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Utilization of sunlight for energy harvesting has been foreseen as sustainable replacement for fossil fuels, which would also eliminate side effects arising from fossil fuel consumption such as drastic increase of CO2 in Earth atmosphere. Semiconductor materials can be implemented for energy harvesting, and design of ideal energy harvesting devices relies on effective semiconductor with low recombination rate, ease of processing, stability over long period, non-toxicity and synthesis from abundant sources. Aforementioned criteria have attracted broad interest for graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) materials, metal-free semiconductor which can be synthesized from low cost and abundant precursors. Furthermore, physical properties such as band gap, surface area and absorption can be tuned. g-CN was investigated as heterogeneous catalyst, with diversified applications from water splitting to CO2 reduction and organic coupling reactions. However, low dispersibility of g-CN in water and organic solvents was an obstacle for future improvements.
Tissue engineering aims to mimic natural tissues mechanically and biologically, so that synthetic materials can replace natural ones in future. Hydrogels are crosslinked networks with high water content, therefore are prime candidates for tissue engineering. However, the first requirement is synthesis of hydrogels with mechanical properties that are matching to natural tissues. Among different approaches for reinforcement, nanocomposite reinforcement is highly promising.
This thesis aims to investigate aqueous and organic dispersions of g-CN materials. Aqueous g-CN dispersions were utilized for visible light induced hydrogel synthesis, where g-CN acts as reinforcer and photoinitiator. Varieties of methodologies were presented for enhancing g-CN dispersibility, from co-solvent method to prepolymer formation, and it was shown that hydrogels with diversified mechanical properties (from skin-like to cartilage-like) are accessible via g-CN utilization. One pot photografting method was introduced for functionalization of g-CN surface which provides functional groups towards enhanced dispersibility in aqueous and organic media. Grafting vinyl thiazole groups yields stable additive-free organodispersions of g-CN which are electrostatically stabilized with increased photophysical properties. Colloidal stability of organic systems provides transparent g-CN coatings and printing g-CN from commercial inkjet printers.
Overall, application of g-CN in dispersed media is highly promising, and variety of materials can be accessible via utilization of g-CN and visible light with simple chemicals and synthetic conditions. g-CN in dispersed media will bridge emerging research areas from tissue engineering to energy harvesting in near future.
Due to a challenging population growth and environmental changes, a need for new routes to provide required chemicals for human necessities arises. An effective solution discussed in this thesis is industrial heterogeneous catalysis. The development of an advanced industrial heterogeneous catalyst is investigated herein by considering porous carbon nano-material as supports and modifying their surface chemistry structure with heteroatoms. Such modifications showed a significant influence on the performance of the catalyst and provided a deeper insight regarding the interaction between the surface structure of the catalyst and the surrounding phase. This thesis contributes to the few present studies about heteroatoms effect on the catalyst performance and emphasizes on the importance of understanding surface structure functionalization in a catalyst in different phases (liquid and gaseous) and for different reactions (hydrogenolysis, oxidation, and hydrogenation/ polymerization). Herein, the heteroatoms utilized for the modifications are hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N). The heteroatoms effect on the metal particle size, on the polarity of the support/ the catalyst, on the catalytic performance (activity, selectivity, and stability), and on the interaction with the surrounding phase has been explored. First hierarchical porous carbon nanomaterials functionalized with heteroatoms (N) is synthesized and applied as supports for nickel nanoparticles for hydrogenolysis process of kraft lignin in liquid phase. This reaction has been performed in batch and flow reactors for three different catalysts, two of comparable hierarchical porosity, yet one is modified with N and the other is not, and a third is a prepared catalyst from a commercial carbon support. The reaction production and analyses show that the catalysts with hierarchical porosity perform catalytically much better than in presence of a commercial carbon support with lower surface area. Moreover, the modification with N-heteroatoms enhanced the catalytic performance because the heteroatom modified porous carbon material with nickel nanoparticles catalyst (Ni-NDC) performed highest among the other catalysts. In the flow reactor, Ni-NDC selectively degraded