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Lai PH, Hall SL, Lan YC, Ai JR, Jaberi A, Sheikhi A, Shi R, Vogt BD, Gomez ED. Upcycling plastic waste into fully recyclable composites through cold sintering. Mater Horiz 2024. [PMID: 38506669 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh01976d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Plastics have substantial societal benefits, but their widespread use has led to a critical waste management challenge. While mechanical recycling dominates the reuse of post-consumer plastics, it is limited in efficacy, especially for composites. To address this, we propose a direct reprocessing approach that enables the creation of hybrid, long-lasting, and durable composites from difficult-to-recycle plastics. This approach utilizes cold sintering, a process that consolidates inorganic powders through fractional dissolution and precipitation at temperatures far below conventional sintering; these temperatures are compatible with plastic processing. We show that this process can create inorganic-matrix composites with significant enhancements in tensile strength and toughness over pure gypsum, which is commonly found in construction waste. These composites can be recycled multiple times through direct reprocessing with the addition of only water as a processing promoter. This approach to recycling leads to composites with orders of magnitude lower energy demand, global warming potential, and water demand, when compared against common construction products. Altogether, we demonstrate the potential for cold sintering to integrate waste into high-performance recyclable composites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Hao Lai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Shelby L Hall
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Yi-Chen Lan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Jia-Ruey Ai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Arian Jaberi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Amir Sheikhi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Rui Shi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Bryan D Vogt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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2
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Agarwala P, Shetty S, Fenton AM, Dursun B, Milner ST, Gomez ED. Backbone and Side Group Interchain Correlations Govern Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering of Poly(3-hexylthiophene). ACS Macro Lett 2024; 13:375-380. [PMID: 38461421 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Identifying the origin of scattering from polymer materials is crucial to infer structural features that can relate to functional properties. Here, we use our recently developed virtual-site coarse graining to accelerate atomistic simulations and show how various molecular features govern wide-angle X-ray scattering from a conjugated polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The efficient molecular dynamics simulations can represent the structure and capture the emergence of crystalline order from amorphous melts upon cooling while retaining atomistic details of chain configurations. The scattering extracted from simulations shows good agreement with wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments. Amorphous P3HT exhibits broad scattering peaks: a high-q peak from interchain side-group correlations and a low-q peak from interchain backbone-backbone correlations. During amorphous to crystalline phase transitions, the distance between backbones along the side-group direction increases because of lack of interdigitation in the crystalline phase. Scattering from π-π stacking emerges only after crystallization takes place. Intrachain correlations contribute negligibly to the scattering from the amorphous and crystalline phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja Agarwala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Shreya Shetty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Abigail M Fenton
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Burcu Dursun
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Scott T Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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3
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Wu Y, Yuan Y, Sorbelli D, Cheng C, Michalek L, Cheng HW, Jindal V, Zhang S, LeCroy G, Gomez ED, Milner ST, Salleo A, Galli G, Asbury JB, Toney MF, Bao Z. Tuning polymer-backbone coplanarity and conformational order to achieve high-performance printed all-polymer solar cells. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2170. [PMID: 38461153 PMCID: PMC10924936 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46493-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) offer improved morphological and mechanical stability compared with those containing small-molecule-acceptors (SMAs). They can be processed with a broader range of conditions, making them desirable for printing techniques. In this study, we report a high-performance polymer acceptor design based on bithiazole linker (PY-BTz) that are on par with SMAs. We demonstrate that bithiazole induces a more coplanar and ordered conformation compared to bithiophene due to the synergistic effect of non-covalent backbone planarization and reduced steric encumbrances. As a result, PY-BTz shows a significantly higher efficiency of 16.4% in comparison to the polymer acceptors based on commonly used thiophene-based linkers (i.e., PY-2T, 9.8%). Detailed analyses reveal that this improvement is associated with enhanced conjugation along the backbone and closer interchain π-stacking, resulting in higher charge mobilities, suppressed charge recombination, and reduced energetic disorder. Remarkably, an efficiency of 14.7% is realized for all-PSCs that are solution-sheared in ambient conditions, which is among the highest for devices prepared under conditions relevant to scalable printing techniques. This work uncovers a strategy for promoting backbone conjugation and planarization in emerging polymer acceptors that can lead to superior all-PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilei Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4125, USA
| | - Yue Yuan
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Diego Sorbelli
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, 5747 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Christina Cheng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lukas Michalek
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4125, USA
| | - Hao-Wen Cheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4125, USA
| | - Vishal Jindal
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Song Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4125, USA
| | - Garrett LeCroy
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Scott T Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Alberto Salleo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Giulia Galli
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, 5747 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - John B Asbury
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Michael F Toney
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials Science Program, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Zhenan Bao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4125, USA.
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4
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Ghasemi M, Geitner M, O'Connell A, Gomez ED. Three-Dimensional Morphology of Polymeric Membranes from Electron Tomography. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2024; 15. [PMID: 38424464 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100722-104623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Recent advances in the water-energy landscape hinge upon our improved understanding of the complex morphology of materials involved in water treatment and energy production. Due to their versatility and tunability for applications ranging from drug delivery to fuel cells, polymeric systems will play a crucial role in shaping the future of water-energy nexus applications. Electron tomography (ET) stands as a transformative approach for elucidating the intricate structures inherent to polymers, offering unparalleled insights into their nanoscale architectures and functional properties in three dimensions. In particular, the various morphological and chemical characteristics of polymer membranes provide opportunities for perturbations to standard ET for the study of these systems. We discuss the applications of transmission electron microscopy in establishing structure-function relationships in polymeric membranes with an emphasis on traditional ET and cryogenic ET (cryo-ET). The synergy between ET and cryo-ET to unravel structural complexities and dynamic behaviors of polymer membranes holds immense potential in driving progress and innovation across frontiers related to water-energy nexus applications. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , Volume 15 is June 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA;
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael Geitner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA;
| | - Agatha O'Connell
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA;
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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5
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Lan YC, Ghasemi M, Hall SL, Fair RA, Maranas C, Shi R, Gomez ED. Cold Sintering Enables the Reprocessing of LLZO-Based Composites. ChemSusChem 2024:e202301920. [PMID: 38400831 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
