利用Langmuir-Blodgett技术构筑表面微结构的方法*

由于表面纳/微结构在微电子和生物学等领域有着广泛的应用前景,其构筑方法引起了人们越来越多的关注。目前已经发展出了多种表面纳/微结构的构筑方法,然而在大面积上构筑表面结构仍然是一个非常重要的研究课题。自组装技术作为一种无模板的构筑方法,在这方面发挥了重要作用。本文着重介绍了近年来利用Langmuir-Blodgett（LB）技术在表面图案化中的应用。文中介绍了纳/微米级条带结构、岛状结构及纳米线状结构的构筑方法,其中条带结构的形成方向可以平行或垂直LB膜的转移方向。这些结构的构筑不仅可以用传统的两亲性分子,还可以用纳米粒子和纳米线等作为构筑材料。同时简单介绍了以LB技术构筑的表面纳/微米级结构在不同领域中的应用。     

Electronic Structure and Optical and Paramagnetic Properties of Macromolecules with Conjugated Bonds

The electronic structure and optical and paramagnetic properties of macromolecules with conjugated bonds were studied. Their electronic structures were described by use of such modern theoretical techniques as the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method based on the Hubbard Hamiltonian. Paramagnetic and optical properties were explained on the basis of this theory.     

Structure and stability of small TiO2 nanoparticles

The effect of the nanostructure on the photochemistry of TiO2 is an active field of research owing to its applications in photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Despite this interest, little is known of the structure of small particles of this oxide with sizes at the nanometer length scale. Here we present a computational study that locates the global minima in the potential energy surface of Ti(n)O2n clusters with n = 1-15. The search procedure does not refer to any of the known TiO2 polymorphs, and is based on a novel combination of simulated annealing and Monte Carlo basin hopping simulations, together with genetic algorithm techniques, with the energy calculated by means of an interatomic potential. The application of several different methods increases our confidence of having located the global minimum. The stable structures are then refined by means of density functional theory calculations. The results from the two techniques are similar, although the methods based on interatomic potentials are unable to describe some subtle effects. The agreement is especially good for the larger particles, with n = 9-15. For these sizes the structures are compact, with a preference for a central octahedron and a surrounding layer of 4- and 5-fold coordinated Ti atoms, although there seems to be some energy penalty for particles containing the 5-fold coordinated metal atoms with square base pyramid geometry and dangling Ti=O bonds. The novel structures reported provide the basis for further computational studies of the effect of nanostructure on adsorption, photochemistry, and nucleation of this material.     

Integrating top-down and self-assembly in the fabrication of peptide and protein-based biomedical materials

The capacity to create an increasing variety of bioactive molecules that are designed to assemble in specific configurations has opened up tremendous possibilities in the design of materials with an unprecedented level of control and functionality. A particular challenge involves guiding such self-assembling interactions across scales, thus precisely positioning individual molecules within well-organized, highly-ordered structures. Such hierarchical control is essential if peptides and proteins are to serve as both structural and functional building blocks of biomedical materials. To achieve this goal, top-down techniques are increasingly being used in combination with self-assembling systems to reproducibly manipulate, localize, orient and assemble peptides and proteins to form organized structures. In this tutorial review we provide insight into how both standard and novel top-down techniques are being used in combination with peptide or protein self-assembly to create a new generation of functional materials.     

Homo- and hetero-nuclear 2D NMR techniques: Umambiguous structural probes for non-cyclic benzyl aryl ethers in soluble lignin samples

A number of two-dimensional NMR experiments are evaluated with respect to their ability to provide unambiguous evidence for the presence or absence of non-cyclic benzyl aryl ether (α-O-4) structures in soluble lignin samples. The most suitable techniques, in terms of both sensitivity and structural information content were the homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn (HOHAHA) and heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) techniques. By spiking an acetylated Pinus radiata MWL sample with an oligomeric α-O-4 ether model compound, it was possible to determine a detection limit of <0.3 structures per 100 lignin C9 units for both the HOHAHA and HMQC techniques. From this, and other work, it can be shown that if α-O-4 structures are present in MWL samples, they are present at a level below the detection limit of these experiments. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of lignin biosynthesis and reactivity.     

Temperature and Composition Dependent Optical Properties of CdSe/CdS Dot/Rod-Based Aerogel Networks

Employing nanocrystals (NCs) as building blocks of porous aerogel network structures allows the conversion of NC materials into macroscopic solid structures while conserving their unique nanoscopic properties. Understanding the interplay of the network formation and its influence on these properties like size-dependent emission is a key to apply techniques for the fabrication of novel nanocrystal aerogels. In this work, CdSe/CdS dot/rod NCs possessing two different CdSe core sizes were synthesized and converted into porous aerogel network structures. Temperature-dependent steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements were performed to expand the understanding of the optical and electronic properties of these network structures generated from these two different building blocks and correlate their optical with the structural properties. These investigations reveal the influence of network formation and aerogel production on the network-forming nanocrystals. Based on the two investigated NC building blocks and their aerogel networks, mixed network structures with various ratios of the two building blocks were produced and likewise optically characterized. Since the different building blocks show diverse optical response, this technique presents a straightforward way to color-tune the resulting networks simply by choosing the building block ratio in connection with their quantum yield.     

