Electrophoresis and stability of nano-colloids: History,theory and experimental examples

The paper contains an extended historical overview of research activities focused on determining interfacial potential and charge of dispersed particles from electrophoretic and coagulation dynamic measurements. Particular attention is paid to nano-suspensions for which application of Standard Electrokinetic Model (SEM) to analysis of experimental data encounters difficulties, especially, when the solutions contain more than two ions, the particle charge depends on the solution composition and zeta-potentials are high. Detailed statements of Standard Electrokinetic and DLVO Models are given in the forms that are capable of addressing electrophoresis and interaction of particles for arbitrary ratios of the particle to Debye radius, interfacial potentials and electrolyte compositions. The experimental part of the study consists of two groups of measurements conducted for Pt/C nano-suspensions, namely, the electrophoretic and coagulation dynamic studies, with various electrolyte compositions. The obtained experimental data are processed by using numerical algorithms based on the formulated models for obtaining interfacial potential and charge. While analyzing the dependencies of interfacial potential and charge on the electrolyte compositions, conclusions are made regarding the mechanisms of charge formation. It is established that the behavior of system stability is in a qualitative agreement with the results computed from the electrophoretic data. The verification of quantitative applicability of the employed models is conducted by calculating the Hamaker constant from experimental data. It is proposed how to explain the observed variations of predicted Hamaker constant and its unusually high value.     

Distributions of ionic concentrations and electric field around the three-phase contact at high rates of Langmuir-Blodgett deposition

A mathematical problem is formulated and numerically solved for addressing the electric field and ionic concentration distributions developing around the three-phase contact line during the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of charged monolayers. Compared to a previous paper dealing with the same effect (J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 13449), the present analysis is not restricted to the case of low deposition rates and small concentration changes. The obtained results show that, for sufficiently high deposition rates, the subphase composition substantially changes in the immediate vicinity of the three-phase contact line. It is shown that the predicted changes in the subphase composition can drastically affect the adhesion work and the dynamic contact angle. On this basis, the influence of the concentration polarization effect on meniscus behavior is discussed.     

Influence of ion transfer kinetics on the composition of langmuir-blodgett films

The effect of ion transfer kinetics on the ionic composition of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films formed by charged monolayers is analyzed. The dynamic regimes of the LB deposition are considered by taking into account the competitive adsorption of several counterions having different diffusivities, valences, binding constants, and bulk concentrations. It is shown that the composition of deposited films should change with the deposition rate. At lower deposition rates, the ion with higher binding constant is more represented within the deposited monolayer in comparison to the higher deposition rates. At low deposition rates, the ratio of counterion amounts within the LB films is the same as that within the floating monolayer excluding the ions within the diffuse layer. At high deposition rates, the ratio of the counterion amounts is the same as that within the floating monolayer when the potential-determining counterions within the diffuse layer are taken into account.     

Systems of oblate molecules. Monte Carlo study

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were performed for systems of hard oblate spherocylinders with breadth-to-height ratios φ = 0.5–3.5 and packing fractions y = 0.25–0.45 and for Kihara oblate molecule systems of φ = 1 at reduced temperatures T* = 0.75 and 1.0 and y = 0.05–0.45. The compression factors and the dependence of the average correlation functions on the shortest surface-to-surface distance were determined for the case of hard oblate spherocylinders and the compression factors, residual internal energies and average correlation functions for the case of the generalized Kihara molecule systems. In addition, values of the third virial coefficient of the hard oblate spherocylinders were evaluated in the range of φ = 1–3. Results of the MC simulations for the hard oblate spherocylinders compare well with the available data in the literature and theoretical values; thermodynamic functions of the Kihara molecule systems were determined from the second-order perturbation theory. They agree well with our MC values at lower densities and higher reduced temperatures.     

