Search results for "2506"
showing 10 items of 112 documents
Self-assembled PAA-based nanoparticles as potential gene and protein delivery systems
2012
A series of nanoparticles is prepared via layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged, synthetic biocompatible polyamidoamine polymers as potential carriers. Particle size, surface charge and internal chain mobility are quantified as a function of the polymer type and number of layers. The effect of addition of surfactant is examined to simulate the effects of nanoparticle dissolution. The cyctotoxicity of these particles (in epithelia and murine cell lines) are orders of magnitude lower than polyethyleneimine controls. Stable nanoparticles may be prepared from mixtures of strongly, oppositely charged polymers, but less successfully from weakly charged polymers, and, given their acceptabl…
Touching the upper limit for ferromagnetic interactions in hetero-bridged dinuclear [Cu-2(II)] complexes using a novel N-5-dinucleating ligand bearin…
2012
A novel N-5-dinucleating ligand 4-amino-3,5-bis(bipyridine-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole allows the preparation for the first time, and under mild conditions, of single and mixed amido(R-NH-)-bridged copper(II) complexes, the latter exhibiting very strong ferromagnetic coupling.
Sintering process of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles investigated by AFM, IR and Raman techniques
2011
We report an experimental investigation on the effects of thermal treatments at different temperatures (room-1270 K) and for different duration (0-75 h) on amorphous silica nanoparticles (fumed silica) in powder tablet form. Three types of fumed silica are considered, comprising nearly spherical particles of 40 nm, 14 nm and 7 nm mean diameter. The experimental techniques used here are Raman and infrared absorption (IR) spectroscopy together with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Raman and IR spectra indicate that the structure of nanometer silica particles is significantly different with respect to that of a bulk silica glass. In particular, the main differences regard the positions of the IR…
A step forward in disclosing the secret of stradivari's varnish by NMR spectroscopy
2017
It is commonly thought that the varnishes used by the great violin-maker Antonio Stradivari may have a role in determining not only the esthetical features but also the acoustic properties of his instruments, and the idea of a “lost secret” is still widespread among musicians and violin-makers. Previous scientific researches on varnish samples of Stradivari's instruments revealed that they were generally made by a mix of linseed oil with and colophony or metal rosinates in different ratios ranging between 75/25 (oil/resin) and 60/40 (oil/rosinate). However, it is still not clear whether the mixture composition can be related to any structural and/or functional feature of the resulting varni…
Silanol-POSS as dispersing agents for carbon nanotubes in polyamide
2017
Silanol polyhedrad oligomeric silsesquiosane terminated with phenyl rings (phPOSS) has been considered as dispersing agent for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polyamide (PA) matrix. Two different approaches have been followed for the introduction of the phPOSS molecules: a âclassicalâ approach which involves the introduction of the dispersing agent during the melt mixing, and an âinnovativeâ approach, consisting in the immobilization, either covalent and non-covalent, of phPOSS molecules onto CNTs surface. The properties of PA-based nanocomposites, containing free phPOSS molecules and phPOSS molecules immobilized onto the CNTs outer surface, have been evaluated through rheological, mecha…
A numerical model for Wire integrity prediction in Friction Stir Extrusion of magnesium alloys
2017
Abstract A numerical model for the prediction of the wire quality produced by the novel direct machining chip recycling technique known as Friction Stir Extrusion (FSE) is presented. Wire microstructure and wire integrity have been predicted by embedding in the code the equations enabling the calculation of the Zener-Hollomon parameter as well as the W parameter of the Pivnik-Plata solid bonding criterion. The proposed model, developed for the AZ31 magnesium alloy using the commercial simulation package DEFORM, is 3D Lagrangian, thermo-mechanically coupled with visco-plastic material behavior. The model was first validated against experimental temperature measurements and then used to predi…
Thermo-oxidative stabilization of poly(lactic acid) with antioxidant intercalated layered double hydroxides
2016
Two antioxidant modified layered double hydroxides (AO-LDHs) were successfully prepared by the intercalation of 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (IrganoxCOOH) and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) in the layered structure of LDH. It was found that by anchoring the phenolic moieties to the LDH layers the antioxidant power is retained in the case of Trolox, and even amplified in the case of IrganoxCOOH. A small amount of the two AO-LDHs was incorporated into poly(lactic acid), PLA, by solution mixing and melt extrusion. The thermo-oxidative stability of the composites was compared with that of the neat PLA and PLA containing free AOs. SEC analy…
Circular Dichroism of DNA G-Quadruplexes: Combining Modeling and Spectroscopy To Unravel Complex Structures
2016
We report on the comparison between the computational and experimental determination of electronic circular dichroism spectra of different guanine quadruplexes obtained from human telomeric sequences. In particular the difference between parallel, antiparallel, and hybrid structures is evidenced, as well as the induction of transitions between the polymorphs depending on the solution environment. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations (MD) are used to probe the conformational space of the different quadruplexes, and subsequently state-of-the-art hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) techniques coupled with excitonic semiempirical Hamiltonian are used to simulate the macromo…
Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) depositions on polyoxymethylene: Substrate influence on the characteristics of the developing coatings
2016
Abstract After oxygen plasma treatment polyoxymethylene (POM) material was exposed to acetylene plasma to progressively deposit two different types of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films. Radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) was used to generate both plasma processes. The surface morphology of the coated samples has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and their chemical composition by Diffusive Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) and Raman spectroscopy. Results revealed the absence of a solid interlayer formation between the a-C:H films and POM. The in sequence exposure of oxygen and acetylene plasma on POM substrate prevents…
Halogen bonding stabilizes a cis-azobenzene derivative in the solid state : A crystallographic study
2017
Crystals oftrans- andcis-isomers of a fluorinated azobenzene derivative have been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The presence of F atoms on the aromatic core of the azobenzene increases the lifetime of the metastablecis-isomer, allowing single crystals of thecis-azobenzene to be grown. Structural analysis on thecis-azobenzene, complemented with density functional theory calculations, highlights the active role of the halogen-bond contact (N...I synthon) in promoting the stabilization of thecis-isomer. The presence of a long aliphatic chain on the azobenzene unit induces a phase segregation that stabilizes the molecular arrangement for both thetrans- andcis-i…