Self-assembled nanostructures of oligopyridine molecules

The high potential of self-assembly processes of molecular building blocks is reflected in the vast variety of different functional nanostructures reported in the literature. The constituting units must fulfill several requirements like synthetic accessibility, presence of functional groups for appropriate intermolecular interactions and depending on the type of self-assembly processsignificant chemical and thermal stability. It is shown that oligopyridines are versatile building blocks for two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) self-assembly. They can be employed for building up different architectures like gridlike metal complexes in solution. By the appropriate tailoring of the heterocycles, further metal coordinating and/or hydrogen bonding capabilities to the heteroaromatic molecules can be added. Thus, the above-mentioned architectures can be extended in one-step processes to larger entities, or in a hierarchical fashion to infinite assemblies in the solid state, respectively. Besides the organizational properties of small molecules in solution, 2D assemblies on surfaces offer certain advantages over 3D arrays. By precise tailoring of the molecular structures, the intermolecular interactions can be fine-tuned expressed by a large variety of resulting 2D patterns. Oligopyridines prove to be ideal candidates for 2D assemblies on graphite and metal sufaces, respectively, expressing highly ordered structures. A slight structural variation in the periphery of the molecules leads to strongly changed 2D packing motifs based on weak hydrogen bonding interactions. Such 2D assemblies can be exploited for building up host-guest networks which are attractive candidates for manipulation experiments on the single-molecule level. Thus, "erasing" and "writing" processes by the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tip at the liquid/solid interface are shown. The 2D networks are also employed for performing coordination chemistry experiments at surfaces.     

Instrumental analyses of nanostructures and interactions with water molecules of biomass constituents of Japanese cypress

Nanostructures consisting of the biomass constituents of the denatured Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) were examined by instrumental analyses at multiple hierarchical levels. Delignification with NaClO₂ solution smoothly proceeded to reveal a distorted cell by scanning electron microscopy; however, a trace amount of lignin still remained in the delignified sample according to attenuated total reflection infrared spectra (ATR-IR). Although hemicellulose could be removed by a treatment with NaOH solution, thermogravimetric analysis and ¹³C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) NMR showed a certain amount of hemicellulose remaining. Reaction of the delignified sample with NaOH solution produced a shrunken cell wall that consisted of cellulose with small amounts of lignin and hemicellulose, which were detected by ATR-IR and ¹³C CP-MAS NMR, respectively. These samples from which lignin and/or hemicellulose had been removed easily released water molecules, producing a decrease in the ¹H signal intensity and longer ¹H spin–lattice relaxation time (T₁H) values in variable temperature ¹H MAS NMR. The T₁H values provided information about nano-scale molecular interaction difficult to obtain by other instrumental analyses and they greatly changed depending on the water content and ratio of the biomass constituents. The spin–lattice relaxation of all samples occurred via water molecules under humid conditions that provided sufficient water. Under heat-dried conditions, the spin–lattice relaxation mainly occurred via lignin for the samples with lignin remaining while it occurred via cellulose/hemicellulose for the samples without lignin. The variable temperature T₁H analysis indicated that predominant spin–lattice relaxation route via lignin was caused by higher molecular mobility of lignin-containing samples compared with lignin-free samples.     

Dynamical mean-field theory for molecules and nanostructures

Dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) has established itself as a reliable and well-controlled approximation to study correlation effects in bulk solids and also two-dimensional systems. In combination with standard density-functional theory (DFT), it has been successfully applied to study materials in which localized electronic states play an important role. It was recently shown that this approach can also be successfully applied to study correlation effects in nanostructures. Here, we provide some details on our recently proposed DFT+DMFT approach to study the magnetic properties of nanosystems [V. Turkowski, A. Kabir, N. Nayyar, and T. S. Rahman, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22, 462202 (2010)] and apply it to examine the magnetic properties of small FePt clusters. We demonstrate that DMFT produces meaningful results even for such small systems. For benchmarking and better comparison with results obtained using DFT+U, we also include the case of small Fe clusters. As in the case of bulk systems, the latter approach tends to overestimate correlation effects in nanostructures. Finally, we discuss possible ways to further improve the nano-DFT+DMFT approximation and to extend its application to molecules and nanoparticles on substrates and to nonequilibrium phenomena.     

Calorimetric investigation of water/polyoxyethylene systems

Systems of water and polyoxyethylene with different molecular weights were studied calorimetrically. The enthalpies of melting of the eutectic phases, and the concentrations of bound water and polyoxyethylene were determined, depending on the composition and the POE sample.

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Zusammenfassung Systeme von Wasser und Polyoxyethylenen unterschiedlichen Molekulargewichts wurden untersucht. Die Schmelzenthalpien der eutektischen Phasen und die Konzentrationen von gebundenem Wasser und Polyoxyethylen wurden bestimmt.

