Preparation and characterization of a novel organic-inorganic nanohybrid "cerasome" formed with a liposomal membrane and silicate surface

A novel class of organic-inorganic hybrids, the so-called cerasomes, which have a bilayer vesicular structure and a silicate surface, has been synthesized by combination of sol-gel reaction and self-assembly of organoalkoxysilanes with a molecular structure analogous to lipids. We have synthesized two cerasome-forming organoalkoxysilanes, N-[N-(3-triethoxysilyl)propylsuccinamoyl]dihexadecylamine (1) and N,N-dihexadecyl-N (alpha)-[6-[(3-triethoxysilyl)propyldimethylammonio]hexanoyl]glycinamide bromide (2), and investigated the synthetic conditions of the cerasomes and their structural characteristics. For the proamphiphilic 1, the cerasome was obtained under restricted pH conditions where acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the triethoxysilyl moiety proceeded without disturbing the vesicle formation. In contrast, the amphiphilic 2, additionally having a hydrophilic quaternary ammonium group, formed stable dispersions of the cerasome in a wide pH range. The hydrolysis behavior of the triethoxysilyl groups was monitored by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Morphology of the cerasomes having the liposomal vesicular structure was confirmed by TEM observations. Extent of the development of siloxane networks through condensation among the silanol groups on the cerasome surface was evaluated by using MALDI-TOF-MS spectrometry. Formation of oligomers of the cerasome-forming lipids in the vesicle was clearly confirmed. Due to the siloxane network formation, the cerasome showed remarkably high morphological stability compared with a reference liposome, as evaluated by surfactant dissolution measurements.     

Exceptional affinity of nanostructured organic-inorganic hybrid materials towards dioxygen: confinement effect of copper complexes

We report the exceptional reactivity towards dioxygen of a nanostructured organic-inorganic hybrid material due to the confinement of copper cyclam within a silica matrix. The key step is the metalation reaction of the ligand, which can occur before or after xerogel formation through the sol-gel process. The incorporation of a Cu(II) center into the material after xerogel formation leads to a bridged Cu(I)/Cu(II) mixed-valence dinuclear species. This complex exhibits a very high affinity towards dioxygen, attributable to auto-organization of the active species in the solid. The remarkable properties of these copper complexes in the silica matrix demonstrate a high cooperative effect for O(2) adsorption; this is induced by close confinement of the two copper ions leading to end-on mu-eta(1):eta(1)-peroxodicopper(II) complexes. The anisotropic packing of the tetraazamacrocycle in a lamellar structure induces an exceptional reactivity of these copper complexes. We show for the first time that the organic-inorganic environment of copper complexes in a silica matrix fully model the protecting role of protein in metalloenzymes. For the first time an oxygenated dicopper(II) complex can be isolated in a stable form at room temperature, and the reduced Cu(2) (I,I) species can be regenerated after several adsorption-desorption cycles. These data also demonstrate that the coordination scheme and reactivity of the copper cyclams within the solid are quite different from that observed in solution.     

Selective chemisorption of carbon monoxide by organic-inorganic hybrid materials incorporating cobalt(III) corroles as sensing components

Twenty-one hybrid materials incorporating cobalt(III) corrole complexes were synthesized by a sol-gel process or by grafting the metallocorrole onto a mesostructured silica of the SBA-15 type. All the materials show an almost infinite selectivity for carbon monoxide with respect to dinitrogen and dioxygen in the low-pressure domain where the chemisorption phenomenon is predominant. This peculiar property is of prime importance for an application as a CO sensor. The selectivity slightly decreases at high pressures where nonselective physisorption phenomena mainly occur. The percentage of active sites for CO chemisorption ranges from 22 to 64 %. This low percentage may be attributable to interactions between the cobalt(III) corroles with silanol or siloxane groups remaining at the surface of the materials which prevent further coordination of the CO molecule. Notably, the most efficient materials are those prepared in the presence of a protecting ligand (pyridine) during the gelation or the grafting process. The removal of this ligand after the gelation process releases a cavity around the cobalt ion that favors the coordination of a carbon monoxide molecule. The CO adsorption properties of the SBA-15 hybrid were not affected over a period of several months thus indicating a high stability of the material. Conversely, the xerogel capacities slowly decrease owing to the evolution of the material structure.     

Mesoporous hybrid thin films: the physics and chemistry beneath

Mesoporous films containing organic or biological functions within an organised array of cavities are produced by combining sol-gel, self-assembly of supramolecular templates and surface chemistry. This paper reviews the essential physics and chemical concepts behind the synthesis of these complex multifunctional materials.     

Surfactant-free nonaqueous synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures

Surfactant-free nonaqueous (and/or nonhydrolytic) sol-gel routes constitute one of the most versatile and powerful synthesis methodologies for nanocrystalline metal oxides with high compositional homogeneity and purity. Although the synthesis protocols are particularly simple, involving only metal oxide precursors and common organic solvents, the obtained uniform nanocrystals exhibit an immense variety of sizes and shapes. The small number of reactants in these routes enables the study of the chemical mechanisms involved in metal oxide formation. Nonhydrolytic routes to inorganic nanomaterials that used surfactants as size- and shape-controlling agents have been discussed recently. This Minireview supplements this topic by discussing surfactant-free processes, which have become a valuable alternative to surfactant-assisted as well as to traditional aqueous sol-gel chemistry routes.     

