Fluorogel Elastomers with Tunable Transparency,Elasticity, Shape‐Memory,and Antifouling Properties

Omniphobic fluorogel elastomers were prepared by photocuring perfluorinated acrylates and a perfluoropolyether crosslinker. By tuning either the chemical composition or the temperature that control the crystallinity of the resulting polymer chains, a broad range of optical and mechanical properties of the fluorogel can be achieved. After infusing with fluorinated lubricants, the fluorogels showed excellent resistance to wetting by various liquids and anti‐biofouling behavior, while maintaining cytocompatiblity.     

Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate,an Inherently Multicomponent Surfactant System

Ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE) is an amino acid-based cationic surfactant with low toxicity and antimicrobial activity. It is widely used as a food preservative and component for food packaging. When stored, LAE decomposes by hydrolysis into surface-active components Nα-lauroyl–l-arginine (LAS) or dodecanoic (lauric) acid. There are only a limited number of reports considering the mechanism of surface activity of LAE. Thus, we analysed the surface tension isotherm of LAE with analytical standard purity in relation to LAE after prolonged storage. We used quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) computations to determine the preferred hydrolysis path and discuss the possibility of forming highly surface-active heterodimers, LAE-dodecanoate anion, or LAE-LAS. Applying molecular dynamics simulations, we determined the stability of those dimers linked by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds. We used the adsorption model of surfactant mixtures to successfully describe the experimental surface tension isotherms. The real part surface dilational modulus determined by the oscillation drop method follows a diffusional transport mechanism. However, the nonlinear response of the surface tension could be observed for LAE concentration close to and above Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC). Nonlinearity originates from the presence of micelles and the reorganisation of the interfacial layer.     

Oxidation of monoglyceride, diglyceride, and triglyceride monolayers by aqueous potassium permanganate solution

Studies were carried out on the oxidative degradation of monoolein, monolinolein, diolein, dilinolein, triolein and trilinolein monolayers by injecting KMnO₄ solution under the monolayers. The effect of the initial surface pressure on oxidative degradation was also studied by measuring changes in the surface pressure and surface potential with time. The surface shear viscosities of these six lipids were measured in order to predict their molecular interactions at the air/water interface. The rates of oxidation for these lipids were found to be in the following order: dilinolein> monolinolein> monoolein> trilinolein> diolein> triolein. Interestingly, the surface shear viscosities of these six lipids were found to decrease in the same order. In the present study, an attempt has been made to correlate the effect of the initial surface pressure, the number of double bonds and the number of hydroxyl groups with the oxidation of these lipids by potassium permanganate solution.     

Novel,well‐defined polystyrene with a fluorine cluster end‐capped group: Synthesis,characterization, and surface properties

Novel, well‐defined fluorinated polystyrene was synthesized for the first time via the controlled radical polymerization of styrene through a relatively simple process and was characterized with ¹H NMR, ¹⁹F NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. The surface properties of polystyrene and poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene‐co‐styrene) films were modified with the obtained polymers. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the air‐side surface composition of the modified poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene‐co‐styrene) films showed that fluorine enriched the outermost surface, resulting in fantastic surface properties that came close to those of poly(tetrafluoroethylene). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3853–3858, 2006     

A quantitative, real-time assessment of binding of peptides and proteins to gold surfaces

Interactions of peptides and proteins with inorganic surfaces are important to both natural and artificial systems; however, a detailed understanding of such interactions is lacking. In this study, we applied new approaches to quantitatively measure the binding of amino acids and proteins to gold surfaces. Real‐time surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements showed that TEM1‐β‐lactamase inhibitor protein (BLIP) interacts only weakly with Au nanoparticles (NPs). However, fusion of three histidine residues to BLIP (3H‐BLIP) resulted in a significant increase in the binding to the Au NPs, which further increased when the histidine tail was extended to six histidines (6H‐BLIP). Further increasing the number of His residues had no effect on the binding. A parallel study using continuous (111)‐textured Au surfaces and single‐crystalline, (111)‐oriented, Au islands by ellipsometry, FTIR, and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy further confirmed the results, validating the broad applicability of Au NPs as model surfaces. Evaluating the binding of all other natural amino acid homotripeptides fused to BLIP (except Cys and Pro) showed that aromatic and positively‐charged residues bind preferentially to Au with respect to small aliphatic and negatively charged residues, and that the rate of association is related to the potency of binding. The binding of all fusions was irreversible. These findings were substantiated by SPR measurements of synthesized, free, soluble tripeptides using Au‐NP‐modified SPR chips. Here, however, the binding was reversible allowing for determination of binding affinities that correlate with the binding potencies of the related BLIP fusions. Competition assays performed between 3H‐BLIP and the histidine tripeptide (3 His) suggest that Au binding residues promote the adsorption of proteins on the surface, and by this facilitate the irreversible interaction of the polypeptide chain with Au. The binding of amino acids to Au was simulated by using a continuum solvent model, showing agreement with the experimental values. These results, together with the observed binding potencies and kinetics of the BLIP fusions and free peptides, suggest a binding mechanism that is markedly different from biological protein–protein interactions.     

