Functionalized electrospun mats from styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers for immobilization of acetylcholinesterase

A series of electrospun mats of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers has been functionalized by modification with two types of spacers - a polymer with a flexible hydrophilic polyether chain (Jeffamine® ED) and a rigid low-molecular-weight spacer (р-phenylenediamine). The successful modification of the microfibrous mats with these bifunctional compounds has been proved by ATR-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. In a further step, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been covalently immobilized onto the modified mats using glutaraldehyde as a binding agent. The amount of bound protein and the specific activity of the immobilized AChE have been determined. The highest activity has been displayed by AChE covalently bound to Jeffamine-modified microfibrous mats. Moreover, the immobilized AChE is characterized by enhanced thermal and storage stability as compared to the free enzyme.     

Interpolymer complexation and thermal behaviour of poly(styrene-co-maleic acid)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) mixtures

Polymer complexation between poly(styrene-co-maleic acid), (SMA28) and (SMA50) containing 28 and 50 mol% of maleic acid and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), has been investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All results showed that the ideal complex composition of SMA28/PVP and SMA50/PVP leads, respectively, to 2:1 and 1:1 mole ratio of interacting components.For the investigated systems, the T_g versus composition curve does not follow any of the usual proposed models for polymer blends. Withal, a new model proposed by Cowie et al. is used to fit the T_g data and it is found to reproduce the experimental results more closely. According to n and q obtained values, it seems reasonable to conclude that the inter-associated hydrogen bonds dominate in SMA28/PVP (2:1) complexes. This effect is corroborated by the FTIR study as evidenced by the high displacement of the specific bands and ionic interactions have been clearly identified. Finally, a thermogravimetric study shows that ionic interactions increase the thermal stability of these complexes.     

Improved protein-adsorption resistance of polyethersulfone membranes via surface segregation of ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)

A styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) alternating copolymer with ultrahigh molecular weight (M_w > 10⁶) synthesized in super critical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) medium was used as hydrophilic polymeric additive in the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. The PES/SMA blend membranes were prepared by immersion precipitation process. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirmed that the hydrolyzed SMA preferentially segregated to membrane–coagulant interface during membrane formation. For the PES/SMA blend membranes, no big change was observed in the cross-sectional structure and the mechanical properties were well maintained after SMA addition except that a thicker top layer was formed. The surface morphology analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the membrane surface roughness increased with the added SMA amount. The results of water contact angle, water absorbance measurements and static protein adsorption experiments revealed that the surface enrichment of SMA endowed PES/SMA blend membranes with significantly improved surface hydrophilicity and protein-adsorption resistance.     

In-drop derivatisation liquid-phase microextraction assisted by ion-pairing transfer for the gas chromatographic determination of phenolic endocrine disruptors

A novel in-drop derivatisation liquid-phase microextraction procedure with an ion-pairing agent is developed and optimised for the extraction of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The ethyl esters of the analytes were rapidly formed in the organic drop and analysed by gas chromatography. The effects of various parameters such as rate and time of agitation, ion-pairing agent and reactant concentration, pH and temperature were studied systematically to optimise the process and bring out the locale of reaction in the organic drop. A study of the mechanistic pathways of the overall procedure is attempted leading to interesting findings and delineating important points of the kinetics and mechanism. A mechanistic model is proposed on the basis of the theory of mass transfer with chemical reaction in two liquid phases. The O-ethoxycarbonyl derivatisation appears to take place in the bulk organic phase. The system provides insight into the first reported analytical case of single-drop extraction-preconcentration-derivatisation assisted by an ion-pairing transfer and has all of the interesting facets of chemical reaction in which the role of mass transfer comes into picture.The analytical features of the method are acceptable and the overall relative standard deviations of the intra-day repeatability (n = 5) and inter-day reproducibility were <3.9% and <5.4%, respectively, for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses and <4.3% and <7.1% for gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection analyses. The method was applicable to urine and surface water samples. The LODs ranged between 0.2-1.3 ng mL⁻¹ and 8.5-26.5 ng mL⁻¹ for GC/MS and GC/FID analyses, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable poly(ester anhydride) based on ε‐caprolactone and adipic anhydride initiated by potassium poly(ethylene glycol)ate

