Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jie Zheng, Zhuang Mao Png, Xian Chun Nicky Quek, Xian Jun Loh, Zibiao Li
Summary: This review discusses the characteristics and issues of degradable vinyl polymers, and explains the potential solution of incorporating stimuli-cleavable bonds. It also explores the stimuli-responsiveness of these polymers and their applications in drug delivery, materials, and surface modification.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Farnaz Farbod, Fatemeh Goharpey, Mehdi Salami-Kalajahi, Hossein Ali Khonakdar
Summary: Utilizing the advantages of block copolymers, such as pattern density multiplication and improvement in feature size uniformity, can effectively address the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry. This research demonstrates that polystyrene block polyacrylic acid (PS-b-PAA) is a promising candidate for achieving sub-10 nm and less defective patterns.
REACTIVE & FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sajith Menon, Aravind Krishnan, T. E. Jose, Smitha Roy
Summary: This study reports the synthesis and aggregation studies of a pair of photoresponsive glycopolymers, which form specific morphological assemblies in aqueous phase and can disassemble under light stimulus. These polymers have the ability to confine hydrophobic guests, act as a scaffold for FRET, and switch the fluorescence of captured dyes through controlled release.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Suraj Aswale, Minji Kim, Dongwoo Kim, Aruna Kumar Mohanty, Heung Bae Jeon, Hong Y. Cho, Hyun-jong Paik
Summary: In this study, a synthetic strategy for the preparation of a triblock copolymer containing a spirocyclic mid-block is reported. A spirocyclic polystyrene (cPS) mid-block was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and subsequent azidation and cycloaddition reactions. The resulting functional cPS was purified using liquid chromatography techniques. The cPS was then esterified to obtain a macro-ATRP initiator for the synthesis of a poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-cPS-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA-b-cPS-b-PMMA) triblock copolymer. This work provides a synthetic strategy for the preparation of a spirocyclic macroinitiator for the ATRP technique and introduces liquid chromatographic techniques for the purification of (spiro) cyclic polymers.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rudy M. Torres, Mingkang Sun, Rui Yuan, Mohamed Abdelrahman, Zhitao Guo, Tomasz Kowalewski, Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, Philip R. LeDuc, Shawn Litster
Summary: Recent studies indicate that using nitrogen and a controlled mesoporous structure can improve the performance of PGM-free catalysts. The copolymer-templated nitrogen-enriched carbon was utilized to prepare the catalyst, which showed good electrochemical activity and stability.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yazhen Wang, Qing Yang, Liwu Zu, Shaobo Dong, Tianyu Lan
Summary: In this paper, polyacrylamide with reactive group bromine (PAM-Br) was synthesized by the ATRP method, and DOPO was organically modified to obtain acrylate monomers with DOPO functional groups (DOPOAA). PAM-b-DOPOAA block copolymers with controllable molecular mass and narrow molecular mass distribution were obtained using a mixture of water and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. The study is of great importance in terms of its potential applications and scientific significance.
Article
Polymer Science
Yu-Chuan Sung, Pei-Sun Huang, Shih-Hung Huang, Yeo-Wan Chiang, Jing-Cherng Tsai
Summary: In this study, sP4M1P-based stereoregular diblock copolymers were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization reaction, starting from alpha-bromoester-capped sP4M1P macroinitiator and chain extending with styrene and methyl methacrylate. This method offers an effective process for the preparation of stereoregular diblock copolymers, which have well-defined architectures and can undergo molecular self-assembly into ordered nanostructures.
Article
Polymer Science
Murtaza Khan, Thiago R. Guimaraes, Kenneth Choong, Graeme Moad, Sebastien Perrier, Per B. Zetterlund
Summary: The study overcomes the limitation of block copolymer synthesis that requires consideration of the order of blocks by utilizing RAFT emulsion polymerization, successfully preparing an alternating pentablock copolymer composed of methacrylates and styrene.