Hexylene- and octylene-bridged polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals self-assembled by dimeric building blocks with ring structures

We report the synthesis of novel polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals prepared from two precursors with hexylene- and octylene-bridged groups. Both crystals are composed of bimolecular rings (18- and 22-membered, respectively) formed by one-step condensation of two hydrolyzed monomers. The hydrogen bonds between silanol groups and the weak van der Waal's interactions between alkyl chains link the large rings as building blocks together into self-assembled, three-dimensional molecular crystalline structures. The precise control of the sol-gel process is considered to be the crucial factor in fabricating flexible long alkyl chains into an ordered stacking. These contributions extend the understanding of the sol-gel chemistry of polysilsesquioxanes.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence of titania nanoparticle arrays templated by block-copolymer thin films.

High-density arrays of titania nanoparticles were prepared using a polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PS-b-PEO) as a template and a titanium tetraisopropoxide based sol-gel precursor as titania source via a spin-coating method. The hydrophilic titania sol-gel precursor was selectively incorporated into hydrophilic PEO domains of PS-b-PEO and form titania nanoparticle arrays, due to a microphase separation between the PS block and the sol-gel/PEO phase. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) images showed that the uniformity and long-range order of the titania/PEO domains improved with increasing sol-gel precursor amount. Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) results indicate that the ordered structures exist over large length scales. Titania nanocrystal arrays of anatase modification were obtained by calcination at 600 degrees C for 4 h. After calcination, separated particles were observed for low and medium amounts of sol-gel precursors. Films with higher precursor amounts showed wormlike structures due to the aggregation between neighboring particles. Removal of the polymer matrix via UV treatment leads to highly ordered arrays of amorphous titania while retaining the domain size and interparticle distance initially present in the hybrid films. Photoluminescence (PL) properties were investigated for samples before and after calcination. The PL intensity increases with the increasing amount of sol-gel precursor. Bands at 412 nm were ascribed to self-trapped exitons and bands at 461 and 502 nm to oxygen vacancies, respectively. Uncalcined or UV-treated samples also showed PL properties similar to calcined samples, indicating that the local environment of the titanium atoms is similar to the environment of the crystalline anatase modification.     

An investigation of the self-assembly of neutral, interlaced, triple-stranded molecular braids

The synthesis and structures of six compounds prepared in two different systems have been explored with the purpose of isolating coordination polymers with interlaced triple-stranded molecular braid architectures. The dinuclear paddle-wheel units of [Cu(2)(maa)(4)2 H(2)O] can be rationally tuned to form three classes of isomorphous compounds, namely [Cu(2)(maa)(4)(bpp)] (1) (bpp=1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane, Hmaa=2-methylacrylic acid), [Cu(3)(maa)(6)(bpp)(2)] (2), and[Cu(4)(maa)(8)(bpp)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]2 H(2)O (3), with a bridging bpp ligand, at controlled ligand-to-metal molar ratios, and lead to three coordination polymers having similar one-dimensional characteristics but different mono- and dinuclear nodes. Compound 1, with a bpp:[Cu(2)(maa)(4)2 H(2)O] stoichiometry of 1:1, contains a zigzag chain containing dinuclear nodes, whereas polymer 2, with a bpp:[Cu(2)(maa)(4)2 H(2)O] stoichiometry of 1.5:1, also adopts the topology of a zigzag chain but with both mono- and dinuclear nodes. Compound 3, with a bpp:[Cu(2)(maa)(4)2 H(2)O] stoichiometry of 2:1, contains a neutral, interlaced, triple-stranded molecular braid, which is interwoven by three single-stranded meso-helical chains that contain only a mononuclear node. With the three aromatic chelating terminal ligands 2,2':6',2'-terpyridine (tpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), and di(2-pyridyl)amine (dpa) we have also prepared three neutral complexes containing the linear, rigid bridging ligand biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate (bpdc), namely [Cd(bpdc)(tpy)]H(2)O (4), [Cu(bpdc)(phen)(2)]4.25 H(2)O (5), and [Cu(bpdc)(dpa)] (6). An infinite meso-helix is formed initially in 4, and then three of these chains assemble into a triple-stranded braid similar to that of 3. Complexes 5 and 6 have a mononuclear and a looped dinuclear structure, respectively. Compounds 3 and 4 are unusual examples of triple-stranded molecular braid coordination frameworks based on different types of co-ligands.     

Designed synthesis of nanostructured siloxane-organic hybrids from amphiphilic silicon-based precursors

This paper reports on recent progress in the synthesis of nanostructured siloxane-organic hybrids based on the self-assembly of amphiphilic silicon-based precursors. A variety of ordered hybrid materials have been obtained by molecular design of the precursors. Alkoxysilanes and chlorosilanes with covalently attached hydrophobic organic tails are hydrolyzed to form amphiphilic molecules containing silanol groups, leading to the formation of layered (lamellar) structures. Transparent and oriented thin films of lamellar hybrids were prepared by the reaction in the presence of tetraalkoxysilane. In addition, the design of molecules having alkyl chains and large oligosiloxane heads led to the formation of mesophases consisting of cylindrical assemblies, providing a direct pathway to ordered porous silica. The synthesis, structural features, and formation processes of these hybrid mesostructures are discussed.