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G Julius Vancso

Publications and source records attributed to G Julius Vancso.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Redox-controlled molecular permeability of composite-wall microcapsules.

Many smart materials in bioengineering, nanotechnology and medicine allow the storage and release of encapsulated drugs on demand at a specific location by an external stimulus. Owing to their versatility in material selection, polyelectrolyte multilayers are very promising systems in the development of microencapsulation technologies with permeation control governed by variations in the environmental conditions. Here, organometallic polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules, composed of polyanions and polycations of poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS), are introduced. Their preparation involved layer-by-layer self-assembly onto colloidal templates followed by core removal. PFS polyelectrolytes feature redox-active ferrocene units in the main chain. Incorporation of PFS into the capsule walls allowed us to explore the effects of a new stimulus, that is, changing the redox state, on capsule wall permeability. The permeability of these capsules could be sensitively tuned via chemical oxidation, resulting in a fast capsule expansion accompanied by a drastic permeability increase in response to a very small trigger. The substantial swelling could be suppressed by the application of an additional coating bearing common redox-inert species of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS(-)) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH(+)) on the outer wall of the capsules. Hence, we obtained a unique capsule system with redox-controlled permeability and swellability with a high application potential in materials as well as in bioscience.

Capsules↗
PubMed2006

Quantitative nanotribology by AFM: a novel universal calibration platform.

The quantitative determination of friction forces by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in nanotribology requires the conversion of the output voltage signal of the sector area-sensitive photodiode to force using (a) the torsional spring constant of the cantilever and (b) the lateral sensitivity of the photodiode. Many existing methods provide calibration factors with large errors and suffer from poor reproducibility. We report on the fabrication, validation, and application of a new, universally applicable standard specimen that enables one to accurately calibrate all types of AFM cantilevers and tips for quantitative friction force measurements. The Si(100) calibration standard, which exhibits 30 and 50 mum wide notches with tilt angles theta between 20 degrees and 35 degrees with respect to the wafer surface, was fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The quantification of friction forces obtained on this universal standard specimen using a direct method (the improved wedge calibration method, as introduced by Ogletree, Carpick, and Salmeron Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1996, 67, 3298-3306), which yields (a) and (b) simultaneously, was critically tested for various types of Si3N4 integrated cantilever-tip assemblies. The error in the calibration factors obtained was found to be ca. 5%, which is a significant improvement compared to errors of 30-50% observed for the often applied two-step calibration procedures of cantilever lateral force constant and photodiode sensitivity. As demonstrated for oxidized Si(100), thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and micropatterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold, the calibration of various V-shaped and single beam cantilevers based on the application of the new universal standard in conjunction with the direct wedge method proposed allows one to conveniently perform quantitative nanotribological measurements for a wide range of materials and applications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Dip-pen nanolithography on (bio)reactive monolayer and block-copolymer platforms: deposition of lines of single macromolecules.

The application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip-mediated molecular transfer (dip-pen nanolithography or DPN) to fabricate nanopatterned (bio)reactive platforms based on dendrimers on reactive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and polymer thin films is discussed. The transfer of high-molar-mass polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers (generation 5) and the rapid in situ covalent attachment of the deposited adsorbates onto reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) terminated SAMs on gold and NHS-activated polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PS(690)-b-PtBA(1210)) block copolymer thin films were investigated as strategies to suppress line broadening by surface diffusion in DPN. By exploiting carefully controlled environmental conditions (such as temperature and relative humidity), scan rates, and in particular the covalent attachment of the dendrimers to the reactive films, the observed line broadening and hence the lateral diffusion of dendrimers was substantially less pronounced compared to that observed with DPN of thiols on gold. By this method, high-definition patterns of dendrimers were conveniently fabricated down to 30-nm length scales. The presence of primary amino groups in the deposited dendrimers ultimately offers the possibility to anchor biochemically relevant molecules, such as proteins and polypeptides, to these nanostructured platforms for a wide range of possible applications in the life sciences and in particular for the investigation of controlled cell-surface interactions.

Dendrimers↗
PubMed2005

Force spectroscopy of quadruple H-bonded dimers by AFM: dynamic bond rupture and molecular time-temperature superposition.

