WorldWideScience

Sample records for positively charged hydrophobic

  1. Quenched polyelectrolytes with hydrophobicity independent from chemical charge fraction: A SANS and SAXS study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Souha Ben Mahmoud

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We investigate by SANS and SAXS the structure of semidilute aqueous hydrophobic quenched polyelectrolyte solutions, in which we can vary independently the hydrophobicity and the chemical/electrostatic charge fraction (above the Manning condensation threshold 36%. Such a de-correlation is the original point of the work, reached using statistical tri-copolymers poly(acrylamide-co-styrene-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane-sodium sulfonate, poly(AMx-co-STy-co-AMPSz. The hydrophobicity is brought by ST, the chemical electrostatic charge by AMPS and solubility without charge by AM. We consider that although these copolymers have chemical structure different from partially sulfonated polystyrene sulfonate, PS-co-SSNa, made of two monomers, one charged, one hydrophobic, they have however vicinal behavior. The variation of chemical charge, has no strong consequence on the structure properties which is in agreement with the fact that it is always larger than the Manning threshold. The dependence of q∗ with AM content shows that AM reduces hydrophobicity. The similarity with PS-co-SSNa, for which pearl necklace-like conformations were directly measured by SANS (form factor using ZAC method, suggests that pearl necklace conformations are also adopted by these tri-copolymers and that this behavior could be so generalized to a much larger range of synthetic hydrophobic polyelectrolytes using simple copolymerization.

  2. The heterostructured AAO/CeO2 nanosystem fabricated by electrodeposition for charge storage and hydrophobicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Geping; Fan, Huiqing; Wang, Kaige; Yin, Hongfeng; Wu, Junjun

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Tilted cathode was adopted to fabricate PAAM during the second anodization. • AAO/CeO 2 nanosystem was prepared from PAAM by electrochemical deposition. • The larger the cathode intersection angle, the more the charges are stored in the system. • The system's hydrophobicity was improved by an increase in tilted cathode angle. • The optimum angle of the tilted cathode is 40° for charge storage and hydrophobicity. -- Abstract: Tilted cathode was adopted to prepare porous anodic alumina membrane (PAAM) during the second aluminum anodic oxidation (AAO). A heterostructured AAO/CeO 2 nanosystem was fabricated by filling CeO 2 into the PAAM by electrochemical deposition. The larger the intersection angle of the cathode, the more the charge storage of the fabricated system. A lower potential scan rate is beneficial to the electrochemical charge storage of the system. With the cathode intersection angle increasing, the hydrophobicity of the AAO/CeO 2 system is greatly improved. As the 40° is the optimum angle, the charge storage and hydrophobicity of the system increase with the increasing cathode intersection angle up to 40°. The AAO/CeO 2 system could be utilized in both charge storage and self-cleaning

  3. Charge Segregation and Low Hydrophobicity Are Key Features of Ribosomal Proteins from Different Organisms*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedyukina, Daria V.; Jennaro, Theodore S.; Cavagnero, Silvia

    2014-01-01

    Ribosomes are large and highly charged macromolecular complexes consisting of RNA and proteins. Here, we address the electrostatic and nonpolar properties of ribosomal proteins that are important for ribosome assembly and interaction with other cellular components and may influence protein folding on the ribosome. We examined 50 S ribosomal subunits from 10 species and found a clear distinction between the net charge of ribosomal proteins from halophilic and non-halophilic organisms. We found that ∼67% ribosomal proteins from halophiles are negatively charged, whereas only up to ∼15% of ribosomal proteins from non-halophiles share this property. Conversely, hydrophobicity tends to be lower for ribosomal proteins from halophiles than for the corresponding proteins from non-halophiles. Importantly, the surface electrostatic potential of ribosomal proteins from all organisms, especially halophiles, has distinct positive and negative regions across all the examined species. Positively and negatively charged residues of ribosomal proteins tend to be clustered in buried and solvent-exposed regions, respectively. Hence, the majority of ribosomal proteins is characterized by a significant degree of intramolecular charge segregation, regardless of the organism of origin. This key property enables the ribosome to accommodate proteins within its complex scaffold regardless of their overall net charge. PMID:24398678

  4. Role of long- and short-range hydrophobic, hydrophilic and charged residues contact network in protein’s structural organization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sengupta Dhriti

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The three-dimensional structure of a protein can be described as a graph where nodes represent residues and the strength of non-covalent interactions between them are edges. These protein contact networks can be separated into long and short-range interactions networks depending on the positions of amino acids in primary structure. Long-range interactions play a distinct role in determining the tertiary structure of a protein while short-range interactions could largely contribute to the secondary structure formations. In addition, physico chemical properties and the linear arrangement of amino acids of the primary structure of a protein determines its three dimensional structure. Here, we present an extensive analysis of protein contact subnetworks based on the London van der Waals interactions of amino acids at different length scales. We further subdivided those networks in hydrophobic, hydrophilic and charged residues networks and have tried to correlate their influence in the overall topology and organization of a protein. Results The largest connected component (LCC of long (LRN-, short (SRN- and all-range (ARN networks within proteins exhibit a transition behaviour when plotted against different interaction strengths of edges among amino acid nodes. While short-range networks having chain like structures exhibit highly cooperative transition; long- and all-range networks, which are more similar to each other, have non-chain like structures and show less cooperativity. Further, the hydrophobic residues subnetworks in long- and all-range networks have similar transition behaviours with all residues all-range networks, but the hydrophilic and charged residues networks don’t. While the nature of transitions of LCC’s sizes is same in SRNs for thermophiles and mesophiles, there exists a clear difference in LRNs. The presence of larger size of interconnected long-range interactions in thermophiles than mesophiles, even at

  5. Hydrophobicity and charge shape cellular metabolite concentrations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arren Bar-Even

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available What governs the concentrations of metabolites within living cells? Beyond specific metabolic and enzymatic considerations, are there global trends that affect their values? We hypothesize that the physico-chemical properties of metabolites considerably affect their in-vivo concentrations. The recently achieved experimental capability to measure the concentrations of many metabolites simultaneously has made the testing of this hypothesis possible. Here, we analyze such recently available data sets of metabolite concentrations within E. coli, S. cerevisiae, B. subtilis and human. Overall, these data sets encompass more than twenty conditions, each containing dozens (28-108 of simultaneously measured metabolites. We test for correlations with various physico-chemical properties and find that the number of charged atoms, non-polar surface area, lipophilicity and solubility consistently correlate with concentration. In most data sets, a change in one of these properties elicits a ~100 fold increase in metabolite concentrations. We find that the non-polar surface area and number of charged atoms account for almost half of the variation in concentrations in the most reliable and comprehensive data set. Analyzing specific groups of metabolites, such as amino-acids or phosphorylated nucleotides, reveals even a higher dependence of concentration on hydrophobicity. We suggest that these findings can be explained by evolutionary constraints imposed on metabolite concentrations and discuss possible selective pressures that can account for them. These include the reduction of solute leakage through the lipid membrane, avoidance of deleterious aggregates and reduction of non-specific hydrophobic binding. By highlighting the global constraints imposed on metabolic pathways, future research could shed light onto aspects of biochemical evolution and the chemical constraints that bound metabolic engineering efforts.

  6. On gel electrophoresis of dielectric charged particles with hydrophobic surface: A combined theoretical and numerical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majee, Partha Sarathi; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Gopmandal, Partha Pratim; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

    2018-03-01

    A theoretical study on the gel electrophoresis of a charged particle incorporating the effects of dielectric polarization and surface hydrophobicity at the particle-liquid interface is made. A simplified model based on the weak applied field and low charge density assumption is also presented and compared with the full numerical model for a nonpolarizable particle to elucidate the nonlinear effects such as double layer polarization and relaxation as well as surface conduction. The main motivation of this study is to analyze the electrophoresis of the surface functionalized nanoparticle with tunable hydrophobicity or charged fluid drop in gel medium by considering the electrokinetic effects and hydrodynamic interactions between the particle and the gel medium. An effective medium approach, in which the transport in the electrolyte-saturated hydrogel medium is governed by the Brinkman equation, is adopted in the present analysis. The governing electrokinetic equations based on the conservation principles are solved numerically. The Navier-slip boundary condition along with the continuity condition of dielectric displacement are imposed on the surface of the hydrophobic polarizable particle. The impact of the slip length on the electrophoresis is profound for a thinner Debye layer, however, surface conduction effect also becomes significant for a hydrophobic particle. Impact of hydrophobicity and relaxation effects are higher for a larger particle. Dielectric polarization creates a reduction in its electrophoretic propulsion and has negligible impact at the thinner Debye length as well as lower gel screening length. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Collisional charging of individual submillimeter particles: Using ultrasonic levitation to initiate and track charge transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Victor; James, Nicole M.; Waitukaitis, Scott R.; Jaeger, Heinrich M.

    2018-03-01

    Electrostatic charging of insulating fine particles can be responsible for numerous phenomena ranging from lightning in volcanic plumes to dust explosions. However, even basic aspects of how fine particles become charged are still unclear. Studying particle charging is challenging because it usually involves the complexities associated with many-particle collisions. To address these issues, we introduce a method based on acoustic levitation, which makes it possible to initiate sequences of repeated collisions of a single submillimeter particle with a flat plate, and to precisely measure the particle charge in situ after each collision. We show that collisional charge transfer between insulators is dependent on the hydrophobicity of the contacting surfaces. We use glass, which we modify by attaching nonpolar molecules to the particle, the plate, or both. We find that hydrophilic surfaces develop significant positive charges after contacting hydrophobic surfaces. Moreover, we demonstrate that charging between a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic surface is suppressed in an acidic environment and enhanced in a basic one. Application of an electric field during each collision is found to modify the charge transfer, again depending on surface hydrophobicity. We discuss these results within the context of contact charging due to ion transfer, and we show that they lend strong support to O H- ions as the charge carriers.

  8. Salt effects on hydrophobic interaction and charge screening in the folding of a negatively charged peptide to a coiled coil (leucine zipper).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jelesarov, I; Dürr, E; Thomas, R M; Bosshard, H R

    1998-05-19

    The stability of a coiled coil or leucine zipper is controlled by hydrophobic interactions and electrostatic forces between the constituent helices. We have designed a 30-residue peptide with the repeating seven-residue pattern of a coiled coil, (abcdefg)n, and with Glu in positions e and g of each heptad. The glutamate side chains prevented folding at pH values above 6 because of electrostatic repulsion across the helix dimer interface as well as within the individual helices. Protonation of the carboxylates changed the conformation from a random coil monomer to a coiled coil dimer. Folding at alkaline pH where the peptide had a net charge of -7e was promoted by the addition of salts. The nature of the charge screening cation was less important than that of the anion. The high salt concentrations (>1 M) necessary to induce folding indicated that the salt-induced folding resulted from alterations in the protein-water interaction. Folding was promoted by the kosmotropic anions sulfate and fluoride and to a lesser extent by the weak kosmotrope formate, whereas chloride and the strong chaotrope perchlorate were ineffective. Kosmotropes are excluded from the protein surface, which is preferentially hydrated, and this promotes folding by strengthening hydrophobic interactions at the coiled coil interface. Although charge neutralization also contributed to folding, it was effective only when the screening cation was partnered by a good kosmotropic anion. Folding conformed to a two-state transition from random coil monomer to coiled coil dimer and was enthalpy driven and characterized by a change in the heat capacity of unfolding of 3.9 +/- 1.2 kJ mol-1 K-1. The rate of folding was analyzed by fluorescence stopped-flow measurements. Folding occurred in a biphasic reaction in which the rapid formation of an initial dimer (kf = 2 x 10(7) M-1 s-1) was followed by an equally rapid concentration-independent rearrangement to the folded dimer (k > 100 s-1).

  9. Breaking the hydrophobicity of the MscL pore: insights into a charge-induced gating mechanism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balasubramanian Chandramouli

    Full Text Available The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL is a protein that responds to membrane tension by opening a transient pore during osmotic downshock. Due to its large pore size and functional reconstitution into lipid membranes, MscL has been proposed as a promising artificial nanovalve suitable for biotechnological applications. For example, site-specific mutations and tailored chemical modifications have shown how MscL channel gating can be triggered in the absence of tension by introducing charged residues at the hydrophobic pore level. Recently, engineered MscL proteins responsive to stimuli like pH or light have been reported. Inspired by experiments, we present a thorough computational study aiming at describing, with atomistic detail, the artificial gating mechanism and the molecular transport properties of a light-actuated bacterial MscL channel, in which a charge-induced gating mechanism has been enabled through the selective cleavage of photo-sensitive alkylating agents. Properties such as structural transitions, pore dimension, ion flux and selectivity have been carefully analyzed. Besides, the effects of charge on alternative sites of the channel with respect to those already reported have been addressed. Overall, our results provide useful molecular insights into the structural events accompanying the engineered MscL channel gating and the interplay of electrostatic effects, channel opening and permeation properties. In addition, we describe how the experimentally observed ionic current in a single-subunit charged MscL mutant is obtained through a hydrophobicity breaking mechanism involving an asymmetric inter-subunit motion.

  10. Adsorption and Aqueous Lubricating Properties of Charged and Neutral Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers at a Compliant, Hydrophobic Interface

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Røn, Troels; Javakhishvili, Irakli; Jankova Atanasova, Katja

    2013-01-01

    We have investigated the adsorption and lubricating properties of neutral and charged amphiphilic diblock copolymers at a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interface in an aqueous environment. The diblock copolymers consist of a hydrophilic block of either neutral poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG......) or negatively charged poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and of a hydrophobic block of polystyrene (PS) or poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA), thus generating PEG-b-X or PAA-b-X, where X block is either PS or PMEA. The molecular weight ratios were roughly 1:1 with each block ca. 5 kDa. Comparing the neutral PEG...... effective adsorption only when PMEA was employed as the anchoring block. For PAA-b-PS, the poor adsorption properties are chiefly attributed to micellization due to the high interfacial tension between the PS core and water. The poor lubricating properties of PAA-b-PS diblock copolymer for a PDMS...

  11. Co-precipitation of oppositely charged nanoparticles: the case of mixed ligand nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moglianetti, Mauro; Ponomarev, Evgeniy; Szybowski, Maxime; Stellacci, Francesco; Reguera, Javier

    2015-01-01

    Colloid stability is of high importance in a multitude of fields ranging from food science to biotechnology. There is strong interest in studying the stability of small particles (of a size of a few nanometres) with complex surface structures, that make them resemble the complexity of proteins and other natural biomolecules, in the presence of oppositely charged nanoparticles. While for nanoparticles with homogeneously charged surfaces an abrupt precipitation has been observed at the neutrality of charges, data are missing about the stability of nanoparticles when they have more complex surface structures, like the presence of hydrophobic patches. To study the role of these hydrophobic patches in the stability of nanoparticles a series of negatively charged nanoparticles has been synthesized with different ratios of hydrophobic content and with control on the structural distribution of the hydrophobic moiety, and then titrated with positively charged nanoparticles. For nanoparticles with patchy nanodomains, the influence of hydrophobic content was observed together with the influence of the size of the nanoparticles. By contrast, for nanoparticles with a uniform distribution of hydrophobic ligands, size changes and hydrophobic content did not play any role in co-precipitation behaviour. A comparison of these two sets of nanoparticles suggests that nanodomains present at the surfaces of nanoparticles are playing an important role in stability against co-precipitation. (paper)

  12. Cationic flocculants carrying hydrophobic functionalities: applications for solid/liquid separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, S; Jaeger, W; Paulke, B-R; Bratskaya, S; Smolka, N; Bohrisch, J

    2007-07-26

    The flocculation behaviors of three series of polycations with narrow molecular weight distributions carrying hydrophobic substituents on their backbones [poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride), poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-butylammonium chloride), and poly(N-vinylbenzylpyridinium chloride)] were investigated in dispersions of monodisperse polystyrene latexes and kaolin. Apparently, the charge density of the polycations decreases with increasing substituent hydrophobicity and increasing molecular weight of the polyelectrolytes. The necessary amount of flocculant for phase separation in dispersions with high substrate surface charge densities increases with increasing hydrophobicity of the polyelectrolyte. Nevertheless, the introduction of hydrophobic functionalities is beneficial, resulting in a substantial broadening of the range between the minimum and maximum amounts of flocculant necessary for efficient flocculation (flocculation window). An increase in ionic strength supports this effect. When the substrate has a low charge density, the hydrophobic interactions play a much more significant role in the flocculation process. Here, the minimum efficient doses remained the same for all three polyelectrolytes investigated, but the width of the flocculation window increased as the polycation hydrophobicity and the molecular weight increased. The necessary amount of flocculant increased with an increase in particle size at constant solid content of the dispersion, as well as with a decreasing number of particles at a constant particle size.

  13. Adsorption of hydrophobin on different self-assembled monolayers: the role of the hydrophobic dipole and the electric dipole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Chunwang; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Daohui; Zhou, Jian

    2014-09-30

    In this work, the adsorptions of hydrophobin (HFBI) on four different self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) (i.e., CH3-SAM, OH-SAM, COOH-SAM, and NH2-SAM) were investigated by parallel tempering Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation results indicate that the orientation of HFBI adsorbed on neutral surfaces is dominated by a hydrophobic dipole. HFBI adsorbs on the hydrophobic CH3-SAM through its hydrophobic patch and adopts a nearly vertical hydrophobic dipole relative to the surface, while it is nearly horizontal when adsorbed on the hydrophilic OH-SAM. For charged SAM surfaces, HFBI adopts a nearly vertical electric dipole relative to the surface. HFBI has the narrowest orientation distribution on the CH3-SAM, and thus can form an ordered monolayer and reverse the wettability of the surface. For HFBI adsorption on charged SAMs, the adsorption strength weakens as the surface charge density increases. Compared with those on other SAMs, a larger area of the hydrophobic patch is exposed to the solution when HFBI adsorbs on the NH2-SAM. This leads to an increase of the hydrophobicity of the surface, which is consistent with the experimental results. The binding of HFBI to the CH3-SAM is mainly through hydrophobic interactions, while it is mediated through a hydration water layer near the surface for the OH-SAM. For the charged SAM surfaces, the adsorption is mainly induced by electrostatic interactions between the charged surfaces and the oppositely charged residues. The effect of a hydrophobic dipole on protein adsorption onto hydrophobic surfaces is similar to that of an electric dipole for charged surfaces. Therefore, the hydrophobic dipole may be applied to predict the probable orientations of protein adsorbed on hydrophobic surfaces.

  14. Self-Assembly of Charged Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers with Insoluble Blocks of Decreasing Hydrophobicity: From Kinetically Frozen Colloids to Macrosurfactants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    M Jacquin; P Muller; H Cottet; O Theodoly

    2011-12-31

    We have investigated the self-assembly properties in aqueous solution of amphiphilic diblock copolymers with insoluble blocks of different hydrophobicity and demonstrated that the condition to obtain dynamic micelles is to design samples with insoluble blocks of low enough hydrophobicity. We focus here on results with new water-soluble amphiphilic diblock copolymers poly(diethyleneglycol ethylether acrylate)-b-poly(acrylic acid), or PDEGA-b-PAA. The physical characteristics of PDEGA-b-PAA micelles at high ionization have been determined by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). We show that PDEGA-b-PAA samples form micelles at thermodynamic equilibrium. The critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) decrease strongly with ionic strength and temperature due to a solvent quality decrease for, respectively, the corona and the core. This behavior of reversible aggregation is remarkable as compared to the behavior of kinetically frozen aggregation that has been widely observed with samples of similar architecture and different hydrophobic blocks, for example, poly(styrene)-b-poly(acrylic acid), PS-b-PAA, and poly(butyl acrylate)-b-poly(acrylic acid), PBA-b-PAA. We have measured the interfacial tension between water and the homopolymers PDEGA and PBA at, respectively, 3 and 20 mN/m at room temperature, which permits one to estimate the energy cost to extract a unimer from a micelle. The results are consistent with a micelle association that is fast for PDEGA-b-PAA and kinetically frozen PBA-b-PAA. Hence, PDEGA-b-PAA samples form a new system of synthetic charged macrosurfactant with unique properties of fast dynamic association, tunable charge, and water solubility even at temperatures and NaCl concentrations as high as 65 C and 1 M.

  15. The role of hydrophobic interactions in positioning of peripheral proteins in membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lomize Mikhail A

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Three-dimensional (3D structures of numerous peripheral membrane proteins have been determined. Biological activity, stability, and conformations of these proteins depend on their spatial positions with respect to the lipid bilayer. However, these positions are usually undetermined. Results We report the first large-scale computational study of monotopic/peripheral proteins with known 3D structures. The optimal translational and rotational positions of 476 proteins are determined by minimizing energy of protein transfer from water to the lipid bilayer, which is approximated by a hydrocarbon slab with a decadiene-like polarity and interfacial regions characterized by water-permeation profiles. Predicted membrane-binding sites, protein tilt angles and membrane penetration depths are consistent with spin-labeling, chemical modification, fluorescence, NMR, mutagenesis, and other experimental studies of 53 peripheral proteins and peptides. Experimental membrane binding affinities of peripheral proteins were reproduced in cases that did not involve a helix-coil transition, specific binding of lipids, or a predominantly electrostatic association. Coordinates of all examined peripheral proteins and peptides with the calculated hydrophobic membrane boundaries, subcellular localization, topology, structural classification, and experimental references are available through the Orientations of Proteins in Membranes (OPM database. Conclusion Positions of diverse peripheral proteins and peptides in the lipid bilayer can be accurately predicted using their 3D structures that represent a proper membrane-bound conformation and oligomeric state, and have membrane binding elements present. The success of the implicit solvation model suggests that hydrophobic interactions are usually sufficient to determine the spatial position of a protein in the membrane, even when electrostatic interactions or specific binding of lipids are substantial. Our

  16. Detachment of colloidal particles from collector surfaces with different electrostatic charge and hydrophobicity by attachment to air bubbles in a parallel plate flow chamber

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suarez, CG; van der Mei, HC; Busscher, HJ

    1999-01-01

    The detachment of polystyrene particles adhering to collector surfaces with different electrostatic charge and hydrophobicity by attachment to a passing air bubble has been studied in a parallel plate flow chamber. Particle detachment decreased linearly with increasing air bubble velocity and

  17. Characterisation of nanomaterial hydrophobicity using engineered surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Desmet, Cloé; Valsesia, Andrea; Oddo, Arianna; Ceccone, Giacomo; Spampinato, Valentina; Rossi, François; Colpo, Pascal, E-mail: pascal.colpo@ec.europa.eu [Directorate Health, Consumer and Reference Materials, Consumer Products Safety Unit (Italy)

    2017-03-15

    Characterisation of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) is of outmost importance for the assessment of the potential risks arising from their extensive use. NMs display indeed a large variety of physico-chemical properties that drastically affect their interaction with biological systems. Among them, hydrophobicity is an important property that is nevertheless only slightly covered by the current physico-chemical characterisation techniques. In this work, we developed a method for the direct characterisation of NM hydrophobicity. The determination of the nanomaterial hydrophobic character is carried out by the direct measurement of the affinity of the NMs for different collectors. Each collector is an engineered surface designed in order to present specific surface charge and hydrophobicity degrees. Being thus characterised by a combination of surface energy components, the collectors enable the NM immobilisation with surface coverage in relation to their hydrophobicity. The experimental results are explained by using the extended DLVO theory, which takes into account the hydrophobic forces acting between NMs and collectors.

  18. Effects of charge density and hydrophobicity of poly(amido amine)s for non-viral gene delivery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Piest, Martin; Engbersen, Johannes F.J.

    2010-01-01

    High cationic charge densities in polymeric vectors result in tight DNA condensation, leading to small highly positively charged polyplexes which show generally high cellular uptake in vitro. However, high cationic charge densities also introduce membrane-disruptive properties to the polymers,

  19. Rhizosphere hydrophobicity: A positive trait in the competition for water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeppenfeld, Thorsten; Balkenhol, Niko; Kóvacs, Kristóf; Carminati, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    The ability to acquire water from the soil is a major driver in interspecific plant competition and it depends on several root functional traits. One of these traits is the excretion of gel-like compounds (mucilage) that modify physical soil properties. Mucilage secreted by roots becomes hydrophobic upon drying, impedes the rewetting of the soil close to the root, the so called rhizosphere, and reduces water availability to plants. The function of rhizosphere hydrophobicity is not easily understandable when looking at a single plant, but it may constitute a competitive advantage at the ecosystem level. We hypothesize that by making the top soil hydrophobic, deep-rooted plants avoid competititon with shallow-rooted plants. To test this hypothesis we used an individual-based model to simulate water uptake and growth of two virtual plant species, one deep-rooted plant capable of making the soil hydrophobic and a shallow-rooted plant. We ran scenarios with different precipitation regimes ranging from dry to wet (350, 700, and 1400 mm total annual precipitation) and from high to low precipitation frequencies (1, 7, and 14 days). Plant species abundance and biomass were chosen as indicators for competitiveness of plant species. At constant precipitation frequency mucilage hydrophobicity lead to a benefit in biomass and abundance of the tap-rooted population. Under wet conditions this effect diminished and tap-rooted plants were less productive. Without this trait both species coexisted. The effect of root exudation trait remained constant under different precipitation frequencies. This study shows that mucilage secretion is a competitive trait for the acquisition of water. This advantage is achieved by the modification of the soil hydraulic properties and specifically by inducing water repellency in soil regions which are shared with other species.

  20. Rhizosphere hydrophobicity: A positive trait in the competition for water.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thorsten Zeppenfeld

    Full Text Available The ability to acquire water from the soil is a major driver in interspecific plant competition and it depends on several root functional traits. One of these traits is the excretion of gel-like compounds (mucilage that modify physical soil properties. Mucilage secreted by roots becomes hydrophobic upon drying, impedes the rewetting of the soil close to the root, the so called rhizosphere, and reduces water availability to plants. The function of rhizosphere hydrophobicity is not easily understandable when looking at a single plant, but it may constitute a competitive advantage at the ecosystem level. We hypothesize that by making the top soil hydrophobic, deep-rooted plants avoid competititon with shallow-rooted plants. To test this hypothesis we used an individual-based model to simulate water uptake and growth of two virtual plant species, one deep-rooted plant capable of making the soil hydrophobic and a shallow-rooted plant. We ran scenarios with different precipitation regimes ranging from dry to wet (350, 700, and 1400 mm total annual precipitation and from high to low precipitation frequencies (1, 7, and 14 days. Plant species abundance and biomass were chosen as indicators for competitiveness of plant species. At constant precipitation frequency mucilage hydrophobicity lead to a benefit in biomass and abundance of the tap-rooted population. Under wet conditions this effect diminished and tap-rooted plants were less productive. Without this trait both species coexisted. The effect of root exudation trait remained constant under different precipitation frequencies. This study shows that mucilage secretion is a competitive trait for the acquisition of water. This advantage is achieved by the modification of the soil hydraulic properties and specifically by inducing water repellency in soil regions which are shared with other species.

  1. Adsorption of hydrophobic organic compounds onto a hydrophobic carbonaceous geosorbent in the presence of surfactants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Peng; Keller, Arturo A

    2008-06-01

    The adsorption of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs; atrazine and diuron) onto lampblack was studied in the presence of nonionic, cationic, and anionic surfactants (Triton(R) X-100), benzalkonium chloride [BC], and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate [LAS]) to determine the effect of the surfactant on HOC adsorption onto a hydrophobic carbonaceous geosorbent. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate showed an adsorption capacity higher than that of BC but similar to that of Triton X-100, implying the charge property of a surfactant is not a useful indicator for predicting the surfactant's adsorption onto a hydrophobic medium. The results also indicated that the octanol-water partition coefficient (K(OW)) of a surfactant is not a good predictor of that surfactant's sorption onto a hydrophobic medium. Under subsaturation adsorption conditions (i.e., before sorption saturation is reached), surfactant adsorption reduced HOC adsorption to a significant extent, with the reduction in HOC adsorption increasing monotonically with the amount of surfactant adsorbed. Among the three surfactants, Triton X-100 was the most effective in reducing HOC adsorption, whereas BC and LAS showed similar effectiveness in this regard. Under the same amount of the surfactant sorbed, the reduction in atrazine adsorption was consistently greater than that for diuron because of atrazine's lower hydrophobicity. No significant difference was observed in the amount of the HOC adsorbed under different adsorption sequences. Our results showed that the presence of surfactant can significantly decrease HOC adsorption onto hydrophobic environmental media and, thus, is important in predicting HOC fate and transport in the environment.

  2. Electrostatic Charging and Particle Interactions in Microscopic Insulating Grains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Victor

    In this thesis, we experimentally investigate the electrostatic charging as well as the particle interactions in microscopic insulating grains. First, by tracking individual grains accelerated in an electric field, we quantitatively demonstrate that tribocharging of same-material grains depends on particle size. Large grains tend to charge positively, and small ones tend to charge negatively. Theories based on the transfer of trapped electrons can explain this tendency but have not been validated. Here we show that the number of trapped electrons, measured independently by a thermoluminescence technique, is orders of magnitude too small to be responsible for the amount of charge transferred. This result reveals that trapped electrons are not responsible for same-material tribocharging of dielectric particles. Second, same-material tribocharging in grains can result in important long-range electrostatic interactions. However, how these electrostatic interactions contribute to particle clustering remains elusive, primarily due to the lack of direct, detailed observations. Using a high-speed camera that falls with a stream charged grains, we observe for the first time how charged grains can undergo attractive as well as repulsive Kepler-like orbits. Charged particles can be captured in their mutual electrostatic potential and form clusters via multiple bounces. Dielectric polarization effects are directly observed, which lead to additional attractive forces and stabilize "molecule-like" arrangements of charged particles. Third, we have developed a new method to study the charge transfer of microscopic particles based on acoustic levitation techniques. This method allows us to narrow the complex problem of many-particle charging down to precise charge measurements of a single sub-millimeter particle colliding with a target plate. By simply attaching nonpolar groups onto glass surfaces, we show that the contact charging of a particle is highly dependent on

  3. Properties of POPC/POPE supported lipid bilayers modified with hydrophobic quantum dots on polyelectrolyte cushions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolasinska-Sojka, Marta; Wlodek, Magdalena; Szuwarzynski, Michal; Kereiche, Sami; Kovacik, Lubomir; Warszynski, Piotr

    2017-10-01

    The formation and properties of supported lipid bilayers (SLB) containing hydrophobic nanoparticles (NP) was studied in relation to underlying cushion obtained from selected polyelectrolyte multilayers. Lipid vesicles were formed from zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE) in phosphate buffer (PBS). As hydrophobic nanoparticles - quantum dots (QD) with size of 3.8nm (emission wavelength of 420nm) were used. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) were constructed by the sequential, i.e., layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of alternately charged polyelectrolytes from their solutions. Liposomes and Liposome-QDs complexes were studied with Transmission Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) to verify the quality of vesicles and the position of QD within lipid bilayer. Deposition of liposomes and liposomes with quantum dots on polyelectrolyte films was studied in situ using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique. The fluorescence emission spectra were analyzed for both: suspension of liposomes with nanoparticles and for supported lipid bilayers containing QD on PEM. It was demonstrated that quantum dots are located in the hydrophobic part of lipid bilayer. Moreover, we proved that such QD-modified liposomes formed supported lipid bilayers and their final structure depended on the type of underlying cushion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Transistor memory devices with large memory windows, using multi-stacking of densely packed, hydrophobic charge trapping metal nanoparticle array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Ikjun; Cho, Jinhan; Kim, Beom Joon; Cho, Jeong Ho; Ryu, Sook Won

    2014-01-01

    Organic field-effect transistor (OFET) memories have rapidly evolved from low-cost and flexible electronics with relatively low-memory capacities to memory devices that require high-capacity memory such as smart memory cards or solid-state hard drives. Here, we report the high-capacity OFET memories based on the multilayer stacking of densely packed hydrophobic metal NP layers in place of the traditional transistor memory systems based on a single charge trapping layer. We demonstrated that the memory performances of devices could be significantly enhanced by controlling the adsorption isotherm behavior, multilayer stacking structure and hydrophobicity of the metal NPs. For this study, tetraoctylammonium (TOA)-stabilized Au nanoparticles (TOA-Au NPs ) were consecutively layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled with an amine-functionalized poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (PAD). The formed (PAD/TOA-Au NP ) n films were used as a multilayer stacked charge trapping layer at the interface between the tunneling dielectric layer and the SiO 2 gate dielectric layer. For a single Au NP layer (i.e. PAD/TOA-Au NP ) 1 ) with a number density of 1.82 × 10 12 cm −2 , the memory window of the OFET memory device was measured to be approximately 97 V. The multilayer stacked OFET memory devices prepared with four Au NP layers exhibited excellent programmable memory properties (i.e. a large memory window (ΔV th ) exceeding 145 V, a fast switching speed (1 μs), a high program/erase (P/E) current ratio (greater than 10 6 ) and good electrical reliability) during writing and erasing over a relatively short time scale under an operation voltage of 100 V applied at the gate. (paper)

  5. Fluoroalkyl and Alkyl Chains Have Similar Hydrophobicities in Binding to the “Hydrophobic Wall” of Carbonic Anhydrase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J Mecinovic; P Snyder; K Mirica; S Bai; E Mack; R Kwant; D Moustakas; A Heroux; G Whitesides

    2011-12-31

    The hydrophobic effect, the free-energetically favorable association of nonpolar solutes in water, makes a dominant contribution to binding of many systems of ligands and proteins. The objective of this study was to examine the hydrophobic effect in biomolecular recognition using two chemically different but structurally similar hydrophobic groups, aliphatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic fluorocarbons, and to determine whether the hydrophobicity of the two groups could be distinguished by thermodynamic and biostructural analysis. This paper uses isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to examine the thermodynamics of binding of benzenesulfonamides substituted in the para position with alkyl and fluoroalkyl chains (H{sub 2}NSO{sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 4}-CONHCH{sub 2}(CX{sub 2}){sub n}CX{sub 3}, n = 0-4, X = H, F) to human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II). Both alkyl and fluoroalkyl substituents contribute favorably to the enthalpy and the entropy of binding; these contributions increase as the length of chain of the hydrophobic substituent increases. Crystallography of the protein-ligand complexes indicates that the benzenesulfonamide groups of all ligands examined bind with similar geometry, that the tail groups associate with the hydrophobic wall of HCA II (which is made up of the side chains of residues Phe131, Val135, Pro202, and Leu204), and that the structure of the protein is indistinguishable for all but one of the complexes (the longest member of the fluoroalkyl series). Analysis of the thermodynamics of binding as a function of structure is compatible with the hypothesis that hydrophobic binding of both alkyl and fluoroalkyl chains to hydrophobic surface of carbonic anhydrase is due primarily to the release of nonoptimally hydrogen-bonded water molecules that hydrate the binding cavity (including the hydrophobic wall) of HCA II and to the release of water molecules that surround the hydrophobic chain of the ligands. This study defines the balance of enthalpic and

  6. Charging and heat collection by a positively charged dust grain in a plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delzanno, Gian Luca; Tang, Xian-Zhu

    2014-07-18

    Dust particulates immersed in a quasineutral plasma can emit electrons in several important applications. Once electron emission becomes strong enough, the dust enters the positively charged regime where the conventional orbital-motion-limited (OML) theory can break down due to potential-well effects on trapped electrons. A minimal modification of the trapped-passing boundary approximation in the so-called OML(+) approach is shown to accurately predict the dust charge and heat collection flux for a wide range of dust size and temperature.

  7. Sensing charges of the Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villalba-Galea, Carlos A; Frezza, Ludivine; Sandtner, Walter; Bezanilla, Francisco

    2013-11-01

    Voltage control over enzymatic activity in voltage-sensitive phosphatases (VSPs) is conferred by a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) located in the N terminus. These VSDs are constituted by four putative transmembrane segments (S1 to S4) resembling those found in voltage-gated ion channels. The putative fourth segment (S4) of the VSD contains positive residues that likely function as voltage-sensing elements. To study in detail how these residues sense the plasma membrane potential, we have focused on five arginines in the S4 segment of the Ciona intestinalis VSP (Ci-VSP). After implementing a histidine scan, here we show that four arginine-to-histidine mutants, namely R223H to R232H, mediate voltage-dependent proton translocation across the membrane, indicating that these residues transit through the hydrophobic core of Ci-VSP as a function of the membrane potential. These observations indicate that the charges carried by these residues are sensing charges. Furthermore, our results also show that the electrical field in VSPs is focused in a narrow hydrophobic region that separates the extracellular and intracellular space and constitutes the energy barrier for charge crossing.

  8. Optimal Hydrophobicity in Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization-Based Protein Mimics Required for siRNA Internalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    deRonde, Brittany M; Posey, Nicholas D; Otter, Ronja; Caffrey, Leah M; Minter, Lisa M; Tew, Gregory N

    2016-06-13

    Exploring the role of polymer structure for the internalization of biologically relevant cargo, specifically siRNA, is of critical importance to the development of improved delivery reagents. Herein, we report guanidinium-rich protein transduction domain mimics (PTDMs) based on a ring-opening metathesis polymerization scaffold containing tunable hydrophobic moieties that promote siRNA internalization. Structure-activity relationships using Jurkat T cells and HeLa cells were explored to determine how the length of the hydrophobic block and the hydrophobic side chain compositions of these PTDMs impacted siRNA internalization. To explore the hydrophobic block length, two different series of diblock copolymers were synthesized: one series with symmetric block lengths and one with asymmetric block lengths. At similar cationic block lengths, asymmetric and symmetric PTDMs promoted siRNA internalization in the same percentages of the cell population regardless of the hydrophobic block length; however, with 20 repeat units of cationic charge, the asymmetric block length had greater siRNA internalization, highlighting the nontrivial relationships between hydrophobicity and overall cationic charge. To further probe how the hydrophobic side chains impacted siRNA internalization, an additional series of asymmetric PTDMs was synthesized that featured a fixed hydrophobic block length of five repeat units that contained either dimethyl (dMe), methyl phenyl (MePh), or diphenyl (dPh) side chains and varied cationic block lengths. This series was further expanded to incorporate hydrophobic blocks consisting of diethyl (dEt), diisobutyl (diBu), and dicyclohexyl (dCy) based repeat units to better define the hydrophobic window for which our PTDMs had optimal activity. High-performance liquid chromatography retention times quantified the relative hydrophobicities of the noncationic building blocks. PTDMs containing the MePh, diBu, and dPh hydrophobic blocks were shown to have superior

  9. Position Reconstruction and Charge Distribution in LHCb VELO Silicon Sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Versloot, TW; Akiba, K; Artuso, M; Van Beuzekom, M; Borel, J; Bowcock, TJV; Buytaert, J; Collins, P; Dumps, R; Dwyer, L; Eckstein, D; Eklund, L; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Frei, R; Gersabek M; Haefeli, G; Hennessy, K; Huse, T; Jans, E; John, M; Ketel, TJ; Keune, A; Lastoviicka, T; Mountain, R; Neufeld, N; Parkes, C; Stone, S; Szumlak, T; Tobin, M; Van Lysebetten, A; Viret, S; De Vries, H; Wang, J

    2007-01-01

    In 2006, a partially equipped LHCb VELO detector half was characterised in a test beam experiment (Alignment Challenge and Detector Commissioning, ACDC3). The position reconstruction and resolution for 2-strip R-sensor clusters was studied as a function of strip pitch and track inclination on the sensor surface. The Charge Density Distribution (CDD) is derived from the weighted charge distribution. It becomes asymmetric for tracks non-perpendicular to the strip surface. It is shown that the asymmetric broadening of the CDD around the track intercept position results in a linear eta-function at higher angles (>6 degrees). The sensor spatial resolution is determined both using a linear weighted mean of strip charges, as well as a third-order polynomial approximation via a eta-correction. The experimental results are in agreement with previous simulations. Future studies are underway to determine the angle and pitch dependent parameters which will be implemented in the LHCb VELO cluster position software tools.

  10. Positive, Neutral, and Negative Mass-Charges in General Relativity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borissova L.

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available As shown, any four-dimensional proper vector has two observable projections onto time line, attributed to our world and the mirror world (for a mass-bearing particle, the projections posses are attributed to positive and negative mass-charges. As predicted, there should be a class of neutrally mass-charged particles that inhabit neither our world nor the mirror world. Inside the space-time area (membrane the space rotates at the light speed, and all particles move at as well the light speed. So, the predicted particles of the neutrally mass-charged class should seem as light-like vortices.

  11. Hydrophobicity-driven self-assembly of protein and silver nanoparticles for protein detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahraman, Mehmet; Balz, Ben N; Wachsmann-Hogiu, Sebastian

    2013-05-21

    Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a promising analytical technique for the detection and characterization of biological molecules and structures. The role of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces in the self-assembly of protein-metallic nanoparticle structures for label-free protein detection is demonstrated. Aggregation is driven by both the hydrophobicity of the surface as well as the charge of the proteins. The best conditions for obtaining a reproducible SERS signal that allows for sensitive, label-free protein detection are provided by the use of hydrophobic surfaces and 16 × 10(11) NPs per mL. A detection limit of approximately 0.5 μg mL(-1) is achieved regardless of the proteins' charge properties and size. The developed method is simple and can be used for reproducible and sensitive detection and characterization of a wide variety of biological molecules and various structures with different sizes and charge status.

  12. Rational design of viscosity reducing mutants of a monoclonal antibody: hydrophobic versus electrostatic inter-molecular interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, Pilarin; Li, Li; Kumar, Sandeep; Buck, Patrick M; Singh, Satish K; Goswami, Sumit; Balthazor, Bryan; Conley, Tami R; Sek, David; Allen, Martin J

    2015-01-01

    High viscosity of monoclonal antibody formulations at concentrations ≥100 mg/mL can impede their development as products suitable for subcutaneous delivery. The effects of hydrophobic and electrostatic intermolecular interactions on the solution behavior of MAB 1, which becomes unacceptably viscous at high concentrations, was studied by testing 5 single point mutants. The mutations were designed to reduce viscosity by disrupting either an aggregation prone region (APR), which also participates in 2 hydrophobic surface patches, or a negatively charged surface patch in the variable region. The disruption of an APR that lies at the interface of light and heavy chain variable domains, VH and VL, via L45K mutation destabilized MAB 1 and abolished antigen binding. However, mutation at the preceding residue (V44K), which also lies in the same APR, increased apparent solubility and reduced viscosity of MAB 1 without sacrificing antigen binding or thermal stability. Neutralizing the negatively charged surface patch (E59Y) also increased apparent solubility and reduced viscosity of MAB 1, but charge reversal at the same position (E59K/R) caused destabilization, decreased solubility and led to difficulties in sample manipulation that precluded their viscosity measurements at high concentrations. Both V44K and E59Y mutations showed similar increase in apparent solubility. However, the viscosity profile of E59Y was considerably better than that of the V44K, providing evidence that inter-molecular interactions in MAB 1 are electrostatically driven. In conclusion, neutralizing negatively charged surface patches may be more beneficial toward reducing viscosity of highly concentrated antibody solutions than charge reversal or aggregation prone motif disruption.

  13. Detection of secondary structure elements in proteins by hydrophobic cluster analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodcock, S; Mornon, J P; Henrissat, B

    1992-10-01

    Hydrophobic cluster analysis (HCA) is a protein sequence comparison method based on alpha-helical representations of the sequences where the size, shape and orientation of the clusters of hydrophobic residues are primarily compared. The effectiveness of HCA has been suggested to originate from its potential ability to focus on the residues forming the hydrophobic core of globular proteins. We have addressed the robustness of the bidimensional representation used for HCA in its ability to detect the regular secondary structure elements of proteins. Various parameters have been studied such as those governing cluster size and limits, the hydrophobic residues constituting the clusters as well as the potential shift of the cluster positions with respect to the position of the regular secondary structure elements. The following results have been found to support the alpha-helical bidimensional representation used in HCA: (i) there is a positive correlation (clearly above background noise) between the hydrophobic clusters and the regular secondary structure elements in proteins; (ii) the hydrophobic clusters are centred on the regular secondary structure elements; (iii) the pitch of the helical representation which gives the best correspondence is that of an alpha-helix. The correspondence between hydrophobic clusters and regular secondary structure elements suggests a way to implement variable gap penalties during the automatic alignment of protein sequences.

  14. Radiation from Accelerating Electric Charges: The Third Derivative of Position

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterworth, Edward

    2010-03-01

    While some textbooks appear to suggest that acceleration of an electric charge is both a necessary and sufficient cause for the generation of electromagnetic radiation, the question has in fact had an intricate and involved history. In particular, the acceleration of a charge in hyperbolic motion, the behavior of a charge supported against a gravitational force (and its implications for the Equivalence Principle), and a charge accelerated by a workless constraint have been the subject of repeated investigation. The present paper examines specifically the manner in which the third derivative of position enters into the equations of motion, and the implications this has for the emission of radiation. Plass opens his review article with the statement that ``A fundamental property of all charged particles is that electromagnetic energy is radiated whenever they are accelerated'' (Plass 1961; emphasis mine). His treatment of the equations of motion, however, emphasizes the importance of the occurrence of the third derivative of position therein, present in linear motion only when the rate of acceleration is increasing or decreasing. There appears to be general agreement that the presence of a nonzero third derivative indicates that this charge is radiating; but does its absence preclude radiation? This question leads back to the issues of charges accelerated by a uniform gravitational field. We will examine the equations of motion as presented in Fulton & Rohrlich (1960), Plass (1961), Barut (1964), Teitelboim (1970) and Mo & Papas (1971) in the light of more recent literature in an attempt to clarify this question.

  15. Comparing Positively and Negatively Charged Distonic Radical Ions in Phenylperoxyl Forming Reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Peggy E; Marshall, David L; Poad, Berwyck L J; Narreddula, Venkateswara R; Kirk, Benjamin B; Trevitt, Adam J; Blanksby, Stephen J

    2018-06-04

    In the gas phase, arylperoxyl forming reactions play a significant role in low-temperature combustion and atmospheric processing of volatile organic compounds. We have previously demonstrated the application of charge-tagged phenyl radicals to explore the outcomes of these reactions using ion trap mass spectrometry. Here, we present a side-by-side comparison of rates and product distributions from the reaction of positively and negatively charge tagged phenyl radicals with dioxygen. The negatively charged distonic radical ions are found to react with significantly greater efficiency than their positively charged analogues. The product distributions of the anion reactions favor products of phenylperoxyl radical decomposition (e.g., phenoxyl radicals and cyclopentadienone), while the comparable fixed-charge cations yield the stabilized phenylperoxyl radical. Electronic structure calculations rationalize these differences as arising from the influence of the charged moiety on the energetics of rate-determining transition states and reaction intermediates within the phenylperoxyl reaction manifold and predict that this influence could extend to intra-molecular charge-radical separations of up to 14.5 Å. Experimental observations of reactions of the novel 4-(1-carboxylatoadamantyl)phenyl radical anion confirm that the influence of the charge on both rate and product distribution can be modulated by increasing the rigidly imposed separation between charge and radical sites. These findings provide a generalizable framework for predicting the influence of charged groups on polarizable radicals in gas phase distonic radical ions. Graphical Abstract.

  16. Influence of the Hydrophobicity of Polyelectrolytes on Polyelectrolyte Complex Formation and Complex Particle Structure and Shape

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gudrun Petzold

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs were prepared by structural uniform and strongly charged cationic and anionic modified alternating maleic anhydride copolymers. The hydrophobicity of the polyelectrolytes was changed by the comonomers (ethylene, isobutylene and styrene. Additionally, the n−/n+ ratio of the molar charges of the polyelectrolytes and the procedure of formation were varied. The colloidal stability of the systems and the size, shape, and structure of the PEC particles were investigated by turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DLS and atomic force microscopy (AFM. Dynamic light scattering indicates that beside large PEC particle aggregates distinct smaller particles were formed by the copolymers which have the highest hydrophobicity (styrene. These findings could be proved by AFM. Fractal dimension (D, root mean square (RMS roughness and the surface profiles of the PEC particles adsorbed on mica allow the following conclusions: the higher the hydrophobicity of the polyelectrolytes, the broader is the particle size distribution and the minor is the swelling of the PEC particles. Hence, the most compact particles are formed with the very hydrophobic copolymer.

  17. Microphase Separation in Oil-Water Mixtures Containing Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Ions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tasios, Nikos; Samin, Sela; van Roij, Rene; Dijkstra, Marjolein

    2017-01-01

    We develop a lattice-based Monte Carlo simulation method for charged mixtures capable of treating dielectric heterogeneities. Using this method, we study oil-water mixtures containing an antagonistic salt, with hydrophilic cations and hydrophobic anions. Our simulations reveal several phases with a

  18. Study of position resolution for cathode readout MWPC with measurement of induced charge distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiba, J.; Iwasaki, H.; Kageyama, T.; Kuribayashi, S.; Nakamura, K.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Takeda, T.

    1983-01-01

    A readout technqiue of multiwire proportional chambers by measurement of charges induced on cathode strips, orthogonal to anode wires, requires an algorithm to relate the measured charge distribution to the avalanche position. With given chamber parameters and under the influence of noise, resolution limits depend on the chosen algorithm. We have studied the position resolution obtained by the centroid method and by the charge-ratio method, both using three consecutive cathode strips. While the centroid method uses a single number, the center of gravity of the measured charges, the charge-ratio method uses the ratios of the charges Qsub(i-1)/Qsub(i) and Qsub(i+1)/Qsub(i) where Qsub(i) is the largest. To obtain a given resolution, the charge-ratio method generally allows wider cathode strips and therefore a smaller number of readout channels than the centroid method. (orig.)

  19. Two-dimensional position sensitive silicon photodiode as a charged particle detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovacevic, K.; Zadro, M.

    1999-01-01

    A two-dimensional position sensitive silicon photodiode has been tested for measurement of position and energy of charged particles. Position nonlinearity and resolution, as well as energy resolution and ballistic deficit were measured for 5.486 MeV α-particles. The results obtained for different pulse shaping time constants are presented

  20. Method and apparatus for positioning a beam of charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michail, M.S.; Woodard, O.C.; Yourke, H.S.

    1975-01-01

    A beam of charged particles is stepped from one predetermined position to another to form a desired pattern on a semiconductor wafer. There is a dynamic correction for the deviation of the actual position of the beam from its predetermined position, so that the beam is applied to the deviated position rather than the predetermined position. Through the location of four registration marks, the writing field is precisely defined. Writing fields may be interconnected by the sharing of registration marks, enabling the construction of chips which are larger than a single writing field. (auth)

  1. Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of positively charged chitosan gold nanoparticles in human lung adenocarcinoma cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Seon Young; Jang, Soo Hwa [Seoul National University, Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Veterinary Science (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin; Jeong, Saeromi; Park, Jin Ho; Ock, Kwang Su [Soongsil University, Department of Chemistry (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kangtaek [Yonsei University, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Yang, Sung Ik [Kyung Hee University, College of Environment and Applied Chemistry (Korea, Republic of); Joo, Sang-Woo, E-mail: sjoo@ssu.ac.kr [Soongsil University, Department of Chemistry (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Pan Dong; Lee, So Yeong, E-mail: leeso@snu.ac.kr [Seoul National University, Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Veterinary Science (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-12-15

    Cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and mechanisms of cytotoxicity of the positively charged Au nanoparticles (NPs) were examined in A549 cells, which are one of the most characterized pulmonary cellular systems. Positively charged Au NPs were prepared by chemical reduction using chitosan. The dimension and surface charge of Au NPs were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. The uptake of Au NPs into A549 cells was also monitored using TEM and dark-field microscopy (DFM) and z-stack confocal microRaman spectroscopy. DFM live cell imaging was also performed to monitor the entry of chitosan Au NPs in real time. The cytotoxic assay, using both methylthiazol tetrazolium and lactate dehydrogenase assays revealed that positively charged Au NPs decreased cell viability. Flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation, real-time PCR, and western blot analysis suggest that positively charged chitosan Au NPs provoke cell damage through both apoptotic and necrotic pathways.

  2. Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of positively charged chitosan gold nanoparticles in human lung adenocarcinoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Seon Young; Jang, Soo Hwa; Park, Jin; Jeong, Saeromi; Park, Jin Ho; Ock, Kwang Su; Lee, Kangtaek; Yang, Sung Ik; Joo, Sang-Woo; Ryu, Pan Dong; Lee, So Yeong

    2012-01-01

    Cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and mechanisms of cytotoxicity of the positively charged Au nanoparticles (NPs) were examined in A549 cells, which are one of the most characterized pulmonary cellular systems. Positively charged Au NPs were prepared by chemical reduction using chitosan. The dimension and surface charge of Au NPs were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. The uptake of Au NPs into A549 cells was also monitored using TEM and dark-field microscopy (DFM) and z-stack confocal microRaman spectroscopy. DFM live cell imaging was also performed to monitor the entry of chitosan Au NPs in real time. The cytotoxic assay, using both methylthiazol tetrazolium and lactate dehydrogenase assays revealed that positively charged Au NPs decreased cell viability. Flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation, real-time PCR, and western blot analysis suggest that positively charged chitosan Au NPs provoke cell damage through both apoptotic and necrotic pathways.

  3. Energy distribution extraction of negative charges responsible for positive bias temperature instability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren Shang-Qing; Yang Hong; Wang Wen-Wu; Tang Bo; Tang Zhao-Yun; Wang Xiao-Lei; Xu Hao; Luo Wei-Chun; Zhao Chao; Yan Jiang; Chen Da-Peng; Ye Tian-Chun

    2015-01-01

    A new method is proposed to extract the energy distribution of negative charges, which results from electron trapping by traps in the gate stack of nMOSFET during positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) stress based on the recovery measurement. In our case, the extracted energy distribution of negative charges shows an obvious dependence on energy, and the energy level of the largest energy density of negative charges is 0.01 eV above the conduction band of silicon. The charge energy distribution below that energy level shows strong dependence on the stress voltage. (paper)

  4. Positive zeta potential of a negatively charged semi-permeable plasma membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Shayandev; Jing, Haoyuan; Das, Siddhartha

    2017-08-01

    The negative charge of the plasma membrane (PM) severely affects the nature of moieties that may enter or leave the cells and controls a large number of ion-interaction-mediated intracellular and extracellular events. In this letter, we report our discovery of a most fascinating scenario, where one interface (e.g., membrane-cytosol interface) of the negatively charged PM shows a positive surface (or ζ) potential, while the other interface (e.g., membrane-electrolyte interface) still shows a negative ζ potential. Therefore, we encounter a completely unexpected situation where an interface (e.g., membrane-cytosol interface) that has a negative surface charge density demonstrates a positive ζ potential. We establish that the attainment of such a property by the membrane can be ascribed to an interplay of the nature of the membrane semi-permeability and the electrostatics of the electric double layer established on either side of the charged membrane. We anticipate that such a membrane property can lead to such capabilities of the cell (in terms of accepting or releasing certain kinds of moieties as well regulating cellular signaling) that was hitherto inconceivable.

  5. Mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion chromatography for intact protein separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Ling; Guo, Zhimou; Hu, Zhuo; Liang, Xinmiao

    2017-05-10

    A mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion stationary phase C8PN composed of octyl and amino group has been developed for separation of intact protein. Before the separation of proteins, a set of probe compounds were employed to evaluate the chromatographic properties of C8PN, demonstrating typical reversed phase/positively charged repulsion interaction on this stationary phase as estimated. Then the new C8PN stationary phase was used to separate a standard protein mixture on the reversed phase mode. Compared with a commercial C4 stationary phase, it showed different selectivity for some proteins. In order to better understand the properties of C8PN, the effect of acetonitrile content was investigated based on retention equation. Higher values of the equation parameters on C8PN demonstrated that the protein retentions were more sensitive to the change of acetonitrile content. Besides, the influences of buffer salt additives on the protein retentions were also studied. The retention factors of the proteins got larger with the increase of buffer salt concentration, which confirmed the positively charged repulsion interaction on the column. Finally, the C8PN was further applied to separate oxidized- and reduced- forms of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone. Our study indicated the advantages and application potential of mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion stationary phase for intact protein separation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Mapping Hydrophobicity on the Protein Molecular Surface at Atom-Level Resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolau Jr., Dan V.; Paszek, Ewa; Fulga, Florin; Nicolau, Dan V.

    2014-01-01

    A precise representation of the spatial distribution of hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity and charges on the molecular surface of proteins is critical for the understanding of the interaction with small molecules and larger systems. The representation of hydrophobicity is rarely done at atom-level, as this property is generally assigned to residues. A new methodology for the derivation of atomic hydrophobicity from any amino acid-based hydrophobicity scale was used to derive 8 sets of atomic hydrophobicities, one of which was used to generate the molecular surfaces for 35 proteins with convex structures, 5 of which, i.e., lysozyme, ribonuclease, hemoglobin, albumin and IgG, have been analyzed in more detail. Sets of the molecular surfaces of the model proteins have been constructed using spherical probes with increasingly large radii, from 1.4 to 20 Å, followed by the quantification of (i) the surface hydrophobicity; (ii) their respective molecular surface areas, i.e., total, hydrophilic and hydrophobic area; and (iii) their relative densities, i.e., divided by the total molecular area; or specific densities, i.e., divided by property-specific area. Compared with the amino acid-based formalism, the atom-level description reveals molecular surfaces which (i) present an approximately two times more hydrophilic areas; with (ii) less extended, but between 2 to 5 times more intense hydrophilic patches; and (iii) 3 to 20 times more extended hydrophobic areas. The hydrophobic areas are also approximately 2 times more hydrophobicity-intense. This, more pronounced “leopard skin”-like, design of the protein molecular surface has been confirmed by comparing the results for a restricted set of homologous proteins, i.e., hemoglobins diverging by only one residue (Trp37). These results suggest that the representation of hydrophobicity on the protein molecular surfaces at atom-level resolution, coupled with the probing of the molecular surface at different geometric resolutions

  7. Molecular and supramolecular characterization of Ni(II)/losartan hydrophobic nanoprecipitate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nascimento, Lorrayne O.; Goulart, Pedro P.; Correa, Jéssyca L.; Abrishamkar, Afshin; Da Silva, Jeferson G.; Mangrich, Antonio S.; de França, Amanda A.; Denadai, Ângelo M. L.

    2014-09-01

    In this work, a contribution to understanding of the formation of metal(II)/losartan hydrophobic nanoprecipitate is reported. A Ni(II)/Los system was prepared and characterized in solid state and in solution. Solubility studies confirmed the formation of hydrophobic precipitate. Obtained spectroscopic data suggest a sort of coordination between tetrazolic ring as well as OH, and a D4h geometry around the nickel cation. Thermodynamic studies demonstrated that complexation is a stepwise process, with equal enthalpic and entropic contributions for free energy of complexation. DLS and zeta potential titrations indicate the formation of stable nanoparticles of size and charge dependent on the molar ratio. Finally, rheological studies demonstrate a Bingham plastic behavior for Ni(II)/Los suspension.

  8. The relation of electrode voltages to charge position in SLC arc and final focus beam position monitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fordham, C.

    1989-01-01

    The position of a charged particle beam can be measured with a Beam Position Monitor (BPM) by converting the voltages induced on its array of electrodes into a position offset from the array's center. Most of the BPMs in the Arcs and Final Focus of the SLC use four stripline electrodes arranged symmetrically around the beam; normalized voltage differences are calculated as the difference divided by the sum of voltages on opposite electrode pairs. The resulting number is multiplied by a conversion factor, denoted in this paper as S b , to give the offset (in millimeters) of the charge from the center of the BPM. Prior to installation in the beam line, the BPMs were calibrated with a charge pulse on a rod. Owing to geometric effects which will be discussed later, a different conversion factor had to be used for calibration. It will be denoted here by S r . This paper gives the results of calculations and measurements of S r and S b for Arc and Final Focus BPMs. This paper also describes the relevant physical properties of the several types of BPMs and calculations of the expected scale factors, the measurement methods used, and gives the results of measurements, which are compared with the theoretical expectations. 2 refs., 18 figs., 7 tabs

  9. Method of improving heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ling; Xia, Huifen

    2018-01-01

    The project of polymer flooding has achieved great success in Daqing oilfield, and the main oil reservoir recovery can be improved by more than 15%. But, for some strong oil reservoir heterogeneity carrying out polymer flooding, polymer solution will be inefficient and invalid loop problem in the high permeability layer, then cause the larger polymer volume, and a significant reduction in the polymer flooding efficiency. Aiming at this problem, it is studied the method that improves heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control. The research results show that the polymer physical and chemical reaction of positively-charged gel with the residual polymer in high permeability layer can generate three-dimensional network of polymer, plugging high permeable layer, and increase injection pressure gradient, then improve the effect of polymer flooding development. Under the condition of the same dosage, positively-charged gel profile control can improve the polymer flooding recovery factor by 2.3∼3.8 percentage points. Under the condition of the same polymer flooding recovery factor increase value, after positively-charged gel profile control, it can reduce the polymer volume by 50 %. Applying mechanism of positively-charged gel profile control technology is feasible, cost savings, simple construction, and no environmental pollution, therefore has good application prospect.

  10. 2D position sensitive microstrip sensors with charge division along the strip Studies on the position measurement error

    CERN Document Server

    Bassignana, D; Fernandez, M; Jaramillo, R; Lozano, M; Munoz, F.J; Pellegrini, G; Quirion, D; Vila, I; Vitorero, F

    2013-01-01

    Position sensitivity in semiconductor detectors of ionizing radiation is usually achieved by the segmentation of the sensing diode junction in many small sensing elements read out separately as in the case of conventional microstrips and pixel detectors. Alternatively, position sensitivity can be obtained by splitting the ionization signal collected by one single electrode amongst more than one readout channel with the ratio of the collected charges depending on the position where the signal was primary generated. Following this later approach, we implemented the charge division method in a conventional microstrip detector to obtain position sensitivity along the strip. We manufactured a proofof-concept demonstrator where the conventional aluminum electrodes were replaced by slightly resistive electrodes made of strongly doped poly-crystalline silicon and being readout at both strip ends. Here, we partially summarize the laser characterization of this first proof-of-concept demonstrator with special emphasis ...

  11. PEPTIDE SOLUBILITY, STRUCTURE AND CHARGE POSITION EFFECT ON ADSORPTION BY ALUMINIUM HYDROXIDE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Trujillo

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Solubility, structure and position of charges in a peptide antigen sequence can be mentioned as being amongst the basic features of adsorption. In order to study their effect on adsorption, seven analogue series were synthesized from a MSP-1 peptide sequence by systematically replacing each one of the positions in the peptide sequence by aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, alanine, asparagine, glutamine or lysine. Such modifications in analogue peptide sequences showed a non-regular tendency regarding solubility and adsorption data. Aspartic acid and Glutamic acid analogue series showed great improvements in adsorption, especially in peptides where Lysine in position 6 and Arginine in position 13 were replaced. Solubility of position 5 analogue was greater than the position 6 analogue in Aspartic acid series; however, the position 6 analogue showed best adsorption results whilst the Aspartic acid in position 5 analogue showed no adsorption in the same conditions. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance structural analysis revealed differences in the -helical structureextension between these analogues. The Aspartic acid in position 6, located in the polar side of the helix, may allow this analogueto fit better onto the adsorption regions suggesting that the local electrostatic charge is responsible for this behavior.

  12. Bactericidal and Hemocompatible Coating via the Mixed-Charged Copolymer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Xiao-Li; Hu, Mi; Qin, Zhi-Hui; Wang, Jing; Chen, Xia-Chao; Lei, Wen-Xi; Ye, Wan-Ying; Jin, Qiao; Ren, Ke-Feng; Ji, Jian

    2018-03-28

    Cationic antibacterial coating based on quaternary ammonium compounds, with an efficient and broad spectrum bactericidal property, has been widely used in various fields. However, the high density of positive charges tends to induce weak hemocompatibility, which hinders the application of the cationic antibacterial coating in blood-contacting devices and implants. It has been reported that a negatively charged surface can reduce blood coagulation, showing improved hemocompatibility. Here, we describe a strategy to combine the cationic and anionic groups by using mixed-charged copolymers. The copolymers of poly (quaternized vinyl pyridine- co- n-butyl methacrylate- co-methacrylate acid) [P(QVP- co- nBMA- co-MAA)] were synthesized through free radical copolymerization. The cationic group of QVP, the anionic group of MAA, and the hydrophobic group of nBMA were designed to provide bactericidal capability, hemocompatibility, and coating stability, respectively. Our findings show that the hydrophilicity of the copolymer coating increased, and its zeta potential decreased from positive charge to negative charge with the increase of the anionic/cationic ratio. Meanwhile, the bactericidal property of the copolymer coating was kept around a similar level compared with the pure quaternary ammonium copolymer coating. Furthermore, the coagulation time, platelet adhesion, and hemolysis tests revealed that the hemocompatibility of the copolymer coating improved with the addition of the anionic group. The mixed-charged copolymer combined both bactericidal property and hemocompatibility and has a promising potential in blood-contacting antibacterial devices and implants.

  13. Flocculation in ale brewing strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: re-evaluation of the role of cell surface charge and hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holle, Ann Van; Machado, Manuela D; Soares, Eduardo V

    2012-02-01

    Flocculation is an eco-friendly process of cell separation, which has been traditionally exploited by the brewing industry. Cell surface charge (CSC), cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and the presence of active flocculins, during the growth of two (NCYC 1195 and NCYC 1214) ale brewing flocculent strains, belonging to the NewFlo phenotype, were examined. Ale strains, in exponential phase of growth, were not flocculent and did not present active flocculent lectins on the cell surface; in contrast, the same strains, in stationary phase of growth, were highly flocculent (>98%) and presented a hydrophobicity of approximately three to seven times higher than in exponential phase. No relationship between growth phase, flocculation and CSC was observed. For comparative purposes, a constitutively flocculent strain (S646-1B) and its isogenic non-flocculent strain (S646-8D) were also used. The treatment of ale brewing and S646-1B strains with pronase E originated a loss of flocculation and a strong reduction of CSH; S646-1B pronase E-treated cells displayed a similar CSH as the non-treated S646-8D cells. The treatment of the S646-8D strain with protease did not reduce CSH. In conclusion, the increase of CSH observed at the onset of flocculation of ale strains is a consequence of the presence of flocculins on the yeast cell surface and not the cause of yeast flocculation. CSH and CSC play a minor role in the auto-aggregation of the ale strains since the degree of flocculation is defined, primarily, by the presence of active flocculins on the yeast cell wall.

  14. Long-range interaction between heterogeneously charged membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jho, Y S; Brewster, R; Safran, S A; Pincus, P A

    2011-04-19

    Despite their neutrality, surfaces or membranes with equal amounts of positive and negative charge can exhibit long-range electrostatic interactions if the surface charge is heterogeneous; this can happen when the surface charges form finite-size domain structures. These domains can be formed in lipid membranes where the balance of the different ranges of strong but short-ranged hydrophobic interactions and longer-ranged electrostatic repulsion result in a finite, stable domain size. If the domain size is large enough, oppositely charged domains in two opposing surfaces or membranes can be strongly correlated by the electrostatic interactions; these correlations give rise to an attractive interaction of the two membranes or surfaces over separations on the order of the domain size. We use numerical simulations to demonstrate the existence of strong attractions at separations of tens of nanometers. Large line tensions result in larger domains but also increase the charge density within the domain. This promotes correlations and, as a result, increases the intermembrane attraction. On the other hand, increasing the salt concentration increases both the domain size and degree of domain anticorrelation, but the interactions are ultimately reduced due to increased screening. The result is a decrease in the net attraction as salt concentration is increased. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  15. Development of a Sweetness Sensor for Aspartame, a Positively Charged High-Potency Sweetener

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masato Yasuura

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Taste evaluation technology has been developed by several methods, such as sensory tests, electronic tongues and a taste sensor based on lipid/polymer membranes. In particular, the taste sensor can individually quantify five basic tastes without multivariate analysis. However, it has proven difficult to develop a sweetness sensor, because sweeteners are classified into three types according to the electric charges in an aqueous solution; that is, no charge, negative charge and positive charge. Using membrane potential measurements, the taste-sensing system needs three types of sensor membrane for each electric charge type of sweetener. Since the commercially available sweetness sensor was only intended for uncharged sweeteners, a sweetness sensor for positively charged high-potency sweeteners such as aspartame was developed in this study. Using a lipid and plasticizers, we fabricated various lipid/polymer membranes for the sweetness sensor to identify the suitable components of the sensor membranes. As a result, one of the developed sensors showed responses of more than 20 mV to 10 mM aspartame and less than 5 mV to any other taste. The responses of the sensor depended on the concentration of aspartame. These results suggested that the developed sweetness sensor had high sensitivity to and high selectivity for aspartame.

  16. Development of a sweetness sensor for aspartame, a positively charged high-potency sweetener.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuura, Masato; Tahara, Yusuke; Ikezaki, Hidekazu; Toko, Kiyoshi

    2014-04-23

    Taste evaluation technology has been developed by several methods, such as sensory tests, electronic tongues and a taste sensor based on lipid/polymer membranes. In particular, the taste sensor can individually quantify five basic tastes without multivariate analysis. However, it has proven difficult to develop a sweetness sensor, because sweeteners are classified into three types according to the electric charges in an aqueous solution; that is, no charge, negative charge and positive charge. Using membrane potential measurements, the taste-sensing system needs three types of sensor membrane for each electric charge type of sweetener. Since the commercially available sweetness sensor was only intended for uncharged sweeteners, a sweetness sensor for positively charged high-potency sweeteners such as aspartame was developed in this study. Using a lipid and plasticizers, we fabricated various lipid/polymer membranes for the sweetness sensor to identify the suitable components of the sensor membranes. As a result, one of the developed sensors showed responses of more than 20 mV to 10 mM aspartame and less than 5 mV to any other taste. The responses of the sensor depended on the concentration of aspartame. These results suggested that the developed sweetness sensor had high sensitivity to and high selectivity for aspartame.

