Polymer Nanostructures by Forced Assembly: Process,Structure, and Properties

The process of micro- and nanolayer coextrusion of polymeric systems with good layer uniformity is described. Coextrusion through a series of layer multiplying die elements has enabled the production of films containing tens to thousands of layers with individual layer thicknesses from the micro- to the nanoscale. Improvements in layer uniformity are discussed through optimization of layer multiplier die design, selection of viscosity matched polymer systems, and incorporation of surface layer capabilities. Design of ‘uneven’ split layer multiplication dies has enabled the coextrusion of layered films with a wide variety of layer thickness distributions having up to a 10× difference in the individual film layer thicknesses. Coextrusion of layered polymer films with individual layer thicknesses down to the nanoscale has resulted in the production of novel systems with improved properties. Nanolayered polymer films were utilized to develop an all-plastic polymer laser, to fabricate gradient refractive index lenses, and to investigate gas barrier enhancement of crystalline polymer nanolayers confined to induce a high aspect ratio, in-plane, single-crystal-like lamellar structure.     

Molecular length, monolayer density, and charge transport: lessons from Al-AlOx/alkyl-phosphonate/Hg junctions

A combined electronic transport-structure characterization of self-assembled monolayers (MLs) of alkyl-phosphonate (AP) chains on Al-AlOx substrates indicates a strong molecular structural effect on charge transport. On the basis of X-ray reflectivity, XPS, and FTIR data, we conclude that "long" APs (C14 and C16) form much denser MLs than do "short" APs (C8, C10, C12). While current through all junctions showed a tunneling-like exponential length-attenuation, junctions with sparsely packed "short" AP MLs attenuate the current relatively more efficiently than those with densely packed, "long" ones. Furthermore, "long" AP ML junctions showed strong bias variation of the length decay coefficient, β, while for "short" AP ML junctions β is nearly independent of bias. Therefore, even for these simple molecular systems made up of what are considered to be inert molecules, the tunneling distance cannot be varied independently of other electrical properties, as is commonly assumed.     

Janus Graft Block Copolymers: Design of a Polymer Architecture for Independently Tuned Nanostructures and Polymer Properties

The graft‐through synthesis of Janus graft block copolymers (GBCPs) from branched macromonomers composed of various combinations of homopolymers is presented. Self‐assembly of GBCPs resulted in ordered nanostructures with ultra‐small domain sizes down to 2.8 nm (half‐pitch). The grafted architecture introduces an additional parameter, the backbone length, which enables control over the thermomechanical properties and processability of the GBCPs independently of their self‐assembled nanostructures. The simple synthetic route to GBCPs and the possibility of using a variety of polymer combinations contribute to the universality of this technique.     

Polymer electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors: low-voltage, high-current switches for organic electronics and testbeds for probing electrical transport at high charge carrier density

We report the fabrication and extensive characterization of solid polymer electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (PEG-FETs) in which a polyethylene oxide (PEO) film containing a dissolved Li salt is used to modulate the hole conductivity of a polymer semiconductor. The large capacitance (approximately 10 microF/cm2) of the solution-processed polymer electrolyte gate dielectric facilitates polymer semiconductor conductivities on the order of 103 S/cm at low gate voltages (<3 V). In PEG-FETs based on regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene), gate-induced hole densities were 2 x 10(14) charges/cm2 with mobilities >3 cm2/V.s. PEG-FETs fabricated with gate electrodes either aligned or intentionally nonaligned to the channel exhibited dramatically different electrical behavior when tested in vacuum or in air. Large differences in ionic diffusivity can explain the dominance of either electrostatic charging (in vacuum) or bulk electrochemical doping (in air) as the device operational mechanism. The use of a larger anion in the polymer electrolyte, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI-), yielded transistors that showed clear current saturation and square law behavior in the output characteristics, which also points to electrostatic (field-effect) charging. In addition, negative transconductances were observed using the PEO/LiTFSI electrolyte for all three polymer semiconductors at gate voltages larger than -3 V. Bias stress measurements performed with PEO/LiTFSI-gated bottom contact PEG-FETs showed that polymer semiconductors can sustain high ON currents for greater than 10 min without large losses in conductance. Collectively, the results indicate that PEG-FETs may serve as useful devices for high-current/low-voltage applications and as testbeds for probing electrical transport in polymer semiconductors at high charge density.     

