Molecular signal suppression by in situ microextraction in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The detailed characterization of complex mixtures by NMR is often hampered by the presence of signals from uninformative compounds, the resonances of which overlap with those of the molecules of interest. We provide here a proof of principle for an approach to NMR signal suppression in complex samples using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPS). Addition of a few milligrams of polymer to a solution traps the target molecule in typical micromolar to millimolar concentration, thus achieving in situ signal suppression, without altering any other spectral features. This method minimized any manipulation or perturbation of the spectrum and was applied to a complex mixture of known compounds and to a plant extract, in both cases spiked with a compound (bisphenol A), which was subsequently removed by selective binding to a complementary MIP. What is described in this report is comparable with microextraction and may in due course be applied to a large number of analytical challenges. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stark Hole-Burning Spectroscopy of Cresylviolet Perchlorate in Amorphous Hosts

Stark hole-burning spectroscopy is used to investigate the effective dipole moment change of cresylviolet perchlorate (CVP) in various glass and polymer hosts such as ethanol:methanol (EM), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), poly (2-hydroxyethyl) methacrylate (PHEMA), polyvinylbutyral (PVB), and formamide. The strong correlation between effective dipole moment change of the guest molecule and the holeburning efficiencies of the host matrices illustrates the sensitivity of the dipole moment change as a direct measure of guest-host interactions. Hole-burning is found to be more efficient as the dipole induced reaction field increases. This relationship is discussed in terms of the unusual hole-burning mechanism suggested for this molecule. The effective dipole moment change of cresylviolet perchlorate ranges from 0.14 to 0.59 Debye.     

Improvement of hydrophilic properties of electrospun polyamide-imide fibrous mats by atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment

Polyamide-imide (PAI) fibrous mats were fabricated through electrospinning and further treated with atmospheric-pressure plasma. The surface characteristics of the PAI fibrous mats were examined to determine the effect of plasma treatment on the hydrophilic properties. FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact-angle analysis indicated that the hydrophilicity of the PAI fibrous mats increased upon the introduction of hydrophilic groups by plasma treatment. The concentration of functional groups, including oxygen, and the surface roughness of the PAI fibrous mats increased with increasing treatment time. The optimum plasma treatment time for surface modification of the PAI fibrous mats under atmospheric pressure was 120 s.     

Polypyrrole Grafts Synthesized via Electrochemical Polymerization

Abstract

Electrically conducting polypyrrole grafts with poly[(methyl meth-acrylate)-co-(2-(N-pyrrolyl) ethyl methacrylate)] (PMMA-co-PEMA) were synthesized by constant potential electrolysis. Cyclic Voltammetry, DSC, TGA, SEM and elemental analysis were used in order to characterize the free standing films. Conductivities of the polymers were measured by a four-probe technique.     

Polybenzimidazole-Ester-Imides

Thermostable heterocyclic polymers containing benzimidazole and imide rings, as well as flexible ester groups, have been synthesized by solution polycondensation of diaminobenzimidazoles with dianhydrides incorporating preformed ester linkages. The thermal stability and the electrical insulating properties of these products are discussed and compared with related heterocyclic polymers.     

Interaction Between DNA and Some Salicylic Acid Derivatives and Characterization of Their DNA Targets

A nanofiber polypyrrole (PPy) film was electrochemically deposited on a Pt electrode and used for immobilization of single‐stranded DNA (ssDNA) and investigation of hybridization events. Then, the interaction of DNA with four salicylic acid (SA) derivatives was studied with electrochemical methods. The oxidation peak of guanine was decreased by increasing the concentrations of salicylic acid derivatives. The binding constants of these compounds with four different sequences of DNA including different percentages of guanine‐cytosine and adenine‐thymine bases were calculated and it was clarified that sequences with higher percentage of adenine‐thymine bases have a higher binding constant in their interaction with SA derivatives.     

ADSORPTION OF SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENTS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION: HYDROPHOBIC SUBSTRATES∗

Isotherms for the adsorption of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, sodium POE (4) nonyl phenol sulfate, and POE (25) nonyl phenol, on the hydrophobic crystalline herbicides atrazine and cyanazine were determined. Anionic surfactants were measured at 5°, 25°, and 50° C; the nonionic surfactant at 25° C only. Low degrees of surface coverage were observed; in only one case (atra-zine/NaDBS) was monolayer coverage approached. On the other hand, adsorption was accompanied by a significant increase in negative zeta potential. Although DLVO calculations suggest that this adsorption should lead to stable aggregates, these are of such size that gravitational effects overpower the DLVO terms.     

黏惰化及酸敏感修饰对纳米粒子黏膜穿透的影响

使用纳米粒子进行疾病的诊断和治疗是当前研究的一个热点. 由于受到黏液层的阻碍, 纳米粒子对于黏膜上皮细胞的进入效果不佳, 从而限制了其对黏膜相关疾病的诊断和治疗. 本文设计合成了一种具有黏惰性的酸敏感纳米粒子(MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA), 可有效穿透黏液层进入黏膜上皮细胞. 首先采用溶胶-凝胶法合成了表面氨基化的介孔二氧化硅纳米粒子(MSNs-NH₂), 然后通过原子转移自由基聚合法(ATRP)使两性离子羧基甜菜碱甲基丙烯酸酯(CBMA)在MSNs-NH₂表面上聚合形成聚羧基甜菜碱甲基丙烯酸酯(pCBMA), 获得惰性化的粒子(MSNs-pCBMA), 最后将酸响应性分子2,3-二甲基马来酸酐(DMMA)修饰于MSNs-pCBMA表面, 制备了MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA. 场发射透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、 氢核磁共振波谱(¹H NMR)和纳米粒度Zeta电位测定仪等分析结果表明, 本文合成了MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA, 且粒子表面电位随pH值降低显著增加, 在pH=7.4~5.7范围内具有酸敏感能力. Transwell^?小室实验表明, pCBMA的接枝提高了粒子在模拟黏液中的渗透速率, 而DMMA的修饰则进一步增强了粒子的扩散能力, 4 h内MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA的模拟黏液渗透率达到16.3%, 为MSNs-pCBMA的1.9倍, MSNs-NH₂的3倍, 而以MSNs-NH₂的表观渗透系数（P_app）为标准计算得到的MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA的相对表观渗透系数达到了2.96. 细胞毒性试验验证MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA粒子的生物安全性良好. 细胞摄取试验表明, 相比于其它粒子MSNs-pCBMA-DMMA能够更快的被黏膜上皮细胞摄取. 本文所构建的纳米粒子能够快速渗透黏液且易于被黏膜上皮细胞摄取, 为其应用于黏膜相关疾病的活体诊断和治疗提供了基础.     

Nanochannels and nanodroplets in polymer membranes controlling ionic transport

Polymer materials with low water uptake exhibit a highly heterogeneous interior characterized by water clusters in the form of nanodroplets and nanochannels. Here, based on our recent insights from computer simulations, we argue that the water cluster structure has large implications for ionic transport and selective permeability in polymer membranes. Importantly, we demonstrate that the two key quantities for transport, the ion diffusion and the solvation free energy inside the polymer, are extremely sensitive to molecular details of the water clusters. In particular, we highlight the significance of water droplet interface potentials and the nature of hopping diffusion through transient water channels. These mechanisms can be harvested and fine-tuned to optimize selectivity in ionic transport in a wide range of applications.