Article
Polymer Science
Guang Chen, Elena Dormidontova
Summary: Polymer-grafted nanopores are widely used in nanotechnological applications. This study investigates the effects of chain length and grafting density on the conformation and hydration of poly(ethylene oxide) grafted to gold nanopores. The results show that if the pore size exceeds the polymer length, increasing the grafting density or chain length leads to conformational changes of the polymer. Moreover, an increase in pore curvature results in polymer crowding within the pore, which affects the effective grafting density.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zully Mora-Sierra, Gopika Gopan, Roger Chang, Deborah E. Leckband, Martin Gruebele
Summary: Research demonstrates that interactions with end-grafted PNIPAM films above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) can increase the folding stability of enzymes, such as phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK). By comparing two protein mutants, it is found that protein adsorption on different densities of PNIPAM affects stabilization. Additionally, experiments on temperature-dependent kinetics suggest that PNIPAM mainly interacts with the protein surface to increase conformational entropy, rather than crowding the unfolded state of the protein.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Simon Schubotz, Quinn A. Besford, Saghar Nazari, Petra Uhlmann, Eva Bittrich, Jens-Uwe Sommer, Gunter K. Auernhammer
Summary: Polymer brushes, which are polymer chains tethered to substrates, are highly sensitive to adaptation and can undergo changes in swelling, adsorption, and reorientation due to the surrounding liquid or atmosphere. This study analyzes how the atmosphere surrounding an aqueous droplet affects the contact angle on polymer brush surfaces. The use of a coaxial needle allows for reliable measurement of wetting properties even when the droplet and atmosphere are not in equilibrium. It was found that the water contact angle of a sample can be significantly influenced by the composition and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere.
Article
Polymer Science
Guang Chen, Elena Dormidontova
Summary: Polymer-grafted nanopores have been investigated using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to understand the effects of chain length and grafting density on the conformation and hydration properties of the grafted polymers. The results show that increasing the grafting density or chain length can lead to conformational changes of the polymer. The curvature of the nanopores also affects the polymer crowding within the pore. The conformation and hydration of the grafted polymer are important for the properties of polymer-grafted nanopores.
Article
Polymer Science
Maria Brio Perez, Mark A. Hempenius, Sissi de Beer, Frederik R. Wurm
Summary: Polymer brushes are widely used for versatile surface modifications but most of them are nonbiodegradable. In this study, the researchers presented a synthetic strategy for grafting degradable polymer brushes via organocatalytic surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization. The polymer brushes produced were able to hydrolyze with controlled patterns and be regrown on the same substrate after degradation. The research showed that the polyester brush coatings exhibited different levels of hydrolytic stability and degradation mechanism, making them a potential alternative to nondegradable polymer brushes.
Article
Polymer Science
Michele Laus, Riccardo Chiarcos, Valentina Gianotti, Diego Antonioli, Katia Sparnacci, Gianmarco Munao, Giuseppe Milano, Antonio De Nicola, Michele Perego
Summary: This study investigated the grafting process of partially deuterated and fully hydrogenated statistical copolymers onto a silicon substrate, analyzing the evolution of brush thickness and composition over time. The results showed a decrease in grafting density of deuterated polymers and an increase in grafting density of hydrogenated polymers, indicating simultaneous grafting and degrafting reactions. Additionally, an increase in molecular weight of hydrogenated polymers led to a decrease in total grafting density, reaching a limiting value when the molecular weight of incoming polymer equaled that of the preformed brush.
Article
Polymer Science
Yu-Min Wang, Anna Kalosi, Yuriy Halahovets, Iryna Romanenko, Jiri Slaby, Jiri Homola, Jan Svoboda, Andres de los Santos Pereira, Ognen Pop-Georgievski
Summary: This study compared the anti-fouling properties of poly(HPMA) brushes prepared by chemisorption and surface-initiated polymerization methods, finding that the latter exhibited better anti-fouling performance due to higher grafting density.
