Controlled adhesion of Salmonella Typhimurium to poly(oligoethylene glycol methacrylate) grafts

Poly(oligoethylene glycol methacrylate), POEGMA, brushes were prepared by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP) on gold‐coated silicon wafers. Prior to ATRP, the substrates were grafted by brominated aryl initiators via the electrochemical reduction of a noncommercial parent diazonium salt of the formula BF₄^?, ⁺N₂‐C₆H₄‐CH(CH₃)Br. The diazonium‐modified gold plates (Au‐Br) served as macroinitiators for ATRP of OEGMA which resulted in hydrophilic surfaces (Au‐POEGMA) that could be used for two distinct objectives: (i) resistance to fouling by Salmonella Typhimurium; (ii) specific recognition of the same bacteria provided that the POEGMA grafts are activated by anti‐Salmonella. The Au‐POEGMA plates were characterized by XPS, polarization modulation‐infrared reflection‐absorption spectroscopy (PM‐IRRAS) and contact angle measurements. Both Beer‐Lambert equation and Tougaard's QUASES software indicated a POEGMA thickness that exceeds the critical ～10 nm value necessary for obtaining a hydrophilic polymer with effective resistance to cell adhesion. The Au‐POEGMA slides were further activated by trichlorotriazine (TCT) in order to covalently bind anti‐Salmonella antibodies (AS). The antibody‐modified Au‐POEGMA specimens were found to specifically attach Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria. This work is another example of the diazonium salt/ATRP process to provide biomedical polymer surfaces. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thoughts on the ideal behavior of mixed micelles and the appropriate application of regular solution theory (RST)

Solutions of mixed surfactants are often considered as solvent mixtures. Usually, mixed micellar aggregates are considered as a homogeneous mixture of solvents dispersed in a solution. But the transposition of the usual thermodynamic models of solvent mixtures to mixed micelles is not always so obvious. We discussed this point in this paper by considering several cases of surfactant mixtures. A major problem is to define the molar fraction of each surfactant in the aggregate especially when a charged surfactant is employed in the mixture, because possible dissociation of the components of the mixture must be considered in the bulk as well in the micelle. This definition is crucial especially for the characterization of the ideal behavior which is usually described by the Clint relation, as well as for the application of regular solution theory (RST) which is the most frequently applied model for interpreting the behavior of surfactant mixtures. We show in this paper how the definition of the molar fraction can change the equations and the interpretations.     

On conditional McKean Lagrangian stochastic models

This paper is motivated by a new class of SDEs?CPDEs systems, the so called Lagrangian stochastic models which are commonly used in the simulation of turbulent flows. We study a position?Cvelocity system which is nonlinear in the sense of McKean. As the dynamics of the velocity depends on the conditional expectation with respect to its position, the interaction kernel is singular. We prove existence and uniqueness of the solution to the system by solving a nonlinear martingale problem and showing that the corresponding interacting particle system propagates chaos.     

Thermal and dielectric investigations of the curie transition in Poly(vinylidene fluoride—trifluoroethylene) copolymers

The ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) copolymers has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and dielectric techniques. The transition appears to be very dependent on the crystallization kinetics and thermal history. The anomalies accompanying the transition show that the structural transformations are complex. In particular, the 30 mol % TrFE sample presents the most remarkable effects. The results are discussed in terms of the existence of a possible intermediate crystalline phase. The role of defects and of the anchored amorphous phase have also been considered.     

Parallel computing investigations for the projection method applied to the interface transport scheme of a two-phase flow by the method of characteristics

Numerical Algorithms - This paper deals with the discretization of the problem of mould filling in iron foundry and its numerical solution using a Schwarz domain decomposition method. An adapted...     

Bright Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of a Bis‐Donor Quadrupolar Spirofluorene Dye and Its Nanoparticles

A series of symmetric fluorescent dyes built from a spirofluorene core bearing electroactive end groups and having different conjugated linkers were prepared with a view to their use as building blocks for the preparation of electrochemiluminescent (ECL) dyes and nanoparticles. Their electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and ECL properties were first investigated in solution, and structure/activity relationships were derived. The electrochemical and ECL properties show drastic variation that could be tuned by means of the nature of the π‐conjugated system, the end groups, and the core. In this series, highly fluorescent dye 1 based on a spirofluorene core and triphenylamine end groups connected via thiophene moieties shows the most promising and intriguing properties. Dye 1 is reversibly oxidized in three well‐separated steps and generates a very intense and large ECL signal. Its ECL efficiency is 4.5 times higher than that of the reference compound [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine). This remarkably high efficiency is due to the very good stability of the higher oxidized states and it makes 1 a very bright organic ECL luminophore. In addition, thanks to its molecular structure, this dye retains fluorescence after nanoprecipitation in water, which leads to fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs). The redox behavior of these FONs shows oxidation waves consistent with the initial molecular species. Finally, ECL from FONs made of 1 was recorded in water and strong ECL nanoemitters are thus obtained.     

