Mechanism of nanoparticle actuation by responsive polymer brushes: from reconfigurable composite surfaces to plasmonic effects

The mechanism of nanoparticle actuation by stimuli-responsive polymer brushes triggered by changes in the solution pH was discovered and investigated in detail in this study. The finding explains the high spectral sensitivity of the composite ultrathin film composed of a poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) brush that tunes the spacing between two kinds of nanoparticles-gold nanoislands immobilized on a transparent support and gold colloidal particles adsorbed on the brush. The optical response of the film relies on the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonances in the noble metal nanoparticles, giving rise to an extinction band in visible spectra, and a plasmon coupling between the particles and the islands that has a strong effect on the band position and intensity. Since the coupling is controlled by the interparticle spacing, the pH-triggered swelling-shrinking transition in the P2VP brush leads to pronounced changes in the transmission spectra of the hybrid film. It was not established in the previous publications how the actuation of gold nanoparticles within a 10-15 nm interparticle distance could result in the 50-60 nm shift in the absorbance maximum in contrast to the model experiments and theoretical estimations of several nanometer shifts. In this work, the extinction band was deconvoluted into four spectrally separated and overlapping contributions that were attributed to different modes of interactions between the particles and the islands. These modes came into existence due to variations in the thickness of the grafted polymeric layer on the profiled surface of the islands. In situ atomic force microscopy measurements allowed us to explore the behavior of the Au particles as the P2VP brush switched between the swollen and collapsed states. In particular, we identified an interesting, previously unanticipated regime when a particle position in a polymer brush was switched between two distinct states: the particle exposed to the surface of the collapsed layer and the particle engulfed by the swollen brush. On average, the characteristic distance between the particles and the islands increased upon the brush swelling. The observed behavior was a result of the anchoring of the particles to polymeric chains that limited the particles' vertical motion range. The experimental findings will be used to design highly sensitive optical nanosensors based on a polymer-brush-modulated interparticle plasmon coupling.     

Improvement of Antioxidant Activities in Red Cabbage Sprouts by Lactic Acid Bacterial Fermentation

In the present study, the influence of three types of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Danisco, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG E522 (ATCC 53103)) on antioxidant activities of fermented red cabbage sprouts was determined and compared with those of their unfermented/control counterparts. The fermentation resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.05) of antioxidant functionalities as measured by four assays: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like, and β-carotene/linoleic bleaching. The most considerable shift in the antioxidant activities was observed after 24 h of fermentation. These increases were followed by a decrease in total phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and L-ascorbic acid and by an increase in flavonoids, flavonols, and several phenolic acids (gallic, chlorogenic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric, trans-3-hydroxy-4-methoxycinnamic, and trans-o-hydroxycinnamic acid) content. The relationship between the antioxidant activities and the compositional changes in antioxidant compounds due to LAB fermentation was observed. Fermented red cabbage sprouts inoculated with L. plantarum had the highest antioxidant activities (DPPH scavenging: 70.92%; TEAC: 1.94 mM Trolox equivalent; SOD-like activity: 63.40%, and β-carotene/linoleic bleaching: 44.33%), which was almost two-fold higher than those of unfermented treatments. These results indicated that LAB fermentation could be applied as a method to improve the potent antioxidant activities of red cabbage sprouts.     

Influence of regulated modification of nitride layer by oxygen on the electrochemical behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy in the Ringer's solution

The corrosion behavior of oxynitrided Ti–6Al–4V alloy was investigated in the Ringer's solution (simulated body fluid) at a temperature of 37°C. The oxynitriding of the alloy was carried out by leaking controlled oxygen‐containing medium into the reaction chamber at the final stage of the nitride formation. It was determined that oxynitriding improved corrosion resistance of Ti–6Al–4V alloy as it provided lower corrosion current density by 1.3–1.5 times and higher corrosion potential. In this paper, we analyzed that the resistance of the double layer had increased with the increase of the oxygen content in titanium oxynitride. Its value was higher compared with untreated alloy, indicating higher corrosion resistance of the oxynitrided one.     

Bioinspired Nanocomposites: Ordered 2D Materials Within a 3D Lattice

Composites, materials composed of two or more materials—metallic, organic, or inorganic—usually exhibit the combined physical properties of their component materials. The result is a material that is superior to conventional monolithic materials. Advanced composites are used in a variety of industrial applications and therefore attract much scientific interest. Here the formation of novel carbon‐based nanocomposites is described via incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into the crystal lattice of single crystals of calcite. Incorporation of a 2D organic material into single‐crystal lattices has never before been reported. To characterize the resulting nanocomposites, high‐resolution synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction, electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and nanoindentation tests are employed. A detailed analysis reveals a layered distribution of GO sheets incorporated within the calcite host. Moreover, the optical and mechanical properties of the calcite host are altered when a carbon‐based nanomaterial is introduced into its lattice. Compared to pure calcite, the composite GO/calcite crystals exhibits lower elastic modulus and higher hardness. The results of this study show that the incorporation of a 2D material within a 3D crystal lattice is not only feasible but also can lead to the formation of hybrid crystals exhibiting new properties.     

