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A round-robin study has been carried out to estimate the impact of the human element in small-angle scattering data analysis. Four corrected datasets were provided to participants ready for analysis. All datasets were measured on samples containing spherical scatterers, with two datasets in dilute dispersions and two from powders. Most of the 46 participants correctly identified the number of populations in the dilute dispersions, with half of the population mean entries within 1.5% and half of the population width entries within 40%. Due to the added complexity of the structure factor, far fewer people submitted answers on the powder datasets. For those that did, half of the entries for the means and widths were within 44 and 86%, respectively. This round-robin experiment highlights several causes for the discrepancies, for which solutions are proposed.
A Round Robin study has been carried out to estimate the impact of the human element in small-angle scattering data analysis. Four corrected datasets were provided to participants ready for analysis. All datasets were measured on samples containing spherical scatterers, with two datasets in dilute dispersions, and two from powders.
Most of the 46 participants correctly identified the number of populations in the dilute dispersions, with half of the population mean entries within 1.5 % and half of the population width entries within 40 %, respectively. Due to the added complexity of the structure factor, much fewer people submitted answers on the powder datasets.
For those that did, half of the entries for the means and widths were within 44 % and 86 % respectively. This Round Robin experiment highlights several causes for the discrepancies, for which solutions are proposed.
Increased use of nanomaterials in everyday products leads to their environmental release and therefore, the information need on their fate and behaviour. Nanomaterials have to be suspended with high repeatability and comparability for studies on environmental effects. They also have to be well characterised with a focus on the state of agglomeration and particle size distribution. Dynamic light-scattering (DLS) is a common technique used for these measurements. If suspensions are prepared in different laboratories, then concern has risen about the comparability of the measured results, especially when different DLS instruments are used. Therefore, for quality assurance, a round-robin test was conducted to assess the comparability of different DLS instruments and a dispersion protocol in ten independent laboratories. Polystyrene and TiO2 were chosen as test (nano)materials. For the comparability of the DLS instruments, the average sizes of the PSL and a stabilised TiO2 suspension were measured. The measured average hydrodynamic diameter shows an overall good inter-laboratory comparability. For the PSL suspension, an average hydrodynamic diameter of 201 ± 13 nm and for the TiO2 suspension an average diameter of 224 ± 24 nm were detected. For the TiO2 suspension that was prepared at each laboratory following an established suspension preparation protocol, an average hydrodynamic diameter of 211 ± 11 nm was detected. The measured average particle size (mode) increased up to 284 nm with a high standard deviation of 119 nm if the preparation protocol could not established and different procedures or different equipment were employed. This study shows that no significant differences between the employed DLS instrument types were determined. It was also shown that comparable measurements and suspension preparation could be achieved if well-defined suspension preparation protocols and comparable equipment can be used.
Size-controlled synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticles based on mechanistic understanding
(2013)
Metal nanoparticles have attracted much attention due to their unique properties. Size control provides an effective key to an accurate adjustment of colloidal properties. The common approach to size control is testing different sets of parameters via trial and error. The actual particle growth mechanisms, and in particular the influences of synthesis parameters on the growth process, remain a black box. As a result, precise size control is rarely achieved for most metal nanoparticles. This contribution presents an approach to size control that is based on mechanistic knowledge. It is exemplified for a common silver nanoparticle synthesis, namely, the reduction of AgClO4 with NaBH4. Conducting this approach allowed a well-directed modification of this synthesis that enables, for the first time, the size-controlled production of silver nanoparticles 4–8 nm in radius without addition of any stabilization agent.
We prepared crystals of di-n-alkyl esters of phosphoric acid with chain lengths of n = 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. These were characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that the alkyl chains are in an extended all-trans conformation and aligned close to perpendicular, forming V-shaped molecules. This is in strong contrast to the typical arrangement of the alkyl chains of phospholipids where the two alkyl chains are arranged parallel in the same direction (e.g., tuning fork configuration in bilayers). Additionally, it was found that the arrangement of the V-shaped molecules of the di-n-alkyl esters in neighboring stacks of the lamellar crystals is antiparallel for short chain lengths (n = 10 and 12) and parallel for the longer (n = 14 and 16). DSC reveals that the melting of the crystals increases systematically with increasing chain lengths from 48 to 82 C. The contribution of each methylene group to the melting enthalpy (70-133 kJ/mol) is independent of the chain length (3.9 kJ per mol CH2).
The self-organization of random copolymers composed of a nucleobase monomer (either 1-(4-vinylbenzyl)thymine or 9-(4-vinylbenzyl)adenine) and dodecyl methacrylate (DMA) was studied in dilute chloroform solutions. The balance between the molar fractions of the nucleobase monomer (leading to intermolecular H-bonding) and DMA (soluble moiety in chloroform) in the polymer chains was found to be the parameter that principally influences the self-organization. DMA-rich copolymers are molecularly soluble in chloroform, whereas nucleobase-rich copolymers are insoluble in this solvent. Copolymers possessing an equimolar comonomer composition self-assemble into micrometer-sized particles physically cross-linked by intermolecular H-bonds (either thymine-thymine or adenine-adenine interactions, depending on the studied copolymer). Nevertheless, when mixed together, thymine- and adenine-based colloids fuse into thermodynamically stable microspheres cross linked by adenine-thymine interactions.
