Self-assembled tri-block terpolymer blend membranes reinforced with poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated gold nanoparticles obtained through phase inversion technique

The blend membranes of polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene and polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone were designed using the phase inversion technique. The poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated gold nanoparticles are around 40–50 nm in size. The honeycomb-shaped nanopores were uniformly dispersed in polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene/polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone/poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated gold nanoparticles blend membranes. There was a 16% increase in tensile strength and a 33% increase in tensile modulus of polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene/polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone/poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated gold nanoparticles 1 relative to the neat membrane. With 1 wt% nanoparticles, the membrane showed a higher water flux of 59.2 mL cm^?2 min^?1 and a salt rejection ratio of 25.4%, while the polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene/polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone membrane without poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated gold nanoparticles had lower flux (43.8 mL cm^?2 min^?1) and salt rejection (18.5%).     

Encapsulation of silica nanoparticles by redox-initiated graft polymerization from the surface of silica nanoparticles

This study describes a facile and versatile method for preparing polymer-encapsulated silica particles by ‘grafting from’ polymerization initiated by a redox system comprising ceric ion (Ce⁴⁺) as an oxidant and an organic reductant immobilized on the surface of silica nanoparticles. The silica nanoparticles were firstly modified by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, then reacted with poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate through the Michael addition reaction, so that hydroxyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were covalently attached onto the nanoparticle surface and worked as the reductant. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), a common hydrophobic polymer, and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), a thermosensitive polymer, were successfully grafted onto the surface of silica nanoparticles by ‘grafting from’ polymerization initiated by the redox reaction of Ce⁴⁺ with PEG on the silica surface in acid aqueous solutions. The polymer-encapsulated silica nanoparticles (referred to as silica@PMMA and silica@PNIPAAm, respectively) were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. On the contrary, graft polymerization did not occur on bare silica nanoparticles. In addition, during polymerization, sediments were observed for PMMA and for PNIPAAm at a polymerization temperature above its low critical solution temperature (LCST). But the silica@PNIPAAm particles obtained at a polymerization temperature below the LCST can suspend stably in water throughout the polymerization process.     

Properties of a poly(ethylene glycol)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">block</Emphasis>-poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>-benzyl <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-glutamate)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">graft</Emphasis>-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer membrane

Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-block-PBLG-graft-PEG) copolymer was synthesized by the ester exchange reaction of PBLG-block-PEG copolymer with a PEG chain. Surface morphology of the PEG-block-PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer membrane was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Mechanical and chemical properties of the PEG-block-PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer membrane were investigated by tensile testing and contact angle testing. The effects of grafting ratio on the properties of PEG-block-PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer membrane were primarilly studied.     

Circular dichroism analysis of penicillin G acylase covalently immobilized on silica nanoparticles

Circular dichroism (CD) was used to characterize the secondary structure of penicillin G acylase upon covalent immobilization on silica nanoparticles. Covalent immobilization was achieved by functionalizing the silica nanoparticles with glutardialdehyde and coupling to the free NH(2) groups of the enzyme (lysine and arginine side chains). The loading of the covalently bound enzyme was increased up to saturation, which was reached at 54.6 mg immobilized enzyme per g silica nanobeads. For structural characterization of the commercially available enzyme its exact molecular mass was determined by mass spectrometry in order to enable precise evaluation of the CD data. The fraction of secondary structure elements of the free and immobilized enzyme were estimated from the respective CD spectra using standard algorithms (CONTINLL, CDSSTR, SELCON3). The fractions obtained by the different algorithms for the free enzyme agreed well with one another and also with data from X-ray diffraction described in the literature. Interestingly, the secondary structure fractions found for the immobilized enzyme were very similar to the free enzyme and nearly constant over all experiments. These results indicate that even a loading of up to 55.8 mg/g (enzyme per silica nanoparticles) causes only slight structural changes. However, the specific activity determined by a kinetic assay decreased by around 60%, when increasing the loading from 14.9 to 55.8 mg/g. Because of the fact that we found no major changes in the secondary structure, diffusion limitation seems to be the main reason for the decline of the specific activity.     

