利用转基因植物生产生物可降解塑料(PHB)的研究

聚 3 一控基丁酸酯 (Poly – 3 - hydroxybutyrate,PHB) 及其它类型的聚 3-泾基链烷酸醋同属于聚酯类物质 , 是自然界中多种细菌的碳源及能源储备物。这种聚酯的物理化学特性与传统塑料相似 , 并具有生物可降解性 , 如能取代化学合成塑料将减少环境中的塑料废弃物 , 从源头治理 " 白色污染 " 问题。微生物发酵法生产的 PHB 价格过高 , 无法在市场上与化学合成塑料竞争。随着分子生物学的发展 , 人们逐渐将视线转向植物生物反应器。转基因植物能够利用二氧化碳为碳源、太阳能为能源合成目的产物 , 大大降低生产成本 , 为生产具有市场 竞争力的新型生物可降解塑料提供可行途径。在此领域虽然己取得一定进展 , 但远未达到商业化生产水平。大规模商业化生产要求转基因植物能够在确保环 境安全性的前提下高效、稳定地生产 PHB 。本文尝试改善植物中 PHB 的生产体系 ,为环保型塑料早日进入市场作出努力。 1. 由于表达框架中多次使用同一启动子会导致基因沉默 , 本文克隆了另一 种子特异性启动子 nap300, 以替换重复使用的7S启动子,减轻“共抑制”。将 nap300 与 GUS 基因相连进行功能鉴定。荧光检测和组织化学染色的结果都证明此仅 30Obp 的 DNA 序列足以调控基因进行种子特异性表达。尽管 B 盒作为 高度保守区在种子特异性表达中起重要作用 , 位于此处的两个碱基替代型突变 并未使 nap300 的活性明显降低 , 对启动子的时空表达模式也无明显影响。将 nap300 、 7S 分别与 phbA 基因 ( 编码 3-酮硫裂解酶) 相连 , 在相似表达环境中 对二者功能进行比较 , 发现两个启动子表达模式基本相同并在同一时期达到活 性高峰 , 因此 nap300 可用于改善 PHB 合成基因在植物体内的表达调控。通过 对种子特异性启动子的比较可加深对其表达模式的了解 , 为植物基因工程中的 精细调控提供依据。 2. 叶绿体基因工程是随着植物遗传转化技术发展刚刚兴起的生物技术 , 具 有超量表达外源基因 , 为原核基因提供适宜表达环境 , 消除 “位置效应”和基因沉默 , 环境安全性好等优点 , 较更适合用于植物生物反应器方面的研究。本研究在国内率先探讨将叶绿体转化技术引入植物生产生物可降解塑料这一领域 的可行性 ( 国外仅有日本一例 ), 构建了叶绿体转化及表达载体 pTRV-PHB, 通过基因枪法将 PHB 合成相关基因导入烟草叶绿体基因组。转基因烟草顺利达到同质化，其形态和生长发育均无异常。 Northern 点杂交检测表明与 PHB 合成相关的三个基因均能在转录水平表达 , 未出现核转化中经常发生的“基因沉默”现象。通过 RT-PCR 进一步检测表明叶绿体型转基因烟草中目的基因的表达水平明显比核转化植株中相应基因的表达水平高。气相色谱分析确证转基因植株具有合成 PHB 的能力。这些都表明叶绿体转化适合用于转基因植物生产 PHB的研究。虽然叶绿体型转基因烟草中产物含量偏低 , 并未达到预期结果 , 但经进一步改进与完善 , 终将会成功地用于生产高附加值产品的植物基因工程中。 3. 为初步探讨叶绿体转化中在同源重组反应介导下整合外源基因的机理 , 从油菜叶绿体基因组中分离两段序列作为同源片段 , 基因枪法转化烟草 , 结果显示即使供体所含同源片段与受体叶绿体基因组相应区域差异高达 10%, 转化效率也无降低。这一现象的发现有助于促进“通用载体”　的改进 , 扩展叶绿体转化受体范围乃至达到商业化应用水平。 4. 成功地通过二次转化获得整合并表达多基因的转基因烟草 , 缩短了研究周期 , 对相关转基因植物的研究有一定参考价值。本文还优化了油菜转化体系 , 使转基因油菜同时整合三个 PHB 合成相关基因的效率由 7.69% 增加至 16.0% 。 田间试验与产物分析正在进行中。

Nanoengineering coaxial carbon nanotube-dual-polymer heterostructures.