All-solid-state batteries have the potential for enhanced safety and capacity over conventional lithium ion batteries, and are anticipated to dominate the energy storage industry. As such, strategies to enable recycling of the individual components are crucial to minimize waste and prevent health and environmental harm. Here, we use cold sintering to reprocess solid-state composite electrolytes, specifically Mg and Sr doped Li7 La3 Zr2 O12 with polypropylene carbonate (PPC) and lithium perchlorate (LLZO-PPC-LiClO4 ). The low sintering temperature allows co-sintering of ceramics, polymers and lithium salts, leading to re-densification of the composite structures with reprocessing. Reprocessed LLZO-PPC-LiClO4 exhibits densified microstructures with ionic conductivities exceeding 10-4 S/cm at room temperature after 5 recycling cycles. All-solid-state lithium batteries fabricated with reprocessed electrolytes exhibit a high discharge capacity of 168 mA h g-1 at 0.1 C, and retention of performance at 0.2 C for over 100 cycles. Life cycle assessment (LCA) suggests that recycled electrolytes outperforms the pristine electrolyte process in all environmental impact categories, highlighting cold sintering as a promising technology for recycling electrolytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chen Lan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Shelby L Hall
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ryan A Fair
- Department of Materials Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Christina Maranas
- Department of Materials Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rui Shi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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6
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Yu J, Del Mundo JT, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Schaible E, Gomez EW, Gomez ED, Cosgrove DJ. Dynamic Structural Change of Plant Epidermal Cell Walls under Strain. Small 2024:e2311832. [PMID: 38386283 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The molecular foundations of epidermal cell wall mechanics are critical for understanding structure-function relationships of primary cell walls in plants and facilitating the design of bioinspired materials. To uncover the molecular mechanisms regulating the high extensibility and strength of the cell wall, the onion epidermal wall is stretched uniaxially to various strains and cell wall structures from mesoscale to atomic scale are characterized. Upon longitudinal stretching to high strain, epidermal walls contract in the transverse direction, resulting in a reduced area. Atomic force microscopy shows that cellulose microfibrils exhibit orientation-dependent rearrangements at high strains: longitudinal microfibrils are straightened out and become highly ordered, while transverse microfibrils curve and kink. Small-angle X-ray scattering detects a 7.4 nm spacing aligned along the stretch direction at high strain, which is attributed to distances between individual cellulose microfibrils. Furthermore, wide-angle X-ray scattering reveals a widening of (004) lattice spacing and contraction of (200) lattice spacing in longitudinally aligned cellulose microfibrils at high strain, which implies longitudinal stretching of the cellulose crystal. These findings provide molecular insights into the ability of the wall to bear additional load after yielding: the aggregation of longitudinal microfibrils impedes sliding and enables further stretching of the cellulose to bear increased loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Yu
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Eric Schaible
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Daniel J Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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7
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Siemianowski O, Rongpipi S, Del Mundo JT, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Gomez ED, Gomez EW, Anderson CT. Flexible Pectin Nanopatterning Drives Cell Wall Organization in Plants. JACS Au 2024; 4:177-188. [PMID: 38274264 PMCID: PMC10806874 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Plant cell walls are abundant sources of materials and energy. Nevertheless, cell wall nanostructure, specifically how pectins interact with cellulose and hemicelluloses to construct a robust and flexible biomaterial, is poorly understood. X-ray scattering measurements are minimally invasive and can reveal ultrastructural, compositional, and physical properties of materials. Resonant X-ray scattering takes advantage of compositional differences by tuning the energy of the incident X-ray to absorption edges of specific elements in a material. Using Tender Resonant X-ray Scattering (TReXS) at the calcium K-edge to study hypocotyls of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, we detected distinctive Ca features that we hypothesize correspond to previously unreported Ca-Homogalacturonan (Ca-HG) nanostructures. When Ca-HG structures were perturbed by chemical and enzymatic treatments, cellulose microfibrils were also rearranged. Moreover, Ca-HG nanostructure was altered in mutants with abnormal cellulose, pectin, or hemicellulose content. Our results indicate direct structural interlinks between components of the plant cell wall at the nanoscale and reveal mechanisms that underpin both the structural integrity of these components and the molecular architecture of the plant cell wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Siemianowski
- Department
of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Faculty of
Biology, Institute of Experimental Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa Street 1, 02-096 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Sintu Rongpipi
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Joshua T. Del Mundo
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National
Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National
Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Esther W. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Charles T. Anderson
- Department
of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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8
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Koohfar S, Ghasemi M, Hafen T, Dimitrakopoulos G, Kim D, Pike J, Elangovan S, Gomez ED, Yildiz B. Improvement of oxygen reduction activity and stability on a perovskite oxide surface by electrochemical potential. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7203. [PMID: 37938236 PMCID: PMC10632449 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42462-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The instability of the surface chemistry in transition metal oxide perovskites is the main factor hindering the long-term durability of oxygen electrodes in solid oxide electrochemical cells. The instability of surface chemistry is mainly due to the segregation of A-site dopants from the lattice to the surface. Here we report that cathodic potential can remarkably improve the stability in oxygen reduction reaction and electrochemical activity, by decomposing the near-surface region of the perovskite phase in a porous electrode made of La1-xSrxCo1-xFexO3 mixed with Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9. Our approach combines X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry for surface and sub-surface analysis. Formation of Ruddlesden-Popper phase is accompanied by suppression of the A-site dopant segregation, and exsolution of catalytically active Co particles onto the surface. These findings reveal the chemical and structural elements that maintain an active surface for oxygen reduction, and the cathodic potential is one way to generate these desirable chemistries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaz Koohfar
- Laboratory for Electrochemical Interfaces, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Georgios Dimitrakopoulos
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dongha Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jenna Pike
- OxEon Energy, LLC, North Salt Lake, UT, USA
| | | | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Bilge Yildiz
- Laboratory for Electrochemical Interfaces, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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9
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Young HL, Gomez ED, Schaak RE. Thermally Induced Domain Migration and Interfacial Restructuring in Cation Exchanged ZnS-Cu 1.8S Heterostructured Nanorods. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:23321-23333. [PMID: 37818621 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
Partial cation exchange reactions can be used to rationally design and synthesize heterostructured nanoparticles that are useful targets for applications in photocatalysis, nanophotonics, thermoelectrics, and medicine. Such reactions introduce intraparticle frameworks that define the spatial arrangements of different materials within a heterostructured nanoparticle, as well as the orientations and locations of their interfaces. Here, we show that upon heating to temperatures relevant to their synthesis and applications, the ZnS regions and Cu1.8S/ZnS interfaces of heterostructured ZnS-Cu1.8S nanorods migrate and restructure. We first use partial cation exchange reactions to synthesize a library of seven distinct samples containing various patches, bands, and tips of ZnS embedded within Cu1.8S nanorods. Upon annealing in solution or in air, ex situ TEM analysis shows evidence that the ZnS domains migrate in different ways, depending upon their sizes and locations. Using differential scanning calorimetry, we correlate the threshold temperature for ZnS migration to the superionic transition temperature of Cu1.8S, which facilitates rapid diffusion throughout the nanorods. We then use in situ thermal TEM to study the evolution of individual ZnS-Cu1.8S nanorods upon heating. We find that ZnS domain migration occurs through a ripening process that minimizes small patches with higher-energy interfaces in favor of larger bands and tips having lower-energy interfaces, as well as through restructuring of higher-energy Cu1.8S/ZnS interfaces. Notably, Cu1.8S nanorods containing multiple patches of ZnS thermally transform into ZnS-Cu1.8S heterostructured nanorods having ZnS tips and/or central bands, which provides mechanistic insights into how these commonly observed products form during synthesis.
