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    Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Grown on Cellulose/GO Hydrogels as Advanced Catalytic Materials for the Heterogeneous Fenton-like Reaction
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publications, 2019) Chen, Yian; Pötschke, Petra; Pionteck, Jürgen; Voit, Brigitte; Qi, Haisong
    Cellulose/graphene oxide (GO)/iron oxide (Fe3O4) composites were prepared by coprecipitating iron salts onto cellulose/GO hydrogels in a basic solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared, and X-ray diffraction characterization showed that Fe3O4 was successfully coated on GO sheets and cellulose. Cellulose/GO/Fe3O4 composites showed excellent catalytic activity by maintaining almost 98% of the removal of acid orange 7 (AO7) and showed stability over 20 consecutive cycles. This performance is attributable to the synergistic effect of Fe3O4 and GO during the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction. Especially, the cellulose/GO/Fe3O4 composites preserve their activity by keeping the ratio of Fe3+/Fe2+ at 2 even after 20 catalysis cycles, which is supported by XPS analysis.
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    Squalenyl Hydrogen Sulfate Nanoparticles for Simultaneous Delivery of Tobramycin and an Alkylquinolone Quorum Sensing Inhibitor Enable the Eradication of P. aeruginosa Biofilm Infections
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2020) Ho, D.-K.; Murgia, X.; De Rossi, C.; Christmann, R.; Hüfner de Mello Martins, A.G.; Koch, M.; Andreas, A.; Herrmann, J.; Müller, R.; Empting, M.; Hartmann, R.W.; Desmaele, D.; Loretz, B.; Couvreur, P.; Lehr, C.-M.
    Elimination of pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections is challenging to accomplish with antibiotic therapies, mainly due to resistance mechanisms. Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) interfering with biofilm formation can thus complement antibiotics. For simultaneous and improved delivery of both active agents to the infection sites, self-assembling nanoparticles of a newly synthesized squalenyl hydrogen sulfate (SqNPs) were prepared. These nanocarriers allowed for remarkably high loading capacities of hydrophilic antibiotic tobramycin (Tob) and a novel lipophilic QSI at 30 % and circa 10 %, respectively. The drug-loaded SqNPs showed improved biofilm penetration and enhanced efficacy in relevant biological barriers (mucin/human tracheal mucus, biofilm), leading to complete eradication of PA biofilms at circa 16-fold lower Tob concentration than Tob alone. This study offers a viable therapy optimization and invigorates the research and development of QSIs for clinical use.
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    2D/3D Metallic Nano-objects Self-Organized in an Organic Molecular Thin Film
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publications, 2020) Molodtsova, Olga V.; Aristova, Irina M.; Potorochin, Dmitrii V.; Babenkov, Sergey V.; Khodos, Igor I.; Molodtsov, Serguei L.; Makarova, Anna A.; Smirnov, Dmitry A.; Aristov, Victor Yu.
    We present the fabrication and investigation of the properties of nanocomposite structures consisting of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) metallic nano-objects self-organized on the surface and inside of organic molecular thin-film copper tetrafluorophthalocyanine (CuPcF4). Metallic atoms, deposited under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions onto the organic ultrathin film, diffuse along the surface and self-assemble into a system of 2D metallic overlayers. At the same time, the majority of the metal atoms diffuse into the organic matrix and self-organize into 3D nanoparticles (NPs) in a well-defined manner. The evolution of the morphology and electronic properties of such structures as a function of nominal metal content is studied under UHV conditions using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) techniques. Using HR-TEM, we have observed the periodicity of atomic planes of individual silver NPs. The steady formation of agglomerates from individual single nanocrystallites with intercrystallite boundaries is observed as well. PES reveals generally weak chemical interactions between silver and the organic matrix and n-doping of CuPcF4 at the initial stages of silver deposition, which is associated with charge transfer from the 2D wetting layer on the basis of core-level spectra shift analysis. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.
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    Degradation Behavior of Silk Nanoparticles - Enzyme Responsiveness
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publ., 2018) Wongpinyochit, Thidarat; Johnston, Blair F.; Seib, F. Philipp
    Silk nanoparticles are viewed as promising vectors for intracellular drug delivery as they can be taken up into cells by endocytosis and trafficked to lysosomes, where lysosomal enzymes and the low pH trigger payload release. However, the subsequent degradation of the silk nanoparticles themselves still requires study. Here, we report the responsiveness of native and PEGylated silk nanoparticles to degradation following exposure to proteolytic enzymes (protease XIV and α-chymotrypsin) and papain, a cysteine protease. Both native and PEGylated silk nanoparticles showed similar degradation behavior over a 20 day exposure period (degradation rate: protease XIV > papain ≫ α-chymotrypsin). Within 1 day, the silk nanoparticles were rapidly degraded by protease XIV, resulting in a ∼50% mass loss, an increase in particle size, and a reduction in the amorphous content of the silk secondary structure. By contrast, 10 days of papain treatment was necessary to observe any significant change in nanoparticle properties, and α-chymotrypsin treatment had no effect on silk nanoparticle characteristics over the 20-day study period. Silk nanoparticles were also exposed ex vivo to mammalian lysosomal enzyme preparations to mimic the complex lysosomal microenvironment. Preliminary results indicated a 45% reduction in the silk nanoparticle size over a 5-day exposure. Overall, the results demonstrate that silk nanoparticles undergo enzymatic degradation, but the extent and kinetics are enzyme-specific.
