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Klassischerweise haben Salze, beispielsweise Kochsalz, Schmelzpunkte von einigen hundert Grad Celsius und mehr. Ionische Flüssigkeiten sind dagegen Salze, deren Schmelzpunkt zum Teil weit unter der Raumtemperatur liegt. Sie sind daher bei Raumtemperatur flüssig. Obwohl ionische Flüssigkeiten seit 1914 bekannt sind, hatten sie bis vor 15 Jahren keinerlei Bedeutung. Heute jedoch werden ionische Flüssigkeiten aufgrund ihrer vorteilhaften Eigenschaften, wie hohe Leitfähigkeit oder hohe Temperaturstabilität, unter anderem zur Papierverarbeitung oder in flexiblen Solarzellen eingesetzt. Die Antrittsvorlesung wird sich insbesondere mit der Herstellung anorganischer Partikel befassen und zeigen, wie ionische Flüssigkeiten zur Herstellung neuer Materialien für verschiedene Anwendungen genutzt werden können.
Covalently crosslinked PEI hydrogels are efficient templates for calcium phosphate mineralization in SBF. In contrast to the PEI hydrogels, non-crosslinked PEI does not lead to calcium phosphate nucleation and growth in SBF. The precipitate is a mixture of brushite and hydroxyapatite. The PEI/calcium phosphate composite material exhibits a sponge like morphology and a chemical composition that is interesting for implants. Cytotoxicity tests using Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae show that both the non-mineralized and mineralized hydrogels have a very low cytotoxicity. This suggests that next generation PEI hydrogels, where also the degradation products are non-toxic, could be interesting for biomedical applications.
Mesoporous silica monoliths were prepared by the sol - gel technique and. lled with 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium [Emim]-X (X = dicyanamide [N(CN)(2)], ethyl sulfate [EtSO4], thiocyanate [SCN], and triflate [TfO]) ionic liquids (ILs) using a methanol-IL exchange technique. The structure and behavior of the ILs inside the silica monoliths were studied using X-ray scattering, nitrogen sorption, IR spectroscopy, solid-state NMR, and thermal analysis. DSC finds shifts in both the glass transition temperature and melting points (where applicable) of the ILs. Glass transition and melting occur well below room temperature. There is thus no conflict with the NMR and IR data, which show that the ILs are as mobile at room temperature as the bulk (not confined) ILs. The very narrow line widths of the NMR spectra suggest that the ILs in our materials have the highest mobility reported for confined ILs so far. As a result, our data suggest that it is possible to generate IL/silica hybrid materials (ionogels) with bulk-like properties of the IL. This could be interesting for applications in, e.g., the solar cell or membrane fields.
Silica is an important mineral in biology and technology, and many protocols have been developed for the synthesis of complex silica architectures. The current report shows that silsesquioxane nanoparticles carrying polymer arms on their surface are efficient templates for the fabrication of silica particles with a star- or raspberry-like morphology. The shape of the resulting particles depends on the chemistry of the polymer arms. With poly(N,N- dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) arms, spherical particles with a less electron dense core form. With poly {[2- (methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium iodide} (PMETAI), star- or raspberry-like particles form. Electron microscopy, electron tomography, and small-angle X-ray scattering show that the resulting silica particles have a complex structure, where a silsequioxane nanoparticle carrying the polymer arms is in the center. Next is a region that is polymer-rich. The outermost region of the particle is a silica layer, where the outer parts of the polymer arms are embedded. Time- resolved zeta-potential and pH measurements, dynamic light scattering, and electron microscopy reveal that silica formation proceeds differently if PDMAEMA is exchanged for PMETAI.
Simple tripeptides are scaffolds for the synthesis and further assembly of peptide/silver nanoparticle composites. Herein, we further explore peptide-con trolled silver nanoparticle assembly processes. Silver nanoparticles with a pH-responsive peptide coating have been synthesized by using a one-step precipitation/coating route. The nature of the peptide/silver interaction and the effect of the peptide oil the formation of the silver particles have been studied via UV/Vis, X-ray photoelectron, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies as well as through electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering and powder Xray diffraction with Rietveld refinement. The particles reversibly form aggregates of different sizes in aqueous solution. The state of aggregation call be controlled by the solution pH value. At low pH values, individual particles are present. At neutral pH values, small clusters form and at high pH values, large precipitates are observed.