Behavior and surface energies of polybenzoxazines formed by polymerization with argon,oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas

Polybenzoxazine (PBZZ) thin films can be fabricated by the plasma‐polymerization technique with, as the energy source, plasmas of argon, oxygen, or hydrogen atoms and ions. When benzoxazine (BZZ) films are polymerized through the use of high‐energy argon atoms, electronegative oxygen atoms, or excited hydrogen atoms, the PBZZ films that form possess different properties and morphologies in their surfaces. High‐energy argon atoms provide a thermodynamic factor to initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of BZZ and result in the polymer surface having a grid‐like structure. The ring‐opening polymerization of the BZZ film that is initiated by cationic species such as oxygen atoms in plasma, is propagated around nodule structures to form the PBZZ. The excited hydrogen atom plasma initiates both polymerization and decomposition reactions simultaneously in the BZZ film and results in the formation of a porous structure on the PBZZ surface. We evaluated the surface energies of the PBZZ films polymerized by the action of these three plasmas by measuring the contact angles of diiodomethane and water droplets. The surface roughness of the films range from 0.5 to 26 nm, depending on the type of carrier gas and the plasma‐polymerization time. By estimating changes in thickness, we found that the PBZZ film synthesized by the oxygen plasma‐polymerization process undergoes the slowest rate of etching in CF₄ plasma. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4063–4074, 2004     

Analytical calculation of the solvent-accessible surface area and its nuclear gradients by stereographic projection: A general approach for molecules,polymers, nanotubes,helices, and surfaces

In this article, we explore an alternative to the analytical Gauss–Bonnet approach for computing the solvent-accessible surface area (SASA) and its nuclear gradients. These two key quantities are required to evaluate the nonelectrostatic contribution to the solvation energy and its nuclear gradients in implicit solvation models. We extend a previously proposed analytical approach for finite systems based on the stereographic projection technique to infinite periodic systems such as polymers, nanotubes, helices, or surfaces and detail its implementation in the Crystal code. We provide the full derivation of the SASA nuclear gradients, and introduce an iterative perturbation scheme of the atomic coordinates to stabilize the gradients calculation for certain difficult symmetric systems. An excellent agreement of computed SASA with reference analytical values is found for finite systems, while the SASA size-extensivity is verified for infinite periodic systems. In addition, correctness of the analytical gradients is confirmed by the excellent agreement obtained with numerical gradients and by the translational invariance achieved, both for finite and infinite periodic systems. Overall therefore, the stereographic projection approach appears as a general, simple, and efficient technique to compute the key quantities required for the calculation of the nonelectrostatic contribution to the solvation energy and its nuclear gradients in implicit solvation models applicable to both finite and infinite periodic systems.     

一种低代超支化聚醚的合成、表征及表面活性研究

以十二胺、丙烯酸甲酯和乙二胺为原料,甲醇为溶剂,采用发散合成法合成一种低代超支化分子骨架.采用1H NMR对分子骨架的结构进行了表征.在此基础上,以低代骨架为起始剂,分别与环氧乙烷、环氧丙烷加成制备了一种超支化聚醚,测定了它的表面张力、浊点,同时计算出了它的HLB值.结果表明:骨架的分子结构与所设计的结构相符,合成的聚醚具有典型表面活性剂的性质.     

Modification,degradation, and stability of polymeric surfaces treated with reactive plasmas

The degradation, modification, and stability of polymeric surfaces exposed to chemically reactive O₂ and H₂O‐vapor plasmas were investigated. Specifically, the effects of these plasmas on etching rate, surface morphology, wetting instability, and fluid‐holding capability were studied. Wetting instability is reflected by hydrophobic recovery and can be examined by the Wilhelmy balance method. Although hydrophobic recovery is usually attributed to surface configuration change, there are actually two types: reversible and permanent. Reversible hydrophobic recovery is caused by surface configuration change, whereas permanent hydrophobic recovery is caused by the creation of oxidized surface oligomers. This study distinguishes the two by identifying differences in the shapes of the corresponding Wilhelmy force loops and in the fluid‐holding parameter. The presence of surface oligomers was most detrimental to wetting stability and fluid‐holding capability but could be controlled via the type of reactive gas, the discharge conditions, and the polymer substrate. In general, polymers most susceptible to O₂‐plasma etching had the least surface oligomers and vice versa, whereas H₂O‐vapor plasma suppressed surface oligomers on polymers less susceptible to etching. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3028–3042, 2000     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt, Au)表面的吸附

