Biomedical subjects

Kibum Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Kibum Kim.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Structure of and competitive adsorption in alkyl dicarbamate two-dimensional crystals.

The potential for relatively minor structural changes to dramatically impact materials properties is one of the primary obstacles to achieving the rational design of functional materials. For example, having an odd versus an even number of carbons between functional groups in polymers can cause large variation in melting point and mechanical properties. This odd-even effect is especially pronounced in hydrogen-bonded polymers and oligomers. To shed light on the structural basis of this phenomenon, physisorbed monolayers and single crystals of alkyl dicarbamates were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The related two- and three-dimensional crystal structures both demonstrated a clear odd-even effect in packing geometry. The differing accommodation of intermolecular interactions between odd and even packing motifs was directly related to the melting point trends and further dissected through computation. In addition, these oligomers displayed unusual competitive adsorption behavior; the relative preference for adsorption of a smaller species from a binary solution was increased compared to alkanes. These results were explained in the context of hydrogen bond density effects that arise due to competition for a limited substrate surface area. This study provides a model for understanding oligourethane surface coatings and demonstrates the importance of molecular structure and hydrogen bonding in determining adsorption behavior.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Conformational pseudopolymorphism and orientational disorder in two-dimensional alkyl carbamate crystals.

The structures of self-assembled physisorbed monolayers of alkyl carbamates were examined with atomic detail by scanning tunneling microscopy at the liquid-solid interface. Through systematic variation of molecular structure, the factors determining the two-dimensional crystal packing and dynamics of alkyl carbamate monolayers were isolated. Two different conformational pseudopolymorphs on the surface were observed and their order of stability was varied by changing the length of the alkyl groups. The relative size of the two alkyl groups in a molecule affected the frequency of orientational flipping within a column, which in turn, exerts an influence on the relative orientation of the two-dimensional crystalline domains. These phenomena were explained on the basis of the preferred hydrogen-bonding geometry of the carbamate functional group and the different degree of van der Waals interaction for each form.

Alkanes↗

PubMed2004

Two-dimensional crystallization: self-assembly, pseudopolymorphism, and symmetry-independent molecules.

The self-assembly of a series of 1,3-disubstituted benzenes has been scrutinized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and computational modeling. Small changes in the functional groups (e.g., ester, thioester, ketone) resulted in dramatic changes in packing patterns. Remarkably, several of the molecules gave rise to monolayers with more than one molecule in the asymmetric unit and displayed multiple packing patterns. This constitutes the most complex behavior observed to date in this type of monolayer and illuminates several issues of importance in three-dimensional crystallization. Intermolecular interactions associated with the observation of multiple molecules in the asymmetric unit and stabilization of pseudopolymorphs were identified. The geometry and electrostatic properties of the isolated molecule and monolayer density were found to be critical in determining which packing motif was adopted.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Computation of aromatic C3N4 networks and synthesis of the molecular precursor N(C3N3)3Cl6.

The successful synthesis and structural characterization of molecules that represent segments of extended solids is a valuable strategy for learning metric and stereochemical characteristics of those solids. This approach has been useful in cases in which the solids are particularly difficult to crystallize and thus their atomic connectivity and overall structures become difficult to deduce with X-ray diffraction techniques. One such class of materials is the covalently linked C(x)N(y) extended solids, where molecular analogues remain largely absent. In particular, structures of C(3)N(4) solids are controversial. This report illustrates the utility of a simple molecule, N(C(3)N(3))(3)Cl(6), in answering the question of whether triazine based C(3)N(4) phases are layered or instead they adopt 3D structures. Here, we present density functional calculations that clearly demonstrate the lower stability of graphitic C(3)N(4) relative to 3D analogues.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Comparison of the four anhydrous polymorphs of carbamazepine and the crystal structure of form I.

For decades, carbamazepine (CBZ) has served as a model compound for groups engaged in the study of crystal polymorphism. Despite considerable effort, crystal structures for only three of its four anhydrous forms have previously been determined. Herein, we report the first single crystal X-ray structure of the high temperature modification of CBZ (form I). Form I crystallizes in a triclinic cell (P-1) having four inequivalent molecules with the following lattice parameters: a = 5.1705(6), b = 20.574(2), c = 22.245(2) A, alpha = 84.12(4), beta = 88.01(4), and gamma = 85.19(4) degrees. Furthermore, we compare the physical properties of the four anhydrous polymorphs of CBZ, including the first comprehensive characterization of form IV. Substantial differences are seen among these forms by powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermomicroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. These data are correlated to their respective crystal structures for the first time. We have found that all polymorphs possess identical strong hydrogen bonding patterns, similar molecular conformations, and stabilities that are within 0.7 kcal/mol of each other.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

PubMed2002

Inequivalent molecules in a two-dimensional crystal.

Physisorbed monolayers formed at solution-solid interfaces are two-dimensional crystals sharing many structural characteristics, such as packing motifs and reactivity, with their three-dimensional counterparts. Study of these monolayers with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) offers a promising tool for exploring crystallization phenomena. Although the analogy between the structures of two-dimensional and three-dimensional crystals is becoming clearer with the imaging of increasing numbers of molecules with STM, the occurrence of inequivalent molecules in a unit cell has been limited to three-dimensional crystals. We report that the monolayer of 1,3-dinonadecanoyl benzene formed at the solution-HOPG interface possesses a unit cell with 1.5 inequivalent molecules (Z' = 1.5) demonstrating that, as in the case of three-dimensional crystals, simple molecules can give rise to inequivalent packing in the solid state.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Controlling rigidity and degradation of alginate hydrogels via molecular weight distribution.

The mechanical rigidity and degradation rate of hydrogels utilized as cell transplantation vehicles have been regarded as critical factors in new tissue formation. However, conventional approaches to accelerate the degradation rate of gels deteriorate their function as a mechanical support in parallel. We hypothesized that adjusting the molecular weight distribution of polymers that are hydrolytically labile but capable of forming gels would allow one to alter the degradation rate of the gels over a broad range, while limiting the range of their elastic moduli (E). We investigated this hypothesis with binary alginate hydrogels formed from both ionically and covalently cross-linked partially oxidized (1% uronic acid residues), low [molecular weight (MW) approximately 60,000 g/mol] and high MW alginates (MW approximately 120,000 g/mol) in order to examine the utility of this approach with various cross-linking strategies. Increasing the fraction of low MW alginates to 0.50 maintained a value of E similar to that for the high MW alginate gels but led to faster degradation, irrespective of the cross-linking mode. This result was attributed to a faster separation between cross-linked domains upon chain breakages for the low MW alginates, coupled with their faster chain scission than the high MW alginates. The more rapidly degrading oxidized binary hydrogels facilitated the formation of new bone tissues from transplanted bone marrow stromal cells, as compared with the nonoxidized high MW hydrogels. The results of these studies will be useful for controlling the physical properties of a broad array of hydrogel-forming polymers.

Alginates↗