We report on the application of the time-temperature superposition principle to supramolecular bond-rupture forces on the single-molecule level. The construction of force-loading rate master curves using atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) experiments carried out in situ at different temperatures allows one to extend the limited range of the experimentally accessible loading rates and hence to cross from thermodynamic nonequilibrium to quasi-equilibrium states. The approach is demonstrated for quadruple H-bonded ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) moieties studied by variable-temperature SMFS in organic media. The unbinding forces of single quadruple H-bonding (UPy)2 complexes, which were identified based on a polymeric spacer strategy, were found to depend on the loading rate in the range of 5 nN/s to 500 nN/s at 301 K in hexadecane. By contrast, these rupture forces were independent of the loading rate from 5 to 200 nN/s at 330 K. These results indicate that the unbinding behavior of individual supramolecular complexes can be directly probed under both thermodynamic nonequilibrium and quasi-equilibrium conditions. On the basis of the time-temperature superposition principle, a master curve was constructed for a reference temperature of 301 K, and the crossover force (from loading-rate independent to -dependent regimes) was determined as approximately 145 pN (at a loading rate of approximately 5.6 nN/s). This approach significantly broadens the accessible loading-rate range and hence provides access to fine details of potential energy landscape of supramolecular complexes based on SMFS experiments.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Supramolecular microcontact printing and dip-pen nanolithography on molecular printboards.

The transfer of functional molecules onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by means of soft and scanning-probe lithographic techniques-microcontact printing (muCP) and dip-pen nanolithography (DPN), respectively-and the stability of the molecular patterns during competitive rinsing conditions were examined. A series of guests with different valencies were transferred onto beta-cyclodextrin- (beta-CD-) terminated SAMs and onto reference hydroxy-terminated SAMs. Although physical contact was sufficient to generate patterns on both types of SAMs, only molecular patterns of multivalent guests transferred onto the beta-CD SAMs were stable under the rinsing conditions that caused the removal of the same guests from the reference SAMs. The formation of kinetically stable molecular patterns by supramolecular DPN with a lateral resolution of 60 nm exemplifies the use of beta-CD-terminated SAMs as molecular printboards for the selective immobilization of printboard-compatible guests on the nanometer scale through the use of specific, multivalent supramolecular interactions. Electroless deposition of copper on the printboard was shown to occur selectively on the areas patterned with dendrimer-stabilized gold nanoparticles.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Electrochemistry of surface-grafted stimulus-responsive monolayers of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) on gold.

Poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)s with various degrees of polymerization and featuring a thiol end group were chemically end-grafted onto gold substrates by self-assembly, forming redox-active monolayers. The monolayers were characterized by contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Layer thickness values were determined by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The electrochemical properties of these films in aqueous NaClO(4) were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronocoulometry. Cyclic voltammograms showed two reversible redox peaks, indicating a stepwise oxidation of the electroactive sites. The first oxidation step showed reversible behavior at low scan rates and quasi-reversible behavior at higher scan rates. Peak currents (i(p)) plotted against the square root of scan rates (v(1/2)) for the first oxidation peak and for the corresponding reduction peak exhibited a linear dependence, indicating that the oxidation process in the first step is controlled by the diffusion of counterions into the polymer film. For the second oxidation peak and the corresponding reduction peak, i(p) varied linearly with v. This redox behavior is characteristic of surface-immobilized electroactive layers. The higher reversibility of the second oxidation and reduction waves in the CV experiments was explained from the solvation of the surface-grafted poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) chains, which depends on the degree of oxidation. Oxidized PFS films are swollen in the aqueous electrolyte solutions, leading to a higher segmental mobility of the polymer chains and a much increased counterion mobility within the film. Kinetic parameters for the redox processes were obtained from chronocoulometry experiments.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Interfacial reactions in confinement: kinetics and temperature dependence of the surface hydrolysis of polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) thin films.

The effect of confinement on the kinetics of the surface hydrolysis of polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PS(n)-b-PtBA(m)) thin films on oxidized silicon substrates in 3 M aqueous hydrochloric acid was systematically investigated. As shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements, a skin layer of acid-sensitive PtBA is present on the surface of PS(n)-b-PtBA(m) films, consistent with the lower surface tension of PtBA compared to that of PS. The thickness of the skin layer was determined by angle-dependent XPS as approximately 8 nm for PS(690)-b-PtBA(1210). Tapping mode atomic force microscopy showed an increasing surface coverage of swollen poly(acrylic acid)-rich globules with increasing hydrolysis time. Using ex situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the reaction kinetics was determined quantitatively as a function of temperature, polymer film thickness, thermal pretreatment of the films, and block copolymer composition. The initial stages of the hydrolysis can be described as a pseudo-first-order reaction under all conditions investigated. The corresponding rate constants were found to be 2 orders of magnitude lower than those reported for the hydrolysis of tert-butyl acetate in solution and depended linearly on the fraction of PtBA exposed at the surface. However, the polymer film thickness, thermal pretreatment of the films, block copolymer composition, and local composition did not affect the rate constants. The negative value of the activation entropy (DeltaS(298)++ = -103 J/mol K), determined according to the Arrhenius equation and transition state theory, indicates that the tightness of the transition state is more pronounced in the PS(n)-b-PtBA(m) film compared to reactions in solution. Thus, the spatial constraints due to the incorporation of the reactive ester groups in thin polymer films are responsible for the observed reduced reactivity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Atomic force microscopy assisted immobilization of lipid vesicles.