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10
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Rongpipi S, Barnes WJ, Siemianowski O, Del Mundo JT, Wang C, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Anderson CT, Gomez EW, Gomez ED. Measuring calcium content in plants using NEXAFS spectroscopy. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1212126. [PMID: 37662163 PMCID: PMC10468975 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1212126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Calcium is important for the growth and development of plants. It serves crucial functions in cell wall and cell membrane structure and serves as a secondary messenger in signaling pathways relevant to nutrient and immunity responses. Thus, measuring calcium levels in plants is important for studies of plant biology and for technology development in food, agriculture, energy, and forest industries. Often, calcium in plants has been measured through techniques such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and electrophysiology. These techniques, however, require large sample sizes, chemical extraction of samples or have limited spatial resolution. Here, we used near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy at the calcium L- and K-edges to measure the calcium to carbon mass ratio with spatial resolution in plant samples without requiring chemical extraction or large sample sizes. We demonstrate that the integrated absorbance at the calcium L-edge and the edge jump in the fluorescence yield at the calcium K-edge can be used to quantify the calcium content as the calcium mass fraction, and validate this approach with onion epidermal peels and ICP-MS. We also used NEXAFS to estimate the calcium mass ratio in hypocotyls of a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, which has a cell wall composition that is similar to that of onion epidermal peels. These results show that NEXAFS spectroscopy performed at the calcium edge provides an approach to quantify calcium levels within plants, which is crucial for understanding plant physiology and advancing plant-based materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - William J. Barnes
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Oskar Siemianowski
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Joshua T. Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Charles T. Anderson
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Esther W. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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11
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Hadzich A, Flores S, Masucci AE, Gomez ED, Groß GA. NMR and GPC Analysis of Alkyd Resins: Influence of Synthesis Method, Vegetable Oil and Polyol Content. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15091993. [PMID: 37177141 PMCID: PMC10181308 DOI: 10.3390/polym15091993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Alkyd resins are oil-based polymers that have been widely used for generations in the surface coating industry and beyond. Characterization of these resins is of high importance to understand the influence of its components on its behavior, compatibility with other resins, and final quality to ensure high durability. Here, NMR spectroscopy and GPC were used for characterizing differences in the chemical structure, molecular distribution, and dispersity between oil-based and fatty acid-based alkyd polymers made from sacha inchi and linseed oils. Sancha inchi (Plukentia volubilis L.) is a fruit-bearing plant native to South America and the Caribbean, and has a rich unsaturated fatty acid content. The effect of vegetable oil and polyol selection on the synthesis of alkyd resins for coating applications was analyzed. The influence of two different synthesis methods, monoglyceride and fatty acid processes, was also compared. Important structural differences were observed using NMR: one-dimensional spectra revealed the degree of unsaturated fatty acid chains along the polyester backbone, whereas, 2D NMR experiments facilitated chemical shift assignments of all signals. GPC analysis suggested that alkyd resins with homogeneous and high molecular weights can be obtained with the fatty acid process, and that resins containing pentaerythritol may have uniform chain lengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Hadzich
- Instituto de Corrosión y Protección (ICP-PUCP), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), Avenida Universitaria 1801, Lima 32, Peru
| | - Santiago Flores
- Instituto de Corrosión y Protección (ICP-PUCP), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), Avenida Universitaria 1801, Lima 32, Peru
| | - Ashley E Masucci
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - G Alexander Groß
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Microreaction Technology, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnolgy, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Prof.-Schmidt-Str. 26, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
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12
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Del Mundo JT, Rongpipi S, Yang H, Ye D, Kiemle SN, Moffitt SL, Troxel CL, Toney MF, Zhu C, Kubicki JD, Cosgrove DJ, Gomez EW, Gomez ED. Grazing-incidence diffraction reveals cellulose and pectin organization in hydrated plant primary cell wall. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5421. [PMID: 37012389 PMCID: PMC10070456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32505-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary cell wall is highly hydrated in its native state, yet many structural studies have been conducted on dried samples. Here, we use grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) with a humidity chamber, which enhances scattering and the signal-to-noise ratio while keeping outer onion epidermal peels hydrated, to examine cell wall properties. GIWAXS of hydrated and dried onion reveals that the cellulose ([Formula: see text]) lattice spacing decreases slightly upon drying, while the (200) lattice parameters are unchanged. Additionally, the ([Formula: see text]) diffraction intensity increases relative to (200). Density functional theory models of hydrated and dry cellulose microfibrils corroborate changes in crystalline properties upon drying. GIWAXS also reveals a peak that we attribute to pectin chain aggregation. We speculate that dehydration perturbs the hydrogen bonding network within cellulose crystals and collapses the pectin network without affecting the lateral distribution of pectin chain aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Dan Ye
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Sarah N Kiemle
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | | | - Charles L Troxel
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Michael F Toney
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Chenhui Zhu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - James D Kubicki
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA
| | - Daniel J Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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13
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Ghasemi M, Guo B, Darabi K, Wang T, Wang K, Huang CW, Lefler BM, Taussig L, Chauhan M, Baucom G, Kim T, Gomez ED, Atkin JM, Priya S, Amassian A. A multiscale ion diffusion framework sheds light on the diffusion-stability-hysteresis nexus in metal halide perovskites. Nat Mater 2023; 22:329-337. [PMID: 36849816 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01488-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Stability and current-voltage hysteresis stand as major obstacles to the commercialization of metal halide perovskites. Both phenomena have been associated with ion migration, with anecdotal evidence that stable devices yield low hysteresis. However, the underlying mechanisms of the complex stability-hysteresis link remain elusive. Here we present a multiscale diffusion framework that describes vacancy-mediated halide diffusion in polycrystalline metal halide perovskites, differentiating fast grain boundary diffusivity from volume diffusivity that is two to four orders of magnitude slower. Our results reveal an inverse relationship between the activation energies of grain boundary and volume diffusions, such that stable metal halide perovskites exhibiting smaller volume diffusivities are associated with larger grain boundary diffusivities and reduced hysteresis. The elucidation of multiscale halide diffusion in metal halide perovskites reveals complex inner couplings between ion migration in the volume of grains versus grain boundaries, which in turn can predict the stability and hysteresis of metal halide perovskites, providing a clearer path to addressing the outstanding challenges of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Boyu Guo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Kasra Darabi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Tonghui Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Chiung-Wei Huang
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin M Lefler
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Laine Taussig
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Mihirsinh Chauhan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Garrett Baucom
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Taesoo Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Joanna M Atkin
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shashank Priya
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Aram Amassian
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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14
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van der Vlies AJ, Ghasemi M, Adair BM, Adair JH, Gomez ED, Hasegawa U. Reactive Oxygen Species‐Triggered Hydrogen Sulfide Release and Cancer‐Selective Antiproliferative Effect of Anethole Dithiolethione‐Containing Polymeric Micelles (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 6/2023). Adv Healthc Mater 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202370030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
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15
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van der Vlies AJ, Ghasemi M, Adair BM, Adair JH, Gomez ED, Hasegawa U. Reactive Oxygen Species-Triggered Hydrogen Sulfide Release and Cancer-Selective Antiproliferative Effect of Anethole Dithiolethione-Containing Polymeric Micelles. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2201836. [PMID: 36495554 PMCID: PMC10125727 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) is a gaseous signaling molecule in the human body and has attracted attention in cancer therapy due to its regulatory roles in cancer cell proliferation and migration. Accumulating evidence suggests that continuous delivery of H2 S to cancer cells for extended periods of time suppresses cancer progression. However, one major challenge in therapeutic applications of H2 S is its controlled delivery. To solve this problem, polymeric micelles are developed containing H2 S donating-anethole dithiolethione (ADT) groups, with H2 S release profiles optimal for suppressing cancer cell proliferation. The micelles release H2 S upon oxidation by reactive oxygens species (ROS) that are present inside the cells. The H2 S release profiles can be controlled by changing the polymer design. Furthermore, the micelles that show a moderate H2 S release rate exert the strongest anti-proliferative effect in human colon cancer cells in in vitro assays as well as the chick chorioallantoic membrane cancer model, while the micelles do not affect proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. This study shows the importance of fine-tuning H2 S release profiles using a micelle approach for realizing the full therapeutic potential of H2 S in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- André J van der Vlies
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Bernadette M Adair
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - James H Adair
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Urara Hasegawa
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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16