  17. Tridodecylamine, an efficient charge control agent in non-polar media for electrophoretic inks application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noel, Amélie; Mirbel, Déborah; Cloutet, Eric; Fleury, Guillaume; Schatz, Christophe; Navarro, Christophe; Hadziioannou, Georges; CyrilBrochon

    2018-01-01

    In order to obtain efficient electrophoretic inks, Tridodecylamine (Dod3N), has been studied as charge control agent (CCA) in a non-polar paraffin solvent (Isopar G) for various inorganic pigments (TiO2 and Fe2O3). All hydrophobic mineral oxides, i.e. treated with octyltrimethoxysilane (C8) or dodecyltrimethoxysilane (C12), were found to be negatively charged in presence of Dod3N. The electrophoretic mobilities of inorganic pigments seemed to be strongly dependent of their isoelectric point (IEP) and also of the concentration of dod3N with an optimum range between 10 and 20 mM depending on the pigments. Finally, an electrophoretic ink constituted of hydrophobic mineral oxides in presence of Dod3N was tested in a device. Its efficiency as charge control agent to negatively charge hydrophobic particles was confirmed through good optical properties and fast response time (220 ms at 200 kV m-1).

  18. A two-dimensional position sensitive gas chamber with scanned charge transfer readout

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez, F. E-mail: faustgr@usc.es; Iglesias, A.; Lobato, R.; Mosquera, J.; Pardo, J.; Pena, J.; Pazos, A.; Pombar, M.; Rodriguez, A

    2003-10-21

    We have constructed and tested a two-dimensional position sensitive parallel-plate gas ionization chamber with scanned charge transfer readout. The scan readout method described here is based on the development of a new position-dependent charge transfer technique. It has been implemented by using gate strips perpendicularly oriented to the collector strips. This solution reduces considerably the number of electronic readout channels needed to cover large detector areas. The use of a 25 {mu}m thick kapton etched circuit allows high charge transfer efficiency with a low gating voltage, consequently needing a very simple commutating circuit. The present prototype covers 8x8 cm{sup 2} with a pixel size of 1.27x1.27 mm{sup 2}. Depending on the intended use and beam characteristics a smaller effective pixel is feasible and larger active areas are possible. This detector can be used for X-ray or other continuous beam intensity profile monitoring.

  19. A two-dimensional position sensitive gas chamber with scanned charge transfer readout

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomez, F.; Iglesias, A.; Lobato, R.; Mosquera, J.; Pardo, J.; Pena, J.; Pazos, A.; Pombar, M.; Rodriguez, A.

    2003-01-01

    We have constructed and tested a two-dimensional position sensitive parallel-plate gas ionization chamber with scanned charge transfer readout. The scan readout method described here is based on the development of a new position-dependent charge transfer technique. It has been implemented by using gate strips perpendicularly oriented to the collector strips. This solution reduces considerably the number of electronic readout channels needed to cover large detector areas. The use of a 25 μm thick kapton etched circuit allows high charge transfer efficiency with a low gating voltage, consequently needing a very simple commutating circuit. The present prototype covers 8x8 cm 2 with a pixel size of 1.27x1.27 mm 2 . Depending on the intended use and beam characteristics a smaller effective pixel is feasible and larger active areas are possible. This detector can be used for X-ray or other continuous beam intensity profile monitoring

  20. Fabrication of hydrophobic surface with hierarchical structure on Mg alloy and its corrosion resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jun; Li Dandan; Liu Qi; Yin Xi; Zhang Ying; Jing Xiaoyan; Zhang Milin

    2010-01-01

    A hydrotalcite/hydromagnesite conversion coating with hierarchical structure has been fabricated on a Mg alloy substrate by in situ hydrothermal crystallization method. A MgO layer existing between the hydrotalcite/hydromagnesite film and the substrate was formed prior to the hydrotalcite/hydromagnesite film during the crystallization process. After surface treatment with silane coupling agent, the surface of conversion coating changes from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the silylated conversion coating with hierarchical structure maintains the original rough surface of which was composed of numerous micro-scale flakes and beautiful flower-like protrusions. Polarization measurements have shown that the hydrophobic conversion coating exhibited a low corrosion current density value of 0.432 μA/cm 2 , which means that the hydrophobic conversion coating can effectively protect Mg alloy from corrosion. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the impedance of the hydrophobic conversion coating was 9000 Ω. It means that the coating served as a passive layer with high charge transfer resistance.

  1. Small interfering RNA delivery through positively charged polymer nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragoni, Luca; Cesana, Alberto; Moscatelli, Davide; Ferrari, Raffaele; Morbidelli, Massimo; Lupi, Monica; Falcetta, Francesca; Ubezio, Paolo; D’Incalci, Maurizio

    2016-01-01

    Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is receiving increasing attention with regard to the treatment of many genetic diseases, both acquired and hereditary, such as cancer and diabetes. Being a high molecular weight (MW) polyanion, siRNA is not able to cross a cell membrane, and in addition it is unstable in physiological conditions. Accordingly, a biocompatible nanocarrier able to deliver siRNA into cells is needed. In this work, we synthesized biocompatible positively charged nanoparticles (NPs) following a two-step process that involves ring opening polymerization (ROP) and emulsion free radical polymerization (EFRP). Firstly, we proved the possibility of fine tuning the NPs’ characteristics (e.g. size and surface charge) by changing the synthetic process parameters. Then the capability in loading and delivering undamaged siRNA into a cancer cell cytoplasm has been shown. This latter process occurs through the biodegradation of the polymer constituting the NPs, whose kinetics can be tuned by adjusting the polymer’s MW. Finally, the ability of NPs to carry siRNA inside the cells in order to inhibit their target gene has been demonstrated using green flourescent protein positive cells. (paper)

  2. The role of surface charge in cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of medical nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fröhlich E

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Eleonore FröhlichCenter for Medical Research, Medical University of Graz, Graz, AustriaAbstract: Many types of nanoparticles (NPs are tested for use in medical products, particularly in imaging and gene and drug delivery. For these applications, cellular uptake is usually a prerequisite and is governed in addition to size by surface characteristics such as hydrophobicity and charge. Although positive charge appears to improve the efficacy of imaging, gene transfer, and drug delivery, a higher cytotoxicity of such constructs has been reported. This review summarizes findings on the role of surface charge on cytotoxicity in general, action on specific cellular targets, modes of toxic action, cellular uptake, and intracellular localization of NPs. Effects of serum and intercell type differences are addressed. Cationic NPs cause more pronounced disruption of plasma-membrane integrity, stronger mitochondrial and lysosomal damage, and a higher number of autophagosomes than anionic NPs. In general, nonphagocytic cells ingest cationic NPs to a higher extent, but charge density and hydrophobicity are equally important; phagocytic cells preferentially take up anionic NPs. Cells do not use different uptake routes for cationic and anionic NPs, but high uptake rates are usually linked to greater biological effects. The different uptake preferences of phagocytic and nonphagocytic cells for cationic and anionic NPs may influence the efficacy and selectivity of NPs for drug delivery and imaging.Keywords: endocytosis, plasma membrane, lysosomes, polystyrene particles, quantum dots, dendrimers

  3. Interactions between similar and dissimilar charged interfaces in the presence of multivalent anions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moazzami-Gudarzi, Mohsen; Adam, Pavel; Smith, Alexander M; Trefalt, Gregor; Szilágyi, István; Maroni, Plinio; Borkovec, Michal

    2018-04-04

    Direct force measurements involving amidine latex (AL) and sulfate latex (SL) particles in aqueous solutions containing multivalent ferrocyanide anions are presented. These measurements feature three different pairs of particles, namely SL-SL, AL-SL, and AL-AL. The force profiles are quantitatively interpreted in terms of the theory by Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (DLVO) that is combined with a short-ranged exponential attraction. In monovalent salt solutions, the AL particles are positively charged, while the SL particles are negatively charged. In solutions containing ferrocyanide, the charge of the AL particles is reversed as the concentration is increased. The longer-ranged component of all force profiles is fully compatible with DLVO theory, provided effects of charge regulation are included. At shorter distances, an additional exponential attraction must be introduced, whereby the respective decay length is about 2 nm for the AL-AL pair, and below 1 nm for the SL-SL pair. This non-DLVO force is intermediate for the asymmetric AL-SL pair. These additional forces are probably related to charge fluctuations, patch-charged interactions, or hydrophobic forces.

  4. Ions-induced nanostructuration: effect of specific ionic adsorption on hydrophobic polymer surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siretanu, Igor; Chapel, Jean-Paul; Bastos-González, Delfi; Drummond, Carlos

    2013-06-06

    The effect of surface charges on the ionic distribution in close proximity to an interface has been extensively studied. On the contrary, the influence of ions (from dissolved salts) on deformable interfaces has been barely investigated. Ions can adsorb from aqueous solutions on hydrophobic surfaces, generating forces that can induce long-lasting deformation of glassy polymer films, a process called ion-induced polymer nanostructuration, IPN. We have found that this process is ion-specific; larger surface modifications are observed in the presence of water ions and hydrophobic and amphiphilic ions. Surface structuration is also observed in the presence of certain salts of lithium. We have used streaming potential and atomic force microscopy to study the effect of dissolved ions on the surface properties of polystyrene films, finding a good correlation between ionic adsorption and IPN. Our results also suggest that the presence of strongly hydrated lithium promotes the interaction of anions with polystyrene surfaces and more generally with hydrophobic polymer surfaces, triggering then the IPN process.

  5. Characterization of dextran-grafted hydrophobic charge-induction resins: Structural properties, protein adsorption and transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Tao; Angelo, James M; Lin, Dong-Qiang; Lenhoff, Abraham M; Yao, Shan-Jing

    2017-09-29

    The structural and functional properties of a series of dextran-grafted and non-grafted hydrophobic charge-induction chromatographic (HCIC) agarose resins were characterized by macroscopic and microscopic techniques. The effects of dextran grafting and mobile phase conditions on the pore dimensions of the resins were investigated with inverse size exclusion chromatography (ISEC). A significantly lower pore radius (17.6nm) was found for dextran-grafted than non-grafted resins (29.5nm), but increased salt concentration would narrow the gap between the respective pore radii. Two proteins, human immunoglobulin G (hIgG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), were used to examine the effect of protein characteristics. The results of adsorption isotherms showed that the dextran-grafted resin with high ligand density had substantially higher adsorption capacity and enhanced the salt-tolerance property for hIgG, but displayed a significantly smaller benefit for BSA adsorption. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that hIgG presented more diffuse and slower moving adsorption front compared to BSA during uptake into the resins because of the selective binding of multiple species from polyclonal IgG; polymer-grafting with high ligand density could enhance the rate of hIgG transport in the dextran-grafted resins without salt addition, but not for the case with high salt and BSA. The results indicate that microscopic analysis using ISEC and CLSM is useful to improve the mechanistic understanding of resin structure and of critical functional parameters involving protein adsorption and transport, which would guide the rational design of new resins and processes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Investigation of the electrochemical and electrocatalytic behavior of positively charged gold nanoparticle and L-cysteine film on an Au electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Lingyan; Yuan Ruo; Chai Yaqing; Li Xuelian

    2007-01-01

    Positively charged gold nanoparticle (positively charged nano-Au), which was prepared, characterized by ξ-potential and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used in combination with L-cysteine to fabricate a modified electrode for electrocatalytic reaction of biomolecules. Compared with electrodes modified by negatively charged gold nanoparticle/L-cysteine, or L-cysteine alone, the electrode modified by the positively charged gold nanoparticle/L-cysteine exhibited excellent electrochemical behavior toward the oxidation of biomolecules such as ascorbic acid, dopamine and hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, the proposed mechanism for electrocatalytic response of positively charged gold nanoparticle was discussed. The immunosensor showed a specific to ascorbic acid in the range 5.1 x 10 -7 -6.7 x 10 -4 M and a low detection limit of 1.5 x 10 -7 M. The experimental results demonstrate that positively charged gold nanoparticle have more efficient electrocatalytic reaction than negatively charged gold nanoparticle, which opens up new approach for fabricating sensor

  7. Characterization of local hydrophobicity on sapphire (0001) surfaces in aqueous environment by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wada, Tomoya; Yamazaki, Kenji; Isono, Toshinari; Ogino, Toshio, E-mail: ogino-toshio-rx@ynu.ac.jp

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • Local hydrophobicity of phase-separated sapphire (0001) surfaces was investigated. • These surfaces are featured by coexistence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. • Each domain was characterized by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy in water. • Both domains can be distinguished by adhesive forces of the probe to the surfaces. • Characterization in aqueous environment is important in bio-applications of sapphire. - Abstract: Sapphire (0001) surfaces exhibit a phase-separation into hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains upon high-temperature annealing, which were previously distinguished by the thickness of adsorbed water layers in air using atomic force microscopy (AFM). To characterize their local surface hydrophobicity in aqueous environment, we used AFM equipped with a colloidal probe and measured the local adhesive force between each sapphire domain and a hydrophilic SiO{sub 2} probe surface, or a hydrophobic polystyrene one. Two data acquisition modes for statistical analyses were used: one is force measurements at different positions of the surface and the other repeated measurement at a fixed position. We found that adhesive force measurements using the polystyrene probe allow us to distinctly separate the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. The dispersion in the force measurement data at different positions of the surface is larger than that in the repeated measurements at a fixed position. It indicates that the adhesive force measurement is repeatable although their data dispersion for the measurement positions is relatively large. From these results, we can conclude that the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains on the sapphire (0001) surfaces are distinguished by a difference in their hydration degrees.

  8. How microorganisms use hydrophobicity and what does this mean for human needs?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna eKrasowska

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH plays a crucial role in the attachment to, or detachment from the surfaces. The influence of CSH on adhesion of microorganisms to biotic and abiotic surfaces in medicine as well as in bioremediation and fermentation industry has both negative and positive aspects. Hydrophobic microorganisms cause the damage of surfaces by biofilm formation; on the other hand, they can readily accumulate on organic pollutants and decompose them. Hydrophilic microorganisms also play a considerable role in removing organic wastes from the environment because of their high resistance to hydrophobic chemicals. Despite the many studies on the environmental and metabolic factors affecting cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH, the knowledge of this subject is still scanty and is in most cases limited to observing the impact of hydrophobicity on adhesion, aggregation or flocculation. The future of research seems to lie in finding a way to managing the microbial adhesion process, perhaps by steering cell hydrophobicity.

  9. Positively charged microporous ceramic membrane for the removal of Titan Yellow through electrostatic adsorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xiuting; Li, Na; Zhu, Mengfu; Zhang, Lili; Deng, Yu; Deng, Cheng

    2016-06-01

    To develop a depth filter based on the electrostatic adsorption principle, positively charged microporous ceramic membrane was prepared from a diatomaceous earth ceramic membrane. The internal surface of the highly porous ceramic membrane was coated with uniformly distributed electropositive nano-Y2O3 coating. The dye removal performance was evaluated through pressurized filtration tests using Titan Yellow aqueous solution. It showed that positively charged microporous ceramic membrane exhibited a flow rate of 421L/(m(2)·hr) under the trans-membrane pressure of 0.03bar. Moreover it could effectively remove Titan Yellow with feed concentration of 10mg/L between pH3 to 8. The removal rate increased with the enhancement of the surface charge properties with a maximum rejection of 99.6%. This study provides a new and feasible method of removing organic dyes in wastewater. It is convinced that there will be a broad market for the application of charged ceramic membrane in the field of dye removal or recovery from industry wastewater. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Fabrication of hydrophobic/super-hydrophobic nanofilms on magnesium alloys by polymer plating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang Zhixin, E-mail: zxkang@scut.edu.cn; Lai Xiaoming; Sang Jing; Li Yuanyuan

    2011-11-01

    Hydrophobic/super-hydrophobic nanofilms with improved corrosion resistance were fabricated on the surfaces of Mg-Mn-Ce magnesium alloy by a surface modification technique, named as polymer plating, which has been developed to modify superficial characteristics of magnesium alloys with polymeric nanofilms through synthesized organic compounds of triazine dithiol containing functional groups. The nanofilms were prepared by the electrochemical and polymerization reactions during polymer plating analyzed from characteristics of Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The fabricated nanofilms changed the surface wettability of blank magnesium alloy from hydrophilic to hydrophobic with contact angle 119.0 Degree-Sign of distilled water with lower surface free energy of 20.59 mJ/m{sup 2} and even super-hydrophobic with contact angle 158.3 Degree-Sign with lowest surface free energy of 4.68 mJ/m{sup 2} by different functional nanofilms on their surfaces. Alteration of wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic resulted from their low surface free energy and surface morphology with micro- and nano-rough structures. The corrosion behaviors from potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) show that the super-hydrophobic nanofilm has higher corrosion resistance and stability in 0.1 mol/L NaCl solution and lower corrosion current density (I{sub corr}) with R{sub ct} increasing two orders of magnitude of 16,500 {Omega}{center_dot}cm{sup 2} compared to that obtained for blank of 485 {Omega}{center_dot}cm{sup 2}.

  11. Fabrication of hydrophobic/super-hydrophobic nanofilms on magnesium alloys by polymer plating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang Zhixin; Lai Xiaoming; Sang Jing; Li Yuanyuan

    2011-01-01

    Hydrophobic/super-hydrophobic nanofilms with improved corrosion resistance were fabricated on the surfaces of Mg–Mn–Ce magnesium alloy by a surface modification technique, named as polymer plating, which has been developed to modify superficial characteristics of magnesium alloys with polymeric nanofilms through synthesized organic compounds of triazine dithiol containing functional groups. The nanofilms were prepared by the electrochemical and polymerization reactions during polymer plating analyzed from characteristics of Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The fabricated nanofilms changed the surface wettability of blank magnesium alloy from hydrophilic to hydrophobic with contact angle 119.0° of distilled water with lower surface free energy of 20.59 mJ/m 2 and even super-hydrophobic with contact angle 158.3° with lowest surface free energy of 4.68 mJ/m 2 by different functional nanofilms on their surfaces. Alteration of wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic resulted from their low surface free energy and surface morphology with micro- and nano-rough structures. The corrosion behaviors from potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) show that the super-hydrophobic nanofilm has higher corrosion resistance and stability in 0.1 mol/L NaCl solution and lower corrosion current density (I corr ) with R ct increasing two orders of magnitude of 16,500 Ω·cm 2 compared to that obtained for blank of 485 Ω·cm 2 .

  12. Adsorption and transport of charged vs. neutral hydrophobic molecules at the membrane of murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Jia; Eckenrode, Heather M; Dai, Hai-Lung; Wilhelm, Michael J

    2015-03-01

    The adsorption and transport of hydrophobic molecules at the membrane surface of pre- and post-DMSO induced differentiated murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells were examined by time- and wavelength-resolved second harmonic light scattering. Two medium (MEL cell, neutral BCP does not. It is suggested that an electrostatic interaction between the opposite charges of the cation and the MEL cell surface is the primary driving force for adsorption. Comparisons of adsorption density and free energy, measured at different pH and cell morphology, indicate that the interaction is predominantly through sialic acid carboxyl groups. MG cation adsorption densities have been determined as (0.6±0.3)×10(6) μm(-2) on the surface of undifferentiated MEL cells, and (1.8±0.5)×10(7) μm(-2) on differentiated MEL cells, while the deduced adsorption free energies are effectively identical (ca. -10.9±0.1 and -10.8±0.1 kcal mol(-1), respectively). The measured MG densities indicate that the total number of surface carboxyl groups is largely conserved following differentiation, and therefore the density of carboxylic groups is much larger on the differentiated cell surface than the undifferentiated one. Finally, in contrast to synthetic liposomes and bacterial membranes, surface adsorbed MG cations are unable to traverse the MEL cell membrane. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Homogeneity characterization of ethylene-co-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and hydrophobic silica nanocomposite by low field NMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stael, Giovanni Chaves; Tavares, Maria I.B.

    2005-01-01

    This project proposes the characterization of a polymeric matrix composite material using nanometric scale hydrophobic silica as charge element, with the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), by using the spin-lattice relaxation time measurement applying the low field NMR

  14. Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of a series of increasingly hydrophobic cationic steroid lipofection reagents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruneich, Jeffrey A; Diamond, Scott L

    2007-05-01

    The use of cholesterol-based cationic lipids and the ability of glucocorticoids to reduce local inflammatory response to lipoplexes motivated an investigation of structure-activity relationships for cationic steroids. A one-step synthetic scheme using iminothiolane was developed to link spermine to the 21-OH position of steroids via an amidine linkage. Five steroids (cortisol, dexamethasone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, and 11-deoxycorticosterone) with increasing hydrophobicity of the parent steroid (Log P(ster) from 1.51 to 3.01) were conjugated with spermine, formulated with dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) at DOPE : steroid mole ratios (R) of R = 0.5 to 2, and then complexed with 1 microg enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid DNA at charge ratios (CR) = 2 to 24 amines per phosphate (0.5 to 6 steroids per phosphate). The resulting 105 different formulations of the cationic steroid series were used to lipofect bovine aortic endothelial cells. Transgene expression data at either 24 or 48 h post-lipofection for all formulations was collapsed onto master curves when plotted against a single empirical dimensionless parameter, the lipofection index (LI) = CR (Log P(liposome))(Log P(ster)/|DeltaLog P|) [R/(R + 1)] where DeltaLog P = Log P(DOPE)- Log P(ster) and Log P(liposome) is a mole-weighted average of the DOPE/cationic steroid liposome hydrophobicity. For 7 lipofection increased linearly with LI (EGFP approximately 0 for LI 29, thus providing a predictive design rule based on Log P of the hydrophobic moiety of the cationic steroid lipid. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Position readout by charge division in large two-dimensional detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alberi, J.L.

    1976-10-01

    The improvement in readout spatial resolution for charge division systems with subdivided readout electrodes has been analyzed. This readout forms the position and sum signals by a linear, unambiguous analogue summation technique. It is shown that the readout resolution is a function of only electrode capacitance and shaping parameters. The line width improves as 1/N/sup 1 / 2 /, where N is the number of electrode subdivisions

  16. New insight in the structural features of haloadaptation in α-amylases from halophilic Archaea following homology modeling strategy: folded and stable conformation maintained through low hydrophobicity and highly negative charged surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zorgani, Mohamed Amine; Patron, Kevin; Desvaux, Mickaël

    2014-07-01

    Proteins from halophilic archaea, which live in extreme saline conditions, have evolved to remain folded, active and stable at very high ionic strengths. Understanding the mechanism of haloadaptation is the first step toward engineering of halostable biomolecules. Amylases are one of the main enzymes used in industry. Yet, no three-dimensional structure has been experimentally resolved for α-amylases from halophilic archaea. In this study, homology structure modeling of α-amylases from the halophilic archaea Haloarcula marismortui, Haloarcula hispanica, and Halalkalicoccus jeotgali were performed. The resulting models were subjected to energy minimization, evaluation, and structural analysis. Calculations of the amino acid composition, salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions were also performed and compared to a set of non-halophilic counterparts. It clearly appeared that haloarchaeal α-amylases exhibited lower propensities for helix formation and higher propensities for coil-forming regions. Furthermore, they could maintain a folded and stable conformation in high salt concentration through highly negative charged surface with over representation of acidic residues, especially Asp, and low hydrophobicity with increase of salt bridges and decrease in hydrophobic interactions on the protein surface. This study sheds some light on the stability of α-amylases from halophilic archaea and provides strong basis not only to understand haloadaptation mechanisms of proteins in microorganisms from hypersalines environments but also for biotechnological applications.

  17. Directional rolling of positively charged nanoparticles along a flexibility gradient on long DNA molecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Suehyun; Joo, Heesun; Kim, Jun Soo

    2018-01-31

    Directing the motion of molecules/colloids in any specific direction is of great interest in many applications of chemistry, physics, and biological sciences, where regulated positioning or transportation of materials is highly desired. Using Brownian dynamics simulations of coarse-grained models of a long, double-stranded DNA molecule and positively charged nanoparticles, we observed that the motion of a single nanoparticle bound to and wrapped by the DNA molecule can be directed along a gradient of DNA local flexibility. The flexibility gradient is constructed along a 0.8 kilobase-pair DNA molecule such that local persistence length decreases gradually from 50 nm to 40 nm, mimicking a gradual change in sequence-dependent flexibility. Nanoparticles roll over a long DNA molecule from less flexible regions towards more flexible ones as a result of the decreasing energetic cost of DNA bending and wrapping. In addition, the rolling becomes slightly accelerated as the positive charge of nanoparticles decreases due to a lower free energy barrier of DNA detachment from charged nanoparticle for processive rolling. This study suggests that the variation in DNA local flexibility can be utilized in constructing and manipulating supramolecular assemblies of DNA molecules and nanoparticles in structural DNA nanotechnology.

  18. Electron beam patterning for writing of positively charged gold colloidal nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zafri, Hadar; Azougi, Jonathan; Girshevitz, Olga; Zalevsky, Zeev; Zitoun, David

    2018-02-01

    Synthesis at the nanoscale has progressed at a very fast pace during the last decades. The main challenge today lies in precise localization to achieve efficient nanofabrication of devices. In the present work, we report on a novel method for the patterning of gold metallic nanoparticles into nanostructures on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The fabrication makes use of relatively accessible equipment, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and wet chemical synthesis. The electron beam implants electrons into the insulating material, which further anchors the positively charged Au nanoparticles by electrostatic attraction. The novel fabrication method was applied to several substrates useful in microelectronics to add plasmonic particles. The resolution and surface density of the deposition were tuned, respectively, by the electron energy (acceleration voltage) and the dose of electronic irradiation. We easily achieved the smallest written feature of 68 ± 18 nm on SOI, and the technique can be extended to any positively charged nanoparticles, while the resolution is in principle limited by the particle size distribution and the scattering of the electrons in the substrate. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  19. Fabrication and surface properties of hydrophobic barium sulfate aggregates based on sodium cocoate modification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Linna; Wang, Guangxiu; Cao, Rong; Yang, Chun; Chen, Xi

    2014-10-01

    Hydrophobic barium sulfate aggregates were fabricated by the direction of cocoate anions. At 30 °C, when the weight ratio of sodium cocoate to BaSO4 particles was 2.0 wt.%, the active ratio of the product reached 99.43% and the contact angle was greater than 120°. This method could not only simplify the complex modification process, but reduce energy consumption. The surface morphology, chemical structure and composition of BaSO4 aggregates were characterized by SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The results indicated that the as-synthesized BaSO4 particles were almond-liked and were composed of many interconnected nanoballs and that their surfaces were affected by cocoate anions. The adsorption of cocoate anions reversed the charge and weakened the surface polarity of BaSO4 particles, driving the formation of aggregates. And cocoate anions induced a change of the BaSO4 particles surface from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by a self-assembly and transformation process. Due to the self-assembled structure and the surface hydrophobicity, when adding the hydrophobic BaSO4 into PVC, the mechanical properties of PVC composite materials were significantly improved.

  20. Simulation of the interaction of positively charged beams and electron clouds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markovik, Aleksandar

    2013-01-01

    The incoherent (head-tail) effect on the bunch due to the interaction with electron clouds (e-clouds) leads to a blow up of the transverse beam size in storage rings operating with positively charged beams. Even more the e-cloud effects are considered to be the main limiting factor for high current, high-brightness or high-luminosity operation of future machines. Therefore the simulation of e-cloud phenomena is a highly active field of research. The main focus in this work was set to a development of a tool for simulation of the interaction of relativistic bunches with non-relativistic parasitic charged particles. The result is the Particle-In-Cell Program MOEVE PIC Tracking which can track a 3D bunch under the influence of its own and external electromagnetic fields but first and foremost it simulates the interaction of relativistic positively charged bunches and initially static electrons. In MOEVE PIC Tracking the conducting beam pipe can be modeled with an arbitrary elliptical cross-section to achieve more accurate space charge field computations for both the bunch and the e-cloud. The simulation of the interaction between positron bunches and electron clouds in this work gave a detailed insight of the behavior of both particle species during and after the interaction. Further and ultimate goal of this work was a fast estimation of the beam stability under the influence of e-clouds in the storage ring. The standard approach to simulate the stability of a single bunch is to track the bunch particles through the linear optics of the machine by multiplying the 6D vector of each particle with the transformation matrices describing the lattice. Thereby the action of the e-cloud on the bunch is approximated by a pre-computed wake kick which is applied on one or more points in the lattice. Following the idea of K.Ohmi the wake kick was pre-computed as a two variable function of the bunch part exiting the e-cloud and the subsequent parts of a bunch which receive a

  1. Plasmonic detection and visualization of directed adsorption of charged single nanoparticles to patterned surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scherbahn, Vitali; Nizamov, Shavkat; Mirsky, Vladimir M.

    2016-01-01

    It has recently been shown that surface plasmon microscopy (SPM) allows single nanoparticles (NPs) on sensor surfaces to be detected and analyzed. The authors have applied this technique to study the adsorption of single metallic and plastic NPs. Binding of gold NPs (40, 60 and 100 nm in size) and of 100 nm polystyrene NPs to gold surfaces modified by differently ω-functionalized alkyl thiols was studied first. Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) with varying terminal functions including amino, carboxy, oligo(ethylene glycol), methyl, or trimethylammonium groups were deposited on gold films to form surfaces possessing different charge and hydrophobicity. The affinity of NPs to these surfaces depends strongly on the type of coating. SAMs terminated with trimethylammonium groups and carboxy group display highly different affinity and therefore were preferred when creating patterned charged surfaces. Citrate-stabilized gold NPs and sulfate-terminated polystyrene NPs were used as negatively charged NPs, while branched polyethylenimine-coated silver NPs were used as positively charged NPs. It is shown that the charged patterned areas on the gold films are capable of selectively adsorbing oppositely charged NPs that can be detected and analyzed with an ∼1 ng⋅mL −1 detection limit. (author)

  2. A Density Functional Theory Evaluation of Hydrophobic Solvation: Ne, Ar and Kr in a 50-Water Cluster. Implications for the Hydrophobic Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobko, Nadya; Marianski, Mateusz; Asensio, Amparo; Wieczorek, Robert; Dannenberg, J J

    2012-06-15

    The physical explanation for the hydrophobic effect has been the subject of disagreement. Physical organic chemists tend to use a explanation related to pressure, while many biochemists prefer an explanation that involves decreased entropy of the aqueous solvent. We present DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and X3LYP/6-31G(d,p) levels on the solvation of three noble gases (Ne, Ar, and Kr) in clusters of 50 waters. Vibrational analyses show no substantial decreases in the vibrational entropies of the waters in any of the three clusters. The observed positive free energies of transfer from the gas phase or from nonpolar solvents to water appear to be due to the work needed to make a suitable hole in the aqueous solvent. We distinguish between hydrophobic solvations (explicitly studied here) and the hydrophobic effect that occurs when a solute (or transition state) can decrease its volume through conformational change (which is not possible for the noble gases).

  3. Inorganic electret with enhanced charge stability for energy harvesting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Fei; Hansen, Ole

    2013-01-01

    We report a new surface treatment of inorganic electret materials which enhances the charge stability. Coating the surfaces with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H - perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) makes the electret surface more hydrophobic which improves the surface charge stability under high humidity condit...... conditions. Thermal tests show that the thermal stability of charge in the inorganic electrets is also much better than that of polymer materials such as CYTOP. A demonstrator device with SiO2 electrets shows promising results for energy harvesting applications....

  4. The role of charge in the surfactant-assisted stabilization of the natural product curcumin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zifan; Leung, Mandy H M; Kee, Tak W; English, Douglas S

    2010-04-20

    Colloidal solutions of surfactants that form micelles or vesicles are useful for solubilizing and stabilizing hydrophobic molecules that are otherwise sparingly soluble in aqueous solutions. In this paper we investigate the use of micelles and vesicles prepared from ionic surfactants for solubilizing and stabilizing curcumin, a medicinal natural product that undergoes alkaline hydrolysis in water. We identify spectroscopic signatures to evaluate curcumin partitioning and deprotonation in surfactant mixtures containing micelles or vesicles. These spectroscopic signatures allow us to monitor the interaction of curcumin with charged surfactants over a wide range of pH values. Titration data are presented to show the pH dependence of curcumin interactions with negatively and positively charged micelles and vesicles. In solutions of cationic micelles or positively charged vesicles, strong interaction between the Cur(-1) phenoxide ion and the positively charged surfactants results in a change in the acidity of the phenolic hydrogen and a lowering of the apparent lowest pK(a) value for curcumin. In the microenvironments formed by anionic micelles or negatively charged bilayers, our data indicates that curcumin partitions as the Cur(0) species, which is stabilized by interactions with the respective surfactant aggregates, and this leads to an increase in the apparent pK(a) values. Our results may explain some of the discrepancies within the literature with respect to reported pK(a) values and the acidity of the enolic versus phenolic protons. Hydrolysis rates, quantum yields, and molar absorption coefficients are reported for curcumin in a variety of solutions.

  5. Adsorption of benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium chloride at the hydrophobic silica-water interface studied by total internal reflection Raman spectroscopy: effects of silica surface properties and metal salt addition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grenoble, Zlata; Baldelli, Steven

    2013-08-29

    The adsorption of the cationic surfactant benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium (BDMHA(+)) chloride was studied at an octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)-monolayer-modified silica-water interface by Raman spectroscopy in total internal reflection (TIR) geometry. The present study demonstrates the capabilities of this spectroscopic technique to evaluate thermodynamic and kinetic BDMHA(+)Cl(-) adsorption properties at the hydrophobic silica surface. The surface coverage of BDMHA(+) decreased by 50% at the hydrophobic OTS-silica surface relative to the surface coverage on bare silica; the dominating driving mechanisms for surfactant adsorption were identified as hydrophobic effects and head group charge screening by the electrolyte counterions. Addition of magnesium metal salt (MgCl2) to the aqueous solution (∼ neutral pH) lowered the surface coverage and moderately increased the Langmuir adsorption constants relative to those of the pure surfactant. These trends were previously observed at the hydrophilic, negatively charged silica surface but with a smaller change in the Gibbs free energy of adsorption at the hydrophobic silica surface. The hydrophobic OTS-silica surface properties resulted in shorter times for the surfactant to reach steady-state adsorption conditions compared to the slow adsorption kinetics previously seen with the surfactant at the hydrophilic surface. Adsorption isotherms, based on Raman signal intensities from spectral analysis, were developed according to the Langmuir adsorption model for the pure surfactant at the OTS-silica-water interface; the modified Langmuir model was applied to the surfactant adsorption in the presence of 5, 10, 50, and 100 mM magnesium chloride. Spectral analysis of the Raman scattering intensities and geometric considerations suggests a hemimicelle-type surface aggregate as the most likely surfactant structure at the OTS-silica surface. The different kinetics observed at the hydrophilic versus the hydrophobic silica surface

  6. Mutation of exposed hydrophobic amino acids to arginine to increase protein stability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Czaplicki Jerzy

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One strategy to increase the stability of proteins is to reduce the area of water-accessible hydrophobic surface. Results In order to test it, we replaced 14 solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues of acetylcholinesterase by arginine. The stabilities of the resulting proteins were tested using denaturation by high temperature, organic solvents, urea and by proteolytic digestion. Conclusion Altough the mutational effects were rather small, this strategy proved to be successful since half of the mutants showed an increased stability. This stability may originate from the suppression of unfavorable interactions of nonpolar residues with water or from addition of new hydrogen bonds with the solvent. Other mechanisms may also contribute to the increased stability observed with some mutants. For example, introduction of a charge at the surface of the protein may provide a new coulombic interaction on the protein surface.

  7. Characterizing hydrophobicity of amino acid side chains in a protein environment via measuring contact angle of a water nanodroplet on planar peptide network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Chongqin; Gao, Yurui; Li, Hui; Meng, Sheng; Li, Lei; Francisco, Joseph S; Zeng, Xiao Cheng

    2016-11-15

    Hydrophobicity of macroscopic planar surface is conventionally characterized by the contact angle of water droplets. However, this engineering measurement cannot be directly extended to surfaces of proteins, due to the nanometer scale of amino acids and inherent nonplanar structures. To measure the hydrophobicity of side chains of proteins quantitatively, numerous parameters were developed to characterize behavior of hydrophobic solvation. However, consistency among these parameters is not always apparent. Herein, we demonstrate an alternative way of characterizing hydrophobicity of amino acid side chains in a protein environment by constructing a monolayer of amino acids (i.e., artificial planar peptide network) according to the primary and the β-sheet secondary structures of protein so that the conventional engineering measurement of the contact angle of a water droplet can be brought to bear. Using molecular dynamics simulations, contact angles θ of a water nanodroplet on the planar peptide network, together with excess chemical potentials of purely repulsive methane-sized Weeks-Chandler-Andersen solute, are computed. All of the 20 types of amino acids and the corresponding planar peptide networks are studied. Expectedly, all of the planar peptide networks with nonpolar amino acids are hydrophobic due to θ [Formula: see text] 90°, whereas all of the planar peptide networks of the polar and charged amino acids are hydrophilic due to θ [Formula: see text] 90°. Planar peptide networks of the charged amino acids exhibit complete-wetting behavior due to θ [Formula: see text] 0°. This computational approach for characterization of hydrophobicity can be extended to artificial planar networks of other soft matter.

  8. Charge properties and bacterial contact-killing of hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings with various degrees of alkylation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roest, Steven; van der Mei, Henny C.; Loontjens, Ton J. A.; Busscher, Henk J.

    2015-11-01

    Coatings of immobilized-quaternary-ammonium-ions (QUAT) uniquely kill adhering bacteria upon contact. QUAT-coatings require a minimal cationic-charge surface density for effective contact-killing of adhering bacteria of around 1014 cm-2. Quaternization of nitrogen is generally achieved through alkylation. Here, we investigate the contribution of additional alkylation with methyl-iodide to the cationic-charge density of hexyl-bromide alkylated, hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings measuring charge density with fluorescein staining. X-ray-photoelectron-spectroscopy was used to determine the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Also streaming potentials, water contact-angles and bacterial contact-killing were measured. Cationic-charge density increased with methyl-iodide alkylation times up to 18 h, accompanied by an increase in the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Zeta-potentials became more negative upon alkylation as a result of shielding of cationiccharges by hydrophobic alkyl-chains. Contact-killing of Gram-positive Staphylococci only occurred when the cationic-charge density exceeded 1016 cm-2 and was carried by alkylated-nitrogen (electron-binding energy 401.3 eV). Gram-negative Escherichia coli was not killed upon contact with the coatings. There with this study reveals that cationic-charge density is neither appropriate nor sufficient to determine the ability of QUAT-coatings to kill adhering bacteria. Alternatively, the at.% of alkylated-nitrogen at 401.3 eV is proposed, as it reflects both cationic-charge and its carrier. The at.% N401.3 eV should be above 0.45 at.% for Gram-positive bacterial contact-killing.

  9. Protection of oxidative hair color fading from shampoo washing by hydrophobically modified cationic polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Y; Foltis, L; Moore, D J; Rigoletto, R

    2009-01-01

    The fading of oxidative color in hair as a result of daily shampoo washing activities has become a common problem and a source of frequent complaints by consumers. The fading occurs primarily through hair dye solubility in water. One aspect of the current study investigates the physical and chemical factors that influence hair color fading during the washing process. This is accomplished by testing hair dye dissolution in water from dyed hair samples with variation of surfactant type, pH, and hair type. Furthermore, a new approach to preventing color fading is developed aiming to provide an effective barrier function for hair dye from dissolving into water. The preliminary investigation of a series of polymers with various functional groups indicates that polymers with hydrophobically modified and cationic functionalities are most effective in preventing hair dye dissolution in water. It is also evident that a synergistic effect of the polymer's hydrophobic moieties and cationic charges are important on hair color protection during shampoo washing processes. A primary example of a polymer within this category is a cationic terpolymer of vinylpyrrolidone, dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide, and methacryloylaminopropyl lauryldimonium chloride (INCI: Polyquaternium-55). The color protection benefit of this polymer is evaluated using newly developed methodologies for evaluating hair color changes, such as hair color fading tests through multiple shampoo washes with mannequin heads and hair tresses, both derived from human hair, colorimetry, and quantitative digital image analysis. In addition, new infrared spectroscopic imaging techniques are used to detect the hair dye deposition behavior inside hair fibers both with and without the color protection treatment. Both visual and instrumental measurement results indicate that Polyquaternium-55 provides a high level of color protection when formulated in a hair color protection regimen with up to 50% color protection. This

  10. Negative and positive magnetoresistance in bilayer graphene: Effects of weak localization and charge inhomogeneity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yungfu; Bae, Myung-Ho; Chialvo, Cesar; Dirks, Travis; Bezryadin, Alexey; Mason, Nadya

    2011-01-01

    We report measurements of magnetoresistance in bilayer graphene as a function of gate voltage (carrier density) and temperature. We examine multiple contributions to the magnetoresistance, including those of weak localization (WL), universal conductance fluctuations (UCF), and inhomogeneous charge transport. A clear WL signal is evident at all measured gate voltages (in the hole doped regime) and temperature ranges (from 0.25 to 4.3 K), and the phase coherence length extracted from the WL data does not saturate at low temperatures. The WL data is fit to demonstrate that the electron-electron Nyquist scattering is the major source of phase decoherence. A decrease in UCF amplitude with increase in gate voltage and temperature is shown to be consistent with a corresponding decrease in the phase coherence length. In addition, a weak positive magnetoresistance at higher magnetic fields is observed, and attributed to inhomogeneous charge transport. -- Research highlights: → Weak localization theory describes low-field magnetoresistance in bilayer graphene. → Electron-electron Nyquist scattering limits phase coherence in bilayer graphene. → Positive magnetoresistance reveals charge inhomogeneity in bilayer graphene.

  11. Reduction of digital errors of digital charge division type position-sensitive detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uritani, A.; Yoshimura, K.; Takenaka, Y.; Mori, C.

    1994-01-01

    It is well known that ''digital errors'', i.e. differential non-linearity, appear in a position profile of radiation interactions when the profile is obtained with a digital charge-division-type position-sensitive detector. Two methods are presented to reduce the digital errors. They are the methods using logarithmic amplifiers and a weighting function. The validities of these two methods have been evaluated mainly by computer simulation. These methods can considerably reduce the digital errors. The best results are obtained when both methods are applied. ((orig.))

  12. Water around fullerene shape amphiphiles: A molecular dynamics simulation study of hydrophobic hydration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varanasi, S. R., E-mail: s.raovaranasi@uq.edu.au, E-mail: guskova@ipfdd.de; John, A. [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Guskova, O. A., E-mail: s.raovaranasi@uq.edu.au, E-mail: guskova@ipfdd.de [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Dresden Center for Computational Materials Science (DCMS), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Sommer, J.-U. [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Dresden Center for Computational Materials Science (DCMS), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden D-01069 (Germany)

    2015-06-14

    Fullerene C{sub 60} sub-colloidal particle with diameter ∼1 nm represents a boundary case between small and large hydrophobic solutes on the length scale of hydrophobic hydration. In the present paper, a molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate this complex phenomenon for bare C{sub 60} fullerene and its amphiphilic/charged derivatives, so called shape amphiphiles. Since most of the unique properties of water originate from the pattern of hydrogen bond network and its dynamics, spatial, and orientational aspects of water in solvation shells around the solute surface having hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are analyzed. Dynamical properties such as translational-rotational mobility, reorientational correlation and occupation time correlation functions of water molecules, and diffusion coefficients are also calculated. Slower dynamics of solvent molecules—water retardation—in the vicinity of the solutes is observed. Both the topological properties of hydrogen bond pattern and the “dangling” –OH groups that represent surface defects in water network are monitored. The fraction of such defect structures is increased near the hydrophobic cap of fullerenes. Some “dry” regions of C{sub 60} are observed which can be considered as signatures of surface dewetting. In an effort to provide molecular level insight into the thermodynamics of hydration, the free energy of solvation is determined for a family of fullerene particles using thermodynamic integration technique.

  13. Water around fullerene shape amphiphiles: A molecular dynamics simulation study of hydrophobic hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varanasi, S. R.; John, A.; Guskova, O. A.; Sommer, J.-U.

    2015-01-01

    Fullerene C 60 sub-colloidal particle with diameter ∼1 nm represents a boundary case between small and large hydrophobic solutes on the length scale of hydrophobic hydration. In the present paper, a molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate this complex phenomenon for bare C 60 fullerene and its amphiphilic/charged derivatives, so called shape amphiphiles. Since most of the unique properties of water originate from the pattern of hydrogen bond network and its dynamics, spatial, and orientational aspects of water in solvation shells around the solute surface having hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are analyzed. Dynamical properties such as translational-rotational mobility, reorientational correlation and occupation time correlation functions of water molecules, and diffusion coefficients are also calculated. Slower dynamics of solvent molecules—water retardation—in the vicinity of the solutes is observed. Both the topological properties of hydrogen bond pattern and the “dangling” –OH groups that represent surface defects in water network are monitored. The fraction of such defect structures is increased near the hydrophobic cap of fullerenes. Some “dry” regions of C 60 are observed which can be considered as signatures of surface dewetting. In an effort to provide molecular level insight into the thermodynamics of hydration, the free energy of solvation is determined for a family of fullerene particles using thermodynamic integration technique

  14. Hydrophobic-Core Microcapsules and Their Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calle, Luz M. (Inventor); Li, Wenyan (Inventor); Buhrow, Jerry W. (Inventor); Jolley, Scott T. (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    Hydrophobic-core microcapsules and methods of their formation are provided. A hydrophobic-core microcapsule may include a shell that encapsulates a hydrophobic substance with a core substance, such as dye, corrosion indicator, corrosion inhibitor, and/or healing agent, dissolved or dispersed therein. The hydrophobic-core microcapsules may be formed from an emulsion having hydrophobic-phase droplets, e.g., containing the core substance and shell-forming compound, dispersed in a hydrophilic phase. The shells of the microcapsules may be capable of being broken down in response to being contacted by an alkali, e.g., produced during corrosion, contacting the shell.

  15. Hydrophobicity of electron beam modified surface of hydroxyapatite films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gregor, M., E-mail: gregor@fmph.uniba.sk [Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava (Slovakia); Plecenik, T. [Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava (Slovakia); Tofail, S.A.M. [Materials & Surface Science Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland); Zahoran, M.; Truchly, M. [Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava (Slovakia); Vargova, M. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 84215 Bratislava (Slovakia); Laffir, F. [Materials & Surface Science Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland); Plesch, G. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 84215 Bratislava (Slovakia); Kus, P.; Plecenik, A. [Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava (Slovakia)

    2015-05-15

    Highlights: • Surface potential of hydroxyapatite films were modified by focused electron beam. • Micron-sized domains of modified surface potential were created. • Wettability and surface free energy of the irradiated areas was studied. • Possible mechanisms of increased surface hydrophobicity are discussed. - Abstract: Arrays of micron-sized domains of modified surface potential were created on hydroxyapatite films by mid-energy (20 keV) electron beam irradiation available in a laboratory scanning electron microscope. The dosage of electron beam was varied between 10{sup −3} and 10{sup 3} μC/cm{sup 2} to inject charge into the film surface. Contrary to the conventional electrowetting theory, the dosage of injected charge used in creating such microdomains caused a gradual increase of the water contact angle from 57° to 93° due to the elimination of the polar component of the surface free energy. Surface contamination by carbonaceous species can be held only partially responsible for such behavior at lower dosage of electron beam. A transfer of free surface charge to water and an electron beam induced disruption of polar orientation of OH ions have been attributed to be influencial factors in the overall dewetting behavior.

  16. 3DRISM-HI-D2MSA: an improved analytic theory to compute solvent structure around hydrophobic solutes with proper treatment of solute–solvent electrostatic interactions

    KAUST Repository

    Cao, Siqin

    2017-12-22

    The 3D reference interaction site model (3DRISM) is a powerful tool to study the thermodynamic and structural properties of liquids. However, for hydrophobic solutes, the inhomogeneity of the solvent density around them poses a great challenge to the 3DRISM theory. To address this issue, we have previously introduced the hydrophobic-induced density inhomogeneity theory (HI) for purely hydrophobic solutes. To further consider the complex hydrophobic solutes containing partial charges, here we propose the D2MSA closure to incorporate the short-range and long-range interactions with the D2 closure and the mean spherical approximation, respectively. We demonstrate that our new theory can compute the solvent distributions around real hydrophobic solutes in water and complex organic solvents that agree well with the explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations.

  17. 3DRISM-HI-D2MSA: an improved analytic theory to compute solvent structure around hydrophobic solutes with proper treatment of solute–solvent electrostatic interactions

    KAUST Repository

    Cao, Siqin; Zhu, Lizhe; Huang, Xuhui

    2017-01-01

    The 3D reference interaction site model (3DRISM) is a powerful tool to study the thermodynamic and structural properties of liquids. However, for hydrophobic solutes, the inhomogeneity of the solvent density around them poses a great challenge to the 3DRISM theory. To address this issue, we have previously introduced the hydrophobic-induced density inhomogeneity theory (HI) for purely hydrophobic solutes. To further consider the complex hydrophobic solutes containing partial charges, here we propose the D2MSA closure to incorporate the short-range and long-range interactions with the D2 closure and the mean spherical approximation, respectively. We demonstrate that our new theory can compute the solvent distributions around real hydrophobic solutes in water and complex organic solvents that agree well with the explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations.

  18. 3DRISM-HI-D2MSA: an improved analytic theory to compute solvent structure around hydrophobic solutes with proper treatment of solute–solvent electrostatic interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Siqin; Zhu, Lizhe; Huang, Xuhui

    2018-04-01

    The 3D reference interaction site model (3DRISM) is a powerful tool to study the thermodynamic and structural properties of liquids. However, for hydrophobic solutes, the inhomogeneity of the solvent density around them poses a great challenge to the 3DRISM theory. To address this issue, we have previously introduced the hydrophobic-induced density inhomogeneity theory (HI) for purely hydrophobic solutes. To further consider the complex hydrophobic solutes containing partial charges, here we propose the D2MSA closure to incorporate the short-range and long-range interactions with the D2 closure and the mean spherical approximation, respectively. We demonstrate that our new theory can compute the solvent distributions around real hydrophobic solutes in water and complex organic solvents that agree well with the explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations.

  19. Microporous nano-MgO/diatomite ceramic membrane with high positive surface charge for tetracycline removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Xian; Liu, Zhimeng; Deng, Cheng; Zhu, Mengfu; Wang, Deyin; Li, Kui; Deng, Yu; Jiang, Mingming

    2016-12-15

    A novel microporous nano-MgO/diatomite ceramic membrane with high positive surface charge was prepared, including synthesis of precursor colloid, dip-coating and thermal decomposition. Combined SEM, EDS, XRD and XPS studies show the nano-MgO is irregularly distributed on the membrane surface or pore walls and forms a positively charged nano coating. And the nano-MgO coating is firmly attached to the diatomite membrane via SiO chemical bond. Thus the nano-MgO/diatomite membrane behaves strong electropositivity with the isoelectric point of 10.8. Preliminary filtration tests indicate that the as-prepared nano-MgO/diatomite membrane could remove approximately 99.7% of tetracycline in water through electrostatic adsorption effect. The desirable electrostatic property enables the nano-MgO/diatomite membrane to be a candidate for removal of organic pollutants from water. And it is convinced that there will be a great application prospect of charged ceramic membrane in water treatment field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The Effect of Charge at the Surface of Silver Nanoparticles on Antimicrobial Activity against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria: A Preliminary Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbaszadegan, A.; Ghahramani, Y.; Nabavizadeh, M.; Gholami, A.; Hemmateenejad, I.; Dorostkar, S.; Sharghi, H.

    2014-01-01

    The bactericidal efficiency of various positively and negatively charged silver nanoparticles has been extensively evaluated in literature, but there is no report on efficacy of neutrally charged silver nanoparticles. The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of electrical charge at the surface of silver nanoparticles on antibacterial activity against a panel of microorganisms. Three different silver nanoparticles were synthesized by different methods, providing three different electrical surface charges (positive, neutral, and negative). The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles was tested against gram-positive (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus pyogenes) and gram-negative (i.e., Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) bacteria. Well diffusion and micro-dilution tests were used to evaluate the bactericidal activity of the nanoparticles. According to the obtained results, the positively-charged silver nanoparticles showed the highest bactericidal activity against all microorganisms tested. The negatively charged silver nanoparticles had the least and the neutral nanoparticles had intermediate antibacterial activity. The most resistant bacteria were Proteus vulgaris. We found that the surface charge of the silver nanoparticles was a significant factor affecting bactericidal activity on these surfaces. Although the positively charged nanoparticles showed the highest level of effectiveness against the organisms tested, the neutrally charged particles were also potent against most bacterial species.

  1. Charge dividing mechanism in position-sensitive detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radeka, V.; Rehak, P.

    1978-01-01

    A complete charge-division mechanism, including both the diffusion and the electromagnetic wave propagation on resistive electrodes, is presented. The charge injected into such a transmission line divides between the two ends according to the ratio of resistances and independently of the value of the line resistance, of the propagation mechanism and of the distribution of inductance and capacitance along the line. The shortest charge division time is achieved for Rl = 2π (L/C)/sup 1/2), where R, L, C are resistance, inductance and capacitance per unit length and l is the length of the line

  2. Water on a Hydrophobic surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scruggs, Ryan; Zhu, Mengjue; Poynor, Adele

    2012-02-01

    Hydrophobicity, meaning literally fear of water, is exhibited on the surfaces of non-stick cooking pans and water resistant clothing, on the leaves of the lotus plan, or even during the protein folding process in our bodies. Hydrophobicity is directly measured by determining a contact angle between water and an objects surface. Associated with a hydrophobic surface is the depletion layer, a low density region approximately 0.2 nm thick. We study this region by comparing data found in lab using surface plasmon resonance techniques to theoretical calculations. Experiments use gold slides coated in ODT and Mercapto solutions to model both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces respectively.

  3. Interactions of human hemoglobin with charged ligand-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles and effect of counterions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghosh, Goutam, E-mail: ghoshg@yahoo.com [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Mumbai Centre (India); Panicker, Lata [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Solid State Physics Division (India)

    2014-12-15

    Human hemoglobin is an important metalloprotein. It has tetrameric structure with each subunit containing a ‘heme’ group which carries oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood. In this work, we have investigated the interactions of human hemoglobin (Hb) with charged ligand-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles and the effect of counterions, in aqueous medium. Several techniques like DLS and ζ-potential measurements, UV–vis, fluorescence, and CD spectroscopy have been used to characterize the interaction. The nanoparticle size was measured to be in the range of 20–30 nm. Our results indicated the binding of Hb with both positively as well as negatively charged ligand-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles in neutral aqueous medium which was driven by the electrostatic and the hydrophobic interactions. The electrostatic binding interaction was not seen in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. We have also observed that the ‘heme’ groups of Hb remained unaffected on binding with charged nanoparticles, suggesting the utility of the charged ligand-functionalized nanoparticles in biomedical applications.

  4. Study of electric field distorted by space charges under positive lightning impulse voltage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zezhong; Geng, Yinan

    2018-03-01

    Actually, many insulation problems are related to electric fields. And measuring electric fields is an important research topic of high-voltage engineering. In particular, the electric field distortion caused by space charge is the basis of streamer theory, and thus quantitatively measuring the Poisson electric field caused by space charge is significant to researching the mechanism of air gap discharge. In this paper, we used our photoelectric integrated sensor to measure the electric field distribution in a 1-m rod-plane gap under positive lightning impulse voltage. To verify the reliability of this quantitative measurement, we compared the measured results with calculated results from a numerical simulation. The electric-field time domain waveforms on the axis of the 1-m rod-plane out of the space charge zone were measured with various electrodes. The Poisson electric fields generated by space charge were separated from the Laplace electric field generated by applied voltages, and the amplitudes and variations were measured for various applied voltages and at various locations. This work also supplies the feasible basis for directly measuring strong electric field under high voltage.

  5. On a possibility of creation of positive space charge cloud in a system with magnetic insulation of electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goncharov, A.A.; Dobrovol'skii, A.M.; Dunets, S.P.; Evsyukov, A.N.; Protsenko, I.M.

    2009-01-01

    We describe a new approach for creation an effective, low-cost, low-maintenance axially symmetric plasma optical tools for focusing and manipulating high-current beams of negatively charged particles, electrons and negative ions. This approach is based on fundamental plasma optical concept of magnetic insulation of electrons and non-magnetized positive ions providing creation of controlled uncompensated cloud of the space charge. The axially symmetric electrostatic plasma optical lens is well-known and well developed tool where this concept is used successfully. This provides control and focusing high-current positive ion beams in wide range of parameters. Here for the first time we present optimistic experimental results describing the application of an idea of magnetic insulation of electrons for generation of the stable cloud of positive space charge by focusing onto axis the converging stream of heavy ions produced by circular accelerator with closed electron drift. The estimations of a maximal concentration of uncompensated cloud of positive ions are also made

  6. Hydrophobicity and thermodynamic response for aqueous solutions of amphiphiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zemánková, Katerina; Troncoso, Jacobo; Cerdeiriña, Claudio A.; Romaní, Luis; Anisimov, Mikhail A.

    2016-06-01

    The anomalous behavior of aqueous solutions of amphiphiles in the water-rich region is analyzed via a phenomenological approach that utilizes the isobaric heat capacity Cp as an experimental probe. We report extensive data for solutions of 14 amphiphiles as a function of temperature at atmospheric pressure. Beyond that, Cp data but also isobaric thermal expansivities and isothermal compressibilities for three solutions of tert-butanol as a function of both temperature and pressure are presented. Results rule out the possibility that the observed phenomenology is associated with the anomalous thermodynamics of pure water. Indeed, our Cp data, quantitatively consistent with recent spectroscopic analyses, suggest that water-mediated interactions between the nonpolar parts of amphiphiles are at the origin of anomalies, with the effects of such "hydrophobic aggregation" being observed at mole fractions as small as 0.01. Physicochemical details like the size, the electronic charge distribution and the geometry of amphiphile molecules as well as third-order derivatives of the Gibbs energy and the associated Koga lines support the above claims while they further contribute to characterizing the role of hydrophobicity in these phenomena. Progress with a view to gain a deeper, more concrete understanding remains.

  7. Adsorption of charged albumin subdomains on a graphite surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raffaini, Giuseppina; Ganazzoli, Fabio

    2006-03-01

    We report some new molecular dynamics simulation results about the adsorption on a hydrophobic graphite surface of two albumin subdomains, each formed by three different alpha-helices, considering the correctly charged side groups at pH = 7 instead of the neutral ones as done in our previous exploratory paper (Raffaini and Ganazzoli, Langmuir 2003;19:3403-3412). We find that the presence of charges affects somewhat the initial adsorption stage on the electrostatically neutral surface, but not the final one. Thus, we recover the result that a monolayer of aminoacids is eventually formed, with a rough parallelism of distant strands to optimize both the intramolecular and the surface interactions. This feature is consistent with the adsorption on the hydrophobic surface being driven by dispersion forces only, and with the "soft" nature of albumin. Additional optimizations of the final monolayer carried out at pH = 3 and 11 do not modify appreciably this picture, suggesting that adsorption on graphite is basically independent of pH. The enhanced hydration of the final adsorption state due to the (delocalized) charges of the side groups is also discussed in comparison with similar results of the neutralized subdomains. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Positive column of a glow discharge in neon with charged dust grains (a review)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polyakov, D. N., E-mail: cryolab@ihed.ras.ru; Shumova, V. V.; Vasilyak, L. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Joint Institute for High Temperatures (Russian Federation)

    2017-03-15

    The effect of charged micron-size dust grains (microparticles) on the electric parameters of the positive column of a low-pressure dc glow discharge in neon has been studied experimentally and numerically. Numerical analysis is carried out in the diffusion-drift approximation with allowance for the interaction of dust grains with metastable neon atoms. In a discharge with a dust grain cloud, the longitudinal electric field increases. As the number density of dust grains in an axisymmetric cylindrical dust cloud rises, the growth of the electric field saturates. It is shown that the contribution of metastable atoms to ionization is higher in a discharge with dust grains, in spite of the quenching of metastable atoms on dust grains. The processes of charging of dust grains and the dust cloud are considered. As the number density of dust grains rises, their charge decreases, while the space charge of the dust cloud increases. The results obtained can be used in plasma technologies involving microparticles.

  9. Positive column of a glow discharge in neon with charged dust grains (a review)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polyakov, D. N.; Shumova, V. V.; Vasilyak, L. M.

    2017-01-01

    The effect of charged micron-size dust grains (microparticles) on the electric parameters of the positive column of a low-pressure dc glow discharge in neon has been studied experimentally and numerically. Numerical analysis is carried out in the diffusion-drift approximation with allowance for the interaction of dust grains with metastable neon atoms. In a discharge with a dust grain cloud, the longitudinal electric field increases. As the number density of dust grains in an axisymmetric cylindrical dust cloud rises, the growth of the electric field saturates. It is shown that the contribution of metastable atoms to ionization is higher in a discharge with dust grains, in spite of the quenching of metastable atoms on dust grains. The processes of charging of dust grains and the dust cloud are considered. As the number density of dust grains rises, their charge decreases, while the space charge of the dust cloud increases. The results obtained can be used in plasma technologies involving microparticles.

  10. Effect of positively charged particles on sputtering damage of organic electro-luminescent diodes with Mg:Ag alloy electrodes fabricated by facing target sputtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kouji Suemori

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the influence of the positively charged particles generated during sputtering on the performances of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs with Mg:Ag alloy electrodes fabricated by sputtering. The number of positively charged particles increased by several orders of magnitude when the target current was increased from 0.1 A to 2.5 A. When a high target current was used, many positively charged particles with energies higher than the bond energy of single C–C bonds, which are typically found in organic molecules, were generated. In this situation, we observed serious OLED performance degradation. On the other hand, when a low target current was used, OLED performance degradation was not observed when the number of positively charged particles colliding with the organic underlayer increased. We concluded that sputtering damage caused by positively charged particles can be avoided by using a low target current.

  11. Positively versus negatively charged moral emotion expectancies in adolescence: the role of situational context and the developing moral self.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krettenauer, Tobias; Johnston, Megan

    2011-09-01

    The study analyses adolescents' positively charged versus negatively charged moral emotion expectancies. Two hundred and five students (M= 14.83 years, SD= 2.21) participated in an interview depicting various situations in which a moral norm was either regarded or transgressed. Emotion expectancies were assessed for specific emotions (pride, guilt) as well as for overall strength and valence. In addition, self-importance of moral values was measured by a questionnaire. Results revealed that positively charged emotion expectancies were more pronounced in contexts of prosocial action than in the context of moral transgressions, whereas the opposite was true for negatively charged emotions. At the same time, expectations of guilt and pride were substantially related to the self-importance of moral values. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

  12. 21 CFR 584.700 - Hydrophobic silicas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...) Product. Amorphous fumed hydrophobic silica or precipitated hydrophobic silica (CAS Reg. No. 68611-0944... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hydrophobic silicas. 584.700 Section 584.700 Food... DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD SUBSTANCES AFFIRMED AS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE IN FEED AND...

  13. Adsorption of Hydrophobically Modified Polyelectrolytes on Hydrophobic Substrates Adsorption de polyélectrolytes modifiés hydrophobiquement sur les substrats hydrophobes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mays J. W.

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available A series of diblock copolymers, poly (tert-butyl styrene-sodium poly (styrene sulfonate with different molecular weight and percentage of sulfonation have been used to study the effect of polymer structure on its adsorption behavior onto hydrophobically modified silicon wafers. The percentage of the hydrophobic block varies from 3. 6-8. 9%. Previous studies show that salt concentration is very important for the adsorption of such polyelectrolytes onto silica surfaces. Octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTE has been used to modify the silicon wafer which changes the water contact angle from 50° on unmodified silica to 100° to 120°. On this hydrophobic surface, we found that the adsorption of these slightly hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes is close to the 4/23rd power of salt concentration predicted by a recent model. The grafting density is also consistent with a dependence on the length of the hydrophobic block to the -12/23rd power, and the length of the polyelectrolyte block to the -6/23rd power, predicted by this model. Une série de copolymères à diblocs poly (tert-butyle styrène-sodium (sulfonate de polystyrène de masses moléculaires et pourcentages de sulfonation différents ont été utilisés pour étudier les effets de la structure du polymère sur son pouvoir d'adsorption sur des surfaces de silicium modifiées hydrophobiquement. Le pourcentage du bloc hydrophobe varie de 3,6 à 8,9%. Les études antérieures montrent que la concentration saline est très importante pour l'adsorption de ces polyélectrolytes sur les surfaces de silice. Nous avons utilisé l'octadecyltriéthoxysilane (OTE pour modifier la surface de silicium qui change l'angle de contact de l'eau de 50° sur la silice non modifiée à une valeur comprise entre 100° et 120° sur la silice modifiée. Sur cette surface hydrophobe, nous constatons que l'adsorption de ces polyélectrolytes légèrement modifiés hydrophobiquement est proche de la loi puissance 4

  14. Surface analysis of selected hydrophobic materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska, Sylwia Katarzyna

    This dissertation contains a series of studies on hydrophobic surfaces by various surface sensitive techniques such as contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hydrophobic surfaces have been classified as mineral surfaces, organic synthetic surfaces, or natural biological surfaces. As a model hydrophobic mineral surface, elemental sulfur has been selected. The sulfur surface has been characterized for selected allotropic forms of sulfur such as rhombic, monoclinic, plastic, and cyclohexasulfur. Additionally, dextrin adsorption at the sulfur surface was measured. The structure of a dextrin molecule showing hydrophobic sites has been presented to support the proposed hydrophobic bonding nature of dextrin adsorption at the sulfur surface. As a model organic hydrophobic surface, primary fatty amines such as dodecylamine, hexadecylamine, and octadecylamine were chosen. An increase of hydrophobicity, significant changes of infrared bands, and surface topographical changes with time were observed for each amine. Based on the results it was concluded that hydrocarbon chain rearrangement associated with recrystallization took place at the surface during contact with air. A barley straw surface was selected as a model of biological hydrophobic surfaces. The differences in the contact angles for various straw surfaces were explained by the presence of a wax layer. SEM images confirmed the heterogeneity and complexity of the wax crystal structure. AFM measurements provided additional structural details including a measure of surface roughness. Additionally, straw degradation as a result of conditioning in an aqueous environment was studied. Significant contact angle changes were observed as soon as one day after conditioning. FTIR studies showed a gradual wax layer removal due to straw surface decomposition. SEM and AFM images revealed topographical changes and biological

  15. Positively charged phosphorus as a hydrogen bond acceptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Anne Schou; Du, Lin; Kjærgaard, Henrik Grum

    2014-01-01

    Phosphorus (P) is an element that is essential to the life of all organisms, and the atmospheric detection of phosphine suggests the existence of a volatile biogeochemical P cycle. Here, we investigate the ability of P to participate in the formation of OH···P hydrogen bonds. Three bimolecular......-stretching frequency red shifts and quantum chemical calculations, we find that P is an acceptor atom similar in strength to O and S and that all three P, O, and S atoms are weaker acceptors than N. The quantum chemical calculations show that both H and P in the OH···P hydrogen bond have partial positive charges......, as expected from their electronegativities. However, the electrostatic potentials show a negative potential area on the electron density surface around P that facilitates formation of hydrogen bonds....

  16. Onset of turbulence induced by electron nonthermality in a complex plasma in presence of positively charged dust grains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susmita Sarkar

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper onset of turbulence has been detected from the study of non linear dust acoustic wave propagation in a complex plasma considering electrons nonthermal and equilibrium dust charge positive. Dust grains are charged by secondary electron emission process. Our analysis shows that increase in electron nonthermality makes the grain charging process faster by reducing the magnitude of the nonadiabaticity induced pseudo viscosity. Consequently nature of dust charge variation changes from nonadiabatic to adiabatic one. For further increase of electron nonthermality, this pseudo viscosity becomes negative and hence generates a turbulent grain charging behaviour. This turbulent grain charging phenomenon is exclusively the outcome of this nonlinear study which was not found in linear analysis.

  17. Studies of the pulse charge of lead-acid batteries for PV applications. Part I. Factors influencing the mechanism of the pulse charge of the positive plate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirchev, A.; Perrin, M.; Lemaire, E.; Karoui, F.; Mattera, F. [Commissariat de l' Energie Atomique, Institut National de l' Energie Solaire, INES-RDI, Parc Technologique de Savoie Technolac, 50 Avenue du Lac Leman, 73377 Le Bourget du Lac Cedex (France)

    2008-02-15

    The mechanism of the positive plate charge in pulse regime was studied in model lead-acid cells with one positive and two negative plates (8 Ah each) and Ag/Ag{sub 2}SO{sub 4} reference electrodes. The results showed that the evolution of the electrode potential is much slower on the positive plate than on the negative plate. Regardless of this fact, the calculated capacitive current of charge and self-discharge of the electrochemical double layer (EDL) during the 'ON' and 'OFF' half-periods of the pulse current square waves is comparable with the charge current amplitude. The result is due to the high values of the EDL on the surface of the lead dioxide active material. The influence of different factors like state of charge, state of health, pulse frequency, current amplitude and open circuit stay before the polarization was discussed. The previously determined optimal frequency of 1 Hz was associated with a maximum in the average double layer current on frequency dependence. The average double layer current is also maximal at SOC between 75 and 100%. The exchange of the constant current polarization with pulse polarization does not change substantially the mechanism and the overvoltage of the oxygen evolution reaction on the positive plate. The mechanism of the self-discharge of the EDL was also estimated analyzing long-time PPP transients (up to 2 h). It was found that when the PPP is lower than 1.2 V the preferred mechanism of EDL self-discharge is by coupling with the lead sulphate oxidation reaction. At higher values of PPP the EDL self-discharge happens via oxygen evolution. The high faradic efficiency of the pulse charge is due to the chemical oxidation of the Pb(II) ions by the O atoms and OH radicals formed at the oxygen evolution both during the 'ON' and 'OFF' periods. (author)

  18. Positively charged polymers modulate the fate of human mesenchymal stromal cells via ephrinB2/EphB4 signaling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilenia De Luca

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the mechanisms by which mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs interact with the physical properties (e.g. topography, charge, ζ-potential, and contact angle of polymeric surfaces is essential to design new biomaterials capable of regulating stem cell behavior. The present study investigated the ability of two polymers (pHM1 and pHM3 with different positive surface charge densities to modulate the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblast-like phenotype via cell-cell ephrinB2/EphB4 signaling. Although pHM1 promoted the phosphorylation of EphB4, leading to cell differentiation, pHM3, characterized by a high positive surface charge density, had no significant effect on EphB4 activation or MSCs differentiation. When the MSCs were cultured on pHM1 in the presence of a forward signaling blocking peptide, the osteoblast differentiation was compromised. Our results demonstrated that the ephrinB2/EphB4 interaction was required for MSCs differentiation into an osteoblast-like phenotype and that the presence of a high positive surface charge density altered this interaction.

