Self-assembly of fullerene-rich nanostructures with a stannoxane core

Fullerene derivatives bearing a carboxylic acid function undergo self-assembly with n-butylstannonic acid (nBuSn(O)OH) to produce fullerene-rich nanostructures with a stannoxane core in almost quantitative yields.     

Facilitated transport of saccharides through a supported liquid membrane containing a neutral lipophilic resorcinarene carrier

The facilitated transport of several types of saccharidess has been studied across a supported liquid membrane containing a resorcinarene carrier. The rate-determining step is believed to be the migration of a carrier-saccharide-water ternary complex in the organic solvent. The transport kinetics obey a saturation law, that allows the calculation of the stability constants of the various complexes. The stability constants are related to the saccharide structures: important factors are chain length, configuration and substitution of key hydroxyl groups.     

Study of peptide dendrimers having a ferrocene core supported on mercaptoundecanoic acid

Hydrogen-bonding interactions between the carboxylic acid groups of mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) coated gold substrates and the ester surface of peptide dendrimers allows the formation of glutamic acid dendrimers films. Dendrimer films were prepared for generations 1-6 (G1-G6) and analyzed by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Electrochemical studies using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry show that all films except those of G6 were electrochemically active. Lack of activity of G6 films is rationalized by the total encapsulation of the ferrocene redox probe by the dendritic sheath and lack of ion pairing, which prevents its oxidation.     

Dynamic structural change of a twisted hexaporphyrin complex by highly specific molecular recognition

The highly specific molecular recognition of a twisted hexaporphyrin complex, tris[5,5'-bis[5,10,15-tris[methoxy(ethoxy)(2)carbonylethyl]porphyrinatozinc(II)]-2,2'-bipyridine]ruthenium(II) chloride (2), is described. Complex 2 has two trisporphyrin binding sites and can bind two triamines, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (3) (K(1) = 3.0 x 10(8) M(-1), K(2) = 3.0 x 10(7) M(-1)), 1,1,1-tris(aminomethyl)ethane (4) (K(1) = 2.0 x 10(7) M(-1), K(2) = 1.4 x 10(6) M(-1)), tris(3-aminopropyl)amine (5) (K(1) = 3.5 x 10(6) M(-1), K(2) = 6.0 x 10(6) M(-1)), and 1,3,5-tris(aminomethyl)benzene (6) (K(1) = 2.9 x 10(6) M(-1), K(2) = 1.2 x 10(6) M(-1)), strongly with its torsional motion. The 1:2 complex between 2 and the best fit triamine 3 showed the nature of the specific rigid structure in the UV-vis, fluorescence, and (1)H NMR spectra and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements.     

General method for modification of liposomes for encoded assembly on supported bilayers

An amphiphilic oligonucleotide species ((C18)2-DNA) is presented as a generally useful reagent to display encoded tether sequences on the surface of phospholipid assemblies. (C18)2-DNA inserts into preformed vesicles and proteoliposomes of arbitrary composition, content, and origin using a simple and gentle procedure and is a significant improvement over the previously described method particularly since it allows postmodification of any phospholipid assembly without the need for special lipids carrying reactive headgroups. DNA-modified vesicles can then be tethered, via DNA hybridization, onto a supported phospholipid bilayer displaying the complementary sequence. The encoding capability of the tether can be exploited to form an array of tethered vesicles spatially defined by the DNA sequence displayed on the surface and demonstrates that (C18)2-DNA is stably associated with a membrane to allow sorting. Vesicles tethered in this way show two-dimensional mobility, reflecting the fluidity of the supporting bilayer, and promises to be a useful system with which to study vesicle-vesicle interactions.     