the ether bonds (β-O-4) in kraft lignin with an activity of 2.2 x10^-4 mg lignin mg Ni-1 s-1 for 50 h at 350°C and 3.5 mL min-1 flow, providing ~99 % conversion to shorter chained chemicals (mainly guaiacol derivatives). Then, the functionalization of carbon surface was further studied in selective oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid using < 1 wt. % of gold (Au) deposited on the previously-mentioned synthesized carbon (C) supports with different functionalities (Au-CGlucose, Au-CGlucose-H, Au-CGlucose-O, Au-CGlucoseamine). Except for Au-CGlucose-O, the other catalysts achieved full glucose conversion within 40-120 min and 100% selectivity towards gluconic acid with a maximum activity of 1.5 molGlucose molAu-1 s-1 in an aqueous phase at 45 °C and pH 9. Each heteroatom influenced the polarity of the carbon differently, affecting by that the deposition of Au on the support and thus the activity of the catalyst and its selectivity. The heteroatom effect was further investigated in a gas phase. The Fischer-Tropsch reaction was applied to convert synthetic gas (CO and H2) to short olefins and paraffins using surface-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with heteroatoms as supports for ion (Fe) deposition in presence and absence of promoters (Na and S). The results showed the promoted Fe-CNT doped with nitrogen catalyst to be stable up to 180 h and selective to the formation of olefins (~ 47 %) and paraffins (~6 %) with a conversion of CO ~ 92 % at a maximum activity of 94 *10^-5 mol CO g Fe-1 s-1. The more information given regarding this topic can open wide range of applications not only in catalysis, but in other approaches as well. In conclusion, incorporation of heteroatoms can be the next approach for an advanced industrial heterogeneous catalyst, but also for other applications (e.g. electrocatalysis, gas adsorption, or supercapacitors).
Reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) is without any doubt one of the most prevalent and powerful strategies for polymer synthesis, by which well-defined living polymers with targeted molecular weight (MW), low molar dispersity (Ɖ) and diverse morphologies can be prepared in a controlled fashion. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) as one of the most extensive studied types of RDRP has been particularly emphasized due to the high accessibility to hybrid materials, multifunctional copolymers and diverse end group functionalities via commercially available precursors. However, due to catalyst-induced side reactions and chain-chain coupling termination in bulk environment, synthesis of high MW polymers with uniform chain length (low Ɖ) and highly-preserved chain-end fidelity is usually challenging. Besides, owing to the inherited radical nature, the control of microstructure, namely tacticity control, is another laborious task. Considering the applied catalysts, the utilization of large amounts of non-reusable transition metal ions which lead to cumbersome purification process, product contamination and complicated reaction procedures all delimit the scope ATRP techniques.
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging type of porous materials combing the properties of both organic polymers and inorganic crystals, characterized with well-defined crystalline framework, high specific surface area, tunable porous structure and versatile nanochannel functionalities. These promising properties of MOFs have thoroughly revolutionized academic research and applications in tremendous aspects, including gas processing, sensing, photoluminescence, catalysis and compartmentalized polymerization. Through functionalization, the microenvironment of MOF nanochannel can be precisely devised and tailored with specified functional groups for individual host-guest interactions. Furthermore, properties of high transition metal density, accessible catalytic sites and crystalline particles all indicate MOFs as prominent heterogeneous catalysts which open a new avenue towards unprecedented catalytic performance. Although beneficial properties in catalysis, high agglomeration and poor dispersibility restrain the potential catalytic capacity to certain degree.
Due to thriving development of MOF sciences, fundamental polymer science is undergoing a significant transformation, and the advanced polymerization strategy can eventually refine the intrinsic drawbacks of MOF solids reversely. Therefore, in the present thesis, a combination of low-dimensional polymers with crystalline MOFs is demonstrated as a robust and comprehensive approach to gain the bilateral advantages from polymers (flexibility, dispersibility) and MOFs (stability, crystallinity). The utilization of MOFs for in-situ polymerizations and catalytic purposes can be realized to synthesize intriguing polymers in a facile and universal process to expand the applicability of conventional ATRP methodology. On the other hand, through the formation of MOF/polymer composites by surface functionalization, the MOF particles with environment-adjustable dispersibility and high catalytic property can be as-prepared.
