Hydrophilic magnetic polymer latexes. 1. Adsorption of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles onto various cationic latexes

With a view to preparing monosized hydrophilic functional magnetic latex particles based on a two-step strategy using anionic iron oxide and cationic polymer latexes, the adsorption step was systematically investigated for a better control of the subsequent encapsulation step. The iron oxide nanoparticles were first obtained according to the classical precipitation method of ferric and ferrous chloride salt using a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, whereas the polystyrene (PS), P(S/N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)) core–shell and PNIPAM latexes were produced via emulsion and precipitation polymerizations, respectively. The polymer and inorganic colloids were then characterised. The adsorption of iron oxide nanoparticles onto the three types of polymer latexes via electrostatic interaction was studied as a function of iron oxide particle concentration, charge density and the cross-linking density of the hydrophilic layer. The maximum amounts of magnetic nanoparticles adsorbed onto the various latexes were found to increase in the following order: PS < P(S/NIPAM) < P(NIPAM). This significant difference is discussed by taking into account the charge distribution in the hydrogel layer and diffusion phenomena inside the cross-linked hydrophilic shell. Received: 28 December 1998 Accepted in revised form: 15 April 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan‐modified polymethyl methacrylate latex particles

Stable chitosan‐modified polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) latex particles were prepared by using 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (V‐50) as the cationic initiator. The polymerization rate (R_p) is controlled by the V‐50 concentration ([V‐50]) and R_p is less sensitive to the chitosan concentration ([C]) used in the synthesis work. The reaction system follows Smith–Ewart Case III kinetics due to the relatively large particles produced. The zeta potential data show that the isoelectric point (pI) of the latex particles is 10.7. The amounts of V‐50 (C_V‐50) and chitosan (C_c) ultimately incorporated into the particles correlate reasonably well with [V‐50] and [C], respectively. At pH 7, the quantity of the negatively charged bovine serum albumin (BSA, pI = 4.8) adsorbed on the positively charged chitosan‐free particles (Q) via the electrostatic interaction increases with increasing C_V‐50. However, Q is relatively insensitive to changes in C_c. This result implies that only the outermost region of the hairy chitosan‐modified particles is available for adsorption of the relatively large protein species. Colloidal stability shows a significant influence on the BSA adsorption process. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1489–1499, 1999     

Isothermal equilibrium adsorption of concanavalin A on dextran-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles

Isothermal equilibrium adsorption experiments were carried out to study the adsorption of concanavalin A (Con A) on dextran-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latex particles. Three PMMA particles with various levels of dextran modification were selected for study: 0% (designated as D0), 1.24% (D20), and 2.45% (D75) based on total polymer weight. The Langmuir model is applicable to both D0 and D20 systems, although the data for the D20 system are somewhat scattered. On the other hand, the amount of Con A adsorbed per gram polymer particles (q*) versus the Con A concentration in water (c*) curve for the D75 system cannot be described by the Langmuir model. The deviation is attributed to the formation of a crosslinked network structure, caused by specific binding of the dimeric Con A molecules onto two neighboring particles with grafted dextran. The ratio of the initial number of Con A molecules to the initial number of active binding sites on the dextran-modified particle surface plays an important role in determining the structure of flocs formed. The maximum amount of Con A adsorbed on the particle surface (q _max) is of the order of 10⁻¹ μmol per gram particles and q _max in decreasing order is D75 > D20 > D0. The dissociation constant of the Con A-D20 (or Con A-D75) pair is of the order of 10⁻¹ μmol dm⁻³ which is 1 order of magnitude smaller than that of the Con A-D0 pair. Thus, the electrostatic interaction between Con A and D0 is much weaker than the affinity interaction between Con A and D20 (or D75). An empirical model is proposed to qualitatively explain the q* versus c* data. Received: 18 June 1998 Accepted in revised form: 24 December 1998     

Dextran stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles and their potential application for affinity purification of lectins

