Search results for "Biomaterials"

Kinetics of Molecule Transfer between Lipid Vesicles and β-Cyclodextrins

1996

Abstract We propose a calorimetric method based on the van't Hoff model of depression of the freezing temperature to investigate slow kinetics involving lipid vesicles (liposomes) and drug–β-cyclodextrin (Cyd) complexes. Some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were examined and standard phospholipid liposomes were used in our experiments. Three different kinetic processes were investigated: (a)9Transfer of drugs from water-soluble Cyd-complexes to void liposomes. (b)9Uptake of drugs from the surface of liposomes by free Cyd dissolved in the aqueous phase. (c)9Exchange of drugs from loaded to void vesicles, and the effect of free Cyd in enhancing such a transfer. Most experiments w…

α,β-Poly(N-Hydroxyethyl)-DL-Aspartamide Hydrogels as Drug Delivery Devices

1996

α,β-poly(N-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) was exposed to gamma radiation to obtain micromatrices able to swell in an aqueous medium. Crosslinked PHEA was loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug, 4-biphenylacetic acid (BPAA) and the drug dispersion in the network was investigated by X-ray analysis. The BPAA loaded PHEA microparticles were also characterized by dimensional analysis, which showed the presence of quasispherical shapes. The drug release from PHEA hydrogel was studied in vitro in a pH 1.1 (simulated gastric juice) and in a pH 7.4 buffer solution, respectively. The experimental data indicate that an anomalous delivery occurs, but Fickian diffusion through swollen PHEA hydrogel…

Conformational studies of hexapeptides containing two dehydroamino acid residues in positions 2 and 5 in peptide chain

2008

Conformational preferences of a group of hexapeptides containing two dehydroamino acid residues in Positions 2 and 5 in peptide chain were investigated by means of spectroscopic methods (NMR and CD) and theoretical calculations. In the case of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution, only peptide with free N-termini adopted rigid 310-helical conformation, for the rest of examined peptides extended and “zig-zag” conformers were predominant. CD measurements showed that only in chloroform solution the conformational freedom of investigated peptides was restricted. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 89: 691–699, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “…

The surface modification of polymers to modulate endothelial cell growth

1996

The effect of nitrogen ion implantation or ion-assisted film deposition on the growth of human endothelial cells in vitro on a substrate has been studied. It was shown that the largest change occurs when TiO2 films were reactively sputtered onto the substrates, while the most passive surface was reactively sputtered SiO2. SEM pictures of the cells adhering to the various treated surfaces show that the cells were healthy. Future studies on the effect of alloy films and their oxides and nitrides are proposed.

Synthesis, modelling and characterisation of novel non-linear optical polymer containing indandionylpyridinium betaine units

1999

Abstract In the present article we report about the synthesis, quantum chemical model calculations and non-linear optical characterisation of a novel polyurethane based polymer — a bipolar organic compound N -(indan-1,3-dion-2-yl)-4- N ′, N ′-dialkyaminopyridinium betaine (IPB) containing charged electron donor and electron acceptor groups covalently bonded to polyurethane polymer backbone. This newly synthesised IPB containing polymer can be regarded as a promising thermally stable organic non-linear optical material with a long time performance for photonics applications.

Synthesis of Microporous Carbon Nanofibers and Nanotubes from Conjugated Polymer Network and Evaluation in Electrochemical Capacitor

2009

One-dimensional fibers and tubes are constructed through the oriented carbon-carbon cross-linking reactions towards rigid conjugated polymer networks. As the result, a template-free and one-step synthesis of CNTs and CNFs is achieved through a simple carbonization of the as-formed carbon-rich tubular and fiberlike polyphenylene precursors under argon. Microporous CNTs and CNFs with a surface area up to 900 m2 g–1 are obtained, together with HR-TEM characterizations indicating the formation of intrinsic microporous structure in these rigid carbon-rich networks. The primary electrochemical experiments reveal their promising applications as advanced electrodes in electrochemical double-layered…

Enzyme-Mediated Deposition of a TiO2Coating onto Biofunctionalized WS2 Chalcogenide Nanotubes

2009

A chemically specific and facile method for the biofunctionalization of WS2 nanotubes (NT-WS2) is reported. The covalent modification strategy is based on the affinity of the nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) side chain, which serves as a ligand for the surface binding to NT-WS2 and simultaneously as an anchor group for the binding of His-tagged proteins to the polymer backbone. The polymer functionalized WS2 nanotubes can be solubilized either in water or organic solvents; they are stable for at least one week. The probes were characterized by FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The immobilization of silicatein, a hydrolytic protein encountered in marine sponges, was visualized by scanning force micr…

Metal Oxide/Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles with Versatile Functionality Prepared by Controlled Surface Crystallization

2012

Metal oxide/polymer hybrids are prepared from polystyrene nanoparticles functionalized at the surface with phosphonate and phosphate groups. The polymer particles are synthesized with specifically designed surface-active monomers (surfmers) and used as nucleation surfaces for the controlled in situ crystallization of cerium, iron, and zinc oxide nanocrystals. The formation of the metal oxide is driven by the addition of a base to suspensions of the polymer particles containing the corresponding precursor. The crystal formation at the particle surface is studied for the different hybrid systems by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The potential catalytic activity …

Organic-Inorganic Hybrids: Metal Oxide/Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles with Versatile Functionality Prepared by Controlled Surface Crystallization (Adv.…

2013

Chemical modification of Topaz surfaces

1999

In chemisorption, one is typically faced with the problem that the two-dimensional structure of the organic layer does not match the structure of the inorganic substrate. This work describes the first steps toward an induced epitaxial correlation of organic compounds on an inorganic surface. The idea of this work was to use a single crystal with a two-dimensional surface structure, Topaz (001), that matches an alkyl chain lattice better than existing substrates. X-ray reflectivity and FTIR experiments prove the surface modification of the Topaz, which is probably an etherification of the reactive OH-groups on the Topaz (001) surface.