  19. Transparent Hydrophobic Coating by Sol Gel Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Hamzah Harun; Nik Ghazali Nik Salleh; Mahathir Mohamed; Mohd Sofian Alias

    2016-01-01

    Transparent hydrophobic coating of inorganic based tetra orthosilicate (TEOS) was prepared by sol gel method by varying fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) content which works as hydrophobic agent. Surface contact angle, transmittance degree and surface morphology were characterized for each sample. All samples show good transparency which was confirmed by UV visible spectroscopy. The hydrophobicity obtained increases with FAS content indicates that FAS is best candidate to induce hydrophobicity for inorganic coating. (author)

  20. Interactions between nano-TiO2 and the oral cavity: Impact of nanomaterial surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teubl, Birgit J.; Schimpel, Christa; Leitinger, Gerd; Bauer, Bettina; Fröhlich, Eleonore; Zimmer, Andreas; Roblegg, Eva

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic TiO 2 NPs agglomerated under oral physiological conditions. • Particles penetrated the upper and lower buccal epithelium, independent on the degree of hydrophilicity. • Most of the hydrophobic particles were found in vesicular structures, while hydrophilic particles were freely distributed in the cytoplasm. • Hydrophilic particles had a higher potential to trigger toxic effects (e.g., ROS) than hydrophobic particles. - Abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles are available in a variety of oral applications, such as food additives and cosmetic products. Thus, questions about their potential impact on the oro-gastrointestinal route rise. The oral cavity represents the first portal of entry and is known to rapidly interact with nanoparticles. Surface charge and size contribute actively to the particle–cell interactions, but the influence of surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity has never been shown before. This study addresses the biological impact of hydrophilic (NM 103, rutile, 20 nm) and hydrophobic (NM 104, rutile, 20 nm) TiO 2 particles within the buccal mucosa. Particle characterization was addressed with dynamic light scattering and laser diffraction. Despite a high agglomeration tendency, 10% of the particles/agglomerates were present in the nanosized range and penetrated into the mucosa, independent of the surface properties. However, significant differences were observed in intracellular particle localization. NM 104 particles were found freely distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas their hydrophobic counterparts were engulfed in vesicular structures. Although cell viability/membrane integrity was not affected negatively, screening assays demonstrated that NM 104 particles showed a higher potential to decrease the physiological mitochondrial membrane potential than NM 103, resulting in a pronounced generation of reactive oxygen species

  1. Long-Term Charge/Discharge Cycling Stability of MnO2 Aqueous Supercapacitor under Positive Polarization

    KAUST Repository

    Ataherian, Fatemeh; Wu, Nae-Lih

    2011-01-01

    The long-term charge/discharge cycling stability of MnO 2 electrode under positive polarization in aqueous KCl electrolyte has been studied over different potential windows spanning from the open circuit potential to varied higher-end potential

  2. A bioluminescence ATP assay for estimating surface hydrophobicity and membrane damage of Escherichia coli cells treated with pulsed electric fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pulse Electric Field (PEF) treatments, a non-thermal process have been reported to injure and inactivate bacteria in liquid foods. However, the effect of this treatment on bacterial cell surface charge and hydrophobicity has not been investigated. Apple juice (AJ, pH 3.8) purchased from a wholesale ...

  3. Liposomes coated with hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose: Influence of hydrophobic chain length and degree of modification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smistad, Gro; Nyström, Bo; Zhu, Kaizheng; Grønvold, Marthe Karoline; Røv-Johnsen, Anne; Hiorth, Marianne

    2017-08-01

    Nanoparticulate systems with an uncharged hydrophilic surface may have a great potential in mucosal drug delivery. In the present study liposomes were coated with hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (HM-HEC) to create a sterically stabilized liposomal system with an uncharged surface. The aim was to clarify the influence of the amount of hydrophobic modification of HEC and the length of the hydrophobic moiety, on the stability of the system and on the release properties. HM-HEC with different degrees of hydrophobic modification (1 and 2mol%) and hydrophobic groups with different chain lengths (C8, C12, C16) were included in the study, as well as fluid phase and gel phase liposomes. Both types of liposomes were successfully coated with HM-HEC containing 1mol% of hydrophobic groups, while 2mol% did not work for the intended pharmaceutical applications. The polymer coated gel phase liposomes were stable (size, zeta potential, leakage) for 24 weeks at 4°C, with no differences between the C8 and C16 HM-HEC coating. For the fluid phase liposomes a size increase was observed after 24 weeks at 4°C for all formulations; the C8 HM-HEC coated liposomes increased the most. No differences in the leakage during storage at 4°C or in the release at 35°C were observed between the fluid phase formulations. To conclude; HM-HEC with a shorter hydrophobic chain length resulted in a less stable product for the fluid phase liposomes, while no influence of the chain length was observed for the gel phase liposomes (1mol% HM). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Molecular Theory and the Effects of Solute Attractive Forces on Hydrophobic Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhari, Mangesh I; Rempe, Susan B; Asthagiri, D; Tan, L; Pratt, L R

    2016-03-03

    The role of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions is studied by coordinated development of theory and simulation results for Ar atoms in water. We present a concise derivation of the local molecular field (LMF) theory for the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions, a derivation that clarifies the close relation of LMF theory to the EXP approximation applied to this problem long ago. The simulation results show that change from purely repulsive atomic solute interactions to include realistic attractive interactions diminishes the strength of hydrophobic bonds. For the Ar-Ar rdfs considered pointwise, the numerical results for the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions are opposite in sign and larger in magnitude than predicted by LMF theory. That comparison is discussed from the point of view of quasichemical theory, and it is suggested that the first reason for this difference is the incomplete evaluation within LMF theory of the hydration energy of the Ar pair. With a recent suggestion for the system-size extrapolation of the required correlation function integrals, the Ar-Ar rdfs permit evaluation of osmotic second virial coefficients B2. Those B2's also show that incorporation of attractive interactions leads to more positive (repulsive) values. With attractive interactions in play, B2 can change from positive to negative values with increasing temperatures. This is consistent with the puzzling suggestions of decades ago that B2 ≈ 0 for intermediate cases of temperature or solute size. In all cases here, B2 becomes more attractive with increasing temperature.

  5. Super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO₂-coated SiC nanowires: fabrication, mechanism and ultraviolet-durable super-hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jian; Li, Zhenjiang; Zhang, Meng; Meng, Alan

    2015-04-15

    The interest in highly water-repellent surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires has grown in recent years due to the desire for self-cleaning and anticorrosive surfaces. It is imperative that a simple chemical treatment with fluoroalkylsilane (FAS, CF3(CF2)7CH2CH2Si(OC2H5)3) in ethanol solution at room temperature resulted in super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires. The static water contact angle of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires surfaces was changed from 0° to 153° and the morphology, microstructure and crystal phase of the products were almost no transformation before and after super-hydrophobic treatment. Moreover, a mechanism was expounded reasonably, which could elucidate the reasons for their super-hydrophobic behavior. It is important that the super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires possessed ultraviolet-durable (UV-durable) super-hydrophobicity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Modelling oral up-take of hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic chemicals in fish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larisch, Wolfgang; Goss, Kai-Uwe

    2018-01-24

    We have extended a recently published toxicokinetic model for fish (TK-fish) towards the oral up-take of contaminants. Validation with hydrophobic chemicals revealed that diffusive transport through aqueous boundary layers in the gastro-intestinal tract and in the blood is the limiting process. This process can only be modelled correctly if facilitated transport by albumin or bile micelles through these boundary layers is accounted for. In a case study we have investigated the up-take of a super hydrophobic chemical, Dechlorane Plus. Our results suggest that there is no indication of a hydrophobicity or size cut-off in the bioconcentration of this chemical. Based on an extremely high, but mechanistically sound facilitation factor we received model results in good agreement with experimental values from the literature. The results also indicate that established experimental procedures for BCF determination cannot cover the very slow up-take and clearance kinetics that are to be expected for such a chemical.

  7. Dynamics of Wetting of Ultra Hydrophobic Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammad Karim, Alireza; Kim, Jeong-Hyun; Rothstein, Jonathan; Kavehpour, Pirouz; Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Collaboration

    2013-11-01

    Controlling the surface wettability of hydrophobic and super hydrophobic surfaces has extensive industrial applications ranging from coating, painting and printing technology and waterproof clothing to efficiency increase in power and water plants. This requires enhancing the knowledge about the dynamics of wetting on these hydrophobic surfaces. We have done experimental investigation on the dynamics of wetting on hydrophobic surfaces by looking deeply in to the dependency of the dynamic contact angles both advancing and receding on the velocity of the three-phase boundary (Solid/Liquid/Gas interface) using the Wilhelmy plate method with different ultra-hydrophobic surfaces. Several fluids with different surface tension and viscosity are used to study the effect of physical properties of liquids on the governing laws.

  8. The influence of salt chaotropicity, column hydrophobicity and analytes' molecular properties on the retention of pramipexole and its impurities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vemić, Ana; Kalinić, Marko; Erić, Slavica; Malenović, Anđelija; Medenica, Mirjana

    2015-03-20

    The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of the chaotropic salts of different position in Hofmeister series (CF3COONa, NaClO4, NaPF6) added to the mobile phase with the stationary phases of different hydrophobicity (C8 and C18 XTerra(®) columns), as well as their common influence on the retention behavior of pramipexole and its structurally related impurities. The extended thermodynamic approach enabled the understanding of the underlying separation mechanism. Comparing six different column-salt systems it was observed that general system hydrophobicity presented by salt chaotropicity and column hydrophobicity favors stationary phase ion-pairing over the ion-pair formation in the eluent. Further, an attempt was made to describe the influence of analytes' nature on their retention behavior in such chromatographic systems. An analysis is performed in order to select and elucidate the molecular descriptors (electrostatical, quantum-chemical, geometrical, topological, and constitutional) that best explain the experimental evidence and findings obtained by the thermodynamic approach. The results of this analysis suggest that analytes' charge distribution and its complementarity to the structure of the electric double layer formed on the surface of the stationary phase upon the addition of chaotropic additives can be useful for understanding the differences in retention of structurally related analytes. These findings provide a novel understanding of the interactions between all the components of the chromatographic system containing chaotropic additive and a good basis for further investigations suggesting the development of generally applicable predictors in structure-retention relationship studies in related chromatographic systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Interactions between nano-TiO{sub 2} and the oral cavity: Impact of nanomaterial surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teubl, Birgit J.; Schimpel, Christa [Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); Leitinger, Gerd [Institute of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Research Unit Electron Microscopic Techniques, Medical University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); Center for Medical Research, Medical University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); BioTechMed, Graz 8010 (Austria); Bauer, Bettina [Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); Fröhlich, Eleonore [Center for Medical Research, Medical University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); BioTechMed, Graz 8010 (Austria); Zimmer, Andreas [Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); BioTechMed, Graz 8010 (Austria); Roblegg, Eva, E-mail: eva.roblegg@uni-graz.at [Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Graz, 8010 (Austria); BioTechMed, Graz 8010 (Austria)

    2015-04-09

    Highlights: • Hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic TiO{sub 2} NPs agglomerated under oral physiological conditions. • Particles penetrated the upper and lower buccal epithelium, independent on the degree of hydrophilicity. • Most of the hydrophobic particles were found in vesicular structures, while hydrophilic particles were freely distributed in the cytoplasm. • Hydrophilic particles had a higher potential to trigger toxic effects (e.g., ROS) than hydrophobic particles. - Abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) nanoparticles are available in a variety of oral applications, such as food additives and cosmetic products. Thus, questions about their potential impact on the oro-gastrointestinal route rise. The oral cavity represents the first portal of entry and is known to rapidly interact with nanoparticles. Surface charge and size contribute actively to the particle–cell interactions, but the influence of surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity has never been shown before. This study addresses the biological impact of hydrophilic (NM 103, rutile, 20 nm) and hydrophobic (NM 104, rutile, 20 nm) TiO{sub 2} particles within the buccal mucosa. Particle characterization was addressed with dynamic light scattering and laser diffraction. Despite a high agglomeration tendency, 10% of the particles/agglomerates were present in the nanosized range and penetrated into the mucosa, independent of the surface properties. However, significant differences were observed in intracellular particle localization. NM 104 particles were found freely distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas their hydrophobic counterparts were engulfed in vesicular structures. Although cell viability/membrane integrity was not affected negatively, screening assays demonstrated that NM 104 particles showed a higher potential to decrease the physiological mitochondrial membrane potential than NM 103, resulting in a pronounced generation of reactive oxygen species.

  10. Measuring momentum for charged particle tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Christopher; Fraser, Andrew Mcleod; Schultz, Larry Joe; Borozdin, Konstantin N.; Klimenko, Alexei Vasilievich; Sossong, Michael James; Blanpied, Gary

    2010-11-23

    Methods, apparatus and systems for detecting charged particles and obtaining tomography of a volume by measuring charged particles including measuring the momentum of a charged particle passing through a charged particle detector. Sets of position sensitive detectors measure scattering of the charged particle. The position sensitive detectors having sufficient mass to cause the charged particle passing through the position sensitive detectors to scatter in the position sensitive detectors. A controller can be adapted and arranged to receive scattering measurements of the charged particle from the charged particle detector, determine at least one trajectory of the charged particle from the measured scattering; and determine at least one momentum measurement of the charged particle from the at least one trajectory. The charged particle can be a cosmic ray-produced charged particle, such as a cosmic ray-produced muon. The position sensitive detectors can be drift cells, such as gas-filled drift tubes.

  11. Towards understanding hydrophobic recovery of plasma treated polymers: Storing in high polarity liquids suppresses hydrophobic recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bormashenko, Edward; Chaniel, Gilad; Grynyov, Roman

    2013-01-01

    The phenomenon of hydrophobic recovery was studied for cold air plasma treated polyethylene films. Plasma-treated polymer films were immersed into liquids with very different polarities such as ethanol, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, benzene and carbon disulphide. Hydrophobic recovery was studied by measurement of contact angles. Immersion into high polarity liquids slows markedly the hydrophobic recovery. We relate this slowing to dipole–dipole interaction of polar groups of the polymer with those of the liquids. This kind of interaction becomes decisive when polar groups of polymer chains are at least partially spatially fixed.

  12. Charged particle detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagen, R.D.

    1975-01-01

    A device for detecting the emission of charged particles from a specimen is described. The specimen is placed within an accumulator means which statically accumulates any charged particles emitted from the specimen. The accumulator means is pivotally positioned between a first capacitor plate having a positive electrical charge and a second capacitor plate having a negative electrical charge. The accumulator means is attracted to one capacitor plate and repelled from the other capacitor plate by an amount proportional to the amount and intensity of charged particles emitted by the specimen. (auth)

  13. Is Br2 hydration hydrophobic?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcaraz-Torres, A; Gamboa-Suárez, A; Bernal-Uruchurtu, M I

    2017-02-28

    The spectroscopic properties of bromine in aqueous systems suggest it can behave as either hydrophilic or hydrophobic solute. In small water clusters, the halogen bond and the hydrogen-halogen interaction are responsible for its specific way of binding. In water hydrates, it is efficiently hosted by two different cages forming the crystal structure and it has been frequently assumed that there is little or no interaction between the guest and the host. Bromine in liquid solution poses a challenging question due to its non-negligible solubility and the large blue shift measured in its absorption spectra. Using a refined semi-empirical force field, PM3-PIF, we performed a Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics study of bromine in liquid water. Here we present a detailed study in which we retrieved the most representative hydration structures in terms of the most frequent positions around bromine and the most common water orientations. Albeit being an approximate description of the total hydration phenomenon, it captures the contribution of the leading molecular interactions in form of the recurrent structures. Our findings confirm that the spectroscopic signature is mainly caused by the closest neighbors. The dynamics of the whole first hydration shell strongly suggests that the external molecules in that structure effectively isolate the bulk from the presence of bromine. The solvation structure fluctuates from a hydrophilic to a hydrophobic-like environment along the studied trajectory.

  14. Mixtures of latex particles and the surfactant of opposite charge used as interface stabilizers--influence of particle contact angle, zeta potential, flocculation and shear energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deleurence, Rémi; Parneix, Caroline; Monteux, Cécile

    2014-09-28

    We investigate the stabilization of air-water interfaces by mixtures of negatively charged latex particles (sulfate polystyrene) and cationic surfactants (alkyl trimethylammonium bromides). First we report results concerning the binding of surfactant molecules to the latex particles. As the surfactant concentration increases, the charge of the particles reverses, from negative to positive, because CnTAB first binds electrostatically to the latex particles and then through hydrophobic interaction with the monolayer already adsorbed on the particles as well as directly with the hydrophobic surface of the latex. Over a large range of surfactant concentrations around the charge inversion, a strong flocculation is observed and 100 μm large aggregates form in the suspension. Unlike previous studies published on mixtures of inorganic particles with oppositely charged surfactants, we show that we can vary the sign of the zeta potential of the particles without changing the contact angle of the particles over a large range of surfactant concentrations. Indeed, the latex particles that we study are more hydrophobic than inorganic particles, hence adding moderate concentrations of the surfactant results in a weak variation of the contact angle while the charge of the particles can be reversed. This enables decoupling of the effect of zeta potential and contact angle on the interfacial properties of the mixtures. Our study shows that the contact angle and the charge of the particles are not sufficient parameters to control the foam properties, and the key-parameters are the flocculation state and the shear energy applied to produce the foam. Indeed, flocculated samples, whatever the sign of the zeta potential, enable production of a stable armour at the interface. The large aggregates do not adsorb spontaneously at the interface because of their large size, however when a large shear energy is used to produce the foam very stable foam is obtained, where particles are trapped

  15. Evaluation of hydrophobicity in PAH-contaminated soils during phytoremediation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cofield, Naressa; Banks, M. Katherine; Schwab, A. Paul

    2007-01-01

    The impact of recalcitrant organic compounds on soil hydrophobicity was evaluated in contaminated soil from a manufactured gas plant site following 12 months of phytoremediation. Significant reduction in soil wetting and water retention was observed in contaminated soil compared to an uncontaminated control. Phytoremediation was effective at reducing total PAHs by 69% with corresponding changes in soil classification from extremely hydrophobic (initial sample) to moderately-strongly hydrophobic (planted) and hydrophilic-very hydrophilic (unplanted) after 12 months. The greatest reduction in soil hydrophobicity was observed in the unplanted, unfertilized treatments that had the lowest removal rate of PAHs. The presence of plants may contribute to hydrophobicity in contaminated soil. - The presence of recalcitrant hydrophobic organic pollutants may enhance soil hydrophobicity

  16. Charge properties and bacterial contact-killing of hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings with various degrees of alkylation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roest, Steven; Mei, Henny C. van der; Loontjens, Ton J.A.; Busscher, Henk J.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Cationic charge density does not reflect bacterial contact-killing by QUAT coatings. • Charge carrier and density reflect bacterial killing by QUAT coatings. • Fluorescein staining cannot distinguish charge carriers in cationic coatings. • Charge carrier and density of QUAT coatings are reflected in the N401.3 eV XPS peak. • The at.% N401.3 eV should be more than 0.45% for effective bacterial contact-killing. - Abstract: Coatings of immobilized-quaternary-ammonium-ions (QUAT) uniquely kill adhering bacteria upon contact. QUAT-coatings require a minimal cationic-charge surface density for effective contact-killing of adhering bacteria of around 10 14 cm −2 . Quaternization of nitrogen is generally achieved through alkylation. Here, we investigate the contribution of additional alkylation with methyl-iodide to the cationic-charge density of hexyl-bromide alkylated, hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings measuring charge density with fluorescein staining. X-ray-photoelectron-spectroscopy was used to determine the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Also streaming potentials, water contact-angles and bacterial contact-killing were measured. Cationic-charge density increased with methyl-iodide alkylation times up to 18 h, accompanied by an increase in the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Zeta-potentials became more negative upon alkylation as a result of shielding of cationiccharges by hydrophobic alkyl-chains. Contact-killing of Gram-positive Staphylococci only occurred when the cationic-charge density exceeded 10 16 cm −2 and was carried by alkylated-nitrogen (electron-binding energy 401.3 eV). Gram-negative Escherichia coli was not killed upon contact with the coatings. There with this study reveals that cationic-charge density is neither appropriate nor sufficient to determine the ability of QUAT-coatings to kill adhering bacteria. Alternatively, the at.% of alkylated-nitrogen at 401.3 eV is proposed, as it reflects both cationic-charge and its

  17. Charge properties and bacterial contact-killing of hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings with various degrees of alkylation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roest, Steven [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, AntoniusDeusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Mei, Henny C. van der, E-mail: h.c.van.der.mei@umcg.nl [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, AntoniusDeusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Loontjens, Ton J.A. [University of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Department of Polymer Chemistry, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen (Netherlands); Busscher, Henk J. [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, AntoniusDeusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen (Netherlands)

    2015-11-30

    Highlights: • Cationic charge density does not reflect bacterial contact-killing by QUAT coatings. • Charge carrier and density reflect bacterial killing by QUAT coatings. • Fluorescein staining cannot distinguish charge carriers in cationic coatings. • Charge carrier and density of QUAT coatings are reflected in the N401.3 eV XPS peak. • The at.% N401.3 eV should be more than 0.45% for effective bacterial contact-killing. - Abstract: Coatings of immobilized-quaternary-ammonium-ions (QUAT) uniquely kill adhering bacteria upon contact. QUAT-coatings require a minimal cationic-charge surface density for effective contact-killing of adhering bacteria of around 10{sup 14} cm{sup −2}. Quaternization of nitrogen is generally achieved through alkylation. Here, we investigate the contribution of additional alkylation with methyl-iodide to the cationic-charge density of hexyl-bromide alkylated, hyperbranched polyurea-polyethyleneimine coatings measuring charge density with fluorescein staining. X-ray-photoelectron-spectroscopy was used to determine the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Also streaming potentials, water contact-angles and bacterial contact-killing were measured. Cationic-charge density increased with methyl-iodide alkylation times up to 18 h, accompanied by an increase in the at.% alkylated-nitrogen. Zeta-potentials became more negative upon alkylation as a result of shielding of cationiccharges by hydrophobic alkyl-chains. Contact-killing of Gram-positive Staphylococci only occurred when the cationic-charge density exceeded 10{sup 16} cm{sup −2} and was carried by alkylated-nitrogen (electron-binding energy 401.3 eV). Gram-negative Escherichia coli was not killed upon contact with the coatings. There with this study reveals that cationic-charge density is neither appropriate nor sufficient to determine the ability of QUAT-coatings to kill adhering bacteria. Alternatively, the at.% of alkylated-nitrogen at 401.3 eV is proposed, as it reflects both

  18. Quantum size correction to the work function and centroid of excess charge in positively ionized simple metal clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payami, M.

    2004-01-01

    In this work, we have shown the important role of the finite-size correction to the work function in predicting the correct position of the centroid of excess charge in positively charged simple metal clusters with different r s values (2≤ r s ≥ 7). For this purpose, firstly we have calculated the self-consistent Kohn-Sham energies of neutral and singly-ionized clusters with sizes 2≤ N ≥100 in the framework of local spin-density approximation and stabilized jellium model as well as simple jellium model with rigid jellium. Secondly, we have fitted our results to the asymptotic ionization formulas both with and without the size correction to the work function. The results of fittings show that the formula containing the size correction predict a correct position of the centroid inside the jellium while the other predicts a false position, outside the jellium sphere

  19. Effect of whey goat milk kefir on hydrophobicity of E. coli O157:H7, S. typhi bacteria and C. albicans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dedi Fardiaz

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The hydrophobicity of bacteria. was determined using BATH (Bacteria adhesion to hydrocarbon test. All bacteria showed that 0,9 ml n-octane exposure gave a positive response and indicating that E. coli O157:H7 was categorized as moderate hydrophobic bacteria,  while S.  typhi  and C. albicans were catagorized as  highly hydrophobic bacteria. Goat Milk Kefir increased hydrophobicity of E.  coli O157:H7 by 24.40, however, decreased hydrophobicity of S. typhi by 47.56  and C. albicans by 70.14 percent, respectively. This finding showed that one of the inhibition mechanism may be caused by  an interaction  of  organic acid and peptide  compounds with cell membrane, in which hydrophobic sites of component  modified the hydrophobicity of the bacteria cell surface. The hydrophobicity modification in bacterial  cell wall might result inhibition of adhetion bacteria at cell host. Key words : Enterophatogenic bacteria, hidrophobisitas bacteria

  20. Decreased hydrophobicity of iridescent feathers: a potential cost of shiny plumage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eliason, Chad M; Shawkey, Matthew D

    2011-07-01

    Honest advertisement models posit that sexually selected traits are costly to produce, maintain or otherwise bear. Brightly coloured feathers are thought to be classic examples of these models, but evidence for a cost in feathers not coloured by carotenoid pigments is scarce. Unlike pigment-based colours, iridescent feather colours are produced by light scattering in modified feather barbules that are characteristically flattened and twisted towards the feather surface. These modifications increase light reflectance, but also expose more surface area for water adhesion, suggesting a potential trade-off between colour and hydrophobicity. Using light microscopy, spectrometry, contact angle goniometry and self-cleaning experiments, we show that iridescent feathers of mallards, Anas platyrhynchos, are less hydrophobic than adjacent non-iridescent feathers, and that this is primarily caused by differences in barbule microstructure. Furthermore, as a result of this decreased hydrophobicity, iridescent feathers are less efficient at self-cleaning than non-iridescent feathers. Together, these results suggest a previously unforeseen cost of iridescent plumage traits that may help to explain the evolution and distribution of iridescence in birds.

  1. Durability of hydrophobic treatment of concrete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, J. de; Polder, R.B.; Borsje, H.

    1998-01-01

    The subject of this study was the performance of hydrophobic treatment to protect concrete against chloride penetration from de-icing salts. Hydrophobic treatment makes a concrete surface absorb less water and less chloride. Test methods and requirements for commercial products were established. In

  2. Electrostatic interactions play an essential role in the binding of oleic acid with α-lactalbumin in the HAMLET-like complex: a study using charge-specific chemical modifications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yongjing; Min, Soyoung; Harte, Níal P; Kirk, Hannah; O'Brien, John E; Voorheis, H Paul; Svanborg, Catharina; Hun Mok, K

    2013-01-01

    Human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (HAMLET) and its analogs are partially unfolded protein-oleic acid (OA) complexes that exhibit selective tumoricidal activity normally absent in the native protein itself. To understand the nature of the interaction between protein and OA moieties, charge-specific chemical modifications of lysine side chains involving citraconylation, acetylation, and guanidination were employed and the biophysical and biological properties were probed. Upon converting the original positively-charged lysine residues to negatively-charged citraconyl or neutral acetyl groups, the binding of OA to protein was eliminated, as were any cytotoxic activities towards osteosarcoma cells. Retention of the positive charges by converting lysine residues to homoarginine groups (guanidination); however, yielded unchanged binding of OA to protein and identical tumoricidal activity to that displayed by the wild-type α-lactalbumin-oleic acid complex. With the addition of OA, the wild-type and guanidinated α-lactalbumin proteins underwent substantial conformational changes, such as partial unfolding, loss of tertiary structure, but retention of secondary structure. In contrast, no significant conformational changes were observed in the citraconylated and acetylated α-lactalbumins, most likely because of the absence of OA binding. These results suggest that electrostatic interactions between the positively-charged basic groups on α-lactalbumin and the negatively-charged carboxylate groups on OA molecules play an essential role in the binding of OA to α-lactalbumin and that these interactions appear to be as important as hydrophobic interactions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Simulation study of signal formation in position sensitive planar p-on-n silicon detectors after short range charge injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peltola, T.; Eremin, V.; Verbitskaya, E.; Härkönen, J.

    2017-01-01

    Segmented silicon detectors (micropixel and microstrip) are the main type of detectors used in the inner trackers of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN. Due to the high luminosity and eventual high fluence of energetic particles, detectors with fast response to fit the short shaping time of 20–25 ns and sufficient radiation hardness are required. Charge collection measurements carried out at the Ioffe Institute have shown a reversal of the pulse polarity in the detector response to short-range charge injection. Since the measured negative signal is about 30–60% of the peak positive signal, the effect strongly reduces the CCE even in non-irradiated detectors. For further investigation of the phenomenon the measurements have been reproduced by TCAD simulations. As for the measurements, the simulation study was applied for the p-on-n strip detectors similar in geometry to those developed for the ATLAS experiment and for the Ioffe Institute designed p-on-n strip detectors with each strip having a window in the metallization covering the p + implant, allowing the generation of electron-hole pairs under the strip implant. Red laser scans across the strips and the interstrip gap with varying laser diameters and Si-SiO 2 interface charge densities ( Q f ) were carried out. The results verify the experimentally observed negative response along the scan in the interstrip gap. When the laser spot is positioned on the strip p + implant the negative response vanishes and the collected charge at the active strip increases respectively. The simulation results offer a further insight and understanding of the influence of the oxide charge density in the signal formation. The main result of the study is that a threshold value of Q f , that enables negligible losses of collected charges, is defined. The observed effects and details of the detector response for different charge injection positions are discussed in the context of Ramo's theorem.

  4. Simulation study of signal formation in position sensitive planar p-on-n silicon detectors after short range charge injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltola, T.; Eremin, V.; Verbitskaya, E.; Härkönen, J.

    2017-09-01

    Segmented silicon detectors (micropixel and microstrip) are the main type of detectors used in the inner trackers of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN. Due to the high luminosity and eventual high fluence of energetic particles, detectors with fast response to fit the short shaping time of 20-25 ns and sufficient radiation hardness are required. Charge collection measurements carried out at the Ioffe Institute have shown a reversal of the pulse polarity in the detector response to short-range charge injection. Since the measured negative signal is about 30-60% of the peak positive signal, the effect strongly reduces the CCE even in non-irradiated detectors. For further investigation of the phenomenon the measurements have been reproduced by TCAD simulations. As for the measurements, the simulation study was applied for the p-on-n strip detectors similar in geometry to those developed for the ATLAS experiment and for the Ioffe Institute designed p-on-n strip detectors with each strip having a window in the metallization covering the p+ implant, allowing the generation of electron-hole pairs under the strip implant. Red laser scans across the strips and the interstrip gap with varying laser diameters and Si-SiO2 interface charge densities (Qf) were carried out. The results verify the experimentally observed negative response along the scan in the interstrip gap. When the laser spot is positioned on the strip p+ implant the negative response vanishes and the collected charge at the active strip increases respectively. The simulation results offer a further insight and understanding of the influence of the oxide charge density in the signal formation. The main result of the study is that a threshold value of Qf, that enables negligible losses of collected charges, is defined. The observed effects and details of the detector response for different charge injection positions are discussed in the context of Ramo's theorem.

  5. Quantum size correction to the work function and the centroid of excess charge in positively ionized simple metal clusters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Payami

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available  In this work, we have shown the important role of the finite-size correction to the work function in predicting the correct position of the centroid of excess charge in positively charged simple metal clusters with different values . For this purpose, firstly we have calculated the self-consistent Kohn-Sham energies of neutral and singly-ionized clusters with sizes in the framework of local spin-density approximation and stabilized jellium model (SJM as well as simple jellium model (JM with rigid jellium. Secondly, we have fitted our results to the asymptotic ionization formulas both with and without the size correction to the work function. The results of fittings show that the formula containing the size correction predict a correct position of the centroid inside the jellium while the other predicts a false position, outside the jellium sphere.

  6. Durability of hydrophobic treatment of concrete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, J. de; Polder, R.B.; Borsje, H.

    1998-01-01

    The subject of this study was the performance of hydrophobic treatment to protect concrete against chloride penetration from de-icing salts. Hydrophobic treatment makes a concrete surface absorb less water and less chloride. Several types of tests were carried out to study the performance of

  7. Liposomes Loaded with Hydrophobic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Suitable T2 Contrast Agents for MRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Martínez-González

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available There has been a recent surge of interest in the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs as contrast agents (CAs for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, due to their tunable properties and their low toxicity compared with other CAs such as gadolinium. SPIONs exert a strong influence on spin-spin T2 relaxation times by decreasing the MR signal in the regions to which they are delivered, consequently yielding darker images or negative contrast. Given the potential of these nanoparticles to enhance detection of alterations in soft tissues, we studied the MRI response of hydrophobic or hydrophilic SPIONs loaded into liposomes (magnetoliposomes of different lipid composition obtained by sonication. These hybrid nanostructures were characterized by measuring several parameters such as size and polydispersity, and number of SPIONs encapsulated or embedded into the lipid systems. We then studied the influence of acyl chain length as well as its unsaturation, charge, and presence of cholesterol in the lipid bilayer at high field strength (7 T to mimic the conditions used in preclinical assays. Our results showed a high variability depending on the nature of the magnetic particles. Focusing on the hydrophobic SPIONs, the cholesterol-containing samples showed a slight reduction in r2, while unsaturation of the lipid acyl chain and inclusion of a negatively charged lipid into the bilayer appeared to yield a marked increase in negative contrast, thus rendering these magnetoliposomes suitable candidates as CAs, especially as a liver CA.

  8. Dewetting and Hydrophobic Interaction in Physical and Biological Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berne, Bruce J.; Weeks, John D.; Zhou, Ruhong

    2013-01-01

    Hydrophobicity manifests itself differently on large and small length scales. This review focuses on large length scale hydrophobicity, particularly on dewetting at single hydrophobic surfaces and drying in regions bounded on two or more sides by hydrophobic surfaces. We review applicable theories, simulations and experiments pertaining to large scale hydrophobicity in physical and biomoleclar systems and clarify some of the critical issues pertaining to this subject. Given space constraints, we could not review all of the significant and interesting work in this very active field. PMID:18928403

  9. Simulation study on discrete charge effects of SiNW biosensors according to bound target position using a 3D TCAD simulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, In-Young; Jang, Hyeri; Lee, Jieun; Moon, Hyunggeun; Seo, Sung Min; Kim, Dae Hwan

    2012-02-17

    We introduce a simulation method for the biosensor environment which treats the semiconductor and the electrolyte region together, using the well-established semiconductor 3D TCAD simulator tool. Using this simulation method, we conduct electrostatic simulations of SiNW biosensors with a more realistic target charge model where the target is described as a charged cube, randomly located across the nanowire surface, and analyze the Coulomb effect on the SiNW FET according to the position and distribution of the target charges. The simulation results show the considerable variation in the SiNW current according to the bound target positions, and also the dependence of conductance modulation on the polarity of target charges. This simulation method and the results can be utilized for analysis of the properties and behavior of the biosensor device, such as the sensing limit or the sensing resolution.

  10. Simulation study on discrete charge effects of SiNW biosensors according to bound target position using a 3D TCAD simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, In-Young; Moon, Hyunggeun; Jang, Hyeri; Lee, Jieun; Kim, Dae Hwan; Seo, Sung Min

    2012-01-01

    We introduce a simulation method for the biosensor environment which treats the semiconductor and the electrolyte region together, using the well-established semiconductor 3D TCAD simulator tool. Using this simulation method, we conduct electrostatic simulations of SiNW biosensors with a more realistic target charge model where the target is described as a charged cube, randomly located across the nanowire surface, and analyze the Coulomb effect on the SiNW FET according to the position and distribution of the target charges. The simulation results show the considerable variation in the SiNW current according to the bound target positions, and also the dependence of conductance modulation on the polarity of target charges. This simulation method and the results can be utilized for analysis of the properties and behavior of the biosensor device, such as the sensing limit or the sensing resolution. (paper)

  11. The hydrophobic effect: Molecular dynamics simulations of water confined between extended hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Morten Østergaard; Mouritsen, Ole G.; Peters, Günther H.J.

    2004-01-01

    Structural and dynamic properties of water confined between two parallel, extended, either hydrophobic or hydrophilic crystalline surfaces of n-alkane C36H74 or n-alcohol C35H71OH, are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Electron density profiles, directly compared with corresponding......-correlation functions reveal that water molecules have characteristic diffusive behavior and orientational ordering due to the lack of hydrogen bonding interactions with the surface. These observations suggest that the altered dynamical properties of water in contact with extended hydrophobic surfaces together...... at both surfaces. The ordering is characteristically different between the surfaces and of longer range at the hydrophilic surface. Furthermore, the dynamic properties of water are different at the two surfaces and different from the bulk behavior. In particular, at the hydrophobic surface, time...

  12. Surface Hydrophobicity Causes SO2 Tolerance in Lichens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauck, Markus; Jürgens, Sascha-René; Brinkmann, Martin; Herminghaus, Stephan

    2008-01-01

    Background and Aims The superhydrophobicity of the thallus surface in one of the most SO2-tolerant lichen species, Lecanora conizaeoides, suggests that surface hydrophobicity could be a general feature of lichen symbioses controlling their tolerance to SO2. The study described here tests this hypothesis. Methods Water droplets of the size of a raindrop were placed on the surface of air-dry thalli in 50 lichen species of known SO2 tolerance and contact angles were measured to quantify hydrophobicity. Key Results The wettability of lichen thalli ranges from strongly hydrophobic to strongly hydrophilic. SO2 tolerance of the studied lichen species increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the thallus surface. Extraction of extracellular lichen secondary metabolites with acetone reduced, but did not abolish the hydrophobicity of lichen thalli. Conclusions Surface hydrophobicity is the main factor controlling SO2 tolerance in lichens. It presumably originally evolved as an adaptation to wet habitats preventing the depression of net photosynthesis due to supersaturation of the thallus with water. Hydrophilicity of lichen thalli is an adaptation to dry or humid, but not directly rain-exposed habitats. The crucial role of surface hydrophobicity in SO2 also explains why many markedly SO2-tolerant species are additionally tolerant to other (chemically unrelated) toxic substances including heavy metals. PMID:18077467

  13. Heat-resistant hydrophobic-oleophobic coatings

    OpenAIRE

    Uyanik, Mehmet; Arpac, Ertugrul; Schmidt, Helmut K.; Akarsu, Murat; Sayilkan, Funda; Sayilkan, Hikmet

    2006-01-01

    Thermally and chemically durable hydrophobic oleophobic coatings, containing different ceramic particles such as SiO2, SiC, Al 2O3, which can be alternative instead of Teflon, have been developed and applied on the aluminum substrates by spin-coating method. Polyimides, which are high-thermal resistant heteroaromatic polymers, were synthesized, and fluor oligomers were added to these polymers to obtain hydrophobic-oleophobic properties. After coating, Al surface was subjected to Taber-abrasio...

  14. Fish skin bacteria: Colonial and cellular hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sar, N; Rosenberg, E

    1987-05-01

    Bacteria were desorbed from the skin of healthy, fast-swimming fish by several procedures, including brief exposure to sonic oscillation and treatment with nontoxic surface active agents. The surface properties of these bacteria were studied by measuring their adhesion to hexadecane, as well as by a newly developed, simple method for studying the hydrophobicity of bacterial lawns. This method, referred to as the "Direction of Spreading" (DOS) method, consists of recording the direction to which a water drop spreads when introduced at the border between bacterial lawns and other surfaces. Of the 13 fish skin isolates examined, two strains were as hydrophobic as polystyrene by the DOS method. Suspended cells of one of these strains adhered strongly to hexadecane (84%), whereas cells of the other strain adhered poorly (13%). Another strain which was almost as hydrophobic as polystyrene by the DOS method did not adhere to hexadecane at all. Similarly, lawns of three other strains were more hydrophobic than glass by the DOS method, but cell suspensions prepared from these colonies showed little or no adhesion to hexadecane. The high colonial but relatively low cellular hydrophobicity could be due to a hydrophobic slime that is removed during the suspension and washing procedures. The possibility that specific bacteria assist in fish locomotion by changing the surface properties of the fish skin and by producing drag-reducing polymers is discussed.

  15. Functionalized nanoscale oil bodies for targeted delivery of a hydrophobic drug

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chiang, Chung-Jen; Lin, Che-Chin; Lu, Tzu-Li; Wang, Hesin-Fu, E-mail: cjchiang@mail.cmu.edu.tw [Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, China Medical University, 91 Hsue-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan (China)

    2011-10-14

    Effective formulations of hydrophobic drugs for cancer therapies are challenging. To address this issue, we have sought to nanoscale artificial oil bodies (NOBs) as an alternative. NOBs are lipid-based particles which consist of a central oil space surrounded by a monolayer of oleosin (Ole)-embedded phospholipids (PLs). Ole was first fused with the anti-HER2/neu affibody (Ole-ZH2), and the resulting hybrid protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli. ZH2-displayed NOBs were then assembled by sonicating the mixture containing plant oil, PLs, and isolated Ole-ZH2 in one step. To illustrate their usefulness, functionalized NOBs were employed to encapsulate a hydrophobic anticancer drug, Camptothecin (CPT). As a result, these CPT-loaded NOBs remained stable in serum and the release of CPT at the non-permissive condition exhibited a sustained and prolonged profile. Moreover, plain NOBs were biocompatible whereas CPT-loaded NOBs exerted a strong cytotoxic effect on HER2/neu-positive cells in vitro. Administration of xenograft nude mice with CPT-loaded NOBs also led to the regression of solid tumors in an effective way. Overall, the result indicates the potential of NOBs for targeted delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

  16. Adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide) on smectite: Effect of layer charge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Chia-Chi; Shen, Yun-Hwei

    2009-04-01

    The adsorption of polymers on clay is important in many applications. However the mechanisms of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) adsorption on smectite is not well elucidated at present. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of layer charge density on the adsorption of PEO by smectite. The results indicated that both the hydrophobic interaction (between CH(2)CH(2) groups and siloxane surface) and the hydrogen bonding (between ether oxygen of PEO and structure OH of smectite) lead to PEO preferential adsorption on the surface of low-charge smectite. In addition, the delamination of low-charge smectite in water is enhanced upon PEO adsorption presumably due to the hydrophilic ether oxygen of adsorbed PEO.

  17. Hydrophobicity-induced drying transition in alkanethiol self ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Raman Research Institute, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore 560 080, India ... Hydrophobicity; hydrophobic gap; self-assembled monolayer; length scale dependent .... From our work, we find that when the alkanethiol SAM is prepared from a.

  18. Interactions between nano-TiO2 and the oral cavity: impact of nanomaterial surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teubl, Birgit J; Schimpel, Christa; Leitinger, Gerd; Bauer, Bettina; Fröhlich, Eleonore; Zimmer, Andreas; Roblegg, Eva

    2015-04-09

    Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are available in a variety of oral applications, such as food additives and cosmetic products. Thus, questions about their potential impact on the oro-gastrointestinal route rise. The oral cavity represents the first portal of entry and is known to rapidly interact with nanoparticles. Surface charge and size contribute actively to the particle-cell interactions, but the influence of surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity has never been shown before. This study addresses the biological impact of hydrophilic (NM 103, rutile, 20 nm) and hydrophobic (NM 104, rutile, 20 nm) TiO2 particles within the buccal mucosa. Particle characterization was addressed with dynamic light scattering and laser diffraction. Despite a high agglomeration tendency, 10% of the particles/agglomerates were present in the nanosized range and penetrated into the mucosa, independent of the surface properties. However, significant differences were observed in intracellular particle localization. NM 104 particles were found freely distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas their hydrophobic counterparts were engulfed in vesicular structures. Although cell viability/membrane integrity was not affected negatively, screening assays demonstrated that NM 104 particles showed a higher potential to decrease the physiological mitochondrial membrane potential than NM 103, resulting in a pronounced generation of reactive oxygen species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Soil hydrophobicity: comparative study of usual determination methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Saldanha Vogelmann

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Hydrophobic or water repellent soils slowly absorb water because of the low wett ability of the soil particles which are coated with hydrophobic organic substances. These pose significant effects on plant growth, water infiltration and retention, surface runoff and erosion. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of tension micro-infiltrometer(TMI and the water drop penetration time (WDPT methods in the determination of the hydrophobicity index of eighteen soils from southern Brazil. Soil samples were collected from the 0-5cm soil layer to determine particle size distribution, organic matter content, hydrophobicity index of soil aggregates and droplet penetration time of disaggregated and sieved soil samples. For the TMI method the soil samples were subjected to minor changes due to the use of macroaggregates to preserve the distribution of solid constituents in the soil. Due to the homogeneity of the soil samples the WDPT method gave smaller coefficients of variation unlike the TMI method where the soil structure is preserved. However, both methods had low coefficients of variation, and are thus effective for determining the soil hydrophobicity, especially when the log hydrophobicity index or log WDPT is >1.

  20. Hydrophobic treatment of concrete as protection against chloride penetration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, J. de; Polder, R.B.; Borsje, H.

    1996-01-01

    Hydrophobic treatment makes a concrete surface absorb less water and less chloride. Hydrophobic treatment was studied as a protection agninst chloride penetration from deicing salts. Test methods were designed. Nine hydrophobic products were tested, of which three complied to the requirements on

  1. Structure of DNA-Cationic Surfactant Complexes at Hydrophobically Modified and Hydrophilic Silica Surfaces as Revealed by Neutron Reflectometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cardenas Gomez, Marite; Wacklin, Hanna; Campbell, Richard A.

    2011-01-01

    with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on hydrophobic surfaces, where we show that DNA molecules are located on top of a self-assembled surfactant monolayer, with the thickness of the DNA layer and the surfactant DNA ratio determined by the surface coverage of the underlying...... interfacial structures, a higher concentration in relation to its cmc is required for the more soluble DTAB surfactant with a shorter alkyl chain than for CTAB. Our results suggest that the DNA Molecules Will spontaneously form a relatively dense, thin layer on top of a surfactant monolayer (hydrophobic...... surface) or a layer of admicelles (hydrophilic surface) as long as the surface concentration of surfactant is great enough to ensure a high interfacial-charge density. These findings have implications for bioanalytical and nanotechnology applications, which require the deposition of DNA layers with well...

  2. The noise analysis and optimum filtering techniques for a two-dimensional position sensitive orthogonal strip gamma ray detector employing resistive charge division

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerber, M.S.; Muller, D.W.

    1976-01-01

    The analysis of an orthogonal strip, two-dimensional position sensitive high purity germanium gamma ray detector is discussed. Position sensitivity is obtained by connecting each electrode strip on the detector to a resistor network. Charge, entering the network, divides in relation to the resistance between its entry point and the virtual earth points of the charge sensitive preamplifiers located at the end of each resistor network. The difference of the voltage pulses at the output of each preamplifier is proportional to the position at which the charge entered the resistor network and the sum of the pulse is proportional to the energy of the detected gamma ray. The analysis and spatial noise resolution is presented for this type of position sensitive detector. The results of the analysis show that the position resolution is proportional to the square root of the filter amplifier's output pulse time constant and that for energy measurement the resolution is maximized at the filter amplifier's noise corner time constant. The design of the electronic noise filtering system for the prototype gamma ray camera was based on the mathematical energy and spatial resolution equations. For the spatial channel a Gaussian trapezoidal filtering system was developed. Gaussian filtering was used for the energy channel. The detector noise model was verified by taking rms noise measurements of the filtered energy and spatial pulses from resistive readout charge dividing detectors. These measurements were within 10% of theory. (Auth.)

  3. Design of textured surfaces for super-hydrophobicity

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Prithvi Raj Jelia

    2017-11-11

    Nov 11, 2017 ... as silicon wafer [1, 10, 11]. Yoon et al [12] used a modified ... The explanation for the increase in the contact angle or hydrophobicity on the ... water droplets on super-hydrophobic surfaces that exhibit large contact angles are ...

  4. Preparation of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for decontamination of nuclear effluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionita, Gh.; Popescu, I.; Retegan, T.; Stefanescu, I.

    2005-01-01

    Based on the long experience of the authors, in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts, and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D activities on the preparation methods and applications of the hydrophobic catalysts, in deuterium and tritium separation. The objectives of the paper are: (1) to provide a database for selection of the most appropriate catalyst and catalytic packing for above mentioned processes, (2) to evaluate the potentiality of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in the deuterium and tritium separation (3) to asses and to find a new procedure for preparation a new improved hydrophobic catalyst. The merits of the hydrophobic catalysts are shown in comparison to hydrophilic catalysts. As results of the review some general conclusions about the applications of hydrophobic catalysts in environmental field are as follow: (1) the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts packed in the trickle bed reactors showed a high catalytic activity and long stability; (2) the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for tritium removal from liquid and gaseous effluent in nuclear field was entirely confirmed on industrial scale; (3) the extension of the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in other new processes, which take place in presence of liquid water or high humidity are subjected to testing. (author)

  5. Preparation of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for decontamination of nuclear effluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionita, Gh.; Popescu, I.; Retegan, T.; Stefanescu, I.

    2004-01-01

    Based on the long experience of the authors, in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts, and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D activities on the preparation methods and applications of the hydrophobic catalysts, in deuterium and tritium separation. The objectives of the paper are: - to provide a database for selection of the most appropriate catalyst and catalytic packing for above mentioned processes; - to evaluate the potentiality of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in the deuterium and tritium separation; - to assess and to find a new procedure for preparation a new improved hydrophobic catalyst. The merits of the hydrophobic catalysts are shown in comparison to hydrophilic catalysts. As results of the review some general conclusions about the applications of hydrophobic catalysts in environmental field are as follows: - the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts packed in the trickle bed reactors showed a high catalytic activity and long stability; - the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for tritium removal from liquid and gaseous effluent in nuclear field was entirely confirmed on industrial scale; - the extension of the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in other new processes, which take place in presence of liquid water or high humidity are subject to testing. (authors)

  6. Elaboration of Stable and Antibody Functionalized Positively Charged Colloids by Polyelectrolyte Complexation between Chitosan and Hyaluronic Acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramona C. Polexe

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we describe the elaboration of multifunctional positively charged polyelectrolyte complex (PEC nanoparticles, designed to be stable at physiological salt concentration and pH, for effective targeted delivery. These nanoparticles were obtained by charge neutralization between chitosan (CS as polycation and hyaluronic acid (HA as polyanion. We showed that the course of the complexation process and the physico-chemical properties of the resulting colloids were impacted by (i internal parameters such as the Degree of Acetylation (DA, i.e., the molar ration of acetyl glucosamine residues and molar mass of CS, the HA molar mass and (ii external parameters like the charge mixing ratio and the polymer concentrations. As a result, nonstoichiometric colloidal PECs were obtained in water or PBS (pH 7.4 and remained stable over one month. The polymer interactions were characterized by thermal analysis (DSC and TGA and the morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. A model antibody, anti-ovalbumine (OVA immunoglobulin A (IgA was sorbed on the particle surface in water and PBS quantitatively in 4 h. The CS-HA/IgA nanoparticles average size was between 425–665 nm with a positive zeta potential. These results pointed out that CS-HA can be effective carriers for use in targeted drug delivery.

  7. Structuring unbreakable hydrophobic barriers in paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nargang, Tobias M.; Kotz, Frederik; Rapp, Bastian E.

    2018-02-01

    Hydrophobic barriers are one of the key elements of microfluidic paper based analytical devices (μPADs).μPADs are simple and cost efficient and they can be carried out without the need of high standard laboratories. To carry out such a test a method is needed to create stable hydrophobic barriers. Commonly used methods like printing wax or polystyrene have the major drawback that these barriers are stiff and break if bended which means they will no longer be able to retain a liquid sample. Here we present silanes to structure hydrophobic barriers via polycondensation and show a silanization method which combines the advantages of flexible silane/siloxane layers with the short processing times of UV-light based structuring. The barriers are created by using methoxy silanes which are mixed with a photo acid generator (PAG) as photoinitiator. Also a photosensitizer was given to the mixture to increase the effectiveness of the PAG. After the PAG is activated by UV-light the silane is hydrolyzed and coupled to the cellulose via polycondensation. The created hydrophobic barriers are highly stable and do not break if being bended.

  8. Pathways to dewetting in hydrophobic confinement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remsing, Richard C; Xi, Erte; Vembanur, Srivathsan; Sharma, Sumit; Debenedetti, Pablo G; Garde, Shekhar; Patel, Amish J

    2015-07-07

    Liquid water can become metastable with respect to its vapor in hydrophobic confinement. The resulting dewetting transitions are often impeded by large kinetic barriers. According to macroscopic theory, such barriers arise from the free energy required to nucleate a critical vapor tube that spans the region between two hydrophobic surfaces--tubes with smaller radii collapse, whereas larger ones grow to dry the entire confined region. Using extensive molecular simulations of water between two nanoscopic hydrophobic surfaces, in conjunction with advanced sampling techniques, here we show that for intersurface separations that thermodynamically favor dewetting, the barrier to dewetting does not correspond to the formation of a (classical) critical vapor tube. Instead, it corresponds to an abrupt transition from an isolated cavity adjacent to one of the confining surfaces to a gap-spanning vapor tube that is already larger than the critical vapor tube anticipated by macroscopic theory. Correspondingly, the barrier to dewetting is also smaller than the classical expectation. We show that the peculiar nature of water density fluctuations adjacent to extended hydrophobic surfaces--namely, the enhanced likelihood of observing low-density fluctuations relative to Gaussian statistics--facilitates this nonclassical behavior. By stabilizing isolated cavities relative to vapor tubes, enhanced water density fluctuations thus stabilize novel pathways, which circumvent the classical barriers and offer diminished resistance to dewetting. Our results thus suggest a key role for fluctuations in speeding up the kinetics of numerous phenomena ranging from Cassie-Wenzel transitions on superhydrophobic surfaces, to hydrophobically driven biomolecular folding and assembly.

  9. The charge spectrum of positive ions in a hydrogen aurora

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, J.; Pulliam, D.; Leach, R.; Scherb, F.

    1976-01-01

    An auroral ion charge spectrometer was flown into a hydrogen aurora on a Javelin sounding rocket launched from Churchill, Manitoba. The instrument contained an electrostatic analyzer which selected particles with incident energy per unit charge up to 20 keV/charge and an 80-kV power supply which accelerated these ions onto an array of solid state detectors. Ions tentatively identified as H(+), He(+2), and O(+) were detected from 225 to 820 km in altitude. The experiment did not discriminate between H(+) and He(+), or between O(+), N(+), and C(+). Upper limits of highly charged heavy ion abundances have been set at 20% of the He(+2) and 0.15% of the H(+). It is concluded that both terrestrial and solar wind sources play significant roles in auroral ion precipitation.

  10. Preparation of inorganic hydrophobic catalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yong; Wang, Heyi; Du, Yang

    2009-04-01

    In order to catalyse the oxidation of tritium gas, two inorganic hydrophobic catalysts are prepared. Under room temperature, the catalysed oxidation ratio of 0.3%-1% (V/V) hydrogen gas in air is higher than 95%. Pt-II inorganic hydrophobic catalysts has obviously better catalysing ability than Pt-PTFE and lower ability than Pt-SDB in H 2 -HTO isotopic exchange, because the pressure resistence of Pt-II is much higher than Pt-SDB, it can be used to the CECE cell of heavy water detritium system. (authors)

  11. Hydrophobic mismatch in gramicidin A'/lecithin systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watnick, P.I.; Chan, S.I.; Dea, P.

    1990-01-01

    Gramicidin A' (GA') has been added to three lipid systems of varying hydrophobic thickness: dimyristoyllecithin (DML), dipalmitoyllecithin (DPL), and distearoyllecithin (DSL). The similarity in length between the hydrophobic portion of GA' and the hydrocarbon chains of the lipid bilayers has been studied by using 31 P and 2 H NMR. Hydrophobic mismatch has been found to be most severe in the DML bilayer system and minimal in the case of DSL. In addition, the effects of hydrophobic mismatch on the cooperative properties of the bilayer have been obtained from 2 H NMR relaxation measurements. The results indicate that incorporation of the peptide into the bilayer disrupts the cooperative director fluctuations characteristic of pure multilamellar lipid dispersions. Finally, the GA'/lecithin ratio at which the well-known transformation from bilayer to reverse hexagonal (H II ) phase occurs is shown to depend on the acyl chain length of the phospholipid. A rationale is proposed for this chain length dependence

  12. SFG and SPR Study of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Film Assembly on Positively Charged Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Sanghun; Weidner, Tobias; Wagner, Matthew; Castner, David

    2012-02-01

    This study uses sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing to investigate the structure of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) films formed on positively charged and hydrophilic surfaces. The SPR signals show a good surface coverage suggesting that full monolayer coverage is reached at 1 mM. SFG spectra of SDS adsorbed exhibits well resolved CH3 peaks and OH peaks. At both 0.2 mM and 1 mM SDS concentration the intensity of both the CH3 and OH peaks decreased close to background levels. We found that the loss of SFG signal at 0.2 mM occurs at this concentration independent of surface charge density. It is more likely that the loss of signal is related to structural inhomogeneity induced by a striped phase - stand-up phase transition. This is supported by a distinct change of the relative SFG phase between CH3/OH near 0.2 mM. The second intensity minimum might be related to charge compensation effects. We observed a substrate dependence for the high concentration transition. We also observed distinct SFG signal phase changes for water molecules associated with SDS layers at different SDS solution concentrations indicating that the orientation of bound water changed with SDS surface structure.

  13. Interplay of Electrostatics and Hydrophobic Effects in the Metamorphic Protein Human Lymphotactin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korkmaz, Elif Nihal; Volkman, Brian F; Cui, Qiang

    2015-07-30

    The human lymphotactin (hLtn) is a protein that features two native states both of which are physiologically relevant: it is a monomer (hLtn10) at 10 °C with 200 mM salt and a dimer (hLtn40) at 40 °C and without salt. Here we focus on the networks of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions that display substantial changes upon the conversion from hLtn10 to hLtn40 since they are expected to modulate the relative stability of the two folds. In addition to the Arg 23-Arg 43 interaction discussed in previous work, we find several other like-charge pairs that are likely important to the stability of hLtn10. Free energy perturbation calculations are carried out to explicitly evaluate the contribution of the Arg 23-Arg 43 interaction to the hLtn10 stability. hLtn40 features a larger number of salt bridges, and a set of hydrophobic residues undergo major changes in the solvent accessible surface area between hLtn10 and hLtn40, pointing to their importance to the relative stability of the two folds. We also discuss the use of explicit and implicit solvent simulations for characterizing the conformational ensembles under different solution conditions.

  14. Hydrophobic core substitutions in calbindin D9k

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragelund, B B; Jönsson, M; Bifulco, G

    1998-01-01

    Hydrophobic core residues have a marked influence on the Ca2+-binding properties of calbindin D9k, even though there are no direct contacts between these residues and the bound Ca2+ ions. Eleven different mutants with substitutions in the hydrophobic core were produced, and their equilibrium Ca2+...... that the hydrophobic core residues promote Ca2+ binding both by contributing to the preformation of the Ca2+ sites in the apo state and by preferentially stabilizing the Ca2+-bound state.......Hydrophobic core residues have a marked influence on the Ca2+-binding properties of calbindin D9k, even though there are no direct contacts between these residues and the bound Ca2+ ions. Eleven different mutants with substitutions in the hydrophobic core were produced, and their equilibrium Ca2...... that the mutation causes only very minimal perturbations in the immediate vicinity of residue 61. Substitutions of alanines or glycines for bulky residues in the center of the core were found to have significant effects on both Ca2+ affinity and dissociation rates. These substitutions caused a reduction in affinity...

  15. Controllable picoliter pipetting using hydrophobic microfluidic valves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, M.; Huang, J.; Qian, X.; Mi, S.; Wang, X.

    2017-06-01

    A picoliter pipetting technique using the microfluidic method is presented. Utilizing the hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer films patterned in microchannels as pressure-controlled valves, a small volume of liquid can be separated by a designed channel trap and then ejected from the channel end at a higher pressure. The liquid trap section is composed of a T-shaped channel junction and a hydrophobic patch. The liquid volume can be precisely controlled by varying the distance of the hydrophobic patch from the T-junction. By this means, liquid less than 100 pl can be separated and pipetted. The developed device is potentially useful for sample dispensing in biological, medical, and chemical applications.

  16. Charge dividing mechanism on resistive electrode in position-sensitive detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radeka, V.; Rehak, P.

    1978-10-01

    A complete charge-division mechanism, including both the diffusion and the electromagnetic wave propagation on resistive electrodes, is presented. The charge injected into such a transmission line divides between the two ends according to the ratio of resistancies and independently of the value of the line resistance, of the propagation mechanism and of the distribution of inductance and capacitance along the line. The shortest charge division time is achieved for Rl = 2π (L/C) 1 / 2 , where R, L, C are resistance, inductance and capacitance per unit length and l is the length of the line

  17. Lithium position and occupancy fluctuations in a cathode during charge/discharge cycling of lithium-ion battery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, N.; Yu, D.; Zhu, Y.; Wu, Y.; Peterson, V. K.

    2012-01-01

    Lithium-ion batteries are undergoing rapid development to meet the energy demands of the transportation and renewable energy-generation sectors. The capacity of a lithium-ion battery is dependent on the amount of lithium that can be reversibly incorporated into the cathode. Neutron diffraction provides greater sensitivity towards lithium relative to other diffraction techniques. In conjunction with the penetration depth afforded by neutron diffraction, the information concerning lithium gained in a neutron diffraction study allows commercial lithium-ion batteries to be explored with respect to the lithium content in the whole cathode. Furthermore, neutron diffraction instruments featuring area detectors that allow relatively fast acquisitions enable perturbations of lithium location and occupancy in the cathode during charge/discharge cycling to be determined in real time. Here, we present the time, current, and temperature dependent lithium transfer occurring within a cathode functioning under conventional charge-discharge cycling. The lithium location and content, oxygen positional parameter, and lattice parameter of the Li 1+y Mn 2 0 4 cathode are measured and linked to the battery's charge/discharge characteristics (performance). We determine that the lithium-transfer mechanism involves two crystallographic sites, and that the mechanism differs between discharge and charge, explaining the relative ease of discharging (compared with charging) this material. Furthermore, we find that the rate of change of the lattice is faster on charging than discharging, and is dependent on the lithium insertion/ extraction processes (e.g. dependent on how the site occupancies evolve). Using in situ neutron diffraction data the atomic-scale understanding of cathode functionality is revealed, representing detailed information that can be used to direct improvements in battery performance at both the practical and fundamental level.

  18. Solution-Processed Organic and Halide Perovskite Transistors on Hydrophobic Surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Jeremy W; Smith, Hannah L; Zeidell, Andrew; Diemer, Peter J; Baker, Stephen R; Lee, Hyunsu; Payne, Marcia M; Anthony, John E; Guthold, Martin; Jurchescu, Oana D

    2017-05-31

    Solution-processable electronic devices are highly desirable due to their low cost and compatibility with flexible substrates. However, they are often challenging to fabricate due to the hydrophobic nature of the surfaces of the constituent layers. Here, we use a protein solution to modify the surface properties and to improve the wettability of the fluoropolymer dielectric Cytop. The engineered hydrophilic surface is successfully incorporated in bottom-gate solution-deposited organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and hybrid organic-inorganic trihalide perovskite field-effect transistors (HTP-FETs) fabricated on flexible substrates. Our analysis of the density of trapping states at the semiconductor-dielectric interface suggests that the increase in the trap density as a result of the chemical treatment is minimal. As a result, the devices exhibit good charge carrier mobilities, near-zero threshold voltages, and low electrical hysteresis.

  19. Electron-beam-charged dielectrics: Internal charge distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beers, B. L.; Pine, V. W.

    1981-01-01

    Theoretical calculations of an electron transport model of the charging of dielectrics due to electron bombardment are compared to measurements of internal charge distributions. The emphasis is on the distribution of Teflon. The position of the charge centroid as a function of time is not monotonic. It first moves deeper into the material and then moves back near to the surface. In most time regimes of interest, the charge distribution is not unimodal, but instead has two peaks. The location of the centroid near saturation is a function of the incident current density. While the qualitative comparison of theory and experiment are reasonable, quantitative comparison shows discrepancies of as much as a factor of two.

  20. The new view of hydrophobic free energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, Robert L

    2013-04-17

    In the new view, hydrophobic free energy is measured by the work of solute transfer of hydrocarbon gases from vapor to aqueous solution. Reasons are given for believing that older values, measured by solute transfer from a reference solvent to water, are not quantitatively correct. The hydrophobic free energy from gas-liquid transfer is the sum of two opposing quantities, the cavity work (unfavorable) and the solute-solvent interaction energy (favorable). Values of the interaction energy have been found by simulation for linear alkanes and are used here to find the cavity work, which scales linearly with molar volume, not accessible surface area. The hydrophobic free energy is the dominant factor driving folding as judged by the heat capacity change for transfer, which agrees with values for solvating hydrocarbon gases. There is an apparent conflict with earlier values of hydrophobic free energy from studies of large-to-small mutations and an explanation is given. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Prediction of Hydrophobic Cores of Proteins Using Wavelet Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirakawa; Kuhara

    1997-01-01

    Information concerning the secondary structures, flexibility, epitope and hydrophobic regions of amino acid sequences can be extracted by assigning physicochemical indices to each amino acid residue, and information on structure can be derived using the sliding window averaging technique, which is in wide use for smoothing out raw functions. Wavelet analysis has shown great potential and applicability in many fields, such as astronomy, radar, earthquake prediction, and signal or image processing. This approach is efficient for removing noise from various functions. Here we employed wavelet analysis to smooth out a plot assigned to a hydrophobicity index for amino acid sequences. We then used the resulting function to predict hydrophobic cores in globular proteins. We calculated the prediction accuracy for the hydrophobic cores of 88 representative set of proteins. Use of wavelet analysis made feasible the prediction of hydrophobic cores at 6.13% greater accuracy than the sliding window averaging technique.

  2. Complexation of Polyelectrolytes with Hydrophobic Drug Molecules in Salt-Free Solution: Theory and Simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Qun-Li; Hadinoto, Kunn; Ni, Ran

    2017-04-18

    The delivery and dissolution of poorly soluble drugs is challenging in the pharmaceutical industry. One way to significantly improve the delivery efficiency is to incorporate these hydrophobic small molecules into a colloidal polyelectrolyes(PE)-drug complex in their ionized states. Despite its huge application value, the general mechanism of PE collapse and complex formation in this system has not been well understood. In this work, by combining a mean-field theory with extensive molecular simulations, we unveil the phase behaviors of the system under dilute and salt-free conditions. We find that the complexation is a first-order-like phase transition triggered by the hydrophobic attraction between the drug molecules. Importantly, the valence ratio between the drug molecule and PE monomer plays a crucial role in determining the stability and morphology of the complex. Moreover, the sign of the zeta potential and the net charge of the complex are found to be inverted as the hydrophobicity of the drug molecules increases. Both theory and simulation indicate that the complexation point and complex morphology and the electrostatic properties of the complex have a weak dependence on chain length. Finally, the dynamics aspect of PE-drug complexation is also explored, and it is found that the complex can be trapped into a nonequilibrium glasslike state when the hydropobicity of the drug molecule is too strong. Our work gives a clear physical picture behind the PE-drug complexation phenomenon and provides guidelines to fabricate the colloidal PE-drug complex with the desired physical characteristics.

  3. Ligand-modulated interactions between charged monolayer-protected Au144 (SR)60 gold nanoparticles in physiological saline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villarreal, Oscar; Chen, Liao; Whetten, Robert; Yacaman, Miguel

    2015-03-01

    We studied the interactions of functionalized Au144 nanoparticles (NPs) in a near-physiological environment through all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The AuNPs were coated with a homogeneous selection of 60 thiolates: 11-mercapto-1-undecanesulfonate, 5-mercapto-1-pentanesulfonate, 5-mercapto-1-pentane-amine, 4-mercapto-benzoate or 4-mercapto-benzamide. These ligands were selected to elucidate how the aggregation behavior depends on the ligands' sign of charge, length, and flexibility. Simulating the dynamics of a pair of identical AuNPs in a cell of saline of 150 mM NaCl in addition to 120 Na+/Cl- counter-ions, we computed the aggregation affinities from the potential of mean force as a function of the pair separation. We found that NPs coated with negatively charged, short ligands have the strongest affinities mediated by multiple Na+ counter-ions residing on a plane in-between the pair and forming ``salt bridges'' to both NPs. Positively charged NPs have weaker affinities, as Cl counter-ions form fewer and weaker salt bridges. The longer ligands' large fluctuations disfavor the forming of salt bridges, enable hydrophobic contact between the exposed hydrocarbon chains and interact at greater separations due to the fact that the screening effect is rather incomplete. Supported by the CONACYT, NIH, NSF and TACC.

  4. Evaporation rate of water in hydrophobic confinement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Sumit; Debenedetti, Pablo G

    2012-03-20

    The drying of hydrophobic cavities is believed to play an important role in biophysical phenomena such as the folding of globular proteins, the opening and closing of ligand-gated ion channels, and ligand binding to hydrophobic pockets. We use forward flux sampling, a molecular simulation technique, to compute the rate of capillary evaporation of water confined between two hydrophobic surfaces separated by nanoscopic gaps, as a function of gap, surface size, and temperature. Over the range of conditions investigated (gaps between 9 and 14 Å and surface areas between 1 and 9 nm(2)), the free energy barrier to evaporation scales linearly with the gap between hydrophobic surfaces, suggesting that line tension makes the predominant contribution to the free energy barrier. The exponential dependence of the evaporation rate on the gap between confining surfaces causes a 10 order-of-magnitude decrease in the rate when the gap increases from 9 to 14 Å. The computed free energy barriers are of the order of 50 kT and are predominantly enthalpic. Evaporation rates per unit area are found to be two orders of magnitude faster in confinement by the larger (9 nm(2)) than by the smaller (1 nm(2)) surfaces considered here, at otherwise identical conditions. We show that this rate enhancement is a consequence of the dependence of hydrophobic hydration on the size of solvated objects. For sufficiently large surfaces, the critical nucleus for the evaporation process is a gap-spanning vapor tube.