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    High-Performance, Lightweight, and Flexible Thermoplastic Polyurethane Nanocomposites with Zn2+-Substituted CoFe2O4 Nanoparticles and Reduced Graphene Oxide as Shielding Materials against Electromagnetic Pollution
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publications, 2021-10-11) Anju; Yadav, Raghvendra Singh; Pötschke, Petra; Pionteck, Jürgen; Krause, Beate; Kuřitka, Ivo; Vilcakova, Jarmila; Skoda, David; Urbánek, Pavel; Machovsky, Michal; Masař, Milan; Urbánek, Michal; Jurca, Marek; Kalina, Lukas; Havlica, Jaromir
    The development of flexible, lightweight, and thin high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding materials is urgently needed for the protection of humans, the environment, and electronic devices against electromagnetic radiation. To achieve this, the spinel ferrite nanoparticles CoFe2O4 (CZ1), Co0.67Zn0.33Fe2O4 (CZ2), and Co0.33Zn0.67Fe2O4 (CZ3) were prepared by the sonochemical synthesis method. Further, these prepared spinel ferrite nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were embedded in a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix. The maximum electromagnetic interference (EMI) total shielding effectiveness (SET) values in the frequency range 8.2-12.4 GHz of these nanocomposites with a thickness of only 0.8 mm were 48.3, 61.8, and 67.8 dB for CZ1-rGO-TPU, CZ2-rGO-TPU, and CZ3-rGO-TPU, respectively. The high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding characteristics of the CZ3-rGO-TPU nanocomposite stem from dipole and interfacial polarization, conduction loss, multiple scattering, eddy current effect, natural resonance, high attenuation constant, and impedance matching. The optimized CZ3-rGO-TPU nanocomposite can be a potential candidate as a lightweight, flexible, thin, and high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding material.
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    Selective hydrogenation of fluorinated arenes using rhodium nanoparticles on molecularly modified silica
    (London : RSC Publ., 2020) Kacem, Souha; Emondts, Meike; Bordet, Alexis; Leitner, Walter
    The production of fluorinated cyclohexane derivatives is accomplished through the selective hydrogenation of readily available fluorinated arenes using Rh nanoparticles on molecularly modified silica supports (Rh@Si-R) as highly effective and recyclable catalysts. The catalyst preparation comprises grafting non-polar molecular entities on the SiO2 surface generating a hydrophobic environment for controlled deposition of well-defined rhodium particles from a simple organometallic precursor. A broad range of fluorinated cyclohexane derivatives was shown to be accessible with excellent efficacy (0.05-0.5 mol% Rh, 10-55 bar H2, 80-100 °C, 1-2 h), including industrially relevant building blocks. Addition of CaO as scavenger for trace amounts of HF greatly improves the recyclability of the catalytic system and prevents the risks associated to the presence of HF, without compromising the activity and selectivity of the reaction. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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    Improving the zT value of thermoelectrics by nanostructuring: Tuning the nanoparticle morphology of Sb2Te3 by using ionic liquids
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016) Schaumann, Julian; Loor, Manuel; Ünal, Derya; Mudring, Anja; Heimann, Stefan; Hagemann, Ulrich; Schulz, Stephan; Maculewicz, Franziska; Schierning, Gabi
    A systematic study on the microwave-assisted thermolysis of the single source precursor (Et2Sb)2Te (1) in different asymmetric 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium- and symmetric 1,3-dialkylimidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) reveals the distinctive role of both the anion and the cation in tuning the morphology and microstructure of the resulting Sb2Te3 nanoparticles as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A comparison of the electrical and thermal conductivities as well as the Seebeck coefficient of the Sb2Te3 nanoparticles obtained from different ILs reveals the strong influence of the specific IL, from which C4mimI was identified as the best solvent, on the thermoelectric properties of as-prepared nanosized Sb2Te3. This work provides design guidelines for ILs, which allow the synthesis of nanostructured thermoelectrics with improved performances.
