Correction to "An Investigation of the Interaction Between Bovine Serum Albumin-Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles and the Hydrogel in Hydrogel Nanocomposites"

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00834.].

An Investigation of the Interaction between Bovine Serum Albumin-Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles and the Hydrogel in Hydrogel Nanocomposites

Nanocomposite hydrogels are attracting significant interest due to their potential use in drug delivery systems and tissue scaffolds. Stimuli-responsive hydrogel nanocomposites are of particular interest due to sustained release of therapeutic agents from the hydrogel. However, challenges such as controlled release of therapeutic agents exist because of limited understanding of the interactions between the therapeutic agent and the hydrogel. To investigate the interaction, we synthesize a hydrogel nanocomposite by crosslinking the hydrogel precursors (tetrazine-modified polyethylene glycol and norbornene-modified hyaluronic acid) using click chemistry while bovine serum albumin-capped silver nanoparticles were encapsulated in situ in the matrix. The interaction between the nanoparticles and the hydrogel was studied by a combination of spectroscopic techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results suggest that the hydrogel molecule rearranges so that polyethylene glycol is pointing up toward the surface while hyaluronic acid folds to interact with bovine serum albumin of the nanoparticles. Hyaluronic acid, facing inward, may interact with the nanoparticle via hydrogen bonding. The hydrogel nanocomposite showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive/Gram-negative bactericides, supporting time-based nanoparticle release results. Our findings about interactions between the nanoparticles and the hydrogel can be useful in the formulation of next generation of hydrogel nanocomposites.

Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards interlaboratory study on intensity calibration for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instruments using low-density polyethylene

We report the results of a Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards interlaboratory study on the intensity scale calibration of x-ray photoelectron spectrometers using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as an alternative material to gold, silver, and copper. An improved set of LDPE reference spectra, corrected for different instrument geometries using a quartz-monochromated Al Kα x-ray source, was developed using data provided by participants in this study. Using these new reference spectra, a transmission function was calculated for each dataset that participants provided. When compared to a similar calibration procedure using the NPL reference spectra for gold, the LDPE intensity calibration method achieves an absolute offset of ∼3.0% and a systematic deviation of ±6.5% on average across all participants. For spectra recorded at high pass energies (≥90 eV), values of absolute offset and systematic deviation are ∼5.8% and ±5.7%, respectively, whereas for spectra collected at lower pass energies (<90 eV), values of absolute offset and systematic deviation are ∼4.9% and ±8.8%, respectively; low pass energy spectra perform worse than the global average, in terms of systematic deviations, due to diminished count rates and signal-to-noise ratio. Differences in absolute offset are attributed to the surface roughness of the LDPE induced by sample preparation. We further assess the usability of LDPE as a secondary reference material and comment on its performance in the presence of issues such as variable dark noise, x-ray warm up times, inaccuracy at low count rates, and underlying spectrometer problems. In response to participant feedback and the results of the study, we provide an updated LDPE intensity calibration protocol to address the issues highlighted in the interlaboratory study. We also comment on the lack of implementation of a consistent and traceable intensity calibration method across the community of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) users and, therefore, propose a route to achieving this with the assistance of instrument manufacturers, metrology laboratories, and experts leading to an international standard for XPS intensity scale calibration.

Practical Guides for X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS): First Steps in planning, conducting and reporting XPS measurements

Over the past three decades, the widespread utility and applicability of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in research and applications has made it the most popular and widely used method of surface analysis. Associated with this increased use has been an increase in the number of new or inexperienced users which has led to erroneous uses and misapplications of the method. This article is the first in a series of guides assembled by a committee of experienced XPS practitioners that are intended to assist inexperienced users by providing information about good practices in the use of XPS. This first guide outlines steps appropriate for determining whether XPS is capable of obtaining the desired information, identifies issues relevant to planning, conducting and reporting an XPS measurement, and identifies sources of practical information for conducting XPS measurements. Many of the topics and questions addressed in this article also apply to other surface-analysis techniques.

