Determination of contact angles on microporous particles using the thin-layer wicking technique

The properties of particle-stabilized emulsions, especially with regard to phase inversion, are very dependent on the contact angle that the particles experience at the oil-water interface. For the very small particles used for such emulsions (often a few tens of nm), it is impossible to measure this contact angle directly. Its value could be calculated if it were possible to determine the components of the solid surface free energy. To establish a method suitable for such particles, we have investigated the imbibition of five probe liquids into a porous bed of silica (commercial TLC plates) using the thin-layer wicking technique. For all liquids, the difference between wicking rate for bare plates and for those pre-contacted with the vapors is large but it is not due to an advancing angle effect on bare plates. Our analysis shows that it is due to the diversion of flowing liquid into blind pores which are already filled in the pre-contacted case. Thus a new model is proposed describing wicking in a porous medium with very small blind pores by introducing a parameter into the Washburn equation that corrects for this capillary condensation effect. The parameter needed is determined independently using gravimetric adsorption measurements. When this modified Washburn equation is used, the difference between advancing and receding contact angle is actually quite small. When the averages are used as the Young's contact angles, values for the surface energy components of silica are obtained that are completely consistent between the five liquids and have magnitudes expected for this type of silica surface.     

Methylidyne tricobalt nonacarbonyl clusters; optically active silicon and germanium derivatives,and substitutions at silicon

The preparation and alcoholysis of chiral chlorosilanes containing the nonacarbonyltricobaltcarbon cluster, RR′Si(Cl)CCo₃(CO)₉, is described. The alkoxy derivatives react with i-Bu₂AlH or BF₃ · Et₂O to give the corresponding silicon hydride or fluoride. Reaction of methylidynetricobalt nonacarbonyl with optically active silanes of germane gave the optically active cluster complexes R¹R²R³M^*CCo₃(CO)₉ (M^* = Si, Ge). These compounds react with phosphine to give the monosubstituted R¹R²R³M^*CCo₃(CO)₈(PR₃ (M^* = Si, Ge). The diastereomers have been resolved in the case of the MePhSi (Obornyl) CCo₃(CO)₉ complex.     

The double-wedge algebra for quantum fields on Schwarzschild and Minkowski spacetimes

We consider the Klein-Gordon equation (m0) on the double Schwarzschild wedge of the Kruskal spacetime, and construct the Hartle-Hawking state _H as a thermal state relative to the Boulware quantization. We prove that, on the double wedge, _H is a pure state, and in the corresponding representation, the left- and right-wedgeC* algebras each have the Reeh-Schlieder property, while the corresponding von-Neumann algebras are typeIII ₁ factors which are dual to (i.e. commutants of) each other. We discuss the extent to which these properties may generalize to non-quasi-free field theories.Pursuing the Rindler-Fulling-Unruh analogy with the Klein-Gordon equation (m>0) in (d-dimensional) flat spacetime, we establish an explicit formula for the Minkowski vacuum on a spacelike double wedge as a thermal state relative to the Fulling quantization. We also treat the cased=2,m=0 of this formula since this is essential input for a paper with Dimock on scattering theory for the quantum Klein-Gordon equation on the Schwarzschild metric.Research supported in part by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds     

Use of miniaturised isotachophoresis on a planar polymer chip to analyse transition metal ions in solutions from metal processing plants

An electrolyte system, using malic acid as a complexing agent, has been developed to allow the determination of transition metal cations using miniaturised isotachophoresis. The method allowed the simultaneous determination of Mn2+, Cr3+, Fe2+, Co2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+ to be made without interference from other common ions. Limits of detection were calculated to be in the range 0.5-1.0mg l(-1) for Mn2+, Cr3+ Co2+ and Zn2+ and 2.0 mg l(-1) for Fe2+ and 4.7 mg l(-1) for Ni2+. The successful analysis of five industrial samples, containing a range of these metal ions, obtained from metal processing plants were achieved in under 13 min. The separations were performed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) chip with integrated platinum wire conductivity detection electrodes.     