In the present thesis, an approach via combination of confined porous textures from MOFs and controlled radical polymerization is proposed to advance synthetic polymer chemistry. Zn2(bdc)2(dabco) (Znbdc) and the initiator-functionalized Zn MOFs, ZnBrbdc, are utilized as a reaction environment for in-situ polymerization of various size-dependent methacrylate monomers (i.e. methyl, ethyl, benzyl and isobornyl methacrylate) through (surface-initiated) activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET/SI-ARGET) ATRP, resulting in polymers with control over dispersity, end functionalities and tacticity with respect to distinct molecular size. While the functionalized MOFs are applied, due to the strengthened compartmentalization effect, the accommodated polymers with molecular weight up to 392,000 can be achieved. Moreover, a significant improvement in end-group fidelity and stereocontrol can be observed. The results highlight a combination of MOFs and ATRP is a promising and universal methodology to synthesize versatile well-defined polymers with high molecular weight, increment in isotactic trial and the preserved chain-end functionality.
More than being a host only, MOFs can act as heterogeneous catalysts for metal-catalyzed polymerizations. A Cu(II)-based MOF, Cu2(bdc)2(dabco), is demonstrated as a heterogeneous, universal catalyst for both thermal or visible light-triggered ARGET ATRP with expanded monomer range. The accessible catalytic metal sites enable the Cu(II) MOF to polymerize various monomers, including benzyl methacrylate (BzMA), styrene, methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in the fashion of ARGET ATRP. Furthermore, due to the robust frameworks, surpassing the conventional homogeneous catalyst, the Cu(II) MOF can tolerate strongly coordinating monomers and polymerize challenging monomers (i.e. 4-vinyl pyridine, 2-vinyl pyridine and isoprene), in a well-controlled fashion. Therefore, a synthetic procedure can be significantly simplified, and catalyst-resulted chelation can be avoided as well. Like other heterogeneous catalysts, the Cu(II) MOF catalytic complexes can be easily collected by centrifugation and recycled for an arbitrary amount of times.
The Cu(II) MOF, composed of photostimulable metal sites, is further used to catalyze controlled photopolymerization under visible light and requires no external photoinitiator, dye sensitizer or ligand. A simple light trigger allows the photoreduction of Cu(II) to the active Cu(I) state, enabling controlled polymerization in the form of ARGET ATRP. More than polymerization application, the synergic effect between MOF frameworks and incorporated nucleophilic monomers/molecules is also observed, where the formation of associating complexes is able to adjust the photochemical and electrochemical properties of the Cu(II) MOF, altering the band gap and light harvesting behavior. Owing to the tunable photoabsorption property resulting from the coordinating guests, photoinduced Reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (PRDRP) can be achieved to further simplify and fasten the polymerization.
More than the adjustable photoabsorption ability, the synergistic strategy via a combination of controlled/living polymerization technique and crystalline MOFs can be again evidenced as demonstrated in the MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts with enhanced dispersibility in solution. Through introducing hollow pollen pivots with surface immobilized environment-responsive polymer, PDMAEMA, highly dispersed MOF nanocrystals can be prepared after associating on polymer brushes via the intrinsic amine functionality in each DMAEMA monomer. Intriguingly, the pollen-PDMAEMA composite can serve as a “smart” anchor to trap nanoMOF particles with improved dispersibility, and thus to significantly enhance liquid-phase photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, the catalytic activity can be switched on and off via stimulable coil-to-globule transition of the PDMAEMA chains exposing or burying MOF catalytic sites, respectively.
Photocatalysis is considered significant in this new energy era, because the inexhaustibly abundant, clean, and safe energy of the sun can be harnessed for sustainable, nonhazardous, and economically development of our society. In the research of photocatalysis, the current focus was held by the design and modification of photocatalyst.
