Controlled, simultaneous assembly of polyethylenimine onto nanoparticle silica colloids

A novel precision-assembly methodology is described on the basis of the controlled, simultaneous assembly (CSA) of a core nanoparticle substrate and polyelectrolyte solutions. The method is capable of assembly rates at least as fast as 10(16) core particles s(-1) L(-1) and affords concentrated suspensions of stable colloids with an adsorbed polyelectrolyte. The resulting dispersions are highly homogeneous, have a low viscosity and narrow particle-size distribution, and are stable colloids, even at solid concentrations of at least 33 wt %. The adsorption isotherm and the saturation adsorption for polyethylenimine (PEI) assemblies onto a 15 nm silica colloid have been evaluated with 1H NMR spectroscopy. The saturation adsorption is highly dependent upon the pH at assembly and is given by the equation PEIa (micromol m(-2)) = 1.73pH - 1.89, R2 = 0.986, where micromoles refers to the concentration of the EI monomer. The saturation concentration increases from 6.8 micromol m(-2) at pH 5.0 to 13.7 micromol m(-2) at pH 9.0. The adsorbed polyelectrolyte may be cross-linked and thereby permanently fixed to the colloid surface to prepare nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte colloidal assemblies having enhanced colloid stability, high homogeneity, and a high fraction (>80%) of permanently adsorbed polyelectrolyte. These assemblies are stable at physiological pH and ionic strength and may represent ideal substrates for bioconjugation and, ultimately, the design of nanocarriers for in vivo applications.     

A novel transformation of a zirconium imido compound and the development of a new class of N3 donor heteroscorpionate ligand

Reaction of the dimeric zirconium imido compound [Zr2(mu-NAr)2Cl4(THF)4] with tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methyl silane very selectively gave [Zr{(Me2pz)2Si(Me)NAr}Cl3] (1), a highly active pre-catalyst for ethylene polymerisation; a more general and versatile route to N3 donor heteroscorpionate compounds was achieved via the protio ligand (Me2pz)2CHSi(Me)2N(H)iPr for which neutral and cationic organometallic Group 3 and 4 derivatives are reported (Ar = 2,6-C6H(3)iPr2).     

On sound generated by gas-jet impingement on a bubbly gas–water interface,with application to supercavity self-noise

An analysis is made of the sound produced when a high speed turbulent gas jet impinges at normal incidence on a planar gas–water interface in the presence of a uniform, thin homogeneous bubble layer between the gas and the water. It is shown that the bubble layer exhibits a behaviour similar to a ‘quarter-wave’ resonator, storing energy supplied by gas impingement which is subsequently released as high amplitude sound into the water. In the absence of bubbles the radiation into the water has dipole characteristics, peaking strongly in the direction normal to the interface. The bubbles diffuse this sharp dipole lobe, and are predicted to increase the sound power in the water by up to 10 dB or more over a range of intermediate frequencies when the layer properties are similar to those encountered in experiments using a model scale supercavitating vehicle. At higher frequencies, in the range important for vehicle guidance and control, the bubble layer tends to reduce this source of self-noise. The same mechanism of resonant amplification should be effective more generally, when the bubbles lie within a more confined surface envelope, such as the surface ‘wake’ of the jet impact zone, whose shape defines a different set of interior eigenmodes.     

Methane activation over zeolite catalysts: The methylation of benzene

The methylation of benzene with methane over ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts in a high pressure static reactor is shown to require oxygen as a reactant, implicating methanol as a key intermediate species. In the case of zeolite H-beta, methyl aromatics can be formed in the absence of oxygen, consistent with an earlier report that these products are formed from cracking of benzene over the acid zeolite.