Encapsulation of Homogeneous Catalysts in Mesoporous Materials Using Diffusion‐Limited Atomic Layer Deposition

The heterogenization of homogeneous metal complex catalysts has attracted great attention. The encapsulation of metal complexes into nanochannels of mesoporous materials is achieved by coating metal oxides at/near the pore entrance by diffusion‐limited atomic layer deposition (ALD) to produce a hollow plug. The pore size of the hollow plug is precisely controlled on the sub‐nanometer scale by the number of ALD cycles to fit various metal complexes with different molecular sizes. Typically, Co or Ti complexes are successfully encapsulated into the nanochannels of SBA‐15, SBA‐16, and MCM‐41. The encapsulated Co and Ti catalysts show excellent catalytic activity and reusability in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of epoxides and asymmetric cyanosilylation of carbonyl compounds, respectively. This ALD‐assisted encapsulation method can be extended to the encapsulation of other homogeneous catalysts into different mesoporous materials for various heterogeneous reactions.     

Melt Extrusion Encapsulation of Flavors: A Review

Encapsulation of flavor and aroma compounds has been largely explored in order to meet appraisal demands from consumers by improving the impact of flavor during the consumption of food products. Even though several techniques have been used for encapsulating volatile compounds, i.e., spray drying, fluidized bed coating, coacervation, and melt extrusion, those most frequently used in the food industry are spray drying and melt extrusion. In this article, the different techniques of encapsulation of flavors and fragrances in polymer-based matrices by extrusion are reviewed and partly re-defined, emphasizing the differences between the various techniques reported so far and the role of matrix types, additives, and operative conditions. Also, the role of water as a key parameter for controlled release and shelf stability of the delivery system will be discussed.     

Encapsulation of Flavours and Fragrances into Polymeric Capsules and Cyclodextrins Inclusion Complexes: An Update

Flavours and fragrances are volatile compounds of large interest for different applications. Due to their high tendency of evaporation and, in most cases, poor chemical stability, these compounds need to be encapsulated for handling and industrial processing. Encapsulation, indeed, resulted in being effective at overcoming the main concerns related to volatile compound manipulation, and several industrial products contain flavours and fragrances in an encapsulated form for the final usage of customers. Although several organic or inorganic materials have been investigated for the production of coated micro- or nanosystems intended for the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours, polymeric coating, leading to the formation of micro- or nanocapsules with a core-shell architecture, as well as a molecular inclusion complexation with cyclodextrins, are still the most used. The present review aims to summarise the recent literature about the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours into polymeric micro- or nanocapsules or inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, with a focus on methods for micro/nanoencapsulation and applications in the different technological fields, including the textile, cosmetic, food and paper industries.     

Preparation approaches of the coated capillaries with liposomes in capillary electrophoresis

The use of liposomes as coating materials in capillary electrophoresis has recently emerged as an important and popular research area. There are three preparation methods that are commonly used for coating capillaries with liposomes, namely physical adsorption, avidin–biotin binding and covalent coupling. Herein, the three different coating methods were compared, and the liposome-coated capillaries prepared by these methods were evaluated by studying systematically their EOF characterization and performance (repeatability, reproducibility and lifetime). The amount of immobilized phospholipids and the interactions between liposome or phospholipid membrane and neutral compounds for the liposome-coated capillaries prepared by these methods were also investigated in detail. Finally, the merits and disadvantages for each coating method were reviewed.     

Chemistry and biochemistry of branched-chain sugars

Branched-chain sugars have recently been isolated in larger numbers from microorganisms and higher plants as glycoside components of antibiotics or phenolic compounds. They also occur in plants in cell wall polysaccharides. Sugars with methyl, hydroxymethyl,formyl, hydroxyethyl, and glycoloyl branches have so far been found in nature. Many new methods have been developed for the synthesis of these sugars. With one exception, the branched sugars known at present can be divided biogenetically into three groups. Sugars with methyl branches are formed by C₁ transfer, sugars with hydroxyethyl branches by C₂ transfer to a hexose chain, and sugars with hydroxymethyl or formyl branches by rearrangement of a hexose or pentose chain.     

