Surface functionalization of silica nanoparticles supports colloidal stability in physiological media and facilitates internalization in cells

The influence of the surface functionalization of silica particles on their colloidal stability in physiological media is studied and correlated with their uptake in cells. The surface of 55 ± 2 nm diameter silica particles is functionalized by amino acids or amino- or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-terminated alkoxysilanes to adjust the zeta potential from highly negative to positive values in ethanol. A transfer of the particles into water, physiological buffers, and cell culture media reduces the absolute value of the zeta potential and changes the colloidal stability. Particles stabilized by L-arginine, L-lysine, and amino silanes with short alkyl chains are only moderately stable in water and partially in PBS or TRIS buffer, but aggregate in cell culture media. Nonfunctionalized, N-(6-aminohexyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (AHAPS), and PEG-functionalized particles are stable in all media under study. The high colloidal stability of positively charged AHAPS-functionalized particles scales with the ionic strength of the media, indicating a mainly electrostatical stabilization. PEG-functionalized particles show, independently from the ionic strength, no or only minor aggregation due to additional steric stabilization. AHAPS stabilized particles are readily taken up by HeLa cells, likely as the positive zeta potential enhances the association with the negatively charged cell membrane. Positively charged particles stabilized by short alkyl chain aminosilanes adsorb on the cell membrane, but are weakly taken up, since aggregation inhibits their transport. Nonfunctionalized particles are barely taken up and PEG-stabilized particles are not taken up at all into HeLa cells, despite their high colloidal stability. The results indicate that a high colloidal stability of nanoparticles combined with an initial charge-driven adsorption on the cell membrane is essential for efficient cellular uptake.     

Solution synthesis of nanoparticular binary transition metal antimonides

The preparation of nanoengineered materials with controlled nanostructures, for example, with an anisotropic phase segregated structure or a regular periodicity rather than with a broad range of interparticle distances, has remained a synthetic challenge for intermetallics. Artificially structured materials, including multilayers, amorphous alloys, quasicrystals, metastable crystalline alloys, or granular metals, are mostly prepared using physical gas phase procedures. We report a novel, powerful solution-mediated approach for the formation of nanoparticular binary antimonides based on presynthesized antimony nanoparticles. The transition metal antimonides M-Sb (M = Co, Ni, Cu(2), Zn) were obtained with sizes ranging from 20 and 60 nm. Through careful control of the reaction conditions, single-phase nanoparticular antimonides were synthesized. The nanophases were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and (high resolution) electron microscopy. The approach is based on activated metal nanoparticles as precursors for the synthesis of the intermetallic compounds. X-ray powder diffraction studies of reaction intermediates allowed monitoring of the reaction kinetics. The small particle size of the reactants ensures short diffusion paths, low activation barriers, and low reaction temperatures, thereby eliminating solid-solid diffusion as the rate-limiting step in conventional bulk-scale solid-state synthesis.     

The effect of composition of parenteral solution on the thermal resistance of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis spores

Large-volume parenteral solutions were submitted to heat treatments after being inoculated with Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 (T _r =121°C) and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372 (T _r =104.5°C) spores. The average decimal reduction time for B. stearothermophilus ranged from a D _121°C value of 1.31 to 3.14 min, in glucophysiologic and Ringer’s solutions respectively. For B. subtilis, D _104.5°C value increased from 0.69 to 1.37 min, in Ringer’s (pH=5.91) and 50% glucose (pH 3.05) solutions respectively. The z value ranged from 7.95°C (20% mannitol solution) to 13.14°C (50% glucose solution), corresponding to an activation energy (Ea) of 81.48 and 49.30 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Phase Relations in the Ni–Mn–Ga Ternary System and Aging Effect on Shape Memory Properties of Ferromagnetic Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript>MnGa Sputtered Films

Summary. Isothermal sections of the Ni–Mn–Ga ternary phase diagram at 1073 and 1273 K were investigated over a wide range of alloy compositions. The range of the β-Ni₂MnGa phase, its equilibria with the γ-(Mn, Ni), α′-Ni₃Ga, and γ-Ni₃Ga₂ phases, and the liquidus and solidus lines were determined experimentally. The aging effect on the shape memory effect (SME) of Ni₂MnGa sputtered films was also investigated. The two-way SME of the constraint-aged films was confirmed by the temperature change.     

The behaviour of micro-bitumen drops in aqueous clay environments

This study summarises the rheological behaviour of emulsion bitumen drops in the presence of aqueous solutions of de-ionised or process water (DIW or PW) containing montmorillonite clays (M) and/or calcium ions (Ca++). The presence of calcium ions and montmorillonite clays resulted in the plastic behaviour of bitumen drops. In a DIW+M+Ca++ system, increasing temperature and calcium ion concentration resulted in an increase in the number and degree of plastic bitumen drops. In the presence of considerable amounts of Ca++ ions and/or at higher experimental temperature, bitumen drops in a PW+M system exhibited no significant overall plasticity of their surfaces. Both calcium and sodium ions contained in process water compete with each other to occupy the montmorillonite clay surface. At the pH value of process water (pH congruent with8), increasing the temperature did not change the value of bitumen droplet zeta potential. Stability of bitumen-in-water emulsions at 22 degrees C showed that bitumen droplets coalesced upon contact in the DIW+M system. The addition of calcium ions (Ca++) led to the inhibition of coagulation and coalescence of bitumen droplets, which may indicate the formation of CaM aggregates at the bitumen-water interface.     

Molecular structure of Hf(BH4)4 investigated by quantum mechanical calculations and gas-phase electron diffraction

The structure of the gaseous hafnium tetrakis(tetrahydroborate) molecule, Hf(BH4)4, has been investigated by detailed quantum mechanical calculations and by analysis of its gas electron-diffraction (GED) pattern. The ground-state geometry possesses T symmetry with all of the triply-bridged BH4 groups twisted equally about the Hf...B-H axes. Salient structural parameters (ra distances, r angles) deduced from the GED pattern by the SARACEN method were: r(Hf...B) 231.4(2), r(Hf-Hb) 221.5(7), r(B-Hb) 127.6(5), r(B-Ht) 121(1) pm, Hf...B-Hb 69.4(3), Hb-B-Hb 108.4(4), Hb-B-Ht 110.6(3), B...Hf...B-Hb 166(1) degrees. A notable feature is the large magnitude of the Hf...B and Hf-Hb anharmonicity parameters, attributed to the fluxional hydrogen atom exchange process. The properties are compared with those of related tetrahydroborates..