Cryo-fracturing and cryo-planing for in-lens cryo-SEM, using a newly designed diamond knife.

High-pressure frozen rat pancreas tissue samples were cryo-fractured and cryo-sectioned with a diamond knife in the microtome of a freeze-etching device. The bulk fracture faces and block faces were investigated in the frozen-hydrated state by use of a cryo-stage in an in-lens SEM. With this combination, relevant biological structures can be investigated with a few nanometers resolution in a near lifelike state, preventing the artifacts of conventional fixation techniques. Compared to TEM replica techniques, the presented method is more versatile since no replica cleaning is necessary. Additional structures can be made visible by controlled sublimation of ice, leading to a better understanding of the three-dimensional organization of organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Grazing-incidence scattering—status and perspectives in soft matter and biophysics

Investigating lateral structures of surfaces and interfaces from the mesoscale down to atomic resolution is of growing interest to modify, functionalize, and understand the behavior of materials in soft matter and biophysics. Grazing-incidence scattering techniques have proven to be very powerful for such kind of studies. Using X-rays and neutrons also buried lateral structures can be accessed in a non-destructive way. The large probed sample area provides a high statistical relevance of the determined structure information, and complex sample environments in combination with in situ and in operando experiments provide the full potential for gaining deep insights in structure formation processes. In the brief review, we reflect on the current state of the art of grazing-incidence scattering techniques using X-rays and neutrons, fields of interest, and applications in soft matter and biophysics, resulting in challenges and providing a short outlook. Owing to the already available literature on X-ray–based techniques, we will set a slight emphasis on neutron-based techniques.     

Atomic Layer Electrodeposition of Pt on Nanoporous Au and its Application in pH Sensing

The preparation of nanoporous metal structures has received a substantial amount of attention because of the unique properties and various applications of these structures. In this work, the preparation of nanoporous Pt structures by modification of nanoporous gold (NPG) surfaces with Pt was achieved. An atomic layer electrodeposition (ALED) technique previously reported for the modification of flat Au surfaces with Pt was applied to the NPG surfaces to produce Pt‐modified NPG structures. The optimal ALED parameters, such as deposition potential, time, and number of cycles, for the preparation of Pt‐modified NPG structures were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis confirmed the successful preparation of nanoporous Pt structures by ALED techniques. The Pt‐modified NPG performed well as a pH sensor with a Nernstian slope and negligible hysteresis. The method of preparing the nanoporous Pt structures reported in this work could be utilized in various applications such as electrocatalysis and electroanalysis.     

Structures of carbohydrate-boronic acid complexes determined by NMR and molecular modelling in aqueous alkaline media

The structures of thermodynamically stable aromatic boronic acid : cyclic carbohydrate chelates in aqueous alkaline media have been studied using 1H NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling. It is found that interacting saccharides must necessarily possess a synperiplanar diol functionality for complexation to occur. While this is possible for furanose structures which tend to have a puckered planar geometry, for pyranose forms it is postulated that bis-complexation occurs with twist conformers of the pyranose ring, providing the ring has the requisite 1,2 : 3,4 polyol stereochemistry; specifically axial,equatorial : equatorial,axial or equatorial,axial : axial,equatorial orientations. In this respect it is possible to be predictive with regard to individual carbohydrate boronic acid interactions and to give reasonably comprehensive structural assignments to complexed components. In this paper twenty four polyhydroxy compounds have been screened using 1H NMR to monitor complexation along with computational techniques on a model system to substantiate proposed structures. It has been found that all of these materials interact with aromatic mono boronic acids as expected and structures for the resulting chelates are proposed.     