Controlled Formation of Polymer Nanocapsules with High Diffusion‐Barrier Properties and Prediction of Encapsulation Efficiency

Polymer nanocapsules with high diffusion‐barrier performance were designed following simple thermodynamic considerations. Hindered diffusion of the enclosed material leads to high encapsulation efficiencies (EEs), which was demonstrated based on the encapsulation of highly volatile compounds of different chemical natures. Low interactions between core and shell materials are key factors to achieve phase separation and a high diffusion barrier of the resulting polymeric shell. These interactions can be characterized and quantified using the Hansen solubility parameters. A systematic study of our copolymer system revealed a linear relationship between the Hansen parameter for hydrogen bonding (δ_h) and encapsulation efficiencies which enables the prediction of encapsulated amounts for any material. Furthermore EEs of poorly encapsulated materials can be increased by mixing them with a mediator compound to give lower overall δ_h values.     

Electrochemical characterization of composite membranes based on crown-ethers intercalated into montmorillonite

Oxyethylene macrocyclic compounds (crown-ethers) act as ligands of intracrystalline cations of certain layered silicates as montmorillonites. Stable intercalation materials are formed which are used to prepare organic-inorganic membranes by encapsulating these intercalation compounds with a poly-butadiene thin coating. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is used to study the resulting composite membranes in contact with aqueous electrolytes. From the impedance plots, the ionic resistance of the membranes is obtained. The thickness of the polybutadiene coating is an important factor determining the ability of ions to pass across the membrane. Marked differences in the ionic resistance are observed as a function of the nature of the interlayer macrocyclic compound. For non-intercalated montmorillonite membranes, the ionic resistance is strongly reduced, whereas for some crown-ether intercalated materials such as 18-crown-6 and dibenzo 24-crown-8, iono-selective membranes are obtained. Concerning the nature of the electrolyte, cations exhibiting greater hydration energies show higher difficulties to pass through the membrane and, consequently, the ionic resistance increases.     

Prussian blue nanocontainers: selectively permeable hollow metal-organic capsules from block ionomer emulsion-induced assembly

Hollow polymer-based particles are useful for the encapsulation, protection, and release of active compounds. Adding a metal-organic coordination framework shell to nanocontainers is an attractive goal because it should help control their stability and permeability while yielding new properties and functions. We have discovered that polymer capsules with a Prussian blue analogue inner shell can be synthesized by emulsion-induced assembly of a metal-containing amphiphilic block ionomer. The capsules are selectively permeable and were used as nanocontainers to encapsulate and release a model compound. Further, these nanomaterials are tunable in size and organize into 2-D close-packed arrays in the solid state. Potential applications for these materials include the encapsulation and nanopatterning of pharmaceutical, biological, and catalytic compounds.     

生物多糖进行医用高分子材料表面修饰的研究进展

综述了国内外应用生物多糖进行医用高分子材料表面修饰的研究状况,其中重点介绍了葡聚糖、肝素及类肝素类物质、壳聚糖等多糖在高分子材料表面修饰的研究近况.多糖是自然界中含量最为丰富的生物大分子,几乎存在于所有的生命体中,具有很好的生物相容性,而且某些生物多糖还具有特殊的生物活性,因此用生物多糖进行医用高分子材料的表面修饰受到了国内外研究学者的关注.大量研究表明,经过生物多糖表面修饰的高分子材料可获得良好的生物相容性和某些优良的医学应用性能.     

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Properties of Aggregation-Enhanced Emission-Active Unsymmetrical PtII Metallomesogens through Self-Assembly

Herein, we report a series of unsymmetrical bispyrazolate-type Pt^II compounds that exhibit mesomorphism at low temperatures and photophysical multi-stimuli-responsive properties. These Pt^II compounds show a great ability to be self-assembled by intermolecular Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interactions in the solid state, so generating a columnar stacking of molecules that is responsible for the formation of the mesophases. By controlling the nature of the molecular assembly through external stimuli such as the temperature, the pressure, or the presence of vapours or solvents, it is possible to modulate the luminescence behaviour of these materials. The Pt^II monomers emit a greenish light, whereas aggregation of molecules produces a redshifted emission. These metallomesogens also show a high stability and successive grinding/fuming cycles can be performed without degradation of the sample. The application of these materials is very attractive as rewritable luminescent platforms, and their use is already demonstrated.     

