Toward Protein-Repellent Surface Coatings from Catechol-Containing Cationic Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline).

Inspired by mussel proteins that enable surface binding in harsh marine environments, we envisioned a platform of protein-repellent macromolecules based on poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) carrying catechol and cationic functional groups. To facilitate surface attachment, catechol units were installed by copolymerizing a functional comonomer, ., 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline, in a gradient fashion.

Assessing Polymer-Surface Adhesion with a Polymer Collection.

Polymer modification plays an important role in the construction of devices, but the lack of fundamental understanding on polymer-surface adhesion limits the development of miniaturized devices. In this work, a thermoplastic polymer collection was established using the combinatorial laser-induced forward transfer technique as a research platform, to assess the adhesion of polymers to substrates of different wettability. Furthermore, it also revealed the influence of adhesion on dewetting phenomena during the laser transfer and relaxation process, resulting in polymer spots of various morphologies.

Probing Multivalent Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions With On-Chip Synthesized Glycopeptides Using Different Functionalized Surfaces.

Multivalent ligand-protein interactions are a commonly employed approach by nature in many biological processes. Single glycan-protein interactions are often weak, but their affinity and specificity can be drastically enhanced by engaging multiple binding sites. Microarray technology allows for quick, parallel screening of such interactions.

Laser-driven growth of structurally defined transition metal oxide nanocrystals on carbon nitride photoelectrodes in milliseconds.

Fabrication of hybrid photoelectrodes on a subsecond timescale with low energy consumption and possessing high photocurrent densities remains a centerpiece for successful implementation of photoelectrocatalytic synthesis of fuels and value-added chemicals. Here, we introduce a laser-driven technology to print sensitizers with desired morphologies and layer thickness onto different substrates, such as glass, carbon, or carbon nitride (CN). The specially designed process uses a thin polymer reactor impregnated with transition metal salts, confining the growth of transition metal oxide (TMO) nanostructures on the interface in milliseconds, while their morphology can be tuned by the laser.

On-Chip Neo-Glycopeptide Synthesis for Multivalent Glycan Presentation.

Single glycan-protein interactions are often weak, such that glycan binding partners commonly utilize multiple, spatially defined binding sites to enhance binding avidity and specificity. Current array technologies usually neglect defined multivalent display. Laser-based array synthesis technology allows for flexible and rapid on-surface synthesis of different peptides.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis of Highly Defined Silver Nanodimers by Self-Assembly for Improved Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Considerable research efforts have been devoted to surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), due to its excellent performance in biosensing and imaging. Here, a novel and facile strategy for the fabrication of well-defined and uniform nanodimers as SERS substrates is presented. By the assistance of ultrasound, the violent polyol process for particle generation becomes controllable, enabling the self-assembly of nanostars to nanodimers.

Rupture of ultrathin solution films on planar solid substrates induced by solute crystallization.

On-line optical imaging of continuously thinning planar films in a spin cast configuration reveals the rupture behavior of ultra-thin films of binary mixtures of a volatile solvent and a nonvolatile solute. The pure solvents completely wet the silica substrates whereas the solution films rupture at certain film thicknesses, h, which depend on, c, the initial weighing in solute concentrations. With small c, h increases proportional to c.

Directed Self-Assembly of Dipeptide Single Crystal in a Capillary.

Controlled growth of one-dimensional nanostructures is playing a key role in creating types of materials for functional devices. Here, we report procedures for controlled assembly of the dipeptide diphenylalanine (FF) into aligned and ultralong single crystals in a capillary. With the evaporation of solvent, nucleation of the crystal occurred in the confined region, and the crystal grew continuously with a supply of molecules from the concentration gradient system inside the capillary.