scholarly journals Artificial cilia as autonomous nanoactuators: Design of a gradient self-oscillating polymer brush with controlled unidirectional motion

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
pp. e1600902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsukuru Masuda ◽  
Aya Mizutani Akimoto ◽  
Kenichi Nagase ◽  
Teruo Okano ◽  
Ryo Yoshida

A gradient self-oscillating polymer brush surface with ordered, autonomous, and unidirectional ciliary motion has been designed. The self-oscillating polymer is a random copolymer composed of N-isopropylacrylamide and ruthenium tris(2,2′-bipyridine) [Ru(bpy)3], which acts as a catalyst for an oscillating chemical reaction, the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. The target polymer brush surface was designed to have a thickness gradient by using sacrificial-anode atom transfer radical polymerization. The gradient structure of the polymer brush was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. These analyses revealed that the thickness of the polymer brush was in the range of several tens of nanometers, and the amount of Ru(bpy)3 increased as the thickness increased. The gradient polymer brush induced a unidirectional propagation of the chemical wave from the region with small Ru(bpy)3 amounts to the region with large Ru(bpy)3 amounts. This spatiotemporal control of the ciliary motion would be useful in potential applications to functional surface such as autonomous mass transport systems.

2011 ◽  
Vol 480-481 ◽  
pp. 1065-1069
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Yin Zhong Bu ◽  
Sheng Rong Yang ◽  
Jin Qing Wang

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys have been applied in orthopedics as one of the most popular biomedical metallic implant materials. In this work, to enhance the bioactivity, the surface of Ti alloy pre-modified by silane coupling agent and glutaraldehyde was covalently grafted with chitosan (CS) via biochemical multistep self-assembled method. Then, for the first time, the achieved surface was further immobilized with casein phosphopeptides (CPP), which are one group of bioactive peptides released from caseins in the digestive tract and can facilitate the calcium adsorption and usage, to form CS-CPP biocomposite coatings. The structure and composition of the fabricated coatings were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). As the experimental results indicated, multi-step assembly was successfully performed, and the CS and CPP were assembled onto the Ti alloy surface orderly. It is anticipated that the Ti alloys modified by CS-CPP biocomposite coatings will find potential applications as implant materials in biomedical fields.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Marta Chylińska ◽  
Halina Kaczmarek ◽  
Dariusz Moszyński ◽  
Bogusław Królikowski ◽  
Jolanta Kowalonek

Isotactic-polypropylene (i-PP) films with inorganic minerals such as Sillikolloid, perlite, or glass beads were prepared. The obtained polymeric films were subjected to an orientation process. Moreover, this paper includes results how the artificial accelerated weathering influences surface properties of the unoriented and oriented i-PP films with the mineral fillers. Changes in the ultraviolet (UV) treated polymeric films were studied with attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and by measuring contact angles. The results revealed that photooxidation of i-PP was more effective in the presence of the fillers and depended on the type of the filler but not on its amount. Moreover, the oriented samples experienced more effective photooxidation compared with the unoriented ones. In all studied samples the same photoproducts were detected, suggesting the same route of polymer photooxidation with and without the filler. These polymeric films were produced for potential applications in the devices in which piezoelectric effect can be used.


Nano LIFE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 1242003
Author(s):  
JAMES SIBARANI ◽  
TOMOHIRO KONNO ◽  
MADOKA TAKAI ◽  
KAZUHIKO ISHIHARA

A versatile method for constructing nonbiofouling and micropatterned surfaces bearing brush type poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (MPC) on polymeric substrates using living radical polymerization with N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate moiety as a photoiniferter for microbiodevices was demonstrated. The polymeric photoiniferters comprised of 4-vinyl benzyl N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (VBDC) and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA) were synthesized with variation of VBDC contents from 10% to 40% to easily tune the chain density of poly(MPC) grafted while the chain length was regulated by changing photoirradiation time. The characterizations of the poly(MPC)-modified surfaces were conducted by using attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ellipsometric measurements, along with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nonspecific protein adsorption from single and binary solutions of bovine plasma fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin was greatly suppressed on moderate to high chain density, moderate chain length of poly(MPC) and on smooth surfaces. The modified surfaces excellently eliminate cell adhesion of fibroblast-like cell L929 as well. Further, micropatterned-nonbiofouling poly(MPC) brush surface could be constructed using photomask with high fidelity.


2003 ◽  
Vol 780 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Essary ◽  
V. Craciun ◽  
J. M. Howard ◽  
R. K. Singh

AbstractHf metal thin films were deposited on Si substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique in vacuum and in ammonia ambients. The films were then oxidized at 400 °C in 300 Torr of O2. Half the samples were oxidized in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from a Hg lamp array. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and grazing angle X-ray diffraction were used to compare the crystallinity, roughness, and composition of the films. It has been found that UV radiation causes roughening of the films and also promotes crystallization at lower temperatures.Furthermore, increased silicon oxidation at the interface was noted with the UVirradiated samples and was shown to be in the form of a mixed layer using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Incorporation of nitrogen into the film reduces the oxidation of the silicon interface.