We describe studies of new nanostructured materials consisting of carbon nanotubes wrapped in sequential coatings of two different semiconducting polymers, namely, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT). Using absorption spectroscopy and steady-state and ultrafast photoluminescence measurements, we demonstrate the role of the different layer structures in controlling energy levels and charge transfer in both solution and film samples. By varying the simple solution processing steps, we can control the ordering and proportions of the wrapping polymers in the solid state. The resulting novel coaxial structures open up a variety of new applications for nanotube blends and are particularly promising for implementation into organic photovoltaic devices. The carbon nanotube template can also be used to optimize both the electronic properties and morphology of polymer composites in a much more controlled fashion than achieved previously, offering a route to producing a new generation of polymer nanostructures.

Bioelectronics meets nanomedicine for cardiovascular implants: PEDOT-based nanocoatings for tissue regeneration.

BACKGROUND: An exciting direction in nanomedicine would be to analyze how living cells respond to conducting polymers. Their application for tissue regeneration may advance the performance of drug eluting stents by addressing the delayed stent re-endothelialization and late stent thrombosis. METHODS: The suitability of poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films for stents to promote cell adhesion and proliferation is tested in correlation with doping and physicochemical properties. PEDOT doped either with poly (styrenesulfonate) (PSS) or tosylate anion (TOS) was used for films' fabrication by spin coating and vapor phase polymerization respectively. PEGylation of PEDOT: TOS for reduced immunogenicity and biofunctionalization of PEDOT: PSS with RGD peptides for induced cell proliferation was further applied. Atomic Force Microscopy and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry were implemented for nanotopographical, structural, optical and conductivity measurements in parallel with wettability and protein adsorption studies. Direct and extract testing of cell viability and proliferation of L929 fibroblasts on PEDOT samples by MTT assay in line with SEM studies follow. RESULTS: All PEDOT thin films are cytocompatible and promote human serum albumin adsorption. PEDOT:TOS films were found superior regarding cell adhesion as compared to controls. Their nanotopography and hydrophilicity are significant factors that influence cytocompatibility. PEGylation of PEDOT:TOS increases their conductivity and hydrophilicity with similar results on cell viability with bare PEDOT:TOS. The biofunctionalized PEDOT:PSS thin films show enhanced cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: The application of PEDOT polymers has evolved as a new perspective to advance stents. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: In this work, nanomedicine involving nanotools and novel nanomaterials merges with bioelectronics to stimulate tissue regeneration for cardiovascular implants. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Organic Bioelectronics - Novel Applications in Biomedicine.

Effects of buffer layer properties and annealing process on bulk heterojunction morphology and organic solar cell performance

The performance of polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is strongly dependent on the vertical distribution of the donor and acceptor regions within the BHJ layer. In this work, we investigate in detail the effect of the hole transport layer (HTL) physical properties and the thermal annealing on the BHJ morphology and the solar cell performance. For this purpose, we have prepared solar cells with four distinct formulations of poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) buffer layers. The samples were subjected to thermal annealing, applied either before (pre-annealing) or after (post-annealing) the cathode metal deposition. The effect of the HTL and the annealing process on the BHJ ingredient distribution - namely, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) - has been studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy. The results revealed P3HT segregation at the top region of the films, which had a detrimental effect on all pre-annealed devices, whereas PCBM was found to accumulate at the bottom interface. This demixing process depends on the PEDOT:PSS surface energy; the more hydrophilic the surface the more profound is the vertical phase separation within the BHJ. At the same time those samples suffer from high recombination losses as evident from the analysis of the J-V measurements obtained in the dark. Our results underline the significant effect of the HTL-active and active-ETL (electron transport layer) interfacial composition that should be taken into account during the optimization of all polymer-fullerene solar cells. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Substrate treatment and drying conditions effect on the properties of roll-to-roll gravure printed PEDOT:PSS thin films

