The Calculation of Surface Potential for Spherical Ionic Micelles

In this article, an approximate expression for the calculation of surface potential for spherical ionic micelles has been presented. This simple analytic form overcomes the complexity of original theory. The calculated values of surface potential of spherical ionic micelles are in quite good agreement with the exact numerical values of nonlinear Poisson‐Boltzmann equation.     

离子选择电极法测定胶团的反离子结合度

胶团的反离子结合度(K)对于胶团各种性质的研究是一个至关重要的参数^[1～3]。已有不少方法用于K值的测定,其中以离子选择电极法最为方便^[4～8],且此法赋予K值的含义也与热力学要求相同^[9]。     

Numerical Calculation of the Electrostatic Potential Around an Ionic Micelle with Counter Ion Binding

A numerical solution of the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE) is presented for a system of spherical micelles with counterfoil binding. The approach investigates the following effects on ion micelle interactions, (i) total surface charge, (ii) competitions of different counter ions on micellar surfaces and (iii) surface potential determination. The theory is applied to interpret the ion activities in micellar solution as measured by ion-selective electrodes.     

The Calculation of Interfacial Tension and Electrostatic Free Energy of Spherical Ionic Micelles with High Surface Potentials

Based on extended Langmuir's method on the dressed micelles, approximate expressions for the calculation of interfacial tension and electrostatic free energy of spherical ionic micelles with high surface potentials have been presented. These expressions are derived from nonlinear Poisson‐Boltzmann equation. The present formulae for the calculation of interfacial tension and electrostatic free energy of spherical ionic micelles are in quite good agreement with Hayter's results.     

The Correlation of the Degree of Counterion Binding with the Composition of Ionic–Nonionic Mixed Micelles

Two simple expressions for calculating the degree of counterion binding of mixed micelles are presented. These approximate expressions for the spherical micelle are derived from the relationship of the degree of counterion binding with the surface charge density. One of them works quite well for the estimation of the degree of counterion binding of mixed micelles when the mole fraction of the ionic component in mixed micelles is high.     

混合胶束中Gemini阳离子表面活性剂14-s-14与常规表面活性剂的协同作用:连接臂及反离子效应(英文)

The mixed micelle formation of binary cationic 14-s-14 gemini with conventional single chain surfactants was studied by conductivity measurements.The critical micelle concentration(cmc) and the degree of counterion binding values(g) of the binary systems were determined.The results were analyzed by applying regular solution theory(RST) to calculate micellar compositions(X),activity coefficients(f1,f2),and the interaction parameters(β).The synergistic interactions of all the investigated cationic gemini+conventional surfactant combinations were found to be dependent upon the length of hydrophobic spacer of the gemini surfactant.The excess Gibbs free energy of mixing was evaluated,and it indicated relatively more stable mixed micelles for the binary combinations.     

Characterization of micellar systems by the conductivity method; Sodium salt of perfluoropolyether carboxylic acid

A new method for the interpretation of the conductivity of ionic surfactants is proposed. The model considers the contribution of ions and of charged micelles, and is based on the approximation of constant concentration of surfactant chains above the critical micellization concentration (CMC), and on the equilibrium constant of counterion bindings to the micelles (K). These two parameters evaluated for aqueous solutions of sodium salt of perfluoropolyether carboxylic acid are as follows:K=35800 dm³ mol^–1; CMC=1.19×10^–3 moldm^–3. The third quantity obtained by this procedure is the product of the aggregation number (N) and the size parameter (f=e ² L/6r):Nf=76.5 S cm² mol^–1.     

Continuous development of schemes for parallel computing of the electrostatics in biological systems: Implementation in DelPhi

Due to the enormous importance of electrostatics in molecular biology, calculating the electrostatic potential and corresponding energies has become a standard computational approach for the study of biomolecules and nano‐objects immersed in water and salt phase or other media. However, the electrostatics of large macromolecules and macromolecular complexes, including nano‐objects, may not be obtainable via explicit methods and even the standard continuum electrostatics methods may not be applicable due to high computational time and memory requirements. Here, we report further development of the parallelization scheme reported in our previous work (Li, et al., J. Comput. Chem. 2012, 33, 1960) to include parallelization of the molecular surface and energy calculations components of the algorithm. The parallelization scheme utilizes different approaches such as space domain parallelization, algorithmic parallelization, multithreading, and task scheduling, depending on the quantity being calculated. This allows for efficient use of the computing resources of the corresponding computer cluster. The parallelization scheme is implemented in the popular software DelPhi and results in speedup of several folds. As a demonstration of the efficiency and capability of this methodology, the electrostatic potential, and electric field distributions are calculated for the bovine mitochondrial supercomplex illustrating their complex topology, which cannot be obtained by modeling the supercomplex components alone. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

碳氟醇对全氟辛酸钠表面活性及胶团反离子结合度的影响

The surface and micelle property of C_7F_(15)COONa/C_3F_7CH_2OH aqueous solution are investigated by surface tension, conductance, electromotive force methods. The results show that when adding C_3F_7CH_2OH into C_7F_(15)COONa solution the surface activity of C_7F_(15)COONa and the counterion binding degree of micelle can be enhanced.     

