Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are an inhomogeneous group of nanomaterials that vary in lengths, shapes and types of metal contamination, which makes hazard evaluation difficult. Here we present a toxicogenomic analysis of female C57BL/6 mouse lungs following a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18, 54 or 162 μg/mouse of a small, curled (CNT(Small), 0.8 ± 0.1 μm in length) or large, thick MWCNT (CNT(Large), 4 ± 0.4 μm in length). The two MWCNTs were extensively characterized by SEM and TEM imaging, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. Lung tissues were harvested 24h, 3 days and 28 days post-exposure. DNA microarrays were used to analyze gene expression, in parallel with analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung histology, DNA damage (comet assay) and the presence of reactive oxygen species (dichlorodihydrofluorescein assay), to profile and characterize related pulmonary endpoints. Overall changes in global transcription following exposure to CNT(Small) or CNT(Large) were similar. Both MWCNTs elicited strong acute phase and inflammatory responses that peaked at day 3, persisted up to 28 days, and were characterized by increased cellular influx in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, interstitial pneumonia and gene expression changes. However, CNT(Large) elicited an earlier onset of inflammation and DNA damage, and induced more fibrosis and a unique fibrotic gene expression signature at day 28, compared to CNT(Small). The results indicate that the extent of change at the molecular level during early response phases following an acute exposure is greater in mice exposed to CNT(Large), which may eventually lead to the different responses observed at day 28.

Adsorption-mediated CO(2) separation can reduce the cost of carbon capture and storage. The reduction in cost requires adsorbents with high capacities for CO(2) sorption and high CO(2)-over-N(2) selectivity. Amine-modified sorbents are promising candidates for carbon capture. To investigate the details of CO(2) adsorption in such materials, we studied mesocaged (cubic, Pm3n symmetry) silica adsorbents with tethered propylamines using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and volumetric uptake experiments. The degree of heterogeneity in these coatings was varied by either cosynthesizing or postsynthetically introducing the propylamine modification. In situ FTIR spectroscopy revealed the presence of both physisorbed and chemisorbed CO(2) in the materials. We present direct molecular evidence for physisorption using FTIR spectroscopy in mesoporous silica sorbents modified with propylamines. Physisorption reduced the CO(2)-over-N(2) selectivity in amine-rich sorbents. Samples with homogeneous coatings showed typical CO(2) adsorption trends and large quantities of IR-observable physisorbed CO(2). The uptake of CO(2) in mesocaged materials with heterogeneous propylamine coatings was higher at high temperatures than at low temperatures. At higher temperatures and low pressures, the postsynthetically modified materials adsorbed more CO(2) than did the extracted ones, even though the surface area after modification was clearly reduced and the coverage of primary amine groups was lower. The principal mode of CO(2) uptake in postsynthetically modified mesoporous silica was chemisorption. The chemisorbed moieties were present mainly as carbamate-ammonium ion pairs, resulting from the quantitative transformation of primary amine groups during CO(2) adsorption as established by NIR spectroscopy. The heterogeneity in the coatings promoted the formation of these ion pairs. The average propylamine-propylamine distance must be small to allow the formation of carbamate-propylammonium ion pairs.

Lung deposition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) induces pulmonary toxicity. Commercial MWCNT vary greatly in physicochemical properties and consequently in biological effects. To identify determinants of MWCNT-induced toxicity, we analyzed the effects of pulmonary exposure to 10 commercial MWCNT (supplied in three groups of different dimensions, with one pristine and two/three surface modified in each group). We characterized morphology, chemical composition, surface area and functionalization levels. MWCNT were deposited in lungs of female C57BL/6J mice by intratracheal instillation of 0, 6, 18 or 54 μg/mouse. Pulmonary inflammation (neutrophil influx in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)) and genotoxicity were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Histopathology of the lungs was performed on day 28 and 92. All MWCNT induced similar histological changes. Lymphocytic aggregates were detected for all MWCNT on day 28 and 92. Using adjusted, multiple regression analyses, inflammation and genotoxicity were related to dose, time and physicochemical properties. The specific surface area (BET) was identified as a positive predictor of pulmonary inflammation on all post-exposure days. In addition, length significantly predicted pulmonary inflammation, whereas surface oxidation (–OH and –COOH) was predictor of lowered inflammation on day 28. BET surface area, and therefore diameter, significantly predicted genotoxicity in BAL fluid cells and lung tissue such that lower BET surface area or correspondingly larger diameter was associated with increased genotoxicity. This study provides information on possible toxicity-driving physicochemical properties of MWCNT. The results may contribute to safe-by-design manufacturing of MWCNT, thereby minimizing adverse effects.

Hoogsteen-bonded tetrads and pentamers are formed by a large variety of organic molecules through H-donor and acceptor groups capable of inducing self-organization to form columnar and hexagonal mesophases. The biological importance of such macromolecular structures is exemplified by the assembly of guanosine-rich groups of telomere units and their implication in chromosomal replication. Folic acid is composed of a pterin group, chemically and structurally similar to guanine, conjugated to an l-glutamate moiety via a p-amino benzoic acid. Our aim has been to develop a delivery vehicle for folic acid and at the same time provide a novel synthetic route for ordered mesoporous materials without the use of amphiphilic surfactants. We present a new nonsurfactant route for the synthesis of highly ordered mesoporous materials, based on the supramolecular templating of stacked arrays of the tetramer-forming pterin groups of folic acid under a variety of synthetic conditions. This method leads to hexagonally ordered mesoporous structures with gyroid, spherical, and chiral morphologies with pores on the order of 25-30 A in diameter and surface areas above 1000 m(2)/g. More importantly circular dichroism studies reveal that the folate template possesses a chiral signature within the pores in the as-synthesized solid and that chirality is transferred from the folate template to the pore surface via the aminopropyl triethoxysilane costructure directing agent used in the supramolecular assembly. This novel templating approach for ordered mesoporous materials breaks the hegemony of surfactant micellar systems for the preparation of these exciting high surface area solids and opens new opportunities for structural control, design of pore geometry, and novel applications.