Enzymatic assembly of the bis-indole core of rebeccamycin

Rebeccamycin is a member of the family of indolocarbazole antibiotics with broad spectrum antitumor activity. The indolocarbazole framework is derived from two molecules of tryptophan, but very little is known about the enzymes involved in rebeccamycin biosynthesis. Here, we show that RebD is responsible for all catalytic steps forming the central pyrrole ring of chlorochromopyrrolic acid from two molecules of chloroindolepyruvic acid. This transformation does not require any additional cofactors and constitutes the first step of bis-indole formation in the biosynthesis of rebeccamycin.     

A highly emissive Cu2N2 diamond core complex supported by a [PNP]- ligand

A Cu2N2 diamond core structure, {(PNP)CuI}2 (2), supported by a [PNP]- ligand (1) ([PNP]- = bis(2-(diisobutylphosphino)phenyl)amide) has been prepared. 2 is highly emissive at ambient temperature in both the solid and solution states and is characterized by a relatively long-lived excited state (tau > 10 mus) and an unusually high quantum yield (phi > 0.65). These observations are consistent with a low degree of structural reorganization between the ground state of 2 and its excited state *2, and also with a high degree of steric protection of the two copper centers of 2 afforded by the bulky [PNP]- ligand. An estimate for the excited-state reduction potential of *2 (ca. -3.2 V vs Fc+/Fc), and the availability of two well-separated and reversible ground-state redox processes, suggests that bimetallic copper systems of these types may be interesting candidates to consider for photochemically driving multielectron redox transformations.     

pH-driven assembly of various supported lipid platforms: a comparative study on silicon oxide and titanium oxide

Supported lipid platforms are versatile cell membrane mimics whose structural properties can be tailored to suit the application of interest. By identifying parameters that control the self-assembly of these platforms, there is potential to develop advanced biomimetic systems that overcome the surface specificity of lipid vesicle interactions under physiological conditions. In this work, we investigated the adsorption kinetics of vesicles onto silicon and titanium oxides as a function of pH. On each substrate, a planar bilayer and a layer of intact vesicles could be self-assembled in a pH-dependent manner, demonstrating the role of surface charge density in the self-assembly process. Under acidic pH conditions where both zwitterionic lipid vesicles and the oxide films possess near-neutral electric surface charges, vesicle rupture could occur, demonstrating that the process is driven by nonelectrostatic interactions. However, we observed that the initial rupturing process is insufficient for propagating bilayer formation. The role of electrostatic interactions for propagating bilayer formation differs for the two substrates; electrostatic attraction between vesicles and the substrate is necessary for complete bilayer formation on titanium oxide but is not necessary on silicon oxide. Conversely, in the high pH regime, repulsive electrostatic interactions can result in the irreversible adsorption of intact vesicles on silicon oxide and even a reversibly adsorbed vesicle layer on titanium oxide. Together, the results show that pH is an effective tool to modulate vesicle-substrate interactions in order to create various self-assembled lipid platforms on hydrophilic substrates.     

Synthesis of a core trisaccharide building block for the assembly of N-glycan neoconjugates

A short and high yielding synthesis of a core trisaccharide 1 as the key building block in the assembly of a library of N-glycan neoconjugates is presented. The β-d-Manp-(1→4)-d-GlcpNAc linkage was introduced by inversion of the C-2 position of a β-glucoside. The glucosyl donor was efficiently synthesised following a recently published one-pot strategy. 2-Naphthylmethyl and benzylidene-acetal protection in the terminal mannose permitted selective liberation of main branching sites for subsequent glycosylation. A C5 azido linker attached to the anomeric position, which is stable throughout the synthesis, will allow for the posterior immobilisation of deprotected glycans on a microarray surface.     

