Preparation of ordered mesoporous TiO2 thin film and its application in methanol catalytic combustion

Ordered mesoporous titania thin films were synthesized by evaporation induced self‐assembly process in the presence of Pluronic block copolymers P123 (EO₂₀‐PO₇₀‐EO₂₀). The influence of several experimental parameters, including aging humidity, aging temperature, substrate properties and methods for organic templates removal, on the mesostructure of titania thin films was investigated in details. The mesoporous titania thin film supported Pt catalyst was prepared, and its methanol catalytic combustion performance was studied. The results showed that mesoporous titania thin film is an active support for catalyst. Mesoporous titania thin film supported platinum catalysts yields 70% methanol conversion at room temperature and 100% conversion at 100 °C. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intermolecular interactions governing solubilization in micelles of poly(alkylene oxide) surfactants

Partition coefficients for 39 low-molecular-mass compounds between water and micelles of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer (Pluronic P85) and the monolauryl ether of poly(ethylene oxide) (Brij 35) have been measured by the methods of fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence anisotropy, and dialysis kinetics. The tested compounds include aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, naphthols, xanthene dyes, anthracycline antibiotics, and porphyrins. The multifactor analysis of the partition coefficients in terms of the linear free-energy relationships has been performed. It has been shown that the H-donating ability of compounds facilitates their solubilization in Pluronic micelles and has no effect on solubilization in micelles of monolauryl ether of poly(ethylene oxide). This difference indicates that, when solubilization occurs in Pluronic micelles, the compounds under study appear in a hydrophobic core composed of poly(propylene oxide) blocks.     

Charge selective encapsulation by polymeric micelles with cationic,anionic, or zwitterionic cores

Polymeric micelles showing charge selective and pH‐reversible encapsulation are reported. It is found that for a guest mixture of organic cationic–anionic dyes, a unimolecular micelle (PEI@PS) with a polystyrene (PS) as shell and a hyperbranched polyethylenimine (PEI) as core can exclusively entrap the anionic one; and a physical micelle consisting of brush‐like macromolecule (mPS‐PAA) with multi PS‐b‐polyacrylic acid (PAA) as grafts can exclusively entrap the cationic one. A covalent micelle (PEI‐COOH@PS) bearing a zwitterionic core, that is, PEI covalently derived with dense carboxylic acids, can undergo highly pH‐switchable charge selective and pH‐reversible encapsulation. Both PEI@PS and mPS‐PAA can be used for highly charge‐selective separation of ionic dyes but the pH‐reversibility of the encapsulation is relatively limited. In contrast, PEI‐COOH@PS is less effective to differentiate the anionic–cationic dyes but is well recyclable. A physical micelle obtained from the self‐assembly of PEI and mPS‐PAA shows similar property to PEI‐COOH@PS. The combination of these micelles in mixture separation can enhance the recyclability of the micelle and widen the spectrum of mixtures that can be well separated. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Block Copolymer Micelles with Near Infrared Metal Phthalocyanine Dyes for Laser Induced Writing

A route has been developed to disperse metal‐containing phthalocyanine dyes in a non‐polar medium based on amphiphilic block copolymer micelles of poly[styrene‐block‐(4‐vinylpyridine)] (PS‐b‐P4VP) and poly[styrene‐block‐(acrylic acid)] (PS‐b‐PAA) copolymers. Polar P4VP and PAA efficiently encapsulate cobalt(II ), manganese(II ), and nickel(II ) phthalocyanine dyes by axial coordination of nitrogen and µ‐oxo bridged dimerization with the transition metals, respectively. Good dispersion of the dyes is confirmed by the linear enhancement of Q‐bands in UV–vis absorption spectra with dye concentration. A thin monolayered PS‐b‐P4VP micelle film that contained a nickel(II ) phthalocyanine dye which efficiently adsorbs a laser beam on a localized area to generate a local heat higher than the glass transition temperatures of both blocks. One‐dimensional laser writing on the dye‐containing film allows the fabrication of a few submicrometer wide line patterns in which the self‐assembled nanostructure of the block copolymer is modified by the directional heat arising from laser scanning.

