Complex fluids near interfaces or confined within nanoscale volumes can exhibit substantial shifts in physical properties compared to bulk, including glass transition temperature, phase separation, and crystallization. Because studies of these effects typically use thin film samples with one dimension of confinement, it is generally unclear how more extreme spatial confinement may influence these properties. In this work, we used x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and gold nanoprobes to characterize polyethylene oxide confined by nanostructured gratings (<100nm width) and measured the viscosity in this nanoconfinement regime to be ∼500 times the bulk viscosity. This enhanced viscosity occurs even when the scale of confinement is several times the polymer's radius of gyration, consistent with previous reports of polymer viscosity near flat interfaces.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.100.062503 | DOI Listing |
Methods Mol Biol
December 2024
Cell and Molecular Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK.
At the core of assays to understand the role(s) of specific genes is the ability to stably transfer genes into Phytophthora through transformation. A key method for achieving this has been based on polyethylene glycol (PEG)/CaCl transformation of protoplasts, but efficiency has often been low. Improving transformation efficiency is necessary for many applications, such as gene knockouts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGels
December 2024
College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, 197 Inje-ro, Gimhae 50834, Republic of Korea.
The objective of this work was to develop a supersaturated gel formulation (SGF) loaded with the maximum atorvastatin calcium trihydrate (ATR) dose. The maximum dose strength of ATR needs to be reduced through improving solubility and dissolution rate to mitigate side effects due to the necessity of taking high doses. ATR has highly pH-dependent solubility at 37 °C, leading to poor solubility (<10 μg/mL) in stomach acid (pH 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
December 2024
Advanced Functional Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, Madanjeet School of Green Energy Technologies, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Dr. R. Venkataraman Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry 605014, India.
The development of quasi-solid-state lithium metal batteries (QSSLMBs) is hindered by inadequate interfacial contact, poor wettability between electrodes and quasi-solid-state electrolytes, and significant volume changes during long-term cycling, leading to safety risks and cataclysmic failures. Here, we report an innovative approach to enhance interfacial properties through the construction of QSSLMBs. A multilayer design integrates a microwave-synthesized LiAlTi(PO) (LATP) ceramic electrolyte, which is surface-coated with a lithiophilic conductive ink comprising VS and disulfonated functionalized graphene nanosheets (VS-DSGNS) using a low-cost nail-polish binder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmacol Res Perspect
February 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) present with unique physicochemical features and potential for functionalization as anticancer agents. Three-dimensional spheroid models can be used to afford greater tissue representation due to their heterogeneous phenotype and complex molecular architecture. This study developed an A549 alveolar carcinoma spheroid model for cytotoxicity assessment and mechanistic evaluation of functionalized AuNPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Mol Biol
December 2024
INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Engineered living materials (ELM) is a new frontier in materials research that uses living microorganisms to augment nonliving materials with lifelike capabilities, such as responding to external stimuli. This is achieved by genetically programming the microorganisms in an ELM with stimulus-sensing modules. A popular stimulus to remotely control various ELM functions is light, which has been realized thanks to optogenetics.
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