Attenuated total reflectance/fourier transform infrared studies on the phase‐separation process of aqueous solutions of poly(n‐isopropylacrylamide)

Temperature‐induced phase separation of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous solutions was studied by attenuated total reflectance (ATR)/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The main objectives of the study were to understand, on a molecular level, the role of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic effects below and above the phase‐separation temperature and to derive the scenario leading to this process. Understanding the behavior of this particular system could be quite relevant to many biological phenomena, such as protein denaturation. The temperature‐induced phase transition was easily detected by the ATR method. A sharp increase in the peaks of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups of the polymer and a decrease in the water‐related signals could be explained in terms of the formation of a polymer‐enriched film near the ATR crystal. Deconvolution of the amide I and amide II peaks and the O? H stretch envelope of water revealed that the phase‐separation scenario could be divided, below the phase‐separation temperature, into two steps. The first step consisted of the breaking of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the amide groups of the polymer and the solvent and the formation of free amide groups, and the second step consisted of an increase in intramolecular hydrogen bonding, which induced a coil–globule transition. No changes in the hydrophobic signals below the separation temperature could be observed, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions played a dominant role during the aggregation of the collapsed chains but not before. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1665–1677, 2001     

Thermosensitive polylactide‐glycolide delivery systems for treatment of narcotic addictions

Environmental switches may be fabricated for the controlled release of pharmaceutical drug using a thermally responsive polymer with the intrinsic chemical and physical nature of stimuli‐sensitive smart materials. Particularly, much attention has been paid to the biomedical applications of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) because of its unique reversible transition at a specific lower critical solution temperature (LCST).Thermally sensitive block copolymers, poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide‐b‐poly(L ‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PNIPAAm‐b‐PLGA), and polyethylene glycol‐poly (lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PEG‐PLGA) triblock copolymers with different compositions and length of PLGA block were synthesized via ring‐opening polymerization of lactide and glycolide in the presence of OH‐terminated PNIPAAm or PEG. The composition and structure of the polymer were determined by NMR and FTIR. The effect of important factors, such as ionic strength, pH, and polymer concentration on the phase transition behavior of temperature‐sensitive polymers, were investigated by cloud point measurements. The resulting thermosensitive polymers were used for the entrapment of a narcotic antagonist drug, naltrexone, as the model drug. The loading efficiency and drug release behavior of naltrexone‐loaded hydrogels were investigated. The naltrexone loaded thermosensitive polymers were able to sustain the release of naltrexone for different periods of time, depending on the polymer composition, and concentration. In vitro release studies showed that these thermosensitive polymers are able to deliver naltrexone in biologically active forms at a controlled rate for 3–8 weeks. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

AB2‐type amphiphilic block copolymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) via single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization: Synthesis and characterization

Novel AB₂‐type amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), PEG‐b‐(PNIPAM)₂, were successfully synthesized through single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP). A difunctional macroinitiator was prepared by esterification of 2,2‐dichloroacetyl chloride with poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (PEG). The copolymers were obtained via the SET‐LRP of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with CuCl/tris(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl)amine (Me₆TREN) as catalytic system and DMF/H₂O (v/v = 3:1) mixture as solvent. The resulting copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and ¹H NMR. These block copolymers show controllable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI < 1.15). Their phase transition temperatures and the corresponding enthalpy changes in aqueous solution were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. As a result, the phase transition temperature of PEG₄₄‐b‐(PNIPAM₅₅)₂ is similar to that in the case of PEG₄₄‐b‐PNIPAM₁₁₀; however, the corresponding enthalpy change is much lower, indicating the significant influence of the macromolecular architecture on the phase transition. This is the first study into the effect of macromolecular architecture on the phase transition using AB₂‐type amphiphilic block copolymer composed of PEG and PNIPAM. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4420–4427, 2009     

Temperature‐dependent phase‐segregation behavior and antifouling performance of UV‐curable methacrylated PDMS/PEG coatings

