Poly(ethyleneimine) as reducing and stabilizing agent for the formation of gold nanoparticles in w/o microemulsions

This paper is focused on the use of branched poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) as reducing as well as stabilizing agent for the formation of gold nanoparticles in different media. The process of nanoparticle formation was investigated, in the absence of any other reducing agents, in microemulsion template phase in comparison to the nucleation process in aqueous polymer solution.

On the one hand, it was shown that the polyelectrolyte can be used for the controlled single-step synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticles via a nucleation reaction and particles with an average diameter of 7.1 nm can be produced.

On the other hand, it was demonstrated that the polymer can also act as reducing and stabilizing agent in much more complex systems, i.e. in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion droplets. The reverse microemulsion droplets of the quaternary system sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)/toluene–pentanol (1:1)/water were successfully used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. The polymer, incorporated in the droplets, exhibits reducing properties, adsorbs on the surface of the nanoparticles and prevents their aggregation. Consequently, nanoparticles of 8.6 nm can be redispersed after solvent evaporation without a change of their size.

Nevertheless, the polymer acts already as a “template” during the formation of the nanoparticles in water and in microemulsion, so that an additional template effect of the microemulsion is not observed.

The particle formation for both methods is checked by means of UV–vis spectroscopy and the particle size and size distribution are investigated via dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).     

电极/反相微乳液体系电沉积制备纳米金镀层

将含有氯化金的强酸性水溶液作为水相与Triton X-100、正己醇、正己烷组成反相微乳液体系, 并以该微乳液构成电极/反相微乳液电极系统, 利用电沉积方法成功地制备出纳米Au镀层. 循环伏安和交流阻抗对反相微乳液体系电沉积过程的研究发现, 微乳液中Au(III)的还原为完全不可逆过程, 其电化学反应的阻抗值约为具有相同表观浓度氯化金水溶液体系的5.5倍. SEM研究结果表明, 利用微乳液体系电沉积获得的金镀层由纳米Au颗粒组成, 直径为50 nm左右. 所制备的纳米Au修饰电极由于具有较大的比表面积, 其电化学性能优于纯Au电极, 该电极在酸性条件下有较好的析氢性能, 在碱性条件对丙三醇有较好的电催化氧化性能.     

SDS/正戊醇-二甲苯-水(盐水)拟三元体系相图和电导研究及纳米ZnO的制备

实验绘制了十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)/正戊醇(n-C₅H₁₀OH)-二甲苯[C₆H₄(CH₃)₂]-水[或Zn(NO₃)₂溶液]四组分微乳液体系在不同温度时的拟三元相图. 测定了电导率随水(或盐溶液)含量变化的规律, 电导的规律与相图吻合. 依据电解质理论探讨了微乳液的微观结构, 研究表明, 温度对油包水(W/O)反相微乳液区域影响不大, 电解质的加入对油包水(W/O)反相微乳液区域影响较大. 通过SDS/正戊醇-二甲苯-H₂O及SDS/正戊醇-二甲苯-盐水的拟三元体系的相图观察及实验研究, 选择乳化剂(SDS/正戊醇)与二甲苯质量比为4:6的微乳液作为最佳条件, 制备出了ZnO纳米粒子.     

Magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles synthesized in water-in-oil microemulsions

Well-dispersed magnesium hydroxide nanoplatelets were synthesized by a simple water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion process, blowing gaseous ammonia (NH(3)) into microemulsion zones solubilized by magnesium chloride solution (MgCl(2)). Typical quaternary microemulsions of Triton X-100/cyclohexane/n-hexanol/water were used as space-confining microreactors for the nucleation, growth, and crystallization of magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles. The obtained magnesium hydroxide was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission election microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), laser light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC). The mole ratio of water to surfactant (omega(0)) played an important role in the sizes of micelles and nanoparticles, increasing with the increase of omega(0). The compatibility and dispersibility of nanoparticles obtained from reverse micelles were improved in the organic phase.     

