Effect of thermodiffusion on pH‐regulated surface charge properties of nanoparticle

Surface properties of nanoparticle are of high importance in the field of biotechnology, drug delivery and micro/nanofabrication. In this article, we developed a comprehensive theoretical model and subsequently solved that numerically to study the effect of thermodiffusion of ions on surface charge properties of nanoparticle. The theoretical study has been done considering silica nanoparticle for two aqueous solutions NaCl and KCl. The effect of solution pH in conjunction with nanoparticle temperature on surface charge density has been obtained for different salt concentrations (1, 10 and 100 mM) and nanoparticle size (diameter of 2 and 100 nm). It is observed from the results that with increasing temperature of the nanoparticle, the negative surface charge density gets higher due to increasing thermodiffusion effect. It is also found out that the magnitude of surface charge density is higher for KCl solution than NaCl solution under same condition which is attributed mostly due to less thermodiffusion of counterions for KCl than NaCl. Present study also shows that magnitude of surface charge density decreases with increasing nanoparticle size until it reaches a limiting value (called critical size) above which the effect of nanoparticle size on surface charge density is insignificant.     

Determination of the net electric charge of a polyacrylamide molecule by Donnan potential measurements

The net electric chargez _pof a polyacrylamide molecule (Praestol, Mol. Wt. 3.4×10⁶) in aqueous solution was determined for two pH values (7.2 and 10.0) by measuring the Donnan e.m.f. as function of the solutions NaCl contentc (2.7 mM<c<74 mM). Taking into account a non-ideal behavior of the counterions (Na⁺) mobility, the numerical values ofz _pturned out to be 3100 and 5500 electric charge units for pH=7.2 and 10.0, respectively. A measurable contribution of the assumed non-ideal model for the Na⁺ ions is found forc<15 mM.     

Effects of fixed-charge distribution and pH on the electrophoretic mobility of biological cells

The electrophoretic mobility of biological cells is investigated theoretically. In particular, the effects of the distribution of the charges in the surface layer and the pH of bulk liquid phase on the mobility of cells are examined. The former includes the fixed charges due to the dissociation of the functional groups and the charges due to the penetrated electrolyte ions. The present analysis extends previous results in that the fixed charges are distributed nonuniformly across the surface layer of a cell. It is found that the distribution of the fixed charges in the surface layer has a significant effect on its electrophoretic mobility. Thus, assuming that the fixed charges are homogeneously distributed in the surface layer of a cell may lead to a significant deviation.     

Biocompatible NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles: Colloidal stability and optical properties

Currently, highly luminescent colloidal upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have expanded an increasing interest of researchers because of their facilitating lability in the biomedical/clinical field. In this study, NaYF₄:Yb,Er UCNPs are prepared by eco-friendly metal complexation-based thermal decomposition method at a lower temperature in aqueous media. The phase structure, crystallinity, phase purity, morphology, colloidal dispersibility, surface structure, surface charge, and optical and luminescent properties were evaluated carefully by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV/visible and photoluminescent spectroscopic techniques. XRD pattern shows a pure single-phase cubic structure with an average grain size of 30–35 nm. TEM and SEM micrographs exhibited irregularly shaped spherical morphologies, porous surface structures highly aggregated UCNPs with the narrow-size distribution. Positive zeta potential has shown value signifying high absorption in the visible region which indicates particle's good colloidal stability in aqueous media. Under NIR-laser light excitation, the UCNPs emit strong UC emission transitions in the visible region. A broad infrared absorption peak of hydroxyl groups (–OH) in FTIR spectrum and mass loss at a lower temperature in TGA verified the surface functionality of UCNPs, with high colloidal stability, and excellent biocompatibility in aqueous media. In terms of their surface characteristics and high luminescent properties, the NaYF₄:Yb,Er UCNPs could be interestingly applied in tagging of biomolecules, drug delivery, proteins labeling, and therapeutic and thermostats applications.     

Adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia to solid surfaces: the role of surface charge and hydrophobicity

Adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia to four materials of different surface charge and hydrophobicity was investigated. Glass beads were used with and without three polymer coatings: aminosilines (A0750), fluorosilines (T2494), an amino cationic polymer. Surface charge density and hydrophobicity of the beads were characterized by measuring the zeta potential (ZP) and the contact angle, respectively. Adhesion was derived from batch experiments where negatively charged (oo)cysts were mixed with the beads and recovery was determined by counting (oo)cysts remaining in suspension using a flow cytometer. Experimental results clearly show that adhesion to solid surfaces of C. parvum is different from G. lamblia. Adhesion of C. parvum to positively charged, hydrophilic beads (82% recovery relative to control) indicated that surface charge was the more important factor for C. parvum, dominating any hydrophobic effects. Adhesion of G. lamblia cysts to negatively charged, hydrophobic beads (0% recovery relative to control) indicated that although hydrophobicity and surface charge both played a role in the adhesion of G. lamblia to solid surfaces, hydrophobicity was more important than surface charge.     

A novel measurement method of Donnan potential at an interface between a charged membrane and mixed salt solution

We developed a novel measurement method of the Donnan potential difference at a charged membrane/salt solution interface. The method can measure the potential under the condition that the membrane charge density is much lower than the KCl concentration of the salt bridge. This method is very useful for obtaining the effective charge density of each layer of a bipolar membrane. The present experiments in a system of a negatively charged poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane and a single salt solution of KCl, NaCl, LiCl, CaCl₂ and LaC₃ revealed that the membrane effective charged density has the same value for all the ions. The experiments in mixed KCl and CaCl₂ solution revealed that the potential in the system is governed mainly by the concentration of the counterion having the highest valence in the system.     

Donnan potential of dilute colloidal dispersions: Monte Carlo simulations

Donnan equilibrium between a salt-free colloidal dispersion and an electrolyte solution has been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The Donnan potential is directly calculated by considering two compartments separated by a semipermeable membrane. In order to understand the role played by colloid–ion interactions, the influences of colloidal characteristics, including particle size R, intrinsic particle charge Z, counterion valency z_c, and concentration c_p, on Donnan potential Ψ_D and effective charge Z_eff are examined. Our simulations show that the electroneutrality condition is not followed in both compartments and the Donnan potential arises due to the net charge density. The Donnan potential grows by increasing c_p and Z_eff and by decreasing dielectric constant ε_r, i.e., Ψ_DZ_effc_p/ε_r approximately. Note that the effective charge varies with R,Z,c_p,ε_r and z_c as well. When the salt concentration is increased, the net charge density is lowered and thus the Donnan potential decays accordingly. The validity of the classical theory based on the Nernst equation and the electroneutrality assumption is also examined. In general, the simulation results at high-salt condition can be well represented by such mean-field theory.     

Quantum‐based models of charge‐dependent potential energy surfaces: Three‐state models

Quantum‐based models of how potential energies depend on charge are developed from a three‐state model, at the level of neglecting state‐to‐state overlap. The energy as a function of charge is defined as proposed previously (Valone and Atlas, J Chem Phys 2004, 120, 7262). With this definition, addition of a third state smooths the derivatives of the energy model with respect to charge at integer values of charge that are in the interior of the allowed charge range. These derivatives are related to the chemical potential. At the dissociation limit, this model converges to established limits. Another dependence is proposed that uses two different charges simultaneously. The concepts are illustrated, with calculations on an OH molecule. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Impact of ionic strength of growth on the physiochemical properties, structure, and adhesion of Listeriamonocytogenes polyelectrolyte brushes to a silicon nitride surface in water

The adhesion energies between pathogenic Listeriamonocytogenes EGDe to a model surface of silicon nitride were quantified using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in water for cells grown in pure media (as the control) and in media of four different ionic strengths of added NaCl (IS of 0.05 M, 0.1 M, 0.3 M and 0.5 M NaCl). The physiochemical properties of L. monocytogenes EGDe surface brushes were shown to have a strong influence on the adhesion of the microbe to the silicon nitride surface. The transitions in the adhesion energies, physiochemical properties, and the structure of bacterial surface polyelectrolyte brushes were observed for the cells grown in the media of 0.1 M added NaCl. Our results suggested that the highest long-range electrostatic repulsion which was partially balanced by the Liftshitz-van der Waals attraction for the cells grown at 0.1 M was responsible for the highest energy barrier to adhesion for these cells as predicted by the soft-particle analysis of DLVO theory and the lower adhesion measured by AFM.     

