Temperature-induced collapse of alkaline Earth cation-polyacrylate anion complexes

Polyacrylate anions are used to inhibit CaCO3 precipitation and may be a promising additive to control formation of inorganic nanoparticles. The origin of this applicability lies in specific interactions between the alkaline earth cations and the carboxylate functions along the polyacrylate chains. In the absence of CO32- anions, these interactions eventually cause precipitation of polyelectrolytes. Extended investigation of dilute sodium polyacrylate solutions approaching this precipitation threshold revealed a dramatic shrinking of the PA coil dimensions once the threshold is reached (Eur. Phys. J. E 2001, 5, 117). Recent isothermal calorimetric titration experiments by Antonietti et al. (Macromolecules 2004, 37, 3444) indicated that the driving force of this precipitation is entropic in nature. In the present work, we investigated the impact of temperature on the structural changes of dissolved polyacrylate chains decorated with alkaline earth cations. To this end, large polyacrylate chains were brought close to the precipitation threshold by the addition of distinct amounts of Ca2+ or Sr2+ cations. The resulting structural intermediates were then subjected to temperature variations in the range of 15 degrees C 相似文献   

Probing the extent of the Sr2+ ion condensation to anionic polyacrylate coils: a quantitative anomalous small-angle x-ray scattering study

The shrinking process of anionic sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) chains in aqueous solution induced by Sr2+ counterions was analyzed by anomalous small-angle x-ray scattering. Scattering experiments were performed close to the precipitation threshold of strontium polyacrylate. The pure-resonant scattering contribution, which is related to the structural distribution of the Sr2+ counterions, was used to analyze the extent of Sr2+ condensation onto the polyacrylate coils. A series of four samples with different ratios [Sr2+][NaPA] (between 0.451 and 0.464) has been investigated. From the quantitative analysis of the resonant invariant, the amount of Sr cations localized in the collapsed phase was calculated with concentrations v between 0.94x10(17) and 2.01x10(17) cm(-3) corresponding to an amount of Sr cations in the collapsed phase between 9% and 23% of the total Sr2+ cations in solution. If compared to the concentration of polyacrylate expressed in moles of monomers [NaPA], a degree of site binding of r=[Sr2+][NaPA] between 0.05 and 0.11 was estimated. These values clearly differ from r=0.25, which was established from former light scattering experiments, indicating that the counterion condensation starts before the phase border is reached and increases rather sharply at the border.     

Structure of salted and discharged globules of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes adsorbed from aqueous solutions

In this article, we compare structures of protonated poly(2-vinylpyridine) globules (2D compact coils on the surface) adsorbed on the mica surface from aqueous solution when the shrinking is brought about either by discharging the molecules at an elevated pH or by adding monovalent and polyvalent salts. We study the structure of the PE coils using in situ atomic force microscopy experiments in aqueous solutions in a liquid cell. The abrupt coil-to-globule transition caused by pH changes and the discharge of polymer chains resulted in compact globules. If the pH corresponding to extended coil conformation remains unchanged, the coil shrinks due to the added salt. The size of the globule in the latter case corresponds to the unperturbed dimension of the polymer coil. There is no essential difference in the dimensions of the globules as obtained in the presence of monovalent and multivalent counterions for the studied ionic strength. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1623–1627, 2010     

pH-dependent self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly((sulfamate-carboxylate)isoprene) copolymer in aqueous media

The amphiphilic polystyrene- block-poly((sulfamate-carboxylate)isoprene) (PS-PISC) diblock copolymer was synthesized from the precursor diblock copolymer polystyrene- block-isoprene by reaction with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate. The structure and behavior of self-assembled PS-PISC nanoparticles was studied in alkaline and acidic aqueous solutions by a combination of static and dynamic light scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation, atomic force and cryogenic transmission electron microscopies, NMR spectroscopy, potentiometric titration, and fluorometry using pyrene as a polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe. It was found that PS-PISC exists in aqueous solutions in the form of micellar aggregates. The aggregation tendency increases with decreasing effective charge density in the shell, that is, with decreasing pH of the solution, and aggregates found in alkaline aqueous media have much smaller molar masses than those formed in acidic media. The latter are dense, collapsed structures with immobile PISC domains in which most of the COOH and NH 2 (+)SO 3 (-) groups are buried inside of the nanoparticles. The swelling of PISC domains and disentanglement of PISC chains after addition of a base are slow processes occurring on the time scale of days.     

