Sun, Yang; Oseliero Filho, Pedro L.; Oliveira, Cristiano L. P.
α-Lactalbumin and sodium dodecyl sulfate aggregates: Denaturation, complex formation and time stability
We have combined isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to describe the denaturation process of bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). As presented in the article, in the initial binding step, association of ∼6 SDS molecules with one protein molecule leads to a…
Water solubilization capacity of pharmaceutical microemulsions based on Peceol®, lecithin and ethanol
Mouri, Abdelkader; Diat, Olivier; Lerner, Dan Alain; Ghzaoui, Abdeslam El; Ajovalasit, Alessia; Dorandeu, Christophe; Maurel, Jean-Claude; Devoisselle, Jean-Marie; Legrand, Philippe
Biocompatible microemulsions composed of Peceol®, lecithin, ethanol and water developed for encapsulation of hydrophilic drugs were investigated. The binary mixture Peceol®/ethanol was studied first. It was shown that the addition of ethanol to pure Peceol® has a significant fluidifying and disordering effect on the Peceol® supramolecular structure with an enhancement…
Using the M13 Phage as a Biotemplate to Create Mesoporous Structures Decorated with Gold and Platinum Nanoparticles
Vera-Robles, L. Irais; González-Gracida, Jaqueline; Hernández-Gordillo, Armin; Campero, Antonio
By taking advantage of the physical and chemical properties of the M13 bacteriophage, we have used this virus to synthesize mesoporous silica structures. Major coat protein p8 was chemically modified by attaching thiol groups. As we show, the resulting thiolated phage can be used as a biotemplate able to direct…
Use of micrometric latex beads to improve the porosity of hydroxyapatite obtained by chemical coprecipitation method
Webler, G. D.; Rodrigues, W. C.; Silva, A. E. S.; Silva, A. O. S.; Fonseca, E. J. S.; Degenhardt, M. F. S.; Oliveira, C. L. P.; Otubo, L.; Barros Filho, D. A.
Hydroxyapatite is one of the most important biomaterials whose application mainly extends to implants and drug delivery. This work will discuss the changes in the pore size distribution of hydroxyapatite when there are latex beads present during the synthesis. These changes were monitored using different techniques: small angle X-ray scattering,…
Uranium Extraction by a Bifunctional Amido-Phosphonic Acid: Coordination Structure and Aggregation
Pecheur, Olivia; Guillaumont, Dominique; Dourdain, Sandrine; Berthon, Laurence; Turgis, Raphael; Fillaux, Clara; Arrachart, Guilhem; Testard, Fabienne
Butyl-N,N-di(2-ethylhexyl)carbamoyl-nonylphosphonate (DEHCNPB) is a new amido-phosphonic acid bifunctional ligand with a high uranium extraction efficiency from wet phosphoric acid. In the present work, the DEHCNPB coordination structure toward uranium and its aggregation properties have been fully characterized using experimental and theoretical approaches. DEHCNPB forms associated species, and…
Unusual Interfacial Freezing Phenomena in Hexacontane/Silica Composites
Gao, Xia; Su, Yunlan; Zhao, Weiwei; Qian, Qingyun; Chen, Xin; Wittenbrink, Robert; Wang, Dujin
The crystallization behaviors of n-hexacontane (C60H122)/Stöber silica (SiO2) composites with various compositions were investigated by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (solid-state 13C NMR), and proton NMR relaxation experiments. By means of DSC, C60H122 molecules in C60H122/silica composites were observed to be involved in…
Unique Reversible Crystal-to-Crystal Phase Transition—Structural and Functional Properties of Fused Ladder Thienoarenes
Abe, Yuichiro; Savikhin, Victoria; Yin, Jun; Grimsdale, Andrew C.; Soci, Cesare; Toney, Michael F.; Lam, Yeng Ming
Donor–acceptor type molecules based on fused ladder thienoarenes, indacenodithiophene (IDT), and dithienocyclopenta–thienothiophene (DTCTT), coupled with benzothiadiazole, are prepared, and their solid-state structures are investigated. They display a rich variety of solid phases ranging from amorphous glass states to crystalline states, upon changes in the central aromatic core and side group…
Understanding the Impact of Hierarchical Nanostructure in Ternary Organic Solar Cells
Fang, Jin; Wang, Zaiyu; Zhang, Jianqi; Zhang, Yajie; Deng, Dan; Wang, Zhen; Lu, Kun; Ma, Wei; Wei, Zhixiang
Ternary organic solar cells (OSCs), which blend two donors and fullerene derivatives with different absorption ranges, are a promising potential strategy for high-power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). In this study, inverted ternary OSCs are fabricated by blending a highly crystalline small molecule BDT-3T-CNCOO in a low band gap polymer PBDTTT-C-T:PC71BM. As…
Understanding effects of two different acceptors in one small molecule for solution processable organic solar cells
Zhao, Yifan; Yuan, Liu; Zhang, Jianqi; Zhu, Lingyun; Lu, Kun; Yan, Wei; Wei, Zhixiang
Introducing two different electron-withdrawing groups into the molecular backbone is one of the effective methods to extend absorption and lower the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level for a high open-circuit voltage (Voc). However, examples of two-acceptor type small molecules are less studied. In order to understand the effect…
Understanding and controlling morphology evolution via DIO plasticization in PffBT4T-2OD/PC71BM devices
Zhang, Yiwei; Parnell, Andrew J.; Pontecchiani, Fabio; Cooper, Joshaniel F. K.; Thompson, Richard L.; Jones, Richard A. L.; King, Stephen M.; Lidzey, David G.; Bernardo, Gabriel
We demonstrate that the inclusion of a small amount of the co-solvent 1,8-diiodooctane in the preparation of a bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic device increases its power conversion efficiency by 20%, through a mechanism of transient plasticisation. We follow the removal of 1,8-diiodooctane directly after spin-coating using ellipsometry and ion beam analysis, while…