Water behavior revisited at the air/ionic solution and silica/ionic solution interfaces. Extension to coadsorption of ions and organic molecules

This paper reports on investigations about the adsorption at the air-water surface, and for the sake of comparison at the silica-solution interface, of two 1-2 electrolytes, Pb(NO(3))(2) and PbCl(2), at first alone and then from a mixture with carbofuran or with benzene; all of them were at concentrations below 10(-2) M. The limited domain, where the Debye and Hückel formalism for solutions and the Wagner-Onsager-Samaras (WOS) model for surfaces are correct, is then respected. This study was aimed at trying to identify the part played in the surface by the different particles of the system components and in particular the role of water. When aqueous solutions of nonorganic salts are dilute enough, their surface tensions are known to be salt concentration-independent; however, the zero value of the resulting relative adsorption has never been the subject of analysis about water behavior. By combining experimental relative adsorptions and Gibbs excesses calculated from the WOS theory, we will show that, in well-known solutions such as KCl ones, where the negative excess in salt can be very precisely modeled by the WOS theory, the resulting water excess Gamma(W) is negative. The same result can be obtained by taking into account the Ray-Jones effect. This observation drove us to wonder about the results of a similar analysis done on solutions of unsymmetrical electrolytes and on mixtures of salt and organic molecules. Experiments showed that, for all of the systems, Gamma(W) was negative. For a given salt, Gamma(W) was more negative in the presence of organic molecules, and carbofuran was a more efficient water repellent than benzene; water repulsion was greater with nitrates than with chlorides. From these data, it seems that water was repelled toward the solution bulk, whereas ions probably took place between the bulk and a layer of organic molecules. These observations called for a more detailed modeling.     

Effects of dipolar interactions on linear and nonlinear optical properties of multichromophore assemblies: a case study

Interchromophore interactions in flexible multidipolar structures for nonlinear optics were addressed by a combined experimental and theoretical study on two series of one-, two-, and three-chromophore systems in which identical push-pull chromophores are assembled through covalent and flexible linkers in close proximity. The photophysical and nonlinear optical properties (quadratic hyperpolarizability) of the multichromophore systems were investigated and compared to those of the monomeric chromophores. Multimers have larger dipole moments than their monomeric analogues, that is, the dipolar subchromophores self-orientate within the multimeric structures. This effect was found to depend on the intersubchromophore distance in a nontrivial manner, which confirms that molecular engineering of such flexible systems is more complex than in completely geometrically controlled systems. Electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurements in solution revealed increased figures of merit as compared to the monomeric analogue. This effect increases with increasing number and polarity of the individual subchromophores in the nanoassembly and increasing spacing between dipolar subchromophores. Experimental results are interpreted by a theoretical model for interacting polar and polarizable chromophores. The properties of multidipolar assemblies are shown to be related to the relative orientation of chromophores, which is imposed by interchromophore interactions. The supramolecular structure is thus a result of self-organization. The proposed theoretical model was also used to predict the properties of multichromophore structures made up of more polar and polarizable push-pull chromophores, and showed that stronger interchromophore interactions can heavily affect the individual optical responses. This suggests new routes for engineering highly NLO responsive multichromophore systems.     

Sebacic acid as corrosion inhibitor for hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel in 0.1 M NaCl

The potential of sebacic acid as a corrosion inhibitor for hot-dip galvanized steel in 0.1 M NaCl solution has been investigated. Different concentrations of the organic acid have been tested in order to understand the inhibition mechanism of the compound. The electrochemical test revealed a competitive mechanism between the dissolution of the metal in the acidified solution and the inhibition provided by the dicarboxylic species. The formation of a whitish layer consisting of zinc carboxylates and corrosion products was proved by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation combined with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. A bidentate bridging coordination between the Zn(II) and the carboxylic species is suggested.