Effect of Poly(methacrylic acid) on the Cytokine Level in an In Vivo Tumor Model

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality globally. Despite remarkable improvements in cancer-treatment approaches, disease recurrence and progression remain major obstacles to therapy. While chemotherapy is still a first-line treatment for a variety of cancers, the focus has shifted to the development and application of new approaches to therapy. Nevertheless, the relationship between immune response, neoplastic diseases and treatment efficiency is not fully understood. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the immunopharmacological effects of methacrylic acid homopolymer in an in vivo tumor model. Materials and methods: Monomeric methacrylic acid was used to synthesize polymers. Methacrylic acid was polymerized in dioxane in the presence of 4-Cyano-4-[(dodecylsulfanylthiocarbonyl)sulfanyl]pentanoic acid. To study the molecular weight characteristics of PMAA by GPC, carboxyl groups were preliminarily methylated with diazomethane. An experimental cancer model was obtained by grafting RMK1 breast cancer cells. The serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Results: The effect of PMAA on the serum concentrations of several cytokines was studied upon its single administration to laboratory animals in early neoplastic process. The IL-6, IL-17 and TGF-β1 concentrations were found to change significantly and reach the level observed in intact rats. The IL-10 concentration tended to normalize. Conclusion: The positive results obtained are the basis for further studies on the effect of methacrylic-acid polymers with different molecular-weight characteristics on the neoplastic process.     

Benzothiadiazole-based Conjugated Polymers for Organic Solar Cells

Benzothiadiazole(BT) is an electron-deficient unit with fused aromatic core, which can be used to construct conjugated polymers for application in organic solar cells(OSCs). In the past twenty years, huge numbers of conjugated polymers based on BT unit have been developed,focusing on the backbone engineering(such as by using different copolymerized building blocks), side chain engineering(such as by using linear or branch side units), using heteroatoms(such as F, O and S atoms, and CN group), etc. These modifications enable BT-polymers to exhibit distinct absorption spectra(with onset varied from 600 nm to 1000 nm), different frontier energy levels and crystallinities. As a consequence, BT-polymers have gained much attention in recent years, and can be simultaneously used as electron donor and electron acceptor in OSCs, providing the power conversion efficiencies(PCEs) over 18% and 14% in non-fullerene and all-polymer OSCs. In this article, we provide an overview of BTpolymers for OSCs, from donor to acceptor, via selecting some typical BT-polymers in different periods. We hope that the summary in this article can invoke the interest to study the BT-polymers toward high performance OSCs, especially with thick active layers that can be potentially used in large-area devices.     

一种蓝色聚合物激光材料

聚合物作为一种有机发光材料,由于在平板显示和光电子器件中的良好应用前景而受到广泛研究［１～２］．近年来,一个重要进展是在聚合物中观测到了受激发射（简称Ｐｏｌｙ－ｍｅｒ激光）现象［３～６］．Ｐｏｌｙｍｅｒ激光最早是在溶液中实现的［３～４］．作为一种新型...     

Effect of graft polymer prepared by living radical polymerisation on electro-optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal

In this study, a graft polymer matrix prepared by living radical polymerisation had been incorporated into polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). The electro-optical properties of the PDLCs were investigated. The results showed that the length and density of graft chain had a great influence on the memory effect of the PDLCs. Low-driving-voltage and weak-memory-effect PDLCs could easily be obtained with a graft polymer matrix.     

Preparation of modified polymer blend and electrical performance

In this study, a modified binary polymer blend made up of polycarbonate and polystyrene blend has been prepared by loading of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as a dopant. The role of alumina with polymer blend system was addressed in view of interfacing criteria. The filler concentration of modified blend was taken as 5, 10, and 15%. The morphological, thermal, and electrical properties were characterized by various techniques. Optical microscopy confirms the homogenous dispersion of Al₂O₃ in blend. The presence of alumina was detected by subatomic level using atomic force microscope (both two and three dimensional approach). The differential scanning calorimetric thermographs demonstrate decreasing softing point as function of alumina loading. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant, loss, and electrical modulus were studied under DC bias. The effect of DC bias exhibits significant changes at low amount of Al₂O₃. The dielectric polarization supports Maxwell Wagner (MW) theory due to low frequency response. 15% Al₂O₃ gives the highest dielectric constant (ε′) value (3.5?×?10⁵) at 10 Hz. The polymer modified blend with Al₂O₃ may be used as a one of the best dielectric medium.     

