Highly ordered, macropore arrays, that is, inverse opal structures, of Na2W4O13 were successfully synthesized by spray pyrolysis using polystyrene (PS) colloidal crystals as templates. A densely packed monolayer of monodisperse PS microspheres was deposited on a silica glass substrate by use of the Langmuir-Blodgett thin film technique. Subsequently, Na2W4O13 layers were deposited on the PS templates as a thin layer by spray pyrolysis of a 5(NH4)2O.12WO(3).5H2O-NaCl solution. The PS templates were, finally, removed by thermal treatment, generating a surface with features (inverse opal structures) located where the interstitial space of the densely hexagonal-packed PS microspheres had been. The macroporous structures obviously depended on the annealing conditions such as time and temperature. The macropores were basically hemispherical in shape and highly honeycombed arrangement, which corresponded well to the PS templates. The inverse opal textures of Na2W4O13 layer surfaces enhanced their hydrophobicity. The surfaces modified by fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) were converted from hydrophobic (water contact angle=127 degrees) to hydrophilic (30 degrees) by photocatalytic oxidation using the Na2W4O13 crystal layer. The Na2W4O13 crystals exhibited high activity for FAS photodegradation.

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BackgroundThus far, studies on Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing organisms have only been reported in those with a history of foreign travel, and a specific Japanese KPC-producing isolate has not yet been reported.Case presentationWe describe a Japanese patient, with no history of travel to foreign countries, admitted due to aspiration pneumonia, and a KPC-producing isolate detected in his sputum. Fortunately, his pneumonia resolved. His close contacts did not have a history of foreign travel, and the isolate was not detected in other patients.ConclusionsThe potential for KPC-producing organisms to become endemic in Japan is currently of great concern.

Well-aligned honeycomb-designed layers of potassium tungstate (K0.33WO3.165) were successfully fabricated by spray deposition and microsphere lithography using polystyrene (PS) colloidal crystals as templates. A densely packed monolayer of monodisperse PS microspheres was formed on a silica glass surface, using the Langmuir–Blodgett thin film technique. Subsequently, a (NH4)10W12O41·5H2O-KCl aqueous solution was sprayed as a micromist on the PS templates. While the K0.33WO3.165 crystal layers were synthesized by chemical reaction between W and K sources during the heating, the PS templates were thermally decomposed, generating an inverse opal surface structure where the interstitial space of the densely hexagonal packed PS microspheres had been. Numerous hexagonal rodlike crystals were grown on the honeycomb-designed layer of K0.33WO3.165. X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were performed to analyze the combined one-dimensional and three-dimensional honeycomb-designed structure.