Opposite Charge Research Articles

Switchable optical trapping based on vortex-pair beams generated by a polarization-multiplexed dielectric metasurface.

Optical trapping is a state-of-the-art methodology that plays an integral role in manipulating and investigating microscopic objects but faces formidable challenges in multiparticle trapping, flexible manipulation, and high-integration applications. In this study, we propose and demonstrate a switchable optical scheme for trapping microparticles incorporating disparate vortex-pair beams generated by a polarization-multiplexed metasurface. The miniaturized all-dielectric metasurface, which comprises an array of titanium dioxide nanoposts, was manufactured and characterized to provide polarization-tuned two-fold vortex-pair beams. The profiles of the created vortices can be flexibly tailored by adjusting the combination of topological charges and the separation among phase singularities. Under transverse electric polarized light conditions, a vortex-pair beam with opposite topological charge combinations traps a single microparticle within one beam spot, while under transverse magnetic polarization conditions, two microparticles are captured simultaneously by a vortex-pair beam with the same topological charge signs. The proposed switchable trapping scheme (incorporating a vortex-pair light beam) is expected to feature enhanced integration and flexible manipulation of multiple particles with potential applications in biophysics, nanotechnology, and photonics.

Efficiency enhancement mechanism of piezoelectric effect in long wavelength InGaN-based LED.

Improving the luminescence efficiency of InGaN-based long wavelength LEDs for use in micro-LED full-colour displays remains a huge challenge. The strain-induced piezoelectric effect is an effective measure for modulating the carrier redistribution at the InGaN/GaN heterointerfaces. Our theoretical results reveal that the hole injection is significantly improved by the diminution of the valence band offset (VBO) of the InGaN/GaN heterointerfaces along the [0001] direction, and inversely, the VBO increases along the [0001] direction. The energy band structures showed that the tensile strain of the GaN film grown on a silicon (Si) substrate could weaken the internal electric field of the InGaN well layer leading to a flattening of the energy band, which increases the overlap of electron and hole wave functions. In addition, the strain-induced piezoelectric polarisation of the InGaN layer on the Si substrate generates opposite sheet-bound charges at the heterointerfaces, which causes a reduction in the depletion region of the InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs). A systematic analysis illustrates that the control of the piezoelectric polarisation of the InGaN QW layer is available improve the internal quantum efficiency of the InGaN-based LEDs.

Marine-origin polysaccharides-based free-standing multilayered membranes as sustainable nanoreservoirs for controlled drug delivery.

The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technology has been widely used to functionalise surfaces and precisely engineer robust multilayered bioarchitectures with tunable structures, compositions, properties, and functions at the nanoscale by resorting to a myriad of building blocks exhibiting complementary interactions. Among them, marine-origin polysaccharides are a sustainable renewable resource for the fabrication of nanostructured biomaterials for biomedical applications owing to their wide bioavailability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-cytotoxicity, and non-immunogenic properties. Chitosan (CHT) and alginate (ALG) have been widely employed as LbL ingredients to shape a wide repertoire of size- and shape-tunable electrostatic-driven multilayered assemblies by exploring their opposite charge nature. However, the insolubility of CHT in physiological conditions intrinsically limits the range of bioapplications of the as-developed CHT-based LbL structures. Herein, we report the preparation of free-standing (FS) multilayered membranes made of water-soluble quaternised CHT and ALG biopolymers for controlled release of model drug molecules. The influence of the film structure in the drug release rate is studied by assembling two distinct set-ups of FS membranes, having the model hydrophilic drug fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled bovine serum albumin (FITC-BSA) either as an intrinsic building block or added as an outer layer after the LbL assembly process. Both FS membranes are characterised for their thickness, morphology, in vitro cytocompatibility, and release profile, with those having FITC-BSA as an intrinsic LbL ingredient denoting a more sustained release rate. This work opens up new avenues for the design and development of a wide array of CHT-based devices for biomedical applications, overcoming the limitations associated with the insolubility of native CHT under physiological conditions.

Cargo-loaded lipid-shielded breakable organosilica nanocages for enhanced drug delivery.

