Polymeric coatings on silver nanoparticles hinder autoaggregation but enhance attachment to uncoated surfaces

The propensity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) having two different polymer coatings (poly(vinylpyrrolidone), PVP, or gum arabic, GA) to aggregate, or to deposit to a reference surface (silica), was explored as a basis for differentiating the effect of surface coating on the stability of nanoparticles in aggregation and in deposition. Surface polymeric coatings stabilize nanoparticles against aggregation as shown by either an increased critical coagulation concentration as for PVP-coated AgNPs (AgPVP) or the absence of observable aggregation even at a high ionic strength as for GA-coated AgNPs (AgGA). In experiments of AgNPs deposition in a silica porous medium, dissimilar surfaces favored deposition, such as the case where polymer coatings were present on the AgNPs but were absent on the porous medium. The increased affinity of the AgNPs for the porous medium in this case may be explained by a shifted contact frontier where electrical double layer interaction is weaker. When coating polymers were introduced to the porous medium and allowed to preadsorb to the silica surfaces, the attachment efficiencies for both the AgPVP and AgGA were reduced due to steric and electrosteric stabilization, respectively. The results suggest that polymeric coatings that are usually deemed as stabilizers (as they indeed are in the case of autoaggregation) might not necessarily stabilize nanoparticles against deposition unless the collector surfaces are also coated with polymer.     

Self-assembly approach toward magnetic silica-type nanoparticles of different shapes from reverse block copolymer mesophases

In the present study poly(isoprene-block-ethylene oxide), PI-b-PEO, block copolymers are used to structure iron oxide and silica precursors into reverse mesophases, which upon dissolution of the organic matrix lead to well-defined nanoparticles of spheres, cylinders, and plates based on the original structure of the mesophase prepared. The hybrid mesophases with sphere, cylinder, and lamellar morphologies containing the inorganic components in the minority phases are characterized through a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). After heat treatments the respective nanoparticles on mica surfaces are characterized by scanning force microscopy (SFM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer measurements are performed to demonstrate that the heat treatment leads to the formation of a magnetic gamma-Fe2O3 crystalline phase within the amorphous aluminosilicate. The results pave the way to functional, i.e., magnetic nanoparticles where the size, shape, and iron oxide concentration can be controlled opening a range of possible applications.     

Direct Access to Aryl Bis(trifluoromethyl)carbinols from Aryl Bromides or Fluorosulfates: Palladium‐Catalyzed Carbonylation

A palladium‐catalyzed carbonylative approach for the direct conversion of (hetero)aryl bromides into their α,α‐bis(trifluoromethyl)carbinols is described, and it employs only stoichiometric amounts of carbon monoxide and trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane. In addition, aryl fluorosulfates proved highly compatible with these reaction conditions. The method is tolerant of a diverse set of functional groups, and it is adaptable to late‐stage carbon‐isotope labeling.     

On the stereochemistry of photoaddition between α,β-unsaturated ketones and olefins. III.

The α,β-unsaturated ketone $\text{1}$ yields with allene the photocycloadduct $\text{3}$ predicted by our empirical photoaddition rule and the byproduct 7. The formation of this material may be rationalized by the sequence $\text{1}$ → $\text{4}$ → $\text{5}$ → $\text{6}$ → $\text{7}$. The isomeric ketone $\text{2}$ is unreactive under the same conditions, since α addition is prohibited by the rule and β addition is severely blocked.     

Measurement of intracellular Ca2+ changes using novel caged cyclic nucleotides and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

The intention of this study is to explore the applicability of confocal microscopy in conjunction with the use of caged cyclic nucleotide derivatives. The methodological potential of UV laser confocal microscopy has been assessed. It is shown that illumination of a single cell or a small area of a single cell is possible, whereby the intracelluar Ca2+ signal is measured at illuminated and non-illuminated cells. Such measurements do not have a high time resolution because of the specific system parameters. However, with an N2 pulse laser (not part of the standard microscope set-up), Ca2+ signals with a time resolution of around 100 ms have been measured. This facilitates investigation of the kinetics of Ca2+ influx. Intracellular Ca2+ measurements at HEK293 and sperm cells have been made here. For sperm cells the advantages of confocal microscopy are best evidenced in conjunction with the use of caged cyclic nucleotides; a cyclic nucleotide-gated Ca2+ influx at the tail of these cells has thereby been demonstrated for the first time.     

A life cycle framework for the investigation of environmentally benign nanoparticles and products

While significant advances in our understanding of the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in the environment continue, there remains a need to engage the nanoparticle research community directly in the development and evaluation of environmentally benign nanoparticles to ensure that nanomaterial‐based industries emerge as tools for sustainability rather than environmental liabilities. Current research efforts aimed at understanding the environmental implications of nanotechnology emphasize existing groups of nanoparticles and products already in commercial distribution. While this is clearly necessary, this approach fails to identify and address the many tradeoffs associated with product performance and environmental quality. We believe this to be a critical gap in the ongoing exploration of nanostructured materials and their properties and applications. We posit that a number of issues are not being holistically addressed, including resource availability and allocation, manufacturing energy requirements and embodied energy, material efficiency, environmental properties of nanomaterials and nanoproducts, and waste generation. An interdisciplinary approach to research, based on the life cycle paradigm and devoted to the identification, investigation, synthesis, testing, and analysis of groups of new, more environmentally conscious nanoparticles is needed. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Polynomials in operator space theory

The aim of this article is to start a metric theory of homogeneous polynomials in the category of operator spaces. For this purpose we take advantage of the basic fact that the space P^m(E)$P^m(E)$ of all m-homogeneous polynomials on a vector space E can be identified with the algebraic dual of the m  -th symmetric tensor product ⊗^m,sE${\otimes }^{m,s}E$. Given an operator space V, we study several different types of completely bounded polynomials on V   which form the operator space duals of ⊗^m,sV${\otimes }^{m,s}V$ endowed with related operator structures. Of special interest are what we call Haagerup, Kronecker, and Schur polynomials – polynomials associated with different types of matrix products.