Article
Polymer Science
Riccardo Chiarcos, Diego Antonioli, Valentina Gianotti, Michele Laus, Gianmarco Munao, Giuseppe Milano, Antonio De Nicola, Michele Perego
Summary: In this study, two copolymers were thermally grafted from melt to a silicon wafer, and it was observed that the lower molecular weight component of the blend preferentially grafted to the polymeric brush layer. The enrichment of short chains in the brush layer was found to be independent of time. Molecular dynamics simulations supported this observation, providing insights for further investigation and control of brush layer characteristics.
Article
Polymer Science
Patricia Flemming, Andreas Fery, Petra Uhlmann, Alexander S. Muench
Summary: A robust and efficient grafting method for preparing double thermoresponsive PDMAEMA brushes is proposed for the first time in this study. The synthetic control of grafting density allows for the study of the impact of steric restrictions on thermoresponsive transitions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhiming Mi, Dexing Zhang, Junman Wang, Shiman Bi, Jing Liu, Xiyu Gao, Dawei Zhang, Yuanping Jiang, Zuojia Li, Yean Zhu, Zhixiao Liu
Summary: In this study, a cellulose-based jute fabric (Jute-TMC-PAO) grafted with polyamidoxime (PAO) was developed and showed high tensile strength and adsorption rate for uranium extraction from seawater, making it a promising and environmentally friendly candidate.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ben Newland, Johannes Starke, Chiara Bastiancich, Diana P. N. Goncalves, Laura J. Bray, Wenxin Wang, Carsten Werner
Summary: Local drug delivery system can achieve high concentration of therapeutic agents at tumor site, minimizing systemic toxicity. This study developed a well-defined microscale hydrogel incorporating gold nanorods for photothermal therapy. The hydrogel could be loaded with doxorubicin and released it over one week, exhibiting toxicity against glioma cells. Research showed potential for antitumor activity through combining photothermal therapy and drug release.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Tuan Ngoc Nguyen, Vincent Humblot, Veronique Migonney, Raphael Levy
Summary: This study investigates the surface functionalization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) through grafting polymers to enhance protein adhesion and cellular activity. The different surfaces obtained through various grafting methods were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (CA), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Increase in the percentage of sulfur atoms (XPS) correlated with changes in contact angle (CA), indicating successful surface modification.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Sikai Chen, Qing-Yang Feng, Dong Li, Fei Song, Xiu-Li Wang, Yu-Zhong Wang
Summary: This investigation examines the relationship between the structure and properties of surface-grafted cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based one-component composites. Key parameters, such as graft density, graft chain length, and interface structure, were systematically adjusted. Increasing the graft density and hydrophobic modification of the CNF surface improved thermal stability. Shorter graft chain length increased the T(g) of the graft chain while hydrophobic modification and longer graft chain length decreased stiffness. Decreasing graft density remarkably enhanced toughness and strength. The interfacial interaction between CNF and grafted polymer played a crucial role in determining the composites' properties, along with graft density.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Simeng Liu, Guoqiang Han, Mengmeng Zhang, Bijin Xiong, Jiangping Xu, Jintao Zhu
Summary: Grafting polymer ligands onto gold nanoparticles through gold-sulfur bonds is a common and easy way to produce gold-polymer hybrid nanoparticles. The bonding effects of sulfur-containing end groups on gold nanoparticles were investigated, and it was found that weak bonding between thiolactone-terminated polymers and gold nanoparticles resulted in unstable conjugates. By optimizing the assembly parameters, a superlattice film of gold-polymer conjugates could be constructed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Julian Sindram, Matthias Karg
