Synthetic biodegradable functional polymers for tissue engineering: a brief review

Scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering. Biodegradable polymers with great processing flexibility are the predominant scaffolding materials. Synthetic biodegradable polymers with well-defined structure and without immunological concerns associated with naturally derived polymers are widely used in tissue engineering. The synthetic biodegradable polymers that are widely used in tissue engineering, including polyesters, polyanhydrides, polyphosphazenes, polyurethane, and poly (glycerol sebacate) are summarized in this article. New developments in conducting polymers, photoresponsive polymers, amino-acid-based polymers, enzymatically degradable polymers, and peptide-activated polymers are also discussed. In addition to chemical functionalization, the scaffold designs that mimic the nano and micro features of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are presented as well, and composite and nanocomposite scaffolds are also reviewed.     

Thermoanalytical studies on specialty polymers in Japan

Thermoanalytical studies on specialty polymers in Japan are reviewed. The basic and applied researches for the developments of new specialty polymers such as high-performance polymers, liquid crystalline polymers, and biodegradable polymers during the 1990's are introduced from the standpoint of thermal analysis. Many studies were performed for the improvements of durability and thermal stability of engineering polymers, biodegradable polymers and so on. A special topic of researches on the thermal behavior of polymers by high-pressure differential thermal analysis is included in this review. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Surface Lewis acid-base properties of polymers measured by inverse gas chromatography

Surface Lewis acid-base properties are significant for polymers materials. The acid constant, K(a) and base constant, K(b) of many polymers were characterized by some researchers with inverse gas chromatography (IGC) in recent years. In this paper, the surface acid-base constants, K(a) and K(b) of 20 kinds of polymers measured by IGC in recent years are summarized and discussed, including seven polymers characterized in this work. After plotting K(b) versus K(a), it is found that the polymers can be encircled by a triangle. They scatter in two regions of the triangle. Four polymers exist in region I. K(b)/K(a) of the polymers in region I are 1.4-2.1. The other polymers exist in region II. Most of the polymers are relative basic materials.     

荧光聚合物研究进展

本文总结了近年来荧光聚合物的研究进展,主要介绍了荧光聚合物的分类：按其溶解性能可分为非水溶性、水溶性和两亲荧光聚合物三大类;荧光聚合物的合成：荧光化合物为引发剂、荧光化合物为链转移剂、荧光功能单体聚合、荧光化合物与聚合物的化学键合、非荧光功能单体聚合等五种制备荧光聚合物的设计合成方法;荧光聚合物的应用：荧光聚合物在荧光化学传感器、荧光分子温度计、荧光造影、药物载体、荧光探针等方面的应用研究。     

刚性链侧链型液晶高分子合成与研究

以自由基聚合方法，合成了一系列含有３个苯环通过酯键相联的液晶性单体及其聚合物，这类刚性液晶基元不通过柔性间隔基而直接竖挂在聚丙烯酸酯大分子主链上，具有很高的Ｔｇ·ＤＳＣ及偏光显微镜结果表明，所有的单体和聚合物均为向列型热致性液晶。     

旋光性聚合物的铁电性能

旋光性高分子在结构上具有一定的空间特异性,因而可以有多种应用。根据铁电材料所必需具备的条件,经过特定的分子结构设计,可以使之具备铁电性能,据此,人们已合成了许多不同类型的铁电聚合物。本文按照铁电聚合物所处的聚集态不同,分别综述了具有铁电特性的晶态和液晶态旋光性聚合物的种类、结构特点及其铁电性能,分析讨论了影响液晶态旋光性聚合物的自发极化率和响应时间的因素。     

Solvent‐Annealing‐Induced Nanowetting in Templates: Towards Tailored Polymer Nanostructures

We study the solvent‐annealing‐induced nanowetting in templates using porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes. The morphology of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) nanostructures can be controlled, depending on whether the swollen polymers are in the partial or complete wetting regimes, which are characterized by the spreading coefficient. When the swollen polymers are in the partial wetting regime, polymers wet the nanopores by capillary action, resulting in the formation of polymer nanorods. When the swollen polymers are in the complete wetting regime, polymers form wetting layers in the nanopores, resulting in the formation of polymer nanotubes. The solubility parameters of polymers and solvents are also used to predict the wetting behavior of swollen polymers in cylindrical geometry.     

