Utilization of bis-MPA Dendrimers for the Calibration of Ion Mobility Collision Cross Section Calculations.

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has become increasingly popular with the rapid expansion of available techniques and instrumentation. To enable accuracy, standardization, and repeatability of IM-MS measurements, the community requires reliable and well-defined reference materials for calibration and tuning of the equipment. To address this need, synthetic dendrimers of high chemical and structural purity were tested on three ion mobility platforms as potential calibrants.

SERS Hotspot Engineering by Aerosol Self-Assembly of Plasmonic Ag Nanoaggregates with Tunable Interparticle Distance.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful sensing technique. However, the employment of SERS sensors in practical applications is hindered by high fabrication costs from processes with limited scalability, poor batch-to-batch reproducibility, substrate stability, and uniformity. Here, highly scalable and reproducible flame aerosol technology is employed to rapidly self-assemble uniform SERS sensing films.

Release of carbon nanotubes during combustion of polymer nanocomposites in a pilot-scale facility for waste incineration.

Nanocomposites, formed by incorporating nanoparticles into a matrix of standard materials, are increasing on the market. Little focus has been directed towards safe disposal and recycling of these new materials even though the disposal has been identified as a phase of the products' life cycle with a high risk of uncontrolled emissions of nanomaterials. In this study, we investigate if the carbon nanotubes (CNTs), when used as a filler in two types of polymers, are fully destructed in a pilot-scale combustion unit designed to mimic the combustion under waste incineration.

The role of water in the reversibility of thermal denaturation of lysozyme in solid and liquid states.

Although unfolding of protein in the liquid state is relatively well studied, its mechanisms in the solid state, are much less understood. We evaluated the reversibility of thermal unfolding of lysozyme with respect to the water content using a combination of thermodynamic and structural techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry, synchrotron small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) and Raman spectroscopy. Analysis of the endothermic thermal transition obtained by DSC scans showed three distinct unfolding behaviors at different water contents.

Surfactant-Free Stabilization of Aqueous Graphene Dispersions Using Starch as a Dispersing Agent.

Attention to graphene dispersions in water with the aid of natural polymers is increasing with improved awareness of sustainability. However, the function of biopolymers that can act as dispersing agents in graphene dispersions is not well understood. In particular, the use of starch to disperse pristine graphene materials deserves further investigation.

Functionalized magnetic particles for water treatment.

In this study, we have taken the concept of water treatment by functionalized magnetic particles one step forward by integrating the technology into a complete proof of concept, which included the preparation of surface modified beads, their use as highly selective absorbents for heavy metals ions (Zinc, Nickel), and their performance in terms of magnetic separation. The separation characteristics were studied both through experiments and by simulations. The data gathered from these experimental works enabled the elaboration of various scenarios for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

The impact of N,N-dimethyldodecylamine N-oxide (DDAO) concentration on the crystallisation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) systems and the resulting changes to crystal structure, shape and the kinetics of crystal growth.

Hypothesis: At low temperatures stability issues arise in commercial detergent products when surfactant crystallisation occurs, a process which is not currently well-understood. An understanding of the phase transition can be obtained using a simple binary SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) + DDAO (N,N-dimethyldodecylamine N-oxide) aqueous system. It expected that the crystallisation temperature of an SDS system can be lowered with addition of DDAO, thus providing a route to improve detergent stability.

Nitric Oxide Dependent Degradation of Polyethylene Glycol-Modified Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Implications for Intra-Articular Delivery.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified carbon nanotubes have been successfully employed for intra-articular delivery in mice without systemic or local toxicity. However, the fate of the delivery system itself remains to be understood. In this study 2 kDa PEG-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes (PNTs) are synthesized, and trafficking and degradation following intra-articular injection into the knee-joint of healthy mice are studied.

Structural and magnetic properties of multi-core nanoparticles analysed using a generalised numerical inversion method.

The structural and magnetic properties of magnetic multi-core particles were determined by numerical inversion of small angle scattering and isothermal magnetisation data. The investigated particles consist of iron oxide nanoparticle cores (9 nm) embedded in poly(styrene) spheres (160 nm). A thorough physical characterisation of the particles included transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation.

Polymer/Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Composites--A Straight Forward and Scalable Synthesis Approach.

Magnetic nanoparticle systems can be divided into single-core nanoparticles (with only one magnetic core per particle) and magnetic multi-core nanoparticles (with several magnetic cores per particle). Here, we report multi-core nanoparticle synthesis based on a controlled precipitation process within a well-defined oil in water emulsion to trap the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) in a range of polymer matrices of choice, such as poly(styrene), poly(lactid acid), poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(caprolactone). Multi-core particles were obtained within the Z-average size range of 130 to 340 nm.