Structural and spectroscopic studies of a nanostructured silicon-perovskite interface.

While extensively investigated in thin film form for energy materials applications, this work investigates the formation of APbBr3 structures (A = CH3NH3+ (MA), Cs+) in silicon and oxidized silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) with varying inner diameter. We carefully control the extent of oxidation of the nanotube host and correlate the relative Si/Si oxide content in a given nanotube host with the photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of the perovskite. Complementing these measurements is an evaluation of average PL lifetimes of a given APbBr3 nanostructure, as evaluated by time-resolved confocal photoluminescence measurements. Increasing Si (decreasing oxide) content in the nanotube host results in a sensitive reduction of MAPbBr3 PLQE, with a concomitant decrease in average lifetime (τave). We interpret these observations in terms of decreased defect passivation by a lower concentration of oxide species surrounding the perovskite. In addition, we show that the use of selected nanotube templates leads to more stable perovskite PL in air over time (weeks). Taken in concert, such fundamental observations have implications for interfacial carrier interactions in tandem Si/perovskite photovoltaics.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Activity of a Triazine Bridged Antioxidant Small Molecule.

Metal-ion misregulation and oxidative stress continue to be components of the continually evolving hypothesis describing the molecular origins of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, these features are viable targets for synthetic chemists to explore through hybridizations of metal-binding ligands and antioxidant units. To date, the metal-binding unit in potential therapeutic small molecules has largely been inspired by clioquinol with the exception of a handful of heterocyclic small molecules and open-chain systems. Heterocyclic small molecules such as cyclen (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) have the advantage of straightforward N-based modifications, allowing the addition of functional groups. In this work, we report the synthesis of a triazine bridged system containing two cyclen metal-binding units and an antioxidant coumarin appendage inspired by nature. This new potential therapeutic molecule shows the ability to bind copper in a unique manner compared to other chelates proposed to treat Alzheimer's disease. DPPH and TEAC assays exploring the activity of N-(2-((4,6-di(1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino)ethyl)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide (molecule 1) show that the molecule is antioxidant. Cellular studies of molecule 1 indicate a low toxicity (EC50 = 80 µM) and the ability to protect HT-22 neuronal cells from cell death induced by Aß + copper(II), thus demonstrating the potential for molecule 1 to serve as a multimodal therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease.

Formation of Dendrimer Nanoassemblies by Oligomerization-Induced Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.

Dendrimers are hyperbranched macromolecules with applications in host-guest chemistry, self-assembly, nanocatalysis, and nanomedicine. We show that dendrimer-based globular nanoparticles are formed by using dendrimer oligomerization to isothermally induce liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). We first determined that LLPS of aqueous mixtures of the fourth-generation amino-functionalized poly(amido amine) dendrimer is observed by lowering temperature in the presence of sodium sulfate. In relation to LLPS, we experimentally characterized the effect of salt and dendrimer concentrations on the LLPS temperature and salt-dendrimer isothermal partitioning. Our results were theoretically examined using a two-parameter thermodynamic model. We then showed that the addition of a small amount of glutaraldehyde, which leads to the formation of soluble dendrimer oligomers by chemical cross-linking, increases the LLPS temperature. This implies that a dendrimer aqueous mixture, which is initially homogeneous at room temperature and exhibits LLPS only at relatively low temperatures, can exhibit LLPS at room temperature due to dendrimer oligomerization. The high dendrimer concentration inside the nanodroplets, produced from LLPS, accelerates dendrimer cross-linking, thereby yielding stable globular nanoparticles. These nanomaterials retain the host-guest properties of the initial dendrimers, indicating potential applications as nanocatalysts, extracting agents and drug carriers. Our work provides the basis for a new approach for obtaining dendrimer-based nanoassemblies by employing low-generation dendrimers as building blocks.

Thermoregulated Coacervation, Metal-Encapsulation and Nanoparticle Synthesis in Novel Triazine Dendrimers.

The synthesis and solubility behaviors of four generation five (G5) triazine dendrimers are studied. While the underivatized cationic dendrimer is soluble in water, the acetylated and propanoylated derivatives undergo coacervation in water upon increasing temperature. Occurring around room temperature, this behavior is related to a liquid-liquid phase transition with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and is explained by differences in composition, notably, the hydrophobic nature of the terminal groups. Interestingly, the water solubility of the acetylated dendrimer is affected by the addition of selected metal ions. Titrating solutions of acetylated dendrimer at temperatures below the LCST with gold or palladium ions promoted precipitation, but platinum, iridium, and copper did not. Gold nanoparticles having diameters of 2.5 ± 0.8 nm can be obtained from solutions of the acetylated dendrimer at concentrations of gold less than that required to induce precipitation by treating the solution with sodium borohydride.

