Mechanical Properties of Polymeric Emboli for Occlusion of Blood Vessels

Investigations of the formation of solid emboli in an aqueous medium of biocompatible solutions of polymers were carried out. Approaches to the production of solid samples for tensile and compression tests were developed and their mechanical properties were studied. It is shown that the ultimate compressive and tensile strength of emboli formed in an aqueous medium slightly decreases with increasing time of aging in water and increases markedly with increasing polymer concentration in the embolizing solution. All the tested compounds exhibit strength sufficient to not be destroyed by the action of blood flow.     

Honeycomb micropatterning of proteins on polymer films through the inverse microemulsion approach

Here we report the rapid and convenient patterning of proteins on porous polymer film using the inverse microemulsion approach. Following this method, proteins, which were dissolved in water, were transferred into dichloromethane solution of polymers through the formation of inverse microemulsion by mixing the two solutions. The protein-containing microemulsion droplets accumulated automatically into large and stable ones on the surface of organic solution casting on solid substrates, and formed tightly packed microemulsion droplet arrays driven by surface tension. With the evaporation of organic solvent and water, the microemulsion droplet arrays, which act as the template, turn to honeycomb patterned pores bearing proteins in them. The formed protein patterns can be locally applied for the detection of other proteins through specific recognition. The generality and reproducibility for the formation of BSA/PS microporous film and protein patterning by using different polymers and solvents were demonstrated by investigating surfactant addition, polymer and solvent types, and casting volume on the morphology of the microporous films. A preliminary mechanism for the protein patterning is discussed based on the analysis of the experimental results.     

Formation and characterization of polymersomes made by a solvent injection method

In this article a solvent injection method is described for vesicle formation using poly(butadiene)‐ b‐poly(acrylic acid) diblock copolymers as the amphiphilic molecules. Vesicles composed of polymer bilayers are commonly referred to as polymersomes. Solvent injection is shown to be a rapid method for polymersome formation suitable to make large volumes of polymersome solution. The method can be manipulated to obtain a wide range of vesicle sizes depending on the polymer concentration and preparation conditions. Polymersome solutions in this study are characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), fluorescent microscopy, and electron microscopy. Polymersome sizes range from tens of nanometers to several microns. The membrane thickness of smaller polymersomes is found to lie between 14–20 nm. Larger polymersomes are found to have somewhat thicker membranes. The procedure involves the addition of polymers dissolved in an organic solvent to a stirred aqueous solution. The formation of polymersomes by this method is proposed to be governed by the limited mutual solubility of the two solvents and the simultaneous diffusion of solvent and water out of and in to initially formed organic solvent droplets. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Nano-threading of Polymers

When guest polymers are threaded by host cyclodextrins (CDs) to form crystalline inclusion compounds (ICs), the included polymer chains are highly extended and separated from neighboring chains. This is a consequence of the stacking of the cyclic oligosaccharides, α-, β-, or γ-CD containing 6, 7, or 8 glucose units, respectively, which produces continuous narrow channels (~0.5–1.0 nm diameters), where the guest polymers are included and confined. Observations that illuminate several important aspects of the nano-threading of polymers to form polymer-CD-ICs are described. These include (i) the competitive CD threading of polymers with different chemical structures and molecular weights from their solutions containing suspended solid or dissolved CDs, (ii) the threading and insertion of undiluted liquid polymers into solid CDs, and (iii) suspension of polymer A or B-CD-IC crystals in a solution of polymer B or A and observation of the transfer of polymer B or A from solution to displace polymer A or B and form polymer B or A-CD-ICs, without dissolution of the CD-ICs. In addition, we report observations of polyolefins adsorbed on zeolites, where we believe the adsorbed polyolefin chains are actually threaded and absorbed into the interiors of the zeolite nano-pores, rather than adsorbed on the zeolite surfaces. All of the above observations were made to assist in answering the question “Why do randomly-coiling polymer chains in solution or the melt become threaded or thread into the nano-pores of dissolved or solid CDs and solid zeolites, where they are highly extended and segregated from other polymer chains?” Though still not fully able to answer this question, we are able to assess the importance of several factors that have been previously suggested to be important in the formation of CD-ICs with both polymer and small-molecule guests and to the nano-threading of polymers in general. In particular, the value in observations of the inclusion of guest polymers, as well as small-molecule guests, into solid CDs suspended in their solutions and in neat guest liquids were made apparent, because interactions between host CDs, between CDs and solvents, and between quests and solvents, which complicate and make understanding the formation of polymer-CD-ICs difficult, are either eliminated or can be independently varied in these experiments.     

