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Macromolecular Rapid Communications Jun 2011This paper focuses on the attachment of densely grafted polymer layers (polymer brushes) to various inorganic and polymeric substrates by the "grafting to" method. A... (Review)
Review
This paper focuses on the attachment of densely grafted polymer layers (polymer brushes) to various inorganic and polymeric substrates by the "grafting to" method. A brief overview of synthesis of polymer brushes by the method is first provided, with emphasis on chemical approaches to polymer attachment. The second part of the paper covers the synthesis of polymer layers via a recently developed macromolecular anchoring layer approach. Several examples of application of the grafting technique are presented for generation of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, gradient, and switchable surfaces.
Topics: Chemistry; Polymers; Surface Properties
PubMed: 21509848
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100162 -
Macromolecular Rapid Communications Jan 2019Self-assembly of plasmonic nanocrystals (PNCs) and polymers provides access to a variety of functionalized metallic-polymer building blocks and higher-order hybrid... (Review)
Review
Self-assembly of plasmonic nanocrystals (PNCs) and polymers provides access to a variety of functionalized metallic-polymer building blocks and higher-order hybrid plasmonic assemblies, and thus is of considerable fundamental and practical interest. The hybrid assemblies often not only inherit individual characteristics of polymers and PNCs but also exhibit distinct photophysical and catalytic properties compared to that of a single PNC building block. The tailorable plasmonic coupling between PNCs within assemblies enables the precise control over localized surface plasmon resonance, which subsequently affords a series of light-driven or photo-activated applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection, photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy. In this review, the synthetic strategies of a library of PNC-polymer hybrid building blocks and corresponding assemblies are summarized along with the mechanisms of polymer-assisted self-assembly of PNCs and the concepts for bridging the intrinsic properties of PNC-polymer assemblies to widespread practical applications.
Topics: Nanoparticles; Polymers
PubMed: 30456873
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201800613 -
Macromolecular Rapid Communications Jan 2020The development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has had a significant impact on various fields of chemistry and materials science. Naturally, polymer science also... (Review)
Review
The development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has had a significant impact on various fields of chemistry and materials science. Naturally, polymer science also exploited this novel type of material for various purposes, which is due to the defined porosity, high surface area, and catalytic activity of MOFs. The present review covers various topics of MOF/polymer research beginning with MOF-based polymerization catalysis. Furthermore, polymerization inside MOF pores as well as polymerization of MOF ligands is described, which have a significant effect on polymer structures. Finally, MOF/polymer hybrid and composite materials are highlighted, encompassing a range of material classes, like bulk materials, membranes, and dispersed materials. In the course of the review, various applications of MOF/polymer combinations are discussed (e.g., adsorption, gas separation, drug delivery, catalysis, organic electronics, and stimuli-responsive materials). Finally, past research is concluded and an outlook toward future development is provided.
Topics: Catalysis; Coordination Complexes; Cycloaddition Reaction; Ligands; Light; Metal-Organic Frameworks; Polymerization; Polymers; Stereoisomerism
PubMed: 31469204
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900333 -
Macromolecular Rapid Communications Dec 2017
Topics: China; Humans; Particle Size; Polymers; Research; Universities
PubMed: 29205632
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201700592 -
Macromolecular Rapid Communications Apr 2017A range of amphiphilic polymers with diverse macromolecular architectures has been developed and incorporated into films and coatings with potential for marine... (Review)
Review
A range of amphiphilic polymers with diverse macromolecular architectures has been developed and incorporated into films and coatings with potential for marine antibiofouling applications, without resorting to addition of currently used biocidal, toxic agents. Novel "green" chemical technologies employ different building blocks to endow the polymer film with surface activity, functionality, structure, and reconstruction according to the outer environment as a result of a tailored amphiphilic character of the polymer platform. We emphasise how these features can interplay and add synergistically to affect antifouling and fouling-release against common, widespread marine micro- and macro-fouling organisms.
