Adsorption and protection of plasmid DNA on mesoporous silica nanoparticles modified with various amounts of organosilane

Ordered MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with pore size of 2.6 nm were synthesized and were further modified with various amounts of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), respectively, by a direct co-condensation method. These amine functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Am-MSNs) were employed to complex with plasmid DNA (pDNA) to study their adsorption and protection capacities. The results demonstrate the MSNs functionalized with aminopropyl groups present advanced adsorption capacities for pDNA immobilization. And Am-MSNs with high APTES amount lead to high amount of pDNA adsorption. Further investigation of pDNA protection shows that Am-MSNs with moderate APTES amount could completely protect pDNA from enzymatic degradation, while those with smaller and/or higher amount of APTES could partially provide protection of pDNA.     

Dibenzodioxin adsorption on inorganic materials

Dibenzodioxin adsorption/desorption on solid surfaces is an important issue associated with the formation, adsorption, and emission of dioxins. Dibenzodioxin adsorption/desorption behaviors on inorganic materials (amorphous/mesoporous silica, metal oxides, and zeolites) were investigated using in situ FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Desorption temperatures of adsorbed dibenzodioxin are very different for different kinds of inorganic materials: approximately 200 degrees C for amorphous/mesoporous silica, approximately 230 degrees C for metal oxides, and approximately 450 degrees C for NaY and mordenite zeolites. The adsorption of dibenzodioxin can be grouped into three categories according to the red shifts of the IR band at 1496 cm(-1) of the aromatic ring for the adsorbed dibenzodioxin: a shift of 6 cm(-1) for amorphous/mesoporous silica, a shift of 10 cm(-1) for metal oxides, and a shift of 14 cm(-1) for NaY and mordenite, suggesting that the IR shifts are proposed to associated with the strength of the interaction between adsorbed dibenzodioxin and the inorganic materials. It is proposed that the dibenzodioxin adsorption is mainly via the following three interactions: hydrogen bonding with the surface hydroxyl groups on amorphous/mesoporous silica, complexation with Lewis acid sites on metal oxides, and confinement effect of pores of mordenite and NaY with pore size close to the molecular size of dibenzodioxin.     

NMR studies of cooperative effects in adsorption

The conversion of gas adsorption isotherms into pore size distributions generally relies upon the assumption of thermodynamically independent pores. Hence, pore-pore cooperative adsorption effects, which might result in a significantly skewed pore size distribution, are neglected. In this work, cooperative adsorption effects in water adsorption on a real, amorphous, mesoporous silica material have been studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pulsed-gradient stimulated-echo (PGSE) NMR techniques. Evidence for advanced adsorption can be seen directly using relaxation time weighted MRI. The number and spatial distributions of pixels containing pores of different sizes filled with condensate have been analyzed. The spatial distribution of filled pores has been found to be highly nonrandom. Pixels containing the largest pores present in the material have been observed to fill in conjunction with pixels containing much smaller pores. PGSE NMR has confirmed the spatially extensive nature of the adsorbed ganglia. Thus, long-range (≥40 μm) cooperative adsorption effects, between larger pores associated with smaller pores, occur within mesoporous materials. The NMR findings have also suggested particular types of pore filling mechanisms occur within the porous solid studied.     

Functionalization of mesoporous MCM-41 with aminopropyl groups by co-condensation and grafting: a physico-chemical characterization

This work reports on the synthesis and characterization of NH₂-MCM-41, a well-known hybrid material commonly used in biomedical and biotechnological applications, based on mesoporous silica and aminopropyl functionalities. Samples were prepared by post-synthesis grafting and by one-pot co-condensation methods, to achieve a relatively high organic loading (around 12% wt), and were characterized in terms of porosity, thermal stability and distribution of the aminopropyl moieties in the silica framework. The results suggest that grafting brings about an almost complete consumption of surface silanols, with structurally defined functional groups mainly located inside the material pores. In contrast, co-condensation results in lower surface area and thermal stability, with ink-bottle-like pores. This suggests that the aminopropyl groups are not only linked to the pores inner surface but could be located in the pore walls or at their entrance.     

