A high temperature cell for investigating interfacial structure on the molecular scale in molten salt/alloy systems.

In this work, we describe the design and development of an in situ neutron reflectometry cell for high temperature investigations of structural changes occurring at the interface between inorganic salts, in their molten state up to 800 °C, and corrosion resistant alloys or other surfaces. In the cell, a molten salt is confined by an annular ring of single crystal sapphire constrained between the sample substrate and a sapphire plate using two gold O-rings, enclosing a liquid salt volume of 20 ml, along with a dynamic cell volume to accommodate expansion of the liquid with heating. As a test case for the cell, we report on an in situ neutron reflectometry measurement of the interface between a eutectic salt mixture of MgCl2-KCl (32:68 molar ratio) and a single crystal sapphire substrate at 450 °C, resulting in the formation of a 60 Å layer having a scattering length density of 1.72 × 10-6 Å-2. While the origin of this layer is uncertain, it is likely to have resulted from the salt reacting with an existing impurity layer on the sapphire substrate.

A model for the three-dimensional structure of human plasma vitronectin from small-angle scattering measurements.

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were used to characterize vitronectin, a circulatory protein found in human plasma that functions in regulating cell adhesion and migration, as well as proteolytic cascades that affect blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, and pericellular proteolysis. SAXS measurements were taken over a 3-fold range of protein concentrations, yielding data that characterize a monodisperse system of particles with an average radius of gyration of 30.3 +/- 0.6 A and a maximum linear dimension of 110 A. Shape restoration was applied to the data to produce two models of the solution structure of the ligand-free protein. A low-resolution model of the protein was generated that indicates the protein to be roughly peanut-shaped. A better understanding of the domain structure of vitronectin resulted from low-resolution models developed from available high-resolution structures of the domains. These domains include the N-terminal domain that was determined experimentally by NMR [Mayasundari, A., Whittemore, N. A., Serpersu, E. H., and Peterson, C. B. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 29359-29366] and the docked structure of the central and C-terminal domains that were determined by computational threading [Xu, D., Baburaj, K., Peterson, C. B., and Xu, Y. (2001) Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet. 44, 312-320]. This model provides an indication of the disposition of the central domain and C-terminal heparin-binding domains of vitronectin with respect to the N-terminal somatomedin B (SMB) domain. This model constructed from the available domain structures, which agrees with the low-resolution model produced from the SAXS data, shows the SMB domain well separated from the central and heparin-binding domains by a disordered linker (residues 54-130). Also, binding sites within the SMB domain are predicted to be well exposed to the surrounding solvent for ease of access to its various ligands.

NMR and SANS studies of aggregation and microemulsion formation by phosphorus fluorosurfactants in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide.

(1)H NMR relaxation and diffusion studies were performed on water-in-CO(2) (W/C) microemulsion systems formed with phosphorus fluorosurfactants of bis[2-(F-hexyl)ethyl] phosphate salts (DiF(8)), having different counterions (Na(+), NH(4)(+), N(CH(3))(4)(+)) by means of high-pressure in situ NMR. Water has a low solubility in CO(2) and is mainly solubilized by the microemulsion droplets formed with surfactants added to CO(2) and water mixtures. There is rapid exchange of water between the bulk CO(2) and the microemulsion droplets; however, NMR relaxation measurements show that the entrapped water has restricted motion, and there is little "free" water in the core. Counterions entrapped by the droplets are mostly associated with the surfactant headgroups: diffusion measurements show that counterions and the surfactant molecules move together with a diffusion coefficient that is associated with the droplet. The outer shell of the microemulsion droplets consists of the surfactant tails with some associated CO(2). For W/C microemulsions formed with the phosphate-based surfactant having the ammonia counterion (A-DiF(8)), the (1)H NMR signal for NH(4)(+) shows a much larger diffusion coefficient than that of the surfactant tails. This apparent paradox is explained on the basis of proton exchange between water and the ammonium ion. The observed dependence of the relaxation time (T(2)) on W(0) (mole ratio of water to surfactant in the droplets) for water and NH(4)(+) can also be explained by this exchange model. The average hydrodynamic radius of A-DiF(8) microemulsion droplets estimated from NMR diffusion measurements (25 degrees C, 206 bar, W(0) = 5) was R(h) = 2.0 nm. Assuming the theoretical ratio of R(g)/R(h) = 0.775 for a solid sphere, where R(g) is the radius of gyration, the equivalent hydrodynamic radius from SANS is R(h) = 1.87 nm. The radii measured by the two techniques are in reasonable agreement, as the two techniques are weighted to measure somewhat different parts of the micelle structure.

Self-assembly of phosphate fluorosurfactants in carbon dioxide.

Anionic phosphodiester surfactants, possessing either two fluorinated chains (F/F) or one hydrocarbon chain and one fluorinated chain (H/F), were synthesized and evaluated for solubility and self-assembly in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide. Several surfactants, of both F/F and H/F types and having varied counterions, were found to be capable of solubilizing water-in-CO2 (W/C), via the formation of microemulsions, expanding upon the family of phosphate fluorosurfactants already found to stabilize W/C microemulsions. Small-angle neutron scatteringwas used to directly characterize the microemulsion particles at varied temperatures, pressures, and water loadings, revealing behavior consistent with previous results on W/C microemulsions.

How to build a blockbuster.

Coming up with fabulously successful products takes more than creative people with groundbreaking ideas. Top executives need to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Since they control resources and have the power to cut through red tape, they can clear a path for the creative team to develop hit products.