The optical, structural and electrical properties of poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films printed by roll-to-roll gravure have been investigated. Corona treatment has been applied to enhance the adhesion of PEDOT:PSS on PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) web. It has been found that there was a stronger in-depth surface modification of PET with the increase of corona efficiency; however, the adhesion of PEDOT:PSS was not actually affected. Also, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Atomic Force Microscopy have been used to extract information on the mechanisms that define PEDOT:PSS properties. The increase of the drying temperature of the PEDOT:PSS films has been found to reduce the remaining water inside the films and lead to the decrease of the PEDOT:PSS particles size. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution of vertical phase separation in P3HT:PCBM thin films induced by thermal annealing

The achievement of the desirable morphology at the nanometer scale of bulk heterojunctions consisting of a conjugated polymer with fullerene derivatives is a prerequisite in order to optimize the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. The various experimental conditions such as the choice of solvent, drying rates and annealing have been found to significantly affect the blend morphology and the final performance of the photovoltaic device. In this work, we focus on the effects of post deposition thermal annealing at 140 °C on the blend morphology, the optical and structural properties of bulk heterojunctions that consist of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a methanofullerene derivative (PCBM). The post thermal annealing modifies the distribution of the P3HT and the PCBM inside the blend films, as it has been found by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry studies in the visible to far-ultraviolet spectral range. Phase separation was identified by AFM and GIXRD as a result of a slow drying process which took place after the spin coating process. The increase of the annealing time resulted to a significant increase of the P3HT crystallinity at the top regions of the blend films. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal annealing effect on the nanomechanical properties and structure of P3HT:PCBM thin films

Nanostructured polymer-fullerene thin films are among the most prominent materials for application in high efficient polymer solar cells. Specifically, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fullerene derivatives (PCBM) blends are used as the donor/acceptor materials forming a bulk heterojunction. Although P3HT:PCBM properties have been extensively studied, less light has been set on its nanomechanical properties, which affect the device service life. In this work Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy (AFAM), Atomic Force Spectroscopy and Nanoindentation were used to study the effect of the fullerene presence and the annealing on the P3HT:PCBM nanomechanical behavior. The P3HT:PCBM thin films were prepared by spin coating on glass substrates and then annealed at 100 °C and 145 °C for 30 min. Large phase separation was identified by optical and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for the annealed samples. Needle-like PCBM crystals were formed and an increase of the polymer crystallinity degree with the increase of the annealing temperature was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. AFAM characterization revealed the presence of aggregates close to stiff PCBM crystals, possibly consisting of amorphous P3HT material. AFM force-distance curves showed a continuous change in stiffness in the vicinity of the PCBM crystals, due to the PCBM depletion near its crystals, and the AFM indentation provided qualitative results about the changes in P3HT nanomechanical response after annealing. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Graphene nanoribbon blends with P3HT for organic electronics.

In organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) the electrical characteristics of polymeric semiconducting materials suffer from the presence of structural/morphological defects and grain boundaries as well as amorphous domains within the film, hindering an efficient transport of charges. To improve the percolation of charges we blend a regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with newly designed N = 18 armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). The latter, prepared by a bottom-up solution synthesis, are expected to form solid aggregates which cannot be easily interfaced with metallic electrodes, limiting charge injection at metal-semiconductor interfaces, and are characterized by a finite size, thus by grain boundaries, which negatively affect the charge transport within the film. Both P3HT and GNRs are soluble/dispersible in organic solvents, enabling the use of a single step co-deposition process. The resulting OFETs show a three-fold increase in the charge carrier mobilities in blend films, when compared to pure P3HT devices. This behavior can be ascribed to GNRs, and aggregates thereof, facilitating the transport of the charges within the conduction channel by connecting the domains of the semiconductor film. The electronic characteristics of the devices such as the Ion/Ioff ratio are not affected by the addition of GNRs at different loads. Studies of the electrical characteristics under illumination for potential use of our blend films as organic phototransistors (OPTs) reveal a tunable photoresponse. Therefore, our strategy offers a new method towards the enhancement of the performance of OFETs, and holds potential for technological applications in (opto)electronics.

