One-Pot Synthesis of Phosphinylphosphonate Derivatives and Their Anti-Tumor Evaluations

This paper reports on the synthesis of new hydroxymethylene-(phosphinyl)phosphonates (HMPPs). A methodology has been developed to propose an optimized one-pot procedure without any intermediate purifications. Various aliphatic and (hetero)aromatic HMPPs were synthesized in good to excellent yields (53–98%) and the influence of electron withdrawing/donating group substitution on aromatic substrates was studied. In addition, the one-pot synthesis of HMPP was monitored by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, allowing effective control of the end of the reaction and identification of all phosphorylated intermediate species, which enabled us to propose a reaction mechanism. Optimized experimental conditions were applied to the preparation of biological relevant aminoalkyl-HMPPs. A preliminary study of the complexation to hydroxyapatite (bone matrix) was carried out in order to verify its lower affinity towards bone compared to bisphosphonate molecules. Moreover, in vitro anti-tumor activity study revealed encouraging antiproliferative activities on three human cancer cell lines (breast, pancreas and lung).     

Tracking the interfacial dynamics of PNiPAM soft microgels particles adsorbed at the air–water interface and in thin liquid films

We report the behavior of thermosensitive soft microgel particles adsorbed at the air–water interface. We study the effect of temperature on the adsorption, interfacial diffusion, and surface rheology of pure N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAM) microgel particles at the air–water interface. We find that the surface tensions of the solutions are the same as those of polyNiPAM solution; hence, their adsorption properties are dominated by the surface activity of the NiPAM repeat units of the particles. Particle-tracking experiments show that the particles adsorb irreversibly at the interface and form stable clusters at very low concentrations, e.g., 5.10^-3 wt%. We suggest that attractions between dangling arms or capillary interaction may be responsible for the formation of these clusters. For concentrations above 10^-2 wt%, the interface is filled with particles, and their Brownian diffusivity is arrested. The compression elastic moduli—measured using the pendant drop method—are one or two orders of magnitude below those obtained for hard particles and NiPAM chains, and their value is probably dominated by the intrinsic compressibility of the particles. The thin liquid films made from microgels exhibit a symmetric drainage, consistent with a high surface viscosity, but their lifetime is surprisingly short, illustrating the fragility of the films. We observed the formation of a monolayer of microgels bridging the two interfaces of the film outside the dimple. This zone grows and thins over time to a point where the microgels are highly compressed and stretched, resulting in the rupture of the film.     

Bisphosphonate prodrugs: synthesis of new aromatic and aliphatic 1-hydroxy-1,1-bisphosphonate partial esters

Methods for the preparation of various 1-hydroxy-1,1-bisphosphonate partial esters were developed. They were obtained from (alkyl or phenyl) bis(trimethylsilyl) phosphite and aromatic or aliphatic acid chlorides, followed by methanolysis.     

Near infrared absorption of Si nanoparticles embedded in silica films

The absorption coefficient of Si nanoparticles embedded in a silica matrix obtained through thermal annealing at 1000 °C of SiO thin films has been determined by a combination of ellipsometry and photothermal deflection spectroscopy. The high absorption level below 2 eV was explained by the superposition of the contribution of: (i) extended states and distorted bond states (Urbach tail), giving rise to an exponential regime of the variation of the absorption coefficient on energy and (ii) point defect states. The value of the characteristic energy of the exponential regime was found above 200 meV. This high value was partly related to the high stress present at the np-Si/SiO₂ interface. The point defects were attributed to dangling bonds and induced an additional absorption band located near 1.2 eV contributing to above 100 cm⁻¹ to the absorption at this energy.     

Structural relaxation and crystallization of amorphous Ge films

The irreversible changes in conductivity occurring in evaporated amorphous Ge films just after deposition and during annealing are investigated in detail. Their analysis leads to a model for the structural relaxation of real amorphous networks. Electron diffraction and electron microscope experiments provide additional information on annealing effects and crystallization processes.     

Study of the interface Si-nc/SiO2 by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

SiO_x films (1<x<2), 0.5 μm thick, have been elaborated by electron-gun evaporation. A thermal annealing of these films induced a phase separation leading to the formation of Si nanocrystals embedded in a SiO₂ matrix. These films have been studied by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effective dielectric function of the thin films has been extracted in the 600–5000 cm⁻¹ range which allowed us to deduce the dielectric function of the matrix surrounding the Si-nc. A study of the Transverse Optical (TO) vibration mode has revealed the presence of SiO_x into the matrix. Before XPS measurements, the films have been etched in fluorhydric acid to remove the superficial SiO₂ layer formed during air exposure. The Si 2p core-level emission has been recorded. The decomposition of the Si 2p peak into contributions of the usual five tetrahedrons Si-(Si_4−nO_n) (n=0–4) has also revealed the presence of a SiO_x phase. Consistency between infra-red and XPS results is discussed.