TiB2/均相硼掺杂TiO2核/壳结构提升光催化氧化水产氧活性

光催化可实现污染物降解、分解水制氢和CO2还原等多种氧化还原反应, 因而受到了广泛关注. 光催化材料中光生电荷的数目与氧化还原能力直接影响光催化反应效率, 在许多光催化反应中, 光生空穴氧化反应被认为速控步骤. 以光催化分解水为例, 质子的还原是单电子过程, 水氧化产生氧气则涉及四个电子. 空穴的高能量不仅可赋予其高的氧化能力,还能提高其迁出表面的能力, 因此具有重要研究价值.我们组的前期工作表明, 以TiB2作为前驱体, 采用水热合成和焙烧两步法可制备出间隙硼掺杂的金红石相或锐钛矿相TiO2, 间隙硼掺杂可显著降低价带顶, 提升光催化氧化水产氧性能. 然而, 在已有的结果中, 间隙硼掺杂浓度在TiO2中均呈现从内向外逐渐增加的梯度分布, 这意味着硼掺杂浓度有限, 且表层更低的价带顶不利于体相光生空穴向表面迁移, 因此亟需实现TiO2中均相的间隙硼掺杂.本文以湿化的氩气为水解环境, 将水解过程限域在TiB2的表面以减少硼原子流失; 同时提高水解温度, 使残留的硼原子形成间隙掺杂, 避免其在二次焙烧时扩散, 从而在TiB2核的表面所形成的TiO2壳层中实现均相间隙硼掺杂, 显著提高了光催化氧化水产氧活性. 多种表征结果表明, 直径约为6-10 μm的TiB2核表面形成了厚约400 nm的TiO2壳层, 在TiO2/TiB2中TiO2壳层重量比约为30%, TiO2壳层中锐钛矿相TiO2占比为65 wt%, 金红石相TiO2占比为35 wt%. TiO2壳层中间隙硼为均相分布, 硼掺杂显著降低了价带顶位置, 提高了光生空穴的氧化能力, 从而使得TiB2/TiO2展现出比未掺杂的金红石、锐钛矿相及两者混合相的TiO2均具有更高的光催化氧化水产氧的能力.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel nano-scale magnetic solid base catalyst involving a layered double hydroxide supported on a ferrite core

A nano-scale magnetic solid base catalyst MgAl-OH-LDH/MgFe₂O₄ (where LDH denotes layered double hydroxide) composed of MgAl-OH-LDH Brønsted base catalytic layers coated on MgFe₂O₄ spinel cores has been prepared. A magnetic precursor MgAl-CO₃-LDH/MgFe₂O₄ was prepared by a method involving separate nucleation and aging steps, and subsequently calcined to give a mixed metal oxide composite MgAl(O)/MgFe₂O₄ which was rehydrated to give MgAl-OH-LDH/MgFe₂O₄. The structure and magnetic properties of the nano-scale magnetic solid base MgAl-OH-LDH/MgFe₂O₄, together with those of the magnetic precursor MgAl-CO₃-LDH/MgFe₂O₄ and MgFe₂O₄ were characterized by XRD, XPS, low temperature N₂ adsorption and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The MgAl-OH-LDH/MgFe₂O₄ composite possesses a mesoporous structure with pore size ranging from 2 to 20 nm with particle size mainly in the range 35-130 nm. The catalytic properties of MgAl-OH-LDH/MgFe₂O₄ were evaluated using the self-condensation of acetone at 273 K as a probe reaction. The results showed that the conversion of acetone to diacetone alcohol reached the thermodynamic equilibrium value of 23% at 273 K. The catalyst was easily recovered through application of an external magnetic field, and when the reclaimed catalyst was used in a second run for the same reaction, the reactivity remained unchanged.     

Gold nanocluster confined within a cage: template-directed formation of a hexaporphyrin cage and its confinement capability

A novel container complex in which a 1.4 nm gold cluster is confined within a hexaporphyrin cage was synthesized; the cage showed notable confinement capability for the cluster core, but allowed the interpenetration of small molecules into the interstitial space.     

A ferrocene dendrimer based on a cyclotriphosphazene core

A ferrocene dendrimer based on a cyclotriphosphazene core was prepared via a sixfold substitution reaction of N₃P₃Cl₆ with a diferrocenyl benzyl alcohol dendron. All twelve ferrocene units in the dendrimer were found to be electrochemically equivalent.     