Evaluation of pore size distribution in boundary region of micropore and mesopore using gas adsorption method

This paper discusses an accurate method of pore size distribution evaluation in boundary regions of micropores and mesopores using the gas adsorption process on the basis of the capillary condensation theory, which is liable to be underestimated with the existing BJH and DH methods. A typical nitrogen adsorption isotherm for highly ordered mesoporous silica, which has cylindrical pores with diameter smaller than 4 nm, is considered to be type IV and it is well known for the steep increase of the amount adsorbed through capillary condensation in the region of the relative pressure P/P0 smaller than 0.4. In calculating the distribution of the pore size from the change of the amount adsorbed due to capillary condensation, it is important to accurately predict both the multilayer thickness t of the adsorbed nitrogen molecules and the critical radius rc where capillary condensation occurs. It is necessary to consider the curvature of the adsorption layer-gas phase interface when predicting the multilayer thickness t of nitrogen adsorbed within the pore of highly ordered mesoporous silica. Revision of the Kelvin equation is also required when rc is to be predicted. While the predicted value of t based on the Broekhoff and de Boer theory is matched well with the value of t which is actually measured using highly ordered mesoporous silica, and the predicted value of rc based on the GTKB-Kelvin-cylindrical equation that has been revised considering the effect of the interfacial curvature on the interfacial tension of the adsorption layer-gas phase interface is matched with the value of rc which is actually measured using highly ordered mesoporous silica. A combination method of the Broekhoff and de Boer equation and the GTKB-Kelvin-cylindrical equation is proposed as a means of accurately evaluating, from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm, the pore size distribution in the highly ordered mesoporous silica in boundary region of micropore and mesopore. The proposed new method of pore size evaluation features high accuracy and offers the convenience of obtaining the pore size distribution without repeated calculations by employing the same algorithm as DH method. The pore size predicted by the Halsey equation and the Kelvin equation of the conventional DH method is about 20% smaller than the pore size predicted by the newly proposed evaluation method.     

Carboxylic acid-doped SBA-15 silica as a host for metallo-supramolecular coordination polymers

The adsorption of a metallo-supramolecular coordination polymer (Fe-MEPE) in the cylindrical pores of SBA-15 silica with pure and carboxylic acid (CA) carrying pore walls has been studied. Fe-MEPE is an intrinsically stiff polycation formed by complexation of Fe(II)-acetate with an uncharged ditopic bis-terpyridine ligand. The adsorption affinity and kinetics of the Fe-MEPE chains is strongly enhanced when the pore walls are doped with CA, and when the pH of the aqueous medium or temperature is increased. The initial fast uptake is connected with a decrease of pH of the aqueous solution, indicating an ion-exchange mechanism. It is followed by a slower (presumably diffusion-controlled) further uptake. The maximum adsorbed amount of Fe-MEPE in the CA-doped material corresponds to a monolayer of Fe-MEPE chains disposed side-by-side along the pore walls. The stoichiometry of Fe-MEPE in the pores (determined by XPS) was found to be independent of the loading and similar to that of the starting material. The mean chain length of Fe-MEPE before and after embedding in the CA-doped matrix was studied by solid-state 15N NMR using partially 15N-labeled Fe-MEPE. It is shown that the average chain length of Fe-MEPE is reduced when the complex is incorporated in the pores.     

Function of membrane protein in silica nanopores: incorporation of photosynthetic light-harvesting protein LH2 into FSM

A high amount of functional membrane protein complex was introduced into a folded-sheet silica mesoporous material (FSM) that has nanometer-size pores of honeycomb-like hexagonal cylindrical structure inside. The photosynthetic light-harvesting complex LH2, which is a typical membrane protein, has a cylindrical structure of 7.3 nm diameter and contains 27 bacteriochlorophyll a and nine carotenoid molecules. The complex captures light energy in the anoxygenic thermophilic purple photosynthetic bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum. The amount of LH2 adsorbed to FSM was determined optically and by the adsorption isotherms of N2. The FSM compounds with internal pore diameters of 7.9 and 2.7 nm adsorbed LH2 at 1.11 and 0.24 mg/mg FSM, respectively, suggesting the high specific affinity of LH2 to the interior of the hydrophobic nanopores with a diameter of 7.9 nm. The LH2 adsorbed to FSM showed almost intact absorption bands of bacteriochlorophylls, and was fully active in the capture and transfer of excitation energy. The LH2 complex inside the FSM showed increased heat stability of the exciton-type absorption band of bacteriochlorophylls (B850), suggesting higher circular symmetry. The environment inside the hydrophobic silica nanopores can be a new matrix for the membrane proteins to reveal their functions. The silica-membrane protein adduct will be useful for the construction of new probes and reaction systems.     