Article
Polymer Science
Erigene Bakangura, David Fournier, Fanny Coumes, Patrice Woisel, Daniel Grande, Benjamin Le Droumaguet
Summary: Functional nanoporous polymeric materials were prepared from novel PS-b-PEO diblock copolymer precursors containing reversible boronate ester junction. The generation of oriented cylindrical nanopores was achieved by selective etching of PEO under mild acidic conditions.
Article
Polymer Science
Shuqi Dong, Li Liu, Hanying Zhao
Summary: In this study, oxidation-responsive amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized and self-assemblies with different morphologies were achieved by adjusting the hydrophobic block length. Hybrid polymersomes with Cu2+-cross-linked membrane were fabricated, featuring a responsive property to competitive ligands, thanks to the metal-ligand interaction.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kuldeep Kumar Bansal, Ezgi Ozliseli, Ari Rosling, Jessica Marianne Rosenholm
Summary: This study successfully synthesized a novel polymer derived from renewable feedstock with the possibility of post-synthesis functionalization, conjugated a drug to it, and demonstrated its drug release effect in cancer cells in vitro.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Krishan Kumar, Reddicherla Umapathi, Kalyan Ramesh, Seung-Kyu Hwang, Kwon Taek Lim, Yun Suk Huh, Pannuru Venkatesu
Summary: This study focused on thermoresponsive polymers synthesized using RAFT polymerization and investigated the influence of proteins on their phase behavior and aggregation. Various biophysical techniques were used to explore the interactions between the copolymer and proteins, revealing changes in LCST. The research provides insights into the interactions between heme proteins and block copolymers, which can guide the design of biomimetic surfaces and copolymer-protein bioconjugates.
Article
Polymer Science
Sk Arif Mohammad, Subrata Dolui, Devendra Kumar, Shivshankar R. Mane, Sanjib Banerjee
Summary: In this study, magnetically separable and reusable Ni-Co alloy nanoparticles were used for the first time to achieve ambient temperature reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) of methyl acrylate (MA), resulting in well-defined PMA with low dispersity. The controlled polymerization character of RDRP was confirmed through linear semilogarithmic plots, showing pseudo first order kinetics and the synthesis of PMAs with varying molecular weights while maintaining low dispersity. Furthermore, the synthesized copolymers demonstrated unique properties such as dual pH- and thermo-responsiveness and tunable surface hydrophobicity.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yazhen Wang, Li Liu, Shaobo Dong, Xilai Zhou, Chenglong Wang, Zhen Shi
Summary: This study successfully synthesized PMMAs with halogen termination as macroinitiators through RATRP, which showed narrow molecular weight distribution and good activity. These PMMA macroinitiators were able to initiate the synthesis of PMMA-b-PAN block copolymers in different catalytic systems, resulting in a significant increase in molecular weight. The polymerizations in different catalytic systems followed first-order kinetics with respect to monomers.
ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaochao Xia, Ryota Suzuki, Tianle Gao, Takuya Isono, Toshifumi Satoh
Summary: In this study, a self-switchable polymerization method using alkali metal carboxylate catalysts is reported for the direct synthesis of multiblock polymers with multiple segments. The method allows the production of polymers with complex sequences and structures, offering potential opportunities for material design.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adrian Moreno, Ana Jimenez-Alesanco, Juan C. Ronda, Virginia Cadiz, Marina Galia, Virgil Percec, Olga Abian, Gerard Lligadas
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marian N. Holerca, Mihai Peterca, Benjamin E. Partridge, Qi Xiao, Gerard Lligadas, Michael J. Monteiro, Virgil Percec
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2020)
Article
Polymer Science
Adrian Moreno, Juan C. Ronda, Virginia Cadiz, Marina Galia, Virgil Percec, Gerard Lligadas
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nabil Bensabeh, Ana Jimenez-Alesanco, Ilme Liblikas, Juan C. Ronda, Virginia Cadiz, Marina Galia, Lauri Vares, Olga Abian, Gerard Lligadas
Article
Polymer Science
Aaron Perez, Gerard Lligadas, Juan Carlos Ronda, Marina Galia, Virginia Cadiz
Summary: Block copolymers containing poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) middle block and poly(furfuryl methacrylate) PFMA end blocks were synthesized and their thermal and mechanical properties were studied. Crosslinking via Diels-Alder (DA) reaction and thermoreversibility properties of the crosslinked polymer were investigated.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Agustin Forchetti Casarino, Adrian Moreno, Marina Galia, Diana A. Estenoz, Gerard Lligadas, Marisa E. Sponton
Summary: An efficient strategy was developed to synthesize novel biobased multifunctional benzoxazine compounds by esterifying natural phloretic acid with organic halides using 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl guanidine as a catalyst. The reactivity during the thermally induced ring-opening process increases with the number of furan and oxazine rings in the monomers, and the resulting thermosets showed good correlation between the number of oxazine rings in the monomer structure and the properties of the crosslinked materials. Furfurylamine-based polybenzoxazines exhibited improved thermal behavior compared to aniline-based systems due to the presence of furan rings, with all materials demonstrating high T-g, good thermal stability, and promising flame retardancy properties.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Marc Pala, Sarah E. Woods, Fiona L. Hatton, Gerard Lligadas
Summary: Currently, alternative sources for commodity chemicals and polymers are being intensively studied due to the finite nature and environmental concerns of nonrenewable petroleum-based resources. Lignocellulosic biomass offers an attractive replacement for fossil-based chemicals and synthetic pathways for well-defined poly(meth)acrylates derived from C5/C6 sugar-derived platforms are discussed in this review.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nicola Migliore, Aleksander Guzik, Marc C. A. Stuart, Marc Pala, Adrian Moreno, Gerard Lligadas, Patrizio Raffa
Summary: We synthesized novel biobased thermoresponsive amphiphilic copolymers and studied their solution properties. Copolymers with similar molecular weight but different monomer distributions were prepared. These polymers showed different self-assembly and thermoresponsive behavior in water. By tuning the monomer ratio and distribution, different critical solution temperatures could be observed. Aggregates of various types were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The polymers also exhibited different surface activity and showed potential applications as biobased surfactants and water/oil emulsion stabilizers.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Adrian Moreno, Javier Delgado-Lijarcio, Juan C. Ronda, Virginia Cadiz, Marina Galia, Mika H. Sipponen, Gerard Lligadas
Summary: In this study, stimuli-responsive lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) with high lignin content (>75 wt.%) were successfully prepared. These LNPs exhibited reversible swelling behavior and changed their morphology from spherical to core-shell upon alternating O2/N2 bubbling. The introduction of oxygen gas promoted a polarity change on lignin-fluorinated oleic chains, resulting in their migration to the particle surface and enhancing the stability of hy-LNPs under harsh conditions. Additionally, these LNPs were demonstrated to be gas tunable nanoreactors for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
David Santiago, Dailyn Guzman, Jesu's Padilla, Pere Verdugo, Silvia De la Flor, Angels Serra
Summary: Epoxy-based vitrimers with high Tg values and a homogeneous network structure were developed as recyclable and reprocessable adhesives for automotive structural applications. The materials showed complete stress relaxation in just 3.6 minutes at 180 degrees C, with the presence of TBD catalyst resulting in the fastest relaxation. They were successfully recycled and reprocessed through alcoholysis and mechanical grinding, and demonstrated high single-lap shear stress values for mono- and multimaterial joints. Overall, this study presents a comprehensive investigation of recyclable and reprocessable epoxy-based vitrimers.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Devendra S. Maurya, Jasper Adamson, Nabil Bensabeh, Gerard Lligadas, Virgil Percec
Summary: DMSO is an interesting solvent for copper-catalyzed living radical polymerization due to its ability to provide high conversion and absence of termination. Although it is not the most efficient solvent for disproportionation of Cu(I)X, DMSO allows for the development of complex-architecture methodologies by living and immortal polymerizations. The mechanism behind this precision is currently being investigated.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Adrian Moreno, Gerard Lligadas, Jasper Adamson, Devendra S. Maurya, Virgil Percec
Summary: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2022 was awarded to Bertozzi, Meldal, and Sharpless for their contribution to the development of click chemistry and biorthogonal chemistry. Since 2001, when click chemistry was proposed by Sharpless's laboratory, synthetic chemists have favored click reactions as a preferred method to create new functions. This perspective summarizes the research conducted in our laboratories on CuAAC, TBC, and TERMINI click reactions, and their applications in assembling complex macromolecules and self-organizations with biological relevance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marc Pala, Hafssa El Khannaji, Manuela Garay-Sarmiento, Juan Carlos Ronda, Virginia Cadiz, Marina Galia, Virgil Percec, Cesar Rodriguez-Emmenegger, Gerard Lligadas
Summary: This research reports a green method for upgrading chemicals of the lactic acid portfolio into water-soluble acrylic polymers, utilizing lactate-derived solvents and Cu(0)-mediated living radical polymerization. The resulting polymers exhibit excellent biocompatibility and thermal responsiveness, forming a new family of hydrogels.
