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Wen-Fei Dong

Publications and source records attributed to Wen-Fei Dong.

5 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

Redox processes of cytochrome c immobilized on solid supported polyelectrolyte multilayers.

The heme protein cytochrome c (Cyt-c), immobilized on polyelectrolyte multilayers on a silver electrode, was studied by stationary and time-resolved surface-enhanced resonance Raman (SERR) spectroscopy to probe the redox site structure and the mechanism and dynamics of the potential-dependent interfacial processes. The layers were built up by sequential adsorption of polycations (poly[ethylene imine] (PEI); polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH)) and polyanions (poly[styrene sulfonate] (PSS)). All multilayers terminated by PSS electrostatically bind Cyt-c. On PEI/PSS coatings, Cyt-c is peripherally bound and fully redox-active. Due to the interfacial potential drop, the apparent redox potential is lowered by 40 mV compared to that in solution. The rate constant for the heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) of ca. 0.1 s(-1) is consistent with electron tunneling through largely ordered PEI/PSS layers. ET is coupled to a reversible conformational transition of Cyt-c that involves a change of the coordination pattern of the heme. Additional (PAH/PSS) double layers cause a broadening of the redox transition and a drastic negative shift of the redox potential, which is attributed to the formation of PSS/Cyt-c complexes. It is concluded that Cyt-c can effectively compete with PAH for binding of PSS, resulting in a rearrangement of the layered structure and a penetration of the PSS-bound Cyt-c into the PAH/PSS double layers. This conclusion is consistent with SERR intensity and quartz microbalance measurements. ET was found to be overpotential-independent and faster than that for PEI/PSS coatings, which is interpreted in terms of specific PSS/Cyt-c complexes serving as gates for the heterogeneous ET.

Cytochromes c↗
PubMed2005

Ultrathin free-standing polyelectrolyte nanocomposites: a novel method for preparation and characterization of assembly dynamics.

We present a new opportunity for the investigation of the dynamics of electrostatic ultrathin-film assembly and the elucidation of time scales required for layer-by-layer adsorption of polyelectrolytes using a novel pendant drop technique which allows for the synthesis of free-standing nanocomposites. In short, a charged molecular template, i.e., a lipid monolayer, is deposited on a pendant drop and compressed to present a defined surface charge density to the subphase of the drop. The subphase is then cycled alternatively between solutions of polycations, saline, and polyanions by injection and withdrawal of liquid from coaxial capillaries on which the drop was formed, resulting in encapsulation of the drop volume by a polymeric composite membrane. The in situ dynamics of the process are followed by axisymmetric drop shape analysis. As a model, nanocomposites of dimyristoyl phosphatidyl glycerol-(polyallylamine hydrochloride/polystyrene sulfonate)(n=1-3) were prepared. The characteristic time scales for assembly range from 1 to 4 min and increase with film thickness. It is also demonstrated that small-amplitude (>1%) perturbations in the film density during adsorption prolong the assembly. Both these results underscore the nonequilibrium nature of these materials.

Letter↗