A mesoporous 3D hybrid material with dual functionality for Hg2+ detection and adsorption

Dual-function hybrid material U1 was designed for simultaneous chromofluorogenic detection and removal of Hg(2+) in an aqueous environment. Mesoporous material UVM-7 (MCM41 type) with homogeneously distributed pores of about 2-3 nm in size, a large specific surface area exceeding 1000 m(2) g(-1), and nanoscale particles was used as an inorganic support. The mesoporous solid is decorated with thiol groups that were treated with squaraine dye III to give a 2,4-bis(4-dialkylaminophenyl)-3-hydroxy-4-alkylsulfanylcyclobut-2-enone (APC) derivative that is covalently anchored to the inorganic silica matrix. The solid was characterised by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption. This hybrid solid is the chemodosimeter for Hg(2+) detection. Hg(2+) reacts with the APC fragment in U1 with release of the squaraine dye into the solution, which turns deep blue and fluoresces strongly. Naked-eye Hg(2+) detection is thus accomplished in an easy-to-use procedure. In contrast, U1 remains silent in the presence of other thiophilic transition metal ions, alkali and alkaline earth metal ions, or anions ubiquitously present in water such as chloride, carbonate, sulfate, and phosphate. Material U1 acts not only as chemodosimeter that signals the presence of Hg(2+) down to parts-per-billion concentrations, but at the same time is also an excellent adsorbent for the removal of mercury cations from aqueous solutions. The amount of adsorbed mercury ranges from 0.7 to 1.7 mmol g(-1), depending on the degree of functionalisation. In addition, hybrid material U1 can be regenerated for both sensing and removal purposes. As far as we know, U1 is the first example of a promising new class of polyfunctional hybrid supports that can be used as both remediation and alarm systems by selective signalling and removal of target species of environmental importance. Model compounds based on silica gel (G1), fumed silica (F1), and micrometre-sized MCM-41 scaffolds (M1) were also prepared and studied for comparative purposes.     

Confinement effect on the adsorption from a binary liquid system near liquid/liquid phase separation

The preferential adsorption of one component of a binary system at the inner surfaces of mesoporous silica glasses was studied in a wide composition range at temperatures close to liquid/liquid phase separation. Confinement effects on the adsorption were investigated by using three controlled-pore glass (CPG-10) materials of different mean pore size (10 to 50 nm). For the experimental system (2-butoxyethanol+water), which exhibits an upper miscibility gap, strong preferential adsorption of water occurs, as the coexistence curve is approached at bulk compositions, at which water is the minority component. In this strong adsorption regime the area-related surface excess amount of adsorbed water decreases with decreasing pore width, while the shift in the volume-related mean composition of the pore liquid shows an opposite trend, i.e., greatest deviation from bulk composition occurring in the most narrow pores. A simple mean-field lattice model of a liquid mixture confined by parallel walls is adopted to rationalize these experimental findings. This model reproduces the main findings of the confinement effect on the adsorption near liquid/liquid phase separation.     

Static and dynamic sorption study of heavy metal ions on amino-functionalized SBA-15

Amino-functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica (SBA-15-NN) was synthesized using the normal grafting procedure of SBA-15 with [3-(2-Aminoethyl) aminopropyl] trimethoxysilane. Under optimal conditions, SBA-15-NN exhibited a higher adsorption capacity toward metal ions than SBA-15 in static adsorption. The results showed that the flow rate of 2?mL?min^?1 might be the optimum flow rate in dynamic adsorption, and the higher initial metal ion concentration is favorable for the adsorption of Zn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) onto SBA-15-NN. The results indicated that SBA-15-NN could effectively remove multiple metal ions from aqueous solution as a good adsorption material.     

超疏水有机-无机杂化硅基介孔分子筛对苯丙氨酸的吸附研究

为了提高中性氨基酸在硅基介孔分子筛上的吸附量, 采用中性氨基酸苯丙氨酸(Phe)为模型吸附质, 考察Phe在一种新型的通过非模板剂途径制备的有机-无机杂化硅基介孔分子筛上的吸附情况. 利用该分子筛超疏水表面、大的比表面积和孔容以及特殊的疏水区域, Phe达到了非常突出的吸附效果. 通过优化溶剂组成, 发现当溶剂为等体积比的甲醇和水的混合溶液时, Phe在此分子筛上的最大吸附量达到0.827 mmol/L, 远高于同等条件下Phe在常规法制备的甲基化硅基介孔分子筛上的吸附量0.122 mmol/L. 对Phe在该分子筛上的吸附机制进行了简要阐述.     

