Antiadhesive Copolymers at Solid/Liquid Interfaces: Complementary Characterization of Polymer Adsorption and Protein Fouling by Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy and Quartz-Crystal Microbalance Measurements with Dissipation Monitoring.

Amphiphilic copolymers comprising hydrophilic segments of poly(ethylene glycol) and hydrophobic domains that are able to adhere to solid/liquid interfaces have proven to be versatile ingredients in formulated products for various types of applications. Recently, we have reported the successful synthesis of a copolymer designed for modifying the surface properties of polyesters as mimics for synthetic textiles. Using sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy, it was shown that the newly developed copolymer adsorbs effectively on the targeted substrates even in the presence of surfactants as supplied by common detergents.

Probing Interfacial Behavior and Antifouling Activity of Adsorbed Copolymers at Solid/Liquid Interfaces.

Polymers containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) units can exhibit excellent antifouling properties, which have been proposed/used for coating of biomedical implants, separation membranes, and structures in marine environments, as well as active ingredients in detergent formulations to avoid soil redepositioning in textile laundry. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular behavior of a copolymer poly(MMA-co-MPEGMA) containing antiadhesive PEG side chains and a backbone of poly(methyl methacrylate), at a buried polymer/solution interface. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was used as a substrate to model polyester textile surfaces.

Density functional theory study of the complexation of the uranyl dication with anionic phosphate ligands with and without water molecules.

The structures, vibrational frequencies and energetics of anhydrous and hydrated complexes of UO2(2+) with the phosphate anions H2PO4(-), HPO4(2-), and PO4(3-) were predicted at the density functional theory (DFT) and MP2 molecular orbital theory levels as isolated gas phase species and in aqueous solution by using self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) calculations with different solvation models. The geometries and vibrational frequencies of the major binding modes for these complexes are compared to experiment where possible and good agreement is found. The uranyl moiety is nonlinear in many of the complexes, and the coordination number (CN) 5 in the equatorial plane is the predominant binding motif.

Amine-functionalized task-specific ionic liquids: a mechanistic explanation for the dramatic increase in viscosity upon complexation with CO2 from molecular simulation.

The capture of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion, particularly in coal-fired power plants, represents a critical component of efforts aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. Alkanolamines have traditionally been used to this end; however, drawbacks such as volatility, degradation, and regeneration costs have been drivers for the development of new, superior technologies. Recently, several seminal studies with ionic liquids (ILs), both experimental and computational, have demonstrated their potential as CO2 capture agents.

Accurate thermochemical properties for energetic materials applications. II. Heats of formation of imidazolium-, 1,2,4-triazolium-, and tetrazolium-based energetic salts from isodesmic and lattice energy calculations.

A computational approach to the prediction of the heats of formation (DeltaH(f)degrees' s of solid-state energetic salts from electronic structure and volume-based thermodynamics (VBT) calculations is described. The method uses as its starting point reliable DeltaH(f)degrees' s for energetic precursor molecules and ions. The DeltaH(f)degrees' s of more complex energetics species such as substituted imidazole, 1,2,4-triazole, and tetrazole molecules and ions containing amino, azido, and nitro (including methyl) substituents are calculated using an isodesmic approach at the MP2/complete basis set level.

Interactions of 1-methylimidazole with UO2(CH3CO2)2 and UO2(NO3)2: structural, spectroscopic, and theoretical evidence for imidazole binding to the uranyl ion.

The first definitive high-resolution single-crystal X-ray structure for the coordination of the 1-methylimidazole (Meimid) ligand to UO2(Ac)2 (Ac = CH3CO2) is reported. The crystal structure evidence is confirmed by IR, Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopic data. Direct participation of the nitrogen atom of the Meimid ligand in binding to the uranium center is confirmed.

Ab initio prediction of the gas- and solution-phase acidities of strong Brønsted acids: the calculation of pKa values less than -10.

The intrinsic gas-phase acidities of a series of 21 Brønsted acids have been predicted with G3(MP2) theory. The G3(MP2) results agree with high level CCSD(T)/CBS acidities for H(2)SO(4), FSO(3)H, CH(3)SO(3)H, and CF(3)SO(3)H to within 1 kcal/mol. The G3(MP2) results are in excellent agreement with experimental gas-phase acidities in the range 342-302 kcal/mol to within <1 kcal/mol for 14 out of 15 acids.

Accurate thermochemical properties for energetic materials applications. I. Heats of formation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles and energetic precursor molecules from electronic structure theory.

The heats of formation of 1H-imidazole, 1H-1,2,4-trizazole, 1H-tetrazole, CH3NO2, CH3N3, CH3NH2, CH2CHNO2, HClO4, and phenol, as well as cations and anions derived from some of the molecules have been calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory. These molecules are important as models for compounds used for energetic materials synthesis. The predicted heats of formation of the heterocycle-based compounds are in excellent agreement with available experimental values and those derived from proton affinities and deprotonation enthalpies to <1 kcal/mol.

Predicting the energy of the water exchange reaction and free energy of solvation for the uranyl ion in aqueous solution.

The structures and vibrational frequencies of UO2(H2O)4(2+) and UO2(H2O)5(2+) have been calculated using density functional theory and are in reasonable agreement with experiment. The energies of various reactions were calculated at the density functional theory (DFT) and MP2 levels; the latter provides the best results. Self-consistent reaction field calculations in the PCM and SCIPCM approximations predicted the free energy of the water exchange reaction, UO2(H2O)4(2+) + H2O <--> UO2(H2O)5(2+).

Prediction of the formation and stabilities of energetic salts and ionic liquids based on ab initio electronic structure calculations.

A computational approach to predict the thermodynamics for forming a variety of imidazolium-based salts and ionic liquids from typical starting materials is described. The gas-phase proton and methyl cation acidities of several protonating and methylating agents, as well as the proton and methyl cation affinities of many important methyl-, nitro-, and cyano-substituted imidazoles, have been calculated reliably by using the computationally feasible DFT (B3LYP) and MP2 (extrapolated to the complete basis set limit) methods. These accurately calculated proton and methyl cation affinities of neutrals and anions are used in conjunction with an empirical approach based on molecular volumes to estimate the lattice enthalpies and entropies of ionic liquids, organic solids, and organic liquids.

Complexation of the carbonate, nitrate, and acetate anions with the uranyl dication: density functional studies with relativistic effective core potentials.

The structures and vibrational frequencies of uranyl carbonates, [UO2(CO3)n](2-2n) and [(UO2)3(CO3)6]6-, uranyl nitrates, [UO2(NO3)n](2-n), and uranyl acetates, [UO2(CH3COO)n](2-n) (n = 1,2,3) have been calculated by using local density functional theory (LDFT). Only bidentate ligand coordination modes to the uranyl dication have been modeled. The calculated structures and frequencies are compared to available experimental data, including IR, Raman, X-ray diffraction, and EXAFS solution and crystal structure data.

Controlling the aqueous miscibility of ionic liquids: aqueous biphasic systems of water-miscible ionic liquids and water-structuring salts for recycle, metathesis, and separations.

Hydrophilic ionic liquids can be salted-out and concentrated from aqueous solution upon addition of kosmotropic salts forming aqueous biphasic systems as illustrated by the phase behavior of mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]Cl) and K3PO4.