一种锌配合物用于炭疽生物标志物的检测

采用溶剂热合成方法,合成了一种新型金属配位聚合物{[Zn₂(L)(H₂O)(DMA)]·DMA·2.3H₂O}_n (1),其中L^4-为完全脱去质子的N,N''-二(4-羧基苄基)-5-氨基间苯二甲酸,DMA为N,N-二甲基乙酰胺。单晶X射线衍射结果显示,该配合物属于三斜晶系,空间群为P$overline{1}$,a=0.989 6(5) nm,b=1.370 5(5) nm,c=1.382 1(5) nm,α=80.067(5)°,β=76.729(5)°,γ=76.611(5)°,结构是由二维金属有机层通过π…π相互作用而扩展成的三维超分子骨架。红外光谱验证了锌离子与L^4-配体成功配位。粉末X射线衍射(PXRD)实验证实了配合物1具有较高的纯度。热重分析结果显示配合物1在室温至416.9 ℃区间内具有较好的热稳定性。在273 nm的激发光下,配合物1在437 nm处有较强的荧光发射,可以在30 s内快速检测乙醇溶液中的炭疽生物标志物——吡啶-2,6-二甲酸,具有选择性高、抗干扰能力强、检测限低(约为15 μmol·L^-1)等特点。结合PXRD图和紫外可见吸收光谱揭示了其检测机理为晶体骨架坍塌而诱导的荧光猝灭。     

Facile one‐pot method of initiator fixation for surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization on carbon hard spheres

An efficient and novel one‐pot process is developed to immobilize the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators onto the surface of fully pyrolyzed carbon hard spheres (CHSs) via a radical trapping process from the in situ thermal decomposition of bis(bromomethylbenzoyl)peroxide. The CHSs do not require any additional preparative treatment prior to the initiator immobilization. Styrene and methyl methacrylate are polymerized onto initiator‐immobilized CHSs by surface‐initiated atomic transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP). Samples are characterized using Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. These methods of characterization confirmed that all the CHSs are coated with a uniform layer of grafted polymer. This efficient, one‐pot immobilization of ATRP‐initiators represents an exceptionally simple route for the rapid preparation of various polymer‐coated carbon‐based nanomaterials using SI‐ATRP. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3314–3322     

Imide‐functionalized naphthodithiophene based donor‐acceptor conjugated polymers for solar cells

Donor‐acceptor conjugated polymers containing a new imide‐functionalized naphthodithiophene (INDT) as the acceptor unit and a 2,2'‐bithiophene with varied substituents as the donor unit have been synthesized. The bandgaps of these polymers depend strongly on the dihedral angle of the 2,2'‐bithiophene unit. The 3,3'‐dialkoxy substitution (polymers PDOR / PBOR ) leads to near planar bithiophene conformation due to the well‐known S–O short contact, while the 3,3'‐dialkyl substitution (polymer PDR ) results in significant twisting due to the steric effect. Consequently PDOR / PBOR shows the lowest bandgap of 1.82/1.85 eV while PDR has a bandgap of 2.38 eV. Bulk‐heterojunction solar cells of the polymer/fullerene blends have been fabricated. Preliminary results show that PBOR gives the best device performance with power conversion efficiencies as high as 2.45% in air without any thermal annealing treatment, indicating the promising potential of INDT‐containing conjugated polymers for efficient solar cells. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3818–3828     

Chiral and water‐soluble poly(2‐oxazoline)s

We describe the synthesis and characterization of the first water‐soluble and chiral poly(2,4‐disubstituted‐2‐oxazoline)s. While poly(2,4‐dimethyl‐2‐oxazoline)s are water soluble up to 100 °C, aqueous solutions of poly(2‐ethyl‐4‐methly‐2‐oxazoline) exhibit a lower critical solution temperature. This is discussed in context with its constitutional isomers poly(2‐oxazoline)s and poly(2‐oxazine)s. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed strong Cotton effects, which are also responsive to temperature in aqueous solution. It is therefore hypothesized that structures, comparable to polyproline helices, are formed in aqueous solution. In contrast to polyproline, poly(2,4‐disubstituted‐2‐oxazoline)s are highly water soluble and therefore represent very interesting pseudo‐polypeptides that may be useful to develop responsive biomimetic biomaterials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013