Controllable phase segregation adjustment for immiscible polymer blends has always been tough, which hinders the development of amphiphilic antifouling coatings from more accessible blends. Herein, methacrylated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS‐MA) was synthesized and mixed with poly(ethylene glycol)methylether methacrylate (PEG‐MA). It was interestingly discovered that these PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA blends displayed upper critical solution temperatures (UCST) due to thermo‐induced conformational change of PEG‐MA and the UCST changed with PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA mass ratios. Micro‐/nano‐phase segregation, nanophase segregation, or homogenous morphology were therefore achieved. These PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA blends with different mass ratios were UV‐cured under varying temperatures to fabricate coatings. Their surface morphology and wettability are readily adjusted by phase segregation. For the first time, highly hydrophilic surface was achieved for coatings with microphase segregation because of the exposure of PEG‐rich domains, which exhibited an enhanced protein resistance against bovine serum albumin (BSA). Anti‐bacterial performance (Shewanella loihica) was also observed for these PDMS/PEG coatings. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1612–1623     

Azobenzene‐containing LC polymethacrylates highly photosensitive in broad spectral range

Two photosensitive chiral liquid crystalline azobenzene‐containing polymethacrylates having different length of flexible spacer connecting chromophores with backbone were synthesized and their phase behavior and photo‐optical properties were studied. Both polymers consist of lateral methyl substituents in ortho‐position of azobenzene chromophores providing high photosensitivity even in red spectral region as well as high thermal stability of photoinduced Z‐form of azobenzene chromophores. It is shown, that smectic phase (SmA*) formation in films of polymer with longer spacer predetermines its quite unusual spectral response to UV and subsequent visible light actions. The SmA* phase promotes spontaneous homeotropic alignment of azobenzene chromophores in polymer films. UV‐irradiation induces not only E‐Z isomerization but also results in disruption of homeotropic alignment, whereas subsequent visible light action enables to obtain films with the low degree of chromophores orientation. The photo‐orientation phenomena under the action of polarized light of different wavelength on polymer films were studied. The possibility of using red polarized light of moderate intensity for optical photorecording on polymer films is demonstrated. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2962–2970     

The influence of solid‐state microstructure on the origin and yield of long‐lived photogenerated charge in neat semiconducting polymers

The influence of solid‐state microstructure on the optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers is widely recognized, but still poorly understood. Here, we show how the microstructure of conjugated polymers controls the yield and decay dynamics of long‐lived photogenerated charge in neat films. Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) was used as a model system. By varying the molecular weight, we drive a transition in the polymer microstructure from nonentangled, chain‐extended, paraffinic‐like to entangled, semicrystalline (M_W = 5.5–347 kg/mol). The molecular weight range at which this transition occurs (M_W = 40–50 kg/mol) can be deduced from the drastic change in elongation at break found in tensile tests. Linear absorption measurements of free‐exciton bandwidth and time‐resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) measurements of transient photoconductance track the concomitant evolution in optoelectronic properties of the polymer as a function of M_W. TRMC measurements show that the yield of free photogenerated charge increases with increasing molecular weight in the paraffinic regime and saturates at the transition into the entangled, semicrystalline regime. This transition in carrier yield correlates with a sharp transition in free‐exciton bandwidth and decay dynamics at a similar molecular weight. We propose that the transition in microstructure controls the yield and decay dynamics of long‐lived photogenerated charge. The evolution of a semicrystalline structure with well‐defined interfaces between amorphous and crystalline domains of the polymer is required for spatial separation of the electron and hole. This structural characteristic not only largely controls the yield of free charges, but also serves as a recombination center, where mobile holes encounter a bath of dark electrons resident in the amorphous phase and recombine with quasi first‐order kinetics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Complex phase behavior and state of miscibility in Poly(ethylene glycol)/Poly(l‐lactide‐co‐ε‐caprolactone) Blends