Adsorption and desorption behaviors of DNA with magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles

The interaction between DNA and mesopores is one of the basic concerns when mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) is used as a DNA carrier. In this work, we have synthesized a type of mesoporous silica nanoparticle that has a Fe(3)O(4) inner core and mesoporous silica shell. This magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticle (denoted as M-MSN) offers us a convenient platform to manipulate the DNA adsorption and desorption processes as it can be easily separated from solution by applying a magnetic field. The DNA adsorption behavior is studied as a function of time in chaotropic salt solution. The maximum amount of adsorbed DNA is determined as high as 121.6 mg/g. We have also developed a method to separate the DNA adsorbed onto the external surface and into the mesopores by simply changing temperature windows. The desorption results suggest that, within the whole adsorbed DNA molecules, about 89.5% has been taken up by M-MSN mesopores. Through the dynamic light scattering experiment, we have found that the hydrodynamic size for M-MSN with DNA in its mesopores is higher than the naked M-MSN. Finally, the preliminary result of the adsorption mechanism study suggests that the DNA adsorption into mesopores may generate more intermolecular hydrogen bonds than those formed on the external surface.     

Porous properties of silylated mesoporous silica and its hydrogen adsorption

Porous properties of mesoporous silica silylated with various organic silanes were examined and their hydrogen adsorption properties were measured at 77 K. By silylation of the mesoporous silica, the specific surface area, pore radius and pore volume steeply decreased depending on both the size of the silane and the amount actually incorporated into the mesoporous framework. The pores reduced in size depending on the amount of modifying silane and vanished completely in the samples silylated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and phenyltrichlorosilane. Hydrogen adsorption isotherms of the silylated samples were measured at 77 K. With the exception of the sample with phenyltrichlorosilane, hydrogen adsorption volumes were proportional to the surface area with a slope of around 1.1 molecules/nm². On the other hand, for the sample treated with phenyltrichlorosilane, a large hydrogen adsorption volume of around 38.1 molecules/nm² was obtained. On heating the silylated compounds at 500 °C, micropores formed and the hydrogen adsorption volume increased by 1.5 times or more due to the development of micropores.     

Three‐Dimensional Ultralarge‐Pore Ia3d Mesoporous Silica with Various Pore Diameters and Their Application in Biomolecule Immobilization

Highly ordered mesoporous three‐dimensional Ia3d silica (KIT‐6) with different pore diameters has been synthesized by using pluronic P123 as surfactant template and n‐butanol as cosolvent at different synthesis temperatures in a highly acidic medium. The materials were characterized by XRD and N₂ adsorption. The synthesis temperature plays a significant role in controlling the pore diameter, surface area, and pore volume of the materials. The material prepared at 150 °C, KIT‐6‐150, has a large pore diameter (11.3 nm) and a high specific pore volume (1.53 cm³ g^?1). We also demonstrate immobilization of lysozyme, which is a stable and hard protein, on KIT‐6 materials with different pore diameters. The amount of lysozyme adsorbed on large‐pore KIT‐6 is extremely large (57.2 μmol g^?1) and is much higher than that observed for mesoporous silicas MCM‐41, SBA‐15, and KIT‐5, mesoporous carbons, and carbon nanocages. The effect of various parameters such as buffer concentration, adsorption temperature, concentration of the lysozyme, and the textural parameter of the adsorbent on the lysozyme adsorption capacity of KIT‐6 was studied. The amount adsorbed mainly depends on solution pH, ionic strength, adsorption temperature, and pore volume and pore diameter of the adsorbent. The mechanism of adsorption on KIT‐6 under different adsorption conditions is discussed. In addition, the structural stability of lysozyme molecules and the KIT‐6 adsorbent before and after adsorption were investigated by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, and FTIR spectroscopy.     

Direct synthesis and catalytic applications of ordered large pore aminopropyl-functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous materials

SBA-15 mesoporous silica has been functionalized with aminopropyl groups through a simple co-condensation approach of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) using amphiphilic block copolymers under acidic conditions. The organic-modified SBA-15 materials have hexagonal crystallographic order, pore diameter up to 60 A, and the content of aminopropyl groups up to 2.3 mmol g(-1). The influences of TEOS prehydrolysis period and APTES concentration on the crystallographic order, pore size, surface area, and pore volume were examined. TEOS prehydrolysis prior to the addition of APTES was found essential to obtain well-ordered mesoporous materials with amino functionality. The amount of APTES incorporated in the silica framework increased with the APTES concentration in the synthesis gel, while the ordering of the mesoporous structure gradually decreased. Analysis with TG, IR, and solid state NMR spectra demonstrated that the aminopropyl groups incorporated in SBA-15 were not decomposed during the preparation procedure and the surfactant P123 was fully removed through ethanol extraction. The modified SBA-15 was an excellent base catalyst in Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions.     