Kinetics of enzyme attack on substrates covalently attached to solid surfaces: influence of spacer chain length, immobilized substrate surface concentration and surface charge

The use of alpha-chymotrypsin to cleave covalently bound N-acetyl- l-tryptophan (Ac-Trp-OH) from the surfaces of aminopropylated controlled pore glass (CPG) and the polymer PEGA 1,900 was investigated. Oligoglycine spacer chains were used to present the covalently attached Ac-Trp-OH substrate to the aqueous enzyme. In the absence of the oligoglycine spacer chain, the rate of release was relatively slow, especially from the PEGA 1,900. These slow rates reflect the position of the amino group to which Ac-Trp-OH is covalently attached. On the glass there was a clear optimum with a chain of four glycine residues. For PEGA 1,900 there is no real apparent change beyond two glycine residues. The decline in rate beyond these optima are a possible result of changes in oligoglycine structure. Comparing different surface loadings of bound substrate the rate of release of Ac-Trp-OH from CPG with a pore diameter of 1,200 A was optimal when using 83% of the maximum that can be coupled, then fell again at higher loading. The rate of Ac-Trp-OH release from CPG was the same for surface coverages of 0.4 and 1.0. The introduction of permanent surface charges on CPG 1,200 exhibits a distinct influence on enzymatic cleavage with an increase in the rate of biocatalysis at the surface. Optimal presentation of covalently immobilized substrate on different supports by use of appropriate linkers leads to favorable biocatalysis from the support.     

Polymer coupling and theory of on-random crosslinking: an analytical solution

Gel formation is an important feature in free-radical polymer coupling. Due to the different possible combination reactivities of each polymer backbone radical, polymer chains are crosslinked in a non-random manner. Equations of the moments have been derived to predict the pregel molecular weight development and the crosslink density at gel point. This work provides an analytical solution for the differential equations. The model agrees with the Flory-Stockmayer gelation theory under the condition of random crosslinking. The magnitude of deviations from the classical theory for non-random crosslinking depends on the product of the radical termination reactivity ratios (r₁r₂), the ratio of the rate constants of backbone radical generation (k), the ratio of the weight-average chain lengths of primary polymers (y), and the polymer weight fractions (w₂).     

Network parameters for crosslinking of chains with length and site distribution

Polymer chains are crosslinked to form a network. The chains are polydispersed, with an arbitrary distribution of weight and functionality. Crosslinks may form in three different ways: direct coupling (homopolymerization), direct coupling with propagation, and coupling through copolymerization with small monomers. Various network parameters are calculated. We give computational formulae for gel point, weight fraction soluble, weight fraction pendant, weight fraction effective, concentration of effective junctions, concentration of effective network strands, and the entanglement trapping factor. These formulae give exact values for systems that previously have only been solved using simplifying approximations. Examples show that such simplification may lead to sizable errors in the computation of network parameters.     

Diblock polyampholytes grafted onto spherical particles: effect of stiffness, charge density, and grafting density

The structure of spherical brushes formed by symmetric diblock polyampholytes end-grafted onto small spherical particles in aqueous solution is examined within the framework of the so-called primitive model using Monte Carlo simulations. The properties of the two blocks are identical except for the sign of their charges. Three different chain flexibilities corresponding to flexible, semiflexible, and stiff blocks are considered at various polyampholyte linear charge densities and grafting densities. The link between the two blocks is flexible at all conditions, and the grafted segments are laterally mobile. Radial and lateral spatial distribution functions of different types and single-chain properties are analyzed. The brush structure strongly depends on the chain flexibility. With flexible chains, a disordered polyelectrolyte complex is formed at the surface of the particle, the complex becoming more compact at increasing linear charge density. With stiff blocks, the inner blocks are radially oriented. At low linear charged density, the outer blocks are orientationally disordered, whereas at increasing electrostatic interaction the two blocks of a polyampholyte are parallel and close to each other, leading to an ordered structure referred to as a polyampholyte star. As the grafting density is increased, the brush thickness responds differently for flexible and nonflexible chains, depending on a different balance between electrostatic interactions and excluded volume effects.     