 Stable poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles (220–360 nm in diameter) using dextran as the protective colloid were prepared and characterized in this study. Such an emulsion polymerization system follows Smith–Ewart Case III kinetics (i.e., the average number of free radicals per particle is greater than 0.5) due to the relatively large latex particle size. The carbohydrate content of these dextran modified emulsion polymers shows a maximum around 5% dextran based on total monomer weight. The latex stability during polymerization is closely related to the carbohydrate content of these latex particles, and it is controlled by the ratio of the thickness of the dextran adsorption layer to that of the electric double layer of the latex particles. The critical flocculation concentration (CFC) of the latex products correlates well with the latex stability during polymerization. The greater the total scrap produced during polymerization (i.e., the stronger the bridging flocculation), the lower is the CFC of the latex products. The affinity precipitation of concanavalin A (a model lectin used in this study) by the dextran modified PMMA latex particles is also illustrated in this study. The specifically adsorbed concanavalin A increases with the carbohydrate content of the dextran modified latex particles. Received: 9 December 1996 Accepted: 8 April 1997     

染料壳聚糖微球的制备及其对牛血清白蛋白(BSA)吸附性能的研究

采用反相悬浮交联法制备壳聚糖微球,对微球进行羟丙基氯化及氨基化,并偶联色素配体Cibacron Blue F3GA,得到一种新型染料亲和吸附剂.以牛血清白蛋白(BSA)为目标蛋白,考察了该染料亲和吸附剂的吸附性能,发现其对BSA有较高的吸附量(95.2mg/g),吸附行为满足Langmuir吸附等温式.负载牛血清白蛋白的微球容易洗脱,洗脱率高达99％.     

Formation of positively charged poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles stabilized with chitosan

To investigate the formation of positively charged nanoparticles (NP) stabilized with chitosan, positively charged poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) NP were prepared by emulsion polymerization in the presence of chitosan as a polymeric stabilizer at low pH. The effect of physicochemical factors such as the pH, the concentration and the volume of the chitosan solution, the chitosan molecular weight and the temperature on the mean particle size and the turbidity of PBCA-NP was investigated. Particle size was determined using a transmission electron microscope. The chemical interaction between chitosan and PBCA was identified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and the grafting percentage at various pH values was determined. The zeta potential of PBCA-NP coated with chitosan was determined from the electrophoretic mobility in 10 mM NaCl. The pH, the concentration and the volume of the chitosan solution and the molecular weight of chitosan were shown to be important factors in controlling the mean particle size of NP in the range 10–100 nm. FT-IR spectra indicated that chitosan was covalently linked to PBCA and the maximum grafting percentage reached about 120% w/w at pH 2.0. Nimodipine as a model drug was successfully incorporated into chitosan-stabilized PBCA-NP with a mean particle diameter of 31.6 nm. PBCA-NP coated with chitosan carried a positive charge. The results indicate that positively charged NP may be produced in the presence of cationic polysaccharide chitosan and might increase their potential use as a targeting drug delivery system. Received: 17 March 1999/Accepted in revised form: 4 October 1999     

Silica-modified electrode for the selective detection of mercury

Pure silica particles were dispersed within carbon paste and the resulting modified electrode was applied to the selective voltammetric detection of mercury(II) species after their accumulation at open circuit. The remarkable selectivity observed between pH 4 and 7 was attributed to the intrinsic adsorption mechanism which involves a condensation reaction between mercury(II) hydroxide and hydroxyl groups on the silica surface, leading to the formation of an inner-sphere-type surface complex. After optimization with respect to the electrode composition, the detection medium, and the voltammetric scan mode, a linear response was obtained in the concentration range between 2 × 10⁻⁷ M to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M, by applying anodic stripping square wave voltammetry. Various silica samples were used and their sorption behavior was discussed in relation to their specific surface area and porosity. The effect of chloride and pH on the accumulation of mercury(II) on silica was also investigated. Received: 4 September 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 2000     

Effect of short-chain alcohols on the oil-in-water microemulsion polymerization of styrene

