Charged Poly Research Articles

Ultrathin positively charged electrode skin for durable anion-intercalation battery chemistries

The anion-intercalation chemistries of graphite have the potential to construct batteries with promising energy and power breakthroughs. Here, we report the use of an ultrathin, positively charged two-dimensional poly(pyridinium salt) membrane (C2DP) as the graphite electrode skin to overcome the critical durability problem. Large-area C2DP enables the conformal coating on the graphite electrode, remarkably alleviating the electrolyte. Meanwhile, the dense face-on oriented single crystals with ultrathin thickness and cationic backbones allow C2DP with high anion-transport capability and selectivity. Such desirable anion-transport properties of C2DP prevent the cation/solvent co-intercalation into the graphite electrode and suppress the consequent structure collapse. An impressive PF6−-intercalation durability is demonstrated for the C2DP-covered graphite electrode, with capacity retention of 92.8% after 1000 cycles at 1 C and Coulombic efficiencies of > 99%. The feasibility of constructing artificial ion-regulating electrode skins with precisely customized two-dimensional polymers offers viable means to promote problematic battery chemistries.

Addressing Specific (Poly)ion Effects for Layer-by-Layer Membranes.

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of the alternating adsorption of oppositely charged polyions is an extensively studied method to produce nanofiltration membranes. In this work, the concept of chaotropicity of the polycation and its counterion is introduced in the LbL field. In general, the more chaotropic a polyion, the lower its effective charge, charge availability, and hydrophilicity. Here, this is researched for the well-known PDADMAC (polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride) and PAH (poly(allylamine) hydrochloride), and the synthesized PAMA (polyallylmultimethylammonium), with two different counterions (I- and Cl-). Higher chaotropicity (PDADMAC > PAMA-I > PAMA-Cl > PAH) translates into a reduced charge availability and a more pronounced extrinsic charge compensation, resulting in more mass adsorption and a higher pure water permeability. PAMA-containing membranes show the most interesting results in the series. Due to its molecular structure, the chaotropicity of this polycation perfectly lies between PDADMAC and PAH. Overall, the chaotropicity of PAMA membranes allows for the formation of the right balance between extrinsic and intrinsic charge compensation with PSS. Moreover, modifying the nature of the counterions of PAMA (I- or Cl-) allows to tune the density of the multilayer and results in lower size exclusion abilities with PAMA-I compared to PAMA-Cl (higher MWCO and lower MgSO4 retention). In general, the contextualization of the polyion interaction within the specific (poly)ion effects expands the understanding of the influence of the charge density of polycations without ignoring the chemical nature of the functional groups in their monomer units.

Colorimetric Probe for Mn2+ Using a Mixture of an Anionic Dye and a Cationic Polyelectrolyte in an Aqueous Solution.

A novel colorimetric probe for Mn2+ was easily prepared by mixing negatively charged alizarin complexone (ALC) with positively charged poly[bis(2-chloroethyl)ether-alt-1,3-bis[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]urea] (PQ-2) in aqueous solutions at pH 6.0. Upon adding Mn2+ to ALC alone, the solution underwent no distinct color change, while the mixture displayed selective detection of Mn2+ over different physiological and environmentally significant metal ions by an efficient naked-eye color change from red to purple. The detection of Mn2+ by the mixture was achieved from the electrostatic interactions between ALC and PQ-2. The quantitative determination of Mn2+ was obtained by spectrophotometric measurement and naked-eye observation. This sensing strategy can be an attractive approach for the development of new colorimetric probes due to the advantages such as no organic synthesis, facile fabrication, and simple visual detection.

Facial synthesis of colloidal stable magnetic nanoparticles coated with high hydrophilic negative charged poly(4‐styrenesulfonic acid co‐maleic acid) sodium for water remediation

AbstractThe enhancement of the colloidal stability of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) for environmental‐related fields has greatly attracted researchers' attention. This study used a high hydrophilic negatively charged polyelectrolyte, poly(4‐styrenesulfonic acid co‐maleic acid) sodium (PSAAS), to enhance the colloidal stability of MNPs. Coating of the naked MNPs with PSAAS polyelectrolyte is a simple and rapid method to obtain colloidally stable MNPs while sustaining the chemical reactivity of MNPs in water purification. The prepared PSAAS‐coated MNPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X‐ray, Fourier transform infrared, zeta potential analysis, transmission electron microscope and X‐ray diffraction. Moreover, the colloidal stability and adsorption performance tests of these naked MNPs and PSAAS‐coated MNPs (with different concentrations of PSAAS coated) were investigated and compared. PSAAS‐coated MNPs with 0.001 g/ml PSAAS coating possessed the best colloidal stability and the highest methylene blue (MB) dye removal efficiency (94.53 ± 0.69%). The adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies for the adsorption of MB onto PSAAS‐coated MNPs were well‐described by the Langmuir model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. These magnetic adsorbents, with high separation efficiency, simple and low production cost and recyclable property, are promising as practicable adsorbents in water treatment.