Refinement of NMR structures using implicit solvent and advanced sampling techniques

NMR biomolecular structure calculations exploit simulated annealing methods for conformational sampling and require a relatively high level of redundancy in the experimental restraints to determine quality three-dimensional structures. Recent advances in generalized Born (GB) implicit solvent models should make it possible to combine information from both experimental measurements and accurate empirical force fields to improve the quality of NMR-derived structures. In this paper, we study the influence of implicit solvent on the refinement of protein NMR structures and identify an optimal protocol of utilizing these improved force fields. To do so, we carry out structure refinement experiments for model proteins with published NMR structures using full NMR restraints and subsets of them. We also investigate the application of advanced sampling techniques to NMR structure refinement. Similar to the observations of Xia et al. (J.Biomol. NMR 2002, 22, 317-331), we find that the impact of implicit solvent is rather small when there is a sufficient number of experimental restraints (such as in the final stage of NMR structure determination), whether implicit solvent is used throughout the calculation or only in the final refinement step. The application of advanced sampling techniques also seems to have minimal impact in this case. However, when the experimental data are limited, we demonstrate that refinement with implicit solvent can substantially improve the quality of the structures. In particular, when combined with an advanced sampling technique, the replica exchange (REX) method, near-native structures can be rapidly moved toward the native basin. The REX method provides both enhanced sampling and automatic selection of the most native-like (lowest energy) structures. An optimal protocol based on our studies first generates an ensemble of initial structures that maximally satisfy the available experimental data with conventional NMR software using a simplified force field and then refines these structures with implicit solvent using the REX method. We systematically examine the reliability and efficacy of this protocol using four proteins of various sizes ranging from the 56-residue B1 domain of Streptococcal protein G to the 370-residue Maltose-binding protein. Significant improvement in the structures was observed in all cases when refinement was based on low-redundancy restraint data. The proposed protocol is anticipated to be particularly useful in early stages of NMR structure determination where a reliable estimate of the native fold from limited data can significantly expedite the overall process. This refinement procedure is also expected to be useful when redundant experimental data are not readily available, such as for large multidomain biomolecules and in solid-state NMR structure determination.     

Polymer 4D printing: Advanced shape-change and beyond

4D printing is an exciting branch of additive manufacturing. It relies on established 3D printing techniques to fabricate objects in much the same way. However, structures which fall into the 4D printed category have the ability to change with time, hence the “extra dimension.” The common perception of 4D printed objects is that of macroscopic single-material structures limited to point-to-point shape change only, in response to either heat or water. However, in the area of polymer 4D printing, recent advancements challenge this understanding. A host of new polymeric materials have been designed which display a variety of wonderful effects brought about by unconventional stimuli, and advanced additive manufacturing techniques have been developed to accommodate them. As a result, the horizons of polymer 4D printing have been broadened beyond what was initially thought possible. In this review, we showcase the many studies which evolve the very definition of polymer 4D printing, and reveal emerging areas of research integral to its advancement.     

New Approaches for Solving Crystal Structures from Powder Diffraction Data

The determination of crystal structures from single crystal diffraction data can generally be carried out routinely and straightforwardly. However, many crystalline solids can be obtained only as microcrystalline powders and are not suitable for investigation by conventional single crystal diffraction methods. In the past, this problem has limited the ability to elucidate the structural properties of such materials. For the wide range of materials in this category, there is clearly a pressing need to develop and exploit techniques that allow crystal structures to be solved from powder diffraction data. Although traditional techniques for structure solution from powder diffraction data have been applied successfully in several cases, these techniques have certain intrinsic limitations, and for the case of organic molecular crystals the challenges that must be overcome are particularly severe. For these reasons, our recent research has focused on the development and implementation of new methodologies for structure solution from powder diffraction data, leading to new “direct-space” techniques for structure solution in which a hypersurface based on the profile R-factor is searched using Monte Carlo or Genetic Algorithm techniques. This paper presents a brief overview of the problems and challenges associated with structure solution from powder diffraction data. The foundations of the techniques that we have developed are described, and illustrative examples (from the field of organic molecular crystals) are given to highlight the application of these techniques.     

Conformation and luminescence of isolated molecular semiconductor molecules

In this article, we describe, for the first time, direct comparisons of the detailed structures of two small molecule organic semiconductors, oligo(phenylenvinylene) (OPV) molecules with chains of five and six phenyl rings (5R-OC(8)H(17) and 6R-OC(8)H(17)), respectively, and their luminescence properties on a single molecule level. Our data originate from a combination of two powerful diagnostic tools in physical chemistry: ion mobility and single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. These techniques enable us to precisely determine the shapes of isolated molecules in the gas phase and to correlate these structures to the emission from single molecules supported on bare glass substrates. The principal structural uncertainty in OPVs is the (possible) presence and location of cis-vinylene linkages (cis-defects) in the oligomer. The results show that the structures observed in the gas phase are strongly correlated to the categories of molecules observed in the single molecule polarization anisotropy measurements with nearly identical distributions for the two OPV molecules studied. Each category is also characterized by the luminescence efficiency of the molecules in each class, providing a direct correlation between the luminescence efficiency and the shape of the molecule. This combination of techniques provides a level of information far beyond that obtained via any other analytical technique.     

