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Membranes Mar 2022Block copolymers are capable of providing more than one advantageous property due to their selected repeating units, which make them an outstanding candidate for...
Block copolymers are capable of providing more than one advantageous property due to their selected repeating units, which make them an outstanding candidate for polymer-based membranes [...].
PubMed: 35448325
DOI: 10.3390/membranes12040354 -
Polymers Apr 2020Block copolymers and block-copolymer-containing blends represent a fascinating class of soft matter and can self-assemble in a variety of ordered structures on the...
Block copolymers and block-copolymer-containing blends represent a fascinating class of soft matter and can self-assemble in a variety of ordered structures on the mesoscale [...].
PubMed: 32252360
DOI: 10.3390/polym12040794 -
Polymers Dec 2019Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers are key polymers, displaying properties such as flexibility and electroactive responses, including piezoelectricity,... (Review)
Review
Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers are key polymers, displaying properties such as flexibility and electroactive responses, including piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and ferroelectricity. In the past several years, they have been applied in numerous applications, such as memory, transducers, actuators, and energy harvesting and have shown thriving prospects in the ongoing research and commercialization process. The crystalline polymorphs of PVDF can present nonpolar α, ε phase and polar β, γ, and δ phases with different processing methods. The copolymers, such as poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)), can crystallize directly into a phase analogous to the β phase of PVDF. Since the β phase shows the highest dipole moment among polar phases, many reproducible and efficient methods producing β-phase PVDF and its copolymer have been proposed. In this review, PVDF and its copolymer films prepared by spin-coating and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method are introduced, and relevant characterization techniques are highlighted. Finally, the development of memory, artificial synapses, and medical applications based on PVDF and its copolymers is elaborated.
PubMed: 31817985
DOI: 10.3390/polym11122033 -
Polymers Apr 2020In this systematic review, a total of 45,143 publications on block copolymers, issued between 1952 and 2019, are analyzed in terms of number, source, language,... (Review)
Review
In this systematic review, a total of 45,143 publications on block copolymers, issued between 1952 and 2019, are analyzed in terms of number, source, language, institution, country, keywords, and block copolymer type, to find out their evolution and predict research trends. The number of publications devoted to block copolymers has been growing for over six decades, maintaining a consistent level throughout the last few years. In their majority, documents came out of the United States, although more recently, Chinese institutions are those displaying the largest production. Keywords analysis indicated that one-third of the publications concerned synthesis, around 20% explored self-assembly and morphological aspects, and another 20% referred to block copolymer applications in solution. In particular, 2019 confirmed the expansion of studies related to drug delivery, and in minor extent, to a deeper view of self-assembling. Styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer was the most popular in studies covering both basic and industrially oriented aspects. Other highly investigated copolymers are PEO--PPO--PEO (Pluronic©) and amphiphilic block copolymers based on polycaprolactone or poly(lactic acid), which owed their success to their potential as delivery vehicles. Future trending topics will concern nanomedicine challenges and technology-related applications, with a special attention toward the orientation and ordering of mesophase-separated morphologies.
PubMed: 32290129
DOI: 10.3390/polym12040869 -
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2023In recent years, the coupling of structurally and functionally controllable polymers with biologically active protein materials to obtain polymer-protein conjugates with...
In recent years, the coupling of structurally and functionally controllable polymers with biologically active protein materials to obtain polymer-protein conjugates with excellent overall properties and good biocompatibility has been important research in the field of polymers. In this study, the hyperbranched polymer hP(DEGMA--OEGMA) was first prepared by combining self-condensation vinyl polymerization (SCVP) with photo-induced metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), with 2-(2-bromo-2-methylpropanoyloxy) ethyl methacrylate (BMA) as inimer, and Di (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMA) and (oligoethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA, = 300) as the copolymer monomer. Then, hP(DEGMA--OEGMA) was used as a macroinitiator to continue the polymerization of a segment of pyridyl disulfide ethyl methacrylate (DSMA) monomer to obtain the hyperbranched multiarm copolymers hP(DEGMA--OEGMA)--PDSMA. Finally, the lysozyme with sulfhydryl groups was affixed to the hyperbranched multiarm copolymers by the exchange reaction between sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bonds to obtain the copolymer protein conjugates hP(DEGMA--OEGMA)--PLZ. Three hyperbranched multiarm copolymers with relatively close molecular weights but different degrees of branching were prepared, and all three conjugates could self-assemble to form nanoscale vesicle assemblies with narrow dispersion. The biological activity and secondary structure of lysozyme on the assemblies remained essentially unchanged.
PubMed: 36985911
DOI: 10.3390/nano13061017 -
Polymer Bulletin (Berlin, Germany) Jun 2023The preparation of polyaniline (PANI) and its copolymer with indole involved a chemical oxidative polymerization method, with benzene sulfonic acid (BSA, CHOS) used as a...