Transient formation of multi-phase droplets caused by the addition of a folded protein into complex coacervates with an oppositely charged surface relative to the protein.

Complex coacervates have received increasing attention due to their use as simple models of membrane-less organelles and microcapsule platforms. The incorporation of proteins into complex coacervates is recognized as a crucial event that enables understanding of membrane-less organelles in cells and controlling microcapsules. Here, we investigated the incorporation of proteins into complex coacervates with a focus on the progress of the incorporation process. This stands in contrast to most previous studies, which have been focused the endpoint of the incorporation process. For that purpose, client proteins, i.e., lysozyme, ovalbumin, and pyruvate oxidase, were mixed with complex coacervate scaffolds consisting of two polyelectrolytes, i.e., the positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and the negatively charged carboxymethyl dextran sodium salt, and the process was studied. Spectroscopic analysis and microscopic imaging demonstrated that electrostatic factors are the primary driving force of the incorporation of the client proteins into the complex coacervate scaffolds. Moreover, we discovered the formation of multi-phase droplets when a charged protein was incorporated into a complex coacervate whose surface was charged oppositely relative to that of the protein. The droplets inside the complex coacervates were found to be the diluted phase trapped as internal vacuoles. These findings provide fundamental insight into the temporal changes at the droplet interface during the incorporation of proteins into complex coacervates. This knowledge will facilitate the understanding of biological events associated with membrane-less organelles and will contribute to the industrial development of the use of microcapsules.

Dual functionality of ferrocene-based metallopolymers as radical scavengers and nanoparticle stabilizing agents.

The beneficial redox properties of ferrocene-based polymers have been utilized during in situ preparation of metallic nanoparticles, while such redox features also indicate a great promise in applications as free radical scavengers. Here, colloidal dispersions of an antioxidant nanozyme composed of amidine-functionalized polystyrene latex (AL) nanoparticles, negatively charged poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS(-)) organometallic polyions, and ascorbic acid (AA) were formulated. The AL was first functionalized with PFS(-). Increasing the polymer dose resulted in charge neutralization and subsequent charge reversal of the particles. The strength of repulsive interparticle forces of electrostatic nature was significant at low and high doses leading to stable colloids, while attractive forces dominated near the charge neutralization point giving rise to unstable dispersions. The saturated PFS(-) layer adsorbed on the surface of the AL (p-AL nanozyme) enhanced the colloidal stability against salt-induced aggregation without affecting the pH-dependent charge and size of the particles. The joint effect of PFS(-) and the AA in radical decomposition was observed indicating the antioxidant potential of the system. The immobilization of PFS(-) deteriorated its scavenging activity, yet the combination with AA improved this feature. The results indicate that p-AL-AA is a promising radical scavenger since the high colloidal stability of the particles allows application in heterogeneous systems, such as in industrial manufacturing processes, where antioxidants are required to maintain acceptable product quality.

Controlling the Formation of Polyelectrolyte Complex Nanoparticles Using Programmable pH Reactions.

Enabling complexation of weak polyelectrolytes, in the presence of a programmable pH-modulation, offers a means to achieve temporal control over polyelectrolyte coassembly. Here, by mixing oppositely charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(sodium methacrylate) in a (bi)sulfite buffer, nanoscopic complex coacervates are formed. Addition of formaldehyde initiates the formaldehyde-sulfite clock reaction, affecting the polyelectrolyte assembly in two ways. First, the abrupt pH increase from the reaction changes the charge density of the polyelectrolytes and thus the ratio of cationic and anionic species. Simultaneously, reactions between the polyamine and formaldehyde lead to chemical modifications on the polymer. Interestingly, core-shell polymeric nanoparticles are produced, which remain colloidally stable for months. Contrastingly, in the same system, in the absence of the clock reaction, aggregation and phase separation occur within minutes to days after mixing. Introducing an acid-producing reaction enables further temporal control over the coassembly, generating transient nanoparticles with nanoscopic dimensions and an adjustable lifetime of tens of minutes.

