Hydrophobic Monomers Recognize Microenvironments in Hydrogel Microspheres during Free-Radical-Seeded Emulsion Polymerization

The three-dimensional structure of nanocomposite microgels was precisely determined by cryo-electron micrography. Several nanocomposite microgels that differ with respect to their nanocomposite structure, which were obtained from seeded emulsion polymerization in the presence of microgels, were used as model nanocomposite materials for cryo-electron micrography. The obtained three-dimensional segmentation images of these nanocomposite microgels provide important insights into the interactions between the hydrophobic monomers and the microgels, that is, hydrophobic styrene monomers recognize molecular-scale differences in polarity within the microgels during the emulsion polymerization. This result led to the formation of unprecedented multi-layered nanocomposite microgels, which promise substantial potential in colloidal applications.     

An Update on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Design through a Computational Approach to Produce Molecular Recognition Material with Enhanced Analytical Performance

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) computational design is expected to become a routine technique prior to synthesis to produce polymers with high affinity and selectivity towards target molecules. Furthermore, using these simulations reduces the cost of optimizing polymerization composition. There are several computational methods used in MIP fabrication and each requires a comprehensive study in order to select a process with results that are most similar to properties exhibited by polymers synthesized through laboratory experiments. Until now, no review has linked computational strategies with experimental results, which are needed to determine the method that is most appropriate for use in designing MIP with high molecular recognition. This review will present an update of the computational approaches started from 2016 until now on quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics that have been widely used. It will also discuss the linear correlation between computational results and the polymer performance tests through laboratory experiments to examine to what extent these methods can be relied upon to obtain polymers with high molecular recognition. Based on the literature search, density functional theory (DFT) with various hybrid functions and basis sets is most often used as a theoretical method to provide a shorter MIP manufacturing process as well as good analytical performance as recognition material.     

Preparation of Functional Fluorescent Microspheres Used for HTS and Their Interaction with Biomolecules

There is considerable interest in protein adsorption onto microspheres because of its importance in a wide range of biomedical applications, such as artificial tissues and organs, drug delivery systems, biosensors, solid-phase immunoassays, immunomagnetic cell separation and immobilized enzymes or catalyst. It has been well known that the interaction between proteins and microspheres plays important roles in this process. Major interaction involved in the adsorption can be classified as electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding. Indeed, adsorption of proteins onto microspheres is a complex process and often can involve many dynamic steps, from the initial attachment of the protein on the surface of microspheres to the equilibrium. Also the conformation of proteins probably occurs to a certain degree of deformation or structural change due to the large area of contact. Recently, much interest has been shown in sulfonated microspheres, since sulfonate-group itself is one of components in bio-bodies, as well as is sensitive to the change of pH or ionic strength. Indeed, so far, scanty investigations have been performed in the full range. Also few researches have involved the data on adsorption rate and the maximum amount of protein adsorbed, or the reversibility of the process and conformational change of protein adsorbed as well.In present study, BSA (bovine serum albumin) was chosen as the model protein and sulfonated PMMA [poly(methyl methacrylate)] microspheres as the matrix to investigate the adsorption process.The purpose is to show some information especially the intrinsic information involved by the adsorption process Adsorption of BSA onto sulfonated microspheres (MS) has been investigated as a function of time, protein concentration and pH. The adsorption appears to be a reversible process and the presence of sulfonate groups can play important roles in the adsorption process, so as to increase the amount of protein adsorbed and influences the interaction of BSA molecules. Fig. 1 also shows that the reciprocation between unadsorbed and adsorbed BSA or rearrangement of adsorbed BSA molecules does not produce visible change in the properties of the adsorbed protein. Close to the isoelectric point of BSA (pI 4.7), the amount of protein adsorbed exhibits a maximum. A higher or lower pH results in the significant decrease of the adsorption amount. This is related to the dependence of BSA conformations at different pH conditions.     

Thermal decomposition of a generation 4.5 PAMAM dendrimer platinum drug conjugate

A nanoscale multivalent platinum drug based on a poly(amidoamine) [PAMAM] dendrimer (generation 4.5, carboxylate surface) has been synthesized and fully characterized using a variety of spectroscopic, chromatographic and thermal methods. Treatment of the dendrimer with an aqueous solution containing an excess diaquo(cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane)platinum(II) produces a conjugate containing approximately forty (diaminocyclohexane)platinum(II) moieties at the surface of the dendrimer. This material undergoes smooth two-stage thermal decomposition to provide residual platinum oxide reflecting the platinum loading in the drug.     