NSAID naproxen in mesoporous matrix MCM-41: drug uptake and release properties

Hexagonally ordered mesoporous silica material MCM-41 (S_BET?=?1090?m²/g, pore size?=?31.2 ?) was synthesized and modified by 3-aminopropyl ligands. The differences in an uptake and subsequent release of anti-inflammatory drug naproxen from unmodified and amino modified MCM-41 samples were studied. The prepared materials were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), thermoanalytical methods (TG/DTA) and elemental analysis. The amount of the drug released was monitored with thin layer chromatography (TLC) with densitometric detection in defined time intervals. The amounts of the released naproxen from mesoporous silica MCM-41/napro and amine-modified silica sample A-MCM-41/napro were 95 and 90% of naproxen after 72?h. In this study we compare the differences of release profiles from mesoporous silica MCM-41 and mesoporous silica SBA-15.     

A Stand-Alone Mesoporous Crystal Structure Model from in situ X-ray Diffraction: Nitrogen Adsorption on 3 D Cagelike Mesoporous Silica SBA-16

We present a modeling scheme to analyze cagelike silica mesoporous crystals based on in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) data collected during gas adsorption-desorption (physisorption) processes. Nitrogen physisorption on a silica mesoporous crystal of SBA-16 was directly monitored by using synchrotron in situ powder XRD measurements conducted at SPring-8. SBA-16 is a well-ordered mesoporous silica in which three-dimensional interconnected cagelike primary mesopores are located at the body-centered cubic lattice points. In addition, the surrounding silica matrix contains random microporous and mesoporous intrawall porosities that are significantly influential to the diffusion properties, and thus important to be quantified for this media. The in situ XRD data exhibits seven Bragg reflections throughout the measurements, and the present method allows one to obtain the maximal and stand-alone information about the pore structure (for example, the mesopore size, the matrix density, the intrawall porosity, and pore surface roughness) together with the nitrogen film evolution in the primary mesopores and the intrawall pore-filling in the silica matrix. We furthermore observe a macroscopic amount of nitrogen adsorbed assuming the density of the fluid, and confirm that the XRD "isotherm" recalculated from the analysis result is consistent with the conventional nitrogen isotherm on a semi-quantitative level; however, these results suggest that the intrawall pores would have a greater contribution to the adsorption than considered based on the conventional isotherm analyses. The present method is readily extendable to any ordered mesopores wrapped by the wall matrix containing a certain intrawall porosity.     

Adsorption of Gossypol from Cottonseed Oil on Oxides

The adsorption of gossypol, a toxic pigment and the major colorant in cottonseed oil, has been studied, using silicas and aluminas of different surface areas and pore size distributions. Gossypol has a high affinity for alumina surface, the adsorption isotherm follows the Langmuir equation, and the maximum amount adsorbed is compatible with a monolayer of molecules on the surface; this is indicative of chemisorption. The affinity for a silica surface is much lower and the adsorption isotherm follows the Freundlich equation. The amount adsorbed is also influenced by the pore size distribution, the useful surface area being that developed by pores larger than 3 nm, i.e., 2 to 3 times the size of the adsorbate. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

载有量子点的介孔二氧化硅微球的制备与性能研究

采用自组装方法制备了一种磁核/介孔二氧化硅壳的微球, 调节体系中C₁₈TMS的加入量可控制介孔硅球的比表面积; 并通过化学修饰的方法对介孔微球表面进行巯基功能化修饰. 利用巯基与量子点之间的相互作用可将一定尺寸的量子点吸附于介孔二氧化硅球的孔中, 令介孔微球具有荧光效应; 同时可以利用吸附不同粒径的量子点的荧光光谱对介孔二氧化硅微球孔径的大小进行近似考察.     

Organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas: functionalization, pore size, and morphology control

Topological design of mesoporous silica materials, pore architecture, pore size, and morphology are currently major issues in areas such as catalytic conversion of bulky molecules, adsorption, host-guest chemistry, etc. In this sense, we discuss the pore size-controlled mesostructure, framework functionalization, and morphology control of organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas by which we can improve the applicability of mesoporous materials. First, we explain that the sizes of hexagonal- and cubic-type pores in organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas are well controlled from 24.3 to 98.0 A by the direct micelle-control method using an organosilica precursor and surfactants with different alkyl chain lengths or triblock copolymers as templates and swelling agents incorporated in the formed micelles. Second, we describe that organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous materials with various functional groups form various external morphologies such as rod, cauliflower, film, rope, spheroid, monolith, and fiber shapes. Third, we discuss that transition metals (Ti and Ru) and rare-earth ions (Eu(3+) and Tb(3+)) are used to modify organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica materials. Such hybrid mesoporous silica materials are expected to be applied as excellent catalysts for organic reactions, photocatalysis, optical devices, etc.