Amphiphilic alkyl-poly(ethyleneimine)s (alkyl-PEI) with different degrees of polymerization have been produced by alkaline hydrolysis of alkyl-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline). Potentiometric titration of the alkyl-PEI shows the influence of the alkyl chain and the degree of polymerization on the titration curves and hence on the polymer conformation. Karl Fischer titration has been used to determine the water content in the polymers. Subsequent X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements prove the existence of different hydration states of the PEI even under dry storage conditions. Upon cooling from hot aqueous Solutions, hydrogels form. The gelation concentration decreases with increasing degree of polymerization of the PEI segment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and cryo-SEM) of the hydrogels reveal an alkyl-PEI fibrous network composed of fan-like units. DSC shows that the percentages of bound and free water in the hydrogels depend on the concentration of polar amino groups.
Calcium phosphate mineralization from aqueous solution in the presence of organic growth modifiers has been intensely studied in the recent past. This is mostly due to potential applications of the resulting composites in the biomaterials field. Polymers in particular are efficient growth modifiers. As a result, there has been a large amount of work on polymeric growth modifiers. Interestingly, however, relatively little work has been done on polycationic additives. The current paper shows that poly(ethylene oxide)b-poly(L-lysine) block copolymers lead to an interesting morphology of calcium phosphate precipitated at room temperature and subjected to a mild heat treatment at 85 degrees C. Electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and porosity analysis show that a (somewhat) porous material with channel-like features forms. Closer inspection using transmission electron microscopy shows that the channels are probably not real channels. Much rather the morphology is the result of the aggregation of ca. 100-nm-sized rodlike primary particles, which changes upon drying to exhibit the observed channel-like features. Comparison experiments conducted in the absence of polymer and with poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(L-glutamate) show that these features only form in the presence of the polycationic poly(L-lysine) block, suggesting a distinct interaction of the polycation with either the crystal or the phosphate ions prior to mineralization.
One of the main issues with the use of nickel titanium alloy (NiTi) implants in cardiovascular implants (stents) is that these devices must be of very high quality in order to avoid subsequent operations due to failing stents. For small stents with diameters below ca. 2 mm, however, stent characterization is not straightforward. One of the main problems is that there are virtually no methods to characterize the interior of the NiTi tubes used for fabrication of these tiny stents. The current paper reports on a robust hybrid actuator for the characterization of NiTi tubes prior to stent fabrication. The method is based on a polymer/hydrogel/magnetic nanoparticle hybrid material and allows for the determination of the inner diameter at virtually all places in the raw NiTi tubes. Knowledge of the inner structure of the raw NiTi tubes is crucial to avoid regions that are not hollow or regions that are likely to fail due to defects inside the raw tube. The actuator enables close contact of a magnetic polymer film with the inner NiTi tube surface. The magnetic signal can be detected from outside and be used for a direct mapping of the tube interior. As a result, it is possible to detect critical regions prior to expensive and slow stent fabrication processes.
Injection of a mixture of HAuCl4 and cellulose dissolved in the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [Bmim]Cl into aqueous NaBH4 leads to colloidal gold nanoparticle/cellulose hybrid precipitates. This process is a model example for a very simple and generic approach towards (noble) metal/cellulose hybrids, which could find applications in sensing, sterile filtration, or as biomaterials.
The report shows that simple LbL deposition of positively charged chitosan and negatively charged heparin can be used to efficiently modify the native surface of both NiTi and Ti without any previous treatments. Moreover, mineralization of the polymer multilayers with calcium phosphate leads to surfaces with low contact angles around 70 and 20 degrees for NiTi and Ti, respectively. This suggests that a polymer multilayer/calcium phosphate hybrid coating could be useful for making NiTi or Ti implants that are at the same time antibacterial (via the chitosan), suppress blood clot formation (via the heparin), and favor fast endothelialization (via the improved surface hydrophilicity compared to the respective neat material).
