TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Bai, Wubin A1 - Nunns, Adam A1 - Gwyther, Jessica A1 - Manners, Ian A1 - Böker, Alexander A1 - Tsarkova, Larisa A1 - Ross, Caroline A. T1 - Electric field manipulated nanopatterns in thin films of metalorganic 3-miktoarm star terpolymers JF - Soft matter N2 - We report the effect of electric field on the morphological transitions and ordering behavior of polyferrocenylethylmethylsilane block (PFEMS)-containing copolymers. By analyzing structures in solvent-annealed films of metalorganic sphere-and cylinder-forming diblock copolymers, as well as of 3-miktoarm polyisoprene-arm-polystyrene-arm-PFEMS (3 mu-ISF) terpolymers, we decouple two types of responses to the electric field: morphological transformations as a result of an increase in the volume fraction of the PFEMS block by oxidation of the ferrocenyl groups, and the orientation of the dielectric interfaces of microdomains parallel to the electric field vector. In the case of 3m-ISF, the former effect dominates at high electric field strengths which results in an unexpected cylinder-to-sphere transition, leading to a well-ordered hexagonal dot pattern. Our results demonstrate multiple tunability of ordered microdomain morphologies, suggesting future applications in nanofabrication and surface patterning. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm00451b SN - 1744-683X SN - 1744-6848 VL - 12 SP - 4866 EP - 4874 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Pester, Christian A1 - Ruppel, Markus A1 - Jung, Maike A1 - Zimmermann, Marc A1 - Böker, Alexander T1 - Reorientation mechanisms of block copolymer/CdSe quantum dot composites under application of an electric field JF - Soft matter N2 - Time- and temperature-resolved in situ birefringence measurements were applied to analyze the effect of nanoparticles on the electric field-induced alignment of a microphase separated solution of poly(styrene)-block-poly(isoprene) in toluene. Through the incorporation of isoprene-confined CdSe quantum dots the reorientation behavior is altered. Particle loading lowers the order-disorder transition temperature, and increases the defect density, favoring nucleation and growth as an alignment mechanism over rotation of grains. The temperature dependent alteration in the reorientation mechanism is analyzed via a combination of birefringence and synchrotron SAXS. The detailed understanding of the effect of nanoparticles on the reorientation mechanism is an important prerequisite for optimization of electricfield-induced alignment of block copolymer/nanoparticle composites where the block copolymer guides the nanoparticle self-assembly into anisotropic structures. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm01073c SN - 1744-683X SN - 1744-6848 VL - 12 SP - 8417 EP - 8424 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baraza, Lilechi D. A1 - Neser, Wekesa A1 - Jackson, Korir Cheruiyot A1 - Fredrick, Juma B. A1 - Dennis, Ochieno A1 - Wairimu, Kamau R. A1 - Keya, Aggrey Osogo A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias T1 - Antimicrobial Coumarins from the Oyster Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus (Agaricomycetes), from Kenya JF - International journal of medicinal mushrooms N2 - Pleurotus ostreatus has been widely used as food because of its nutritional and medicinal properties. These have been attributed to the presence of macronutrients, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, among other secondary metabolites. There are, however, few reports on the antimicrobial activities of different classes of purified compounds from P. ostreatus. This led to the current study, the objective of which was to chemically characterize the antibiotic activities of P. ()streams against selected human pathogenic bacteria and endophytic fungi. Chemical structures were determined using spectroscopic methods and by comparison with values of related structures reported in the literature. Pure compounds from P. ostreatus were tested in vitro against pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and endophytic fungi (Pencillium digitatum and Fusarium prolferatum). A new compound, (E)-5,7-dimethoxy-6-(3-methylbuta-1,3-dienyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (5-methoxy-(E)-suberodiene) (compound 2), along with ergosterol (compound I.) and 5,7-dimethoxy-6-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (toddaculin; compound 3), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of P. ostreatus. The growth of S. aureus,E proliferatum, and P. digitatum colonies was inhibited in media containing compound 2, with minimum inhibitory concentrations closely comparable to those of conventional antibiotics. KW - Escherichia coli KW - Fusarium proliferatum KW - medicinal mushrooms KW - Penicillium digitatum KW - Pleurotus ostreatus KW - Staphylococcus aureus Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v18.i10.60 SN - 1521-9437 SN - 1940-4344 VL - 18 SP - 905 EP - 913 PB - Begell House CY - Danbury ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cywinski, Piotr J. A1 - Pietraszkiewicz, Marek A1 - Maciejczyk, Michal A1 - Gorski, Krzysztof A1 - Hammann, Tommy A1 - Liermann, Konstanze A1 - Paulke, Bernd-Reiner A1 - Löhmannsröben, Hans-Gerd T1 - Total protein concentration quantification using nanobeads with