  5. Humic acid adsorption onto cationic cellulose nanofibers for bioinspired removal of copper( ii ) and a positively charged dye

    KAUST Repository

    Sehaqui, H.

    2015-01-01

    © The Royal Society of Chemistry. Waste pulp residues are herein exploited for the synthesis of a sorbent for humic acid (HA), which is a major water pollutant. Cellulose pulp was etherified with a quaternary ammonium salt in water thereby introducing positive charges onto the surface of the pulp fibers, and subsequently mechanically disintegrated into high surface area cellulose nanofibers (CNF). CNF with three different charge contents were produced and their adsorption capacity towards HA was investigated with UV-spectrophotometry, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, and ζ-potential measurements. Substantial coverage of the CNF surface with HA in a wide pH range led to a reversal of the positive ζ-potentials of CNF suspensions. The HA adsorption capacity and the kinetics of HA uptake were found to be promoted by both acidic pH conditions and the surface charge content of CNF. It is suggested that HA adsorption onto CNF depends on electrostatic interactions between the two components, as well as on the conformation of HA. At pH ∼ 6, up to 310 mg g-1 of HA were adsorbed by the functionalized CNF, a substantially higher capacity than that of previously reported HA sorbents in the literature. It is further shown that CNF-HA complexes could be freeze-dried into "soil-mimicking" porous foams having good capacity to capture Cu(ii) ions and positive dyes from contaminated water. Thus, the most abundant natural polymer, i.e., cellulose could effectively bind the most abundant natural organic matter for environmental remediation purpose.

  6. Characterization of four different bipolar charging devices for nanoparticle charge conditioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kallinger, Peter; Steiner, Gerhard; Szymanski, Wladyslaw W.

    2012-01-01

    Well-defined charge conditioning of nanoparticles is a prerequisite for a number of particle measuring techniques. We investigated two different soft X-ray devices (custom-built and TSI advanced aerosol neutralizer) an AC-corona discharge device (MSP electrical ionizer) and a radioactivity based Am-241 charger as a reference. Electrical mobility size distributions of positive and negative ions created in all devices were determined and their applicability for particle charging examined. The mobility spectra of the positive ions were found to be quite comparable for all chargers with a mean mobility of 1.50–1.60 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , whereas the spectra of the negative ions show differences in morphology leading to a broader range of mean mobilities (1.68–2.09 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ). However, results confirm that under the selected experimental conditions the charge equilibrium related to bipolar diffusion charging process was obtained in all charging devices.

  7. Optimization of linear and branched alkane interactions with water to simulate hydrophobic hydration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashbaugh, Henry S.; Liu, Lixin; Surampudi, Lalitanand N.

    2011-08-01

    Previous studies of simple gas hydration have demonstrated that the accuracy of molecular simulations at capturing the thermodynamic signatures of hydrophobic hydration is linked both to the fidelity of the water model at replicating the experimental liquid density at ambient pressure and an accounting of polarization interactions between the solute and water. We extend those studies to examine alkane hydration using the transferable potentials for phase equilibria united-atom model for linear and branched alkanes, developed to reproduce alkane phase behavior, and the TIP4P/2005 model for water, which provides one of the best descriptions of liquid water for the available fixed-point charge models. Alkane site/water oxygen Lennard-Jones cross interactions were optimized to reproduce the experimental alkane hydration free energies over a range of temperatures. The optimized model reproduces the hydration free energies of the fitted alkanes with a root mean square difference between simulation and experiment of 0.06 kcal/mol over a wide temperature range, compared to 0.44 kcal/mol for the parent model. The optimized model accurately reproduces the temperature dependence of hydrophobic hydration, as characterized by the hydration enthalpies, entropies, and heat capacities, as well as the pressure response, as characterized by partial molar volumes.

  8. Biosurfactant-enhanced bioremediation of hydrophobic pollutants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cameotra, S.S.; Makkar, R.S. [Inst. of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh (India)

    2010-01-15

    Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds synthesized by a wide variety of microorganisms. They are molecules that have both hydrophobic and - philic domains and are capable of lowering the surface tension and the interfacial tension of the growth medium. Biosurfactants possess different chemical structures-lipopeptides, glycolipids, neutral lipids, and fatty acids. They are nontoxic biomolecules that are biodegradable. Biosurfactants also exhibit strong emulsification of hydrophobic compounds and form stable emulsions. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), crude on sludge, and pesticides call be toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic compounds that pollute the environment. They are released into the environment as a result of oil spillage and by-products of coal treatment processes. The low water solubility of these compounds limits their availability to microorganisms, which is a potential problem for bioremediation of contaminated sites. Microbially produced surfactants enhance the bioavailability of these hydrophobic compounds for bioremediation. Therefore, biosurfactant-enhanced solubility of pollutants has potential hioremediation applications.

  9. Study of correlations of positive and negative charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Y.; Chan, C.H.; Dong, B.L.; Duthie, J.G.; Gregory, J.C.; Hayashi, T.; Yokomi, H.; Christl, M.J.; Derrickson, J.H.; Eby, P.B.; Fountain, W.F.; Parnell, T.A.; Roberts, F.E.; Nagamiya, S.; Dake, S.; Tominaga, T.; Fuki, M.; Iyono, A.; Ogata, T.; Miyamura, O.

    1991-01-01

    Particle correlations of the central collision events of 32 S + Pb at 200 GeV/AMU have been studied by utilizing a Magnetic-Interferomagnetic-Emulsion-Chamber (MAGIC) detector. Particle angles, momentum, and charge-signs are measured for all produced charged tracks for each event. Two-particle correlation functions, C 2 = dN (vertical strokep 1 - p 2 vertical stroke = q)/dp 1 dp 2 , for (++), (--) and (+-) particles are examined. A source radius around 4 - 6 fm is observed for overall identical particle correlations, while unexpected short-range correlations of unlike-sign pairs are observed in the high rapidity region. An analysis of unlike-sign pairs in terms of resonance decays indicated that a large amount (40% relative to pions) of η or ω mesons (decaying into 3 π), or of scalar iso-scalar σ mesons (decaying into 2 π) would be required to explain some of the data. Multi-particle charge-sign clusters are recognized; however, their 'run-test' and 'conjugate-test' show small deviations from statistical fluctuations. (orig.)

  10. Use of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in tritium removal from effluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gheorghe, Ionita; Popescu, Irina; Stefanescu, Ioan; Steflea, Dumitru; Varlam, Carmen

    2002-01-01

    Based on the long experience of the authors, in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts, and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D activities on the application of the hydrophobic catalysts in tritium removal from nuclear effluents. Tritium removal from the heavy water reactor and nuclear reprocessing plant, the cleanup of atmosphere and gaseous effluents by hydrogen-oxygen recombination, removal of oxygen dissolved in water are presented and discussed. Unlike the conventional hydrophilic catalysts, the hydrophobic catalysts keep a high catalytic activity and stability, even under the direct contact to liquid water or in presence of saturated humidity. A large diversity of catalyst types (over 100 catalysts) was prepared and tested in order to make them feasible for such processes. The objectives of the review are: - to provide a database for selection of the most appropriate catalyst and catalytic packing for above mentioned processes; - the designing and operation of reactor packed with hydrophobic catalysts; - to evaluate the potentiality of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in the present and future applications. The most important results are the following: - the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts packed in the trickle bed or separated bed reactors, showed a high catalytic activity and long stability; - the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for the hydrogen isotopes (tritium and deuterium) separation and for hydrogen-oxygen recombination in nuclear field was entirely confirmed on industrial scale; - the improvement of the inner geometry of the reactors and of the composition of mixed catalytic packing as well as the evaluation of performances of separation processes constitute a major contribution of the authors; - the extension of the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in the oxidation of volatile organic compounds from wastewater; - the removal of dissolved oxygen, and deuterium

  11. Colorimetric method for determination of bisphenol A based on aptamer-mediated aggregation of positively charged gold nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Jingyue; Li, Ying; Bie, Jiaxin; Guo, Jiajia; Luo, Yeli; Shen, Fei; Sun, Chunyan; Jiang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    A sensitive, specific and rapid colorimetric aptasensor for the determination of the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) was developed. It is based on the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that are positively charged due to the modification with cysteamine which is cationic at near-neutral pH values. If aptamers are added to such AuNPs, aggregation occurs due to electrostatic interactions between the negatively-charged aptamers and the positively-charged AuNPs. This results in a color change of the AuNPs from red to blue. If a sample containing BPA is added to the anti-BPA aptamers, the anti-BPA aptamers undergo folding via an induced-fit binding mechanism. This is accompanied by a conformational change, which prevents the aptamer-induced aggregation and color change of AuNPs. The effect was exploited to design a colorimetric assay for BPA. Under optimum conditions, the absorbance ratio of A 527 /A 680 is linearly proportional to the BPA concentration in the range from 35 to 140 ng∙mL −1 , with a detection limit of 0.11 ng∙mL −1 . The method has been successfully applied to the determination of BPA in spiked tap water and gave recoveries between 91 and 106 %. Data were in full accordance with results obtained from HPLC. This assay is selective, easily performed, and in our perception represents a promising alternative to existing methods for rapid quantification of BPA. (author)

  12. Contribution of hydrophobic effect to the sorption of phenanthrene, 9-phenanthrol and 9, 10-phenanthrenequinone on carbon nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Hongbo; Zhang, Di; Pan, Bo; Peng, Jinhui

    2017-02-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with diverse sources and acute toxicity, are categorized as priority pollutants. Previous studies have stated that the hydrophobic effect controls PAH sorption, but no study has been conducted to quantify the exact contribution of the hydrophobic effect. Considering the well-defined structure of carbon nanotubes and their stable chemical composition in organic solvents, three multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were selected as a model adsorbent. Phenanthrene (PHE) and its degradation intermediates 9-phenanthrol (PTR) and 9, 10-phenanthrenequinone (PQN) were used as model adsorbates. To quantify the contribution of the hydrophobic effect for these three chemicals, the effect of organic solvent (methanol and hexadecane) was investigated. Adsorption isotherms for PHE, PTR and PQN were well fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model. A positive relationship between adsorption affinities of these three chemicals and specific surface area (SSA) was observed in hexadecane but not in water or methanol. Other factors should be included other than SSA. Adsorption of PQN on MWCNTs with oxygen functional groups was higher than that on pristine MWCNTs due to π-π EDA interactions. The contribution of hydrophobic effect was 50%-85% for PHE, suggesting that hydrophobic effect was the predominant mechanism. This contribution was lower than 30% for PTR/PQN on functionalized MWCNTs. Hydrogen bonds control the adsorption of PTR, and π-π bonding interactions control PQN sorption after screening out the hydrophobic effect in hexadecane. Hydrophobic effect is the control mechanism for nonpolar chemicals, while functional groups of CNTs and solvent types control the adsorption of polar compounds. Extended work on quantifying the relationship between chemical structure and the contribution of the hydrophobic effect will provide a useful technique for PAH fate modeling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents as water-immiscible extractants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Osch, van D.J.G.P.; Zubeir, L.F.; Bruinhorst, van den A.; Alves da Rocha, M.A.; Kroon, M.C.

    2015-01-01

    Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are presented for the first time. They consist of decanoic acid and various quaternary ammonium salts. The effect of the alkyl chains on the hydrophobicity and the equilibrium of the two-phase DES–water system were investigated. These new DESs were

  14. Influence of hydrophobicity on the chemical treatments of graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Krishna Bahadur; Khadka, Ishwor Bahadur; Kim, Eun Hye; Ahn, Sung Joon; Kim, Hyun Woo; Ahn, Joung Real

    2018-01-01

    The defect-free transfer of graphene grown by using chemical vapor deposition is essential for its applications to electronic devices. For the reduction of inevitable chemical residues, such as polar molecules and ionized impurities resulting from the transfer process, a hydrophobic polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) film was coated on a SiO2/Si wafer. The hydrophobic PDMS film resulted in fewer defects in graphene in comparison to a bare SiO2/Si wafer, as measured with Raman spectroscopy. We also studied the influence of the hydrophobic PDMS film on the chemical doping of graphene. Here, nitric acid (HNO3) was used to make p-type graphene. When graphene was transferred onto a SiO2/Si wafer coated with the hydrophobic PDMS film, fewer defects, compared to those in graphene transferred onto a bare SiO2/Si wafer, were created in grapheme by HNO3 as measured with Raman spectroscopy. The experiments suggest that when graphene is transferred onto a hydrophobic film, the number of defects created by chemical molecules can be reduced.

  15. Development and use of thin film composite based positively charged nanofiltration membranes in separation of aqueous streams and nuclear effluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dey, T.K.; Bindal, R.C.; Prabhakar, S.; Tewari, P.K.

    2010-01-01

    A new, positively charged, thin film composite (TFC) type nanofiltration membrane has been developed and studied for its use in various aqueous stream separations. The membrane, containing fixed quaternary ammonium moieties, was developed by insitu interfacial polymerization of a functionalized amine (polyethyleneimine) and terephthaloyl chloride on a suitable base membrane. The nature of the charge on the membrane was established by ATR FT IR spectroscopy and was estimated by determination of its ion exchange capacity. The membrane was tested for its performance in single solute feed systems containing salts of various combinations of univalent and bivalent ions (NaCl, Na 2 SO 4 , CaCl 2 and MgSO 4 ) in test cell as well as in 2512 spiral modules. The membrane gave differential separation profile for these solutes with high rejection for CaCl 2 and low rejection for Na 2 SO 4 due to positive charge on the membrane and the type of charge constituting the salts. The membrane was also used for separation of simulated effluent solution containing uranyl nitrate in combination with ammonium nitrate which is a common effluent generated in nuclear industry. Here also the membrane gave differential separation profile for uranyl nitrate and ammonium nitrate in their mixture by concentrating the former salt and passing the later. This helped separation of these two solutes in the mixture into two different streams. (author)

  16. Frosting characteristics on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Min-Hwan; Kim, Hisuk; Lee, Kwan-Soo; Kim, Dong Rip

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Fabrication methods of hydrophobic metal surfaces were investigated. • Mechanisms of ice crystal formation were reviewed in terms of static contact angle. • Future researches for frost retardation on heat exchanger surfaces were discussed. - Abstract: Fabrication methods of the hydrophobic property on metal surfaces and frosting characteristics on hydrophobic surfaces were investigated. A hydrophobic surface with a static contact angle of less than 150° was implemented by surface coating or etching, and a superhydrophobic surface with a static contact angle of greater than 150° was realized by a hybrid method using both coating and etching. The changes in surface properties affected the behaviors of the early stage frosting from the dry surface to the formation of ice crystals. On the hydrophobic surfaces, ice crystals were formed by freezing after condensation. Isolated-droplet freezing and inter-droplet freezing are mechanisms by which the condensate undergoes a phase change into ice crystals. Through isolated-droplet freezing, a supercooled condensate changes phase into ice crystals by forming ice nuclei based on the classical nucleation theory. In addition, through inter-droplet freezing, ice crystals are propagated due to the difference in saturation vapor pressure between supercooled condensates and ice crystals. The formation and propagation of ice crystals are delayed as the static contact angle increases. Additionally, based on a review, future researches that is needed to improve hydrophobic technologies are discussed.

  17. Super-Hydrophobic Green Corrosion Inhibitor On Carbon Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, H.; Ismail, A.; Ahmad, S.; Soon, C. F.

    2017-06-01

    There are many examples of organic coatings used for corrosion protection. In particular, hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic coatings are shown to give good protection because of their enhanced ability to slow down transport of water and ions through the coating. The purpose of this research is to develop water repellent coating to avoid direct contact between metal and environment corrosive and mitigate corrosion attack at pipeline system. This water repellent characteristic on super-hydrophobic coating was coated by electrodeposition method. Wettability of carbon steel with super-hydrophobic coating (cerium chloride and myristic acid) and oxidized surface was investigated through contact angle and inhibitor performance test. The inhibitor performance was studied in 25% tannin acid corrosion test at 30°C and 3.5% sodium chloride (NaCl). The water contact angle test was determined by placing a 4-μL water droplet of distilled water. It shows that the wettability of contact angle super-hydrophobic with an angle of 151.60° at zero minute can be classified as super-hydrophobic characteristic. By added tannin acid as inhibitor the corrosion protection on carbon steel becomes more consistent. This reveals that the ability of the coating to withstand with the corrosion attack in the seawater at different period of immersions. The results elucidate that the weight loss increased as the time of exposure increased. However, the corrosion rates for uncoated carbon steel is high compared to coated carbon steel. As a conclusion, from both samples it can be seen that the coated carbon steel has less corrosion rated compared to uncoated carbon steel and addition of inhibitor to the seawater provides more protection to resist corrosion attack on carbon steel.

  18. Effect of scanning in the supine and prone positions on dilation of air-charged colon in CTVC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye Jing; Chen Junkun; Zhang Zongjun; Wang Junpeng; Gao Dazhi

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the effect of scanning in the supine and prone positions on dilation of air-charged colon in CT virtual colonoscopy (CTVC). Methods: Thirty cases underwent CTVC scanning in both the supine and prone positions immediately before colonoscopy, and the dilation of each intestine was graded. The differences of colon dilation in different positions were compared. Results: In supine and prone position, there were 26 (17.3%) and 22 (14.7%) insufficient dilating colon segments, respectively, and only 5 (3.3%) insufficient dilating colon segments in double positions. 15(50.0%) and 13(43.3%) colons dilated insufficiently in supine and prone position, respectively, and decreased to 5 (16.7%) in double positions. The dilation of rectum, sigmoid colon, and transverse colon had significant difference in different positions. Conclusion: When performing CTVC, it is highly necessary to scan in both the supine and prone positions in order to ensure the sufficient dilation of colon. In supine position, the dilation of transverse colon is better, while the dilation of rectum and sigmoid colon in prone position is superior to that in supine position

  19. Design study of beam position monitors for measuring second-order moments of charged particle beams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanagida, Kenichi; Suzuki, Shinsuke; Hanaki, Hirofumi

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a theoretical investigation on the multipole moments of charged particle beams in two-dimensional polar coordinates. The theoretical description of multipole moments is based on a single-particle system that is expanded to a multiparticle system by superposition, i.e., summing over all single-particle results. This paper also presents an analysis and design method for a beam position monitor (BPM) that detects higher-order (multipole) moments of a charged particle beam. To calculate the electric fields, a numerical analysis based on the finite difference method was created and carried out. Validity of the numerical analysis was proven by comparing the numerical with the analytical results for a BPM with circular cross section. Six-electrode BPMs with circular and elliptical cross sections were designed for the SPring-8 linac. The results of the numerical calculations show that the second-order moment can be detected for beam sizes ≧420μm (circular) and ≧550μm (elliptical).

  20. Inverse colloidal crystal membranes for hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vu, Anh T; Wang, Xinying; Wickramasinghe, S Ranil; Yu, Bing; Yuan, Hua; Cong, Hailin; Luo, Yongli; Tang, Jianguo

    2015-08-01

    Hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography has gained interest due to its excellent performance in the purification of humanized monoclonal antibodies. The membrane material used in hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography has typically been commercially available polyvinylidene fluoride. In this contribution, newly developed inverse colloidal crystal membranes that have uniform pores, high porosity and, therefore, high surface area for protein binding are used as hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography membranes for humanized monoclonal antibody immunoglobulin G purification. The capacity of the inverse colloidal crystal membranes developed here is up to ten times greater than commercially available polyvinylidene fluoride membranes with a similar pore size. This work highlights the importance of developing uniform pore size high porosity membranes in order to maximize the capacity of hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Protein-induced bilayer Perturbations: Lipid ordering and hydrophobic coupling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Frederic Nicolas Rønne; Laursen, Ib; Bohr, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    The host lipid bilayer is increasingly being recognized as an important non-specific regulator of membrane protein function. Despite considerable progress the interplay between hydrophobic coupling and lipid ordering is still elusive. We use electron spin resonance (ESR) to study the interaction...... between the model protein gramicidin and lipid bilayers of varying thickness. The free energy of the interaction is up to −6 kJ/mol; thus not strongly favored over lipid–lipid interactions. Incorporation of gramicidin results in increased order parameters with increased protein concentration...... and hydrophobic mismatch. Our findings also show that at high protein:lipid ratios the lipids are motionally restricted but not completely immobilized. Both exchange on and off rate values for the lipid ↔ gramicidin interaction are lowest at optimal hydrophobic matching. Hydrophobic mismatch of few Å results...

  2. Patterned hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces of ultra-smooth nanocrystalline diamond layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mertens, M., E-mail: michael.mertens@uni-ulm.de [Institute of Micro and Nanomaterials, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Mohr, M.; Brühne, K.; Fecht, H.J. [Institute of Micro and Nanomaterials, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Łojkowski, M.; Święszkowski, W. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw (Poland); Łojkowski, W. [Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (Poland)

    2016-12-30

    Highlights: • Hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties on fluorine-, hydrogen- and oxygen- terminated ultra-nanocrystalline diamond films. • Micropatterned - multi-terminated layers with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas on one sample. • Visualization of multi-terminated surfaces by e.g. SEM and LFM. • Roughness and friction investigations on different terminated surfaces. • Smooth and biocompatible surfaces with same roughness regardless of hydrophobicity for microbiological investigations. - Abstract: In this work, we show that ultra nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD) surfaces have been modified to add them hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. The nanocrystalline diamond films were deposited using the hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique. This allows growing diamond on different substrates which can be even 3D or structured. Silicon and, for optical applications, transparent quartz glass are the preferred substrates for UNCD layers growth. Fluorine termination leads to strong hydrophobic properties as indicated by a high contact angle for water of more than 100°. Hydrogen termination shows lesser hydrophobic behavior. Hydrophilic characteristics has been realised with oxygen termination. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements confirm the oxygen and fluorine- termination on the nanocrystalline diamond surface. Further, by micropatterning using photolithography, multi-terminated layers have been created with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas. In addition, we have shown that retermination is achieved, and the properties of the surface have been changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic and vice versa. Micro- roughness and stress in the grown film influences slightly the wetting angle as well. The opportunity to realize local differences in hydrophobicity on nanocrystalline diamond layers, in any size or geometry, offers interesting applications for example in

  3. Fabricating Super-hydrophobic Polydimethylsiloxane Surfaces by a Simple Filler-Dissolved Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yung-Tsan; Chou, Jung-Hua

    2010-12-01

    The self-cleaning effect of super-hydrophobic surfaces has attracted the attention of researchers. Typical ways of manufacturing super-hydrophobic surfaces include the use of either dedicated equipment or a complex chemical process. In this study, a simple innovative filler-dissolved method is developed using mainly powder salt and rinsing to form hydrophobic surfaces. This method can produce large super-hydrophobic surfaces with porous and micro rib surface structures. It can also be applied to curved surfaces, including flexible membranes. The contact angle of the manufactured artificial hydrophobic surface is about 160°. Furthermore, water droplets roll off the surface readily at a sliding angle of less than 5°, resembling the nonwetting lotus like effect.

  4. Characteristics improvement of hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene-platinum catalysts for tritium separation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popescu, I.; Ionita, Gh.; Dobrinescu, D.; Varlam, C.; Stefanescu, I.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Based on the long experience of the authors in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D activities on the preparation methods and applications of the hydrophobic catalysts in tritium separation. The objectives of the paper are: how to improve the characteristics and performance of platinum hydrophobic catalysts; to assess and find a new procedure for the preparation of a new improved hydrophobic catalyst. From reviewed references one can conclude that platinum is the most active and efficient catalytic metal while the polytetrafluoroethylene is the best wet-proofing agent. A new improved hydrophobic Pt-catalyst has been proposed and its testing is now underway. The main steps and experimental conditions of preparation are thoroughly discussed. A new wet-proofing agent and new binders (titanium dioxide, cerium dioxide, zirconium dioxide) with a catalytic role are proposed and tested. The physico-structural parameters of the improved catalyst have been determined and are discussed in detail. The new proposal is a promising idea to improve the performance of conventional hydrophobic Pt-catalysts. (authors)

  5. Hydrophobic treatment of concrete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, J. de; Polder, R.B.

    1996-01-01

    As part of the maintenance policy of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Civil Engineering Division, hydrophobic treatment of concrete was considered as an additional protective measure against penetration of aggressive substances, for instance deicing salts in bridge decks. A set of tests was designed

  6. Adsorption of dextrin on hydrophobic minerals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaussart, Audrey; Mierczynska-Vasilev, Agnieszka; Beattie, David A

    2009-09-01

    The adsorption of dextrin on talc, molybdenite, and graphite (three naturally hydrophobic minerals) has been compared. Adsorption isotherms and in situ tapping mode atomic force microscope (TMAFM) imaging have enabled polymer adsorbed amount and morphology of the adsorbed layer (area coverage and polymer domain size) to be determined and also the amount of hydration water in the structure of the adsorbed layer. The effect of the polymer on the mineral contact angles, measured by the captive bubble method on cleaved mineral surfaces, indicates clear correlations between the hydrophobicity reduction of the minerals, the adsorbed amount, and the surface coverage of the adsorbed polymer. Predictions of the flotation recovery of the treated mineral phases have been confirmed by performing batch flotation experiments. The influence of the polymer surface coverage on flotation recovery has highlighted the importance of this key parameter in the predictions of depressant efficiency. The roles of the initial hydrophobicity and the surface structure of the mineral basal plane in determining adsorption parameters and flotation response of the polymer-treated minerals are also discussed.

  7. Synthesis of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin nano-hybrid by sol-gel process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smitha, S; Shajesh, P; Mukundan, P; Nair, T D R; Warrier, K G K

    2007-03-15

    Silica-biopolymer hybrid has been synthesised using colloidal silica as the precursor for silica and gelatin as the biopolymer counterpart. The surface modification of the hybrid material has been done with methyltrimethoxysilane leading to the formation of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid. Here we are reporting hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid and coating precursor for the first time. The hybrid gel has been evaluated for chemical modification, thermal degradation, hydrophobicity, particle size, transparency under the UV-visible region and morphology. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to verify the presence of CH(3) groups which introduce hydrophobicity to the SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrids. The hydrophobic property has also been tailored by varying the concentration of methyltrimethoxysilane. Contact angle by Wilhelmy plate method of transparent hydrophobic silica-gelatin coatings has been found to be as high as approximately 95 degrees . Oxidation of the organic group which induces the hydrophobic character occurs at 530 degrees C which indicates that the surface hydrophobicity is retained up to that temperature. Optical transmittance of SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrid coatings on glass substrates has been found to be close to 100% which will enable the hybrid for possible optical applications and also for preparation of transparent biocompatible hydrophobic coatings on biological substrates such as leather.

  8. Proliferative activity of elastin-like-peptides depends on charge and phase transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Yuan; Koria, Piyush

    2016-03-01

    Elastin-like-peptides (ELPs) are stimulus-responsive protein-based polymers and are attractive biomaterials due to their biocompatibility and unique properties. This study shows that in addition to their physical properties, ELPs have biological activities that are conducive to tissue regeneration. Specifically, we found that ELPs induce fibroblast proliferation via cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG). Furthermore, our data suggests that ELP based materials with differential proliferative potential can be designed by controlling the interaction of ELPs with HSPGs by incorporating either hydrophobic or positively charged residues within the ELP sequence. Fibroblast proliferation is important for granulation tissue formation which is important in chronic wounds as well as in healing of other tissues. The customizable biological activity of ELPs coupled with their unique physical properties will enable us to design novel, sustainable and cost effective therapies for different tissue regeneration applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 697-706, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Influence of Hydrophobicity on Polyelectrolyte Complexation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadman, Kazi [Department; amp, Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States; Wang, Qifeng [Department; amp, Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States; Chen, Yaoyao [Department; amp, Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States; Keshavarz, Bavand [Department; Jiang, Zhang [X-ray; Shull, Kenneth R. [Department; amp, Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States

    2017-11-16

    Polyelectrolyte complexes are a fascinating class of soft materials that can span the full spectrum of mechanical properties from low viscosity fluids to glassy solids. This spectrum can be accessed by modulating the extent of electrostatic association in these complexes. However, to realize the full potential of polyelectrolyte complexes as functional materials their molecular level details need to be clearly correlated with their mechanical response. The present work demonstrates that by making simple amendments to the chain architecture it is possible to affect the salt responsiveness of polyelectrolyte complexes in a systematic manner. This is achieved by quaternizing poly(4-vinylpyridine) (QVP) with methyl, ethyl and propyl substituents– thereby increasing the hydrophobicity with increasing side chain length– and complexing them with a common anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(styrene sulfonate). The mechanical 1 ACS Paragon Plus Environment behavior of these complexes is compared to the more hydrophilic system of poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) by quantifying the swelling behavior in response to salt stimuli. More hydrophobic complexes are found to be more resistant to doping by salt, yet the mechanical properties of the complex remain contingent on the overall swelling ratio of the complex itself, following near universal swelling-modulus master curves that are quantified in this work. The rheological behavior of QVP complex coacervates are found to be approximately the same, only requiring higher salt concentrations to overcome strong hydrophobic interactions, demonstrating that hydrophobicity can be used as an important parameter for tuning the stability of polyelectrolyte complexes in general, while still preserving the ability to be processed “saloplastically”.

  10. Photoinduced hydrophobic surface of graphene oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiaoyan; Song Peng; Cui Xiaoli

    2012-01-01

    Graphene oxide (GO) thin films were deposited on transparent conducting oxide substrates and glass slides by spin coating method at room temperature. The wettability of GO thin films before and after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was characterized with water contact angles, which increased from 27.3° to 57.6° after 3 h of irradiation, indicating a photo-induced hydrophobic surface. The UV–vis absorption spectra, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements of GO films before and after UV irradiation were taken to study the mechanism of photoinduced hydrophobic surface of GO thin films. It is demonstrated that the photoinduced hydrophobic surface is ascribed to the elimination of oxygen-containing functional groups on GO molecules. This work provides a simple strategy to control the wettability properties of GO thin films by UV irradiation. - Highlights: ► Photoinduced hydrophobic surface of graphene oxide thin films has been demonstrated. ► Elimination of oxygen-containing functional groups in graphene oxide achieved by UV irradiation. ► We provide novel strategy to control surface wettability of GO thin films by UV irradiation.

  11. Position dependence of charge collection in prototype sensors for the CMS pixel detector

    CERN Document Server

    Rohe, Tilman; Chiochia, Vincenzo; Cremaldi, Lucien M; Cucciarelli, Susanna; Dorokhov, Andrei; Konecki, Marcin; Prokofiev, Kirill; Regenfus, Christian; Sanders, David A; Son Seung Hee; Speer, Thomas; Swartz, Morris

    2004-01-01

    This paper reports on the sensor R&D activity for the CMS pixel detector. Devices featuring several design and technology options have been irradiated up to a proton fluence1 of 1 multiplied by 10**1**5 n //e//q/cm**2 at the CERN PS. Afterward, they were bump bonded to unirradiated readout chips and tested using high energy pions in the H2 beam line of the CERN SPS. The readout chip allows a nonzero suppressed full analogue readout and therefore a good characterization of the sensors in terms of noise and charge collection properties. The position dependence of signal is presented and the differences between the two sensor options are discussed. 20 Refs.

  12. Aqueous lubricating properties of charged (ABC) and neutral (ABA) triblock copolymer chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Røn, Troels; Javakhishvili, Irakli; Patil, Navin J.

    2014-01-01

    Application of charged polymer chains as additives for lubricating neutral surfaces in aqueous envi- ronment, especially via polymer physisorption, is generally impeded by the electrostatic repulsion be- tween adjacent polymers on the surface. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption an...... improvement compared to fully charged polymer chains, e.g. poly(acrylic acid)- block -poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PAA- b -PMEA), which is attributed to dilution of charged moieties on the surface and subsequent improvement of the lubricating fi lm stability......Application of charged polymer chains as additives for lubricating neutral surfaces in aqueous envi- ronment, especially via polymer physisorption, is generally impeded by the electrostatic repulsion be- tween adjacent polymers on the surface. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption...... and aqueous lubricating properties of an amphiphilic triblock copolymer, comprised of a neutral poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block, a hydrophobic poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) block, and a charged poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) block, namely PEG- b -PMEA- b -PMAA. After adsorption onto a nonpolar...

  13. Adsorption of cations onto positively charged surface mesopores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neue, Uwe; Iraneta, Pamela; Gritti, Fabrice; Guiochon, Georges

    2013-11-29

    Uwe Neue developed a theoretical treatment to account for the adsorption of ions on mesopores of packing materials the walls of which are bonded to ionic ligands but left this work unfinished. We elaborated upon this treatment and refined it, based on the equivalence that he suggested between charged surface particles and a membrane that separates two ionic solutions but is impermeable to one specification. He had written that the electro-chemical potentials in both ionic solutions are equal (Donnan equilibrium). The equilibrium between the surface and the pore concentrations is accounted for by an homogeneous electrostatically modified Langmuir (EML) isotherm model. The theoretical results are presented for four different charge surface concentrations σ0=0, 0.001, 0.002, and 0.003C/m(2), using a phosphate buffer (W(S)pH=2.65) of ionic strength I=10mM. The average pore size, the specific surface area, and the specific pore volume of the stationary phase were Dp=140Å, Sp=182m(2)/g, and Vp=0.70cm(3)/g, respectively. The theoretical results provide the quantitative difference between the ionic strength, the pH, and the concentrations of all the ions in the pores and in the bulk eluent. The theory predicts (1) that the retention times of cations under linear conditions is lower and (2) that their band widths under overloaded conditions for a given retention factor shrinks when the surface charge density σ0 is increased. These theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental results published previously and explain them. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The formation of a native-like structure containing eight conserved hydrophobic residues is rate limiting in two-state protein folding of ACBP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragelund, Birthe Brandt; Osmark, Peter; Neergaard, Thomas B.

    1999-01-01

    The acyl-coenzyme A-binding proteins (ACBPs) contain 26 highly conserved sequence positions. The majority of these have been mutated in the bovine protein, and their influence on the rate of two-state folding and unfolding has been measured. The results identify eight sequence positions, out of 24...... probed, that are critical for fast productive folding. The residues are all hydrophobic and located in the interface between the N- and C-terminal helices. The results suggest that one specific site dominated by conserved hydrophobic residues forms the structure of the productive rate-determining folding...... step and that a sequential framework model can describe the protein folding reaction....

  15. Micro- and nanoscale characterization of hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhushan, Bharat; Jung, Yong Chae

    2006-01-01

    Superhydrophobic surfaces as well as low adhesion and friction are desirable for various industrial applications. Certain plant leaves are known to be hydrophobic in nature due to their roughness and the presence of a thin wax film on the surface of the leaf. The purpose of this study is to fully characterize the leaf surfaces on the micro- and nanoscale while separating out the effects of the micro- and the nanobumps of hydrophobic leaves on the hydrophobicity. Hydrophilic leaves were also studied to better understand the role of wax and roughness. Furthermore, the adhesion and friction properties of hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaves were studied. Using an optical profiler and an atomic/friction force microscope (AFM/FFM), measurements were made to fully characterize the leaf surfaces. It is shown that the nanobumps play a more important role than the microbumps in the hydrophobic nature as well as friction of the leaf. This study will be useful in developing superhydrophobic surfaces

  16. Bio-inspired hydrophobic modification of cellulose nanocrystals with castor oil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Qianqian; Liu, Chengguo; Hu, Yun; Jia, Puyou; Hu, Lihong; Zhou, Yonghong

    2018-07-01

    This work presents an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to generate hydrophobic cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) using thiol-containing castor oil (CO-SH) as a renewable hydrophobe with the assist of bio-inspired dopamine at room temperature. The modification process included the formation of the polydopamine (PDA) buffer layer on CNC surfaces and the Michael addition reaction between the catechol moieties of PDA coating and thiol groups of CO-SH. The morphology, crystalline structure, surface chemistry, thermal stability and hydrophobicity of the modified CNC were charactered by TEM, XRD, FT-IR, solid-state 13 C NMR, XPS, TGA and contact angle analysis. The modified CNC preserved cellulose crystallinity, displayed higher thermal stability than unmodified CNC, and was highly hydrophobic with a water contact angle of 95.6°. The simplicity and versatility of the surface modification strategy inspired by adhesive protein of mussel may promote rapid development of hydrophobic bio-based nanomaterials for various applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes : synthesis, properties and interactions with surfactants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nieuwkerk, A.C.

    1998-01-01

    Hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes can form micelle-like aggregates, so-called microdomains, in aqueous solution. The hydrophobic side chains constitute the apolar inner part of these microdomains and the hydrophilic groups on the polyelectrolyte backbone are at the surface of the

  18. Exploring the entrance of proton pathways in cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans: surface charge, buffer capacity and redox-dependent polarity changes at the internal surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchberg, Kristina; Michel, Hartmut; Alexiev, Ulrike

    2013-03-01

    Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), the terminal oxidase of cellular respiration, reduces molecular oxygen to water. The mechanism of proton pumping as well as the coupling of proton and electron transfer is still not understood in this redox-linked proton pump. Eleven residues at the aqueous-exposed surfaces of CcO from Paracoccus denitrificans have been exchanged to cysteines in a two-subunit base variant to yield single reactive cysteine variants. These variants are designed to provide unique labeling sites for probes to be used in spectroscopic experiments investigating the mechanism of proton pumping in CcO. To this end we have shown that all cysteine variants are enzymatically active. Cysteine positions at the negative (N-) side of the membrane are located close to the entrance of the D- and K-proton transfer pathways that connect the N-side with the catalytic oxygen reduction site. Labeling of the pH-indicator dye fluorescein to these sites allowed us to determine the surface potential at the cytoplasmic CcO surface, which corresponds to a surface charge density of -0.5 elementary charge/1000Å(2). In addition, acid-base titrations revealed values of CcO buffer capacity. Polarity measurements of the label environment at the N-side provided (i) site-specific values indicative of a hydrophilic and a more hydrophobic environment dependent on the label position, and (ii) information on a global change to a more apolar environment upon reduction of the enzyme. Thus, the redox state of the copper and heme centers inside the hydrophobic interior of CcO affect the properties at the cytoplasmic surface. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Measuring hydrophobic micropore volumes in geosorbents from trichloroethylene desorption data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hefa; Reinhard, Martin

    2006-06-01

    Hydrophobic micropores can play a significant role in controlling the long-term release of organic contaminants from geosorbents. We describe a technique for quantifying the total and the hydrophobic mineral micropore volumes based on the mass of trichloroethylene (TCE) sorbed in the slow-releasing pores under dry and wet conditions, respectively. Micropore desorption models were used to differentiate the fast- and slow-desorbing fractions in desorption profiles. The micropore environment in which organic molecules were sorbed in the presence of water was probed by studying the transformation of a water-reactive compound (2,2-dichloropropane or 2,2-DCP). For sediment from an alluvial aquifer, the total and hydrophobic micropore volumes estimated using this technique were 4.65 microL/g and 0.027 microL/g (0.58% of total), respectively. In microporous silica gel A, a hydrophobic micropore volume of 0.038 microL/g (0.035% of reported total) was measured. The dehydrohalogenation rate of 2,2-DCP sorbed in hydrophobic micropores of the sediment was slower than that reported in bulk water, indicating an environment of low water activity. The results suggest that hydrolyzable organic contaminants sorbed in hydrophobic micropores react slower than in bulk water, consistent with the reported persistence of reactive contaminants in natural soils.

  20. Hydrophobic modification of wood via surface-initiated ARGET ATRP of MMA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu Yanchun; Li Gang [Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Yu Haipeng, E-mail: yuhaipeng20000@yahoo.com.cn [Key laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Liu Yixing, E-mail: yxl200488@sina.com [Key laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China)

    2012-01-15

    To convert the hydrophilic surface of wood into a hydrophobic surface, the present study investigated activators regenerated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) as a method of grafting methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto the wood surface. The wood treated with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide and with the subsequently attached MMA via ARGET ATRP under different polymerization times (2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h) were examined using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. All the analyses confirmed that PMMA had been grafted onto the wood surface. Water contact angle measurement proved that the covering layer of PMMA on wood made the surface hydrophobic. Polymerization time had a positive influence on the contact angle value and higher contact angle can be produced with the prolongation of the polymerization time. When the reaction time was extended to 8 h, the contact angle of treated wood surface reached 130 Degree-Sign in the beginning, and remained at 116 Degree-Sign after 60 s. The ARGET ATRP method may raise an alteration on the wood surface modification.

  1. Electrical Conductivity of Rocks and Dominant Charge Carriers. Part 1; Thermally Activated Positive Holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Friedemann T.; Freund, Minoru M.

    2012-01-01

    The prevailing view in the geophysics community is that the electrical conductivity structure of the Earth's continental crust over the 5-35 km depth range can best be understood by assuming the presence of intergranular fluids and/or of intragranular carbon films. Based on single crystal studies of melt-grown MgO, magma-derived sanidine and anorthosite feldspars and upper mantle olivine, we present evidence for the presence of electronic charge carriers, which derive from peroxy defects that are introduced during cooling, under non-equilibrium conditions, through a redox conversion of pairs of solute hydroxyl arising from dissolution of H2O.The peroxy defects become thermally activated in a 2-step process, leading to the release of defect electrons in the oxygen anion sublattice. Known as positive holes and symbolized by h(dot), these electronic charge carriers are highly mobile. Chemically equivalent to O(-) in a matrix of O(2-) they are highly oxidizing. Being metastable they can exist in the matrix of minerals, which crystallized in highly reduced environments. The h(dot) are highly mobile. They appear to control the electrical conductivity of crustal rocks in much of the 5-35 km depth range.

  2. Two-dimensional potential and charge distributions of positive surface streamer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Daiki; Matsuoka, Shigeyasu; Kumada, Akiko; Hidaka, Kunihiko

    2009-01-01

    Information on the potential and the field profile along a surface discharge is required for quantitatively discussing and clarifying the propagation mechanism. The sensing technique with a Pockels crystal has been developed for directly measuring the potential and electric field distribution on a dielectric material. In this paper, the Pockels sensing system consists of a pulse laser and a CCD camera for measuring the instantaneous two-dimensional potential distribution on a 25.4 mm square area with a 50 μm sampling pitch. The temporal resolution is 3.2 ns which is determined by the pulse width of the laser emission. The transient change in the potential distribution of a positive surface streamer propagating in atmospheric air is measured with this system. The electric field and the charge distributions are also calculated from the measured potential profile. The propagating direction component of the electric field near the tip of the propagating streamer reaches 3 kV mm -1 . When the streamer stops, the potential distribution along a streamer forms an almost linear profile with the distance from the electrode, and its gradient is about 0.5 kV mm -1 .

  3. Impact of Hydrophobic Pollutants' Behavior on Occupational and Environmental Health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ijeoma Kanu

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the influence of hydrophobic pollutant behavior on environmental hazards and risks. The definition and examples of hydrophobic pollutants are given as a guide to better understand the sources of release and the media of dispersion in the environment. The properties and behavior of hydrophobic pollutants are described and their influence on environmental hazard and risk is reviewed and evaluated. The overall outcome of the assessment and evaluation showed that all hydrophobic pollutants are hazardous and risky to all organisms, including man. Their risk effects are due to their inherent persistence, bioaccumulation potential, environmental mobility, and reactivity. Their hazardous effects on organisms occur at varying spatial and temporal degrees of emissions, toxicities, exposures, and concentrations.

  4. Accumulation and dissipation of positive charges induced on a PMMA build-up cap of an ionisation chamber by 60Co gamma-ray irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morishita, Y.; Takata, N.

    2013-01-01

    The signal current from an ionisation chamber with a PMMA build-up cap decreases with irradiation time due to electric fields produced by positive charges induced on the cap. In the present study, it was confirmed that the signal current decreases faster for irradiation using narrower 60 Co gamma-ray beams. This is because the number of secondary electrons that are emitted from surrounding materials and penetrate the build-up cap is smaller in a narrower gamma-ray beam, so that fewer positive charges are neutralised. The ionisation chamber was first subjected to continuous gamma-ray irradiation for 24 h, following which it was irradiated with shorter periodic gamma-ray bursts while measuring the current signal. This allowed the coefficients of positive charge accumulation and dissipation to be determined. It was found that the dissipation coefficient has a large constant value during gamma-ray irradiation and decreases asymptotically to a small value after irradiation is stopped. From the coefficients, the minimum signal current was calculated, which is the value when accumulation and dissipation balance each other under continuous irradiation. The time required for the signal current to recover following irradiation was also calculated. (authors)

  5. Innovative scattering analysis shows that hydrophobic disordered proteins are expanded in water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riback, Joshua A.; Bowman, Micayla A.; Zmyslowski, Adam M.; Knoverek, Catherine R.; Jumper, John M.; Hinshaw, James R.; Kaye, Emily B.; Freed, Karl F.; Clark, Patricia L.; Sosnick, Tobin R.

    2017-10-12

    A substantial fraction of the proteome is intrinsically disordered, and even well-folded proteins adopt non-native geometries during synthesis, folding, transport, and turnover. Characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is challenging, in part because of a lack of accurate physical models and the difficulty of interpreting experimental results. We have developed a general method to extract the dimensions and solvent quality (self-interactions) of IDPs from a single small-angle x-ray scattering measurement. We applied this procedure to a variety of IDPs and found that even IDPs with low net charge and high hydrophobicity remain highly expanded in water, contrary to the general expectation that protein-like sequences collapse in water. Our results suggest that the unfolded state of most foldable sequences is expanded; we conjecture that this property was selected by evolution to minimize misfolding and aggregation.

  6. Enhanced biomimic bactericidal surfaces by coating with positively-charged ZIF nano-dagger arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Yuan; Zhang, Yugen

    2017-10-01

    Cicada wing surfaces are covered with dense patterns of nano-pillar structure that prevent bacterial growth by rupturing adhered microbial cells. To mimic the natural nano-pillar structure, we developed a general and simple method to grow metal organic framework (MOF) nano-dagger arrays on a wide range of surfaces. These nano-daggers possess high bactericidal activity, with log reduction >7 for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It was hypothesized that the positively-charged ZIF-L nano-dagger surfaces enhance bacterial cell adhesion, facilitating selective and efficient bacteria killing by the rigid and sharp nano-dagger tips. This research provides a safe and clean antimicrobial surface technology which does not require external chemicals and will not cause drug resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Hydrophobic polymers for orodispersible films: a quality by design approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Ana Filipa; Silva, Branca M A; Silva, Cláudia; Coelho, Jorge F J; Simões, Sérgio

    2016-10-01

    To develop orodispersible films (ODF) based on hydrophobic polymers with higher stability to ordinary environmental humidity conditions without compromising their fast disintegration time. A quality by design approach was applied to screen three different formulations each one based on a different hydrophobic polymer: polyvinyl acetate, methacrylate-based copolymer and shellac. The screening formulations were characterized regarding their mechanical properties, residual water content, disintegration time and appearance, in order to find a suitable ODF formulation according to established critical quality attributes. The selected critical process parameters for the selection of appropriate ODF formulations were the percentage of the different excipients and the plasticizer type. Three hydrophobic-based matrices with fast disintegration were developed. These were generically composed by a hydrophobic polymer, a stabilizer, a disintegrant and a plasticizer. It verified that the common components within the three different formulations behave differently depending on the system/chemical environment that they were included. It was shown that it is possible to develop oral films based on hydrophobic polymers with fast disintegration time, good texture and appearance, breaking a paradigm of the ODF research field.

  8. Design study of beam position monitors for measuring second-order moments of charged particle beams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenichi Yanagida

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a theoretical investigation on the multipole moments of charged particle beams in two-dimensional polar coordinates. The theoretical description of multipole moments is based on a single-particle system that is expanded to a multiparticle system by superposition, i.e., summing over all single-particle results. This paper also presents an analysis and design method for a beam position monitor (BPM that detects higher-order (multipole moments of a charged particle beam. To calculate the electric fields, a numerical analysis based on the finite difference method was created and carried out. Validity of the numerical analysis was proven by comparing the numerical with the analytical results for a BPM with circular cross section. Six-electrode BPMs with circular and elliptical cross sections were designed for the SPring-8 linac. The results of the numerical calculations show that the second-order moment can be detected for beam sizes ≧420  μm (circular and ≧550  μm (elliptical.

  9. Position statement on ethics, equipoise and research on charged particle radiation therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheehan, Mark; Timlin, Claire; Peach, Ken; Binik, Ariella; Puthenparampil, Wilson; Lodge, Mark; Kehoe, Sean; Brada, Michael; Burnet, Neil; Clarke, Steve; Crellin, Adrian; Dunn, Michael; Fossati, Piero; Harris, Steve; Hocken, Michael; Hope, Tony; Ives, Jonathan; Kamada, Tadashi; London, Alex John; Miller, Robert; Parker, Michael; Pijls-Johannesma, Madelon; Savulescu, Julian; Short, Susan; Skene, Loane; Tsujii, Hirohiko; Tuan, Jeffrey; Weijer, Charles

    2014-08-01

    The use of charged-particle radiation therapy (CPRT) is an increasingly important development in the treatment of cancer. One of the most pressing controversies about the use of this technology is whether randomised controlled trials are required before this form of treatment can be considered to be the treatment of choice for a wide range of indications. Equipoise is the key ethical concept in determining which research studies are justified. However, there is a good deal of disagreement about how this concept is best understood and applied in the specific case of CPRT. This report is a position statement on these controversies that arises out of a workshop held at Wolfson College, Oxford in August 2011. The workshop brought together international leaders in the relevant fields (radiation oncology, medical physics, radiobiology, research ethics and methodology), including proponents on both sides of the debate, in order to make significant progress on the ethical issues associated with CPRT research. This position statement provides an ethical platform for future research and should enable further work to be done in developing international coordinated programmes of research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  10. Improved gel electrophoresis matrix for hydrophobic protein separation and identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokarski, Caroline; Fillet, Marianne; Rolando, Christian

    2011-03-01

    We propose an improved acrylamide gel for the separation of hydrophobic proteins. The separation strategy is based on the incorporation of N-alkylated and N,N'-dialkylated acrylamide monomers in the gel composition in order to increase hydrophobic interactions between the gel matrix and the membrane proteins. Focusing on the most efficient monomer, N,N'-dimethylacrylamide, the potentiality of the new matrix was evaluated on membrane proteins of the human colon HCT-116 cell line. Protein analysis was performed using an adapted analytical strategy based on FT-ICR tandem mass spectrometry. As a result of this comparative study, including advanced reproducibility experiments, more hydrophobic proteins were identified in the new gel (average GRAVY: -0.085) than in the classical gel (average GRAVY: -0.411). Highly hydrophobic peptides were identified reaching a GRAVY value up to 1.450, therefore indicating their probable locations in the membrane. Focusing on predicted transmembrane domains, it can be pointed out that 27 proteins were identified in the hydrophobic gel containing up to 11 transmembrane domains; in the classical gel, only 5 proteins containing 1 transmembrane domain were successfully identified. For example, multiple ionic channels and receptors were characterized in the hydrophobic gel such as the sodium/potassium channel and the glutamate or the transferrin receptors whereas they are traditionally detected using specific enrichment techniques such as immunoprecipitation. In total, membrane proteins identified in the classical gel are well documented in the literature, while most of the membrane proteins only identified on the hydrophobic gel have rarely or never been described using a proteomic-based approach. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect of hydrophobic groups on the adsorption conformation of modified polycarboxylate superplasticizer investigated by molecular dynamics simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Hongxia [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Civil Engineering Materials, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu (China); Jiangsu Sobute New Materials Co. Ltd., Nanjing 211103, Jiangsu (China); Wang, Yanwei, E-mail: wangyanwei@cnjsjk.cn [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Civil Engineering Materials, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu (China); Jiangsu Sobute New Materials Co. Ltd., Nanjing 211103, Jiangsu (China); Yang, Yong; Shu, Xin; Yan, Han [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Civil Engineering Materials, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu (China); Jiangsu Sobute New Materials Co. Ltd., Nanjing 211103, Jiangsu (China); Ran, Qianping, E-mail: qpran@cnjsjk.cn [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Civil Engineering Materials, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu (China); Jiangsu Sobute New Materials Co. Ltd., Nanjing 211103, Jiangsu (China)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • Adsorption conformation of comb-like PCE was studied by all-atom MD simulations. • A comparison is made between vacuum-based and solution-based simulations. • Effects of hydrophobic modifications on adsorption properties are elucidated. - Abstract: All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to study the adsorption conformations of hydrophobically-modified comb-shaped polycarboxylate ether-based (PCE) superplasticizer molecules on a model surface of dicalcium silicate (C{sub 2}S) in vacuum and in an explicit solution, respectively. Three different hydrophobic modifying groups, namely, the ethyl group, the n-butyl group and the phenyl group, decorated to the backbone, were examined. Comparing the hydrophobically-modified PCEs to the unmodified one, differences were found in the binding energy, the adsorption conformation and the water density at the interface. The interaction between PCE molecules and C{sub 2}S was weakened in a solution with explicit solvents than that obtained from vacuum-based simulations. The presence of hydrophobic groups lowered the polymer-surface binding energy, decreased the radius of gyration (Rg) of the adsorbed polymer, increased the peak position in the heavy-atom density profiles in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and also caused the adsorbed conformations to be more globular in shape. The parallel and perpendicular components (relative to the surface plane) of the geometric sizes of the adsorbed polymers were calculated, and the results showed that the presence of hydrophobically modifying groups decreased the in-plane radius while increased the adsorption layer thickness compared to the unmodified control. The presence of PCEs perturbed the dense water layer above the C{sub 2}S surface and lowered the water density. Perturbations to the interfacial water density were found to correlate nicely with the adsorbed conformations of PCEs.

  12. Preferential hydrophobic interactions are responsible for a preference of D-amino acids in the aminoacylation of 5'-AMP with hydrophobic amino acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lacey, J. C. Jr; Wickramasinghe, N. S.; Sabatini, R. S.

    1992-01-01

    We have studied the chemistry of aminoacyl AMP to model reactions at the 3' terminus of aminoacyl tRNA for the purpose of understanding the origin of protein synthesis. The present studies relate to the D, L preference in the esterification of 5'-AMP. All N-acetyl amino acids we studied showed faster reaction of the D-isomer, with a generally decreasing preference for D-isomer as the hydrophobicity of the amino acid decreased. The beta-branched amino acids, Ile and Val, showed an extreme preference for D-isomer. Ac-Leu, the gamma-branched amino acid, showed a slightly low D/L ratio relative to its hydrophobicity. The molecular basis for these preferences for D-isomer is understandable in the light of our previous studies and seems to be due to preferential hydrophobic interaction of the D-isomer with adenine. The preference for hydrophobic D-amino acids can be decreased by addition of an organic solvent to the reaction medium. Conversely, peptidylation with Ac-PhePhe shows a preference for the LL isomer over the DD isomer.

  13. Searching for convergent evolution in manganese superoxidase dismutase using hydrophobic cluster analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heng Xiang

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available There are numerous examples of convergent evolution in nature. Major ecological adaptations such as flight, loss of limbs in vertebrates, pesticide resistance, adaptation to a parasitic way of life, etc., have all evolved more than once, as seen by their analogous functions in separate taxa. But what about protein evolution? Does the environment have a strong enough influence on intracellular processes that enzymes and other functional proteins play, to evolve similar functional roles separately in different organisms? Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (MnSOD is a manganesedependant metallo-enzyme which plays a crucial role in protecting cells from anti-oxidative stress by eliminating reactive (superoxide oxygen species. It is a ubiquitous housekeeping enzyme found in nearly all organisms. In this study we compare phylogenies based on MnSOD protein sequences to those based on scores from Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis (HCA. We calculated HCA similarity values for each pair of taxa to obtain a pair-wise distance matrix. A UPGMA tree based on the HCA distance matrix and a common tree based on the primary protein sequence for MnSOD was constructed. Differences between these two trees within animals, enterobacteriaceae, planctomycetes and cyanobacteria are presented and cited as possible examples of convergence. We note that several residue changes result in changes in hydrophobicity at positions which apparently are under the effect of positive selection.

  14. Caleosin-based nanoscale oil bodies for targeted delivery of hydrophobic anticancer drugs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiang, Chung-Jen; Lin, Li-Jen; Chen, Chih-Jung

    2011-01-01

    Nanoscale artificial oil bodies (NOBs) could be assembled from plant oil, phospholipids (PLs), and oleosin (Ole) as previously reported. NOBs have a lipid-based structure that contains a central oil space enclosed by a monolayer of Ole-bound PLs. As an oil structural protein, Ole functions to maintain the integrity of NOBs. Like Ole, caleosin (Cal) is a plant oil-associated protein. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of NOBs assembled by Cal for targeted delivery of drugs. Cal was first fused with anti-HER2/neu affibody (ZH2), and the resulting fusion gene (Cal–ZH2) was then expressed in Escherichia coli. Consequently, NOBs assembled with the fusion protein were selectively internalized by HER2/neu-positive tumor cells. The internalization efficiency could reach as high as 90%. Furthermore, a hydrophobic anticancer drug, Camptothecin (CPT), was encapsulated into Cal-based NOBs. These CPT-loaded NOBs had a size around 200 nm and were resistant to hemolysis. Release of CPT from NOBs at the non-permissive condition followed a sustained and prolonged profile. After administration of the CPT formulation, Cal–ZH2-displayed NOBs exhibited a strong antitumor activity toward HER2/neu-positive cells both in vitro and in vivo. The result indicates the potential of Cal-based NOBs for targeted delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

  15. The regiochemical distribution of positive charges along cholesterol polyamine carbamates plays significant roles in modulating DNA binding affinity and lipofection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geall, A J; Eaton, M A; Baker, T; Catterall, C; Blagbrough, I S

    1999-10-15

    We have quantified the effects of the regiochemical distribution of positive charges along the polyamine moiety in lipopolyamines for DNA molecular recognition. High affinity binding leads to charge neutralisation, DNA condensation and ultimately to lipofection. Binding affinities for calf thymus DNA were determined using an ethidium bromide displacement assay and condensation was detected by changes in turbidity using light scattering. The in vitro transfection competence of cholesterol polyamine carbamates was measured in CHO cells. In the design of DNA condensing and transfecting agents for non-viral gene therapy, the interrelationship of ammonium ions, not just their number, must be considered.

  16. Fabrication of super-hydrophobic duo-structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, X. Y.; Zhang, F.; Jiang, Y. J.; Wang, Y. Y.; Shi, Z. W.; Peng, C. S.

    2015-04-01

    Recently, super-hydrophobicity has attracted increasing attention due to its huge potential in the practical applications. In this paper, we have presented a duo-structure of the combination of micro-dot-matrix and nano-candle-soot. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used as a combination layer between the dot-matrix and the soot particles. Firstly, a period of 9-μm dot-matrix was easily fabricated on the K9 glass using the most simple and mature photolithography process. Secondly, the dot-matrix surface was coated by a thin film of PDMS (elastomer: hardener=10:1) which was diluted by methylbenzene at the volume ratio of 1:8. Thirdly, we held the PDMS modified surface over a candle flame to deposit a soot layer and followed by a gentle water-risen to remove the non-adhered particles. At last, the samples were baked at 85°C for 2 hours and then the duo-structure surface with both micro-size dot-matrix and nano-size soot particles was obtained. The SEM indicated this novel surface morphology was quite like a lotus leaf of the well-know micro-nano-binary structures. As a result, the contact angle meter demonstrated such surface exhibited a perfect super-hydrophobicity with water contact angle of 153° and sliding angle of 3°. Besides, just listed as above, the fabrication process for our structure was quite more easy, smart and low-cost compared with the other production technique for super-hydrophobic surfaces such as the phase separation method, electrochemical deposition and chemical vapor deposition etc. Hence, this super-hydrophobic duo-structure reported in this letter was a great promising candidate for a wide and rapid commercialization in the future.

  17. High flux and antifouling properties of negatively charged membrane for dyeing wastewater treatment by membrane distillation

    KAUST Repository

    An, Alicia Kyoungjin

    2016-07-25

    This study investigated the applicability of membrane distillation (MD) to treat dyeing wastewater discharged by the textile industry. Four different dyes containing methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), acid red 18 (AR), and acid yellow 36 (AY) were tested. Two types of hydrophobic membranes made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were used. The membranes were characterized by testing against each dye (foulant-foulant) and the membrane–dye (membrane-foulant) interfacial interactions and their mechanisms were identified. The MD membranes possessed negative charges, which facilitated the treatment of acid and azo dyes of the same charge and showed higher fluxes. In addition, PTFE membrane reduced the wettability with higher hydrophobicity of the membrane surface. The PTFE membrane evidenced especially its resistant to dye absorption, as its strong negative charge and chemical structure caused a flake-like (loose) dye–dye structure to form on the membrane surface rather than in the membrane pores. This also enabled the recovery of flux and membrane properties by water flushing (WF), thereby direct-contact MD with PTFE membrane treating 100 mg/L of dye mixtures showed stable flux and superior color removal during five days operation. Thus, MD shows a potential for stable long-term operation in conjunction with a simple membrane cleaning process, and its suitability in dyeing wastewater treatment.

  18. Angular momentum of an electric charge and magnetically charged black hole

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garfinkle, D. (California Univ., Santa Barbara (USA). Dept. of Physics); Rey, S.J. (California Univ., Santa Barbara (USA). Dept. of Physics Florida Univ., Gainesville, FL (USA). Inst. for Fundamental Theory)

    1991-03-21

    We find the angular momentum L of a point particle with electric charge e held at a fixed position in the presence of a black hole with magnetic charge g. (For a point charge in the presence of an ordinary magnetic monopole, it is known that L=eg.) The angular momentum does depend on the separation distance between the particle and the black hole; however, L->eg for a large separation. Implications for the cosmic censorship hypothesis, the quantum hairs and other physical situations are discussed. (orig.).

  19. Charge gradient microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roelofs, Andreas; Hong, Seungbum

    2018-02-06

    A method for rapid imaging of a material specimen includes positioning a tip to contact the material specimen, and applying a force to a surface of the material specimen via the tip. In addition, the method includes moving the tip across the surface of the material specimen while removing electrical charge therefrom, generating a signal produced by contact between the tip and the surface, and detecting, based on the data, the removed electrical charge induced through the tip during movement of the tip across the surface. The method further includes measuring the detected electrical charge.

  20. Hydrophobic environment is a key factor for the stability of thermophilic proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gromiha, M Michael; Pathak, Manish C; Saraboji, Kadhirvel; Ortlund, Eric A; Gaucher, Eric A

    2013-04-01

    The stability of thermophilic proteins has been viewed from different perspectives and there is yet no unified principle to understand this stability. It would be valuable to reveal the most important interactions for designing thermostable proteins for such applications as industrial protein engineering. In this work, we have systematically analyzed the importance of various interactions by computing different parameters such as surrounding hydrophobicity, inter-residue interactions, ion-pairs and hydrogen bonds. The importance of each interaction has been determined by its predicted relative contribution in thermophiles versus the same contribution in mesophilic homologues based on a dataset of 373 protein families. We predict that hydrophobic environment is the major factor for the stability of thermophilic proteins and found that 80% of thermophilic proteins analyzed showed higher hydrophobicity than their mesophilic counterparts. Ion pairs, hydrogen bonds, and interaction energy are also important and favored in 68%, 50%, and 62% of thermophilic proteins, respectively. Interestingly, thermophilic proteins with decreased hydrophobic environments display a greater number of hydrogen bonds and/or ion pairs. The systematic elimination of mesophilic proteins based on surrounding hydrophobicity, interaction energy, and ion pairs/hydrogen bonds, led to correctly identifying 95% of the thermophilic proteins in our analyses. Our analysis was also applied to another, more refined set of 102 thermophilic-mesophilic pairs, which again identified hydrophobicity as a dominant property in 71% of the thermophilic proteins. Further, the notion of surrounding hydrophobicity, which characterizes the hydrophobic behavior of residues in a protein environment, has been applied to the three-dimensional structures of elongation factor-Tu proteins and we found that the thermophilic proteins are enriched with a hydrophobic environment. The results obtained in this work highlight the

  1. Strong cooperative effect of oppositely charged surfactant mixtures on their adsorption and packing at the air-water interface and interfacial water structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Khoi T; Nguyen, Tuan D; Nguyen, Anh V

    2014-06-24

    Remarkable adsorption enhancement and packing of dilute mixtures of water-soluble oppositely-charged surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl amine hydrochloride (DAH), at the air-water interface were observed by using sum frequency generation spectroscopy and tensiometry. The interfacial water structure was also observed to be significantly influenced by the SDS-DAH mixtures, differently from the synergy of the single surfactants. Most strikingly, the obtained spectroscopic evidence suggests that the interfacial hydrophobic alkyl chains of the binary mixtures assemble differently from those of single surfactants. This study highlights the significance of the cooperative interaction between the headgroups of oppositely charged binary surfactant systems and subsequently provides some insightful observations about the molecular structure of the air-aqueous interfacial water molecules and, more importantly, about the packing nature of the surfactant hydrophobic chains of dilute SDS-DAH mixtures of concentration below 1% of the CMC.

  2. Synthesis of hydrophobic peptides : An Fmoc “Solubilising Tail” method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Choma, Christin T.; Robillard, George T.; Englebretsen, Darren R.

    1998-01-01

    The development of an Fmoc method for synthesis and purification of hydrophobic peptides using a “solubihsing tail” strategy is described. Peptide-constructs of the form hydrophobic peptide-[CHmb ester]-solubilising peptide were synthesised. Procedures for forming the 4-Hmb ester linkage, and

  3. On the enrichment of hydrophobic organic compounds in fog droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valsaraj, K. T.; Thoma, G. J.; Reible, D. D.; Thibodeaux, L. J.

    The unusual degree of enrichment of hydrophobic organics in fogwater droplets reported by several investigators can be interpreted as a result of (a) the effects of temperature correction on the reported enrichment factors, (b) the effects of colloidal organic matter (both filterable and non-filterable) in fog water and (c) the effects of the large air-water interfacial adsorption of neutral hydrophobic organics on the tiny fog droplets. The enrichment factor was directly correlated to the hydrophobicity (or the activity coefficient in water) of the compounds, as indicated by their octanol-water partition constants. Compounds with large octanol-water partition coefficients (high activity coefficients in water) showed the largest enrichment. Available experimental data on the adsorption of hydrophobic compounds at the air-water interface and on colloidal organic carbon were used to show that the large specific air-water interfacial areas of fog droplets contribute significantly to the enrichment factor.

  4. Angular momentum of an electric charge and magnetically charged black hole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garfinkle, D.; Rey, Soo-Jong

    1990-01-01

    We find the angular momentum L of a point particle with electric charge e held at a fixed position in the presence of a black hole with magnetic charge g. (For a point charge in the presence of an of ordinary magnetic monopole, it is known that L = eg). The angular momentum does depend on the separation distance between the particle and the black hole; however, L → eg for a large separation. Implications for the cosmic censorship hypothesis, the quantum hairs and other physical situations are discussed

  5. Features of the corrosion protection of aluminium alloys by creation of hydrophobic coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinebryukhov, S. L.; Gnedenkov, S. V.; Egorkin, V. S.; Vyaliy, I. E.

    2017-09-01

    Results of the study of hydrophobic layers on aluminum alloy, which underwent plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and subsequent deposition of the hydrophobic agent have been described. Coatings formed by deposition of dispersion of the hydrophobic agent containing SiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of the PEO-layer are characterized by high contact angles and inhibitive properties. The formed composite layers were found to be characterized with hydrophobicity and high barrier properties.

  6. BINDING OF IONIC SURFACTANTS ON OPPOSITELY CHARGED POLYELECTROLYTES OBSERVED BY FLUORESCENCE METHODS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Zhen Tong; Chao-yang Wang; Bi-ye Ren; Xin-xing Liu; Fang Zeng

    2003-01-01

    Our recent studies concerning the binding of ionic surfactants on oppositely charged polyelectrolytes observed with fluorescence techniques are reviewed. The cationic surfactants cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB),dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), and nonionic surfactant octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8) were allowed to bind on anionic poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) and its pyrene and/or naphthalene labeled copolymers. The relative excimer emission intensity IE/IM of a cationic probe 1-pyrenemethylamine hydrochloride were chosen to monitor the binding process and the conformation change of surfactant-bound polyelectrolytes. The 1:1aggregation of polyelectrolyte-CTAB with respect to the charge was found as long as the CTAB concentration was slightly higher than its critical aggregation concentration (CAC). The intermolecular NRET indicated that the CTAB-bound polyelectrolytes aggregated together through the hydrophobic interaction between the CTAB tails. However, neither 1:1polyelectrolyte-DTAC aggregation nor intermolecular aggregation of DTAC-bound polyelectrolyte was observed owing to its weaker hydrophobicity of 12 carbon atoms in the tail, which is shorter than that of CTAB. As known from the fluorescence results, nonionic surfactant C12E8 did not bind on the anionic polyelectrolytes, but the presence of PAMPS promoted the micelle formation for C12E8 at the CAC slightly below its critical micelle concentration (CMC). The solid complex of dansyl labeled AMPS copolymer-surfactant exhibited a decrease in local polarity with increasing charge density of the polyelectrolyte or with alkane tail length of the surfactant. SAXS suggested a lamella structure for the AMPS copolymersurfactant solid complexes with a long period of 3.87 nm for CTAB and 3.04 nm for DTAC, respectively.

  7. Alpha-conotoxin analogs with additional positive charge show increased selectivity towards Torpedo californica and some neuronal subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kasheverov, I.E.; Zhmak, M.N.; Vulfius, C.A.; Corbacheva, E.V.; Mordvintsev, D.Y.; Utkin, Y.N.; van Elk, R.; Smit, A.B.; Tsetlin, V.I.

