Self-assembly of class II hydrophobins on polar surfaces

Hydrophobins are structural proteins produced by filamentous fungi that are amphiphilic and function through self-assembling into structures such as membranes. They have diverse roles in the growth and development of fungi, for example in adhesion to substrates, for reducing surface tension to allow aerial growth, in forming protective coatings on spores and other structures. Hydrophobin membranes at the air-water interface and on hydrophobic solids are well studied, but understanding how hydrophobins can bind to a polar surface to make it more hydrophobic has remained unresolved. Here we have studied different class II hydrophobins for their ability to bind to polar surfaces that were immersed in buffer solution. We show here that the binding under some conditions results in a significant increase of water contact angle (WCA) on some surfaces. The highest contact angles were obtained on cationic surfaces where the hydrophobin HFBI has an average WCA of 62.6° at pH 9.0, HFBII an average of 69.0° at pH 8.0, and HFBIII had an average WCA of 61.9° at pH 8.0. The binding of the hydrophobins to the positively charged surface was shown to depend on both pH and ionic strength. The results are significant for understanding the mechanism for formation of structures such as the surface of mycelia or fungal spore coatings as well as for possible technical applications.     

Molecular simulation of hydrophobin adsorption at an oil-water interface

Hydrophobins are small, amphiphilic proteins expressed by strains of filamentous fungi. They fulfill a number of biological functions, often related to adsorption at hydrophobic interfaces, and have been investigated for a number of applications in materials science and biotechnology. In order to understand the biological function and applications of these proteins, a microscopic picture of the adsorption of these proteins at interfaces is needed. Using molecular dynamics simulations with a chemically detailed coarse-grained potential, the behavior of typical hydrophobins at the water-octane interface is studied. Calculation of the interfacial adsorption strengths indicates that the adsorption is essentially irreversible, with adsorption strengths of the order of 100 k(B)T (comparable to values determined for synthetic nanoparticles but significantly larger than small molecule surfactants and biomolecules). The protein structure at the interface is unchanged at the interface, which is consistent with the biological function of these proteins. Comparison of native proteins with pseudoproteins that consist of uniform particles shows that the surface structure of these proteins has a large effect on the interfacial adsorption strengths, as does the flexibility of the protein.     

Layer thickness of hydrophobin films leads to oscillation in wettability

In nanobiotechnology, the properties of surfaces are often key to sensor applications. If analytes possess a low tolerance or affinity regarding the sensory substrate (surface), then the setup of mediators may be indicated. Hydrophobins enable biocompatible surface functionalization without significant restrictions of the physicochemical substrate properties. Because of the imperfect formation of hydrophobin films, a high variation in surface properties is observed. In this study, we report on the relation between the film thickness of hydrophobin-coated solid surfaces and their wettability. We found that the wettability of protein-coated surfaces strictly depends on the amount of adsorbed protein, as reflected in an oscillation of the contact angles of hydrophobin-coated silicon wafers. Fusion proteins of Ccg2 and HFBI, representatives of class I and II hydrophobins, document the influence of fused peptide tags on the wettability. The orientation of the first crystal nuclei plays a decisive role in the formation of the growing hydrophobin layers. Here, a simple method of deducing the film thickness of hydrophobin assemblies on solid surfaces is presented. The determination of the static contact angle allows the prediction of which part of the protein is exposed to possible analytes.     

Surface properties of class ii hydrophobins from Trichoderma reesei and influence on bubble stability

We report the remarkable surface behavior of class II hydrophobin proteins HFBI and HFBII from Trichoderma reesei and the resulting effect that these proteins have on the stability of air bubbles to the process of disproportionation. The surface properties were studied using surface tensiometry and surface shear rheology. Surface tensiometry data show that hydrophobins are very surface active proteins, reducing the surface tension to approximately 30 mN m-1. The rate at which the hydrophobins adsorb at the surface may also be related to the self-assembly behavior in aqueous solution. We further show that hydrophobins form air/water surfaces with high elasticity, the magnitude of which is well in excess of that of surface layers formed by other common proteins used as foam or emulsion stabilizers. The measured surface properties translate to the stability of bubbles with adsorbed hydrophobin, and in this study, we demonstrate the ability of hydrophobin to have a dramatic effect on the rate of disproportionation in some simple bubble dissolution studies.     