     

One Pot Synthesis of Amphiphilic Hyperbranched Poly-(amino ester)and Its Dynamic Surface Activity

Amphiphilic hyperbranched poly(amino ester)s with hydrophilic multi‐ethoxylated triacrylate backbone and hydrophobic long alkyl side chain were firstly synthesized via one pot Michael addition polymerization. The poly‐(amino ester) could dissolve in cold water and self‐assemble into loose micelle. Under 50–1000 ms bubble, the dynamic surface tension (DST) of the poly(amino ester) aqueous solution (0.5 wt%) still maintained in the range of 32–28 mN/m. The aqueous solutions of poly(amino ester)s with different molecular weights showed the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in the range of 8–50°C, which could also be tuned by its pH. Capped with hydrophobic groups on the terminal units and partially neutralized with acid, the poly(amino ester)s still kept their stable dynamic surfactant behaviors, indicating promising application.     

Effect of anionic surfactant on alginate‐chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayer thickness

Alginate and chitosan are among the most common biopolyelectrolytes. Surfactants can be included in alginate and chitosan formulations in order to improve their physical and functional properties. In the present study, the effect of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on alginate‐chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films is reported for the first time. Layer‐by‐layer deposition technique was employed to prepare the PEM samples and the samples were characterized by ellipsometry, X‐ray reflectivity, atomic force microscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. Incorporation of SDS into PEM formulations increased the film thickness and an increased adsorption behavior between alginate and chitosan layers are observed. Since the concentration of SDS was below its critical micelle concentration, no micelle formation was expected and hydrophobic‐hydrophobic interaction between alginate and SDS might be the main reason. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1798–1803     

Interactions between Rhodamine Dyes and Model Membrane Systems—Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Background: rhodamines are dyes widely used as fluorescent tags in cell imaging, probing of mitochondrial membrane potential, and as P-glycoprotein model substrates. In all these applications, detailed understanding of the interaction between rhodamines and biomembranes is fundamental. Methods: we combined atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize the interaction between rhodamines 123 and B (Rh123 and RhB, respectively) and POPC bilayers. Results: while the xanthene moiety orients roughly parallel to the membrane plane in unrestrained MD simulations, variations on the relative position of the benzoic ring (below the xanthene for Rh123, above it for RhB) were observed, and related to the structure of the two dyes and their interactions with water and lipids. Subtle distinctions were found among different ionization forms of the probes. Experimentally, RhB displayed a lipid/water partition coefficient more than two orders of magnitude higher than Rh123, in agreement with free energy profiles obtained from umbrella sampling MD. Conclusions: this work provided detailed insights on the similarities and differences in the behavior of bilayer-inserted Rh123 and RhB, related to the structure of the probes. The much higher affinity of RhB for the membranes increases the local concentration and explains its higher apparent affinity for P-glycoprotein reconstituted in model membranes.     

Formulation of Aluminum Chloride Phthalocyanine in Pluronic™ P‐123 and F‐127 Block Copolymer Micelles: Photophysical properties and Photodynamic Inactivation of Microorganisms

Aluminum Chloride Phthalocyanine (AlPcCl) can be used as a photosensitizer (PS) for Photodynamic Inactivation of Microorganisms (PDI). The AlPcCl showed favorable characteristics for PDI due to high quantum yield of singlet oxygen (Φ_Δ) and photostability. Physicochemical properties and photodynamic inactivation of AlPcCl incorporated in polymeric micelles of tri‐block copolymer (P‐123 and F‐127) against microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans were investigated in this work. Previously, it was observed that the AlPcCl undergoes self‐aggregation in F‐127, while in P‐123 the PS is in a monomeric form suitable for PDI. Due to the self‐aggregation of AlPcCl in F‐127, this formulation did not show any effect on these microorganisms. On the other hand, AlPcCl formulated in P‐123 was effective against S. aureus and C. albicans and the death of microorganisms was dependent on the PS concentration and illumination time. Additionally, it was found that the values of PS concentration and illumination time to eradicate 90% of the initial population of microorganisms (IC₉₀ and D₉₀, respectively) were small for the AlPcCl in P‐123, showing the effectiveness of this formulation for PDI.     

Ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer in the micelle and the gel phase of a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer

Ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) to coumarin dyes is studied in the micelle and the gel phase of a triblock copolymer, (PEO)(20)-(PPO)(70)-(PEO)(20) (Pluronic P123) by picosecond and femtosecond emission spectroscopies. The rate of PET in a P123 micelle and gel is found to be nonexponential and faster than the slow components of solvation dynamics. In a P123 micelle and gel, PET occurs on multiple time scales ranging from a subpicosecond time scale to a few nanoseconds. In the gel phase, the highest rate constant (9.3 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)) of ET for C152 is about two times higher than that (3.8 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)) observed in micelle phase. The ultrafast components of electron transfer (ET) exhibits a bell shaped dependence with the free energy change which is similar to the Marcus inversion. Possible reasons for slower PET in P123 micelle compared to other micelles and relative to P123 gel are discussed.     

PHOTODYNAMIC INACTIVATION OF SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM VESICLE MEMBRANES BY XANTHENE DYES

Abstract— Photosensitized oxidation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicle membranes by a series of xanthene dyes was investigated. With increasing dye concentration and illumination time, the calcium ion uptake, ATPase activity and UV fluorescence intensity of SR decreased, and the absorbance at 241 nm increased. In xanthene dyes, the order of inactivation of the calcium uptake and ATPase activity of SR was in accord with decreasing order, of fluorescence intensity and increasing order of absorbance at 241 nm. Some regular relationships exist between the molecular structures of xanthene dyes and the photodynamic inactivation of SR membranes.     

Nickel-thiolate complex catalyst assembled in one step in water for solar H2 production

We report the use of a simple complex assembled from Ni(II) salt and 2-mecaptoethanol in one step in water as the efficient catalyst in a molecular hydrogen system which can be sensitized by a low-cost xanthene dye, Erythrosin B. An excellent quantum efficiency of 24.5% is attained at 460 nm. This simple system is expected to contribute toward the development of economical and environmentally benign solar hydrogen production systems.     

Chaotropic‐Anion‐Induced Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Ionic Polymeric Micelles

Traditional micelle self‐assembly is driven by the association of hydrophobic segments of amphiphilic molecules forming distinctive core–shell nanostructures in water. Here we report a surprising chaotropic‐anion‐induced micellization of cationic ammonium‐containing block copolymers. The resulting micelle nanoparticle consists of a large number of ion pairs (≈60 000) in each hydrophobic core. Unlike chaotropic anions (e.g. ClO₄^?), kosmotropic anions (e.g. SO₄^2?) were not able to induce micelle formation. A positive cooperativity was observed during micellization, for which only a three‐fold increase in ClO₄^? concentration was necessary for micelle formation, similar to our previously reported ultra‐pH‐responsive behavior. This unique ion‐pair‐containing micelle provides a useful model system to study the complex interplay of noncovalent interactions (e.g. electrostatic, van der Waals, and hydrophobic forces) during micelle self‐assembly.     

Simulation study of aggregate morphologies formed by ABC linear triblock copolymers in a selective solvent through the self‐consistent field theory

The effect of the hydrophobic properties of blocks B and C on the aggregate morphologies formed by ABC linear triblock copolymers in selective solvent was studied through the self‐consistent field theory. Five typical micelles, such as core‐shell‐corona, hamburger‐like, segmented‐wormlike, were obtained by changing the hydrophobic properties of blocks B and C. The simulation results indicate that the shape and size of micelle are basically controlled by the hydrophobic degree of the middle block B, whereas the type of micelle is mainly determined by the hydrophobic degree of the end block C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 484–492, 2009     