Application of microchip assay system for the measurement of C-reactive protein in human saliva

In the last decade, saliva has been advocated as a non-invasive alternative to blood as a diagnostic fluid. However, use of saliva has been hindered by the inadequate sensitivity of current methods to detect the lower salivary concentrations of many constituents compared to serum. Furthermore, developments in the areas related to lab-on-a-chip systems for saliva-based point of care diagnostics are complicated by the high viscosity and heterogeneous properties associated with this diagnostic fluid. The biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant and a well-accepted indicator of inflammation. Numerous clinical studies have established elevated serum CRP as a strong, independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD has also been associated with oral infections (i.e. periodontal diseases) and there is evidence that systemic CRP may be a link between the two. Clinical measurements of CRP in serum are currently performed with "high sensitivity" CRP (hsCRP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests that lack the sensitivity for the detection of this important biomarker in saliva. Because measurement of salivary CRP may represent a novel approach for diagnosing and monitoring chronic inflammatory disease, including CVD and periodontal diseases, the objective of this study was to apply an ultra-sensitive microchip assay system for the measurement of CRP in human saliva. Here, we describe this novel lab-on-a-chip system in its first application for the measurement of CRP in saliva and demonstrate its advantages over the traditional ELISA method. The increased sensitivity of the microchip system (10 pg ml(-1) of CRP with 1000-fold dilution of saliva sample) is attributed to its inherent increased signal to noise ratio, resulting from the higher bead surface area available for antigen/antibody interactions and the high stringency washes associated with this approach. Finally, the microchip assay system was utilized in this study to provide direct experimental evidence that chronic periodontal disease may be associated with higher levels of salivary CRP.     

The Near-Infrared (3)Phi --> (1)(3)Delta Transition of LaF

Rotational analyses of 32 subbands of the near-infrared (3)Phi --> (1)(3)Delta system of LaF have been carried out, involving the levels v = 0-7 of the two states. The three subsystems were first treated as separate singlet systems, directly at equilibrium. Perturbations were revealed in the lower state, ascribed to spin-uncoupling interactions between (1)(3)Delta(3)(v) and (1)(3)Delta(2)(v + 1) levels. A 21 x 21 matrix representation at equilibrium of the complex of interacting levels (v = 0-6) was then constructed, each diagonal v-block corresponding to a triplet model of the rovibrational (3)Delta Hamiltonian. The observed perturbations were completely reduced in the harmonic oscillator approximation with an experimental value of the interaction parameter B(Delta)(0,1) = 0.01322(2) cm(-1). The wavenumbers of some 4500 lines of the system were fitted with an rms error of about 0.005 cm(-1). (Line lists are available in electronic form via http://www-obs.univ-lyon1.fr/~ABernard/index.html.) Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Gold‐Loaded Carbon Nanoparticles from Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐b‐poly(acrylonitrile) Non‐Shell‐Cross‐Linked Micelles

Herein we show that a new amphiphilic poly(vinyl alcohol)‐b‐poly(acrylonitrile) block copolymer dispersed in water can be easily loaded with gold nanoparticles by addition of chlorauric acid followed by reduction by sodium borohydride. After deposition of the so‐loaded micelles onto a silicon wafer, followed by an appropriate thermal treatment, the poly(acrylonitrile) core of the micelles is carbonized, while the poly(vinyl alcohol) shell is completely decomposed and volatilized, leading to gold encapsulated in carbon nanoparticles. The morphology of the micelles is maintained during thermal treatment without requiring shell‐cross‐linking of the micelles prior to pyrolysis.     

The molecular electrostatic potential and steric accessibility of C-DNA

The molecular electrostatic potentials and steric accessibilities associated with reactive sites of C-DNA are calculated for the sequences poly(dG · dC) and poly(dA · dT). The distribution of potential on the surface envelopes of the double helices are also presented. The results are compared with those obtained for B-DNA.