Trypsin immobilization in ordered porous polymer membranes for effective protein digestion

Fast and effective protein digestion is a vital process for mass spectrometry (MS) based protein analysis. This study introduces a porous polymer membrane enzyme reactor (PPMER) coupled to nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem MS (nLC-ESI-MS/MS) for on-line digestion and analysis of proteins. Poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PS-co-MAn) was fabricated by the breath figure method to make a porous polymer membrane in which the MAn group was covalently bound to enzyme. Based on this strategy, microscale PPMER (μPPMER) was constructed for on-line connection with the nLC-ESI-MS/MS system. Its capability for enzymatic digestion with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was evaluated with varied digestion periods. The on-line proteolysis of BSA and subsequent analysis with μPPMER-nLC-ESI-MS/MS revealed that peptide sequence coverage increased from 10.3% (digestion time 10 min) to 89.1% (digestion time 30 min). μPPMER can efficiently digest proteins due to the microscopic confinement effect, showing its potential application in fast protein identification and protease immobilization. Applications of on-line digestion using μPPMER with human plasma and urinary proteome samples showed that the developed on-line method yielded equivalent or better performance in protein coverage and identified more membrane proteins than the in-solution method. This may be due to easy accommodation of hydrophobic membrane proteins within membrane pores.     

Formation of honeycomb‐structured,porous films via breath figures with different polymer architectures

Honeycomb‐structured, porous films with pore sizes ranging from 200 nm to 7 μm were prepared with breath figures. The regularity of the hexagonal array and the pore size was influenced by the polymer architecture and the casting conditions. A nanoscaled suborder next to the microarray was obtained with amphiphilic block copolymers. These films were shown to be suitable as surfaces for cell growth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2363–2375, 2006     

Formation of ordered macroporous films from fluorinated polyimide by water droplets templating

Preparation of honeycomb-patterned films from one of soluble fluorinated polyimides in a humid atmosphere was reported in this paper. This polyimide was synthesized from 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane (BDAF) by two-steps method, which has excellent solubility both in strong bipolar solvents or in common low boiling-point solvents. The glass transition temperature of 6FDA-BDAF polyimide was determined by DSC and as 238 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that soluble fluoro-polyimide has good thermal stability with maximum thermal decomposition temperature of 545 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The honeycomb-patterned films were obtained by casting a drop of polymer solution on a solid substrate in a humid atmosphere. Some influence factors, such as the solution concentration, the type of the solvent and the humidity, were also tested.     

利用呼吸图案法制备聚(苯乙烯-b-丙烯腈)有序多孔薄膜

以自制的聚(苯乙烯-b-丙烯腈)(PS-b-PAN)嵌段共聚物为成膜材料, 采用呼吸图案法制备了有序多孔薄膜, 采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对薄膜形貌进行了分析, 研究了聚合物浓度、溶剂种类及共聚物结构对薄膜结构的影响. 结果表明, 薄膜表层为多孔结构, 且孔为圆形、以六方阵列形式排列; 薄膜表层下面是蜂窝状结构.以三氯甲烷(CHCl₃)为溶剂时, 在较高浓度下制备的薄膜表层孔间距较大, 蜂窝结构尺寸较小, 且形成了多层结构. 与CHCl₃为溶剂时相比, 挥发速度较快的二硫化碳(CS₂)作溶剂时制备的多孔薄膜有序性较好, 薄膜表层孔径和孔间距均较大, 蜂窝结构尺寸较小. 以没有PAN链段的聚苯乙烯大分子引发剂(PS-Cl)为成膜材料时, 制备的薄膜表层没有形成多孔结构, 而是形成了窝状结构. 同时, 通过对薄膜表层晕的研究证明了多孔薄膜表层缺陷是由水滴处于液膜下较深的位置造成的.     

Molecular approach to catalysis of electrochemical reaction in porous films

Current attempts to bridge the fields of what is conventionally called ‘electrocatalysis’ and of molecular catalysis of electrochemical reactions are surveyed and discussed. It amounts in many cases to ‘heterogenize’ molecular catalytic systems. Information on the meso- to nanostructures of the resulting catalytic films forms the basis of the understanding of new modes of transport of the reactants (catalysts, substrates and cosubstrates, products) that may govern the mechanistic competitions and consequently selectivity. Efforts to adapt benchmarking procedures developed in homogeneous molecular catalysis (catalytic Tafel plots) should be encouraged, taking into account, as additional factors, the transport of electrons and reacting species (including gases) through the catalytic system.     