Block copolymers with liquid crystalline segments

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of polystyrene-block-poly(2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylene phenylterephthalate)-block-polystyrene and of poly(ethylene glycol)-black-poly(2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylene phenylterephthalate)-block-poly (ethylene glycol) block copolymers. The ABA-triblock copolymers were synthesized by condensation reaction of telechelic poly(2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylene phenylterephthalate) with ω-hydroxy polystyrene and ω-hydroxy poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether of different molecular weights prepared by anionic polymerization. Some aspects of the liquid crystalline behavior and the phase transitions with respect to the block copolymer composition will be discussed.     

Novel Supramolecular Hydrogels as Artificial Vitreous Substitutes

The possibility of employing self-healing gels as potential artificial vitreous substitutes is being explored. Advancement of traditional synthetic hydrogels as vitreous substitutes is hindered by their fragmentation upon injection into the vitreous cavity leading ultimately to inflammation. Preliminary work involved developing first generation self-healing gels, using amphiphilic tri-block copolymers of poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol) (PPG-PEG-PPG) as the building block. Eight linear self-healing gels are synthesized by tethering an ureidopyrimidinone system to synthetically modified PPG-PEG-PPG via the formation of a bis-urea as a linker. The reversible nature of the hydrogen bonds permits alteration of their physical properties by changing the environment, yet retaining desirable characteristics. Despite low solubility in water, these polymers demonstrated associating behaviour under the investigated conditions, which is encouraging. Future generations of self-healing gels should involve the selection of a more hydrophilic core and/or star-like polymers to facilitate gel formation and strengthen the network.     

Fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol)‐based hydrogels entrapping enzyme‐immobilized silica nanoparticles

In this study, we immobilized enzymes by combining covalent surface immobilization and hydrogel entrapment. A model enzyme, glucose oxidase (GOX), was first covalently immobilized on the surface of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) via 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and the resultant SNP‐immobilized enzyme was physically entrapped within photopolymerized hydrogels prepared from two different molecular weights (MWs) (575 and 8000 Da) of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG). The hydrogel entrapment resulted in a decrease in reaction rate and an increase in apparent K_m of SNP‐immobilized GOX, but these negative effects could be minimized by using hydrogel with a higher MW PEG, which provides higher water content and larger mesh size. The catalytic rate of the PEG 8000 hydrogel was about ten times faster than that of the PEG 575 hydrogel because of enhanced mass transfer. Long‐term stability test demonstrated that SNP‐immobilized GOX entrapped within hydrogel maintained more than 60% of its initial activity after a week, whereas non‐entrapped SNP‐immobilized GOX and entrapped GOX without SNP immobilization maintained less than 20% of their initial activity. Incorporation of SNPs into hydrogel enhanced the mechanical strength of the hydrogel six‐fold relative to bare hydrogels. Finally, a hydrogel microarray entrapping SNP‐immobilized GOX was fabricated using photolithography and successfully used for quantitative glucose detection. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Immobilization of superoxide dismutase onto ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles and improvement of its stability

In recent years, greater attention has been given to the application of mesoporous materials to the immobilization of enzymes. In this study, the immobilization of superoxide dismutase (SOD) onto the amine-functionalized cubic Ia3d mesoporous silica nanoparticles ([n-PrNH₂-KIT-6]) with an average pore diameter of around 6.5?nm was investigated. This organo-functionalized mesoporous silica was prepared using a non-ionic surfactant and was fully characterized by SEM, XRD, nitrogen adsorption?Cdesorption isotherm and FT-IR spectroscopy. UV?Cvisible spectroscopy studies demonstrated that the immobilized SOD was less prone to thermally induced aggregation than the free moiety. Further investigations using far-circular dichroism measurement intensity indicated that the structure of SOD before and after immobilization onto the [n-PrNH₂-KIT-6] nanoparticles was almost identical and the immobilized enzyme was more stable against GdHCl denaturation relative to the free one.     

