| 1. |
- Abrahamsson, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Formation of Monolithic Ion-Selective Transport Media Based on "Click" Cross-Linked Hyperbranched Polyglycerol.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in chemistry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the emerging field of organic bioelectronics, conducting polymers and ion-selective membranes are combined to form resistors, diodes, transistors, and circuits that transport and process both electronic and ionic signals. Such bioelectronics concepts have been explored in delivery devices that translate electronic addressing signals into the transport and dispensing of small charged biomolecules at high specificity and spatiotemporal resolution. Manufacturing such "iontronic" devices generally involves classical thin film processing of polyelectrolyte layers and insulators followed by application of electrolytes. This approach makes miniaturization and integration difficult, simply because the ion selective polyelectrolytes swell after completing the manufacturing. To advance such bioelectronics/iontronics and to enable applications where relatively larger molecules can be delivered, it is important to develop a versatile material system in which the charge/size selectivity can be easily tailormade at the same time enabling easy manufacturing of complex and miniaturized structures. Here, we report a one-pot synthesis approach with minimal amount of organic solvent to achieve cationic hyperbranched polyglycerol films for iontronics applications. The hyperbranched structure allows for tunable pre multi-functionalization, which combines available unsaturated groups used in crosslinking along with ionic groups for electrolytic properties, to achieve a one-step process when applied in devices for monolithic membrane gel formation with selective electrophoretic transport of molecules.
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| 2. |
- Boschloo, Gerrit
(författare)
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Improving the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dye-sensitized solar cells have been investigated intensively during the last three decades. Nevertheless, there are still many aspects to be explored to further improve their performance. Dye molecules can be modified endlessly for better performance. For instance, steric groups can be introduced to slow down recombination reactions and avoid unfavorable aggregation. There is a need for more optimal dye packing on the mesoporous TiO2 surface to increase light absorption and promote a better blocking effect. Novel redox mediators and HTMs are key elements to reach higher performing DSC as they can offer much higher output voltage than the traditional triiodide/iodide redox couple.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Czibula, Caterina, et al.
(författare)
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Design of Friction, Morphology, Wetting, and Protein Affinity by Cellulose Blend Thin Film Composition
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7:MAY
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellulose derivate phase separation in thin films was applied to generate patterned films with distinct surface morphology. Patterned polymer thin films are utilized in electronics, optics, and biotechnology but films based on bio-polymers are scarce. Film formation, roughness, wetting, and patterning are often investigated when it comes to characterization of the films. Frictional properties, on the other hand, have not been studied extensively. We extend the fundamental understanding of spin coated complex cellulose blend films via revealing their surface friction using Friction Force Microscopy (FFM). Two cellulose derivatives were transformed into two-phase blend films with one phase comprising trimethyl silyl cellulose (TMSC) regenerated to cellulose with hydroxyl groups exposed to the film surface. Adjusting the volume fraction of the spin coating solution resulted in variation of the surface fraction with the other, hydroxypropylcellulose stearate (FIPCE) phase. The film morphology confirmed lateral and vertical separation and was translated into effective surface fraction. Phase separation as well as regeneration contributed to the surface morphology resulting in roughness variation of the blend films from 1.1 to 19.8nm depending on the film composition. Friction analysis was successfully established, and then revealed that the friction coefficient of the films could be tuned and the blend films exhibited lowered friction force coefficient compared to the single-component films. Protein affinity of the films was investigated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and depended mainly on the surface free energy (SFE) while no direct correlation with roughness or friction was found. BSA adsorption on film formed with 1:1 spinning solution volume ratio was an outlier and exhibited unexpected minimum in adsorption.
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| 5. |
- Das, Biswanath, et al.
