Polymer coatings with bio-orthogonal functional groups are developed for co-immobilization of adhesion peptide and growth factor. The coatings are generated by chemical vapor deposition polymerization, with both alkyne and pentafluorophenyl ester which are used to covalently tether the biomolecules. The biological activity of the co-immobilized biomolecules is demonstrated.

Macromol. Rapid Commun., February 21, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100819

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are synthesized using disubstituted and tetrasubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes as key monomers. The polymers exhibit a type I nitrogen gas adsorption profile and H4-like hysteresis loops, indicating that the [2.2]paracyclophane-containing CMPs possess slit-like mesopores. The step structure of the [2.2]paracyclophane unit affects the mesopore and morphology of the CMPs.

Macromol. Chem. Phys., February 20, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/macp.201100563

A Zn-in-Cu near-surface alloy covered by a thin wetting layer of interfacial Zn(ox) is the most active state of an inverse CuZn catalyst. The bifunctional action of the mixed Cu(Zn)⁰/Zn(ox) surface allows for selective dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde and for optimized water activation, providing the required source of oxygen for total oxidation of HCHO to CO₂.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., February 15, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201106591

A new, ultra-sensitive genetic screening tool based on a fiber-optic (FO) surface plasmon biosensor and gold-labeled gene probes is presented. The assay allows for the detection and location of single-point mutations (SNP) at significantly reduced cost and high speed. The assay is evaluated for SNP detection of 3 different DNA targets, including a GC-rich cancer gene fragment and a long bacterial sequence. The data proves that the accuracy of the FO-SNP test is as good or, in some applications, better than classical high-resolution melting (HRM).

Small, February 14, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/smll.201102209

Piled-up hotspots, which are engineered naturally by subwavelength structures in Cu butterfly wing scales, significantly enhance the Raman signals of analytes. These results will help identify the optimal scale morphologies out of ca. 175 000 butterfly species for biotemplates to replicate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications and bring affordable high-quality SERS substrates as consumables to ordinary laboratories across the world.

Adv. Funct. Mater., February 13, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201102948

Cu²⁺-ion-specific assembly of π-conjugated polymer at oil–water interface is studied, taking advantage of the cooperatively coordinating ability of relatively hydrophilic glycol chains. Self-rolling of the strained ionic bilayer that is formed at the ethyl acetate–water interface leads to the formation of microtubes of polymer–Cu²⁺ complex, so as to minimize the surface energy.

Macromol. Rapid Commun., February 9, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100828

An adaptable density gradient multilayer polymerization (DGMP) method facilitates simple fabrication of complex multicompartment scaffolds with structurally continuous interfaces. Solvent density liquid-liquid phase segregation compartmentalizes varied mechanical and chemical cues independently. Bulk photopolymerization produces stratified three-dimensional and two-dimensional matrices. Cells attach to patterned adhesion peptides on biomimetic 2D substrates.

Adv. Mater., February 9, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201103501

The latest developments in the fabrication of polymer nanostructures using scanning probe lithography (SPL) are highlighted, with special categorization by different material applications into polymer resists, polymeric carriers for functional materials, electronically active polymers and polymer brushes. The attributes of SPL in patterning polymer nanostructures are also summarized.

Macromol. Rapid Commun., February 8, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100761

Extensive analyses of thermodynamic imbalance, surface energy, and segregation of nanotubes on nanoparticle surfaces are performed. A model for surface energy i developed. In addition, nanotube growth both by vapor-phase and solid-phase mechanisms is described. Segregation of the nanotube species to the periphery of the nanoparticle, the creation of an amorphous shell at this periphery, a droplet created in this shell, and the mediation of this droplet for supersaturation and nucleation of the nanotube species may be the true causes of nanotube growth.

Adv. Mater., February 6, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201103576

A poly (acryl acid) (PAA) post-treatment method is performed to modify the surface charge of ZnO nanospheres, hematite nanocubes, and Ag nanoprisms from highly positive to very negative by adjusting the PAA concentration, to and greatly modify their photoluminescence, cytotoxicity, magnetism, and surface plasmon resonance. This method provides a general way to tune the nanoparticle properties for broad physicochemical and biological applications.

