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A facile and convenient approach for the synthesis of core–shell particles via emulsion polymerization is presented. The shell consists of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and the core of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) or poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA). In a first step, a non-fluorinated (meth)acrylate monomer is polymerized in the emulsion to produce poly(meth)acrylate core particles. Secondly, vinylidene fluoride (VDF) is directly added to the reactor and polymerized for shell formation. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was employed to characterize the structure of the core–shell particles. Interestingly, the particles’ core contains fluorinated and non-fluorinated polymers, whereas the shell of the particles consists only of PVDF. The resulting particles with a diameter of around 40 nm show a significantly higher PVDF β phase content than the PVDF homopolymer obtained by emulsion polymerization
SASfit: a tool for small-angle scattering data analysis using a library of analytical expressions
(2015)
SASfit is one of the mature programs for small-angle scattering data analysis and has been available for many years. This article describes the basic data processing and analysis workflow along with recent developments in the SASfit program package (version 0.94.6). They include (i) advanced algorithms for reduction of oversampled data sets, (ii) improved confidence assessment in the optimized model parameters and (iii) a flexible plug-in system for custom user-provided models. A scattering function of a mass fractal model of branched polymers in solution is provided as an example for implementing a plug-in. The new SASfit release is available for major platforms such as Windows, Linux and MacOS. To facilitate usage, it includes comprehensive indexed documentation as well as a web-based wiki for peer collaboration and online videos demonstrating basic usage. The use of SASfit is illustrated by interpretation of the small-angle X-ray scattering curves of monomodal gold nanoparticles (NIST reference material 8011) and bimodal silica nanoparticles (EU reference material ERM-FD-102).
A user-friendly open-source Monte Carlo regression package (McSAS) is presented, which structures the analysis of small-angle scattering (SAS) using uncorrelated shape-similar particles (or scattering contributions). The underdetermined problem is solvable, provided that sufficient external information is available. Based on this, the user picks a scatterer contribution model (or 'shape') from a comprehensive library and defines variation intervals of its model parameters. A multitude of scattering contribution models are included, including prolate and oblate nanoparticles, core-shell objects, several polymer models, and a model for densely packed spheres. Most importantly, the form-free Monte Carlo nature of McSAS means it is not necessary to provide further restrictions on the mathematical form of the parameter distribution; without prior knowledge, McSAS is able to extract complex multimodal or odd-shaped parameter distributions from SAS data. When provided with data on an absolute scale with reasonable uncertainty estimates, the software outputs model parameter distributions in absolute volume fraction, and provides the modes of the distribution (e.g. mean, variance etc.). In addition to facilitating the evaluation of (series of) SAS curves, McSAS also helps in assessing the significance of the results through the addition of uncertainty estimates to the result. The McSAS software can be integrated as part of an automated reduction and analysis procedure in laboratory instruments or at synchrotron beamlines.
The hexapeptide hIAPP22–27 (NFGAIL) is known as a crucial amyloid core sequence of the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) whose aggregates can be used to better understand the wild‐type hIAPP′s toxicity to β‐cell death. In amyloid research, the role of hydrophobic and aromatic‐aromatic interactions as potential driving forces during the aggregation process is controversially discussed not only in case of NFGAIL, but also for amyloidogenic peptides in general. We have used halogenation of the aromatic residue as a strategy to modulate hydrophobic and aromatic‐aromatic interactions and prepared a library of NFGAIL variants containing fluorinated and iodinated phenylalanine analogues. We used thioflavin T staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) to study the impact of side‐chain halogenation on NFGAIL amyloid formation kinetics. Our data revealed a synergy between aggregation behavior and hydrophobicity of the phenylalanine residue. This study introduces systematic fluorination as a toolbox to further investigate the nature of the amyloid self‐assembly process.
Advanced peptide-based nanomaterials composed of self-assembling peptides (SAPs) are of emerging interest in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. The introduction of fluorine into peptides, in fact, offers unique opportunities to tune their biophysical properties and intermolecular interactions. In particular, the degree of fluorination plays a crucial role in peptide engineering as it can be used to control the characteristics of fluorine-specific interactions and, thus, peptide conformation and self-assembly. Here, we designed and explored a series of amphipathic peptides by incorporating the fluorinated amino acids (2S)-4-monofluoroethylglycine (MfeGly), (2S)-4,4-difluoroethylglycine (DfeGly) and (2S)-4,4,4-trifluoroethylglycine (TfeGly) as hydrophobic components. This approach enabled studying the impact of fluorination on secondary structure formation and peptide self-assembly on a systematic basis. We show that the interplay between polarity and hydrophobicity, both induced differentially by varying degrees of side chain fluorination, does affect peptide folding significantly. A greater degree of fluorination promotes peptide fibrillation and subsequent formation of physical hydrogels in physiological conditions. Molecular simulations revealed the key role played by electrostatically driven intra-chain and inter-chain contact pairs that are modulated by side chain fluorination and give insights into the different self-organization behaviour of selected peptides. Our study provides a systematic report about the distinct features of fluorinated oligomeric peptides with potential applications as peptide-based biomaterials.