Tunable Surface Charge Enables the Electrostatic Adsorption-Controlled Release of Neuroprotective Peptides from a Hydrogel-Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System.

We exploit the electrostatic interactions between the positively charged neuroprotective peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), and negatively charged poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles to control PACAP release from the surface of nanoparticles dispersed in a hyaluronan-methylcellulose (HAMC) hydrogel composite. PACAP is a promising therapeutic for the treatment of neurological disorders, yet it has been difficult to deliver in vivo. Herein, the PACAP release rate was tuned by manipulating peptide adsorption onto the surface of blank nanoparticles by modifying either nanoparticle loading in the hydrogel or nanoparticle surface charge. This peptide-nanoparticle interaction was controlled by the pH-responsive carboxylic acid end terminal groups of PLGA. We further validated this system with the controlled release of a novel stabilized PACAP analog: Ac-[Ala15, Ala20]PACAP-propylamide, which masks its recognition to peptidases in circulation. Both wild-type and stabilized PACAP released from the vehicle increased the production of neuroprotective Interleukin-6 from cultured primary astrocytes. Using computational fluid dynamics methods, PACAP release from the composite was predicted based on experimentally derived adsorption isotherms, which exhibited similar release profiles to experimental data. This versatile adsorption-based system was used to deliver PACAP locally to the brains of stroke-injured mice over a 10 day period in vivo, highlighting its effectiveness for the controlled release of PACAP to the central nervous system.

Generating PARP Knockout D. melanogaster with CRISPR/Cas9 System.

Long-branched negatively charged poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr) is a posttranslation modification of nuclear proteins that play a key role in many chromatin remodeling events. While several enzymes of PARP family could synthesize it across all multicellular organisms, Drosophila melanogaster is very suitable model to study pADPr-regulated processes because only one PARP gene is present. Despite the fact that PARP is an intensively studied protein with multiple important functions, no total knockout PARP flies were obtained in mobile element mutagenesis-based projects, mainly because PARP gene localizes in heterochromatic region. Here, we describe all steps of generating PARP mutated D. melanogaster with CRISPR/Cas9 system from the gRNA design, plasmid cloning to fly crosses and mutation detection. Provided gRNAs sequences target the region with high efficiency and results in more than 90% mutant stocks. This method could also be modified to generate PARP mutations in other gene locus, knockins with donor sequences for homology recombination or to be adjusted for other pADPr turnover-regulating enzymes.

A fabrication strategy for porous carbon spheres based on cross‐linked chitosan/poly(γ‐glutamic acid) colloidal particles

AbstractA new strategy was developed to prepare nanoscale porous carbon spheres (PCSs) using cross‐linked chitosan/poly(γ‐glutamic acid) colloidal particles as precursor. The fabricated cross‐linked chitosan/poly(γ‐glutamic acid) colloidal particles (Ca2+/CS/γ‐PGA CPs) were prepared from the self‐assembly of negatively charged poly(γ‐glutamic acid) and positively charged chitosan, and the cross‐linking of Ca2+ in aqueous solution, via the electrostatic interaction. After lyophilization, the Ca2+/CS/γ‐PGA CPs power was obtained, followed by carbonization in a tube furnace under N2 atmosphere. Finally, the products were washed by hydrochloric acid, obtaining PCSs with hierarchical pore structure and super‐hydrophobicity. The prepared PCSs exhibited excellent separation performance for oil‐in‐water emulsions.

Transparent, Stretchable, and Self‐Healable Gas Barrier Films with 2D Nanoplatelets for Flexible Electronic Device Packaging Applications

AbstractSelf‐healable elastomeric materials (PUAxPU10–x‐PDMS, x = 4, 6, or 8) have been synthesized and utilized as substrates or encapsulation films on the top of barrier films (deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates) to improve their gas barrier properties for packaging applications. Hexa‐layer (HL) assembly consisting of two inorganic 2D nanoplatelets, including Mg‐Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, that is, polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(sodium styrene‐4‐sulfonate) (PSS), have been developed by alternative depositions of HL (i.e., PSS/LDH/PSS/PEI/hBN/PEI) sequentially. Then, a layer‐by‐layer technique is applied to produce multiple assemblies of hexa‐layer (HL)n and reduce water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) values of elastomeric PUA8PU2‐PDMS and PET substrates. The optimum WVTR values of 7.1 × 10−3 and 8.0 × 10−3 g m−2 day−1 are achieved using barrier PET/(HL)8/PUA8PU2‐PDMS (125/3/1 µm) and PUA8PU2‐PDMS/(HL)8 (125/3 µm) films, respectively. The self‐healable barrier PUA8PU2‐PDMS and PUA8PU2‐PDMS/(HL)8 films recover their initial WVTR values after self‐healing of mechanically damaged films. Organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) encapsulated with PET/(HL)8/PUA8PU2‐PDMS and PUA8PU2‐PDMS/(HL)8 have 9–10 times longer half‐lifetime values than bare OLEDs. Accordingly, this report develops transparent, stretchable, and self‐healable gas barrier films for next‐generation flexible electronic device packaging applications.

