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This paper focuses on two different strategies to incorporate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the matrix of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) is used as both reducing and stabilizing agent for the formation of AuNPs. In addition, the influence of an ionic liquid (IL) (i.e., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate) on the stability of the nanoparticles and their immobilization in the hydrogel is investigated The results show that AuNPs surrounded by a shell containing PEI and IL, synthesized according to the one-pot approach, are much better immobilized within the PAAm hydrogel. Hereby, the IL is responsible for structural changes in the hydrogel as well as the improved stabilization and embedding of the AuNPs into the polymer gel matrix.
Cryo-electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and light microscopy investigations provide experimental evidence that amphiphilic emulsion copolymerization particles change their morphology in dependence on concentration. The shape of the particles is spherical at solids content above 1%, but it changes to rod-like, ring-like, and web-like structures at lower concentrations. In addition, the shape and morphology of these particles at low concentrations are not fixed but very flexible and vary with time between spheres, flexible pearlnecklace structures, and stretched rods.
The influence of the water soluble polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on structure formation in the quasiternary system sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)/pentanol-xylene/water was checked by means of conductometry, rheology, and micro differential calorimetry. The polymer induces the formation of an isotropic phase channel between the o/w and w/o microemulsion. The transition from the normal as well as from the inverse micellar to the bicontinuous phase range can be detected by conductometry, rheology as well as micro-DSC. As a result of polymer-surfactant interactions, the spontaneous curvature of the surfactant film is changed and a sponge phase is formed. The bicontinuous phase is characterized by a moderate shear viscosity, a Newtonian flow behaviour, and the disappearence of interphasal water in the heating curve of the micro-DSC. When the polymer-modified bicontinuous phase is used as a template phase for the nanoparticle formation, spherical BaSO4 nanoparticles were formed. During the following solvent evaporation process the primarily formed spherical nanoparticles aggregate to nanorods and triangular structures due to the non-restriction of the bicontinuous template phase in longitudinal direction
Hydrogel systems based on hydroxyethyl starch-polyethylene glycol methacrylate (HES-P(EG)(6)MA) or hydroxyethyl starch methacrylate (HES-MA) were used to assess the protein release behavior. Here, we analyzed the in vitro release of FITC-anti-human antibodies incorporated in either HES-P(EG)(6)MA or HES-MA hydrogel delivery systems in PBS or human serum. In addition, hydrogel disks and microparticles prepared from the two polymers were subcutaneously implanted in BALB/c mice. The in vivo release of FITC-IgG was non-invasively monitored by an in vivo imaging system (IVIS 200) over a time period of up to 3 months. The imaging system allowed to asses individual animals over time, therefore only a small number of animals was required to obtain high quality data. The reduction in fluorescence intensity at the site of administration was compared to in vitro release profiles. These investigations demonstrated a sustained release from HES-MA hydrogel disks compared to rapidly degrading HES-P(EG)(6)MA disks and microparticles. The sustained release from HES-MA disks could be further optimized by using increased polymer concentrations. Human serum as in vitro release medium reflected better the in vivo release from HES-P(EG)(6)MA systems than PBS, suggesting that the presence of organic substances like proteins or lipids may play a significant role for the release kinetics.
The epoxy system containing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone is modified with poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) to explore the effects of the ABS content on the phase morphology, mechanism of phase separation, and viscoelastic properties. The amount of ABS in the blends was 5, 10, 15, and 20 parts per hundred of epoxy resin (phr). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the final morphology of ABS-modified epoxy blends. Scanning electron microscopic studies of 15 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends reveal a bicontinuous structure in which both epoxy and ABS are continuous, with substructures of the ABS phase dispersed in the continuous epoxy phase and substructures of the epoxy phase dispersed in the continuous ABS phase. TEM micrographs of 15 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends confirm the results observed by SEM. TEM micrographs reveal the existence of nanosubstructures of ABS in 20 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends. To the best of our knowledge, to date, nanosubstructures have never been reported in any epoxy/thermoplastic blends. The influence of the concentration of the thermoplastic on the generated morphology as analyzed by SEM and TEM was explained in detail. The evolution and mechanism of phase separation was investigated in detail by optical microscopy (OM) and small-angle laser light scattering (SALLS). At concentrations lower than 10 phr the system phase separates through nucleation and growth (NG). However, at higher concentrations, 15 and 20 phr, the blends phase separate through both NG and spinodal decomposition mechanisms. On the basis of OM and SALLS, we conclude that the phenomenon of complex substructure formation in dynamic asymmetric blends is due to the combined effect of hydrodynamics and viscoelasticity. Additionally, dynamic mechanical analysis was carried out to evaluate the viscoelastic behavior of the cross-linked epoxy/ABS blends. Finally, apparent weight fractions of epoxy and ABS components in epoxy- and ABS-rich phases were evaluated from T-g analysis.
