ABSTRACT
In materials research, the control of wettability is important for many applications. Since they are typically based on phenolics, organic aerogels, and xerogels are intrinsically hydrophilic in nature, and examples of the chemical functionalization of such gels are scarce and often limited to powders. This study reports on the silylation of monolithic resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) xerogels using solutions of silyl chlorides and triflates, respectively, in combination with an amine base. The resulting gels are structurally characterized by means of elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, pycnometry, sorption analysis, and scanning electron microscopy with electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The wetting behavior of the silylated gels was studied by the determination of the contact angle to water after exposure of the gels to ambient air. Additionally, the uptake of liquid water and aqueous acids and bases was investigated. As a result, processes for the functionalization of RF xerogels with sterically demanding silyl moieties have been established. Although the analyses indicate that silylation occurred to a rather small extent, highly hydrophobic gels resulted which retained the wetting behavior over the course of several months with contact angles of >130°. Monoliths bearing sterically demanding silyl groups showed higher stability towards aqueous acid than trimethylsilylated RF gels.
ABSTRACT
Kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) are able to bend their rod-like maxillae while searching for blood vessels in the tissue of their vertebrate hosts. Little is known about the working mechanisms of these bending movements and the distal opening of the food channel. We compared the morphological structure of the stylets (mandibles and maxillae) of four triatomine species and analyzed the feeding process of Dipetalogaster maxima (Uhler, 1894). The maxillae of triatomine bugs are interlocked by a tongue-and-groove system, allowing longitudinal sliding. While penetrating the host tissue, the animals perform rapid alternate back and forth movements of the maxillae. The resistance of the surrounding tissue pushes the asymmetric apex of the maxillae away from its straight path, i.e., if one individual maxilla is protracted alone, its tip curves inwards, and the other maxilla follows. Once a blood vessel is tapped, the spine-like tip of the left maxilla splays outwards. Apically, each of the maxillae features an abutment, the left one exhibiting a notch that presumably facilitates splaying. The mechanical interaction of the two maxillary abutments enables the distal opening of the food channel but might also support the movements of the maxillary bundle attributable to different bending moment distributions.