We report on attempts towards the synthesis of titanium nanoparticles using a wet chemical approach in imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) under reducing conditions. Transmission electron microscopy finds nanoparticles in all cases. UV/Vis spectroscopy confirms the nanoparticulate nature of the precipitate, as in all cases an absorption band between ca. 280 and 300 nm is visible. IR spectroscopy shows that even after extensive washing and drying, some IL remains adsorbed on the nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy suggests the formation of anatase nanoparticles, but X-ray diffraction reveals that, possibly, amorphous titania forms or that the nanoparticles are so small that a clear structure assignment is not possible. The report thus shows that (possibly amorphous) titanium oxides even form under reducing conditions and that the chemical synthesis of titanium nanoparticles in ILs remains elusive.
The iron-containing ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate(III) [Bmim][FeCl4] has been used as a building block in the synthesis of transparent, ion-conducting, and paramagnetic ionogels. UV/Vis spectroscopy shows that the coordination around the Fe(III) ion does slightly change upon incorporation of the IL into PMMA. The thermal stability of the PMMA increases significantly with IL incorporation. In particular, the onset weight loss observed at ca. 265 degrees C for pure PMMA is completely suppressed. The ionic conductivity shows a strong temperature dependence and increases with increasing IL weight fractions. The magnetic properties are similar to those reported for the pure IL and are not affected by the incorporation into the PMMA matrix. The resulting ionogel is thus an interesting prototype for soft, flexible, and transparent materials combining the mechanical properties of the matrix with the functionality of the metal-containing IL, such as magnetism.
Self-assembly phenomena in block copolymer systems are attracting considerable interest from the scientific community and industry alike. Particularly interesting is the behavior of amphiphilic copolymers, which can self-organize into nanoscale-sized objects such as micelles, vesicles, or tubes in solution, and which form well-defined assemblies at interfaces such as air-liquid, air-solid, or liquid-solid. Depending on the polymer chemistry and architecture, various types of organization at interfaces can be expected, and further exploited for applications in nanotechnology, electronics, and biomedical sciences.
In this article, we discuss the formation and characterization of Langmuir monolayers from various amphiphilic block copolymers, including chargeable and thus pH-responsivematerials. Solid-supported polymer films are reviewed in the context of alteration of surface properties by ultrathin polymer layers and the possibilities for application in tissue engineering, sensors and biomaterials. Finally, we focus on how organic and polymer monolayers influence the growth of inorganic materials. This is a truly biomimetic approach since Nature uses soft interfaces to control the nucleation, growth, and morphology of biominerals such as calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and silica.
Commercially available 1,2-PB was transformed into a well-defined reactive intermediate by quantitative bromination. The brominated polymer was used as a polyfunctional macroinitiator for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline to yield a water-soluble brush polymer. Nucleophilic substitution of bromide by 1-methyl imidazole resulted in the formation of polyelectrolyte copolymers consisting of mixed units of imidazolium, bromo, and double bond. These copolymers, which were soluble in water without forming aggregates, were used as stabilizers in the heterophase polymerization of styrene and were also studied for their ionic conducting properties.
Silver nanoparticles (SNP) are the subject of worldwide commercialization because of their antimicrobial effects. Yet only little data on their mode of action exist. Further, only few techniques allow for visualization and quantification of unlabeled nanoparticles inside cells. To study SNP of different sizes and coatings within human macrophages, we introduce a novel laser postionization secondary neutral mass spectrometry (Laser-SNMS) approach and prove this method superior to the widely applied confocal Raman and transmission electron microscopy. With time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) we further demonstrate characteristic fingerprints in the lipid pattern of the cellular membrane indicative of oxidative stress and membrane fluidity changes. Increases of protein carbonyl and heme oxygenase-1 levels in treated cells confirm the presence of oxidative stress biochemically. Intriguingly, affected phagocytosis reveals as highly sensitive end point of SNP-mediated adversity In macrophages. The cellular responses monitored are. hierarchically linked, but follow individual kinetics and are partially reversible.