Topics: Biofouling; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Membranes, Artificial; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Models, Chemical; Molecular Structure; Polyethylene Glycols; Polymers; Seawater; Surface Properties
PubMed: 28267231
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201600704 -
Current Opinion in Chemical Biology Apr 2010Using biocatalysts as enzymes for in vitro polymer synthesis is a relatively new (third) stream that has become popular in the past two decades, following a first stream... (Review)
Review
Using biocatalysts as enzymes for in vitro polymer synthesis is a relatively new (third) stream that has become popular in the past two decades, following a first stream using catalysts of acids, bases, radical species, and so on, used since 1920s, and a second stream using catalysts of transition metals and rare metals since 1950s. Enzymatic catalysis is environmentally benign, yet allows the synthesis of various natural and unnatural polymers that have well-defined structures with controlled stereochemistry, regioselectivity, and chemoselectivity. This review will focus on recent developments in enzyme-catalyzed polymer synthesis in the areas of polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyaromatics, as well as polymer modification.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; Polyesters; Polymers; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 20022287
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.11.020 -
Accounts of Chemical Research May 2015Synthetic polymer chemistry has undergone two major developments in the last two decades. About 20 years ago, reversible-deactivation radical polymerization processes... (Review)
Review
Synthetic polymer chemistry has undergone two major developments in the last two decades. About 20 years ago, reversible-deactivation radical polymerization processes started to give access to a wide range of polymeric architectures made from an almost infinite reservoir of functional building blocks. A few years later, the concept of click chemistry revolutionized the way polymer chemists approached synthetic routes. Among the few reactions that could qualify as click, the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) initially stood out. Soon, many old and new reactions, including cycloadditions, would further enrich the synthetic macromolecular chemistry toolbox. Whether click or not, cycloadditions are in any case powerful tools for designing polymeric materials in a modular fashion, with a high level of functionality and, sometimes, responsiveness. Here, we wish to describe cycloaddition methodologies that have been reported in the last 10 years in the context of macromolecular engineering, with a focus on those developed in our laboratories. The overarching structure of this Account is based on the three most commonly encountered cycloaddition subclasses in organic and macromolecular chemistry: 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, (hetero-)Diels-Alder cycloadditions ((H)DAC), and [2+2] cycloadditions. Our goal is to briefly describe the relevant reaction conditions, the advantages and disadvantages, and the realized polymer applications. Furthermore, the orthogonality of most of these reactions is highlighted because it has proven highly beneficial for generating unique, multifunctional polymers in a one-pot reaction. The overview on 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions is mostly centered on the application of CuAAC as the most travelled route, by far. Besides illustrating the capacity of CuAAC to generate complex polymeric architectures, alternative 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions operating without the need for a catalyst are described. In the area of (H)DA cycloadditions, beyond the popular maleimide/furan couple, we present chemistries based on more reactive species, such as cyclopentadienyl or thiocarbonylthio moieties, particularly stressing the reversibility of these systems. In these two greater families, as well as in the last section on [2+2] cycloadditions, we highlight phototriggered chemistries as a powerful tool for spatially and temporally controlled materials synthesis. Clearly, cycloaddition chemistry already has and will continue to transform the field of polymer chemistry in the years to come. Applying this chemistry enables better control over polymer composition, the development of more complicated polymer architectures, the simplification of polymer library production, and the discovery of novel applications for all of these new polymers.
Topics: Cyclization; Molecular Structure; Polymers
PubMed: 25871918
DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.5b00075 -
Results and Problems in Cell... 2022Genomic DNA, which controls genetic information, is stored in the cell nucleus in eukaryotes. Chromatin moves dynamically in the nucleus, and this movement is closely...
Genomic DNA, which controls genetic information, is stored in the cell nucleus in eukaryotes. Chromatin moves dynamically in the nucleus, and this movement is closely related to the function of chromatin. However, the driving force of chromatin movement, its control mechanism, and the functional significance of movement are unclear. In addition to biochemical and genetic approaches such as identification and analysis of regulators, approaches based on the physical properties of chromatin and cell nuclei are indispensable for this understanding. In particular, the idea of polymer physics is expected to be effective. This paper introduces our efforts to combine biological experiments on chromatin kinetics with theoretical analysis based on polymer physics.
Topics: Chromatin; Polymers; Chromosomes; Cell Nucleus; DNA
PubMed: 36348110
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-06573-6_8 -
JACC. Cardiovascular Interventions May 2018
Topics: Absorbable Implants; Drug-Eluting Stents; Everolimus; Polymers; Sirolimus; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 29798765
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2018.04.025 -
Annual Review of Food Science and... 2016The potential of organogels (oleogels) for oil structuring has been identified and investigated extensively using different gelator-oil systems in recent years. This... (Review)
Review
The potential of organogels (oleogels) for oil structuring has been identified and investigated extensively using different gelator-oil systems in recent years. This review provides a comprehensive summary of all oil-structuring systems found in the literature, with an emphasis on ethyl-cellulose (EC), the only direct food-grade polymer oleogelator. EC is a semicrystalline material that undergoes a thermoreversible sol-gel transition in the presence of liquid oil. This unique behavior is based on the polymer's ability to associate through physical bonds. These interactions are strongly affected by external fields such as shear and temperature, as well as by solvent chemistry, which in turn strongly affect final gel properties. Recently, EC-based oleogels have been used as a replacement for fats in foods, as heat-resistance agents in chocolate, as oil-binding agents in bakery products, and as the basis for cosmetic pastes. Understanding the characteristics of the EC oleogel is essential for the development of new applications.
Topics: Cellulose; Chemical Phenomena; Cosmetics; Fat Substitutes; Food Additives; Food Technology; Gels; Hot Temperature; Oils; Organic Chemicals; Phase Transition; Polymers
PubMed: 26735799
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-food-041715-033225