Expression and molecular analysis of phbB gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The expression vector containing phbB and ble genes was constructed and transformed into cell-wall-deficient strain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-849 by the glass-head method. The transgenic alga was selected and maintained in the TAP agar plates containing 10 mug/mL Zeomycin. Transgenic alga, which could express phbB at the transcriptional level, was obtained and further confirmed with PCR, Southern blot and RT-PCR-DNA hybridization analysis.

Fabrication of ZnO and its enhancement of charge injection and transport in hybrid organic/inorganic light emitting devices

ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized by hydrolysis in methanol. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra confirm that good crystallized ZnO nanoparticles were formed. Utilizing those ZnO nanoparticles and poly [2- methoxy-5 - (3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)- 1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV), light emitting devices with indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-oxyethyleneoxy-thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/ ZnO:MDMO-PPV/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MDMO-PPV/Al structures were fabricated. Electrolummescence (EL) spectra reveal that EL yield of hybrid MDMO-PPV and ZnO nanocrystals devices increased greatly as compared with pristine MDMO-PPV devices. The current-voltage characteristics indicate that addition of ZnO nanocrystals can facilitate electrical injection and charge transport. The decreased energy barrier to electron injection is responsible for the increased efficiency of electron injection. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced photoresponse from the ordered microstructure of naphthalocyanine-carbon nanotube composite film

Naphthalocyanine-sensitized multi-walled carbon nanotube (NaPc-MWNT) composites have been synthesized through the pi-stacking between naphthalocyanine (NaPc) and carbon nanotubes. The resultant nanocomposites were characterized with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and by UV - vis absorption and photocurrent spectra. The long-range ordering was observed in the NaPc - MWNT composites by using a TEM. The enhancement in the absorption intensity and the broadening of the absorption wavelength observed in the composite films, which were due to the attachment of NaPc on the MWNT surface, is discussed based on the measured UV - vis absorption spectra. Furthermore, the photoconductivity of the poly( 3-hexylthiophene)(PAT6) - NaPc - MWNT composite film was found to increase remarkably in the visible region and broaden towards the red regions. These new phenomena were ascribed to the larger donor/acceptor (D/A) interface and the formation of a biconsecutive D/A network structure, as discussed in consideration of the photoinduced charge transfer between PAT6 and NaPc - MWNT.

Broadband short-range surface plasmon structures for absorption enhancement in organic photovoltaics

We theoretically demonstrate a polarization-independent nanopatterned ultra-thin metallic structure supporting short-range surface plasmon polariton (SRSPP) modes to improve the performance of organic solar cells. The physical mechanism and the mode distribution of the SRSPP excited in the cell device were analyzed, and reveal that the SRSPP-assisted broadband absorption enhancement peak could be tuned by tailoring the parameters of the nanopatterned metallic structure. Three-dimensional finite-difference time domain calculations show that this plasmonic structure can enhance the optical absorption of polymer-based photovoltaics by 39% to 112%, depending on the nature of the active layer (corresponding to an enhancement in short-circuit current density by 47% to 130%). These results are promising for the design of organic photovoltaics with enhanced performance.

Phase transition behavior and molecular orientation of oligo(9,9 '-dioctylfluorene-alt-bithiophene)

A novel conjugated oligomer, oligo(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-alt-bithiophene) (OF8T2), was found to exhibit a unique phase transition between crystalline and liquid-crystalline states, and a liquid-crystalline glass was easily generated, offering better TFT device performance. In thin films, upon annealing the OF8T2 molecules oriented preferentially with their planes of conjugation being normal to the substrate, and both film thickness and annealing temperature were critical to the film morphology and the molecular orientation. When the OF8T2 film was deposited on a rubbed polyimide surface and annealed, the molecules aligned their long axes along the rubbing direction.