Article
Polymer Science
Stefan Paschke, Richard Prediger, Valentine Lavaux, Alice Eickenscheidt, Karen Lienkamp
Summary: This article introduces a surface-attached hydrophobically modified poly(carboxybetaine) which can switch between protein-repellent and antimicrobially active states depending on the pH of the surrounding medium. The adhesion of protein is pH-dependent and reversible, with the polymer becoming antimicrobially active at physiological pH. The material is storage-stable but undergoes hydrolysis after longer incubation in aqueous media.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Rafael Methling, Oliver Dueckmann, Frank Simon, Cornelia Wolf-Brandstetter, Dirk Kuckling
Summary: Coating medical implants with antibacterial polymers can prevent postoperative infections and improve the performance of titanium implants. An easily applicable diblock copolymer is used to form polymer brushes on titanium through grafting, providing antibacterial properties to the material. The synthesized polymers carry quaternized pyridinium units and phosphonic acid groups, allowing convenient coating and metal surface anchoring. The antimicrobial properties of the modified titanium surfaces are evaluated, showing reduced bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, but impaired cell biocompatibility.
MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yanping Ding, Gangyao Wen, Varvara Chrysostomou, Stergios Pispas, Kun Jiang, Zhaoyan Sun, Hongfei Li
Summary: The effects of subphase temperature and pH on the interfacial behavior of two strong amphiphilic cationic diblock polyelectrolytes were studied for the first time. With increasing temperature, the isotherms shifted to larger areas. At low temperature, the isotherms of the two copolymers overlapped, while at high temperature, they showed some subphase pH dependence. Initial LB films exhibited isolated circular micelles, with the diameters of micelle cores being close at low temperature but larger than those at high temperature under different subphase pH conditions.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Michael Gradzielski
Summary: Controlling the viscosity of aqueous surfactant solutions is crucial for practical applications, and polymer-surfactant interactions play a significant role in achieving this control. Recent developments have focused on creating systems with low concentration that are responsive to external parameters like temperature or pH, allowing for tailored rheological properties. This topic is highly relevant for practical formulations and has ongoing research activities. The choice of surfactant and polymer intricately determines the biocompatibility and general predictions for such systems are complex.
CURRENT OPINION IN COLLOID & INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Svyatoslav Nastyshyn, Yuriy Stetsyshyn, Joanna Raczkowska, Yuriy Nastishin, Yuriy Melnyk, Yuriy Panchenko, Andrzej Budkowski
Summary: This review summarizes the fabrication and characterization methods of temperature-responsive polymer brush coatings (TRPBCs), and presents their potential applications, advantages, and disadvantages. Special attention is given to the thermo-responsibility mechanisms of TRPBCs, and their applications in temperature-switchable bacteria killing, temperature-controlled protein adsorption, cell culture, and temperature-controlled adhesion/detachment of cells and tissues are considered. The specific criteria required for desired biomedical applications of TRPBCs are presented and discussed.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Julien E. Gautrot, Lan Chang, Cardee Alexis, Philipp Gutfreund, Ali Zarbakhsh
Summary: In this study, the morphology of polymer brushes and their complexes with siRNA oligonucleotides were investigated. It was found that the oligonucleotides infiltrate deep within the brush and alter the morphology of their most basal layer more strongly, regardless of the strength of the polybase. This understanding will contribute to the improved rational design of polymer brush nanostructures for gene delivery applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Artem M. Rumyantsev, Ekaterina B. Zhulina, Oleg V. Borisov
Summary: This study developed a scaling theory for the interaction and complex formation between a planar polyelectrolyte brush and oppositely charged mobile linear polyelectrolytes. Counterion release was identified as the main driving force for the complexation. At moderate grafting density and low salt concentration, an interpolyelectrolyte coacervate complex (IPEC) was formed between the brush and oppositely charged mobile polyelectrolytes. At higher grafting density, the mobile chains penetrated the brush, but the brush structure was controlled by the balance between entropic elasticity and nonelectrostatic short-range interactions, similar to a neutral brush. Increasing the salt concentration beyond the predicted threshold led to the release of guest polyions from the brush. For brushes with moderate grafting density, complexation with oppositely charged guest polyions was predicted to trigger lateral microphase separation and the formation of finite-size surface IPEC clusters, with power law dependencies on the brush grafting density, polyelectrolyte length, and salt concentration.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Danyang Li, Lizhou Xu, Jing Wang, Julien E. Gautrot
Summary: Responsive polymer brushes are capable of conformational and chemical changes in response to external stimuli, offering unique opportunities for the control of bio-nano interactions. They can be designed on a wide range of nanomaterial surfaces without compromising their physical and imaging properties. Research on the use of responsive brushes as smart delivery systems is still in its early stages.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Adnan Murad Bhayo, Yang Yang, Xiangming He
Summary: Polymer brushes are thin films consisting of polymer chains attached to a solid interface by one end. These highly branched polymers exhibit unique characteristics and properties compared to their linear counterparts, making them widely used in fields such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. Surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization has provided a robust method to tailor the chemical and physical properties of surfaces and interfaces, leading to significant innovations in surface and interface engineering.
PROGRESS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Tsukuru Masuda, Madoka Takai
Summary: Soft interface materials have great potential in improving biointerfaces, and controlling the nanometer-level structure of the interfaces is crucial for understanding their functioning mechanism. Controlled radical polymerization techniques have been developed to precisely control the structure of interfaces, leading to significant advances in this field. Meanwhile, the development of biohybrids enables the preparation of polymers containing biomolecules in an aqueous media with oxygen.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Peter J. Mons, Nora Fribiczer, Kathrin Kowalczuk, Purushottam Poudel, Sebastian Seiffert, Felix H. Schacher
Summary: In this study, we report the synthesis of a novel double hydrophilic star-shaped block copolymer and investigate its solution properties under different solution pH conditions. We find that even short stickers can enhance the aggregation tendency at low pH values, resulting in aggregate sizes beyond 1 μm.
Review
Polymer Science
Michal Szuwarzynski, Karol Wolski, Tomasz Kruk, Szczepan Zapotoczny
Summary: The study focuses on various strategies for synthesizing and arranging polymer chains on surfaces to improve the transport of electrons and excitation energy at interfaces. Methods such as layer-by-layer assembly and surface-tethered polymer brushes are effective for forming polymer films and enhancing energy transfer efficiency.
PROGRESS IN POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Siyang Wang, Qianhui Liu, Lei Li, Marek W. Urban
Summary: Responsive polymers, known for their adaptability and capability of transport control of molecules, play a significant role in advancing scientific discoveries. Recent developments in commodity polymers with stimuli-responsiveness to various factors have diverse applications, ranging from drug delivery to color-changing coatings. Current technological advances and future opportunities and applications in stimuli-responsive chemistries are also discussed in this review.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriela Grzes, Karol Wolski, Tomasz Uchacz, Justyna Bala, Boris Louis, Ivan G. Scheblykin, Szczepan Zapotoczny
Summary: This report presents a synthetic route to prepare ladder-like polymer brushes with PProDOT-conjugated chains using a novel surface-initiated technique. Characterization and stability tests of these brushes demonstrate the remarkable stability of the obtained materials.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yerzhan S. Zholdassov, Daniel J. Valles, Samiha Uddin, Joanna Korpanty, Nathan C. Gianneschi, Adam B. Braunschweig
Summary: The study utilizes a photochemical printer equipped with a digital micromirror device to rapidly investigate the kinetics of photopolymerization of two monomers, revealing conditions for growing polymer brushes of identical heights. Hidden images are created on substrates, and a new method for encrypting data within hypersurfaces is demonstrated.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