The influence of short-chain alcohols, 1-butanol (C₄OH), 2-pentanol (C₅OH) and 1-hexanol (C₆OH), on the formation of oil-in-water styrene microemulsions and the subsequent free-radical polymerization was studied. Sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as the surfactant. The overall performance of C₄OH as the cosurfactant is quite different from C₅OH and C₆OH. The range of the microemulsion region in decreasing order is C₄OH > C₅OH > C₆OH. The primary parameters selected for the microemulsion polymerization study were the concentrations of cosurfactant and styrene. Only a small fraction of microemulsion droplets initially present in the reaction system can be successfully transformed into latex particles and the remaining droplets serve as a reservoir to supply the growing particles with monomer. Limited flocculation of latex particles also occurs during polymerization and the degree of flocculation is most significant for the C₄OH system. Received: 24 August 1999/Accepted in revised form: 22 October 1999     

Effect of growth conditions on the structure of two-dimensional latex crystals: experiment

The growth kinetics and structure of two-dimensional crystals of fine latex particles on solid substrates have been studied using a variety of microscopic techniques: optical microscopy, surface plasmon resonance microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. A circular-shaped crystal is grown from a thin layer of a latex suspension by a two-step mechanism: nucleation and crystal growth. Here we report an experimental study of the factors influencing the crystallization process, especially focusing on the water evaporation rate, the liquid meniscus at the crystal boundary, the particle size and concentration, the substrate, etc. Crystals of good quality and structure are grown at a high evaporation rate (low humidity) favoring a convection-dominated influx of particles from the suspension. The particle diffusion plays a role at suppressed evaporation thus causing an increase in the number of crystal defects. The dynamics of the meniscus slope leads to growth instability resulting in a sequence of multilayer rings. A hexagonal lattice prevails in the final crystal whereas a square lattice is observed in the transition regions between two different hexagonal multilayers. These general trends of the crystallization process are the same for different particle diameters (19 nm, 55 nm, 144 nm and 1.696 μm), volume fractions (0.001–0.01) and substrates (bare and metal-coated glass and mica). Received: 8 February 1999 Accepted in revised form: 12 May 1999     

Morphology and film formation of poly(butyl methacrylate)–polypyrrole core–shell latex particles

 Core–shell latex particles made of a poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) core and a thin polypyrrole (PPy) shell were synthesized by two-stage polymerization. In the first stage, PBMA latex particles were synthesized in a semicontinuous process by free-radical polymerization. PBMA latex particles were labeled either with an energy donor or with an energy acceptor, in two different syntheses. These particles were used in a second stage as seeds for the synthesis of the core–shell particles. The PPy shell was polymerized around the PBMA core latex in an oxidative chemical in situ polymerization. Proofs for the success of the core–shell synthesis were obtained using nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). NRET gives access to the rate of polymer chain migration between adjacent particles in a film annealed at a temperature above the glass-transition temperature T _g of the particles. Slower chain migration of the PBMA polymer chains was obtained with the PBMA–PPy core–shell particles compared to rate of the PBMA polymer chain migration found with the pure, uncoated PBMA particles. This result is due to the coating of PBMA by PPy, which hinders the migration of the PBMA polymer chains between adjacent particles in the film. This observation has been confirmed by AFM measurements showing that the flattening of the latex film surface is much slower for the core–shell particles than for the pure PBMA particles. This result can again be explained by the presence of a rigid PPy shell around the PBMA core. Thus, these two complementary methods have given evidence that real core–shell particles were synthesized and that the shell seriously hinders film formation of the particles in spite of the fact that it is very thin (thickness close to 1 nm) compared to the size (750 and 780 nm in diameter) of the PBMA core. Transparency measurements confirm the results obtained by NRET and AFM. When the films are placed at a temperature higher than the T _g of PBMA, the increase in transparency is faster for films made with the uncoated PBMA particles than for films made with the coated PBMA particles. This result indicates again that the presence of the rigid PPy layer around the PBMA core reduces considerably the speed at which the structure of the film is modified when heated above the T _g of PBMA. Received: 02 September 1999 Accepted: 21 December 1999     