2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Wang ◽  
Jianqing Feng ◽  
Lihua Jin ◽  
Chengshan Li

AbstractWe have grown Cu2O films by different routes including self-oxidation and metal-organic deposition (MOD). The reduction efficiency of Cu2O films on graphene oxide (GO) synthesized by modified Hummer’s method has been studied. Surface morphology and chemical state of as-prepared Cu2O film and GO sheets reduced at different conditions have also been investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results show that self-oxidation Cu2O film is more effective on phtocatalytic reduction of GO than MOD-Cu2O film. Moreover, reduction effect of self-oxidation Cu2O film to GO is comparable to that of environmental-friendly reducing agent of vitamin C. The present results offer a potentially eco-friendly and low-cost approach for the manufacture of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) by photocatalytic reduction.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1088
Author(s):  
Yuki Gunjo ◽  
Hajime Kamebuchi ◽  
Ryohei Tsuruta ◽  
Masaki Iwashita ◽  
Kana Takahashi ◽  
...  

The structural and electronic properties of interfaces composed of donor and acceptor molecules play important roles in the development of organic opto-electronic devices. Epitaxial growth of organic semiconductor molecules offers a possibility to control the interfacial structures and to explore precise properties at the intermolecular contacts. 5,6,11,12-tetraazanaphthacene (TANC) is an acceptor molecule with a molecular structure similar to that of pentacene, a representative donor material, and thus, good compatibility with pentacene is expected. In this study, the physicochemical properties of the molecular interface between TANC and pentacene single crystal (PnSC) substrates were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), and photoelectron spectroscopy. GIXD revealed that TANC molecules assemble into epitaxial overlayers of the (010) oriented crystallites by aligning an axis where the side edges of the molecules face each other along the [1¯10] direction of the PnSC. No apparent interface dipole was found, and the energy level offset between the highest occupied molecular orbitals of TANC and the PnSC was determined to be 1.75 eV, which led to a charge transfer gap width of 0.7 eV at the interface.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1661
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Adamiak ◽  
Katarzyna Lewandowska ◽  
Alina Sionkowska

Collagen films are widely used as adhesives in medicine and cosmetology. However, its properties require modification. In this work, the influence of salicin on the properties of collagen solution and films was studied. Collagen was extracted from silver carp skin. The rheological properties of collagen solutions with and without salicin were characterized by steady shear tests. Thin collagen films were prepared by solvent evaporation. The structure of films was researched using infrared spectroscopy. The surface properties of films were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Mechanical properties were measured as well. It was found that the addition of salicin modified the roughness of collagen films and their mechanical and rheological properties. The above-mentioned parameters are very important in potential applications of collagen films containing salicin.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Plinio Mendes Senna ◽  
Carlos Fernando de Almeida Barros Mourão ◽  
Rafael Coutinho Mello-Machado ◽  
Kayvon Javid ◽  
Pietro Montemezzi ◽  
...  

Silane-coating strategy has been used to bind biological compounds to the titanium surface, thereby making implant devices biologically active. However, it has not been determined if the presence of the silane coating itself is biocompatible to osseointegration. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if silane-coating affects bone formation on titanium using a rabbit model. For this, titanium screw implants (3.75 by 6 mm) were hydroxylated in a solution of H2SO4/30% H2O2 for 4 h before silane-coating with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). A parallel set of titanium screws underwent only the hydroxylation process to present similar acid-etched topography as a control. The presence of the silane on the surface was checked by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A total of 40 titanium screws were implanted in the tibia of ten New Zealand rabbits in order to evaluate bone-to-implant contact (BIC) after 3 weeks and 6 weeks of healing. Silane-coated surface presented higher nitrogen content in the XPS analysis, while micro- and nano-topography of the surface remained unaffected. No difference between the groups was observed after 3 and 6 weeks of healing (p > 0.05, independent t-test), although an increase in BIC occurred over time. These results indicate that silanization of a titanium surface with APTES did not impair the bone formation, indicating that this can be a reliable tool to anchor osteogenic molecules on the surface of implant devices.


Nanomedicine ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Danafar ◽  
Marziyeh Salehiabar ◽  
Murat Barsbay ◽  
Hossein Rahimi ◽  
Mohammadreza Ghaffarlou ◽  
...  

Aim: To prepare a novel hybrid system for the controlled release and delivery of curcumin (CUR). Methods: A method for the ultrasound-assisted fabrication of protein-modified nanosized graphene oxide-like carbon-based nanoparticles (CBNPs) was developed. After being modified with bovine serum albumin (BSA), CUR was loaded onto the synthesized hybrid (labeled CBNPs@BSA–CUR). The structure and properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were elucidated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. Results: CBNPs@BSA–CUR showed pH sensitivity and were calculated as controlled CUR release behavior. The drug-free system exhibited good biocompatibility and was nontoxic. However, CBNPs@BSA–CUR showed acceptable antiproliferative ability against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Conclusion: CBNPs@BSA–CUR could be considered a highly promising nontoxic nanocarrier for the delivery of CUR with good biosafety.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document