A novel fluorinated phthalocyanine 1a with four glucofuranoses at its peripheral positions was designed as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of cancer. The target fluorinated phthalocyanine/glucofuranose conjugate 1a was synthesized by tetramerization of corresponding glucofuranose-attached fluorinated phthalonitrile 4 in the presence of zinc (II) acetate when heated. The optical and chemical properties of the target conjugate 1a were investigated by UV/Vis spectra, fluorescence, HPLC, MALDI-TOF MS, and partition coefficients. The biological (PDT) property of 1a was also examined via an in vitro assay using HT-1080 cells after exposure to light. All the properties of 1a were compared to the acetal analogue 2a and non-fluorinated counterparts 1b and 2b. Of note, the perfluorinated conjugate 1a showed a more efficient photo-dynamic effect than its non-fluorinated analogue 1b and their acetal analogues 2a,b in the in vitro cell assay.

Ionic liquids that are mostly composed of organic ions are found as molten salts at room temperature and have been the subject of research in various fields due to their low vapor pressures, high thermal stability, and non-flammability. Ionic liquids also exhibit characteristics, such as ionic conductivity and CO₂ solubility, which are expected to be useful for the development of functional materials. Poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) are polymer materials that combine the mechanical stability and processability of polymeric materials with the unique properties of ionic liquids. PILs are prepared by the polymerization of ionic liquid containing vinyl and (meth)acrylate groups on the cationic or anionic components of the liquid. They can have various applications such as sorbents of CO₂, polymer electrolytes, and microwave absorbing materials. In this review, we introduce mainly our work on the preparation of PILs as particle state.

Electroless plating (ELP) process using Pt and Pd colloid catalyst has been developed. The process allows us to obtain Au, Pt and Cu metal films with good adhesion without surface modification of substrates. Owing to the excellent catalytic property of the Pt nanoparticles, continuous gold thin films can be produced at room temperature using a simple cyanide-free gold electroless plating solution composed of chloroauric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Pd colloidal catalyst has been also developed for a novel Pt ELP process and for the ELP process with commercial Cu and Ni baths. The process requires no surface modifications for the immobilization of the catalyst. The adhesion of the plated films to various polymer films can be improved dramatically by simple post annealing. We have also developed a novel process to control the adhesion between the plated metal thin film and plastic substrates by photo-irradiation using flash lamp.

The physical background of the basic optical properties of thin films is described. The results of this description are applied on mica based effect pigments by computer simulation of reflectance spectra and curves. Statistical methods are employed to illustrate particular characteristics of mica based pigments.

Phospholipids are major components in living membranes. They are composed of hydrophilic head group and hydrophobic chains to form stable bilayer structure in aqueous media. Due to their high safety to human bodies, phospholipids are widely used as additives for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Notably, liposome is a representative carrier for drug delivery system. It is mainly used as a drug carrier for injectable formulations, because it is spontaneously accumulated in inflammatory sites. Also, liposome is regarded as a promising carrier as non-virus vector for gene therapy. In this article, molecular assemblies composed of phospholipids which are used for drug administration including liposomes, emulsions, and mesoporous phospholipid particles are introduced.