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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).
We report on a hyphenated polymer analysis method consisting of asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (A4F) coupled online with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). A mixture of six poly(styrene sulfonate)s with molar masses in the range of 6.5 × 103 to 1.0 × 106 g mol-1 was used as a model system for polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions with a broad molar mass distribution. A complete polymer separation and analysis was performed in 60 min. Detailed information for all polymer fractions are available on i) the radii of gyration, which were determined from the SAXS data interpretation in terms of the Debye model (Gaussian chains), and ii) the diffusion coefficients (from DLS). We recommend using the A4F-SAXS-DLS coupling as a possible new reference method for the detailed analysis of complex polymer mixtures. Advantages of the use of SAXS are seen in comparison to static light scattering for polymers with radii of gyration smaller then 15 nm, for which only SAXS produces precise analytical results on the size of the polymers in solution.
Hyperbranched poly(ethylene imine)s (PEIs) functionalized with maltose, maltotriose, and maltoheptaose form distinct core-shell globular nanoparticles as revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The solution structures are quantified using the Beaucage unified exponential/power-law approach. SAXS results were confirmed with dynamic light scattering (DLS). We found that all PEI structures are completely insensitive to changes of temperature (5 °C < T < 80 °C) and pH (1 < pH < 10). This remarkable stability of a compact spherical polymeric structure makes the modified PEIs promising for a wide range of biomedical applications.
Here, we show that calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) can be directly, rapidly and reversibly converted to calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite) in high salinity solutions (brines). The optimum conditions for the efficient production of bassanite in a short time (<5 min) involve the use of brines with c(NaCl) > 4 M and maintaining a temperature, T > 80 °C. When the solution containing bassanite crystals is cooled down to around room temperature, eventually gypsum is formed. When the temperature is raised again to T > 80 °C, bassanite is rapidly re-precipitated. This contrasts with the better-known behaviour of the bassanite phase in low-salt environments. In low-salinity aqueous solutions, bassanite is considered to be metastable with respect to gypsum and anhydrite, and therefore gypsum-to-bassanite conversion does not occur in pure water. Interestingly, the high-salinity transformation of gypsum-to-bassanite has been reported by many authors and used in practice for several decades, although its very occurrence actually contradicts numerical thermodynamic predictions regarding solubility of calcium sulfate phases. By following the evolution of crystalline phases with in situ and time-resolved X-ray diffraction/scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the phase stability in brines at elevated temperatures was inaccurately represented in the thermodynamic databases. Most notably for c(NaCl) > 4 M, and T > 80 °C gypsum becomes readily more soluble than bassanite, which induces the direct precipitation of the latter from gypsum. The fact that these transformations are controlled by the solution provides extensive opportunities for precise manipulation of crystal formation. Our experiments confirmed that bassanite remained the sole crystalline phase for many hours before reverting into gypsum. This property is extremely advantageous for practical processing and efficient crystal extraction in industrial scenarios.
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.
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.
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.
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.