S. S. Abramchuk

Effect of a homogeneous magnetic field on the mechanical behavior of soft magnetic elastomers under compression

The mechanical properties of new magnetic composite materials were studied. The above materials represent rubbery silicon matrices filled with magnetic microparticles of metallic iron or magnetite. In homogeneous magnetic fields with an intensity of up to 0.4 T, the shear modulus of the composites was abnormally high (up to 10 000%). The variation of elastic properties of new materials on the type and volume content of the magnetic filler was investigated. In the presence of a sufficiently strong magnetic field, the above composites were shown to behave as elastoplastic materials with strengthening.

Atomic force microscopy investigation of phage infection of bacteria.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the process of infection of bacterial cells by bacteriophages, for which purpose experimental protocols were elaborated. Three types of bacteriophages were characterized with AFM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Bacteriophage interaction with cells was studied for three bacterial hosts: Gram-negative Escherichia coli 057 and Salmonella enteritidis 89 and Gram-positive Bacillus thuringiensis 393. Depending on the phase of lytic cycle, different cell surface changes are observed in AFM images of infected cells in comparison with intact cells: from phage adsorption on the cells and flagella to complete lysis of the cells, accompanied by the release of a large number of newly formed phages. Control experiments (cells without phages and cells with nonspecific phages) did not reveal any surface changes. Penetration of phages inside obligate aerobe Bacillus thuringiensis was shown to be oxygen-dependent and required aeration in laboratory conditions. Our results show great potential of using AFM for numerous fundamental and applied tasks connected with pathogen-host interaction.

Reduction of copper(II) ions in polyacrylic acid-polyethyleneimine complexes using X-ray radiation

The specifics of X-ray-induced reduction of copper(II) ions in the polyacrylic acid-polyethyleneimine-copper(II) (PAA-PEI-Cu2+) complexes were studied. It was found that the action of radiation led to the effective reduction of Cu2+ in the PAA-PEI-Cu2+ films swollen in an aqueous-alcohol medium. The formation of metal nanoparticles in irradiated samples was revealed by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Analysis of ESR data has demonstrated that the Cu2+ reduction rate increases with an increase in the initial concentration of copper ions in the samples. Formal yields of the radiation-chemical reduction of Cu2+ in the PAA-PEI complex films were found to be quite high (>100 ions per100 eV of energy absorbed by the swollen film), which can be explained by involvement of the radiolysis products of aqueous alcoholic solutions (outer medium) in the reduction processes.

Composite materials for medical purposes based on polyvinylpyrrolidone modified with ketoprofen and silver nanoparticles

A method for obtaining composite medical materials based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP K15) modified with ketoprofen in a medium of supercritical carbon dioxide and with Ag nanoparticles prepared by metal vapor synthesis is developed. A system in which ketoprofen and Ag nanoparticles with an average size of ∼16 nm are uniformly distributed over the bulk of PVP is obtained. It is found that the yield of ketoprofen from the composite in the physiological solution is higher than that for an analogous system obtained by mechanical mixing of the components.

Formation of nanostructured hydrogels in L-cysteine and silver nitrate solutions

Transmission electron microscopy is utilized to study the gels formed from aqueous solutions of L-cysteine and silver nitrate on a nanolevel structure in the presence of various anions. It is established that the anion’s charge and geometrical size have an existential effect on the structure and mechanical properties of the spatial gel-network.

A Highly Permeable Membrane for Separation of Quercetin Obtained by Nickel(II) Ion-Mediated Molecular Imprinting

A polymer membrane imprinted with quercetin has been synthesized in the presence of nickel(II) acetate as a metal ion mediator. A mixture of methacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), tetrahydrofuran (THF) – methanol (3:1 v/v) as a solvent and Darocur® 1173 (2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-1-one) as a photoinitiator was polymerized on a track-etched membrane (pores 0.4 µm) used as a support. The polymer formed regular layers on both sides of the membrane and filled the pores. The highest initial flux of the template of 1.8 · 10−7 mol · cm−2 · h−1 was observed for its diffusion from THF/acetate buffer (20:80, v/v) into THF. Membranes polymerized with nickel(II) were both more permeable and more selective. The maximum selectivity factors, calculated by using percent permeation, were 4.5 (quercetin/rutin) and 4.9 (quercetin/naringenin).

Formation of metal-polymer hybrid nanostructures during radiation-induced reduction of metal ions in poly(acrylic acid)-poly(ethylenimine) complexes

The formation of nanoparticles during the radiation-induced chemical reduction of silver ions, copper ions, and nickel ions in films based on poly(acrylic acid)-poly(ethylenimine) complexes are studied via electron microscopy. This approach allows preparation of composites containing nanoparticles that are randomly distributed in the polymer matrix and materials with a regular spatial distribution of nanoparticles across the film thickness and in subsurface layers. The structure of metal-polymer hybrid materials is dependent on the irradiation conditions, the type of reduced metal ions, and their initial content in polymer matrices. The ratio between the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of nanoparticles in the matrices of interpolyelectrolyte complexes depends on the intensity of the absorbed dose and on the mechanisms of reduction of metal ions and formation of clusters. The IR spectroscopic studies reveal the effect of nanoparticles on the chemical structure of the polymer matrix.

Preparation method for noble metal-polymer matrix nanocomposites

A method is described for the preparation of new nanocomposites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(vinyl chloride), and polypropylene on the one hand and on noble metals (Ag and Pt) on the other. The method comprises the formation of nanoporous polymer matrices by crazing the polymers with simultaneous incorporation of noble metal precursors (AgNO3 or H2PtCl6) into the matrices. Subsequent in situ reduction of the precursors yields the metal-polymer nanocomposites. Prospects for the practical application of the developed method for the production of metal-polymer nanocomposites are discussed.

The formation of metal nanoparticles in polyacrylic acid-polyethyleneimine complex upon reduction of copper(II) ions using X-ray irradiation

The features of nanoparticle formation by the radiation-chemical reduction of Cu2+ ions in polyacrylic acid-polyethyleneimine complexes have been studied. It has been shown that the swollen film/aqueous alcohol medium interphase exchange of the reducing species and the specifics of X-ray energy transfer play an important role in the formation of metal particles in the subsurface layer of polymer matrixes. An analysis of EPR and X-ray diffraction data shows that an acetaldehyde admixture increases the Cu2+ reduction rate of and enables the growth of nanoparticles.

Fibroporous polytetrafluoroethylene modified with iron nanoparticles: Structure and electronic and magnetic properties

A method for synthesizing iron-containing nanocomposite based on fibroporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is described. Fibroporous PTFE obtained under the radiation of a CO2 laser on block PTFE is modified in supercritical carbon dioxide (sc CO2) to form micro- and nanoporous structures. Porous fluoropolymer is treated with a solution of bis(toluene)iron(0) obtained by metal-vapor synthesis (MVS). The composition and structure of iron-containing fluoropolymer is studied by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Fe nanoparticles with an average size of 9 nm, consisting of ∼30% FeO and ∼70% Fe3+, are registered in the sample. Fe0 nanoparticles are stabilized in fluoropolymer pores and are coated with nanoparticles of nonstoichiometric iron oxides that have superparamagnetic properties.