 O4 Thin Films and Investigation of Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation Performance of Lithium Cobaltate.

Mesoporous thin films of transition metal lithiates (TML) belong to an important group of materials for the advancement of electrochemical systems. This study demonstrates a simple one pot method to synthesize the first examples of mesoporous LiCoO2 and LiMn2 O4 thin films. Molten salt assisted self-assembly can be used to establish an easy route to produce mesoporous TML thin films. The salts (LiNO3 and [Co(H2 O)6 ](NO3 )2 or [Mn(H2 O)4 ](NO3 )2 ) and two surfactants (10-lauryl ether and cethyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or cethyltrimethylammonium nitrate (CTAN)) form stable liquid crystalline mesophases. The charged surfactant is needed for the assembly of the necessary amount of salt in the hydrophilic domains of the mesophase, which produces stable metal lithiate pore-walls upon calcination. The films have a large pore size with a high surface area that can be increased up to 82 m2 g-1 . The method described can be adopted to synthesize other metal oxides and metal lithiates. The mesoporous thin films of LiCoO2 show promising performance as water oxidation catalysts under pH 7 and 14 conditions. The electrodes, prepared using CTAN as the cosurfactant, display the lowest overpotentials in the literature among other LiCoO2 systems, as low as 376 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and 282 mV at 1 mA cm-2 .

Mesoporous metallic rhodium nanoparticles.

Mesoporous noble metals are an emerging class of cutting-edge nanostructured catalysts due to their abundant exposed active sites and highly accessible surfaces. Although various noble metal (e.g. Pt, Pd and Au) structures have been synthesized by hard- and soft-templating methods, mesoporous rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles have never been generated via chemical reduction, in part due to the relatively high surface energy of rhodium (Rh) metal. Here we describe a simple, scalable route to generate mesoporous Rh by chemical reduction on polymeric micelle templates [poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO-b-PMMA)]. The mesoporous Rh nanoparticles exhibited a ∼2.6 times enhancement for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol compared to commercially available Rh catalyst. Surprisingly, the high surface area mesoporous structure of the Rh catalyst was thermally stable up to 400 °C. The combination of high surface area and thermal stability also enables superior catalytic activity for the remediation of nitric oxide (NO) in lean-burn exhaust containing high concentrations of O2.

Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Mesophase of Sulfuric Acid-Nonionic Surfactant Stabilizes Lead(II) Oxide in Sulfuric Acid Concentrations Relevant to Lead Acid Batteries.

Concentrated sulfuric acid (SA) and nonionic surfactant (C12H25(OCH2CH2)10OH, C12E10) form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophases in a broad range of SA concentrations; the SA/C12E10 mole ratio may vary from 2 to 11 in the LLC mesophases in the presence of a small amount of water. The mesophase is hexagonal at low SA concentration and cubic at higher concentrations. Three different compositions were prepared (one hexagonal and two cubic) with the SA/C12E10 mole ratio of 2.5, 6, and 9, denoted as 2.5LC, 6LC, and 9LC, respectively. They all display electrochemical SA activity in Pt and Pb systems. Most interestingly, they show the electrochemical formation of stable PbO species in a deeply acidic medium as evidenced by the X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry experiments. The preferable properties of PbO over PbSO4 for lead acid batteries (LABs) make it uniquely positioned as a superior gel electrolyte for the LABs that would mitigate sulfation.

Modifying Titania Using the Molten-Salt-Assisted Self-Assembly Process for Cadmium Selenide-Quantum Dot-Sensitized Photoanodes.

Sensitizing titania with semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) is an important field for the development of third-generation photovoltaics. Many methods have been developed to effectively incorporate QDs over the surface of mesoporous titania, assembled from the 20-25 nm titania nanoparticles. Here, we introduce a molten-salt-assisted self-assembly (MASA) method to fabricate CdSe-modified mesoporous titania photoanodes. A mixture of ethanol, two surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and 10-lauryl ether), silica (tetramethyl orthosilicate) or titania source (Ti(OC4H9)4, acid (HNO3), and cadmium nitrate solution was infiltrated into the pores of mesoporous titania (assembled using Degussa 25, P25) and immediately calcined at 450 °C to obtain mesoporous cadmium oxide-silica-titania (meso-CdO-SiO2-P25) or cadmium titanate-titania (meso-CdTiO3-P25) films. The MASA process is a simple method to smoothly coat or fill the pores of titania with mesoporous CdO-SiO2 or CdTiO3 that can be reacted under an H2Se atmosphere to convert cadmium species to CdSe at 100 °C. Etching of the silica films with a very dilute hydrogen fluoride solution produces mesoporous CdSe-titania (meso-CdSe-P25) electrodes. The method is flexible to adjust the CdSe/TiO2 mole ratio over a very broad range in the films. The films were characterized at every stage of the preparation to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The electrodes were also tested in a simple two-electrode solar cell to demonstrate the performance of the electrodes that have a power conversion efficiency of 3.35%.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Lithium Titanate Thin Films and Monoliths as an Anode Material for High-Rate Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Mesoporous Li4 Ti5 O12 (LTO) thin film is an important anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Mesoporous films could be prepared by self-assembly processes. A molten-salt-assisted self-assembly (MASA) process is used to prepare mesoporous thin films of LTOs. Clear solutions of CTAB, P123, LiNO3 , HNO3 , and Ti(OC4 H9 )4 in ethanol form gel-like meso-ordered films upon either spin or spray coating. In the assembly process, the CTAB/P123 molar ratio of 14 is required to accommodate enough salt species in the mesophase, in which the LiI /P123 ratio can be varied between molar ratios of 28 and 72. Calcination of the meso-ordered films produces transparent mesoporous spinel LTO films that are abbreviated as Cxx-yyy-zzz or CAxx-yyy-zzz (C=calcined, CA=calcined-annealed, xx=LiI /P123 molar ratio, and yyy=calcination and zzz=annealing temperatures in Celsius) herein. All samples were characterized by using XRD, TEM, N2 -sorption, and Raman techniques and it was found that, at all compositions, the LTO spinel phase formed with or without an anatase phase as an impurity. Electrochemical characterization of the films shows excellent performance at different current rates. The CA40-350-450 sample performs best among all samples tested, yielding an average discharge capacity of (176±1) mA h g-1 at C/2 and (139±4) mA h g-1 at 50 C and keeping 92 % of its initial discharge capacity upon 50 cycles at C/2.