Adsorption of comb copolymers on weakly attractive solid surfaces

In this work continuum and lattice Monte Carlo simulation methods are used to study the adsorption of linear and comb polymers on flat surfaces. Selected polymer segments, located at the tips of the side chains in comb polymers or equally spaced along the linear polymers, are attracted to each other and to the surface via square-well potentials. The rest of the polymer segments are modeled as tangent hard spheres in the continuum model and as self-avoiding random walks in the lattice model. Results are presented in terms of segment-density profiles, distribution functions, and radii of gyration of the adsorbed polymers. At infinite dilution the presence of short side chains promotes the adsorption of polymers favoring both a decrease in the depletion-layer thickness and a spreading of the polymer molecule on the surface. The presence of long side chains favors the adsorption of polymers on the surface, but does not permit the spreading of the polymers. At finite concentration linear polymers and comb polymers with long side chains readily adsorb on the solid surface, while comb polymers with short side chains are unlikely to adsorb. The simple models of comb copolymers with short side chains used here show properties similar to those of associating polymers and of globular proteins in aqueous solutions, and can be used as a first approximation to investigate the mechanism of adsorption of proteins onto hydrophobic surfaces.     

温度敏感树形聚合物

温度敏感树形聚合物结合了温敏聚合物对温度具有响应行为的特点以及树形聚合物非线形构造的方式、大尺度、结构易于调节和功能化等特征,在智能材料和生物医药等领域有着重要的研究价值和应用前景。此类聚合物可以通过在树形聚合物表面引入温敏基元、控制聚合物结构的亲疏水比例以及采用温敏基元直接构筑聚合物等方式形成,其温敏性可以通过调控聚合物内部或外部基团的亲疏水性、树枝化基元代数、树形构造方式等得以实现与控制。此外,树形聚合物独特的拓扑结构赋予其与线形聚合物不同的温敏行为及脱水机理。本文综述了包括温敏树枝状大分子、温敏树枝化聚合物、温敏超支化聚合物等不同类型温敏树形聚合物近年来的研究进展,重点介绍这些聚合物的合成方法、温敏行为和拓扑结构对温敏行为的影响,以及在纳米材料、生物医用、分子传感器等方面的应用研究。     

Methods for the synthesis of uniform polymers

The difficulties encountered in the preparation of polymers that are uniform chemically, structurally, and in their molecular weight are due mainly to the wide variety of possible polymers. This arcticle gives a review of attempts to synthesize homogeneous polymers by chain reactions and by stepwise synthesis. Syntheses on templates are extremely important in living cells; methods have recently been found for syntheses of this type that are independent of natural processes. Uniform polymers can also be obtained by reactions on existing polymers. In replicating polymers, this in principle requires the modification of only one polymer molecule.     

Synthesis and Fluid Properties of Associating Polymer Systems

This paper reviews the synthesis and fluid properties of several associating polymer systems. Both hydrocarbon-soluble and water-soluble associating polymers are described. The hydrocarbon-soluble associating polymers are based upon functional poly-octene copolymers. The water-soluble associating polymers are based upon polyacrylamide polymers containing hydrophobic groups.     

氢键型超分子聚合物的合成、结构与应用

氢键型超分子聚合物是重复单元经氢键相互作用连接在一起的阵列,可生成液晶态,多样化的几何形状和高有序的凝聚态结构。氢键的温度敏感性和可逆性导致氢键型超分子聚合物具有和传统共价键结合的聚合物不同的性能。氢键型超分子聚合物是一类动态的智能型功能高分子材料,可在光化学、光电转换、非线性光学、弹性体、水凝胶和生物医用工程等领域广泛应用。本文从氢键型超分子聚合物化学(合成与机理)、物理(结构与性能)和工程(加工与应用)三个方面介绍氢键型超分子聚合物的进展。     

The effect of inhomogeneous stickiness on polymer aggregation

The aggregation of polymers is important in the formation of marine aggregates and the vertical transport of material in the ocean. A polymer may be inhomogeneous along its length, with associating groups at some points along its length where bonds are more likely to form. In this paper we investigate the effects of inhomogeneous 'stickiness' along the polymer length. We describe the results of three-dimensional off-lattice simulations of polymer-polymer aggregation for four different types of polymer: polymers which are sticky along their entire length, polymers which are sticky at the ends only and two types of polymer which are slightly sticky along their entire length. We examine the mean radius of gyration and the fractal dimension of the resulting aggregates and the dynamics of aggregation. The slightly sticky polymers and the polymers which are sticky only at the ends form aggregates with a higher fractal dimension than the polymers which are sticky along their entire length. However, the mean radius of gyration of the aggregates formed by polymers which are sticky only at the ends is significantly larger than that of the aggregates formed from slightly sticky polymers. The aggregation dynamics are also different for the polymers which are sticky only at the ends compared to the slightly sticky polymers. A single 'stickiness value' is therefore likely to be inadequate to describe a polymer. We also examine the effect of polymer rigidity; it seems that the effect of inhomogeneous stickiness is greater for almost-straight polymers than for coiled chains.     

