Synthesis of well‐defined block copolymer composed of flexible amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol) and hydrophobic liquid crystalline segments by living coordination polymerization of allene derivatives and its application to thin film with perpendicularly oriented cylindrical nanostructure

A block copolymer composed of a flexible polar poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a less polar liquid crystalline poly(allene) segments is prepared by the living coordination polymerization of an allene derivative possessing trans‐azobenzene‐containing mesogenic substituent by the use of a π‐allylnickel macroinitiator bearing PEG segment. The thin film of the block copolymer is prepared by the spin coating of its solution onto mica or silicon wafer which proves to possess perpendicularly oriented nanocylindrical microphase separated structures as supported by the differential calorimetric, polarized optical microscopic, grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering, transmission electron microscope, and atomic force microscope measurements.     

Decomposition of Insoluble and Hard-to-Degrade Animal Proteins by Enzyme E77 and Its Potential Applications

Insoluble and hard-to-degrade animal proteins are group of troublesome proteins, such as collagen, elastin, keratin, and prion proteins that are largely generated by the meat industry and ultimately converted to industrial wastes. We analyzed the ability of the abnormal prion protein-degrading enzyme E77 to degrade insoluble and hard-to-degrade animal proteins including keratin, collagen, and elastin. The results indicate that E77 has a much higher keratinolytic activity than proteinase K and subtilisin. Maximal E77 keratinolytic activity was observed at pH 12.0 and 65 °C. E77 was also adsorbed by keratin in a pH-independent manner. E77 showed lower collagenolytic and elastinolytic specificities than proteinase K and subtilisin. Moreover, E77 treatment did not damage collagens in ovine small intestines but did almost completely remove the muscles. We consider that E77 has the potential ability for application in the processing of animal feedstuffs and sausages.     

MÖSsbauer Spectroscopic Study of Fecl3 Complexes of Poly(N-Methyl-2,5-Pyrrolylene), Poly(2,5-Thienylene), and Poly(3-Methyl-2,5-Thienylene) Prepared by Ni-Catalyzed Polycondensation

Reaction of FeCl₃ with poly(N-methyl-2,5-pyrrolylene) (PNMPy), poly(2,5-thienylene) (PTh), and poly(3-methyl-2,5-thienylene) (P3MeTh) caused reduction of FeCl₃ to afford Fe²⁺ species. Variable temperature Mössbauer spectra of the reaction systems indicated formation of FeCl₂ and FeCl^? ₄. The latter is regarded as a counter-anion for the cation delocalized along the π-conjugated polymer chain.     

A novel supramolecular graft copolymer via cucurbit[8]uril-based complexation and its self-assembly

A novel supramolecular graft copolymer（SGP） composed of viologen-containing copolymer（P（DMA-co-diEV）） as the main chain and Np ended PNIPAM（Np-PN1PAm） as the grafts is prepared（DMA:N,N- dimethylacryamide,diEV:ethylviologen dimer,Np:naphthalene,PNIPAM:poly（N-isopropylacrylamide））. The grafting is based on the triple complexation among a host of cucurbit[8]uril（CB[8]）and two guests of diEV and Np,which is characterized by UV-vis spectra and ITC.Temperature sensitive property of PNIPAm moiety allows SGP to self-assemble into non-covalently connected micelle（NCCM） at high temperature. The micelles are sensitive to reducing agents,for example Na₂S₂O₃,which breaks the current inclusion complex pair and induces aggregation.     

Synthesis of Optically Active Aromatic Ether Ketone Macrocycles Containing 2,2′-Dimethoxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-6,6′-diyl Moieties

Optically active aromatic ether ketone macrocycles containing 2,2′-dimethoxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-6,6′-diyl moieties were synthesized through electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction and stepwise nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions. Structures of the resulting macrocycles were confirmed by NMR and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass measurements.     

Silk‐Pectin Hydrogel with Superior Mechanical Properties,Biodegradability, and Biocompatibility

A new method is developed to prepare silk hydrogels and silk‐pectin hydrogels via dialysis against methanol to obtain hydrogels with high concentrations of silk fibroin. The relationship between the mechanical and biological properties and the structure of the silk‐pectin hydrogels is subsequently evaluated. The present results suggest that pectin associates with silk molecules when the silk concentration exceeds 15 wt%, suggesting that a silk concentration of over 15 wt% is critical to construct interacting silk‐pectin networks. The silk‐pectin hydrogel reported here is composed of a heterogeneous network, which is different from fiber‐reinforced, interpenetrated networks and double‐network hydrogels, as well as high‐stiffness hydrogels (elastic modulus of 4.7 ± 0.9 MPa, elastic stress limit of 3.9 ± 0.1 MPa, and elastic strain limit of 48.4 ± 0.5%) with regard to biocompatibility and biodegradability.     

Production of Alkyl Aryl Sulfides from Aromatic Disulfides and Alkyl Carboxylates via a Disilathiane–Disulfide Interchange Reaction

The results of this study show that disilathiane is an effective mediator in the synthesis of alkyl aryl sulfides with disulfides and alkyl carboxylates. Mechanistic studies suggest that disilathiane promotes cleavage of the sulfur–sulfur bond of disulfides to generate thiosilane as a key intermediate. Diselenides were also applicable to this transformation to produce the corresponding selenides.