Facile Fabrication of Nanorod‐Assembled Fluorine‐Substituted Hydroxyapatite (FHA) Microspheres

Nanorod‐assembled FHA microspheres with different F contents were for the first time prepared through a facile one‐step hydrothermal method. The effect of the reaction time and pH value of reaction solutions on the FHA morphology was investigated to elucidate the self‐assembly process of FHA microspheres. The results showed pH values had significant effect on the morphology of the formed FHA crystals, which were self‐assembled into sphere‐like sturctures at high pH conditions and rod‐like structures at low pH values. The results suggested that formation of FHA crystals with varied morphology may be directly related to Ca²⁺ release kinetics from EDTA‐Ca‐Na₂ at different pH conditions. Furthermore, it was found that the chemical stability of FHA microspheres was dependent on the F content in the materials, and high F contents in FHA microspheres lead to improved chemical stability. These results suggest that the prepared self‐assembled FHA microspheres may be used for teeth substitution materials due to their unique hierarchical structures and controllable chemical stability.     

Molecular and morphological characterization of midblock‐sulfonated styrenic triblock copolymers

Midblock‐sulfonated triblock copolymers afford a desirable opportunity to generate network‐forming amphiphilic materials that are suitable for use in a wide range of emerging technologies as fuel‐cell, water‐desalination, ion‐exchange, photovoltaic, or electroactive membranes. Employing a previously reported synthetic strategy wherein poly(p‐tert‐butylstyrene) remains unreactive, we have selectively sulfonated the styrenic midblock of a poly(p‐tert‐butylstyrene‐b‐styrene‐b‐p‐tert‐butylstyrene) (TST) triblock copolymer to different extents. Comparison of the resulting sulfonated copolymers with results from our prior study provides favorable quantitative agreement and suggests that a shortened reaction time is advantageous. An ongoing challenge regarding the morphological development of charged block copolymers is the competition between microphase separation of the incompatible blocks and physical cross‐linking of ionic clusters, with the latter often hindering the former. Here, we expose the sulfonated TST copolymers to solvent‐vapor annealing to promote nanostructural refinement. The effect of such annealing on morphological characteristics, as well as on molecular free volume, is explored. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 490–497     

Synthesis and rheological investigation of self‐healable deferoxamine grafted alginate hydrogel

Deferoxamine grafted alginate (SA‐DFA) was successfully synthesized via amidation of sodium alginate with deferoxamine mesylate as determined by H‐NMR and elemental analysis. SA‐DFA with different graft yield was obtained by adjusting the ratio of sodium alginate and deferoxamine mesylate. It was found that aqueous solution of SA‐DFA could form hydrogel spontaneously due to hydrogen bonding interactions, which also endowed the SA‐DFA hydrogel with self‐healing capability. The healing efficiency of SA‐DFA hydrogels ranged from 53.64 to 90.16%. In addition, surface morphologies of SA‐DFA hydrogels before/after self‐healing process were demonstrated by SEM images. We anticipated that such self‐healable alginate hydrogel would be applied in the field of wound healing. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 856–865