A bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine-based synthesis of hollow Pt nanospheres

We report herewith the synthesis of hollow Pt nanospheres by using bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine to selectively remove the Ag cores of Ag-Pt core-shell nanoparticles. Core-shell Ag-Pt nanoparticles were first obtained by the successive reduction method with a discontinuous Pt shell to allow the BSPP passage. Transmission electron microscopy imaging of the core-shell Ag-Pt nanoparticles before and after BSPP dissolution showed little changes in the particle size, indicating that the removal of the Ag cores had occurred isomorphously. The hollow Pt nanospheres, together with the predecessor Ag-Pt core-shell particles of the same size, were transferred from water to toluene and surface modified by dodecylamine in toluene. This allows the catalytic activities of solid and hollow Pt particles in room temperature methanol oxidation reaction to be compared under conditions of identical particle size and the same surface environment. The measured higher specific activity of the Pt hollow nanospheres could then be attributed unambiguously to the larger specific surface area prevalent in the porous hollow structure.     

Optical Trapping of Titania/Silica Core-Shell Colloidal Particles

Manipulation of colloidal systems via optical trapping techniques requires a refractive index mismatch between particles and solvent which leads to strong interparticle van der Waals interactions. Investigation of the behavior of systems without such strong attractive interactions, however, requires the uncoupling of particle refractive index and particle-particle interactions. To accomplish this, the synthesis of core-shell titania/silica particles has been performed. By index matching a silica shell on a titania core using a mixture of toluene and propanol, the van der Waals interactions between particles can be minimized. Due to the mismatch of the refractive index between the solvent and titania core, however, a strong trapping force can be generated, making optical manipulation feasible. In order to confirm that the silica shell was indeed matched, pure silica particles were synthesized by the method of St?ber (1968) and added to the core-shell system. In these mixed systems of core-shell and pure silica particles in silica-index-matching solvents, only the core-shell particles were trappable. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Effect of colloidal stabilizer on the shape of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) composite particles prepared in aqueous medium by the solvent evaporation method

Effects of the kind and concentration of stabilizers on the nonspherical shape of polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite particles prepared by release of toluene from PS/PMMA/toluene droplets dispersed in stabilizer aqueous solution were examined. In the case of poly(vinyl alcohol), the surfaces of the obtained particles always had a single dimple. In the case of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the shapes of the composite particles changed from the dimple, via acorn, to spherical with increasing SDS concentration. It was clarified that the dimple and acorn shapes of the PS/PMMA composite particles were caused by contraction of the PS phase after hardening of the PMMA phase in excentered core-shell and hemisphere morphologies, respectively, which were formed by phase separation during toluene evaporation.     

A phase-transfer identification of core-shell structures in Ag-Pt nanoparticles

Ag-Pt nanoparticles with a confirmed core-shell structure could only be formed by the successive reduction method using Ag nanoparticles as the seeds. The core-shell structure could be conveniently inferred from the transferability of the particles from water to toluene. Independent measurements by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to validate the experimental results. The reverse order of synthesis using Pt nanoparticles as the seeds did not result in any core-shell product. Instead a physical mixture of Ag nanoparticles and the original Pt seeds was obtained under the same experimental conditions.     

Preparation and properties of cross-linked fluorescent poly(methyl methacrylate) latex colloids

We report a single step preparation of monodisperse fluorescent poly(methyl)methacrylate (PMMA) lattices cross-linked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate with radii in the range 150-1000 nm using dispersion polymerization. The particles are applied as fluorescent cores in core-shell PMMA particles for confocal microscopy (Dullens et al. Langmuir 2003, 19, 5963). Contrary to un-cross-linked particles, these cross-linked colloids are stable in good solvents for PMMA as well. Therefore we studied the properties of the cross-linked PMMA particles in the good solvents tetrahydrofuran (THF), chloroform, and toluene using light scattering and confocal scanning laser microscopy. We show that the particles swell instantaneously and that their volume can increase up to more than seven times their volume in poor solvents. Further, it is very likely that the particles are charged in THF.     