Adv. Mater., February 2, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201104535

Peculiar temperature-dependent electrical and optical properties of cross-linked PbS nanocrystal thin films are demonstrated. Extensive modeling suggests diffusion-dominated charge transport through the inhomogeneously coupled nanocrystal arrays. After benzenedithiol treatment, the thin films exhibit unusual optical properties that can be attributed to partial relaxation of the quantum confinement and opening of alternative recombination pathways.

Adv. Funct. Mater., February 2, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201102320

An enhancing factor: The enhancement of the electric properties of a dye molecule (IR26) by indium–tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs, see picture) has been shown by measuring the near-infrared two-photon-excited transient absorption spectra. The dye molecule was excited much more efficiently in the presence of an ITO NP layer.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., February 1, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201107450

The introduction of a periodic corrugation into TOLEDs is demonstrated to be effective in relieving the tradeoff between device stability and efficiency, through the cross coupling of the SPPs associated with the Ag cathode and the microcavity modes. The thickness of the Ag cathode for the corrugated TOLEDs was increased from 20 to 45 nm, and both the device lifetime and efficiency are significantly improved. The figure shows a schematic cross section of a red TOLED with periodic microstructure and an operating TOLED with both corrugated and planar area.

Adv. Mater., January 26, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201103397

Not your cup of tea? “Coffee rings” of spherical colloidal particles are left behind after water droplets resting on surfaces have dried out. This controlled evaporation of colloidal solutions can be exploited to deposit material in regular patterns (see picture). It is now shown that if spherical colloids are replaced by slightly elongated ones, the coffee ring is not formed and is replaced by an even more uniform deposition.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., January 25, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201108008

Three not of a kind: A triphasic microfluidic route provides a flexible and promising way to fabricate colloidal photonic crystal supraparticles that are anisotropic in both geometry and function. These supraparticles are promising for applications including novel color displays (see scheme).

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., January 25, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201107126

Arrhenius plots of lithium fluoride thin films grown on silica substrates during various heating–stabilization–cooling cycles allow three Li⁺-migration paths in the inner film, with different local conductivities, to be distinguished. A remarkable enhancement of the Li-ion conductivity arises from the formation of a significant density of glass/ceramic interfaces, enabling percolation of interfacial or amorphous pathways.

Adv. Funct. Mater., January 23, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201101798

For crystalline silicon nanoparticles (Si-ncs), various low-cost post-growth treatments are presented that efficiently reduce the number of charge-trapping defects in the Si-ncs and remove the native oxide that forms upon exposure to air and hinders the charge transport. Particularly promising are HF etched plus vacuum annealed Si-ncs leading to a strong conductivity enhancement in thin films and HF etched plus hydrosilylated Si-ncs that are extremely stable against reoxidation.

Adv. Funct. Mater., January 23, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201101811

Surface chemistry on nanodiamond has developed into a field in its own right in recent years. In this overview the large variety of possible functionalization reactions on the surface of this purportedly inert material is presented. These modifications enable the application of nanodiamond in areas such as bioimaging, composites or quantum engineering.

Adv. Funct. Mater., January 16, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201102670

Small, but tough: Bulk nanobubble clusters can be stable under specific conditions. MD simulations (see picture) of binary mixtures of simple (Lennard-Jones) fluids are used to show this.

ChemPhysChem, January 2, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201100807

Ionic liquid adlayers: An in situ STM study of extremely pure 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate on Au(111) shows potential-dependent surface structures that can be ascribed to cation and/or anion adsorption.

ChemPhysChem, December 30, 2011, DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201100873

3D concentration ratio maps of Gd/Ce and O/Ce near grain boundaries of gadolinia-doped ceria are acquired using energy dispersive spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy. The higher concentration of oxide ion vacancies at grain boundaries facilitates the oxygen surface exchange.