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Rongpipi S, Del Mundo JT, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Extracting structural insights from soft X-ray scattering of biological assemblies. Methods Enzymol 2022; 678:121-144. [PMID: 36641206 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS), a technique that combines X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray scattering, can probe the nano- and meso-scale structure of biological assemblies with chemical specificity. RSoXS experiments yield scattering data collected at several photon energies, for example across an elemental absorption edge of interest. Collecting a near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum complements RSoXS experiments and determines X-ray energies that are best suited for RSoXS measurements. The analysis of RSoXS data is similar in many ways to analysis of small angle X-ray scattering using hard X-rays, with an added dimension that includes an X-ray energy dependence. This chapter discusses procedures for predicting scattering contrast and thereby identifying energies suitable for RSoXS measurements using NEXAFS spectra, analyses of 2D RSoXS images through integration into 1D profiles, and strategies for elucidating the origin of RSoXS scattering features. It also discusses existing and potential methods for interpretation of RSoXS data to gain detailed structural insights into biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sintu Rongpipi
- Advanced Light Source and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States; Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
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17
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Agarwala P, Gomez ED, Milner ST. Fast, Faithful Simulations of Donor-Acceptor Interface Morphology. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:6932-6939. [PMID: 36219653 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The local structure of conjugated polymers governs key optoelectronic properties, such as charge conduction and photogeneration at donor-acceptor interfaces. Because conjugated polymers are large, stiff, and relax slowly, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations are computationally expensive. Here, we describe a coarse-graining method that exploits the stiffness of constituent aromatic moieties by representing each moiety as rigidly bonded clusters of atoms wherein virtual sites replace several atoms. This approach significantly reduces the degrees of freedom while faithfully representing the shape and interactions of the moieties, resulting in 10 times faster simulations than all-atom simulations. Simulation of a donor polymer (P3HT) and a non-fullerene acceptor (O-IDTBR) validates the coarse-graining method by comparing structural properties from experiments, such as the density and persistence length. The fast simulation produces equilibrated systems with realistic morphologies. The simulation results of an equimolar mixture of P3HT, with a molecular weight of 1332 g mol-1, and an O-IDTBR mixture suggest that the interface width must be larger than 7 nm. Also, we investigate the effect of slow cooling on morphologies, particularly the number of close contacts that facilitates carrier transport. Slow cooling increases close contacts, and the effect is more pronounced in crystal-forming P3HT than in O-IDTBR, where bulky side-groups hinder crystal formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja Agarwala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States.,Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States
| | - Scott T Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, United States
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18
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Fenton A, Xie R, Aplan MP, Lee Y, Gill MG, Fair R, Kempe F, Sommer M, Snyder CR, Gomez ED, Colby RH. Predicting the Plateau Modulus from Molecular Parameters of Conjugated Polymers. ACS Cent Sci 2022; 8:268-274. [PMID: 35233458 PMCID: PMC8880420 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between Kuhn length l k , Kuhn monomer volume v 0, and plateau modulus G N 0, initially proposed by Graessley and Edwards for flexible polymers, and extended by Everaers, has a large gap in experimental data between the flexible and stiff regimes. This gap prevents the prediction of mechanical properties from the chain structure for any polymer in this region. Given the chain architecture, including a semiflexible backbone and side chains, conjugated polymers are an ideal class of material to study this crossover region. Using small angle neutron scattering, oscillatory shear rheology, and the freely rotating chain model, we have shown that 12 polymers with aromatic backbones populate a large part of this gap. We also have shown that a few of these polymers exhibit nematic ordering, which lowers G N 0. When fully isotropic, these polymers follow a relationship between l k , v 0, and G N 0, with a simple crossover proposed in terms of the number of Kuhn segments in an entanglement strand N e.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail
M. Fenton
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Renxuan Xie
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Melissa P. Aplan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Youngmin Lee
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, United States
| | - Michael G. Gill
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Ryan Fair
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Fabian Kempe
- Institute
for Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Michael Sommer
- Institute
for Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Chad R. Snyder
- Materials
Science and Engineering Division, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania
State University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials
Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State
University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Ralph H. Colby
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials
Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State
University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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19
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Sengul MY, Ndayishimiye A, Lee W, Seo JH, Fan Z, Shin YK, Gomez ED, Randall CA, van Duin ACT. Atomistic level aqueous dissolution dynamics of NASICON-Type Li 1+xAl xTi 2-x(PO 4) 3 (LATP). Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:4125-4130. [PMID: 35113112 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05360d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Advancing the atomistic level understanding of aqueous dissolution of multicomponent materials is essential. We combined ReaxFF and experiments to investigate the dissolution at the Li1+xAlxTi2-x(PO4)3-water interface. We demonstrate that surface dissolution is a sequentially dynamic process. The phosphate dissolution destabilizes the NASICON structure, which triggers a titanium-rich secondary phase formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mert Y Sengul
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Arnaud Ndayishimiye
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Wonho Lee
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.,Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk, 39177, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo-Hwan Seo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Zhongming Fan
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Yun Kyung Shin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.,Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Clive A Randall
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.,Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Adri C T van Duin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
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20
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Chakraborty I, Rongpipi S, Govindaraju I, B R, Mal SS, Gomez EW, Gomez ED, Kalita RD, Nath Y, Mazumder N. An insight into microscopy and analytical techniques for morphological, structural, chemical, and thermal characterization of cellulose. Microsc Res Tech 2022; 85:1990-2015. [PMID: 35040538 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cellulose obtained from plants is a bio-polysaccharide and the most abundant organic polymer on earth that has immense household and industrial applications. Hence, the characterization of cellulose is important for determining its appropriate applications. In this article, we review the characterization of cellulose morphology, surface topography using microscopic techniques including optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Other physicochemical characteristics like crystallinity, chemical composition, and thermal properties are studied using techniques including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. This review may contribute to the development of using cellulose as a low-cost raw material with anticipated physicochemical properties. HIGHLIGHTS: Morphology and surface topography of cellulose structure is characterized using microscopy techniques including optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Analytical techniques used for physicochemical characterization of cellulose include X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishita Chakraborty
- Department of Biophysics, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Indira Govindaraju
- Department of Biophysics, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Rakesh B
- Department of Life Science, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, 560029, India
| | - Sib Sankar Mal
- Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575025, India
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ranjan Dutta Kalita
- Department of Biotechnology, Royal Global University, Guwahati, Assam, 781035, India
| | - Yuthika Nath
- Department of Serology, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Guwahati, India
| | - Nirmal Mazumder
- Department of Biophysics, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
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21
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Zokaei S, Kim D, Järsvall E, Fenton AM, Weisen AR, Hultmark S, Nguyen PH, Matheson AM, Lund A, Kroon R, Chabinyc ML, Gomez ED, Zozoulenko I, Müller C. Tuning of the elastic modulus of a soft polythiophene through molecular doping. Mater Horiz 2022; 9:433-443. [PMID: 34787612 DOI: 10.1039/d1mh01079d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Molecular doping of a polythiophene with oligoethylene glycol side chains is found to strongly modulate not only the electrical but also the mechanical properties of the polymer. An oxidation level of up to 18% results in an electrical conductivity of more than 52 S cm-1 and at the same time significantly enhances the elastic modulus from 8 to more than 200 MPa and toughness from 0.5 to 5.1 MJ m-3. These changes arise because molecular doping strongly influences the glass transition temperature Tg and the degree of π-stacking of the polymer, as indicated by both X-ray diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations. Surprisingly, a comparison of doped materials containing mono- or dianions reveals that - for a comparable oxidation level - the presence of multivalent counterions has little effect on the stiffness. Evidently, molecular doping is a powerful tool that can be used for the design of mechanically robust conducting materials, which may find use within the field of flexible and stretchable electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Zokaei
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
| | - Donghyun Kim
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, Norrköping 60174, Sweden
| | - Emmy Järsvall
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
| | - Abigail M Fenton
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Albree R Weisen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Sandra Hultmark
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
| | - Phong H Nguyen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Amanda M Matheson
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Anja Lund
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
| | - Renee Kroon
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, Norrköping 60174, Sweden
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Linköping University, Norrköping 60174, Sweden
| | - Michael L Chabinyc
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Igor Zozoulenko
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, Norrköping 60174, Sweden
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Linköping University, Norrköping 60174, Sweden
| | - Christian Müller
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden.