A nitrate-selective microelectrode based on a lipophilic derivative of iodocobalt(III)salen

The synthesis of iodo{2,2′-[1,2-octadecanediylbis(nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenolato}cobalt is described. Liquid membrane microelectrodes based on this carrier exhibit Nernstian behaviour with a selectivity sequence according to the Hofmeister series: I^– > NO₃ ^– > NO₂ ^– > Cl^– > HCO₃ ^– > AcO^–. The selectivity coefficient of nitrate over nitrite and chloride amounts to –1.6 and –2.7, respectively. The detection limit for nitrate in water amounts to 10^–5.2 mol/L. A nitrate profile measured in a nitrifying biofilm is presented as a practical application. Received: 11 November 1998 / Revised: 22 January 1999 / Accepted: 27 January 1999     

A nitrate-selective microelectrode based on a lipophilic derivative of iodocobalt(III)salen

The synthesis of iodo{2,2′-[1,2-octadecanediylbis(nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenolato}cobalt is described. Liquid membrane microelectrodes based on this carrier exhibit Nernstian behaviour with a selectivity sequence according to the Hofmeister series: I^– > NO₃ ^– > NO₂ ^– > Cl^– > HCO₃ ^– > AcO^–. The selectivity coefficient of nitrate over nitrite and chloride amounts to –1.6 and –2.7, respectively. The detection limit for nitrate in water amounts to 10^–5.2 mol/L. A nitrate profile measured in a nitrifying biofilm is presented as a practical application.     

Molecular assembly of artificial photosynthetic antenna core complex on an amino-terminated ITO electrode

Bacterial photosynthetic membrane proteins, light-harvesting antenna complex (LH1), reaction center (RC), and their combined ‘core’ complex (LH1–RC) are functional elements in the primary photosynthetic events, i.e., capturing and transferring light energy and subsequent charge separation. These photosynthetic units (PSUs) isolated from Rhodospirillum rubrum (Rs. rubrum) were assembled onto an ITO electrode modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS–ITO). The near IR absorption spectra of PSUs on the assembled electrodes were identical to those of solutions, indicating that the LH1 and LH1–RC core complexes were native on the electrode. Photocurrent response of PSUs on the electrode was examined upon illumination of the LH1 complex at 880 nm. The LH1–RC and a mixed assembly of LH1 and RC exhibited photocurrent response, but not LH1 only, consistent with the function of these PSUs, capturing light energy and transferring electron. This result provides useful methodology for building an artificial fabrication of PSUs on the electrode.     

Synthesis and supramolecular self‐assembly of thermosensitive amphiphilic star copolymers based on a hyperbranched polyether core

A novel amphiphilic thermosensitive star copolymer with a hydrophobic hyperbranched poly (3‐ethyl‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)oxetane) (HBPO) core and many hydrophilic poly(2‐(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) arms was synthesized and used as the precursor for the aqueous solution self‐assembly. All the copolymers directly aggregated into core–shell unimolecular micelles (around 10 nm) and size‐controllable large multimolecular micelles (around 100 nm) in water at room temperature, according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry and ¹H NMR, TEM, and DLS measurements. The star copolymers also underwent sharp, thermosensitive phase transitions at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), which were proved to be originated from the secondary aggregation of the large micelles driven by increasing hydrophobic interaction due to the dehydration of PDMAEMA shells on heating. A quantitative variable temperature NMR analysis method was designed by using potassium hydrogen phthalate as an external standard and displayed great potential to evaluate the LCST transition at the molecular level. The drug loading and temperature‐dependent release properties of HBPO‐star‐PDMAEMA micelles were also investigated by using indomethacin as a model drug. The indomethacin‐loaded micelles displayed a rapid drug release at a temperature around LCST. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 668–681, 2008