Adv. Funct. Mater., December 20, 2011, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201101996

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2012, 22, No. 04, 872-878

Core–shell Ag@Au nanoprisms are successfully synthesized through a surfactant-free seed-mediation approach by direct gold coating of silver nanoprisms with controllable Au shell thickness. The clean gold shell surface and tunable surface plasmon resonance of these core–shell nanoprisms enable straightforward further functionalization for a variety of applications.

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2012, 22, No. 04, 849-854

Preassembling singly charged, uncharged, or water-repellent building blocks in an unconventional layer-by-layer fashion enhances the ability for advanced functionality, in particular, surface molecular imprinting, of the resulting multilayer film.

Small 2012, 8, No. 04, 517-523

Sticks and bonds: Surface-modifying agents can be functionalized with ionic groups that enable high exhaustion from a processing bath through electrostatic self-assembly. Using cyclic oniums as the ionic functional groups, thermally induced ring-opening converts the ionic bonds to covalent bonds, thus lending permanency to the modification of the surface.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 08, 1849-1852

Organometallic Gratings: The ionic self-assembly of metal-containing block-copolymer polyelectrolytes and azobenzene chromophores is exploited for the efficient production of stable photo-induced surface-relief gratings. We show that feature sizes can be tuned using simple redox chemistry, and that the chromophores can be removed during plasma treatment to yield ceramic-based optical materials.

Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, No. 07, 926-931

Realization of highly responsivity UV detectors is a critical challenge for accelerating the application of UV detectors. Exploiting nanoplasmonic enhancement, Ag nanoparticles have been formed on the GaN surface and the responsivity of the GaN UV detector has been enhanced about 30 times compared with that without Ag nanoparticles.

Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, No. 06, 845-849

Droplets conform to hydrophilic regions with hydrophobic boundaries at the macroscale and microscale. Shaped droplets of prepolymer solution become shaped microgels once crosslinked. Sedimenting microparticles contained in a microdroplet form a gradient deposition pattern. Finite element simulations provide a computational design platform for shaped droplets and corresponding surface patterning and microgels.

Small 2012, 8, No. 03, 393-403

Merry-go-round: A benzoquinone (BQ) disk undergoes self-motion when coupled with an enzyme and redox reaction (see picture). The driving force is BQ, therefore the features of motion are determined by the reaction between BQ and HQ.

ChemPhysChem 2012, 13, No. 02, 520-524

Inverted polymer solar cells with a bottom metal cathode modified by a conjugated polymer interlayer show considerable improvement of photocurrent and fill factor, which is due to hole blocking at the interlayer, and a modified surface energy which affects the nanostructure in the TQ1/[70]PCBM blend.

Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, No. 04, 554-558

A photoconjugation strategy based on light-triggered Diels–Alder addition of o-quinodimethanes is compatible with biomolecules and proceeds rapidly at ambient temperature without the need of a catalyst. Spatial control was confirmed by photopatterning of a small-molecule ATRP initiator, a polymer, and a peptide in a time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry investigation.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 04, 1071-1074

Europium union: The development of chiral amphiphilic self-assembled complexes by europium(III)-directed synthesis is described. These systems form stable Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films on quartz slides to give stable monolayers that exhibit the first example of time-delayed Eu^III-centered emission and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) from an LB film.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 03, 704-708

Chemical etching is widely applied to texture the surface of sputter-deposited zinc oxide for light scattering in thin-film silicon solar cells. Based on experimental findings from the literature and our own results we propose a model that explains the etching behavior of ZnO depending on the structural material properties and the etching agent (see picture).

ChemPhysChem 2012, 13, No. 01, 66-73

CO dissociation: Three most probable pathways to CO dissociation on the Fe (100) surface exist (see picture): a) direct, CO→C+O (—) and H-assisted b) H+CO↔HCO→CH + O (—) or c) CO+H↔COH→C+OH (—). Under high hydrogen pressure conditions and highly occupied surfaces the formation of HCO and subsequent dissociation to CH+O may at best compete with direct dissociation.

