-
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Jun 2023A new straight forward approach to create nanoporous polymer membranes with well defined average pore diameters is presented. The method is based on fast mechanical...
A new straight forward approach to create nanoporous polymer membranes with well defined average pore diameters is presented. The method is based on fast mechanical deformation of highly entangled polymer films at high temperatures and a subsequent quench far below the glass transition temperature T . The process is first designed generally by simulation and then verified for the example of polystyrene films. The methodology does not need any chemical processing, supporting substrate, or self assembly process and is solely based on polymer inherent entanglement effects. Pore diameters are of the order of ten polymer reptation tube diameters. The resulting membranes are stable over months at ambient conditions and display remarkable elastic properties.
Topics: Polymers; Nanopores; Polystyrenes; Temperature; Hot Temperature
PubMed: 37096844
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202207472 -
Chemical Communications (Cambridge,... Jun 2023Since the first introduction of their concept in the 1980s and 90s, polymer brushes have been the focus of intense research efforts to identify novel physico-chemical... (Review)
Review
Since the first introduction of their concept in the 1980s and 90s, polymer brushes have been the focus of intense research efforts to identify novel physico-chemical properties and responsiveness, and optimise the properties of associated interfaces for an ever growing range of applications. To a large extent, this effort has been enabled by progress in surface initiated controlled polymerisation techniques, allowing a huge diversity of monomers and macromolecular architectures to be harnessed and achieved. However, polymer functionalisation through chemical coupling of various moieties and molecular structures has also played an important role in expanding the molecular design toolbox of the field of polymer brush science. This perspective article reviews recent progress in polymer brush functionalisation, discussing a broad range of strategies for the side chain and end chain chemical modification of these polymer coatings. The impact of the brush architecture on associated coupling is also examined. In turn, the role that such functionalisation approaches play in the patterning and structuring of brushes, as well as their conjugation with biomacromolecules for the design of biofunctional interfaces is then reviewed and discussed.
Topics: Surface Properties; Polymers; Polymerization; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 37194961
DOI: 10.1039/d3cc01082a -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Luminescent polymer nanomaterials not only have the characteristics of various types of luminescent functional materials and a wide range of applications, but also have... (Review)
Review
Luminescent polymer nanomaterials not only have the characteristics of various types of luminescent functional materials and a wide range of applications, but also have the characteristics of good biocompatibility and easy functionalization of polymer nanomaterials. They are widely used in biomedical fields such as bioimaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. Designing and constructing new controllable synthesis methods for multifunctional fluorescent polymer nanomaterials with good water solubility and excellent biocompatibility is of great significance. Exploring efficient functionalization methods for luminescent materials is still one of the core issues in the design and development of new fluorescent materials. With this in mind, this review first introduces the structures, properties, and synthetic methods regarding fluorescent polymeric nanomaterials. Then, the functionalization strategies of fluorescent polymer nanomaterials are summarized. In addition, the research progress of multifunctional fluorescent polymer nanomaterials for bioimaging is also discussed. Finally, the synthesis, development, and application fields of fluorescent polymeric nanomaterials, as well as the challenges and opportunities of structure-property correlations, are comprehensively summarized and the corresponding perspectives are well illustrated.
Topics: Polymers; Nanostructures; Coloring Agents; Drug Delivery Systems
PubMed: 37175229
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28093819 -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Mar 2022The effects of microplastic (MP) pollution on organisms are gaining increasing attention. To date, a variety of polymers of different shapes and sizes are used in...