(författare)
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Di- and tetrairon(III) μ-oxido complexes of an N3S-donor ligand : Catalyst precursors for alkene oxidations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7:MAR
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The new di- and tetranuclear Fe(III) μ-oxido complexes [Fe 4 (μ-O) 4 (PTEBIA) 4 ](CF 3 SO 3 ) 4 (CH 3 CN) 2 ] (1a), [Fe 2 (μ-O)Cl 2 (PTEBIA) 2 ](CF 3 SO 3 ) 2 (1b), and [Fe 2 (μ-O)(HCOO) 2 (PTEBIA) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 (MeOH) (2) were prepared from the sulfur-containing ligand (2-((2,4-dimethylphenyl)thio)-N,N-bis ((1-methyl-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl)ethanamine (PTEBIA). The tetrairon complex 1a features four μ-oxido bridges, while in dinuclear 1b, the sulfur moiety of the ligand occupies one of the six coordination sites of each Fe(III) ion with a long Fe-S distance of 2.814(6) Å. In 2, two Fe(III) centers are bridged by one oxido and two formate units, the latter likely formed by methanol oxidation. Complexes 1a and 1b show broad sulfur-to-iron charge transfer bands around 400-430 nm at room temperature, consistent with mononuclear structures featuring Fe-S interactions. In contrast, acetonitrile solutions of 2 display a sulfur-to-iron charge transfer band only at low temperature (228 K) upon addition of H 2 O 2 /CH 3 COOH, with an absorption maximum at 410 nm. Homogeneous oxidative catalytic activity was observed for 1a and 1b using H 2 O 2 as oxidant, but with low product selectivity. High valent iron-oxo intermediates could not be detected by UV-vis spectroscopy or ESI mass spectrometry. Rather, evidence suggest preferential ligand oxidation, in line with the relatively low selectivity and catalytic activity observed in the reactions.
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| 6. |
- Emilsson, Gustav, et al.
(författare)
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Nanoplasmonic Sensor Detects Preferential Binding of IRSp53 to Negative Membrane Curvature
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7:FEB
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biosensors based on plasmonic nanostructures are widely used in various applications and benefit from numerous operational advantages. One type of application where nanostructured sensors provide unique value in comparison with, for instance, conventional surface plasmon resonance, is investigations of the influence of nanoscale geometry on biomolecular binding events. In this study, we show that plasmonic "nanowells" conformally coated with a continuous lipid bilayer can be used to detect the preferential binding of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase substrate protein (IRSp53) I-BAR domain to regions of negative surface curvature, i.e., the interior of the nanowells. Two different sensor architectures with and without an additional niobium oxide layer are compared for this purpose. In both cases, curvature preferential binding of IRSp53 (at around 0.025 nm(-1) and higher) can be detected qualitatively. The high refractive index niobium oxide influences the near field distribution and makes the signature for bilayer formation less clear, but the contrast for accumulation at regions of negative curvature is slightly higher. This work shows the first example of analyzing preferential binding of an average-sized and biologically important protein to negative membrane curvature in a label-free manner and in real-time, illustrating a unique application for nanoplasmonic sensors.
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| 7. |
- Hua, Jing, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Non-corrosive Green Lubricant With Dissolved Lignin in Ionic Liquids Behave as Ideal Lubricants for Steel-DLC Applications
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diamond-like carbon (DLC)–steel contacts become more and more popular in the industry now. Since the surface chemical properties of DLC are quite different from those of iron, traditional formulated lubricants have problems to form tribo-chemical films, which are effective to improve the tribological performance for steel-steel contacts, on the surface of DLC. Thus, new lubricants formulation strategies are needed to be considered for steel-DLC applications. A kind of green lubricant (lignin-[Choline][L-Proline] (L-[CH][Pro])) without any traditional tribo-chemical active element, i.e., free of P, S, B, etc., was studied in this paper for the steel-DLC contact. To find the difference between this new ILs and the traditional lubricants, a commercially available fully formulated lubricant was used as a reference. An Optimol SRV-III oscillating friction and wear tester was used to evaluate the tribological performance. Three different kinds of commercially available DLC coatings (Tribobond 40(Cr + a-C:H:W), Tribobond 43 [(Cr+) a-C:H), and Tribobond 44(a-C:Cr)] were investigated. The results show that the ILs exhibit an obviously lower friction coefficient than that of the traditional commercially available fully formulated lubricant. Among those three DLC coatings, the (Cr+) a-C:H DLC coating exhibits the biggest improvement of wear resistance lubricated with the new ILs than that of the commercially available fully formulated lubricant. It's expected that its excellent tribological properties are attributed to the affinity of the ILs to the metal surface and the strength of the ionic liquids interactions by hydrogen bonding. Thus, forming strong physical adsorption strategy, instead of forming chemical tribo-films, is recommended to enhance the lubricating performance of lubricants for DLC.