An algorithm for the calculation of the electrostatic repulsion between surface coated with a charge membrane

We propose a numerical procedure for the calculation of the electrostatic repulsion force between two identical, parallel surfaces immersed in anab electrolyte solution. These surfaces are coated with an ion-penetrable membrane carrying fixed charges. The amount of fixed charges is governed by the dissociation of the functional groups in the membrane phase. The effect of pH on the degree of dissociation of these functional groups is taken into account. The difficulty of extensive use of Jacobi elliptic function in the numerical treatment of Poisson-Boltzmann equation can be circumvented by resorting to the present algorithm.     

Numerical interpretation of molecular surface field in dielectric modeling of solvation

Continuum solvent models, particularly those based on the Poisson‐Boltzmann equation (PBE), are widely used in the studies of biomolecular structures and functions. Existing PBE developments have been mainly focused on how to obtain more accurate and/or more efficient numerical potentials and energies. However to adopt the PBE models for molecular dynamics simulations, a difficulty is how to interpret dielectric boundary forces accurately and efficiently for robust dynamics simulations. This study documents the implementation and analysis of a range of standard fitting schemes, including both one‐sided and two‐sided methods with both first‐order and second‐order Taylor expansions, to calculate molecular surface electric fields to facilitate the numerical calculation of dielectric boundary forces. These efforts prompted us to develop an efficient approximated one‐dimensional method, which is to fit the surface field one dimension at a time, for biomolecular applications without much compromise in accuracy. We also developed a surface‐to‐atom force partition scheme given a level set representation of analytical molecular surfaces to facilitate their applications to molecular simulations. Testing of these fitting methods in the dielectric boundary force calculations shows that the second‐order methods, including the one‐dimensional method, consistently perform among the best in the molecular test cases. Finally, the timing analysis shows the approximated one‐dimensional method is far more efficient than standard second‐order methods in the PBE force calculations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Thermodynamic properties of alcohols in a micellar phase. Binding constants and partial molar volumes of pentanol in sodium dodecylsulfate micelles at 15, 25, and 35°C

Densities of the ternary system water-sodium dodecylsulfate (NaDS)-pentanol and of the binary systems butanol-octane and pentanol-octane were measured at 15, 25, and 35 °C. The apparent molar volume of pentanol in the ternary system was analyzed using a mass-action model for the alcohol distribution in micellar solutions. The partial molar volume of alcohol bound to the micelles and the ratio between the binding constant and the aggregation number of the surfactant are calculated. The partial molar volume binding constant, is discussed in terms of solubilization sites of the alcohol in the micelles whereas the binding constant is compared with that derived from the Nernstian partition constant previously obtained calorimetrically. From the binding constant and Poisson statistics the distribution function of the number of alcohol molecules per micelle, as a function of the concentration of alcohol and of surfactant, are calculated. The derived distribution functions show that a large amount of alcohol can be solubilized in the micelles so that alcoholic mixed micelles can be predicted when the concentration of pentanol is greater than that of NaDS.     

Construction of the Active Site of Metalloenzyme on Au NC Micelles

For developing an efficient nanoenzyme system with self-assembly strategy, gold nanocrystal micelles (Au NC micelles) with inserted catalytic Zn(II) centers were constructed by self-assembly of a catalytic ligand [N,N-bis(2-aminoethyl)-N’-dodecylethylenediamine] Zn(II) complexes (Zn(II)L) on the surface of Au NC via hydrophobic interaction. The functionalized Au NC micelles acted as an excellent nanoenzyme model for imitating ribonuclease. The catalytic capability of the Au NC micelles was evaluated by accelerating the cleavage of 2-hydroxypropyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate (HPNP). These functionalized Au NC micelles exhibited considerable ribonuclease-like activities by a factor of 4.9×104 (kcat/kuncat) for the cleavage of HPNP in comparison to the spontaneous cleavage of HPNP at 37 ℃. The catalytic capability of the functionalized Au NC micelles can be considerably compared to other models reported previously as nanoenzymes under the comparable conditions.     

Hybrid boundary element and finite difference method for solving the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation

A hybrid approach for solving the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE) is presented. Under this approach, the electrostatic potential is separated into (1) a linear component satisfying the linear PBE and solved using a fast boundary element method and (2) a correction term accounting for nonlinear effects and optionally, the presence of an ion-exclusion layer. Because the correction potential contains no singularities (in particular, it is smooth at charge sites) it can be accurately and efficiently solved using a finite difference method. The motivation for and formulation of such a decomposition are presented together with the numerical method for calculating the linear and correction potentials. For comparison, we also develop an integral equation representation of the solution to the nonlinear PBE. When implemented upon regular lattice grids, the hybrid scheme is found to outperform the integral equation method when treating nonlinear PBE problems. Results are presented for a spherical cavity containing a central charge, where the objective is to compare computed 1D nonlinear PBE solutions against ones obtained with alternate numerical solution methods. This is followed by examination of the electrostatic properties of nucleic acid structures.     