Charge heterogeneity of surfaces: mapping and effects on surface forces

The DLVO theory treats the total interaction force between two surfaces in a liquid medium as an arithmetic sum of two components: Lifshitz–van der Waals and electric double layer forces. Despite the success of the DLVO model developed for homogeneous surfaces, a vast majority of surfaces of particles and materials in technological systems are of a heterogeneous nature with a mosaic structure composed of microscopic and sub-microscopic domains of different surface characteristics. In such systems, the heterogeneity of the surface can be more important than the average surface character. Attractions can be stronger, by orders of magnitude, than would be expected from the classical mean-field DLVO model when area-averaged surface charge or potential is employed. Heterogeneity also introduces anisotropy of interactions into colloidal systems, vastly ignored in the past. To detect surface heterogeneities, analytical tools which provide accurate and spatially resolved information about material surface chemistry and potential — particularly at microscopic and sub-microscopic resolutions — are needed.Atomic force microscopy (AFM) offers the opportunity to locally probe not only changes in material surface characteristic but also charges of heterogeneous surfaces through measurements of force–distance curves in electrolyte solutions. Both diffuse-layer charge densities and potentials can be calculated by fitting the experimental data with a DLVO theoretical model. The surface charge characteristics of the heterogeneous substrate as recorded by AFM allow the charge variation to be mapped. Based on the obtained information, computer modeling and simulation can be performed to study the interactions among an ensemble of heterogeneous particles and their collective motions. In this paper, the diffuse-layer charge mapping by the AFM technique is briefly reviewed, and a new Diffuse Interface Field Approach to colloid modeling and simulation is briefly discussed.     

Adsorption of cationic polyelectrolyte onto a model carboxylic latex and the influence of adsorbed polycation on the charge regulation at the latex surface

 Adsorption of a well-characterized cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) onto the surface of a model colloid (monodisperse polystyrene latex with carboxylic functional groups) was studied over a wide range of pH (4–9) and KCl concentration (c _s =10^-3–0.3 M). The surface charge density of the latex particles with and without adsorbed CPAM was also measured over the same range of electrolyte compositions. The adsorbed amount of CPAM increases with increase in c _s and pH. The polyelectrolyte adsorption alters substantially the surface charge density of the latex particles as compared to the polymer-free case. A large overcompensation of the surface charge by the adsorbed polyelectrolyte is established at high c _s and low pH. A qualitative explanation of the observed features is put forward. Received: 3 December 1996 Accepted: 20 January 1997     

Hydrophobic and electrostatic cell surface properties of blastospores of the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus

The physicochemical surface properties of blastospores of the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus were examined. Contact angle measurements were performed on microbial lawns composed of blastospores of P. fumosoroseus to quantify their cell surface energy components. In addition, suspensions of the blastospores were characterized with the microbial adhesion to solvents assay. Zeta potential measurements were used to quantify the surface charge and determine the zero potential of the blastospores. The results show blastospores of P. fumosoroseus are best described as having a basic monopolar surface and classified as hydrophilic. Blastospores are also negatively charged under neutral conditions with an isoelectric point of 3.4.     

Synthesis and surface properties of a fluorinated polyether

A new polyether consisting of alternate fluorinated/non-fluorinated phenylene units in the backbone has been synthesized via polycondensation of an AB monomer. At room temperature, the polymer film exhibits a low surface energy that is comparable to poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). However, as the temperature is raised above a particular level, the surface energy of the polymer films starts to increase. Morphological measurements suggest that a smooth thin polymer film can be formed by solvent casting, but it spontaneously dewets the substrate surface when thermally annealed.     

Resonance light scattering properties of Eu3+ in gold colloid

Gold colloidal containing rare-earth ions Eu3+ were prepared at room temperature. Fluorescence spectra and resonance light scattering (RLS) spectra of Eu3+ ions and gold colloid containing Eu3+ were measured. For solution containing Eu3+, RLS features show two peaks at the edges of the visible light wavelength region. The short wavelength peak takes place at about 400 nm and the longer wavelength peak is the corresponding 1/2 fraction frequency RLS peak, which takes place at about 780 nm. When gold colloids were added to the solution containing Eu3+, both these two RLS peaks were enhanced. We believe that the energies, which are absorbed by the surface plasmon resonance in the gold nanoparticles, are efficiently transferred into the Eu3+ ions to cause the increased scattering.     