A miscibility and phase behavior study was conducted on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/poly(l ‐lactide‐ε‐caprolactone) (PLA‐co‐CL) blends. A single glass transition evolution was determined by differential scanning calorimetry initially suggesting a miscible system; however, the unusual T_g bias and subsequent morphological study conducted by polarized light optical microscopy (PLOM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) evidenced a phase separated system for the whole range of blend compositions. PEG spherulites were found in all blends except for the PEG/PLA‐co‐CL 20/80 composition, with no interference of the comonomer in the melting point of PEG (T_m = 64 °C) and only a small one in crystallinity fraction (X_c = 80% vs. 70%). However, a clear continuous decrease in PEG spherulites growth rate (G) with increasing PLA‐co‐CL content was determined in the blends isothermally crystallized at 37 °C, G being 37 µm/min for the neat PEG and 12 µm/min for the 20 wt % PLA‐co‐CL blend. The kinetics interference in crystal growth rate of PEG suggests a diluting effect of the PLA‐co‐CL in the blends; further, PLOM and AFM provided unequivocal evidence of the interfering effect of PLA‐co‐CL on PEG crystal morphology, demonstrating imperfect crystallization in blends with interfibrillar location of the diluting amorphous component. Significantly, AFM images provided also evidence of amorphous phase separation between PEG and PLA‐co‐CL. A true T_g vs. composition diagram is proposed on the basis of the AFM analysis for phase separated PEG/PLA‐co‐CL blends revealing the existence of a second PLA‐co‐CL rich phase. According to the partial miscibility established by AFM analysis, PEG and PLA‐co‐CL rich phases, depending on blend composition, contain respectively an amount of the minority component leading to a system presenting, for every composition, two T_g's that are different of those of pure components. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 111–121     

Effects of hyperbranched prepolymers prepared from butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate on the electro‐optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal

Two hyperbranched prepolymers were synthesized via the reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer copolymerization of butyl acrylate or butyl methacrylate with divinyl benzene, respectively. These prepolymers were used in the photopolymerization‐induced phase separation process of preparing polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films with no risk of gelation. The morphologies of PDLC samples were investigated. Of particular interest was that the driving voltage (V₉₀) of PDLC with high glass transition temperature (T_g) matrix was as low as 5 V, whereas the V₉₀ of PDLC with low T_g matrix was still high. An explanation for this phenomenon is the hypothesis that different interaction modes function at the interface of liquid crystal and polymer. Meanwhile, the hysteresis of the two systems was minor, which correlated with the hyperbranched structure of polymer. The on‐state transmittance (T_ON) of PDLC films enhanced because of the well matching between the refractive index of polymer and that of liquid crystal. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of plasticizer on the ageing of Metolose films

The film-forming material, Metolose, was studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. It is known that above a given concentration the plasticizer (PEG) forms a separate phase. The controlled ageing of the films showed that there is a difference between the ageing processes of the monophase and that of the separated phase films. The ageing consists of a fast and a slow step in both cases. Our PAS measurements showed that this slow process is hindered in the phase-separated samples.     

Influence of alkoxy tail length and unbalanced mesogenic core on phase behavior of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers

When the flexible terminal substituent changes from butoxy to hexyloxy or longer, smectic C (S_C) liquid crystalline phase was firstly reported to develop from a kind of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (MJLCP) whose mesogenic side groups are unbalancedly bonded to the main chain without spacers. A series of MJLCPs, poly[4,4′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenyl)‐2‐vinylbiphenyl(carboxide)] (nC2Vp, n is the number of the carbons in the alkoxy groups, n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) were designed and synthesized successfully via free radical polymerization. The molecular weights of the polymers were characterized with gel permeation chromatography, and the liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy experiments, and 1D, 2D wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Comparing with the butoxy analog, the polymer with unbalanced mesogenic core and shorter flexible substituents (n = 2, 4) keeps the same smectic A (S_A) phase, but other polymers with longer terminal flexible substituents (n = 6, 8, 10, and 12) can develop into a well‐defined S_C phase instead of S_A phase. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 505–514, 2009     

Rejuvenation of PLLA: Effect of plastic deformation and orientation on physical ageing in poly(l‐lactic acid) films

Poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) is a bio‐degradable polyester which exhibits brittle behaviour due to relatively fast physical ageing of the amorphous phase. This work describes the effects of thermal rejuvenation and molecular orientation of the amorphous phase on this physical ageing process. Uniaxial compression testing showed that physical ageing of the amorphous phase increases the yield stress and the associated strain softening response, both contributing to the observed embrittlement of PLLA in tension. Molecular orientation at constant crystallinity was applied by uniaxial and biaxial plastic deformation just above the glass transition temperature, up to plastic strains of 200% to avoid strain‐induced crystallisation. Using stress‐relaxation experiments combined with tensile testing, both as a function of ageing time, it is shown that both uniaxial and biaxial plastic deformation in excess of 150% plastic strain, decelerates and possibly prohibits the physical ageing process. The oriented monofilaments and films have improved mechanical properties such as stiffness, strength and strain‐to‐break, which were not affected by physical ageing during the whole testing period (40 days). In addition, plastic deformation to higher draw ratios and/or higher temperatures strongly enhanced crystallinity and resulted in PLLA monofilaments and films that also exhibited tough behaviour, not affected by physical ageing. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2233–2244     