若干典型中空结构材料的模板合成与应用进展（英文）

中空结构材料作为一类新兴功能材料,具有可调空腔、高比例活性表面及强化的物质传递等特性;当多组分及功能被整合与分区时,可实现中空结构材料的非对称结构(Janus)的拓扑演化.本文重点介绍若干典型中空结构材料,包括Janus中空材料的模板合成方法进展及中空结构材料在催化、储能、油/水分离与药物递送等领域的潜在应用,并展望了中空结构材料的未来发展趋势.     

Colloidal behavior of nanoemulsions: Interactions,structure, and rheology

Nanoemulsions exhibit unique behavior due to their nanoscopic dimensions, including remarkable droplet stability, interactions, and rheology. These properties are significantly enhanced by nanoscopic droplet size, as well as the selection of surfactant and other molecular species in solution. Electrostatic and polymer-induced interdroplet interactions are particularly powerful tools for fine-tuning the interdroplet interactions, and have led to stimuli-responsive nanoemulsion systems that provide deep insight into their unique properties. As such, nanoemulsions have emerged as powerful model systems for studying a number of colloidal phenomena including suspension rheology, repulsive and attractive colloidal glasses, aggregation processes, colloidal gelation and phase instability, and associative network formation in polymer–colloid mixtures. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the colloidal behavior of nanoemulsions, and provides a unifying framework for understanding the various complex states that emerge, as well as perspective on emerging challenges and opportunities that will advance the use of nanoemulsions in both fundamental colloid science and technological applications.     

Paramagnetic surface active ionic liquids: synthesis,properties, and applications

Paramagnetic surface active ionic liquids (PMSAILs) classify task-specific ionic liquids with magnetic properties by incorporating metal into the cationic or anionic part of the ionic liquid. Paramagnetic ionic liquids had long-chain either in cations or anions and showed excellent surface activity and magnetic properties without any need for the magnetic nanoparticles. These PMSAILs have inherent unique ionic liquid properties and self-assembled into various nano-aggregates such as micelles, vesicles, rod-like micelles, and etc., by modification in the structure of cations or anions. PMSAILs provide stimuli-responsive properties, which is one of the essential aspects of targeted applications. The appropriate functional tunability of anions and cations in PMSAILs leads to various multifaceted chemical and biological applications. A new emerging trend in PMSAIL research is hybridization with flexible materials. This review will mainly deal with the synthesis, characterization, and brief history of PMSAILs and their potential advantages in the various applications in micellar catalysis, purification and separation of biomolecules, compaction and decompaction of DNA, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications.     

Recent advances in spherical photonic crystals: Generation and applications in optics

Spherical photonic crystals (PCs), generated by assembly of monodisperse colloidal nanospheres in a spherical confined geometry, attract great attention recently owing to their potential applications in the fields of displays, sensors, optoelectronic devices, and others. Compared to their conventional film or bulk counterparts, the optical stop band of the spherical PCs is independent of the rotation under illumination of the surface of a fixed incident angle of the light, broadening their applications. In this paper, we will review recent advances in the field of spherical PCs including design, preparation and potential applications. Various preparation strategies for spherical PCs, including solvent-evaporation induced crystallization method, microfluidic-assisted approach, and others are outlined. Their applications based on the unique optical properties (such as photonic band gaps and structural colors) for sensing and displaying are then presented, followed by the perspective of this emerging field.     