ChemPhysChem 2012, 13, No. 01, 89-91

Small Ag nanoparticles and large Ag spheres are simultaneously sputtered uniformly onto the side surface and the top ends of cone-shaped ZnO-nanorods fabricated by ZnO-seeds-induced electrodeposition, respectively. The as-prepared 3D hybrid surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate manifests high detection sensitivity to rhodamine and a detection limit as low as 10⁻¹¹ M to polychlorinated biphenyl 77—one of the highly toxic persistent organic pollutants.

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2012, 22, No. 01, 218-224

A rich source: Calculated reaction and activation energies for elementary coupling reactions occurring on metal surfaces can be found by using a web application. This tool provides access to data for reactions of molecules with up to three C, N, or O atoms on a number of different transition-metal surfaces. The underlying dataset is generated from a consistent set of DFT calculations and extrapolations based on linear scaling relations.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 01, 272-274

In the AFM (atomic force microscopy) scratching process, the AFM tip acts as a cutting tool to remove a nanoscale amount of material directly from a sample as shown in the left figure. The image on the right shows a 3D nanodot pattern on a Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ thin film; the nanoscale circular dots of NiFe exhibit special magnetic properties and can be used to make many types of magnetic devices.

Small 2011, 7, No. 24, 3409-3427

Hold the foam! Smart foams with a tunable surface-to-volume ratio have numerous potential applications, including decontamination. Recently fatty acid aggregates, the stability of which can be tuned by an external stimulus, were described. The picture shows a plot of the foam volume of a temperature-dependent foam which undergoes supramolecular reorganization.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 48, 11290-11292

Structure, in addition to pigmentation, is a major contributor to a material's color. Recent developments in the nanofabrication of plasmonic and carbon nanostructures have opened up another efficient way to control the light properties of a material at subwavelength scale, including visible-light wavelength selection, which can produce vivid structural colors.

Small 2011, 7, No. 22, 3128-3136

Seeing is believing: Changes in adsorbate and surface structure, composition, and dynamics are observed when such systems are studied under typical reaction conditions (see picture), either at high pressures or in the presence of liquids. Using instruments specifically designed to meet this challenge allows the exploration of interfacial phenomena under realistic conditions at the molecular level.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 43, 10116-10129

The best reference: The enormous progress in the elementary understanding of heterogeneous catalysis is based to a large degree on the study of CO oxidation as a probe reaction of heterogeneous processes. Experimental and theoretical results from this seemingly simple reaction are presented and it will be shown how these can be used to draw general conclusions about heterogeneous reactions

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 43, 10064-10094

The lately discovered but rapidly developing chain-growth Kumada catalyst-transfer polycondensation (KCTP) has great potential for the preparation of all kinds of well-defined conjugated polymer architectures. This review article is aimed to give insight into recent progress in the synthesis of conjugated polymers and the mechanism of KCTP, and provides a comprehensive picture of this exciting polymerization method.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, No. 19, 1503-1517

Single macromolecular diffusion on surfaces and, more generally, in confined geometries reveals new physical insights into molecular behaviour. Biomacromolecules have been well studied, but experimental improvements mean that the study of synthetic analogues is now feasible. Recent experimental developments are reviewed, with a view to highlighting areas in which future progress is likely.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, No. 18, 1411-1418

Terpyridines are interesting photo- and redox-active building blocks that can be used to functionalize surfaces. This molecular engineering approach promises unique possibilities to self-assemble functional devices, molecular electronic structures, switches, and responsive surfaces. Trends and recent progress in this area of research are highlighted and provide a state-of-the-art overview of the developments in the past decade.