磁性壳聚糖微球对牛血清白蛋白的吸附性能

在微乳液体系中, 以戊二醛为交联剂制备了磁性壳聚糖纳米粒子(Fe₂O₃-CS). 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、红外光谱(IR)、振动样品磁强计(VSM)等手段对纳米粒子进行表征. 结果表明, 纳米粒子的粒径在40 nm左右, 分散性良好, 具有较好的磁响应性能. 以碳二亚胺(EDC)为活化剂, 研究了Fe₂O₃-CS纳米粒子对牛血清白蛋白(BSA)分子的吸附性能, 并使用原子力显微镜(AFM)、紫外分光光度计(UV)进行表征. Fe₂O₃-CS粒子对BSA 的吸附大致符合Langmuir吸附模型, 298 K时饱和吸附量约为250 mg·g^-1, 吸附常数为0.007 L·mg^-1. 将BSA-粒子分散在不同pH的缓冲溶液中, 研究BSA-粒子复合物的稳定性. 用聚丙烯酰氨凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)对结果进行表征, 发现在碱性条件下BSA分子能从磁性粒子表面脱附下来.     

Volcano correlations for the reactivity of surface-confined cobalt N<Subscript>4</Subscript>-macrocyclics for the electrocatalytic oxidation of 2-mercaptoacetate

We have investigated the electrocatalytic activity of several substituted and unsubstituted cobalt–phthalocyanines of substituted tetraphenyl porphyrins and of vitamin B₁₂, for the electro-oxidation of 2-mercaptoacetate, with the complexes pre-adsorbed on a pyrolytic graphite electrode. Several N4-macrocyclic were used to have a wide variety of Co(II)/(I) formal potentials. The electrocatalytic activity, measured as current at constant potential, increases with the Co(II)/(I) redox potential for porphyrins as Co–pentafluorotetraphenylporphyrin < Co–tetrasulfonatotetraphenylporphyrin < Co-2,2′,2″,2‴tetra-aminotetraphenylporphyrin and decreases for cobalt phthalocyanines as Co-3,4-octaethylhexyloxyphthalocyanine > Co–octamethoxyphthalocyanine > Co–tetranitrophthalocyanine Co–tetraaminophthalocyanine > Co–unsubstituted phthalocyanine > Co–tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine > Co–perfluorinated phthalocyanine. Vitamin B₁₂ exhibits the maximum activity. A correlation of log I (at constant potential) versus the Co(II)/(I) formal potential of the catalysts gives a volcano curve. This clearly shows that the search for better catalysts for this reaction point to those N₄-macrocyclic complexes with Co(II)/(I) formal potentials close to −0.84 V versus SCE, which correspond to an optimum situation for the interaction of the thiol with the active site. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Teresa Iwasita on the occasion of her 65th birthday in recognition of her numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry.     

Poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) copolymers as stabilizers for the synthesis of silica–polystyrene core–shell particles

Following previous works [1, 2], silica–polystyrene core–shell particles have been synthesized by dispersion polymerization of styrene in an ethanol/water mixture in the presence of a poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer as stabilizer. Besides the formation of composite core–shell particles, a large number of free latex particles that do not contain silica were also formed. This number decreases as the size of the silica beads decreases from 300 to 29 nm in diameter, and becomes very low compared to the number of composite particles for the smallest silica beads used. In every case, the composite particles could be easily separated from the free latex particles by centrifugation, providing a material made of regular core–shell composite particles. On the basis of the mechanisms involved in dispersion polymerization, hypotheses were formulated to account for the formation of the silica–polystyrene composite particles. Received: 6 May 1999 Accepted in revised form: 29 June 1999     