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Calorimetric study of water adsorption on saponite

The isotherms and differential heats of water vapor adsorption on Na- and Ca-saponite samples are measured. It is shown that the successive stages of hydration of the internal surface of this mineral appear as waves or inflections in the adsorption isotherms and maxima in the dependences of the differential heat on the adsorption value. The compositions of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ aquacations in single- and double-layer saponite hydrates are determined. The heats of interaction between water molecules and interlayer Na⁺ cations in single-layer saponite hydrates and between Na⁺ cations and the ion exchanger matrix are estimated.     

Modulation of fluorescence through coassembly of molecules in organic nanostructures

This paper describes the fluorescence of bimolecular coassemblies that form one-dimensional nanostructures. One molecule is a fluorescent peptide amphiphile containing its branched stilbene chromophore covalently linked to the hydrophilic end of the amphiphile, and the second molecule is a shorter, nonfluorescent peptide amphiphile of complementary charge. Using circular dichroism we observe that mixing both molecules results in coassemblies that exhibit a beta-sheet signature in the peptide region indicative of these types of nanostructures. The nature of the coassembly is dependent on the molar ratio of each component, and the changing CD spectra suggest the formation of domains along the length of the nanofibers with decreasing concentrations of the fluorescent component. In coassemblies with dilute concentrations of the fluorophore, we observe an increase in fluorescence intensity and quantum yield, as well as chiral transfer to the achiral segment of the fluorescent peptide amphiphile. The coassemblies studied containing a fluorescent component at a low molar ratio exhibit fluorescence resonance energy transfer to fluorescent acceptors in solution. When the nonfluorescent peptide amphiphile component is designed to bind the important bioactive polysaccharide heparin, a selective transfer of energy is observed between fluorescein-tagged heparin and the coassemblies in both dilute solution and in macroscopic gels.     

Noble-metal nanostructures for controlling surface plasmons and sensing molecules

Arrays of nanoapertures in thin silver film were fabricated by deposition of metal through a self-organizing distribution of polystyrene nanospheres. We demonstrate that both the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence decay of probe molecules are strongly dependent on the plasmonic environment exhibited as fabricated nanostructures.     

Trace analysis of cationic surfactants in water using HPLC with conductometric detection

Summary A simple and fast determination of trace amounts of commercially used cationic surfactants is described. After extraction from water cationic surfactants are separated by HPLC and detected by conductometry. The detection limit is 3 g/l for distearyldimethylammonium chloride, 16 g/l for ditallowimidazolinium methosulphate, and 6 g/l for dodecylpyridinium chloride.     

Potentiometric titrations in methanol/water medium: Intertitration variability

Homogeneous sets of data from strong acid-strong base potentiometric titrations in a mixed solvent medium (9:1 v/v methanol/water), performed by means of the glass electrode, at various constant ionic strengths and with different reference electrodes, have been analysed by statistical criteria. A standardized procedure has been established to obtain reliable potentiometric data in mixed solvents. It has been demonstrated how, with the aid of a proper linearized model, analysis of variance (ANOVA) applied to the standardization titrations can be used to test the reliability of a potentiometric chain in a medium other than pure water. The error expected in the stability constants thus evaluated is related to the intertitration error of the operational pK*(')(w), for the same medium and the same chain. The results obtained by applying ANOVA to the mixed solvent data substantially confirm the trend found for aqueous media, the intertitration error being larger than the intratitration error for all the parameters investigated (E(')(0), pK*(')(w), mean equivalence volume). The stochastic error thus obtained depends on the ionic medium used and on the kind of reference electrode employed in the electrochemical chain.     

Morphological characteristics of selenium-containing nanostructures based on rigid-chain molecules

Selenium-containing nanostructures of rigid-chain polymers with close molecular masses were studied by flow birefringence (FB) and static and dynamic light scattering at a fixed selenium to polymer mass ratio ν = 0.1 in solution. The group of polymers under study included the cationic polyelectrolyte poly-N,N,N,N-trimethylmethacryloyloxyethylammonium methyl sulfate, anionic polyelectrolyte carboxymethylcellulose, and nonionogen polymer oxyethylcellulose. High-molecular selenium-containing polymer nanostructures were found in all cases. Nanostructures with a maximum molecular mass and the largest number of constituent macromolecules were obtained using oxyethylcellulose. At ν = 0.1 the mean square radii of inertia of the nanostructures were almost independent of the nature of the polymer matrix. The thermodynamic state of the solutions of nanostructures was close to the ideal one in all cases. For the region where stable dispersions formed, the Gibbs energies of macromolecule-selenium nanoparticle interactions were calculated and shown to be almost independent of the nature of the polymer matrix at ν = 0.1. The close mean square radii of inertia R _g^* of the nanostructures, the Gibbs energies of interaction, and the equivalence of the thermodynamic state of the solutions of nanostructures obtained for all polymer matrices at ν = 0.1 suggest that ν = 0.1 corresponds to the ultimate adsorption capacity of selenium nanoparticles; the considerable differences between the molecular masses (for close R _g ^* values), mean densities, and structural conformation parameters ρ* point to different packings of macromolecules in the nanostructures under study.     