    2006-01-01

    α-Conotoxins from Conus snails are indispensable tools for distinguishing various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), and synthesis of α-conotoxin analogs may yield novel antagonists of higher potency and selectivity. We incorporated additional positive charges into α-conotoxins

  8. Charge Inversion of Phospholipids by Dimetal Complexes for Positive Ion-Mode Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svane, Simon; Gorshkov, Vladimir; Kjeldsen, Frank

    2015-01-01

    charges per phosphate group. Three different phosphoinositide phosphates (mono-, di-, and triphosphorylated inositides), a phosphatidic acid, a phosphatidylcholine, a phosphatidylethanolamine, and a phosphatidylglycerol were investigated. The intensities obtained in positive ion-mode of phosphoinositide...... phosphates and phosphatidic acid bound to {LGa2}(5+) were between 2.5- and 116-fold higher than that of the unmodified lipids in the negative ion-mode. Native phosphoinositide ions yielded upon CID in the negative ion-mode predominantly product ions due to losses of H3PO4, PO3(-) and H2O. In comparison, CID...

  9. Wildfire effects on lipid composition and hydrophobicity of bulk soil and soil size fractions under Quercus suber cover (SW-Spain).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiménez-Morillo, Nicasio T; Spangenberg, Jorge E; Miller, Ana Z; Jordán, Antonio; Zavala, Lorena M; González-Vila, Francisco J; González-Pérez, José A

    2017-11-01

    Soil water repellency (hydrophobicity) prevents water from wetting or infiltrating soils, triggering changes in the ecosystems. Fire may develop, enhance or destroy hydrophobicity in previously wettable or water-repellent soils. Soil water repellency is mostly influenced by the quality and quantity of soil organic matter, particularly the lipid fraction. Here we report the results of a study on the effect of fire on the distribution of soil lipids and their role in the hydrophobicity grade of six particle size fractions (2-1, 1-0.5, 0.5-0.25, 0.25-0.1, 0.1-0.05 and fractions. Soil lipids were Soxhlet extracted with a dichloromethane-methanol mixture. Fatty acids (FAs) and neutral lipids were separated, derivatized, identified and quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection. The hydrophobicity values of soil samples and fractions were statistically different (P fractions. All samples displayed a similar distribution of FAs, straight-chain saturated acids in the C 14 -C 32 range, and neutral lipids (n-alkan-1-ols, n-alkanes), only differing in their relative abundances. Among possible biogeochemical mechanisms responsible for the changes in soil lipids, the observed depletion of long chain FAs (C ≥24 ) in the coarse fraction is best explained by thermal cracking caused by the heat of the fire. The enrichment of long chain FAs observed in other fractions suggests possible exogenous additions of charred, lipid-rich, material, like cork suberin or other plant-derived macromolecules (cutins). Principal component analysis was used to study the relationships between hydrophobicity with soil organic matter and its different components. Extractable organic matter (EOM) and specifically long chain FAs content were positively correlated to soil hydrophobicity. Therefore, the latter could be used as biomarkers surrogated to hydrophobicity in sandy soils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. An experimental investigation of evaporating sessile droplet on super-hydrophobic surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Dong Hwan; Lee, Seong Hyuk; Yoo, Jung Yul

    2008-01-01

    The objective of this study is to investigate the evaporation process of a water droplet on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Time-dependent contact angle, height, radius, surface area, and volume were measured for three different surfaces, such as glass, OctadecylTrichloroSilane(OTS), and AlkylKetene Dimmer(AKD) using a digital image analysis technique. For hydrophilic surfaces, the measured contact angle, liquid volume, and height are also compared with numerical estimation. It is found that for super-hydrophobic surfaces, the contact line becomes no longer pinned during evaporation, and three distinct stages for hydrophobic surface cannot be found. For the super-hydrophobic surface, it takes the longest time for evaporation because the droplet maintains spherical shape even near the end of evaporation process

  11. Rapid charging of nickel-cadmium accumulators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruck, F

    1972-01-01

    Four types of charging of gas-tight Ni-Cd accumulators (a) normal; (b) accelerated; (c) rapid; and (d) ultra-rapid are described. For rapid charging, a built-in temperature sensor cuts off charging current at a prescribed point. In ultra-rapid charging, 50% charge can be attained in 3.5 min. and 25% charge within 50 sec. In the second phase of ultra-rapid charging, a surplus of oxygen is released at the positive electrode and a safety valve is provided for pressure reduction. Characteristic curves are given for various rates of charging and some data on discharge rates is also given.

  12. Homogeneity characterization of ethylene-co-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and hydrophobic silica nanocomposite by low field NMR; Caracterizacao da homogeneidade de nanocomposito do copolimero etileno acetato de vinila (EVA) e silica hidrofobica atraves de ressonancia magnetica nuclear de baixo campo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stael, Giovanni Chaves [Observatorio Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Geofisica (DGE); Tavares, Maria I.B. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Macromoleculas

    2005-07-01

    This project proposes the characterization of a polymeric matrix composite material using nanometric scale hydrophobic silica as charge element, with the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), by using the spin-lattice relaxation time measurement applying the low field NMR.

  13. Hydrophobic patches on protein surfaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lijnzaad, P.

    2007-01-01

    Hydrophobicity is a prime determinant of the structure and function of proteins. It is the driving force behind the folding of soluble proteins, and when exposed on the surface, it is frequently involved in recognition and binding of ligands and other proteins. The energetic cost of

  14. Spray-coating process in preparing PTFE-PPS composite super-hydrophobic coating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Weng

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available In order to improve the performance of a liquid-floated rotor micro-gyroscope, the resistance of the moving interface between the rotor and the floating liquid must be reduced. Hydrophobic treatment can reduce the frictional resistance between such interfaces, therefore we proposed a method to prepare a poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE-poly-phenylene sulphide (PPS composite super-hydrophobic coating, based on a spraying process. This method can quickly prepare a continuous, uniform PTFE-PPS composite super-hydrophobic surface on a 2J85 material. This method can be divided into three steps, namely: pre-treatment; chemical etching; and spraying. The total time for this is around three hours. When the PTFE concentration is 4%, the average contact angle of the hydrophobic coating surface is 158°. If silicon dioxide nanoparticles are added, this can further improve the adhesion and mechanical strength of the super-hydrophobic composite coating. The maximum average contact angle can reach as high as 164° when the mass fraction of PTFE, PPS and silicon dioxide is 1:1:1.

  15. Spray-coating process in preparing PTFE-PPS composite super-hydrophobic coating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Rui; Zhang, Haifeng; Liu, Xiaowei

    2014-03-01

    In order to improve the performance of a liquid-floated rotor micro-gyroscope, the resistance of the moving interface between the rotor and the floating liquid must be reduced. Hydrophobic treatment can reduce the frictional resistance between such interfaces, therefore we proposed a method to prepare a poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-poly-phenylene sulphide (PPS) composite super-hydrophobic coating, based on a spraying process. This method can quickly prepare a continuous, uniform PTFE-PPS composite super-hydrophobic surface on a 2J85 material. This method can be divided into three steps, namely: pre-treatment; chemical etching; and spraying. The total time for this is around three hours. When the PTFE concentration is 4%, the average contact angle of the hydrophobic coating surface is 158°. If silicon dioxide nanoparticles are added, this can further improve the adhesion and mechanical strength of the super-hydrophobic composite coating. The maximum average contact angle can reach as high as 164° when the mass fraction of PTFE, PPS and silicon dioxide is 1:1:1.

  16. Preparing hydrophobic nanocellulose-silica film by a facile one-pot method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Duy; Kongparakul, Suwadee; Samart, Chanatip; Phanthong, Patchiya; Karnjanakom, Surachai; Abudula, Abuliti; Guan, Guoqing

    2016-11-20

    Hydrophobic nanocellulose-silica film was successfully prepared by a facile one-pot method using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and dodecyl triethoxylsilane (DTES). Morphological characterization of the hydrophobic nanocellulose-silica (NC-SiO2-DTES) film showed well self-assembled DTES modified silica spherical nanoparticles with the particle sizes in the range of 88-126nm over the nanocellulose film. The hydrophobicity of the NC-SiO2-DTES film was achieved owing to the improvement of roughness of the nanocellulose film by coating dodecyl- terminated silica nanoparticles. An increase in DTES loading amount and reaction time increased the hydrophobicity of the film, and the optimum condition for NC-SiO2-DTES film preparation was achieved at DTES/TEOS molar ratio of 2.0 for 8h reaction time. Besides, the NC-SiO2-DTES film performed superoleophilic property with octane and hexadecane contact angles of 0°. It also showed an excellent hydrophobic property over all pH values ranged from 1 to 14. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Charge-regularized swelling kinetics of polyelectrolyte gels: Elasticity and diffusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sen, Swati; Kundagrami, Arindam

    2017-11-01

    We apply a recently developed method [S. Sen and A. Kundagrami, J. Chem. Phys. 143, 224904 (2015)], using a phenomenological expression of osmotic stress, as a function of polymer and charge densities, hydrophobicity, and network elasticity for the swelling of spherical polyelectrolyte (PE) gels with fixed and variable charges in a salt-free solvent. This expression of stress is used in the equation of motion of swelling kinetics of spherical PE gels to numerically calculate the spatial profiles for the polymer and free ion densities at different time steps and the time evolution of the size of the gel. We compare the profiles of the same variables obtained from the classical linear theory of elasticity and quantitatively estimate the bulk modulus of the PE gel. Further, we obtain an analytical expression of the elastic modulus from the linearized expression of stress (in the small deformation limit). We find that the estimated bulk modulus of the PE gel decreases with the increase of its effective charge for a fixed degree of deformation during swelling. Finally, we match the gel-front locations with the experimental data, taken from the measurements of charged reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer gels to show an increase in gel-size with charge and also match the same for PNIPAM (uncharged) and imidazolium-based (charged) minigels, which specifically confirms the decrease of the gel modulus value with the increase of the charge. The agreement between experimental and theoretical results confirms general diffusive behaviour for swelling of PE gels with a decreasing bulk modulus with increasing degree of ionization (charge). The new formalism captures large deformations as well with a significant variation of charge content of the gel. It is found that PE gels with large deformation but same initial size swell faster with a higher charge.

  18. The new method of modifying the hydrophobic properties of expanded perlite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vogt Elżbieta

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The progressive industrialization and development of the automotive industry is the cause of the increasing demand for chemical products, especially oil products. Unfortunately, during processing, transportation or storage of these products, they get very often into the environment causing pollution. The removal of the results of accidents is still a current problem. The techniques which employ various types of sorbents deserve special attention among the several methods of eliminating the effects of pollutions. Moreover, expanded hydrophobic perlite is an interesting material among sorbents which are used on a large scale. The new method of modifying the hydrophobic properties of expanded perlite, with the use of solutions of stearic acid in organic solvents, was presented. The perlite that was used in research was produced by the PerliPol registered partnership in Bełchatów. Hydrophobic properties of the obtained materials were determined on the basis of the results achieved due to the modified film flotation method, “floating on water” test and on the basis of the value of water retention for individual samples. All grain fractions of perlite obtained hydrophobic properties which were better than or comparable to the hydrophobic properties of the HydroPerl (PerlPol commercial material used to remove petroleum product pollution. The hydrophobization process significantly improved the adsorption capacity of modified perlite to petroleum product pollution.

  19. A Study of Electrostatic Charge on Insulating Film by Electrostatic Force Microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikunaga, K; Toosaka, K; Kamohara, T; Sakai, K; Nonaka, K

    2011-01-01

    Electrostatic charge properties on polypropylene film have been characterized by atomic force microscopy and electrostatic force microscopy. The measurements have been carried out after the polypropylene film was electrified by contact and separation process in an atmosphere of controlled humidity. The negative and positive charge in concave surface has been observed. The correlation between concave surface and charge position suggests that the electrostatic charges could be caused by localized contact. On the other hand, positive charge on a flat surface has been observed. The absence of a relationship between surface profile and charge position suggests that the electrostatic charge should be caused by discharge during the separation process. The spatial migration of other positive charges through surface roughness has been observed. The results suggest that there could be some electron traps on the surface roughness and some potentials on the polypropylene film.

  20. Thunderstorm Charge Structures Producing Negative Gigantic Jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boggs, L.; Liu, N.; Riousset, J. A.; Shi, F.; Rassoul, H.

    2016-12-01

    Here we present observational and modeling results that provide insight into thunderstorm charge structures that produce gigantic jet discharges. The observational results include data from four different thunderstorms producing 9 negative gigantic jets from 2010 to 2014. We used radar, very high frequency (VHF) and low frequency (LF) lightning data to analyze the storm characteristics, charge structures, and lightning activity when the gigantic jets emerged from the parent thunderstorms. A detailed investigation of the evolution of one of the charge structures by analyzing the VHF data is also presented. The newly found charge structure obtained from the observations was analyzed with fractal modeling and compared with previous fractal modeling studies [Krehbiel et al., Nat. Geosci., 1, 233-237, 2008; Riousset et al., JGR, 115, A00E10, 2010] of gigantic jet discharges. Our work finds that for normal polarity thunderstorms, gigantic jet charge structures feature a narrow upper positive charge region over a wide middle negative charge region. There also likely exists a `ring' of negative screening charge located around the perimeter of the upper positive charge. This is different from previously thought charge structures of the storms producing gigantic jets, which had a very wide upper positive charge region over a wide middle negative charge region, with a very small negative screening layer covering the cloud top. The newly found charge structure results in leader discharge trees in the fractal simulations that closely match the parent flashes of gigantic jets inside and outside the thundercloud. The previously used charge structures, while vital to the understanding of gigantic jet initiation and the role of charge imbalances inside the cloud, do not produce leader discharge trees that agree with observed gigantic jet discharges.Finally, the newly discovered gigantic jet charge structures are formed near the end of a convective pulse [Meyer et al., JGR, 118

  1. Effect of water content on the water repellency for hydrophobized sands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subedi, S.; Kawamoto, K.; Kuroda, T.; Moldrup, P.; Komatsu, T.

    2011-12-01

    Alternative earthen covers such as capillary barriers (CBs) and evapotranspirative covers are recognized as useful technical and low-cost solutions for limiting water infiltration and controlling seepage flow at solid waste landfills in semi-arid and arid regions. However, their application to the landfills at wet regions seems to be matter of concern due to loss of their impending capability under high precipitation. One of the possible techniques to enhance the impermeable properties of CBs is to alter soil grain surfaces to be water-repellent by mixing/coating hydrophobic agents (HAs). In order to examine a potential use of model sands hydrophobized with locally available and environmental-friendly HAs such as oleic acid (OA) and stearic acid (SA) for hydrophobic CBs. In the present study, we first characterized the effect of water content on the degree of water repellency (WR) for hydrophobized sands and volcanic ash soil at different depth. Secondly, the time dependency of the contact angle in hydrophobized sands and volcanic ash soils at different water content was evaluated. Further, the effects of hydrophobic organic matter contents on the WR of hydrophobized sands were investigated by horizontal infiltration test. We investigated the degree of WR as functions of volumetric water content (θ) of a volcanic ash soil samples from different depth and water adjusted hydrophobized sand samples with different ratio of HAs by using sessile drop method (SDM). The initial contact angle (αi) measured from SDM decreased gradually with increasing water content in OA and SA coated samples. Measured αi values for volcanic ash soils increased with increasing water content and reached a peak values of 111.7o at θ= 0.325 cm3 cm-3, where-after αi gradually decreased. Each test sample exhibited sharp decrease in contact angle with time at higher water content. Sorptivity values for oleic acid coated samples decreased with increasing HA content and reached the minimum

  2. Ag/C:F Antibacterial and hydrophobic nanocomposite coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kylián, Ondřej; Kratochvíl, Jiří; Petr, Martin; Kuzminova, Anna; Slavínská, Danka; Biederman, Hynek; Beranová, Jana

    Silver-based nanomaterials that exhibit antibacterial character are intensively studied as they represent promising weapon against multi-drug resistant bacteria. Equally important class of materials represent coatings that have highly water repellent nature. Such materials may be used for fabrication of anti-fogging or self-cleaning surfaces. The aim of this study is to combine both of these valuable material characteristics. Antibacterial and highly hydrophobic Ag/C:F nanocomposite films were fabricated by means of gas aggregation source of Ag nanoparticles and sputter deposition of C:F matrix. The nanocomposite coatings had three-layer structure C:F base layer/Ag nanoparticles/C:F top layer. It is shown that the increasing number of Ag nanoparticles in produced coatings leads not only in enhancement of their antibacterial activity, but also causes substantial increase of their hydrophobicity. Under optimized conditions, the coatings are super-hydrophobic with water contact angle equal to 165∘ and are capable to induce 6-log reduction of bacteria presented in solution within 4h.

  3. Rheological Properties in Aqueous Solution for Hydrophobically Modified Polyacrylamides Prepared in Inverse Emulsion Polymerization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shirley Carro

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Inverse emulsion polymerization technique was employed to synthesize hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide polymers with hydrophobe contents near to feed composition. Three different structures were obtained: multisticker, telechelic, and combined. N-Dimethyl-acrylamide (DMAM, n-dodecylacrylamide (DAM, and n-hexadecylacrylamide (HDAM were used as hydrophobic comonomers. The effect of the hydrophobe length of comonomer, the initial monomer, and surfactant concentrations on shear viscosity was studied. Results show that the molecular weight of copolymer increases with initial monomer concentration and by increasing emulsifier concentration it remained almost constant. Shear viscosity measurements results show that the length of the hydrophobic comonomer augments the hydrophobic interactions causing an increase in viscosity and that the polymer thickening ability is higher for combined polymers.

  4. Effects of nanometric hydrophobic layer on performances of solar photovoltaic collectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei BUTUZA

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The study refers to the experimental investigation of solar photovoltaic collectors' behaviour when the glazed surface is treated with a nanometric layer of hydrophobic solution. The experiment was carried out on two photovoltaic collectors, of which one was considered as reference and the other one was coated with a commercial hydrophobic solution. It was studied the evolution of the following electrical parameters: current, voltage, power, efficiency and daily energy production. The voltage was almost unaffected, but for all the others parameters, important drop were recorded. The preliminary conclusion of the study is that the use of hydrophobic solutions, for the treatment of glazed surfaces of solar collectors is not recommended. This hypothesis needs supplementary investigations and measurements in the context of reduced available information concerning the optical properties of hydrophobic solutions.

  5. Production and characterization of hydrophobic zinc borate by using palm oil

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Nil Baran Acarali; Nurcan Tugrul; Emek Moroydor Derun; Sabriye Piskin

    2013-01-01

    Zinc borate (ZB) was synthesized using zinc oxide, boric acid synthesized from colemanite, and reference ZB as seed. The eff ects of reaction parameters such as reaction time, reactant ratio, and seed ratio on its yield were examined. Then, the eff ects of palm oil with solvents (isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethanol, and methanol) added to the reaction on its hydrophobicity were explored. Reactions were carried out under determined reaction conditions with magnetically and mechanically stirred systems. The produced ZB was characterized by X-ray diff raction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and measurements of contact angle identified hydrophobicity. The results showed that hydrophobic ZB was successfully produced under determined reaction conditions. The change of process parameters influenced its yield and the usage of palm oil provided hydrophobicity.

  6. A study of degradation resistance and cytocompatibility of super-hydrophobic coating on magnesium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yufen; Feyerabend, Frank; Tang, Shawei; Hu, Jin; Lu, Xiaopeng; Blawert, Carsten; Lin, Tiegui

    2017-09-01

    Calcium stearate based super-hydrophobic coating was deposited on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) pre-treated magnesium substrate. The pre-treated magnesium and super-hydrophobic coating covered sample were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrochemical corrosion measurements. The cytocompatibility and degradation resistance of magnesium, pre-treated magnesium and super-hydrophobic coating were analysed in terms of cell adhesion and osteoblast differentiation. The results indicate that the calcium stearate top coating shows super-hydrophobicity and that the surface is composed of micro/nanostructure. The super-hydrophobic coating covered sample shows higher barrier properties compared with the PEO pre-treated magnesium and bare magnesium. Human osteoblast proliferation, but not differentiation is enhanced by the PEO coating. Contrary, the super-hydrophobic coating reduces proliferation, but enhances differentiation of osteoblast, observable by the formation of hydroxyapatite. The combination of corrosion protection and cell reaction indicates that this system could be interesting for biomedical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Driving force for hydrophobic interaction at different length scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zangi, Ronen

    2011-03-17

    We study by molecular dynamics simulations the driving force for the hydrophobic interaction between graphene sheets of different sizes down to the atomic scale. Similar to the prediction by Lum, Chandler, and Weeks for hard-sphere solvation [J. Phys. Chem. B 1999, 103, 4570-4577], we find the driving force to be length-scale dependent, despite the fact that our model systems do not exhibit dewetting. For small hydrophobic solutes, the association is purely entropic, while enthalpy favors dissociation. The latter is demonstrated to arise from the enhancement of hydrogen bonding between the water molecules around small hydrophobes. On the other hand, the attraction between large graphene sheets is dominated by enthalpy which mainly originates from direct solute-solute interactions. The crossover length is found to be inside the range of 0.3-1.5 nm(2) of the surface area of the hydrophobe that is eliminated in the association process. In the large-scale regime, different thermodynamic properties are scalable with this change of surface area. In particular, upon dimerization, a total and a water-induced stabilization of approximately 65 and 12 kJ/mol/nm(2) are obtained, respectively, and on average around one hydrogen bond is gained per 1 nm(2) of graphene sheet association. Furthermore, the potential of mean force between the sheets is also scalable except for interplate distances smaller than 0.64 nm which corresponds to the region around the barrier for removing the last layer of water. It turns out that, as the surface area increases, the relative height of the barrier for association decreases and the range of attraction increases. It is also shown that, around small hydrophobic solutes, the lifetime of the hydrogen bonds is longer than in the bulk, while around large hydrophobes it is the same. Nevertheless, the rearrangement of the hydrogen-bond network for both length-scale regimes is slower than in bulk water. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  8. The 4-pyridylmethyl ester as a protecting group for glutamic and aspartic acids: 'flipping' peptide charge states for characterization by positive ion mode ESI-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garapati, Sriramya; Burns, Colin S

    2014-03-01

    Use of the 4-pyridylmethyl ester group for side-chain protection of glutamic acid residues in solid-phase peptide synthesis enables switching of the charge state of a peptide from negative to positive, thus making detection by positive ion mode ESI-MS possible. The pyridylmethyl ester moiety is readily removed from peptides in high yield by hydrogenation. Combining the 4-pyridylmethyl ester protecting group with benzyl ester protection reduces the number of the former needed to produce a net positive charge and allows for purification by RP HPLC. This protecting group is useful in the synthesis of highly acidic peptide sequences, which are often beset by problems with purification by standard RP HPLC and characterization by ESI-MS. Copyright © 2014 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Arginine side chain interactions and the role of arginine as a gating charge carrier in voltage sensitive ion channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Craig T.; Mason, Philip E.; Anderson, J. L. Ross; Dempsey, Christopher E.

    2016-02-01

    Gating charges in voltage-sensing domains (VSD) of voltage-sensitive ion channels and enzymes are carried on arginine side chains rather than lysine. This arginine preference may result from the unique hydration properties of the side chain guanidinium group which facilitates its movement through a hydrophobic plug that seals the center of the VSD, as suggested by molecular dynamics simulations. To test for side chain interactions implicit in this model we inspected interactions of the side chains of arginine and lysine with each of the 19 non-glycine amino acids in proteins in the protein data bank. The arginine guanidinium interacts with non-polar aromatic and aliphatic side chains above and below the guanidinium plane while hydrogen bonding with polar side chains is restricted to in-plane positions. In contrast, non-polar side chains interact largely with the aliphatic part of the lysine side chain. The hydration properties of arginine and lysine are strongly reflected in their respective interactions with non-polar and polar side chains as observed in protein structures and in molecular dynamics simulations, and likely underlie the preference for arginine as a mobile charge carrier in VSD.

  10. Current status for applications of hydrophobic platinum catalysts in tritium removal from nuclear effluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vagner, Irina; Ionita, Gheorghe; Varlam, Carmen

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Based on the long experience of the authors, in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts, and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D results on the preparation methods and applications of the hydrophobic catalysts, in deuterium and tritium separation. The objectives of the paper are: 1. to provide a database for selection of the most appropriate catalyst and catalytic packing for above mentioned processes; 2. to evaluate the potentiality of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts in the deuterium and tritium separation; 3. to assess and find a new procedure for preparation of a new improved hydrophobic catalyst. The merits of the hydrophobic catalysts are shown in comparison to hydrophilic catalysts. As results of the review some general conclusions about the applications of hydrophobic catalysts in environmental field are as follow: 1. the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts packed in the trickle bed reactors showed a high catalytic activity and long stability; 2. the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for tritium removal from liquid and gaseous effluent in nuclear field was entirely confirmed on industrial scale; 3. the extension of the utilization of the hydrophobic Pt-catalysts to other new processes, which take place in presence of liquid water or high humidity, like VOCs oxidation from wastewater or H 2 -O 2 catalytic recombination, are subject to testing

  11. Functional bacterial amyloid increases Pseudomonas biofilm hydrophobicity and stiffness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeng, Guanghong; Vad, Brian S; Dueholm, Morten S

    2015-01-01

    The success of Pseudomonas species as opportunistic pathogens derives in great part from their ability to form stable biofilms that offer protection against chemical and mechanical attack. The extracellular matrix of biofilms contains numerous biomolecules, and it has recently been discovered...... that in Pseudomonas one of the components includes β-sheet rich amyloid fibrils (functional amyloid) produced by the fap operon. However, the role of the functional amyloid within the biofilm has not yet been investigated in detail. Here we investigate how the fap-based amyloid produced by Pseudomonas affects biofilm...... hydrophobicity and mechanical properties. Using atomic force microscopy imaging and force spectroscopy, we show that the amyloid renders individual cells more resistant to drying and alters their interactions with hydrophobic probes. Importantly, amyloid makes Pseudomonas more hydrophobic and increases biofilm...

  12. Radiation-induced changes in membrane hydrophobicity in liposomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakazawa, Tohru; Nagatsuka, Shinichiro; Yukawa, Osami

    1985-01-01

    Effects of γ-radiation on the physical state of membranes were examined with liposomes of lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) from soybean and rat liver microsomes using spin labeling method. There was a slight increase in the membrane fluidity after irradiation. However, a marked decrease in the membrane hydrophobicity by irradiation was observed in the peripheral region in both types of membranes, in parallel with an increase in the lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that irradiation mainly causes a decrease in the membrane hydrophobicity through lipid peroxidation. (author)

  13. Submicron position-sensitive detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pugatch, V M; Rosenfeld, A B; Litovchenko, P G; Barabash, L I; Nemets, O F; Pavlenko, Yu N; Vasiliev, Yu O [Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev (Ukraine). Inst. for Nuclear Research

    1992-08-01

    A method has been developed to measure precisely the coordinates of charged particles incident between adjacent strips of a strip detector. The position sensitivity of an inter-strip gap has been studied by means of a pulsed laser beam and irradiation by [alpha]-particles of a [sup 226]Ra-source. The capacitive division of charge generated by the incident particle depends on the position of its track. Its coordinates were determined by two-dimensional amplitude analysis of the charges collected by neighbouring strips. This method of coordinate determination applied to studies of spatial and energy distributions of electromagnetic as well as charged particle beams (including radioactive ion beams) of low intensity could provide the highest level of the precision limited by the track dimensions of charged particles, i.e. percents of a micrometer. (orig.).

  14. The role of hydrophobic interactions for the formation of gas hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, R.H.; Wang, J.; Eriksson, J.C. [Virginia Polytech Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Center for Advanced Separation Technologies; Sum, A.K. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    2008-07-01

    The process of hydrate formation remains largely unexplained due to a lack of evidence for the water molecules around the hydrophobic solute such as methane, and the nucleation process leading to the clustering that induces hydrate growth. However, the water structure is known to play a major role in the mechanism for hydrate nucleation. This paper presented evidence that hydrophobic solutes promote the structuring of water. Water molecules at room temperature tend to form ice structures around the hydrocarbon chains of surfactant molecules dissolved in water. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used in this study to measure the surface forces between thiolated gold surfaces. The purpose was to better understand the structure of the thin films of water between hydrophobic surfaces. The water molecules tended to reorganize themselves to form ordered structures, which may be related to the nucleation of hydrates. The entropy reduction associated with the ice structure can be considered as the net driving force for self-assembly. Recent studies have revealed that long-range attractive forces exist between hydrophobic surfaces, which are likely to result from structuring of the water molecules in the vicinity of the hydrophobic surfaces. Similarly, the hydrophobic nature of most gas hydrate formers may induce ordering of water molecules in the vicinity of dissolved solutes. It was concluded that the results of this study may be used to develop a new mechanism for the formation of gas hydrates, including methane. 20 refs., 2 figs.

  15. The influence of charge and the distribution of charge in the polar region of phospholipids on the activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakim, D; Eibl, H

    1992-07-05

    Studies of the mechanism of lipid-induced regulation of the microsomal enzyme UDP-glucuronosyltransferase have been extended by examining the influence of charge within the polar region on the ability of lipids to activate delipidated pure enzyme. The effects of net negative charge, of charge separation in phosphocholine, and of the distribution of charge in the polar region of lipids were studied using the GT2p isoform isolated from pig liver. Prior experiments have shown that lipids with net negative charge inhibit the enzyme (Zakim, D., Cantor, M., and Eibl, H. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 5164-5169). The current experiments show that the extent of inhibition on a molar basis increases as the net negative charge increases from -1 to -2. The inhibitory effect of negatively charged lipids is on the functional state of the enzyme and is not due to electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged substrates of the enzyme. Although the inhibitory effect of net negative charge is removed when negative charge is balanced by a positive charge due to a quaternary nitrogen, neutrality of the polar region is not a sufficient condition for activation of the enzyme. In addition to a balance of charge between Pi and the quaternary nitrogen, the distance between the negative and positive charges and the orientation of the dipole created by them are critical for activation of GT2p. The negative and positive charges must be separated by the equivalent of three -CH2- groups for optimal activation by a lipid. Shortening this distance by one -CH2- unit leads to a lipid that is ineffective in activating the enzyme. Reversal of the orientation of the dipole in which the negative charge is on the polymethylene side of the lipid-water interface and the positive charge extends into water also produces a lipid that is not effective for activating GT2p. On the other hand, lipids with phosphoserine as the polar region, which has the "normal" P-N distance but carries a net negative charge, do

  16. SET-LRP of the Hydrophobic Biobased Menthyl Acrylate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bensabeh, Nabil; Ronda, Joan C; Galià, Marina; Cádiz, Virginia; Lligadas, Gerard; Percec, Virgil

    2018-04-09

    Cu(0) wire-catalyzed single electron transfer-living radical polymerization (SET-LRP) of (-)-menthyl acrylate, a biobased hydrophobic monomer, was investigated at 25 °C in ethanol, isopropanol, ethyl lactate, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE), and 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropanol (TFP). All solvents are known to promote, in the presence of N ligands, the mechanistically required self-regulated disproportionation of Cu(I)Br into Cu(0) and Cu(II)Br 2 . Both fluorinated alcohols brought out their characteristics of universal SET-LRP solvents and showed the proper polarity balance to mediate an efficient polymerization of this bulky and hydrophobic monomer. Together with the secondary alkyl halide initiator, methyl 2-bromopropionate (MBP), and the tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine (Me 6 -TREN) ligand, TFE and TPF mediated an efficient SET-LRP of MnA at room temperature that proceeds through a self-generated biphasic system. The results presented here demonstrate that Cu(0) wire-catalyzed SET-LRP can be used to target polyMnA with different block lengths and narrow molecular weight distribution at room temperature. Indeed, the use of a combination of techniques that include GPC, 1 H NMR, MALDI-TOF MS performed before and after thioetherification of bromine terminus via "thio-bromo" click chemistry, and in situ reinitiation copolymerization experiments supports the near perfect chain end functionality of the synthesized biobased hydrophobic polymers. These results expand the possibilities of SET-LRP into the area of renewable resources where hydrophobic compounds are widespread.

  17. Tuning the hydrophobicity of mica surfaces by hyperthermal Ar ion irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keller, Adrian; Ogaki, Ryosuke; Bald, Ilko; Dong Mingdong; Kingshott, Peter; Fritzsche, Monika; Facsko, Stefan; Besenbacher, Flemming

    2011-01-01

    The hydrophobicity of surfaces has a strong influence on their interactions with biomolecules such as proteins. Therefore, for in vitro studies of bio-surface interactions model surfaces with tailored hydrophobicity are of utmost importance. Here, we present a method for tuning the hydrophobicity of atomically flat mica surfaces by hyperthermal Ar ion irradiation. Due to the sub-100 eV energies, only negligible roughening of the surface is observed at low ion fluences and also the chemical composition of the mica crystal remains almost undisturbed. However, the ion irradiation induces the preferential removal of the outermost layer of K + ions from the surface, leading to the exposure of the underlying aluminosilicate sheets which feature a large number of centers for C adsorption. The irradiated surface thus exhibits an enhanced chemical reactivity toward hydrocarbons, resulting in the adsorption of a thin hydrocarbon film from the environment. Aging these surfaces under ambient conditions leads to a continuous increase of their contact angle until a fully hydrophobic surface with a contact angle >80 deg. is obtained after a period of about 3 months. This method thus enables the fabrication of ultrasmooth biological model surfaces with precisely tailored hydrophobicity.

  18. Relation between the characteristic molecular volume and hydrophobicity of nonpolar molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sedov, Igor A., E-mail: igor_sedov@inbox.ru; Solomonov, Boris N., E-mail: boris.solomonov@ksu.r

    2010-09-15

    Experimental values of the Gibbs free energies of hydration for a set of nonpolar or very slightly polar compounds are analyzed in order to investigate how does the hydrophobic effect depend on molecular structure and shape. The contribution due to the hydrophobic effect is evaluated using a method we suggested previously. A number of values of the Gibbs free energies of solvation in dimethyl sulfoxide and in hexadecane, which are required for calculation, were determined by gas chromatographic headspace analysis. It is found that the Gibbs hydrophobic effect energy is linearly dependent on characteristic molecular volume for a large variety of solutes with branched and unbranched carbon chains, different functional groups and atomic composition. Molecular structure and shape do not significantly affect the hydrophobicity of chemical species, and molecular volume is a main factor determining it.

  19. Temperature dependence of the evaporation lengthscale for water confined between two hydrophobic plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djikaev, Yuri S; Ruckenstein, Eli

    2015-07-01

    Liquid water in a hydrophobic confinement is the object of high interest in physicochemical sciences. Confined between two macroscopic hydrophobic surfaces, liquid water transforms into vapor if the distance between surfaces is smaller than a critical separation, referred to as the evaporation lengthscale. To investigate the temperature dependence of the evaporation lengthscale of water confined between two hydrophobic parallel plates, we use the combination of the density functional theory (DFT) with the probabilistic hydrogen bond (PHB) model for water-water hydrogen bonding. The PHB model provides an analytic expression for the average number of hydrogen bonds per water molecule as a function of its distance to a hydrophobic surface and its curvature. Knowing this expression, one can implement the effect of hydrogen bonding between water molecules on their interaction with the hydrophobe into DFT, which is then employed to determine the distribution of water molecules between two macroscopic hydrophobic plates at various interplate distances and various temperatures. For water confined between hydrophobic plates, our results suggest the evaporation lengthscale to be of the order of several nanometers and a linearly increasing function of temperature from T=293 K to T=333 K, qualitatively consistent with previous results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Enhancement of Water Evaporation on Solid Surfaces with Nanoscale Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Rongzheng; Wang, Chunlei; Lei, Xiaoling; Zhou, Guoquan; Fang, Haiping

    2015-11-06

    Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the evaporation of nanoscale water on hydrophobic-hydrophilic patterned surfaces is unexpectedly faster than that on any surfaces with uniform wettability. The key to this phenomenon is that, on the patterned surface, the evaporation rate from the hydrophilic region only slightly decreases due to the correspondingly increased water thickness; meanwhile, a considerable number of water molecules evaporate from the hydrophobic region despite the lack of water film. Most of the evaporated water from the hydrophobic region originates from the hydrophilic region by diffusing across the contact lines. Further analysis shows that the evaporation rate from the hydrophobic region is approximately proportional to the total length of the contact lines.

  1. Super-hydrophobic nickel films with micro-nano hierarchical structure prepared by electrodeposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hang Tao; Hu Anmin; Ling Huiqin; Li Ming; Mao Dali

    2010-01-01

    Super-hydrophobic nickel films were prepared by a simple and low cost electrodepositing method. The surface morphologies of the films characterized by scanning electronic microscope exhibit hierarchical structure with micro-nanocones array, which can be responsible for their super-hydrophobic characteristic (water contact angle over 150 o ) without chemical modification. The wettability of the film can be varied from super-hydrophobic (water contact angle 154 o ) to relatively hydrophilic (water contact angle 87 o ) by controlling the size of the micro-nanocones. The mechanism of the hydrophobic characteristic of nickel films with this unique structure was illustrated by several models. Such micro-nanostructure and its special wettability are expected to be applied in the practical industry.

  2. Fabrication of TiO2/EP super-hydrophobic thin film on filter paper surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhengxin; Zhai, Xianglin; Liu, Feng; Zhang, Ming; Zang, Deli; Wang, Chengyu

    2015-09-05

    A composite filter paper with super-hydrophobicity was obtained by adhering micro/nano structure of amorphous titanium dioxide on the filter paper surface with modifying low surface energy material. By virtue of the coupling agent, which plays an important part in bonding amorphous titanium dioxide and epoxy resin, the structure of super-hydrophobic thin film on the filter paper surface is extremely stable. The microstructure of super-hydrophobic filter paper was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the images showed that the as-prepared filter paper was covered with uniform amorphous titanium dioxide particles, generating a roughness structure on the filter paper surface. The super-hydrophobic performance of the filter paper was characterized by water contact angle measurements. The observations showed that the wettability of filter paper samples transformed from super-hydrophilicity to super-hydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 153 ± 1°. Some experiments were also designed to test the effect of water-oil separation and UV-resistant by the super-hydrophobic filter paper. The prepared super-hydrophobic filter paper worked efficiently and simply in water-oil separation as well as enduringly in anti-UV property after the experiments. This method offers an opportunity to the practical applications of the super-hydrophobic filter paper. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Diameter-dependent hydrophobicity in carbon nanotubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kyakuno, Haruka, E-mail: h-kyakuno@kanagawa-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397 (Japan); Institute of Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, Yokohama 221-8686 (Japan); Fukasawa, Mamoru; Ichimura, Ryota; Nakai, Yusuke; Maniwa, Yutaka, E-mail: maniwa@phys.se.tmu.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397 (Japan); Matsuda, Kazuyuki [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, Yokohama 221-8686 (Japan); Miyata, Yasumitsu [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397 (Japan); PRESTO, JST, Kawaguchi 332-0012 (Japan); Saito, Takeshi [Nanotube Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565 (Japan)

    2016-08-14

    Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are a good model system that provides atomically smooth nanocavities. It has been reported that water-SWCNTs exhibit hydrophobicity depending on the temperature T and the SWCNT diameter D. SWCNTs adsorb water molecules spontaneously in their cylindrical pores around room temperature, whereas they exhibit a hydrophilic-hydrophobic transition or wet-dry transition (WDT) at a critical temperature T{sub wd} ≈ 220-230 K and above a critical diameter D{sub c} ≈ 1.4-1.6 nm. However, details of the WDT phenomenon and its mechanism remain unknown. Here, we report a systematic experimental study involving X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It is found that water molecules inside thick SWCNTs (D > D{sub c}) evaporate and condense into ice Ih outside the SWCNTs at T{sub wd} upon cooling, and the ice Ih evaporates and condenses inside the SWCNTs upon heating. On the other hand, residual water trapped inside the SWCNTs below T{sub wd} freezes. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that upon lowering T, the hydrophobicity of thick SWCNTs increases without any structural transition, while the water inside thin SWCNTs (D < D{sub c}) exhibits a structural transition, forming an ordered ice. This ice has a well-developed hydrogen bonding network adapting to the cylindrical pores of the SWCNTs. Thus, the unusual diameter dependence of the WDT is attributed to the adaptability of the structure of water to the pore dimension and shape.

  4. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio vs. dissolved organics removal by coagulation – A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djamel Ghernaout

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This review discusses the hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio as a function of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic contents removal by coagulation process. It is well established that coagulation process could bring a reduction in dissolved organic carbon of around 30–60% by increasing the coagulant dose and optimising reaction pH, in which large organic molecules with hydrophobic property was removed preferentially. Furthermore, the literature affirmed that the greater removal of UV-absorbing substances indicates that alum coagulation preferentially removed the hydrophobic fraction of the total organic carbon. For the hydrophobic fraction, it needs to be removed entirely without its transformation into hydrophilic fractions by coagulation process avoiding pre-chlorination/pre-oxidation due to the risk of organic molecules fragmentation. Determining the exact numerical values of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio for raw water and treated water at different stages of the treatment processes in a water treatment plant, as for the DCO/DBO5 ratio in the case of wastewater treatment, would help on more focusing on OM control and removal.

  5. Hydrophobic catalyst applications in the nuclear field and in environmental studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionita, Gheorghe; Popescu, Irina; Stefanescu, Ioan; Varlam, Carmen

    2002-01-01

    The paper presents methods of preparation and applications of hydrophobic platinum catalysts in nuclear field and environmental protection. These catalysts allow the transport of gaseous reactants and reaction products to and from catalytic active centers since the pore blocking by water is avoided. Hence the activity and stability of the catalysts increase and isotopic exchange columns with simpler internal structure can be achieved. The aim of the paper is: 1. to give a data base regarding the preparation methods of the optimal catalyst type; 2. to indicate the utilization and operation procedures of hydrophobic catalysts with mixed and simple packings; 3. to evaluate the performances and applications of hydrophobic catalysts. Over one hundred of hydrophobic catalysts of the active metal/support type were prepared in our laboratory. Hydrophobic features were obtained by different methods like these: - coating a hydrophilic conventional catalyst with a hydrophobic agent such as silicone or teflon; - supporting the active metal directly into the pores of a hydrophobic support; - mixing the teflon powder with a hydrophilic conventional catalyst; coating the support with teflon followed by the impregnation with the precursor of the active metal. The most important application of these catalysts is detritiation of the heavy water used as moderator and coolant in CANDU type reactors. Build-up of tritium in heavy water following the neutron capture by deuterium leads to a reduction in the moderating properties and at the same time leads to a contamination hazard for both operation personnel and environment. Tritium recovery leads this way to both improving the moderating qualities of the heavy water and obtaining valuable pure tritium of high importance in fusion research and other laboratory studies. One gram of tritium costs about USD 10,000. The physical chemical process is water-hydrogen catalyzed isotopic exchange. Also discussed in the paper is the separation of

  6. Dosimeter charging and/or reading apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fine, L.T.; Jackson, T.P.

    1980-01-01

    A device is disclosed for charging and/or reading a capacitor associated with an electrometer incorporated in a radiation dosimeter for the purpose of initializing or ''zeroing'', the dosimeter at the commencement of a radiation measurement cycle or reading it at any time thereafter. The dosimeter electrometer has a movable electrode the position of which is indicative of the charge remaining on the dosimeter capacitor and in turn the amount of radiation incident on the dosimeter since it was zeroed. The charging device also includes means for discharging, immediately upon conclusion of the dosimeter capacitor charging operation, stray capacitance inherent in the dosimeter by reason of its mechanical construction. The charge on the stray capacitance, if not discharged at the conclusion of the dosimeter capacitor charging operation, leaks off during the measurement cycle, introducing measurement errors. A light source and suitable switch means are provided for automatically illuminating the movable electrode of the dosimeter electrometer as an incident to charging the dosimeter capacitor to facilitate reading the initial, or ''zero'', position of the movable electrometer electrode after the dosimeter capacitor has been charged and the stray capacitance discharged. Also included is a manually actuatable switch means, which is operable independently of the aforementioned automatic switch means, to energize the lamp and facilitate reading of the dosimeter without charging

  7. Optical-Electrical-Chemical Engineering of PEDOT:PSS by Incorporation of Hydrophobic Nafion for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Shuang; Qiao, Wenyuan; Cheng, Tai; Zhang, Bing; Yao, Jianxi; Alsaedi, Ahmed; Hayat, Tasawar; Ding, Yong; Tan, Zhan'ao; Dai, Songyuan

    2018-01-31

    In PIN-type perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the hydroscopicity and acidity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole transport layer (HTL) have critical influences on the device stability. To eliminate these problems, Nafion, the hydrophobic perfluorosulfonic copolymer, is incorporated into PEDOT:PSS by a simple spin-coating process. For the modified film, Nafion/PSSH (poly(styrene sulfonate) acid) acts as an electron-blocking layer on the surface and the PEDOT-rich domain tends to gather into larger particles with better interchain charge transfer inside the film. Consequently, the modified PEDOT:PSS HTL shows enhanced conductivity and light transmittance as well as more favorable work function, ending up with the increased short-circuit current density (J sc ) and open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of the device. Finally, PSCs with Nafion-modified HTLs achieve the best power conversion efficiency of 16.72%, with 23.76% improvement compared with PEDOT:PSS-only devices (13.51%). Most importantly, the device stability is obviously enhanced because of the hydrophobicity and chemical and mechanical stability of the Nafion polymer that is enriched on the surface of the PEDOT:PSS film.

  8. Field effect of screened charges: electrical detection of peptides and proteins by a thin-film resistor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lud, Simon Q; Nikolaides, Michael G; Haase, Ilka; Fischer, Markus; Bausch, Andreas R

    2006-02-13

    For many biotechnological applications the label-free detection of biomolecular interactions is becoming of outstanding importance. In this Article we report the direct electrical detection of small peptides and proteins by their intrinsic charges using a biofunctionalized thin-film resistor. The label-free selective and quantitative detection of small peptides and proteins is achieved using hydrophobized silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates functionalized with lipid membranes that incorporate metal-chelating lipids. The response of the nanometer-thin conducting silicon film to electrolyte screening effects is taken into account to determine quantitatively the charges of peptides. It is even possible to detect peptides with a single charge and to distinguish single charge variations of the analytes even in physiological electrolyte solutions. As the device is based on standard semiconductor technologies, parallelization and miniaturization of the SOI-based biosensor is achievable by standard CMOS technologies and thus a promising basis for high-throughput screening or biotechnological applications.

  9. Fuel charging machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchikawa, Sadao.

    1978-01-01

    Purpose: To enable continuous fuel discharging and charging steps in a bwr type reactor by effecting positioning only for once by providing a plurality of fuel assembly grippers and their drives co-axially on a rotatable surface. Constitution: A plurality of fuel assembly grippers and their drives are provided co-axially on a rotatable surface. For example, a gripper A, a drive B, a gripper C and a drive D are arranged co-axially in symmetric positions on a disk rotated on rails by wheels and rotational drives. A new fuel in a fuel pool is gripped by the gripper A and transported above the reactor core. Then, the disk is positioned so that the gripper C can grip the spent fuel in the core, and the fuel to be discharged is gripped and raised by the gripper C. Then the disk is rotated by 180 0 and the new fuel in the gripper A is charged into the position from which the old fuel has been discharged and, finally, the discharged fuel is sent to the fuel pool for storage. (Seki, T.)

  10. Encapsulation of hydrophobic allergens into nanoparticles improves the in vitro immunological diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortial, Angèle; Nosbaum, Audrey; Rozières, Aurore; Baeck, Marie; de Montjoye, Laurence; Grande, Sophie; Briançon, Stéphanie; Nicolas, Jean-François; Vocanson, Marc

    2015-05-01

    The diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) relies on in vivo patch testing. In vitro immunological assays based on the characterization of circulating allergen-specific memory T cells represent a promising alternative to patch testing. However, their development is hampered by the technical challenge of assessing hydrophobic allergens in serum-based assays. In this study, we show that the encapsulation of fragrance mix 1 (FMI, a mixture of 8 hydrophobic allergens) into poly-ε-caprolactone nanoparticle (NP) vectors: (1) dramatically increases the solubilization of allergens in conventional cell culture media and (2) allows for a robust in vitro reactivation of allergen-specific T cells in large numbers of fragrance allergic patients. Therefore, the encapsulation of hydrophobic allergens into NP vectors opens new avenues to improve the in vitro immunobiological diagnosis of ACD. Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) is a delayed-type hypersensivity reaction prevalent in many individuals. Currently, skin patch testing has been the mainstay for diagnosis clinically. In this study, the authors described an improvement to in vitro immunological assays measuring circulating allergen-specific memory T cells, using nanoparticle vectors. The positive data might provide an exciting alternative to current practice of patch-testing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Hydrophobicity study of kaolinite from La Unión, Antioquia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliana M. Usuga-Manco

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available In this research three methodologies to convert the hydrophilic surface of kaolinite into a hydrophobic surface are proposed, this condition is required to recover this mineral by means of froth flotation. Taking into account the anisotropy, zeta potential and complex surface electrical properties of the kaolinite, three surface chemical treatments based on the interacting and absorption of anionic collectors onto the mineral surface, causing an increase in the contact angle and thus increased hydrophobicity of kaolinite were applied. The methodologies proposed were interactions of kaolinite particles with: sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions with concentration 1x10-3M, 1x10-4M, 1x10-5M; sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions 1x10-3M, 1x10-4M, 1x10-5M with further interaction with kerosene solutions 127000 ppm; and oleic acid solutions 1x10-3M, 1x10-4M, 1x10-5M, each one with a five minutes of interaction. The experimental results obtained by zeta potential and contact angle of the kaolinite before and after applying chemical treatments indicate that larger the chain length of the collector and its concentration, bigger the contact angle and so, more hydrophobic the surface (edge or face. In order to optimize, control and understand this solid-liquid interaction phenomenon is suggested to find out about the hydrophobization mechanism of kaolinite with oleic acid and its percentage of hydrophobization.

  12. Amine reactivity with charged sulfuric acid clusters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. R. Bzdek

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available The distribution of charged species produced by electrospray of an ammonium sulfate solution in both positive and negative polarities is examined using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS. Positively-charged ammonium bisulfate cluster composition differs significantly from negatively-charged cluster composition. For positively-charged clusters all sulfuric acid is neutralized to bisulfate, whereas for negatively-charged clusters the degree of sulfuric acid neutralization is cluster size-dependent. With increasing cluster size (and, therefore, a decreasing role of charge, both positively- and negatively-charged cluster compositions converge toward ammonium bisulfate. The reactivity of negatively-charged sulfuric acid-ammonia clusters with dimethylamine and ammonia is also investigated by FTICR-MS. Two series of negatively-charged clusters are investigated: [(HSO4(H2SO4x] and [(NH4x(HSO4x+1(H2SO43]. Dimethylamine substitution for ammonia in [(NH4 x(HSO4 x+1(H2SO43] clusters is nearly collision-limited, and subsequent addition of dimethylamine to neutralize H2SO4 to bisulfate is within one order of magnitude of the substitution rate. Dimethylamine addition to [(HSO4 (H2SO4 x] clusters is either not observed or very slow. The results of this study indicate that amine chemistry will be evident and important only in large ambient negative ions (>m/z 400, whereas amine chemistry may be evident in small ambient positive ions. Addition of ammonia to unneutralized clusters occurs at a rate that is ~2–3 orders of magnitude slower than incorporation of dimethylamine either by substitution or addition

  13. Residual dust charges in discharge afterglow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coueedel, L.; Mikikian, M.; Boufendi, L.; Samarian, A. A.

    2006-01-01

    An on-ground measurement of dust-particle residual charges in the afterglow of a dusty plasma was performed in a rf discharge. An upward thermophoretic force was used to balance the gravitational force. It was found that positively charged, negatively charged, and neutral dust particles coexisted for more than 1 min after the discharge was switched off. The mean residual charge for 200-nm-radius particles was measured. The dust particle mean charge is about -5e at a pressure of 1.2 mbar and about -3e at a pressure of 0.4 mbar

  14. Integrative Approach with Electrophysiological and Theoretical Methods Reveals a New Role of S4 Positively Charged Residues in PKD2L1 Channel Voltage-Sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Numata, Tomohiro; Tsumoto, Kunichika; Yamada, Kazunori; Kurokawa, Tatsuki; Hirose, Shinichi; Nomura, Hideki; Kawano, Mitsuhiro; Kurachi, Yoshihisa; Inoue, Ryuji; Mori, Yasuo

    2017-08-29

    Numerical model-based simulations provide important insights into ion channel gating when experimental limitations exist. Here, a novel strategy combining numerical simulations with patch clamp experiments was used to investigate the net positive charges in the putative transmembrane segment 4 (S4) of the atypical, positively-shifted voltage-dependence of polycystic kidney disease 2-like 1 (PKD2L1) channel. Charge-neutralising mutations (K452Q, K455Q and K461Q) in S4 reduced gating charges, positively shifted the Boltzmann-type activation curve [i.e., open probability (P open )-V curve] and altered the time-courses of activation/deactivation of PKD2L1, indicating that this region constitutes part of a voltage sensor. Numerical reconstruction of wild-type (WT) and mutant PKD2L1-mediated currents necessitated, besides their voltage-dependent gating parameters, a scaling factor that describes the voltage-dependence of maximal conductance, G max . Subsequent single-channel conductance (γ) measurements revealed that voltage-dependence of G max in WT can be explained by the inward-rectifying property of γ, which is greatly changed in PKD2L1 mutants. Homology modelling based on PKD2 and Na V Ab structures suggest that such voltage dependence of P open and γ in PKD2L1 could both reflect the charged state of the S4 domain. The present conjunctive experimental and theoretical approaches provide a framework to explore the undetermined mechanism(s) regulating TRP channels that possess non-classical voltage-dependent properties.

  15. Reference interaction site model with hydrophobicity induced density inhomogeneity: An analytical theory to compute solvation properties of large hydrophobic solutes in the mixture of polyatomic solvent molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Siqin; Sheong, Fu Kit; Huang, Xuhui

    2015-01-01

    Reference interaction site model (RISM) has recently become a popular approach in the study of thermodynamical and structural properties of the solvent around macromolecules. On the other hand, it was widely suggested that there exists water density depletion around large hydrophobic solutes (>1 nm), and this may pose a great challenge to the RISM theory. In this paper, we develop a new analytical theory, the Reference Interaction Site Model with Hydrophobicity induced density Inhomogeneity (RISM-HI), to compute solvent radial distribution function (RDF) around large hydrophobic solute in water as well as its mixture with other polyatomic organic solvents. To achieve this, we have explicitly considered the density inhomogeneity at the solute-solvent interface using the framework of the Yvon-Born-Green hierarchy, and the RISM theory is used to obtain the solute-solvent pair correlation. In order to efficiently solve the relevant equations while maintaining reasonable accuracy, we have also developed a new closure called the D2 closure. With this new theory, the solvent RDFs around a large hydrophobic particle in water and different water-acetonitrile mixtures could be computed, which agree well with the results of the molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, we show that our RISM-HI theory can also efficiently compute the solvation free energy of solute with a wide range of hydrophobicity in various water-acetonitrile solvent mixtures with a reasonable accuracy. We anticipate that our theory could be widely applied to compute the thermodynamic and structural properties for the solvation of hydrophobic solute

  16. Morphology-properties relationship of gas plasma treated hydrophobic meso-porous membranes and their improved performance for desalination by membrane distillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dumée, Ludovic F.; Alglave, Hortense; Chaffraix, Thomas; Lin, Bao; Magniez, Kevin; Schütz, Jürg

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Systematic surface modifications by gas plasma treatment of hydrophobic polymers. • Correlation between plasma parameters and materials surface energy and morphology. • Spectral analysis of the formation of functional groups across the membranes surface. • Relationship between wettability, roughness and performance. - Abstract: The impact on performance of the surface energy and roughness of membrane materials used for direct contact membrane distillation are critical but yet poorly investigated parameters. The capacity to alter the wettability of highly hydrophobic materials such as poly(tetra-fluoro-ethylene) (PTFE) by gas plasma treatments is reported in this paper. An equally important contribution from this investigation arises from illustrating how vaporized material from the treated sample participates after a short while in the composition of the plasma and fundamentally changes the result of surface chemistry processes. The water contact angle across the hydrophobic membranes is generally controlled by varying the plasma gas conditions, such as the plasma power, chamber pressure and irradiation duration. Changes to surface porosity and roughness of the bulk material as well as the surface chemistry, through specific and partial de-fluorination of the surface were detected and systematically studied by Fourier transform infra-red analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the rupture of fibrils, formed during membrane processing by thermal-stretching, led to the formation of a denser surface composed of nodules similar to these naturally acting as bridging points across the membrane material between fibrils. This structural change has a profound and impart a permanent effect on the permeation across the modified membranes, which was found to be enhanced by up to 10% for long plasma exposures while the selectivity of the membranes was found to remain unaffected by the treatment at a level higher

  17. Morphology-properties relationship of gas plasma treated hydrophobic meso-porous membranes and their improved performance for desalination by membrane distillation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dumée, Ludovic F., E-mail: ludovic.dumee@deakin.edu.au [Deakin University, Geelong Victoria–Australia - Institute for Frontier Materials (Australia); Alglave, Hortense; Chaffraix, Thomas; Lin, Bao; Magniez, Kevin [Deakin University, Geelong Victoria–Australia - Institute for Frontier Materials (Australia); Schütz, Jürg [CSIRO, Manufacturing Flagship, 75 Pigdons Road, 3216 Waurn Ponds, Victoria (Australia)

    2016-02-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Systematic surface modifications by gas plasma treatment of hydrophobic polymers. • Correlation between plasma parameters and materials surface energy and morphology. • Spectral analysis of the formation of functional groups across the membranes surface. • Relationship between wettability, roughness and performance. - Abstract: The impact on performance of the surface energy and roughness of membrane materials used for direct contact membrane distillation are critical but yet poorly investigated parameters. The capacity to alter the wettability of highly hydrophobic materials such as poly(tetra-fluoro-ethylene) (PTFE) by gas plasma treatments is reported in this paper. An equally important contribution from this investigation arises from illustrating how vaporized material from the treated sample participates after a short while in the composition of the plasma and fundamentally changes the result of surface chemistry processes. The water contact angle across the hydrophobic membranes is generally controlled by varying the plasma gas conditions, such as the plasma power, chamber pressure and irradiation duration. Changes to surface porosity and roughness of the bulk material as well as the surface chemistry, through specific and partial de-fluorination of the surface were detected and systematically studied by Fourier transform infra-red analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the rupture of fibrils, formed during membrane processing by thermal-stretching, led to the formation of a denser surface composed of nodules similar to these naturally acting as bridging points across the membrane material between fibrils. This structural change has a profound and impart a permanent effect on the permeation across the modified membranes, which was found to be enhanced by up to 10% for long plasma exposures while the selectivity of the membranes was found to remain unaffected by the treatment at a level higher

  18. Post-duplication charge evolution of phosphoglucose isomerases in teleost fishes through weak selection on many amino acid sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sato Yukuto

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The partitioning of ancestral functions among duplicated genes by neutral evolution, or subfunctionalization, has been considered the primary process for the evolution of novel proteins (neofunctionalization. Nonetheless, how a subfunctionalized protein can evolve into a more adaptive protein is poorly understood, mainly due to the limitations of current analytical methods, which can detect only strong selection for amino acid substitutions involved in adaptive molecular evolution. In this study, we employed a comparative evolutionary approach to this question, focusing on differences in the structural properties of a protein, specifically the electric charge, encoded by fish-specific duplicated phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi genes. Results Full-length cDNA cloning, RT-PCR based gene expression analyses, and comparative sequence analyses showed that after subfunctionalization with respect to the expression organ of duplicate Pgi genes, the net electric charge of the PGI-1 protein expressed mainly in internal tissues became more negative, and that of PGI-2 expressed mainly in muscular tissues became more positive. The difference in net protein charge was attributable not to specific amino acid sites but to the sum of various amino acid sites located on the surface of the PGI molecule. Conclusion This finding suggests that the surface charge evolution of PGI proteins was not driven by strong selection on individual amino acid sites leading to permanent fixation of a particular residue, but rather was driven by weak selection on a large number of amino acid sites and consequently by steady directional and/or purifying selection on the overall structural properties of the protein, which is derived from many modifiable sites. The mode of molecular evolution presented here may be relevant to various cases of adaptive modification in proteins, such as hydrophobic properties, molecular size, and electric charge.

  19. Surface Layer Fluorination-Modulated Space Charge Behaviors in HVDC Cable Accessory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Li

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Space charges tend to accumulate on the surface and at the interface of ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM, serving as high voltage direct current (HVDC cable accessory insulation, which likely induces electrical field distortion and dielectric breakdown. Direct fluorination is an effective method to modify the surface characteristics of the EPDM without altering the bulk properties too much. In this paper, the surface morphology, hydrophobic properties, relative permittivity, and DC conductivity of the EPDM before and after fluorination treatment were tested. Furthermore, the surface and interface charge behaviors in the HVDC cable accessory were investigated by the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA method, and explained from the point of view of trap distribution. The results show that fluorination helps the EPDM polymer obtain lower surface energy and relative permittivity, which is beneficial to the interface match in composite insulation systems. The lowest degree of space charge accumulation occurs in EPDM with 30 min of fluorination. After analyzing the results of the 3D potentials and the density of states (DOS behaviors in EPDM before and after fluorination, it can be found that fluorination treatment introduces shallower electron traps, and the special electrostatic potential after fluorination can significantly suppress the space charge accumulation at the interface in the HVDC cable accessory.

  20. Measurement of Production Properties of Positively Charged Kaons in Proton-Carbon Interactions at 31 GeV/c

    CERN Document Server

    Abgrall, N.; Anticic, T.; Antoniou, N.; Argyriades, J.; Baatar, B.; Blondel, A.; Blumer, J.; Bogusz, M.; Boldizsar, L.; Bravar, A.; Brooks, W.; Brzychczyk, J.; Bubak, A.; Bunyatov, S.A.; Busygina, O.; Cetner, T.; Choi, K.U.; Christakoglou, P.; Czopowicz, T.; Davis, N.; Diakonos, F.; Di Luise, S.; Dominik, W.; Dumarchez, J.; Engel, R.; Ereditato, A.; Esposito, L.S.; Feofilov, G.A.; Fodor, Z.; Ferrero, A.; Fulop, A.; Garrido, X.; Gazdzicki, M.; Golubeva, M.; Grebieszkow, K.; Grzeszczuk, A.; Guber, F.; Haesler, A.; Hakobyan, H.; Hasegawa, T.; Idczak, R.; Ivanov, Y.; Ivashkin, A.; Kadija, K.; Kapoyannis, A.; Katrynska, N.; Kielczewska, D.; Kikola, D.; Kim, J.H.; Kirejczyk, M.; Kisiel, J.; Kobayashi, T.; Kochebina, O.; Kolesnikov, V.I.; Kolev, D.; Kondratiev, V.P.; Korzenev, A.; Kowalski, S.; Krasnoperov, A.; Kuleshov, S.; Kurepin, A.; Lacey, R.; Lagoda, J.; Laszlo, A.; Lyubushkin, V.V.; Mackowiak-Pawlowska, M.; Majka, Z.; Malakhov, A.I.; Marchionni, A.; Marcinek, A.; Maris, I.; Marin, V.; Matulewicz, T.; Matveev, V.; Melkumov, G.L.; Meregaglia, A.; Messina, M.; Mrowczynski, St.; Murphy, S.; Nakadaira, T.; Nishikawa, K.; Palczewski, T.; Palla, G.; Panagiotou, A.D.; Paul, T.; Peryt, W.; Petukhov, O.; Planeta, R.; Pluta, J.; Popov, B.A.; Posiadala, M.; Pulawski, S.; Rauch, W.; Ravonel, M.; Renfordt, R.; Robert, A.; Rohrich, D.; Rondio, E.; Rossi, B.; Roth, M.; Rubbia, A.; Rybczynski, M.; Sadovsky, A.; Sakashita, K.; Sekiguchi, T.; Seyboth, P.; Shibata, M.; Skrzypczak, E.; Slodkowski, M.; Staszel, P.; Stefanek, G.; Stepaniak, J.; Strabel, C.; Strobele, H.; Susa, T.; Szaflik, P.; Szuba, M.; Tada, M.; Taranenko, A.; Tereshchenko, V.; Tsenov, R.; Turko, L.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Vassiliou, M.; Veberic, D.; Vechernin, V.V.; Vesztergombi, G.; Wilczek, A.; Wlodarczyk, Z.; Wojtaszek-Szwarc, A.; Yi, J.G.; Yoo, I.K.; Zambelli, L.; Zipper, W.

    2012-01-01

    Spectra of positively charged kaons in p+C interactions at 31 GeV/c were measured with the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The analysis is based on the full set of data collected in 2007 with a graphite target with a thickness of 4% of a nuclear interaction length. Interaction cross sections and charged pion spectra were already measured using the same set of data. These new measurements in combination with the published ones are required to improve predictions of the neutrino flux for the T2K long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in Japan. In particular, the knowledge of kaon production is crucial for precisely predicting the intrinsic electron neutrino component and the high energy tail of the T2K beam. The results are presented as a function of laboratory momentum in 2 intervals of the laboratory polar angle covering the range from 20 up to 240 mrad. The kaon spectra are compared with predictions of several hadron production models. Using the published...

  1. Charged Triazole Cross-Linkers for Hyaluronan-Based Hybrid Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maike Martini

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Polyelectrolyte hydrogels play an important role in tissue engineering and can be produced from natural polymers, such as the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan. In order to control charge density and mechanical properties of hyaluronan-based hydrogels, we developed cross-linkers with a neutral or positively charged triazole core with different lengths of spacer arms and two terminal maleimide groups. These cross-linkers react with thiolated hyaluronan in a fast, stoichiometric thio-Michael addition. Introducing a positive charge on the core of the cross-linker enabled us to compare hydrogels with the same interconnectivity, but a different charge density. Positively charged cross-linkers form stiffer hydrogels relatively independent of the size of the cross-linker, whereas neutral cross-linkers only form stable hydrogels at small spacer lengths. These novel cross-linkers provide a platform to tune the hydrogel network charge and thus the mechanical properties of the network. In addition, they might offer a wide range of applications especially in bioprinting for precise design of hydrogels.

  2. Nanocarriers from GRAS Zein Proteins to Encapsulate Hydrophobic Actives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissmueller, Nikolas T; Lu, Hoang D; Hurley, Amanda; Prud'homme, Robert K

    2016-11-14

    One factor limiting the expansion of nanomedicines has been the high cost of the materials and processes required for their production. We present a continuous, scalable, low cost nanoencapsulation process, Flash Nanoprecipitation (FNP) that enables the production of nanocarriers (NCs) with a narrow size distribution using zein corn proteins. Zein is a low cost, GRAS protein (having the FDA status of "Generally Regarded as Safe") currently used in food applications, which acts as an effective encapsulant for hydrophobic compounds using FNP. The four-stream FNP configuration allows the encapsulation of very hydrophobic compounds in a way that is not possible with previous precipitation processes. We present the encapsulation of several model active compounds with as high as 45 wt % drug loading with respect to zein concentration into ∼100 nm nanocarriers. Three examples are presented: (1) the pro-drug antioxidant, vitamin E-acetate, (2) an anticholera quorum-sensing modulator CAI-1 ((S)-3-hydroxytridecan-4-one; CAI-1 that reduces Vibrio cholerae virulence by modulating cellular communication), and (3) hydrophobic fluorescent dyes with a range of hydrophobicities. The specific interaction between zein and the milk protein, sodium caseinate, provides stabilization of the NCs in PBS, LB medium, and in pH 2 solutions. The stability and size changes in the three media provide information on the mechanism of assembly of the zein/active/casein NC.

  3. An assessment on preparation methods and applications of hydrophobic Pt-catalyst in nuclear and environmental field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionita, Gh.; Stefanescu, I.; Varlam, Carmen

    2001-01-01

    Based on the long experience of the authors in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R and D activities on the preparation and application of hydrophobic catalysts for use in nuclear and environmental fields. Unlike the conventional hydrophilic catalysts, the hydrophobic catalysts repel the liquid water and allow the transport of the gaseous reactants and reaction products to and from catalytic active centers. For deuterium and tritium separation, over one hundred hydrophobic catalyst types have been prepared in different experimental conditions and by a large diversity of wet proofing methods. The influence of about twenty parameters on catalytic activity have been also studied. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to provide a database for preparation and selection of he most appropriate method for preparing an active hydrophobic catalyst, (2) to show how to use the hydrophobic catalyst and how to operate efficiently the reactor packed with hydrophobic catalyst, (3) to evaluate the performances and potentiality of hydrophobic catalysts in nuclear and environmental field, (4) evaluation of applications of hydrophobic catalysts in nuclear and environmental fields. As result, the following categories are shown: (1) the hydrophobic catalysts based on platinum and Teflon as wet-proofing proved to have the highest activity and the longest stability, (2) the utilization of hydrophobic catalyst as ordered mixed catalytic packing in the trickle bed or separated bed reactors is more efficient and has been entirely proved on industrial scale for tritium separation process, (3) the extension of the applications of hydrophobic catalysts for other processes which take place in the presence of saturated humidity or liquid water in environmental protection field. The merits of hydrophobic Pt-catalysts for tritium separation are discussed in comparison to other

  4. Effect of photocatalytic and hydrophobic coatings on brewery surface microorganisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priha, O; Laakso, J; Tapani, K; Levänen, E; Kolari, M; Mäntylä, T; Storgårds, E

    2011-11-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether process hygiene in the beverage industry could be improved by applying new coating techniques to process surfaces. Photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) and hydrophobic coatings applied to stainless steel with or without added antimicrobial compounds were studied in laboratory attachment tests and in a 15-month process study. No clear reductions in numbers of attached microbes were obtained with photocatalytic coatings, except for coatings to which silver had been added. These TiO(2)+Ag coatings reduced microbial coverage in laboratory studies and in some process samples. Hydrophobic coatings reduced the area coverage of microorganisms in 4-h laboratory studies but did not affect colony counts in laboratory or process studies. The surfaces had changed from hydrophobic into hydrophilic during the process study. The coatings did not mechanically fully withstand process conditions; part of the hydrophobic coatings had peeled off, most of the precipitated Ag had dissolved, and some of the TiO(2) coatings were damaged. In conclusion, functional coatings have potential for reducing microbial loads on beverage industry surfaces, but these coatings need further development.