Barrier Properties OF Inorganic-Organic Polymers: Influence of Starting Compounds,Curing Conditions and Storage-Scaling-Up to Industrial Application—

With a new kind of barrier coating material, namely inorganic-organic polymers, it is possible to obtain high-barrier properties for oxygen, water vapor, and flavor permeation. These hybrid polymers can be synthesized by the sol-gel technique. Network forming reactions and degrees of condensation in the coating sols as well as in the cured coating materials were characterized using ²⁹Si, ¹³C-NMR and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The oxygen barrier properties of the hybrid polymers were found to be strongly influenced by the inorganic and also by the organic network density. In order to scale-up the excellent laboratory results to pilot plant and production dimensions additional efforts were necessary. For optimization of the barrier coating compositions the influence of the starting compounds on the resulting barrier properties had to be investigated. A constant quality of the coating sols during the industrial processing had to be guaranteed so as to obtain reproducible barrier properties. The influence of storage conditions on chemical reactions in the coating sols, indicated by changes of viscosity, was investigated. Since the curing times of the laboratory system were not transferable to the high speed of the production roll coating process more effective curing methods had to be found. The influence of the storage time of the cured coating materials on the oxygen barrier properties was investigated. Even by storing at ambient temperature further improvement of the oxygen barrier properties was obtained. Only by optimizing all of the above mentioned parameters can the excellent barrier properties result in marketable products.     

Effects of KI encapsulation in single-walled carbon nanotubes by Raman and optical absorption spectroscopy

The effect of KI encapsulation in narrow (HiPCO) single-walled carbon nanotubes is studied via Raman spectroscopy and optical absorption. The analysis of the data explores the interplay between strain and structural modifications, bond-length changes, charge transfer, and electronic density of states. KI encapsulation appears to be consistent with both charge transfer and strain that shrink both the C-C bonds and the overall nanotube along the axial direction. The charge transfer in larger semiconducting nanotubes is low and comparable with some cases of electrochemical doping, while optical transitions between pairs of singularities of the density of states are quenched for narrow metallic nanotubes. Stronger changes in the density of states occur in some energy ranges and are attributed to polarization van der Waals interactions caused by the ionic encapsulate. Unlike doping with other species, such as atoms and small molecules, encapsulation of inorganic compounds via the molten-phase route provides stable effects due to maximal occupation of the nanotube inner space.     

A computational study of multicomponent orbital interactions during the cyclization of silyl, germyl, and stannyl radicals onto C-N and C-O multiple bonds

BHandHLYP/6-311G** and BHandHLYP/DZP computations of the potential surface of Si-, Ge-, and Sn-radical cyclizations onto the imine double bond reveal that these reactions proceed through simultaneous SOMO --> pi*, LP(N) --> SOMO, and LP(N) --> sigma* interactions. Such multicomponent orbital interactions are responsible for the regioselectivity in these radical cyclizations, where the nucleophilic radical unexpectedly attacks the more electron-rich end of the pi system. Less nucleophilic heteroatoms, for example, the nitrogen atom in nitriles or the oxygen atom in carbonyl compounds, show reduced LP interactions with the radical center in the respective transition states, so that these reactions predominantly occur in the "classical" fashion and with the expected regioselectivities of nucleophilic radicals through SOMO --> pi* interactions. This supports the hypothesis that Si-, Ge- and, to a lesser extent, Sn-radicals are ambiphilic in nature and that the unpaired electron is not necessarily the most reactive site in a radical but can act as an observer of a nucleophilic attack at the radical center.     

Reverse-phase LbL-encapsulation of highly water soluble materials by layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte self-assembly

We report on a novel method for the encapsulation of highly water soluble materials by using layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte self-assembly. State of the art polyelectrolyte self-assembly LbL coating and encapsulation methods are only applicable to insoluble or poorly water soluble template materials, because the process is performed in water causing dissolution of the solid template. Our method extends the material spectrum to highly water soluble template materials by using non-ionized polyelectrolytes in an organic phase (reverse-phase) instead of polyelectrolyte salts in an aqueous environment. By using the reverse-phase layer-by-layer (RP-LbL) technique, we have demonstrated the direct encapsulation of proteins, glucose, vitamin C, and inorganic salts in the solid state. Multilayer deposition was proven, layer thickness was determined by AFM, and the advantage of the method to prepare powders of encapsulated materials was demonstrated. The method is simple, robust, and applicable to a broad range of substances with potential applications in several industries.     

Microextraction techniques in the analysis of food flavor compounds: A review

Food flavor compounds due to the complexity of food as a matrix, and usually their very low concentrations in a product, as well as their low odor thresholds, create a challenge in their extraction, separation and quantitation. Food flavor volatiles represent compounds of different polarity, volatility and chemical character, which determine method of extraction for their isolation from food. Microextraction techniques, mainly SPME and SBSE have been used for food flavor compounds analysis for two decades. Microextraction methods other than SPME and SBSE are seldom used despite their analytical potential. The review discusses the nature of food flavor compounds, and different approaches to food flavor analysis. It summarizes the use of microextraction methods in food flavor compounds analysis based on papers published in the last 5 years, and discusses the potential of microextraction methods in this field.     