Poly(ionic liquid) membranes preserving liquid crystalline microstructures for lithium-ion enrichment

The combination of membrane separation technology and hydrometallurgy has opened up new possibilities for the recovery and recycling of lithium from ever-growing spent lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we prepared a series of positively charged poly(ionic liquid) membranes preserving liquid crystal mesophases and investigated the monatomic ion separation capacity of the liquid crystalline membranes by diffusion dialysis experiments using the simulative spent battery leachate. The results revealed that liquid crystalline membranes with bicontinuous cubic liquid crystal structure possessed great potential as precise ion separation membranes for lithium-ion enrichment. Compared to the other topological structures, the bicontinuous cubic liquid crystal structure enhanced both the Li+ flux and ion selectivity of the membranes. The ion flux of the membrane with this structure was three times higher than that of amorphous membranes. Meanwhile, the Li+/Ni2+ selectivity was up to 7.40, which was significantly higher than that of hexagonal liquid crystalline membranes (2.59) and commercial membranes AMI-7001S (5.71). Moreover, the preservation of liquid crystal structures obviously improved the water management capacity and mechanical strength of the membranes.

Polycations inclusion to simultaneously boost permeation and selectivity of two-dimensional TaS2 membranes for acid recovery

Two dimensional (2D) TaS2 laminates have highly regular and ordered transfer mass channels, thus being promising acid recovery membrane candidates for diffusion dialysis (DD) applications to discern H+ and metallic ions. However, it remains a daunting task to get access to high-performance 2D acid recycling membranes made from single TaS2 nanosheets. Here, we report manipulation of the chemical environments of TaS2 channels to develop excellent acid recycling 2D membranes. As demonstration projects, positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) in acid solution were chosen as polycation intercalators to modify the TaS2 2D channels. Under the DD mode, the TaS2 membrane exhibits a H+ dialysis coefficient (UH+) of 3.72 × 10−3 m h−1 and separation factor (S) of 9 towards the simulated acid pickle. In contrast, the UH+ and S value of the PDDA@TaS2 membrane improve to 12.7 × 10−3 m h−1 and 34.4 respectively. Those of the P4VP@TaS2 membrane increase to 12.5 × 10−3 m h−1 and 29.1 respectively. The reported acid recovery properties of PDDA@TaS2 and P4VP@TaS2 membranes exceed the commercial DF-120 acid recovery membranes. The experiment and simulation results reveal that the synergistical enhancements of UH+ and S originate from the incorporating polycations in PDDA@TaS2 and P4VP@TaS2 composite channels.

Structure and Flocculation of Ion Associates of Carrageenan and Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) Depending on the Component Ratio.

Carrageenan is a polysaccharide of a plant origin, commonly used as a thickening and gelling agent in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Due to the negative charges of its sulfate groups, carrageenan macromolecules strongly interact with oppositely charged polyions. The ionic complexes of carrageenan with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) were obtained at the molar ratios 4:1, 2;1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4. The structure and characteristics of the polyanion-polycation associates were studied by XRD, IR, optical microscopy, and via sedimentation and particle size measurements. It was found that the suspended particles flocculate and settle fastest when the molar ratio of the polyions is near 1:1. Turbidimetric titration experiments enabled us to measure the molar ratio of cationic to anionic groups at the onset of flocculation, and the value in question was found to be 1:1.32. In other words, a mass of 511 mg carrageenan corresponds to one millimole of ester sulfate (monobasic) groups. The measurement of the onset of flocculation has been employed for the accurate determination of carrageenan in real samples of food products. The color and turbidity of the sample do not interfere with the determination results.