采用密度泛函理论(DFT), 选取DMol³程序模块, 对噻吩在M(111) (M=Pd, Pt, Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨. 通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken 电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现, 噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大, Pt(111)面次之, Au(111)面最小. 吸附后, 噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变, 最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top 位; 噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形, 环中氢原子向上翘起, 最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow 位. 此外, 噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏, 环中碳原子发生sp³杂化, 同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移, M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道, 这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面的吸附(英文)

采用密度泛函理论(DFT),选取DMol3程序模块,对噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨.通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现,噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大,Pt(111)面次之,Au(111)面最小.吸附后,噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变,最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top位;噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形,环中氢原子向上翘起,最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow位.此外,噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏,环中碳原子发生sp3杂化,同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移,M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道,这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

Fast,approximate algorithm for detection of solvent-inaccessible atoms

Up to about half of the atoms in biopolymers are inaccessible to solvents. If such atoms can be rapidly identified, time can be saved in the subsequent computation of atomic surface areas. A quick, approximate method, termed buried atom elimination (BAE), was developed for the detection of such atoms. Following the literature, the method makes use of a Gaussian function to calculate the neighbor density in four tetrahedral directions in 3-dimensional space, sometimes twice with different orientations. In macromolecules, our method detects between 63 and 81% of the buried atoms but also incorrectly classifies 2–8% of the exposed atoms as buried. These misidentified atoms all have small solvent-exposed (accessible) surface areas (SASAs): their surfaces sum to a maximum of 0.5% of the molecular SASA, and their maximum atomic SASA is 5.1 Ų. Using our recently reported LCPO method for computing atomic surfaces, which is one of the fastest available, the use of BAE increases the overall speed of computing the atomic SASAs by a factor of up to 1.6 for surfaces only and 1.9 when first and second derivatives are computed. BAE decreases the LCPO average absolute atomic error from about 2.3 Ų to about 1.7 Ų (average for larger compounds). BAE was introduced into the MacroModel molecular modeling package and tests show that it increases the efficiency of first- and second-derivative energy minimizations and molecular dynamics simulations without adversely affecting the stability or accuracy of the calculations. BAE parameters were developed for the most important atom types in biopolymers, based on a parameterization set of 18 compounds of different size (33–4346 atoms) and class (organics, proteins, DNA, and various complexes), consisting of a total of 23,186 atoms. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20, 586–596, 1999     

Chemical Imaging of Monolayers on Metal Surfaces: Applications in Corrosion,Catalysis, and Self‐Assembled Monolayers

In situ techniques are indispensable to understanding many topics in surface chemistry. As a consequence, several spectroscopic methods have been developed to provide molecular‐level information that only spectroscopy can supply. However, as important as this information is, it is just as critical to realize that nearly all surfaces under investigation have spatial heterogeneities of the order of nanometers to millimeters; thus, spatial analysis is very important to the overall interpretation. This Minireview focuses on a few of the recent developments in spectroscopic techniques that can provide spatial, spectroscopic, and in situ information. These techniques include photo‐electron microscopy, infrared and Raman imaging, and nonlinear optical imaging vibrational spectroscopy as applied to topics in corrosion, catalysis and self‐assembled monolayers.     

Adsorption and migration growth of the Ce,O, and F adatoms on the CeO2 (111) surface: A density functional theory study

In order to investigate the microscopic behavior of the crystal surface growth of the fluorinated cerium dioxide polishing powder, the adsorption and migration of the Ce, O, and F atoms on the CeO₂ (111) surface were studied by using density functional theory with Hubbard correction +U. The adsorption energies of three single atoms at five high-symmetry sites and the migration activation energies along the migration pathway on the CeO₂ (111) surface were calculated. Results show that the most stable adsorption sites of the Ce, O, and F atoms were the O_h, Ce_bri, and Ce_t sites, respectively. The Ce atom migrated from the O_h to the O_t site. The O atom migrated from the Ce_bri to the O_bri site. The F atom migrated from the Ce_t to the O_h site. The migration activation energies of the Ce, O, and F atoms along the migration pathways were 1.526, 0.597, and 0.263 eV, respectively. The F adatom does not change the spatial configuration of the Ce and the O atoms. When the O vacancy occurs on the CeO₂ (111) surface, the F adatom can make up for the O vacancy defect.     