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 41296, Sweden
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22
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Del Mundo JT, Rongpipi S, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Characterization of biological materials with soft X-ray scattering. Methods Enzymol 2022; 677:357-383. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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23
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24
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Shetty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Scott T. Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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25
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Julien JA, Fernandez MG, Brandmier KM, Del Mundo JT, Bator CM, Loftus LA, Gomez EW, Gomez ED, Glover KJ. Rapid preparation of nanodiscs for biophysical studies. Arch Biochem Biophys 2021; 712:109051. [PMID: 34610337 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2021.109051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Nanodiscs, which are disc-shaped entities that contain a central lipid bilayer encased by an annulus of amphipathic helices, have emerged as a leading native-like membrane mimic. The current approach for the formation of nanodiscs involves the creation of a mixed-micellar solution containing membrane scaffold protein, lipid, and detergent followed by a time consuming process (3-12 h) of dialysis and/or incubation with sorptive beads to remove the detergent molecules from the sample. In contrast, the methodology described herein provides a facile and rapid procedure for the preparation of nanodiscs in a matter of minutes (<15 min) using Sephadex® G-25 resin to remove the detergent from the sample. A panoply of biophysical techniques including analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, gel filtration chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and cryogenic electron microscopy were employed to unequivocally confirm that aggregates formed by this method are indeed nanodiscs. We believe that this method will be attractive for time-sensitive and high-throughput experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A Julien
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, 6 E. Packer Ave. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, USA
| | - Martin G Fernandez
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, 6 E. Packer Ave. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, USA
| | - Katrina M Brandmier
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, 6 E. Packer Ave. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, USA
| | - Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 121 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Carol M Bator
- Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, Cryo-EM Facility, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lucie A Loftus
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, 6 E. Packer Ave. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, USA
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 121 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 121 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 404 Steidle Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Kerney Jebrell Glover
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, 6 E. Packer Ave. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, USA.
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26
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van der Vlies AJ, Xu J, Ghasemi M, Bator C, Bell A, Rosoff-Verbit B, Liu B, Gomez ED, Hasegawa U. Thioether-Based Polymeric Micelles with Fine-Tuned Oxidation Sensitivities for Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery. Biomacromolecules 2021; 23:77-88. [PMID: 34762396 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Oxidation-sensitive drug delivery systems (DDSs) have attracted attention due to the potential to improve efficacy and safety of chemotherapeutics. These systems are designed to release the payload in response to oxidative stress conditions, which are associated with many types of cancer. Despite extensive research on the development of oxidation-sensitive DDS, the lack of selectivity toward cancer cells over healthy cells remains a challenge. Here, we report the design and characterization of polymeric micelles containing thioether groups with varying oxidation sensitivities within the micellar core, which become hydrophilic upon thioether oxidation, leading to destabilization of the micellar structure. We first used the thioether model compounds, 3-methylthiopropylamide (TPAM), thiomorpholine amide (TMAM), and 4-(methylthio)benzylamide (TPhAM) to investigate the effect of the chemical structures of the thioethers on the oxidation by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). TPAM shows the fastest oxidation, followed by TMAM and TPhAM, showing that the oxidation reaction of thioethers can be modulated by changing the substituent groups bound to the sulfur atom. We next prepared micelles containing these different thioether groups within the core (TP, TM, and TPh micelles). The micelles containing the thioether groups with a higher oxidation sensitivity were destabilized by H2O2 at a lower concentration. Micelle destabilization was also tested in human liver cancer (HepG2) cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The TP micelles having the highest oxidation sensitivity were destabilized in both HepG2 cells and HUVECs, while the TPh micelles, which showed the lowest reactivity toward H2O2, were stable in these cell lines. The TM micelles possessing a moderate oxidation sensitivity were destabilized in HepG2 cells but were stable in HUVECs. Furthermore, the micelles were loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) to evaluate their potential in drug delivery applications. Among the micelles, the TM micelles loaded with Dox showed the enhanced relative toxicity in HepG2 cells over HUVECs. Therefore, our approach to fine-tune the oxidation sensitivity of the micelles has potential for improving therapeutic efficacy and safety of drugs in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- André J van der Vlies
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Jiayi Xu
- Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Masoud Ghasemi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Carol Bator
- Huck Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Amanda Bell
- Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Brett Rosoff-Verbit
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Bin Liu
- Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.,Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Urara Hasegawa
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.,Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
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27
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Pathiranage TSK, Ma Z, Udamulle Gedara CM, Pan X, Lee Y, Gomez ED, Biewer MC, Matyjaszewski K, Stefan MC. Improved Self-Assembly of P3HT with Pyrene-Functionalized Methacrylates. ACS Omega 2021; 6:27325-27334. [PMID: 34693153 PMCID: PMC8529656 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A block copolymer with discotic liquid crystalline behavior was synthesized using Grignard metathesis polymerization (GRIM) and initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization (ICAR-ATRP). A novel discotic liquid crystalline mesogen, 6-(pyren-1-yloxy)hexyl methacrylate (PyMA), comprises a block that is attached to regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) generated by GRIM and subjected to end-group modification. Due to the continuous regeneration of Cu+ in the reaction mixture in ICAR-ATRP compared to conventional methods, the synthesis was successfully performed with less catalyst. The purity and yield of the final product are increased by eliminating rigorous post-synthesis purification. Stacked pyrene units have contributed to the enhanced long-range π-π interactions and aligning of the P3HT block as observed in thin-film X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, field-effect mobilities in the order of 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 in bottom-gate, top-contact organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) suggest an enhancement in charge transport due to the discotic electron-rich pyrene units that help mitigate the insulating effect of the methacrylate backbone. The formation of uniform microdomains of P3HT-b-poly(PyMA) observed with tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM) on the channel regions of OFETs indicates the unique packing of the block copolymer in comparison to pristine P3HT. Thermotropic properties of the novel discotic mesogen in the presence and absence of P3HT were observed with both the poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(6-(pyren-1-yloxy)hexyl methacrylate) (P3HT-b-poly(PyMA)) block copolymer and poly(6-(pyren-1-yloxy)hexyl methacrylate) (poly(PyMA)) homopolymer using polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Taniya
M. S. K. Pathiranage
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United
States
| | - Ziyuan Ma
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United
States
| | - Chinthaka M. Udamulle Gedara
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United
States
| | - Xiangcheng Pan
- Center
for Macromolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Youngmin Lee
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, The New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, United States
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania
State University, 404 Steidle Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Michael C. Biewer
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United
States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Center
for Macromolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Mihaela C. Stefan
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United
States
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28
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Abstract
High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has been transformative to the field of polymer science, enabling the direct imaging of molecular structures. Although some materials have remarkable stability under electron beams, most HRTEM studies are limited by the electron dose the sample can handle. Beam damage of conjugated polymers is not yet fully understood, but it has been suggested that the diffusion of secondary reacting species may play a role. As such, we examine the effect of the addition of antioxidants to a series of solution-processable conjugated polymers as an approach to mitigating beam damage. Characterizing the effects of beam damage by calculating critical dose DC values from the decay of electron diffraction peaks shows that beam damage of conjugated polymers in the TEM can be minimized by using antioxidants at room temperature, even if the antioxidant does not alter or incorporate into polymer crystals. As a consequence, the addition of antioxidants pushes the resolution limit of polymer microscopy, enabling imaging of a 3.6 Å lattice spacing in poly[(5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4,7-diyl)-alt-(3,3″'-di(2-octyldodecyl)-2,2';5',2″;5″,2″'-quaterthiophene-5,5″'-diyl)] (PffBT4T-2OD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke Kuei
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
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29
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Culp TE, Khara B, Brickey KP, Geitner M, Zimudzi TJ, Wilbur JD, Jons SD, Roy A, Paul M, Ganapathysubramanian B, Zydney AL, Kumar M, Gomez ED. Nanoscale control of internal inhomogeneity enhances water transport in desalination membranes. Science 2021; 371:72-75. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abb8518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler E. Culp
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Biswajit Khara
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Kaitlyn P. Brickey
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Michael Geitner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Tawanda J. Zimudzi
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | | | - Abhishek Roy
- The Dow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX 77541, USA
| | - Mou Paul
- The Dow Chemical Company, Lake Jackson, TX 77566, USA
| | | | - Andrew L. Zydney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Manish Kumar
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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30
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Román LE, Gomez ED, Solís JL, Gómez MM. Antibacterial Cotton Fabric Functionalized with Copper Oxide Nanoparticles. Molecules 2020; 25:E5802. [PMID: 33316935 PMCID: PMC7764683 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25245802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Textiles functionalized with cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles have become a promising option to prevent the spread of diseases due to their antimicrobial properties, which strongly depend on the structure and morphology of the nanoparticles and the method used for the functionalization process. This article presents a review of work focused on textiles functionalized with CuO nanoparticles, which were classified into two groups, namely, in situ and ex situ. Moreover, the analyzed bacterial strains, the resistance of the antimicrobial properties of textiles to washing processes, and their cytotoxicity were identified. Finally, the possible antimicrobial mechanisms that could develop in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz E. Román
- Faculty of Science, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Av. Túpac Amaru 210, Lima 15333, Peru; (L.E.R.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - José L. Solís
- Faculty of Science, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Av. Túpac Amaru 210, Lima 15333, Peru; (L.E.R.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Mónica M. Gómez
- Faculty of Science, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Av. Túpac Amaru 210, Lima 15333, Peru; (L.E.R.); (J.L.S.)
