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Item Open Access The Bacteroidetes Aequorivita sp. and Kaistella jeonii produce promiscuous esterases with PET-hydrolyzing activity(2022) Zhang, Hongli; Perez-Garcia, Pablo; Dierkes, Robert F.; Applegate, Violetta; Schumacher, Julia; Chibani, Cynthia Maria; Sternagel, Stefanie; Preuss, Lena; Weigert, Sebastian; Schmeisser, Christel; Danso, Dominik; Pleiss, Jürgen; Almeida, Alexandre; Höcker, Birte; Hallam, Steven J.; Schmitz, Ruth A.; Smits, Sander H. J.; Chow, Jennifer; Streit, Wolfgang R.Certain members of the Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria are known to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Here, we describe the first functional PET-active enzymes from the Bacteroidetes phylum. Using a PETase-specific Hidden-Markov-Model- (HMM-) based search algorithm, we identified several PETase candidates from Flavobacteriaceae and Porphyromonadaceae. Among them, two promiscuous and cold-active esterases derived from Aequorivita sp. (PET27) and Kaistella jeonii (PET30) showed depolymerizing activity on polycaprolactone (PCL), amorphous PET foil and on the polyester polyurethane Impranil® DLN. PET27 is a 37.8 kDa enzyme that released an average of 174.4 nmol terephthalic acid (TPA) after 120 h at 30°C from a 7 mg PET foil platelet in a 200 μl reaction volume, 38-times more than PET30 (37.4 kDa) released under the same conditions. The crystal structure of PET30 without its C-terminal Por-domain (PET30ΔPorC) was solved at 2.1 Å and displays high structural similarity to the IsPETase. PET30 shows a Phe-Met-Tyr substrate binding motif, which seems to be a unique feature, as IsPETase, LCC and PET2 all contain Tyr-Met-Trp binding residues, while PET27 possesses a Phe-Met-Trp motif that is identical to Cut190. Microscopic analyses showed that K. jeonii cells are indeed able to bind on and colonize PET surfaces after a few days of incubation. Homologs of PET27 and PET30 were detected in metagenomes, predominantly aquatic habitats, encompassing a wide range of different global climate zones and suggesting a hitherto unknown influence of this bacterial phylum on man-made polymer degradation.Item Open Access Mechanistic studies on the DNA methyltransferases DNMT3A and DNMT3B(2021) Dukatz, Michael; Jeltsch, Albert (Prof. Dr.)In this work, both regulatory and catalytic mechanisms of de novo methyltransferases were investigated, which include interactions with other proteins and the specific recognition of the substrate sequence. Another part of this work strived to elucidate how enzymatic generation of 3-methylcytosine by DNMT3A can occur.Item Open Access Adjustable polystyrene nanoparticle templates for the production of mesoporous foams and ZnO inverse opals(2020) Abitaev, Karina; Qawasmi, Yaseen; Atanasova, Petia; Dargel, Carina; Bill, Joachim; Hellweg, Thomas; Sottmann, ThomasThe manifold applications of porous materials, such as in storage, separation, and catalysis, have led to an enormous interest in their cost-efficient preparation. A promising strategy to obtain porous materials with adjustable pore size and morphology is to use templates exhibiting the appropriate nanostructure. In this study, close-packed polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles, synthesized by emulsion polymerization, were used to produce porous PS and ZnO inverse opals. The size and distribution of the polystyrene nanoparticles, characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were controlled via the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Systematic measurements of the water/styrene-interfacial tension show that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the ternary water–styrene–SDS system, which determines whether monodisperse or polydisperse PS particles are obtained, is considerably lower than that of the binary water–SDS system. The assemblies of close-packed PS nanoparticles obtained via drying were then studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and SEM. Both techniques prove that PS nanoparticles synthesized above the CMC result in a significantly unordered but denser packing of the particles. The polystyrene particles were subsequently used to produce porous polystyrene and ZnO inverse opals. While the former consists of micrometer-sized spherical pores surrounded by extended open-cellular regions of mesopores (Rpore ≈ 25 nm), the latter are made of ZnO-nanoparticles forming a structure of well-aligned interconnected pores.Item Open Access Eignung von metallorganischen Gerüstverbindungen als stationäre Phase in der Hochleistungsflüssigchromatographie (HPLC)(2017) Lieder, Christian; Klemm, Elias (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)Anwendung von metallorganischen Gerüstverbindungen als stationäre Phase in der HPLC, Vergleich mit klassischen Silika-Materialien. Synthese der metallorganischen Gerüstverbindungen, Modifizierung. Befüllung chromatographischer Säulen und Gegenüberstellung der Füllmethoden. Methodenentwicklung, Einflüsse auf chromatographische Ergebnisse. Chirale Erkennung, Untersuchung der Wechselwirkungen. Theoretisch chemische Berechnungen der Wechselwirkungen.Item Open Access Defined polymer architectures enabled by yttrium-mediated ring-opening polymerization of renewable lactones(2025) Hornberger, Lea-Sophie; Buchmeiser, Michael R. (Prof. Dr.)Although global plastic production exceeds 410 million tons annually, less than 0.7 % currently originates from bio-based sources. Given the finite fossil resources and the low biodegradability of conventional plastics, the development of polymers from renewable feedstocks offers considerable potential. This highlights the largely unexploited opportunities offered by renewable monomers. Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) enables the synthesis of polyesters with precise control over molar mass, polydispersity, and architecture, while reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) provide complementary strategies for post-polymerization modification of functional polyesters. This dissertation employs aminoalkoxy bis(phenolate) yttrium complexes for the controlled ROP of lactones from renewable resources, systematically expanding the accessible monomer scope from small, strained four-membered rings to unstrained macrolactones and functional seven-membered terpene-derived lactones. In the first part, the entropy-driven ROP of the 16-membered macrolactone ω pentadecalactone (PDL) was achieved under controlled conditions, affording high-molar-mass poly(ω-pentadecalactone) (PPDL) with moderate polydispersities. Its aliphatic backbone makes PPDL a promising sustainable analogue to polyolefins. Sequential block copolymerization with the four-membered racemic β-butyrolactone (BBL) yielded semi-crystalline materials that integrate the crystalline domains of both homopolymers, enabling tunable material properties. The second part investigated the effect of substitution pattern and stereochemistry on the polymerization kinetics and mechanism of the seven-membered terpene-based (-)-menthide and (+)-carvomenthide, which differ only in the relative positions of their substituents. Kinetic analysis combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that subtle stereoelectronic differences strongly impact activation parameters, propagation rates, and susceptibility to side reactions. In (-)-menthide, the isopropyl group adjacent to the reactive ester moiety introduces steric hindrance and increases the activation, whereas the reduced steric demand near the ester in (+)-carvomenthide enables faster propagation but also promotes side reactions. These findings provide valuable guidelines for the rational design of terpene-based lactones. The third part focused on trans (+)-dihydrocarvide (DHC), a seven-membered lactone bearing a pendant isopropenyl group. ROP of DHC produced amorphous poly(dihydrocarvide) (PDHC) with full retention of the double bond. Block copolymerization with semi-crystalline PPDL or syndiotactic poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) introduced crystallinity and phase separation. The pendant double bonds in PDHC were further functionalized via thiol-ene chemistry to generate ATRP macroinitiators, enabling orthogonal grafting-from polymerizations of ethyl acrylate that afforded high-density polyester-based brush architectures. Overall, the combination of yttrium-mediated ROP with orthogonal post-polymerization techniques enables the construction of renewable polyester architectures such as block and graft copolymers that integrate amorphous, semi-crystalline, and functional segments. This modular approach offers a versatile platform to tailor thermal, mechanical, and functional properties, providing new opportunities for advanced biomedical and high-performance materials.Item Open Access Acid catalyzed cross‐linking of polyvinyl alcohol for humidifier membranes(2021) Michele, Andre; Paschkowski, Patrick; Hänel, Christopher; Tovar, Günter E. M.; Schiestel, Thomas; Southan, AlexanderPolyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a hydrophilic polymer well known for good film forming properties, high water vapor permeance JW, and low nitrogen permeance. However, depending on molar mass and temperature, PVA swells strongly in water until complete dissolution. This behavior affects the usability of PVA in aqueous environments and makes cross‐linking necessary if higher structural integrity is envisaged. In this work, PVA networks are formed by thermal cross‐linking in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid (TSA) and investigated in a design of experiments approach. Experimental parameters are the cross‐linking period tc, temperature ϑ and the TSA mass fraction wTSA. Cross‐linking is found to proceed via ether bond formation at all reaction conditions. Degradation is promoted especially by a combination of high wTSA, tc and ϑ. Thermal stability of the networks after preparation is strongly improved by neutralizing residual TSA. Humidification membranes with a JW of 6423 ± 63.0 gas permeation units (GPU) are fabricated by coating PVA on polyvinyliden fluoride hollow fibers and cross‐linking with TSA. Summarizing, the present study contributes to a clearer insight into the cross‐linking of PVA in presence of TSA, the thermal stability of the resulting networks and the applicability as selective membrane layers for water vapor transfer.Item Open