Adenine Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Coated Submicrometer Silica Gel Particles

Adenine molecularly imprinted material was obtained. Well-defined silica gel particles of submicrometer size were coated with ultrathin polymeric layers, first with a polycationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride) layer that acted as a binder for the second outer layer of a photo-cross-linkable thymine-containing polyanion. Adenine template was adsorbed by the complementary thymine chromophores attached to the polymer and its imprints were created by photo-cross-linking of the outer polymer layer. The imprinted particles have shown the ability to recognize adenine and adenosine, an adenine-based nucleoside, whereas no imprinting effect was observed for purine

Nanoheterogeneous Multilayer Films with Perfluorinated Domains Fabricated Using the Layer-by-Layer Method

Nanoheterogenous ultrathin films containing perfluorinated domains were prepared via the layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembly method. The films are constructed from the amphiphilic cationic copolymer with perfluorinated side chains and poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS). The LbL process was optimized by the application of sonication which allowed linear growth of the film. The resulting film exhibited micellar structure with isolated fluorocarbon hydrophobic domains. The remarkable features of the films were their switchable wettability and friction properties. The obtained water-processable films can find a number of potential applications, e.g., as smart and low friction coatings

Photoinduced Energy and Electron Transfer in Micellar Multilayer Films

Micellar multilayer films were prepared from an amphiphilic comb-like polycation (“polysoap”) and the polyanion poly­(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) using alternate polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly. Linear growth of the film thickness was evidenced by UV–vis spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Imaging by atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated that the micellar conformation adopted by the polycation in solutions was preserved in the films. Thus, hydrophobic photoactive molecules, which were solubilized by the hydrophobic nanodomains of the micellar polymer prior to deposition, could be transferred into the films. Photoinduced energy transfer was observed in the nanostructured multilayers between naphthalene (donor) and perylene (acceptor) molecules embedded inside the polymer micelles. The efficiency of the energy transfer process can be controlled to some extent by introducing spacer layers between the layers containing the donor or acceptor, revealing partial stratification of the micellar LbL films. Also, photoinduced electron transfer was evidenced between perylene (donor) and butyl viologen (acceptor) molecules embedded inside the multilayers by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy. The obtained photoactive nanostructures are promising candidates for solar-to-chemical energy conversion systems