The effects of microplastic (MP) pollution on organisms are gaining increasing attention. To date, a variety of polymers of different shapes and sizes are used in ecotoxicology. Although polystyrene (PS) is the predominant polymer type used in effect studies, it is still unclear whether the observed effects derive from the polymer itself or from a certain particle shape and size. To elucidate whether the effects are polymer specific, we conducted a systematic study on Daphnia magna by comparing various PS-MPs to nonplastic control particles with similar properties. In chronic exposure experiments, we used PS beads (6 µm; 20 µm), fibers (Ø 3 µm, length: 75.5 µm), and fragments (5.7 µm; 17.7 µm) in two different size classes and two different concentrations (500 and 5000 particles ml) and in-house-produced control particles of comparable size, shape, concentration and, if possible, density. Although most PS properties did not elicit effects on the tested endpoints, we observed sublethal effects on D. magna life history and morphology for small PS beads and fragments. Interestingly, no adverse effects were detected for any of the control particles. Hence, the observed effects are polymer-specific, related to the size and shape of the polymer, and do not result from particle exposure per se.
Topics: Animals; Daphnia; Microplastics; Plastics; Polymers; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 34974383
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128136 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023A [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction using dialkyne and diazide comonomers, both bearing explosophoric groups, to synthesize energetic polymers containing furazan and...
A [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction using dialkyne and diazide comonomers, both bearing explosophoric groups, to synthesize energetic polymers containing furazan and 1,2,3-triazole ring as well as nitramine group in the polymer chain have been described. The developed solvent- and catalyst-free approach is methodologically simple and effective, the comonomers used are easily available, and the resulting polymer does not need any purification. All this makes it a promising tool for the synthesis of energetic polymers. The protocol was utilized to generate multigram quantities of the target polymer, which has been comprehensively investigated. The resulting polymer was fully characterized by spectral and physico-chemical methods. Compatibility with energetic plasticizers, thermochemical characteristics, and combustion features indicate the prospects of this polymer as a binder base for energetic materials. The polymer of this study surpasses the benchmark energetic polymer, nitrocellulose (NC), in a number of properties.
Topics: Polymers; Triazoles; Plasticizers; Aniline Compounds
PubMed: 37298596
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119645 -
Nature Communications Mar 2020Conducting polymers are promising material candidates in diverse applications including energy storage, flexible electronics, and bioelectronics. However, the...
Conducting polymers are promising material candidates in diverse applications including energy storage, flexible electronics, and bioelectronics. However, the fabrication of conducting polymers has mostly relied on conventional approaches such as ink-jet printing, screen printing, and electron-beam lithography, whose limitations have hampered rapid innovations and broad applications of conducting polymers. Here we introduce a high-performance 3D printable conducting polymer ink based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) for 3D printing of conducting polymers. The resultant superior printability enables facile fabrication of conducting polymers into high resolution and high aspect ratio microstructures, which can be integrated with other materials such as insulating elastomers via multi-material 3D printing. The 3D-printed conducting polymers can also be converted into highly conductive and soft hydrogel microstructures. We further demonstrate fast and streamlined fabrications of various conducting polymer devices, such as a soft neural probe capable of in vivo single-unit recording.
Topics: Elastomers; Electric Conductivity; Electronics; Hydrogels; Ink; Polymers; Polystyrenes; Printing; Printing, Three-Dimensional
PubMed: 32231216
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15316-7 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... May 2021Immunotherapy that boosts the body's immune system to treat local and distant metastatic tumors has offered a new treatment option for cancer. However, cancer... (Review)
Review
Immunotherapy that boosts the body's immune system to treat local and distant metastatic tumors has offered a new treatment option for cancer. However, cancer immunotherapy via systemic administration of immunotherapeutic agents often has two major issues of limited immune responses and potential immune-related adverse events in the clinic. Hydrogels, a class of three-dimensional network biomaterials with unique porous structures can achieve local delivery of drugs into tumors to trigger the antitumor immunity, resulting in amplified immunotherapy at lower dosages. In this review, we summarize the recent development of polymer-based hydrogels as drug release systems for local delivery of various immunotherapeutic agents for cancer immunotherapy. The constructions of polymer-based hydrogels and their local delivery of various drugs in tumors to achieve sole immunotherapy, and chemotherapy-, and phototherapy-combinational immunotherapy are introduced. Furthermore, a brief conclusion is given and existing challenges and further perspectives of polymer-based hydrogels for cancer immunotherapy are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Liberation; Humans; Hydrogels; Immunotherapy; Neoplasms; Phototherapy; Polymers
PubMed: 33571834
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111333 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jun 2023The consistent rise of plastic pollution has stimulated interest in the development of biodegradable plastics. However, the study of polymer biodegradation has...