As one of the most promising photocatalysts, g-C3N4 has gained considerable attention for its eye-catching properties. It has been extensively explored in photocatalysis applications, such as water splitting, organic pollutant degradation, and CO2 reduction. Even so, it also has its own drawbacks which inhibit its further application. Inspired by that, this thesis will mainly present and discuss the process and achievement on the preparation of some novel photocatalysts and their photocatalysis performance. These materials were all synthesized via the alteration of classic g-C3N4 preparation method, like using different pre-compositions for initial supramolecular complex and functional group post-modification. By taking place of cyanuric acid, 2,5-Dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone and chloranilic acid can form completely new supramolecular complex with melamine. After heating, the resulting products of the two complex shown 2D sheet-like and 1D fiber-like morphologies, respectively, which maintain at even up to high temperature of 800 °C. These materials cover crystals, polymers and N-doped carbons with the increase of synthesis temperature. Based on their different pre-compositions, they show different dye degradation performances. For CLA-M-250, it shows the highest photocatalytic activity and strong oxidation capacity. It shows not only great photo-performance in RhB degradation, but also oxygen production in water splitting. In the post-modification method, a novel photocatalysis solution was proposed to modify carbon nitride scaffold with cyano group, whose content can be well controlled by the input of sodium thiocyanate. The cyanation modification leads to narrowed band gap as well as improved photo-induced charges separation. Cyano group grafted carbon nitride thus shows dramatically enhanced performance in the photocatalytic coupling reaction between styrene and sodium benzenesulfinate under green light irradiation, which is in stark contrast with the inactivity of pristine g-C3N4.
Thermoresponsive block copolymers of presumably highly biocompatible character exhibiting upper critical solution temperature (UCST) type phase behavior were developed. In particular, these polymers were designed to exhibit UCST-type cloud points (Tcp) in physiological saline solution (9 g/L) within the physiologically interesting window of 30-50°C. Further, their use as carrier for controlled release purposes was explored. Polyzwitterion-based block copolymers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) via a macroinitiator approach with varied molar masses and co-monomer contents. These block copolymers can self-assemble in the amphiphilic state to form micelles, when the thermoresponsive block experiences a coil-to-globule transition upon cooling. Poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG) was used as the permanently hydrophilic block to stabilize the colloids formed, and polyzwitterions as the thermoresponsive block to promote the temperature-triggered assembly-disassembly of the micellear aggregates at low temperature.
Three zwitterionic monomers were used for this studies, namely 3-((2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (SPE), 4-((2-(methacryloyl- oxy)ethyl)dimethylammonio)butane-1-sulfonate (SBE), and 3-((2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)- dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfate) (ZPE). Their (co)polymers were characterized with respect to their molecular structure by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Their phase behaviors in pure water as well as in physiological saline were studied by turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering (DLS). These (co)polymers are thermoresponsive with UCST-type phase behavior in aqueous solution. Their phase transition temperatures depend strongly on the molar masses and the incorporation of co-monomers: phase transition temperatures increased with increasing molar masses and content of poorly water-soluble co-monomer. In addition, the presence of salt influenced the phase transition dramatically. The phase transition temperature decreased with increasing salt content in the solution. While the PSPE homopolymers show a phase transition only in pure water, the PZPE homopolymers are able to exhibit a phase transition only in high salinity, as in physiological saline. Although both polyzwitterions have similar chemical structures that differ only in the anionic group (sulfonate group in SPE and sulfate group in ZPE), the water solubility is very different. Therefore, the phase transition temperatures of targeted block copolymers were modulated by using statistical copolymer of SPE and ZPE as thermoresponsive block, and varying the ratio of SPE to ZPE. Indeed, the statistical copolymers of P(SPE-co-ZPE) show phase transitions both in pure water as well as in physiological saline. Surprisingly, it was found that mPEG-b-PSBE block copolymer can display “schizophrenic” behavior in pure water, with the UCST-type cloud point occurring at lower temperature than the LCST-type one.