Novel biodegradable poly(ester anhydride) block copolymers based on ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) and adipic anhydride (AA) were prepared by sequential polymerization. ε‐CL was first initiated by potassium poly(ethylene glycol)ate and polymerized into active chains (PCL‐O^?K⁺), which were then used to initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of AA. The effects of the AA feed ratio, solvent polarity, monomer concentration, and temperature on sequential polymerization were investigated. The copolymers, obtained under different conditions, were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The GPC results showed that the weight‐average molecular weights of the block copolymers were approximately 6.0 × 10⁴. The DSC results indicated the immiscibility of the two components. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1511–1520, 2003     

Synthesis and micellization of amphiphilic poly(sebacic anhydride)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(sebacic anhydride) block copolymers

Amphiphilic biodegradable block copolymers [poly(sebacic anhydride)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(sebacic anhydride)] were synthesized by the melt polycondensation of poly(ethylene glycol) and sebacic anhydride prepolymers. The chemical structure, crystalline nature, and phase behavior of the resulting copolymers were characterized with ¹H NMR, Fourier transform infrared, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. Microphase separation of the copolymers occurred, and the crystallinity of the poly(sebacic anhydride) (PSA) blocks diminished when the sebacic anhydride unit content in the copolymer was only 21.6%. ¹H NMR spectra carried out in CDCl₃ and D₂O were used to demonstrate the existence of hydrophobic PSA domains as the core of the micelle. In aqueous media, the copolymers formed micelles after precipitation from water‐miscible solvents. The effects on the micelle sizes due to the micelle preparation conditions, such as the organic phase, dropping rate of the polymer organic solution into the aqueous phase, and copolymer concentrations in the organic phase, were studied. There was an increase in the micelle size as the molecular weight of the PSA block was increased. The diameters of the copolymer micelles were also found to increase as the concentration of the copolymer dissolved in the organic phase was increased, and the dependence of the micelle diameters on the concentration of the copolymer varied with the copolymer composition. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1271–1278, 2006     

Amphiphilic graft copolymers based on ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) with poly(ethylene glycol) side chains for surface modification of polyethersulfone membranes

Amphiphilic graft copolymers having ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (SMA) backbones and methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) grafts were synthesized via the esterification between anhydride groups with hydroxyl groups. The synthesized graft copolymers, SMA-g-MPEGs, were used as additives in the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes via phase inversion process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed the comb-like graft copolymers spontaneously segregated to membrane surface during membrane formation. Water contact angle measurements and water absorbance experiments indicated the PES/SMA-g-MPEG blend membranes were much more hydrophilic than pure PES membrane. The blend membranes had stronger protein adsorption resistance than pure PES membrane did. After washed using de-ionized water for 25 days, the blend membranes exhibited higher hydrophilicity and stronger protein adsorption resistance. This phenomenon was attributed to the further accumulation of SMA-g-MPEG additives on membrane surface in aqueous conditions. SMA-g-MPEGs can be well preserved in membrane near-surface and not lost during membrane washing due to their high molecular weight and comb-like architecture.     

Modification of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) with 1,3,4-oxadiazole units for electroluminescent devices

New copolymers of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) modified with 2-(4-aminophenyl)-5-(biphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole and hexylamine were prepared. The copolymers, characterized by UV-vis and FT IR spectroscopy, reached 1.22 mol % of the oxadiazole units relative to anhydride groups at the maximum (PSMA-4). Electric and optical properties of the copolymers were studied. The currents obtained depend strongly on the content of oxadiazole units in the copolymers. Currents measured in PSMA-4 were more than two orders of magnitude higher than those measured in the copolymers without oxadiazole. Using polymer blends made of poly(9,9-dihexadecylfluorene-2,7-diyl) and PSMA-4, blue light-emitting devices were fabricated and their photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra were measured.     