Oil-in-water (o/w) Pickering emulsions stabilized with silica nanoparticles were prepared. Droplets of diethyl phthalate (oil phase) act as reservoirs for 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ), which is used as (a) the hydrophobizing agent for the silica particles and (b) an encapsulated corrosion inhibitor for application in active feedback coatings. The hydrophobization of silica nanoparticles with 8-HQ is determined by the amount of this agent adsorbed on the nanoparticle surface. The latter is governed by the 8-HQ concentration in the aqueous phase, which in turn depends on the degree of protonation and fir ally on the pH. We observe three ranges of 8-HQ adsorption value with respect to nanoparticle hydophobization: (I) insufficient, (2) sufficient, and (3) excessive adsorption by the formation of an 8-HQ bilayer, where only case 2 leads to the necessary nanoparticle hydrophobization. Hence emulsions stable in a narrow pH window between pH 5.5 and 4.4 follow. Here functional molecules are sufficiently charged to compensate for the charges on silica nanoparticles to make them interfacially active and thus able to stabilize an emulsion but they are still to a large extent uncharged and thereby remain in the oil phase. The emulsification is reversible upon changing the pH to a value beyond the stability region.
Novel hydrogels based on hydroxyethyl starch modified with polyethylene glycol methacrylate (HES-P(EG)(6)MA) were developed as delivery system for the controlled release of proteins. Since the drug release behavior is supposed to be related to the pore structure of the hydrogel network the pore sizes were determined by cryo-SEM, which is a mild technique for imaging on a nanometer scale. The results showed a decreasing pore size and an increase in pore homogeneity with increasing polymer concentration. Furthermore, the mesh sizes of the hydrogels were calculated based on swelling data. Pore and mesh size were significantly different which indicates that both structures are present in the hydrogel. The resulting structural model was correlated with release data for bulk hydrogel cylinders loaded with FITC-dextran and hydrogel microspheres loaded with FITC-IgG and FITC-dextran of different molecular size. The initial release depended much on the relation between hydrodynamic diameter and pore size while the long term release of the incorporated substances was predominantly controlled by degradation of the network of the much smaller meshes.
Enzyme degradable polymersomes from chitosan-g-[poly-l-lysine-block-epsilon-caprolactone] copolymer
(2020)
The scope of this study includes the synthesis of chitosan-g-[peptide-poly-epsilon-caprolactone] and its self-assembly into polymeric vesicles employing the solvent shift method. In this way, well-defined core-shell structures suitable for encapsulation of drugs are generated. The hydrophobic polycaprolactone side-chain and the hydrophilic chitosan backbone are linked via an enzyme-cleavable peptide. The synthetic route involves the functionalization of chitosan with maleimide groups and the preparation of polycaprolactone with alkyne end-groups. A peptide functionalized with a thiol group on one side and an azide group on the other side is prepared. Thiol-ene click-chemistry and azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition are then used to link the chitosan and poly-epsilon-caprolactone chains, respectively, with this peptide. For a preliminary study, poly-l-lysin is a readily available and cleavable peptide that is introduced to investigate the feasibility of the system. The size and shape of the polymersomes are studied by dynamic light scattering and cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, degradability is studied by incubating the polymersomes with two enzymes, trypsin and chitosanase. A dispersion of polymersomes is used to coat titanium plates and to further test the stability against enzymatic degradation.
Enzyme degradable polymersomes from chitosan-g-[poly-l-lysine-block-epsilon-caprolactone] copolymer
(2020)
The scope of this study includes the synthesis of chitosan-g-[peptide-poly-epsilon-caprolactone] and its self-assembly into polymeric vesicles employing the solvent shift method. In this way, well-defined core-shell structures suitable for encapsulation of drugs are generated. The hydrophobic polycaprolactone side-chain and the hydrophilic chitosan backbone are linked via an enzyme-cleavable peptide. The synthetic route involves the functionalization of chitosan with maleimide groups and the preparation of polycaprolactone with alkyne end-groups. A peptide functionalized with a thiol group on one side and an azide group on the other side is prepared. Thiol-ene click-chemistry and azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition are then used to link the chitosan and poly-epsilon-caprolactone chains, respectively, with this peptide. For a preliminary study, poly-l-lysin is a readily available and cleavable peptide that is introduced to investigate the feasibility of the system. The size and shape of the polymersomes are studied by dynamic light scattering and cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, degradability is studied by incubating the polymersomes with two enzymes, trypsin and chitosanase. A dispersion of polymersomes is used to coat titanium plates and to further test the stability against enzymatic degradation.