Tuning the Self-Assembled Morphology of Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Hybrids for High-Performance Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Hybrid materials based on transition metal carbide and nitride (MXene) nanosheets have great potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding due to their excellent electrical conductivity. However, the performance of final products depends not only on the properties of constituent components but also on the morphology of the assembly. Here, via the controlled diffusion of positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) chains into the negatively charged Ti3C2Tx MXene suspension, MXene/PAH hybrids in the forms of thin films, porous structures, and fibers with distinguished internal morphologies are obtained. Our results confirm that PAH chains could effectively enhance the oxidation stability and integrity of wet and dry MXene structures. The flexibility to tune the structures allows for a thorough discussion of the relations between the morphology, electrical conductivity, and EMI shielding mechanism of the hybrids in a wide range of electrical conductivity (2.5 to 3347 S·cm-1) and thickness (7.7 to 1900 μm) values. The analysis of thin films shows the direct impact of the polymer content on the alignment and compactness of MXene nanosheets regulating the films' electrical conductivity/EMI shielding effectiveness. The colloidal behavior of the initial MXene suspension determines the interconnection of MXene nanosheets in MXene/PAH porous assemblies and the final electrical properties. In addition to the internal morphology, examining the laminated MXene/PAH fibers with geometrically different arrangements demonstrates the role of conductive network configuration on EMI shielding performance. These findings provide insights into tuning the EMI shielding effectiveness via the charge-driven bottom-up assembly of electrically conductive MXene/polyelectrolyte hybrids.

Preparation of sulfonic acid-functionalized polymeric ionic liquid-based magnetic adsorbent and its applications to diquat extraction

有效萃取复杂食品样品中的极性污染物是实现其准确测定的瓶颈,也是食品安全分析的难点。针对污染物的结构特点,设计和发展能与之产生特定作用的新型材料是高效萃取的关键。敌草快是一种广谱性除草剂,为碱性的阳离子有机化合物。该文以1-乙烯基咪唑和1,3-丙磺酸内酯为原料合成了磺酸功能化的离子液体,通过自由基聚合反应,将其固载至磁性纳米颗粒表面,得到磺酸功能化的聚(1-乙烯基-3-丙基磺酸基咪唑氯盐)修饰的磁性纳米颗粒(Poly([VPImi-SO3H][Cl])-MP)。采用红外光谱、扫描电镜、振动样品磁强计和热重分析等对其结构、形貌和磁性进行了表征。将其作为磁性固相萃取的吸附剂,萃取青菜中的敌草快。磺酸基的功能化使Poly([VPImi-SO3H][Cl])-MP的表面在一定pH下带有丰富的负电荷,与敌草快之间产生强的静电吸引作用,可实现对敌草快的有效萃取。对影响萃取效率的各种参数如溶液pH、吸附剂质量、吸附时间、解吸剂种类和体积等进行了优化。在优化条件下,结合磁性固相萃取和高效液相色谱技术,对方法的性能及适用性进行了考察。敌草快在0.2~20 μg/g内具有良好的线性(r=0.9981),检出限(S/N=3)和定量限(S/N=10)分别为0.09 μg/g和0.2 μg/g; 3个水平(0.5、1.0和2.5 μg/g)下的加标回收率为82.7%~97.5%,相对标准偏差为2.8%~5.0%(n=3)。结果表明,磺酸功能化的Poly([VPImi-SO3H][Cl])-MP能快速、有效地萃取敌草快,建立的方法能用于青菜中敌草快的准确测定。

Development of an Insulin Nano-delivery System through Buccal Administration

The aim of the study was to develop a new nano-delivery system for buccal administration of insulin. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) had undergone countless breakthroughs in drug delivery systems. The main objective of PNPs application in delivering and carrying different promising drugs is to make sure that the drugs are being delivered to their action sites, maximizing the desired effect and overcoming their limitations and drawbacks. The main goals of this study were to produce an insulin consumable nano-delivery system for buccal administration and enhance the mucoadhesive effect in sustaining insulin release. Water-oil-water (W-O-W) microemulsion solvent evaporation technique was used for the preparation of nanoparticles consisting of positively charged poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) coated with chitosan and loaded with insulin. Later, a consumable buccal film was prepared by the spin coating method and loaded with the previously prepared nanoparticles. The newly prepared nanoparticle was assessed in terms of size, charge and surface morphology using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), zeta potential, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. An in vitro investigation of the insulin release from nanoparticles and buccal film demonstrated controlled as well as sustained delivery over 6 hrs. The cumulative insulin release decreased to about 28.9% with buccal film compared to the nanoparticle (50%). The buccal film acted as a barrier for insulin release. Therefore, the release was sustained.