The recent nanomedicine advancements have introduced a variety of smart nanoparticles in cancer treatment and diagnostics. However, their application to the clinic is still hindered by several challenges related to their biocompatibility, elimination and biodistribution. Here we propose breakable organosilica mesoporous nanoparticles, i.e. nanocages, able to efficiently incorporate cargo molecules and be coated, with different lipid compositions, to enhance their biomimetic behaviour. We exploit the electrostatic interactions between the organosilica surface and the opposite charge of the lipid mixtures in order to obtain an efficient organosilica coverage. The lipid-coated nanocages are proved to have an incredibly high hemocompatibility, significantly increased with respect to pristine nanocages, and excellent colloidal stability and biocompatibility. The cargo-loaded and lipid-coated nanocages are tested and compared in vitro on two different cancer cell lines, demonstrating the key role played by the lipid coating in mediating the internalization of the nanocages, evaluated by the enhanced and rapid cellular uptake. The efficient intracellular delivery of the therapeutic agents is then assured by the destruction of the organosilica, due to the disulfide bridges, introduced into the silica framework, that in reducing media, like the intracellular one, are reduced to thiols causing the breaking of the nanoparticles. The possibility to image and effectively kill cancer cells demonstrates the potentiality of the lipid-coated nanocages as a powerful tool in anticancer research and as a promising smart theranostic platform.

Charge-driven arrested phase-separation of polyelectrolyte-gold nanoparticle assemblies leading to plasmonic oligomers

Aggregates of charged metal particles obtained by electrostatic coupling with a compound of opposite charge in the vicinity of the net zero charge ratio are of interest in the field of plasmonics because the inter-particle distance is minimal, which favours plasmonic coupling. However, these structures present a low colloidal stability limiting the development of applications. In this article we show that globally neutral aggregates formed by electrostatic complexation of citrate-stabilized gold particles and a quaternized chitosan (i.e., polycation) around the net zero charge ratio could be stabilized at a nanometric size by the subsequent addition of polyelectrolyte chains. Furthermore, the sign of the charge carried by the stabilizing chains determines the sign of the global charge carried by the stabilized complexes. The stabilization is demonstrated in saline environment on a broad pH range as well as in a cell culture media over periods of several days. Contrarily to stabilization by charged particles, our stabilized complexes are found to retain their initial characteristics (i.e. shape, size, internal structure and optical properties) after stabilization. Hence, the plasmonic coupling allows to maximize the optical absorption around the 800nm wavelength at which the lasers used for thermoplasmonic and surface enhanced Raman scattering analysis operate.

Simultaneous reduction of arsenic and lead bioaccumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by nano-TiO2: a mechanistic study

Heavy metals with opposite charges generally have opposite environmental behaviors. Nano-TiO2 concurrently reduces arsenic and lead pollution in rice, while rutile nano-TiO2 exhibits better arsenic mitigation ability than its anatase counterpart.

Characterization of a mixed-reagent ion-pair complex

A method has been proposed for the determination of drug containing amino group phenylephrine hydrochloride (PHP) in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The method is based on the ion pair reaction of this drug with reagent (egg yellow) in alkaline medium to give intense orange colored product (λmax at 470 nm of PHP) with molar absorptivity values of 1.67×105L.mol-1.cm-1 (r = 0.9995) and 5.60 ×105 L.mol-1.cm-1 (r = 0.9996), limit of detections of 0.0252 mg/L and 0.0236 mg/L and Limit of quantification of 0.0831 mg/L and 0.0708 mg/L respectively with concentration rang of (0.2-6.0) mg/L for drug. The experimental data underwent statistical analysis, which demonstrated the approaches' accuracy and precision. Excipients that are employed in pharmaceutical formulations as additives did not obstruct the suggested methods. Ion pairs are distinct chemical entities, electrically neutral, formed between ions of opposite charge and held together by Coulomb forces, without formation of a covalent bond.