含不同氨基酸反相微乳体系中胆红素钙的形成与稳定性

在聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚(OP)/正己醇/环己烷/水反相微乳液和甘氨酸、精氨酸、组氨酸3种含不同氨基酸的反相微乳液体系中成功地制备了胆红素钙,考察了氨基酸对胆红素钙的组成、形貌、配位方式及稳定性的影响。采用透射电子显微镜、表面Zeta电位、红外光谱和紫外光谱等测试技术对样品进行了表征。结果表明,此反相微乳体系中所得球形颗粒为中性胆红素钙,平均粒径80nm,在水分散体系中颗粒的稳定性随分散体系pH值的升高而先降低后增加,当pH=4.9时,颗粒表面Zeta电位值为0。3种亲水性氨基酸的加入促进胆红素钙颗粒的成核,最终影响胆红素钙的微结构、颗粒形貌和稳定性。当加入的氨基酸为组氨酸、甘氨酸时,所得胆红素钙球形颗粒形貌无明显变化,但平均粒径依次减小至60和40nm,其水分散体系中的稳定性明显增加;当加入的氨基酸为精氨酸时,所得胆红素钙颗粒形貌不规则,粒径非常小,不稳定,易形成聚集体。     

Electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles from ionic liquid microemulsion

Gold nanoparticles were electrodeposited directly for the first time from a new electrolyte system: water-in-ionic liquid (W/IL) microemulsion. The electrochemical behavior of Au(Ш) in W/IL microemulsion was investigated. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) result of Au(Ш) shows a pair of redox peak. The effect of precursor apparent concentration on the reduction peak current density is similar to that in homogeneous solution such as aqueous solution. The effect of scan rate on the reduction peak current density is different from that in homogeneous solution. Linear-sweep voltammograms result for a rotating disk electrode in the W/IL microemulsion suggests that the reduction is kinetically limited and not transport limited. And also the activation energy of the reaction was calculated to be 26.7 KJ mol^?1. The gold electrodeposits were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is found that the gold electrodeposits are face-centered cubic and nanosized. Furthermore, the potential mechanism for the electrode reaction was proposed. In addition, the electrochemical properties of the gold nanoparticles were researched through the electro-oxidation of glycerol. The CV and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies demonstrate that the gold nanoparticles electrodeposited from W/IL microemulsion have much higher electro-catalytic activities than bare gold for glycerol oxidation.     

Microemulsion method for producing hydroxyapatite

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were obtained in the course of reaction in microemulsion system stabilized by surfactant (sodium bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate). By the methods of X-ray phase analysis, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and electron microscopy the presence of crystals in the samples of hydroxyapatite as the main phase, and detected the formation of additional calcium phosphate compounds was demonstrated.     

Ultrasound-Induced Formation of CdS Nanostructures in Oil-in-Water Microemulsions

In this study the formation of approximately spherical assemblies of nanocrystalline primary particles of CdS in a CS(2)-water-ethylenediamine (CWE) microemulsion induced by ultrasonic irradiation is described. CS(2) was employed as the sulfur source for CdS and also as the oil phase in the microemulsion. The particles were studied with X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. A blue shift compared to bulk CdS was observed in absorption and photoluminescence spectra. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Bright luminescent, colloidal stable silica coated CdSe/ZnS nanocomposite by an in situ, one-pot surface functionalization

In this article, a systematic study of the design and development of surface-modification schemes for silica coated nanocomposite via an in situ, one-pot way is presented. Silica coated CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles were prepared in a water-in-oil microemulsion and subsequently surface modified via addition of various organosilane reagents to the microemulsion system. The resulting functionalized composite nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques like Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy and zeta-potential measurements. The results demonstrate that depending on the sequence of addition of silica precursors and organosilanes the product can show bright luminescence or considerable colloidal stability. The organosilanes molecules which are used here, act both as a stabilizer of the microemulsion system (regarding the charge compensation) and as a functional group the final product on top of silica shell. Using these surface-modification process, silica coated nanoparticles can be more readily conjugated with biomolecules and used as highly luminescent, sensitive, and reproducible labels in bioanalytical applications. Most importantly such surface functionalization could pave the way for controlled multi-mixed nanoparticles encapsulation (for example magnetic and QD nanoparticles).     

