The effect of covalent surface immobilization on the bactericidal efficacy of a quaternary ammonium compound

This study investigates the effect of surface immobilization on the bactericidal function of a quaternary ammonium compound. Quaternary ammonium silane (QAS) coated planar surfaces did not produce any measurable mortality of Staphylococcus aureus, while 1 µm QAS‐coated microparticles did produce S. aureus mortality. The experiments using QAS‐coated microparticles indicate that the ability of QAS molecules to disrupt the cell wall is not hindered by covalent immobilization of QAS to a surface. These results provide evidence that S. aureus cells on a QAS‐coated planar surface are not exposed to a sufficient number of QAS molecules to produce significant mortality. This result has important implications for the development of self‐decontaminating coatings. Covalent immobilization is used to prevent leaching of the bactericidal compound. However, covalent immobilization may result in a significant tradeoff in bactericidal performance. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiation formation of polymeric nanogels

An alternative method of synthesis of polymeric nanogels is proposed, based not on polymerization, but on intramolecular crosslinking of polymer chains, initiated by pulse irradiation in dilute aqueous solutions. Kinetic data show that for many water-soluble polymers irradiation under these conditions result in intramolecular crosslinking. Preliminary product studies on poly(vinyl alcohol) indicate that in fact internally crosslinked macromolecules can be obtained by this technique.     

利用游戏化教学促进“微粒观”建构*——以“原子的结构”第一课时为例

分析了初中化学微粒观的教学内容和“原子的结构”的相关教学设计,针对学生“微粒观”建构存在的难题,提出利用反馈机制,采用“寓教于乐”的游戏化教学设计,并进行实践效果访谈。不仅完成了本课时的教学目标,也让学生对化学的兴趣更加浓厚。     

Ionic/electronic conductivity regulation of n-type polyoxadiazole lithium sulfonate conductive polymer binders for high-performance silicon microparticle anodes

Low-cost silicon microparticles(SiMP),as a substitute for nanostructured silicon,easily suffer from cracks and fractured during the electrochemical cycle.A novel n-type conductive polymer binder with excellent electronic and ionic conductivities as well as good adhesion,has been successfully designed and applied for high-performance SiMP anodes in lithium-ion batteries to address this problem.Its unique features are attributed to the stro ng electron-withdrawing oxadiazole ring structure with sulfonate polar groups.The combination of rigid and flexible components in the polymer ensures its good mechanical strength and ductility,which is beneficial to suppress the expansion and contraction of SiMP s during the charge/discharge process.By fine-tuning the monomer ratio,the conjugation and sulfonation degrees of the polymer can be precisely controlled to regulate its ionic and electronic conductivities,which has been systematically analyzed with the help of an electrochemical test method,filling in the gap on the conductivity measurement of the polymer in the doping state.The experimental results indicate that the cell with the developed n-type polymer binder and SiMP(~0.5 μm) anodes achieves much better cycling performance than traditional non-conductive binders.It has been considered that the initial capacity of the SiMP anode is controlled by the synergetic effect of ionic and electronic conductivity of the binder,and the capacity retention mainly depends on its electronic conductivity when the ionic conductivity is sufficient.It is worth noting that the fundamental research of this wo rk is also applicable to other battery systems using conductive polymers in order to achieve high energy density,broadening their practical applications.     

ZnS微粒子的光学截面及红外发射率光谱的计算

应用微粒子Ｍｉｅ散射理论，计算了ＺｎＳ粒子的散射、吸收和消化截面，并计算了相应粒子的红外发射率光谱，讨论了ＺｎＳ粒子在４．０－１０．０μｍ红外波段上的振荡吸收现象。     

Research Note: Mobility of Herbicide Microcapsules in Saturated Granular Media

The mobility of the microcapsules in saturated granular media was estimated on the basis of conventional breakthrough experiments in vertical columns packed with sands for various physical and chemical conditions. Four types of microcapsules have been tested, all of them were found to have reasonable mobility in clean quartz sand, but not in sandy soil. The immobility in the sandy soil was attributed to some production deficiencies in terms of shape, size and quality of the coating surface. The size of the microcapsules should be considerably smaller than those produced with an order of magnitude of a few micrometers. They should also be more spherical and with a smoother surface. The addition of a proper dispersant had stabilized the microcapsules suspension, and facilitated their transport in the sand. A major flow factor affecting microcapsules mobility is the water flux. The microcapsules should be applied at a high irrigation rate, which also implies a high water content in the soil profile. Considering solely the mobility aspect, it seems that the prospect for successful application of the new method for weed control is limited to granular soils with a high hydraulic conductivity at/or near saturation. However, for the time being the most limiting problem is the production of quality microcapsules with good physical and chemical properties.     