Thermoresponsive polymer-stabilized silver nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) stabilized by a thermoresponsive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), have been synthesized by the reduction of silver ions with NaBH(4) in aqueous solutions. The obtained Ag NPs are very stable at room temperature due to the extended coil conformation of the PNIPAM chain at temperatures below its volume phase transition temperature ( approximately 32 degrees C). At higher temperatures (such as 45 degrees C) above the phase transition of PNIPAM, only minute aggregation between Ag NPs was observed, showing that the collapsed PNIPAM chains still retain the ability to stabilize Ag NPs. The PNIPAM-stabilized Ag NPs were then characterized as a function of the thermal phase transition of PNIPAM by UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammeter. Consistent results were obtained showing that the phase transition of PNIPAM has some effect on the optical properties of Ag NPs. Switchable electrochemical response of the PNIPAM-stabilized Ag NPs triggered by temperature change was observed.     

Impact of sodium polyacrylate on the amorphous calcium carbonate formation from supersaturated solution

A detailed in situ scattering study has been carried out on the formation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles modulated by the presence of small amounts of sodium polyacrylate chains. The work is aiming at an insight into the modulation of ACC formation by means of two polyacrylate samples differing in their molecular weight by a factor of 50. The ACC formation process was initiated by an in situ generation of CO(3)(2-) ions via hydrolysis of 10 mM dimethylcarbonate in the presence of 10 mM CaCl(2). Analysis of the formation process by means of time-resolved small-angle X-ray and light scattering in the absence of any additives provided evidence for a monomer addition mechanism for the growth of ACC particles. ACC formation under these conditions sets in after a lag-period of some 350 s. In the presence of sodium polyacrylate chains, calcium polyacrylate aggregates are formed during the lag-period, succeeded by a modulated ACC growth in a second step. The presence of anionic polyacrylate chains changed the shape of the growing particles toward loose and less homogeneous entities. In the case of low amounts (1.5-7.5 mg/L) of the long chain additive with 97 kDa, the size of the aggregates is comparable to the size of the successively formed hybrid particles. No variation of the lag-period has been observed in this case. Use of the short chain additive with 2 kDa enabled increase of the additive concentration up to 100 mg/L and resulted in a significant increase of the lag-period. This fact, together with the finding that the resulting hybrid particles remained stable in the latter case, identified short chain sodium polyacrylates as more efficient modulators than long chain polyacrylates.     

Dilute solution properties,chain stiffness,and liquid crystalline properties of cellulose propionate

The solution properties of cellulose derivatives are of interest from both technological and purely scientific aspects. At high concentrations these solutions form liquid crystalline structures. In dilute solution cellulosic chains can be described as semiflexible or wormlike with properties intermediate between random coils and rigid rods. A series of fractions of cellulose propionate have been examined by dilute solution viscometry, static and dynamic light scattering, and polarizing microscopy. Power law exponents are considerably larger than those observed for flexible chains and analysis of the intrinsic viscosity and hydrodynamic radii has yielded chain diameters and Kuhn statistical segment lengths. Corresponding aspect ratios from the hydrodynamic measurements are in good agreement with those obtained from polarizing microscopy, as analyzed in light of Flory's theory. Some aggregation and specific solvent effects have been observed, however separation of these effects has proven to be difficult. Results of these studies are compared to previous work for other cellulose derivatives. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Time evolution of the formation of different size cationic liposome-polyelectrolyte complexes

