A conductive polymer material is provided that includes an electrically conducting monomer and a zwitterionic sulfate chemically attached to the monomer. The electrically conducting monomer is at least one of acetylene, pyrrole, thiophene, phenylenevinylene, paraphenylene and aniline. The zwitterionic sulfonate includes an imidazolium group or an ammonium group. A solid-state battery is also provided that includes the conductive polymer material in an electrode. The solid-state battery includes an anode, a cathode and a solid electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode. At least one of the anode and the cathode includes the conductive polymer material.

A solid electrolytic capacitor containing a capacitor element is provided. The capacitor element contains an anode body that contains tantalum, a dielectric that overlies the anode body; and a solid electrolyte that overlies the dielectric. The solid electrolyte includes an intrinsically conductive polymer containing repeating thiophene units. Further, the capacitor exhibits a dielectric strength of about 0.6 volts per nanometer or more. The capacitor also exhibits a charge-discharge capacitance after being subjected to 3,000 cycles of a surge voltage and an initial capacitance prior to being subjected to the surge voltage, wherein the ratio of the charge-discharge capacitance to the initial capacitance is from about 0.75 to 1.

A solid electrolytic capacitor containing a capacitor element is provided. The capacitor element contains an anode body, a dielectric that overlies the anode body, a pre-coat that overlies the dielectric and that is formed from an organometallic compound, and a solid electrolyte that overlies the dielectric. The solid electrolyte includes an intrinsically conductive polymer containing repeating thiophene units of a certain formula.

This invention relates to a process for forming a long-chain branched polymer and a long-chain branched polymer resulting from the process. The process comprises reacting (a) a polyolefin base polymer with (b) a coupling agent comprising a polymeric coupling agent, optionally blended with a molecular coupling agent, the polymeric coupling agent being a modified polyolefin having a reactive coupling group at one or more terminal ends of the modified polyolefin chain, to couple the polyolefin base polymer (a) with the coupling agent (b) to form a long-chain branched polymer having a long-chain branching and/or higher surface energy relative to the polyolefin base polymer.

Nano-patterned devices for triggered intracellular delivery of active materials are disclosed. The device may comprise a nano-sized polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) comprising at least one layer of an electroactive polyelectrolyte polymer, where the PEM is configured to hold or receive an active material to be disposed within the multilayer and to release the active material under an electric field.

Provided is a charge-transporting composition that contains: a charge-transporting substance comprising a polythiophene derivative of formula (1) or an amine adduct thereof; an organosilane compound selected from fluoroalkyl-group-containing silanes, etc.; metal oxide nanoparticles; and an organic solvent.

##STR00001##

(R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are, mutually independently, a hydrogen atom, a C1-40 alkoxy group, —O—[Z—O].sub.p—R.sup.e, a sulfonic acid group, etc., or are —O—Y—O— formed by the bonding of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2; Y is a C1-40 alkylene group that may contain an ether bond, or may be substituted with a sulfonic acid group; Z is a C1-40 alkylene group that may be substituted with a halogen atom; p is an integer of 1 or greater; and R.sup.e is a hydrogen atom, a C1-40 alkyl group, etc.)).

This is to provide a non-halogen containing compound excellent in proton conductivity and capable of suitably being used for a polymer electrolytic fuel cell

The compound of the present invention has a structure represented by the following general formula (I).

##STR00001##

(In the above-mentioned general formula (I), l and n are molar fractions when l+n=1.0, and 0l<1.0 and 0<n1.0, A represents a structure represented by the following general formula (II) or (III), B represents a structure represented by the following general formula (VII), the respective structural units are random copolymerized, and at least one benzene ring in the formula (I) has at least one sulfo group.)

##STR00002##

(In the above-mentioned general formula (II) or (III), R.sup.1 to R.sup.4 are each independently selected from hydrogen and an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, le and R.sup.2 form together with the carbon atom, they are attached to, an aromatic ring or a fused aromatic ring and R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 form together with the carbon atom, they are attached to, an aromatic ring or a fused aromatic ring, or R.sup.1, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are hydrogens and R.sup.2 is a single bond and bonded to the carbon of c, X is a single bond, or a structure represented by the following formula (IV), the following formula (V) or the following formula (VI), when X is a single bond, bonds as are both bonded at ortho positions or both bonded at meta positions relative to the carbons bonded to X, when X is a structure represented by the following formula (IV), bonds as are both bonded at para positions relative to the carbons bonded to X, and when it is a structure represented by the following formula (V), bonds as are both bonded at para positions or both bonded at meta positions relative to the carbons bonded to x, when X is a structure represented by the following formula (VI), the bonds as in the above-mentioned general formula (II) or (III) exist only one of these, and A binds to other structure or a structural unit by one of the bonds as and the bond b.)

##STR00003##

Methods and devices are provided for pretreatment of a sample containing microbial cells. In some embodiments, the pretreatment of the sample is performed via the initial selective lysis, within a sample pretreatment vessel, of non-microbial cells (such as blood cells) and the subsequent centrifugal separation of the sample to remove the resulting debris and concentrate the microbial cells. An immiscible and dense cushioning liquid may be included for collecting the microbial cells adjacent to the liquid interface formed by the cushioning liquid upon centrifugation of the pretreatment vessel. After removal of a substantial quantity of the supernatant, resuspension of the collected microbial cells, and re-establishment of the cushioning liquid interface, at least a portion of the remaining suspension may be removed without substantially removing the cushioning liquid. One or more intermediate wash cycles may be performed prior to extraction of the remaining suspension, which provides a pretreated sample.

The disclosed technology relates generally to apparatus comprising conductive polymers and more particularly to tag and tag devices comprising a redox-active polymer film, and method of using and manufacturing the same. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a substrate and a conductive structure formed on the substrate which includes a layer of redox-active polymer film having mobile ions and electrons. The conductive structure further includes a first terminal and a second terminal configured to receive an electrical signal therebetween, where the layer of redox-active polymer is configured to conduct an electrical current generated by the mobile ions and the electrons in response to the electrical signal. The apparatus additionally includes a detection circuit operatively coupled to the conductive structure and configured to detect the electrical current flowing through the conductive structure.

The present disclosure relates to methods for preparing materials from heavy feedstocks. In particular, the disclosure provides a chemical process to convert heavy feedstocks with predominant polyaromatic hydrocarbon molecules or species, including the residues of petrochemical refining or extraction, into thermoset or thermoplastic materials that can be used alone or as a component in a composite material.