First Synthesis of Continuous Mesoporous Copper Films with Uniformly Sized Pores by Electrochemical Soft Templating.

Although mesoporous metals have been synthesized by electrochemical methods, the possible compositions have been limited to noble metals (e.g., palladium, platinum, gold) and their alloys. Herein we describe the first fabrication of continuously mesoporous Cu films using polymeric micelles as soft templates to control the growth of Cu under sophisticated electrochemical conditions. Uniformly sized mesopores are evenly distributed over the entire film, and the pore walls are composed of highly crystalized Cu.

Strong Acid-Nonionic Surfactant Lyotropic Liquid-Crystalline Mesophases as Media for the Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots and Highly Proton Conducting Mesostructured Silica Thin Films and Monoliths.

Lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LLC) materials are important in designing porous materials, and acids are as important in chemical synthesis. Combining these two important concepts will be highly beneficial to chemistry and material science. In this work, we show that a strong acid can be used as a solvent for the assembly of nonionic surfactants into various mesophases. Sulfuric acid (SA), 10-lauryl ether (C12E10), and a small amount of water form bicontinuous cubic (V1), 2D-hexagonal (H1), and micelle cubic (I1) mesophases with increasing SA/C12E10 mole ratio. A mixture of SA and C12E10 is fluidic but transforms to a highly ordered LLC mesophase by absorbing ambient water. The LLC mesophase displays high proton conductivity (1.5 to 19.0 mS/cm at room temperature) that increases with an increasing SA content up to 11 SA/C12E10 mole ratio, where the absorbed water is constant with respect to the SA amount but gradually increases from a 2.3 to 4.3 H2O/C12E10 mole ratio with increasing SA/C12E10 from 2 to 11, respectively. The mixture of SA and C12E10 slowly undergoes carbonization to produce carbon quantum dots (c-dots). The carbonization process can be controlled by simply controlling the water content of the media, and it can be almost halted by leaving the samples under ambient conditions, where the mixture slowly absorbs water to form photoluminescent c-dot-embedded mesophases. Over time the c-dots grow in size and increase in number, and the photoluminescence frequency gradually shifts to a lower frequency. The SA/C12E10 mesophase can also be used as a template to produce highly proton conducting mesostructured silica films and monoliths, as high as 19.3 mS/cm under ambient conditions. Aging the silica samples enhances the conductivity that can be even larger than for the LLC mesophase with the same amount of SA. The presence of silica has a positive effect on the proton conductivity of SA/C12E10 systems.

Electrochemical synthesis of mesoporous gold films toward mesospace-stimulated optical properties.

Mesoporous gold (Au) films with tunable pores are expected to provide fascinating optical properties stimulated by the mesospaces, but they have not been realized yet because of the difficulty of controlling the Au crystal growth. Here, we report a reliable soft-templating method to fabricate mesoporous Au films using stable micelles of diblock copolymers, with electrochemical deposition advantageous for precise control of Au crystal growth. Strong field enhancement takes place around the center of the uniform mesopores as well as on the walls between the pores, leading to the enhanced light scattering as well as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which is understandable, for example, from Babinet principles applied for the reverse system of nanoparticle ensembles.