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    Magnetic superexchange interactions: Trinuclear bis(oxamidato) versus bis(oxamato) type complexes
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Abdulmalic, Mohammad A.; Aliabadi, Azar; Petr, Andreas; Krupskaya, Yulia; Kataev, Vladislav; Büchner, Bernd; Zaripov, Ruslan; Vavilova, Evgeniya; Voronkova, Violeta; Salikov, Kev; Hahn, Torsten; Kortus, Jens; Meva, Francois Eya’ane; Schaarschmidt, Dieter; Rüffer, Tobias
    The diethyl ester of o-phenylenebis(oxamic acid) (opbaH2Et2) was treated with an excess of RNH2 in MeOH to cause the exclusive formation of the respective o-phenylenebis(N(R)-oxamides) (opboH4R2, R = Me 1, Et 2, nPr 3) in good yields. Treatment of 1–3 with half an equivalent of [Cu2(AcO)4(H2O)2] or one equivalent of [Ni(AcO)2(H2O)4] followed by the addition of four equivalents of [nBu4N]OH resulted in the formation of mononuclear bis(oxamidato) type complexes [nBu4N]2[M(opboR2)] (M = Ni, R = Me 4, Et 5, nPr 6; M = Cu, R = Me 7, Et 8, nPr 9). By addition of two equivalents of [Cu(pmdta)(NO3)2] to MeCN solutions of 7–9, novel trinuclear complexes [Cu3(opboR2)(L)2](NO3)2 (L = pmdta, R = Me 10, Et 11, nPr 12) could be obtained. Compounds 4–12 have been characterized by elemental analysis and NMR/IR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the solid state structures of 4–10 and 12 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. By controlled cocrystallization, diamagnetically diluted 8 and 9 (1%) in the host lattice of 5 and 6 (99%) (8@5 and 9@6), respectively, in the form of single crystals have been made available, allowing single crystal ESR studies to extract all components of the g-factor and the tensors of onsite CuA and transferred NA hyperfine (HF) interaction. From these studies, the spin density distribution of the [Cu(opboEt2)]2− and [Cu(opbonPr2)]2− complex fragments of 8 and 9, respectively, could be determined. Additionally, as a single crystal ENDOR measurement of 8@5 revealed the individual HF tensors of the N donor atoms to be unequal, individual estimates of the spin densities on each N donor atom were made. The magnetic properties of 10–12 were studied by susceptibility measurements versus temperature to give J values varying from −96 cm−1 (10) over −104 cm−1 (11) to −132 cm−1 (12). These three trinuclear CuII-containing bis(oxamidato) type complexes exhibit J values which are comparable to and slightly larger in magnitude than those of related bis(oxamato) type complexes. In a summarizing discussion involving experimentally obtained ESR results (spin density distribution) of 8 and 9, the geometries of the terminal [Cu(pmdta)]2+ fragments of 12 determined by crystallographic studies, together with accompanying quantum chemical calculations, an approach is derived to explain these phenomena and to conclude if the spin density distribution of mononuclear bis(oxamato)/bis(oxamidato) type complexes could be a measure of the J couplings of corresponding trinuclear complexes.
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    On the Resistances of a Slurry Electrode Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Percin, Korcan; van der Zee, Bart; Wessling, Matthias
    We studied the half-cell performance of a slurry-based vanadium redox flow battery via the polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. First, the conductive static mixers are examined and lower ohmic and diffusion resistances are shown. Further analyses of the slurry electrodes for the catholyte (VO2+−VO2 +) and anolyte (V3+−V2+) are presented for the graphite powder slurry containing up to 15.0 wt.% particle content. Overall, the anolyte persists as the more resistive half-cell, while ohmic and diffusion-related limitations are the dominating resistances for both electrolytes. The battery is further improved by the addition of Ketjen black nanoparticles, which results in lower cell resistances. The best results are achieved when 0.5 wt.% Ketjen black nanoparticles are dispersed with graphite powder since the addition of nanoparticles reduces ohmic, charge transfer and mass diffusion resistances by improving particle-particle dynamics. The results prove the importance of understanding resistances in a slurry electrode system. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
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    Methods to characterize the dispersability of carbon nanotubes and their length distribution
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2012) Krause, Beate; Mende, Mandy; Petzold, Gudrun; Boldt, Regine; Pötschke, Petra
    Two main properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) materials are discussed in this contribution. First, a method to characterize the dispersability of CNT materials in aqueous surfactant solutions in presented, which also allows conclusions towards the dispersability in other media, like polymer melts. On the other hand it is shown, how the length of CNTs before and after processing, e.g., after melt mixing with thermoplastics, can be quantified. Both methods are illustrated with examples and the practical relevance is shown. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.