Synthesis and adsorption properties of gold nanoparticles within pores of surface‐functional porous polymer microspheres

Mesoporous polymer microspheres with gold (Au) nanoparticles inside their pores were prepared considering their surface functionality and porosity. The Au/polymer composite microspheres prepared were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. The results showed that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles could be increased by imparting the pore structure and surface‐functional groups into the supporting polymer microspheres (in this study, poly (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate‐co‐acrylonitrile) and poly (EGDMA‐co‐AN) system). Above all, from this study, it was established that the porosity of the polymer microspheres is the most important factor that determines the distribution and adsorption amount of face‐centered cubic (fcc) Au nanoparticles in the final products. Our study showed that the continuous adsorption of Au nanoparticles with the aid of the large surface area and surface interaction sites formed more favorably the Au/polymer composite microspheres. The BET measurements of Au/poly(EGDMA‐co‐AN) composite microspheres reveals that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles into the pores kept the pore structure intact and made it more porous. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5627–5635, 2004     

Phosphonate electrochemical recognition by molecularly imprinted deposited film

In this paper, thin films of titanium oxide imprinted with O,O-dimethyl-(2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetoxyl)(3′-nitrobenyl) methinephosphonate (Phi-NO₂) were prepared via liquid phase deposition (LPD) method on a glassy carbon electrode. The imprinted molecular in the films was removed by treatment with immersion in CH₂Cl₂. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical methods were introduced to show the evidence of the molecular imprinting phenomenon. It was also found that the recognition ability of the sensor depended on the substituents associated with tridimensional structures of the nitro-compounds. Under the optimized condition, the sensor showed better sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility to the imprinted molecule and the linear relationship between the current and the concentration of analyte in the range of 0.1-50 μM was obtained. LPD proved to be a powerful method for imprinting titanium oxide thin sense films.     

Production of superfine fibers by the electrospinning method

Weakly conducting fluid flows in an electric field in the presence of phase interfaces are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The object of the investigation is an axisymmetric jet. The analysis is carried out within the framework of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) with allowance for surface charge transfer on mobile interfaces. The jet shape is calculated at large distances from the outflow point. The theoretical and experimental data are compared for Newtonian and polymeric fluids.     

Behaviors of the positive temperature coefficient of resistance of poly(styrene‐co‐n‐butylacrylate) filled with Ni‐plated core‐shell polymeric particles

Conductive composite films of poly(styrene‐co‐n‐butylacrylate) copolymers filled with low‐density, Ni‐plated core‐shell polymeric particles were prepared and their behaviors of positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) were investigated. When the conductive fillers in the composite film were loaded beyond the critical volume, 10 up to 25 vol %, composite films exhibited a unique electrical resistant transition behavior, which the electrical resistance rapidly increased by several orders of magnitude at the critical temperature. The PTCR transition temperature, in general, occurred before the glass transition temperature of polymer matrix. Further increased the conductive filler loading to 30 vol %, the overpacked conduction paths were formed in the entire composite and the PTCR effects became blurred. While the composite film treated with thermal cycle several times from room temperature up to 120 °C, the electrical resistivity increased accompanied with the shift of the PTCR transition to lower temperature. The reason might have been caused by the formed interfacial cracks within the composite film. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 322–329, 2007     

Rotational Motion of a Solute Molecule in a Highly Viscous Liquid Studied byC NMR: 1,3-Dibromoadamantane in Polymeric Chlorotrifluoroethene

The viscosity-dependent retarding effect of a polymeric solvent on the rotation of small solute molecules is investigated by¹³C NMR relaxation measurements. It is found that the relaxation data of 1,3-dibromoadamantane in highly viscous polymeric chlorotrifluoroethene can be explained neither by isotropic nor by realistic anisotropic tumbling in a single environment. The experimental data are rationalized in terms of fast exchange between at least two environments with correlation times differing by up to two orders of magnitude. The study shows that a uniform retardation of molecular tumbling by a polymeric solvent, desirable for shifting the NMR observation window in studies of intramolecular mobility, is not always feasible.