Doxorubicin-containing microparticles comprising cinnamoyl gelatin-folic acid conjugate,cinnamoyl Pluronic F127, and cinnamoyl poly(β-cyclodextrin)

Microparticles comprising of cinnamoyl gelatin (type A) (CA-GelA), cinnamoyl gelatin (type B) (CA-GelB), cinnamoyl Pluronic F127 (CA-Plu), and cinnamoyl poly(β-cyclodextrin) (CA-P(βCD)) were prepared as a carrier for doxorubicin (DOX). Folic acid (FA) was covalently attached to CA-GelA as a targeting molecule for cancer cells. The covalent attachment of FA was confirmed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. On the TEM micrographs, the microparticles were almost circular and they were a few hundreds of nanometers in diameter. The release at pH7.4 of DOX from microparticle/DOX suspension was more extensive when the FA content of microparticles was lower and the temperature of release medium was higher. According to the flow cytometric analysis, the lager amount of FA seemed to make the interaction of the microparticle and KB cell more favorable. On confocal laser fluorescence micrograph, the cell treated with microparticle bearing FA showed relatively strong DOX fluorescence, indicating the strong interaction of the microparticle and KB cells.     

Antioxidant encapsulated porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles for developing long acting inhalation system

The purpose of this study was to fabricate porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles for efficient pulmonary deposition and increased therapeutic duration of the antioxidant anthocyanin (ATH). These microparticles were prepared by a water-in-oil-in-water (W(1)/O/W(2)) multi-emulsion method with vaporizing ammonium bicarbonate (AB) as a porogen and starch as a viscous additive. High porosity achieved by the decomposition reaction of AB to the base of ammonia, carbon dioxide, and water vapor at 50°C enabled efficient deposition of ATH throughout the entire lung in BALB/c mice. In addition, the porous microparticles incorporating starch showed sustained ATH release characteristics (up to 5 days) and protracted antioxidant activity (up to 5 days) for 2,2-diphenyl-1-pikryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, which was comparable to that of the porous microparticles without starch which completely released ATH in 2h. Furthermore, these porous microparticles incorporating starch led to longer ATH residence (up to 20 days) in in vivo lung epithelium. We believe that this system has great pharmaceutical potential as a long-acting antioxidant for continuously relieving oxidative stress in pulmonary diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).     

High‐Temperature Stable Zirconia Particles Doped with Yttrium,Lanthanum, and Gadolinium

Zirconia microspheres synthesized by a wet‐chemical sol–gel process are promising building blocks for various photonic applications considered for heat management and energy systems, including highly efficient reflective thermal barrier coatings and absorbers/emitters used in thermophotovoltaic systems. As previously shown, pure zirconia microparticles deteriorate at working temperatures of ≥1000 °C. While the addition of yttrium as a dopant has been shown to improve their phase stability, pronounced grain growth at temperatures of ≥1000 °C compromises the photonic structure of the assembled microspheres. Here, a new approach for the fabrication of highly stable ceramic microparticles by doping with lanthanum, gadolinium, and a combination of those with yttrium is introduced. The morphological changes of the particles are monitored by scanning electron microscopy, ex situ X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and in situ high‐energy XRD as a function of dopant concentration up to 1500 °C. While the addition of lanthanum or gadolinium has a strong grain growth attenuating effect, it alone is insufficient to avoid a destructive tetragonal‐to‐monoclinic phase transformation occurring after heating to >850 °C. However, combining lanthanum or gadolinium with yttrium leads to particles with both efficient phase stabilization and attenuated grain growth. Thus, ceramic microspheres are yielded that remain extremely stable after heating to 1200 °C.     

Development of a magnetic system for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections

We report a study to develop a magnetic system for local delivery of amoxicillin. Magnetite microparticles produced by coprecipitation were coated with a solution of amoxicillin and Eudragit^®S100 by spray drying. Scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry revealed that the particles were superparamagnetic, with an average diameter of 17.2 μm, and an initial susceptibility controllable by the magnetite content in the suspension feeding the sprayer. Our results suggest a possible way to treat Helicobacter pylori infections, using an oral drug delivery system, and open prospects to coat magnetic microparticles by spray drying for biomedical applications.