Winkler, Robert; Buchecker, Thomas; Hastreiter, Florian; Touraud, Didier; Kunz, Werner
PPh4Cl in aqueous solution – the aggregation behavior of an antagonistic salt
The initial definition of hydrotropy by Neuberg in 1916 describes a hydrotrope as a molecule which enhances the solubilization of hydrophobic substances in water. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium xylene sulfonate (SXS) are typical representatives fulfilling this old definition. They are either surfactants with a critical micellar concentration (CMC)…
Metastability in lipid based particles exhibits temporally deterministic and controllable behavior
Jacoby, Guy; Cohen, Keren; Barkan, Kobi; Talmon, Yeshayahu; Peer, Dan; Beck, Roy
The metastable-to-stable phase-transition is commonly observed in many fields of science, as an uncontrolled independent process, highly sensitive to microscopic fluctuations. In particular, self-assembled lipid suspensions exhibit phase-transitions, where the underlying driving mechanisms and dynamics are not well understood. Here we describe a study of the phase-transition dynamics of…
Preparation and Properties of Halloysite Nanotubes/Poly(ethylene methyl acrylate)-Based Nanocomposites by Variation of Mixing Methods
Ganguly, Sayan; Bhawal, Poushali; Choudhury, Anirvan; Mondal, Subhadip; Das, Poushali; Das, Narayan Ch
Halloysite nanotube-based inorganic–organic polymer nanocomposite has been developed with improved mechanical strength in one direction by solution mixing followed by melt mixing. Melt mixing, solution mixing, and melt-cum-solution mixing were performed to optimize the mechanical strength of the nanocomposites. The field emission scanning electron microscopic images and small-angle X-ray…
Preparation of Poly(butylene succinate) Crystals with Exceptionally High Melting Point and Crystallinity from Its Inclusion Complex
Ye, Hai-Mu; Chen, Xiao-Tong; Liu, Ping; Wu, Shu-Yi; Jiang, Zhiyong; Xiong, Bijin; Xu, Jun
We successfully developed an effective strategy for preparing poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) material with exceptionally high crystallinity (94.4% from density data) and melting point (∼136 °C) from its urea inclusion complex under normal air pressure for the first time. The strategy consists of three steps: co-electrospinning PBS with urea, thermal treatment,…
Pressure-controlled formation of crystalline, Janus, and core–shell supraparticles
Kister, Thomas; Mravlak, Marko; Schilling, Tanja; Kraus, Tobias
Binary mixtures of nanoparticles self-assemble in the confinement of evaporating oil droplets and form regular supraparticles. We demonstrate that moderate pressure differences on the order of 100 kPa change the particles’ self-assembly behavior. Crystalline superlattices, Janus particles, and core–shell particle arrangements form in the same dispersions when changing the working…
Probing the Interactions of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Using Nanoparticle Tags
Pregent, Stive; Lichtenstein, Amir; Avinery, Ram; Laser-Azogui, Adi; Patolsky, Fernando; Beck, Roy
The structural plasticity of intrinsically disordered proteins serves as a rich area for scientific inquiry. Such proteins lack a fix three-dimensional structure but can interact with multiple partners through numerous weak bonds. Nevertheless, this intrinsic plasticity possesses a challenging hurdle in their characterization. We underpin the intermolecular interactions between intrinsically…
Preparation and characterisation of uranium oxides with spherical shapes and hierarchical structures
Bouala, G. I. Nkou; Clavier, N.; Podor, R.; Cambedouzou, J.; Mesbah, A.; Brau, H. P.; Léchelle, J.; Dacheux, N.
An easy way of preparation, based on the precipitation of U4+ or UO22+ cations by urea in the presence of PEG at T = 90–120 °C, was set up to prepare shape-controlled spherical uranium oxides. The parametric study of heating time and temperature allowed us to tailor the size of…
Protein encapsulation in SBA-15 with expanded pores
Garcia, P. R. A. F.; Bicev, R. N.; Oliveira, C. L. P.; Sant’Anna, O. A.; Fantini, M. C. A.
This work reports the encapsulation of proteins with different molecular weights into SBA-15 ordered mesoporous silica, a potential immunological adjuvant. The Human Gammaglobulin G (HGG) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) proteins were incorporated into the mesoporous silica with expanded pores. A structure swelling agent, triisopropylbenzene (TIPB), was used in the…
Pyrrolidinium-functionalized poly(arylene ether sulfone)s for anion exchange membranes: Using densely concentrated ionic groups and block design to improve membrane performance
Dong, Xue; Lv, Dong; Zheng, Jifu; Xue, Boxin; Bi, Weihui; Li, Shenghai; Zhang, Suobo
To design and construct high ionic conductive anion exchange membranes (AEMs), tetra-pyrrolidinium-based block poly(arylene ether sulfone)s were synthesized. Pyrrolidinium groups were densely and controllably introduced into the polymer scaffold using a novel tetra-functionalized monomer, 4, 4′-oxybis (2,6-bis(pyrrolidinyl-1-methyl) phenol) (OBBPYP), which was synthesized via the Mannich…
RAFT Dispersion Alternating Copolymerization of Styrene with N-Phenylmaleimide: Morphology Control and Application as an Aqueous Foam Stabilizer
Yang, Pengcheng; Mykhaylyk, Oleksandr O.; Jones, Elizabeth R.; Armes, Steven P.
We report a new nonaqueous polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) formulation based on the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion alternating copolymerization of styrene with N-phenylmaleimide using a nonionic poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) stabilizer in a 50/50 w/w ethanol/methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) mixture. The MEK cosolvent is significantly less toxic than the…