Silicon-containing amide,benzimidazole, hydrazide,and oxadiazole polymers

This study reports the synthesis of new silicon-containing amide, benzimidazole hydrazide, and oxadiazole polymers. Procedures are described for the preparation of several intermediate compounds. The silicon-containing polymers are soluble in organic solvents. Solution-cast films from the polymers generally are flexible and exhibit good adhesion to glass and metal surfaces. Preliminary examination indicates that the polymers are heat-stable at elevated temperatures.     

Living polymers. Their discovery,characterization, and properties

The story of the discovery of living polymers is presented. Living polymers are polymers that retain their ability to propagate and grow to a desired size while their degree of termination or chain transfer is still negligible. Theoretical and mechanistic considerations are discussed. The living polymerization technique provides access to uniform polymers (Poisson molecular weight distribution) of controllable size, block copolymers, functional polymers, and star and comb-shaped polymers. The quantitative aspects of electron transfer are fully discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: ix–xv, 1998     

ARCHITECTURE OF LADDER,TUBULAR AND SIEVE-PLATE POLYMERS PREPARED BY STEPWISE COUPLING POLYMERIZATION

"Stepwise-coupling polymerization" (SCP) is a very useful approach for preparing microstructure-controllableordered network polymers, including soluble one-dimensional ladderlike polymers (LP) and tubular polymers (TP), and two-dimensional sieve-plate polymers. The novel reactive LPs are important precursors of micro-structure controllable polymerssuch as "fishbone-" or "rowboat-"like mesomorphic polymers and their metal complexes as well as tubular polymers (TPs).They are full of great potential for use as advanced materials.     

Water-soluble biodegradable polymers: Synthetic or natural-based raw materials?

In this paper, we review some of the significant synthesis approaches that we and others have evaluated for producing commercially viable water-soluble biodegradable polymers. The goals set for these polymers, cost/performance equivalent with current non-biodegradable polymers and complete biodegradation or a high degree of certainty that they are free from potential adverse environmental impact, are realistic but very difficult to achieve. Hence, we believe that few new polymers are emerging or are likely to emerge in the near future because of the radical directional changes needed in the synthesis and environmental testing procedures for water-soluble biodegradable polymers. We consider polymers with structures and compositions that mimic nature most likely to eventually be successful in the market place regardless of raw material origin, provided that cost/performance comparable with current commercial polymers can be achieved. Poly(aspartic acid), recently developed, may be considered as a prototype of things to come.     

刚性链侧链型液晶高分子（甲壳型液晶高分子）研究进展

普通的侧链型液晶高分子属柔性链高分子,而“甲壳型液晶高分子”虽从化学结构着属于侧链型液晶高分子,其性质却和典型的眩链型液晶高分子相似,具有很大的分子链刚性。本文介绍了“甲型液晶高分子”这一科学概念及其研究进展,并对尚待解决的问题进行了探讨。     

高分子在生物工程中的应用进展

在生物工程中所用的高分子材料一般统称为高分子生物材料,其涉及的范围很广。医用高分子是其中很重要的一类,另一类就是在生物技术中所用的高分子材料。对于高分子生物材料可根据其材料性质进行分类,也可按使用范围进行分类。如体内应用的材料,半体内应用的材料和体外应用的材料。本文着重介绍了抗凝血材料、药用高分子材料及应用于生物技术中高分子材料的研究进展,并总结分析了这几个研究领域中的发展趋势。     

结晶高分子非晶区的结构及其动力学行为研究进展

非晶结构对结晶高分子材料结构和最终使用性能有非常重要的影响,但目前对半晶高分子中非晶结构的认识还不太清晰并且有待进一步完善.随着研究手段的发展,结晶高分子中非晶区结构及其动力学行为的研究受到越来越多的关注.本文简要概述了目前对结晶高分子中非晶相的研究进展,主要从结晶高分子中非晶区的结构﹑结晶高分子中非晶区的松弛行为﹑非晶相对结晶高分子性能的影响以及等温结晶过程中非晶相的结构演化这四个方面进行介绍,并对它们的研究现状进行了概述,同时指出了目前在这方面研究中存在的争议和问题.