We report on a new approach to direct the immobilization of unilamellar lipid vesicles on substrate-supported lipid bilayers in a spatially confined manner. The adsorption of vesicles from solution is limited to areas of disorder in the bilayers, which is induced by scanning a pattern in situ with an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip using high imaging forces. Lines of vesicles with a length exceeding 25 microm and a width corresponding to that of a single surface-immobilized vesicle have been fabricated. The adsorbed vesicles are effectively immobilized and do not desorb spontaneously. However, AFM with forces of several nanoNewtons allows one to displace vesicles selectively. The novel methodology described, which may serve as a platform for research on proteins incorporated in the lipid bilayers comprising the vesicles, does not require chemical labeling of the vesicles to guide their deposition.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2004

Grafting of single, stimuli-responsive poly(ferrocenylsilane) polymer chains to gold surfaces.

Redox-responsive poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) polymer molecules were attached individually to gold surfaces for force spectroscopy experiments on the single molecule level. By grafting ethylenesulfide-functionalized PFS into the defects of preformed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of different omega-mercaptoalkanols on Au(111), the surface coverage of PFS macromolecules could be conveniently controlled. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle, as well as cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry measurements were carried out to characterize the morphology, wettability, and surface coverage of the grafted layers. The values of the PFS surface coverage were found to depend on the chain length of the omega-mercaptoalkanol molecules and on the concentration of the PFS solution but not on the insertion time or on the molar mass of PFS. The equilibrium surface coverages were successfully described by Langmuir adsorption isotherms. For low-surface coverage values (< 6.2 x 10(-4) chain/nm2), achieved by PFS insertion from very dilute solutions (8 x 10(-6) M) into long-chain SAMs, AFM and differential pulse voltammetry showed that surfaces exposing isolated individual polymer chains were obtained. The isolated PFS macromolecules were subjected to in situ AFM-based single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) measurements. The single chain elasticity of PFS in isopropanol (and ethanol) was fitted with the modified freely jointed chain (m-FJC) model. This procedure yielded a Kuhn segment length of 0.33 +/- 0.05 nm and a segment elasticity of 32 +/- 5 nN/nm.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Micro- and nanofabrication of robust reactive arrays based on the covalent coupling of dendrimers to activated monolayers.

We report on methods to fabricate robust micro- and nanopatterned platforms, comprising high functional group densities and quasi three-dimensional structures, for possible applications in biochip array technologies. For this purpose, amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers were immobilized via amide linkage formation on 11,11'-dithiobis(N-hydroxysuccinimidylundecanoate) (NHS-C10) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces. The coupling reaction and the resulting assemblies were characterized by grazing incidence reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy; the obtained surface coverage values were successfully fitted with a Langmuir isotherm. The fraction of unreacted peripheral primary amine groups of the surface-immobilized PAMAM dendrimers was 28% as determined by XPS analysis of trifluoroacetic anhydride-labeled assemblies. Patterning of the PAMAM dendrimers on NHS-C10 SAMs on the micrometer and sub-100-nm scale was achieved by microcontact printing and dip pen nanolithography. The resulting patterns are characterized by their high degree of order and stability of the transferred molecules due to covalent attachment.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2004

Segment dynamics in thin polystyrene films probed by single-molecule optics.

Single fluorescent molecules (represented by spheres with a volume equal to the actual van der Waals volume of the molecule) has been embedded in a polystyrene matrix (left). Such molecules act as probes for the study of polymer nanoscale (segmental scale) dynamics in thin films deposited on a glass cover slide (right).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Beta-cyclodextrin host-guest complexes probed under thermodynamic equilibrium: thermodynamics and AFM force spectroscopy.

