Adsorption of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes onto oppositely charged surfaces

We present a scaling theory for the adsorption of a weakly charged polyelectrolyte chain in a poor solvent onto an oppositely charged surface. Depending on the fraction of charged monomers and on the solvent quality for uncharged monomers, the globule in the bulk of the solution has either a spherical conformation or a necklace structure. At sufficiently high surface charge density, a chain in the globular conformation adsorbs in a flat pancake conformation due to the Coulombic attraction to the oppositely charged surface. Different adsorption regimes are predicted depending on two screening lengths (the Debye screening length monitored by the salt concentration and the Gouy-Chapman length monitored by the surface charge density), on the degree of ionization of the polymer and on the solvent strength. At low bulk ionic strength, an increase in the surface charge density may induce a transition from an adsorbed necklace structure to a uniform pancake due to the enhanced screening of the intra-chain Coulombic repulsion by the counterions localized near the surface. Received 12 April 2001     

两种离子束方法制备Cr膜的分析研究

在室温下,采用离子束溅射同时经100 keV Ar 离子轰击的动态离子束混合技术和采用离子束溅射技术这两种方法制备Cr膜,并用XPS,SEM及AES对薄膜的结构、表面形貌、薄膜与基体附着力的影响等进行分析对比。结果表明,与离子束溅射技术制备的Cr膜相比较,动态离子束混合技术制备的Cr膜表面平滑,膜致密呈无气隙的柱状结构,且薄膜元素与基体元素混合形成的组分过渡层较宽,因而有效地提高了Cr膜的附着力。     

微操作中力的检测及控制

微操作过程中,操作对象的特征尺寸通常小于1 mm。由于尺度效应和表面效应,操作对象本身的重力和惯性力不再起主导作用,粘附力作用成为影响微操作成败的关键因素。这就导致了单靠宏观上的操作技术不能充分解决微观领域操作问题。该文在论述微操作过程中粘附力作用机理的基础上给出了一些微操作过程中有关力的检测、控制的可行方法。     

High-affinity integration of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with chemically modified silk fibroin

Hydroxyapatite (HA)-based nanocomposites were prepared by a co-precipitation method with silk fibroin (SF) serving as organic matrix. Silk fibroin was chemically modified with an alkali solution or an enzyme attempting to improve the interface between the mineral and the organic matrix. The influences of the alkali and enzyme pretreatments on microstructure and physicochemical properties of HA–SF composite were examined and compared. The results reveal that both the two kinds of pretreatments facilitate the formation of highly ordered three-dimensional porous network throughout the composites, increase the microhardness of the composite, and promote the preferential growth of HA crystallites along c-axis. Among all the as-prepared samples, the composite containing the enzyme pretreated SF shows desirable hierarchical microstructure with higher degree of organization and more uniform pore size distribution. Due to the enzyme pretreatment, HA crystallites undergo obvious changes in morphology from rod-like to␣whisker-like and in crystal growth towards more apparent epitaxy along c-axis. The alkali pretreatment induces the stronger chemical interactions between HA and SF and thus to strengthen the inorganic–organic interfacial adhesion. The newly developed HA–SF composites are expected to be attractive biomedical materials for bone repair and remodeling.     

Characterization of Ti6Al4V implant surface treated by Nd:YAG laser and emery paper for orthopaedic applications

A more noble and biocompatible Ti alloy was achieved at fluence of 140 J cm⁻² where the implant indicated a higher degree of hardness (825HV), higher corrosion resistance (−0.21 V) and highest hydrophilicity (i.e. θ_c = 37°) compared with 70° of the control sample. These values corresponded to 58 and 39 mN m⁻¹ of surface tension respectively. The laser treated samples at 140 J cm⁻² showed higher wettability characteristics than mechanically roughened surface. Cell growth and their spreading condition in a specific area were analyzed by SEM and Image J Program software. Clearly, more cells were attached (1.2 × 10⁵) to and spread (488 μm²) over the surface at 140 J cm⁻² than in any other condition. Pathologically, the treated samples indicated no sign of infection.     