Solvent effects on the formation of nanoparticles and multilayered coatings based on hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexes of poly(acrylic acid) with homo- and copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone

The formation of hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexes between poly(acrylic acid) and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) as well as amphiphilic copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone with vinyl propyl ether has been studied in aqueous and organic solutions. It was demonstrated that introduction of vinyl propyl ether units into the macromolecules of the nonionic polymer enhances their ability to form complexes in aqueous solutions due to more significant contribution of hydrophobic effects. The complexation was found to be a multistage process that involves the formation of primary polycomplex particles, which further aggregate to form spherical nanoparticles. Depending on the environmental factors (pH, solvent nature), these nanoparticles may either form stable colloidal solutions or undergo further aggregation, resulting in precipitation of interpolymer complexes. In organic solvents, the intensity of complex formation increases in the following order: methanol < ethanol < isopropanol < dioxane. The multilayered coatings were developed using layer-by-layer deposition of interpolymer complexes on glass surfaces. It was demonstrated that the solvent nature affects the efficiency of coating deposition.     

Impact of solvent quality on nanoparticle dispersion in semidilute and concentrated polymer solutions

We investigated how solvent quality affects the stability of polymer-grafted nanoparticles in semidilute and concentrated polymer solutions, which extends our previous studies on these types of dispersions in good solvents [Langmuir 2008, 24, 5260-5269]. As discussed in the current article, dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to quantify the diffusion of polydimethylsiloxane-grafted silica nanoparticles, or PDMS-g-silica, in bromocyclohexane as well as in PDMS/bromocyclohexane solutions. We established that bromocyclohexane is a theta solvent for PDMS by varying the temperature of the solutions with PDMS-g-silica nanoparticles and detecting their aggregation at a theta temperature of T(Θ) = 19.6 °C. Using this temperature as a benchmark for the transition between good and bad solvent conditions, further stability tests were carried out in semidilute and concentrated polymer solutions of PDMS in bromocyclohexane at T = 10-60 °C. Irrespective of temperature, i.e., solvent quality, we found that the nanoparticles dispersed uniformly when molecular weight of the graft polymer was greater than that of the free polymer. However, when the free polymer molecular weight was greater than that of the graft polymer, the nanoparticles aggregated. Visual studies were also used to confirm the correspondence between nanoparticle stability and graft and free polymer molecular weights in a wide range of marginally poor solvents with PDMS. Further, the correspondence between nanoparticle stability and instability with graft and free polymer molecular weight and solvent quality was also supported with self-consistent mean-field calculations. Thus, by relating experiment and theory, our results indicate that nanoparticle stability in semidilute and concentrated polymer solutions is governed by interactions between the graft and free polymers under conditions of variable solvency.     

Solution behavior of ionomers. I. Metal sulfonate ionomers in mixed solvents

The solution behavior of metal sulfonate-containing ionomers has been investigated in various mixed solvent systems. Ionomers, such as lightly sulfonated polystyrene (sodium salt) and sulfonated ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (metal salts) are generally insoluble in typical hydrocarbon solvents, but readily dissolve when small amounts of alcohols or other polar cosolvents are present. At relatively low polymer concentration these ionomers display unusually high thickening behavior in nonpolar solvents when compared with nonionic polymers because of association of the metal sulfonate groups. The addition of modest levels of polar cosolvent markedly decreases the solution viscosity and gives rise to viscosity-temperature relationships different from those of conventional polymer solutions. For example, such solutions can display vicosities which increase, are relatively constant, or display maxima or minima over broad temperature ranges. These observations are interpreted as arising from a temperature-dependent preferential interaction of the cosolvent with the sulfonate groups. While these ionomers can be regarded as polyelectrolytes of low charge density, they do not display the typical “polyelectrolyte” behavior often observed in aqueous solutions. This anomalous behavior is attributed to the fact that the metal sulfonate groups are largely un-ionized in solvents of low dielectric constant. Therefore, the solution behavior is dominated by ion pair interactions rather than free ions.     

Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of Novel Magnesium Salt-Polyacrylamide Composite Polymers

Two series of novel inorganic-organic composite polymers have been prepared through physical blending of magnesium chloride and magnesium hydroxide respectively with polyacrylamide aqueous solution. The physicochemical properties of the magnesium salt-polyacrylamide composite polymers were tuned by varying the ratio between the magnesium salt (e.g., magnesium chloride and magnesium hydroxide) and polyacrylamide. Characterizations of magnesium salt-polyacrylamide composite polymers were carried out via FTIR and TEM. Parameters such as solution conductivity and viscosity were also taken into account to characterize the physicochemical properties of the composite polymer aqueous solutions. Magnesium chloride-polyacrylamide (MCPAM) composite polymer aqueous solutions have a higher conductivity compared to magnesium hydroxide-polyacrylamide (MHPAM) composite polymer aqueous solutions. The viscosities of the MHPAM composite polymer aqueous solutions were found higher than MCPAM composite polymer aqueous solutions. The rheological properties of the composite polymer aqueous solutions were investigated using steady-state flow and oscillatory frequency sweep within the linear viscoelastic region. Shear-thinning effect was observed for both composite polymer systems when the shear rate increases. In oscillatory frequency sweep tests, both composite polymer systems show that the viscoelastic behaviors depend strongly on the magnesium salt concentrations. Viscous behavior was found to be dominant for both composite polymer systems.     

Application of ionic liquids in the microwave-assisted extraction of trans-resveratrol from Rhizma Polygoni Cuspidati

In this paper, the application of 1-n-butyl -3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids aqueous solutions as solvents in the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique was first developed for the extraction of trans-resveratrol from Rhizma Polygoni Cuspidati. 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([bmim]Br) solution was selected as solvent; the conditions of MAE including the size of sample, liquid/solid ratio, extraction temperature and time were optimized by means of an orthogonal design L(9)(3(4)). Under optimized conditions, the extraction yield value of trans-resveratrol was 92.8% in a one-step extraction. The recovery was in the range 93.7-103.2% with relative standard deviation lower than 3.0% by the proposed procedure. The method was applied to extract trans-resveratrol from several different region samples. On the basis of extraction solvent and time, the proposed extraction technique was a green, rapid and alternative technique to extract and analyze trans-resveratrol in Rhizma Polygoni Cuspidati samples.     

Adsorption-entanglement layers in flowing high molecular weight polymer solutions III: Solution concentration and solvent power

Adsorption entanglement layers are thick, i. e. multimolecular layers formed at solid surfaces during the flow of high molecular weight polymer solutions. The present publication is concerned with the influence of solution concentration and solvent power on the formation of these layers. Three polymers have been used, polyethylene, polymethylmethacrylate and atactic polystyrene in various solvents. The formation and thickness of layers were monitored from their effect on flow behaviour. Two flow geometries were used: Couette flow — where the layers cause peaks in the shear stress during continuous shearing, and capillary flow where the layers reduce the flow rate. The results indicate that there is a critical concentration below which no layers form, and that this critical concentration is an order of magnitude less than the conventionally defined overlap concentration. It is also deduced that the layers form more quickly, and grow to be thicker when better solvents are used.     

Mutual macromolecular crowding as the basis for polymer solution non‐ideality

Semidilute polymer solutions differ greatly from dilute solutions in properties such as viscosity, relaxation time, elastic modulus, colloid osmotic pressure, and light scattering. Previously, Matsuoka and Cowman proposed a single semiempirical expression for the nonideality contribution due to the concentration and intrinsic viscosity dependence, which has no other adjustable parameters, but quantitatively fits data for flexible, semiflexible, and rigid polymers in good solvents. In this report, the excluded volume theory as proposed by Ogston and Laurent is generalized to include mutual crowding between identical polymers based on hydrodynamic volumes, and applied to derive the expression for the nonideality contribution to specific viscosity, colloid osmotic pressure, and light scattering. Additionally, consideration of the contribution of mutual macromolecular crowding to the effective solvent viscosity allows prediction of polymer relaxation time and elastic modulus in semidilute solutions. This theoretical approach now allows the prediction of semidilute polymer solution properties based only on concentration and intrinsic viscosity, and conversely allows intrinsic viscosity (and thus average molecular weight) to be calculated from measurements made on semidilute solutions of known concentration. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-assembly and morphology control of new L-glutamic acid-based amphiphilic random copolymers: giant vesicles, vesicles, spheres, and honeycomb film