Article
Polymer Science
Mustafa Kalay, Abidin Esidir, Mahmut Ruzi, N. Burak Kiremitler, Mustafa Serdar Onses
Summary: This study proposes stable and addressable polymer PUFs, utilizing a cross-linkable polymer system, which demonstrates high stochastic characteristics and low-cost production. The performance of the polymer features is evaluated through various analyses, and direct image authentication is achieved using feature matching algorithms.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Jingyu Jin, Guoqiang Lu, Jun Nie, Xiaoqun Zhu
Summary: Photopolymerization technology is limited in the fields of food packaging and biomedicine due to the high migration of small molecules from photoinitiators. In this study, a polymerizable 2-vinyl thioxanthone (ETX) was synthesized to improve the migration stability of photoinitiators. Macromolecular photoinitiators (PPI1, PPI2) were also prepared to further reduce migration. The results showed that the ETX/TEOA system had higher initiation performance and PPI2 displayed favorable initiation ability. Additionally, the migration of ETX, PPI1, and PPI2 in photocured film was significantly reduced. These low-migration photoinitiators have potential applications in the fields of food packaging and biological materials.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Weijie Li, Jun Nie, Yingying Zhao, Xiaoqun Zhu
Summary: This study focuses on the development of high-performance, low-migration photoinitiators. A polymerizable photoinitiator (VBP) was synthesized by introducing an ethylene group into benzophenone, and three different molecular weight single-component photoinitiators (PVBN1-3) were synthesized based on VBP. The results show that these new photoinitiators have stronger absorption ability compared to benzophenone and significantly reduce the migration of initiators and co-initiators, addressing the safety concerns caused by migration.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Seira Morimune-Moriya, Yuki Iwahashi, Mitsuru Nakamura, Daisuke Ogawa, Keiji Nakamura
Summary: This study investigates the effect of plasma treatment on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the structure/properties of polyimide (PI) nanocomposites with ultra-low content of CNTs. The results show that plasma treatment introduces isocyanate groups on the surface of CNTs and enhances the interfacial interaction between PI and treated CNTs. This leads to a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, with even a small addition of treated CNTs showing a substantial increase in Young's modulus, tensile strength and toughness.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuanlong Li, Chaojie Chen, Guoqing Cui, Li Liu, Chao Zhou, Guangfeng Wu
Summary: In this study, a novel ion-conducting hydrogel was fabricated using a straightforward approach. The hydrogel showed excellent tensile properties and high toughness due to physical interactions and covalent binding. Additionally, the introduction of hydroxyethyl cellulose and lithium chloride improved the biocompatibility, mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and frost resistance of the hydrogel, demonstrating its potential for cold climate applications.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Dengwei Yan, Jinxian Yang, Xuejun Pan, Xiaozheng Duan, Lianwei Li, Mo Zhu
Summary: The influence of backbone length on grafting efficiency during the graft-onto reaction process was investigated. It was found that the polydispersity effect of backbone length does not affect the final grafting efficiency, indicating that the local dynamics of chain segments dominate the graft-onto process.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Zhaoyi Luo, Xianjie Pan, Fanqi Liu, Quanxi Yi, Yanning Zeng, Yunhua Chen, Chaoyang Wang