Evaporated thin films of insulating poly-(tetrabromo-p-phenylenediselenide)

It has been shown that thin insulating film at the interface transparent conductive oxide/organic electroluminescent film could improve the performance of organic electroluminescent diodes (OLED). Such insulating film can be inorganic or organic. Poly-(tetrabromo-p-phenylenediselenide) (PBrPDSe) has been proved to be an efficient insulating film in OLED. The properties of these evaporated PBrPDSe thin films have been systematically studied by IR absorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron spin resonance and optical transmission measurements. It is shown that, when the deposition temperature is kept below the decomposition temperature of the polymer, tetrabromo-p-phenylenediselenide molecule is preserved during the deposition process. However the polymer, which is insoluble in powder form, becomes soluble after deposition. It can be concluded that films are mainly composed of oligomers of tetrabromo-p-phenylenediselenide.The electrical properties of SnO₂/PBrPDSe/Al thin films structures have been studied. The current-voltage characteristics exhibit a rectifying behaviour with a forward direction corresponding to a positive bias of the transparent conductive oxide film, the SnO₂.     

Study on luminescence characteristic of the ZnO/polymer hybrid films

The cyclohexane solution of PS (polystyrene) and the ethyl acetate solution of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) were used as flowing liquid; the ZnO/polymer hybrid colloids were successively produced by focused pulsed laser ablation of ZnO target in interface of solid and flowing liquid. As solvent in the hybrid colloids has volatized, the ZnO/polymer hybrid films were obtained. The hybrid colloids were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and select-area electron diffraction (SEAD). The results show a good dispersion of the ZnO nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. The hybrid films were characterized by fluorescence spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry with FTIR (TG/FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectrum. The results show the ZnO/polymer hybrid films can radiate strong blue light under ultraviolet. Meanwhile, the ZnO/polymer hybrid films have higher chemical stability than ZnO nanoparticles because nano-ZnO nanoparticles were enwrapped by polymers. In addition, the ZnO hybrid films have higher thermal stability then the related pure polymers because of strong interaction among ZnO nanoparticles and polymers.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic property of porous CuO hollow microspheres via PS latex as templates

Porous copper oxide (CuO) hollow microspheres have been fabricated through a simple hydrothermal method using PS latex as templates. The as-obtained samples were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The influences of the mole ratio of Ethylenediamine (C₂H₈N₂) and copper acetate (Cu(Ac)₂·H₂O), hydrothermal temperature and time on the size and morphologies of the final products have been investigated. The possible formation mechanism of porous CuO hollow microspheres has been proposed and the specific surface area of the hollow microspheres with 81.71 m²/g is measured by BET method. The band gap value calculated from a UV–vis absorption spectrum of porous CuO hollow microspheres is 2.71 eV. The as-synthesized product exhibits high photocatalytic activity during the photodegradation of an organic dyestuff, rhodamine B (RhB), under UV-light illumination.     

The fracture testing of ductile polymer films: Effect of the specimen notching

The fracture of a ductile polymer film, a heterophase ethylene-propylene block copolymer, has been studied, combining a range of characterisation methods in an attempt to provide a better understanding of the intricate details that play an important role in the repeatability and reproducibility of the essential work of fracture test. The experimental factors that have a strong influence on the resulting parameters are clearly explained, with particular attention to the effect of the quality of the notches, the non-collinearity of the two edge notches in double edge notched tension specimens, and the lack of alignment of the specimen with the load axis once it is mounted on the load train. Furthermore, the influence of these experimental factors on the registered stress-displacement curves is also studied, and a criterion and the method for separating non-valid specimens are established.     

