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Assembly Method (assembly + method)
Selected AbstractsFabrication and Characterization of DNA/QPVP-Os Redox-Active Multilayer FilmELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 23 2004Jianyun Liu Abstract Calf thymus DNA was immobilized on functionalized glassy carbon, gold and quartz substrates, respectively, by the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly method with a polycation QPVP-Os, a quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) partially complexed with osmium bis(2,2,-bipyridine) as counterions. UV-visible absorption and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) showed that the resulting film was uniform with the average thickness 3.4,nm for one bilayer. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed that the total surface coverage of the polycations increases as each QPVP-Os/DNA bilayer added to the electrode surface, but the surface formal potential of Os-centered redox reaction shifts negatively, which is mainly attributed to the intercalation of redox-active complex to DNA chain. The electron transfer kinetics of electroactive QPVP-Os in the multilayer film was investigated by electrochemical impedance experiment for the first time. The permeability of Fe(CN) in the solution into the multilayer film depends on the number of bilayers in the film. It is worth noting that when the multilayer film is up to 4 bilayers, the CV curves of the multilayer films display the typical characteristic of a microelectrode array. The nanoporous structure of the multilayer film was further confirmed by the surface morphology analysis using atomic force microscopy (AFM). [source] Capsosomes with Multilayered Subcompartments: Assembly and Loading with Hydrophobic CargoADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 1 2010Leticia Hosta-Rigau Abstract Therapeutic artificial cells or organelles are nanoengineered vehicles that are expected to substitute for missing or lost cellular function. The creation of capsosomes, polymer carrier capsules containing liposomal subcompartments, is a promising approach towards constructing such therapeutic devices using the layer-by-layer assembly method. Herein, the assembly of intact, nonaggregated capsosomes containing multiple liposome layers is reported. It is also further demonstrated that thiocoraline, a hydrophobic model peptide with antitumor activity, can be efficiently loaded into the membrane of the liposomal subcompartments of the capsosomes. Cell viability assays verify the activity of the trapped antitumor cargo. It is also shown that pristine capsosomes do not display inherent cytotoxic effects. The ability to tune the number of liposome layers and hence the drug loading in capsosomes as well as their noncytotoxicity provide new opportunities for the creation of therapeutic artificial cells and organelles. [source] Biomedical Applications of Layer-by-Layer Assembly: From Biomimetics to Tissue Engineering,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 24 2006Z. Tang Abstract The design of advanced, nanostructured materials at the molecular level is of tremendous interest for the scientific and engineering communities because of the broad application of these materials in the biomedical field. Among the available techniques, the layer-by-layer assembly method introduced by Decher and co-workers in 1992 has attracted extensive attention because it possesses extraordinary advantages for biomedical applications: ease of preparation, versatility, capability of incorporating high loadings of different types of biomolecules in the films, fine control over the materials' structure, and robustness of the products under ambient and physiological conditions. In this context, a systematic review of current research on biomedical applications of layer-by-layer assembly is presented. The structure and bioactivity of biomolecules in thin films fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly are introduced. The applications of layer-by-layer assembly in biomimetics, biosensors, drug delivery, protein and cell adhesion, mediation of cellular functions, and implantable materials are addressed. Future developments in the field of biomedical applications of layer-by-layer assembly are also discussed. [source] Thermal stability of porous it -PMMA thin film obtained by the extraction of st -PMAA from it -PMMA/st -PMAA stereocomplex with layer-by-layer assembly on a substrateJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 15 2010Hiroharu Ajiro Abstract The functionality of porous isotactic (it) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films, which were previously developed by the selective extraction of syndiotactic (st) poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) from the it -PMMA/st -PMAA stereocomplex thin film on a substrate using the layer-by-layer assembly method was investigated after thermal treatment (70, 80, and 90 °C) in water for 4 h. Quartz crystal microbalance analysis and infrared spectra measurements revealed that the st -PMAA incorporation ability of the porous it -PMMA thin film decreased in order at 80 and 90 °C, while there was no decrease observed at 70 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis also supported the thermal stability of the porosity at 70 °C, whereas two it -PMMA crystalline peaks (2, = 9° and 14°) were generated during heating at 90 °C. The loss of the functionality of the it -PMMA thin film was thus shown to be due to crystallization, which was caused by the increase in polymer-chain mobility during the heating process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3265,3270, 2010 [source] Influence of imidazolium-based ionic liquids on the performance of ionic polymer conductor network composite actuatorsPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010Sheng Liu Abstract We investigated the influence of ionic liquids (ILs) on the electromechanical performance of ionic polymer conductor network composite (IPCNC) actuators. Four imidazolium ILs with two cations of different sizes, i.e. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ([EMI+]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ([BMI+]), and two anions of different sizes, i.e. tetrafluoroborate ([BF4,]) and trifluoromethanesulfonate ([Tf,]), were used. The IPCNC actuators were fabricated using a direct assembly method with RuO2/Nafion® nanocomposite as the electrode layers. The experimental results reveal that the actuator strain response time is nearly one order of magnitude shorter than the charging time. The IPCNCs with [EMI+][Tf,] exhibit the highest capacitance and the fastest response in both actuation and electrical charging as capacitors. In contrast, the IPCNCs with [EMI+][BF4,] display the slowest charging time and lowest value of capacitance as capacitors. The IPCNCs with [BMI+][BF4,] show the slowest response time. Furthermore, although the ILs used have a marked effect on the capacitances of the IPCNCs, using different ILs does not cause much change in the maximum strain of these IPCNCs. Consequently, the IPCNC actuators with [EMI+][BF4,] show the highest electromechanical conversion efficiency while those with [EMI+][Tf,] have the lowest electromechanical efficiency because of the highest capacitance and largest input electrical energy. The experimental results indicate that the two oppositely charged ions contribute in opposite manner to the strain response and hence the observed shorter actuation response time is likely caused by the strain cancellation effect between the cations and anions. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [source] |