Characterising latex particles and fractal aggregates using image analysis

The fractal nature of latex particles and their aggregates was characterised by image analysis in terms of fractal dimensions. The one- and two-dimensional fractal dimensions, D ₁ and D ₂, were estimated for polystyrene latex aggregates formed by flocculation in citric acid/phosphate buffer solutions. The dimensional analysis method was used, which is based on power law correlations between aggregate perimeter, projected area and maximum length. These aggregate characteristics were measured by image analysis. A two-slopes method using cumulative size distributions of aggregate length and solid volume has been developed to determine the three-dimensional fractal dimension (D ₃) for the latex aggregates. The fractal dimensions D ₁, D ₂ and D ₃ measured for single latex particles in distilled water agreed well with D ₁ = 1, D ₂ = 2 and D ₃ = 3 expected for Euclidean spherical objects. For the aggregates, the fractal dimension D ₂ of about 1.67 ± 0.04 (±standard deviation) was comparable to the fractal dimension D ₃ of approximately 1.72 ± 0.13 (±standard deviation), taking the standard deviations into account. The measured three-dimensional fractal dimension for latex aggregates is within the fractal dimension range 1.6–2.2 expected for aggregates formed through a cluster-cluster mechanism, and is close to the D ₃ value of about 1.8 indicated for cluster formation via diffusion-limited colloidal aggregation. Received: 28 September 1998 Accepted: 29 October 1998     

Quantitative determination of large structures by small-angle light scattering

A new small-angle light scattering camera has been developed. In contrast to conventional detection the present system is based on a recently developed two-dimensional charge-coupled-device chip made by Thomson (France). The advantage of this chip is its excellent linear response and very low dark signal even at room temperature. The best linearity was obtained by leading each pixel signal through the same amplifying system. The optical system covered a diffraction angular region from about 1° to 15° (q = 0.2–2.6 μm⁻¹). The camera was calibrated with grids and pinholes and was tested with polymer latex particles in solution and with spherulites from polymer films. Received: 06 December 1999 Accepted: 04 February 2000     

Uniform particles of manganese compounds obtained by forced hydrolysis of manganese(II) acetate

 Procedures for the preparation at low temperature (80 °C) of uniform colloids consisting of Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles (about 20 nm) or elongated α-MnOOH particles with length less than 2 μm and width 0.4 μm or less, based on the forced hydrolysis of aqueous manganese(II) acetate solutions in the absence (Mn₃O₄) or the presence (α-MnOOH) of HCl are described. These solids are only produced under a very restrictive range of reagent concentrations involving solutions of 0.2–0.4 mol dm⁻³ manganese(II) acetate for Mn₃O₄ and of 1.6–2 mol dm⁻³ Mn(II) and 0.2–0.3 mol dm⁻³ HCl for α-MnOOH. The role that the acetate anions play in the precipitation of these solids is analyzed. It seems that these anions promote the oxidation of Mn(II) to Mn(III), which readily hydrolyze causing precipitation. The evolution of the characteristics of the powders with temperature up to 900 °C is also reported. Thus, Mn₃O₄ particles transform to Mn₂O₃ upon calcination at 800 °C; this is accompained by a sintering process. The α-MnOOH sample also experiences several phase transformations on heating. First, it is oxidized at low temperatures (250–450 °C) giving MnO₂ (pyrolusite), which is further reduced to Mn₂O₃ at 800 °C. After this process the particles still retain their elongated shape. Received: 19 October 1999 Accepted: 24 November 1999     

Polymer diffusion in high-M/low-M hard-soft latex blends

This paper describes experiments that investigate the use of low glass transition temperature (T _g) latex particles consisting of oligomer to promote polymer diffusion in films formed from high molar mass polymer latex. The chemical composition of both polymers was similar. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was used to follow the rate of polymer diffusion for samples in which the high molar mass polymer was labeled with appropriate donor and acceptor dyes. In these latex blends, the presence of the oligomer (with M _n = 24,000 g/mol, M _w/M _n = 2) was so effective at promoting the interdiffusion of the higher molar mass poly(butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate; PBA/MMA = 1:1 by weight) polymer (with M _n = 43,00 g/mol, M _w/M _n = 3) that a significant amount of interdiffusion occurred during film drying. Additional polymer diffusion occurred during film aging and annealing, and this effect could be described quantitatively in terms of free-volume theory. This paper is dedicated to Professor Haruma Kawaguchi to honor his many contributions to the field of latex particles and their applications.     

