Micelles from amphiphilic block copolyphosphates for drug delivery

Amphiphilic block copolyphosphates (PEP-b-PIPPs) are synthesized by two-step ROP of cyclic phosphate monomers with different pedant groups. They can spontaneously self-assemble into approximately spherical micelles ranging in size between 89 and 198 nm in water. A typical hydrophobic anti-cancer drug DOX is encapsulated into the micelles. The release rate of DOX slows down with increasing hydrophobic block length of PIPP. DOX-loaded micelles are investigated for the proliferation inhibition of Hela cells and the DOX dose required for 50% cellular growth inhibition is found to be 0.8 μg mL(-1). It is demonstrated that PEP-b-PIPP micelles can be used as a safe and promising drug delivery system.     

Construction of biomimetic smart nanochannels with polymer membranes and application in energy conversion systems

Learning from nature has inspired the creation of intelligent devices to meet the increasing needs of the advanced community and also to better understand how to imitate biology. As one of biomimetic nanodevices, nanochannels or nanopores aroused particular interest because of their potential applications in nanofluidic devices, biosensing, filtration, and energy conversions. In this review we have summarized some recent results mainly focused on the design, construction and application in energy conversion systems. Like biological nanochannels, the prepared smart artificial nanochannels fabricated by ion track-etched polymer membranes and smart molecules show a great potential in the field of bioengineering and biotechnology. And these applications can not only help people to know and understand the living processes in nature, but can also inspire scientists to study and develop novel nanodevices with better performance for the mankind.     

Effect of Molecular Crowding on the Temperature–Pressure Stability Diagram of Ribonuclease A

FT‐IR spectroscopic and thermodynamic measurements were designed to explore the effect of a macromolecular crowder, dextran, on the temperature and pressure‐dependent phase diagram of the protein Ribonuclease A (RNase A), and we compare the experimental data with approximate theoretical predictions based on configuration entropy. Exploring the crowding effect on the pressure‐induced unfolding of proteins provides insight in protein stability and folding under cell‐like dense conditions, since pressure is a fundamental thermodynamic variable linked to molecular volume. Moreover, these studies are of relevance for understanding protein stability in deep‐sea organisms, which have to cope with pressures in the kbar range. We found that not only temperature‐induced equilibrium unfolding of RNase A, but also unfolding induced by pressure is markedly prohibited in the crowded dextran solutions, suggesting that crowded environments such as those found intracellularly, will also oppress high‐pressure protein unfolding. The FT‐IR spectroscopic measurements revealed a marked increase in unfolding pressure of 2 kbar in the presence of 30 wt % dextran. Whereas the structural changes upon thermal unfolding of the protein are not significantly influenced in the presence of the crowding agent, through stabilization by dextran the pressure‐unfolded state of the protein retains more ordered secondary structure elements, which seems to be a manifestation of the entropic destabilization of the unfolded state by crowding.     

有机大分子导向无机纳米粒子的分级有序自组装

本文主要综述了基于特定分子设计的有机大分子导向下的无机纳米粒子的分级有序自组装.可以有效导向无机纳米粒子组织的有机大分子主要包括合成大分子和生物大分子,前者如具有氢键识别功能的大分子、聚电解质、嵌段大分子、树枝状大分子;后者如DNA、糖类以及蛋白质.所涉及的无机纳米粒子通常需要通过单层修饰使之与特定的大分子具有识别功能,或者设计表面带有正或负电荷使之与带有负或正电荷的大分子相互识别.该领域的研究在先进功能材料及仿生材料方面具有重要意义.     

铝酸钠和含硅铝酸钠溶液结构和性质的研究

本文通过对铝酸钠和硅铝酸钠溶液的红外光谱、拉曼光谱、粘度、表面张力、丁达尔现象和聚沉等光谱和物理化学性质的研究测定,分析了硅在铝酸钠溶液中的行为.认为硅主要是取代Al-O-Al结构中的Al,形成Al-O-Si结构和Al-O-Si-O-Al-O结构等多种形式硅氧铝键以及由氢键相连的大分子结构.这种结构直接影响其物理化学性质,表现为随硅含量增加表面张力增加,粘度上升,具有丁达尔现象等.说明含硅铝酸钠溶液中存在大分子的胶性基团,属于无机高分子溶液,这种网络状"大分子"结构是硅铝酸钠溶液稳定的原因.     

Cobalt and nitrogen atoms co-doped porous carbon for advanced electrical double-layer capacitors

Electrical double-laye r capacitors are widely concerned fo r their high power density,long cycling life and high cycling efficiency.However,their wide application is limited by their low energy density.In this study,we propose a simple yet environmental friendly method to synthesize cobalt and nitrogen atoms co-doped porous carbon(CoAT-NC) material.Cobalt atoms connected with primarily pyridinic nitrogen atoms can be uniformly dispersed in the amorphous carbon matrix,which is benefit for improving electrical conductivity and density of states of the carbon material.Therefore,an enhanced perfo rmance is expected when CoAT-NC is served as electrode in a supercapacitor device.CoAT-NC displays a good gravimetric capacitance of 160 F/g at 0.5 A/g combing with outstanding capacitance retention of 90% at an extremely high current density of 100 A/g in acid electrolyte.Furthermore,a good energy density of30 Wh/kg can be obtained in the organic electrolyte.     

Preparation of Ce-Zr-O solid solution

A single phase solid solution of Ce-Zr-O can be made by using NH₄HCO₃ solution as precipitating agent. The influence of preparation conditions, such as pH, Zr⁴⁺/(CO₃ ^2-+HCO₃ ^-) and Ce³⁺/Zr⁴⁺ ratio on the formation of the solid solution were investigated. The results show that a single phase Ce-Zr-O solid solution can be formed only under a narrow window of preparation conditions, indicating that some compounds are formed in the precipitating process. The compound may contain Ce³⁺, Zr⁴⁺, CO₃ ^2-, HCO^3-, and OH^-. The solid solution so prepared can be described as Ce_0.37Zr_0.63O₂. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Unraveling the Pressure Effect on Nucleation Processes of Amyloidogenic Proteins

The influence of pressure on the nucleation rate of insulin under fibril‐forming conditions was studied and subsequently analysed using classical nucleation theory. The aim was a better understanding and quantification of the influence of pressure on protein aggregation/fibrillation reactions. The application of pressure has a drastic accelerating effect on the nucleation and growth process of insulin fibrils. We show that this effect arises from a volume decrease upon nucleus formation, due to formation of a less hydrated and more compact transition state that can be quantified extending nucleation theory by a pressure–volume term. Conversely, the absolute values of the lag time and the critical size of the nucleus cannot be satisfactorily described by the classical nucleation theory, which might be due to the presence of secondary effects, such as parallel aggregation pathways or fragmentation processes.