  5. Responsive gelation of hydrophobized linear polymer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Claus Greve; Toeth, Joachim; Jørgensen, Lene

    In this study we present the rheological properties of a physically linked polymer network, composed of linear hydrophilic chains, modified with hydrophobic moieties in each end. Solutions of the polymer in ethanol-water mixtures showed Newtonian behaviour up to about 99 % ethanol, with the highest...

  6. Elaboration of highly hydrophobic polymeric surface — a potential strategy to reduce the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poncin-Epaillard, F., E-mail: fabienne.poncin-epaillard@univ-lemans.fr [Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM), département Polymères, Colloïdes et Interfaces, UMR CNRS 6283 Université LUNAM, av. O. Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans (France); Herry, J.M. [INRA-AgroParisTech, UMR 1319 MICALIS, équipe B2HM, 25 avenue de la République, 91300 Massy (France); Marmey, P.; Legeay, G. [CTTM, 20 rue Thalès de Milet 72000 Le Mans (France); Debarnot, D. [Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM), département Polymères, Colloïdes et Interfaces, UMR CNRS 6283 Université LUNAM, av. O. Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans (France); Bellon-Fontaine, M.N. [INRA-AgroParisTech, UMR 1319 MICALIS, équipe B2HM, 25 avenue de la République, 91300 Massy (France)

    2013-04-01

    Different polymeric surfaces have been modified in order to reach a high hydrophobic character, indeed the superhydrophobicity property. For this purpose, polypropylene and polystyrene have been treated by RF or μwaves CF{sub 4} plasma with different volumes, the results were compared according to the density of injected power. The effect of pretreatment such as mechanical abrasion or plasma activation was also studied. The modified surfaces were shown as hydrophobic, or even superhydrophobic depending of defects density. They were characterized by measurement of wettability and roughness at different scales, i.e. macroscopic, mesoscopic and atomic. It has been shown that a homogeneous surface at the macroscopic scale could be heterogeneous at lower mesoscopic scale. This was associated with the crystallinity of the material. The bioadhesion tests were performed with Gram positive and negative pathogenic strains: Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Hafnia alvei. They have demonstrated an antibacterial efficiency of very hydrophobic and amorphous PS treated for all strains tested and a strain-dependent efficiency with modified PP surface being very heterogeneous at the mesoscopic scale. Thus, these biological results pointed out not only the respective role of the surface chemistry and topography in bacterial adhesion, but also the dependence on the peaks and valley distribution at bacteria dimension scale. Highlights: ► Simple, eco-friendly modification of polymers leading to highly hydrophobic property ► Plasma treatment inducing surface fluorination and roughness ► Study of non-adhesion of different types of bacteria onto such polymeric surfaces ► Dependence of their non-adhesion on surface topography whatever their characteristics.

  7. Temporal Changes in Extracellular Polymeric Substances on Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Membrane Surfaces in a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor

    KAUST Repository

    Matar, Gerald Kamil

    2016-03-02

    Membrane surface hydrophilic modification has always been considered to mitigating biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Four hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membranes (pore sizes ∼0.1 μm) differing only in hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface characteristics were operated at a permeate flux of 10 L/m2.h in the same lab-scale MBR fed with synthetic wastewater. In addition, identical membrane modules without permeate production (0 L/m2.h) were operated in the same lab-scale MBR. Membrane modules were autopsied after 1, 10, 20 and 30 days of MBR operation, and total extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) accumulated on the membranes were extracted and characterized in detail using several analytical tools, including conventional colorimetric tests (Lowry and Dubois), liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD), fluorescence excitation - emission matrices (FEEM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The transmembrane pressure (TMP) quickly stabilized with higher values for the hydrophobic membranes than hydrophilic ones. The sulfonated polysulfone (SPSU) membrane had the highest negatively charged membrane surface, accumulated the least amount of foulants and displayed the lowest TMP. The same type of organic foulants developed with time on the four membranes and the composition of biopolymers shifted from protein dominance at early stages of filtration (day 1) towards polysaccharides dominance during later stages of MBR filtration. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling of LC-OCD data showed that biofilm samples clustered according to the sampling event (time) regardless of the membrane surface chemistry (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) or operating mode (with or without permeate flux). These results suggest that EPS composition may not be the dominant parameter for evaluating membrane performance and possibly other parameters such as biofilm thickness, porosity, compactness and structure should be considered

  8. Role of molecular charge in nucleocytoplasmic transport.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Goryaynov

    Full Text Available Transport of genetic materials and proteins between the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells is mediated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs. A selective barrier formed by phenylalanine-glycine (FG nucleoporins (Nups with net positive charges in the NPC allows for passive diffusion of signal-independent small molecules and transport-receptor facilitated translocation of signal-dependent cargo molecules. Recently, negative surface charge was postulated to be another essential criterion for selective passage through the NPC. However, the charge-driven mechanism in determining the transport kinetics and spatial transport route for either passive diffusion or facilitated translocation remains obscure. Here we employed high-speed single-molecule fluorescence microscopy with an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution of 9 nm and 400 µs to uncover these mechanistic fundamentals for nuclear transport of charged substrates through native NPCs. We found that electrostatic interaction between negative surface charges on transiting molecules and the positively charged FG Nups, although enhancing their probability of binding to the NPC, never plays a dominant role in determining their nuclear transport mode or spatial transport route. A 3D reconstruction of transport routes revealed that small signal-dependent endogenous cargo protein constructs with high positive surface charges that are destined to the nucleus, rather than repelled from the NPC as suggested in previous models, passively diffused through an axial central channel of the NPC in the absence of transport receptors. Finally, we postulated a comprehensive map of interactions between transiting molecules and FG Nups during nucleocytoplasmic transport by combining the effects of molecular size, signal and surface charge.

  9. Stabilization by hydrophobic protection as a molecular mechanism for organic carbon sequestration in maize-amended rice paddy soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, X Y; Spaccini, R; Pan, G; Piccolo, A

    2013-08-01

    The hydrophobic components of soil organic matter (SOM) are reckoned to play an important role in the stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC). The contribution of hydrophobic substances to SOC sequestration was evaluated in four different paddy soils in the South of China, following a 6-month incubation experiment with maize straw amendments. Soil samples included: a well developed paddy soil (TP) derived from clayey lacustrine deposits in the Tai Lake plain of Jiangsu; an acid clayey paddy soil (RP) derived from red earth in the rolling red soil area of Jiangxi; a weakly developed neutral paddy soil (PP) formed on Jurassic purple shale from Chongq; and a calcic Fluvisol (MS) derived from riverine sediments from a wetland along the Yangtze valley of Anhui, China. The SOC molecular composition after 30 and 180 days of incubation, was determined by off-line thermochemolysis followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Lignin, lipids and carbohydrates were the predominant thermochemolysis products released from the treated soils. A selective preservation of hydrophobic OM, including lignin and lipids, was shown in maize amended soils with prolonged incubation. The decomposition of lignin and lipids was significantly slower in the TP and RP soils characterized by a larger content of extractable iron oxyhydrates (Fed) and lower pH. The overall increase in hydrophobic substances in maize incubated samples was correlated, positively, with total content of clay and Fed, and, negatively, with soil pH. Moreover, yields of both lignin and lipid components showed a significant relationship with SOC increase after incubation. These findings showed that the larger the lipid and lignin content of SOM, the greater was the stability of SOC, thereby suggesting that OM hydrophobic components may have an essential role in controlling the processes of OC sequestration in paddy soils of South China. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Hydrophobic cotton textile surfaces using an amphiphilic graphene oxide (GO) coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tissera, Nadeeka D.; Wijesena, Ruchira N.; Perera, J. Rangana; Nalin de Silva, K.M.; Amaratunge, Gehan A.J.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Different GO dispersions were prepared by sonicating different amounts of GO in water. Degree of exfoliation of these GO sheets in water was analyzed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). • AFM results obtained showed higher the GO concentration on water more the size of GO sheets and lesser the degree of exfoliation. • GO with different amounts was deposited on cotton fabric using simple dyeing method. • High GO loading on cotton increase the surface area coverage of the textile fibers with GO sheets. This led to less edge to mid area ratio of grafted GO sheets. • As contribution of mid area of GO increase on fiber surface cotton fabric becomes more hydrophobic. • Amphiphilic property of GO sheets was used to lower the surface energy of the cotton fibers leading to hydrophobic property. - Abstract: We report for the first time hydrophobic properties on cotton fabric successfully achieved by grafting graphene oxide on the fabric surface, using a dyeing method. Graphite oxide synthesized by oxidizing natural flake graphite employing improved Hummer's method showed an inter layer spacing of ∼1 nm from XRD. Synthesized graphite oxide was exfoliated in water using ultrasound energy to obtain graphene oxide (GO). AFM data obtained for the graphene oxide dispersed in an aqueous medium revealed a non-uniform size distribution. FTIR characterization of the synthesized GO sheets showed both hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups present on the nano sheets giving them an amphiphilic property. GO flakes of different sizes were successfully grafted on to a cotton fabric surface using a dip dry method. Loading different amounts of graphene oxide on the cotton fiber surface allowed the fabric to demonstrate different degrees of hydrophobicity. The highest observed water contact angle was at 143° with the highest loading of graphene oxide. The fabric surfaces grafted with GO also exhibits adhesive type hydrophobicity

  11. Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic platinum-doped ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    2013-05-31

    May 31, 2013 ... drawback of inaccessible micropores and mineral impuri- ties. More recently, there has ... hydrophobicity and mechnical strength. PTFE binder was ... were measured by BET surface area measurement system. (Micromeritics ...

  12. Laser Printing of Superhydrophobic Patterns from Mixtures of Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles and Toner Powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngo, Chi-Vinh; Chun, Doo-Man

    2016-11-08

    In this work, a new and facile dry printing method was developed for the direct fabrication of superhydrophobic patterns based on silica nanoparticles. Mixtures of hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles and toner powder were printed on paper and polymer sheets using a commercial laser printer to produce the superhydrophobic patterns. The mixing ratio of the toner powder (for the laser printer) to hydrophobic silica was also investigated to optimize both the printing quality and the superhydrophobicity of the printed areas. The proper mixing ratio was then used to print various superhydrophobic patterns, including triangular, square, circular, and complex arrangements, to demonstrate that superhydrophobic surfaces with different patterns can be fabricated in a few seconds without any post-processing. The superhydrophobicity of each sample was evaluated by contact angle measurements, and all printed areas showed contact angles greater than 150°. The research described here opens the possibility of rapid production of superhydrophobic surfaces with various patterns. Ultimately, the obtained findings may have a significant impact on applications related to self-cleaning, control of water geometry and position, fluid mixing and fluid transport.

  13. Laser Printing of Superhydrophobic Patterns from Mixtures of Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles and Toner Powder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngo, Chi-Vinh; Chun, Doo-Man

    2016-11-01

    In this work, a new and facile dry printing method was developed for the direct fabrication of superhydrophobic patterns based on silica nanoparticles. Mixtures of hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles and toner powder were printed on paper and polymer sheets using a commercial laser printer to produce the superhydrophobic patterns. The mixing ratio of the toner powder (for the laser printer) to hydrophobic silica was also investigated to optimize both the printing quality and the superhydrophobicity of the printed areas. The proper mixing ratio was then used to print various superhydrophobic patterns, including triangular, square, circular, and complex arrangements, to demonstrate that superhydrophobic surfaces with different patterns can be fabricated in a few seconds without any post-processing. The superhydrophobicity of each sample was evaluated by contact angle measurements, and all printed areas showed contact angles greater than 150°. The research described here opens the possibility of rapid production of superhydrophobic surfaces with various patterns. Ultimately, the obtained findings may have a significant impact on applications related to self-cleaning, control of water geometry and position, fluid mixing and fluid transport.

  14. Performance of a position sensitive Si(Li) x-ray detector dedicated to Compton polarimetry of stored and trapped highly-charged ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, G; Braeuning, H; Hess, S; Maertin, R; Spillmann, U; Stoehlker, Th

    2010-01-01

    We report on a novel two-dimensional position sensitive Si(Li) detector dedicated to Compton polarimetry of x-ray radiation arising from highly-charged ions. The performance of the detector system was evaluated in ion-atom collision experiments at the ESR storage ringe at GSI, Darmstadt. Based on the data obtained, the polarimeter efficiency is estimated in this work.

  15. A rheological study of hydrophobic-surface-active polymer systems structuration; Etude rheologique de la structuration de systemes polymere hydrophobe-tensioactif

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinrich, E.

    1997-01-29

    This work deals with the study of the rheology and the structuration of hydrophobic polymer and surfactant systems. The used associative polymers are acrylamide/nonyl methacrylate copolymers and the surfactant is nonionic. They are particularly used for hydrocarbons extraction techniques as drilling (drilling fluids) or wells cementation. The studied materials are first characterized by different analytic techniques. This preliminary stage of the work gives a good insight of the physico-chemical parameters of the systems. The effect of surfactant was shown by studying the variation of Newtonian viscosity as a function of surfactant concentration. This yields bell curves, whose maximum determines the critical aggregation concentration (cac). The hydrophobic effect is analysed in different polymer concentration regimes, in quasi-static conditions, and under shear. The study of the dynamic visco-elasticity of semi-dilute solutions allows to observe the effect of the hydrophobic associations on the relaxation time of the chains. The system can be described as a superposition of two networks of junctions: the network of physical entanglements and a second one formed by the hydrophobic links. Phenomena of structuration have been observed at room temperature for surfactant concentrations close to the cac. The increase of viscosity or elastic modulus can be 3 to 4 orders of magnitude. The effect of the temperature on the structure of the systems is studied as well. The rheological characterization of the Sol-Gel transition is developed and the rheological behavior of the solutions in a structured state shows a critical stress for rupture of the structure. Microscopic observations of the birefringence of the solutions display the existence of lamellar vesicles, which leads to the following assumption: the formation of big spherulites create a rigidification of the macromolecular network. (author) 190 refs.

  16. Hydrophobicity Tuning by the Fast Evolution of Mold Temperature during Injection Molding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Liparoti

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The surface topography of a molded part strongly affects its functional properties, such as hydrophobicity, cleaning capabilities, adhesion, biological defense and frictional resistance. In this paper, the possibility to tune and increase the hydrophobicity of a molded polymeric part was explored. An isotactic polypropylene was injection molded with fast cavity surface temperature evolutions, obtained adopting a specifically designed heating system layered below the cavity surface. The surface topology was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM and, concerning of hydrophobicity, by measuring the water static contact angle. Results show that the hydrophobicity increases with both the temperature level and the time the cavity surface temperature was kept high. In particular, the contact angle of the molded sample was found to increase from 90°, with conventional molding conditions, up to 113° with 160 °C of cavity surface temperature kept for 18 s. This increase was found to be due to the presence of sub-micro and nano-structures characterized by high values of spatial frequencies which could be more accurately replicated by adopting high heating temperatures and times. The surface topography and the hydrophobicity resulted therefore tunable by selecting appropriate injection molding conditions.

  17. Double-grooved nanofibre surfaces with enhanced anisotropic hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Meimei; Chen, Xin; Xu, Yang; Zhu, Lei; Jin, Xiangyu; Huang, Chen

    2017-11-02

    This study reports a facile method for fabricating double-grooved fibrous surfaces. The primary grooves of the surface are formed by aligned fibres, while the secondary grooves are achieved by oriented nanogrooves on the fibre surface. Investigation into the formation mechanism reveals that the nanogrooves can be readily tailored through adjusting the solvent ratio and relative humidity. With this understanding, a variety of polymers have been successfully electrospun into fibres having the same nanogrooved feature. These fibres show high resemblance to natural hierarchical structures, and thereby endowing the corresponding double-grooved surface with enhanced anisotropic hydrophobicity. A water droplet at a parallel direction to the grooves exhibits a much higher contact angle and a lower roll-off angle than the droplet at a perpendicular direction. The application potential of such anisotropic hydrophobicity has been demonstrated via a fog collection experiment, in which the double-grooved surface can harvest the largest amount of water. Moreover, the fabrication method requires neither post-treatment nor sophisticated equipment, making us anticipate that the double-grooved surface would be competitive in areas where a highly ordered surface, a large surface area and an anisotropic hydrophobicity are preferred.

  18. Carbon dioxide solubilities in decanoic acid-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zubeir, Lawien F.; Van Osch, Dannie J.G.P.; Rocha, Marisa A.A.; Banat, Fawzi; Kroon, Maaike C.

    2018-01-01

    The solubility of CO2 in hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) has been measured for the first time. Six different hydrophobic DESs are studied in the temperature range from 298 to 323 K and at CO2 pressures up to 2 MPa. The results are evaluated by comparing the solubility data with existing

  19. Optically transparent super-hydrophobic thin film fabricated by reusable polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) mold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, J.-S.; Park, J.-H.; Lee, D.-W.

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, we describe a simple manufacturing method for producing an optically transparent super-hydrophobic polymer thin film using a reusable photo-curable polymer mold. Soluble photoresist (PR) molds were prepared with under-exposed and under-baked processes, which created unique hierarchical micro/nano structures. The reverse phase of the PR mold was replicated on the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. The unique patterns on the replicated PDMS molds were successfully transferred back to the UV curable polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) using a laboratory-made UV exposure system. Continuous production of the super-hydrophobic PDMS thin film was demonstrated using the reusable PUA mold. In addition, hydrophobic nano-silica powder was sprayed onto the micro/nano structured PDMS surfaces to further improve hydrophobicity. The fabricated PDMS thin films with hierarchical surface texturing showed a water contact angle  ⩾150°. Excellent optical transmittance within the range of visible light of wavelengths between 400-800 nm was experimentally confirmed using a spectrophotometer. High efficiency of the super-hydrophobic PDMS film in optical transparency was also confirmed using solar panels. The fabricated PUA molds are very suitable for use in roll-to-roll or roll-to-plate systems which allow continuous production of super-hydrophobic thin films with an excellent optical transparency.

  20. In vitro evaluation of tissue adhesives composed of hydrophobically modified gelatins and disuccinimidyl tartrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miyuki Matsuda

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The effect of the hydrophobic group content in gelatin on the bonding strength of novel tissue–penetrating tissue adhesives was evaluated. The hydrophobic groups introduced into gelatin were the saturated hexanoyl, palmitoyl, and stearoyl groups, and the unsaturated oleoyl group. A collagen casing was employed as an adherend to model soft tissue for the in vitro determination of bonding strength of tissue adhesives composed of various hydrophobically modified gelatins and disuccinimidyl tartrate. The adhesive composed of stearoyl-modified gelatin (7.4% stearoyl; 10Ste and disuccinimidyl tartrate showed the highest bonding strength. The bonding strength of the adhesives decreased as the degree of substitution of the hydrophobic groups increased. Cell culture experiments demonstrated that fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled 10Ste was integrated onto the surface of smooth muscle cells and showed no cytotoxicity. These results suggest that 10Ste interacted with the hydrophobic domains of collagen casings, such as hydrophobic amino acid residues and cell membranes. Therefore, 10Ste–disuccinimidyl tartrate is a promising adhesive for use in aortic dissection.

  1. Fabrication and hydrophobic characteristics of micro / nanostructures on polydimethylsiloxane surface prepared by picosecond laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bin, Wang; Dong, Shiyun; Yan, Shixing; Gang, Xiao; Xie, Zhiwei

    2018-03-01

    Picosecond laser has ultrashort pulse width and ultrastrong peak power, which makes it widely used in the field of micro-nanoscale fabrication. polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a typical silicone elastomer with good hydrophobicity. In order to further improve the hydrophobicity of PDMS, the picosecond laser was used to fabricate a grid-like microstructure on the surface of PDMS, and the relationship between hydrophobicity of PDMS with surface microstructure and laser processing parameters, such as processing times and cell spacing was studied. The results show that: compared with the unprocessed PDMS, the presence of surface microstructure significantly improved the hydrophobicity of PDMS. When the number of processing is constant, the hydrophobicity of PDMS decreases with the increase of cell spacing. However, when the cell spacing is fixed, the hydrophobicity of PDMS first increases and then decreases with the increase of processing times. In particular, when the times of laser processing is 6 and the cell spacing is 50μm, the contact angle of PDMS increased from 113° to 154°, which reached the level of superhydrophobic.

  2. CARNAUBA WAX USED AS AN HYDROPHOBIC AGENT FOR EXPANDED VERMICULITE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.A.F. Melo

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available This work deals with the use of carnauba wax as an expansion and hydrophobicity agent for vermiculite, to be utilized in the sorption process of oil in water. Evaluation of the system (oil-water-hydrophobic vermiculite submersion percentage was considered in assessing the performance of vermiculite in comparison to a Mexican turf. Carnauba wax seems to be more efficient in both fresh and salt waters.

  3. Amphiphilic star block copolymers as gene carrier Part I: Synthesis via ATRP using calix[4]resorcinarene-based initiators and characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Anna; Xue, Yan; Wei, Dafu [Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Guan, Yong, E-mail: yguan@ecust.edu.cn [Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Xiao, Huining [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 5A3 (Canada)

    2013-01-01

    In this work, a cationic star polymer [poly(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA)] was prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), using brominated calix[4]resorcinarene as an initiator. Hydrophobic moieties, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA), were further incorporated via 'one-pot' method. Well-defined eight-armed star block copolymers bearing hydrophilic blocks inside and hydrophobic blocks outside were synthesized. The molecular weight, particle size, electrophoretic mobility and apparent charge density were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), phase analysis light scattering (PALS) and colloidal titration, respectively. The zeta potentials and apparent charge densities of the products exhibited the characteristics of polyelectrolyte. The incorporation of hydrophobic moieties generated electrostatic screening effect. The as-synthesized amphiphilic star copolymer is promising as a thermo-sensitive gene carrier for gene therapy. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Amphiphilic cationic star block copolymers with well-controlled structures were prepared via ATRP. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The molecular structures and properties of the initiator and copolymers were systematically characterized. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The products exhibited the positive charged character, and hydrophobic moieties generated electrostatic screening effect.

  4. Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

    2006-05-01

    The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended SF6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold (Te≈0.2eV ) readily attach to SF6 molecules to form SF6- negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ɛ, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The K+ positive ions (mass 39amu) and SF6- negative ions (mass 146amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains.

  5. MICROBIAL CELL-SURFACE HYDROPHOBICITY - THE INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTROSTATIC INTERACTIONS IN MICROBIAL ADHESION TO HYDROCARBONS (MATH)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    GEERTSEMADOORNBUSCH, GI; VANDERMEI, HC; BUSSCHER, HJ

    Microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons (MATH) is the most commonly used method to determine microbial cell surface hydrophobicity. Since, however, the assay is based on adhesion, it is questionable whether the results reflect only the cell surface hydrophobicity or an interplay of hydrophobicity and

  6. Density, dynamic viscosity, and electrical conductivity of pyridinium-based hydrophobic ionic liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qing-Shan; Li, Pei-Pei; Welz-Biermann, Urs; Chen, Jian; Liu, Xiao-Xia

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Targets of this research are hydrophobic series ionic liquids. • Density, dynamic viscosity and electrical conductivity were determined. • Influences of methylene to properties were discussed. • Influences of methyl group on pyridinium ring position to properties were discussed. • Relationship of ρ, η and σ were described systematically. -- Abstract: Air and water stable hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) were synthesized: N-propyl-3-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C 3 3mpy][NTf 2 ], N-hexyl-3-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C 6 3mpy][NTf 2 ], and N-hexyl-4-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C 6 4mpy][NTf 2 ]. Density, dynamic viscosity, and electrical conductivity of ILs were determined at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range of (278 to 353) K. The effects of methylene and methyl groups to density, dynamic viscosity, and electrical conductivity, respectively, were discussed. The thermal expansion coefficient, molecular volume, standard molar entropy, and lattice energy of the samples were estimated in terms of empirical and semi-empirical equations based on the density values. The temperature dependence on dynamic viscosity and electrical conductivity values of the ILs were discussed by Vogel–Fulcher–Tamman (VFT) and Arrhenius equations. The molar conductivities were calculated by density and electrical conductivity values

  7. Preparation of Pt-PTFE hydrophobic catalyst for hydrogen-water isotope exchange

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Junhua; Kang Yi; Han Yande; Ruan Hao; Dou Qincheng; Hu Shilin

    2001-01-01

    The hydrophobic catalyst used in the hydrogen-water isotope exchange is prepared with Pt as the active metal, PTFE as the hydrophobic material, active carbon or silicon dioxide as the support. The isotope catalytic exchange reaction between hydrogen and water is carried out in the trickle bed and the effects of different carriers, mass fraction of Pt and PTFE on the catalytic activity are discussed. The experimental results show that the activity of Pt-C-PTFE hydrophobic catalyst with the ratio between PTFE and Pt-C from 1 to 2 is higher than other kinds of catalysts and the overall volume transfer coefficient is increased with the increasing of the hydrogen flow rate and reaction temperature

  8. Creation of hydrophobic surfaces using a paint containing functionalized oxide particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sino, Paul Albert L.; Herrera, Marvin U.; Balela, Mary Donnabelle L.

    2017-05-01

    Hydrophobic surfaces were created by coating various substrates (aluminum sheet, soda-lime glass, silicon carbide polishing paper, glass with double-sided adhesive) with paint containing functionalized oxide particles. The paint was created by functionalizing oxide particles (ground ZnO, TiO2 nanoparticles, or TiO2 microparticles) with fluorosilane molecules in absolute ethanol. Water contact angle of samples shows that the coated substrate becomes hydrophobic (water contact angle ≥ 90°). Among the oxides that were used, ground ZnO yielded contact angle exemplifying superhydrophobicity (water contact angle ≥ 150°). Scanning electron micrograph of paint-containing TiO2 nanoparticles shows rough functionalized oxides structures which probably increase the hydrophobicity of the surface.

  9. Preparation of alveolate hydrophobic catalyst for tritium waste gas treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yong; Peng, Shuming; Wang, Heyi; Du, Yang; Li, Jiamao

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The catalyst is hydrophobic, it will not be poisoned by steam in room air at room temperature which is better than Pt-Al 2 O 3 . • At room temperature, the conversion of low concentration of H2 and tritium gas in room air over the catalyst is high. • The air resistance of catalyst is much lower than graininess Pt-Al 2 O 3 . • It is inorganic and will not burn. - Abstract: To prepare a catalyst for the detritiation of waste gases at high flow rates, a heat-resistant hydrophobic zeolitic molecular sieve coating was synthesized on the surface of alveolate cordierite by hydrothermal processing. The alveolate hydrophobic catalyst prepared from the support was essentially waterproof and not easily poisoned by moisture. At room temperature, the conversion of low concentrations of H 2 in humid air over the catalyst was higher than 95% at different space velocities (0–16,000 h −1 ) and different relative humidities. The reaction rate constant of the oxidation of tritium over alveolate hydrophobic catalyst is 0.182 s −1 at 293.3 K–293.7 K and 59%–60% RH, it is much higher than the catalyst of reference honeycomb catalyst.

  10. Effect of positively charged short peptides on stability of cubic phases of monoolein/dioleoylphosphatidic acid mixtures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masum, Shah Md; Li, Shu Jie; Awad, Tarek S; Yamazaki, Masahito

    2005-06-07

    To elucidate the stability and phase transition of cubic phases of biomembranes with infinite periodic minimal surface is indispensable from biological and physicochemical aspects. In this report, we investigated the effect of positively charged peptide-3K (LLKKK) and poly(L-lysine) on the phase stability of monoolein (MO) membranes containing negatively charged dioleoylphosphatidic acid (DOPA) (i.e., DOPA/MO membranes) using small-angle X-ray scattering. At first, the effect of peptide-3K on 10% DOPA/90% MO membrane in excess water, which is in the Q229 phase, was investigated. At 3.4 mM peptide-3K, a Q229 to Q230 phase transition occurred, and at >3.4 mM peptide-3K, the membrane was in the Q230 phase. Poly(L-lysine) (M(w) 1K-4K) also induced the Q230 phase, but peptide-2K (LLKK) could not induce it in the same membrane. We also investigated the effect of peptide-3K on the multilamellar vesicle (MLV) of 25% DOPA/75% MO membrane, which is in L(alpha) phase. In the absence of peptide, the spacing of MLV was very large (11.3 nm), but at > or = 8 mM peptide-3K, it greatly decreased to a constant value (5.2 nm), irrespective of the peptide concentration, indicating that peptide-3K and the membranes form an electrostatically stabilized aggregation with low water content. Poly(L-lysine) also decreased greatly the spacing of the 25% DOPA/75% MO MLV, indicating the formation of a similar aggregation. To compare the effects of peptide-3K and poly(L-lysine) with that of osmotic stress on stability of the cubic phase, we investigated the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) with molecular weight 7500 (PEG-6K) on the phase stability of 10% DOPA/90% MO membrane. With an increase in PEG-6K concentration, i.e., with an increase in osmotic stress, the most stable phase changed as follows; Q229 (Schwartz's P surface) --> Q224 (D) --> Q230 (G). On the basis of these results, we discuss the mechanism of the effects of the positively charged short peptides (peptide-3K) and poly

  11. Artificial hairy surfaces with a nearly perfect hydrophobic response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Shu-Hau; Sigmund, Wolfgang M

    2010-02-02

    A nearly perfect hydrophobic interface by dint of mimicking hairs of arthropods was achieved for the first time. These Gamma-shape artificial hairs were made via a membrane casting technique on polypropylene substrates. This extreme hydrophobicity merely arises from microstructure modification, and no further chemical treatments are needed. The ultralow adhesion to water droplets was evaluated through video assessment, and it is believed to be attributed to the mechanical response of the artificial hairs. The principle of this fabrication technique is accessible and is expected to be compatible with large-area fabrication of superhydrophobic interfaces.

  12. The mechanism of spray electrification: the waterfall effect

    OpenAIRE

    Beattie, James K.

    2016-01-01

    The waterfall effect describes the separation of charge by splashing at the base of a waterfall. Smaller drops that have a net negative charge are created, while larger drops and/or the bulk maintain overall charge neutrality with a net positive charge. Since it was first described by Lenard (1892) the effect has been confirmed many times, but a molecular explanation has not been available. Application of our fluctuation-correlation model of hydrophobic hydration accounts for the negative cha...

  13. Electrostatic plasma lens for focusing negatively charged particle beams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goncharov, A A; Dobrovolskiy, A M; Dunets, S M; Litovko, I V; Gushenets, V I; Oks, E M

    2012-02-01

    We describe the current status of ongoing research and development of the electrostatic plasma lens for focusing and manipulating intense negatively charged particle beams, electrons, and negative ions. The physical principle of this kind of plasma lens is based on magnetic isolation electrons providing creation of a dynamical positive space charge cloud in shortly restricted volume propagating beam. Here, the new results of experimental investigations and computer simulations of wide-aperture, intense electron beam focusing by plasma lens with positive space charge cloud produced due to the cylindrical anode layer accelerator creating a positive ion stream towards an axis system is presented.

  14. Position-dependent Effects of Polylysine on Sec Protein Transport*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Fu-Cheng; Bageshwar, Umesh K.; Musser, Siegfried M.

    2012-01-01

    The bacterial Sec protein translocation system catalyzes the transport of unfolded precursor proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Using a recently developed real time fluorescence-based transport assay, the effects of the number and distribution of positive charges on the transport time and transport efficiency of proOmpA were examined. As expected, an increase in the number of lysine residues generally increased transport time and decreased transport efficiency. However, the observed effects were highly dependent on the polylysine position in the mature domain. In addition, a string of consecutive positive charges generally had a more significant effect on transport time and efficiency than separating the charges into two or more charged segments. Thirty positive charges distributed throughout the mature domain resulted in effects similar to 10 consecutive charges near the N terminus of the mature domain. These data support a model in which the local effects of positive charge on the translocation kinetics dominate over total thermodynamic constraints. The rapid translocation kinetics of some highly charged proOmpA mutants suggest that the charge is partially shielded from the electric field gradient during transport, possibly by the co-migration of counter ions. The transport times of precursors with multiple positively charged sequences, or “pause sites,” were fairly well predicted by a local effect model. However, the kinetic profile predicted by this local effect model was not observed. Instead, the transport kinetics observed for precursors with multiple polylysine segments support a model in which translocation through the SecYEG pore is not the rate-limiting step of transport. PMID:22367204

  15. Position-dependent effects of polylysine on Sec protein transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Fu-Cheng; Bageshwar, Umesh K; Musser, Siegfried M

    2012-04-13

    The bacterial Sec protein translocation system catalyzes the transport of unfolded precursor proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Using a recently developed real time fluorescence-based transport assay, the effects of the number and distribution of positive charges on the transport time and transport efficiency of proOmpA were examined. As expected, an increase in the number of lysine residues generally increased transport time and decreased transport efficiency. However, the observed effects were highly dependent on the polylysine position in the mature domain. In addition, a string of consecutive positive charges generally had a more significant effect on transport time and efficiency than separating the charges into two or more charged segments. Thirty positive charges distributed throughout the mature domain resulted in effects similar to 10 consecutive charges near the N terminus of the mature domain. These data support a model in which the local effects of positive charge on the translocation kinetics dominate over total thermodynamic constraints. The rapid translocation kinetics of some highly charged proOmpA mutants suggest that the charge is partially shielded from the electric field gradient during transport, possibly by the co-migration of counter ions. The transport times of precursors with multiple positively charged sequences, or "pause sites," were fairly well predicted by a local effect model. However, the kinetic profile predicted by this local effect model was not observed. Instead, the transport kinetics observed for precursors with multiple polylysine segments support a model in which translocation through the SecYEG pore is not the rate-limiting step of transport.

  16. Triphenylamine-Thienothiophene Organic Charge-Transport Molecular Materials: Effect of Substitution Pattern on their Thermal, Photoelectrochemical, and Photovoltaic Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Thi Huong; Dao, Quang-Duy; Nghiêm, Mai-Phuong; Péralta, Sébastien; Guillot, Regis; Pham, Quoc Nghi; Fujii, Akihiko; Ozaki, Masanori; Goubard, Fabrice; Bui, Thanh-Tuân

    2018-04-25

    Two readily accessible thienothiophene-triphenylamine charge-transport materials have been synthesized by simply varying the substitution pattern of the triphenylamine groups on a central thienothiophene π-linker. The impact of the substitution pattern on the thermal, photoelectrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of these materials was evaluated and, based on theoretical and experimental studies, we found that the isomer in which the triphenylamine groups were located at the 2,5-positions of the thienothiophene core (TT-2,5-TPA) had better π-conjugation than the 3,6-isomer (TT-3,6-TPA). Whilst the thermal, morphological, and hydrophobic properties of the two materials were similar, their optoelectrochemical and photovoltaic properties were noticeably impacted. When applied as hole-transport materials in hybrid perovskite solar cells, the 2,5-isomer exhibited a power-conversion efficiency of 13.6 %, much higher than that of its 3,6-counterpart (0.7 %) under the same standard conditions. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Charge transport problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, E.P.

    1977-01-01

    In a recent report (UCID 17346, ''Relativistic Particle Beam in a Semi-Infinite Axially Symmetric conducting channel extending from a perfectly conducting plane,'' Dec. 13, 1976) Cooper and Neil demonstrate that the net charge transported by a beam pulse injected into a channel of finite conductivity equals the charge of the beam itself. The channel is taken to be infinite in the positive z direction, has finite radius and is terminated by a conducting ground plane at z =0. This result is not an obvious one, and it is restricted in its applicability by the special model assumed for the channel. It is the purpose to explain the result of Cooper and Neil in more qualitative terms and to make similar calculations using several other channel models. It must be emphasized that these calculations are not concerned with the fate of the transported charge after the pulse has stopped, but rather with how much charge leaves the ground plane assuming the pulse does not stop

  18. Tuning hydrophobicity of zein nanoparticles to control rheological behavior of Pickering emulsions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zou, Yuan; Baalen, van Carlijn; Yang, Xiaoquan; Scholten, E.

    2018-01-01

    In the present work, the influence of hydrophobicity of zein/tannic acid complex particles (ZTPs) on the rheological behavior of ZTP-stabilized emulsion gels is described. The hydrophobicity of the particles was controlled by the incorporation of different amounts of hydrophilic tannic acid, while

  19. Phase behavior of charged hydrophobic colloids on flat and spherical surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelleher, Colm P.

    For a broad class of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the transition from isotropic fluid to crystalline solid is described by the theory of melting due to Kosterlitz, Thouless, Halperin, Nelson and Young (KTHNY). According to this theory, long-range order is achieved via elimination of the topological defects which proliferate in the fluid phase. However, many natural and man-made 2D systems posses spatial curvature and/or non-trivial topology, which require the presence of topological defects, even at T=0. In principle, the presence of these defects could profoundly affect the phase behavior of such a system. In this thesis, we develop and characterize an experimental system of charged colloidal particles that bind electrostatically to the interface between an oil and an aqueous phase. Depending on how we prepare the sample, this fluid interface may be flat, spherical, or have a more complicated geometry. Focusing on the cases where the interface is flat or spherical, we measure the interactions between the particles, and probe various aspects of their phase behavior. On flat interfaces, this phase behavior is well-described by KTHNY theory. In spherical geometries, however, we observe spatial structures and inhomogeneous dynamics that cannot be captured by the measures traditionally used to describe flat-space phase behavior. We show that, in the spherical system, ordering is achieved by a novel mechanism: sequestration of topological defects into freely-terminating grain boundaries ("scars"), and simultaneous spatial organization of the scars themselves on the vertices of an icosahedron. The emergence of icosahedral order coincides with the localization of mobility into isolated "lakes" of fluid or glassy particles, situated at the icosahedron vertices. These lakes are embedded in a rigid, connected "continent" of locally crystalline particles.

  20. Positively Charged Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Their Effect on the Dissolution of Poorly Soluble Drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyeong-Ok Choi

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study is to develop suitable formulations to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. We selected lipid-based formulation as a drug carrier and modified the surface using positively charged chitosan derivative (HTCC to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. Chitosan and HTCC-coated lipid particles had higher zeta-potential values than uncoated one over the whole pH ranges and improved encapsulation efficiency. In vitro drug release showed that all NLC formulations showed higher in vitro release efficiency than drug particle at pH 7.4. Furthermore, NLC formulation prepared with chitosan or HTCC represented good sustained release property. The results indicate that chitosan and HTCC can be excellent formulating excipients of lipid-based delivery carrier for improving poorly water soluble drug delivery.

  1. Positively Charged Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Their Effect on the Dissolution of Poorly Soluble Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Kyeong-Ok; Choe, Jaehyeog; Suh, Seokjin; Ko, Sanghoon

    2016-05-20

    The objective of this study is to develop suitable formulations to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. We selected lipid-based formulation as a drug carrier and modified the surface using positively charged chitosan derivative (HTCC) to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. Chitosan and HTCC-coated lipid particles had higher zeta-potential values than uncoated one over the whole pH ranges and improved encapsulation efficiency. In vitro drug release showed that all NLC formulations showed higher in vitro release efficiency than drug particle at pH 7.4. Furthermore, NLC formulation prepared with chitosan or HTCC represented good sustained release property. The results indicate that chitosan and HTCC can be excellent formulating excipients of lipid-based delivery carrier for improving poorly water soluble drug delivery.

  2. Effect of pullulan nanoparticle surface charges on HSA complexation and drug release behavior of HSA-bound nanoparticles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaojun Tao

    Full Text Available Nanoparticle (NP compositions such as hydrophobicity and surface charge are vital to determine the presence and amount of human serum albumin (HSA binding. The HSA binding influences drug release, biocompatibility, biodistribution, and intercellular trafficking of nanoparticles (NPs. Here, we prepared 2 kinds of nanomaterials to investigate HSA binding and evaluated drug release of HSA-bound NPs. Polysaccharides (pullulan carboxyethylated to provide ionic derivatives were then conjugated to cholesterol groups to obtain cholesterol-modified carboxyethyl pullulan (CHCP. Cholesterol-modified pullulan (CHP conjugate was synthesized with a similar degree of substitution of cholesterol moiety to CHCP. CHCP formed self-aggregated NPs in aqueous solution with a spherical structure and zeta potential of -19.9 ± 0.23 mV, in contrast to -1.21 ± 0.12 mV of CHP NPs. NPs could quench albumin fluorescence intensity with maximum emission intensity gradually decreasing up to a plateau at 9 to 12 h. Binding constants were 1.12 × 10(5 M(-1 and 0.70 × 10(5 M(-1 to CHP and CHCP, respectively, as determined by Stern-Volmer analysis. The complexation between HSA and NPs was a gradual process driven by hydrophobic force and inhibited by NP surface charge and shell-core structure. HSA conformation was altered by NPs with reduction of α-helical content, depending on interaction time and particle surface charges. These NPs could represent a sustained release carrier for mitoxantrone in vitro, and the bound HSA assisted in enhancing sustained drug release.

  3. Analysis of hydrophobic interactions of antagonists with the beta2-adrenergic receptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novoseletsky, V N; Pyrkov, T V; Efremov, R G

    2010-01-01

    The adrenergic receptors mediate a wide variety of physiological responses, including vasodilatation and vasoconstriction, heart rate modulation, and others. Beta-adrenergic antagonists ('beta-blockers') thus constitute a widely used class of drugs in cardiovascular medicine as well as in management of anxiety, migraine, and glaucoma. The importance of the hydrophobic effect has been evidenced for a wide range of beta-blocker properties. To better understand the role of the hydrophobic effect in recognition of beta-blockers by their receptor, we carried out a molecular docking study combined with an original approach to estimate receptor-ligand hydrophobic interactions. The proposed method is based on automatic detection of molecular fragments in ligands and the analysis of their interactions with receptors separately. A series of beta-blockers, based on phenylethanolamines and phenoxypropanolamines, were docked to the beta2-adrenoceptor binding site in the crystal structure. Hydrophobic complementarity between the ligand and the receptor was calculated using the PLATINUM web-server (http://model.nmr.ru/platinum). Based on the analysis of the hydrophobic match for molecular fragments of beta-blockers, we have developed a new scoring function which efficiently predicts dissociation constant (pKd) with strong correlations (r(2) approximately 0.8) with experimental data.

  4. Charge state distributions from highly charged ions channeled at a metal surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Folkerts, L.; Meyer, F.W.; Schippers, S.

    1994-01-01

    The vast majority of the experimental work in the field of multicharged ion-surface interactions, to date, has focused on x-ray and particularly on electron emission. These experiments include measurements of the total electron yield, the emission statistics of the electrons, and, most of all, the electron energy distributions. So far, little attention has been paid to the fate of the multicharged projectile ions after the scattering. To our knowledge, the only measurement of the charge state distribution of the scattered ions is the pioneering experiment of de Zwart et al., who measured the total yield of scattered 1+, 2+, and 3+ ions as a function of the primary charge state q (q = 1--11) for 20 key Ne, Ar, and Kr ions after reflection from a polycrystalline tungsten target. Their main finding is the sudden onset of scattered 3+ ions when inner-shell vacancies are present in the primary particles. This suggests that a certain fraction of the inner-shell vacancies survives the entire collision event, and decays via autoionization on the outgoing path. Since the projectiles scattered in the neutral charge state could not be detected in the experiment of de Zwart et al., they were not able to provide absolute charge state fractions. In our present experiment, we focus on the scattered projectiles, measuring both the final charge state and the total scattering angle with a single 2D position sensitive detector (PSD). This method gives us the number of positive, as well as neutral and negative, scattered ions, thus allowing us to extract absolute charge state fractions. Using a well-prepared single Au(110) crystal and a grazing incidence geometry, we were able to observe surface channeling along the [001] channels

  5. Non-invasive high throughput approach for protein hydrophobicity determination based on surface tension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amrhein, Sven; Bauer, Katharina Christin; Galm, Lara; Hubbuch, Jürgen

    2015-12-01

    The surface hydrophobicity of a protein is an important factor for its interactions in solution and thus the outcome of its production process. Yet most of the methods are not able to evaluate the influence of these hydrophobic interactions under natural conditions. In the present work we have established a high resolution stalagmometric method for surface tension determination on a liquid handling station, which can cope with accuracy as well as high throughput requirements. Surface tensions could be derived with a low sample consumption (800 μL) and a high reproducibility (content. The protein influence on the solutions' surface tension was correlated to the hydrophobicity of lysozyme, human lysozyme, BSA, and α-lactalbumin. Differences in proteins' hydrophobic character depending on pH and species could be resolved. Within this work we have developed a pH dependent hydrophobicity ranking, which was found to be in good agreement with literature. For the studied pH range of 3-9 lysozyme from chicken egg white was identified to be the most hydrophilic. α-lactalbumin at pH 3 exhibited the most pronounced hydrophobic character. The stalagmometric method occurred to outclass the widely used spectrophotometric method with bromophenol blue sodium salt as it gave reasonable results without restrictions on pH and protein species. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Multiscale modification of the conductive PEDOT:PSS polymer for the analysis of biological mixtures in a super-hydrophobic drop

    KAUST Repository

    Coppedè, Nicola

    2016-03-18

    Conducting polymers are materials displaying high electrical conductivity, easy of fabrication, flexibility and biocompatibility, for this, they are routinely employed in organic electronics, printed electronics, and bioelectronics. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are a second generation of organic thin transistors, in which the insulator layer is an electrolyte medium and the conductive polymer is electrochemically active. OECT devices have been demonstrated in chemical and biological sensing: while accurate in determining the size of individual ions in solution, similar devices break down if challenged with complex mixtures. Here, we combine a conductive PEODOT:PSS polymer with a super-hydrophobic scheme to obtain a family of advanced devices, in which the ability to manipulate a biological solution couples to a precise texture of the substrate (which incorporates five micro-electrodes in a line, and each is a site specific measurement point), and this permits to realize time and space resolved analysis of a solution. While the competition between convection and diffusion in a super-hydrophobic drop operates the separation of different species based on their size and charge, the described device delivers the ability to register a similar difference. In the following, we demonstrate the device in the sensing of a solution in which CTAB and adrenaline are separated with good sensitivity, selectivity and reliability.

  7. Multiscale modification of the conductive PEDOT:PSS polymer for the analysis of biological mixtures in a super-hydrophobic drop

    KAUST Repository

    Coppedè , Nicola; Ferrara, Lorenzo; Bifulco, Paolo; Villani, Marco; Iannotta, Salvatore; Zappettini, Andrea; Cesarelli, Mario; Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.; Gentile, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    Conducting polymers are materials displaying high electrical conductivity, easy of fabrication, flexibility and biocompatibility, for this, they are routinely employed in organic electronics, printed electronics, and bioelectronics. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are a second generation of organic thin transistors, in which the insulator layer is an electrolyte medium and the conductive polymer is electrochemically active. OECT devices have been demonstrated in chemical and biological sensing: while accurate in determining the size of individual ions in solution, similar devices break down if challenged with complex mixtures. Here, we combine a conductive PEODOT:PSS polymer with a super-hydrophobic scheme to obtain a family of advanced devices, in which the ability to manipulate a biological solution couples to a precise texture of the substrate (which incorporates five micro-electrodes in a line, and each is a site specific measurement point), and this permits to realize time and space resolved analysis of a solution. While the competition between convection and diffusion in a super-hydrophobic drop operates the separation of different species based on their size and charge, the described device delivers the ability to register a similar difference. In the following, we demonstrate the device in the sensing of a solution in which CTAB and adrenaline are separated with good sensitivity, selectivity and reliability.

  8. Hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces fabricated using atmospheric pressure cold plasma technology: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimitrakellis, Panagiotis; Gogolides, Evangelos

    2018-04-01

    Hydrophobic surfaces are often used to reduce wetting of surfaces by water. In particular, superhydrophobic surfaces are highly desired for several applications due to their exceptional properties such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-friction and others. Such surfaces can be prepared via numerous methods including plasma technology, a dry technique with low environmental impact. Atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) has recently attracted significant attention as lower-cost alternative to low-pressure plasmas, and as a candidate for continuous rather than batch processing. Although there are many reviews on water-repellent surfaces, and a few reviews on APP technology, there are hardly any review works on APP processing for hydrophobic and superhydrohobic surface fabrication, a topic of high importance in nanotechnology and interface science. Herein, we critically review the advances on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surface fabrication using APP technology, trying also to give some perspectives in the field. After a short introduction to superhydrophobicity of nanostructured surfaces and to APPs we focus this review on three different aspects: (1) The atmospheric plasma reactor technology used for fabrication of (super)hydrophobic surfaces. (2) The APP process for hydrophobic surface preparation. The hydrophobic surface preparation processes are categorized methodologically as: a) activation, b) grafting, c) polymerization, d) roughening and hydrophobization. Each category includes subcategories related to different precursors used. (3) One of the most important sections of this review concerns superhydrophobic surfaces fabricated using APP. These are methodologically characterized as follows: a) single step processes where micro-nano textured topography and low surface energy coating are created at the same time, or b) multiple step processes, where these steps occur sequentially in or out of the plasma. We end the review with some perspectives in the field. We

  9. Fabrication of hydrophobic compressed oil palm trunk surface by sol-gel process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muzakir, Syafiqah; Salim, Nurjannah; Huda Abu Bakar, Nurul; Roslan, Rasidi; Sin, Lim Wan; Hashim, Rokiah

    2018-04-01

    Improvement of the robustness of hydrophobic surfaces is crucial to achieving commercial applications of these surfaces in such various areas as self-cleaning, water repellency and corrosion resistance. Compressed oil palm trunk (OPT) panel is one of potential product which can be used as panelling and indoor furniture application. By adding hydrophobic properties to compressed oil palm trunk panel might increase the application of compressed oil palm trunk especially for outdoor application. In this study, fabrication is using the sol-gel technique. Sol-gel was prepared by adding ethanol with Hexadecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) solution with Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) with surface modification of chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS). The surface with hydrophobic coating was undergone surface analysis with contact angle machine with the aid of software SCA 20 and the determined of the morphology of surface with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The produced compressed oil palm trunk surfaces exhibited promising hydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 104° and the relatively better mechanical robustness.

  10. Cooperative Charging Effects of Fibers From Electrospinning of Electrically Dissimilar Polymers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Schreuder-Gibson, H. L; Gibson, P; Tsai, P; Gupta, P; Wilkes, G

    2005-01-01

    .... During electrospinning of the PS and PAN polymer solutions, the fibers became positively charged when positive voltage was applied to the solution-filled spinning nozzle and became negatively charged...

  11. Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

    2006-01-01

    The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended Q machine when SF 6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold Q machine electrons (T e ≅0.2 eV) readily attach to SF 6 molecules to form SF 6 - negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ε, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The Q machine plasma is operated with K + positive ions (mass 39 amu) and SF 6 - negative ions (mass 146 amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains

  12. Continuous droplet removal upon dropwise condensation of humid air on a hydrophobic micropatterned surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamuruyev, Konstantin O; Bardaweel, Hamzeh K; Carron, Christopher J; Kenyon, Nicholas J; Brand, Oliver; Delplanque, Jean-Pierre; Davis, Cristina E

    2014-08-26

    Combination of two physical phenomena, capillary pressure gradient and wettability gradient, allows a simple two-step fabrication process that yields a reliable hydrophobic self-cleaning condenser surface. The surface is fabricated with specific microscopic topography and further treatment with a chemically inert low-surface-energy material. This process does not require growth of nanofeatures (nanotubes) or hydrophilic-hydrophobic patterning of the surface. Trapezoidal geometry of the microfeatures facilitates droplet transfer from the Wenzel to the Cassie state and reduces droplet critical diameter. The geometry of the micropatterns enhances local coalescence and directional movement for droplets with diameter much smaller than the radial length of the micropatterns. The hydrophobic self-cleaning micropatterned condenser surface prevents liquid film formation and promotes continuous dropwise condensation cycle. Upon dropwise condensation, droplets follow a designed wettability gradient created with micropatterns from the most hydrophobic to the least hydrophobic end of the surface. The surface has higher condensation efficiency, due to its directional self-cleaning property, than a plain hydrophobic surface. We explain the self-actuated droplet collection mechanism on the condenser surface and demonstrate experimentally the creation of an effective wettability gradient over a 6 mm radial distance. In spite of its fabrication simplicity, the fabricated surface demonstrates self-cleaning property, enhanced condensation performance, and reliability over time. Our work enables creation of a hydrophobic condenser surface with the directional self-cleaning property that can be used for collection of biological (chemical, environmental) aerosol samples or for condensation enhancement.

  13. Modification of epoxy resin, silicon and glass surfaces with alkyl- or fluoroalkylsilanes for hydrophobic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marczak, Jacek; Kargol, Marta; Psarski, Maciej; Celichowski, Grzegorz

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Chemical structure of alkylsilanes and fluoroalkylsilanes can affect the hydrophobic and surface performance of the modified samples. • Wet chemical hydrophobization is relatively simple and inexpensive method to obtain hydrophobic/superhydrophobic coatings. • The samples degradation is not observed and hydrophobic coatings seem to be stable in UV light. - Abstract: Preparation of superhydrophobic materials inspired by nature has attracted a great scientific interest in recent decades. Some of these materials have hierarchical lotus-like structures, i.e. micro- and nano-objects coated by hydrophobic compounds. A major challenge of applying the superhydrophobic surfaces for the self-cleaning coatings preparation is their improved efficiency in varying atmospheric conditions, e.g. UV light. The objective of this research work was to investigate the effect of the different chemical structure and the surface free energy on the hydrophobic and tribological properties of the alkylsilanes and fluoroalkylsilanes deposited on silicon wafers, glass slides and epoxy resin. Tribological and hydrophobic properties of the modified surfaces were correlated with their chemical structures. Chemical structures of the deposited materials were examined by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and hydrophobic properties were investigated by water contact angle (WCA) and surface free energy (SFE) measurements. The modified surfaces exhibited water contact angles of above 100° for the selected modifiers. It was noticed that the replacement of hydrogen atoms by fluorine atoms in alkyl chain caused an increase in the water contact angle values and a decrease in friction coefficients. The obtained results showed that the carbon chain length of a modifier and its chemical structure can strongly affect the hydrophobic and tribological properties of the modified surfaces. The highest values of WCA, lowest values of SFE and coefficient

  14. Hydrophobic hydration and the anomalous partial molar volumes in ethanol-water mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, Ming-Liang; Te, Jerez; Cendagorta, Joseph R.; Miller, Benjamin T.; Brooks, Bernard R.; Ichiye, Toshiko

    2015-01-01

    The anomalous behavior in the partial molar volumes of ethanol-water mixtures at low concentrations of ethanol is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Previous work indicates that the striking minimum in the partial molar volume of ethanol V E as a function of ethanol mole fraction X E is determined mainly by water-water interactions. These results were based on simulations that used one water model for the solute-water interactions but two different water models for the water-water interactions. This is confirmed here by using two more water models for the water-water interactions. Furthermore, the previous work indicates that the initial decrease is caused by association of the hydration shells of the hydrocarbon tails, and the minimum occurs at the concentration where all of the hydration shells are touching each other. Thus, the characteristics of the hydration of the tail that cause the decrease and the features of the water models that reproduce this type of hydration are also examined here. The results show that a single-site multipole water model with a charge distribution that mimics the large quadrupole and the p-orbital type electron density out of the molecular plane has “brittle” hydration with hydrogen bonds that break as the tails touch, which reproduces the deep minimum. However, water models with more typical site representations with partial charges lead to flexible hydration that tends to stay intact, which produces a shallow minimum. Thus, brittle hydration may play an essential role in hydrophobic association in water

  15. Attraction of likely charged nano-sized grains in dust-electron plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vishnyakov, Vladimir I., E-mail: eksvar@ukr.net [Physical-Chemical Institute for Environmental and Human Protection, Odessa 65082 (Ukraine)

    2016-01-15

    Dust-electron plasma, which contains only the dust grains and electrons, emitted by them, is studied. Assumption of almost uniform spatial electrons distribution, which deviates from the uniformity only near the dust grains, leads to the grain charge division into two parts: first part is the individual for each grain “visible” charge and the second part is the common charge of the neutralized background. The visible grain charge can be both negative and positive, while the total grain charge is only positive. The attraction of likely charged grains is possible, because the grain interaction is determined by the visible charges. The equilibrium state between attraction and repulsion of grains is demonstrated.

  16. Surface charge effects in protein adsorption on nanodiamonds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aramesh, M; Shimoni, O; Ostrikov, K; Prawer, S; Cervenka, J

    2015-03-19

    Understanding the interaction of proteins with charged diamond nanoparticles is of fundamental importance for diverse biomedical applications. Here we present a thorough study of protein binding, adsorption kinetics and structure on strongly positively (hydrogen-terminated) and negatively (oxygen-terminated) charged nanodiamond particles using a quartz crystal microbalance by dissipation and infrared spectroscopy. By using two model proteins (bovine serum albumin and lysozyme) of different properties (charge, molecular weight and rigidity), the main driving mechanism responsible for the protein binding to the charged nanoparticles was identified. Electrostatic interactions were found to dominate the protein adsorption dynamics, attachment and conformation. We developed a simple electrostatic model that can qualitatively explain the observed adsorption behaviour based on charge-induced pH modifications near the charged nanoparticle surfaces. Under neutral conditions, the local pH around the positively and negatively charged nanodiamonds becomes very high (11-12) and low (1-3) respectively, which has a profound impact on the protein charge, hydration and affinity to the nanodiamonds. Small proteins (lysozyme) were found to form multilayers with significant conformational changes to screen the surface charge, while larger proteins (albumin) formed monolayers with minor conformational changes. The findings of this study provide a step forward toward understanding and eventually predicting nanoparticle interactions with biofluids.

  17. Hydration of krypton and consideration of clathrate models of hydrophobic effects from the perspective of quasi-chemical theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashbaugh, Henry S; Asthagiri, D; Pratt, Lawrence R; Rempe, Susan B

    2003-09-01

    Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) results on a krypton-water liquid solution are presented and compared to recent XAFS results for the radial hydration structure for a Kr atom in liquid water solution. Though these AIMD calculations have important limitations of scale, the comparisons with the liquid solution results are satisfactory and significantly different from the radial distributions extracted from the data on the solid Kr/H(2)O clathrate hydrate phase. The calculations also produce the coordination number distribution that can be examined for metastable coordination structures suggesting possibilities for clathrate-like organization; none are seen in these results. Clathrate pictures of hydrophobic hydration are discussed, as is the quasi-chemical theory that should provide a basis for clathrate pictures. Outer shell contributions are discussed and estimated; they are positive and larger than the positive experimental hydration free energy of Kr(aq), implying that inner shell contributions must be negative and of comparable size. Clathrate-like inner shell hydration structures on a Kr atom solute are obtained for some, but not all, of the coordination number cases observed in the simulation. The structures found have a delicate stability. Inner shell coordination structures extracted from the simulation of the liquid, and then subjected to quantum chemical optimization, always decomposed. Interactions with the outer shell material are decisive in stabilizing coordination structures observed in liquid solution and in clathrate phases. The primitive quasi-chemical estimate that uses a dielectric model for the influence of the outer shell material on the inner shell equilibria gives a contribution to hydration free energy that is positive and larger than the experimental hydration free energy. The 'what are we to tell students' question about hydrophobic hydration, often answered with structural clathrate pictures, is then considered; we propose an

  18. Ejecta from single-charge cratering explosions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carlson, R H

    1970-05-15

    The objective was to obtain experimental data tracing the location of ejecta to its origin within the crater region. The experiment included ten high-explosive spherical charges weighing from 8 to 1000 pounds and detonated in a playa dry lake soil on the Tonopah Test Range. Each event included from 24 to 40 locations of distinctly different tracer material embedded in a plane in the expected crater region. Tracers consisted of glass, ceramic and bugle beads, chopped metal, and plastic wire. Results of this experiment yielded data on tracer dispersion as a function of charge weight, charge burial depth and tracer emplacement position. Tracer pattern parameters such as center-of-tracer mass, range to center-of-tracer mass, and angle to center-of-tracer mass were determined. There is a clear tendency for range (to center-of-tracer mass) and the size of the dispersion pattern to decrease as tracer emplacement depth increases. Increasing tracer emplacement depth and range tends to decrease the area over which tracers are dispersed on the ground surface. Tracers at the same scaled position relative to the charge were deposited closer to the crater (on a scaled basis) as charge weight was increased. (author)

  19. Computational models for structure-hydrophobicity relationships of 4-carboxyl-2,6-dinitrophenyl azo hydroxynaphthalenes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Idowu, Olakunle S; Adegoke, Olajire A; Idowu, Abiola; Olaniyi, Ajibola A

    2007-01-01

    Some phenyl azo hydroxynaphthalene dyes (e.g., sunset yellow) are certified as approved colorants for food, cosmetics, and drug formulations. The hydrophobicity of 4 newly synthesized azo dyes of the phenyl azo hydroxynaphthalene class was investigated, as a training set, with the goal of developing models for quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR). Retention behavior of the molecules reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RPTLC) was investigated using liquid paraffin-coated silica gel as the stationary phase. Mobile phases consisted of aqueous mixtures of methanol, acetone, and dimethylformamide (DMF). Basic hydrophobicity parameter (Rmw), specific hydrophobic surface area (S), and isocratic chromatographic hydrophobicity index (phio) were computed from the chromatographic data. The hydrophobicity index (Rm) decreased linearly with increasing concentration of organic modifiers. Extrapolated Rmw values obtained by using DMF and acetone differ significantly from the value obtained by using methanol as organic modifier [P dyes and may also play useful roles in computer-assisted molecular discovery of nontoxic azo dyes.

  20. Hydrophobic Calcium Carbonate for Cement Surface

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shashi B. Atla

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This report describes a novel way to generate a highly effective hydrophobic cement surface via a carbonation route using sodium stearate. Carbonation reaction was carried out at different temperatures to investigate the hydrophobicity and morphology of the calcium carbonate formed with this process. With increasing temperatures, the particles changed from irregular shapes to more uniform rod-like structures and then aggregated to form a plate-like formation. The contact angle against water was found to increase with increasing temperature; after 90 °C there was no further increase. The maximum contact angle of 129° was obtained at the temperature of 60 °C. It was also found that carbonation increased the micro hardness of the cement material. The micro hardness was found to be dependent on the morphology of the CaCO3 particles. The rod like structures which caused increased mineral filler produced a material with enhanced strength. The 13C cross polarization magic-angle spinning NMR spectra gave plausible explanation of the interaction of organic-inorganic moieties.

  1. Antimicrobial peptides: the role of hydrophobicity in the alpha helical structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pandurangan Perumal

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The antimicrobial peptides (AMPs are a class of molecule obtained from plants, insects, animals, and humans. These peptides have been classified into five categories: 1. Anionic peptide, 2. Linear alpha helical cationic peptide, 3. Cationic peptide, 4. Anionic and cationic peptides with disulphide bonds, and 5. Anionic and cationic peptide fragments of larger proteins. Factors affecting AMPs are sequence, size, charge, hydrophobicity, amphipathicity, structure and conformation. Synthesis of these peptides is convenient by using solid phase peptide synthesis by using FMOC chemistry protocol. The secondary structures of three synthetic peptides were determined by circular dichroism. Also, it was compared the stability of the α-helical structure and confirmed the percentage of helix of these peptides by using circular dichroism. Some of these AMPs show therapeutic properties like antimicrobial, antiviral, contraceptive, and anticancer. The formulations of some peptides have been entered into the phase I, II, or III of clinical trials. This article to review briefly the sources, classification, factors affecting AMPs activity, synthesis, characterization, mechanism of action and therapeutic concern of AMPs and mainly focussed on percentage of α-helical structure in various medium.

  2. Adhesion of nano-sized particles to the surface of bacteria: mechanistic study with the extended DLVO theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Geelsu; Ahn, Ik-Sung; Mhin, Byung Jin; Kim, Ju-Young

    2012-09-01

    Due to the increasing production and application of nanoparticles, their release into the environment would be inevitable, which requires a better understanding of their fate in the environment. When considering their toxic behavior or biodegradation as their fate, their adhesion to the cell surface must be the first step to be thoroughly studied. In this study, nano-sized polymeric particles of urethane acrylate with various hydrophobicity and ionic properties were synthesized as model nanoparticles, and their adhesion to Pseudomonas putida strains was monitored. The higher hydrophobicity and positive charge density on the particle surface exhibited the larger adhesion to the bacteria, whereas negative charge density on the particle hindered their adhesion to the bacteria, albeit high hydrophobicity of particle. These observations were successfully explained with the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Structure and function of hemoglobin variants at an internal hydrophobic site: Consequences of mutations at the β 27 (B9) position

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Yue; Pagnier, J.; Magne, P.; Kister, J.; Poyart, C.; Baklouti, F.; Delaunay, J.; Fermi, G.; Perutz, M.F.

    1990-01-01

    The authors have studied the structure-function relationships in newly discovered hemoglobin (Hb) mutants with substitutions occurring at the tight and highly hydrophobic cluster between the B and G helices in the β chains, namely, Hb Knossos or β A27S and Hb Grange-Blanche or β A27V. The β A27S mutant has a 50% decrease in oxygen affinity relative to native human Hb A, while the β A27V mutant has an increased oxygen affinity. They have also engineered the artificial β A27T mutation through site-directed mutagenesis. This new mutant exhibits functional properties similar to those of Hb A. None of these mutants is unstable. X-ray analyses show that the substitution of Val for Ala may reduce the relative stability of the T structure of the molecule through packing effects in the β chains; for the β A27S mutant a new hydrogen bond between serine and the carbonyl O at β 23 (B5) Val is observed and is likely to increase the relative stability of the T structure in the mutant hemoglobin. However, no significant changes in the crystals were observed for these mutants between the quaternary R and T structures relative to native Hb A. They conclude that small tertiary structural changes in the tight hydrophobic B-G helix interface are sufficient to induce functional abnormalities resulting in either low or high intrinsic oxygen affinities

  4. Identification of potential hydrophobic properties of carbon layer from the coffee bean waste

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitria, D.; Baroroh, L. A. Al; Destyorini, F.; Widayatno, W. B.; Amal, M. I.; Wismogroho, A. S.

    2018-03-01

    The significant increase of waste due to vast development of human civilization and industrialization has plunged humanity into various environmental issues. Nowadays, the concern on waste handling and conversion into more valuable material has become one of hot research topics. Biomass waste has great abundance with various types that can be utilized for many applications such as landfill, recycled-material, adsorbent, separation, catalysis, and so on. In this study, coffee bean waste (CBW) was used as a source to produce hydrophobic layer. The CBW was converted into amorphous carbon using simple carbonization method at 500 °C, dispersed in acetic acid and then mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at low temperature heating. In order to investigate effects of composition on hydrophobicity properties, ratio of carbon and PVA was varied. In addition, acetic acid was used to evaluate effect of dispersant on hydrophobic properties. SEM analysis reveals unique morphology of carbon layer. The measurement of contact angle demonstrates that this unique morphology possesses comparable hydrophobicity with that of some well-known materials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirms the effect of PVA bonding and carbon layer on its hydrophobicity.

  5. Think positive : phase separation enables a positively charged additive to induce dramatic changes in calcium carbonate morphology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cantaert, B.; Kim, Y.; Ludwig, H.; Nudelman, F.; Sommerdijk, N.A.J.M.; Meldrum, F.C.

    2012-01-01

    Soluble macromolecules are essential to Nature's control over biomineral formation. Following early studies where macromolecules rich in aspartic and glutamic acid were extracted from nacre, research has focused on the use of negatively charged additives to control calcium carbonate precipitation.

  6. Hydrophobic effect of silica functionalized with silylated Ti ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    aCentre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research,. Universiti ... rate of water adsorption capacity for the hydrophobic catalysts prepared. .... analyzed by Gas Chromatography, Shimadzu model.

  7. Development of breathable hydrophobic/hydrophilic functional textiles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Agrawal, P. (Pramod); Brink, G.J. (Ger)

    2013-01-01

    The proposed bi-functional protective structure intended to have hydrophilic interior towards the skin surface and hydrophobic exterior for protection, ensuring fast transfer of moisture between body and external environment. The sandwich structure is prepared using 100% wool jersey and varieties of

  8. Surface charge effects in protein adsorption on nanodiamonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aramesh, M.; Shimoni, O.; Ostrikov, K.; Prawer, S.; Cervenka, J.

    2015-03-01

    Understanding the interaction of proteins with charged diamond nanoparticles is of fundamental importance for diverse biomedical applications. Here we present a thorough study of protein binding, adsorption kinetics and structure on strongly positively (hydrogen-terminated) and negatively (oxygen-terminated) charged nanodiamond particles using a quartz crystal microbalance by dissipation and infrared spectroscopy. By using two model proteins (bovine serum albumin and lysozyme) of different properties (charge, molecular weight and rigidity), the main driving mechanism responsible for the protein binding to the charged nanoparticles was identified. Electrostatic interactions were found to dominate the protein adsorption dynamics, attachment and conformation. We developed a simple electrostatic model that can qualitatively explain the observed adsorption behaviour based on charge-induced pH modifications near the charged nanoparticle surfaces. Under neutral conditions, the local pH around the positively and negatively charged nanodiamonds becomes very high (11-12) and low (1-3) respectively, which has a profound impact on the protein charge, hydration and affinity to the nanodiamonds. Small proteins (lysozyme) were found to form multilayers with significant conformational changes to screen the surface charge, while larger proteins (albumin) formed monolayers with minor conformational changes. The findings of this study provide a step forward toward understanding and eventually predicting nanoparticle interactions with biofluids.Understanding the interaction of proteins with charged diamond nanoparticles is of fundamental importance for diverse biomedical applications. Here we present a thorough study of protein binding, adsorption kinetics and structure on strongly positively (hydrogen-terminated) and negatively (oxygen-terminated) charged nanodiamond particles using a quartz crystal microbalance by dissipation and infrared spectroscopy. By using two model proteins

  9. First charge collection and position-precision data on the medium-resistivity silicon strip detectors before and after neutron irradiation up to 2x1014 n/cm2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zheng; Dezillie, B.; Eremin, V.; Li, C.J.; Verbitskaya, E.