Synthesis of poly(ethylene glycol)/polypeptide/poly(D,L‐lactide) copolymers and their nanoparticles

Core‐shell structured nanoparticles of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/polypeptide/poly(D ,L ‐lactide) (PLA) copolymers were prepared and their properties were investigated. The copolymers had a poly(L ‐serine) or poly(L ‐phenylalanine) block as a linker between a hydrophilic PEG and a hydrophobic PLA unit. They formed core‐shell structured nanoparticles, where the polypeptide block resided at the interface between a hydrophilic PEG shell and a hydrophobic PLA core. In the synthesis, poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(L ‐serine) (PEG‐PSER) was prepared by ring opening polymerization of N‐carboxyanhydride of O‐(tert‐butyl)‐L ‐serine and subsequent removal of tert‐butyl groups. Poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(L ‐phenylalanine) (PEG‐PPA) was obtained by ring opening polymerization of N‐carboxyanhydride of L ‐phenylalanine. Methoxy‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐amine with a MW of 5000 was used as an initiator for both polymerizations. The polymerization of D ,L ‐lactide by initiation with PEG‐PSER and PEG‐PPA produced a comb‐like copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐[poly(L ‐serine)‐g‐poly(D ,L ‐lactide)] (PEG‐PSER‐PLA) and a linear copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(L ‐phenylalanine)‐b‐poly(D ,L ‐lactide) (PEG‐PPA‐PLA), respectively. The nanoparticles obtained from PEG‐PPA‐PLA showed a negative zeta potential value of ?16.6 mV, while those of PEG‐PSER‐PLA exhibited a positive value of about 19.3 mV. In pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution at 36 °C, the nanoparticles of PEG/polypeptide/PLA copolymers showed much better stability than those of a linear PEG‐PLA copolymer having a comparable molecular weight. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Preparation of poly(glycidylmethacrylate‐divinylbenzene) weak acid cation exchange stationary phases with succinic anhydride,phthalic anhydride,and maleic anhydride for ion chromatography

In this work, poly(glycidylmethacrylate‐divinylbenzene) microspheres were prepared and applied for the preparation of weak acid cation exchange stationary phases. Succinic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, and maleic anhydride were selected as carboxylation reagents to prepare three weak acid cation exchangers by direct chemical derivatization reaction without solvent or catalyst. The diameters and dispersity of the microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy; the amount of accessible epoxy groups and mechanical stability were also measured. The weak acid cation exchangers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; the content of carboxyl groups was measured by traditional acid base titration method. The chromatographic properties were characterized and compared by separating alkali, alkaline earth metal ions and ammonium and polar amines. The separation properties enhanced in the order of succinic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, and maleic anhydride modified poly(glycidylmethacrylate‐divinylbenzene) cation exchangers.     

Preparation and properties of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)/silica hybrid materials by the in situ sol–gel process

Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)/silica hybrid material has been successfully prepared from styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in the presence of a coupling agent (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) by an in situ sol–gel process. It was observed that the gel time of sol–gel solution was dramatically influenced by the amount of APTES. The hybrid material exhibits optical transparency almost as good as both silica gel and the copolymer. The covalent bonds between organic and inorganic phases were introduced by the aminolysis reaction of the amino group with maleic anhydride units of copolymer to form a copolymer bearing trimethoxysilyl groups, which undergo hydrolytic polycondensation with TEOS. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the glass transition temperature of the hybrid materials increases with increasing of SiO₂ composition. Photographs of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) inferred that the size of the inorganic particles in the hybrid materials was less than 20 nm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1607–1613, 1998     

Determination of endocrine disruptors in environmental waters using poly(acrylamide-vinylpyridine) monolithic capillary for in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A method for the determination of endocrine disruptors, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol, in environmental water samples was developed using in-tube solid-phase microextraction followed by liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. A poly(acrylamide-vinylpyridine) monolithic capillary column was applied as the extraction media in view of its greater phase ratio than open-tubular capillaries and thus higher extraction efficiency. After optimizing the extraction conditions, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol were extracted directly from water samples in a wide dynamic linear range of 0.5-1000 ng mL(-1), with the detection limits obtained as 0.064 and 0.12 ng mL(-1), respectively. The precision of the method was satisfactory with the intraday and interday RSD values smaller than 7.2%. Environmental water samples of different sources were successfully analyzed with the presented method and the monolithic capillary was proved to be robust and reusable in analyzing real water samples.     