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31
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Shetty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Milena M. Adams
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Scott T. Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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32
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Seibers ZD, Collier GS, Hopkins BW, Boone ES, Le TP, Gomez ED, Kilbey SM. Tuning fullerene miscibility with porphyrin-terminated P3HTs in bulk heterojunction blends. Soft Matter 2020; 16:9769-9779. [PMID: 33000857 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01244k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding and manipulating the miscibility of donor and acceptor components in the active layer morphology is important to optimize the longevity of organic photovoltaic devices and control power conversion efficiency. In pursuit of this goal, a "porphyrin-capped" poly(3-hexylthiophene) was synthesized to take advantage of strong porphyrin:fullerene intermolecular interactions that modify fullerene miscibility in the active layer. End-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) was synthesized via catalyst transfer polymerization and subsequently functionalized with a porphyrin moiety via post-polymerization modification. UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements show that the porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) exhibits increased intermolecular interactions with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in the solid state compared to unfunctionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) without sacrificing microstructure ordering that facilitates optimal charge transport properties. Additionally, differential scanning calorimetry revealed porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) crystallization decreased only slightly (1-6%) compared to unfunctionalized poly(3-hexylthiophenes) while increasing fullerene miscibility by 55%. Preliminary organic photovoltaic device results indicate device power conversion efficiency is sensitive to additive loading levels, as evident by a slight increase in power conversion efficiency at low additive loading levels but a continuous decrease with increased loading levels. While the increased fullerene miscibility is not balanced with significant increases in power conversion efficiency, this approach suggests that integrating non-bonded interaction potentials is a useful pathway for manipulating the morphology of the bulk heterojunction thin film, and porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophenes) may be useful additives in that regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zach D Seibers
- Department of Energy Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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33
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke Kuei
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Carol Bator
- Huck Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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34
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Ye D, Rongpipi S, Kiemle SN, Barnes WJ, Chaves AM, Zhu C, Norman VA, Liebman-Peláez A, Hexemer A, Toney MF, Roberts AW, Anderson CT, Cosgrove DJ, Gomez EW, Gomez ED. Preferred crystallographic orientation of cellulose in plant primary cell walls. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4720. [PMID: 32948753 PMCID: PMC7501228 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18449-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on earth, is a versatile, energy rich material found in the cell walls of plants, bacteria, algae, and tunicates. It is well established that cellulose is crystalline, although the orientational order of cellulose crystallites normal to the plane of the cell wall has not been characterized. A preferred orientational alignment of cellulose crystals could be an important determinant of the mechanical properties of the cell wall and of cellulose-cellulose and cellulose-matrix interactions. Here, the crystalline structures of cellulose in primary cell walls of onion (Allium cepa), the model eudicot Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and moss (Physcomitrella patens) were examined through grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). We find that GIWAXS can decouple diffraction from cellulose and epicuticular wax crystals in cell walls. Pole figures constructed from a combination of GIWAXS and X-ray rocking scans reveal that cellulose crystals have a preferred crystallographic orientation with the (200) and (110)/([Formula: see text]) planes preferentially stacked parallel to the cell wall. This orientational ordering of cellulose crystals, termed texturing in materials science, represents a previously unreported measure of cellulose organization and contradicts the predominant hypothesis of twisting of microfibrils in plant primary cell walls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Ye
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Sarah N Kiemle
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- 123 Clapp Laboratory, Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA, 01075, USA
| | - William J Barnes
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Arielle M Chaves
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA
| | - Chenhui Zhu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Victoria A Norman
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Alexander Liebman-Peláez
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Alexander Hexemer
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Michael F Toney
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Alison W Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA
| | - Charles T Anderson
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Daniel J Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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35
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Le TP, Smith BH, Lee Y, Litofsky JH, Aplan MP, Kuei B, Zhu C, Wang C, Hexemer A, Gomez ED. Enhancing Optoelectronic Properties of Conjugated Block Copolymers through Crystallization of Both Blocks. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thinh P. Le
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Brandon H. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Youngmin Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Joshua H. Litofsky
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Melissa P. Aplan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Brooke Kuei
- Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Chenhui Zhu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Alexander Hexemer
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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36
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Tu YM, Song W, Ren T, Shen YX, Chowdhury R, Rajapaksha P, Culp TE, Samineni L, Lang C, Thokkadam A, Carson D, Dai Y, Mukthar A, Zhang M, Parshin A, Sloand JN, Medina SH, Grzelakowski M, Bhattacharya D, Phillip WA, Gomez ED, Hickey RJ, Wei Y, Kumar M. Rapid fabrication of precise high-throughput filters from membrane protein nanosheets. Nat Mater 2020; 19:347-354. [PMID: 31988513 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0577-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Biological membranes are ideal for separations as they provide high permeability while maintaining high solute selectivity due to the presence of specialized membrane protein (MP) channels. However, successful integration of MPs into manufactured membranes has remained a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate a two-hour organic solvent method to develop 2D crystals and nanosheets of highly packed pore-forming MPs in block copolymers (BCPs). We then integrate these hybrid materials into scalable MP-BCP biomimetic membranes. These MP-BCP nanosheet membranes maintain the molecular selectivity of the three types of β-barrel MP channels used, with pore sizes of 0.8 nm, 1.3 nm, and 1.5 nm. These biomimetic membranes demonstrate water permeability that is 20-1,000 times greater than that of commercial membranes and 1.5-45 times greater than that of the latest research membranes with comparable molecular exclusion ratings. This approach could provide high performance alternatives in the challenging sub-nanometre to few-nanometre size range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ming Tu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Woochul Song
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Tingwei Ren
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Yue-Xiao Shen
- Department of Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Ratul Chowdhury
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Tyler E Culp
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Laxmicharan Samineni
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Chao Lang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Alina Thokkadam
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Drew Carson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Yuxuan Dai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Arwa Mukthar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Miaoci Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Janna N Sloand
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Scott H Medina
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Dibakar Bhattacharya
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - William A Phillip
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Robert J Hickey
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Yinai Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Manish Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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37
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Xie R, Weisen AR, Lee Y, Aplan MA, Fenton AM, Masucci AE, Kempe F, Sommer M, Pester CW, Colby RH, Gomez ED. Glass transition temperature from the chemical structure of conjugated polymers. Nat Commun 2020; 11:893. [PMID: 32060331 PMCID: PMC7021822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14656-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The glass transition temperature (Tg) is a key property that dictates the applicability of conjugated polymers. The Tg demarks the transition into a brittle glassy state, making its accurate prediction for conjugated polymers crucial for the design of soft, stretchable, or flexible electronics. Here we show that a single adjustable parameter can be used to build a relationship between the Tg and the molecular structure of 32 semiflexible (mostly conjugated) polymers that differ drastically in aromatic backbone and alkyl side chain chemistry. An effective mobility value, ζ, is calculated using an assigned atomic mobility value within each repeat unit. The only adjustable parameter in the calculation of ζ is the ratio of mobility between conjugated and non-conjugated atoms. We show that ζ correlates strongly to the Tg, and that this simple method predicts the Tg with a root-mean-square error of 13 °C for conjugated polymers with alkyl side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renxuan Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Albree R Weisen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Youngmin Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Melissa A Aplan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Abigail M Fenton