Dipole-driven interlude of mesomorphism in polyelectrolyte solutions

Uniformly charged polyelectrolyte molecules disperse uniformly in aqueous electrolyte solutions, due to electrostatic repulsion between them. In stark contrast to this well-established result of homogeneous polyelectrolyte solutions, we report a phenomenon where an aqueous solution of positively charged poly(L-lysine) (PLL) exhibits precipitation of similarly charged macromolecules at low ionic strength and a homogeneous solution at very high ionic strength, with a stable mesomorphic state of spherical aggregates as an interlude between these two limits. The precipitation at lower ionic strengths that is orthogonal to the standard polyelectrolyte behavior and the emergence of the mesomorphic state are triggered by the presence of a monovalent small organic anion, acrylate, in the electrolyte solution. Using light scattering, we find that the hydrodynamic radius Rh of isolated PLL chains shrinks upon a decrease in electrolyte (NaBr) concentration, exhibiting the "anti-polyelectrolyte effect." In addition, Rh of the aggregates in the mesomorphic state depends on PLL concentration cp according to the scaling law, [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, at higher PLL concentration, the mesomorphic aggregates disassemble by a self-poisoning mechanism. We conjecture that all these findings can be attributed to both intra- and interchain dipolar interactions arising from the transformation of polycationic PLL into a physical polyzwitterionic PLL at higher concentrations of acrylate. The reported phenomenon of PLL exhibiting dipole-directed assembly of mesomorphic states and the anti-polyelectrolyte effect are of vital importance toward understanding more complex situations such as coacervation and formation of biomolecular condensates.

The Role of Disordered Regions in Orchestrating the Properties of Multidomain Proteins: The SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein and Its Interaction with Enoxaparin.

Novel and efficient strategies need to be developed to interfere with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One of the most promising pharmaceutical targets is the nucleocapsid protein (N), responsible for genomic RNA packaging. N is composed of two folded domains and three intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). The globular RNA binding domain (NTD) and the tethered IDRs are rich in positively charged residues. The study of the interaction of N with polyanions can thus help to elucidate one of the key driving forces responsible for its function, i.e., electrostatics. Heparin, one of the most negatively charged natural polyanions, has been used to contrast serious cases of COVID-19 infection, and we decided to study its interaction with N at the molecular level. We focused on the NTR construct, which comprises the NTD and two flanking IDRs, and on the NTD construct in isolation. We characterized this interaction using different nuclear magnetic resonance approaches and isothermal titration calorimetry. With these tools, we were able to identify an extended surface of NTD involved in the interaction. Moreover, we assessed the importance of the IDRs in increasing the affinity for heparin, highlighting how different tracts of these flexible regions modulate the interaction.

Development of poly(vinyl alcohol)/β-cyclodextrin/P(MVE-MA) composite nanofibers as effective and selective adsorbent and filtration material for the removal and separation of cationic dyes from water

The preparation of new smart adsorbent and filtration materials has a great importance for the adsorption and filtration studies. In this study, for the effective adsorption of cationic Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) dye from water and for the selective separation of anionic dye from the anionic and cationic dye mixture solution, a new water-insoluble negatively charged poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/β-cyclodextrin/poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (P(MVE-MA)) nanofiber membrane was fabricated by using simple electrospinning technique and thermal cross-linking process. The obtained nanofiber composite membrane material was characterized by FTIR, water solubility, mechanical property, SEM, BET specific surface area and pore size distribution measurements. After cross-linking process, maximum tensile stress and Young's modulus of membrane material showed an enhancement from 1.59 MPa to 2.58 MPa and from 66.67 MPa to 146.75 MPa, respectively. For cationic BY2 dye, membrane material exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity value of 2.554 × 10−3 mol g−1 or 775.98 mg g−1. In addition, it did not adsorb anionic Acid Blue 74 (AB74) dye. Kinetic and isotherm data of BY2 followed the pseudo second order and Langmuir models, respectively. For BY2 dye, membrane material displayed a good regeneration performance during the five adsorption/desorption cycles. In the filtration of anionic and cationic dye mixture, PVA/β-cyclodextrin/P(MVE-MA) nanofiber membrane material exhibited a remarkable separation efficiency (99.33%) and showed selective adsorption ability toward cationic BY2 dye. In brief, the fabricated membrane material is of a promising application in the water treatments and separation studies.