C60 Fullerene Reduces 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Oxidative Stress Disorders and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Rats by Modulation of p53, Bcl-2 and Nrf2 Targeted Proteins

C₆₀ fullerene as a potent free radical scavenger and antioxidant could be a beneficial means for neurodegenerative disease prevention or cure. The aim of the study was to define the effects of C₆₀ administration on mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress disorders in a 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA)-induced rat model of Huntington’s disease. Animals received 3-NPA (30 mg/kg i.p.) once a day for 3 consecutive days. C₆₀ was applied at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight, i.p. daily over 5 days before (C₆₀ pre-treatment) and after 3-NPA exposure (C₆₀ post-treatment). Oxidative stress biomarkers, the activity of respiratory chain enzymes, the level of antioxidant defense, and pro- and antiapoptotic markers were analyzed in the brain and skeletal muscle mitochondria. The nuclear and cytosol Nrf2 protein expression, protein level of MnSOD, γ-glutamate-cysteine ligase (γ-GCLC), and glutathione-S-transferase (GSTP) as Nrf2 targets were evaluated. Our results indicated that C₆₀ can prevent 3-NPA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction through the restoring of mitochondrial complexes’ enzyme activity, ROS scavenging, modulating of pro/antioxidant balance and GSH/GSSG ratio, as well as inhibition of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis through the limitation of p53 mitochondrial translocation and increase in Bcl-2 protein expression. C₆₀ improved mitochondrial protection by strengthening the endogenous glutathione system via glutathione biosynthesis by up-regulating Nrf2 nuclear accumulation as well as GCLC and GSTP protein level.     

Latent Cracking of Tantalum-Titanium Welds Due to Hydrogen Embrittlement

Establishing electrical interconnects in implantable electronic medical devices frequently requires joining of dissimilar materials. A weld between a tantalum wire and titanium sheet metal on a contact module is presented as an example for dissimilar joining. Latent, brittle cracking was observed in the proximity of the weld upon pull testing. The weld cracking occurs by the mechanism known as hydrogen stress cracking (HSC) and is due to titanium hydride formation. Diffusion facilitated hydrogen transport into the weld area. Diffusing hydrogen accumulates preferably in regions of high stress, causing latent titanium hydride formation and embrittlement of the weld. A broad array of analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction, dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and nanoindentation were utilized to identify the root cause for HSC.     

On the Formation of Vanadium Ferrites in CaO–SiO2–FeO–V2O5 Slags

Selective extraction of valuable elements (such as V, Cr, Mn, etc.) and their compounds from metallurgical slag is in a focus of many researchers. Although vanadium may be present in slag as oxides and/or complex spinels with Fe, Mn, etc. during an alloyed steel production, the majority of vanadium in metallurgical slags typically exists as V₂O₅, which comprises up to 3–5 wt% of the slag in some cases. Due to the vanadium toxicity, these slags are forbidden in many civil engineering applications. As a result, hundreds of thousand tonnes of V₂O₅‐bearing slags are landfilled every year. In the present work, the formation of vanadium ferrites (FeV₂O₄ and Fe₂VO₄) in synthesized CaO–SiO₂–FeO–V₂O₅ slags containing 5 wt% V₂O₅ was examined under different partial pressures of oxygen. For the current slag chemistry range, an XRD analysis confirmed the presence of vanadium ferrite in slag samples treated at 1773 K in an argon atmosphere (PO₂ = 10^?1–10^?2 Pa) while no solid was noted in samples treated in air. Results were discussed based on thermodynamic consistency.     

Activity of carbon-fiber-supported Fe–Co catalysts in the CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> methanation reaction

The catalytic activity of Fe–Co catalysts applied on carbon fibers of various morphologies was studied in the CO₂ methanation reaction The catalysts produced by applying the active mass on the cleaned oxygenated or cleaned reduced carbon fibers exhibited a lower activity. It was demonstrated by the SEM method that an increase of the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups on the carrier surface has a negative influence on the catalytic activity of the samples in the methanation reaction and hinders the processes of metal nitrates adjoining the carrier surface and the reduction of the active mass during the synthesis of catalysts. The sample Fe: Co = 86: 14 applied on the non-modified cleaned carbon fibers (T ₆₅ = 390°C, with \({S_{C{H_4}}}\)) showed the greatest activity in the CO₂ methanation reaction.     

Antecedents and consequences of trust in a social media brand: A cross-cultural study of Twitter

This study extends brand relationship theory to the context of the microblogging platform Twitter. The authors investigate the impact of Twitter trust on users’ intentions to continue using the platform and to “follow” brands that are hosted on Twitter (the trust transfer phenomenon). They also explore the role of perceived self-Twitter personality match in strengthening trust towards the Twitter brand. A cross-cultural American–Ukrainian sample allows to identify potential culture-based differences in brand personality and brand trust concepts. The results show that the positive effect of trust in Twitter on its users’ patronage intentions is robust across two cultures with diverse history and ideology. An important novel finding is the influence of trust in Twitter on patronage intentions towards the businesses hosted on Twitter. However, this relationship reaches statistical significance only in the Ukrainian sample, signaling potential differences in the trust transfer processes in different cultures. The study confirms the role of similarity in personality traits between Twitter users and the Twitter brand in engendering trust in Twitter. The salience of different personality traits in the “personality match – Twitter trust” link for different cultures suggests important implications for global marketers.