Morphologically complex forms of calcium carbonate were produced within 24 h in unstirred mixtures of Ca(AOT)2 (AOT = bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate) reverse micelles and carbonate-containing NaAOT microemulsions (w = 10). The structures form by controlled aggregation of surfactant-coated amorphous calcium carbonate primary particles, which resulted in micrometer-sized doughnut-shaped structures consisting of densely packed layers of platelike aragonite crystals. These superstructures were progressively in-filled to produce polycrystalline multilayered spindle-shaped particles several micrometers in length. Addition of the crystallization additive sodium polyphosphate at concentrations exceeding 1 g L-1 to the carbonate-containing NaAOT microemulsions inhibited aragonite crystallization, with the consequence that single crystals of calcite with bundlelike filamentous texture along with platelike vaterite single crystals were produced. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that AOT and polyphosphate ions were strongly associated with the crystals even after extensive washing. Unlike the aragonite superstructures, which became decorated within a few days with epitaxially oriented rodlike outgrowths of calcite, the platelike vaterite and filamentous calcite crystals remained unchanged even after 7 days. The results demonstrate that encapsulation of crystallization additives such as polyphosphate in the water droplets of reverse microemulsions can be used to influence nucleation and growth processes over a range of length scales and suggest that this novel approach could be of interest in crystal science in general.
The photodegradation of phenanthrene has been catalyzed by nanostructures of TiO2 doped with nitrogen, N-doped TiO2. The N-doped TiO2 was prepared from the sol-gel reaction of Titanium(IV) bis(ethyl acetoacetato)diisopropoxide with 25% ammonia solution. The N-doped TiO2 was calcined at various temperatures from 300 to 700 degrees C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that N-doped TiO2 remained amorphous at 300 degrees C but anatase-to-rutile transformation started at 400 degrees C and was complete at 700 degrees C. The average particle size calculated from Scherrer's equation was in the range of 9-51 nm with surface area (S(BET)) of 253.7-4.8 m2/g. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirmed the incorporation of nitrogen atoms (Ti-N bond) in the N-doped catalyst. Moreover, the percentage of nitrogen determined by Elemental analysis was 0.236% of N-doped calcined at 400 degrees C. UV-Vis reflection spectra indicated that N-doped TiO2 calcined at 400 degrees C shifted to the higher absorption edge in the range of visible light. N-doped TiO2 calcined at 400 degrees C successfully catalyzed the photodegradation of phenanthrene (80% conversion) whereas N-doped TiO2 calcined at 500 degrees C and P25 TiO2 failed as catalysts.
Aqueous micelles of the multi-protein calcium phosphate complex, casein, were treated at 60°C and pH 7 over several months. Although partial dissociation of the micelles into 12 nm sized amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)/protein nanoparticles occurred within a period of 14 days, crystallization of the ACP nanoclusters into bundles of hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanofilaments was not observed until after 12 weeks. The HAP nanofilaments were formed specifically within the partially disrupted protein micelles suggesting a micelle-mediated pathway of mesoscale crystallization. Similar experiments using ACP-containing synthetic micelles prepared from ß-casein protein alone indicated that co-aligned bundles of HAP nanofilaments were produced within the protein micelle interior after 24 hours at temperatures as low as 35°C. The presence of Mg²(+) ions in the casein micelles, as well as a possible synergistic effect associated with the multi-protein nature of the native aggregates, could account for the marked inhibition in mesoscale crystallization observed in the casein micelles compared with the single-component b-casein constructs.
Self-assembly methods for the immobilisation or encapsulation of the positively charged redox protein, cytochrome c (cyt c), in layered organoclays or silica nanoparticles, respectively, are described and contrasted. Protein-polymer-organoclay nanocomposites are produced by spontaneous restacking of delaminated aminopropyl-functionalised magnesium phyllosilicate sheets in the presence of an aqueous solution of poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and cyt c. In contrast, single molecules of cyt c are encapsulated in silica nanoparticles by sol-gel reactions at the oil-water interface of microemulsion water droplets. In both cases, the protein molecules remain structurally intact after entrapment, are accessible to small molecule redox agents, exhibit excellent peroxidase activity in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and show enhanced stability and catalytic properties under adverse conditions of pH. The ability to prepare functional protein-inorganic conjugates in general could significantly extend the technological scope of biological products and processes, and should therefore be an important adjunct in the translation of synthetic biology to real-life applications.
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