Pt@Au/Al2O3核壳纳米粒子的制备和表征及其在催化氧化甲苯中的应用

Customizing core-shell nanostructures is considered to be an efficient approach to improve the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles. Various physiochemical and green methods have been developed for the synthesis of core-shell structures. In this study, a novel liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method was employed to form core-shell Pt@Au nanoparticles with intimate contact between the Pt and Au particles, without the use of any protective or structure-directing agents. The Pt@Au core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by depositing Au metal onto the Pt core; AuCl⁴⁻ was reduced to Au(0) by H₂ in the presence of Pt nanoparticles. The obtained Pt@Au core-shell structured nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution TEM, fast Fourier transform, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) analyses. The EDX mapping results for the nanoparticles, as obtained from their scanning transmission electron microscopy images in the high-angle annular dark-field mode, revealed a Pt core with Au particles grown on its surface. Fourier transform measurements were carried out on the high-resolution structure to characterize the Pt@Au nanoparticles. The lattice plane at the center of the nanoparticles corresponded to Pt, while the edge of the particles corresponded to Au. With an increase in the Au content, the intensity of the peak corresponding to Pt in the FTIR spectrum decreased slowly, indicating that the Pt nanoparticles were surrounded by Au nanoparticles, and thus confirming the core-shell structure of the nanoparticles. The XRD results showed that the peak corresponding to Pt shifted gradually toward the Au peak with an increase in the Au content, indicating that the Au particles grew on the Pt seeds; this trend was consistent with the FTIR results. Hence, it can be stated that the Pt@Au core-shell structure was successfully prepared using the liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method. The catalytic activity of the nanoparticles for the oxidation of toluene was evaluated using a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure. The XPS and H₂-TPR results showed that the Pt₁@Au₁/Al₂O₃ catalyst had the best toluene oxidation activity owing to its lowest reduction temperature, lowest Au 4d & 4f and Pt 4d & 4f binding energies, and highest Au⁰/Au^δ+ and Pt⁰/Pt²⁺ proportions. The Pt₁@Au₂Al₂O₃ catalyst showed high stability under dry and humid conditions. The good catalytic performance and high selectivity of Pt@Au/Al₂O₃ for toluene oxidation could be attributed to the high concentration of adsorbed oxygen species, good low-temperature reducibility, and strong interaction.     

Noncovalent imprinting in the shell of core-shell nanoparticles

Propranolol was imprinted using noncovalent interactions in the shell of core-shell nanoparticles prepared by aqueous emulsion polymerization in the presence and absence of toluene. The imprinted particles were characterized, and their capacity to rebind propranolol from both organic and aqueous media was analyzed. Results showed that the amount of template incorporated into the polymer and the presence of toluene as a "porogenic" agent influenced the ability of the nanoparticles obtained to rebind propranolol. The presence of toluene during imprinting increased rebinding by about 2-fold in buffer and by 3-fold in toluene, compared with similar materials made in the absence of toluene during imprinting. It also influenced the final surface area of the particles. Binding site affinity, assessed by radioligand displacement, was measured as IC50 values of about 1-10 microM. This compares with about 3 microM for bulk polymer made with a similar composition. Finally, to demonstrate the advantages of structured particles for analytical applications a new property, fluorescence, was incorporated into the core of the particles without interfering with the imprinted shell and its ability to rebind propranolol.     

Interfacial deposition of Ag on Au seeds leading to AucoreAgshell in organic media

A seed mediated procedure for the synthesis of hydrophobic Au(core)Ag(shell) nanoparticles in toluene is demonstrated. The reaction proceeds by way of the interfacial reduction of silver ions by 3-pentadecylphenol followed by their deposition on hydrophobized Au nanoparticles. Such a hitherto unreported interfacial seeded growth reaction leads to the formation of phase pure Au(core)Ag(shell) nanoparticles that retain the hydrophobicity of the seed particles and remain stable in toluene. Such core-shell structures are however not formed in the aqueous phase. The core-shell architecture was verified using TEM analysis and the formation process was studied by recording the UV-vis spectra of the organic phase nanoparticles as a function of time. TEM kinetics also showed gradual increase in the silver layer thickness. Conclusive evidence was however obtained on examination of the HRTEM images of the products formed. Elemental analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the Au(core)Ag(shell) nanostructure revealed the presence of metallic silver. Moreover changing the surface capping of the Au seed does not affect the formation of the Au(core)Ag(shell) nanostructure.     

