Shuji Nakanishi

The synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2], the immediate precursor of intracellular signals generated by calcium-mobilizing hormones and growth factors, is initiated by the conversion of phosphatidylinositol to phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate [PtdIns(4)P] by phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PtdIns 4-kinase). Although cells contain several PtdIns 4-kinases, the enzyme responsible for regulating the synthesis of hormone-sensitive PtdIns(4,5)P2 pools has not been identif

Reducing the use of platinum (Pt) on polymer electrolyte fuel cell anodes is critical for the widespread dissemination of these energy conversion systems. Although Pt usage can be minimized by the even dispersion of isolated Pt atoms, no atomically dispersed Pt catalysts that promote hydrogen oxidation at a rate required for practical fuel cells have been reported to date. Covalent triazine frameworks with atomically dispersed Pt atoms (0.29 wt %) are described and it is demonstrated that the ma

A step forward for tungsten: Nitrogen-rich tungsten carbonitride (WCN) nanomaterials can act as stable and efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts with a much higher activity than conventional WCN materials. The use of a polymerization process provides a unique synthetic route to H2 WO4 nanoparticles, which can then be used to synthesize the WCN-derived catalysts.

The influence of the atomic-level structure of electrode surfaces on electrochemical oscillations has been studied in a system of H2O2 reduction on Pt electrodes in acidic solutions. A current oscillation of another type, named oscillation E, has been found to appear for an atomically flat single-crystal Pt(111) electrode, in addition to previously reported oscillations, named oscillations A and B. Oscillation E does not appear for atomically flat Pt(100), Pt(110), polycrystalline Pt, and Pt(111

Prior to the practical application of rechargeable aprotic Li-O₂ batteries, the high charging overpotentials of these devices (which inevitably cause irreversible parasitic reactions) must be addressed. The use of redox mediators (RMs) that oxidatively decompose the discharge product, Li₂O₂, is one promising solution to this problem. However, the mitigating effect of RMs is currently insufficient, and so it would be beneficial to clarify the Li₂O<sub>2

Go with the flow: Shewanella is capable of transferring respiratory electrons to solid-state metal-oxides through physical contact (direct pathway) or by using electron shuttles (indirect pathway). We reveal, by using an electrochemical approach, that these pathways are switched depending on the redox state of the cytochromes.

A redox-active phospholipid polymer with a phospholipid-mimicking structure (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine; MPC) was synthesized to construct a biocompatible electron mediator between bacteria and an electrode. In this study, a copolymer of MPC and vinylferrocene [VF; poly(MPC-co-VF)] (PMF) is synthesized. When PMF is added to cultures of the bacterial species Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Lactobacillus plantarum (Gram positive), which have different cell wall structures, a cat

Strikingly well-ordered Sn latticeworks, standing perpendicular to the substrate, are formed spontaneously in oscillatory electrodeposition. Cooperation of various processes, such as needle formation by autocatalytic crystal growth, cuboid formation under a reaction-limited condition, and autocatalytic oxidation at closest-packed surfaces, enabled the self-organization of the latticeworks. The mechanism is generally applicable to deposition of other metals such as Zn, Pb, and Cu. The present wor

The electrodeposition from an acidic solution containing Cu(2+), Sn(2+), and a cationic surfactant gave a negative differential resistance (NDR) and a current oscillation in a narrow potential region of about 20 mV lying slightly more negative than the onset potential for Sn-Cu alloy deposition. Scanning Auger microscopic inspection has indicated that alloy films deposited during the oscillation have a clear alternate multilayer structure composed of two alloy layers of different compositions. T

Epitaxial Prussian blue (PB) films are deposited electrochemically onto a Au(110) substrate. High-resolution X-ray diffraction shows that the PB films have a [111] out-of-plane orientation. The very large lattice mismatch of 148% is reduced to about 1% by the formation of (1 x 2)PB(111)[onemacr;10]//(6 x 5)Au(110)[onemacr;10] and (1 x 2)PB(111)[01onemacr;]//(6 x 5)Au(110)[onemacr;10] epitaxial relationships. Peaks in the cyclic voltammogram of PB on Au(110) are sharper than those on polycrystall