Oxide- and zeolite-supported molecular metal complexes and clusters: physical characterization and determination of structure, bonding, and metal oxidation state

This article is a review of the physical characterization of well-defined site-isolated molecular metal complexes and metal clusters supported on metal oxides and zeolites. These surface species are of interest primarily as catalysts; as a consequence of their relatively uniform structures, they can be characterized much more precisely than traditional supported catalysts. The properties discussed in this review include metal nuclearity, oxidation state, and ligand environment, as well as metal-support interactions. These properties are determined by complementary techniques, including transmission electron microscopy; X-ray absorption, infrared, Raman, and NMR spectroscopies; and density functional theory. The strengths and limitations of these techniques are assessed in the context of results characterizing samples that have been investigated thoroughly and with multiple techniques. The depth of understanding of well-defined metal complexes and metal clusters on supports is approaching that attainable for molecular analogues in solution. The results provide a foundation for understanding the more complex materials that are typical of industrial catalysts.     

Patterned surfaces for biological applications: A new platform using two dimensional structures as biomaterials

With the highly interdisciplinary of research and great development of microfabrication techniques, patterned surfaces have attracted great attention of researchers since they possess specific regularity and orderness of structures.In recent years,series of two dimensional patterned structures have been successfully fabricated,and widely used in anti-reflection,anti-fogging,self-cleaning,and sensing,etc.In the meantime,patterned structures have been gradually used in biologically relative fields such as biomaterials,aiming to deepen the perception of organism and understand the vital movements of human body.In this review,we provide a brief introduction on current status of techniques for two dimensional patterns fabrication,the applications of patterned surfaces in biologically related fields,and give out a prospective on the development of these patterned surfaces in the future.     

X射线晶体学和电子晶体学在分子筛结构表征中的应用

分子筛是一类具有规则孔道或笼结构的晶态微孔材料, 在吸附、 分离和催化中都表现出了优异的性能. 为了探索其结构与性质的关系, 在原子尺度上研究分子筛的微观结构是十分必要的. 本综述介绍了一系列与X射线晶体学和电子晶体学相关的表征技术（倒易空间和正空间）在分子筛结构表征中的应用. 随后, 基于分子筛的结构表征方法和化学组成, 对2007年之后发现的85种新分子筛进行了系统总结, 对其中9种具有独特合成方法或结构特征的分子筛进行了详细介绍.     

利用AFM和SNOM对淋巴细胞膜表面超微结构及其光学性质的初步研究

利用原子力显微镜(Atomic Force Microscopy，AFM)对淋巴细胞表面形貌进行了形态学的初步研究，观察到了其膜表面其他显微技术所不能发现的超微结构．同时也运用扫描近场光学显微镜(Scanning Near field Optical Microscopy，SNOM)对淋巴细胞进行成像，观察了其对光的透射、吸收等光学性质，并对两种成像方法进行了比较．研究发现：淋巴细胞膜表面凹凸不平，分布着大量直径几十到几百纳米不等的小颗粒；淋巴细胞中央部位有自发荧光现象．结果表明，AFM和SNOM可作为进一步探讨淋巴细胞的结构与功能关系的有力工具．     

Recent Advances in in situ multi-spectroelectrochemistry

To consider the past, present and future of in situ spectroelectrochemistry, a review on the recent state of modern spectroelectrochemistry and trends in the development of spectroelectrochemcial techniques is presented for the combined application of different in situ spectroelectrochemcial methods like ESR spectroelectrochemistry, NMR spectroelectrochemistry, Raman spectroelectrochemistry or IR spectroelectrochemistry to electrode systems. Starting with a discussion of the first steps in spectroelectrochemistry in the past, the main part of this review is focused on the advantages of the combined application of spectroelectrochemical techniques in the analysis of electrode reactions. The spectroelectrochemical methods are demonstrated to be successful in electrode reactions both for solid structures like polymers or carbon nanotubes and for molecular structures like fullerenes and oligothiophenes. The final outlook is attributed to future developments in spectroelectrochemistry.     

Comparison between electrochemical and optoelectrochemical impedance measurements for detection of DNA hybridization

The principles of the electrochemical and optoelectrochemical impedance measurements on bare electrolyte/dielectric/semiconductor structures are described. The analysis of the experimental curves allows access to several indications concerning the electrical behavior of such structures. The application of these techniques to follow the electrical behavior of structures modified with two biological systems was investigated. The antibody/antigen recognition did not change the surface charge and, therefore, did not affect the impedance curves with respect to the applied potential. By contrast, the hybridization of two complementary DNA strands on the surface of the structure induced a variation of flat band potential of the semiconductor leading to a shift of impedance curves along the potential axis. This means that it is possible to detect directly the DNA hybridization without the use of labeled probes. The use of light allows the surface to be probed locally. In the future, the application of this technique for direct detection of hybridization on DNA chips should be possible.