Self-assembled lamellar nanostructures of wholly aromatic rod-rod-type block molecules

Wholly aromatic rod-rod type di- and triblock molecules, oligo(ether sulfone)-b-oligo(ether ketone)s (OES-OEK), were synthesized to study a solid-state self-assembled nanostructure. The OES and OEK segments in the block molecules form segregated crystalline domains. The energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy images revealed that the di- and triblock OES-OEK co-oligomers formed lamellar nanostructures with a periodicity of approximately 9 and 13 nm, respectively. [structure: see text].     

A thermodynamic characterization of aqueous nanostructures of water molecules formed by prolonged contact with the hydrophilic polymer Nafion

This work investigates the physicochemical alterations of water perturbed by prolonged contact with the hydrophilic polymer Nafion, referred to as iteratively nafionized water (INW). The parameters measured are: electrical conductivity, χ μS cm^?1, heat of mixing with basic sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions, ΔQ _NaOH ^mix  J kg^?1, and pH. The results indicate that supramolecular aggregates of water molecules form after prolonged contact with a Nafion surface. Analytical determination by ion chromatography allows us to exclude the role of contaminants. This suggests that water may possess an exceptional self-organization capability triggered by the contact with a hydrophilic surface. Conductometric, pH-metric, and calorimetric titrations of INW were performed by the addition of NaOH solutions to determine the concentration of the aqueous nanostructures, via conductometric and pH-metric titration with NaOH solutions. Thermodynamic parameters were determined via calorimetric titration, for the process of formation of complexes between the nanostructures and the base used.     

Natural monocrystalline pyrite as electrode material for potentiometric titrations in water

The possibility of applying natural monocrystalline pyrite as sensor for the potentiometric titration of acids in water was investigated. The potential of this electrode in aqueous solutions exhibits a sub-Nernst dependence. In fresh solutions the slope (mV/pH) is 33.9. The potential jumps at the titration end-point obtained in titrations of HCl, H(3)PO(4) and CH(3) COOH do not differ much from those obtained by the application of the glass electrode as the indicator one. The potentials in the course of the titration and at the titration end-point (TEP) are rapidly established. The results obtained in the determination of the investigated acids deviated for 0.16-0.34% with respect to those obtained by using the glass electrode as the indicator one.     

Calorimetric study of binary systems of tetraethyleneglycol octylether and polyethyleneglycol with water

Calorimetric measurements have been made of the differential enthalpies of solution as a function of composition of both components in the binary systems tetraethyleneglycol octylether (C₈E₄)-water and polyethyleneglycol 400 (PEG)-water, as a function of composition, at three different temperatures. Heat capacity changes for dissolution were calculated from the temperature variation of the solution enthalpies. Excess enthalpies and excess heat capacities of mixing were calculated from the differential enthalpies of solution. All measurements on C₈E₄ were made above the critical micelle concentration (c.m.c.) so the results relate to C₈E₄ in aggregated form. The thermochemical properties of the C₈E₄ and PEG systems with water are similar. The differential solution enthalpy of the organic solute in pure water is fairly exothermic and then increases smoothly with increasing solute content. Likewise the solution enthalpy of water in pure C₈E₄ or PEG is fairly exothermic, but increases steadily to become zero at a water content corresponding to more than five water molecules per ethyleneoxide group. The measurements on the C₈E₄ system at 40°C were made close to the demixing temperature. The results are compared with previously reported results on the 2-butoxyethanol (BE)-water system.     

Calorimetric glass transitions in the amorphous forms of water: a comparison

The calorimetric glass transition behaviour in the amorphous forms of water is reviewed: for a heating rate of 30 K min⁻¹ the onset temperature, or T_g, of the glass transition is 136±1 K for hyperquenched glassy water and annealed vapour-deposited amorphous solid water, and 129±1 K for the low-density form of pressure-amorphized hexagonal ice. The increase in heat capacity in the glass transition region is between 1.6–2 J K⁻ mol⁻ for the three amorphous forms. Annealing of the samples a few degrees below T_g or heating several degrees above the glass transition region has no influence on the onset temperatures at 136 K and 129 K respectively, which is contrary to ‘normal’ behaviour. The results are discussed with respect to the ‘structure’ of the three amorphous forms of water below the glass transition region and a “gel-like” state of water above T_g.