Investigating Hydrolytic Polymerization of Aqueous Zirconium Ions Using the Fluorescent Probe Pyrenecarboxylic Acid

Structural Approach to Understanding the Solubility of Metal Hydroxides

We report the hierarchical structure of zirconium hydroxide after aging at different temperatures to elucidate the factors governing zirconium solubility in aqueous solutions. Zirconium hydroxide solid phases after aging at 25, 40, 60, and 90 °C under acidic to alkaline conditions were investigated using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to reveal the bulk and surface structures of the solid phases from the nanoscale to sub-microscale. After aging at 25 °C, the fundamental building unit of the solid phase was considered to be tetrameric and dimeric hydroxide species. These polynuclear species formed amorphous primary particles that are approximately 3 nm in size, which in turn formed aggregates that are hundreds of nanometers in size. This hierarchical structure was found to be stable up to 60 °C under acidic and neutral conditions and up to 40 °C under alkaline conditions. After aging at 90 °C under acidic conditions and at 60 and 90 °C under alkaline conditions, the WAXS and EXAFS measurements suggested the crystallization of the solid phase. The SAXS profiles and TEM observations supported the existence of crystallized large particles about 60 nm in size, and the appearance of the Guinier region in the SAXS profiles indicated that the crystallization of the amorphous primary particles leads to the reduction of the size of the large aggregates. The transformation of the solid-phase structure by temperature was discussed in relation to the solubility product to understand the solubility-limiting solid phase. The solubility of zirconium hydroxide after aging at different temperatures was governed not only by the size of the amorphous primary particles or crystallized large particles but also by their surface configuration.

The Influence of Metal Ions on the Dynamics of Supported Phospholipid Langmuir Films

The translational diffusion dynamics of the zwitterionic lipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) at a planar phosphorylated support surface containing metal ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zr⁴⁺) was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Fluorescence recovery curves yielded diffusion constants on the order of 2-5 μm²/s for the chromophore-tagged 12:0 NBD-Lyso-PC. Ionic interactions between the zwitterionic headgroup and metal ions were found to play a secondary role in mediating lipid fluidity. This work provides quantitative insight into the extent to which the fluidity of a supported lipid film is mediated by the ionic interactions between headgroup and surface versus that of the lipid-lipid tailgroup interactions.

Time-Lapse, in Situ Imaging of Ice Crystal Growth Using Confocal Microscopy

Ice crystals nucleate and grow when a water solution is cooled below its freezing point. The growth velocities and morphologies of the ice crystals depend on many parameters, such as the temperature of ice growth, the melting temperature, and the interactions of solutes with the growing crystals. Three types of morphologies may appear: dendritic, cellular (or fingerlike), or the faceted equilibrium form. Understanding and controlling which type of morphology is formed is essential in several domains, from biology to geophysics and materials science. Obtaining, in situ, three dimensional observations without introducing artifacts due to the experimental technique is nevertheless challenging. Here we show how we can use laser scanning confocal microscopy to follow in real-time the growth of smoothed and faceted ice crystals in zirconium acetate solutions. Both qualitative and quantitative observations can be made. In particular, we can precisely measure the lateral growth velocity of the crystals, a measure otherwise difficult to obtain. Such observations should help us understand the influence of the parameters that control the growth of ice crystals in various systems.

Comparison of Zirconium Phosphonate-Modified Surfaces for Immobilizing Phosphopeptides and Phosphate-Tagged Proteins

Different routes for preparing zirconium phosphonate-modified surfaces for immobilizing biomolecular probes are compared. Two chemical-modification approaches were explored to form self-assembled monolayers on commercially available primary amine-functionalized slides, and the resulting surfaces were compared to well-characterized zirconium phosphonate monolayer-modified supports prepared using Langmuir-Blodgett methods. When using POCl3 as the amine phosphorylating agent followed by treatment with zirconyl chloride, the result was not a zirconium-phosphonate monolayer, as commonly assumed in the literature, but rather the process gives adsorbed zirconium oxide/hydroxide species and to a lower extent adsorbed zirconium phosphate and/or phosphonate. Reactions giving rise to these products were modeled in homogeneous-phase studies. Nevertheless, each of the three modified surfaces effectively immobilized phosphopeptides and phosphopeptide tags fused to an affinity protein. Unexpectedly, the zirconium oxide/hydroxide modified surface, formed by treating the amine-coated slides with POCl3/Zr(4+), afforded better immobilization of the peptides and proteins and efficient capture of their targets.

Removal of zirconium from aqueous solution by modified clinoptilolite

Adsorptive behavior of natural clinoptilolite was assessed for the removal of zirconium from aqueous solutions. Natural zeolite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, thermal methods of analysis and FTIR. The zeolite sample composed mainly of clinoptilolite and presented a cation exchange capacity of 1.46 meq g(-1). K, Na and Ca-exchanged forms of zeolite were prepared and their sorption capacities for removal of zirconium from aqueous solutions were determined. The effects of relevant parameters, including initial concentration, contact time, temperature and initial pH on the removal efficiency were investigated in batch studies. The pH strongly influenced zirconium adsorption capacity and maximal capacity was obtained at pH 1.0. The maximum removal efficiency obtained at 40 degrees C and equilibration time of 24h on the Ca-exchanged form. Kinetics and isotherm of adsorption were also studied. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intra-particle diffusion models were used to describe the kinetic data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided excellent kinetic data fitting (R(2)>0.998) with rate constant of 1.60x10(-1), 1.96x10(-1), 2.45x10(-1) and 2.02x10(-1)g mmol(-1)min(-1) respectively for Na, K, Ca-exchanged forms and natural clinoptilolite. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms for zirconium uptake and the Langmuir model agrees very well with experimental data. Thermodynamic parameters were determined and are discussed.