Magnetite Nanoparticles Immobilized Pectinase: Preparation,Characterization and Application for the Fruit Juices Clarification

In this work, pectinase was immobilized on the surface of silica‐coated magnetite nanoparticles via covalent attachment. The magnetite‐immobilized enzyme was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometery techniques. Response Surface Methodology using Minitab Software was applied for statistical designing of operating conditions in order to immobilize pectinase on magnetic nanoparticles. The optimal conditions were obtained at 30 °C and pH 5.5 with 42.97 μl pectinase for 2 h. The immobilization yield was 50.6% at optimized conditions. Compared to the free pectinase, the immobilized pectinase was found to exhibit enhanced enzyme activity, better tolerance to the variation of pH and temperature, and improved storage stability. Both free and immobilized samples reduced the viscosity of apple juice from 1.12 to 0.88 and 0.92 mm²s^?1, respectively, after 30 min at their optimum temperature. Furthermore, the immobilized enzyme could be reused six consecutive cycles and the efficiency loss in viscosity reduction was found to be only 8.16%.     

Morphology and photoluminescence study of titania nanoparticles

Titania nanoparticles are prepared by sol–gel chemistry with a poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate triblock copolymer acting as the templating agent. The sol–gel components—hydrochloric acid, titanium tetraisopropoxide, and triblock copolymer—are varied to investigate their effect on the resulting titania morphology. An increased titania precursor or polymer content yields smaller primary titania structures. Microbeam grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering measurements, which are analyzed with a unified fit model, reveal information about the titania structure sizes. These small structures could not be observed via the used microscopy techniques. The interplay among the sol–gel components via our triblock copolymer results in different sized titania nanoparticles with higher packing densities. Smaller sized titania particles, (∼13–20 nm in diameter) in the range of exciton diffusion length, are formed by 2% by weight polymer and show good crystallinity with less surface defects and high oxygen vacancies.     

Preparation of stable gold nanoparticles by using diblock copolymer mixture as encapsulating agent

Gold nanoparticles by using the mixture of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine)/poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP/P2VP-b-PEO) block copolymers as encapsulating agent was prepared. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and contact angle. It is demonstrated that the obtained gold nanoparticles are covered with mixed block copolymer shells. The hydrophilic property of the nanoparticles can be varied by the change of the dispersion medium. The obtained gold nanoparticles with mixed block copolymer shells are stable in organic solvents (such as tetrahydrofuran and toluene) and water.     

One‐Pot Solvothermal Synthesis of Highly Water‐Dispersible Size‐Tunable Functionalized Magnetite Nanocrystal Clusters for Lipase Immobilization

A facile one‐pot synthesis of highly water‐dispersible size‐tunable magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanocrystal clusters (MNCs) end‐functionalized with amino or carboxyl groups by a modified solvothermal reduction reaction has been developed. Dopamine and 3,4‐dihydroxyhydroxycinnamic acid were used for the first time as both a surfactant and interparticle linker in a polylol process for economical and environment‐friendly purposes. Morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of the prepared particles were investigated by several methods, including FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA, zeta potential, and VSM. The sizes of the particles could be easily tuned over a wide range from 175 to 500 nm by varying the surfactant concentration. Moreover, ethylene glycol/diethylene glycol (EG/DEG) solvent mixtures with different ratios could be used as reductants to obtain the particles with smaller sizes. The XRD data demonstrated that the surfactants restrained the crystal growth of the grains. The nanoparticles showed superior magnetic properties and high colloidal stability in water. The cytotoxicity results indicated the feasibility of using the synthesized nanocrystals in biology‐related fields. To estimate the applicability of the obtained MNCs in biotechnology, Candida rugosa lipase was selected for the enzyme immobilization process. The immobilized lipase exhibited excellent thermal stability and reusability in comparison with the free enzyme. This novel strategy would simplify the reaction protocol and improve the efficiency of materials functionalization, thus offering new potential applications in biotechnology and organocatalysis.     

