Unseeded, spontaneous nucleation of spherulitic magnesium calcite.

Most of the sedimentary carbonates deposited in the marine environments are composed of calcium carbonate minerals with varying amounts of incorporated Mg. However, understanding how interactions of impurities with carbonate and their incorporation affect sediments behavior remains a challenge. Here, a new insight is obtained by monitoring solution composition, morphology, and electrokinetic potential of carbonate particles formed in a spontaneous unseeded batch precipitation experiment using electrochemical and scanning electron microscopy methods.

Electrophoretic and potentiometric signatures of multistage CaCO nucleation.

Hypothesis: Calcium carbonate nucleation is often a complex and multistep process that is difficult to follow in situ. The time-resolved electrochemical and electrophoretic methods can provide a new insight into the nucleation pathway.

Experiments: Here, we used a combination of speciation calculations with time-resolved electrophoretic and potentiometric methods to monitor calcium carbonate precipitation from a slightly supersaturated solution.

Comparative study of molecular recognition of folic acid subunits with cyclodextrins.

The complexation of pteroic acid and pterine, subunits of folic acid, with native cyclodextrins (α‒, β‒, and γ‒CDs) was studied in solution (UV-vis), and in the solid state (thermal analysis, IR and Raman). UV-vis titrations at pH = 7.4 provided data regarding stoichiometry of the formed complexes as well as their associations constants.

Blood Serum Calorimetry Indicates the Chemotherapeutic Efficacy in Lung Cancer Treatment.

Chemotherapy is a primary treatment for the metastatic lung cancer patients. To select the most effective combination of drugs, we need an efficient way of assessing tumor response. Here, we showed that differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of blood serum proteins could reveal the patient response to the treatment.

Rubber elastomeric nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties.

In this paper we show an elastomeric nanocomposite that exhibits antibacterial and antifungal activity. It comprises a rubber blend matrix and a nanofiller, which is a modified bentonite clay (Nanobent® ZR2). We have developed innovative technology for the nanofiller incorporation into the rubber matrix.

Probing size-dependent electrokinetics of hematite aggregates.

Aqueous particle suspensions of many kinds are stabilized by the electrostatic potential developed at their surfaces from reaction with water and ions. An important and less well understood aspect of this stabilization is the dependence of the electrostatic surface potential on particle size. Surface electrostatics are typically probed by measuring particle electrophoretic mobilities and quantified in the electrokinetic potential (ζ), using commercially available Zeta Potential Analyzers (ZPA).

Potentiometric and electrokinetic signatures of iron(II) interactions with (α,γ)-Fe2O3.

The electrochemical signatures of Fe(II) interactions with iron(III) oxides are poorly understood, despite their importance in controlling the amount of mobilized iron. Here, we report the potentiometric titration of α,γ-Fe2O3 oxides exposed to Fe(II) ions. We monitored in situ surface and ζ potentials, the ratio of mobilized ferric to ferrous, and the periodically analyzed nanoparticle crystal structure using X-ray diffraction.