Pluronic F-127: An Efficient Delivery Vehicle for 3-(1'-hexyloxy)ethyl-3-devinylpyropheophorbide-a (HPPH or Photochlor)

To determine the impact of delivery vehicles in photosensitizing efficacy of HPPH, a hydrophobic photosensitizer was dissolved in various formulations: 1% Tween 80/5% dextrose, Pluronic P-123 and Pluronic F-127 in 0.5%, 1% and 2% phosphate buffer solutions (PBS). HPPH was also conjugated to Pluronic F-127, and the resulting conjugate (PL-20) was formulated in PBS. Among the different delivery vehicles, only Pluronic P-123 displayed significant vehicle cytotoxicity, whereas Pluronic F127 was nontoxic. Compared to PL-20, HPPH formulated in Tween80 and Pluronic F-127 showed higher cell-uptake, but lower long-term retention in Colon26 cell compared to PL-20. The higher retention of PL-20 was similarly observed during in vivo uptake with BALB/c mice baring Ct26 tumors. In contrast to the in vitro uptake experiments, PL-20 showed slightly higher uptake compared to HPPH formulated in Tween or Pluronic-F127. A significant difference in pharmacokinetic profile was also observed between the HPPH-Pluronic formulation and PL-20. Under similar in vivo treatment parameters (drug dose 0.47 µmol kg⁻¹, light dose: 135 J cm⁻² at 24 h post-injection of PS), HPPH formulated either in Tween or Pluronic F-127 formulation showed similar in vivo PDT efficacy (20–30% tumor cure on day 60), whereas PL-20 showed 40% tumor cure (day 60).     

Formation of Polymeric Nanocubes by Self‐Assembly and Crystallization of Dithiolane‐Containing Triblock Copolymers

Template‐free fabrication of non‐spherical polymeric nanoparticles is desirable for various applications, but has had limited success owing to thermodynamic favorability of sphere formation. Herein we present a simple way to prepare cubic nanoparticles of block copolymers by self‐assembly from aqueous solutions at room temperature. Nanocubes with edges of 40–200 nm are formed spontaneously on different surfaces upon water evaporation from micellar solutions of triblock copolymers containing a central poly(ethylene oxide) block and terminal trimethylene carbonate/dithiolane blocks. These polymers self‐assemble into 28±5 nm micelles in water. Upon drying, micelle aggregation and a kinetically controlled crystallization of central blocks evidently induce solid cubic particle formation. An approach for preserving the structures of these cubes in water by thiol‐ or photo‐induced crosslinking was developed. The ability to solubilize a model hydrophobic drug, curcumin, was also explored.     

Phototoxicity of Some Bromine-Substituted Rhodamine Dyes: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties and Application as Photosensitizers

Abstract— The synthesis of some bromine-substituted rhodamine derivatives viz. , 4,5-dibromorhodamine methyl ester (dye 2) and 4,5-dibromorhodamine n -butyl ester (dye 3) are reported. These dyes were synthesized to promote a more efficient cancer cell photosensitizer for potential use in in vitro bone marrow purging in preparation for autologous bone marrow transplantation. Spectroscopic and photo-physical characterization of these dyes together with rhodamine 123 (dye 1) are reported in water, methanol, eth-anol and also in a microheterogeneous system, sodium dodecyl sulfate. The possible mechanism of photosensi-tization is characterized in terms of singlet oxygen efficiency of these dyes. Singlet oxygen quantum yields for bromine-substituted dyes are in the range of 0.3-0.5 depending on the solvent. For dye 1 no singlet oxygen production is found. The photodynamic actions of these dyes in different cell lines are tested. It was found that dye 2 and dye 3 are efficient photosensitizers and mediate eradication of K562, EM2, myeloid cell lines (CML) and the SMF-AI rhabdomyosarcoma line.     