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Ashley E Masucci
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Fabian Kempe
- Institute for Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Michael Sommer
- Institute for Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Christian W Pester
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Ralph H Colby
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- The Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- The Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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38
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Lang C, Shen YX, LaNasa JA, Ye D, Song W, Zimudzi TJ, Hickner MA, Gomez ED, Gomez EW, Kumar M, Hickey RJ. Creating cross-linked lamellar block copolymer supporting layers for biomimetic membranes. Faraday Discuss 2019; 209:179-191. [PMID: 29972389 DOI: 10.1039/c8fd00044a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The long-standing goal in membrane development is creating materials with superior transport properties, including both high flux and high selectivity. These properties are common in biological membranes, and thus mimicking nature is a promising strategy towards improved membrane design. In previous studies, we have shown that artificial water channels can have excellent water transport abilities that are comparable to biological water channel proteins, aquaporins. In this study, we propose a strategy for incorporation of artificial channels that mimic biological channels into stable polymeric membranes. Specifically, we synthesized an amphiphilic triblock copolymer, poly(isoprene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(isoprene), which is a high molecular weight synthetic analog of naturally occurring lipids in terms of its self-assembled structure. This polymer was used to build stacked membranes composed of self-assembled lamellae. The resulting membranes resemble layers of natural lipid bilayers in living systems, but with superior mechanical properties suitable for real-world applications. The procedures used to synthesize the triblock copolymer resulted in membranes with increased stability due to the crosslinkability of the hydrophobic domains. Furthermore, the introduction of bridging hydrophilic domains leads to the preservation of the stacked membrane structure when the membrane is in contact with water, something that is challenging for diblock lamellae that tend to swell, and delaminate in aqueous solutions. This new method of membrane fabrication offers a practical model for making channel-based biomimetic membranes, which may lead to technological applications in reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and ultrafiltration membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Lang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802 USA.
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39
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Lang C, Ye D, Song W, Yao C, Tu YM, Capparelli C, LaNasa JA, Hickner MA, Gomez EW, Gomez ED, Hickey RJ, Kumar M. Biomimetic Separation of Transport and Matrix Functions in Lamellar Block Copolymer Channel-Based Membranes. ACS Nano 2019; 13:8292-8302. [PMID: 31251576 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cell membranes control mass, energy, and information flow to and from the cell. In the cell membrane a lipid bilayer serves as the barrier layer, with highly efficient molecular machines, membrane proteins, serving as the transport elements. In this way, highly specialized transport properties are achieved by these composite materials by segregating the matrix function from the transport function using different components. For example, cell membranes containing aquaporin proteins can transport ∼4 billion water molecules per second per aquaporin while rejecting all other molecules including salts, a feat unmatched by any synthetic system, while the impermeable lipid bilayer provides the barrier and matrix properties. True separation of functions between the matrix and the transport elements has been difficult to achieve in conventional solute separation synthetic membranes. In this study, we created membranes with distinct matrix and transport elements through designed coassembly of solvent-stable artificial (peptide-appended pillar[5]arene, PAP5) or natural (gramicidin A) model channels with block copolymers into lamellar multilayered membranes. Self-assembly of a lamellar structure from cross-linkable triblock copolymers was used as a scalable replacement for lipid bilayers, offering better stability and mechanical properties. By coassembly of channel molecules with block copolymers, we were able to synthesize nanofiltration membranes with sharp selectivity profiles as well as uncharged ion exchange membranes exhibiting ion selectivity. The developed method can be used for incorporation of different artificial and biological ion and water channels into synthetic polymer membranes. The strategy reported here could promote the construction of a range of channel-based membranes and sensors with desired properties, such as ion separations, stimuli responsiveness, and high sensitivity.
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40
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Veazey D, Hsu T, Gomez ED. Enhancing resistance of poly(ether ketone ketone) to high‐temperature steam through crosslinking and crystallization control. J Appl Polym Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/app.47727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin Veazey
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pennsylvania 16802
- Polymics, Ltd., 2215 High Tech Road, State College Pennsylvania 16803
| | - Tim Hsu
- Polymics, Ltd., 2215 High Tech Road, State College Pennsylvania 16803
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pennsylvania 16802
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research InstituteThe Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pennsylvania 16802
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41
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Zhang W, Bombile JH, Weisen AR, Xie R, Colby RH, Janik MJ, Milner ST, Gomez ED. Thermal Fluctuations Lead to Cumulative Disorder and Enhance Charge Transport in Conjugated Polymers. Macromol Rapid Commun 2019; 40:e1900134. [PMID: 31116905 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
All conjugated polymers examined to date exhibit significant cumulative lattice disorder, although the origin of this disorder remains unclear. Using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the detailed structures for single crystals of a commonly studied conjugated polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) are obtained. It is shown that thermal fluctuations of thiophene rings lead to cumulative disorder of the lattice with an effective paracrystallinity of about 0.05 in the π-π stacking direction. The thermal-fluctuation-induced lattice disorder can in turn limit the apparent coherence length that can be observed in diffraction experiments. Calculating mobilities from simulated crystal structures demonstrates that thermal-fluctuation-induced lattice disorder even enhances charge transport in P3HT. The mean inter-chain charge transfer integral is enhanced with increasing cumulative lattice disorder, which in turn leads to pathways for fast charge transport through crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlin Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Joel H Bombile
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Albree R Weisen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Renxuan Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Ralph H Colby
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Michael J Janik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Scott T Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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42
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Rohde BJ, Culp TE, Gomez ED, Ilavsky J, Krishnamoorti R, Robertson ML. Nanostructured Thermoset/Thermoset Blends Compatibilized with an Amphiphilic Block Copolymer. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Rohde
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004, United States
| | - Tyler E. Culp
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Jan Ilavsky
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Ramanan Krishnamoorti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004, United States
| | - Megan L. Robertson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004, United States
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43
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Litofsky JH, Lee Y, Aplan MP, Kuei B, Hexemer A, Wang C, Wang Q, Gomez ED. Polarized Soft X-ray Scattering Reveals Chain Orientation within Nanoscale Polymer Domains. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Alexander Hexemer
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94530, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94530, United States
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44
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Rongpipi S, Ye D, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Progress and Opportunities in the Characterization of Cellulose - An Important Regulator of Cell Wall Growth and Mechanics. Front Plant Sci 2019; 9:1894. [PMID: 30881371 PMCID: PMC6405478 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The plant cell wall is a dynamic network of several biopolymers and structural proteins including cellulose, pectin, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose is one of the main load bearing components of this complex, heterogeneous structure, and in this way, is an important regulator of cell wall growth and mechanics. Glucan chains of cellulose aggregate via hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces to form long thread-like crystalline structures called cellulose microfibrils. The shape, size, and crystallinity of these microfibrils are important structural parameters that influence mechanical properties of the cell wall and these parameters are likely important determinants of cell wall digestibility for biofuel conversion. Cellulose-cellulose and cellulose-matrix interactions also contribute to the regulation of the mechanics and growth of the cell wall. As a consequence, much emphasis has been placed on extracting valuable structural details about cell wall components from several techniques, either individually or in combination, including diffraction/scattering, microscopy, and spectroscopy. In this review, we describe efforts to characterize the organization of cellulose in plant cell walls. X-ray scattering reveals the size and orientation of microfibrils; diffraction reveals unit lattice parameters and crystallinity. The presence of different cell wall components, their physical and chemical states, and their alignment and orientation have been identified by Infrared, Raman, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Sum Frequency Generation spectroscopy. Direct visualization of cell wall components, their network-like structure, and interactions between different components has also been made possible through a host of microscopic imaging techniques including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. This review highlights advantages and limitations of different analytical techniques for characterizing cellulose structure and its interaction with other wall polymers. We also delineate emerging opportunities for future developments of structural characterization tools and multi-modal analyses of cellulose and plant cell walls. Ultimately, elucidation of the structure of plant cell walls across multiple length scales will be imperative for establishing structure-property relationships to link cell wall structure to control of growth and mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Dan Ye