a new highly luminescent terbium(III) complex JF - RSC Advances N2 - Total protein concentration (TPC) is a key parameter in many biochemical experiments and its quantification is often necessary for isolation, separation, and analysis of proteins. A sensitive and rapid nanobead-based TPC quantification assay based on Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) has been developed. A new, highly luminescent Tb(III) complex has been synthesised and applied as donor in this FRET assay with an organic dye (Cy5) as acceptor. FRET-induced changes in luminescence have been investigated both at donor and acceptor emission wavelength using time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy with time-gated detection. In the assay, the Tb(III) complex and fine-tuned polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA) nanobeads ensure that an improvement in sensitivity and background reduction is achieved. Using 40 nm large PGMA nanobeads loaded with the Tb(III) complex, it is possible to determine TPC down to 50 ng mL(-1) in just 10 minutes. Through specific assay components the sensitivity has been improved when compared to existing nanobead-based assays and to currently known commercial methods. Additionally, the assay is relatively insensitive to the presence of contaminants, such as non-ionic detergents commonly found in biological samples. Due to no need for any centrifugal steps, this mix-and-measure bioassay can easily be implemented into routine TPC quantification protocols in biochemical laboratories. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra23207h SN - 2046-2069 VL - 6 SP - 115068 EP - 115073 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mondal, Suvendu Sekhar A1 - Holdt, Hans-Jürgen T1 - Breaking Down Chemical Weapons by Metal-Organic Frameworks T2 - Angewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition N2 - Seek and destroy: Filtration schemes and self-detoxifying protective fabrics based on the ZrIV-containing metal—organic frameworks (MOFs) MOF-808 and UiO-66 doped with LiOtBu have been developed that capture and hydrolytically detoxify simulants of nerve agents and mustard gas. Both MOFs function as highly catalytic elements in these applications. KW - heterogeneous catalysis KW - hydrolysis KW - metalorganic frameworks KW - nerve agents KW - silk fibroin Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201508407 SN - 1433-7851 SN - 1521-3773 VL - 55 SP - 42 EP - 44 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Loncaric, Ivor A1 - Alducin, Maite A1 - Saalfrank, Peter A1 - Juaristi, J. I. T1 - Femtosecond-laser-driven molecular dynamics on surfaces: Photodesorption of molecular oxygen from Ag(110) JF - Physical review : B, Condensed matter and materials physics N2 - We simulate the femtosecond-laser-induced desorption dynamics of a diatomic molecule from a metal surface by including the effect of the electron and phonon excitations created by the laser pulse. Following previous models, the laser-induced surface excitation is treated through the two temperature model, while the multidimensional dynamics of the molecule is described by a classical Langevin equation, in which the friction and random forces account for the action of the heated electrons. In this work we propose the additional use of the generalized Langevin oscillator model to also include the effect of the energy exchange between the molecule and the heated surface lattice in the desorption dynamics. The model is applied to study the laser-induced desorption of O-2 from the Ag(110) surface, making use of a six-dimensional potential energy surface calculated within density functional theory. Our results reveal the importance of the phonon mediated process and show that, depending on the value of the electronic density in the surroundings of the molecule adsorption site, its inclusion can significantly enhance or reduce the desorption probabilities. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.014301 SN - 1098-0121 SN - 1550-235X VL - 93 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Senge, Mathias O. A1 - Flanagan, Keith J. A1 - Ryan, Aoife A. A1 - Ryppa, Claudia A1 - Donath, Mandy A1 - Twamley, Brendan T1 - Conformational and structural studies of meso monosubstituted metalloporphyrins-Edge-on molecular interactions of porphyrins in crystals JF - Tetrahedron N2 - A series of meso monosubstituted metalloporphyrins were synthesized to assess the structural chemistry of porphyrins with only one substituent. The structures of four nickel(II) and zinc(II) complexes with either alkyl or aryl residues indicate primarily planar macrocycles. This gives rise to a different type of pi-interactions in the crystal and the formation of dimeric, trimeric or tetrameric porphyrin units that function as building blocks for the overall crystal structure. Notably, some structures exhibit a unique edge-on packing of porphyrins, while the molecules of (5-n-butylporphyrinato)nickel(II) forms an unusual bilayer type structure where rows of two porphyrin macrocycles are separated by the alkyl residues arranged in a head-to-head fashion. This adds to the canon of intermolecular porphyrin packing arrangements and is of relevance for the preparation of ordered nanoscopic porphyrin devices. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Porphyrins KW - Conformational analysis KW - Tetrapyrroles KW - Crystal structure KW - Crystal packing Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2015.11.008 SN - 0040-4020 VL - 72 SP - 105 EP - 115 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhong, Qi A1 - Metwalli, Ezzeldin A1 - Rawolle, Monika A1 - Kaune, Gunar A1 - Bivigou Koumba, Achille Mayelle A1 - Laschewsky, Andre A1 - Papadakis, Christine M. A1 - Cubitt, Robert A1 - Wang, Jiping A1 - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter T1 - Influence of Hydrophobic Polystyrene Blocks on the Rehydration of Polystyrene-block-poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene Films Investigated by in Situ Neutron Reflectivity JF - Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society N2 - The rehydration of thermoresponsive polystyrene-block-poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene (PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS) films forming a lamellar microphase-separated structure is investigated by in situ neutron reflectivity in a D2O vapor atmosphere. The rehydration of collapsed PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS films is realized by a temperature change from 45 to 23 degrees C and comprises (1) condensation and absorption of D2O, (2) evaporation of D2O, and (3) reswelling of the film due to internal rearrangement. The hydrophobic PS layers hinder the absorption of condensed D2O, and a redistribution of embedded D2O between the hydrophobic PS layers and the hydrophilic PMDEGA layers is observed. In contrast, the rehydration of semiswollen PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS films (temperature change from 35 to 23 degrees C) shows two prominent differences: A thicker D2O layer condenses on the surface, causing a more enhanced evaporation of D2O. The rehydrated films differ in film thickness and volume fraction of D2O, which is due to the different thermal protocols, although the final temperature is identical. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5b02279 SN - 0024-9297 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 49 SP - 317 EP - 326 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwarze, Thomas A1 - Schneider, Radu A1 - Riemer, Janine A1 - Holdt, Hans-Jürgen T1 - A Highly K+-Selective Fluorescent Probe - Tuning the K+-Complex Stability and the K+/Na+ Selectivity by Varying the Lariat-Alkoxy Unit of a Phenylaza[18]crown-6 Ionophore JF - Chemistry : an Asian journal ; an ACES journal N2 - A desirable goal is to synthesize easily accessible and highly K+/Na+-selective fluoroionophores to monitor physiological K+ levels in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, highly K+/Na+-selective ionophores have to be developed. Herein, we obtained in a sequence of only four synthetic steps a set of K+-responsive fluorescent probes 4, 5 and 6. In a systematic study, we investigated the influence of the alkoxy substitution in ortho position of the aniline moiety in -conjugated aniline-1,2,3-triazole-coumarin-fluoroionophores 4, 5 and 6 [R=MeO (4), EtO (5) and iPrO (6)] towards the K+-complex stability and K+/Na+ selectivity. The highest K+-complex stability showed fluoroionophore 4 with a dissociation constant K-d of 19mm, but the K-d value increases to 31mm in combined K+/Na+ solutions, indicating a poor K+/Na+ selectivity. By contrast, 6 showed even in the presence of competitive Na+ ions equal K-d values (K-d(K+)=45mm and K-d(K+/Na+)=45mm) and equal K+-induced fluorescence enhancement factors (FEFs=2.3). Thus, the fluorescent probe 6 showed an outstanding K+/Na+ selectivity and is a suitable fluorescent tool to measure physiological K+ levels in the range of 10-80mm in vitro. Further, the isopropoxy-substituted N-phenylaza[18]crown-6 ionophore in 6 is a highly K+-selective building block with a feasible synthetic route. KW - crown compounds KW - fluorescence KW - fluorescent probes KW - potassium KW - sodium Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.201500956 SN - 1861-4728 SN - 1861-471X VL - 11 SP - 241 EP - 247 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maier, Stefan K. A1 - Poluektov, Georgiy A1 - Jester, Stefan-S. A1 - Möller, Heiko Michael A1 - Hoeger, Sigurd T1 - Fast Oxidative Cyclooligomerization towards Low- and High-Symmetry Thiophene Macrocycles JF - Chemistry - a European journal N2 - Macrocycles with quaterthiophene subunits were obtained by cyclooligomerization by direct oxidative coupling of unsubstituted dithiophene moieties. The rings were closed with high selectivity by an α,β′-connection of the thiophenes as proven by NMR spectroscopy. The reaction of the precursor with terthiophene moieties yielded the symmetric α,α′-linked macrocycle in low yield together with various differently connected isomers. Blocking of the β-position of the half-rings yielded selectively the α,α′-linked macrocycle. Selected cyclothiophenes were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy, which displayed the formation of highly ordered 2D crystalline monolayers. KW - cyclooligomers KW - scanning tunneling microscopy KW - self-assembled monolayers KW - shape-persistent macrocycles KW - thiophenes Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201503211 SN - 0947-6539 SN - 1521-3765 VL - 22 SP - 1379 EP - 1384 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -