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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Transition from homogeneous Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers to striped bilayers driven by a wetting instability in octadecylsiloxane monolayers.

We show that two dips of an oxidized silicon substrate through a prepolymerized n-octadecylsiloxane monolayer at an air-water interface in a rapid succession produces periodic, linear striped patterns in film morphology extending over macroscopic area of the substrate surface. Langmuir monolayers of n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane were prepared at the surface of an acidic subphase (pH 2) maintained at room temperature (22 +/- 2 degrees C) under relative humidities of 50-70%. The substrate was first withdrawn at a high dipping rate from the quiescent aqueous subphase (upstroke) maintained at several surface pressures corresponding to a condensed monolayer state and lowered soon after at the same rate into the monolayer covered subphase (downstroke). The film structure and morphology were characterized using a combination of optical microscopy, imaging ellipsometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. An extended striped pattern, perpendicular to the pushing direction of the second stroke, resulted for all surface pressures when the dipping rate exceeded a threshold value of 40 mm min(-1). Below this threshold value, uniform deposition characterizing formation of a bimolecular film was obtained. Under conditions that favored striped deposition during the downstroke through the monolayer-covered interface, we observed a periodic auto-oscillatory behavior of the meniscus. The stripes appear to be formed by a highly correlated reorganization and/or exchange of the first monolayer, mediated by the Langmuir monolayer at the air-water interface. This mechanism appears distinctly different from nanometer scale stripes observed recently in single transfers of phospholipid monolayers maintained near a phase boundary. The stripes further exhibit wettability patterns useful for spatially selective functionalization, as demonstrated by directed adsorptions of an organic dye (fluorescein) and an oil (hexadecane).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Maskless fabrication of polythiophene patterns by photochemical conversion of regioselectively condensed 2,5-diiodothiophene.

Maskless fabrication of periodic patterns of a conjugated polymer is achieved by regioselective condensation of 2,5-diiodothiophene on chemically patterned substrate surfaces followed by in situ photochemical conversion of the condensed molecules into oligothiophenes and polythiophenes. This approach utilizes preferential aggregation of monomer molecules on the substrate that is periodically patterned with wetting regions surrounded by nonwetting regions. Since the monomer molecules are confined in the specific regions on the substrate, the polymer patterns can be produced at those locations by blanket irradiation of UV light without mask. The effects of wettability contrast and the dimension of periodicity are important factors for good pattern recognition during the monomer deposition.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Diverse access to artificial superhydrophobic surfaces using block copolymers.

The creation of an artificial superhydrophobic surface with micro- and nanostructures has been demonstrated using a block copolymer micelle solution and silica nanoparticles. The unique technique of a nanoparticle-supported micelle stabilization together with changes in the solvent power guarantees the precise morphology control of certain block copolymer-mediated surfaces. The approaches presented here provide a new strategy for the fabrication of a wettability-controlled organic-inorganic hybrid or organic coatings.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Surface hydration and its effect on fluorinated SAM formation on SiO2 surfaces.

Substrate hydration is demonstrated to be crucial to film quality during self-assembled (SA) film deposition of tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2,-tetrahydrooctyltrichlorosilane (FOTS) from the vapor phase. The surface hydration was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, and a model was developed to predict the conditions necessary to desorb all of the water adsorbed on a fused silica surface without significantly altering the concentration of the surface hydroxyl groups. The nature of the SA film was investigated as a function of the degree of rehydration of the dehydrated silica surface. The wettability and microstructure of the SA films were examined by water contact angle, ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. There is an optimum degree of substrate hydration, on the order of 1-1.2 monolayers of adsorbed water, required to produce a dense, durable and uniform FOTS film with high water repellency and a smooth surface.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Photophysical effects between spirobenzopyran-methyl methacrylate-functionalized colloidal particles.

Colloidal particles were derivatized with end-grafted polymethylmethacrylate polymer brushes containing varying concentrations of spirobenzopyran photochromic molecules. The polymers were grown from initiator-functionalized silica particles by an atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These core-shell colloids formed stable suspensions in toluene with the spirobenzopyran in its closed, nonpolar form. However, UV-induced photoswitching of the photochrome to its open, polar merocyanine isomer caused rapid aggregation. The nature of this colloidal stability transition was examined with respect to the spirobenzopyran content in the polymeric brush and solvent polarity. Turbidimetry, wettability studies, UV-vis spectroscopy, suspension rheology, SEM, and visual inspection were utilized to characterize the system photoswitchability. It was found that the system exhibiting the greatest transition in toluene was the copolymer brush composed of 20% spirobenzopyran and 80% methyl methacrylate.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of contact angle hysteresis on a patterned solid/air composite surface.

We have studied two types of topological substrates--the continuous solid substrates (CSS) and the discontinuous solid substrates (DSS)--by using the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method for a better understanding of the contact angle hysteresis on two such substrates. After the validation of DPD in the system, we found that DSS has a different distribution of the metastable states from that of CSS and that DSS has relatively larger contact angle hysteresis at lower temperature. Obtained results also show that CSS is more suitable for making an ultrahydrophobic or ultralyophobic surface than DSS from the point of view of dynamic wettability.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Nanoengineered multiscale hierarchical structures with tailored wetting properties.

A simple method for fabricating micro/nanoscale hierarchical structures is presented using a two-step temperature-directed capillary molding technique. This lithographic method involves a sequential application of the molding process in which a uniform polymer-coated surface is molded with a patterned mold by means of capillary force above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Various microstructures and nanostructures were fabricated with minimum resolution down to approximately 50 nm with good reproducibility. Also contact angle measurements of water indicated that two wetting states coexist on a multiscale hierarchical structure where heterogeneous wetting is dominant for the microstructure and homogeneous wetting for the nanostructure. A simple theoretical model combining these two wetting states was presented, which was in good agreement with the experimental data. Using this approach, multiscale hierarchical structures for biomimetic functional surfaces can be fabricated with precise control over geometrical parameters and the wettability of a solid surface can be tailored in a controllable manner.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Order and composition of methyl-carboxyl and methyl-hydroxyl surface-chemical gradients.

A detailed infrared and XPS characterization of surface-chemical gradients of dodecanethiol with 11-mercaptoundecanol or 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid self-assembled on gold, is reported. Gradients were prepared using a simple, two-step process previously reported from our laboratory, which involves a controlled immersion of a polycrystalline gold substrate in a dilute (5 microM) solution of one component and a subsequent back-filling with the other. FTIR measurements show that a single-component gradient of dodecanethiol is composed of disordered, liquidlike alkyl chain conformations. Such a gradient, when back-filled with a complementary thiol, having either a hydroxyl or carboxyl end-group, yields two-component gradients that show similar changes in wettability along their lengths. However, while gradients composed of methyl and hydroxyl end-groups show a well-ordered alkyl chain structure over their entire length, methyl-carboxyl gradients exhibit a greater conformational disordering toward the carboxyl-rich end.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Entrapment of photosystem I within self-assembled films.

We have developed a process to incorporate an integral membrane protein, Photosystem I (PSI), into an organic thin film at an electrode surface and thereby insulate the protein complex on the surface while mimicking its natural environment. The PSI complex, which is primarily more hydrophobic on the exterior than interior, is hydrophobically confined in vivo within the thylakoid membrane. To mimic the thylakoid membrane and entrap PSI on an electrode, we have designed a series of steps using a thin self-assembled monolayer (SAM) to adsorb and orient PSI followed by exposures to longer-chained methyl-terminated alkanethiols that place exchange with components of the original SAM in the interprotein domains. In this process, PSI is first adsorbed onto a HOC(6)S/Au substrate through a short exposure to a dilute solution of the protein to achieve a protein coverage of approximately 25%. The PSI/HOC(6)S/Au substrate is then placed into a solution containing one of various longer-chained alkanethiols including C(22)SH or C(18)OC(19)SH. Changes in thickness, interfacial capacitance, infrared spectra, and surface wettability were used to assess the extent of backfilling by the long-chained thiols. The coverage of the protein layer and the solvent used for backfilling affected the rate and quality of the SAM formed in the interprotein regions. After exposure of the PSI layer to solvents containing alkanethiols, there was only minor loss of protein on the surface and no real change in protein secondary structure as evidenced by reflectance absorption infrared spectroscopy.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2007

In-situ investigation of the adsorption of globular model proteins on stimuli-responsive binary polyelectrolyte brushes.

Binary brushes constituted from two incompatible polymers can be used in the form of ultrathin polymeric layers as a versatile tool for surface engineering to tune physicochemical surface characteristics such as wettability, surface charge, chemical composition, and morphology and furthermore to create responsive surface properties. Mixed brushes of oppositely charged weak polyelectrolytes represent a special case of responding surfaces that are sensitive to changes in the pH value of the aqueous environment and therefore represent interesting tools for biosurface engineering. The polyelectrolyte brushes used for this study were composed of two oppositely charged polyelelctrolytes poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). The in-situ properties and surface characteristics such as as surface charge, surface tension, and extent of swelling of these brush layers are functions of the pH value of the surrounding aqueous solution. To test the behavior of the mixed polylelctrolyte brushes in contact with biosystems, protein adsorption experiments with globular model proteins were performed at different pH values and salt concentrations (confinement of counterions) of the buffer solutions. The influence of the pH value, buffer salt concentration, and isoelectric points (IEP) of the brush and protein on the adsorbed amount and the interfacial tension during protein adsorption as well as the protein adsorption mechanism postulated in reference to recently developed theories of protein adsorption on polyelectrolyte brushes is discussed. In the salted regime, protein adsorption was found to be similar to the often-described adsorption at hydrophobic surfaces. However, in the osmotic regime the balance of electrostatic repulsion and a strong entropic driving force, "counterion release", was found to be the main influence on protein adsorption.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2006

Wetting properties of the multiscaled nanostructured polymer and metallic superhydrophobic surfaces.