铜表面处理剂

概述了BO-7770V、DL-7800V、C2-8100、C2-8101、CA-5330K和FlatBOND等铜表面处理剂,它们适用于PCB制造工艺中的铜表面处理,有利于制造高性能和高精细的PCB。     

Direct synthesis of porous NiO nanowall arrays on conductive substrates for supercapacitor application

Porous NiO nanowall arrays (NWAs) grown on flexible Fe-Co-Ni alloy have been successfully synthesized by using nullaginite (Ni₂(OH)₂CO₃) as precursor and investigated as supercapacitor electrodes. In details, we adopted a simple hydrothermal method to realize Ni₂(OH)₂CO₃ NWAs and examined their robust mechanical adhesion to substrate via a long-time ultrasonication test. Porous NiO NWAs were then obtained by a post-calcination towards precursors at 500 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. Electrochemical properties of as-synthesized NiO NWAs were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge; porous NiO NWAs electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 270 F/g (0.67 A/g); even at high current densities, the electrode could still deliver a high capacitance up to 236 F/g (13.35 A/g). Meanwhile, it exhibited excellent cycle lifetime with ∼93% specific capacitance kept after 4000 cycles. These results suggest that as-made porous NiO NWAs electrode is a promising candidate for future thin-film supercapacitors and other microelectronic systems.     

Modeling the failure of an adhesive layer in a peel test

The failure of an adhesive layer in a 180° peel test is analyzed by the modeling of the peel as an elastica. The adhesive is assumed to fail by a process of cavitation and fibrillation. The resistance of the fibrillated material to deformation gives rise to a rate‐dependent peel force F. Governing equations, which take into account the large deformation of the fibrillated materials, are derived. Numerical solutions are obtained for the special case of a linear, viscous adhesive. Assuming a critical strain failure criterion for the fibrils, we show that the peel rate is inversely proportional to the square root of the adhesive thickness and directly proportional to F^3/4. The connection between the peel test and the tack test is also discussed. The maximum traction on the peel arm is found to be directly proportional to the peel force and inversely proportional to the adhesive thickness. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2277–2291, 2002     

A Molecular Brush Approach to Enhance Quantum Yield and Suppress Nonspecific Interactions of Conjugated Polyelectrolyte for Targeted Far‐Red/Near‐Infrared Fluorescence Cell Imaging

A red‐fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE, P2 ) is grafted with dense poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains via click chemistry and subsequently modified with folic acid to form a molecular brush based cellular probe ( P4 ). P4 self‐assembles into a core–shell nanostructure in aqueous medium with an average size of 130 nm measured by laser light scattering. As compared to P2 , P4 possesses not only a substantially higher quantum yield (11%), but also reduced nonspecific interactions with biomolecules in aqueous medium due to the shielding effect of PEG. In conjunction with its high photostability and low cytotoxicity, utilization of P4 as a far‐red/near‐infrared cellular probe allows for effective visualization and discrimination of MCF‐7 cancer cells from NIH‐3T3 normal cells in a high contrast, selective, and nonviral manner. This study thus demonstrates a flexible molecular brush approach to overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of CPEs for advanced bioimaging applications.     

Molecular modeling of interfaces between cellulose crystals and surrounding molecules: Effects of caprolactone surface grafting

A technical problem in cellulosic nanocomposite materials is the weak interaction between hydrophilic cellulose and hydrophobic polymer matrices. One approach to solve this difficulty is to chemically graft monomers of the matrix polymer onto the cellulose surface. An important question is to understand the effect such surface modification has on the interfacial properties. Semi-empirical approaches to estimate work of adhesion based on surface energies do not provide information on specific molecular interactions. Details about these interactions were obtained using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Cellulose interfaces with water and caprolactone medium were modeled with different amounts of grafted caprolactone. The modification lead to an increased work of adhesion between the surface and its surrounding medium. Furthermore, the MD simulations showed that the interaction between cellulose, both modified and non-modified, and surrounding medium is dominated by Coulomb interactions, predominantly as hydrogen bonds.