    1999-01-01

    Test strip detectors of 125 μm, 500 μm, and 1 mm pitches with about 1 cm 2 areas have been made on medium-resistivity silicon wafers (1.3 and 2.7 kΩ cm). Detectors of 500 μm pitch have been tested for charge collection and position precision before and after neutron irradiation (up to 2x10 14 n/cm 2 ) using 820 and 1030 nm laser lights with different beam-spot sizes. It has been found that for a bias of 250 V a strip detector made of 1.3 kΩ cm (300 μm thick) can be fully depleted before and after an irradiation of 2x10 14 n/cm 2 . For a 500 μm pitch strip detector made of 2.7 kΩ cm tested with an 1030 nm laser light with 200 μm spot size, the position reconstruction error is about 14 μm before irradiation, and 17 μm after about 1.7x10 13 n/cm 2 irradiation. We demonstrated in this work that medium resistivity silicon strip detectors can work just as well as the traditional high-resistivity ones, but with higher radiation tolerance. We also tested charge sharing and position reconstruction using a 1030 nm wavelength (300 μm absorption length in Si at RT) laser, which provides a simulation of MIP particles in high-physics experiments in terms of charge collection and position reconstruction

  10. Hydrogen isotope separation in hydrophobic catalysts between hydrogen and liquid water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Linsen, E-mail: yls2005@mail.ustc.edu.cn [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Luo, Deli [Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Jiangyou 621907 (China); Tang, Tao; Yang, Wan; Yang, Yong [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)

    2015-11-15

    Hydrogen isotope catalytic exchange between hydrogen and liquid water is a very effective process for deuterium-depleted potable water production and heavy water detritiation. To improve the characteristics of hydrophobic catalysts for this type of reaction, foamed and cellular structures of hydrophobic carbon-supported platinum catalysts were successfully prepared. Separation of deuterium or tritium from liquid water was carried out by liquid-phase catalytic exchange. At a gas–liquid ratio of 1.53 and exchange temperature of 70 °C, the theoretical plate height of the hydrophobic catalyst (HETP = 34.2 cm) was slightly lower than previously reported values. Changing the concentration of the exchange column outlet water yielded nonlinear changes in the height of the packing layer. Configurations of deuterium-depleted potable water and detritiation of heavy water provide references for practical applications.

  11. Standard Test Method for Hydrophobic Surface Films by the Atomizer Test

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    1965-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the detection of the presence of hydrophobic (nonwetting) films on surfaces and the presence of hydrophobic organic materials in processing ambients. When properly conducted, the test will enable detection of fractional molecular layers of hydrophobic organic contaminants. On very rough or porous surfaces the sensitivity of the test may be significantly decreased. 1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

  12. Casein Aggregates Built Step-by-Step on Charged Polyelectrolyte Film Surfaces Are Calcium Phosphate-cemented*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagy, Krisztina; Pilbat, Ana-Maria; Groma, Géza; Szalontai, Balázs; Cuisinier, Frédéric J. G.

    2010-01-01

    The possible mechanism of casein aggregation and micelle buildup was studied in a new approach by letting α-casein adsorb from low concentration (0.1 mg·ml−1) solutions onto the charged surfaces of polyelectrolyte films. It was found that α-casein could adsorb onto both positively and negatively charged surfaces. However, only when its negative phosphoseryl clusters remained free, i.e. when it adsorbed onto a negative surface, could calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoclusters bind to the casein molecules. Once the CaP clusters were in place, step-by-step building of multilayered casein architectures became possible. The presence of CaP was essential; neither Ca2+ nor phosphate could alone facilitate casein aggregation. Thus, it seems that CaP is the organizing motive in the casein micelle formation. Atomic force microscopy revealed that even a single adsorbed casein layer was composed of very small (in the range of tens of nanometers) spherical forms. The stiffness of the adsorbed casein layer largely increased in the presence of CaP. On this basis, we can imagine that casein micelles emerge according to the following scheme. The amphipathic casein monomers aggregate into oligomers via hydrophobic interactions even in the absence of CaP. Full scale, CaP-carrying micelles could materialize by interlocking these casein oligomers with CaP nanoclusters. Such a mechanism would not contradict former experimental results and could offer a synthesis between the submicelle and the block copolymer models of casein micelles. PMID:20921229

  13. Fluctuation charge effects in ionization fronts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arrayas, Manuel; Trueba, Jose L; Baltanas, J P

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, we study the effects of charge fluctuations on the propagation of both negative and positive ionization fronts in streamer discharges. We show that fronts accelerate when random charge creation events are present. This effect might play a similar role to photoionization in order to make the front move faster

  14. Fluctuation charge effects in ionization fronts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arrayas, Manuel; Trueba, Jose L [Area de Electromagnetismo, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Camino del Molino s/n, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Madrid (Spain); Baltanas, J P [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada II, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 2, 41012 Sevilla (Spain)

    2008-05-21

    In this paper, we study the effects of charge fluctuations on the propagation of both negative and positive ionization fronts in streamer discharges. We show that fronts accelerate when random charge creation events are present. This effect might play a similar role to photoionization in order to make the front move faster.

  15. Novel strategy in increasing stability and corrosion resistance for super-hydrophobic coating on aluminum alloy surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yin Bo [Department of Applied Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044 (China); Fang Liang, E-mail: fangliangcqu@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Applied Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044 (China); National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044 (China); Tang Anqiong; Huang Qiuliu; Hu Jia; Mao Jianhui [Department of Applied Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044 (China); Bai, Ge; Bai, Huan [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044 (China)

    2011-10-15

    A novel super-hydrophobic coating was prepared by chemical modification on the anodized aluminum alloy surface. The surface structure was characterized by water contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the composition was measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The corrosion behavior of the super-hydrophobic coating was evaluated by the polarization curve and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the static water contact angle on the surface of super-hydrophobic coating was as high as 167.7 {+-} 1.2 deg., and the sliding angle was 5 deg. The super-hydrophobic coating resulted in excellent corrosion resistance property and the super-hydrophobic coating showed a good stability.

  16. Soft matter interactions at the molecular scale: interaction forces and energies between single hydrophobic model peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stock, Philipp; Utzig, Thomas; Valtiner, Markus

    2017-02-08

    In all realms of soft matter research a fundamental understanding of the structure/property relationships based on molecular interactions is crucial for developing a framework for the targeted design of soft materials. However, a molecular picture is often difficult to ascertain and yet essential for understanding the many different competing interactions at play, including entropies and cooperativities, hydration effects, and the enormous design space of soft matter. Here, we characterized for the first time the interaction between single hydrophobic molecules quantitatively using atomic force microscopy, and demonstrated that single molecular hydrophobic interaction free energies are dominated by the area of the smallest interacting hydrophobe. The interaction free energy amounts to 3-4 kT per hydrophobic unit. Also, we find that the transition state of the hydrophobic interactions is located at 3 Å with respect to the ground state, based on Bell-Evans theory. Our results provide a new path for understanding the nature of hydrophobic interactions at the single molecular scale. Our approach enables us to systematically vary hydrophobic and any other interaction type by utilizing peptide chemistry providing a strategic advancement to unravel molecular surface and soft matter interactions at the single molecular scale.

  17. Position-sensitive proportional counters using resistance-capacitance position encoding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, M.K.; Borkowski, C.J.

    1975-12-01

    A new method was developed for encoding the position of individual photons, neutrons, or charged particles in proportional counters by using the distributed RC line characteristics of these counters. The signal processing is described and guidelines for the design and operation of these position sensitive proportional counters (PSPCs) are given. Using these guidelines, several prototypic PSPCs were constructed to improve the spatial resolution and shorten the signal processing time; for example, the intrinsic spatial uncertainty was reduced to 28 μ fwhm for alpha particles and 100 μ fwhm for low-energy x rays (2 to 6 keV). Also, the signal processing time was reduced to 0.6 μsec without seriously degrading the spatial resolution. These results have opened new fields of application of the RC position encoding method in imaging distributions of photons, charged particles, or neutrons in nuclear medicine, physics, and radiography

  18. Determination of charged particle beam parameters with taking into account of space charge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishkhanov, B.S.; Poseryaev, A.V.; Shvedunov, V.I.

    2005-01-01

    One describes a procedure to determine the basic parameters of a paraxial axially-symmetric beam of charged particles taking account of space charge contribution. The described procedure is based on application of the general equation for beam envelope. Paper presents data on its convergence and resistance to measurement errors. The position determination error of crossover (stretching) and radius of beam in crossover is maximum 15% , while the emittance determination error depends on emittance and space charge correlation. The introduced procedure was used to determine parameters of the available electron gun 20 keV energy beam with 0.64 A current. The derived results turned to agree closely with the design parameters [ru

  19. Antibacterial Activity of Hydrophobic Composite Materials Containing a Visible-Light-Sensitive Photocatalyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kentaro Yamauchi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The conventional superhydrophobic surface offered by PTFE provides no sterilization performance and is not sufficiently repellent against organic liquids. These limit PTFE's application in the field of disinfection and result a lack of durability. N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst added PTFE composite material was developed to remedy these shortcomings. This paper reports the surface characteristics, and the bactericidal and self-cleaning performance of the newly-developed composite material. The material exhibited a contact angle exceeding 150 degrees consistent with its hydrophobicity despite the inclusion of the hydrophilic N-doped TiO2. The surface free energy obtained for this composite was 5.8 mN/m. Even when exposed to a weak fluorescent light intensity (100 lx for 24 hours, the viable cells of gram-negative E. coli on the 12% N-doped TiO2-PTFE film were reduced 5 logs. The higher bactericidal activity was also confirmed on the gram-positive MRSA. Compared with the N-doped TiO2 coating only, the inactivation rate of the composite material was significantly enhanced. Utilizing the N-doped TiO2 with the PTFE composite coating could successfully remove, by UV illumination, oleic acid adsorbed on its surface. These results demonstrate the potential applicability of the novel N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst hydrophobic composite material for both indoor antibacterial action and outdoor contamination prevention.

  20. Water-based adhesives with tailored hydrophobic association: dilution resistance and improved setting behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dundua, Alexander; Landfester, Katharina; Taden, Andreas

    2014-11-01

    Hydrophobic association and stimuli-responsiveness is a powerful tool towards water-based adhesives with strongly improved properties, which is demonstrated based on the example of hydrophobically modified alkali-soluble latexes (HASE) with modulated association. Their rheological properties are highly tunable due to the hydrophobic domains that act as physical crosslinking sites of adjustable interaction strength. Ethanol, propanol, and butanol are used as water-soluble model additives with different hydrophobicity in order to specifically target the association sites and impact the viscoelastic properties and stimuli-responsiveness. The rheological and mechanical property response upon dilution with water can be tailored, and dilution-resistant or even dilution-thickening systems are obtained. The investigations are of high importance for water-based adhesives, as our findings provide insight into general structure-property relationships to improve their setting behavior, especially upon contact with wet substrates. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Fabricated super-hydrophobic film with potentiostatic electrolysis method on copper for corrosion protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Peng; Qiu Ri; Zhang Dun; Lin Zhifeng; Hou Baorong

    2010-01-01

    A novel one-step potentiostatic electrolysis method was proposed to fabricate super-hydrophobic film on copper surface. The resulted film was characterized by contact angle tests, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and electrochemical measurements. It could be inferred that the super-hydrophobic property resulted from the flower-like structure of copper tetradecanoate film. In the presence of super-hydrophobic film, the anodic and cathodic polarization current densities are reduced for more than five and four orders of magnitude, respectively. The air trapped in the film is the essential contributor of the anticorrosion property of film for its insulation, the copper tetradecanoate film itself acts as a 'frame' to trap air as well as a coating with inhibition effect. The super-hydrophobic film presents excellent inhibition effect to the copper corrosion and stability in water containing Cl - .

  2. Order and correlation contributions to the entropy of hydrophobic solvation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Maoyuan; Besford, Quinn Alexander; Mulvaney, Thomas; Gray-Weale, Angus, E-mail: gusgw@gusgw.net [School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia)

    2015-03-21

    The entropy of hydrophobic solvation has been explained as the result of ordered solvation structures, of hydrogen bonds, of the small size of the water molecule, of dispersion forces, and of solvent density fluctuations. We report a new approach to the calculation of the entropy of hydrophobic solvation, along with tests of and comparisons to several other methods. The methods are assessed in the light of the available thermodynamic and spectroscopic information on the effects of temperature on hydrophobic solvation. Five model hydrophobes in SPC/E water give benchmark solvation entropies via Widom’s test-particle insertion method, and other methods and models are tested against these particle-insertion results. Entropies associated with distributions of tetrahedral order, of electric field, and of solvent dipole orientations are examined. We find these contributions are small compared to the benchmark particle-insertion entropy. Competitive with or better than other theories in accuracy, but with no free parameters, is the new estimate of the entropy contributed by correlations between dipole moments. Dipole correlations account for most of the hydrophobic solvation entropy for all models studied and capture the distinctive temperature dependence seen in thermodynamic and spectroscopic experiments. Entropies based on pair and many-body correlations in number density approach the correct magnitudes but fail to describe temperature and size dependences, respectively. Hydrogen-bond definitions and free energies that best reproduce entropies from simulations are reported, but it is difficult to choose one hydrogen bond model that fits a variety of experiments. The use of information theory, scaled-particle theory, and related methods is discussed briefly. Our results provide a test of the Frank-Evans hypothesis that the negative solvation entropy is due to structured water near the solute, complement the spectroscopic detection of that solvation structure by

  3. Cholesterol and fat lowering with hydrophobic polysaccharide derivatives

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Čopíková, J.; Taubner, T.; Tůma, J.; Synytsya, A.; Dušková, Dagmar; Marounek, Milan

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 116, č. 1 (2015), s. 207-214 ISSN 0144-8617 Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : hydrophobically modified polysaccharides * structure * thermal analysis Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 4.219, year: 2015

  4. Charge transport parameters of HBC at different temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirkpatrick, J. [Max Planck Institut fuer Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany); Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW (United Kingdom); Marcon, V.; Kremer, K.; Andrienko, D. [Max Planck Institut fuer Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany); Nelson, J. [Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW (United Kingdom)

    2008-05-15

    We study the dependence on temperature of the charge transport parameters for hexabenzocoronene (HBC). Following from Marcus theory, two charge transport parameters will be calculated: the transfer integral and the difference in site energies. These parameters are strongly dependent on the orientation and position of molecules. Position and orientation of molecules are determined using molecular dynamics. Transfer integrals are calculated from a simplified INDO method. A technique to compute energetic disorder, that is the spread in site energies for the charge carriers, is developed. In the herringbone phase transfer integrals are higher, but so is energetic disorder. We consider three derivatives of HBC with different side chains, which lead to different phase behaviour and distributions of charge transport parameters. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  5. Modeling, investigation and formulation of hydrophobic coatings for potential self-cleaning applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rios, Pablo Fabian

    Self-cleaning surfaces have received a great deal of attention, both in research and commercial applications. Transparent and non-transparent self-cleaning surfaces are highly desired. The Lotus flower is a symbol of purity in Asian cultures, even when rising from muddy waters it stays clean and untouched by dirt. The Lotus leaf "self-cleaning" surface is hydrophobic and rough, showing a two-layer morphology. While hydrophobicity produces a high contact angle, surface morphology reduces the adhesion of dirt and water to the surface, thus water drops slide easily across the leaf carrying the dirt particles with them. Nature example in the Lotus-effect and extensive scientific research on related fields have rooted wide acceptance that high hydrophobicity can be obtained only by a proper combination of surface chemistry and roughness. Most researchers relate hydrophobicity to a high contact angle. However, the contact angle is not the only parameter that defines liquid-solid interactions. An additional parameter, the sliding angle, related to the adhesion between the liquid drop and the solid surface is also important in cases where liquid sliding is involved, such as self-cleaning applications. In this work, it is postulated that wetting which is related to the contact angle, and interfacial adhesion, which is related to the sliding angle, are interdependent phenomena and have to be considered simultaneously. A variety of models that relate the sliding angle to forces developed along the contact line between a liquid drop and a solid surface have been proposed in the literature. A new model is proposed here that quantifies the drop sliding phenomenon, based also on the interfacial adhesion across the contact area of the liquid/solid interface. The effects of roughness and chemical composition on the contact and sliding angles of hydrophobic smooth and rough surfaces were studied theoretically and experimentally. The validity of the proposed model was investigated

  6. Charge Splitting In Situ Recorder (CSIR) for Real-Time Examination of Plasma Charging Effect in FinFET BEOL Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Yi-Pei; Hsieh, Ting-Huan; Lin, Chrong Jung; King, Ya-Chin

    2017-09-01

    A novel device for monitoring plasma-induced damage in the back-end-of-line (BEOL) process with charge splitting capability is first-time proposed and demonstrated. This novel charge splitting in situ recorder (CSIR) can independently trace the amount and polarity of plasma charging effects during the manufacturing process of advanced fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) circuits. Not only does it reveal the real-time and in situ plasma charging levels on the antennas, but it also separates positive and negative charging effect and provides two independent readings. As CMOS technologies push for finer metal lines in the future, the new charge separation scheme provides a powerful tool for BEOL process optimization and further device reliability improvements.

  7. Charging machine for a fast production reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Artem'ev, L.N.; Kurilkin, V.V.

    1971-01-01

    Charging machine for a fast production reactor is described. The machine contains charging mechanism, mechanism for positioning fresh fuel and spent fuel assemtlies, storage drums with sockets for control rod assemtlies and collet tongs for control rods. Recharging is conducted by means of ramp channel

  8. Hydrophobic Drug-Loaded PEGylated Magnetic Liposomes for Drug-Controlled Release

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardiansyah, Andri; Yang, Ming-Chien; Liu, Ting-Yu; Kuo, Chih-Yu; Huang, Li-Ying; Chan, Tzu-Yi

    2017-05-01

    Less targeted and limited solubility of hydrophobic-based drug are one of the serious obstacles in drug delivery system. Thus, new strategies to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drug and controlled release behaviors would be developed. Herein, curcumin, a model of hydrophobic drug, has been loaded into PEGylated magnetic liposomes as a drug carrier platform for drug controlled release system. Inductive magnetic heating (hyperthermia)-stimulated drug release, in vitro cellular cytotoxicity assay of curcumin-loaded PEGylated magnetic liposomes and cellular internalization-induced by magnetic guidance would be investigated. The resultant of drug carriers could disperse homogeneously in aqueous solution, showing a superparamagnetic characteristic and could inductive magnetic heating with external high-frequency magnetic field (HFMF). In vitro curcumin release studies confirmed that the drug carriers exhibited no significant release at 37 °C, whereas exhibited rapid releasing at 45 °C. However, it would display enormous (three times higher) curcumin releasing under the HFMF exposure, compared with that without HFMF exposure at 45 °C. In vitro cytotoxicity test shows that curcumin-loaded PEGylated magnetic liposomes could efficiently kill MCF-7 cells in parallel with increasing curcumin concentration. Fluorescence microscopy observed that these drug carriers could internalize efficiently into the cellular compartment of MCF-7 cells. Thus, it would be anticipated that the novel hydrophobic drug-loaded PEGylated magnetic liposomes in combination with inductive magnetic heating are promising to apply in the combination of chemotherapy and thermotherapy for cancer therapy.

  9. Bounds on the g/sub K//sub N//sub Σ/ 2 coupling constant from positivity and charge-exchange data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antolin, J.

    1987-01-01

    Positivity of the imaginary part of the forward K - n elastic amplitude on the unphysical cut allows the calculation of bounds on the g/sub K//sub N//sub Σ/ 2 coupling constant using the forward differential cross sections of the charge-exchange reaction K - p→K-bar 0 n, the scarce K - n real-part data, and a Stieltjes parametrization of the K - p real-part data. The bounds on the coupling constant are 2.11 2 - n amplitude: (0.35 +- 0.05) +- (0.16 +- 0.04)i GeV/c

  10. Effective charge model in the theory of infrared intensities and its application for study of charge di.stribution in the molecules of organometallic compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleksanyan, V.T.; Samvelyan, S.Kh.

    1984-01-01

    General principles of plotting the parametric theory of IR spectrum intensities of polyatomic molecules are outlined. The development of the effective charges model in this theory is considered and the mathematical formalism of the first approximation of the method of effective atom charges is described in detail. The results of calculations of charges distribution in the Mo(CO) 6 , W(CO) 6 , Cp 2 V, Cp 2 Ru and others (Cp-cyclopentadiene), performed in the frame work of the outlined scheme are presented. It is shown that in the investigated carbonyles the effective charge on oxygen and metal atoms is negative, on carbon atom - positive. In dicyclopentavienyl complexes the effective charge on the metal atom is positive and is not over 0.6e; charge values on hydrogen and carbon atoms do not exceed, 0.10-0.15e. The notions of ''electrovalence'' of coordination bond and charge distribution in the case of metallocenes are not correlated

  11. Molecular dynamics simulations of the hydrophobin SC3 at a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fan, Hao; Wang, Xiaoqin; Zhu, Jiang; Robillard, George T.; Mark, Alan E.

    2006-01-01

    Hydrophobins are small (similar to 100 aa) proteins that have an important role in the growth and development of mycelial fungi. They are surface active and, after secretion by the fungi, self-assemble into amphipathic membranes at hydrophobic/hydrophilic interfaces, reversing the hydrophobicity of

  12. A method for detecting hydrophobic patches protein

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lijnzaad, P.; Berendsen, H.J.C.; Argos, P.

    1996-01-01

    A method for the detection of hydrophobic patches on the surfaces of protein tertiary structures is presented, it delineates explicit contiguous pieces of surface of arbitrary size and shape that consist solely of carbon and sulphur atoms using a dot representation of the solvent-accessible surface,

  13. Efficacy of Hydrophobic Coatings in Protecting Oak Wood Surfaces during Accelerated Weathering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miloš Pánek

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The durability of transparent coatings applied to an oak wood exterior is relatively low due to its anatomic structure and chemical composition. Enhancement of the protection of oak wood against weathering using transparent hydrophobic coatings is presented in this study. Oak wood surfaces were modified using UV-stabilizers, hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS, and ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles before the application of a commercial hydrophobic topcoat. A transparent oil-based coating was used as a control coating system. The artificial weathering test lasted 6 weeks and colour, gloss, and contact angle changes were regularly evaluated during this period. The changes in the microscopic structure were studied with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results proved limited durability against weathering of both tested hydrophobic coatings. The formation of micro-cracks causing the leaching of degraded wood compounds and discolouration of oak wood were observed after 1 or 3 weeks of the weathering test. Until then, an oil-based coating film had protected the wood sufficiently, but after 6 weeks the wood was fully defoliated to its non-homogenous thickness, which was caused by the presence of large oak vessels, and by the effects of specific oak tannins. Using transparent hydrophobic coatings can prolong the service life of the exteriors of wood products by decreasing their moisture content. Without proper construction protection against rainwater, the hydrophobic coating itself cannot guarantee the preservation of the natural appearance of wood exteriors.

  14. Development of mini linac-based positron source and an efficient positronium convertor for positively charged antihydrogen production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muranaka, T.; Debu, P.; Dupré, P.; Liszkay, L.; Mansoulie, B.; Pérez, P.; Rey, J. M.; Ruiz, N.; Sacquin, Y.; Crivelli, P.; Gendotti, U.; Rubbia, A.

    2010-04-01

    We have installed in Saclay a facility for an intense positron source in November 2008. It is based on a compact 5.5 MeV electron linac connected to a reaction chamber with a tungsten target inside to produce positrons via pair production. The expected production rate for fast positrons is 5·1011 per second. The study of moderation of fast positrons and the construction of a slow positron trap are underway. In parallel, we have investigated an efficient positron-positronium convertor using porous silica materials. These studies are parts of a project to produce positively charged antihydrogen ions aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of a free fall antigravity measurement of neutral antihydrogen.

  15. Development of mini linac-based positron source and an efficient positronium convertor for positively charged antihydrogen production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muranaka, T; Debu, P; Dupre, P; Liszkay, L; Mansoulie, B; Perez, P; Rey, J M; Ruiz, N; Sacquin, Y; Crivelli, P; Gendotti, U; Rubbia, A

    2010-01-01

    We have installed in Saclay a facility for an intense positron source in November 2008. It is based on a compact 5.5 MeV electron linac connected to a reaction chamber with a tungsten target inside to produce positrons via pair production. The expected production rate for fast positrons is 5·10 11 per second. The study of moderation of fast positrons and the construction of a slow positron trap are underway. In parallel, we have investigated an efficient positron-positronium convertor using porous silica materials. These studies are parts of a project to produce positively charged antihydrogen ions aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of a free fall antigravity measurement of neutral antihydrogen.

  16. Development of mini linac-based positron source and an efficient positronium convertor for positively charged antihydrogen production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muranaka, T; Debu, P; Dupre, P; Liszkay, L; Mansoulie, B; Perez, P; Rey, J M; Ruiz, N; Sacquin, Y [Irfu, CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Crivelli, P; Gendotti, U; Rubbia, A, E-mail: tomoko.muranaka@cea.f [Institut fuer TelichenPhysik, ETHZ, CH-8093 Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2010-04-01

    We have installed in Saclay a facility for an intense positron source in November 2008. It is based on a compact 5.5 MeV electron linac connected to a reaction chamber with a tungsten target inside to produce positrons via pair production. The expected production rate for fast positrons is 5{center_dot}10{sup 11} per second. The study of moderation of fast positrons and the construction of a slow positron trap are underway. In parallel, we have investigated an efficient positron-positronium convertor using porous silica materials. These studies are parts of a project to produce positively charged antihydrogen ions aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of a free fall antigravity measurement of neutral antihydrogen.

  17. The screening of charged impurities in bilayer graphene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Wenjing; Li, Lain-Jong

    2010-01-01

    Positively charged impurities were introduced into a bilayer graphene (BLG) transistor by n-doping with dimethylformamide. Subsequent exposure of the BLG device to moisture resulted in a positive shift of the Dirac point and an increase of hole mobility, suggesting that moisture could reduce the scattering strength of the existing charged impurities. In other words, moisture screened off the 'effective density' of charged impurities. At the early stage of moisture screening the scattering of hole carriers is dominated by long-range Coulomb scatter, but an alternative scattering mechanism should also be taken into consideration when the effective density of impurities is further lowered on moisture exposure.

  18. Binding cooperativity between a ligand carbonyl group and a hydrophobic side chain can be enhanced by additional H-bonds in a distance dependent manner: A case study with thrombin inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Said, Ahmed M; Hangauer, David G

    2015-01-01

    One of the underappreciated non-covalent binding factors, which can significantly affect ligand-protein binding affinity, is the cooperativity between ligand functional groups. Using four different series of thrombin inhibitors, we reveal a strong positive cooperativity between an H-bond accepting carbonyl functionality and the adjacent P3 hydrophobic side chain. Adding an H-bond donating amine adjacent to the P3 hydrophobic side chain further increases this positive cooperativity thereby improving the Ki by as much as 546-fold. In contrast, adding an amidine multiple H-bond/salt bridge group in the distal S1 pocket does not affect this cooperativity. An analysis of the crystallographic B-factors of the ligand groups inside the binding site indicates that the strong cooperativity is mainly due to a significant mutual reduction in the residual mobility of the hydrophobic side chain and the H-bonding functionalities that is absent when the separation distance is large. This type of cooperativity is important to encode in binding affinity prediction software, and to consider in SAR studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. The performance analysis of direct methanol fuel cells with different hydrophobic anode channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Hung-Chun; Yang, Ruey-Jen; Luo, Win-Jet; Jiang, Jia-You; Kuan, Yean-Der; Lin, Xin-Quan

    In order to enhance the performance of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the product of CO 2 bubble has to be efficiently removed from the anode channel during the electrochemical reaction. In this study, the materials of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) with hydrophilic property and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with hydrophobic property are used to form the anode cannel. The channel is fabricated through a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) manufacture process of the DMFCs. In addition, some particles with high hydrophobic properties are added into the PDMS materials in order to further reduce the hydro-resistance in the anode channel. The performance of the DMFCs is investigated under the influence of operation conditions, including operation temperature, flow rate, and methanol concentration. It is found that the performance of the DMFC, which is made of PDMS with high hydrophobic particles, can be greatly enhanced and the hydrophobic property of the particles can be unaffected by different operation conditions.

  20. Long-Term Charge/Discharge Cycling Stability of MnO2 Aqueous Supercapacitor under Positive Polarization

    KAUST Repository

    Ataherian, Fatemeh

    2011-01-01

    The long-term charge/discharge cycling stability of MnO 2 electrode under positive polarization in aqueous KCl electrolyte has been studied over different potential windows spanning from the open circuit potential to varied higher-end potential limited by O 2 evolution. Cycling up to 1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl (aq)) causes partial (35) capacitance fading to a plateau value within the initial cycles, accompanied by morphological reconstruction, reduction of surface Mn ions and oxygen evolution. The surface Mn-ion reduction has been attributed to a two-step oxidation-reduction mechanism involving OH oxidation in electrolyte, based on electrochemical analysis. When cycling potential extends to 1.4 V, extensive oxygen evolution takes place. The combination of surface passivation of current collector and extensive gas bubbling, which deteriorates electrical contact among the constituent particles within the electrode, results in further monotonic capacitance reduction. © 2011 The Electrochemical Society.

  1. Hydrophobicity measurements of microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keurentjes, J.T.F.; Harbrecht, J.G.; Brinkman, D.; Hanemaaijer, J.H.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Riet, van 't K.

    1989-01-01

    A method for the determination of the hydrophobicity of membrane materials is developed. The advantage of this method over existing methods is that it is not influenced by the presence of the pores. A piece of the membrane material is submerged horizontally in a liquid with surface tension L.

  2. Approximate energies and thermal properties of a position-dependent mass charged particle under external magnetic fields

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    M Eshghi; H Mehraban; S M Ikhdair

    2017-01-01

    We solve the Schr(o)dinger equation with a position-dependent mass (PDM) charged particle interacted via the superposition of the Morse-plus-Coulomb potentials and is under the influence of external magnetic and Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux fields.The nonrelativistic bound state energies together with their wave functions are calculated for two spatially-dependent mass distribution functions.We also study the thermal quantifies of such a system.Further,the canonical formalism is used to compute various thermodynamic variables for second choosing mass by using the Gibbs formalism.We give plots for energy states as a function of various physical parameters.The behavior of the internal energy,specific heat,and entropy as functions of temperature and mass density parameter in the inverse-square mass case for different values of magnetic field are shown.

  3. Approximate energies and thermal properties of a position-dependent mass charged particle under external magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eshghi, M; Mehraban, H; Ikhdair, S M

    2017-01-01

    We solve the Schrödinger equation with a position-dependent mass (PDM) charged particle interacted via the superposition of the Morse-plus-Coulomb potentials and is under the influence of external magnetic and Aharonov–Bohm (AB) flux fields. The nonrelativistic bound state energies together with their wave functions are calculated for two spatially-dependent mass distribution functions. We also study the thermal quantities of such a system. Further, the canonical formalism is used to compute various thermodynamic variables for second choosing mass by using the Gibbs formalism. We give plots for energy states as a function of various physical parameters. The behavior of the internal energy, specific heat, and entropy as functions of temperature and mass density parameter in the inverse-square mass case for different values of magnetic field are shown. (paper)

  4. Charge Generation and Propagation in Igneous Rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Friedemann

    2002-01-01

    Various electrical phenomena have been reported prior to or concurrent with earthquakes such as resistivity changes, ground potentials, electromagnetic (EM), and luminous signals. Doubts have been raised as to whether some of these phenomena are real and indeed precursory. One of the reasons for uncertainty is that, despite decades of intense work, there is still no physically coherent model. Using low- to medium-velocity impacts to measure electrical signals with microsecond time resolution, it has now been observed that when dry gabbro and diorite cores are impacted at relatively low velocities, approximately 100 m/s, highly mobile charge carriers are generated in a small volume near the impact point. They spread through the rocks, causing electric potentials exceeding +400 mV, EM, and light emission. As the charge cloud spreads, the rock becomes momentarily conductive. When a dry granite block is impacted at higher velocity, approximately 1.5 km/s, the propagation of the P and S waves is registered through the transient piezoelectric response of quartz. After the sound waves have passed, the surface of the granite block becomes positively charged, suggesting the same charge carriers as observed during the low-velocity impact experiments, expanding from within the bulk. During the next 2-3 ms the surface potential oscillates, indicating pulses of electrons injected from ground and contact electrodes. The observations are consistent with positive holes, e.g., defect electrons in the O(2-) sublattice, traveling via the O 2p-dominated valence band of the silicate minerals. Before activation, the positive holes lay dormant in the form of electrically inactive positive hole pairs (PHP), chemically equivalent to peroxy links, O3X/OO\\XO3, with X=Si(4+), Al(3+), etc. PHPs are introduced into the minerals by way of hydroxyl,O3X-OH, which all nominally anhydrous minerals incorporate when crystallizing in H2O-laden environments. The fact that positive holes can be

  5. Amino acid size, charge, hydropathy indices and matrices for protein structure analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biro JC

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Prediction of protein folding and specific interactions from only the sequence (ab initio is a major challenge in bioinformatics. It is believed that such prediction will prove possible if Anfinsen's thermodynamic principle is correct for all kinds of proteins, and all the information necessary to form a concrete 3D structure is indeed present in the sequence. Results We indexed the 200 possible amino acid pairs for their compatibility regarding the three major physicochemical properties – size, charge and hydrophobicity – and constructed Size, Charge and Hydropathy Compatibility Indices and Matrices (SCI & SCM, CCI & CCM, and HCI & HCM. Each index characterized the expected strength of interaction (compatibility of two amino acids by numbers from 1 (not compatible to 20 (highly compatible. We found statistically significant positive correlations between these indices and the propensity for amino acid co-locations in real protein structures (a sample containing total 34630 co-locations in 80 different protein structures: for HCI: p We tried to predict or reconstruct simple 2D representations of 3D structures from the sequence using these matrices by applying a dot plot-like method. The location and pattern of the most compatible subsequences was very similar or identical when the three fundamentally different matrices were used, which indicates the consistency of physicochemical compatibility. However, it was not sufficient to choose one preferred configuration between the many possible predicted options. Conclusion Indexing of amino acids for major physico-chemical properties is a powerful approach to understanding and assisting protein design. However, it is probably insufficient itself for complete ab initio structure prediction.

  6. Model improvements to simulate charging in SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arat, K. T.; Klimpel, T.; Hagen, C. W.

    2018-03-01

    Charging of insulators is a complex phenomenon to simulate since the accuracy of the simulations is very sensitive to the interaction of electrons with matter and electric fields. In this study, we report model improvements for a previously developed Monte-Carlo simulator to more accurately simulate samples that charge. The improvements include both modelling of low energy electron scattering and charging of insulators. The new first-principle scattering models provide a more realistic charge distribution cloud in the material, and a better match between non-charging simulations and experimental results. Improvements on charging models mainly focus on redistribution of the charge carriers in the material with an induced conductivity (EBIC) and a breakdown model, leading to a smoother distribution of the charges. Combined with a more accurate tracing of low energy electrons in the electric field, we managed to reproduce the dynamically changing charging contrast due to an induced positive surface potential.

  7. Evaluation of hydrophobic materials as matrices for controlled-release drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quadir, Mohiuddin Abdul; Rahman, M Sharifur; Karim, M Ziaul; Akter, Sanjida; Awkat, M Talat Bin; Reza, Md Selim

    2003-07-01

    The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of different insoluble and erodable wax-lipid based materials and their content level on the release profile of drug from matrix systems. Matrix tablets of theophylline were prepared using carnauba wax, bees wax, stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, cetostearyl alcohol and glyceryl monostearate as rate-retarding agents by direct compression process. The release of theophylline from these hydrophobic matrices was studied over 8-hours in buffer media of pH 6.8. Statistically significant difference was found among the drug release profile from different matrices. The release kinetics was found to be governed by the type and content of hydrophobic materials in the matrix. At lower level of wax matrices (25%), a potential burst release was observed with all the materials being studied. Bees wax could not exert any sustaining action while an extensive burst release was found with carnauba wax at this hydrophobic load. Increasing the concentration of fat-wax materials significantly decreased the burst effect of drug from the matrix. At higher hydrophobic level (50% of the matrix), the rate and extent of drug release was significantly reduced due to increased tortuosity and reduced porosity of the matrix. Cetostearyl alcohol imparted the strongest retardation of drug release irrespective of fat-wax level. Numerical fits indicate that the Higuchi square root of time model was the most appropriate one for describing the release profile of theophylline from hydrophobic matrices. The release mechanism was also explored and explained with biexponential equation. Application of this model indicates that Fickian or case I kinetics is the predominant mechanism of drug release from these wax-lipid matrices. The mean dissolution time (MDT) was calculated for all the formulations and the highest MDT value was obtained with cetostearyl matrix. The greater sustaining activity of cetostearyl alcohol can be attributed to some level of

  8. Influence of hydrophobic modification in alginate-based hydrogels for biomedical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, Soumitra

    Alginate has been exploited commercially for decades in foods, textiles, paper, pharmaceutical industries, and also as a detoxifier for removing heavy metals. Alginate is also popular in cell encapsulation because of its relatively mild gelation protocol and simple chemistry with which biological active entities can be immobilized. Surface modification of alginate gels has been explored to induce desired cell interactions with the gel matrix. These modifications alter the bulk properties, which strongly determine on how cells feel and response to the three-dimensional microenvironment. However, there is a need to develop strategies to engineer functionalities into bulk alginate hydrogels that not only preserve their inherent qualities but are also less toxic. In this thesis, our main focus was to optimize the mechanical properties of alginate-based hydrogels, and by doing so control the performance of the biomaterials. In the first scheme, we used alginate and hydrophobically modified ethyl hydroxy ethyl cellulose as components in interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) gels. The second network was used to control gelation time and rheological properties. We believe these experiments also may provide insight into the mechanical and structural properties of more complex biopolymer gels and naturally-occurring IPNs. Next, we worked on incorporating a hydrophobic moiety directly into the alginate chain, resulting in materials for extended release of hydrophobic drugs. We successfully synthesized hydrophobically modified alginate (HMA) by attaching octylamine groups onto the alginate backbone by standard carbodiimide based amide coupling reaction. Solubility of several model hydrophobic drugs in dilute HMA solutions was found to be increased by more than an order of magnitude. HMA hydrogels, prepared by crosslinking the alginate chains with calcium ions, were found to exhibit excellent mechanical properties (modulus ˜100 kPa) with release extended upto 5 days. Ability

  9. Characterizing time-dependent contact angles for sands hydrophobized with oleic and stearic acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Subedi, S; Kawamoto, K; Jayarathna, L

    2012-01-01

    -frequency precipitation. A potential solution is to alter soil grain surfaces to become water repellent by mixing or coating the soil cover material with hydrophobic agents (HAs). In this study, hydrophobic CBs comprised of sands mixed with environmentally friendly HAs (oleic acid [OA] and stearic acid [SA]) were studied...

  10. Role of uniform pore structure and high positive charges in the arsenate adsorption performance of Al13-modified montmorillonite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Shou; Feng, Chenghong; Huang, Xiangning; Li, Baohua; Niu, Junfeng; Shen, Zhenyao

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Al 13 modification changes As(V) sorption mechanism of montmorillonites. ► Intercalated ion charges mainly affects As(V) adsorption kinetics. ► Uniform pore structure exhibit more excellent As(V) adsorption performance. - Abstract: Four modified montmorillonite adsorbents with varied Al 13 contents (i.e., Na-Mont, AC-Mont, PAC 20 -Mont, and Al 13 -Mont) were synthesized and characterized by N 2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared analyses. The arsenate adsorption performance of the four adsorbents were also investigated to determine the role of intercalated Al 13 , especially its high purity, high positive charge (+7), and special Keggin structure. With increased Al 13 content, the physicochemical properties (e.g., surface area, structural uniformity, basal spacing, and pore volume) and adsorption performance of the modified montmorillonites were significantly but disproportionately improved. The adsorption data well fitted the Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherm model, whereas the kinetic data better correlated with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The arsenate sorption mechanism of the montmorillonites changed from physical to chemisorption after intercalation with Al 13 . Increasing charges of the intercalated ions enhanced the arsenate adsorption kinetics, but had minimal effect on the structural changes of the montmorillonites. The uniform pore structure formed by intercalation with high-purity Al 13 greatly enhanced the pore diffusion and adsorption rate of arsenate, resulting in the high adsorption performance of Al 13 -Mont.

  11. Repulsive effects of hydrophobic diamond thin films on biomolecule detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruslinda, A. Rahim, E-mail: ruslindarahim@gmail.com [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Jln Kgr-Alor Setar, Seriab, 01000 Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Department of Nano Science and Nano Engineering, School of Advance Science and Engineering, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, 169-8555 Tokyo (Japan); Ishiyama, Y. [Department of Nano Science and Nano Engineering, School of Advance Science and Engineering, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, 169-8555 Tokyo (Japan); Penmatsa, V. [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33174 (United States); Ibori, S.; Kawarada, H. [Department of Nano Science and Nano Engineering, School of Advance Science and Engineering, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, 169-8555 Tokyo (Japan)

    2015-02-15

    Highlights: • We report the effect of fluorine plasma treatment on diamond thin film to resist the nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules. • The diamond thin film were highly hydrophobic with a surface energy value of ∼25 mN/m. • The repulsive effect shows excellent binding efficiency for both DNA and HIV-1 Tat protein. - Abstract: The repulsive effect of hydrophobic diamond thin film on biomolecule detection, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 trans-activator of transcription peptide protein detection, was investigated using a mixture of a fluorine-, amine-, and hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces. These chemical modifications lead to the formation of a surface that effectively resists the nonspecific adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules. The effect of fluorine plasma treatment on elemental composition was also investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results revealed a fluorocarbon layer on the diamond thin films. The contact angle measurement results indicated that the fluorine-treated diamond thin films were highly hydrophobic with a surface energy value of ∼25 mN/m.

  12. Repulsive effects of hydrophobic diamond thin films on biomolecule detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruslinda, A. Rahim; Ishiyama, Y.; Penmatsa, V.; Ibori, S.; Kawarada, H.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We report the effect of fluorine plasma treatment on diamond thin film to resist the nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules. • The diamond thin film were highly hydrophobic with a surface energy value of ∼25 mN/m. • The repulsive effect shows excellent binding efficiency for both DNA and HIV-1 Tat protein. - Abstract: The repulsive effect of hydrophobic diamond thin film on biomolecule detection, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 trans-activator of transcription peptide protein detection, was investigated using a mixture of a fluorine-, amine-, and hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces. These chemical modifications lead to the formation of a surface that effectively resists the nonspecific adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules. The effect of fluorine plasma treatment on elemental composition was also investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results revealed a fluorocarbon layer on the diamond thin films. The contact angle measurement results indicated that the fluorine-treated diamond thin films were highly hydrophobic with a surface energy value of ∼25 mN/m

  13. Novel alginate-based nanocarriers as a strategy to include high concentrations of hydrophobic compounds in hydrogels for topical application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, H T P; Munnier, E; Souce, M; Perse, X; David, S; Bonnier, F; Cohen-Jonathan, S; Chourpa, I; Vial, F; Yvergnaux, F; Perrier, T

    2015-01-01

    The cutaneous penetration of hydrophobic active molecules is of foremost concern in the dermatology and cosmetic formulation fields. The poor solubility in water of those molecules limits their use in hydrophilic forms such as gels, which are favored by patients with chronic skin disease. The aim of this work is to design a novel nanocarrier of hydrophobic active molecules and to determine its potential as an ingredient of a topical form. The nanocarrier consists of an oily core surrounded by a protective shell of alginate, a natural polysaccharide isolated from brown algae. These calcium alginate-based nanocarriers (CaANCs) were prepared at room temperature and without the use of organic solvent by an accelerated nanoemulsification-polymer crosslinking method. The size (hydrodynamic diameter ∼200 nm) and surface charge (zeta potential ∼ − 30 mV) of the CaANCs are both compatible with their application on skin. CaANCs loaded with a fluorescent label were stable in model hydrophilic galenic forms under different storage conditions. Curcumin was encapsulated in CaANCs with an efficiency of ∼95%, fully retaining its antioxidant activity. The application of the curcumin-loaded CaANCs on excised human skin led to a significant accumulation of the active molecules in the upper layers of the skin, asserting the potential of these nanocarriers in active pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients topical delivery. (paper)

  14. Novel alginate-based nanocarriers as a strategy to include high concentrations of hydrophobic compounds in hydrogels for topical application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, H. T. P.; Munnier, E.; Souce, M.; Perse, X.; David, S.; Bonnier, F.; Vial, F.; Yvergnaux, F.; Perrier, T.; Cohen-Jonathan, S.; Chourpa, I.

    2015-06-01

    The cutaneous penetration of hydrophobic active molecules is of foremost concern in the dermatology and cosmetic formulation fields. The poor solubility in water of those molecules limits their use in hydrophilic forms such as gels, which are favored by patients with chronic skin disease. The aim of this work is to design a novel nanocarrier of hydrophobic active molecules and to determine its potential as an ingredient of a topical form. The nanocarrier consists of an oily core surrounded by a protective shell of alginate, a natural polysaccharide isolated from brown algae. These calcium alginate-based nanocarriers (CaANCs) were prepared at room temperature and without the use of organic solvent by an accelerated nanoemulsification-polymer crosslinking method. The size (hydrodynamic diameter ˜200 nm) and surface charge (zeta potential ˜ - 30 mV) of the CaANCs are both compatible with their application on skin. CaANCs loaded with a fluorescent label were stable in model hydrophilic galenic forms under different storage conditions. Curcumin was encapsulated in CaANCs with an efficiency of ˜95%, fully retaining its antioxidant activity. The application of the curcumin-loaded CaANCs on excised human skin led to a significant accumulation of the active molecules in the upper layers of the skin, asserting the potential of these nanocarriers in active pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients topical delivery.

  15. Temperature effects on the hydrophobic force between two ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    TUHIN SAMANTA

    2018-03-02

    Mar 2, 2018 ... We perform the molecular dynamics simulations to investigate ... molecular assemblies and in the formation of protein complexes.1–7 One of the important manifestations of the hydrophobic interactions is observed in oil-water.

  16. Covariance of charged amino acids at positions 322 and 440 of HIV-1 Env contributes to coreceptor specificity of subtype B viruses, and can be used to improve the performance of V3 sequence-based coreceptor usage prediction algorithms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kieran Cashin

    Full Text Available The ability to determine coreceptor usage of patient-derived human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 strains is clinically important, particularly for the administration of the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc. The envelope glycoprotein (Env determinants of coreceptor specificity lie primarily within the gp120 V3 loop region, although other Env determinants have been shown to influence gp120-coreceptor interactions. Here, we determined whether conserved amino acid alterations outside the V3 loop that contribute to coreceptor usage exist, and whether these alterations improve the performance of V3 sequence-based coreceptor usage prediction algorithms. We demonstrate a significant covariant association between charged amino acids at position 322 in V3 and position 440 in the C4 Env region that contributes to the specificity of HIV-1 subtype B strains for CCR5 or CXCR4. Specifically, positively charged Lys/Arg at position 322 and negatively charged Asp/Glu at position 440 occurred more frequently in CXCR4-using viruses, whereas negatively charged Asp/Glu at position 322 and positively charged Arg at position 440 occurred more frequently in R5 strains. In the context of CD4-bound gp120, structural models suggest that covariation of amino acids at Env positions 322 and 440 has the potential to alter electrostatic interactions that are formed between gp120 and charged amino acids in the CCR5 N-terminus. We further demonstrate that inclusion of a "440 rule" can improve the sensitivity of several V3 sequence-based genotypic algorithms for predicting coreceptor usage of subtype B HIV-1 strains, without compromising specificity, and significantly improves the AUROC of the geno2pheno algorithm when set to its recommended false positive rate of 5.75%. Together, our results provide further mechanistic insights into the intra-molecular interactions within Env that contribute to coreceptor specificity of subtype B HIV-1 strains, and demonstrate that incorporation

  17. Effect of surface charge of immortalized mouse cerebral endothelial cell monolayer on transport of charged solutes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Wei; Li, Guanglei; Gil, Eun Seok; Lowe, Tao Lu; Fu, Bingmei M

    2010-04-01

    Charge carried by the surface glycocalyx layer (SGL) of the cerebral endothelium has been shown to significantly modulate the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to charged solutes in vivo. The cultured monolayer of bEnd3, an immortalized mouse cerebral endothelial cell line, is becoming a popular in vitro BBB model due to its easy growth and maintenance of many BBB characteristics over repeated passages. To test whether the SGL of bEnd3 monolayer carries similar charge as that in the intact BBB and quantify this charge, which can be characterized by the SGL thickness (L(f)) and charge density (C(mf)), we measured the solute permeability of bEnd3 monolayer to neutral solutes and to solutes with similar size but opposite charges: negatively charged alpha-lactalbumin (-11) and positively charged ribonuclease (+3). Combining the measured permeability data with a transport model across the cell monolayer, we predicted the L(f) and the C(mf) of bEnd3 monolayer, which is approximately 160 nm and approximately 25 mEq/L, respectively. We also investigated whether orosomucoid, a plasma glycoprotein modulating the charge of the intact BBB, alters the charge of bEnd3 monolayer. We found that 1 mg/mL orosomucoid would increase SGL charge density of bEnd3 monolayer to approximately 2-fold of its control value.

  18. Triboelectricity: macroscopic charge patterns formed by self-arraying ions on polymer surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgo, Thiago A L; Ducati, Telma R D; Francisco, Kelly R; Clinckspoor, Karl J; Galembeck, Fernando; Galembeck, Sergio E

    2012-05-15

    Tribocharged polymers display macroscopically patterned positive and negative domains, verifying the fractal geometry of electrostatic mosaics previously detected by electric probe microscopy. Excess charge on contacting polyethylene (PE) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) follows the triboelectric series but with one caveat: net charge is the arithmetic sum of patterned positive and negative charges, as opposed to the usual assumption of uniform but opposite signal charging on each surface. Extraction with n-hexane preferentially removes positive charges from PTFE, while 1,1-difluoroethane and ethanol largely remove both positive and negative charges. Using suitable analytical techniques (electron energy-loss spectral imaging, infrared microspectrophotometry and carbonization/colorimetry) and theoretical calculations, the positive species were identified as hydrocarbocations and the negative species were identified as fluorocarbanions. A comprehensive model is presented for PTFE tribocharging with PE: mechanochemical chain homolytic rupture is followed by electron transfer from hydrocarbon free radicals to the more electronegative fluorocarbon radicals. Polymer ions self-assemble according to Flory-Huggins theory, thus forming the experimentally observed macroscopic patterns. These results show that tribocharging can only be understood by considering the complex chemical events triggered by mechanical action, coupled to well-established physicochemical concepts. Patterned polymers can be cut and mounted to make macroscopic electrets and multipoles.

  19. Synthesis and characterization of hydrophobically modified polymeric betaines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexey Shakhvorostov

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Polymeric betaines containing long alkyl chains C12H25, C14H29, C16H33 and C18H37 were synthesized by Michael addition reaction of alkylaminocrotonates and methacrylic acid (MAA. They were characterized by FTIR, 13C NMR, DSC, DLS, GPC, cryo-TEM, viscometry and zeta-potential measurements. The polymers were fully soluble in DMF, THF and DMSO, partially dissolved in aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, o-xylene and formed colloid solutions in aqueous KOH. In aqueous KOH and DMSO solutions, hydrophobically modified polymeric betaines behaved as polyelectrolytes. The average hydrodynamic size and zeta potential of diluted aqueous solutions of hydrophobic polybetainess containing dodecyl-, tetradecyl-, hexadecyl-, and octadecyl groups were studied as a function of pH. Anomalous low values of the isoelectric point (IEP of amphoteric macromolecules were found to be in the range of pH 2.7-3.4. According to DLS data, the average size of macromolecules tends to decrease with dilution. Zeta-potential of amphoteric macromolecules in aqueous solution is much higher than that in DMSO. The cryo-TEM results revealed that in both aqueous KOH and DMSO media, the micron- and nanosized vesicles existed. The structural organization of vesicles in water and DMSO is discussed. The wax inhibition effect of hydrophobic polybetaines at a decrease of the pour point temperatures of high paraffinic oils was better in comparison with commercial available ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers (EVA.

  20. Dissociation of multiply charged ICN by Coulomb explosion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eland, J. H. D. [Department of Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Origovägen 6B, SE-412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden); Singh, R.; Hult Roos, A.; Andersson, J.; Squibb, R. J.; Feifel, R. [Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Origovägen 6B, SE-412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden); Pickering, J. D.; Brouard, M. [Department of Chemistry, The Chemistry Research Laboratory, Oxford University, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA (United Kingdom); Slater, C. S. [Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Origovägen 6B, SE-412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden); Department of Chemistry, The Chemistry Research Laboratory, Oxford University, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA (United Kingdom); Zagorodskikh, S. [Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Origovägen 6B, SE-412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala (Sweden)

    2016-08-21

    The fragmentations of iodine cyanide ions created with 2 to 8 positive charges by photoionization from inner shells with binding energies from 59 eV (I 4d) to ca. 900 eV (I 3p) have been examined by multi-electron and multi-ion coincidence spectroscopy with velocity map imaging ion capability. The charge distributions produced by hole formation in each shell are characterised and systematic effects of the number of charges and of initial charge localisation are found.

  1. Improving Hydrophobicity of Glass Surface Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Treatment in Atmospheric Air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Zhi; Qiu Yuchang; Wang Hui; Kuffel, E

    2007-01-01

    Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in industrial applications, especially in material surface treatment. In this paper, the treatment of a glass surface for improving hydrophobicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure in ambient air is conducted, and the surface properties of the glass before and after the DBD treatment are studied by using contact angle measurement, surface resistance measurement and wet flashover voltage tests. The effects of the applied voltage and time duration of DBD on the surface modification are studied, and the optimal conditions for the treatment are obtained. It is found that a layer of hydrophobic coating is formed on the glass surface after spraying a thin layer of silicone oil and undergoing the DBD treatment, and the improvement of hydrophobicity depends on DBD voltage and treating time. It seems that there exists an optimum treating time for a certain applied voltage of DBD during the surface treatment. The test results of thermal aging and chemical aging show that the hydrophobic layer has quite stable characteristics. The interaction mechanism between the DBD plasma and the glass surface is discussed. It is concluded that CH 3 and large molecule radicals can react with the radicals in the glass surface to replace OH, and the hydrophobicity of the glass surface is improved accordingly

  2. Proline-poor hydrophobic domains modulate the assembly and material properties of polymeric elastin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muiznieks, Lisa D; Reichheld, Sean E; Sitarz, Eva E; Miao, Ming; Keeley, Fred W

    2015-10-01

    Elastin is a self-assembling extracellular matrix protein that provides elasticity to tissues. For entropic elastomers such as elastin, conformational disorder of the monomer building block, even in the polymeric form, is essential for elastomeric recoil. The highly hydrophobic monomer employs a range of strategies for maintaining disorder and flexibility within hydrophobic domains, particularly involving a minimum compositional threshold of proline and glycine residues. However, the native sequence of hydrophobic elastin domain 30 is uncharacteristically proline-poor and, as an isolated polypeptide, is susceptible to formation of amyloid-like structures comprised of stacked β-sheet. Here we investigated the biophysical and mechanical properties of multiple sets of elastin-like polypeptides designed with different numbers of proline-poor domain 30 from human or rat tropoelastins. We compared the contributions of these proline-poor hydrophobic sequences to self-assembly through characterization of phase separation, and to the tensile properties of cross-linked, polymeric materials. We demonstrate that length of hydrophobic domains and propensity to form β-structure, both affecting polypeptide chain flexibility and cross-link density, play key roles in modulating elastin mechanical properties. This study advances the understanding of elastin sequence-structure-function relationships, and provides new insights that will directly support rational approaches to the design of biomaterials with defined suites of mechanical properties. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Hydrophobic ampersand hydrophilic: Theoretical models of solvation for molecular biophysics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, L.R.; Tawa, G.J.; Hummer, G.; Garcia, A.E.; Corcelli, S.A.

    1996-01-01

    Molecular statistical thermodynamic models of hydration for chemistry and biophysics have advanced abruptly in recent years. With liquid water as solvent, salvation phenomena are classified as either hydrophobic or hydrophilic effects. Recent progress in treatment of hydrophilic effects have been motivated by continuum dielectric models interpreted as a modelistic implementation of second order perturbation theory. New results testing that perturbation theory of hydrophilic effects are presented and discussed. Recent progress in treatment of hydrophobic effects has been achieved by applying information theory to discover models of packing effects in dense liquids. The simplest models to which those ideas lead are presented and discussed

  4. Clinical physics for charged particle treatment planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, G.T.Y.; Pitluck, S.; Lyman, J.T.

    1981-01-01

    The installation of a computerized tomography (CT) scanner which can be used with the patient in an upright position is described. This technique will enhance precise location of tumor position relative to critical structures for accurate charged particle dose delivery during fixed horizontal beam radiotherapy. Pixel-by-pixel treatment planning programs have been developed to calculate the dose distribution from multi-port charged particle beams. The plan includes CT scans, data interpretation, and dose calculations. The treatment planning computer is discussed. Treatment planning for irradiation of ocular melanomas is described

  5. Digitization errors using digital charge division positionsensitive detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berliner, R.; Mildner, D.F.R.; Pringle, O.A.

    1981-01-01

    The data acquisition speed and electronic stability of a charge division position-sensitive detector may be improved by using digital signal processing with a table look-up high speed multiply to form the charge division quotient. This digitization process introduces a positional quantization difficulty which reduces the detector position sensitivity. The degree of the digitization error is dependent on the pulse height spectrum of the detector and on the resolution or dynamic range of the system analog-to-digital converters. The effects have been investigated analytically and by computer simulation. The optimum algorithm for position sensing determination using 8-bit digitization and arithmetic has a digitization error of less than 1%. (orig.)

  6. Standard Test Method for Hydrophobic Surface Films by the Water-Break Test

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2002-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the detection of the presence of hydrophobic (nonwetting) films on surfaces and the presence of hydrophobic organic materials in processing ambients. When properly conducted, the test will enable detection of molecular layers of hydrophobic organic contaminants. On very rough or porous surfaces, the sensitivity of the test may be significantly decreased. 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound values given in parentheses are for information only. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

  7. Design, construction, and characterization of a second-generation DARP in library with reduced hydrophobicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seeger, Markus A; Zbinden, Reto; Flütsch, Andreas; Gutte, Petrus G M; Engeler, Sibylle; Roschitzki-Voser, Heidi; Grütter, Markus G

    2013-09-01

    Designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) are well-established binding molecules based on a highly stable nonantibody scaffold. Building on 13 crystal structures of DARPin-target complexes and stability measurements of DARPin mutants, we have generated a new DARPin library containing an extended randomized surface. To counteract the enrichment of unspecific hydrophobic binders during selections against difficult targets containing hydrophobic surfaces such as membrane proteins, the frequency of apolar residues at diversified positions was drastically reduced and substituted by an increased number of tyrosines. Ribosome display selections against two human caspases and membrane transporter AcrB yielded highly enriched pools of unique and strong DARPin binders which were mainly monomeric. We noted a prominent enrichment of tryptophan residues during binder selections. A crystal structure of a representative of this library in complex with caspase-7 visualizes the key roles of both tryptophans and tyrosines in providing target contacts. These aromatic and polar side chains thus substitute the apolar residues valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, and phenylalanine of the original DARPins. Our work describes biophysical and structural analyses required to extend existing binder scaffolds and simplifies an existing protocol for the assembly of highly diverse synthetic binder libraries. © 2013 The Protein Society.

  8. Bose-Einstein study of position-momentum correlations of charged pions in hadronic $Z^{0}$ decays

    CERN Document Server

    Abbiendi, G.; Akesson, P.F.; Alexander, G.; Anagnostou, G.; Anderson, K.J.; Asai, S.; Axen, D.; Bailey, I.; Barberio, E.; Barillari, T.; Barlow, R.J.; Batley, R.J.; Bechtle, P.; Behnke, T.; Bell, Kenneth Watson; Bell, P.J.; Bella, G.; Bellerive, A.; Benelli, G.; Bethke, S.; Biebel, O.; Boeriu, O.; Bock, P.; Boutemeur, M.; Braibant, S.; Brown, Robert M.; Burckhart, H.J.; Campana, S.; Capiluppi, P.; Carnegie, R.K.; Carter, A.A.; Carter, J.R.; Chang, C.Y.; Charlton, D.G.; Ciocca, C.; Csilling, A.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallavalle, G.M.; De Roeck, A.; De Wolf, E.A.; Desch, K.; Dienes, B.; Dubbert, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Duerdoth, I.P.; Etzion, E.; Fabbri, F.; Ferrari, P.; Fiedler, F.; Fleck, I.; Ford, M.; Frey, A.; Gagnon, P.; Gary, John William; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Giacomelli, G.; Giacomelli, P.; Giunta, Marina; Goldberg, J.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Gruwe, M.; Gupta, A.; Hajdu, C.; Hamann, M.; Hanson, G.G.; Harel, A.; Hauschild, M.; Hawkes, C.M.; Hawkings, R.; Herten, G.; Heuer, R.D.; Hill, J.C.; Horvath, D.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Ishii, K.; Jeremie, H.; Jovanovic, P.; Junk, T.R.; Kanzaki, J.; Karlen, D.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Keeler, R.K.; Kellogg, R.G.; Kennedy, B.W.; Kluth, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Kobel, M.; Komamiya, S.; Kramer, T.; Krasznahorkay, A., Jr.; Krieger, P.; von Krogh, J.; Kuhl, T.; Kupper, M.; Lafferty, G.D.; Landsman, H.; Lanske, D.; Lellouch, D.; Lettso, J.; Levinson, L.; Lillich, J.; Lloyd, S.L.; Loebinger, F.K.; Lu, J.; Ludwig, A.; Ludwig, J.; Mader, W.; Marcellini, S.; Martin, A.J.; Mashimo, T.; Mattig, Peter; McKenna, J.; McPherson, R.A.; Meijers, F.; Menges, W.; Merritt, F.S.; Mes, H.; Meyer, N.; Michelini, A.; Mihara, S.; Mikenberg, G.; Miller, D.J.; Mohr, W.; Mori, T.; Mutter, A.; Nagai, K.; Nakamura, I.; Nanjo, H.; Neal, H.A.; O'Neale, S.W.; Oh, A.; Oreglia, M.J.; Orito, S.; Pahl, C.; Pasztor, G.; Pater, J.R.; Pilcher, J.E.; Pinfold, J.; Plane, D.E.; Pooth, O.; Przybycien, M.; Quadt, A.; Rabbertz, K.; Rembser, C.; Renkel, P.; Roney, J.M.; Rossi, A.M.; Rozen, Y.; Runge, K.; Sachs, K.; Saeki, T.; Sarkisyan, E.K.G.; Schaile, A.D.; Schaile, O.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieck, J.; Schorner-Sadenius, T.; Schroder, M.; Schumacher, M.; Seuster, R.; Shears, T.G.; Shen, B.C.; Sherwood, P.; Skuja, A.; Smith, A.M.; Sobie, R.; Soldner-Rembold, S.; Spano, F.; Stahl, A.; Strom, David M.; Strohmer, R.; Tarem, S.; Tasevsky, M.; Teuscher, R.; Thomson, M.A.; Torrence, E.; Toya, D.; Trigger, I.; Trocsanyi, Z.; Tsur, E.; Turner-Watson, M.F.; Ueda, I.; Ujvari, B.; Vollmer, C.F.; Vannerem, P.; Vertesi, R.; Verzocchi, M.; Voss, H.; Vossebeld, J.; Ward, C.P.; Ward, D.R.; Watkins, P.M.; Watson, A.T.; Watson, N.K.; Wells, P.S.; Wengler, T.; Wermes, N.; Wilson, G.W.; Wilson, J.A.; Wolf, G.; Wyatt, T.R.; Yamashita, S.; Zer-Zion, D.; Zivkovic, Lidija

    2007-01-01

    A study of Bose-Einstein correlations in pairs of identically charged pions produced in e+e- annihilations at the Z0 peak has been performed for the first time assuming a non-static emitting source. The results are based on the high statistics data obtained with the OPAL detector at LEP. The correlation functions have been analyzed in intervals of the average pair transverse momentum and of the pair rapidity, in order to study possible correlations between the pion production points and their momenta (position-momentum correlations). The Yano-Koonin and the Bertsch-Pratt parameterizations have been fitted to the measured correlation functions to estimate the geometrical parameters of the source as well as the velocity of the source elements with respect to the overall centre-of-mass frame. The source rapidity is found to scale approximately with the pair rapidity, and both the longitudinal and transverse source dimensions are found to decrease for increasing average pair transverse momenta.

  9. Semiconductor drift chamber: an application of a novel charge transport scheme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gatti, E.; Rehak, P.

    1983-08-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel charge tranport scheme in semiconductors in which the field responsible for the charge transport is independent of the depletion field. The application of the novel charge transport scheme leads to the following new semiconductor detectors: (1) Semiconductor Draft Chamber; (2) Ultra low capacitance - large semiconductor x-ray spectrometers and photodiodes; and (3) Fully depleted thick CCD. Special attention is paid to the concept of the Semiconductor Draft Chamber as a position sensing detector for high energy charged particles. Position resolution limiting factors are considered, and the values of the resolutions are given

  10. Dye-based coatings for hydrophobic valves and their application to polymer labs-on-a-chip

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riegger, L.; Mielnik, M. M.; Gulliksen, A.; Mark, D.; Steigert, J.; Lutz, S.; Clad, M.; Zengerle, R.; Koltay, P.; Hoffmann, J.

    2010-04-01

    We provide a method for the selective surface patterning of microfluidic chips with hydrophobic fluoropolymers which is demonstrated by the fabrication of hydrophobic valves via dispensing. It enables efficient optical quality control for the surface patterning thus permitting the low-cost production of highly reproducible hydrophobic valves. Specifically, different dyes for fluoropolymers enabling visual quality control (QC) are investigated, and two fluoropolymer-solvent-dye solutions based on fluorescent quantum dots (QD) and carbon black (CB) are presented in detail. The latter creates superhydrophobic surfaces on arbitrary substrates, e.g. chips made from cyclic olefin copolymer (COC, water contact angle = 157.9°), provides good visibility for the visual QC in polymer labs-on-a-chip and increases the burst pressures of the hydrophobic valves. Finally, an application is presented which aims at the on-chip amplification of mRNA based on defined flow control by hydrophobic valves is presented. Here, the optimization based on QC in combination with the Teflon-CB coating improves the burst pressure reproducibility from 14.5% down to 6.1% compared to Teflon-coated valves.

  11. Water in contact with extended hydrophobic surfaces: Direct evidence of weak dewetting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jensen, Torben R.; Kjaer, Kristian; Oestergaard Jensen, Morten; Peters, Guenther H.; Reitzel, Niels; Balashev, Konstantin; Bjoernholm, Thomas

    2003-01-01

    X-ray reflectivity measurements reveal a significant dewetting of a large hydrophobic paraffin surface floating on water. The dewetting phenomenon extends less than 15 A into the bulk water phase and results in an integrated density deficit of about one water molecule per 25-30 A 2 of water in contact with the paraffin surface. The results are supported by molecular dynamics simulations and related to the hydrophobic effect

  12. Mutation of exposed hydrophobic amino acids to arginine to increase protein stability

    OpenAIRE

    Strub, Caroline; Alies, Carole; Lougarre, Andrée; Ladurantie, Caroline; Czaplicki, Jerzy; Fournier, Didier

    2004-01-01

    Abstract Background One strategy to increase the stability of proteins is to reduce the area of water-accessible hydrophobic surface. Results In order to test it, we replaced 14 solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues of acetylcholinesterase by arginine. The stabilities of the resulting proteins were tested using denaturation by high temperature, organic solvents, urea and by proteolytic digestion. Conclusion Altough the mutational effects were rather small, this strategy proved to be successful...

  13. Charge Spreading and Position Sensitivity in a Segmented Planar Germanium Detector (Preprint)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kroeger, R. A; Gehrels, N; Johnson, W. N; Kurfess, J. D; Phlips, B. P; Tueller, J

    1998-01-01

    The size of the charge cloud collected in a segmented germanium detector is limited by the size of the initial cloud, uniformity of the electric field, and the diffusion of electrons and holes through the detector...

  14. Multimodal charge-induction chromatography for antibody purification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Hong-Fei; Lin, Dong-Qiang; Chu, Wen-Ning; Zhang, Qi-Lei; Gao, Dong; Wang, Rong-Zhu; Yao, Shan-Jing

    2016-01-15

    Hydrophobic charge-induction chromatography (HCIC) has advantages of high capacity, salt-tolerance and convenient pH-controlled elution. However, the binding specificity might be improved with multimodal molecular interactions. New ligand W-ABI that combining tryptophan and 5-amino-benzimidazole was designed with the concept of mutimodal charge-induction chromatography (MCIC). The indole and benzimidazole groups of the ligand could provide orientated mutimodal binding to target IgG under neutral pH, while the imidazole groups could induce the electrostatic repulsion forces for efficient elution under acidic pH. W-ABI ligand was coupled successfully onto agarose gel, and IgG adsorption behaviors were investigated. High affinity to IgG was found with the saturated adsorption capacity of 70.4 mg/ml at pH 7, and the flow rate of mobile phase showed little impact on the dynamic binding capacity. In addition, efficient elution could be achieved at mild acidic pH with high recovery. Two separation cases (IgG separation from albumin containing feedstock and monoclonal antibody purification from cell culture supernatant) were verified with high purity and recovery. In general, MCIC with the specially-designed ligand is an expanding of HCIC with improved adsorption selectivity, which would be a potential alternative to Protein A-based capture for the cost-effective purification of antibodies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Influence of cosolvents on the hydrophobic surface immobilization topography of Candida antarctica lipase B

    Science.gov (United States)

    The presence of cosolvents and co-solutes during the immobilization of lipases on hydrophobic supports may influence the extent of lipase immobilization and the long-term catalytic stability of the biocatalyst. Candida antarctica B lipase immobilization was examined on a hydrophobic surface, i.e., ...

