Search results for "ta221"
showing 10 items of 115 documents
Studies on the structure of coumarin-modified dextran nanoparticles by fluorescence spectroscopy.
2012
The photophysical and photochemical characteristics of nano-scaled particles obtained via solvent displacement from coumarin-modified dextrans were studied by means of absorption- and fluorescence-spectroscopy. The environment-dependent fluorescence emission of the pendant 4-methyl-7-alkoxy coumarin groups was exploited as a probe to gain information about the inner structure of the polysaccharide based nanoparticles. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements showed that the particles had two domains of different polarity and it could be confirmed that the core of the nano-assemblies contained water. Moreover, preliminary experiments were carried out demonstrating the possibility to control t…
Reactive Self-Assembly and Specific Cellular Delivery of NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO)-Derived Nanogels
2018
This study presents the reactive self-assembly of isocyanate functional and amphiphilic six-arm, star-shaped polyether prepolymers in water into nanogels. Intrinsic molecular amphiphilicity, mainly driven by the isophorone moiety at the distal endings of the star-shaped molecules, allows for the preparation of spherical particles with an adjustable size of 100-200 nm by self-assembly and subsequent covalent cross-linking without the need for organic solvents or surfactants. Covalent attachment of a fluorescence dye and either the cell-penetrating TAT peptide or a random control peptide sequence shows that only TAT-labeled nanogels are internalized by HeLa cells. The nanogels thus specifical…
Highly water repellent aerogels based on cellulose stearoyl esters
2011
Herein we combine in a novel way the physical effect of porous structure of a cellulosic aerogel with the chemical effect of long alkyl tails by a well known homogeneous green esterification method, to achieve purely bio-based and highly water repellent cellulosic materials. As an alternative for a traditional fluoro derivatized hydrophobization, here long fatty acid tails are utilized to lower the surface energy. To minimize the process emission, ionic liquid (IL) 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride is used for the esterification, due to its non-volatility and recyclability. We have shown here that low degree of substitution (DS) of the fatty acid cellulose material enables the spontaneou…
Statistical Characterization of Self-Assembled Colloidal Crystals by Single-Step Vertical Deposition
2014
Abstract We have statistically characterized the self-assembly of multi-layer polystyrene colloidal crystals, using the technique of vertical deposition, with parameters chosen to produce thick layers of self-assembled crystals in one deposition step. The size distribution of domains produced with this technique was seen to follow a log-normal distribution, hinting that aggregation or fragmentation phenomena play a role. In addition, using a lithographically directed self-assembly method, we have shown that the size of multi-layer, continuous crack-free domains in lithographically defined areas can be many times larger than in the surrounding areas. In a single deposition step, we have prod…
Low-Noise Amplification and Frequency Conversion with a Multiport Microwave Optomechanical Device
2016
High-gain amplifiers of electromagnetic signals operating near the quantum limit are crucial for quantum information systems and ultrasensitive quantum measurements. However, the existing techniques have a limited gain-bandwidth product and only operate with weak input signals. Here we demonstrate a two-port optomechanical scheme for amplification and routing of microwave signals, a system that simultaneously performs high-gain amplification and frequency conversion in the quantum regime. Our amplifier, implemented in a two-cavity microwave optomechanical device, shows 41 dB of gain and has a high dynamic range, handling input signals up to $10^{13}$ photons per second, three orders of magn…
Supramolecular hierarchy among halogen and hydrogen bond donors in light-induced surface patterning
2015
Halogen bonding, a noncovalent interaction possessing several unique features compared to the more familiar hydrogen bonding, is emerging as a powerful tool in functional materials design. Herein, we unambiguously show that one of these characteristic features, namely high directionality, renders halogen bonding the interaction of choice when developing azobenzene-containing supramolecular polymers for light-induced surface patterning. The study is conducted by using an extensive library of azobenzene molecules that differ only in terms of the bond-donor unit. We introduce a new tetrafluorophenol-containing azobenzene photoswitch capable of forming strong hydrogen bonds, and show that an io…
Nanoscale etching of III-V semiconductors in acidic hydrogen peroxide solution: GaAs and InP, a striking contrast in surface chemistry
2019
In this study of nanoscale etching for state-of-the-art device technology, the importance of surface chemistry, in particular the nature of the surface oxide, is demonstrated for two III-V materials. Striking differences in etching kinetics were found for GaAs and InP in sulphuric and hydrochloric acidic solutions containing hydrogen peroxide. Under similar conditions, etching of GaAs was much faster, while the dependence of the etch rate on pH, and on H2O2 and acid concentrations also differed markedly for the two semiconductors. Surface analysis techniques provided information on the product layer present after etching: strongly non-stoichiometric porous (hydr)oxides on GaAs and a thin st…
Subcomponent Self-Assembly A Quick Way to New Metallogels
2013
Subcomponent self-assembly, introduced by the Nitschke group,[1] is a process which allow complex structures to be generated from simple building blocks (generally aldehydes and amines). In this bottom-up approach, the building blocks spontaneously self-assemble around templates (usually metal ions) leading to a simultaneous covalent (C=N) and dative (N– metal) bonds formation. The method has been successfully used to construct well-defined metal-organic macrocycles, helicates, catenanes, rotaxanes, grids,[2] and cages.[3] Our field of interest lies not in building-up of defined structures but in designing gelator molecules for a formation of supramolecular gels as functional nanomaterials.…
Spatially resolved measurement of nonequilibrium quasiparticle relaxation in superconducting Al
2011
Spatially resolved relaxation of nonequilibrium quasiparticles in a superconductor at ultralow temperatures was experimentally studied. It was found that the quasiparticle injection through a tunnel junction results in the modification of the shape of the I-V characteristic of a remote ``detector'' junction. The effect depends on the temperature, injection current, and proximity to the injector. The phenomena can be understood in terms of the creation of quasiparticle charge and energy disequilibrium characterized by two different length scales ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{{Q}^{*}}~5$ and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{{T}^{*}}~40$ $\ensuremath{\mu}$m. The findings are in good agreement with existing…
Quantum Simulations of One-Dimensional Nanostructures under Arbitrary Deformations
2016
A powerful technique is introduced for simulating mechanical and electromechanical properties of one-dimensional nanostructures under arbitrary combinations of bending, twisting, and stretching. The technique is based on a novel control of periodic symmetry, which eliminates artifacts due to deformation constraints and quantum finite-size effects, and allows transparent electronic structure analysis. Via density-functional tight-binding implementation, the technique demonstrates its utility by predicting novel electromechanical properties in carbon nanotubes and abrupt behavior in the structural yielding of Au7 and MoS nanowires. The technique drives simulations markedly closer to the reali…