The consistent rise of plastic pollution has stimulated interest in the development of biodegradable plastics. However, the study of polymer biodegradation has historically been limited to a small number of polymers due to costly and slow standard methods for measuring degradation, slowing new material innovation. High-throughput polymer synthesis and a high-throughput polymer biodegradation method are developed and applied to generate a biodegradation dataset for 642 chemically distinct polyesters and polycarbonates. The biodegradation assay was based on the clear-zone technique, using automation to optically observe the degradation of suspended polymer particles under the action of a single bacterial colony. Biodegradability was found to depend strongly on aliphatic repeat unit length, with chains less than 15 carbons and short side chains improving biodegradability. Aromatic backbone groups were generally detrimental to biodegradability; however, ortho- and para-substituted benzene rings in the backbone were more likely to be degradable than metasubstituted rings. Additionally, backbone ether groups improved biodegradability. While other heteroatoms did not show a clear improvement in biodegradability, they did demonstrate increases in biodegradation rates. Machine learning (ML) models were leveraged to predict biodegradability on this large dataset with accuracies over 82% using only chemical structure descriptors.
Topics: Polyesters; Plastics; Polymers; Biodegradable Plastics; Biodegradation, Environmental; Research Design
PubMed: 37252959
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220021120 -
BioMed Research International 2015Today, nanotechnology plays a vital role in biomedical applications, especially for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Among the many different types of... (Review)
Review
Today, nanotechnology plays a vital role in biomedical applications, especially for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Among the many different types of fabricated nanoparticles, magnetic metal oxide nanoparticles stand out as unique and useful tools for biomedical applications, because of their imaging characteristics and therapeutic properties such as drug and gene carriers. Polymer-coated magnetic particles are currently of particular interest to investigators in the fields of nanobiomedicine and fundamental biomaterials. Theranostic magnetic nanoparticles that are encapsulated or coated with polymers not only exhibit imaging properties in response to stimuli, but also can efficiently deliver various drugs and therapeutic genes. Even though a large number of polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles have been fabricated over the last decade, most of these have only been used for imaging purposes. The focus of this review is on polysaccharide-coated magnetic nanoparticles used for imaging and gene delivery.
Topics: Diagnostic Imaging; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genetic Therapy; Humans; Magnetite Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Polymers; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 26078971
DOI: 10.1155/2015/959175 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2019As one of the most efficient pathways to provide clean energy, fuel cells have attracted great attention in both academic and industrial communities. Proton exchange... (Review)
Review
As one of the most efficient pathways to provide clean energy, fuel cells have attracted great attention in both academic and industrial communities. Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) or proton-conducting electrolytes are the key components in fuel cell devices, which require the characteristics of high proton conductivity as well as high mechanical, chemical and thermal stabilities. Organic-inorganic hybrid PEMs can provide a fantastic platform to combine both advantages of two components to meet these demands. Due to their extremely high proton conductivity, good thermal stability and chemical adjustability, polyoxometalates (POMs) are regarded as promising building blocks for hybrid PEMs. In this review, we summarize a number of research works on the progress of POM-polymer hybrid materials and related applications in PEMs. Firstly, a brief background of POMs and their proton-conducting properties are introduced; then, the hybridization strategies of POMs with polymer moieties are discussed from the aspects of both noncovalent and covalent concepts; and finally, we focus on the performance of these hybrid materials in PEMs, especially the advances in the last five years. This review will provide a better understanding of the challenges and perspectives of POM-polymer hybrid PEMs for future fuel cell applications.
Topics: Membranes, Artificial; Polymers; Tungsten Compounds
PubMed: 31547150
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24193425