Silica gels capable of inducing defined conformational changes in proteins were synthesized by polymerization of either 3,3,3-trifluoropropylmethoxysilane (3F) or (3-heptafluoroisopropoxy)propalethoxysilane (7F) with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated BSA (FITC-BSA) were encapsulated in the gels. The hydrolyzed TEOS sol mixing wi...

The hydrothermal stability of molecular sieve silica (MSS) membranes is an area of increasing research interest, in particular for applications such as membrane reactors and membrane gas separation of process streams containing hot steam. In these applications, gas streams are likely to contain water vapor, which reacts with the hydrophilic sites in the silica thin films resulting in chemical a...

This article presents the development and characterization of nanoparticles loaded with methylene blue (MB), which are designed to be administered to tumor cells externally and deliver singlet oxygen ('0,) for photodynamic therapy (PDT), i.e. cell kill via oxidative stress to the membrane. We demonstrated the encapsulation of MB, a photosensitizer (PS), in three types of sub-200 nm nanoparticle...

Aerogel and xerogel are formed via hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions of silica precursors, such as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), always careful not to cause collapse, reduction in surface area and pore size. Several studies shown the use sol-gel entrapment possesses a number of desirable attributes, as the enzyme is physically entrapped in a rigid glass framework that permitted stabil...

In the past, helical shapes in nature have inspired inventions such as the water screw for agriculture, the retaining screw for wine presses, and architectural designs for spiral staircases. Similarly, these days helix-shaped DNA, proteins and carbon nanotubes evoke great interest in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Also biomimetic synthesis of helical morphologies of calcium carbonate, barium...

One of the most effective corrosion control techniques is the electrical isolation of the anode from the cathode [1, 2]. The chromium oxide (Cr2O3) passivation layer formed on the surface of stainless steel in oxidizing environments is one example. This is the main reason for the durability and corrosion resistance behavior of this particular metal [2, 3]. A more generic approach to enhance cor...

The purpose of this work is the synthesis of 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl) by selective oxidation of 2-butanone (methyl ethyl ketone) in the presence of O2 and H2O2 30% as oxidants. All the tests were performed over several selective oxidation zeolite catalysts, synthesized and characterized in our laboratory. Introduction 2,3-Butanedione or diacetyl, a flavor compound having a distinct buttery ch...

Introduction: Great care and a large effort was made to minimize the amount of organic matter contained within the flight aerogel used to collect Comet 81P/Wild 2 samples [1]. Even so, by the very nature of the production process and silica aerogel’s affinity for volatile organics keeping silica aerogel free from organics is a monumental task. Silica aerogel from three production batches was fl...

Sol–gel process was used for the preparation of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) doped silica xerogels, using tetraethylorthosilicate [TEOS, Si(OC2H5)4] as the precursor for the silica network. Silica alcosol was prepared by hydrolysis and polycondensation of ethanol (EtOH) diluted TEOS in the presence of citric acid (CTA) catalyst. The ethanolic R6G was added to the alcosol to trap R6G molecules inside the ...