有机-无机杂化材料负载的钯催化剂: 一种新型有效而可循环的无铜Sonogashira偶联反应

本文报道了有机-无机杂化材料固载的钯催化的无铜Sonogashira偶联反应。在3-[N,N-双（二苯基膦）氨基）]丙基功能化的硅胶固载的钯催化下,末端炔烃和碘代芳烃、溴代芳烃的偶联反应生成高产率相应的偶联产物。反应条件包括使用乙二醇为溶剂,三乙胺为碱。而且硅胶负载的膦钯催化剂和溶剂乙二醇经简单处理,可循环使用6次不降低活性。     

Study on Self-assembly of Poly(ethylene glycol)- block-poly(γ-benzyl L -glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) Copolymer and Poly(γ-benzyl L -glutamate)- block-poly(ethylene glycol) Copolymer in Ethanol

Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG) copolymer was synthesized by the ester exchange reaction of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PBLG-block-PEG) copolymer with PEG chain, and PBLG-block-PEG copolymer was prepared by a standard N-carboxyl-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate anhydride (NCA) method. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the components of PBLG-block-PEG and PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG. The self-association behaviors of PBLG-block-PEG and PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG in ethanol were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic laser scattering (DLS), and viscometry. The experimental results revealed that the different molecular structures could exert marked effects on the self-assembly behaviors of PBLG-block-PEG and PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG in ethanol. PBLG-block-PEG and PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG could self-assemble to form polymeric micelles with a core-shell structure in the shapes of plump spherical and regular rice-like, respectively. Effects of the introduction of PBLG homopolymer on the average particle diameter of the micelles of PBLG-block-PEG and PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG and influence of testing temperature on the critical micelle concentration of different copolymers were studied.     

Aldehyde oxidase assay by capillary electrophoresis: From off‐line,online up to immobilized enzyme reactor

Capillary electrophoresis is a modern separation technique characterized by many benefits, which qualify it also for enzyme assays and the study of enzyme kinetics during drug development. Homogeneous or heterogeneous approaches can be followed for the enzymatic incubation. In this study, an immobilization procedure of aldehyde oxidase on magnetic particles was developed considering their integration with capillary electrophoresis. A number of magnetic nano/microparticle types were tested for this purpose, showing that aldehyde oxidase was most active when immobilized on bare silica magnetic nanoparticles. Primarily, the reusability of the enzyme immobilized on bare silica nanoparticles was tested. Three consecutive incubations with substrate could be performed, but the activity considerably dropped after the first incubation. One reason could be an enzyme detachment from the nanoparticles, but no release was detected neither at 4°C nor at 37°C during 5 h. The drop in enzymatic activity observed in consecutive incubations, could also be due to inactivation of the enzyme over time at given temperature. For the immobilized enzyme stored at 4°C, the activity decreased to 83% after 5 h, in contrast with a steep decrease at 37°C to 37%.     

Efficient Immobilization of Porcine Pancreatic α-Amylase on Amino-Functionalized Magnetite Nanoparticles: Characterization and Stability Evaluation of the Immobilized Enzyme

The potential of the modified magnetic nanoparticles for covalent immobilization of porcine pancreatic α-amylase has been investigated. The synthesis and immobilization processes were simple and fast. The co-precipitation method was used for synthesis of magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) which were subsequently coated with silica through sol–gel reaction. The amino-functionalized NPs were prepared by treating silica-coated NPs with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane followed by covalent immobilization of α-amylase by glutaraldehyde. The optimum enzyme concentration and incubation time for immobilization reaction were 150 mg and 4 h, respectively. Upon this immobilization, the α-amylase retained more than 50 % of its initial specific activity. The optimum pH for maximal catalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme was 6.5 at 45 °C. The kinetic studies on the immobilized enzyme and its free counterpart revealed an acceptable change of K_m and V_max. The Km values were found as 4 and 2.5 mM for free and immobilized enzymes, respectively. The V_max values for the free and immobilized enzymes were calculated as 1.75 and 1.03 μmol mg^?1 min^?1, in order, when starch was used as the substrate. A quick separation of immobilized amylase from reaction mixture was achieved when a magnetically active support was applied. In comparison to the free enzyme, the immobilized enzyme was thermally stable and was reusable for 9 cycles while retaining 68 % of its initial activity.     