Colloidal stability of chitosan-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles

Experiments of coagulation kinetics were used to study the influence of the electrolyte concentration on the colloidal stability of cationic poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles with various degrees of chitosan modification. For the chitosan-free latex products prepared by various levels of 2,2′ azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (V-50) at constant pH, the critical coagulation concentration (ccc) increases with increasing V-50 concentration, due to the enhanced particle surface charge density. On the other hand, the chitosan-modified latex products at constant pH do not exhibit very different values of ccc. This result is attributed to the counterbalance between two opposite effects related to the grafted chitosan, that is, the increased particle surface charge density and the enhanced shift of the particle's shear plane toward the aqueous phase with the chitosan content. The ccc of the latex products with various degrees of chitosan modification decreases significantly when the pH increases from 3 to 7. This is because the degree of ionization of the surface amino groups (the particle surface charge density) decreases with increasing pH. As a result, the stability of the colloidal system decreases significantly with increasing pH. The apparent Hamaker constant and diffuse potential were obtained from the coagulation kinetics data. These two parameters along with the zeta potential and particle size data for the latex samples taken immediately after the end of the coagulation experiments were also used to study the effect of ionic strength on the colloidal stability of the latex particles. Received: 10 October 1998 Accepted in revised form: 16 December 1998     

Hydration of platinum(II) complexes: a molecular mechanics study using atom-based force-field parameters

 This work is related to the interaction of water with two platinum(II) complexes, [Pt(NH₃)₄]²⁺ (denoted 1) and trans-[Pt(OH)₂(NH₃)₂] (denoted 2). We have considered two approaches of a water molecule to complexes 1 and 2 along the z-axis normal to the platinum(II) coordination plane: approach I, with the water oxygen oriented towards Pt, and approach II, with one water hydrogen directed towards Pt. Calculations have been performed within a molecular mechanics method based upon the interaction potentials proposed earlier by Claverie et al. and subsequently adjusted to results obtained with symmetry – adapted perturbational theory as well as with supermolecule (up to second-order M?ller–Plesset, MP2) methods. We discuss some possible simplifications of the potentials mentioned. The results relative to the hydration of Pt complexes 1 and 2 following approach I or II are discussed and compared to recent (MP2) ab initio energy–distance curves that we have recently determined. The MP2 calculations have shown that besides exchange–repulsion contributions, which are very similar in all hydrated complexes, approach I is mainly governed by electrostatics, whereas for approach II both electrostatic and dispersion contributions are important. Received: 16 September 1999 / Accepted: 3 February 2000 / Published online: 5 June 2000     

Disruption of polystyrene latex aggregates in capillary flow

 Disruption of polystyrene latex aggregates, formed in 1 M citric acid/phosphate buffer solution at pH 3.8 through diffusion-limited colloid aggregation (DLCA) and in 0.2 M NaCl solution at pH 5.5 through reaction-limited colloid aggregation (RLCA), was studied with respect to aggregate size and fractal nature. This was achieved using small-angle laser scattering in conjunction with a specially designed sampling method, which brought about the elimination of the disruption of the aggregates caused by a commercial stirrer sample unit. Aggregations were carried out in a mixture of deuterium oxide and water instead of water alone as a solvent to minimise sedimentation resulting from the differences in density between the latex particles and the electrolytes. An initial “steady state” in terms of aggregate size and fractal dimension was found to occur after around 20 min and 2 days for DLCA and RLCA aggregates, respectively, at 25 °C. No aggregate disruption was detected for DLCA and RLCA aggregates after their passing through a capillary tube for shear rates up to 1584 and 2694 s⁻¹, respectively. At higher shear rates, significant decreases in the aggregate volume-mean diameter, D[4, 3], occurred after shearing. The degree of reduction in D[4, 3] was larger for DLCA aggregates in comparison to RLCA aggregates. The results would suggest that DLCA aggregates were more subject to disruption during shearing. A high degree of disruption was observed in turbulent flow for both aggregates. Received: 30 June 1999 Accepted in revised form: 11 November 1999