Electromagnetic Particles: About of Formation “Matter” and “Antimatter”

Based on the analysis of the structural parts of substances it is proposed that the constituents of the atoms forming from elementary particles of electrical nature. These electrical matters in the course of the evolution of the Universe formed elementary electric dipoles and magnetic bipoles with the subsequent formation of "electromagnetic particles", which are combined into the "core of nucleus". The successive combination of electromagnetic particles gives the poles of the core of nucleus a high value of the potential difference manifested in the form of nuclear force. As a result of the interaction of the core of nucleus with an electron-positron combination an equal number of protons and antiprotons should be formed, since electrically charged parts with the same modulus and opposite charges are formed equally. However, in reality the formation of an antiproton does not occur, and therefore, the reasons for the practical absence of "antimatter" in the surrounding world is still a mysterious problem. The purpose of this article is to study the formation of "matters" and "antimatters" based on elementary particles of electrical nature in the nuclear-electronic structure of atoms.

Exploring the role of redox mediator within mesoporous carbon using Thionine and LiTFSIwater-in-salt electrolytes

Despite the dramatically increasing research effort dedicated to redox-active electrolytes towards improved supercapacitor capacitance, the research concerning charging mechanisms remains sparse. This is particularly true for porous materials such as porous carbon. Whereas some charging mechanisms have been discussed for microporous materials, the mechanisms occurring within mesoporous materials are mostly unexplored. Herein, a new redox mediator - Thionine (Th) - in highly-concentrated LiTFSI, was used as a supercapacitor electrolyte to explore these mechanisms. The addition of Th modifies the viscosity and thermal properties of the electrolyte without affecting the ionic conductivity. Electrochemical measurements confirmed that the presence of Th endows an additional pseudocapacitance in mesoporous carbon but not in microporous carbon. Based on these contrasting phenomena, the charging mechanism and solvated structure were studied by Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulation. DFT simulation disclosed that it has an ion association effect between TFSI and Th due to their opposite charge. Two MD models were built with different porosities: 0.9 nm (micropores) and 3 nm (mesopores). It was found that Th molecules cannot enter micropores whereas their insertion into the mesopores was possible. Once inside the mesopores, Th can interact with the inner carbon wall via hydrogen bonding thus stabilizing the redox molecule within the mesopore which can then provide a redox contribution to the charging process. The present work helps to build a deeper understanding of the activity of redox-active molecules in mesoporous materials by elucidating the exact adsorption and charging mechanisms within a microporous system. This paves the way for the design of advanced redox-active electrolytes for supercapacitors.

Energy extraction in electrostatic extreme binary black holes

Relying on the Penrose process mechanism, we study the possibility of energy extraction from a binary system composed of two extreme electrostatic black holes (BHs) oppositely charged, separated by a strut described by Bonnor's metric. We determined and plotted the generalized ergosphere that surrounds only one of the BHs. We demonstrate the existence of nonclosed orbits of negative energy outside the event horizon; these orbits allow the possibility of energy extraction by particle disintegration from a system described by the Bonnor's metric. We prove that the extraction process can occur when a charged test particle and the BH have opposite charges; also, we analyze the efficiency of the process.

Skyrmion and meron ordering in quasi-two-dimensional chiral magnets

We revisit the well-known theoretical phase diagram for a two-dimensional chiral magnet with an easy-axis uniaxial anisotropy and an applied magnetic field. A particular emphasis is given to merons---quanta of the phase transition between the cycloid and the hexagonal skyrmion lattice, which possess fractional topological charges $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1/2$. A localized state of two coupled merons with opposite topological charges exhibits the nonreciprocal current-driven dynamics: it experiences no skyrmion Hall effect, but due to the asymmetry of the attracting intermeron potential gives rise to asymmetric current-velocity characteristics. We also address the problem of skyrmion ordering into hexagonal and square skyrmion crystals. In an entire field range, the square lattice turns out a saddle point state between differently oriented hexagonal lattices. Merons separating elongated skyrmions were also shown to form a local energy minimum by forming a hexagonal lattice shadowing the ordinary lattice of skyrmions. In addition, we focus on the anisotropy-driven transformations of modulated phases and their isolated counterparts, which exist as detached branches of solutions on both sides from the critical anisotropy value. Moreover, a family of isolated skyrmions with both rotational senses can be found near this anisotropy value. Our results are useful from both the fundamental point of view, since they complement previous findings, and from the point of view of applications, since they provide guidelines for developing meron-based spintronic devices.