The major predictors of amputation and length of stay in diabetic patients with acute foot ulceration.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Prediction of diabetic foot ulcer outcome may be helpful for optimizing management strategy. This study aimed to determine the major predictors of amputation and length of stay in diabetic patients with acute foot ulceration. METHODS: A total of 55 type 2 diabetic patients with diabetic foot infection were enrolled. The patients were evaluated according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America and International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot criteria and also the Wagner's classification. Blood samples were taken at the start of hospitalization for the measurement of glucose, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), white blood cells (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Length of stay in hospital was recorded. RESULTS: WBC and CRP were significantly higher in lower-extremity amputation (LEA) group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively); also, ESR was higher in this group, but there was no statistical significance. Wagner grade and infection severity were significantly higher in the LEA group as compared with the non-LEA group (both p values < 0.001). Glycemic control parameters (i.e., HbA1C, plasma glucose) were not different in LEA and non-LEA groups. In correlation analyses, amputation rate was negatively correlated (r = - 0.512, p < 0.001) with length of stay. WBC, ESR, CRP, Wagner grade, and severity of infection showed positive correlation with length of stay (r = 0.493, p < 0.001; r = 0.271, p = 0.045; r = 0.299, p = 0.027; r = 0.434, p = 0.001; and r = 0.464, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline levels of acute-phase reactants, especially CRP, WBC, ESR, and increased Wagner grade, appeared to be helpful in predicting amputation and length of stay in diabetic patients with acute foot ulceration. However, duration of diabetes and glucose control seems to have no effect.

Highly proton conductive phosphoric acid-nonionic surfactant lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases and application in graphene optical modulators.

Proton conducting gel electrolytes are very important components of clean energy devices. Phosphoric acid (PA, H(3)PO(4) · H2O) is one of the best proton conductors, but needs to be incorporated into some matrix for real device applications, such as into lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases (LLCMs). Herein, we show that PA and nonionic surfactant (NS, C(12)H(25)(OCH(2)CH(2))(10)OH, C(12)E(10)) molecules self-assemble into PANS-LLCMs and display high proton conductivity. The content of the PANS-LLCM can be as high 75% H(3)PO(4) · H2O and 25% 10-lauryl ether (C(12)H(25)(OCH(2)CH(2))(10)OH, C(12)E(10)), and the mesophase follows the usual LLC trend, bicontinuous cubic (V1)-normal hexagonal (H1)-micelle cubic (I1), by increasing the PA concentration in the media. The PANS-LLCMs are stable under ambient conditions, as well as at high (up to 130 °C) and low (-100 °C) temperatures with a high proton conductivity, in the range of 10(-2) to 10(-6) S/cm. The mesophase becomes a mesostructured solid with decent proton conductivity below -100 °C. The mesophase can be used in many applications as a proton-conducting media as well as a phosphate source for the synthesis of various metal phosphates. As an application, we demonstrate a graphene-based optical modulator using supercapacitor structure formed by graphene electrodes and a PANS electrolyte. A PANS-LLC electrolyte-based supercapacitor enables efficient optical modulation of graphene electrodes over a range of wavelengths, from 500 nm to 2 µm, under ambient conditions.

Effect of hygroscopicity of the metal salt on the formation and air stability of lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases in hydrated salt-surfactant systems.

It is known that alkali, transition metal and lanthanide salts can form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophases with non-ionic surfactants (such as CiH2i+1(OCH2CH2)jOH, denoted as CiEj). Here we combine several salt systems and show that the percent deliquescence relative humidity (%DRH) value of a salt is the determining parameter in the formation and stability of the mesophases and that the other parameters are secondary and less significant. Accordingly, salts can be divided into 3 categories: Type I salts (such as LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiNO3, LiClO4, CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2, MgCl2, and some transition metal nitrates) have low %DRH and form stable salt-surfactant LLC mesophases in the presence of a small amount of water, type II salts (such as some sodium and potassium salts) that are moderately hygroscopic form disordered stable mesophases, and type III salts that have high %DRH values, do not form stable LLC mesophases and leach out salt crystals. To illustrate this effect, a large group of salts from alkali and alkaline earth metals were investigated using XRD, POM, FTIR, and Raman techniques. Among the different salts investigated in this study, the LiX (where X is Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), NO3(-), and ClO4(-)) and CaX2 (X is Cl(-), and NO3(-)) salts were more prone to establish LLC mesophases because of their lower %DRH values. The phase behavior with respect to concentration, stability, and thermal behavior of Li(I) systems were investigated further. It is seen that the phase transitions among different anions in the Li(I) systems follow the Hofmeister series.

High serum concentration of interleukin-18 in diabetic patients with foot ulcers.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that interleukin-18 (IL-18) plays a key role in the inflammatory process. However, there are limited data on the role IL-18 plays with diabetic foot ulcers, an acute and complex inflammatory situation. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate serum IL-18 levels of diabetic patients with foot ulcers. METHODS: Twenty diabetic patients with acute foot ulcers, 21 diabetic patients without a history of foot ulcers, and 21 healthy volunteers were enrolled in our study. Circulating levels of IL-18, and other biochemical markers are parameters of inflammation and were measured in all three groups. RESULTS: Diabetic patients both with and without foot ulcers had high IL-18 concentrations (P < 0.001 and P = 0.020, respectively) when compared with the nondiabetic volunteers. Those with foot ulcers had higher levels of IL-18 level (P < 0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (P = 0.001), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P < 0.001) than those without foot ulcers. CONCLUSIONS: We found that serum IL-18 concentrations were elevated in diabetic patients with acute diabetic foot ulcers. However, these findings do not indicate whether the IL-18 elevation is a cause or a result of the diabetic foot ulceration. Further studies are needed to show the role of IL-18 in the course of these ulcers.