Summary: This study provides a method to prepare high-performance epoxy materials with good malleability and thermal stability. The materials have self-healing and welding capabilities, thanks to the addition of specific chemical bonds and network structures. They exhibit mechanical properties comparable to commercial epoxy resins and show great potential for sustainable industrial development.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Chaoji Xiong, Hao Wang, Lihua Deng, Kun Liang, Chunhua Wu, Wei Wu, Qian Chen
Summary: In this study, four polyamides were synthesized and their adsorption performances for Hg2+ in aqueous systems were investigated. The polyamides exhibited high adsorption capacities and excellent reusability, with the involvement of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen in the chemical adsorption process of Hg2+.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Siim Laanesoo, Olivier Bonjour, Rauno Sedrik, Iris Tamsalu, Patric Jannasch, Lauri Vares
Summary: The insertion of rigid aliphatic or aromatic building blocks in polymer structures is an effective way to synthesize high -Tg polymer materials. In this study, a series of isosorbide-2-aryl carboxylate-5-methacrylate monomers (ArIMAs) were synthesized by functionalizing isosorbide 5-methacrylate with various aromatic lignin-inspired esters. These monomers were polymerized to obtain high molecular-weight poly(aryl carboxylate isosorbide methacrylates) (PArIMAs). The resulting polymers showed high glass transition temperatures and thermal stability, making them suitable for use as high-performance plastics and coatings.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuqian Wu, Weijie Xu, Jianliang Li, Zhangfeng Zhong, Liqing Huang, Shengke Li, Huaping Tan
Summary: This study investigates the improvement of degradation and drug release characteristics of dynamic Schiff base-mediated natural polysaccharide hydrogels using tannic acid (TA), leading to enhanced stability and functionality.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Xi Zhang, Xiangli Kong, Xin Zhou, Yiyan Gao, Yibo Sun, Guanghui Gao, Wei Liu, Kai Shi
Summary: Conductive hydrogels have great development prospects in flexible strain sensors, but long-term direct contact with human skin can cause bacterial infection. A hydrogel with antibacterial, biocompatibility, and toughness was designed and manufactured using a freeze-thaw method. The hydrogel maintains tensile properties and fatigue resistance at low temperatures and is resistant to bacteria. Therefore, hydrogel sensors can be used to monitor human movements.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Wei Zhang, Jiangang Yu, Mingyang Wu, Rui Li, Anqiang Zhang, Yaling Lin
Summary: In this study, polyacrylamide containing quaternary ammonium salts (PAM-X) were synthesized and found to effectively inhibit soil-borne pathogenic fungi while maintaining the balance of microbial population in soil. PAM-X also showed low toxicity to earthworms and fish, providing a new method for the prevention and control of soil-borne fungal diseases.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Jiawen He, Haojie Yu, Li Wang, Jian Yang, Yanhui Zhang, Wenbing Huang, Chenguang Ouyang
Summary: This review discusses the use of polymeric hydrogels for atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), including the mechanism of water sorption, fabrication methods, and strategies for optimizing the structure of hydrogels. The extended applications of hygroscopic photothermal hydrogels, such as agricultural irrigation and dehumidification, are also explored. The challenges and prospects of using polymeric hydrogels for AWH are summarized.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Polymer Science
Ying Du, Shuaishuai Lu, Yuanna Sun, Qingshan Li, Xinhai He
Summary: This study introduces a method to improve the performance of hydrogels by incorporating proline, resulting in hydrogels with excellent stretchability, high conductivity, and long-term stability. The hydrogel remains flexible and conductive even at ultra-low temperatures.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2024)