A new porous polymer for off-line preconcentration of chlorophenols from water

Summary A new porous polymer obtained by the copolymerization of two cross-linking agents: 1,4-di(methacryloyloxymethyl) naphthalene and divinylbenzene was used for the off-line preconcentration of chlorophenols from water solutions by solid-phase extraction. In order to establish its applicability to preconcentration the recoveries and breakthrough volumes of phenol, 2-; 3-chlorophenols; 2,3-; 2,4-dichlorophenols and 2,4,6-trichlorophenols were studied. The recoveries of the studied compounds were compared with those obtained for chemically bonded phases containing hexyl and octadecyl groups.     

High density polyethylene-grafted-maleic anhydride low-k porous films prepared via thermally induced phase separation

Low dielectric constant (low-k) porous films of high density polyethylene-grafted-maleic anhydride were prepared via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) using di-n-octyl phthalate as the solvent and methanol as the extractant. The results show that, for the process of TIPS, cellular structures of spherical pores were obtained. Lower polymer concentration and lower cooling rate induced larger pores and higher porosity. For the dielectric constant, the introduction of pores considerably reduced the dielectric constant from 2.60 to 1.56 at most. Pore size showed little effect on dielectric constant in our experiment, but porosity was found to be the key influential factor. The relationship between dielectric constant and porosity was found to be best fit to Rayleigh model.     

Controlled fabrication of one-dimensional polymer nanostructures via metallogel template polymerization

A facile method is reported to controllably fabricate one dimensional(1D) polymer nanostructures via metallogel template polymerization.The metallogel was prepared through coordination interactions between silver ions and a ligand(L) bearing three pyridyl groups in tetrahydrofuran(THF).The diameters of the metallogel nanofibers could be tuned by the gel concentration(GC).Due to its high thermal stability and facility of removal,the metallogel was used as the template for radical polymerization of diacryolyl-2,6-diaminopyridine(DADAP) to form poly-diacryolyl-2,6-diaminopyridine(PDADAP) nanostructures.The gradually eroding of the templates by PDADAP provided us an effective way to fabricate various nanostructures of the polymer.We have demonstrated that different 1D nanostructures,including nanoribbons,nanotubes and nanowires,could be selectively fabricated by adjusting polymerization time,monomer concentration and GC.The rheological properties of the gel samples were tested by a rheometer.As prolonging the reaction time,more and more polymers were formed and the strength of the resulting polymer gels became higher and higher.The simple preparation process,easy controlled microstructures and adequate gel strength would make it a facile synthetic method for different 1D polymer nanosturctures.     

基于气息图案法有序多孔薄膜的制备改性及应用进展

有序多孔薄膜在过滤分离、催化、生物医学等领域有重要的应用前景。在众多制膜方法中,气息图案法以其简便易行、制膜效果好、环保等特点得到了广泛关注。科学家们一直致力于采用不同的材料和手段来进一步提高气息图案法多孔薄膜的性能。本文结合了最新的研究状况,探讨了基于气息图案法有序多孔薄膜的制备、改性及应用进展,并对未来的发展方向作...     

Effects of the porous structure on conductivity of nanocomposite polymer electrolyte for lithium ion batteries

A kind of porous nanocomposite polymer membranes (NCPMs) based on poly(vinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-HFP)) incorporated with different amounts of TiO₂ nanoparticles from in situ hydrolysis of Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ was prepared by a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technology. The SEM micrographs reveal that a porous structure exists in the NCPMs, which changes with the incorporated amount of TiO₂. The NCPMs incorporated with 9.0 wt.% of mass fraction of TiO₂ possess the highest porosity, 67.3%, and appear as flexile fracture with an elongation ratio, 74.4%. At this content, the ionic conductivity of the NCPE is up to 0.94 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature and the activation energy for ions transport reaches the lowest, 18.71 kJ mol⁻¹. It is of great potential application in lithium ion batteries.     

Synthesis of monodispersed molecularly imprinted polymer particles for high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of cholesterol using templating polymerization in porous silica gel bound with cholesterol molecules on its surface

Monodispersed molecularly imprinted polymer particles selective for cholesterol were prepared by the copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene in the presence of template silica gel particles (particle size: 5 μm; pore size: 10 nm) functionalized with cholesterol on the surface, followed by dissolution of the cholesterol-bonded silica gel with a NaOH aqueous solution. Transmission and scanning electron micrographs of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles revealed good monodispersity and porous structure. The MIP particles were packed into a high performance liquid chromatographic column, and its recognition ability of cholesterol was evaluated using cholesterol, cholesterol esters and fatty acid methyl esters by comparison with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) particles prepared from styrene and divinylbenzene without cholesterol. The MIP particles showed a high affinity for cholesterol and cholesterol esters (K(MIP)'/K(NIP)' > 5.7).     