Extraction of model contaminants from solid surfaces by environmentally compatible microemulsions
(2016)
In the present contribution, we evaluate the efficiency of eco-friendly microemulsions to decontaminate solid surfaces by monitoring the extraction of non-toxic simulants of sulfur mustard out of model surfaces. The extraction process of the non-toxic simulants has been monitored by means of spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. The kinetics of the removal process was analyzed by different empirical models. Based on the analysis of the kinetics, we can assess the influence of the amounts of oil and water and the microemulsion structure on the extraction process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mesoporous, highly structured silicon carbide (beta-SiC) was synthesised from renewable plant materials (two Equisetaceae species) in a one-step carbothermal process at remarkably low temperatures down to 1200 degrees C. The SiC precursor is a silicon-carbon mixture with finely dispersed carbon prepared by pyrolysis of the organic plant matrix. Yields are 3 to 100% (omega(Si/Si) related to the silicon deposited in the plant material), depending on reaction temperature and time. IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen sorption prove the formation of high-purity beta-SiC with minor inorganic impurities after purification and a high specific surface area of up to 660 m(2) g(-1). Scanning electron microscopy shows that the plant morphology is maintained in the final SiC. Sedimentation analysis finds a mean particle size (diameters d(50)) of 20 mu m.
The present study reports a facile approach for sulfite biosensing, based on enhanced direct electron transfer of a human sulfite oxidase (hSO) immobilized on a gold nanoparticles modified electrode. The spherical core shell AuNPs were prepared via a new method by reduction of HAuCl4 with branched poly(ethyleneimine) in an ionic liquids resulting particles with a diameter less than 10 nm. These nanoparticles were covalently attached to a mercaptoundecanoic acid modified Au-electrode where then hSO was adsorbed and an enhanced interfacial electron transfer and electrocatalysis was achieved. UV/Vis and resonance Raman spectroscopy, in combination with direct protein voltammetry, are employed for the characterization of the system and reveal no perturbation of the structural integrity of the redox protein. The proposed biosensor exhibited a quick steady-state current response, within 2 s, a linear detection range between 0.5 and 5.4 mu M with a high sensitivity (1.85 nA mu M-1). The investigated system provides remarkable advantages in the possibility to work at low applied potential and at very high ionic strength. Therefore these properties could make the proposed system useful in the development of bioelectronic devices and its application in real samples.
This paper is focused on the synthesis and characterization of hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes and their use as reducing as well as stabilizing agents for the formation of gold nanoparticles. Commercially available poly(acrylic acid) has been hydrophobically modified with various degrees of grafting of butylamine introduced randomly along the chain. Different analytical methods are performed, i.e., IR and H-1-NMR spectroscopy in combination with elemental analysis to determine the degree of grafting. The modified polymers can successfully be used for the controlled single-step synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticles. The process of nanoparticle formation is investigated by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. The size and shape of the particles obtained in the presence of unmodified or modified polyelectrolytes are characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements and transmission electron microscopy. The polyelectrolytes were involved in the crystallization process of the nanoparticles, and in the presence of hydrophobic microdomains at the particle surface, a better stabilization at higher temperature can be observed
The self-association properties of anti-HIV catanionic dendrimers as multivalent galactosylceramide (GalCer)-derived inhibitors are presented. The study was designed to elucidate the origin of the relatively high cytotoxicity values of these antiHIV catanionic dendrimers, which have previously been found to exhibit in vitro anti-HIV activity in the submicromolar range. The physicochemical properties of these catanionic dendrimers were studied to tentatively correlate the structural parameters with self-association and biological properties. We can conclude from this study that the absence of correlation between the hydrophobicity and the cytotoxicity of the catanionic systems could be explained by the partial segregation of the different partners of the catanionic entities.
Synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy enables access to vibrational information from mid over far infrared to even terahertz domains. This information may prove critical for the elucidation of fundamental bio-molecular phenomena including folding-mediated innate host defence mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent one of such phenomena. These are major effector molecules of the innate immune system, which favour attack on microbial membranes. AMPs recognise and bind to the membranes whereupon they assemble into pores or channels destabilising the membranes leading to cell death. However, specific molecular interactions responsible for antimicrobial activities have yet to be fully understood. Herein we probe such interactions by assessing molecular specific variations in the near-THz 400-40 cm(-1) range for defined helical AMP templates in reconstituted phospholipid membranes. In particular, we show that a temperature-dependent spectroscopic analysis, supported by 2D correlative tools, provides direct evidence for the membrane-induced and folding-mediated activity of AMPs. The far-FTIR study offers a direct and information-rich probe of membrane-related antimicrobial interactions.
Materials for polymer electronics applications semiconducting polymer thin films and nanoparticles
(2004)
The paper presents two different approaches to nanostructured semiconducting polymer materials: (i) the generation of aqueous semiconducting polymer dispersions (semiconducting polymer nanospheres SPNs) and their processing into dense films and layers, and (ii) the synthesis of novel semiconducting polyfluorene-block-polyaniline (PF-b-PANI) block copolymers composed of conjugated blocks of different redox potentials which form nanosized morphologies in the solid state
The kinetics of the crystallization of thermoresponsive poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) in water and the time- dependent evolution of the morphology were examined using wide-angle X-ray scattering and conventional and cryogenic scanning electron microscopy. Results indicate that a temperature-induced phase separation produces a bicontinuous polymer network-like structure, which with the onset of crystallization collapses into individual particles (1-2 mu m in diameter) composed of a porous fiber mesh. Nanofibers then preferentially form at the particle surface, thus wrapping the microspheres like a ball of wool. The particle morphology is severely affected by changes in temperature and less by the initial polymer concentration.
For the first time tubulating properties of spherical dendritic glycopolymers and linear alternating polyampholytes against non-uniform negatively charged giant vesicles are proven by light microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy study. Real time observation of the morphological transformation from giant vesicles to tubular structures, simulating morphogenesis in living cells, is given by using the cationic and H-bond active dendritic glycopolymer accompanied by reducing the size of the giant vesicles and the evidence of vesicle-vesicle interaction which was only postulated in a previous study. Similar morphogenesis of non-uniform giant vesicles into tubular network structure can be observed by using a polyampholyte in the stretched conformation at pH 9. Pearl necklace and tubular network structure formation are also observed by applying anionic vesicles of significant smaller dimensions with average size dimensions of 35 nm, after adding the polyampholyte at pH 9. However, the fitting accuracy between the functional groups along the backbone chain of the polyampholyte on one side and the vesicle surface on the other side is of high importance for the transformation process by using polyampholytes. The resulting tubular and network structures offer new fields of application as microfluidic transport channels or template phases for the shape controlled formation of nanoparticles. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The affinity of weak polyelectrolyte coated oxide particles to the oil-water interface can be controlled by the degree of dissociation and the thickness of the weak polyelectrolyte layer. Thereby the oil in water (o/w) emulsification ability of the particles can be enabled. We selected the weak polyacid poly(methacrylic acid sodium salt) and the weak polybase poly(allylamine hydrochloride) for the surface modification of oppositely charged alumina and silica colloids, respectively. The isoelectric point and the pH range of colloidal stability of both particle-polyelectrolyte composites depend on the thickness of the weak polyelectrolyte layer. The pH-dependent wettability of a weak polyelectrolyte-coated oxide surface is characterized by contact angle measurements. The o/w emulsification properties of both particles for the nonpolar oil dodecane and the more polar oil diethylphthalate are investigated by measurements of the droplet size distributions. Highly stable emulsions can be obtained when the degree of dissociation of the weak polyelectrolyte is below 80%. Here the average droplet size depends on the degree of dissociation, and a minimum can be found when 15 to 45% of the monomer units are dissociated. The thickness of the adsorbed polyelectrolyte layer strongly influences the droplet size of dodecane/water emulsion droplets but has a less pronounced impact on the diethylphthalate/water droplets. We explain the dependency of the droplet size on the emulsion pH value and the polyelectrolyte coating thickness with arguments based on the particle-wetting properties, the particle aggregation state, and the oil phase polarity. Cryo-SEM visualization shows that the regularity of the densely packed particles on the oil-water interface correlates with the degree of dissociation of the corresponding polyelectrolyte.