Synthesis and Characterization of Aminopropyltriethoxysilane-Polydopamine Coatings

Polydopamine coatings are of interest due to the fact that they can promote adhesion to a broad range of materials and can enable a variety of applications. However, the polydopamine-substrate interaction is often noncovalent. To broaden the potential applications of polydopamine, we show the incorporation of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), a traditional coupling agent capable of covalent bonding to a broad range of organic and inorganic surfaces, into polydopamine coatings. High energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HE-XPS), conventional XPS, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), and ellipsometry measurements were used to investigate changes in coating chemistry and thickness, which suggest covalent incorporation of APTES into polydopamine. These coatings can be deposited either in Tris buffer or by using an aqueous APTES solution as a buffer without Tris. APTES-dopamine hydrochloride deposition from solutions with molar ratios between 0:1 and 10:1 allowed us to control the coating composition across a broad range.

Elucidation of the Fe(III) Gallate Structure in Historical Iron Gall Ink

Synthetic, structural, spectroscopic and aging studies conclusively show that the main colorant of historical iron gall ink (IGI) is an amorphous form of Fe(III) gallate·xH2O (x = ∼1.5-3.2). Comparisons between experimental samples and historical documents, including an 18th century hand-written manuscript by George Washington, by IR and Raman spectroscopy, XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy confirm the relationship between the model and authentic samples. These studies settle controversy in the cultural heritage field, where an alternative structure for Fe(III) gallate has been commonly cited.

A Battery Made from a Single Material

A single-material battery is prepared using Li10GeP2S12 as the electrolyte, anode, and cathode, based on the Li-S and Ge-S components in Li10GeP2S12 acting as the active centers for its cathode and anode performance, respectively. The single-Li10GeP2S12 battery exhibits a remarkably low interfacial resistance due to the improvement of interfacial contact and interactions, and the suppression of interfacial strain/stress.

CO tolerance of Pt and PtSn intermetallic electrocatalysts on synthetically modified reduced graphene oxide supports

Electrochemical studies demonstrated the ability to modify the catalytic activities of graphene supported Pt and PtSn nanoparticle electrocatalysts by altering the nature of the metal-support interactions.

In situ and quantitative characterization of solid electrolyte interphases

Despite its importance in dictating electrochemical reversibility and cell chemistry kinetics, the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on graphitic anodes remains the least understood component in Li ion batteries due to its trace presence, delicate chemical nature, heterogeneity in morphology, elusive formation mechanism, and lack of reliable in situ quantitative tools to characterize it. This work summarizes our systematic approach to understand SEI live formation, via in situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy, which provides topographic images and quantitative information about the structure, hierarchy, and thickness of interphases as function of electrolyte composition. Complemented by an ex situ chemical analysis, a comprehensive and dynamic picture of interphase formation during the first lithiation cycle of the graphitic anode is described. This combined approach provides an in situ and quantitative tool to conduct quality control of formed interphases.

Atomic-layer-deposition oxide nanoglue for sodium ion batteries

Atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) coatings have been increasingly used to improve battery performance. However, the electrochemical and mechanistic roles remain largely unclear, especially for ALD coatings on electrodes that undergo significant volume changes (up to 100%) during charging/discharging. Here we investigate an anode consisting of tin nanoparticles (SnNPs) with an ALD-Al2O3 coating. For the first time, in situ transmission electron microscopy unveiled the dynamic mechanical protection of the ALD-Al2O3 coating by coherently deforming with the SnNPs under the huge volume changes during charging/discharging. Battery tests in coin-cells further showed the ALD-Al2O3 coating remarkably boosts the cycling performance of the Sn anodes, comparing with those made of bare SnNPs. Chemomechanical simulations clearly revealed that a bare SnNP debonds and falls off the underlying substrate upon charging, and by contrast the ALD-Al2O3 coating, like ion-conductive nanoglue, robustly anchors the SnNP anode to the substrate during charging/discharging, a key to improving battery cycle performance.

Flame synthesis of nanosized Cu-Ce-O, Ni-Ce-O, and Fe-Ce-O catalysts for the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction

A flame synthesis method has been used to prepare nanosized, high-surface-area Cu-Ce-O, Ni-Ce-O, and Fe-Ce-O catalysts from aqueous solutions of metal acetate precursors. The particles were formed by vaporization of the precursors followed by reaction and then gas to particle conversion. The specific surface areas of the synthesized powders ranged from 127 to 163 m(2)/g. High-resolution transmission electron microscope imaging showed that the particle diameters for the ceria materials are in the range of 3-10 nm, and a thin layer of amorphous material was observed on the surface of the particles. The presence and surface enrichment of the transition-metal oxides (CuO, NiO, and Fe(2)O(3)) on the ceria particles were detected using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron energy-loss spectroscopic studies suggest the formation of a core-shell structure in the as-prepared particles. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies suggest that the dopants in all M-Ce-O systems are almost isostructural with their oxide counterparts, indicating the doping materials form separate oxide phases (CuO, Fe(2)O(3), NiO) within the host matrix (CeO(2)). Etching results confirm that most of the transition-metal oxides are present on the surface of CeO(2), easily dissolved by nitric acid. The performance of the flame-synthesized catalysts was examined toward water-gas shift (WGS) activity for fuel processing applications. The WGS activity of metal ceria catalysts decreases in the order Cu-Ce-O > Ni-Ce-O > Fe-Ce-O > CeO(2) with a feed mixture having a hydrogen to carbon monoxide (H(2)/CO) ratio of 1. There was no methane formation for these catalysts under the tested conditions.

Precipitation of nanocrystalline CeO2 using triethanolamine

Synthesis of cerium oxide nanocrystallites via precipitation using triethanolamine is reported. The molecular water associated with the cerium nitrate precursor is exploited to generate hydroxyl ions with the help of triethanolamine, facilitating precipitation. The small crystallite diameter (3 nm) in the as prepared powder is believed to result from the limited amount of water present. Solvent type has no effect on the final crystallite size or structure; however, it plays an important role in the dispersion of the nanoparticles with dispersity of the particles increasing with increasing carbon chain length of the solvent alcohol used.

Binary and gray-scale patterning of chemical functionality on polymer films

We present a facile technique for the gray-scale chemical functionalization of polymer surfaces with high dynamic range. We demonstrate the use of this technique to create amine-functionalized substrates that are used for the patterned binding of fluorophores and the patterned synthesis of peptides. Studies of the behavior of the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum indicate the biocompatibility of the functionalized substrates.

Chitosan-coated electrodes for bimodal sensing: selective post-electrode film reaction for spectroelectrochemical analysis

Electrochemical methods are well suited for chemical detection in hand-held devices because they are simple, fast, and sensitive. However, electrochemical detection methods generally suffer from limitations in selectivity. We report a novel approach that enables electrochemically initiated reactions to generate optical signals that can be used to enhance the discriminating power for the electrochemical analysis of antioxidant food phenols. This spectroelectrochemical approach employs transparent electrodes coated with a film of the aminopolysaccharide chitosan. The phenolic analytes diffuse through the chitosan film to the electrode where they are anodically oxidized into electrophilic intermediates that undergo postelectrode reactions with the chitosan film. The postelectrode reaction was analyzed by FTIR and XPS, and this reaction was observed to impart optical properties (color and UV-visible absorbance) to the otherwise colorless and transparent chitosan film. We demonstrate that the optical signal generated from the postelectrode film reaction is selective for oxidized phenols, compared to that for unoxidized phenols or the nonphenolic antioxidant ascorbic acid. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the optical signal (film absorbance) can be correlated to the electrical signal (charge transferred). Finally, we use simple mixtures to demonstrate that the coupling of information from independent optical and electrical measurement modes can assist in the qualitative analysis of antioxidant phenols. Potentially, the postelectrode film reaction may provide a selective and reagentless alternative to conventional colorimetric methods for detecting antioxidant phenols. In a broader perspective, this work suggests the potential for coupling independent detection modes (optical and electrical) to enhance the information content of sensor measurements.

Effect of surrounding point charges on the density functional calculations of NixOx clusters (x = 4–12)

Embedded Ni(x)O(x) clusters (x = 4-12) have been studied by the density-functional method using compensating point charges of variable magnitude to calculate the ionic charge, bulk modulus, and lattice binding energy. The computations were found to be strongly dependent on the value of the surrounding point charge array and an optimum value could be found by choosing the point charge to reproduce the experimentally observed Ni--O lattice parameter. This simple, empirical method yields a good match between computed and experimental data, and even small variation from the optimum point charge value produces significant deviation between computed and measured bulk physical parameters. The optimum point charge value depends on the cluster size, but in all cases is significantly less than +/-2.0, the formal oxidation state typically employed in cluster modeling of NiO bulk and surface properties. The electronic structure calculated with the optimized point charge magnitude is in general agreement with literature photoemission and XPS data and agrees with the presently accepted picture of the valence band as containing charge-transfer insulator characteristics. The orbital population near the Fermi level does not depend on the cluster size and is characterized by hybridized Ni 3d and O 2p orbitals with relative oxygen contribution of about 70%.