Adv. Mater. 2011, 23, No. 31, 3484-3498

25 and 30 years after the invention of AFM and STM, respectively, cantilever-free scanning probe lithography tools such as polymer pen lithography (see picture) mark an important development in the evolution of molecular printing. These simple, robust, and inexpensive approaches allow researchers to create nanoscale and microscale features of various organic and inorganic materials on surfaces in arbitrary patterns.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 33, 7482-7485

Functionalized nanoparticles provide a versatile platform for surface recognition of bio-macromolecules. This review highlights current advances in the tuning of nanoparticle monolayers for interaction with biomolecules and cells. The use of these engineered materials for delivery, hybrid nanomaterials, and biosensing applications is discussed.

Small 2011, 7, No. 14, 1903-1918

Materials that make use of thin ionic liquid (IL) films as functional layers open up new possibilities in heterogeneous catalysis. We review recent progress towards an understanding of such systems at the microscopic level using a surface science type of approach, with a special focus on model systems for supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) and solid catalysts with ionic liquid layer (SCILL) materials.

Adv. Mater. 2011, 23, No. 22-23, 2571-2587

“Grafting to” approach to polymer anchoring offers several unique opportunities. The grafting method allows synthesis of well-defined brushes of different architecture on surfaces of various chemical natures. Moreover, the approach is less challenging from a chemical point of view, since it does not involve elaborate synthetic procedures.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, No. 12, 859-869

Multifunctional Porous Hybrid Materials (PHMs) – an overview of polymerization-induced phase separation and applications of a hybrid PHM coated with gold nanorods for simultaneous detection of multiple analytes using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy.

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2011, 21, No. 11, 1959-1969

Order in chaos: Racemic proline adsorbed on Cu(110) is a random solid solution of enantiomers. However examination with STM supported by ab initio calculations shows that the while the distribution of enantiomers and conformers is indeed random, the footprint chirality obeys a strict heterochiral arrangement like a racemic compound (see picture).

ChemPhysChem 2011, 12, No. 08, 1474-1480

Structural characteristics and functional properties of vacuum-deposited organic and metal–organic networks at metal surfaces using simple linear and nonlinear molecular bricks are described.

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2011, 21, No. 07, 1230-1240

Important interactions: Experimental results on photoinduced oxygen isotopic exchange (POIE) at TiO₂ surfaces (see picture) are analyzed in light of available information about the interactions of water and O₂ species with TiO₂. The analysis emphasizes the importance of bridging oxygen ions and bridging oxygen vacancies in the process. The observed competition between POIE and photo-oxidation (PO) of organic compounds is also discussed.

ChemPhysChem 2011, 12, No. 05, 901-907

PEGing down nanoparticles: The use of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedical applications has been augmented by coating nanoparticles with a thin layer of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The Minireview presents the advantages of (see picture), and the strategies for, PEGylation of inorganic nanoparticles (metals, metal oxides, and quantum dots) along with the applications PEGylated NPs in drug delivery, imaging, and therapeutics.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 09, 1980-1994

Selectively building facet-defined silver: Recent advances in colloidal synthesis indicate that Ag{111} and Ag{100} crystal facets can be easily developed by epitaxial growth in the presence of sodium citrate (Na₃CA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), respectively. This size- and dimension-controlled synthetic method shows potential for use in such applications as surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, No. 05, 992-993

Wrinkling instabilities have enabled new thin-film measurement strategies and are energizing research efforts to pattern and control surfaces in unique and powerful ways. Recent work in the field is reviewed, focusing on how instability-based techniques can meet future metrological challenges and provide low-cost and straightforward approaches to active and on-demand management of material properties.

Adv. Mater. 2011, 23, No. 03, 349-368

In this review, the basic configuration and operation principles of solid state dye sensitized solar cells (SDSCs) that incorporate conjugated polymer (CP) hole transporting materials (HTMs) are introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of various types of CP HTMs and the limiting factors on SDSC performance are discussed.

Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2011, 212, No. 01, 15-23

Electrochemical template synthesis is a powerful technique for the fabrication of a large variety of single component and multi-segmented conducting polymer-based nanowires with precise control over lengths and diameters. This feature article provides an overview on the most significant works in this area and gives an insight into future developments for engineering multifunctional nanowires for a wide range of applications.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, No. 01, 25-34