Hollow polymer shells from biological templates: fabrication and potential applications

Three-dimensional ultrathin polymer shells have been produced by a combination of step-by-step adsorption of polyelectrolytes on glutaraldehyde-treated human erythrocytes and subsequent solubilization of the cytoplasmatic constituents by means of a deproteinizing agent. The obtained hollow films preserve both the size and shape of the templating cells. This opens a pathway for the fabrication of polymeric capsules within a wide range of size and shape by using various biological templates. They may have exciting potential applications, such as templates for nanocomposites, as containers for a large class of materials, or as cages for chemical reactions. The thickness of the films can be adjusted over a large range: from a few nm up to several tens of nm. The polymer shells are permeable to small molecules and ions but not to macromolecules. An increase in the ionic strength of the solution up to 100 mmol make the capsules permeable for proteins. Permeability and conductivity studies have provided evidence that the adsorption of lipids on polyelectrolyte layers is a means of producing capsules with controlled permeability properties. 6-Carboxyfluorescein and Rhodamin 6G were precipitated within the capsules.     

Entrapment of a weak polyanion and H+/Na+ exchange in confined polyelectrolyte microcapsules

An approach for the entrapment of a polyanion by polyelectrolyte microcapsules is reported. It is based on a reversal changing of microcapsule wall permeability from neutral to basic pH. Polyelectrolyte microcapsules were templated on latex (polystyrene) particles by the layer-by-layer adsorption of oppositely charged polymers of sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride), followed by core removal using tetrahydrofuran. In alkaline conditions, the microcapsules swell and become permeable for polymers. During encapsulation, the addition of salt ions increases the amount of the polymer encapsulated and contributes to its protonation because of redistribution of H+ ions across a semipermeable microcapsule wall. The redistribution of small ions across the microcapsule wall was tuned by adding salt according to the Donnan equilibrium and was characterized by H+ sensitive dyes.     

Ultraviolet spectroscopy of pyrene in a supersonic jet and in liquid helium droplets

In a series of experiments devoted to the study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for astrophysical applications, the S(2)<--S(0) transition of jet-cooled pyrene (C(16)H(10)) at 321 nm has been studied by an absorption technique for the first time. The spectra observed by cavity ring-down spectroscopy closely resemble the excitation spectra obtained earlier by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and show the same band clusters arising from the vibronic interaction of S(2) with S(1). We have also investigated pyrene when it was incorporated into 380 mK cold helium droplets. These spectra which were recorded employing LIF and molecular beam depletion spectroscopy are broadened and redshifted by 0.94 nm but retain the essential features of the gas phase spectra.     

Destructive effect of polystyrene sulfonate on the structure of hemoproteins

The mechanism of the destruction of horse heart hemoglobin (Hb) and spermwhale muscle myoglobin (Mb), two hem-containing proteins, by polystyrene sulfonate, an anionic polyelectrolyte, was studied. Measurements of the optical absorption of the prostetic group of the hem in the visible spectrum and of the circular dichroism in the absorption bands of the peptide groups and aromatic amino acid residues demonstrated that the compact structure of both proteins experiences destruction in the presence of polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) at PSS concentrations ten times as low as that of the protein (in wt %) and that the content of α-helix structure in Hb and Mb decreases from 81% in the native state to 43% in their complexes with PSS. The distinctions in the mechanisms of the destruction of Hb and Mb by PSS were found to be as follows: (1) in contrast to Mb, Hb forms insoluble complexes with PSS at low PSS concentrations and (2) Mb-PSS solutions at Mb-to-PSS ratios >1 were found to contain free hems (that absorb at 397 nm), a feature not observed for Hb; the kinetics of the destruction of both the proteins by the polyelectrolyte was demonstrated to be a two-stage process. The first stage of the destruction of Hb (τ ≈ 24.5 s) was found to be four times as slow as that of Mb (τ ≈ 6 s); the second (slow) stage had a halftime of ～6 h for both the proteins under study. To determine the localization of regions at the protein molecule surface that are capable of binding polyelectrolyte molecules, the distribution of the electrostatic potential over the surface of the Hb and Mb molecules was numerically calculated with the help of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation at pH 6.2 and an ionic strength of 100 mmol/l. Based on experimental and theoretical studies of the mechanism of the interaction of the polyelectrolyte with the proteins, the structural-functional properties of proteins responsible for their destruction by the polyelectrolyte are determined.     

Remote activation of capsules containing Ag nanoparticles and IR dye by laser light

We present a novel method for remote release of an encapsulated material from polyelectrolyte capsules based on laser light illumination. Two different components were introduced in the polyelectrolyte shells of PAH/PSS capsules-either Ag nanoparticles or IR dye-to induce absorption of light. Under laser illumination the capsules containing Ag nanoparticles or IR dye were deformed or cut, thus providing a venue for remote release of encapsulated materials. The experiments were conducted with a low-power near-infrared continuous-wave laser diode.     

Polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules as vehicles with tunable permeability

This review is devoted to a novel type of polymer micro- and nanocapsules. The shell of the capsule is fabricated by alternate adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (PEs) onto the surface of colloidal particles. Cores of different nature (organic or inorganic) with size varied from 0.1 to 10 mum can be used for templating such PE capsules. The shell thickness can be tuned in nanometer range by assembling of defined number of PE layers. The permeability of capsules depends on the pH, ionic strength, solvent, polymer composition, and shell thickness; it can be controlled and varied over wide range of substances regarding their molecular weight and charge. Including functional polymers into capsule wall, such as weak PEs or thermosensitive polymers, makes the capsule permeability sensitive to correspondent external stimuli. Permeability of the capsules is of essential interest in diverse areas related to exploitation of systems with controlled and sustained release properties. The envisaged applications of such capsules/vesicles cover biotechnology, medicine, catalysis, food industry, etc.     

Nonlinear diffraction and total internal reflection in optical-beam interaction in defocusing media

We elaborate the theory of reflection of an optical signal beam from an inhomogeneous channel created by a high-power laser beam of different frequency in a nonlinear defocusing medium. We study the effects of total internal reflection and nonlinear diffraction in the interaction of these beams. We derive and analyze the equation for the trajectory of the reflected signal beam and obtain the expression for the critical value of beam-intersection angle below which the total internal reflection occurs. We discuss the results of numerical modeling of nonlinear Schr¨odinger equations for envelopes of the beams in media with quadratic, photorefractive, and thermal nonlinearities. We present experimental data on the interaction of beams of argon and helium–neon lasers in a cuvette with tinted alcohol.