Speciation of nickel in surface waters measured with the Donnan membrane technique

The evaluation of the ecotoxicological risk of nickel (Ni) in surface water is hampered by a lack of speciation data. Six surface waters were sampled and speciation of Ni(II) was measured by the Donnan membrane technique (DMT) combined with radiochemical determination of ⁶³Ni. The free Ni²⁺ ion fraction in the dissolved (<0.45 μm) phase was determined at background Ni concentration ((4-8) × 10⁻⁸ M) and at concentrations in the range of toxicity thresholds for the Ni sensitive species Cerodaphnia dubia (5 × 10⁻⁸ to 2 × 10⁻⁶ M). The free ion fraction ranged from 4 to 45% at background Ni and increased with increasing Ni concentration and water hardness and with decreasing pH. The equilibration time after addition of Ni²⁺ (3 h-7 d) did not significantly change the measured free ion fraction. Predictions of the Humic-Ion Binding Model WHAM (Windermere Humic Aqueous Model) VI overestimated the observed free Ni²⁺ fraction (median > two-fold), even when assuming that all dissolved organic matter (DOM) was present as fulvic acid (FA). The impact of several model parameters affecting the prediction of Ni speciation were evaluated, including the solubility product of Fe(OH)₃, which affects the Fe competition for complexation by DOM. The best fit (R² = 0.88) was obtained by increasing only the distribution term ΔLK₂, which modifies the binding strength of multi-dentate sites, to accommodate the observed dependence of free ion fraction on Ni concentration.     

CdS aerogels: Effect of concentration and primary particle size on surface area and opto-electronic properties

Porous aerogels of CdS that exhibit quantum confined optical properties have been prepared by supercritical drying of wet CdS gels prepared by oxidative stripping of nanoparticle capping groups. The water-to-surfactant ratio (W) employed in the preparation of the nanoparticles is found to have a large impact on the surface areas of resultant aerogels, with W=5 samples producing mesoporous samples with the highest surface areas and cumulative pore volumes. In contrast, the concentration of the CdS sol employed in the gelation has only a small effect on the porosity characteristics, but a large impact on the apparent crystallite and chromophore sizes in as-prepared aerogels. Higher concentrations of the sol result in larger crystallite sizes and lower degrees of quantum confinement, as evidenced by a red shift in the absorbance spectra.     

Exact electronic properties in the classically forbidden region of a metal surface

We derive exact properties of the inhomogeneous electron gas in the asymptotic classically forbidden region at a metal–vacuum interface within the framework of local effective potential energy theory. We derive a new expression for the asymptotic structure of the Kohn–Sham density functional theory (KS‐DFT) exchange‐correlation potential energy v_xc(r) in terms of the irreducible electron self‐energy. We also derive the exact asymptotic structure of the orbitals, density, the Dirac density matrix, the kinetic energy density, and KS exchange energy density. We further obtain the exact expression for the Fermi hole and demonstrate its structure in this asymptotic limit. The exchange‐correlation potential energy is derived to be v_xc(z → ∞) = ?α_KS,xc/z, and its exchange and correlation components to be v_x(z → ∞) = ?α_KS,x/z and v_c(z → ∞) = ?α_KS,c/z, respectively. The analytical expressions for the coefficients α_KS,xc and α_KS,x show them to be dependent on the bulk‐metal Wigner–Seitz radius and the barrier height at the surface. The coefficient α_KS,c = 1/4 is determined in the plasmon‐pole approximation and is independent of these metal parameters. Thus, the asymptotic structure of v_xc(z) in the vacuum region is image‐potential‐like but not the commonly accepted one of ?1/4z. Furthermore, this structure depends on the properties of the metal. Additionally, an analysis of these results via quantal density functional theory (Q‐DFT) shows that both the Pauli W_x(z → ∞) and lowest‐order correlation‐kinetic W(z → ∞) components of the exchange potential energy v_x(z → ∞), and the Coulomb W_c(z → ∞) and higher‐order correlation‐kinetic components of the correlation potential energy v_c(z → ∞), all contribute terms of O(1/z) to the structure. Hence correlations attributable to the Pauli exclusion principle, Coulomb repulsion, and correlation‐kinetic effects all contribute to the asymptotic structure of the effective potential energy at a metal surface. The relevance of the results derived to the theory of image states and to KS‐DFT is also discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Modification of membrane surface for anti-biofouling performance: Effect of anti-adhesion and anti-bacteria approaches