Host-guest complexation affected by pH and length of spacer for hydroxyazobenzene-modified cyclodextrins

Three modified beta-cyclodextrins appended with a hydroxyazobenzene as a dye unit, 1, 2, and 3, each incorporating a different length spacer between the beta-CD and the dye unit with a bis(propyl(oxyethylene)), butylene, and amide bond spacer, respectively, were synthesized in order to investigate their spectroscopic changes induced by pH and host-guest complexation as well as to investigate their conformations and guest-binding properties by means of absorption and induced circular dichroism spectroscopies in aqueous solutions. All hosts accommodated the dye unit in their own CD cavities with an orientation parallel to the CD axis, forming intramolecular complexes. When the pH of the solution changed, the structure changed in response to pH without conformational changes. Existing as the phenol form under acidic condition, they were converted to the yellow phenolate form by dissociation of a proton of the hydroxyl group in the dye unit with increasing pH (pK(a1); 7.62 for 1, 7.44 for 2, 8.00 for 3). Further increase in pH led to the dissociation of the ammonium proton in the secondary amine group in the spacer of 1 and 2 (pK(a2); 8.76 for 1, 8.67 for 2). Upon addition of 1-adamantanol (AN) as a guest, all hosts accommodated AN in their CD cavities, forming 1:1 host-guest inclusion complexes. The complexation phenomena were accompanied with changes in the conformation of the hosts, in which the dye units of 1 and 2 are excluded to outside of the cavity, but not for 3. The dye unit of 3 remained in the cavity, where the guest was also included partly. Therefore, the guest-binding abilities of 1 and 2 were larger than that of 3, which has poor binding ability. The binding constants of 1, 2, and 3 for AN are estimated to be 7400, 1940, and 140 M(-1) at pH 3.2, respectively. However, the guest-binding abilities of 1 and 2 were dependent on the pH of the solution. The ability of 1 under weak alkaline condition was stronger than under acidic or alkaline conditions, while that of 2 increased with increasing pH. Under the condition from neutral to weak alkaline media, 1 and 2 demonstrated color changes from colorless to yellow upon formation of inclusion complexes. When 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid (AC) was used as the charged guest, 1 and 2 bound to AC with a larger binding constant than AN. On the other hand, 1 and 2 bound to 1-adamantineamine (AA) with a smaller binding constant than AN. All these results demonstrate that the complexation phenomena depend on the pH of the solution as well as the length of the spacer of the hosts and that the electrostatic interaction between the host and the guest is also important for forming a stable complex.     

Molecular weight relations for crosslinking of chains with length and site distribution

Many polymer networks are formed by crosslinked polymer chains through reactive sites distributed along the chains. How these sites are distributed as well as the chain length distribution can have a significant effect on properties like the gel conversion and molecular weight. Previous treatments have used simplifying approximations. In this paper we eliminate these approximations and derive computational formulae for weight average molecular weight and gel point for polymer chains of any length and reactive site distribution. Three types of crosslinking are considered: direct coupling of chains (homopolymerization), direct coupling through propagation, and coupling through copolymerization with small monomers.     

Effect of chain length and charge density on the construction of polyelectrolyte multilayers on colloidal particles

Two combinations of sodium poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) of different chain length and charge density are employed to construct multilayer films. The polyelectrolytes are assembled layer-by-layer on colloidal particles in the absence of salt. We have investigated the formation and electrical characteristics of the films by using electric light scattering technique. The results show that the film thickness is independent of the chain length when fully charged PAH (at pH 4.6) is combined with fully charged PSS. When the films are prepared with less charged PAH (at pH 6.7) and fully charged PSS, lower thickness is found for the film with shorter polymer chains. In all cases, the thickness increment realized on addition of the polymer with lower molar concentration is partially lost on exposure to the solution with higher concentration of the oppositely charged partner. When the film growth is regular (at equal molar concentrations of the fully charged polyelectrolytes), the ratio of PSS to PAH charge, estimated from the electro-optical effect values, exceeds 1. The electro-optical effect is also higher for the films ending with PSS when fully charged PSS is combined with less charged PAH (at pH 6.7). This reveals the key role of the charge in the last-adsorbed layer for the electro-optical behavior of the whole film.     