Side‐chain crystallization behavior of graft copolymers consisting of an amorphous main chain and crystalline side chains. II. Poly(n‐hexyl methacrylate)‐graft‐poly(ethylene glycol)

The phase behavior and crystallization of graft copolymers consisting of poly(n‐hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) as an amorphous main chain and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as crystallizable side chains (HMAx with 15 ≤ x ≤ 73, where x represents the weight percentage of PEG) were investigated. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering profiles measured above the melting temperature of PEG suggested that a microdomain structure with segregated PHMA and PEG domains was formed in HMA40 and HMA46. This phase behavior was qualitatively described by a calculated phase diagram based on the mean‐field theory. Because of the segregation of PEG into microdomains, the crystallization temperature of the PEG side chains in HMAx was higher than that in poly(methyl acrylate)‐graft‐poly(ethylene glycol) having a similar value of x, which was considered to be in a disordered state above the melting temperature. In HMAx with x ≤ 40, PEG crystallization was strongly restricted, probably because the PEG microdomains were isolated in the PHMA matrix. As a result, the growth of PEG spherulite was not observed because the PEG crystallization occurred after vitrification of the PHMA segregated domains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 129–137, 2007     

Microencapsulation of protein‐loaded polysaccharide particles within poly(D,L‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) microspheres using S/O/W: characterization and release studies

This report demonstrates a process to form polysaccharide glassy particles without water–oil or water–air interfaces as well as ionic polymers and its application in formulating sustained‐release dosage forms for structurally delicate proteins. When a co‐solution containing dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG) was subjected to freeze‐drying, the dextran separated out of the solution to form dispersed phases surrounded by a PEG‐rich continuous phase and was solidified during subsequent lyophilization to fine glassy particles, 1–2 µm in diameter. Water‐soluble proteins can easily be loaded in these glassy particles due to preferential partition and become resistant to organic solvents simply by adding them into the dextran‐PEG co‐solution. After washing away the PEG continuous phase with organic solvents, the protein‐containing glassy particles can be suspended in a hydrophobic polymer solution and formulated into various pharmaceutical dosage forms and medical devices for sustained‐release protein delivery. In the present study, myoglobin, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) were formulated in PLGA mcirospheres and as model proteins using this glassy particulate approach, and subjected to a series of assays for release kinetics, structural integrity, and bioactivity. The experimental results indicated that this system offered well preserved protein integrity and bioactivity as well as significantly improved protein release kinetics. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of novel transparent plasticized poly(butylene terephthalate)‐co‐poly(alkylene glycol terephthalate) gel

Transparent plasticized gels with good mechanical, optical, and dielectric properties have important applications in various fields. We prepared a new gel using a poly(butylene terephthalate)‐co‐poly(alkylene glycol terephthalate) (PBT‐co‐PAGT) copolymer and a plasticizer, dibutyl adipate (DBA). This method improved the polymer crystallinity, and suppressed particle formation in cast‐films when the polymer was dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoro‐2‐propanol, followed by solvent evaporation, and enabled uniform swelling of the polymer network by the plasticizer to form a transparent and flexible gel. The dielectric constants of the developed PBT‐co‐PAGT/DBA gels are much higher than those of PBT‐co‐PAGT films at low frequency. We believe that these PBT‐co‐PAGT/DBA gels could be used as photovoltaic, dielectric, and actuator materials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 829–832     