静电力驱动蛋白质在疏水蛋白表面的吸附

疏水蛋白是丝状真菌产生的一种外泌蛋白质, 它们可以在不同表面形成双亲性蛋白膜. 疏水蛋白也是一种优良的蛋白质固定化基质, 然而蛋白质在疏水蛋白表面吸附的驱动机制却是未知的. 本文系统研究了不同pH和离子浓度下蛋白质在疏水蛋白表面的吸附. 首先, 用石英晶体微天平技术研究了不同pH和离子浓度下, Ⅰ型疏水蛋白HGFI和Ⅱ型疏水蛋白HFBI在聚苯乙烯表面的吸附. 结果发现, pH和离子强度对HGFI在聚苯乙烯表面的吸附影响较大, 对HFBI的吸附影响与HGFI相比则较小; HGFI在聚苯乙烯表面主要形成的是弹性膜, 而HFBI在聚苯乙烯表面主要形成的是刚性膜. 随后又研究了不同pH和离子浓度下牛血清白蛋白(BSA)和亲和素(Avidin)在HGFI和HFB上吸附, 结果表明, pH和离子强度对BSA和Avidin在HGFI和HFB上吸附有显著影响, 说明BSA和Avidin在两种疏水蛋白上吸附的主要驱动力为静电力. 本文研究结果为实现疏水蛋白表面可控地固定蛋白质提供了理论指导.     

Biological identity of nanomaterials: Opportunities and challenges

The emergence of nanoparticles (NPs) has attracted tremendous interest of the scientific community for decades due to their unique properties and potential applications in diverse areas, including drug delivery and therapy. Many novel NPs have been synthesized and used to reduce drug toxicity, improve bio-availability, prolong circulation time, control drug release, and actively target to desired cells or tissues. However, clinical translation of NPs with the goal of treating particularly challenging diseases, such as cancer, will require a thorough understanding of how the NP properties influence their fate in biological systems, especially in vivo. Many efforts have been paid to studying the interactions and mechanisms of NPs and cells. Unless deliberately designed, the NPs in contact with biological fluids are rapidly covered by a selected group of biomolecules especially proteins to form a corona that interacts with biological systems. In this view, the recent development of NPs in drug delivery and the interactions of NPs with cells and proteins are summarized. By understanding the protein-NP interactions, some guidelines for safety design of NPs, challenges and future perspectives are discussed.     

Intrinsic therapeutic applications of noble metal nanoparticles: past, present and future

Biomedical nanotechnology is an evolving field having enormous potential to positively impact the health care system. Important biomedical applications of nanotechnology that may have potential clinical applications include targeted drug delivery, detection/diagnosis and imaging. Basic understanding of how nanomaterials, the building blocks of nanotechnology, interact with the cells and their biological consequences are beginning to evolve. Noble metal nanoparticles such as gold, silver and platinum are particularly interesting due to their size and shape dependent unique optoelectronic properties. These noble metal nanoparticles, particularly of gold, have elicited a lot of interest for important biomedical applications because of their ease of synthesis, characterization and surface functionalization. Furthermore, recent investigations are demonstrating another promising application of these nanomaterials as self-therapeutics. To realize the potential promise of these unique inorganic nanomaterials for future clinical translation, it is of utmost importance to understand a few critical parameters; (i) how these nanomaterials interact with the cells at the molecular level; (ii) how their biodistribution and pharmacokinetics influenced by their surface and routes of administration; (iii) mechanism of their detoxification and clearance and (iv) their therapeutic efficacy in appropriate disease model. Thus in this critical review, we will discuss the various clinical applications of gold, silver and platinum nanoparticles with relevance to above parameters. We will also mention various routes of synthesis of these noble metal nanoparticles. However, before we discuss present research, we will also look into the past. We need to understand the discoveries made before us in order to further our knowledge and technological development (318 references).     

The fabrication strategies and enhanced performances of metal-organic frameworks and carbon dots composites: State of the art review

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with large specific surface area, considerable pore volume, controllable structure, and high concentration of active metal sites have been applied widely in researches like catalysis and sensing. However, potential applications of MOFs in both photocatalysis and luminescence sensors are facing major challenges arising from their severe charge recombination, low utilization of solar energy, low quantum yield, limited charge transfer between the metal ions/clusters and the ligand. Recent studies revealed that rational introduction of carbon dots (CDs) with excellent optical properties, unique quantum confinement and high conductivity can greatly enhance the functions of MOFs. In this paper, typical synthesis methods of these CD-MOF composites as well as their potential applications in photocatalysis and sensing are reviewed with emphasis. Representative examples of these CD-MOF composites are discussed, and key features and advantages of CD-MOF composites that will facilitate future applications are highlighted.     