The block copolymer, which satisfied best the boundary conditions, is block copolymer mPEG114-b-P(SPE43-co-ZPE39) with a cloud point of 45°C in physiological saline. Therefore, it was chosen for solubilization studies of several solvatochromic dyes as models of active agents, using the thermoresponsive block copolymer as “smart” carrier. The uptake and release of the dyes were explored by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, following the shift of the wavelength of the absorbance or emission maxima at low and high temperature. These are representative for the loaded and released state, respectively. However, no UCST-transition triggered uptake and release of these dyes could be observed. Possibly, the poor affinity of the polybetaines to the dyes in aqueous environtments may be related to the widely reported antifouling properties of zwitterionic polymers.
Innerhalb dieser Doktorarbeit wurde eine neuartige Mikromanipulationstechnik für die lokale Flüssigkeitsabgabe am komplexen Drüsengewebe der Schabe P. americana charakterisiert und für die damit verbundene gezielte Manipulation von einzelnen Zellen in einem Zellkomplex (Gewebe) angewandt. Bei dieser Mikromanipulationstechnik handelt es sich um die seit 2009 bekannte nanofluidische Rasterkraftmikroskopie (FluidFM = fluidic force microscopy). Dabei werden sehr kleine mikrokanälige Rasterkraftspitzen bzw. Mikro-/Nanopipetten mit einer Öffnung zwischen 300 nm und 2 µm verwendet, mit denen es möglich ist, sehr kleine Volumina im Pikoliter- bis Femtoliter-Bereich (10-12 L – 10-15 L) gezielt und ortsgenau abzugeben. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Analyse zellulärer Prozesse, wie z. B. Zell-Zell-Kommunikation oder Signalweiterleitung, zwischen benachbarten Zellen unter Zuhilfenahme der Fluoreszenzmikroskopie. Mit dieser Methode können die Zellen und ihre Bestandteile mittels vorheriger Farbstoffbeladung unter einem Mikroskop mit hohem Kontrast optisch dargestellt werden. Mit Hilfe der Fluoreszenzmikroskopie sollten schlussendlich die zellulären Reaktionen innerhalb des Gewebes nach der lokalen Manipulation visualisiert werden.
Zunächst wurde die Anwendung des Systems an Luft und wässriger Umgebung beschrieben. In diesem Zusammenhang wurde eine Reinigungs- und Beladungsmethode entwickelt, mit der es möglich war, die kostspieligen Mikro-/Nanopipetten zu reinigen und anschließend mehrmals wiederzuverwenden. Hierzu wurde eine alternative Methode getestet, mit der das Diffusionsverhalten von Farbstoffmolekülen in unterschiedlichen Medien untersucht werden kann. Des Weiteren wurden die Systemparameter optimiert, welche nötig sind, um zwischen der Probenoberfläche und der Pipette einen guten Pipettenöffnungs-abschluss zu erhalten. Dieser Abschluss ist essentiell, damit die abgegebene Flüssigkeit ausschließlich in der Abgaberegion mit der Probe wechselwirkt und die darauffolgenden Reaktionen nur innerhalb des Gewebes erfolgen, da ansonsten die Zell-Zell-Signalweiterleitung zwischen den Zellen nicht eindeutig nachvollzogen werden kann. Diese interzelluläre Kommunikation wurde anhand zweier sekundärer Botenstoffe (Ca2+ und NO) untersucht. Hierbei war es möglich einzelne lokale Reaktionen zu detektieren, welche sich über weitere Zellen ausbreiteten. Schlussendlich wurde die Fertigung einer speziellen Injektionspipette beschrieben, welche an zwei biologischen Systemen getestet wurde.
The article describes the surface modification of 3D printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds with calcium phosphate (CP)/gelatin and CP/chitosan hybrid coating layers. The presence of gelatin or chitosan significantly enhances CP co-deposition and adhesion of the mineral layer on the PLA scaffolds. The hydrogel/CP coating layers are fairly thick and the mineral is a mixture of brushite, octacalcium phosphate, and hydroxyapatite. Mineral formation is uniform throughout the printed architectures and all steps (printing, hydrogel deposition, and mineralization) are in principle amenable to automatization. Overall, the process reported here therefore has a high application potential for the controlled synthesis of biomimetic coatings on polymeric biomaterials.