We report on the time evolution of the aggregation behaviour of cationic liposome-polyelectrolyte complexes studied by means of dynamic light scattering technique. Pure dioleoyltrimethilammoniumpropane (DOTAP) and mixed DOTAP-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes in polyacrylate sodium salt aqueous solutions in a wide concentration range have been investigated and the size and size distributions of the resulting aggregates evaluated from the intensity autocorrelation function of the scattered light. Under appropriate conditions, we found two discrete aggregation regimes, resulting in two different structural arrangements, whose time evolution depends on the charge ratio and the polyelectrolyte molecular weight. A first small component of average size in the 100-500 range nm coexists with a larger component, whose typical size increases with time, up to some micrometers. The cluster growth from a single liposome, 70 nm in diameter, to the formation of polymer-coated liposome aggregates has been briefly discussed in the light of steric stabilization of colloids. Moreover, it has been found that the kinetics of aggregation of the larger, time-dependent, component follows a dynamical scaling within the diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) regime. The understanding of structures resulting from interactions between polyelectrolytes with oppositely charged liposomes may help towards formulation of "lipoplexes" (cationic lipid-DNA complexes) to use as non-viral gene carriers.     

Effect of polymer adsorption on PEO-coated latex particles during salt-induced aggregation

The salt-induced aggregation of polystyrene particles in dilute aqueous solutions has been studied by means of dynamic light scattering measurements and the hydrodynamic radius of the resulting aggregates has been evaluated during the time evolution of the whole process. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer adsorbed on the particle surface at different amounts has been used to modify the inter-particle interactions resulting in the formation of clusters of increasing size or in the stabilization of the suspension, depending on the polymer molecular weight. The aggregation regime, i.e. a diffusion limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) occurring in the polymer-free latex suspension, is partially modified according to the polymer percentage adsorbed on the particle surface. At high polymer content, the polystyrene latex undergoes a complete steric stabilization. The deviation from a DLCA regime has been observed for different polymer contents and for polymers of different molecular weights, from 1.5 to 2000 kD. The alterations of the aggregation rates, induced by the polymer interactions, are presented and briefly discussed.     

Nanoparticle-reinforced associative network hydrogels

ABA triblock copolymers in solvents selective for the midblock are known to form associative micellar gels. We have modified the structure and rheology of ABA triblock copolymer gels comprising poly(lactide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(lactide) (PLA-PEO-PLA) through addition of a clay nanoparticle, laponite. Addition of laponite particles resulted in additional junction points in the gel via adsorption of the PEO corona chains onto the clay surfaces. Rheological measurements showed that this strategy led to a significant enhancement of the gel elastic modulus with small amounts of nanoparticles. Further characterization using small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering confirmed that nanoparticles increase the intermicellar attraction and result in aggregation of PLA-PEO-PLA micelles.     

Hydrodynamic behavior of high molar mass linear polyglycidol in dilute aqueous solution

Six high molar mass polyglycidol samples were obtained by fractionation of polyglycidol synthesized by means of cationic polymerization of ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether followed by cleavage of the protective groups. The fractions covering the molar mass range from 0.1 to 2.4 x 10(6) were studied by dynamic and static light scattering. The weight-average molar masses (Mw), second virial coefficients (A2), radii of gyration (Rg), diffusion coefficients (D0), hydrodynamic radii (Rh), and dynamic virial coefficients (kDphi) were determined for the single coil in dilute aqueous solution at 25 degrees C, and scaling equations were established. It was found that polyglycidol in water does not exhibit the expected asymptotic good solvent behavior. The scaling exponents for A2, D0, and Rh are even closer to those for polymer coils in marginal solvents than to the expected ones in the excluded-volume region. The values of the interpenetration parameter, psi, and kDphi are far from reaching limiting values even for the fractions of the highest molar masses. The scaling exponent for Rg as well as the Rg/Rh ratio, which was found to increase with increasing molar mass, imply elongated coil conformation in the high molar mass region.     