Access Mesoionic imines (MIIs) : strong donors and versatile ligands for transition metals and main group substrates(2022) Rudolf, Richard; Neuman, Nicolás I.; Walter, Robert R. M.; Ringenberg, Mark. R.; Sarkar, BiprajitWe report the synthesis and the reactivity of 1,2,3‐triazolin‐5‐imine type mesoionic imines (MIIs). The MIIs are accessible by a base‐mediated cycloaddition between a substituted acetonitrile and an aromatic azide, methylation by established routes and subsequent deprotonation. C=O‐stretching frequencies in MII-CO2 and -Rh(CO)2Cl complexes were used to determine the overall donor strength. The MIIs are stronger donors than the N‐heterocyclic imines (NHIs). MIIs are excellent ligands for main group elements and transition metals in which they display substituent‐induced fluorine‐specific interactions and undergo C-H activation. DFT calculations gave insights into the frontier orbitals of the MIIs. The calculations predict a relatively small HOMO-LUMO gap compared to other related ligands. MIIs are potentially able to act as both π‐donor and π‐acceptor ligands. This report highlights the potential of MIIs to display exciting properties with a huge potential for future development.Item Open Access Identification of the first sulfobetaine hydrogel‐binding peptides via phage display assay(2023) Ihlenburg, Ramona B. J.; Petracek, David; Schrank, Paul; Davari, Mehdi D.; Taubert, Andreas; Rothenstein, DirkUsing the M13 phage display, a series of 7- and 12-mer peptides which interact with new sulfobetaine hydrogels are identified. Two peptides each from the 7- and 12-mer peptide libraries bind to the new sulfobetaine hydrogels with high affinity compared to the wild-type phage lacking a dedicated hydrogel binding peptide. This is the first report of peptides binding to zwitterionic sulfobetaine hydrogels and the study therefore opens up the pathway toward new phage or peptide/hydrogel hybrids with high application potential.Item Open Access Magnetic and structural properties of barium hexaferrite BaFe12O19 from various growth techniques(2017) Vinnik, Denis A.; Tarasova, Aleksandra Yu.; Zherebtsov, Dmitry A.; Gudkova, Svetlana A.; Galimov, Damir M.; Zhivulin, Vladimir E.; Trofimov, Evgeny A.; Nemrava, Sandra; Perov, Nikolai S.; Isaenko, Ludmila I.; Niewa, RainerBarium hexaferrite powder samples with grains in the m-range were obtained from solid-state sintering, and crystals with sizes up to 5 mm grown from PbO, Na2CO3, and BaB2O4 fluxes, respectively. Carbonate and borate fluxes provide the largest and structurally best crystals at significantly lower growth temperatures of 1533 K compared to flux-free synthesis (1623 K). The maximum synthesis temperature can be further reduced by the application of PbO-containing fluxes (down to 1223 K upon use of 80 at % PbO), however, Pb-substituted crystals Ba1-xPbxFe12O19 with Pb contents in the range of 0.23(2) x 0.80(2) form, depending on growth temperature and flux PbO content. The degree of Pb-substitution has only a minor influence on unit cell and magnetic parameters, although the values for Curie temperature, saturation magnetization, as well as the coercivity of these samples are significantly reduced in comparison with those from samples obtained from the other fluxes. Due to the lowest level of impurities, the samples from carbonate flux show superior quality compared to materials obtained using other methods.Item Open Access The Hartree-Fock exchange for crystalline systems : the Implementation with an (all-electron) Gaussian-type basis set and numerical evidence with reference to perovskites(2026) Dovesi, Roberto; Doll, Klaus; Causà, Mauro; Rérat, Michel; D’Arco, PhilippeThe treatment of the Hartree-Fock exchange (HFX) series in periodic systems is described when a Gaussian-type basis set is adopted, and its performance is documented with reference to the KCrF3 perovskite. The computational scheme for the exchange, implemented in the CRYSTAL code in its general lines more than 35 years ago (Causà et al., J. Chem. Phys. 92, 909 (1988)), is here documented for the first time with reference to the variables essential for the description of many properties of periodic systems: truncation of the exchange series, reduction of point symmetry, change of space group, and dimension of the unit cell: these features are involved in the calculation of the total energy, the equilibrium geometry, the relative stability of phases, the Jahn-Teller splitting and orbital ordering, the ferromagnetic versus antiferromagnetic energy difference, the vibrational frequencies, and the IR and Raman intensities, to quote the most important properties of interest. The same computational scheme is used for both pure HF and for full-range or range-separated hybrid functionals, in which a variable percentage X of HFX is used. To document the role of X, a very recently defined functional is employed, PBE(X), such that PBE(0) = PBE and PBE(25) = PBE0. The high efficiency of the algorithms implemented in CRYSTAL permits to perform calculations for supercells of KCrF3 containing, for example, 3430 atoms (7 × 7 × 7 supercell of the monoclinic cell, containing 10 atoms), when an all-electron basis set of triple-ζ quality is adopted.