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| 8. |
- Kim, Byung-Hyun, et al.
(författare)
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Multiscale Modeling of Agglomerated Ceria Nanoparticles : Interface Stability and Oxygen Vacancy Formation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interface formation and its effect on redox processes in agglomerated ceria nanoparticles (NPs) have been investigated using a multiscale simulation approach with standard density functional theory (DFT), the self-consistent-charge density functional tight binding (SCC-DFTB) method, and a DFT-parameterized reactive force-field (ReaxFF). In particular, we have modeled Ce40O80 NP pairs, using SCC-DFTB and DFT, and longer chains and networks formed by Ce40O80 or Ce132O264 NPs, using ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the most stable {111}/{111} interface structure is coherent whereas the stable {100}/{100} structures can be either coherent or incoherent. The formation of {111}/{111} interfaces is found to have only a very small effect on the oxygen vacancy formation energy, E-vac. The opposite holds true for {100}/{100} interfaces, which exhibit significantly lower E-vac values than the bare surfaces, despite the fact that the interface formation eliminates reactive {100} facets. Our results pave the way for an increased understanding of ceria NP agglomeration.
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| 9. |
- Loffler, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Conjugated Oligo- and Polymers for Bacterial Sensing
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast and accurate detection of bacteria and differentiation between pathogenic and commensal colonization are important keys in preventing the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance toward antibiotics. As bacteria undergo major lifestyle changes during colonization, bacterial sensing needs to be achieved on different levels. In this review, we describe how conjugated oligo- and polymers are used to detect bacterial colonization. We summarize how oligothiophene derivatives have been tailor-made for detection of biopolymers produced by a wide range of bacteria upon entering the biofilm lifestyle. We further describe how these findings are translated into diagnostic approaches for biofilm-related infections. Collectively, this provides an overview on how synthetic biorecognition elements can be used to produce fast and easy diagnostic tools and new methods for infection control.
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| 10. |
- Mantz, Amy, et al.
(författare)
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Free Polyethylenimine Enhances Substrate-Mediated Gene Delivery on Titanium Substrates Modified With RGD-Functionalized Poly(acrylic acid) Brushes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-2646. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Substrate mediated gene delivery (SMD) is a method of immobilizing DNA complexes to a substrate via covalent attachment or nonspecific adsorption, which allows for increased transgene expression with less DNA compared to traditional bolus delivery. It may also increase cells receptivity to transfection via cell-material interactions. Substrate modifications with poly(acrylic) acid (PM) brushes may improve SMD by enhancing substrate interactions with DNA complexes via tailored surface chemistry and increasing cellular adhesion via moieties covalently bound to the brushes. Previously, we described a simple method to graft PM brushes to Ti and further demonstrated conjugation of cell adhesion peptides (i.e., RGD) to the PM brushes to improve biocompatibility. The objective of this work was to investigate the ability of Ti substrates modified with PM-RGD brushes (PM-RGD) to immobilize complexes composed of branched polyethyleneimine and DNA plasmids (bPEI-DNA) and support SMD in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. Transfection in NIH/3T3 cells cultured on bPEI-DNA complexes immobilized onto PM-RGD substrates was measured and compared to transfection in cells cultured on control surfaces with immobilized complexes including Flat Ti, PM brushes modified with a control peptide (RGE), and unmodified PM. Transfection was two-fold higher in cells cultured on PM-RGD compared to those cultured on all control substrates. While DNA immobilization measured with radiolabeled DNA indicated that all substrates (PM-RGD, unmodified PM, Flat Ti) contained nearly equivalent amounts of loaded DNA, ellipsometric measurements showed that more total mass (i.e., DNA and bPEI, both complexed and free) was immobilized to PM and PM-RGD compared to Flat Ti. The increase in adsorbed mass may be attributed to free bPEI, which has been shown to improve transfection. Further transfection investigations showed that removing free bPEI from the immobilized complexes decreased SMD transfection and negated any differences in transfection success between cells cultured on PM-RGD and on control substrates, suggesting that free bPEI may be beneficial for SMD in cells cultured on bPEI-DNA complexes immobilized on PM-RGD grafted to Ti. This work demonstrates that substrate modification with PM-RGD is a feasible method to enhance SMD outcomes on Ti and may be used for future applications such as tissue engineering, gene therapy, and diagnostics.
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