A superhydrophobic surface is produced from industrial grade polymer materials. The surface comprises partly disordered triple-scaled arrays of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) globules. An inherently superhydrophobic metallic surface is produced with polymer template. The mathematical model based on the Cassie-Baxter hypothesis of air trapping under a water drop is built, which gives the apparent contact angle on the manifold-scaled interface. The presence of several scales itself is not a sufficient condition of hydrophobicity of inherently wettable surfaces. The geometrical features favoring the increase of the vapor-water interface fraction are necessary for this phenomenon.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2007

Nonwettable thin films from hybrid polymer brushes can be hydrophilic.

Hybrid brushes composed of two liquid polymers, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a highly branched ethoxylated polyethylenimine (EPEI), were synthesized on Si wafers by the "grafting to" method and by applying a combinatorial approach (fabrication of gradient brushes). The combinatorial approach revealed a strong effect of "layer assisted tethering", which allowed us to synthesize hybrid brushes twice as thick as the reference homopolymer brushes. The hybrid brushes are stable thin films that can rapidly and reversibly switch between hydrophilic and hydrophobic states in water and air, respectively. The switching in water affects a rapid release of amino functional groups which can be used to regulate adhesion and reactivity of the material. The switching in air rapidly returns the brush to a hydrophobic state. The hybrid brush is hydrophilic because of two mechanisms: (1) exposure of EPEI chains to the brush-water interface under water, and (2) retention of some fraction of water via swollen EPEI chains (the EPEI chains swell by 2-3 times), which are conserved by a PDMS cap in air. The hybrid brush is wettable under water, and at the same time, the brush is nonwettable in air because water droplets are trapped in a metastable state when the water contact angle is above 90 degrees .

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new isoelectric focusing gel for two-dimensional electrophoresis constructed in microporous hollow fiber membranes.

We describe the preparation of IEF tube gels inside a nonwetting microporous plastic tubing. The gel in the tube need not be extruded after the first dimension separation. Instead, the porous structure of the tubes is made wettable, and the proteins are electrophoresed "through-the-wall" into the second dimension PAGE gel. Commercial ampholytes and reagents are suitable for the procedure. A useful p/ range of 4.5-9.5 can be obtained when p/ 3-10 ampholyte mixtures are used. Because of the high surface area of the porous material, precautions must be exercised to reduce oxygen inhibition during polymerization and dehydration of the gel during storage and use. A sheath device is described that satisfies these requirements. The plastic tubes can be disposed of by incineration and pose no biohazard.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Strategy for allosteric analysis based on protein-patterned stationary phase in microfluidic chip.

An effective method is presented for the on-chip analysis of chiral interactions with a successful depression of nonspecific adsorption. The alumina gel-derived protein network on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchannel was explored to form a protein-stationary phase and then used to carry out electrophoresis for fast enantioseparation coupled with electrochemical detection. On the basis of the chemical modification of a synthesized copolymer containing silane-functionalized scaffold, alumina sol-gel could react readily with the silane groups and form steady microstructure on the chip surface achieving the encapsulation of functional biomolecules. Compared with the native PMMA microchannels, the modified surfaces exhibited much better wettability, more stable and enhanced electroosmotic mobility, and less nonspecific adsorption. The water contact angle and EOF of alumina-gel-derived PMMA substrate were 22 degrees and 4.3 x 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), compared to those of 73 degrees and 1.9 x 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) from the untreated one, respectively. Bovine serum albumin, acting as a target protein, could be stably and homogeneously immobilized in the modified PMMA microchannel to fabricate a protein-stationary phase. Under a mild condition, D- and L-tryptophan were efficiently separated with a resolution of 1.57. The as-prepared microchip can perform chiral separations within short time, indicating that the general protocol has the potential to provide a platform for high throughput screening of enantiomer candidates such as those biochemical drugs with protein targets and the research of receptor interactions.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1998

In vitro real-time characterization of cell attachment and spreading.