新型双链表面活性剂DDOBA的合成与高单分散性憎水纳米金的制备

自行设计合成了新颖的苄胺型双链表面活性剂3,4-双十二烷氧基苄胺(DDOBA). 利用DDOBA/正丁醇/正庚烷/甲酸/HAuCl₄·4H₂O自发形成的水/油(W/O)型微乳液作为微反应器, 通过微波辐射下的甲酸还原法成功制备了DDOBA保护的憎水性金纳米粒子, 并通过紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、透射电镜(TEM)、高分辨透射电镜(HR-TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)等方法进行了表征和分析. 结果显示, DDOBA既可参与形成稳定的W/O型(油包水型)微乳液, 又可作为金纳米粒子的良好保护剂. 在合适的微乳液体系组成范围内, 用本实验方法可以获得高单分散性的憎水性金纳米粒子, 并能在空气/水界面上自动形成大面积短程有序的纳米金二维自组装膜.     

Sustained release of nucleic acids from polymeric nanoparticles using microemulsion precipitation in supercritical carbon dioxide

A general approach for producing biodegradable nanoparticles for sustained nucleic acid release is presented. The nanoparticles are produced by precipitating a water-in-oil microemulsion in supercritical CO(2). The microemulsion consists of a transfer RNA aqueous solution (water phase), dichloromethane containing poly(l-lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) (oil phase), the surfactant n-octyl β-D-glucopyranoside, and the cosurfactant n-butanol.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline calcium phosphate in microemulsion--effect of nature of surfactants

Nanosized calcium phosphate (CP) powders have been synthesized by an inverse microemulsion system using kerosene as the oil phase, a cationic surfactant Aliquat 336, a non-ionic surfactant Tween 20 and their mixture and aqueous solutions of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and biammonium hydrogen phosphate as the water phase. It has been found that the nature of surfactants played an important role to regulate the size and morphologies of the calcium phosphate nanoparticles. The cationic surfactant Aliquat 336 has been found to regulate the nucleation and crystal growth. The synthesized powders have been comprehensively characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Our results show that the brushite (DCPD) is the major phase comprising the calcium phosphate nanoparticles. In mixed surfactants mediated system a morphological controlled highly crystalline particles have been synthesized. Further, the role of Aliquat 336 has been established and a plausible synthetic mechanism has been proposed.     

微乳液体系相图的研究及其在纳米氟化物制备中的应用

绘制了十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)/正丁醇(n-C₄H₉OH)/正辛烷(n-C₈H₁₈)/水[或NH₄F溶液、或Ba(NO₃)₂溶液、或KNO₃-Mg(NO₃)₂混合溶液]四组分微乳体系的拟三元相图.观察了电导率随水(或盐溶液)含量变化的规律,很好地印证了微乳液体系的相行为.选取相图中微乳区点作为最佳条件,制备了KMgF₃纳米粒子.     

Span/Tween混合表面活性剂微乳液制备纳米铁及脱硝研究

研究了以Span 80和Tween 60为混合表面活性剂的微乳液的形成。以电导率及目测法为表征手段,利用正交试验,分析了多因素对W/O型微乳液最大增容水量的影响,探明了该乳液形成的适宜条件。     

Novel Synthesis of CeO2 Nanoparticles Within Formamide/Tri(ethyleneglycol)monododecyl Ether/n-Octane Nonaqueous Microemulsion Systems

The present study evaluates a new method to prepare Cerium oxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles by formamide/tri(ethyleneglycol)monododecyl ether (C₁₂E₃)/n-octane oil-continuous nonaqueous microemulsion. The effect of the polar phase (formamide/water) on the phase behavior, drop size, and conductivity behavior of the reverse microemulsion were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the phase and morphology of synthesized CeO₂ nanoparticles. It was found that the CeO₂ powders synthesized within nonaqueous microemulsions and aqueous microemulisons had an average particle size of 30–50 nm and 15–40 nm, respectively. The experimental results indicate the formation mechanism of CeO₂ nanoparticles in formamide nonaqueous microemulsion and aqueous microemulsion is similar, and the formamide nonaqueous microemulsion can be used as nanoreactors for preparation of nanoparticles.     