Synthesis and NMR characterization of 6‐Phenyl‐6‐deoxy‐2,3‐di‐O‐methylcellulose

Cellulose ( 1 ) was converted for the first time to 6‐phenyl‐6‐deoxy‐2,3‐di‐O‐methylcellulose ( 6 ) in 33% overall yield. Intermediates in the five‐step conversion of 1 to­ 6 were: 6‐O‐tritylcellulose ( 2 ), 6‐O‐trityl‐2,3‐di‐O‐methylcellulose ( 3 ), 2,3‐di‐O‐methylcellulose ( 4 ); and 6‐bromo‐6‐deoxy‐2,3‐di‐O‐methylcellulose ( 5 ). Elemental and quantitative carbon‐13 analyses were concurrently used to verify and confirm the degrees of substitution in each new polymer. Gel permeation chromotography (GPC) data were generated to monitor the changes in molecular weight (DP_w) as the synthesis progressed, and the compound average decrease in cellulose DP_w was ～ 27%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the decomposition of all polymers. The degradation temperatures ( °C) and percent char at 500 °C of cellulose derivatives 2 to 6 were 308.6 and 6.3%, 227.6 °C and 9.7%, 273.9 °C and 30.2%, 200.4 °C and 25.6%, and 207.2 °C and 27.0%, respectively. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of­6‐O‐tritylcellulose by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) occurred at 126.7 °C and the modulus (E′, Pa) dropped 8.9 fold in the transition from ?150 °C to + 180 °C (6.6 × 10⁹ to 7.4 × 10⁸ Pa). Modulus at 20 °C was 3.26 × 10⁹ Pa. Complete proton and carbon‐13 chemical shift assignments of the repeating unit of the title polymer were made by a combination of the HMQC and COSY NMR methods. Ultimate non‐destructive proof of carbon–carbon bond formation at C6 of the anhydroglucose moiety was established by generating correlations between resonances of CH₂6 (anhydroglucose) and C1′, H2′, and H6′ of the attached aryl ring using the heteronuclear multiple‐bond correlation (HMBC) method. In this study, we achieved three major objectives: (a) new methodologies for the chemical modification of cellulose were developed; (b) new cellulose derivatives were designed, prepared and characterized; (c) unequivocal structural proof for carbon–carbon bond formation with cellulose was derived non‐destructively by use of one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR methods. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a simultaneous measurement system of x‐ray diffraction and raman spectra: Application to structural study of crystalline‐phase transitions of chain molecules

The development of a bench‐top‐type system for simultaneous measurement of X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectra has been made to investigate structural changes in the phase transitions of chain molecules such as polyethylene, n‐alkane, and so forth from various viewpoints. For the X‐ray diffraction measurement an imaging plate or a charge‐coupled device camera was used as a two‐dimensional detector. For the Raman spectral measurement a miniature Raman spectrometer was used with optical fibers for the irradiation of incident laser beams and collection of scattered signals. For example, in the heating process of the n‐C₃₀H₆₂ sample, the phase transition from orthorhombic‐to‐hexagonal lattices could be detected clearly by the X‐ray and Raman measurements. By comparing these two different types of data in detail, an intimate relationship between conformational disordering and rotational motion of molecular chains is detected more clearly than before. Also, similar discussion can be made for the orthorhombic‐to‐hexagonal phase transition of the geometrically constrained polyethylene sample occurring immediately below the melting point. Another example concerns the structural change in the photoinduced solid‐state polymerization of cis,cis‐diethylmuconate single crystal. From the shifts in the X‐ray reflection position and Raman frequency characteristic of the produced polymer, it was found that the molecular deformation of the polymer chains and lattice strain was induced in the early stage of the polymerization reaction. For the ferroelectric‐phase transition of vinylidene fluoride copolymer, the simultaneous measurement was made for collecting triple information of small‐angle and wide‐angle X‐ray scatterings and Raman spectra to know the relationship between the structural change in the crystal lattice and the morphological change in the lamellar stacking mode. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 495–506, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10112     

Influence of long‐chain branching on the miscibility of poly(ethylene‐r‐ethylethylene) blends with different microstructures