Biomimetic hybrid materials based on a polymeric and an inorganic component such as calcium phosphate are potentially useful for bone repair. The current study reports on a new approach toward biomimetic hybrid materials using a set of recombinamers (recombinant protein materials obtained from a synthetic gene) as crystallization additive for calcium phosphate. The recombinamers contain elements from elastin, an elastic structural protein, and statherin, a salivary protein. Via genetic engineering, the basic elastin sequence was modified with the SN(A)15 domain of statherin, whose interaction with calcium phosphate is well-established. These new materials retain the biocompatibility, "smart" nature, and desired mechanical behavior of the elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) family. Mineralization in simulated body fluid (SBF) in the presence of these recombinamers reveals surprising differences. Two of the polymers inhibit calcium phosphate deposition (although they contain the statherin segment). In contrast, the third polymer, which has a triblock structure, efficiently controls the calcium phosphate formation, yielding spherical hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles with diameters from 1 to 3 nm after 1 week in SBF at 37 degrees C. However, at lower temperatures, no precipitation is observed with any of the polymers. The data thus suggest that the molecular design of ELRs containing statherin segments and the selection of an appropriate polymer structure are key parameters to obtain functional materials for the development of intelligent systems for hard tissue engineering and subsequent in vivo applications.
Tetrahalidocuprates(II) show a high degree of structural flexibility. We present the results of crystallographic and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic analyses of four new tetrabromidocuprate(II) compounds and compare the results with previously reported data. The cations in the new compounds are the sterically demanding benzyltriphenylphosphonium, methyltriphenylphosphonium, tetraphenylphosphonium, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium ions; they were used to achieve a reasonable separation of the paramagnetic Cu(II) ions for EPR spectroscopy. X-Ray crystallography shows that in all four complexes the [CuBr4](2-) units have a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry which is in agreement with DFT calculations. The EPR hyperfine structure was not resolved. This is due to the exchange broadening resulting from still incomplete separation of the paramagnetic Cu(II) centres. Nevertheless, the principal values of the electron Zeemann tensor (g(parallel to) and g(perpendicular to)) of the complexes could be determined. A correlation of structural (X-ray) parameters with the spin density at the copper centres (DFT) is well reflected in the EPR spectra of the bromidocuprates. This enables the correlation of X-ray and EPR parameters to predict the structure of tetrabromidocuprates in physical states other than the crystalline state. As a result, we provide a method to structurally characterize [CuBr4](2-) in, for example, ionic liquids or in solution, which has important implications for e.g. catalysis or materials science.
Silica and silver nanoparticles are relevant materials for new applications in optics, medicine, and analytical chemistry. We have previously reported the synthesis of pH responsive, peptide-templated, chiral silver nanoparticles. The current report shows that peptide-stabilized nanoparticles can easily be coated with a silica shell by exploiting the ability of the peptide coating to hydrolyze silica precursors such as TEOS or TMOS. The resulting silica layer protects the nanoparticles from chemical etching, allows their inclusion in other materials, and renders them biocompatible. Using electron and atomic force microscopy, we show that the silica shell thickness and the particle aggregation can be controlled simply by the reaction time. Small-angle X ray scattering confirms the Ag/peptide@silica core-shell structure. UV-vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy prove the conservation of the silver nanoparticle chirality upon silicification. Biological tests show that the biocompatibility in simple bacterial systems is significantly improved once a silica layer is deposited on the silver particles.
The iron-containing ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate(III) [C(4)mim][FeCl4] and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate(III) [C(12)mim][FeCl4] exhibit a thermally induced demixing with water (thermomorphism). The phase separation temperature varies with IL weight fraction in water and can be tuned between 100 degrees C and room temperature. The reversible lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is only observed at IL weight fractions below ca. 35% in water. UV/Vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy along with elemental analysis prove that the yellow-brown liquid phase recovered after phase separation is the starting IL [C(4)mim][FeCl4] and [C(12)mim][FeCl4], respectively. Photometry and ICP-OES show that about 40% of iron remains in the water phase upon phase separation. Although the process is thus not very efficient at the moment, the current approach is the first example of an LCST behavior of a metal-containing IL and therefore, although still inefficient, a prototype for catalyst removal or metal extraction.
The synthesis of Co-NPs and Mn-NPs by microwave-induced decomposition of the metal carbonyls Co-2(CO)(8) and Mn-2(CO)(10), respectively, yields smaller and better separated particles in the functionalized IL 1-methyl-3-(3-carboxyethyl)-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EmimCO(2)H][BF4] (1.6 +/- 0.3 nm and 4.3 +/- 1.0 nm, respectively) than in the non-functionalized IL 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [Bmim][BF4]. The particles are stable in the absence of capping ligands (surfactants) for more than six months although some variation in particle size could be observed by TEM.