Surface States in a Simple Crystal Model

A very simple crystal model of a semi-infinite heteroatomic planar lattice like boronitride is investigated for the energy, wave functions and existence conditions of surface states, using the one-electron Green function method. σ and π electrons are treated separately. For π electrons, we find two surface state bands, both for the electropositive and the electronegative surface. The consequence is the existence of Shockley “subsurface” states. For σ electrons, similar results were found as for the sphalerite-type lattice. The investigated model can also be used to draw qualitative conclusions about the effect of electronic correlation on surface states of planar graphite. The possibility of finding a certain type of “antiferromagnetism” with π electrons localized on the planar graphite boundary is suggested. On étudie un modèle très simple d'un cristal avec un réseau sémi-infini, héteroatomique, comme le boronitride. L'énergie, les fonctions d'onde et des conditions d'existence d'états de surface ont été obtenus par la méthode de la fonction de Green à un électron. Les électrons σ et π ont été traités séparément. Pour les électrons π on trouve deux bandes d'états de surface pour la surface électropositive ainsi que pour la surface électronégative, ce qui implique l'existence d'états de “sous-surface” de Shockley. Pour les électrons σ on trouve des résultats semblables aux ceux qu'on a obtenu pour le réseau de type sphalérite. Le modèle étudié ici peut aussi être employé pour tirer des conclusions qualitatives sur l'effet de la corrélation électronique sur les états de surface du graphite plan. On propose qu'il serait possible de trouver un certain type de “antiferromagnétisme” avec les électrons π localisés sur le bord du graphite plan. Es wurde ein einfaches Modell für ein halb-unendliches, heteroatomares Kristallgitter, wie Boronitrid untersucht. Die Energie, die Wellenfunktionen und Existenzbedingungen für Oberflächenzustände wurden mit der Einelektron-Green-Funktionsmethode erhalten. Die σ- und π-Electronen wurden getrennt behandelt. Für die π-Elektronen finden wir zwei Bände für Oberflächenzustände, sowohl für die elektropositive als für die elektronegative Oberfläche. Als Folgerung erhalten wir die Shockleysche unteroberflächenzustände. Für die σ-Elektronen wurden ähnliche Resultate als für das Sphaleritgitter gefunden. Das untersuchte Modell kann auch dafür angewendet werden, urn den Effekt der elektronischen Korrelation auf die Oberflächenzustände planares Graphits in qualitativer Weise zu diskutieren. Es wurde vorgeschlagen, dass es möglich wäre, eine gewisse Art von “Antiferromagnetismus” der π-Elektronen die auf der Grenze planares Graphits lokalisiert sind, zu finden.     

Antibacterial Activity and Synergistic Effect of Biosynthesized AgNPs with Antibiotics Against Multidrug-Resistant Biofilm-Forming Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Clinical Samples

Silver nanoparticles form promising template for designing antimicrobial agents against drug resistant pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, the development of a reliable green approach for the synthesis of nanoparticles is an important aspect of current nanotechnology research. In the present investigation, silver nanoparticles synthesized by a soil Bacillus sp. were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, and EDS. The antibacterial potential of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles, standard antibiotics, and their conjugates were evaluated against multidrug-resistant biofilm-forming coagulase-negative S. epidermidis strains, S. aureus, Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Paratyphi, and V. cholerae. Interestingly, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed remarkable antibacterial activity against all the test strains with the highest activity against S. epidermidis strains 145 and 152. In addition, the highest synergistic effect of AgNPs was observed with chloramphenicol against Salmonella typhi. The results of the study clearly indicate the promising biomedical applications of biosynthesized AgNPs.     

Concentration polarization effect at the deposition of charged Langmuir monolayers

The review summarizes the results of the recent studies of the electrokinetic relaxation process within the meniscus region during the deposition of charged Langmuir monolayers. Such electrokinetic relaxation is the consequence of the initial misbalance of partial ion fluxes within a small region near the contact line, where the diffuse parts of electric double layers, formed at the monolayer and the substrate surface, overlap. The concentration polarization within the solution near the three-phase contact line should lead to long-term relaxations of the meniscus after beginning and stopping the deposition process, to changes of the ionic composition within the deposited films, to change of the interaction of the monolayer with the substrate, and to dependence of the maximum deposition rate on the subphase composition.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SURVIVAL AND THYMINE-DIMER EXCISION IN ULTRAVIOLET-IRRADIATED ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract— The influence of amino acid prestarvation on both the resistance to u.v. light and excision of thymine dimers of bacterial strains E. coli B/r hcr ⁺ thy- trp ^-, E. coli B/r hcr ^-thy^- trp ^-, and E, coli 15 T^- 555–7 thy ^- meth ^- trp ^- arg ^- has been studied.
The prestarvation increased the resistance of all the strains but reasonably inhibited excision of thymine dimers. Thus the enhancement of u.v. resistance after amino acid prestarvation was not due to more complete excision of thymine dimers.     

Comparing Nonsmooth Nonconvex Bundle Methods in Solving Hemivariational Inequalities

Hemivariational inequalities can be considered as a generalization of variational inequalities. Their origin is in nonsmooth mechanics of solid, especially in nonmonotone contact problems. The solution of a hemivariational inequality proves to be a substationary point of some functional, and thus can be found by the nonsmooth and nonconvex optimization methods. We consider two type of bundle methods in order to solve hemivariational inequalities numerically: proximal bundle and bundle-Newton methods. Proximal bundle method is based on first order polyhedral approximation of the locally Lipschitz continuous objective function. To obtain better convergence rate bundle-Newton method contains also some second order information of the objective function in the form of approximate Hessian. Since the optimization problem arising in the hemivariational inequalities has a dominated quadratic part the second order method should be a good choice. The main question in the functioning of the methods is how remarkable is the advantage of the possible better convergence rate of bundle-Newton method when compared to the increased calculation demand.