Healable materials could play an important role in reducing the environmental footprint of our
modern technological society through extending the life cycles of consumer products and constructions. However, as most healing processes are carried out by heat alone, the ability to heal damage generally kills the parent material’s thermal and mechanical properties. Here we
present a dynamic covalent polymer network whose thermal healing ability can be switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ on demand by light, thereby providing local control over repair while retaining the advantageous macroscopic properties of static polymer networks. We employ a photoswitchable furan-based crosslinker, which reacts with short and mobile maleimidesubstituted poly(lauryl methacrylate) chains forming strong covalent bonds while simultaneously allowing the reversible, spatiotemporally resolved control over thermally induced de- and re-crosslinking. We reason that our system can be adapted to more complex materials and has the potential to impact applications in responsive coatings, photolithography and microfabrication.
AbstractWe report on gold clusters with around 62 gold atoms and a diameter of 1.15±0.10 nm. Dispersions of the clusters are long‐term stable for two years at ambient conditions. The synthesis was performed by mixing tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4 ⋅ 3 H2O) with the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([Emim][DCA]) at temperatures of 20 to 80 °C. Characterization was performed with small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), UV‐Vis spectroscopy, and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. A three‐stage model is proposed for the formation of the clusters, in which cluster growth from gold nuclei takes place according to the Lifshitz‐Slyozov‐Wagner (LSW) model followed by oriented attachment to form colloidal stable clusters.
The application of appropriate analytical techniques is essential for nanomaterial (NM) characterization. In this study, we compared different analytical techniques for NM analysis. Regarding possible adverse health effects, ionic and particulate NM effects have to be taken into account. As NMs behave quite differently in physiological media, special attention was paid to techniques which are able to determine the biosolubility and complexation behavior of NMs. Representative NMs of similar size were selected: aluminum (Al0) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3), to compare the behavior of metal and metal oxides. In addition, titanium dioxide (TiO2) was investigated. Characterization techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) were evaluated with respect to their suitability for fast characterization of nanoparticle dispersions regarding a particle's hydrodynamic diameter and size distribution. By application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the single particle mode (SP-ICP-MS), individual nanoparticles were quantified and characterized regarding their size. SP-ICP-MS measurements were correlated with the information gained using other characterization techniques, i.e. transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The particle surface as an important descriptor of NMs was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). NM impurities and their co-localization with biomolecules were determined by ion beam microscopy (IBM) and confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). We conclude advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques applied and suggest options for their complementation. Thus, this paper may serve as a practical guide to particle characterization techniques.
Fate of fluorescence labels - Their adsorption and desorption kinetics to silver nanoparticles
(2018)
Silver nanoparticles are among the most widely used and produced nanoparticles. Because of their frequent application in consumer products, the assessment of their toxicological potential has seen a renewed importance. A Major difficulty is the traceability of nanoparticles in in vitro and in vivo experiments. Even if the particles are labeled, for example, by a fluorescent marker, the dynamic exchange of ligands often prohibits their spatial localization. Our study provides an insight into the adsorption and desorption kinetics of two different fluorescent labels on silver nanoparticles with a core radius of 3 nm by dynamic light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopy. We used BSA-FITC and tyrosine as examples for common fluorescent ligands. It is shown that the adsorption of BSA-FITC takes at least 3 days, whereas tyrosine adsorbs immediately. The quantitative amount of stabilizer on the particle surface was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy and revealed that the particles are stabilized by a monolayer of BSA-FITC (corresponding to 20 ± 9 molecules), whereas tyrosine forms a multilayered structure consisting of 15900 ± 200 molecules. Desorption experiments show that the BSA-FITC-stabilized particles are ideally suited for application in in vitro and in vivo experiments because the ligand desorption takes several days. Depending on the BSA concentration in the particles surroundings, the rate constant is k = 0.2 per day or lower when applying first order kinetics, that is, 50% of the BSAFITC molecules are released from the particle’s surface within 3.4 days. For illustration, we provide a first application of the fluorescence-labeled particles in an uptake study with two different commonly used cell lines, the human liver cell model HepG2 and the human intestinal cell model of differentiated Caco-2 cells.
The report on the results of an in vitro digestion study of silver nanoparticles in presence and absenceof food. The particles were poly(acrylic acid) stabilized ultra-small silver nanoparticles with a radius of 3.1 nm and a relative size distribution width of 0.2. As food components oil, starch, skimmed milk powderand a mixture thereof were chosen. Aggregation of the particles was quantified with small-angle X-rayscattering in terms of log-normal radii distributions. Complete aggregation of the primary particles wasdetermined in the absence of food. In contrast, the presence of oil and starch initiates a disaggregationin the intestine. Only small aggregates of 6 nm radii and aggregation numbers of 7 were found in thepresence of milk powder. It prevents primary particles from etching in the gastric and intestinal juice.Our results indicate that the silver nanoparticles can pass the digestion process in a nanoscale form butundergo a strong and food-dependent transformation in their state of aggregation.