Lenka Hanyková's research while affiliated with Charles University in Prague and other places

Hydrogels, composed of hydrophilic homopolymer or copolymer networks, have structures similar to natural living tissues, making them ideal for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensors. Since Wichterle and Lim first synthesized hydrogels in 1960, extensive research has led to various types with unique features. Responsive hydrogels, which undergo reversible structural changes when exposed to stimuli like temperature, pH, or specific molecules, are particularly promising. Temperature-sensitive hydrogels, which mimic biological processes, are the most studied, with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) being prominent due to its lower critical solution temperature of around 32 °C. Additionally, pH-responsive hydrogels, composed of polyelectrolytes, change their structure in response to pH variations. Despite their potential, conventional hydrogels often lack mechanical strength. The double-network (DN) hydrogel approach, introduced by Gong in 2003, significantly enhanced mechanical properties, leading to innovations like shape-deformable DN hydrogels, organic/inorganic composites, and flexible display devices. These advancements highlight the potential of hydrogels in diverse fields requiring precise and adaptable material performance. In this review, we focus on advancements in the field of responsive acrylamide-based hydrogels with IPN structures, emphasizing the recent research on DN hydrogels.

In this study, we performed a detailed analysis of -sputtered-nylon 6,6 plasma polymer nanoparticles (NPs). Following a previous study using standard techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, we employed unconventional approaches, specifically solid- and liquid-state high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, supplemented by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used to examine changes in the size of the NPs after contact with solvents and after heating. Our investigations revealed suspected strong binding and networking of the NPs, and a soluble monomer/oligomer phase was identified and characterised. This fraction is removable using solvent or heat treatment without significantly affecting the size of the NPs. Additionally, we suggested the chemical structure of this soluble phase. Our findings support the proposed rubber-like character of plasma polymer NPs and explain their strong tendency to reflect from substrates upon high-speed impact.

ZrN nanofluids may exhibit unique optoelectronic properties because of the matching of the solar spectrum with interband transitions and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Nevertheless, these nanofluids have scarcely been...

Laser-driven proton-boron (pB) fusion has been gaining significant interest for energetic alpha particles production because of its neutron-less nature. This approach requires the use of Band H-rich materials as targets, and common practice is the use of BN and conventional polymers. In this work, we chose plasma-assisted vapour phase deposition to prepare films of oligoethylenes (plasma polymers) on Boron Nitride BN substrates as an advanced alternative. The r.f. power delivered to the plasma was varied between 0 and 50 W to produce coatings with different crosslink density and hydrogen content, while maintaining the constant thickness of 1 μm. The chemical composition, including the hydrogen concentration, was investigated using XPS and RBS/ERDA, whereas the surface topography was analyzed using SEM and AFM. We triggered the pB nuclear fusion reaction focusing laser pulses from two different systems (i.e., the TARANIS multi-TW laser at the Queen's University Belfast (United Kingdom) and the PERLA B 10-GW laser system at the HiLASE center in Prague (Czech Republic)) directly onto these targets. We achieved a yield up to 10 8 and 10 4 alpha particles/sr using the TARANIS and PERLA B lasers, respectively. Radiative-hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell PIC simulations were performed to understand the laser-target interaction and retrieve the energy spectra of the protons. The nuclear collisional algorithm implemented in the WarpX PIC code was used to identify the region where pB fusion occurs. Taken together, the results suggest a complex relationship between the hydrogen content, target morphology, and structure of the plasma polymer, which play a crucial role in laser absorption, target expansion, proton acceleration and ultimately nuclear fusion reactions in the plasma. KEYWORDS plasma polymer, thin films, boron nitride, proton-boron fusion, ultra-high intense lasers

The series of double network (DN) hydrogels, based on poly(N,N′-diethylacrylamide) (PDEAAm), polyacrylamide (PAAm), or poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) were synthesized with various mass ratios of components and their thermal response was investigated. The formation of DN structure in studied hydrogels results in significant increase in Young’s modulus. PDEAAm/PAMPS hydrogels exhibited rather high swelling ratio and consequently their temperature sensitivity was not detected. DN hydrogels PDEAAm/PAAm and PDEAAm/PDEAAm displayed thermo-responsive behavior, and the dependence of transition parameters on the feed molar concentration of acrylamide and N,N′-diethylacrylamide monomers, respectively, was determined through deswelling, NMR, and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments. A two-state process model was employed to describe the phase transition of hydrogels. By utilizing a modified van’t Hoff equation with data from deswelling, NMR, and DSC experiments, we were able to obtain thermodynamic parameters of the transition and determine the size of the cooperative domains consisting of polymer units and water molecules.

Since the time of Faraday’s experiments, the optical response of plasmonic nanofluids has been tailored by the shape, size, concentration, and material of nanoparticles (NPs), or by mixing different types...

Mesoporous Materials In article number 2208316, Xuaohui Ju and co‐workers report the design of free‐blockage reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) as potential drug delivery systems. Methyl sulfide units are functionalized onto MSNs through co‐condensation or grafting pathways. In an ROS‐rich environment, the nanocarriers undergo structure and polarity changes and release cargo of cerium oxide nanoparticles to scavenge excessive ROS related to pathological conditions.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) lineshape analysis is a powerful tool for the study of chemical kinetics. Here we provide techniques for analysis of the relationship between experimentally observed spin kinetics (transitions between different environments A,B,⋯\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$A,B,\dots$$\end{document}) and corresponding chemical kinetics (transitions between distinct chemical species; e.g., free host and complexed host molecule). The advantages of using analytical solutions for two-, three- or generally N-state exchange lineshapes (without J-coupling) over the widely used numerical calculation for NMR spectral fitting are presented. Several aspects of exchange kinetics including the generalization of coalescence conditions in two-state exchange, the possibility of multiple processes between two states, and differences between equilibrium and steady-state modes are discussed. ‘Reduced equivalent schemes’ are introduced for spin kinetics containing fast-exchanging states, effectively reducing the number of exchanging states. The theoretical results have been used to analyze a host–guest system containing an oxoporphyrinogen complexed with camphorsulfonic acid and several other literature examples, including isomerization, protein kinetics, or enzymatic reactions. The theoretical treatment and experimental examples present an expansion of the systematic approach to rigorous analyses of systems with rich chemical kinetics through NMR lineshape analysis.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐responsive “nanogate” as drug delivery platforms are extensively investigated for biomedical applications. However, the physical blockages used to control the cargo release are often limited by their poor sealing ability and low biocompatibility. Herein, a design of free‐blockage MSNs with methylthiopropyl units is proposed as the ROS‐responsive switch. Four synthetic routes are compared with different precursors through either co‐condensation or grafting methods to achieve the methylthio‐functionalized MSNs. The quantity, localization, and chemical structure of the functional units, as well as the mesoporous structure of the silica can be tuned by optimizing the synthetic pathways to obtain desired final products. The ROS‐responsive methylthiopropyl groups can be oxidized to sulfoxides in response to the presence of H2O2, leading to the hydrophobic/hydrophilic conversion of the MSNs. As a proof‐of‐concept design, ultrasmall cerium oxide nanoparticles are encapsulated into the functionalized MSNs and released out within 10 min scavenging more than 80% of the H2O2 in an ROS‐rich environment. This study provides a novel design of a free‐blockage ROS‐controlled release system loaded with ROS‐scavenging nanoparticles for the future application of targeted drug delivery systems combined with antioxidant therapy.