Mixtures of monomeric and dimeric surfactants: hydrophobic chain length and spacer group length effects on non ideality

Critical micelle concentrations of the Cm TAB+12- s-12 (s=3, 4, 5 and m=10, 12, 14, 16) binary systems have been determined, through conductivity and fluorescence measurements, at 298 K. Application of different theoretical approaches to explain mixed micellization shows that non-ideality of the binary systems follows the trend C16TAB+12-3-12相似文献   

Radiochemistry,Production Processes,Labeling Methods,and ImmunoPET Imaging Pharmaceuticals of Iodine-124

Target-specific biomolecules, monoclonal antibodies (mAb), proteins, and protein fragments are known to have high specificity and affinity for receptors associated with tumors and other pathological conditions. However, the large biomolecules have relatively intermediate to long circulation half-lives (>day) and tumor localization times. Combining superior target specificity of mAbs and high sensitivity and resolution of the PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging technique has created a paradigm-shifting imaging modality, ImmunoPET. In addition to metallic PET radionuclides, ¹²⁴I is an attractive radionuclide for radiolabeling of mAbs as potential immunoPET imaging pharmaceuticals due to its physical properties (decay characteristics and half-life), easy and routine production by cyclotrons, and well-established methodologies for radioiodination. The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive review of the physical properties of iodine and iodine radionuclides, production processes of ¹²⁴I, various ¹²⁴I-labeling methodologies for large biomolecules, mAbs, and the development of ¹²⁴I-labeled immunoPET imaging pharmaceuticals for various cancer targets in preclinical and clinical environments. A summary of several production processes, including ¹²³Te(d,n)¹²⁴I, ¹²⁴Te(d,2n)¹²⁴I, ¹²¹Sb(α,n)¹²⁴I, ¹²³Sb(α,3n)¹²⁴I, ¹²³Sb(³He,2n)¹²⁴I, ^natSb(α, xn)¹²⁴I, ^natSb(³He,n)¹²⁴I reactions, a detailed overview of the ¹²⁴Te(p,n)¹²⁴I reaction (including target selection, preparation, processing, and recovery of ¹²⁴I), and a fully automated process that can be scaled up for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) production of large quantities of ¹²⁴I is provided. Direct, using inorganic and organic oxidizing agents and enzyme catalysis, and indirect, using prosthetic groups, ¹²⁴I-labeling techniques have been discussed. Significant research has been conducted, in more than the last two decades, in the development of ¹²⁴I-labeled immunoPET imaging pharmaceuticals for target-specific cancer detection. Details of preclinical and clinical evaluations of the potential ¹²⁴I-labeled immunoPET imaging pharmaceuticals are described here.     

Polymeric oxidizing reagents based on polyacrylamides: Effect of the nature and extent of crosslinking on reactivity

Acrylamide was copolymerized with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide (NNMBA), tetraethyl-eneglycol diacrylate (TEGDA), and divinyl benzene (DVB) in different proportions to afford crosslinked polyacrylamides with varying nature and extent of crosslinking. These insoluble polymers were functionalized with the N-bromoamide function and the reactivity of the resulting polymeric N-bromoamide was investigated under different conditions. The capacities of the reagents varied from 6.7 mequiv / g for the linear polymeric reagent to 1.1 mequiv / g for the 15% DVB-crosslinked reagent. Oxidation of benzoin to benzil was used as the model reaction. Investigation of the reaction under different conditions of solvent and varying molar excess revealed a significant influence of the nature and extent of crosslinking in deciding the extent of reaction. In the case of NNMBA-crosslinked reagents, the reactivity increased up to 10% crosslinking and then decreased. The reactivity of the reagents increased up to 15% crosslinking in the case of TEGDA-crosslinked ones and for DVB-crosslinked reagents the reactivity decreased with crosslinking. The polarity of the crosslinking agent and its molar percentage on the polymeric reagent (crosslink density) are factors affecting the solvent compatibility, which in turn, is decisive in the facilitation of the reactions.     

Photo-degradation and photo-oxidation of polyolefins: Importance of oxygen-polymer charge transfer complexes

The effect of prior irradiation (λ's > 300 nm) in an inert atmosphere on the subsequent photo-oxidative stabilities of polypropylene and low density polyethylene films has been examined using luminescence, infra-red and ultraviolet absorption techniques. Prior prolonged irradiation in an inert atmosphere of nitrogen was found to have no significant effect on the subsequent rates of photo-oxidation of the polymer films. The importance of oxygen-polymer charge transfer complexes in initiating photo-oxidation of the polymers is discussed in relation to the behaviour of other major photo-initiators such as carbonyl/unsaturated carbonyl and hydroperoxide groups.     

