Selective recognition, condensation and separation of nanomaterials using regularly arrayed nanostructure prepared by self-assembly

由于纳米技术的进步，纳米级孔或纳米孔的制备变得容易。表面活性剂是制备含纳米孔的纳米结构的有希望的材料，因为表面活性剂形成许多不同的相结构，包括立方、胶束和层状结构。我们从市售的表面活性剂聚氧乙烯（50）月桂基醚（C12 EO 50）制备了具有立方结构的凝胶基质。该凝胶基质在球形胶束之间具有规则排列的纳米孔。我们使用该凝胶通过平板凝胶电泳分离生物分子。该凝胶适用于氨基酸和肽的迁移;然而，较大的分子，如蛋白质和单壁碳纳米管，不能通过凝胶迁移。我们的结论是，孔径太小，大分子的渗透，只有小分子可以渗透的凝胶基质。小分子的迁移机制与常规凝胶电泳中观察到的相似。我们的结论是，由表面活性剂制备的凝胶基质是一个有前途的迁移和纯化的小分子的基质。我们还期望这种凝胶可以用作纳米级过滤器来捕获大分子，只允许小分子通过。

The preparation of nanometer-scale pores, or nanopores, has become easy because of the progress in nanotechnology. Surfactants are promising materials for the preparation of nanostructures containing nanopores, because surfactants form many different phase structures, including cubic, micellar, and lamellar structures. We prepared a gel matrix with a cubic structure from a commercially available surfactant, polyoxyethylene(50) lauryl ether (C12EO50). This gel matrix had regularly arrayed nanopores between the packed spherical micelles. We used the gel to separate biomolecules by means of slab gel electrophoresis. The gel was applicable to migration of amino acids and peptides; however, larger molecules, such as proteins and single-walled carbon nanotubes, did not migrate through the gel. We concluded that the pore size was too small for the penetration of large molecules, and that only small molecules could penetrate the gel matrix. The migrationmechanism of smallmolecules was similar to that observed in conventional gel electrophoresis. We concluded that the gelmatrix prepared from surfactant is a promising matrix for migration and purification of small molecules. We also expect that the gel can be used as a nanoscale filter to trap large molecules, allowing only small molecules to pass.