New amphiphilic random copolymers containing hydrophobic dodecyl (C12) chain and hydrophilic L-glutamic acid were synthesized, and their self-assembly in solution as well as on the solid surfaces was investigated. The self-assembly behavior of these polymers are largely dependent on their hydrophilic and hydrophobic balances. The copolymer with a more hydrophobic alkyl chain (～90%) self-assembled into giant vesicles with a diameter of several micrometers in a mixed solvent of ethanol and water. When the hydrophobic ratio decreased to ca. 76%, the polymer self-assembled into conventional vesicles with several hundred nanometers. The giant vesicles could be fused in certain conditions, while the conventional vesicles were stable. When the content of the hydrophilic part was further increased, no organized structures were formed. On the other hand, when the copolymer solutions were directly cast on solid substrates such as silicon plates, films with organized nanostructures could also be obtained, the morphology of which depended on solvent selection. When ethanol or methanol was used, spheres were obtained. When dichloromethane was used as the solvent, honeycomb-like morphologies were obtained. These results showed that through appropriate molecular design, random copolymer could self-assemble into various organized structures, which could be regulated through the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance and the solvents.     

Phase behavior and structure of liquid crystalline solutions of cellulose derivatives

Summary Structural and thermodynamic characteristics of liquid-crystalline solutions of four cellulose derivatives in a range of solvents were studied. Basic observations were made on these systems using polarized light microscopy, small angle light scattering, dilute solution and concentrated solution viscosities. The polymers studied include hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), ethyl cellulose (EC), and cellulose triacetate (CT). The formation of the liquid crystalline phase was shown to strongly depend on polymer concentration, solvent type and temperature. The critical volume fraction of polymer required to form the liquid crystal phase varied significantly as the solvent changed. The critical volume fraction decreased with increasing solvent acidity and polymer intrinsic viscosity in a given solvent. The breadth of the two phase region seems to decrease with increasing acidity. The liquid crystalline phase was in most cases determined to be cholesteric. In all cases positively birefringent cellulose derivatives form negative spherulitic domains. In one case, the negativity birefringent system (cellulose triacetate) formed positively birefringent spherulitic liquid crystalline domains. This is interpreted to mean the structure organizes itself by a tangential alignment of polymer chains within the domain. SALS measurements appear to detect domains and in some cases cholesteristic pitch.With 5 figures and 4 tables     

Kinetic studies of solvent extraction of metal complexes—IX. Rate of complex formation of chromium(III) with acetylacetone in aqueous perchlorate solutions and in two polar organic solvents

The rate of complex formation of chromium(III) with acetylacetone in aqueous perchlorate solutions was determined by a solvent extraction method in 4-methyl-2-pentanone and 4-methyl-2-pentanol. The rate of complex formation in the organic solvents was also studied by a spectrophotometric method. On the basis of the results that the rate of complex formation was nearly the same in these three media, a mechanism for the extraction of the metal ions in aqueous perchlorate solutions with acetylacetone into these polar organic solvents was proposed.     

Self-assembly in evaporated polymer solutions: influence of the solution concentration

Amorphous polymers were dissolved in chlorinated organic solvents and deposited on thin horizontal substrates. The solutions with various concentrations of polymers were deposited and evaporated under ambient conditions in a slow air current. Self-assembled oriented mesoscopically scaled patterns were observed. The patterns were studied with optical and atomic force microscopy. The concentration of the solution exerts a decisive influence on the mesoscopic cell characteristic dimension. Cell dimensions grow linearly with the polymer solution concentration for all kinds of tested polymers, chlorinated solvents and substrates. The dependence could be explained by a physical mechanism, based on the mass transport instability occurring under the intensive evaporation of the solvent. In situ FTIR study of the process was performed first. It was established with FTIR spectroscopy that film porosity is not due to water droplet condensation under evaporation.     

