Fan, Jiantao; Willdorf-Cohen, Sapir; Schibli, Eric M.; Paula, Zoe; Li, Wei; Skalski, Thomas J. G.; Sergeenko, Ania Tersakian; Hohenadel, Amelia; Frisken, Barbara J.; Magliocca, Emanuele; Mustain, William E.; Diesendruck, Charles E.; Dekel, Dario R.; Holdcroft, Steven
Poly(bis-arylimidazoliums) possessing high hydroxide ion exchange capacity and high alkaline stability
The hydroxide anion exchange polymers are key materials of solid polymer electrolyte devices that operate under alkaline conditions. Here the authors show the rational design of such polymers that exhibit high ion exchange capacity and exceptional stability under highly caustic
Effects of artepillin C on model membranes displaying liquid immiscibility
Pazin, W. M.; Vilanova, N.; Voets, I. K.; Soares, A. E. E.; Ito, A. S.
It has been hypothesized that the therapeutic effects of artepillin C, a natural compound derived from Brazilian green propolis, are likely related to its partition in the lipid bilayer component of biological membranes. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of the major compound of green propolis, artepillin C,…
Shape modulation of squaramide-based supramolecular polymer nanoparticles
Talens, Victorio Saez; Makurat, D. M. M.; Liu, Tingxian; Dai, Wei; Guibert, Clément; Noteborn, Willem E. M.; Voets, Ilja K.; Kieltyka, Roxanne E.
We report the synthesis and self-assembly of a library of squaramide-based bolaamphiphiles with variable hydrophobic and hydrophilic domain sizes, consisting of varied aliphatic chains (n = 2 to 12 methylene repeat units) and linear oligo(ethylene glycol) (m = 11 to 36 repeat units), to understand their effect on the formation…
Adjustable self-assembly in polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) dip-coated thin films
Konefa?, Magdalena; Zhigunov, Alexander; Pavlova, Ewa; ?ernoch, Peter; Pop-Georgievski, Ognen; pírková, Milena
This work studies the influence of dip-coating parameters on self-assembly in ultra-thin films of asymmetric polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) copolymers from a 1-chloropentane solution using a combination of several experimental techniques. Small-Angle X-ray Scattering, Atomic Force Microscopy, Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy
Understanding the Static Interfacial Polymer Layer by Exploring the Dispersion States of Nanocomposites
Genix, Anne-Caroline; Bocharova, Vera; Carroll, Bobby; Lehmann, Michelle; Saito, Tomonori; Krueger, Susan; He, Lilin; Dieudonné-George, Philippe; Sokolov, Alexei P.; Oberdisse, Julian
The dynamic and static properties of the interfacial region between polymer and nanoparticles have wide-ranging consequences on performances of nanomaterials. The thickness and density of the static layer are particularly difficult to assess experimentally due to superimposing nanoparticle interactions. Here, we tune the dispersion of silica nanoparticles in nanocomposites by…
Twisted Ribbon Aggregates in a Model Peptide System
Rüter, Axel; Kuczera, Stefan; Pochan, Darrin J.; Olsson, Ulf
The model peptides A8K and A10K self-assemble in water into ca. 100 nm long ribbon-like aggregates. These structures can be described as ?-sheets laminated into a ribbon structure with a constant elliptical cross-section of 4 by 8 nm, where the longer axis corresponds to a finite number, N ? 15,…
Shape and Phase Transitions in a PEGylated Phospholipid System
Viitala, Lauri; Pajari, Saija; Gentile, Luigi; Määttä, Jukka; Gubitosi, Marta; Deska, Jan; Sammalkorpi, Maria; Olsson, Ulf; Murtomäki, Lasse
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers and PEG-conjugated lipids are widely used in bioengineering and drug transport applications. A PEG layer in a drug carrier increases hydrophilic repulsion, inhibits membrane fusion and serum opsonin interactions, and prolongs the storage and circulation time. It can also change the carrier shape and have an…
Self-Assembly of the Bio-Surfactant Aescin in Solution: A Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and Fluorescence Study
Dargel, Carina; Geisler, Ramsia; Hannappel, Yvonne; Kemker, Isabell; Sewald, Norbert; Hellweg, Thomas
This work investigates the temperature-dependent micelle formation as well as the micellar structure of the saponin aescin. The critical micelle concentration ( cmc ) of aescin is determined from the concentration-dependent autofluorescence (AF) of aescin. Values between cmcaescin,AF (10°C) = 0.38 ± 0.09 mM and cmcaescin,AF (50°C) = 0.32 ±…
Arguments for an additional long-lived intermediate in the photocycle of the full-length aureochrome 1c receptor: A time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering study
Bannister, Saskia; Böhm, Elena; Zinn, Thomas; Hellweg, Thomas; Kottke, Tilman
Aureochromes (AUREO) act as blue-light photoreceptors in algae. They consist of a light-, oxygen-, voltage-sensitive (LOV) domain and a DNA-binding basic region/leucine zipper. Illumination of the flavin cofactor in LOV leads to the formation of an adduct, followed by global structural changes. Here, we first applied UV/vis spectroscopy to characterize…
NMR and crystallographic structural studies of the extremely stable monomeric variant of human cystatin C with single amino acid substitution
Maszota‐Zieleniak, Martyna; Jurczak, Przemyslaw; Orlikowska, Marta; Zhukov, Igor; Borek, Dominika; Otwinowski, Zbyszek; Skowron, Piotr; Pietralik, Zuzanna; Kozak, Maciej; Szymańska, Aneta; Rodziewicz‐Motowidło, Sylwia
Human cystatin C (hCC), a member of the superfamily of papain-like cysteine protease inhibitors, is the most widespread cystatin in human body fluids. This small protein, in addition to its physiological function, is involved in various diseases, including cerebral amyloid angiopathy, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, and dementia. Physiologically active hCC is…