A modified sol-gel technique for pore size control in porous aluminum oxide nanowire templates.

A modified sol-gel technique was developed to continuously vary the pore diameters in porous alumina templates for the purpose of growing nanowires. To coat the pore walls, the porous alumina film is initially soaked in a methanol/water solution to fill the pores with the desired concentration of water. The porous alumina film is then exposed to a solution of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) in toluene, creating a surface layer of APTES.

Communication: Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy of aqueous adenosine triphosphate at the carbon and nitrogen K-edges.

Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy at the nitrogen and carbon K-edges was used to study the hydration of adenosine triphosphate in liquid microjets. The total electron yield spectra were recorded as a function of concentration, pH, and the presence of sodium, magnesium, and copper ions (Na(+)/Mg(2+)/Cu(2+)). Significant spectral changes were observed upon protonation of the adenine ring, but not under conditions that promote π-stacking, such as high concentration or presence of Mg(2+), indicating that NEXAFS is insensitive to the phenomenon.

Investigation of protein conformation and interactions with salts via X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Nitrogen K-edge spectra of aqueous triglycine were measured using liquid microjets, and the effects of Hofmeister-active salts on the spectra were observed. Spectra simulated using density functional theory, sampled from room temperature classical molecular dynamics trajectories, capture all major features in the measured spectra. The spectrum of triglycine in water is quite similar to that in the presence of chaotropic sodium bromide (and other halides), which raises the solubility of proteins.