Preparation, characterization, surface modification and redox reactions of silver nanoparticles in the presence of tryptophan

The synthesis and characterization of water-soluble dispersions of Ag nanoparticles by the reduction of AgNO(3) using tryptophan under alkaline synthesis conditions are reported. The Ag nanoparticle formation was very slow at low concentration and rapid at extremes. For surface modification and redox reactions, manipulating the interparticles interaction controlled the size of Ag nanoparticles aggregates. Our results suggest that the replacement of the BH(4)(-) ions adsorbed on the nanoparticle surface by tryptophan destabilizes the particles and further caused aggregation. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of silver nanoparticles by tryptophan. The experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations. The Ag nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis absorption, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques.     

Aggregation Behavior of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Aqueous Environments

We report on the stability of titanium dioxide nanoparticles suspended in various aqueous solutions with and without the presence of a model organic contaminant—salicylic acid. The stability of the suspended nanoparticles was revealed by measuring the isoelectric point by means of zetapotential scans and measuring the growth kinetics of the hydrodynamic particle size by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS) under different pH conditions. Aggregated nanoparticle sizes were also examined using atomic force microscopy. It was found that salicylic acid had a dramatic impact on the aggregation behavior of TiO₂ nanoparticles, suggesting that salicylic acid adsorbs to TiO₂ nanoparticles surfaces.     

P(NIPAM-co-NVP)共聚物分子链水溶液中的可逆聚集研究

用溶液聚合方法合成了线型聚(N-异丙基丙烯酰胺-co-N-乙烯基吡咯烷酮)共聚物,通过弹性光散射(elastic light scattering,ELS)、荧光光谱与动态光散射研究了共聚物水溶液分子链可逆聚集的温度和时间依赖性.研究表明,升温时,ELS强度增加,分子链聚集;降温时,ELS强度降低,聚集的分子链解离.荧...     

Effects of dextran polydispersity on red blood cell aggregation

B 512 F dextran fractions of different polydispersities were prepared by fractionnal precipitation and preparative elution chromatography. By combination of low angle laser light scattering (LALLS) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), absolute average molecular weights (MWs) and molecular weight distribution functions (MWDs) were determined. Static and thermodynamical properties in terms of polymer dimensions and second virial coefficient of dilute solutions of dextran in water have been investigated. The results indicate that dextran macromolecules in water are rather compact and impenetrable coils. Measuring the disaggregation shear stress of dextran-induced red blood cell aggregates by laser light reflectometry, the macromolecular bridging energy was shown to depend upon dextran sample polydispersity. This reflects the weak and reversible character of red blood cell aggregation by dextran chains in physiological saline solution.     

Forming chainlike filaments of magnetic colloids: the role of the relative strength of isotropic and anisotropic particle interactions

The influence of the interplay between anisotropic magnetic and isotropic electrostatic interactions on the aggregation behavior of aqueous suspensions of electric double layered magnetic particles was studied. Therefore, the particles were aggregated under the action of an external magnetic field and in the presence of different amounts of an indifferent 1:1 electrolyte. After removing the field, linear aggregates remained in the sample. Static light scattering and electron micrographs confirmed the chainlike cluster morphology. Dynamic light scattering was used for monitoring the average diffusion coefficient of these magnetic filaments. A theoretical model that allows the experimental mean diffusion coefficient to be related to the average chain length was successfully employed. The results show that, at fixed exposure time and field strength, the average filament size is proportional to the amount of electrolyte added. The light scattering data and transmission electron microscopy micrographs prove that permanent chains coexist with a relatively large fraction of individual particles when no or little electrolyte was added to the samples. A plausible explanation for this "selective aggregation" phenomenon could be given in terms of surface charge heterogeneities. The chain growth was found to follow a power law with a similar exponent for all the electrolyte concentrations studied. Scaling theories were employed for estimating the ratio of particles taking part in the aggregation process.     

Iodine-induced uncoiling of polyisoprene random coils in solution

Recently, we demonstrated that conjugated sequences of unsaturated double bonds can be introduced into 1,4-polyisoprene backbone through conjugation reactions induced by iodine [1]. Here, we report a structural investigation on the conjugated polyisoprene chains in solution by means of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS results indicate a conformational transition from a random coil, characteristic of the pristine polyisoprene chains in solution [2], to a rod-like structure by uncoiling of the macromolecular coils due to a remarkable increase in chain rigidity associated with the formation of rigid conjugated sequences via the I₂-induced conjugation reaction.     

Dissolution-accompanied aggregation kinetics of silver nanoparticles

Bare silver nanoparticles with diameters of 82 ± 1.3 nm were synthesized by the reduction of the Ag(NH(3))(2)(+) complex with D-maltose, and their morphology, crystalline structure, UV-vis spectrum, and electrophoretic mobilities were determined. Dynamic light scattering was employed to assess early stage aggregation kinetics by measuring the change in the average hydrodynamic diameter of the nanoparticles with time over a range of electrolyte types (NaCl, NaNO(3), and CaCl(2)) and concentrations. From this the critical coagulation concentration values were identified as 30, 40, and 2 mM for NaNO(3), NaCl, and CaCl(2), respectively. Although the silver nanoparticles were observed to dissolve in all three electrolyte solutions, the aggregation results were still consistent with classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The dissolution of the silver nanoparticles, which were coated with a layer of Ag(2)O, was highly dependent on the electrolyte type and concentration. In systems with Cl(-) a secondary precipitate, likely AgCl, also formed and produced a coating layer that incorporated the silver nanoparticles. Aggregation of the silver nanoparticles was also examined in the presence of Nordic aquatic fulvic acid and was little changed compared to that evaluated under identical fulvic acid-free conditions. These results provide a fundamental basis for further studies evaluating the environmental fate of silver nanoparticles in natural aquatic systems.     

Self-assembled metal colloid films: two approaches for preparing new SERS active substrates

In this paper, we propose two new approaches for preparing active substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In the first approach (method 1), one transfers AgI nanoparticles capped by negatively charged mercaptoacetic acid from a AgI colloid solution onto a quartz slide and then deoxidizes AgI to Ag nanoparticles on the substrate. The second approach (method 2) deoxidizes AgI to Ag nanoparticles in a colloid solution and then transfers the Ag nanoparticles capped by negatively charged mercaptoacetic acid onto a quartz slide. By transfer of the AgI/Ag nanoparticles from the colloid solutions to the solid substrates, the problem of instability of the colloid solutions can largely be overcome. The films thus prepared by both approaches retain the merits of metal colloid solutions while they discharge their shortcomings. Accordingly, the obtained Ag particle films are very suitable as SERS active substrates. SERS active substrates with different coverages can be formed in a layer-by-layer electrostatic assembly by exposing positively charged surfaces to the colloid solutions containing oppositely charged AgI/Ag nanoparticles. The SERS active substrates fabricated by the two novel methods have been characterized by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The results of AFM and UV-vis spectroscopy show that the Ag nanoparticles grow with the increase in the number of coverage and that most of them remain isolated even at high coverages. Consequently, the surface optical properties are dominated by the absorption due to the isolated Ag nanoparticles. The relationship between SERS intensity and surface morphology of the new active substrates has been investigated for Rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on them. It has been found that the SERS enhancement depends on the size and aggregation of the Ag particles on the substrates. Especially, we can obtain a stronger SERS signal from the substrate prepared by method 1, implying that for the metal nanoparticles capped with stabilizer molecules such as mercaptoacetic acid, the in situ deoxidization in the film is of great use in preparing SERS active substrates. Furthermore, we have found that the addition of Cl- into the AgI colloid solution changes the surface morphology of the SERS active substrates and favors stronger SERS enhancement.     

Study of the phase transition of poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) in water by rheology and dynamic light scattering

Poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) possesses a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in aqueous media. The solution properties of PDEA at various temperatures have been characterized with techniques such as rheology and dynamic light scattering. There is a decrease in the coil size before the phase transition due to a coil‐to‐globule transition. At the LCST, rheological and dynamic light scattering studies have also confirmed an aggregation phenomenon. This aggregation modifies the rheological properties of the polymer solutions. High frequencies hinder the phase‐transition process and reduce the LCST of the polymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1627–1637, 2003