Tetrachelate porphyrin chromophores for metal oxide semiconductor sensitization: effect of the spacer length and anchoring group position

Four Zn(II)-tetra(carboxyphenyl)porphyrins in solution and bound to metal oxide (TiO2, ZnO, and ZrO2) nanoparticle films were studied to determine the effect of the spacer length and anchoring group position (para or meta) on their binding geometry and photoelectrochemical and photophysical properties. The properties of three types of anchoring groups (COOH and COONHEt3) for four Zn(II)-porphyrins (Zn(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (p-ZnTCPP), Zn(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCPP), Zn(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-(4-carboxyphenyl)phenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCP2P), and Zn(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-ethynyl(4-carboxyphenyl)phenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTC(PEP)P)) were compared. In m-ZnTCPP, m-ZnTCP2P, and m-ZnTC(PEP)P the four anchoring groups are in the meta position on the meso-phenyl rings of the porphyrin macrocycle, thus favoring a planar binding mode to the metal oxide surfaces. The three meta-substituted porphyrin salts have rigid spacer units of increasing length (phenyl (P), biphenyl (P2), and diphenylethynyl (PEP)) between the porphyrin ring and the carboxy anchoring groups, thus raising the macrocycle from the metal oxide surface. All porphyrins studied here, when bound to TiO2 and ZnO, exhibited quenching of the fluorescence emission, consistent with electron injection into the conduction band of the semiconductor. Steady-state UV-vis and fluorescence studies of p-ZnTCPP on insulating ZrO2 showed evidence of aggregation and exciton coupling. This was not observed in any of the meta-substituted porphyrins. The photoelectrochemical properties (IPCE, Voc, and Isc) of the porphyrins bound to TiO2 films in solar cells have been measured and rationalized with respect to the sensitizer binding geometry and distance from the surface.     

Strategic engineering of alkyl spacer length for a pH-tolerant lysosome marker and dual organelle localization

Long-term visualization of lysosomal properties is extremely crucial to evaluate diseases related to their dysfunction. However, many of the reported lysotrackers are less conducive to imaging lysosomes precisely because they suffer from fluorescence quenching and other inherent drawbacks such as pH-sensitivity, polarity insensitivity, water insolubility, slow diffusibility, and poor photostability. To overcome these limitations, we have utilized an alkyl chain length engineering strategy and synthesized a series of lysosome targeting fluorescent derivatives namely NIMCs by attaching a morpholine moiety at the peri position of the 1,8-naphthalimide (NI) ring through varying alkyl spacers between morpholine and 1,8-naphthalimide. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized NIMCs were explored by ¹H-NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Afterward, optical spectroscopic measurements were carefully performed to identify a pH-tolerant, polarity sensitive, and highly photostable fluoroprobes for further live-cell imaging applications. NIMC6 displayed excellent pH-tolerant and polarity-sensitive properties. Consequently, all NIMCs were employed in kidney fibroblast cells (BHK-21) to investigate their applicability for lysosome targeting and probing lysosomal micropolarity. Interestingly, a switching of localization from lysosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was also achieved by controlling the linker length and this phenomenon was subsequently applied in determining ER micropolarity. Additionally, the selected probe NIMC6 was also employed in BHK-21 cells for 3-D spheroid imaging and in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) for in vivo imaging, to evaluate its efficacy for imaging animal models.

A series naphthalimide-based fluorophores were designed by alkyl spacer length engineering to discover a pH-tolerant lysosomal marker. This approach also allows to probe lysosome-related organelles in C. elegans and communication between organelles.     

Metal complexation of crosslinked polyacrylamide-supported dithiocarbamates: Effect of the molecular character and extent of crosslinking on complexation

Dithiocarbamate functions were incorporated into different polyacrylamide matrices crosslinked with a flexible and hydrophilic crosslinking agent, tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate (TEGDA), and their complexation behaviours were investigated. Crosslinked polyacrylamides with varying extents of the tetrafunctional TEGDA crosslinks were prepared by free radical solution polymerization at 60°C using potassium persulphate as initiator in ethanol. The dithiocarbamate functionality was incorporated into these polyacrylamides by a two-step polymer-analogous reaction involving (i)trans-amidation with ethylenediamine and (ii) dithiocarbamylation of the aminopolyacrylamide with carbon disulphide and alkali. The complexations of dithiocarbamate with Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II) and Hg(II) ions were followed under different conditions. The metal ion intake varied with the extent of the crosslinking agent and the observed trend in complexation is Hg(II) > Cu(II)> Zn(II)> Co(II)> Ni (II). The time-course of complexation, the possibility of recycling, swelling characteristics, and spectral and thermal analyses were carried out. The thermal stability increases upon complexation with metal ions.