Three-dimensional electron diffraction for porous crystalline materials: structural determination and beyond

Porous crystalline materials such as zeolites, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted great interest due to their well-defined pore structures in molecular dimensions. Knowing the atomic structures of porous materials is crucial for understanding their properties and exploring their applications. Many porous materials are synthesized as polycrystalline powders, which are too small for structure determination by X-ray diffraction. Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3DED) has been developed for studying such materials. In this Minireview, we summarize the recent developments of 3DED methods and demonstrate how 3DED revolutionized structural analysis of zeolites, MOFs, and COFs. Zeolites and MOFs whose structures remained unknown for decades could be solved. New approaches for design and targeted synthesis of novel zeolites could be developed. Moreover, we discuss the advances of structural analysis by 3DED in revealing the unique structural features and properties, such as heteroatom distributions, mixed-metal frameworks, structural flexibility, guest–host interactions, and structure transformation.

Three-dimensional electron diffraction is a powerful tool for accurate structure determination of zeolite, MOF, and COF crystals that are too small for X-ray diffraction. By revealing the structural details, the properties of the materials can be understood, and new materials and applications can be designed.     

Recent advances and perspectives on supramolecular radical cages

Supramolecular radical chemistry has been emerging as a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field of traditional supramolecular chemistry and radical chemistry in recent years. The purpose of such a fundamental research field is to combine traditional supramolecular chemistry and radical chemistry together, and take the benefit of both to eventually create new molecules and materials. Recently, supramolecular radical cages have been becoming one of the most frontier and challenging research focuses in the field of supramolecular chemistry. In this Perspective, we give a brief introduction to organic radical chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and the emerging supramolecular radical chemistry along with their history and application. Subsequently, we turn to the main part of this topic: supramolecular radical cages. The design and synthesis of supramolecular cages consisting of redox-active building blocks and radical centres are summarized. The host–guest interactions between supramolecular (radical) cages and organic radicals are also surveyed. Some interesting properties and applications of supramolecular radical cages such as their unique spin–spin interactions and intriguing confinement effects in radical-mediated/catalyzed reactions are comprehensively discussed and highlighted in the main text. The purpose of this Perspective is to help students and researchers understand the development of supramolecular radical cages, and potentially to stimulate innovation and creativity and infuse new energy into the fields of traditional supramolecular chemistry and radical chemistry as well as supramolecular radical chemistry.

This Perspective summarizes the recent developments of supramolecular radical cages including the design and synthesis of radical cages, their interesting host–guest spin–spin interactions and applications in radical-mediated/catalyzed reactions.     

Chemical analysis and cellular imaging with quantum dots

Quantum dots are tiny light-emitting particles on the nanometer scale. They are emerging as a new class of biological labels with properties and applications that are not available with traditional organic dyes and fluorescent proteins. Their novel properties such as improved brightness, resistance against photobleaching, and multicolor light emission, have opened new possibilities for ultrasensitive chemical analysis and cellular imaging. In this Research Highlight article , we discuss the unique optical properties of semiconductor quantum dots, surface chemistry and bioconjugation, current applications in bioanalytical chemistry and cell biology, and future research directions.     

In situ studies of oxide nucleation,growth, and transformation using slow electrons

Surface processes such as metal oxidation and metal oxide growth invariably influence the physical and chemical properties of materials and determine their interaction with their surroundings and hence their functionality in many technical applications. On a fundamental level, these processes are found to be governed by a complex interplay of thermodynamic variables and kinetic constraints, resulting in a rich variety of material-specific phenomena. In this review article, we discuss recent results and insights on transition metal oxidation and rare-earth oxide growth acquired by low-energy electron microscopy and related techniques. We demonstrate that the use of in situ surface sensitive methods is a prerequisite to gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts and the mechanisms responsible for the emerging oxide structure and morphology. Furthermore, examples will be provided on how structural and chemical modifications of the oxide films and nanostructures can be followed in real-time and analyzed in terms of local reactivity and cooperative effects relevant for heterogeneous model catalysis.     