  16. Reduction of non-specific adsorption of drugs to plastic containers used in bioassays or analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukazawa, Tominaga; Yamazaki, Yuri; Miyamoto, Yohei

    2010-01-01

    Non-specific adsorption (NSA) of drugs to plastic or glass containers used in clinical use is well known, but methods for reducing NSA have been rarely reported. We assessed the NSA to various containers and then investigated methods to reduce NSA. Probe drugs (methotrexate, warfarin, chloroquine, propranolol, verapamil, digoxin and paclitaxel) dissolved in water were incubated in conventional or low-adsorption containers for 4h at 4 degrees C and the NSA was determined by HPLC. They were also dissolved in aqueous methanol or acetonitrile and the NSA to a conventional polypropylene microplate was determined. Finally, tissue culture microplates were coated with silane coupling agents and the effects of the coatings were evaluated. Hydrophobic drugs (paclitaxel, verapamil and digoxin) were highly adsorbed to conventional plastic microplates, but in addition to hydrophobic drugs, positively charged drugs were well adsorbed to the tissue culture microplate. Low-adsorption microplates could reduce NSA below 15%, but positively charged or neutral hydrophobic drugs showed relatively higher adsorption. Acetonitrile showed stronger NSA inhibition than that of methanol, but the peak shapes of methotrexate and chloroquine were broadened and split. Among the silane coupling agents, GPTMS suppressed the NSA below 10%. Also, AATMS resembled the NSA pattern of GPTMS, but it increased the adsorption of methotrexate to 29%. On conventional plastic microplates, NSA is mainly driven by hydrophobic interactions, but on tissue culture microplates and low-adsorption microplates, in addition to hydrophobic interactions, ionic interactions play a role in the NSA. Therefore, to reduce the NSA to plastic containers, both hydrophobic and ionic interactions should be reduced using amphiphilic organic solvents or neutral and hydrophilic coatings. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Environmental charging of spacecraft-tests of thermal control materials for use on the global positioning system flight space vehicle. Part 2: Specimen 6 to 9

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, N. J.; Berkopec, F. D.; Blech, R. A.

    1976-01-01

    The NASA/USAF program on the Environmental Charging of Spacecraft Surfaces consists, in part, of experimental efforts directed toward evaluating the response of materials to the environmental charged particle flux. Samples of thermal blankets of the type to be used on the Global Positioning System Flight Space Vehicles were tested to determine their response to electron flux. The primary result observed was that no discharges were obtained with the quartz-fiber-fabric-covered multilayer insulation specimen. The taped aluminized polyester grounding system used on all specimens did not appear to grossly deteriorate with time; however, the specimens require specific external pressure to maintain constant grounding system resistance.

  18. Solvation thermodynamics and heat capacity of polar and charged solutes in water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedlmeier, Felix; Netz, Roland R.

    2013-03-01

    The solvation thermodynamics and in particular the solvation heat capacity of polar and charged solutes in water is studied using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. As ionic solutes we consider a F- and a Na+ ion, as an example for a polar molecule with vanishing net charge we take a SPC/E water molecule. The partial charges of all three solutes are varied in a wide range by a scaling factor. Using a recently introduced method for the accurate determination of the solvation free energy of polar solutes, we determine the free energy, entropy, enthalpy, and heat capacity of the three different solutes as a function of temperature and partial solute charge. We find that the sum of the solvation heat capacities of the Na+ and F- ions is negative, in agreement with experimental observations, but our results uncover a pronounced difference in the heat capacity between positively and negatively charged groups. While the solvation heat capacity ΔCp stays positive and even increases slightly upon charging the Na+ ion, it decreases upon charging the F- ion and becomes negative beyond an ion charge of q = -0.3e. On the other hand, the heat capacity of the overall charge-neutral polar solute derived from a SPC/E water molecule is positive for all charge scaling factors considered by us. This means that the heat capacity of a wide class of polar solutes with vanishing net charge is positive. The common ascription of negative heat capacities to polar chemical groups might arise from the neglect of non-additive interaction effects between polar and apolar groups. The reason behind this non-additivity is suggested to be related to the second solvation shell that significantly affects the solvation thermodynamics and due to its large spatial extent induces quite long-ranged interactions between solvated molecular parts and groups.

  19. Breakup Behavior of a Capillary Bridge on a Hydrophobic Stripe Separating Two Hydrophilic Stripes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartmann, Maximilian; Hardt, Steffen

    2017-11-01

    The breakup dynamics of a capillary bridge on a hydrophobic area between two liquid filaments occupying two parallel hydrophilic stripes is studied experimentally. In addition calculations with the finite-element software Surface Evolver are performed to obtain the corresponding stable minimal surfaces. Droplets of de-ionized water are placed on substrates with alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic stripes of different width. Their volume decreases by evaporation. This results in a droplet shaped as the letter ``H'' covering two hydrophilic stripes separated by one hydrophobic stripe. The width of the capillary bridge d(t) on the hydrophobic stripe during the breakup process is observed using a high-speed camera mounted on a bright-field microscope. The results of the experiments and the numerical studies show that the critical width dcrit, indicating the point where the capillary bridge becomes unstable, mainly depends on the width ratio of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic stripes. It is found that the time derivative of d(t) first decreases after dcrit has been reached. The final breakup dynamics then follows a t 2 / 3 scaling. We kindly acknowledge the financial support by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within the Collaborative Research Centre 1194 ``Interaction of Transport and Wetting Processes'', Project A02a.

  20. Durable PROX catalyst based on gold nanoparticles and hydrophobic silica

    KAUST Repository

    Laveille, Paco; Guillois, Kevin; Tuel, Alain; Petit, Corine; Basset, Jean-Marie; Caps, Valerie

    2016-01-01

    3 nm gold nanoparticles (Au NP) obtained by direct chemical reduction of AuPPh3Cl in the presence of methyl-terminated silica exhibit superior durability for low temperature CO oxidation in the presence of hydrogen (PROX). The activity of hydrophobic Au/SiO2-R972 indeed appears much more stable with time-on-stream than those of the OH-terminated, hydrophilic Au/TiO2 and Au/Al2O3 catalysts, with similar Au NP size. This enhanced stability is attributed to the peculiar catalyst surface of Au/SiO2-R972. Not only may the support hydrophobicity concentrate and facilitate reactant adsorption and product desorption over Au NP, but methyl-terminated SiO2-R972 likely also inhibits carbonatation of the Au/support interface. Hence, at a temperature at which H2/H2O “cleaning” of the carbonate-contaminated Au/Al2O3 and Au/TiO2 surface is inefficient (< 100°C), passivated Au/SiO2-R972 displays much more stable PROX activity. Besides, the virtual absence of surface hydroxyl groups, which provide sites for water formation in H2/O2 atmospheres, can also account for the improved PROX selectivity (>85%) observed over Au/SiO2-R972. This new example, of CO oxidation activity of gold nanoparticles dispersed over a hydrophobic, “inert” support, clearly emphasizes the role of hydrogen as a promoter for the gold-catalyzed oxidation of CO at low temperature. Unlike support-mediated oxygen activation, hydrogen-only mediated oxygen activation takes full advantage of the hydrophobic surface, which is much more resistant against CO2 and thus remains free of poisonous carbonate species, as compared with hydroxyl-terminated catalysts. Hence, although the absence of surface hydroxyl groups prevents the hydrophobic Au/SiO2-R972 catalyst to reach the state-of-the-art activities initially displayed by Au/TiO2 and Au/Al2O3, it brings long-term stability with time-on-stream and superior selectivity, which opens up promising perspectives in the development of viable PROX catalysts based on gold.

  1. Durable PROX catalyst based on gold nanoparticles and hydrophobic silica

    KAUST Repository

    Laveille, Paco

    2016-01-20

    3 nm gold nanoparticles (Au NP) obtained by direct chemical reduction of AuPPh3Cl in the presence of methyl-terminated silica exhibit superior durability for low temperature CO oxidation in the presence of hydrogen (PROX). The activity of hydrophobic Au/SiO2-R972 indeed appears much more stable with time-on-stream than those of the OH-terminated, hydrophilic Au/TiO2 and Au/Al2O3 catalysts, with similar Au NP size. This enhanced stability is attributed to the peculiar catalyst surface of Au/SiO2-R972. Not only may the support hydrophobicity concentrate and facilitate reactant adsorption and product desorption over Au NP, but methyl-terminated SiO2-R972 likely also inhibits carbonatation of the Au/support interface. Hence, at a temperature at which H2/H2O “cleaning” of the carbonate-contaminated Au/Al2O3 and Au/TiO2 surface is inefficient (< 100°C), passivated Au/SiO2-R972 displays much more stable PROX activity. Besides, the virtual absence of surface hydroxyl groups, which provide sites for water formation in H2/O2 atmospheres, can also account for the improved PROX selectivity (>85%) observed over Au/SiO2-R972. This new example, of CO oxidation activity of gold nanoparticles dispersed over a hydrophobic, “inert” support, clearly emphasizes the role of hydrogen as a promoter for the gold-catalyzed oxidation of CO at low temperature. Unlike support-mediated oxygen activation, hydrogen-only mediated oxygen activation takes full advantage of the hydrophobic surface, which is much more resistant against CO2 and thus remains free of poisonous carbonate species, as compared with hydroxyl-terminated catalysts. Hence, although the absence of surface hydroxyl groups prevents the hydrophobic Au/SiO2-R972 catalyst to reach the state-of-the-art activities initially displayed by Au/TiO2 and Au/Al2O3, it brings long-term stability with time-on-stream and superior selectivity, which opens up promising perspectives in the development of viable PROX catalysts based on gold.

  2. Impact of a Hydrophobic Sphere onto a Bath

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Daniel M.; Edmonds, John; Galeano-Rios, Carlos A.; Milewski, Paul A.

    2017-11-01

    Small hydrophobic particles impacting a water surface can rebound completely from the interface (Lee & Kim, Langmuir, 2008). In the present work, we focus on the bouncing dynamics of millimetric hydrophobic spheres impacting the surface of a quiescent water bath. Particular attention is given to the dependence of the normal coefficient of restitution and contact time on the impact velocity and the radius and density of the sphere. Our experimental observations are compared to the predictions of a fluid model derived from linearized Navier-Stokes under the assumption of a high Reynolds number regime (Galeano-Rios et al., JFM, in press). In the model, the motions of the sphere and the fluid interface are found by imposing the natural geometric and kinematic compatibility conditions. Future directions will be discussed. C.A.G.-R. and P.A.M. gratefully acknowledge support through the EPSRC project EP/N018176/1.

  3. Synthesis of hydrophobic zeolite X-SiO{sub 2} core-shell composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Liying [School of Material and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004 (China); Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO-2CRC) (Australia); Singh, Ranjeet; Li Gang; Xiao Gongkui [Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO-2CRC) (Australia); Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Webley, Paul A., E-mail: paul.webley@eng.monash.edu.au [Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO-2CRC) (Australia); Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Zhai Yuchun [School of Material and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004 (China)

    2012-04-16

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hydrophobic 13X zeolite composites with silicalite and mesoporous silica shells are designed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer These core-shell composites are silynated and their hydrophobicity is tested. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Addition of silica layer increases the density of surface hydroxyl groups which makes the improvement of the hydrophobicity possible by further silynation. - Abstract: Core-shell structures of zeolite X coated with silicalite as well as mesoporous (MCM-41) have been synthesized. Furthermore, the surfaces of the silicalite and mesoporous silica shells were silylated using organosilanes. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the properties of zeolite 13X-silicalite and zeolite 13X-mesoporous silica core-shells composite structures are well maintained even after the modification. As expected, the shell thickness increased with increase in synthesis time, however, the micropore volume decreased. Silylation with smaller organosilanes (trimethyl chlorosilane) resulted in decrease in surface area as they diffused through the pores; however, bulkier silane reacted with surface hydroxyl groups and maintained the pore structure. Contact angle measurements revealed that hydrophobicity of zeolite 13X was enhanced by the microporous and mesoporous shell coating and was further improved by silylation.

  4. Fabrication and tribological properties of super-hydrophobic surfaces based on porous silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.H.; Wang, X.K.; Luo, J.B.; Lu, X.C.

    2009-01-01

    In the present work, super-hydrophobic surfaces based on porous silicon (PS) were constructed by the self-assembled molecular films and their tribological properties were investigated. A simple chemical etching approach was developed to fabricate PS with the certain rough microstructure surface, which can be observed by the environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon alkylsilane molecular films were self-assembled on PS, which was confirmed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement. In contrast to PS, the alkylsilane molecular films modified PS (mPS) were super-hydrophobic since the apparent water contact angle (CA) exceeded 160 deg. The tribological properties of PS and the mPS were investigated by a ball-on-disk tribometer during the processes of different sliding velocities and normal loads. The experimental results showed that the alkylsilane molecular films could decrease the friction coefficient. Due to the difference of chain structure and functional groups, the fluorinated alkylsilane films are better candidates for improving the hydrophobicity and lubricating characteristics of PS comparing to the non-fluorinated ones. The carbon chain length of alkylsilane molecules self-assembling on the Si or PS substrates could have little effects on the hydrophobic properties and the tribology performances.

  5. Unravelling the hydrophobicity of urea in water using thermodiffusion: implications for protein denaturation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niether, Doreen; Di Lecce, Silvia; Bresme, Fernando; Wiegand, Simone

    2018-01-03

    Urea is widely used as a protein denaturant in aqueous solutions. Experimental and computer simulation studies have shown that it dissolves in water almost ideally at high concentrations, introducing little disruption in the water hydrogen bonded structure. However, at concentrations of the order of 5 M or higher, urea induces denaturation in a wide range of proteins. The origin of this behaviour is not completely understood, but it is believed to stem from a balance between urea-protein and urea-water interactions, with urea becoming possibly hydrophobic at a specific concentration range. The small changes observed in the water structure make it difficult to connect the denaturation effects to the solvation properties. Here we show that the exquisite sensitivity of thermodiffusion to solute-water interactions allows the identification of the onset of hydrophobicity of urea-water mixtures. The hydrophobic behaviour is reflected in a sign reversal of the temperature dependent slope of the Soret coefficient, which is observed, both in experiments and non-equilibrium computer simulations at ∼5 M concentration of urea in water. This concentration regime corresponds to the one where abrupt changes in the denaturation of proteins are commonly observed. We show that the onset of hydrophobicity is intrinsically connected to the urea-water interactions. Our results allow us to identify correlations between the Soret coefficient and the partition coefficient, log P, hence establishing the thermodiffusion technique as a powerful approach to study hydrophobicity.

  6. Hydrophobization by Means of Nanotechnology on Greek Sandstones Used as Building Facades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios Karagiannis

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Modern sustainable architecture indicates the use of local natural stones for building. Greek sandstones from Epirus (Demati, Greece, EN 12440 used as building facades meet aesthetic and have high mechanical properties, but the inevitable interaction between stone materials and natural or anthropogenic weathering factors controls the type, and extent of stone damages. In the present paper, samples of sandstone were treated with a conventional hydrophobic product and four solutions of the same product, enriched with nanosilica of different concentrations. The properties of the treated samples, such as porosity and pore size distribution, microstructure, static contact angle of a water droplet, and durability to deterioration cycles (freeze-thaw were recorded and conclusions were drawn. The research indicates the increased hydrophobic properties in nanosilica solutions but also the optimum content in nanoparticles that provides hydrophobicity without altering the properties of the stone.

  7. Deciphering the perturbation effect of urea on the supramolecular host-guest interaction of biologically active hydrophobic molecule inside the nanocavity of cyclodextrins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maity, Banibrata; Chatterjee, Aninda; Ahmed, Sayeed Ashique; Seth, Debabrata, E-mail: debabrata@iitp.ac.in

    2017-03-15

    The present work articulates the supramolecular interaction and the formation of host-guest complex between the biologically active hydrophobic coumarin derivative and cyclodextrins by using several spectroscopic, calorimetric and microscopic techniques. All the studies clearly revealed that in presence of cyclodextrins (CDs), coumarin forms 1:1 stoichiometric complex. From all the study, we have found that with gradual increasing the cavity diameter of the hosts, the binding efficiency of the complexes gradually increases. The small population of the non emissive twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state of coumarin molecule turns into highly emissive in presence of γ-CD owing to its greater cavity diameter. The emissive TICT band is not found in β-CD complex due to its comparative small hydrophilic exterior and less polar environment. The present finding also interpret the perturbation effect of urea on host-guest complexes. In the presence of urea, the TICT emissive band of γ-CD is completely diminished. From, {sup 1}H NMR study it was observed that –NEt{sub 2} moiety of 7-DCCAE molecule is deeply buried inside the hydrophobic cavity of the CDs and forms host-guest complexes. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurement also indicates the formation of 1:1 host-guest complexes.

  8. Intercalation of small hydrophobic molecules in lipid bilayers containing cholesterol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Worcester, D.L.; Hamacher, K.; Kaiser, H.; Kulasekere, R.; Torbet, J. [Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

    1994-12-31

    Partitioning of small hydrophobic molecules into lipid bilayers containing cholesterol has been studied using the 2XC diffractometer at the University of Missouri Research Reactor. Locations of the compounds were determined by Fourier difference methods with data from both deuterated and undeuterated compounds introduced into the bilayers from the vapor phase. Data fitting procedures were developed for determining how well the compounds were localized. The compounds were found to be localized in a narrow region at the center of the hydrophobic layer, between the two halves of the bilayer. The structures are therefore intercalated structures with the long axis of the molecules in the plane of the bilayer.

  9. Intercalation of small hydrophobic molecules in lipid bilayers containing cholesterol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worcester, D.L.; Hamacher, K.; Kaiser, H.; Kulasekere, R.; Torbet, J.

    1994-01-01

    Partitioning of small hydrophobic molecules into lipid bilayers containing cholesterol has been studied using the 2XC diffractometer at the University of Missouri Research Reactor. Locations of the compounds were determined by Fourier difference methods with data from both deuterated and undeuterated compounds introduced into the bilayers from the vapor phase. Data fitting procedures were developed for determining how well the compounds were localized. The compounds were found to be localized in a narrow region at the center of the hydrophobic layer, between the two halves of the bilayer. The structures are therefore intercalated structures with the long axis of the molecules in the plane of the bilayer

  10. Tritium removal by hydrogen isotopic exchange between hydrogen gas and water on hydrophobic catalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morishita, T.; Isomura, S.; Izawa, H.; Nakane, R.

    1980-01-01

    Many kinds of the hydrophobic catalysts for hydrogen isotopic exchange between hydrogen gas and water have been prepared. The carriers are the hydrophobic organic materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE), monofluorocarbon-PTFE mixture(PTFE-FC), and styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer(SDB). 0.1 to 2 wt % Pt is deposited on the carriers. The Pt/SDB catalyst has much higher activity than the Pt/PTFE catalyst and the Pt/PTFE-FC catalyst shows the intermediate value of catalytic activity. The observation of electron microscope shows that the degrees of dispersion of Pt particles on the hydrophobic carriers result in the difference of catalytic activities. A gas-liquid separated type column containing ten stages is constructed. Each stage is composed of both the hydrophobic catalyst bed for the hydrogen gas/water vapor isotopic exchange and the packed column type bed for the water vapor/liquid water isotopic exchange. In the column hydrogen gas and water flow countercurrently and hydrogen isotopes are separated

  11. Conversion of hydrophilic SiOC nanofibrous membrane to robust hydrophobic materials by introducing palladium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Nan; Wan, Lynn Yuqin; Wang, Yingde; Ko, Frank

    2017-12-01

    Hydrophobic ceramic nanofibrous membranes have wide applications in the fields of high-temperature filters, oil/water separators, catalyst supports and membrane reactors, for their water repellency property, self-cleaning capability, good environmental stability and long life span. In this work, we fabricated an inherently hydrophobic ceramic nanofiber membrane without any surface modification through pyrolysis of electrospun polycarbosilane nanofibers. The hydrophobicity was introduced by the hierarchical microstructure formed on the surface of the nanofibers and the special surface composition by the addition of trace amounts of palladium. Furthermore, the flexible ceramic mats demonstrated robust chemical resistance properties with consistent hydrophobicity over the entire pH value range and effective water-in-oil emulsion separation performance. Interestingly, a highly cohesive force was found between water droplet and the ceramic membranes, suggesting their great potentials in micro-liquid transportation. This work provides a new route for adjusting the composition of ceramic surface and flexible, recyclable and multifunctional ceramic fibrous membranes for utilization in harsh environments.

  12. Differences between tethered polyelectrolyte chains adsorbed onto bare mica and hydrophobically modified mica, comparison with theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balastre, Marc; Tamashiro, Mario N.; Hernandez, Ernesto; Pincus, Philip; Tirrell, Matthew

    2001-03-01

    End-grafted polymers generated from the adsorption of asymmetric diblock copolymers on solid surface play an important role in many areas of science and technology. While the small insoluble block acts as an anchor, the charged soluble block confers useful properties to the surface. This study looks at tethered layers of poly(styrene sulfonate)/poly(t-butyl styrene) (PtBS-PSS) adsorbed on both mica (hydrophilic) and octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTE) modified mica (hydrophobic). Normal compressing forces at two different constant grafting densities (bare and modified mica) were measured with the surface force apparatus and compared with theoretical prediction. The effect of salt concentration (Cs) upon the thickness of the self-assembled layers (Lo) was measured in each case. For adsorption of diblock copolymers onto OTE the resulting scaling relationship is much closer to the brush theory, Lo Cs-1/3. This result suggests that the adsorbed amount on mica is not high enough to form a brush.

  13. Tailoring the surface chemical bond states of the NbN films by doping Ag: Achieving hard hydrophobic surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Ping; Zhang, Kan; Du, Suxuan [Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, and Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, MOE, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China); Meng, Qingnan [College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130026 (China); He, Xin [Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, and Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, MOE, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China); Wang, Shuo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Wen, Mao, E-mail: wenmao225@jlu.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, and Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, MOE, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China); Zheng, Weitao, E-mail: WTZheng@jlu.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, and Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, MOE, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • Intrinsically hydrophilic NbN films can transfer to hydrophobic Nb-Ag-N films by doping Ag atoms into NbN sublattice. • Solute Ag can promote that the hydrophobic Ag{sub 2}O groups formed on the Nb-Ag-N film surface through self-oxidation. • The present work may provide a straightforward approach for the production of robust hydrophobic ceramic surfaces. - Abstract: Robust hydrophobic surfaces based on ceramics capable of withstanding harsh conditions such as abrasion, erosion and high temperature, are required in a broad range of applications. The metal cations with coordinative saturation or low electronegativity are commonly chosen to achieve the intrinsically hydrophobic ceramic by reducing Lewis acidity, and thus the ceramic systems are limited. In this work, we present a different picture that robust hydrophobic surface with high hardness (≥20 GPa) can be fabricated through doping Ag atoms into intrinsically hydrophilic ceramic film NbN by reactive co-sputtering. The transition of wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic of Nb-Ag-N films induced by Ag doping results from the appearance of Ag{sub 2}O groups on the films surfaces through self-oxidation, because Ag cations (Ag{sup +}) in Ag{sub 2}O are the filled-shell (4d{sup 10}5S{sup 0}) electronic structure with coordinative saturation that have no tendency to interact with water. The results show that surface Ag{sub 2}O benefited for hydrophobicity comes from the solute Ag atoms rather than precipitate metal Ag, in which the more Ag atoms incorporated into Nb-sublattice are able to further improve the hydrophobicity, whereas the precipitation of Ag nanoclusters would worsen it. The present work opens a window for fabricating robust hydrophobic surface through tailoring surface chemical bond states by doping Ag into transition metal nitrides.

  14. Martian Atmospheric Pressure Static Charge Elimination Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Michael R.

    2014-01-01

    A Martian pressure static charge elimination tool is currently in development in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In standard Earth atmosphere conditions, static charge can be neutralized from an insulating surface using air ionizers. These air ionizers generate ions through corona breakdown. The Martian atmosphere is 7 Torr of mostly carbon dioxide, which makes it inherently difficult to use similar methods as those used for standard atmosphere static elimination tools. An initial prototype has been developed to show feasibility of static charge elimination at low pressure, using corona discharge. A needle point and thin wire loop are used as the corona generating electrodes. A photo of the test apparatus is shown below. Positive and negative high voltage pulses are sent to the needle point. This creates positive and negative ions that can be used for static charge neutralization. In a preliminary test, a floating metal plate was charged to approximately 600 volts under Martian atmospheric conditions. The static elimination tool was enabled and the voltage on the metal plate dropped rapidly to -100 volts. This test data is displayed below. Optimization is necessary to improve the electrostatic balance of the static elimination tool.

  15. Sources for charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arianer, J.

    1997-01-01

    This document is a basic course on charged particle sources for post-graduate students and thematic schools on large facilities and accelerator physics. A simple but precise description of the creation and the emission of charged particles is presented. This course relies on every year upgraded reference documents. Following relevant topics are considered: electronic emission processes, technological and practical considerations on electron guns, positron sources, production of neutral atoms, ionization, plasma and discharge, different types of positive and negative ion sources, polarized particle sources, materials for the construction of ion sources, low energy beam production and transport. (N.T.)

  16. Searches for Fractionally Charged Particles: What Should Be Done Next?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perl, Martin L.; /SLAC

    2009-01-15

    Since the initial measurements of the electron charge a century ago, experimenters have faced the persistent question as to whether elementary particles exist that have charges that are fractional multiples of the electron charge. I concisely review the results of the last 50 years of searching for fractional charge particles with no confirmed positive results. I discuss the question of whether more searching is worthwhile?

  17. Is the negative glow plasma of a direct current glow discharge negatively charged?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bogdanov, E. A.; Saifutdinov, A. I.; Demidov, V. I.; Kudryavtsev, A. A.

    2015-01-01

    A classic problem in gas discharge physics is discussed: what is the sign of charge density in the negative glow region of a glow discharge? It is shown that traditional interpretations in text-books on gas discharge physics that states a negative charge of the negative glow plasma are based on analogies with a simple one-dimensional model of discharge. Because the real glow discharges with a positive column are always two-dimensional, the transversal (radial) term in divergence with the electric field can provide a non-monotonic axial profile of charge density in the plasma, while maintaining a positive sign. The numerical calculation of glow discharge is presented, showing a positive space charge in the negative glow under conditions, where a one-dimensional model of the discharge would predict a negative space charge

  18. Low proliferation and high apoptosis of osteoblastic cells on hydrophobic surface are associated with defective Ras signaling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Eun-Ju; Kim, Hong-Hee; Huh, Jung-Eun; Kim, In-Ae; Seung Ko, Jea; Chung, Chong-Pyoung; Kim, Hyun-Man

    2005-01-01

    The hydrophobic (HPB) nature of most polymeric biomaterials has been a major obstacle in using those materials in vivo due to low compatibility with cells. However, there is little knowledge of the molecular detail to explain how surface hydrophobicity affects cell responses. In this study, we compared the proliferation and apoptosis of human osteoblastic MG63 cells adhered to hydrophilic (HPL) and hydrophobic surfaces. On the hydrophobic surface, less formation of focal contacts and actin stress fibers, a delay in cell cycle progression, and an increase in apoptosis were observed. By using fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) as a model growth factor, we also investigated intracellular signaling pathways on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. The activation of Ras, Akt, and ERK by FGF1 was impaired in MG63 cells on the hydrophobic surface. The overexpression of constitutively active form of Ras and Akt rescued those cells from apoptosis and recovered cell cycle progression. Furthermore, their overexpression also restored the actin cytoskeletal organization on the hydrophobic surface. Finally, the proliferative, antiapoptotic, and cytoskeletal effects of constitutively active Ras in MG63 cells on the hydrophobic surface were blocked by wortmannin and PD98059 that inhibit Akt and ERK activation, respectively. Therefore, our results suggest that the activation of Ras and its downstream molecules Akt and ERK to an appropriate level is one of crucial elements in the determination of osteoblast cell responses. The Ras pathway may represent a cell biological target that should be considered for successful surface modification of biomaterials to induce adequate cell responses in the bone tissue

  19. Medicinal utility of boron clusters. Receptor modulators bearing carborane as a hydrophobic pharmacophore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, Y.; Iijima, T.; Yaguchi, K.; Yoshimi, T.; Yamakoshi, Y.; Kawachi, E.; Kagechika, H.

    2000-01-01

    The hydrophobic character and spherical geometry of carboranes may allow their use as a hydrophobic pharmacophore in biologically active molecules. We report potent cellular nuclear receptor ligands with carborane such as retinoids and estrogens. These receptor ligands raise the possibility for therapeutic agents, and their membrane transport characteristics and concentration in cellular nucleus may provide potential use for BNCT. (author)

  20. Enhancing Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells to Moisture by the Facile Hydrophobic Passivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Insung; Jeong, Inyoung; Lee, Jinwoo; Ko, Min Jae; Yong, Kijung

    2015-08-12

    In this study, a novel and facile passivation process for a perovskite solar cell is reported. Poor stability in ambient atmosphere, which is the most critical demerit of a perovskite solar cell, is overcome by a simple passivation process using a hydrophobic polymer layer. Teflon, the hydrophobic polymer, is deposited on the top of a perovskite solar cell by a spin-coating method. With the hydrophobic passivation, the perovskite solar cell shows negligible degradation after a 30 day storage in ambient atmosphere. Suppressed degradation of the perovskite film is proved in various ways: X-ray diffraction, light absorption spectrum, and quartz crystal microbalance. This simple but effective passivation process suggests new kind of approach to enhance stability of perovskite solar cells to moisture.

  1. Nanostructured hydrophobic DC sputtered inorganic oxide coating for outdoor glass insulators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dave, V. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India); Institute Instrumentation Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India); Gupta, H.O. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India); Chandra, R., E-mail: ramesfic@gmail.com [Institute Instrumentation Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India)

    2014-03-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Deposition of contamination on outdoor glass insulators and its physical and economical consequences were discussed. • Synthesis of nanostructured hydrophobic HfO{sub 2} film on glass as a remedial measure by varying DC sputtering power. • Investigated and correlated structural, optical, electrical and hydrophobic properties of HfO{sub 2} films with respect to power. • Optimum results were obtained at a 50 W DC sputtering power. - Abstract: We report the structural, optical and electrical properties of nanostructured hydrophobic inorganic hafnium oxide coating for outdoor glass insulator using DC sputtering technique to combat contamination problem. The properties were studied as a function of DC power. The characterization of the films was done using X-ray diffraction, EDS, surface profilometer, AFM, impedance analyser and water contact angle measurement system. The DC power was varied from 30 to 60 W and found to have a great impact on the properties of hafnium oxide. All the deposited samples were polycrystalline with nanostructured hydrophobic surfaces. The intensity of crystallinity of the film was found to be dependent on sputtering power and hydrophobicity was correlated to the nanoscale roughness of the films. The optical property reveals 80% average transmission for all the samples. The refractive index was found in the range of 1.85–1.92, near to the bulk value. The band gap calculated from transmission data was >5.3 eV for all deposited samples ensuring dielectric nature of the films. Surface energy calculated by two methods was found minimum for the film deposited at 50 W sputtering power. The resistivity was also high enough (∼10{sup 4} Ω cm) to hinder the flow of leakage current through the film. The dielectric constant (ε) was found to be thickness dependent and also high enough (ε{sub max} = 23.12) to bear the large electric field of outdoor insulators.

  2. Complex fluids with mobile charge-regulating macro-ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markovich, Tomer; Andelman, David; Podgornik, Rudi

    2017-10-01

    We generalize the concept of charge regulation of ionic solutions, and apply it to complex fluids with mobile macro-ions having internal non-electrostatic degrees of freedom. The suggested framework provides a convenient tool for investigating systems where mobile macro-ions can self-regulate their charge (e.g., proteins). We show that even within a simplified charge-regulation model, the charge dissociation equilibrium results in different and notable properties. Consequences of the charge regulation include a positional dependence of the effective charge of the macro-ions, a non-monotonic dependence of the effective Debye screening length on the concentration of the monovalent salt, a modification of the electric double-layer structure, and buffering by the macro-ions of the background electrolyte.

  3. Charge of a macroscopic particle in a plasma sheath

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samarian, A.A.; Vladimirov, S.V.

    2003-01-01

    Charging of a macroscopic body levitating in a rf plasma sheath is studied experimentally and theoretically. The nonlinear charge vs size dependence is obtained. The observed nonlinearity is explained on the basis of an approach taking into account different plasma conditions for the levitation positions of different particles. The importance of suprathermal electrons' contribution to the charging process is demonstrated

  4. Studies on polyurethane adhesives and surface modification of hydrophobic substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnamoorthy, Jayaraman

    studies involved making functionalized, thickness-controlled, wettability-controlled multilayers on hydrophobic substrates and the adsorption of carboxylic acid-terminated poly(styrene-b-isoprene) on alumina/silica substrates. Poly(vinyl alcohol) has been shown to adsorb onto hydrophobic surfaces irreversibly due to hydrophobic interactions. This thin semicrystalline coating is chemically modified using acid chlorides, butyl isocyanate and butanal to form thicker and hydrophobic coatings. The products of the modification reactions allow adsorption of a subsequent layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) that could subsequently be hydrophobized. This 2-step (adsorption/chemical modification) allows layer-by-layer deposition to prepare coatings with thickness, chemical structure and wettability control on any hydrophobic surface. Research on adsorption characteristics of carboxylic acid-terminated poly(styrene-b-isoprene) involved syntheses of block copolymers with the functional group present at specific ends. Comparative adsorption studies for carboxylic acid-terminated and hydrogen-terminated block copolymers was carried out on alumina and silica substrates.

  5. Chemical treatment of the intra-canal dentin surface: a new approach to modify dentin hydrophobicity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cesar GAITAN-FONSECA

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective This study evaluated the hydrophobicity of dentin surfaces that were modified through chemical silanization with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS. Material and Methods An in vitro experimental study was performed using 40 human permanent incisors that were divided into the following two groups: non-silanized and silanized. The specimens were pretreated and chemically modified with OTS. After the chemical modification, the dentin hydrophobicity was examined using a water contact angle measurement (WCA. The effectiveness of the modification of hydrophobicity was verified by the fluid permeability test (FPT. Results and Conclusions Statistically significant differences were found in the values of WCA and FPT between the two groups. After silanization, the hydrophobic intraradicular dentin surface exhibited in vitro properties that limit fluid penetration into the sealed root canal. This chemical treatment is a new approach for improving the sealing of the root canal system.

  6. Toward a Simple Molecular Theory of Hydrophobic Hydration.

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jirsák, Jan; Škvor, J.; Nezbeda, Ivo

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 189, SI (2014), s. 13-19 ISSN 0167-7322 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA200760905 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : perturbation theory * primitive models * hydrophobic hydration Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry Impact factor: 2.515, year: 2014

  7. Premicellar interaction of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers with partially hydrophobic alcohols: NMR study

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kříž, Jaroslav; Dybal, Jiří

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 51, č. 5 (2013), s. 275-282 ISSN 0749-1581 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP205/11/1657; GA ČR GA203/09/1478 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : pluronics * hydrophobic interaction * hydrophobic alcohols Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 1.559, year: 2013

  8. Measurements of Lunar Dust Charging Properties by Electron Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, Dragana; Craven, Paul D.; Schneider, Todd A.; Vaughn, Jason A.; LeClair, Andre; Spann, James F.; Norwood, Joseph K.

    2009-01-01

    Dust grains in the lunar environment are believed to be electrostatically charged predominantly by photoelectric emissions resulting from solar UV radiation on the dayside, and on the nightside by interaction with electrons in the solar wind plasma. In the high vacuum environment on the lunar surface with virtually no atmosphere, the positive and negative charge states of micron/submicron dust grains lead to some unusual physical and dynamical dust phenomena. Knowledge of the electrostatic charging properties of dust grains in the lunar environment is required for addressing their hazardous effect on the humans and mechanical systems. It is well recognized that the charging properties of individual small micron size dust grains are substantially different from the measurements on bulk materials. In this paper we present the results of measurements on charging of individual Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 dust grains by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10-100 eV energy range. The charging/discharging rates of positively and negatively charged particles of approx. 0.1 to 5 micron radii are discussed in terms of the sticking efficiencies and secondary electron yields. The secondary electron emission process is found to be a complex and effective charging/discharging mechanism for incident electron energies as low as 10-25 eV, with a strong dependence on particle size. Implications of the laboratory measurements on the nature of dust grain charging in the lunar environment are discussed.

  9. Lexan Linear Shaped Charge Holder with Magnets and Backing Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maples, Matthew W.; Dutton, Maureen L.; Hacker, Scott C.; Dean, Richard J.; Kidd, Nicholas; Long, Chris; Hicks, Robert C.

    2013-01-01

    A method was developed for cutting a fabric structural member in an inflatable module, without damaging the internal structure of the module, using linear shaped charge. Lexan and magnets are used in a charge holder to precisely position the linear shaped charge over the desired cut area. Two types of charge holders have been designed, each with its own backing plate. One holder cuts fabric straps in the vertical configuration, and the other charge holder cuts fabric straps in the horizontal configuration.

  10. Charge interaction between particle-laden fluid interfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Hui; Kirkwood, John; Lask, Mauricio; Fuller, Gerald

    2010-03-02

    Experiments are described where two oil/water interfaces laden with charged particles move at close proximity relative to one another. The particles on one of the interfaces were observed to be attracted toward the point of closest approach, forming a denser particle monolayer, while the particles on the opposite interface were repelled away from this point, forming a particle depletion zone. Such particle attraction/repulsion was observed even if one of the interfaces was free of particles. This phenomenon can be explained by the electrostatic interaction between the two interfaces, which causes surface charges (charged particles and ions) to redistribute in order to satisfy surface electric equipotential at each interface. In a forced particle oscillation experiment, we demonstrated the control of charged particle positions on the interface by manipulating charge interaction between interfaces.

  11. Study on hydrophobicity degradation of gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Shuchun; Li, Xiaojin; Li, Jin; Liu, Sa; Lu, Wangting; Shao, Zhigang; Yi, Baolian

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The hydrophobicity degradation mechanism of GDL was proposed thoroughly. • C-O and C=O groups appeared on the surfaces of GDL after immersion. • The relative content of PTFE in GDL decreased after immersion. • The surfaces and inner structure of GDL destroyed after immersion. - Abstract: As one of the essential components of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), gas diffusion layer (GDL) is of importance on water management, as well on the performance and durability of PEMFC. In this paper, the hydrophobicity degradation of GDL was investigated by immersing it in the 1.0 mol L −1 H 2 SO 4 solution saturated by air for 1200 h. From the measurements of contact angle and water permeability, the hydrophobic characteristics of the pristine and immersed GDLs were compared. To investigate the causes for hydrophobicity degradation, the GDLs were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Further, the chemical compositions of H 2 SO 4 solutions before and after immersion test were analyzed with infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that the hydrophobicity of immersed GDL decreased distinctly, which was caused by the damage of physical structure and surface characteristics. Moreover, the immersed GDL showed a worse fuel cell performance than the pristine GDL, especially under a low humidity condition

  12. Characteristics of laser textured silicon surface and effect of mud adhesion on hydrophobicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yilbas, B.S., E-mail: bsyilbas@kfupm.edu.sa [ME Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Kfupm box 1913, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Ali, H. [ME Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Kfupm box 1913, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Khaled, M. [CHEM Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia); Al-Aqeeli, N.; Abu-Dheir, N. [ME Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Kfupm box 1913, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Varanasi, K.K. [Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (United States)

    2015-10-01

    Highlights: • Laser treatment increases surface microhardness and slightly lowers surface fracture toughness. • Residual stress formed is compressive and self-annealing effect of laser tracks lowers residual stress. • Nitride species lowers surface energy and adhesion work required to remove dust. • Mud residues do not have notable effect on fracture toughness and microhardness of treated surface. • Mud residues lower surface hydrophobicity. - Abstract: Laser gas assisted texturing of silicon wafer surface is carried out. Morphological and metallurgical changes in the treated layer are examined using the analytical tools. Microhardness and fracture toughness of the laser treated surface are measured using the indentation technique while residual stress formed is determined from the X-ray diffraction data. The hydrophobicity of the textured surfaces are assessed incorporating the contact angle data and compared with those of as received workpiece surfaces. Environmental dust accumulation and mud formation, due to air humidity, at the laser treated and as received workpiece surfaces are simulated and the effect of the mud residues on the properties of the laser treated surface are studied. The adhesion work due to the presence of the mud on the laser treated surface is also measured. It is found that laser textured surface composes of micro/nano poles and fibers, which in turn improves the surface hydrophobicity significantly. In addition, formation of nitride species contributes to microhardness increase and enhancement of surface hydrophobicity due to their low surface energy. The mud residues do not influence the fracture toughness and microhardness of the laser textured surface; however, they reduced the surface hydrophobicity significantly.

  13. The hydrophobic core of twin-arginine signal sequences orchestrates specific binding to Tat-pathway related chaperones.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anitha Shanmugham

    Full Text Available Redox enzyme maturation proteins (REMPs bind pre-proteins destined for translocation across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane via the twin-arginine translocation system and enable the enzymatic incorporation of complex cofactors. Most REMPs recognize one specific pre-protein. The recognition site usually resides in the N-terminal signal sequence. REMP binding protects signal peptides against degradation by proteases. REMPs are also believed to prevent binding of immature pre-proteins to the translocon. The main aim of this work was to better understand the interaction between REMPs and substrate signal sequences. Two REMPs were investigated: DmsD (specific for dimethylsulfoxide reductase, DmsA and TorD (specific for trimethylamine N-oxide reductase, TorA. Green fluorescent protein (GFP was genetically fused behind the signal sequences of TorA and DmsA. This ensures native behavior of the respective signal sequence and excludes any effects mediated by the mature domain of the pre-protein. Surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed that these chimeric pre-proteins specifically bind to the cognate REMP. Furthermore, the region of the signal sequence that is responsible for specific binding to the corresponding REMP was identified by creating region-swapped chimeric signal sequences, containing parts of both the TorA and DmsA signal sequences. Surprisingly, specificity is not encoded in the highly variable positively charged N-terminal region of the signal sequence, but in the more similar hydrophobic C-terminal parts. Interestingly, binding of DmsD to its model substrate reduced membrane binding of the pre-protein. This property could link REMP-signal peptide binding to its reported proofreading function.

  14. Numerical modelling of needle-grid electrodes for negative surface corona charging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuang, Y; Chen, G; Rotaru, M

    2011-01-01

    Surface potential decay measurement is a simple and low cost tool to examine electrical properties of insulation materials. During the corona charging stage, a needle-grid electrodes system is often used to achieve uniform charge distribution on the surface of the sample. In this paper, a model using COMSOL Multiphysics has been developed to simulate the gas discharge. A well-known hydrodynamic drift-diffusion model was used. The model consists of a set of continuity equations accounting for the movement, generation and loss of charge carriers (electrons, positive and negative ions) coupled with Poisson's equation to take into account the effect of space and surface charges on the electric field. Four models with the grid electrode in different positions and several mesh sizes are compared with a model that only has the needle electrode. The results for impulse current and surface charge density on the sample clearly show the effect of the extra grid electrode with various positions.

  15. Drag reduction in reservoir rock surface: Hydrophobic modification by SiO_2 nanofluids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Yong-Li; Cui, Ming-Yue; Jiang, Wei-Dong; He, An-Le; Liang, Chong

    2017-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The micro-nanoscale hierarchical structures at the sandstone core surface are constructed by adsorption of the modified silica nanoparticles, which leads to the effect of drag reduction to improve the low injection rate in ultra-low permeability reservoirs. - Highlights: • A micro-nanoscale hierarchical structure is formed at the reservoir rock surface. • An inversion has happened from hydrophilic into hydrophobic modified by nanofluids. • The effect of drag reduction to improve the low injection rate is realized. • The mechanism of drag reduction induced from the modified core surface was unclosed. - Abstract: Based on the adsorption behavior of modified silica nanoparticles in the sandstone core surface, the hydrophobic surface was constructed, which consists of micro-nanoscale hierarchical structure. This modified core surface presents a property of drag reduction and meets the challenge of high injection pressure and low injection rate in low or ultra-low permeability reservoir. The modification effects on the surface of silica nanoparticles and reservoir cores, mainly concerning hydrophobicity and fine structure, were determined by measurements of contact angle and scanning electron microscopy. Experimental results indicate that after successful modification, the contact angle of silica nanoparticles varies from 19.5° to 141.7°, exhibiting remarkable hydrophobic properties. These modified hydrophobic silica nanoparticles display a good adsorption behavior at the core surface to form micro-nanobinary structure. As for the wettability of these modified core surfaces, a reversal has happened from hydrophilic into hydrophobic and its contact angle increases from 59.1° to 105.9°. The core displacement experiments show that the relative permeability for water has significantly increased by an average of 40.3% via core surface modification, with the effects of reducing injection pressure and improving injection performance of water

  16. Production of hydrophobic amino acids from biobased resources

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Widyarani, W.; Sari, Yessie W.; Ratnaningsih, Enny; Sanders, Johan P.M.; Bruins, Marieke E.

    2016-01-01

    Protein hydrolysis enables production of peptides and free amino acids that are suitable for usage in food and feed or can be used as precursors for bulk chemicals. Several essential amino acids for food and feed have hydrophobic side chains; this property may also be exploited for subsequent

  17. The α-chymotrypsin and its hydrophobic derivatives in inverse micelles; L'α-chymotrypsine et ses derives hydrophobes en micelles inverses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitre, Franck

    1993-01-29

    concentrations en α-chymotrypsine proche de sa solubilisation maximale. Ceci est du au fait que l'α-chymotrypsine est une enzyme hydrosoluble et que dans les conditions ou elle est catalytiquement active, elle ne possede qu'une faible densite de charge en surface. L'absence de modifications de la structure du systeme ternaire apres incorporation de l'α-chymotrypsine est ideal pour les applications biotechnologiques. Dans le but de transformer l'α-chymotrypsine en une enzyme membranaire, quel que soit l'etat electrostatique des tetes polaires des molecules tensioactives, nous avons fixe, de maniere covalente, a la surface de l'α-chymotrypsine des molecules hydrophobes: un derive du fluorene et un groupement cholesteryle. Nous n'avons pas observe de changements du potentiel d'interaction intermicellaire apres avoir solubilise les α-chymotrypsines modifiees. Malgre des localisations differentes a l'interieur des micelles inverses, l'etude de l'activite enzymatique de l'α-chymotrypsine modifiee par le 9-fluorenyl methyl chloroformiate n'a pas non plus montre de changements de comportement en micelles inverses par rapport a l'α-chymotrypsine native. Ces resultats sont totalement differents de ceux obtenus apres solubilisation d'une proteine peripherique membranaire, le cytochrome c, ou un deplacement du seuil de percolation vers les plus faibles fractions volumiques correle avec une augmentation de la partie attractive du potentiel d'interaction intermicellaire ont ete observe. La difference des interactions AOT-enzyme en est vraisemblablement la cause. Dans les conditions d'etudes, le cytochrome c est fortement charge positivement et cette distribution est non uniforme. Il en resulte de fortes attractions entre les tetes polaires du tensioactif AOT et la proteine. Au contraire, les interactions entre les α-chymotrypsines modifiees et les molecules d'AOT sont beaucoup moins intenses, entrainant une deformation beaucoup plus faible de la surface intermicellaire.

  18. Drag penalty due to the asperities in the substrate of super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia Cartagena, Edgardo J.; Arenas, Isnardo; Leonardi, Stefano

    2017-11-01

    Direct numerical simulations of two superposed fluids in a turbulent channel with a textured surface made of pinnacles of random height have been performed. The viscosity ratio between the two fluids are N =μo /μi = 50 (μo and μi are the viscosities of outer and inner fluid respectively) mimicking a super-hydrophobic surface (water over air) and N=2.5 (water over heptane) resembling a liquid infused surface. Two set of simulations have been performed varying the Reynolds number, Reτ = 180 and Reτ = 390 . The interface between the two fluids is flat simulating infinite surface tension. The position of the interface between the two fluids has been varied in the vertical direction from the base of the substrate (what would be a rough wall) to the highest point of the roughness. Drag reduction is very sensitive to the position of the interface between the two fluids. Asperities above the interface induce a large form drag and diminish considerably the drag reduction. When the mean height of the surface measured from the interface in the outer fluid is greater than one wall unit, k+ > 1 , the drag increases with respect to a smooth wall. Present results provide a guideline to the accuracy required in manufacturing super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces. This work was supported under ONR MURI Grants N00014-12-0875 and N00014-12- 1-0962, Program Manager Dr. Ki-Han Kim. Numerical simulations were performed on the Texas Advanced Computer Center.

  19. Effect of hydrophobic paints coating for tritium reduction in concrete materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edao, Y.; Fukada, S.; Nishimura, Y.; Katayama, K.; Takeishi, T.; Hatano, Y.; Taguchi, A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Effects of hydrophobic paint coating in tritium transport are investigated. ► Two kinds of paints, acrylic-silicon resin and epoxy resin are used. ► The hydrophobic paints are effective to reduce tritium permeation. ► The effect of tritium reduction of epoxy paint is higher than that of silicon. - Abstract: The effects of hydrophobic paint coating on a concrete material of cement paste on the tritium transport are investigated. The cement paste is coated with two kinds of paints, acrylic-silicon resin paint and epoxy resin paint. We investigated the amount of tritium trapped in the samples exposed to tritiated water vapor by means of sorption and release. It was found that both the hydrophobic paints could reduce effectively tritium permeation during 50 days exposure of tritiated water vapor. The effect of tritium reduction of the epoxy paint was higher than that of silicon while the amount of tritium trapped in the epoxy paint was larger than that of silicon due to difference of the structure. Based on an analysis of a diffusion model, the rate-determining step of tritium migration through cement paste coated with the paints is diffusion through the paints respectively. It was found that tritium was easy to penetrate through silicon because there were many pores or voids in the silicon comparatively. In the case of tritium released from the epoxy paint, it is considered that tritium diffusion in epoxy is slow due to retardation by isotope exchange reaction to water included in epoxy paint.

  20. Modification of backgammon shape cathode and graded charge division readout method for a novel triple charge division centroid finding method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Javanmardi, F.; Matoba, M.; Sakae, T.

    1996-01-01

    Triple Charge Division (TCD) centroid finding method that uses modified pattern of Backgammon Shape Cathode (MBSC) is introduced for medium range length position sensitive detectors with optimum numbers of cathode segments. MBSC pattern has three separated areas and uses saw tooth like insulator gaps for separating the areas. Side areas of the MBSC pattern are severed by a central common area. Size of the central area is twice of the size of both sides. Whereas central area is the widest area among three, both sides' areas have the main role in position sensing. With the same resolution and linearity, active region of original Backgammon pattern increases twice by using MBSC pattern, and with the same length, linearity of TCD centroid finding is much better than Backgammon charge division readout method. Linearity prediction of TCD centroid finding and experimental results conducted us to find an optimum truncation of the apices of MBCS pattern in the central area. The TCD centroid finding has an especial readout method since charges must be collected from two segments in both sides and from three segments in the central area of MBSC pattern. The so called Graded Charge Division (GCD) is the especial readout method for TCD. The GCD readout is a combination of the charge division readout and sequence grading of serial segments. Position sensing with TCD centroid finding and GCD readout were done by two sizes MBSC patterns (200mm and 80mm) and Spatial resolution about 1% of the detector length is achieved

  1. Investigations on reducing microbiologically-influenced corrosion of aluminum by using super-hydrophobic surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Tao, E-mail: liutao@shmtu.edu.c [Institute of Marine Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306 (China); Dong Lihua; Liu Tong; Yin Yansheng [Institute of Marine Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306 (China)

    2010-07-15

    Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and scanning electron microscopy were carried out to determine the effect of super-hydrophobic surfaces on the marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens (V. natriegens) adhesion. Four different samples were prepared in order to investigate the anti-biocorrosion mechanism of super-hydrophobic surfaces. Potentiodynamic polarization suggested that the V. natriegens attached on the surface mainly enhanced the reaction kinetics of the anodic reaction and accelerated the dissolution of aluminum. EIS results were interpreted with different equivalent circuits to model the physicoelectric characteristics of the electrode/biofilm/solution interface. The results showed that neither anodization nor chemical modification could decrease the bacterial adhesion and corrosion rate individually. V. natriegens showed only weak attachment to the super-hydrophobic surface, and the biocorrosion mechanism was closely associated with surface energy and surface topography.

  2. Investigations on reducing microbiologically-influenced corrosion of aluminum by using super-hydrophobic surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Tao; Dong Lihua; Liu Tong; Yin Yansheng

    2010-01-01

    Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and scanning electron microscopy were carried out to determine the effect of super-hydrophobic surfaces on the marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens (V. natriegens) adhesion. Four different samples were prepared in order to investigate the anti-biocorrosion mechanism of super-hydrophobic surfaces. Potentiodynamic polarization suggested that the V. natriegens attached on the surface mainly enhanced the reaction kinetics of the anodic reaction and accelerated the dissolution of aluminum. EIS results were interpreted with different equivalent circuits to model the physicoelectric characteristics of the electrode/biofilm/solution interface. The results showed that neither anodization nor chemical modification could decrease the bacterial adhesion and corrosion rate individually. V. natriegens showed only weak attachment to the super-hydrophobic surface, and the biocorrosion mechanism was closely associated with surface energy and surface topography.

  3. Molecular origin of urea driven hydrophobic polymer collapse and unfolding depending on side chain chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayar, Divya; Folberth, Angelina; van der Vegt, Nico F A

    2017-07-19

    Osmolytes affect hydrophobic collapse and protein folding equilibria. The underlying mechanisms are, however, not well understood. We report large-scale conformational sampling of two hydrophobic polymers with secondary and tertiary amide side chains using extensive molecular dynamics simulations. The calculated free energy of unfolding increases with urea for the secondary amide, yet decreases for the tertiary amide, in agreement with experiment. The underlying mechanism is rooted in opposing entropic driving forces: while urea screens the hydrophobic macromolecular interface and drives unfolding of the tertiary amide, urea's concomitant loss in configurational entropy drives collapse of the secondary amide. Only at sufficiently high urea concentrations bivalent urea hydrogen bonding interactions with the secondary amide lead to further stabilisation of its collapsed state. The observations provide a new angle on the interplay between side chain chemistry, urea hydrogen bonding, and the role of urea in attenuating or strengthening the hydrophobic effect.

  4. Organic-Inorganic Hydrophobic Nanocomposite Film with a Core-Shell Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Liu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A method to prepare novel organic-inorganic hydrophobic nanocomposite films was proposed by a site-specific polymerization process. The inorganic part, the core of the nanocomposite, is a ternary SiO2–Al2O3–TiO2 nanoparticles, which is grafted with methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane (KH570, and wrapped by fluoride and siloxane polymers. The synthesized samples are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectrscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD, contact angle meter (CA, and scanning electron microscope (SEM. The results indicate that the novel organic-inorganic hydrophobic nanocomposite with a core-shell structure was synthesized successfully. XRD analysis reveals the nanocomposite film has an amorphous structure, and FTIR analysis indicates the nanoparticles react with a silane coupling agent (methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane KH570. Interestingly, the morphology of the nanoparticle film is influenced by the composition of the core. Further, comparing with the film synthesized by silica nanoparticles, the film formed from SiO2–Al2O3–TiO2 nanoparticles has higher hydrophobic performance, i.e., the contact angle is greater than 101.7°. In addition, the TEM analysis reveals that the crystal structure of the particles can be changed at high temperatures.

  5. Charge collection in silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraner, H.W.; Beuttenmuller, R.; Ludlam, T.; Hanson, A.L.; Jones, K.W.; Radeka, V.; Heijne, E.H.M.

    1982-11-01

    The use of position sensitive silicon detectors as very high resolution tracking devices in high energy physics experiments has been a subject of intense development over the past few years. Typical applications call for the detection of minimum ionizing particles with position measurement accuracy of 10 μm in each detector plane. The most straightforward detector geometry is that in which one of the collecting electrodes is subdivided into closely spaced strips, giving a high degree of segmentation in one coordinate. Each strip may be read out as a separate detection element, or, alternatively, resistive and/or capacitive coupling between adjacent strips may be exploited to interpolate the position via charge division measrurements. With readout techniques that couple several strips, the numer of readout channels can, in principle, be reduced by large factors without sacrificing the intrinsic position accuracy. The testing of individual strip properties and charge division between strips has been carried out with minimum ionizing particles or beams for the most part except in one case which used alphs particless scans. This paper describes the use of a highly collimated MeV proton beam for studies of the position sensing properties of representative one dimensional strip detectors

  6. The effect of desulfation of chondroitin sulfate on interactions with positively charged growth factors and upregulation of cartilaginous markers in encapsulated MSCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jeremy J; Temenoff, Johnna S

    2013-07-01

    Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are known to interact electrostatically with positively charged growth factors to modulate signaling. Therefore, regulating the degree of sulfation of GAGs may be a promising approach to tailor biomaterial carriers for controlled growth factor delivery and release. For this study, chondroitin sulfate (CS) was first desulfated to form chondroitin, and resulting crosslinked CS and chondroitin hydrogels were examined in vitro for release of positively charged model protein (histone) and for their effect on cartilaginous differentiation of encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Desulfation significantly increased the release of histone from chondroitin hydrogels (30.6 ± 2.3 μg released over 8 days, compared to natively sulfated CS with 20.2 ± 0.8 μg), suggesting that sulfation alone plays a significant role in modulating protein interactions with GAG hydrogels. MSCs in chondroitin hydrogels significantly upregulated gene expression of collagen II and aggrecan by day 21 in chondrogenic medium (115 ± 100 and 23.1 ± 7.9 fold upregulation of collagen II and aggrecan, respectively), compared to CS hydrogels and PEG-based swelling controls, indicating that desulfation may actually enhance the response of MSCs to soluble chondrogenic cues, such as TGF-β1. Thus, desulfated chondroitin materials present a promising biomaterial tool to further investigate electrostatic GAG/growth factor interactions, especially for repair of cartilaginous tissues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Designing your boron-charging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, J.

    1979-01-01

    High-pressure positive-displacement pumps used in the boron-charging setups of pressurized-water (PWR) nuclear plants because of their inherently high efficiencies over a wide range of pressures and speeds are described. Hydrogen-saturated water containing 4-12% boric acid is fed to the pump from a volume-control tank under a gas blanket. Complicated piping and the pulsation difficulties associated with reciprocating pumps make hydrogen-saturated boron-charging systems a challenge to the designer. The article describes the unusual hydraulics of the systems to help assure a trouble-free design

  8. Hydrophobic agglomeration of apatite fines induced by sodium oleate in aqueous solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bingqiao Yang

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the hydrophobic agglomeration of apatite fines induced by sodium oleate in aqueous solutions has been investigated through the measurement of agglomeration degree and fractal dimension. The results showed that the agglomeration degree of apatite fines and agglomerates morphology was strongly depended on sodium oleate concentration, pH, stirring speed and time. Better agglomeration degree and more regular agglomerates were achieved at sodium oleate concentration of 5 × 10−5 mol/L under neutral condition. The critical stirring speed for agglomerates rupture was 1000 rev/min, above which, prolonged stirring time would cause breakage and restructure of the agglomerates after a certain stirring time, resulting in lower agglomeration degree and more regular agglomerates. The agglomeration degree of apatite fines could be greatly enhanced with the addition of emulsified kerosene, but only if the apatite surface was hydrophobic enough. Keywords: Hydrophobic agglomeration, Apatite fines, Agglomeration degree, Fractal dimension, Sodium oleate

  9. Enhanced washing durability of hydrophobic coating on cellulose fabric using polycarboxylic acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Wenqi; Xing Yanjun; Yu Yunyi; Shang Songmin; Dai Jinjin

    2011-01-01

    Nine polycarboxylic acids were used to improve washing durability of hydrophobic cellulose fabric finished by sol-gel method. By simultaneous forming ester-bridge between cellulose and silica layer by ester bond, polycarboxylic acids could anchor silica coating onto cellulose fabric to strengthen the adhesion of organic-inorganic hybrid coating. The wettability of treated fabrics was characterized by water contact angle, spray test and hydrostatic pressure test. The results showed that all investigated polycarboxylic acids could improve the durability. The polycarboxylic acid with proper distance between terminal carboxylic acid groups and number of carboxylic acid groups showed the highest durability. 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) led to the best durability of hydrophobic cellulose fabric with water contact angle of 137.6 o (recovery percentage of 94.2%) after 30 washing times. The effect of BTCA on durability was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. This study demonstrated that the surface treatment using polycarboxylic acids and mixed organosilanes is a promising alternative for achieving durable hydrophobic fabrics.

  10. Manufacturing of mushroom-shaped structures and its hydrophobic robustness analysis based on energy minimization approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li; Yang, Xiaonan; Wang, Quandai; Yang, Zhiqiang; Duan, Hui; Lu, Bingheng

    2017-07-01

    The construction of stable hydrophobic surfaces has increasingly gained attention owing to its wide range of potential applications. However, these surfaces may become wet and lose their slip effect owing to insufficient hydrophobic stability. Pillars with a mushroom-shaped tip are believed to enhance hydrophobicity stability. This work presents a facile method of manufacturing mushroom-shaped structures, where, compared with the previously used method, the modulation of the cap thickness, cap diameter, and stem height of the structures is more convenient. The effects of the development time on the cap diameter and overhanging angle are investigated and well-defined mushroom-shaped structures are demonstrated. The effect of the microstructure geometry on the contact state of a droplet is predicted by taking an energy minimization approach and is experimentally validated with nonvolatile ultraviolet-curable polymer with a low surface tension by inspecting the profiles of liquid-vapor interface deformation and tracking the trace of the receding contact line after exposure to ultraviolet light. Theoretical and experimental results show that, compared with regular pillar arrays having a vertical sidewall, the mushroom-like structures can effectively enhance hydrophobic stability. The proposed manufacturing method will be useful for fabricating robust hydrophobic surfaces in a cost-effective and convenient manner.

  11. Model for thickness dependence of radiation charging in MOS structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanathan, C. R.; Maserjian, J.

    1976-01-01

    The model considers charge buildup in MOS structures due to hole trapping in the oxide and the creation of sheet charge at the silicon interface. The contribution of hole trapping causes the flatband voltage to increase with thickness in a manner in which square and cube dependences are limiting cases. Experimental measurements on samples covering a 200 - 1000 A range of oxide thickness are consistent with the model, using independently obtained values of hole-trapping parameters. An important finding of our experimental results is that a negative interface charge contribution due to surface states created during irradiation compensates most of the positive charge in the oxide at flatband. The tendency of the surface states to 'track' the positive charge buildup in the oxide, for all thicknesses, applies both in creation during irradiation and in annihilation during annealing. An explanation is proposed based on the common defect origin of hole traps and potential surface states.

  12. Human Gastric Mucosal Hydrophobicity Does dot Decrease with Helicobacter Pylori Infection or Chronological Age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed S Al-Marhoon

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Infection with cytotoxin-associated gene A (cagA Helicobacter pylori is associated with severe gastric diseases. Previous studies in humans have reported a decreased gastric hydrophobicity with H pylori infection. The aim of the present study was to differentiate between the effect of cagA+ and cagA- strains on gastric mucus hydrophobicity.

  13. Resonance charge exchange processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duman, E.L.; Evseev, A.V.; Eletskij, A.V.; Radtsig, A.A.; Smirnov, B.M.

    1979-01-01

    The calculation results for the resonance charge exchange cross sections for positive and negative atomic and molecular ions are given. The calculations are performed on the basis of the asymptotic theory. The factors affecting the calculation accuracy are analysed. The calculation data for 28 systems are compared with the experiment

  14. PH responsive self-assembly of cucurbit[7]urils and polystyrene-block- polyvinylpyridine micelles for hydrophobic drug delivery

    KAUST Repository

    Moosa, Basem; Mashat, A.; Li, W.; Fhayli, K.; Khashab, Niveen M.

    2013-01-01

    Polystyrene-block-polyvinylpyridine (PS-b-P4VP) polypseudorotaxanes with cucurbit[7]urils (CB[7]) were prepared from water soluble PS-b-P4VPH+ polymer and CB[7] in aqueous solution at room temperature. At acidic and neutral pH, the pyridinium block of PS-b-P4VP is protonated (PS-b-P4VPH +) pushing CB[7] to preferably host the P4VP block. At basic pH (pH 8), P4VP is not charged and thus is not able to strongly complex CB[7]. This phenomenon was verified further by monitoring the release of pyrene, a hydrophobic cargo model, from a PS-b-P4VPH+/CB[7] micellar membrane. Release study of UV active pyrene from the membrane at different pH values revealed that the system is only operational under basic conditions and that the host-guest interaction of CB[7] with P4VPH+ significantly slows down cargo release.

  15. Charge ratio of muons from atmospheric neutrinos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaisser, T.K.; Stanev, Todor

    2003-05-22

    We calculate the intensities and angular distributions of positive and negative muons produced by atmospheric neutrinos. We comment on some sources of uncertainty in the charge ratio. We also draw attention to a potentially interesting signature of neutrino oscillations in the muon charge ratio, and we discuss the prospects for its observation (which are not quite within the reach of currently planned magnetized detectors)

  16. Positively charged gold nanoparticles capped with folate quaternary chitosan: Synthesis, cytotoxicity, and uptake by cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yen, Hui-Ju; Young, Yen-An; Tsai, Tsung-Neng; Cheng, Kuang-Ming; Chen, Xin-An; Chen, Ying-Chuan; Chen, Cheng-Cheung; Young, Jenn-Jong; Hong, Po-da

    2018-03-01

    In this study, we synthesized various quaternary chitosan derivatives and used them to stabilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). These chitosan derivatives comprised N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), folate-HTCC, galactosyl-HTCC, and their fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated derivatives. Various positively surface-charged AuNPs were prepared under alkaline conditions using glucose as a reducing agent in the presence of the HTCC derivatives (HTCCs). The effects of the concentration of NaOH, glucose, and HTCCs on the particles size, zeta potential, and stability were studied in detail. Cell cycle assays verify that none of the HTCCs or HTCCs-AuNPs was cytotoxic to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the folate HTCC-AuNPs were internalized in Caco-2, HepG2, and HeLa cancer cells to a significantly greater extent than AuNPs without folate. But, galactosyl HTCC-AuNPs only showed high cell uptake by HepG2 cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Net charge fluctuations and local charge compensation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Jinghua

    2006-01-01

    We propose net charge fluctuation as a measure of local charge correlation length. It is demonstrated that, in terms of a schematic multiperipheral model, net charge fluctuation satisfies the same Quigg-Thomas relation as satisfied by charge transfer fluctuation. Net charge fluctuations measured in finite rapidity windows depend on both the local charge correlation length and the size of the observation window. When the observation window is larger than the local charge correlation length, the net charge fluctuation only depends on the local charge correlation length, while forward-backward charge fluctuations always have strong dependence on the observation window size. Net charge fluctuations and forward-backward charge fluctuations measured in the present heavy ion experiments show characteristic features similar to those from multiperipheral models. But the data cannot all be understood within this simple model

  18. Recovery of infective virus particles in ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction monolith chromatography is influenced by particle charge and total-to-infective particle ratio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sviben, Dora; Forcic, Dubravko; Ivancic-Jelecki, Jelena; Halassy, Beata; Brgles, Marija

    2017-06-01

    Viral particles are used in medical applications as vaccines or gene therapy vectors. In order to obtain product of high purity, potency and safety for medical use purification of virus particles is a prerequisite, and chromatography is gaining increased attention to meet this aim. Here, we report on the use of ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography on monolithic columns for purification of mumps virus (MuV) and measles virus (MeV). Efficiency of the process was monitored by quantification of infective virus particles (by 50% cell culture infective dose assay) and total virus particles, and monitoring of their size (by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis). Ion-exchange chromatography was shown to be inefficient for MuV and best results for MeV were obtained on QA column with recovery around 17%. Purification of MuV and MeV by hydrophobic interaction chromatography resulted in recoveries around 60%. Results showed that columns with small channels (d=1.4μm) are not suitable for MuV and MeV, although their size is below 400nm, whereas columns with large channels (6μm) showed to be efficient and recoveries independent on the flow rate up to 10mL/min. Heterogeneity of the virus suspension and its interday variability mostly regarding total-to-infective particle ratio was observed. Interestingly, a trend in recovery depending on the day of the harvest was also observed for both viruses, and it correlated with the total-to-infective particle ratio, indicating influence of the virus sample composition on the chromatography results. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Dynamical charge fluctuation at FAIR energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, Somnath; Mukhopadhyay, Amitabha

    2015-01-01

    The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment to be held at the Facility for antiproton and ion research (FAIR) is being designed to investigate the baryonic matter under extreme thermodynamic conditions. The hot and dense matter produced in this experiment will be rich in baryon number. It would be worthwhile to examine how the signatures proposed for identifying and characterizing a baryon free QGP like state behave in a baryon rich environment. Event-by-event fluctuation of net electrical charge and/or baryon number is one such indicator of the formation of the QGP, used and tested in RHIC and LHC heavy-ion experiments. One starts by defining the net charge Q = (N + - N - ) and the total charge N ch = (N + + N - ) where the quantities N + and N - are respectively, the multiplicities of positively and negatively charged particles

  20. Super-Hydrophobic/Icephobic Coatings Based on Silica Nanoparticles Modified by Self-Assembled Monolayers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junpeng Liu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A super-hydrophobic surface has been obtained from nanocomposite materials based on silica nanoparticles and self-assembled monolayers of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS using spin coating and chemical vapor deposition methods. Scanning electron microscope images reveal the porous structure of the silica nanoparticles, which can trap small-scale air pockets. An average water contact angle of 163° and bouncing off of incoming water droplets suggest that a super-hydrophobic surface has been obtained based on the silica nanoparticles and POTS coating. The monitored water droplet icing test results show that icing is significantly delayed by silica-based nano-coatings compared with bare substrates and commercial icephobic products. Ice adhesion test results show that the ice adhesion strength is reduced remarkably by silica-based nano-coatings. The bouncing phenomenon of water droplets, the icing delay performance and the lower ice adhesion strength suggest that the super-hydrophobic coatings based on a combination of silica and POTS also show icephobicity. An erosion test rig based on pressurized pneumatic water impinging impact was used to evaluate the durability of the super-hydrophobic/icephobic coatings. The results show that durable coatings have been obtained, although improvement will be needed in future work aiming for applications in aerospace.