Summary: This study presents a simple fluorescence-based method for investigating the binding kinetics of polystyrene ligands to substrate supported gold nanoparticles in an organic solvent. The research demonstrates a correlation between reaction rates and diffusion coefficients of different ligands, describing the molecular weight dependency with a kinetic model that includes both diffusion and activation steps in the reaction process.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Warren Taylor, Stephen Ebbens, Maximillian W. A. Skoda, John R. P. Webster, Richard A. L. Jones
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL E
(2015)
Article
Polymer Science
Andrew J. Parnell, Ashley J. Cadby, Alan D. F. Dunbar, George L. Roberts, Alex Plumridge, Robert M. Dalgliesh, Maximilian W. A. Skoda, Richard A. L. Jones
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE PART B-POLYMER PHYSICS
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew J. Parnell, Adam L. Washington, Oleksandr O. Mykhaylyk, Christopher J. Hill, Antonino Bianco, Stephanie L. Burg, Andrew J. C. Dennison, Mary Snape, Ashley J. Cadby, Andrew Smith, Sylvain Prevost, David M. Whittaker, Richard A. L. Jones, J. Patrick. A. Fairclough, Andrew R. Parker
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2015)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tao Wang, Nicholas W. Scarratt, Hunan Yi, Iain F. Coleman, Yiwei Zhang, Richard T. Grant, Jizhong Yao, Maximilian W. A. Skoda, Alan D. F. Dunbar, Richard A. L. Jones, Ahmed Iraqi, David G. Lidzey
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
(2015)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
A. J. C. Dennison, R. A. L. Jones, R. A. Staniforth, A. J. Parnell
Article
Physics, Applied
Y. Mouhamad, P. Mokarian-Tabari, N. Clarke, R. A. L. Jones, M. Geoghegan
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2014)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yiwei Zhang, Andrew J. Parnell, Fabio Pontecchiani, Joshaniel F. K. Cooper, Richard L. Thompson, Richard A. L. Jones, Stephen M. King, David G. Lidzey, Gabriel Bernardo
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mengxue Chen, Dan Liu, Wei Li, Robert S. Gurney, Donghui Li, Jinlong Cai, Emma L. K. Spooner, Rachel C. Kilbride, James D. McGettrick, Trystan M. Watson, Zhe Li, Richard A. L. Jones, David G. Lidzey, Tao Wang
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wei Li, Zuo Xiao, Jinlong Cai, Joel A. Smith, Emma L. K. Spooner, Rachel C. Kilbride, Onkar S. Game, Xianyi Meng, Donghui Li, Huijun Zhang, Mengxue Chen, Robert S. Gurney, Dan Liu, Richard A. L. Jones, David G. Lidzey, Liming Ding, Tao Wang
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Michael P. Weir, Daniel T. W. Toolan, Rachel C. Kilbride, Nicholas J. W. Penfold, Adam L. Washington, Stephen M. King, James Xiao, Zhilong Zhang, Victor Gray, Simon Dowland, Jurjen Winkel, Neil C. Greenham, Richard H. Friend, Akshay Rao, Anthony J. Ryan, Richard A. L. Jones
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2019)
Article
Polymer Science
Youmna Mouhamad, Parvaneh Mokarian-Tabari, Richard A. L. Jones, Mark Geoghegan
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Donghui Li, Xiaolong Chen, Jinglong Cai, Wei Li, Mengxue Chen, Yuchao Mao, Baocai Du, Joel A. Smith, Rachel C. Kilbride, Mary E. O'Kane, Xue Zhang, Yuan Zhuang, Pang Wang, Hui Wang, Dan Liu, Richard A. L. Jones, David G. Lidzey, Tao Wang
SCIENCE CHINA-CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Physics, Applied
Wei Li, Zuo Xiao, Joel A. Smith, Jinlong Cai, Donghui Li, Rachel C. Kilbride, Emma L. K. Spooner, Onkar S. Game, Xianyi Meng, Dan Liu, Richard A. L. Jones, David G. Lidzey, Liming Ding, Tao Wang
APPLIED PHYSICS REVIEWS
(2019)
Article
Physics, Applied
R. Ashkar, R. M. Dalgliesh, R. Pynn, A. D. F. Dunbar, R. A. L. Jones, A. J. Parnell
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stephanie L. Burg, Adam Washington, David M. Coles, Antonino Bianco, Daragh McLoughlin, Oleksandr O. Mykhaylyk, Julie Villanova, Andrew J. C. Dennison, Christopher J. Hill, Pete Vukusic, Scott Doak, Simon J. Martin, Mark Hutchings, Steven R. Parnell, Cvetelin Vasilev, Nigel Clarke, Anthony J. Ryan, Will Furnass, Mike Croucher, Robert M. Dalgliesh, Sylvain Prevost, Rajeev Dattani, Andrew Parker, Richard A. L. Jones, J. Patrick A. Fairclough, Andrew J. Parnell
COMMUNICATIONS CHEMISTRY
(2019)