Noble metal nanoparticles meet molecular cages: A tale of integration and synergy

Noble metal nanoparticles attract growing interest owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio and unique optical, electric and catalytic properties. Fine-tuning these properties and broadening potential applications can be envisaged if nanoparticles are coupled to supramolecular cages that afford a highly tailorable inner environment as well as rich endo-/exo-functionalization. Due to rich chemical/physical properties of cages, integration of multiple host-guest interactions in confined cavities through endo-molecular design has been achieved. Such cages provide ideal confined templates for size-controlled synthesis of ultrafine nanoparticles with superior catalytic activities. Moreover, exo-functionalization of cages offers huge opportunities to couple with nanoparticles, generating cage-nanoparticle hybrids or hierarchical assemblies that combine merits of both. The present review provides recent advances in cage-mediated nanoparticle systems with synergistic effects and integrated functions, and demonstrates their applications in catalysis, sensing, chiral amplification, plasmonic switches, imaging and cell therapy. Finally, we highlight key challenges and identify emerging directions in the coming years.     

Distinguishing metal halide molecular clusters from perovskite magic sized clusters in the synthesis of metal halide perovskite nanostructures

Background

Research into perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) has uncovered interesting properties compared to their bulk counterparts, including tunable optical properties due to size-dependent quantum confinement effect (QCE). More recently, smaller PNCs with even stronger QCE have been discovered, such as perovskite magic sized clusters (PMSCs) and ligand passivated PbX₂ metal halide molecular clusters (MHMCs) analogous to perovskites.

Objective

This review aims to present recent data comparing and contrasting the optical and structural properties of PQDs, PMSCs, and MHMCs, where CsPbBr₃ PQDs have first excitonic absorption around 520 nm, the corresponding PMSCS have absorption around 420 nm, and ligand passivated MHMCs absorb around 400 nm.

Results

Compared to normal perovskite quantum dots (PQDs), these clusters exhibit both a much bluer optical absorption and emission and larger surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio. Due to their larger S/V ratio, the clusters tend to have more surface defects that require more effective passivation for stability.

Conclusion

Recent study of novel clusters has led to better understanding of their properties. The sharper optical bands of clusters indicate relatively narrow or single size distribution, which, in conjunction with their blue absorption and emission, makes them potentially attractive for applications in fields such as blue single photon emission.     

砷、锑、铋类药物的应用历史和现状

近年来,由于对主族元素砷、锑、铋的生物功能研究的不断深入,人们已经从仅仅关注它们对人体的生物毒性到开始研究它们在化学药物领域的应用和潜力。本文简要的介绍了砷、锑、铋作为药物应用的历史,综述了近年来砷、锑、铋的化合物在抗癌、治疗白血病、抗寄生虫病和抗菌方面的一些应用,以及用于发现这些药物的靶分子和结合蛋白的现代生物技术。     

Functional proteomics: application of mass spectrometry to the study of enzymology in complex mixtures

This review covers recent developments in mass spectrometry-based applications dealing with functional proteomics with special emphasis on enzymology. The introduction of mass spectrometry into this research field has led to an enormous increase in knowledge in recent years. A major challenge is the identification of “biologically active substances” in complex mixtures. These biologically active substances are, on the one hand, potential regulators of enzymes. Elucidation of function and identity of those regulators may be accomplished by different strategies, which are discussed in this review. The most promising approach thereby seems to be the one-step procedure, because it enables identification of the functionality and identity of biologically active substances in parallel and thus avoids misinterpretation. On the other hand, besides the detection of regulators, the identification of endogenous substrates for known enzymes is an emerging research field, but in this case studies are quite rare. Moreover, the term biologically active substances may also encompass proteins with diverse biological functions. Elucidation of the functionality of those—so far unknown—proteins in complex mixtures is another branch of functional proteomics and those investigations will also be discussed in this review.