Membrane biofouling refers to the undesirable accumulation (attachment and growth) of microorganisms on a membrane surface, and has been a major problem in the application of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment. In this study, the surface of a base membrane made of chitosan/cellulose acetate blend was modified by reacting with heparin, quaternary ammonium or being immobilized with silver ions. The purpose of the modifications was to increase the surface hydrophilicity, alter the surface charge property or endue the surface with anti-bacteria function. The modified membranes were then examined for their anti-biofouling performance in terms of the anti-adhesion and anti-bacteria effects, with Escherichia coli pure culture and mixed culture bacteria in a bioreactor that simulated the activated sludge wastewater treatment process. The results clearly show that the hydrophilicity of a membrane, although important, is not an effective indicator for the tendency of membrane biofouling but the nature of the surface charges of the membrane also plays a very important role. It was found that the anti-adhesion approach that prevents the initial attachment of bacteria on a membrane surface is a more effective method than the anti-bacteria approach that aims at killing bacteria already attached on the membrane surface. The best performance for minimizing membrane biofouling has, however, been realized through a modified membrane surface that has effective anti-adhesion property plus additional anti-bacteria function, with the latter as a safe guard in case some bacteria do attach to the surface of a membrane.     

Surface charge and surface chemical characteristics of magnetites substituted with nickel, cobalt and chromium

Magnetite (MAG) and magnetites substituted with nickel, cobalt and chromium (NF, COF and CRF, respectively) have been prepared over the whole range of composition, Me_xFe_3−xO₄ (x=0–3, Me=Ni, Co or Cr) using the coprecipitation technique and have been characterized for their chemical composition, crystallinity and surface area. The types of sorption sites present in them were characterized by analysing the water sorption isotherms ultilizing the D'Arcy and Watt equation. Intrinsic dissociation constants, and point of zero charge, PZC, were evaluated by analysing the pH-titration curves in acid and alkaline media. A similarity in the trend was observed for the crystallinity, surface area, sorption sites and surface charge characteristics as a function of the composition of the substituted MAGs (i.e. x). The overall behaviour of the substituted MAGs could be grouped into two: mixed oxides having composition with x=0–1 and those in the composition region x=1–3. Those in the composition region x=0–1 were crystalline with a lower surface area, less hydrophilic in nature and have surface charge characteristics lower than that of MAG. Those mixed oxides in the composition region x=1–3 nearly had the opposite characteristics, with increasing value of x. The hydrophilicity of the substituted MAGs decreased in the sequence CRF>NFCOF, and the acidic nature decreased in the sequence NF>CRF>COF.     

PEG-coated reverse osmosis membranes: Desalination properties and fouling resistance

This study focuses on the use of surface-coated reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to reduce membrane fouling in produced water purification. A series of crosslinked PEG-based hydrogels were synthesized using poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate as the crosslinker and poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, or acrylic acid as comonomers. The hydrogels were highly water permeable, with water permeabilities ranging from 10.0 to 17.8 (L μm)/(m² h bar). The hydrogels were applied to a commercial RO membrane (AG brackish water RO membrane from GE Water and Process Technologies). The water flux of coated membranes and a series-resistance model were used to estimate coating thickness; the coatings were approximately 2 μm thick. NaCl rejection for both uncoated and coated membranes was 99.0% or greater, and coating the membranes appeared to increase salt rejection, in contrast to predictions from the series-resistance model. Zeta potential measurements showed a small reduction in the negative charge of coated membranes relative to uncoated RO membranes. Model oil/water emulsions were used to probe membrane fouling. Emulsions were prepared with either a cationic or an anionic surfactant. Surfactant charge played a significant role in membrane fouling even in the absence of oil. A cationic surfactant, dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), caused a strong decline in water flux while an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), resulted in little or no flux decline. In the presence of DTAB, the AG RO membrane water flux immediately dropped to 30% of its initial value, but in the presence of SDS, its water flux gradually decreased to 74% of its initial value after 24 h. DTAB-fouled membranes had lower salt rejection than membranes not exposed to DTAB. In contrast, SDS-fouled membranes had higher salt rejection than membranes not exposed to SDS, with rejection values increasing, in some cases, from 99.0 to 99.8% or higher. In both surfactant tests, coated membranes exhibited less flux decline than uncoated AG RO membranes. Additionally, coated membranes experienced little fouling in the presence of an oil/water emulsion prepared from DTAB and n-decane. For example, after 24 h the water flux of the AG RO membrane fell to 26% of its initial value, while the water flux of a PEGDA-coated AG RO membrane was 73% of its initial value.