Unusual liquid-liquid phase transition in aqueous mixtures of a well-known dendrimer.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has been extensively investigated for polymer and protein solutions due to its importance in mixture thermodynamics, separation science and self-assembly processes. However, to date, no experimental studies have been reported on LLPS of dendrimer solutions. Here, it is shown that LLPS of aqueous solutions containing a hydroxyl-functionalized poly(amido amine) dendrimer of fourth generation is induced in the presence of sodium sulfate. Both the LLPS temperature and salt-dendrimer partitioning between the two coexisting phases at constant temperature were measured. Interestingly, our experiments show that LLPS switches from being induced by cooling to being induced by heating as the salt concentration increases. The two coexisting phases also show opposite temperature response. Thus, this phase transition exhibits a simultaneous lower and upper critical solution temperature-type behavior. Dynamic light-scattering and dye-binding experiments indicate that no appreciable conformational change occurs as the salt concentration increases. To explain the observed phase behavior, a thermodynamic model based on two parameters was developed. The first parameter, which describes dendrimer-dendrimer interaction energy, was determined by isothermal titration calorimetry. The second parameter describes the salt salting-out strength. By varying the salting-out parameter, it is shown that the model achieves agreement not only with the location of the experimental binodal at 25 °C but also with the slope of this curve around the critical point. The proposed model also predicts that the unusual temperature behavior of this phase transition can be described as the net result of two thermodynamic factors with opposite temperature responses: salt thermodynamic non-ideality and salting-out strength.

Bimodal-hybrid heterocyclic amine targeting oxidative pathways and copper mis-regulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Oxidative stress resulting from metal-ion misregulation plays a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This process includes the production of tissue-damaging reactive oxygen species and amyloid aggregates. Herein we describe the synthesis, characterization and protective capacity of the small molecule, lipoic cyclen, which has been designed to target molecular features of AD. This construct utilizes the biologically compatible and naturally occurring lipoic acid as a foundation for engendering low cellular toxicity in multiple cell lines, radical scavenging capacity, tuning the metal affinity of the parent cyclen, and results in an unexpected affinity for amyloid without inducing aggregation. The hybrid construct thereby shows protection against cell death induced by amyloid aggregates and copper ions. These results provide evidence for the rational design methods used to produce this fused molecule as a potential strategy for the development of lead compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Design, synthesis and biological assessment of a triazine dendrimer with approximately 16 Paclitaxel groups and 8 PEG groups.

The synthesis and characterization of a generation three triazine dendrimer that displays a phenolic group at the core for labeling, up to eight 5 kDa PEG chains for solubility, and 16 paclitaxel groups is described. Three different diamine linkers--dipiperidine trismethylene, piperazine, and aminomethylpiperidine--were used within the dendrimer. To generate the desired stoichiometric ratio of 8 PEG chains to 16 paclitaxel groups, a monochlorotriazine was prepared with two paclitaxel groups attached through their 2'-hydroxyls using a linker containing a labile disulfide. This monochlorotriazine was linked to a dichlorotriazine with aminomethylpiperidine. The resulting dichlorotriazine bearing two paclitaxel groups could be reacted with the eight amines of the dendrimer. NMR and MALDI-TOF confirm successful reaction. The eight monochlorotriazines of the resulting material are used as the site for PEGylation affording the desired 2:1 stoichiometry. The target and intermediates were amenable to characterization by (1)H and (13)C NMR, and mass spectrometry. Analysis revealed that 16 paclitaxel groups were installed along with 5-8 PEG chains. The final construct is 63% PEG, 22% paclitaxel, and 15% triazine dendrimer. Consistent with previous efforts and computational models, 5 kDa PEG groups were essential for making the target water-soluble. Molecular dynamics simulations showed a high degree of hydration of the core, and a radius of gyration of 2.8 ± 0.2 nm. The hydrodynamic radius of the target was found to be 15.8 nm by dynamic light scattering, an observation indicative of aggregation. Drug release studies performed in plasma showed slow and identical release in mouse and rat plasma (8%, respectively). SPECT/CT imaging was used to follow biodistribution and tumor uptake. Using a two component model, the elimination and distribution half-lives were 2.65 h and 38.2 h, respectively. Compared with previous constructs, this dendrimer persists in the vasculature longer (17.33 ± 0.88% ID/g at 48 h postinjection), and showed higher tumor uptake. Low levels of dendrimer were observed in lung, liver, and spleen (~6% ID/g). Tumor saturation studies of small prostate cancer tumors (PC3) suggest that saturation occurs at a dose between 23.2 mg/kg and 70.9 mg/kg.

Synthesis of large dendrimers with the dimensions of small viruses.

The dendrimer chemistry reported offers a route to synthetic target molecules with spherical shape, well-defined surface chemistries, and dimensions that match the size of virus particles. The largest target, a generation-13 dendrimer comprising triazines linked by diamines, is stable across ranges of concentration, pH, temperature, solvent polarity and in the presence of additives. This dendrimer theoretically presents 16,384 surface groups and has a molecular weight exceeding 8.4 MDa. Transmission electron and atomic force microscopies, dynamic light scattering, and computations reveal a diameter of ~30 nm. The target was synthesized through an iterative divergent approach using a monochlorotriazine macromonomer providing two generations of growth per synthetic cycle. Fidelity in the synthesis is supported by evidence from NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and high-pressure liquid chromatography.