Probing the pi-stacking induced molecular aggregation in pi-conjugated polymers, oligomers, and their blends of p-phenylenevinylenes

The role of pi-stack induced molecular aggregation on solution and solid-state luminescent properties was investigated for the tricyclodecane substituted bulky (p-phenylenevinylene)s (BTCD-60, with 60% bulky group), oligophenylenevinylenes (MEH-OPV and BTCD-OPV)s, and their polymer-oligomer binary blends. The natures of the solvent, concentration, solvent combinations (good or bad), and temperature were employed as stimuli to probe the origin of the molecular aggregates in bulky conducting polymers. Absorption, photoluminescence (PL), and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic techniques were employed as tools to trace aggregation in solvents such as toluene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), THF and methanol, or THF and water as well as in the solid state. The absorbance spectra of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy))-1,4-phenylenevinylene (MEH-PPV) and BTCD-60 indicated that the films obtained from polymers that were dissolved in aromatic solvents such as toluene were found to possess more pi-stacking as compared to that of films obtained from a good solvent such as THF. The solid-state emission spectrum of BTCD-60 was found to show almost a 5-6 times enhancement in PL intensity as compared to that of MEH-PPV. Concentration dependent excitation spectra of the polymers confirmed the presence of aggregated polymer chains in MEH-PPV, which is the main reason for the quenching of luminescence intensity in the polymer. Solvent induced aggregation studies of polymers in THF and methanol mixture further supports the existence of strong aggregation in MEH-PPV as compared to that of bulky BTCD-60. Variable temperature absorption studies confirmed the reversibility of molecular aggregation on heating/cooling cycles, and the extent of aggregation was found more in MEH-PPV chains as compared to that of BTCD-60. MEH-PPV/OPV binary blends were prepared in the entire composition range from 0 to 100% via solution blending techniques. Through selective PL excitation techniques, the effect of oligomer-to-polymer energy transfer and also luminescent enhancement in MEH-PPV via interchain separation were investigated. Both the energy transfer and the interchain separation were found to be more effective on the enhancement of luminescence properties in the BTCD blends as compared to that of MEH blends. Time-resolved fluorescence studies confirmed the existence of two types of species corresponding to the free and aggregated chains in the polymer matrix with lifetimes in the range of 0.5-2.0 ns. In the present investigation, we have successfully shown that the molecular aggregation of the pi-conjugated polymers, oligomers, and their binary blends can be controlled via suitable bulky substitution to tune their emission properties in solution as well as in the solid state.     

葡萄糖基聚膦腈水凝胶的制备

通过对葡萄糖的羟基引入保护基再与聚二氯磷腈反应后用强酸脱保护制得侧链含部分葡萄糖基的聚膦腈,然后测量聚合物与植物外源凝集素ConA混合溶液的透光率的变化来研究凝胶化过程.结果表明,在ConA的浓度相同的情况下,聚合物溶液的浓度越大,越容易形成凝胶;第二取代基团的水溶性好,葡萄糖的侧基比例大,有益于凝胶的形成.     

Mobility op polymer micelles

The nanosecond mobility of polymer micelles in aqueous solution of poly(N-propylmethacrylamide) and that of reversed micelles of a surfactant in organic solvents were studied by polarized luminescence. The factors affecting the polymer micelles formation and the effect of polymers solubilized in systems of reversed micelles of a surfactant on their relaxation properties were established.     

Preparation and Storage of Silver Nanoparticles in Aqueons Polymers

以水溶性聚合物为保护剂,采用化学还原法制备了银纳米粒子,分别利用透射电子显微镜、紫外可见光谱、同步光散射光谱等手段对其进行了表征,并探索了制备银纳米粒子的最佳实验条件。通过将银纳米粒子-聚合物溶液进行脱水,得到含有银纳米粒子的固态聚合物膜。将固态聚合物膜重新溶解于水,其水溶液的紫外可见光谱与脱水前的溶液进行了比较,发现两者性质并无明显差异。因此,将银纳米粒子分散固定在聚合物膜中是一种崭新而有效的银纳米粒子制备和存储方法。     

低苯乙烯含量的丁二烯-苯乙烯共聚物的激基缔合物荧光研究

本文报导一种低苯乙烯含量(5％,Wt.)的丁二烯-苯乙烯共聚物,经~1H NMR证明其分子链上不存在相邻苯乙烯单元。荧光光谱结果表明,它在良溶剂(二氯乙烷)的稀溶液状态下只呈现单分子荧光。从良溶剂-θ溶剂(二氯乙烷-甲醇体系)及稀溶液-浓溶液-固体之荧光光谱的变化,证明形成了链内非近邻生色团之间和链间生色团之间的激基缔合物(Excimer)。从固体与θ溶剂的激基缔合物荧光的比较,还可区分链内非近邻和链间苯环形成激基缔合物对荧光强度的贡献。这一结果对阐明高分子链内非近邻和链间激基缔合作用提供了新的证据,并有助于了解高聚物本体中相互穿透、相互缠结的无规线团的形态。