Search results for "nanostructure"
showing 10 items of 792 documents
Active surfaces engineered by immobilizing protein-polymer nanoreactors for selectively detecting sugar alcohols.
2016
We introduce active surfaces generated by immobilizing protein-polymer nanoreactors on a solid support for sensitive sugar alcohols detection. First, such selective nanoreactors were engineered in solution by simultaneous encapsulation of specific enzymes in copolymer polymersomes, and insertion of membrane proteins for selective conduct of sugar alcohols. Despite the artificial surroundings, and the thickness of the copolymer membrane, functionality of reconstituted Escherichia coli glycerol facilitator (GlpF) was preserved, and allowed selective diffusion of sugar alcohols to the inner cavity of the polymersome, where encapsulated ribitol dehydrogenase (RDH) enzymes served as biosensing e…
Cationic Nanohydrogel Particles as Potential siRNA Carriers for Cellular Delivery
2012
Oligonucleotides such as short, double-stranded RNA (siRNA) or plasmid DNA (pDNA) promise high potential in gene therapy. For pharmaceutical application, however, adequate drug carriers are required. Among various concepts progressing in the market or final development, nanosized hydrogel particles may serve as novel transport media especially for siRNA. In this work, a new concept of synthesizing polymeric cationic nanohydrogels was developed, which offers a promising strategy to complex and transport siRNA into cells. For this purpose, amphiphilic reactive ester block copolymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate as reactive ester monomer together wi…
Ion transport and selectivity in nanopores with spatially inhomogeneous fixed charge distributions
2007
Polymeric nanopores with fixed charges show ionic selectivity when immersed in aqueous electrolyte solutions. The understanding of the electrical interaction between these charges and the mobile ions confined in the inside nanopore solution is the key issue in the design of potential applications. The authors have theoretically described the effects that spatially inhomogeneous fixed charge distributions exert on the ionic transport and selectivity properties of the nanopore. A comprehensive set of one-dimensional distributions including the skin, core, cluster, and asymmetric cases are analyzed on the basis of the Nernst-Planck equations. Current-voltage curves, nanopore potentials, and tr…
Measurement of elastic forces between iron colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal.
2006
The forces that arise between two iron particles in a nematic liquid crystal with a strong homeotropic anchoring were studied. For the first time, the short range repulsive force resulting from the presence of a hedgehog defect between two particles was precisely determined thanks to application of a small magnetic field and observation of the equilibrium position resulting from the balance between the elastic and magnetic forces. Above a given threshold force, the particles stuck together whereas the hedgehog defect was expelled and transformed into a Saturn ring located between the particles. The attractive part of the interparticle force was determined with the same method on the entire …
How molecular knots can pass through each other
2014
We propose a mechanism in which two molecular knots pass through each other and swap positions along a polymer strand. Associated free energy barriers in our simulations only amount to a few $k_{B}T$, which may enable the interchange of knots on a single DNA strand.
Carbon nanorings: A challenge to theoretical chemistry
2006
High-level quantum-chemical methods show that the binding in the inclusion complex of hexamethylbenzene (HMB) in 6-cycloparaphenilacetylene (6-CPPA) cannot be explained only in terms of electrostatic interactions - caused by the polarization associated to curved Ï-conjugated systems - and the inclusion of dispersion forces is definitely needed. The theoretical description of van der Waals interactions is notoriously complicated and in fact some DFT methods cannot even predict the existence of the relatively small supramolecular nanoring studied here. However, ab initio MP2 calculations agree with experimental data and show that, in the considered complex, the HMB fragment is placed at the …
Assembly of modular asymmetric organic-inorganic polyoxometalate hybrids into anisotropic nanostructures.
2010
Three organic-inorganic hybrid Mn-Anderson polyoxometalates (POMs), with both symmetrical and asymmetrical appended groups, have been synthesized, identified using electrospray mass spectrometry, and isolated using an approach that allows the three AA, BB, and AB compounds to be structurally characterized. Investigation of the self-assembly of the hybrids on hydrophilic surfaces reveals the formation of nanofibres with characteristics that reflect the nature of the substitution of the POM yielding a route to the programmed assembly of anisotropic hybrid nanostructures.
Positional Isomers of Chromophore–Peptide Conjugates Self-Assemble into Different Morphologies
2018
Ordering π-systems into defined supramolecular structures is important for the development of organic functional materials. In recent years, peptides with defined secondary structures and/or self-assembly properties were introduced as powerful tools to order peptide-chromophore conjugates into different morphologies. This work explores whether or not the directionality of peptides can be used to control the self-assembly. The position of the π-system in conjugates between oligoprolines and perylene monoimide (PMI) chromophores was varied by attaching the PMI moiety to the second-to-last residue from the C- and N-termini, respectively. Microscopic and diffraction analysis revealed that the p…
Nano-materials for use in sensing of salmonella infections: Recent advances
2016
Salmonella infectious diseases spreading every day through food have become a life-threatening problem for millions of people and growing menace to society. Health expert's estimate that the yearly cost of all the food borne diseases is approximately $5-6 billion. Traditional methodologies for salmonella analysis provide high reliability and very low limits of detection. Among them immunoassays and Nucleic acid-based assays provide results within 24h, but they are expensive, tedious and time consuming. So, there is an urgent need for development of rapid, robust and cost-effective alternative technologies for real-time monitoring of salmonella. Several biosensors have been designed and comm…
An Intermetallic Au24Ag20 Superatom Nanocluster Stabilized by Labile Ligands
2015
An intermetallic nanocluster containing 44 metal atoms, Au24Ag20(2-SPy)4(PhC≡C)20Cl2, was successfully synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal analysis and density funtional theory computations. The 44 metal atoms in the cluster are arranged as a concentric three-shell Au12@Ag20@Au12 Keplerate structure having a high symmetry. For the first time, the co-presence of three different types of anionic ligands (i.e., phenylalkynyl, 2-pyridylthiolate, and chloride) was revealed on the surface of metal nanoclusters. Similar to thiolates, alkynyls bind linearly to surface Au atoms using their σ-bonds, leading to the formation of two types of surface staple units (PhC≡C-Au-L, L …