Fine tuning of gadolinium doped ceria electrolyte nanoparticles via reverse microemulsion process

Gadolinium doped ceria (Gd–CeO₂) nanoparticles have been synthesized by an reverse microemulsion system using cyclohexane as the oil phase, a non-ionic surfactant Igepal CO 520 and their mixed aqueous solutions of gadolinium III nitrate hexahydrate and cerium III nitrate hexahydrate as the water phase. The control of particle size was achieved by varying the water to surfactant molar ratio. The synthesized and calcined powders were characterized by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD results show that all the samples calcined at 700 °C were single phase cubic fluorite structure. The average size of the particle was found to increase with increase in water to surfactant molar ratio (R). The mean diameter of the particle for various value of R varies between 8–15 nm (SEM) and 7.5–11 nm (TEM), respectively. EDS confirm the presence of gadolinia and ceria phase in the nanopowder calcined at 700 °C. FTIR analysis was carried to monitor the elimination of residual oil and surfactant phases from the microemulsion-derived precursor and calcined powder. Raman spectroscopy and DTA evidenced the formation of a solid solution of gadolinium doped ceria at room temperature.     

Stability and optical properties of dispersions of CdS,ZnS, and Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>S nanoparticles synthesized in microemulsion

CdS, ZnS, and Ag₂S nanoparticles have been synthesized in microemulsion. The synthesis of nanoparticles depend on the composition of the reaction medium and on the proportions of the precursors. The phase diagram for sedimentation stable dispersion of the nanoparticles synthesized in microemulsion has been determined. The region of the stable nanoparticle dispersion is much smaller than the region of the inverse microemulsion in the n-heptane-AOT-H₂O system. The UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of the CdS, ZnS, and Ag₂S nanoparticles have been investigated. The size of the nanoparticles increases with an increase in droplet size in the microemulsion, and this shifts the exciton peaks.     

In situ formation of dispersed palladium nanoparticles in microemulsion: efficient reaction system for ligand-free Heck reaction

The ligand-free Heck reaction catalyzed by Pd(OAc)2 performed well in a TX10 oil-in-water microemulsion. TEM proved in situ formation distributed palladium nanoparticles in the microemulsion. The role of TX10 in the reaction system is the palladium nanoparticles reducing agent and stabilizer. The effect of reaction parameters on the Heck reaction conversion were discussed. The results indicated that the aqueous phase concentration, the base concentration, and the temperature played key roles in the conversion of the reaction. Iodobenzene was converted to the corresponding trans-stilbene quantitatively within 90-150 min. Therefore, the heptane/TX 10/butanol/water/propylene glycol microemulsion containing in situ formed palladium nanoparticles was a very efficient catalyst system for the ligand-free Heck reaction.     

Extraction of monodisperse palladium nanoparticles from dendrimer templates

We describe a strategy for extracting nearly size-monodisperse, 1.7-nm-diameter Pd nanoparticles from within dendrimer hosts. The approach involves two steps. First, an aqueous solution of dendrimer-encapsulated Pd nanoparticles is prepared, followed by the addition of a toluene solution containing an n-alkanethiol. When the two-phase system is stirred, n-alkanethiols presumably self-assemble onto the surface of the Pd nanoparticles, extract them from the dendrimer, and transport them to toluene phase. UV-vis spectroscopy indicates that the Pd nanoparticles, in the form of monolayer-protected clusters, are transported into the toluene phase. FT-IR spectroscopy shows that the dendrimers remain in the aqueous phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the average size and size distribution of the particles do not change during the extraction process.     

Recycling nanoparticles stabilized in water-in-CO2 microemulsions for catalytic hydrogenations

Catalytic hydrogenations of olefins took place effectively in supercritical CO2 with Pd0 nanoparticles dispersed in the fluid phase using a water-in-CO2 microemulsion consisting of water, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) as a surfactant, and 1-octanol as a cosolvent. The hydrogenated products dissolved in supercritical CO2 can be separated from the octanol solution containing AOT microemulsions with Pd0 nanoparticles by phase separation (upper phase, supercritical CO2 with hydrogenated products; lower phase, 1-octanol containing AOT microemulsions with Pd0 nanoparticles) accompanied by reduction of CO2 pressure. After collecting the hydrogenated products by flowing the upper CO2 phase to a collection vessel, the Pd0 nanoparticles remaining in the lower phase can be redispersed into supercritical CO2 by pressurizing the system to a pressure where a homogeneous phase is attained. The redispersed nanoparticles can be reused as catalysts for the next runs of the hydrogenations. Triphenylethylene was hydrogenated to 1,1,2-triphenylethane at conversions of 100% (1st-3rd runs), >99% (4th run), and >96% (5th run) using the recycled Pd0 nanoparticles. The feasibility of using other organic solvents as cosolvents is also studied in the present paper.