In dieser Arbeit steht die Entwicklung einer Sensorplattform für biochemische Anwendungen, welche auf einem optischen Detektionsprinzips beruht, im Vordergrund. Während der Entwicklung wurden zwei komplementäre Konzeptideen behandelt, zum einen ein Sensor, der auf photonischen Kristallen und Wellenleiterstrukturen basiert und zum anderen einen faserbasierten Sensor, der chemisch modifizierte Faser-Bragg-Gitter enthält. Das optische Detektionsprinzip in beiden Sensorideen ist die resultierende Brechungsindexänderung als messbare physikochemische Kenngröße.
Das aus der Natur bekannte Phänomen der photonischen Kristalle, das u. a. bei Opalen und bei Schmetterlingen zu finden ist, wurde bereits 1887 von Lord Rayleigh beschrieben. Er beschrieb die optischen Eigenschaften von periodischen mehrschichtigen Filmen, welche als vereinfachtes Modell eines eindimensionalen photonischen Kristalls verstanden werden können. Die Periodizität der Brechungsindexänderung resultiert in einem optischen Filter für Frequenzen in einem bestimmten spektralen Bereich, weshalb dann dort keine Lichtausbreitung mehr möglich ist. Wird dieses System aber durch eine Defektstelle in der Brechungsindexperiodizität gestört, sodass daraus zwei perfekt periodische Systeme entstehen, ist die Lichtausbreitung für eine bestimmte Frequenz dennoch möglich. In der Folge resultiert daraus ein schmalbandiges Signal im Transmissionsspektrum. Die erlaubte Frequenz ist dabei u. a. abhängig vom Brechungsindexunterschied des periodischen Systems, d.h. Veränderung des Brechungsindexes einer Schicht führt zu einer spektralen Verschiebung der erlaubten Frequenz, dadurch kann dieses Sensorkonzept für biochemische Sensorik ausgenutzt werden [1]. Diese Entwicklung des auf photonischen Kristallen basierenden Sensors war eine Kooperation mit dem Industriepartner „Nanoplus GmbH“. In der Doktorarbeit wurden Simulationen und praktischen Arbeiten zur Designentwicklung des Sensors und die Arbeiten an einem ersten Modellaufbau für die biochemischen Anwendungen durchgeführt.
Für den faserbasierten Sensor wurden Faser-Bragg-Gitter in den Faserkern hineingeschrieben. Hill et al. entdeckten 1978, dass solche Gitterstrukturen genau wie photonische Kristalle als optische Filter fungieren [2]. Die Gitter bestehen dabei aus Änderungen des Brechungsindexes im Faserkern. Im Laufe der nächsten vierzig Jahren wurden verschiedene Einschreibetechniken und Gitterstrukturen entwickelt, weshalb die Eigenschaften der jeweiligen Gitterstrukturen variieren. Eine solche Gitterstruktur sind u. a. die Faser-Bragg-Gitter, deren Gitterperiode, d. h. die Abstände der Brechungsindexmodifikationen, sich im Nanometer- bis Mikrometerbereich befinden. Aufgrund der kleinen Gitterperiode wird eine rückwärtsführende Welle im Kern für eine bestimmte Frequenz bzw. Wellenlänge, der Bragg-Wellenlänge, erzeugt. Im Endeffekt resultiert daraus ein schmalbandiges Signal sowohl im Transmissionsspektrum, als auch im Reflexionsspektrum. Die Resonanzwellenlänge ist dabei proportional zu der Gitterperiode und dem effektiven Brechungsindex, welcher vom Brechungsindex des Kerns und des kernumgebenen Materials abhängig ist. Letztlich eignet sich diese Technik für physikochemische Sensorik. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden die Gitter mit Hilfe einer relativen neuen Herstellungsmethode in die Fasern geschrieben [3]. Anschließend stand die Entwicklung eines Biosensors im Vordergrund, wobei zunächst ein Protokoll zum Ätzen der Faser mit Flusssäure entwickelt worden ist, dass das System sensitiv zum umgebenen Brechungsindex macht. Am Ende wurde ein Modellaufbau realisiert, indem ein Modellsystem, hier die Detektion vom C-reaktiven Protein mittels spezifischen einzelsträngigen DNS-Aptameren, erfolgreich getestet und quantifiziert worden ist.