Spreading and sorption of droplets on layered porous substrates

In this paper spreading and sorption of a droplet on an anisotropic, layered porous substrate are investigated numerically. Flow in the saturated part of the porous material is governed by Darcy's law, assuming a sharp wetting front separating the saturated regions from the dry regions. Numerical results are presented for spreading and sorption of droplets in their dependence on the material and process parameters for axisymmetric configurations. Limiting cases of sorption into infinitely thick and very thin porous layers are considered. For an analytical sorption model for thin substrates fed by an infinite reservoir a correction term taking into account the flow resistance in the inlet region is derived and the consistence of the modified model with numerical and experimental results is shown. For two-layer substrates, numerical results on the influence of the layer permeabilities on the sorption kinetics are presented.     

Synthesis of crosslinked polymer nanoparticles suitable for the formation of nanolayer organic films

Free radical crosslinking copolymerization of styrene and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (n_ST/n_EGDM in feed = 5/5) has been investigated in toluene. Variation of the reaction conditions allows the formation of macromolecules with low molecular weight (21.6 kDa and 12 nm in diameter), perfectly soluble branched particles in the early stage of the polymerization. Elongation of the reaction time leads to the formation of soluble/swelling microgels with medium molecular weight (156 kDa and 41–120 nm) and, finally, swelling/particularly soluble colloidal polymer particles with very high molecular weight (3.6 MDa and 59–324 nm). Conversion, molecular weight [by gel permeation chromatography (GPC)], ratio of pendant vinyl groups [by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)], size of nanoparticles in swollen [by dynamic light scattering (DLS)] and dried state [by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)], morphology [by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)], and nanolayer film formation (by SEM) were measured. The role of reaction conditions in producing different polymer structures and morphologies was demonstrated.     

两亲性Janus粒子在蜂窝状多孔聚合物膜上的自组装性能

采用具有两亲性的两面体(Janus)粒子实现稳定的粒子界面组装与水滴模板法自组装过程相结合的方法获得了粒子在蜂窝状多孔聚合物薄膜内壁的高效定向修饰.通过与均质粒子组装形貌的对比,证明了Janus粒子因其特殊的界面自组装活性,可以获得高粒子加量条件下的规则多孔结构,解决了使用均质粒子时存在的结构有序性和粒子修饰密度之间的矛盾.而在较低粒子加量的条件下,Janus粒子也展示出与均质粒子极为不同的组装形貌.这一方法的建立,为新型表面功能化材料的制备提供了一个新的思路.     

Design of novel catalyst imbedding heteropoly acids in polymer films: Catalytic activity for ethanol conversion

Membrane-like H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ or H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀-imbedded polymer films were prepared by blending these materials using a chloroform-methanol mixture as solvent, and they were tested as catalysts for the ethanol conversion reaction in a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor. It was found that the chloroform-methanol mixture itself gave no influence on the catalytic activity of bulk H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ and H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀. Polysulfone, polyethersulfone and polyphenylene oxide were used as blending polymers in this study. H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀-imbedded polymer films showed a higher catalytic activity than H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ itself due to uniform and fine dispersion of H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ through polymer films, but the extent of activity and selectivity was varied according to a kind of polymer materials. It was revealed that H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ or H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀-imbedded polyphenylene oxide film showed much higher oxidation catalytic activity than the corresponding bulk heteropoly acids. This may be due to the interaction (or bonding) of proton of heteropoly acid with polyphenylene oxide, judging from the fact that glass transition temperature of polyphenylene oxide was increased after blending with heteropoly acid. The catalytic activity of the heteropoly acid imbedded in the same polymer was greatly affected by the composite of heteropoly acid. The permeabilities of reactants through polymer films also affected the product selectivity.