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Esther W. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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45
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Nübling F, Hopper TR, Kuei B, Komber H, Untilova V, Schmidt SB, Brinkmann M, Gomez ED, Bakulin AA, Sommer M. Block Junction-Functionalized All-Conjugated Donor-Acceptor Block Copolymers. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2019; 11:1143-1155. [PMID: 30523687 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b18608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Junction-functionalized donor-acceptor (D-A) block copolymers (BCPs) enable spatial and electronic control over interfacial charge dynamics in excitonic devices such as solar cells. Here, we present the design, synthesis, morphology, and electronic characterization of block junction-functionalized, all-conjugated, all-crystalline D-A BCPs. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), a single thienylated diketopyrrolopyrrole (Th xDPPTh x, x = 1 or 2) unit, and poly{[ N, N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]- alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)} (PNDIT2) are used as donor, interfacial unit, and acceptor, respectively. Almost all C-C coupling steps are accomplished by virtue of C-H activation. Synthesis of the macroreagent H-P3HT-Th xDPPTh x, with x determining its C-H reactivity, is key to the synthesis of various BCPs of type H-P3HT-Th xDPPTh x- block-PNDIT2. Morphology is determined from a combination of calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thin-film scattering. Block copolymer crystallinity of P3HT and PNDIT2 is reduced, indicating frustrated crystallization. A long period lp is invisible from TEM, but shows up in resonant soft X-ray scattering experiments at a length scale of lp ∼ 60 nm. Photoluminescence of H-P3HT-Th xDPPTh x indicates efficient transfer of the excitation energy to the DPP chain end, but is quenched in BCP films. Transient absorption and pump-push photocurrent spectroscopies reveal geminate recombination (GR) as the main loss channel in as-prepared BCP films independent of junction functionalization. Melt annealing increases GR as a result of the low degree of crystallinity and poorly defined interfaces and additionally changes backbone orientation of PNDIT2 from face-on to edge-on. These morphological effects dominate solar cell performance and cause an insensitivity to the presence of the block junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fritz Nübling
- Institut für Makromolekulare Chemie , Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg , Stefan-Meier-Straße 31 , 79104 Freiburg , Germany
- Freiburger Materialforschungszentrum , Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg , Stefan-Meier-Straße 21 , 79104 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Thomas R Hopper
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , United Kingdom
| | | | - Hartmut Komber
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. , Hohe Straße 6 , 01069 Dresden , Germany
| | - Viktoriia Untilova
- Institut Charles Sadron , CNRS-Université de Strasbourg , 23 Rue de Loess , 67034 Strasbourg , France
| | - Simon B Schmidt
- Institut für Chemie , Technische Universität Chemnitz , Straße der Nationen 62 , 09111 Chemnitz , Germany
| | - Martin Brinkmann
- Institut Charles Sadron , CNRS-Université de Strasbourg , 23 Rue de Loess , 67034 Strasbourg , France
| | | | - Artem A Bakulin
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , United Kingdom
| | - Michael Sommer
- Institut für Chemie , Technische Universität Chemnitz , Straße der Nationen 62 , 09111 Chemnitz , Germany
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47
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Xie R, Aplan MP, Caggiano NJ, Weisen AR, Su T, Müller C, Segad M, Colby RH, Gomez ED. Local Chain Alignment via Nematic Ordering Reduces Chain Entanglement in Conjugated Polymers. Macromolecules 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Renxuan Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Melissa P. Aplan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Nicholas J. Caggiano
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Albree R. Weisen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Tang Su
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Christian Müller
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Mo Segad
- The Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Ralph H. Colby
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- The Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- The Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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48
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Aplan MP, Munro JM, Lee Y, Brigeman AN, Grieco C, Wang Q, Giebink NC, Dabo I, Asbury JB, Gomez ED. Revealing the Importance of Energetic and Entropic Contributions to the Driving Force for Charge Photogeneration. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018; 10:39933-39941. [PMID: 30360072 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b12077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite significant recent progress, much about the mechanism for charge photogeneration in organic photovoltaics remains unknown. Here, we use conjugated block copolymers as model systems to examine the effects of energetic and entropic driving forces in organic donor-acceptor materials. The block copolymers are designed such that an electron donor block and an electron acceptor block are covalently linked, embedding a donor-acceptor interface within the molecular structure. This enables model studies in solution where processes occurring between one donor and one acceptor are examined. First, energy levels and dielectric constants that govern the driving force for charge transfer are systematically tuned and charge transfer within individual block copolymer chains is quantified. Results indicate that in isolated chains, a significant driving force of ∼0.3 eV is necessary to facilitate significant exciton dissociation to charge-transfer states. Next, block copolymers are cast into films, allowing for intermolecular interactions and charge delocalization over multiple chains. In the solid state, charge transfer is significantly enhanced relative to isolated block copolymer chains. Using Marcus Theory, we conclude that changes in the energetic driving force alone cannot explain the increased efficiency of exciton dissociation to charge-transfer states in the solid state. This implies that increasing the number of accessible states for charge transfer introduces an entropic driving force that can play an important role in the charge-generation mechanism of organic materials, particularly in systems where the excited state energy level is close to that of the charge-transfer state.
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Ye D, Le TP, Kuei B, Zhu C, Zwart PH, Wang C, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Resonant Soft X-Ray Scattering Provides Protein Structure with Chemical Specificity. Structure 2018; 26:1513-1521.e3. [PMID: 30220541 PMCID: PMC8224816 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2018.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Revised: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We introduce resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) as an approach to study the structure of proteins and other biological molecules in solution. Scattering contrast calculations suggest that RSoXS has comparable or even higher sensitivity than hard X-ray scattering because of contrast generated at the absorption edges of constituent elements, such as carbon and oxygen. Here, we demonstrate that working near the carbon edge reveals the envelope function of bovine serum albumin, using scattering volumes of 10-5 μL that are multiple orders of magnitude lower than traditional scattering experiments. Furthermore, tuning the X-ray energy within the carbon absorption edge provides different signatures of the size and shape of the protein by revealing the density of different types of bonding motifs within the protein. The combination of chemical specificity, smaller sample size, and enhanced X-ray contrast will propel RSoXS as a complementary tool to existing techniques for the study of biomolecular structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Ye
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Thinh P Le
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Brooke Kuei
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Chenhui Zhu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Peter H Zwart
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; The Center for Advanced Mathematics for Energy Research Applications, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Lee Y, Aplan MP, Seibers ZD, Xie R, Culp TE, Wang C, Hexemer A, Kilbey SM, Wang Q, Gomez ED. Random Copolymers Allow Control of Crystallization and Microphase Separation in Fully Conjugated Block Copolymers. Macromolecules 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Youngmin Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Melissa P. Aplan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Zach D. Seibers
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Renxuan Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Tyler E. Culp
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Alexander Hexemer
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - S. Michael Kilbey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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