Effect of different co-foaming agents on PFAS removal from the environment by foam fractionation

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are recalcitrant, synthetic chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment because of their widespread use in a variety of consumer and industrial products. PFAS contamination has become an increasing issue in recent years, which needs to be urgently addressed. Foam fractionation is emerging as a potential remediation option that removes PFAS by adsorption to the surface of rising air bubbles which are removed from the system as a foam. PFAS concentrations in the environment are often not sufficient to allow for formation of a foam by itself and often a co-foaming agent is required to be added to enhance the foamability of the solution. In this study, the effect of different classes of co-foaming agents, anionic, non-ionic, zwitterionic and cationic surfactants on the removal of PFAS with varying fluorocarbon chain length from 3 to 8 in a foam fractionation process have been investigated. Evaluation of the air-water interface partitioning coefficient (k’) in addition with surface tension and PFAS removal results support the contention that using a co-foaming agent with the opposite charge to the PFAS in question significantly facilitates the adsorption of PFAS to the air-water interface, enhancing the efficiency of the process. Using the non-ionic surfactant (no headgroup electrostatic interaction with PFAS), as a reference, it was observed, in terms of PFAS separation and rate of PFAS removal, that anionic co-surfactant performed worst, zwitterionic was better, and cationic co-surfactant performed best. All of the PFAS species were able to be removed below the limit of detection (0.05 µg/L) after 45 minutes of foaming time with the cationic surfactant.

Self-Powered Fine Dust Filtration Using Triboelectrification-Induced Electric Field

Particulate matter (PM) in the environment can adversely affect the health of living things. However, high removal efficiency and low-pressure loss are crucial design challenges for any air filtration system. To circumvent the challenge, here, we demonstrate a novel triboelectric (TE) air filtration system that is based on a rotation-type triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and a filter comprising two sets of plates: primary and secondary, that are placed in the airflow channel. When the TENG charges the two plate sets with opposite charges, the flowing air particles are charged at the primary plates and are collected, due to an electric field, at the secondary plates. The TE filter has demonstrated a PM2.5 removal efficiency of ~ 99.97% for the fine dust particles, and it remains stable even after several washing cycles. The pressure loss is almost two orders less than the high-efficiency particulate air filter. Since the airflow itself can drive the TENG, the TE filter can potentially be integrated with any air conditioning system for fine dust filtration in offices, automobiles, etc.

Antiparticle of exciton in semimetals

An emergent quantized field enriches quantum many-body systems. We propose an antiparticle analog of the exciton in semimetals as an emergent collective mode in interacting electron systems. We show that interband excitations in semimetals are generally comprised of both excitons and antiparticles of excitons. These two stand for two distinct interband collective modes in semimetals, having different energies and opposite conserved charges. The conserved charge here is a quantity conjugate to a joint U(1) symmetry of two electrons' bands associated with the interband excitations. The opposite charges foster fertile scattering processes among the interband collective modes. In spin-polarized systems, they also suggest possible experimental detections of the antiparticles. We clarify that the effective theory of the interband excitations is given by a generalized Klein-Gordon theory. Our theory provides a comprehensive understanding of excitonic spectra in generic semimetals, bringing broader insight into electronic collective phenomena in solids.

SELF-ASSEMBLED MULTILAYERS OF WATER GLUCOSE MODIFIED-CHITOSAN AND GLUCOSE OXIDASE FOR DETECTION OF GLUCOSE IN MILK SAMPLES