Visualization of spontaneous aggregates by diblock poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(L‐lactide)/poly(D‐lactide) pairs in solution with new fluorescent CdSe quantum dot labels

Spontaneous stereocomplex aggregation of diblock poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(L ‐lactide) PS‐b‐PLLA/poly(D ‐lactide) PDLA pairs has been investigated under ambient temperature in tetrahydrofuran solution. First, diblock PS₂₆₀‐b‐PLLA₁₆₅ and PS₂₆₀‐b‐PDLA₁₆₂ bearing similar lengths of respective PLLA and PDLA blocks were synthesized through controlled atom‐transfer radical polymerization of styrene, and a subsequent living ring‐opening polymerization of optically pure lactides, and their structures were further characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gel‐permeation chromatography (GPC). Subsequently, new enantiomeric poly(D ‐lactide) stabilized core‐shell fluorescent CdSe quantum dots (CdSe/PDLA QD) were designed and prepared as sensitive fluorescence labels to shed new lights on the spontaneous stereocomplex aggregation in THF, which was mediated by stereocomplexation of the PLLA and PDLA chains. Upon simply mixing two individual THF solution of diblock PS₂₆₀‐b‐PLLA₁₆₅ and HO‐PDLA₃₀‐SH, spontaneous stereocomplex aggregation was studied, and the aggregated uniform spherical particles were observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) to exhibit average particle diameters of 2.0 μm. Finally, utilizing the prepared CdSe/PDLA QDs as new fluorescent labels, morphologies of the spontaneous aggregates by new diblock PS₂₆₀‐b‐PLLA₁₆₅/HO‐PDLA₃₀‐SH pair were for the first time directly visualized by a confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy (CLSFM). These results might suggest alternative ways to simply prepare functional fluorescent particles with tunable diameter sizes and would be helpful to understand the mechanism of stereocomplex particle aggregation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1393–1405, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of hydrolysable poly(ether-urethane-urea)s derived from l-leucine anhydride cyclopeptide; a green synthetic method for monomer

l-leucine anhydride cyclodipeptide (LAC) was prepared through a green method under microwave irradiation with good yield. Then a new class of hydrolysable poly(ether-urethane-urea)s (PEUUs) was synthesized via two-step polymerization method. In the first step, 4,4′-methylene-bis-(4-phenylisocyanate) (MDI) was reacted with LAC to produce isocyanate-terminated poly(imide-urea) oligomers (hard segment). Reaction of the resulting pre-polymer with different molecular weights (MW) of polyethyleneglycols (PEG)s such as PEG-400, PEG-600, PEG-1000 and PEG-2000 was the second step to furnish a series of new PEUUs. The resulting multiblock copolymers have inherent viscosities in the range of 0.4-1.8 dL/g. These multiblock copolymers are hydrolysable, thermally stable and soluble in amide-type solvents. Polymers containing different molecular weights of PEGs soft segments show different thermal stability, phase separation, hard segment cohesiveness and hydrolysis rate. Some structural characterization and physical properties of these PEUUs are reported.     

Synthesis,characterization, and degradation behaviors of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) modified by maleic anhydride and ethanediamine

In order to improve hydrophilicity and settle the acidity in hydrolysis, a novel ethanediamine (EDA) and maleic anhydride (MAH) modified poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer (EMPLGA) was synthesized. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1HNMR), titration and the water contact angles were employed to characterize the synthesized polymer. The effects of various polymerization conditions on weight average molecular mass (Mw), polydispersity index (PDI) and anhydride content of MPLGA were investigated. The degradation behaviors of PLGA, MPLA and EMPLGA were also studied by observation of the changes of the pH value of incubation medium, molecular weight and weight loss ratio for a time interval of 25 days in-vitro, respectively. The results showed that MPLGA with high anhydride content was successfully obtained by directly ring-opening polymerization and ethanediamine was further grafted onto MPLGA, and there is almost unchanged in Mw between MPLGA and EMPLGA polymers. The introduction of anhydride and amino groups improved the hydrophilicity of PLGA. A uniform degradation of EMPLGA was observed in comparison with an acidity-induced auto-accelerating degradation featured by PLGA and MPLGA. The results revealed that the introduction of ethanediamine into PLGA has weakened or neutralized the acidity of PLGA degradation products.     

