The goal of nanotechnology is to build nanodevices that are intelligent, multifunctional, exceptionally small, extremely sensitive and have low power consumption. When the nanodevice is required for applications such as in vivo biomedical sensors, a nanoscale power source is required. Although a battery or energy storage unit is a choice for powering nanodevices, harvesting energy from the envi...

4,5-Dicyano-1H-[1,2,3]-Triazole (DCTz) exhibits a very low proton affinity. This makes it a possible water replacement for proton transport in high temperature polymer electrolyte membranes. A detailed investigation is carried out to define various physical properties as well as the proton transfer characteristics of DCTz. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that DCTz as well as DCTz salts are th...

Fast lateral proton migration along membranes is of vital importance for cellular energy homeostasis and various proton-coupled transport processes. It can only occur if attractive forces keep the proton at the interface. How to reconcile this high affinity to the membrane surface with high proton mobility is unclear. Here, we tested whether a minimalistic model interface between an apolar hydr...

The chemiosmotic hypothesis, formulated by Mitchell (1961), ascribes a central role in energy transduction to a transmembrane electrochemical gradient of protons. One way to test the validity of this hypothesis is to measure the energetic content of the proton gradient and compare it with that of the reactions generating (or consuming) the gradient, Such a comparison will lead to an estimate of...

This work was initially undertaken to investigate the effects of Mg2+ on light-induced proton move­ ment and formation of proton gradient across the thylakoid membranes. In course of investigation it was observed that addition of Mg2+ in a chloroplast suspension kept in the dark caused extensive ex­ trusion of protons from the membranes into the medium. This report describes the properties of M...

Intracellular microelectrodes were used to study apical membrane selectivity to Na+ and K+ of cultured toad kidney cells (A6) grown on permeable supports. Membrane selectivity was tested by responses of apical membrane potential to replacement of Na+ by K+ or tetraethylammonium and by addition of amiloride to perfusion solutions. The A6 epithelia fell into two groups: those with K+-selective ap...