Biopolymer Aerogels and Foams: Chemistry,Properties, and Applications

Biopolymer aerogels were among the first aerogels produced, but only in the last decade has research on biopolymer and biopolymer–composite aerogels become popular, motivated by sustainability arguments, their unique and tunable properties, and ease of functionalization. Biopolymer aerogels and open‐cell foams have great potential for classical aerogel applications such as thermal insulation, as well as emerging applications in filtration, oil–water separation, CO₂ capture, catalysis, and medicine. The biopolymer aerogel field today is driven forward by empirical materials discovery at the laboratory scale, but requires a firmer theoretical basis and pilot studies to close the gap to market. This Review includes a database with over 3800 biopolymer aerogel properties, evaluates the state of the biopolymer aerogel field, and critically discusses the scientific, technological, and commercial barriers to the commercialization of these exciting materials.     

Modulation of Hydrophobic Interaction by Mediating Surface Nanoscale Structure and Chemistry,not Monotonically by Hydrophobicity

The hydrophobic (HB) interaction plays a critical role in many colloidal and interfacial phenomena, biophysical and industrial processes. Surface hydrophobicity, characterized by the water contact angle, is generally considered the most dominant parameter determining the HB interaction. Herein, we quantified the HB interactions between air bubbles and a series of hydrophobic surfaces with different nanoscale structures and surface chemistry in aqueous media using a bubble probe atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surprisingly, it is discovered that surfaces of similar hydrophobicity can show different ranges of HB interactions, while surfaces of different hydrophobicity can have similar ranges of HB interaction. The increased heterogeneity of the surface nanoscale structure and chemistry can effectively decrease the decay length of HB interaction from 1.60 nm to 0.35 nm. Our work provides insights into the physical mechanism of HB interaction.     

ZnO纳米片/微棒复合体的制备、结构及光学性能

以十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为表面活性剂,以氯化锌和氢氧化钠为原料,在低温水热条件下制备出具有纳米片状接枝结构的ZnO微棒。通过扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)、光致发光(PL)和拉曼光谱(Raman)对产物的形貌、晶体结构和光学性能进行了表征。结果表明,表面活性剂CTAB对产物最终形貌的形成具有重要作用;微棒表面所接枝的薄片为多晶结构;产物光致发光峰是较少见的弱蓝光发射与强红光发射;同时对这种ZnO微棒的生长机理进行了探讨。     

Exploring the potential energy surface of retinal, a comparison of the performance of different methods

The ground state structure of retinal has been investigated. We found that DFT and CASSCF produce different results for the bond length alternation in a model system of retinal. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations including the closest surrounding amino acids have been performed, using DFT and CASSCF to calculate the structure of retinal in the protein cavity. The planarity of the retinal molecule is affected by the surrounding protein. DFT and CASSCF produce different twist angles. The difference between CASSCF and DFT appears to be related to the positively charged nitrogen of the Schiff base, which leads to different pi-bond orders produced by the two methods.     

Synthesis, microwave-assisted polymerization, and polymer properties of fluorinated 2-phenyl-2-oxazolines: a systematic study

We present a detailed systematic study of the synthesis and ability of fluorinated 2-phenyl-2-oxazolines to undergo polymerization. The synthesis of these compounds is based on a two-step procedure that gives the desired 2-oxazolines in moderate-to-good yields. All the compounds were fully characterized by IR and NMR ((1)H, (13)C, and (19)F) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The 2-oxazolines were subsequently used as monomers for living cationic ring-opening polymerization (CROP) with microwave irradiation as the heat source (T=140 degrees C), nitromethane as the solvent, and methyl tosylate as the initiator. The linear first-order kinetic plots of the polymerizations accompanied by a linear increase of the molecular weight with conversion and low polydispersity index (PDI) values (generally below 1.30) indicate a living polymerization mechanism. The resulting polymerization rates reflect a strong sensitivity to the quantity of fluorine substituents in general and the presence or absence of ortho-fluoro substituents of the phenyl ring in particular. All the polymers were isolated and characterized by size-exclusion chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Finally, a detailed investigation of selected polymer properties was performed by using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and contact-angle measurements, thus resulting in structure-property relationships. Whereas the thermal properties of the polymers are mostly influenced by the presence of ortho-fluoro substituents, the surface properties are mainly determined by the presence of para- and/or meta-fluoro substituents.