Fabrication of electrospun poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibrous membranes by statistical approach for application in enzyme immobilization

Response surface methodology based on a five-level, five-variable central composite rotatable design was used to model the average diameter of electrospun poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibers. The effects studied include polymer concentration, distance, temperature, flow rate, and voltage. Fiber diameter was correlated to these variables by using a second-order polynomial function at a 95% confidence level. The analysis confirmed that polymer concentration, temperature, flow rate, and voltage were the significant factors affecting the diameter with the first three being the most significant ones. Also, no interaction effect terms were found to be significant. The coefficient of determination of the model was found to be 0.9443. The predicted fiber diameters were in agreement with the experimental results. The adequacy of the model was examined using additional independent experiments that were not employed in the model generation to fabricate 100–500 nm fibers with the average absolute relative deviation being 3.55%. A minimum fiber diameter of 36 nm was established and could be validated by experiments. When used for immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase by adsorption, the nanofibrous membranes provided enzyme loading as high as 332 mg lipase/g fibers, which is 5.2 times the reported maximum value.     

An efficient catalytic method for the Beckmann rearrangement of ketoximes to amides and aldoximes to nitriles mediated by propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P®)

An efficient method for the Beckmann rearrangement of ketoximes to amides mediated by a catalytic amount (15 mol %) of propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P®) is described. Aldoximes underwent second order Beckmann rearrangement to provide the corresponding nitriles in excellent yields on reacting with T3P (15 mol %) at room temperature. The main advantages of this environmentally friendly protocol include procedural simplicity, and particularly ease of isolation of the products.     

Solubility and Flory Huggins parameters of SBES, poly(styrene-b-butene/ethylene-b-styrene) triblock copolymer, determined by intrinsic viscosity

Solubility parameter and Flory Huggins interaction parameter of a triblock SBES have been obtained from intrinsic viscosity measurements. The solubility of the block copolymer in all solvents (methyl-cyclohexane, cyclohexane, cyclopentane, toluene and benzene) was found good except in the case of n-hexane. The results obtained are similar to other found in literature for SBR and SBS rubbers, and indicate that cyclohexane and cyclopentane and methylcyclohexane are the most compatible solvents for this kind of polymer.     

Electron-deficient [Ti(salophen)(OTf)2]: A new and highly efficient catalyst for the acetylation of alcohols and phenols with acetic anhydride

In the present work, a highly efficient method for acetylation of alcohols and phenols with acetic anhydride catalyzed by high-valent [Ti^IV(salophen)(OTf)₂] is reported. Under these conditions, primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols as well as phenols were acetylated with short reaction times and high yields. The catalyst was reused several times without loss of its catalytic activity.     

Electrospun zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/poly(lactic acid) nanofibers for pipette-tip micro-solid phase extraction of carbamate insecticides from environmental samples

In the present study, electrospun zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/poly(lactic acid) nanofibers were successfully synthesized and characterized as a potential nanosorbent for the pipette-tip micro-solid phase extraction of chlorpropham, pirimicarb, carbaryl, and methiocarb carbamate insecticides from environmental water samples. The extraction procedure was followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry separation and determination of the target analytes. All the effective parameters of the extraction procedure were optimized through the one variable at-a-time method. Thanks to the very simple extraction procedure as well as the application of electrospun nanofibers with high surface area, the four analytes were efficiently extracted with as lowest extraction times as practicable. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration plots of the analytes were obtained within broad linear dynamic ranges of 0.5 – 150 ng mL^?1 for chlorpropham and pirimicarb plus 1.0 – 175 ng mL^?1 for carbaryl and methiocarb, respectively. Besides, limits of detection as low as 0.2 and 0.15 ng mL^?1 for chlorpropham and pirimicarb, respectively, as well as 0.5 ng mL^?1 for carbaryl and methiocarb indicate the favorable sensitivity of the analytical procedure. The applicability of the developed method was evaluated by quantitative determination of the target analytes in four different environmental water samples. Relative recoveries higher than 88.0% shows the acceptable accuracy of the method in the quantitative determination of the four carbamate insecticides.