Smart Glycopolymeric Nanoparticles for Multivalent Lectin Binding and Stimuli-Controlled Guest Release.

The synthesis and self-assembly of a polymer featuring a self-complementary supramolecular binding motif guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole carboxylate zwitterion (GCP-zwitterion) bearing lactose moieties are reported. The GCP-zwitterion acts as a cross-linker to facilitate self-assembly of the polymeric chain into nanoparticles (NPs) at neutral pH in an aqueous medium. The formation of polymeric NPs can be controlled by addition of external stimuli (acid or base), which disfavors self-assembly of the GCP-zwitterion because of protonation or deprotonation of the GCP units in the polymer chain. The small-sized (<40 nm) NPs have a hydrophobic cavity and accessible lactose units on the outer shell for multivalent lectin binding. The multivalent interaction between NPs and the lectin peanut agglutinin was confirmed by agglutination experiments. In addition, the stimuli-responsive property of NPs was exploited for the uptake and release of a hydrophobic guest Nile red. Furthermore, the selectivity toward different cell lines (HEK 296T, HeLa, and Hep2G) was tested, and a cellular uptake of cargo-loaded NPs was found for Hep2G cells bearing the lactose-specific asialogylcoprotein receptor, whereas all other cells showed no NP interaction.

Capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection for the quantification of fluoride in lithium ion battery electrolytes and in ionic liquids-A comparison to the results gained with a fluoride ion-selective electrode.

In this study, an optimized method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with a direct contactless conductivity detector (C4 D) for a new application field is presented for the quantification of fluoride in common used lithium ion battery (LIB) electrolyte using LiPF6 in organic carbonate solvents and in ionic liquids (ILs) after contacted to Li metal. The method development for finding the right buffer and the suitable CE conditions for the quantification of fluoride was investigated. The results of the concentration of fluoride in different LIB electrolyte samples were compared to the results from the ion-selective electrode (ISE). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) and recovery rates for fluoride were obtained with a very high accuracy in both methods. The results of the fluoride concentration in the LIB electrolytes were in very good agreement for both methods. In addition, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values were determined for the CE method. The CE method has been applied also for the quantification of fluoride in ILs. In the fresh IL sample, the concentration of fluoride was under the LOD. Another sample of the IL mixed with Li metal has been investigated as well. It was possible to quantify the fluoride concentration in this sample.