Headgroup-dependent lipid self-assembly on zirconium phosphate-terminated interfaces

We report on the self-assembly of selected phospholipids on a Zr phosphate-terminated thiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on a planar Au surface. The gold substrates were first reacted with 6-mercapto-1-hexanol and then treated with POCl(3) and ZrOCl(2)(aq) prior to exposure to phospholipids. The phospholipids used for adlayer formation were 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidic acid (DMPA), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (DMPG), and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-L-serine] (DMPS), and deposition was accomplished through vesicle fusion. The resulting interfaces were characterized using optical ellipsometry and water contact angle measurements, and cyclic voltammetry was used to interrogate the quality of the phospholipid adlayers. Our data indicate that the strongest lipid-interface interaction is with DMPA, whereas DMPC produces a slightly less organized adlayer. Phospholipids DMPE, DMPG, and DMPS were all found to interact relatively weakly with the zirconated interface, and we understand these results in the context of steric and hydrogen bonding effects in the adlayer that are dominated by the phospholipid headgroup.

Investigation of polynuclear Zr(IV) hydroxide complexes by nanoelectrospray mass-spectrometry combined with XAFS

Polynuclear species of zirconium in acidic aqueous solution are investigated by combining X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAFS) and nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Species distributions are measured between pHC 0 and pHC 3 for [Zr]=1.5-10 mM. While the monomer remains a minor species, with increasing pH the degree of polymerization increases and the formation of tetramers, pentamers, octamers, and larger polymers is observed. The high resolution of the mass spectrometer permits the unambiguous determination of polynuclear zirconium hydroxide complexes by means of their isotopic patterns. The relative abundances of mononuclear and polynuclear species present simultaneously in solution are measured, even if one of the species contributes only 0.1% of the Zr concentration. For the first time it has been directly observed that the hydrolysis of polynuclear Zr species is a continuous process which leads to charge compensation through the sequential substitution of water molecules by hydroxide ligands until doubly charged polymers dominate at conditions (H+ and Zr concentrations) close to the solubility of Zr(OH)4(am). The invasiveness of the electrospray process was minimized by using very mild declustering conditions, leaving the polynuclear species within a solvent shell of approximately 20 water molecules.

Probing organization and communication at layered interfaces

We have investigated the local organization intrinsic to a variety of interfacial structures, by both electrochemical and spectroscopic means. Our focus has been on the design and construction of biomimetic interfaces, where a lipid bilayer or a hybrid bilayer membrane can be bound to an interface. The goal of this work is ultimately to create an interface on a transducer surface that can support an enzyme in its active form. To this point, we have examined the extent of organization that is achievable in monolayers that will be used to bind bilayer structures to a transducer surface. Our electrochemical data point to the important role of the substrate surface in determining adlayer organization. We have also investigated the fluidity and structural heterogeneity of lipid bilayers using time-resolved and steady state fluorescence spectroscopy. Our data point to the highly interactive nature of lipid bilayer constituents, where perturbations introduced to one region have significant consequences on other regions of the bilayer. Such information is directly relevant to the existence and properties of lipid raft structures in both model and biological bilayers.

Probing Interfacial Organization in Surface Monolayers Using Tethered Pyrene. 2. Spectroscopy and Motional Freedom of the Adsorbates

We have studied the steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy of the pyrene-containing monolayers reported in the previous article, where in this work we have bound the monolayers to SiO(x). We find that these monolayer structures are sensitive to the identity of the solvent overlayer, with the solvent playing a significant role in the organization of the surface-bound monolayers. We discuss our findings in the context of the known polarity dependence of the pyrene emission spectrum and find that the motional freedom of the chromophores varies with both the monolayer composition and the identity of the solvent overlayer. Our data point to the importance of neighbor-neighbor interactions within the monolayer structures in mediating the motional freedom of the tethered pyrene chromophores.

Combined LIBD and XAFS investigation of the formation and structure of Zr(IV) colloids

The solubility of Zr(OH)4(am)--in other words hydrated Zr(IV) oxyhydroxide--is determined by means of coulometric titration (CT), and colloids are detected by laser-induced breakdown when the solubility limit is exceeded. Our results at pH 3-8 demonstrate that the solubility of Zr(OH)4(am) is several orders of magnitude higher than reported classical solubility data for acidic solutions, determined from undersaturation with a less soluble microcrystalline Zr(IV) oxide precipitate. Analysis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data shows that the microcrystalline colloids in a 0.1 mol l(-1) Zr aqueous solution at pH 0.2 contain tetrameric units, similar to those present in the structure of ZrOCl2.8H2O. Characterization of the CT solutions by means of EXAFS shows that oligomeric species form as the solubility limit is approached. The current lack of data on equilibrium constants for polynuclear hydroxide complexes prohibits the use of a realistic speciation model to describe the solubility of pH-dependent Zr(OH)4(am). However, the solubility curve is obtained using the mononuclear hydrolysis constants estimated in the present paper, along with the solubility constant (log K'sp=-49.9+/-0.5 in 0.5 mol l(-1) NaCl; log K degrees(sp)=-53.1+/-0.5 at I=0).