TeaABC from the moderate halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata belongs to the tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic transporters (TRAP-T), a family of secondary transporters functioning in conjunction with periplasmic substrate binding proteins. TeaABC facilitates the uptake of the compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine that are accumulated in the cytoplasm under hyperosmotic stress to protect the cell from dehydration. TeaABC is the only known TRAP-T activated by osmotic stress. Currently, our knowledge on the osmoregulated compatible solute transporter is limited to ABC transporters or conventional secondary transporters. Therefore, this study presents the first detailed analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying substrate recognition of the substrate binding protein of an osmoregulated TRAP-T. In the present study we were able to demonstrate by isothermal titration calorimetry measurements that TeaA is a high-affinity ectoine binding protein (Kd = 0.19 μM) that also has a significant but somewhat lower affinity to hydroxyectoine (Kd = 3.8 μM). Furthermore, we present the structure of TeaA in complex with ectoine at a resolution of 1.55 Å and hydroxyectoine at a resolution of 1.80 Å. Analysis of the TeaA binding pocket and comparison of its structure to other compatible solute binding proteins from ABC transporters reveal common principles in compatible solute binding but also significant differences like the solvent-mediated specific binding of ectoine to TeaA.
Simvastatin (SV) is an important active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for treatment of hyperlipidemias, which is known to exist in different crystalline and amorphous phases. It is, therefore, an interesting model to investigate how the outcome of evaporative crystallization in the contactless environment of an acoustically levitated droplet may be influenced by key experimental conditions, such as temperature, solvent properties (e.g., polarity and hygroscopicity), and dynamics of the evaporation process. Here, we describe a real-time and in situ study of simvastatin evaporative crystallization from droplets of three solvents that differ in volatility, polarity, and protic character (acetone, ethanol, and ethyl acetate). The droplet monitorization relied on synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, imaging, and thermographic analysis. A pronounced solvent-dependent behavior was observed. In ethanol, a simvastatin amorphous gel-like material was produced, which showed no tendency for crystallization over time; in ethyl acetate, a glassy material was formed, which crystallized on storage over a two-week period to yield simvastatin form I; and in acetone, form I crystallized upon solvent evaporation without any evident presence of a stable amorphous intermediate. The XRD and Raman results further suggested that the persistent amorphous phase obtained from ethanol and the amorphous precrystallization intermediate formed in ethyl acetate were similar. Thermographic analysis indicated that the evaporation process was accompanied by a considerable temperature decrease of the droplet surface, whose magnitude and rate correlated with the solvent volatility (acetone > ethyl acetate > ethanol). The combined thermographic and XRD results also suggested that, as the cooling effect increased, so did the amount of residual water (most likely captured from the atmosphere) remaining in the droplet after the organic solvent was lost. Finally, the interpretation of the water fingerprint in the XRD time profiles was aided by molecular dynamics simulations, which also provided insights into the possible role of H2O as an antisolvent that facilitates simvastatin crystallization.
The transformation of amorphous precursors into crystalline solids and the associated mechanisms are still poorly understood. We illuminate the formation and reactivity of an amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate precursor and the role of water for its crystallization process. Amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate nanoparticles (ACP) with diameters of ∼20 nm were prepared in the absence of additives from aqueous solutions at low concentrations and with short reaction times. To avoid the kinetically controlled transformation of metastable ACP into crystalline Co₃(PO₄)₂ × 8H₂O (CPO) its separation must be fast. The crystallinity of ACP could be controlled through the temperature during precipitation. A second amorphous phase (HT-ACP) containing less water and anhydrous Co₃(PO₄)₂ was formed at higher temperature by the release of coordinating water. ACP contains approximately five molecules of structural water per formula unit as determined by thermal analysis (TGA) and quantitative IR spectroscopy. The Co²+ coordination in ACP is tetrahedral, as shown by XANES/EXAFS spectroscopy, but octahedral in crystalline CPO. ACP is stable in the absence of water even at 500 °C. In the wet state, the transformation of ACP to CPO is triggered by the diffusion and incorporation of water into the structure. Quantitative in situ IR analysis allowed monitoring the crystallization kinetics of ACP in the presence of water.
Physical adsorption at cryogenic temperature (cryoadsorption) is a reversible mechanism that can reduce the pressure of conventional compressed gas storage systems. Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials are remarkable candidates due to the combination of high specific surface area and density which, in some cases, provide a high volumetric storage capacity. However, such extensive use of MOFs for this application requires the selection of affordable structures, easy to produce and made from feasible metallic and organic components. Herein, we introduce a MOF database detailing the crystallographic and porous properties of 3600 existing MOFs made from industrially relevant metals and their organic composition. The comparison of the available minimum costs of linkers allowed the creation of a database to select affordable structures with high potential for volumetric hydrogen storage by cryoadsorption, considering their composition based on individual or mixed building blocks. A user interface, available online, facilitates the selection of MOFs based on the properties or names of structures and linkers.