Background: A crucial aspect of electrochemical enzymatic biosensor development is the immobilization of the enzymes, as it directly influences the sensitivity of the bioelectrode. Among the different methods used to incorporate enzymes on the surface of the transducers, layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly based on electrostatic interaction with polyelectrolytes of opposite charge stands out due to its simplicity and reproducibility. Aims: The aim of the work was to develop an electrochemical glucose biosensor by LbL assembly of a new functionalized chitosan polycation and the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx). Methods: Chitosan was chemically functionalized with glucose by the Maillard reaction. The resulting polycation, named G-Chit, is soluble in the medium compatible with the enzyme. The bioelectrode was obtained by alternating adsorption of G-Chit and GOx onto carbon paste electrodes. By selecting the number of bilayer of G-Chit/GOX, the enzyme concentration, and the pH, the electroanalytical performance of the biosensor was optimized. The electrochemical responses were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Results: Under optimized experimental conditions, the biosensor exhibited a sensitivity of (0.81 ± 0.03) µA mM-1 in a glucose concentration range of (0.18 to 1.75) mM. Discussion: Results indicated that catalytic response increases both with the number of G-Chit/GOx bilayers and the enzyme concentration, obtaining the best responses for 3 bilayers and 2 mg mL-1, respectively, while the optimum working pH value was 7.0. Conclusions: The analytical response of the biosensor was tested in milk samples with negligible matrix effects, suggesting a potential application in other dairy products. Results show that G-Chit appears promising for the immobilization of enzymes.

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interactions of Skyrmions for Memory and Logic Devices

A skyrmion is considered to be a swirling quasi-particle that can exhibit nano-size disturbances similar to those by a knot of twisting magnetic field lines. The "tangles" observed in the magnetic field lines usually generate very strong localized magnetic fields. Thus, a stable skyrmion represent the smallest realizable ideal element with a magnetic texture while an antiskyrmion is considered to be a localized magnetic particle that represents a non-trivial magnetization texture with a specified magnitude with opposite topological charge to that of a skyrmion. The demand for novel memory and logic devices has grown in recent days with the advancement of communication and information technology. Particular attention has been drawn to the use of skyrmions and antiskyrmions in memory access and storage. The findings in most recent laboratory observation at room temperature further encourage more studies mainly covering transport and dynamic properties of both skyrmions and antiskyrmions. So far, some investigations have pointed on skyrmions for reservoir computing applications which in most applications require very large memory storages and fast access capabilities. To attain this scientific dream, a very careful ferromagnetic material re-engineering on the possibility of annihilating a skyrmion by an antiskyrmion (pairwise) to develop new concepts that may be useful for memory and logic applications. It is only recently that material physicists proposed skyrmions for ultra-dense magnetic memories though it has not been implemented. In this paper, we present the model, simulation and discuss the findings obtained by simulating a magnetic skyrmion model. These magnetic skyrmions were stabilized by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. They were analyzed as tiny whirls of magnetic configurations that exhibit memory or logic element characteristics depending on complexity of their logical element geometry. The findings suggested that a magnetic skyrmion with antiskyrmion has a capacity to act as memory element. As a result, adopting them for memory applications can simplify the fabrication process of logic elements if their magnetic spin textures are taken into account. These findings form a promising pointer for future application of skyrmion and antiskyrmion for memory, logic and reservoir computing applications.

Deciphering electric field induced spatial pattern formation in the photosensitive chlorine-dioxide iodine malonic acid reaction and the Brusselator reaction-diffusion systems.

Reaction-diffusion systems involving ionic species are susceptible to an externally applied electric field. Depending on the charges on the ionic species and the intensity of the applied electric field, diverse spatiotemporal patterns can emerge. We here considered two prototypical reaction-diffusion systems that follow activator-inhibitor kinetics: the photosensitive chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid (CDIMA) reaction and the Brusselator model. By theoretical investigation and numerical simulations, we unravel how and to what extent an externally applied electric field can induce and modify the dynamics of these two systems. Our results show that both the uni- and bi-directional electric fields may induce Turing-like stationary patterns from a homogeneous uniform state resulting in horizontal, vertical, or bent stripe-like inhomogeneity in the photosensitive CDIMA system. In contrast, in the Brusselator model, for the activator and the inhibitor species having the same positive or negative charges, the externally applied electric field cannot develop any spatiotemporal instability when the diffusion coefficients are identical. However, various spatiotemporal patterns emerge for the same opposite charges of the interacting species, including moving spots and stripe-like structures, and a phenomenon of wave-splitting is observed. Moreover, the same signand different magnitudes of the ionic charges can give rise to Turing-like stationary patterns from a homogeneous, stable, steady state depending upon the intensity of the applied electric field in the case of the Brusselator model. Our findings open the possibilities for future experiments to verify the predictions of electric field-induced various spatiotemporal instabilities in experimental reaction-diffusion systems.