Superparamagnetic Polymer Emulsion Particles from a Soap-Free Seeded Emulsion Polymerization and their Application for Lipase Immobilization

Using emulsion copolymer of styrene (St), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as seed latexes, the superparamagnetic polymer emulsion particles were prepared by seeded emulsion copolymerization of butyl methacrylate (BMA), vinyl acetate (VAc) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of the seed latexes and superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄/SiOx nanoparticles (or Fe₃O₄-APTS nanoparticles) through a two-step process, without addition of any emulsifier. The magnetic emulsion particles named P(St-GMA-HEMA)/P(BMA-VAc) were characterized by transmission electron microscope and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results showed that the magnetic emulsion particles held a structure with a thinner shell (around 100 nm) and a bigger cavity (around 200 nm), and possessed a certain level of magnetic response. The resulting magnetic emulsion particles were employed in the immobilization of lipase by two strategies to immobilized lipase onto the resulting magnetic composites directly (S-1) or using glutaraldehyde as a coupling agent (S-2), thus, experimental data showed that the thermal stability and reusability of immobilized lipase based on S-2 were higher than that of S-1.     

Novel synthesis of biodegradable poly(lactide-co-ethylene glycol) block copolymers

Biodegradable and amphiphilic diblock copolymers [polylactide-block-poly(ethylene glycol)] and triblock copolymers [polylactide-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide] were synthesized by the anionic ring-opening polymerization of lactides in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether or poly(ethylene glycol) and potassium hexamethyldisilazide as a catalyst. The polymerization in toluene at room temperature was very fast, yielding copolymers of controlled molecular weights and tailored molecular architectures. The chemical structure of the copolymers was investigated with ¹H and ¹³C NMR. The formation of block copolymers was confirmed by ¹³C NMR and differential scanning calorimetry investigations. The monomodal profile of the molecular weight distribution by gel permeation chromatography provided further evidence of block copolymer formation as well as the absence of cyclic species. Additional confirmation of the block copolymers was obtained by the substitution of 2-butanol for poly(ethylene glycol); butyl groups were clearly identified by ¹H NMR as polymer chain end groups. The effects of the copolymer composition and lactide stereochemistry on the copolymer properties were examined. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2235–2245, 2007     

Effects of denaturing acid on the self-association behaviour of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer in ethanol

Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG) copolymer was synthesised by the ester exchange reaction of PEG-block-PBLG copolymer with mPEG. The self-association behaviour of PEG-b-PBLG-g-PEG in mixtures of ethanol, chloroform, and trifluoroacetic acid as denaturing acid was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and viscometry. It was revealed that the increase in denaturing acid content in the mixed system not only promoted the critical micelle concentration but also changed the morphology of the polymeric micelles from elliptical to spherical.     

Redox polymerization process: An efficient tool for the synthesis of block copolymers

The synthesis of poly(acrylonitrile)-block-poly-(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(acrylonitrile) copolymers has been carried out using a redox system consisting of ceric ion and poly(ethylene glycol)s of various molecular weights in aqueous medium. The generation of intermediate radicals in the redox process has been confirmed by ESR spectroscopy and the polymerization progressing through ‘blocking from’ mechanism has been postulated. The formation of the block copolymers has been confirmed by chemical tests and fractional precipitation technique as well as by FT-IR and FT-NMR [¹H and ¹³C–(¹H)] spectroscopic techniques. The triblock nature of the block copolymers has been ascertained through the cleavage of ether linkage of the PEG segment. TG/DTA studies of the block copolymers with PEG molecular weights of 1000 and above revealed two-stage decomposition, while their DSC traces exhibited a shift in the melting peak of PEG. GPC investigations of the block copolymers manifested a high homogeneity with unimodal distribution of molecular weights. SEM studies indicated significant changes in the morphological characteristics of the block copolymers. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.