Alternate layer-by-layer assembly of colloidal SiO2 particles with polycations has been investigated by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). QCM measurement confirmed the high regularity and reproducibility of the assembling process that depends on particle concentration, particle size, and ionic strength. The individual adsorption step was completed within 15 s. The thickness of adsorbed layers increased with increasing SiO 2 concentrations at the three particle sizes used (45, 25, and 78 nm in diameter), unlike the case for other polyion assemblies. It also increased with increasing ionic strength of aqueous SiO2 dispersions. According to SEM observation, the assembled film possessed surprisingly flat surfaces at optimized ionic strengths. AFM observation revealed that SiO2 particles were not closely packed. The neutralization ratio of SiO2 and PDDA was estimated by turbidity measurement. Comparison of turbidity and QCM data indicated that the positive charge on PDDA was not completely neutralized by the negative charge on SiO2 particles in the course of alternate adsorption. This is apparently caused by a large difference in rigidity and charge density between SiO2 and PDDA. Since the charge density on PDDA is significantly larger than that on SiO2, all of the former charges cannot form short-distance ion pairs with surface charges of rigid SiO2 particles. The formation of long-distance charge pairs between SiO2 and PDDA, unlike the case for oppositely charged pairs of linear polyions, appears to be the origin of the remarkable dependence of film thickness and surface morphology on ionic strength and particle concentration. The other nanoparticles (CeO2 and TiO2) were similarly assembled with oppositely-charged linear polyions. Further modifications of the film structure were demonstrated by assembly between particles with different sizes and that between SiO2 and enzyme and by taking advantage of premixing components.

No abstract

Molecular recognition of the guanidinium/phosphate pair was investigated at microscopic interfaces of aqueous micelles and bilayers. Monoalkyl and dialkyl amphiphiles with guanidinium head groups were synthesized and dispersed in water to form micelles and bilayers having guanidinium groups at the aggregate surface. Binding of nucleotides such as AMP to these functionalized aggregates was evaluated by using an equilibrium dialysis (ultrafiltration) method. The observed binding constants of 102−104 M-1 are much larger than the corresponding binding constant reported for a monomerically dispersed pair in the aqueous phase (1.4 M-1) but are smaller than those found at the macroscopic air−water interface (106−107 M-1). Therefore, the macroscopic interface promotes guanidinium−phosphate interaction more effectively than the microscopic interface. The present finding indicates that the microscopic interface can strengthen hydrogen bonding and/or electrostatic interaction even in the presence of water. Saturation binding phenomena were different between micelles and bilayers. All of the guanidinium groups in fluid micelles are effective for phosphate binding, but part of the guanidinium group in bilayers are not effective probably because of steric restriction.

Bis(pyrrolide-imine) Ti complexes in conjunction with methylalumoxane (MAO) were found to work as efficient catalysts for the copolymerization of ethylene and norbornene to afford unique copolymers via an addition-type polymerization mechanism. The catalysts exhibited very high norbornene incorporation, superior to that obtained with Me(2)Si(Me(4)Cp)(N-tert-Bu)TiCl(2) (CGC). The sterically open and highly electrophilic nature of the catalysts is probably responsible for the excellent norbornene incorporation. The catalysts displayed a marked tendency to produce alternating copolymers, which have stereoirregular structures despite the C(2) symmetric nature of the catalysts. The norbornene/ethylene molar ratio in the polymerization medium had a profound influence on the molecular weight distribution of the resulting copolymer. At norbornene/ethylene ratios larger than ca. 1, the catalysts mediated room-temperature living copolymerization of ethylene and norbornene to form high molecular weight monodisperse copolymers (M(n) > 500,000, M(w)/M(n) < 1.20). (13)C NMR spectroscopic analysis of a copolymer, produced under conditions that gave low molecular weight, demonstrated that the copolymerization is initiated by norbornene insertion and that the catalyst mostly exists as a norbornene-last-inserted species under living conditions. Polymerization behavior coupled with DFT calculations suggested that the highly controlled living polymerization stems from the fact that the catalysts possess high affinity and high incorporation ability for norbornene as well as the characteristics of a living ethylene polymerization though under limited conditions (M(n) 225,000, M(w)/M(n) 1.15, 10-s polymerization, 25 degrees C). With the catalyst, unique block copolymers [i.e., poly(ethylene-co-norbornene)(1)-b-poly(ethylene-co-norbornene)(2), PE-b-poly(ethylene-co-norbornene)] were successfully synthesized from ethylene and norbornene. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that the PE-b-poly(ethylene-co-norbornene) possesses high potential as a new material consisting of crystalline and amorphous segments which are chemically linked.

No abstract