Preparation of a biobased polyelectrolyte complex from chitosan and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and its antibacterial characteristics

Using chitosan (CTS) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCNa) as raw biobased materials, polyelectrolyte complex (PEC), which is the product of strong electrostatic interaction between two bio-based polyelectrolytes with opposite charges, was attempted to prepare. To enlarge the reactive contact area between CTS and CMCNa, the crosslinked vacuolar structure of PEC was prepared without addition of cross-linked agent. The preparation conditions had a significant impact on the yield of PEC and the bibulous rate of PEC. When pH, mass ratio of CMC-Na-to-CTS, stirring speed and reaction system temperature were 5, 1:2 [(1 wt% CMCNa, 2 wt% CTS), CMC-Na:CTS = 1:1 (v/v)], 800 rpm, 2 min and 25 °C, the yield of PEC reached 71.2 %. The prepared PEC was characterized by XRD and FT-IR. Afterwards, the antibacterial performance of PEC was examined. The prepared PEC had certain bacteriostatic effect on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The bacteriostasis ratios of PEC against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 18.7 % and 31.3 %, respectively. By controlling the combination parameters of the preparation system, an effective strategy was successfully developed for preparation of biobased PEC with bacteriostatic and crosslinked vacuolar structure through simple physical blending without the application of additional crosslinker.

Establishing a high-performance anti-fouling PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane with improved Lewis acid-base interactions and hydrophilicity

Membrane fouling and the trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity restrict the potential applications of membrane filtration for water treatment. ZIF-8 was found having great permeability and antibiofouling performance, but with issue on particle aggregation makes it difficult to achieve high ZIFs loading and fabricate a defect-free molecular sieving membrane in previous research. In this study, we formed a scalable antibiofouling surface with improved permeability and fouling resistance on a PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane using a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The synergistic effects of being sandwiched between two different polyelectrolyte layers with opposite charges endowed the ZIF nanoparticles with improved stability and scalability for membrane modification. The PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane exhibited a satisfactory water flux of 120.78 LMH, which was 46.97% higher than that of the pristine PES membrane. The normalized water flux loss was serious in the absence of ZIF-8, and the flux increased with the ZIF-8 concentration. Antifouling tests suggested that the PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane possessed good antifouling performance due to the much higher surface hydrophilicity and positive Lewis acid-base interactions with foulants. The HA rejection increased with the ZIF-8 concentration and reached a maximum of 92.1% in the presence of 1.00% (w/v) ZIF-8. The membrane regeneration was tested under physical and chemical cleaning with flux recovery rates of about 85% and 95%. XDLVO analysis showed that the total interaction energy between HA and the PEI-ZIF-8-PAA membrane was 26.45 mJ/m2, and the superior antifouling performance was mainly attributed to Lewis acid-base interactions. This study indicates that ZIF-8 nanocrystals are promising materials for fabricating novel membranes for sewage treatment.

Impact of Inverse Squeezing Flow on the Self-Assembly of Oppositely Charged Colloidal Particles under Electric Field

Hydrodynamic interactions (HIs) play a critical role in the self-organization of colloidal suspensions and biological solutions. However, their roles have remained elusive particularly for charged soft matter systems. Here we consider the role of HIs in the self-assembly of oppositely charged colloidal particles, which is a promising candidate for electrical tunable soft materials. We employ the fluid particle dynamics method to consider many-body HIs and the coupling between the colloid, ion, and fluid motions. We find that, under a constant electric field, oppositely charged colloidal particles form clusters and percolate into a gel network, unlike bundlelike aggregates aligned in the field direction observed by Brownian dynamics simulations neglecting HIs. We reveal that the cluster-forming tendency originates from the incompressibility-induced "inverse squeezing flow" effect that dramatically slows down the disaggregation of attached colloids. Our findings indicate that the HI selects a unique kinetic pathway to the nonequilibrium colloidal self-assembly.