Search results for "Amphiphile"
showing 10 items of 270 documents
Rapid Self-Healing and Thixotropic Organogelation of Amphiphilic Oleanolic Acid–Spermine Conjugates
2021
Natural and abundant plant triterpenoids are attractive starting materials for the synthesis of conformationally rigid and chiral building blocks for functional soft materials. Here, we report the rational design of three oleanolic acid-triazole-spermine conjugates, containing either one or two spermine units in the target molecules, using the Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. The resulting amphiphile-like molecules 2 and 3, bearing just one spermine unit in the respective molecules, self-assemble into highly entangled fibrous networks leading to gelation at a concentration as low as 0.5% in alcoholic solvents. Using step-strain rheological measurements, we show ra…
Inverse Thermogelation of Aqueous Triblock Copolymer Solutions into Macroporous Shear-Thinning 3D Printable Inks
2020
Amphiphilic block copolymers that undergo (reversible) physical gelation in aqueous media are of great interest in ditIerent areas including drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and biofabrication. We investigated a small library of ABA-type triblock copolymers comprising poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) as the hydrophilic shell A and different aromatic poly(2-oxazoline)s and poly(2-oxazine)s cores B in an aqueous solution at different concentrations and temperatures. Interestingly, aqueous solutions of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-block-poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazine)-block-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMeOx-b-PPheOzi-b-PMeOx) undergo inverse thermogelation below a critical temperatur…
Effect of different dispersing additives on the morphology and the properties of polyethylene-based nanocomposite films
2011
In this work, the use of a polar wax, e.g. amphiphilic Tegomer ® E 525 (TEG) is investigated with the aim of mod- ifying, and possibly improving, the dispersion of an organically modified nanoclay (OMMT), loaded at 5 wt%, in a poly- ethylene matrix (PE) at relatively low loading levels. We have indeed found that the incorporation of low loadings, e.g. 0.5 wt%, of TEG, an amphiphilic block co-polymer, into a PE/OMMT sample results in a substantial improvement of the clay dispersion in the nanocomposite and, consequently, of the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the films. The achieved results are comparable to those obtained for systems containing traditional dispersing agents su…
From Mannose to Small Amphiphilic Polyol: Perfect Linearity Leads To Spontaneous Aggregation
2016
Terminally unsaturated and diastereochemically pure polyol derived from d-mannose shows spontaneous aggregation behavior in water solution. In order to study and clarify this unforeseen phenomenon, a conformational study based on NMR spectroscopy combined with ab initio structure analysis using the COSMO-solvation model was pursued. The results, together with X-ray diffraction studies, suggest a low energy linear conformation for this particular substrate both in solid states and in solution. For such small-sized acyclic carbohydrate derivatives, the linear conformation appears to be a key prerequisite for the unusual molecular self-assembly reported herein. peerReviewed
A metal-responsive interdigitated bilayer for selective quantification of mercury( ii ) traces by surface plasmon resonance
2016
Reusable surface plasmon resonance chips allowing the quantitative and selective detection of mercury(II) ions in water at the 0.01 nM level are reported. The surface-modified gold sensor consists of a rarefied self-assembled monolayer of octanethiol topped with a Langmuir–Blodgett monolayer of an amphiphilic and highly-specific chelator. The interdigitated architecture confers to the bilayer a high packing density, surface coverage, and binding-group accessibility.
Influence of bacterial physiology on processing of selenite, biogenesis of nanomaterials and their thermodynamic stability
2019
We explored how Ochrobactrum sp. MPV1 can convert up to 2.5 mM selenite within 120 h, surviving the challenge posed by high oxyanion concentrations. The data show that thiol-based biotic chemical reaction(s) occur upon bacterial exposure to low selenite concentrations, whereas enzymatic systems account for oxyanion removal when 2 mM oxyanion is exceeded. The selenite bioprocessing produces selenium nanomaterials, whose size and morphology depend on the bacterial physiology. Selenium nanoparticles were always produced by MPV1 cells, featuring an average diameter ranging between 90 and 140 nm, which we conclude constitutes the thermodynamic stability range for these nanostructures. Alternativ…
Iron oxide superparamagnetic nanocarriers bearing amphiphilic N-heterocyclic choline analogues as potential antimicrobial agents
2015
Magnetic nanoparticles represent an advanced tool in biomedicine because they can be simultaneously functionalized and guided using a magnetic field. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles precoated with oleic acid and bearing novel antimicrobial N-heterocyclic choline analogues, namely O-, N- and O,N-bis-undecyl-substituted N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolinium derivatives, have been obtained as potential biomedical agents for drug delivery and antimicrobial therapy. Structural and size determinations for the novel synthesized magnetic nanosystems were carried out based upon magnetogranulometry, dynamic light-scattering measurements and X-ray diffraction analysis. The most expecte…
Docetaxel-Loaded Nanoparticles Assembled from β-Cyclodextrin/Calixarene Giant Surfactants: Physicochemical Properties and Cytotoxic Effect in Prostat…
2017
Giant amphiphiles encompassing a hydrophilic β-cyclodextrin (βCD) component and a hydrophobic calix[4]arene (CA4) module undergo self-assembly in aqueous media to afford core-shell nanospheres or nanocapsules, depending on the nanoprecipitation protocol, with high docetaxel (DTX) loading capacity. The blank and loaded nanoparticles have been fully characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), ζ-potential measurements and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The data are compatible with the distribution of the drug between the nanoparticle core and the shell, where it is probably anchored by inclusion of the DTX aromatic moieties in βCD cavities. Indeed, the release kinetics …
Odd-even chain length-dependent order in pH-switchable self-assembled layers.
2004
The reversible self-assembly of a series of bipolar amphiphiles, alpha,omega-bis(3- or 4-amidinophenoxy)alkanes (chain length n = 5-12), on mercaptoalkanoic acid-functionalized gold surfaces (chain length n = 10, 11, 14, 15) has been studied by in-situ ellipsometry, IR reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The layer order, amphiphile orientation, and tendency to form bilayers depends on the position of the amidine substituent, the alkyl chain length of both the amidine amphiphile and the underlying acid self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and whether the amidine alkyl chain contained an even or odd number of methylene groups. Thus, para-substituted bisben…
Structure and Shear Response of Janus Colloid–Polymer Mixtures in Solution
2020
We investigate the structure and rheological properties of dilute colloid-polymer mixtures at rest and under shear via molecular simulations that take into account hydrodynamic interactions. Mixtures of amphiphilic Janus colloids (JCs) and hydrophobic/amphiphilic polymers are considered for various solvent qualities and polymer concentrations. Free polymers, small polymer droplets, and hybrid aggregates coexist in mixtures with slightly hydrophobic homopolymers. As the solvent quality worsens, all polymers aggregate into small droplets, covered and stabilized by the JCs. In mixtures with amphiphilic polymers, we observe the coexistence of free polymers, purely polymeric micelles, and hybrid…