A method based on the piezoelectric quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique for in vitro real-time characterization of cell attachment and spreading on surfaces has been developed. The method simultaneously measures the resonant frequency, f, and the dissipation energy, D, of the oscillating system. The QCM responses are sensitive to very small amounts (a few hundreds) of cells and highly specific to surface chemical properties. The first results from deposition of cells on two polystyrene surfaces of different wettability in serum-containing medium are reported. It has previously been shown that a decrease in f is related to the degree of cell spreading. In our data it appears that the extent or quality of cell attachment is reflected in an increase in D caused by adhering cells. The combined information from f and D measured by this technique might therefore be useful to probe cell-surface interactions for biomaterials.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Phytophagous mite populations on Tahiti lime, Citrus latifolia, under induced drought conditions.

In the north-western region of Venezuela, Phyllocoptruta oleivora, Tetranychus mexicanus and Brevipalpus phoenicis are common plant-feeding mites on leaves, fruits and branches of Tahiti lime, Citrus latifolia. The population dynamics of these herbivores are affected by many factors, such as weekly treatments with wettable sulphur, particularly during the wet season, maintenance pruning of plants, irrigation with microsprinklers, induction of water stress by withholding irrigation and biotic and abiotic environmental factors. During October 1994-January 1995, 31 trees in a commercial orchard were sampled weekly in order to describe population fluctuations of plant-feeding mites (mean number of mites per leaf or fruit), before (4 weeks) and after (4 weeks) a period of 6 weeks of drought stress (no irrigation). The population density of P. oleivora increased progressively during the last 3 weeks of the irrigation period and reached a maximum of 24 mites per fruit. In contrast, the populations of the other two species, T. mexicanus and B. phoenicis, remained at the same low density as before the withholding-irrigation period. After 6 weeks without irrigation, only T. mexicanus increased, to a high mean value of 11 mites per leaf. The withholding-irrigation practice appears to affect the population size of P. oleivora towards the end of this period and that of T. mexicanus at the beginning of the re-establishment of the water supply. The highest proportion of trees (32%) was infested by T. mexicanus after the withholding-irrigation period, when irrigation was resumed, whereas the highest levels of infestation of trees by P. oleivora and B. phoenicis were 16 and 10%, respectively, during the last week of the water-stress period. Although factors affecting the dynamics of the mites in the orchard are likely to be complex, irrigation management apparently plays an important role.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Effects of water deficit stress, shade, weed competition, and kaolin particle film on selected foliar free amino acid accumulations in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.).

Leaves of cotton plants, Gossypium hirsutum L., stressed by water deficit, reduced daylight, and weed competition, or treated with a kaolin wettable powder formulation were analyzed for levels of 17 free amino acids (FAAs) using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Water deficit stress resulted in heightened free proline levels (49.9-fold, P < 0.001) that were correlated with diffusive resistance (seconds per centimeter). Five other FAAs increased, and the amounts of total free essential (for insect growth and development) amino acids and total FAAs also increased (P < or = 0.05). Cotton grown in 50% shade accumulated significantly more free arginine than control plants. In a small-plot weed competition assay, four FAAs increased and three FAAs decreased in association with weed competition, but because free proline levels were not altered and free arginine levels increased, other stresses aside from water deficit, possibly including shading by tall weeds, appear to have caused the changes. In a small-plot kaolin particle film assay, five FAAs were lower in cotton foliage sprayed weekly with kaolin. Because free proline was unaffected and free arginine was lower, it is possible that kaolin's reflectivity heightened light reception. The responses of free proline and arginine to the treatments used in these assays demonstrate that types and degrees of some stresses to cotton can be characterized by accumulations of certain FAAs. The study also demonstrates how some FAA levels can indicate degrees of cotton stress resulting from weed competition and from kaolin particle film application. Porometry and leaf water potential measurements assisted in corroborating some findings of the study.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

Surface activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and formation of calcium phosphate coatings by precipitation.

Plasma activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) surfaces and the influence on coating formation in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution was investigated in this study. It was observed that plasma treatment in a N2/O2 plasma had a significant effect on the wettability of the PEEK surface. The contact angle decreased from 85 degrees to 25 degrees after plasma treatment. Cell culture testing with osteoblastic cell lines showed plasma activation not to be disadvantageous to cell viability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed to characterize the chemical composition of the PEEK surfaces. It was observed that the O1s intensity increased with plasma activation time. At the C1s peak the appearance of a shoulder at higher binding energies was observed. Coating of PEEK was performed in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution. Coating thicknesses of up to 50 microm were achieved after 24 days of immersion. Plasma activation followed by nucleation in a highly saturated hydroxyapatite solution had a positive effect on the growth rate of the layer on PEEK. Chemical analysis revealed that the coating consists of a carbonate-containing calcium phosphate.

Journal Article↗