1 Mandal, S.; Erickson, D. Nanoscale Optofluidic Sensor Arrays. Opt. Express 2008, 16 (3), 1623–1631.
2 Hill, K. O.; Fujii, Y.; Johnson, D. C.; Kawasaki, B. S. Photosensitivity in Optical Fiber Waveguides: Application to Reflection Filter Fabrication. Appl. Phys. Lett. 1978, 32 (10), 647–649.
3 Martínez, A.; Dubov, M.; Khrushchev, I.; Bennion, I. Direct Writing of Fibre Bragg Gratings by Femtosecond Laser. Electron. Lett. 2004, 40 (19), 1170.
Femtosecond-pulsed laser written and etched fiber bragg gratings for fiber-optical biosensing
(2018)
We present the development of a label-free, highly sensitive fiber-optical biosensor for online detection and quantification of biomolecules. Here, the advantages of etched fiber Bragg gratings (eFBG) were used, since they induce a narrowband Bragg wavelength peak in the reflection operation mode. The gratings were fabricated point-by-point via a nonlinear absorption process of a highly focused femtosecond-pulsed laser, without the need of prior coating removal or specific fiber doping. The sensitivity of the Bragg wavelength peak to the surrounding refractive index (SRI), as needed for biochemical sensing, was realized by fiber cladding removal using hydrofluoric acid etching. For evaluation of biosensing capabilities, eFBG fibers were biofunctionalized with a single-stranded DNA aptamer specific for binding the C-reactive protein (CRP). Thus, the CRP-sensitive eFBG fiber-optical biosensor showed a very low limit of detection of 0.82 pg/L, with a dynamic range of CRP detection from approximately 0.8 pg/L to 1.2 µg/L. The biosensor showed a high specificity to CRP even in the presence of interfering substances. These results suggest that the proposed biosensor is capable for quantification of CRP from trace amounts of clinical samples. In addition, the adaption of this eFBG fiber-optical biosensor for detection of other relevant analytes can be easily realized.
The hydrolytic stability of polymers to be used for coatings in aqueous environments, for example, to confer anti-fouling properties, is crucial. However, long-term exposure studies on such polymers are virtually missing. In this context, we synthesized a set of nine polymers that are typically used for low-fouling coatings, comprising the well-established poly(oligoethylene glycol methylether methacrylate), poly(3-(N-2-methacryloylethyl-N,N-dimethyl) ammoniopropanesulfonate) (“sulfobetaine methacrylate”), and poly(3-(N-3-methacryamidopropyl-N,N-dimethyl)ammoniopropanesulfonate) (“sulfobetaine methacrylamide”) as well as a series of hitherto rarely studied polysulfabetaines, which had been suggested to be particularly hydrolysis-stable. Hydrolysis resistance upon extended storage in aqueous solution is followed by ¹H NMR at ambient temperature in various pH regimes. Whereas the monomers suffered slow (in PBS) to very fast hydrolysis (in 1 M NaOH), the polymers, including the polymethacrylates, proved to be highly stable. No degradation of the carboxyl ester or amide was observed after one year in PBS, 1 M HCl, or in sodium carbonate buffer of pH 10. This demonstrates their basic suitability for anti-fouling applications. Poly(sulfobetaine methacrylamide) proved even to be stable for one year in 1 M NaOH without any signs of degradation. The stability is ascribed to a steric shielding effect. The hemisulfate group in the polysulfabetaines, however, was found to be partially labile.