Complexes of Chlorin e6 with Pluronics and Polyvinylpyrrolidone: Structure and Photodynamic Activity in Cell Culture

Polymeric carriers are extensively used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for increase of efficacy of photosensitizers. Here, we report the influence of nine Pluronic copolymers on phototoxicity of chlorin e6 (Ce6), in particular 5‐ to 7‐fold rise in the phototoxicity caused by hydrophilic Pluronics F127, F108, F68 and F87 and practically no influence on Ce6 of more hydrophobic polymers. The revealed value of 0.2 mg mL^?1 of Pluronic F127 concentration sufficient for half‐of‐maximal increase of Ce6 photodynamic activity proved to be close to 0.16 mg mL^?1 inherent in well‐documented carrier poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The dissociation constants of Ce6 complexes with Pluronic F127 and PVP that were estimated from UV spectra were 0.252 and 0.036 mg mL^?1, respectively, indicating higher stability of Ce6 complex with PVP. According to the results of ¹H‐NMR studies of Ce6 complexes, the porphyrin interacts not only with hydrophobic regions but also with hydrophilic sides of both polymers.     

A femtosecond study of excitation wavelength dependence of solvation dynamics in a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer micelle

Excitation wavelength (lambdaex) dependence of solvation dynamics of coumarin 480 (C480) in the micellar core of a water soluble triblock copolymer, PEO20-PPO70-PEO20 (Pluronic P123), is studied by femtosecond and picosecond time resolved emission spectroscopies. In the P123 micelle, the width of the emission spectrum of C480 is found to be much larger than that in bulk water. This suggests that the P123 micelle is more heterogeneous than bulk water. The steady state emission maximum of C480 in P123 micelle shows a significant red edge excitation shift by 25 nm from 453 nm at lambdaex=345 nm to 478 nm at lambdaex=435 nm. The solvation dynamics in the interior of the triblock copolymer micelle is found to depend strongly on the excitation wavelength. The excitation wavelength dependence is ascribed to a wide distribution of locations of C480 molecules in the P123 micelle with two extreme environments-a bulklike peripheral region with very fast solvent response and a very slow core region. With increase in lambdaex, contribution of the bulklike region having an ultrafast component (< or =2 ps) increases from 7% at lambdaex=375 nm to 78% at lambda(ex)=425 nm while the contribution of the ultraslow component (4500 ps) decreases from 79% to 17%.     

Synthesis and Characterization of β‐CD‐Coated Polystyrene Microspheres by γ‐Ray Radiation Emulsion Polymerization

Polystyrene (PS) microspheres coated with β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) were fabricated via γ‐ray‐induced emulsion polymerization in a ternary system of styrene/β‐CD/water (St/β‐CD/water). The solid inclusion complex of St and β‐CD particles formed at the St droplets–water interface can stabilize the emulsion as the surfactant. TEM and XPS results showed that β‐CD remains on the surface of PS particles. The average size of the PS particles increases from 186 to 294 nm as the weight ratio of β‐CD to St rises from 5% to 12.5%. The water contact angle (CA) of PS latex film is lower than 90°, and reduces with the β‐CD content even to 36°. Thus, this work provides a new and one‐pot strategy to surface hydrophilic modification on hydrophobic polymer particles with cyclodextrins through radiation emulsion polymerization.     

Ligandless C‐C bond formation via Suzuki–Miyaura reaction in micelles or water–ethanol solution using PdPtZn and PdZn nanoparticle thin films

PdPtZn and PdZn nanoparticle (NP) thin films were synthesized by the reduction of [PdCl₂(cod)], [PtCl₂(cod)] (cod = cis,cis‐1,5‐cyclooctadiene) and [Zn(acac)₂] (acac = acetylacetonate) complexes at an oil–water interface. The structure and morphology of the as‐prepared NPs were characterized with X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis of X‐rays. Catalytic activity of the prepared NPs was investigated in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction in H₂O–EtOH and various micellar media systems such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cationic surfactant), sodium dodecylsulfate (anionic surfactant) and Pluronic P123 (non‐ionic surfactant). PdPtZn and PdZn thin films exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to Pd thin film in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction due to the appropriate interaction between palladium, platinum and zinc metals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.