Fluorescent Polymeric Micelles with Aggregation‐Induced Emission Properties for Monitoring the Encapsulation of Doxorubicin

A new type of fluorescent polymeric micelles is developed by self‐assembly from a series of amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly[styrene‐co‐(2‐(1,2,3,4,5‐pentaphenyl‐1H‐silol‐1‐yloxy)ethyl methacrylate)] [PEG‐b‐P(S‐co‐PPSEMA)]. Their capability of loading doxorubicin (DOX) is investigated by monitoring the loading content, encapsulation efficiency, and photophysical properties of micelles. Förster resonance energy transfer from PPSEMA to DOX is observed in DOX‐loaded micelles, which can serve as an indication of successful encapsulation of DOX in these micelles. The application of this new type of fluorescent polymeric micelles as a fluorescent probe and an anticancer drug carrier simultaneously is explored by studying the intracellular uptake of DOX‐loaded micelles.

     

Micelles for the self-assembly of "off-on-off" fluorescent sensors for pH windows

A micellar approach is proposed to build a series of systems featuring an "off-on-off" fluorescent window response with changes in pH. The solubilizing properties of micelles are used to self-assemble, in water, plain pyrene with lipophilized pyridine and tertiary amine moieties. Since these components are contained in the small volume of the same micelle, pyrene fluorescence is influenced by the basic moieties: protonated pyridines and free tertiary amines behave as quenchers. Accordingly, fluorescence transitions from the "off" to the "on" state, and viceversa, take place when the pH crosses the pK(a) values of the amine and pyridine fragments. To obtain an "off-on-off" fluorescent response in this investigation we use either a set of dibasic lipophilic molecules (containing covalently linked pyridine and tertiary amine groups) or combinations of separate, lipophilic pyridines and tertiary amines. The use of combinations of dibasic and monobasic lipophilic molecules also gives a window-shaped fluorescence response with changes in pH: it is the highest pyridine pK(a) and the lowest tertiary amine pK(a) that determine the window limits. The pK(a) values of all the examined lipophilic molecules were determined in micelles, and compared with the values found for the same molecules in solvent mixtures in which they are molecularly dispersed. The effect of micellization is to significantly lower the observed protonation constants of the lipophilized species. Moreover, the more lipophilic a molecule is, the lower the observed logK value is. Accordingly, changing the substituents on the basic moieties or modifying their structure, tuning the lipophilicity of the mono- or dibases, and choosing among a large set of possible combination of lipophilized mono- and dibases have allowed us to tune, almost at will, both the width and the position along the pH axis of the obtained fluorescent window.     

Nanocrystal-Loaded Micelles for the Enhanced In Vivo Circulation of Docetaxel

Prolonging in vivo circulation has proved to be an efficient route for enhancing the therapeutic effect of rapidly metabolized drugs. In this study, we aimed to construct a nanocrystal-loaded micelles delivery system to enhance the blood circulation of docetaxel (DOC). We employed high-pressure homogenization to prepare docetaxel nanocrystals (DOC(Nc)), and then produced docetaxel nanocrystal-loaded micelles (DOC(Nc)@mPEG-PLA) by a thin-film hydration method. The particle sizes of optimized DOC(Nc), docetaxel micelles (DOC@mPEG-PLA), and DOC(Nc)@mPEG-PLA were 168.4, 36.3, and 72.5 nm, respectively. The crystallinity of docetaxel was decreased after transforming it into nanocrystals, and the crystalline state of docetaxel in micelles was amorphous. The constructed DOC(Nc)@mPEG-PLA showed good stability as its particle size showed no significant change in 7 days. Despite their rapid dissolution, docetaxel nanocrystals exhibited higher bioavailability. The micelles prolonged the retention time of docetaxel in the circulation system of rats, and DOC(Nc)@mPEG-PLA exhibited the highest retention time and bioavailability. These results reveal that constructing nanocrystal-loaded micelles may be a promising way to enhance the in vivo circulation and bioavailability of rapidly metabolized drugs such as docetaxel.     

Fluorescent Polymeric Micelles with Tetraphenylethylene Moieties and Their Application for the Selective Detection of Glucose

By linking TPE moieties that exhibit aggregation‐induced (enhanced) emission to the amphiphilic copolymer 1 , fluorescent micelles are prepared and characterized. The polymeric micelles exhibit relatively strong fluorescence which can be tuned by heating and cooling. By combining cascaded enzymatic (oxidation of D ‐glucose with GOx) and chemical (oxidation of I^– by H₂O₂) reactions, the fluorescent micelles of copolymer 1 are successfully utilized for the selective detection of D ‐glucose in aqueous solution. The influences of proteins (e.g., bovine serum albumin) and reductants (e.g., ascorbic acid) on this fluorescence detection of D ‐glucose are also discussed.