Highly luminescent, stable, and water-soluble CdSe/CdS core-shell dendron nanocrystals with carboxylate anchoring groups

A dendron ligand with two carboxylate anchoring groups at its focal point and eight hydroxyl groups as its terminal groups was found to efficiently convert as-synthesized CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in toluene to water-soluble dendron-ligand stabilized nanocrystals (dendron nanocrystals). The resulting dendron nanocrystals retained 60% of the photoluminescence value of the original CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in toluene and were significantly brighter than the similar dendron nanocrystals with thiolate (deprotonated thiol group) as the anchoring group which retained just 10% of the photoluminescence value of the original CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in toluene. The carboxylate-based dendron nanocrystals survived UV irradiation in air for at least 13 days, about 9 times better than the thiolate-based dendron nanocrystals (35 h) and similar to that of the thiolate-based dendron-box stabilized CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals (box nanocrystals). Upon UV irradiation, the dendron nanocrystals became even 2 times brighter than the original CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in toluene, and the UV-brightened PL can retain the brightness for at least several months. These stable and bright dendron nanocrystals were soluble in various aqueous media, including all common biological buffer solutions tested, for at least 1.5 years. In addition to their superior performance, the synthetic chemistry of carboxylate dendron ligands and the corresponding dendron nanocrystals is relatively simple and with high yield.     

氯丁胶乳-聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合乳胶粒结构形态

以氯丁胶乳（Pa）为种子乳液,甲基丙烯酸甲酯（Pb）为第二单体,采用种子乳液聚合法,制备了氯丁胶乳-聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合乳胶粒。 热力学分析表明,当Pb的体积分数Φb＜0.69时,可同时形成Pa-Pb型正核-壳和（Pa＋Pb）分离型乳胶粒,当Φb＞0.69时,形成Pb-Pa型翻转型核壳结构乳胶粒,并伴有Pa-Pb型正核-壳结构乳胶粒的形成。 动力学分析表明,引发剂类型、第二单体的加入方式、种子乳胶粒的交联、单体/聚合物质量比是影响乳胶粒形态的主要因素。 采用水溶性引发剂过二硫酸钾（KPS）,以饥饿态方式加入单体,氯丁胶乳 聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PCR-PMMA)复合乳胶粒呈现正核-壳结构,以充溢态方式加入单体则不能形成明显的核-壳结构;而以油溶性偶氮二异丁腈（AIBN）为引发剂时,单体无论以充溢态方式加入还是饥饿态加入均倾向于形成翻转核-壳型粒子。 在种子乳胶粒中加入一定量交联剂二缩三乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯,有利于形成明显的正核壳结构。 以饥饿态进料,KPS为引发剂时,随着单体用量增加,壳层变厚,仍呈正核-壳结构,与热力学分析结果相吻合;以AIBN为引发剂时,随着单体用量增加,PCR-PMMA复合乳胶粒逐渐由翻转核壳型结构变为互穿结构。     

Polystyrene-block-polyglycidol micelles cross-linked with titanium tetraisopropoxide. laser light and small-angle X-ray scattering studies on their formation in solution