The melt miscibility of two series of poly(ethylene‐r‐ethylethylene) (PE_Exx) polymers with different percentages (xx) of ethylethylene (EE) repeat units was examined with small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS). The first series consisted of comb/linear blends in which the first component is a heavily branched comb polymer (B90) containing 90% EE and an average of 62 long branches with a weight‐average molecular weight (M_W) of 5.5 kg/mol attached to a backbone with M_W = 10.0 kg/mol. The comb polymer was blended with six linear PE_Exx copolymers, all of which had M_W ≈ 60 kg/mol and EE percentages ranging from 55 to 90%; they were denoted L55 to L90, with the number referring to the percentage of EE repeat units. The second series consisted of linear/linear blends; the first component, with M_W = 220 kg/mol and 90% EE, was denoted L90A, and the second components were the same series of linear polymers, with M_W ≈ 60 kg/mol and various EE compositions. The concentrations investigated were 50/50 w/w, except for the blend of branched B90 and linear L90 (both components were 90% EE), for which 25/75 and 75/25 concentrations were also examined. The SANS results indicated that for the comb/linear blends, only the dB90/L90 blends were miscible, whereas the other five blends phase‐separated; for the linear/linear blends, dL90A/L83 and dL90A/L78 were miscible, whereas the other three blends were immiscible. These results indicate that long‐chain branching significantly narrowed the miscibility window of these polyolefin blends. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 466–477, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10102     

Characterization of an antimicrobial poly(lactic acid) film prepared with poly(ε‐caprolactone) and thymol for active packaging

Antimicrobial active films based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were prepared with poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and thymol (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) by solvent casting methods. The films were characterized by thermal, structural, mechanical, gas barrier, and antimicrobial properties. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the surface of film became rougher with certain porosity when thymol was incorporated into the PLA/PCL blends. Thymol acted as plasticizers, which reduce the intermolecular forces of polymer chains, thus improving the flexibility and extensibility of the films. The addition of PCL into the pure PLA film decreased the glass transition temperature of the films. The presence of thymol decreased the crystallinity of PLA phase, but did not affect the thermal stability of films. Water vapor barrier properties of films slightly decreased with the increase of thymol loading. The antimicrobial properties of thymol containing films showed a significant activity against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The results indicated the potential of PLA/PCL/thymol composites for applications in antimicrobial packaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design of selective molecularly imprinted sorbent for the optimized solid‐phase extraction of S‐pramipexole from the model multicomponent sample of human urine

The objective of this article was to design the selective molecularly imprinted sorbent dedicated to the solid‐phase extraction of S‐pramipexole from the complex matrix such as human urine. For that purpose, S‐2,6‐diamino‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrobenzothiazole was used as the template acting as the structural analog of S‐pramipexole and five various monomers were employed in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate to produce molecularly imprinted polymers. The binding capabilities of resulted polymers revealed that the highest imprinting effect was noted for polymer prepared from the itaconic acid. The comprehensive analysis of morphology and the characterization of binding sites showed not only negligible differences in the extension of surfaces of imprinted and nonimprinted polymers but also higher heterogeneity of binding sites in the imprinted material. Comprehensive optimization of the molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction allowed to select the most appropriate solvents for loading, washing, and elution steps. Subsequent optimization of mass of sorbent and volumes of solvents allowed to achieve satisfactory total recoveries of S‐pramipexole from the model multicomponent real sample of human urine that equals to 91.8 ± 3.2% for imprinted sorbent with comparison to only 37.1 ± 1.1% for Oasis MCX.     

Self‐assembly of star‐shaped polystyrene‐block‐polypeptide copolymers synthesized by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening living polymerization of α‐amino acid‐N‐carboxyanhydrides

The self‐assembling nature and phase‐transition behavior of a novel class of triarm, star‐shaped polymer–peptide block copolymers synthesized by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and living ring‐opening polymerization of α‐amino acid‐N‐carboxyanhydride are demonstrated. The two‐step synthesis strategy adopted here allows incorporating polypeptides into the usual synthetic polymers via an amido–amidate nickelacycle intermediate, which is used as the macroinitiator for the growth of poly(γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate). The characterization data are reported from analyses using gel permeation chromatography and infrared, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. This synthetic scheme grants a facile way to prepare a wide range of polymer–peptide architectures with perfect microstructure control, preventing the formation of homopolypeptide contaminants. Studies regarding the supramolecular organization and phase‐transition behavior of this class of polymer‐block‐polypeptide copolymers have been accomplished with X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analyses. The conformational change of the peptide segment in the block copolymer has been investigated with variable‐temperature infrared spectroscopy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2774–2783, 2006