. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
New class of materials could revolutionize biomedical, alternative energy industries
by Staff Writers
Columbia MO (SPX) Jan 27, 2017


Polyarylboranes are a new class of materials that could be used in biomedical, personal computer and alternative energy applications. Image courtesy Mark Lee.

Polyhedral boranes, or clusters of boron atoms bound to hydrogen atoms, are transforming the biomedical industry. These manmade materials have become the basis for the creation of cancer therapies, enhanced drug delivery and new contrast agents needed for radioimaging and diagnosis.

Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has discovered an entirely new class of materials based on boranes that might have widespread potential applications, including improved diagnostic tools for cancer and other diseases as well as low-cost solar energy cells.

Mark Lee Jr., an assistant professor of chemistry in the MU College of Arts and Science, discovered the new class of hybrid nanomolecules by combining boranes with carbon and hydrogen. Boranes are chemically stable and have been tested at extreme heat of up to 900 degrees Celsius or 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the thermodynamic stability these molecules exhibit that make them non-toxic and attractive to the biomedical, personal computer and alternative energy industries.

"Despite their stability, we discovered that boranes react with aromatic hydrocarbons at mildly elevated temperatures, replacing many of the hydrogen atoms with rings of carbon," Lee said. "Polyhedral boranes are incredibly inert, and it is their reaction with aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene that will make them more useful."

Lee also showed that the attached hydrocarbons communicate with the borane core.

"The result is that these new materials are highly fluorescent in solution," Lee said. "Fluorescence can be used in applications such as bio-imaging agents and organic light-emitting diodes like those in phones or television screens. Solar cells and other alternative energy sources also use fluorescence, so there are many practical uses for these new materials."

Lee's discovery is based on decades of research. Lee's doctoral advisor, M. Frederick Hawthorne, MU Curators Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Radiology, discovered several of these boron clusters as early as 1959. In the past, boranes have been used for medical imaging, drug delivery, neutron-based treatments for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, catalysis and molecular motors. Borane researchers also have created a specific type of nanoparticle that selectively targets cancer cells.

"When these molecules were discovered years ago we never could have imagined that they would lead to so many advancements in biomedicine," Lee said.

"Now, my group is expanding on the scope of this new chemistry to examine the possibilities. These new materials, called 'polyarylboranes,' are much broader than we imagined, and now my students are systematically exploring the use of these new clusters."


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Missouri-Columbia
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
TECH SPACE
Melting solid below the freezing point
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 24, 2017
Phase transitions surround us - for instance, liquid water changes to ice when frozen and to steam when boiled. Now, researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science* have discovered a new phenomenon of so-called metastability in a liquid phase. A metastable liquid is not quite stable. This state is common in supercooled liquids, which are liquids that cool below the freezing point with ... read more


TECH SPACE
Mister Trump Goes to Washington

NASA to rely on Soyuz for ISS missions until 2019

Lomonosov Moscow State University to Launch 'Space Department' in 2017

French, US astronauts install batteries outside space station

TECH SPACE
ULA and team launches US military spy satellite

Airbus Safran Launchers in 2016: we keep our promises

India Defers Much-Awaited Heaviest Rocket Launch

When One launch is not enough: SpaceX Return To Flight

TECH SPACE
Bursts of methane may have warmed early Mars

Long Eclipse Avoidance Manoeuvres Performed Successfully on MOM Spacecraft

Microbes could survive thin air of Mars

Mars rover Opportunity takes a drive up a steep slope

TECH SPACE
China's first cargo spacecraft to leave factory

China launches commercial rocket mission Kuaizhou-1A

China Space Plan to Develop "Strength and Size"

Beijing's space program soars in 2016

TECH SPACE
ESA Planetary Science Archive gets a new look

Iridium-1 NEXT Launched on a Falcon 9

Shaping the Future: Aerospace Works to Ensure an Informed Space Policy

Russia-China Joint Space Studies Center May Be Created in Southeastern Russia

TECH SPACE
New white paper reviews latest support for Redefinition of the Kilogram by 2018

A new approach to 3-D holographic displays greatly improves the image quality

Melting solid below the freezing point

New class of materials could revolutionize biomedical, alternative energy industries

TECH SPACE
First footage of a living stylodactylid shrimp filter-feeding at depth of 4826m

SF State astronomer searches for signs of life on Wolf 1061 exoplanet

Looking for life in all the right places with the right tool

Could dark streaks in Venusian clouds be microbial life

TECH SPACE
Public to Choose Jupiter Picture Sites for NASA Juno

Experiment resolves mystery about wind flows on Jupiter

Pluto Global Color Map

Lowell Observatory to renovate Pluto discovery telescope









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.