Hybrid micelles from polystyrene-block-polyglycidol (PS-b-PG) copolymers with chemically cross-linked cores by titanium tetraisopropoxide (Ti(OC(3)H(7))(4)) were prepared in toluene solution. Additionally, micellization of PS-b-PG copolymers with different mass fractions of polyglycidol (x(PG)), was studied by static and dynamic light scattering as well as small-angle X-ray scattering. It was observed that copolymers with x(PG) smaller than 0.5 self-assembled in toluene into spherical core-shell micelles with hydrodynamic radii R(h) between 12 and 23 nm. On the other hand, copolymers with larger PG content formed particles with R(h) = 50-70 nm and aggregation numbers of several thousands. The presence of these aggregates in solution was attributed to the nonequilibrated form of block copolymers upon dissolving, most probably due to hydrogen bonding. In the following, spherical PS-b-PG micelles were loaded in toluene with hydrochloric acid and titanium tetraisopropoxide. Confined hydrolysis of Ti(OC(3)H(7))(4) induced by HCl in the micellar core was confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The subsequent condensation of the precursor with hydroxyl groups of polyglycidol chains led to covalently stabilized hybrid organic-inorganic particles. The presence of cross-linked PS-b-PG micelles was proven in two ways. First, micelles with "frozen" core showed stable hydrodynamic size in time upon dilution below critical micellization concentration while non-cross-linked PS-b-PG micelles underwent disintegration under the same conditions within several hours. Second, light scattering experiments revealed the presence of stable, swollen particles in N,N-dimethylformamide, which is a good solvent for both blocks.     

Sorption of vapors of aromatic compounds by cross-linked polymer particles containing luminophores: A spectroscopic study

Monodispersed core-shell particles 290–315 nm in diameter were prepared by seed emulsion copolymerization of styrene with divinylbenzene in the presence of luminophore-containing comonomers. The capability of the particles obtained to sorb toluene vapor was shown by solid-state ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Preparation of multilayered gold-silica-polystyrene core-shell particles by seeded polymerization

A preparation method for multilayered gold-silica-polystyrene core-shell composite particles is proposed. The gold-silica core-shell particles of 192-nm-sized, synthesized by coating the 18-nm-sized gold particles with silica by a seeded growth technique, were used as cores for succeeding polystyrene coating. After surface modification of gold-silica composite particles by methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), polymerizations of styrene (0.16-0.4 M) were conducted with 8 x 10(-3) M of potassium persulfate initiator in the presence of 1 x 10(-3) M of sodium p-styrenesulfonate anionic monomer. Multilayered core-shell gold-silica-polystyrene particles that contained a single core could be obtained. The coefficient of variation of size distribution (CV) of the composite particles was less than 7%, and polystyrene shell thickness was in a range of 193 to 281 nm.     

Modification of gold nanoparticle composite nanostructures using thermosensitive core-shell particles as a template

We report the formation of novel thermosensitive hybrid core-shell particles via in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles using thermosensitive core-shell particles as a template. The template core-shell particles, with cores composed mainly of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (GMA) and shells composed mainly of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), were synthesized in aqueous medium, and functional groups such as thiol groups were incorporated into each particle. We found that these particles containing thiol groups were effective for the in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles in long-term storage. The obtained hybrid particles exhibited a reversible color change from red to purple, which originated from the surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles and which was temperature-dependent in the range of 25-40 degrees C. In addition to their thermosensitive property, the hybrid particles exhibited the unique characteristic of uniform distribution on a solid substrate. The particles obtained by this approach have potential thermosensitive applications such as in sensors and photonic or electronic devices.     

Synthesis and crystallization of hybrid spherical colloids composed of polystyrene cores and silica shells

The St?ber method has been adopted to prepare hybrid core-shell particles by coating the surfaces of monodisperse polystyrene beads with uniform silica shells. Polystyrene beads with diameters in the range of 0.1-1.0 microm have been successfully demonstrated for use with this process, and the thickness of the silica coating could be controlled in the range of 50-150 nm by adjusting the concentration of tetraethoxysilane, the deposition time, or both. The morphology and surface smoothness of the deposited silica were found to strongly depend on a number of parameters such as the surface functional groups on the polymer beads, the pH value of the medium, and the deposition time. Hollow spheres made of silica could be obtained by selectively removing the polymer cores via calcination in air at an elevated temperature or by wet etching with toluene. These core-shell colloids were also explored as building blocks to fabricate long-range ordered lattices (or colloidal crystals) that exhibited stop bands different from those assembled from spherical colloids purely made of either polystyrene or silica.     