Structural insights into biological roles of protein-glycosaminoglycan interactions

The extracellular environment is largely comprised of complex polysaccharides, which were historically considered inert materials that hydrated the cells and contributed to the structural scaffolds. Recent advances in development of sophisticated analytical techniques have brought about a dramatic transformation in understanding the numerous biological roles of these complex polysaccharides. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a class of these polysaccharides, which bind to a wide variety of proteins and signaling molecules in the cellular environment and modulate their activity, thus impinging on fundamental biological processes. Despite the importance of GAGs modulating biological functions, there are relatively few examples that demonstrate specificity of GAG-protein interactions, which in turn define the structure-function relationships of these polysaccharides. Focusing on heparin/heparan (HSGAGs) and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CSGAGs), this review provides structural insights into the oligosaccharide-protein interactions and discusses some key and challenging aspects of understanding GAG structure-function relationships.     

顶空吸附萃取-气相色谱法分析小麦中部分风味物质

采用顶空吸附萃取法(headspace sorptive extraction, HSSE)建立了小麦中部分风味物质的分析方法。以硅橡胶为原料,采用溶胶-热空气硫化法,在模具中定型制得硅橡胶萃取棒。萃取棒的硅橡胶层体积约为87 μL,热稳定性好,耐热温度达到390 ℃。萃取棒吸附的风味物质经自制热解吸装置热脱附,被吹扫进入气相色谱仪进行分析。考察了萃取温度及时间、相比、热解吸条件对该方法萃取效率的影响。在优化条件下分析小麦粉标准样品,结果表明:方法的线性关系良好(r>0.9979),检出限为0.09～1.00 μg/kg,标准物质的平均添加回收率为95%～121%,相对标准偏差在2.2%～7.8%之间。对小麦粉实际样品进行分析,采用外标法得到了7种风味物质的绝对含量。该方法简便快捷,检出限低,适用于小麦中风味物质的快速定量分析。     

蛋白质与高分子的自组装

蛋白质是一类具有独特三维空间结构的生物高分子,其分子内部非共价键协同作用是形成三维空间结构的重要驱动力。同时,蛋白质分子与其他高分子之间也可以通过非共价键作用实现自组装。高分子链和蛋白质的结构特征是实现自组装的关键,溶液pH值、离子强度以及温度的变化会影响它们之间非共价键作用的类型和强度。本文归纳了水溶性高分子、嵌段共聚物和多糖与球状蛋白自组装的最新研究进展,分别从分子结构特征和溶液性质等因素讨论了其对高分子与蛋白质实现自组装的影响。其中,多糖与蛋白质的非共价键作用是化学与生物科学交叉领域最为活跃的研究课题之一,通过研究蛋白质与其他高分子的非共价键作用,对于理解和认识生命过程的本质与规律具有重要的意义,同时,在材料科学、纳米技术、食品科学等相关领域具有重要的应用价值。     

Pigment encapsulation by emulsion polymerization using macro-RAFT copolymers

A new method is described, based on living amphipathic random macro-RAFT copolymers, which enables the efficient polymeric encapsulation of both inorganic and organic particulate materials via free-radical polymerization. The mechanism for this new approach is examined in the context of the polymer coating of zirconia- and alumina-coated titanium dioxide particles and its breadth of application demonstrated by the coating of organic phthalocyanine blue pigment particles. The particulate materials were first dispersed in water using a macro-RAFT copolymer as a stabilizer. Monomer and water-soluble initiator were then added to the system, and the monomer polymerized to form the coating. If nucleation of new polymer particles in the aqueous phase was to be avoided, it was found necessary to use a macro-RAFT copolymer that did not form micelles; within this constraint, a broad range of RAFT agents could be used. The macro-RAFT agents used in this work were found not to transfer competitively in the aqueous phase and therefore did not support growth of aqueous-phase polymer. Successful encapsulation of particles was demonstrated by TEM. The process described enables 100% of the particles to be encapsulated with greater than 95% of the polymer finishing up in the polymeric shells around the particles. Moreover, the coating reaction can be carried out at greater than 50% solids in many cases and avoids the agglomeration of particles during the coating step.