The rupture forces of individual host-guest complexes between beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) heptathioether monolayers on Au(111) and several surface-confined guests were measured in aqueous medium by single molecule force spectroscopy using an atomic force microscope. Anilyl, toluidyl, tert-butylphenyl, and adamantylthiols (0.2-1%) were immobilized in mixed monolayers with 2-mercaptoethanol on gold-coated AFM tips. For all guests and for all surface coverages, the force-displacement curves measured between the functionalized tips and monolayers of beta-CD exhibited single, as well as multiple, pull-off events. The histograms of the pull-off forces showed several maxima at equidistant forces, with force quanta characteristic for each guest of 39 +/- 15, 45 +/- 15, 89 +/- 15, and 102 +/- 15 pN, respectively. These force quanta were independent of the loading rate, indicating that, because of the fast complexation/decomplexation kinetics, the rupture forces were probed under thermodynamic equilibrium. The force values followed the same trend as the free binding energy Delta G degrees measured for model guest compounds in solution or on beta-CD monolayers, as determined by microcalorimetry and surface plasmon resonance measurements, respectively. A descriptive model was developed to correlate quantitatively the pull-off force values with the Delta G degrees of the complexes, based on the evaluation of the energy potential landscape of tip-surface interaction.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Nanoscale hydrophobic recovery: A chemical force microscopy study of UV/ozone-treated cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane).

Chemical force microscopy (CFM) in water was used to map the surface hydrophobicity of UV/ozone-treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS; Sylgard 184) as a function of the storage/recovery time. In addition to CFM pull-off force mapping, we applied indentation mapping to probe the changes in the normalized modulus. These experiments were complemented by results on surface properties assessed on the micrometer scale by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water contact-angle measurements. Exposure times of < or = 30 min resulted in laterally homogeneously oxidized surfaces, which are characterized by an increased modulus and a high segmental mobility of PDMS. As detected on a sub-50-nm level, the subsequent "hydrophobic recovery" was characterized by a gradual increase in the pull-off forces and a decrease in the normalized modulus, approaching the values of unexposed PDMS after 8-50 days. Lateral imaging on briefly exposed PDMS showed the appearance of liquid PDMS in the form of droplets with an increasing recovery time. Longer exposure times (60 min) led to the formation of a hydrophilic silica-like surface layer. Under these conditions, a gradual surface reconstruction within the silica-like layer occurred with time after exposure, where a hydrophilic SiOx-enriched phase formed < 100-nm-sized domains, surrounded by a more hydrophobic matrix with lower normalized modulus. These results provide new insights into the lateral homogeneity of oxidized PDMS with a resolution in the sub-50-nm range.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Electrochemically induced morphology and volume changes in surface-grafted poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) monolayers.

Poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilanes), composed of alternating ferrocene and dimethylsilane units in their main chain and featuring a thiol end group, were self-assembled to redox-active monolayers on gold. Electrochemical atomic force microscopy was employed to study the morphology of the monolayers as a function of the applied potential in situ. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements, performed under electrochemical control, indicated thickness changes of up to 15% upon oxidizing and reducing the surface-grafted polymers. X-ray reflectivity measurements unambiguously showed a thickness increase upon electrochemical oxidation of the monolayers. The reversible thickness change was attributed to stretching of the polymer chains upon oxidation due to an increase in charge density and to the attraction of counterions and associated solvent molecules, which are released when the polymer film is reduced to its neutral state.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Growth of individual hydrogen-bonded nanostructures on gold monolayers.

The growth of individual nanometer-sized (3.4 +/- 1.4 nm) hydrogen bonded assemblies 1(2) x (DEB)6 on gold monolayers was achieved through an exchange reaction between single isolated calix[4]arene dimelamine 2 (1.1 +/- 0.2 nm) embedded in hexanethiol monolayers and double rosette hydrogen bonded assembly 1(3) x (DEB)6 in solution. The growth process was monitored by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Unraveling the nanostructure of supramolecular assemblies of hydrogen-bonded rosettes on graphite: an atomic force microscopy study.

The self-organization of multicomponent tetrarosette assemblies into ordered nanostructures on graphite surfaces has been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Real-space information on the level of individual molecules allowed us to analyze the underlying structure in unprecedented detail. In highly ordered nanorod domains, tetrarosettes 1(3) x (DEB)(12) arrange in the form of parallel rows with a spacing of 4.6 +/- 0.1 nm. High resolution AFM revealed the internal packing of the tetrarosette assemblies in these rows, which can be described by an oblique lattice with a = 2.5 +/- 0.3 nm, b = 5.0 +/- 0.1 nm, and gamma = 122 +/- 3 degrees. The results, together with recent improvements in synthetic approaches, contribute to the development of a general strategy to develop H-bonding-based nanostructures with molecular precision.

Graphite↗