The preparation of polyaniline (PANI) and its copolymer with indole involved a chemical oxidative polymerization method, with benzene sulfonic acid (BSA, CHOS) used as a dopant and potassium persulfate (PPS, KSO) as an oxidant. The synthesized compounds underwent characterization using FTIR, 1H-NMR, TGA, and GPC techniques, which allowed the calculation of their average molecular weight and polydispersity index (PDI) through the GPC technique. The PDI values of the PANI copolymer with indole in different aniline-to-indole ratios were 1.53, 1.13, and 1.532 for 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 ratios, respectively. Thermal stability was determined using TGA, revealing that the indole heterocyclic compound increased the inflexibility of the polymer chains in the synthesized PANI copolymer. The structure of the copolymer was further analyzed using HNMR and FTIR techniques, which confirmed the existence of benzenoid and quinoid groups in the PANI-indole copolymers, as well as the effect of doping on the polymer chains. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of the copolymers were studied against several bacterial and fungal strains and measured in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration. Results indicated that the inhibition rate of the PANI-indole copolymer on (MTCC 442) was higher than that of standard drugs and individual PANI. The PANI-indole copolymers also displayed excellent antituberculosis and antimalarial activities, with the synthesized copolymer showing better outcomes than individual PANI.
PubMed: 37362957
DOI: 10.1007/s00289-023-04873-8 -
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2022Phase separation is a fundamental mechanism for compartmentalization in cells and leads to the formation of biomolecular condensates, generally containing various RNA... (Review)
Review
Phase separation is a fundamental mechanism for compartmentalization in cells and leads to the formation of biomolecular condensates, generally containing various RNA molecules. RNAs are biomolecules that can serve as suitable scaffolds for biomolecular condensates and determine their forms and functions. Many studies have focused on biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), one type of intracellular phase separation mechanism. We recently identified that paraspeckle nuclear bodies use an intracellular phase separation mechanism called micellization of block copolymers in their formation. The paraspeckles are scaffolded by NEAT1_2 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their partner RNA-binding proteins (NEAT1_2 RNA-protein complexes [RNPs]). The NEAT1_2 RNPs act as block copolymers and the paraspeckles assemble through micellization. In LLPS, condensates grow without bound as long as components are available and typically have spherical shapes to minimize surface tension. In contrast, the size, shape, and internal morphology of the condensates are more strictly controlled in micellization. Here, we discuss the potential importance and future perspectives of micellization of block copolymers of RNPs in cells, including the construction of designer condensates with optimal internal organization, shape, and size according to design guidelines of block copolymers.
PubMed: 36106018
DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.974772 -
Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 2019Multiblock copolymers constitute a basis for an emerging class of nanomaterials that combine various functional properties with durability and enhanced mechanical... (Review)
Review
Multiblock copolymers constitute a basis for an emerging class of nanomaterials that combine various functional properties with durability and enhanced mechanical characteristics. Our mini-review addresses synthetic approaches to the design of multiblock copolymers from unsaturated monomers and polymers using olefin metathesis reactions and other ways of chemical modification across double C=C bonds. The main techniques, actively developed during the last decade and discussed here, are the coupling of end-functionalized blocks, sequential ring-opening metathesis polymerization, and cross metathesis between unsaturated polymers, or macromolecular cross metathesis. The last topic attracts special interest due to its relative simplicity and broad opportunities to tailor the structure and hence the properties of the copolymer products. Whenever possible, we analyze the structure-property relations for multiblock copolymers and point to their possible practical applications.
PubMed: 30745996
DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.15.21 -
Polymers Aug 2022Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) are well-known medical-implant materials. Under the consideration of the limitations of degradable polymeric materials,...
Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) are well-known medical-implant materials. Under the consideration of the limitations of degradable polymeric materials, such as weak mechanical strength and by-product release through the biodegradation process under in vivo environments, PLA-PGA block copolymer is one of the effective alternative implant materials in the clinical field. In our previous study, two types of extremely effective PGA-PLA copolymers (multi/tri-block PGA-PLA copolymers) were synthesized. These synthesized block copolymers could overcome aforementioned issues and also showed good biocompatibility. In this study, the PGA-PLA block copolymers with large molecular weight were synthesized under the same chemical scheme, and their bio durability was confirmed through the in vivo degradation behavior and histochemical analyses (by hematoxylin and eosin and immune staining) in comparison with commercial PLGA random copolymer (medical grade). Specimens for the degradation test were investigated by SEM and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). As a result, the synthesized PGA-PLA block copolymer showed good biocompatibility and had a controlled biodegrading rate, making it suitable for use in resorbable spinal-fixation materials.
PubMed: 36015579
DOI: 10.3390/polym14163322 -
Nano Convergence 2017Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis... (Review)
Review
Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis routes exist for the one, two and three dimensional nanostructures. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the usage of block copolymers for the synthesis of such nanostructures. Block copolymers are versatile polymers with unique properties and come in many types and shapes. Their properties are highly dependent on the blocks of the copolymers, thus allowing easy tunability of its properties. This review briefly focusses on the use of block copolymers for synthesizing one-dimensional nanostructures especially nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons and nanofibers. Template based, lithographic, and solution based approaches are common approaches in the synthesis of nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanofibers. Synthesis of metal, metal oxides, metal oxalates, polymer, and graphene one dimensional nanostructures using block copolymers have been discussed as well.
PubMed: 28546902
DOI: 10.1186/s40580-017-0106-1