Surface passivation of luminescent colloidal quantum dots with poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) through a ligand exchange process

Polydimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) was used as a multidentate ligand to modify the surface of CdSe/ZnS core-shell colloidal quantum dots in toluene with trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as the surface ligand. Adsorption of PDMAEMA was accompanied by release of TOPO. The process is free of agglomeration, and the modified nanocrystals become soluble in methanol. The photoluminescence properties are well-preserved in either toluene or methanol.     

Photophysical effects between spirobenzopyran-methyl methacrylate-functionalized colloidal particles

Colloidal particles were derivatized with end-grafted polymethylmethacrylate polymer brushes containing varying concentrations of spirobenzopyran photochromic molecules. The polymers were grown from initiator-functionalized silica particles by an atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These core-shell colloids formed stable suspensions in toluene with the spirobenzopyran in its closed, nonpolar form. However, UV-induced photoswitching of the photochrome to its open, polar merocyanine isomer caused rapid aggregation. The nature of this colloidal stability transition was examined with respect to the spirobenzopyran content in the polymeric brush and solvent polarity. Turbidimetry, wettability studies, UV-vis spectroscopy, suspension rheology, SEM, and visual inspection were utilized to characterize the system photoswitchability. It was found that the system exhibiting the greatest transition in toluene was the copolymer brush composed of 20% spirobenzopyran and 80% methyl methacrylate.     

聚乙二醇包裹羰基铁核壳粒子的制备及水基磁流变液的性能

以羰基铁粉(CI)为原料用共溶胶-凝胶反应制备CI/聚乙二醇核壳复合粒子，并将其与水组成了磁流变液. 用SEM、TEM、FT-IR和VSM表征了核壳复合粒子的微观结构和静磁特性，并测试了水基磁流变液的性能. 结果表明，核壳复合粒子表面有SiO_x和聚乙二醇的包覆层，它有较好的亲水性和优良的软磁特性，用它组成的水基磁流变液具有抗沉降性优良、零场粘度低、磁流变效应显著等特点.     

NMR法研究小分子在SiO2/PSA核壳复合颗粒中的扩散行为

以正己烷为探针分子,采用基于常梯度自旋回波序列的核磁共振技术(CFG-NMR)研究了小分子在SiO2颗粒和通过相转化法制备的SiO2/Poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (SiO2/PSA)复合颗粒中的扩散行为。根据双位点模型和分子交换的理论,采用两组份指数拟合实验得到的1H CFG-NMR信号衰减曲线,表明正己烷在SiO2颗粒和SiO2/PSA颗粒中具有两个相差一个数量级的扩散系数。在相同的扩散时间下,正己烷在SiO2/PSA颗粒中的两个扩散系数小于其在SiO2颗粒中的两个扩散系数,说明复合颗粒壳层的聚合物膜对正己烷的扩散具有阻碍作用。与此同时,通过改变常梯度自旋回波序列中的扩散时间,发现正己烷在复合粒子中的扩散系数强烈依赖于扩散时间的大小。     

MICRON CORE-SHELL PARTICLES PREPARED BY GRAFTING POLYMERIZATION OF METHYL METHACRYLATE FROM NARROW DISPERSE SURFACE OF CHLOROMETHYLATED POLYDIVINYLBENZENE VIA ATRP

Grafting of poly(methyl methacrylate) from narrow disperse polymer particles by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was investigated. Polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) particles were prepared by dispersion polymerization with poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as the stabilizer. Chloromethylated PDVB was used as initiating core sites for subsequent ATRP of methyl methacrylate with CuBr/bpy as catalyst system. It was found that poly(methyl methacrylate) was grafted not only from the particle surfaces but also from within a thin shell layer, leading to particles size increases from 2.38-3.00μm with a core-shell structure particles. The grafted core-shell particles were characterized with FTIR, SEM, DSC.