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Your search keyword '"Pérez-Madrigal, Maria M."' showing total 25 results
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25 results on '"Pérez-Madrigal, Maria M."'

24. Controlling the Size of Two-Dimensional Polymer Platelets for Water-in-Water Emulsifiers

Author

Inam, Maria, Jones, Joseph R., Pérez-Madrigal, Maria M., Arno, Maria C., Dove, Andrew P., and O’Reilly, Rachel K.

Abstract

A wide range of biorelevant applications, particularly in pharmaceutical formulations and the food and cosmetic industries, require the stabilization of two water-soluble blended components which would otherwise form incompatible biphasic mixtures. Such water-in-water emulsions can be achieved using Pickering stabilization, where two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are particularly effective due to their high surface area. However, control over the shape and size of the 2D nanomaterials is challenging, where it has not yet been possible to examine chemically identical nanostructures with the same thickness but different surface areas to probe the size-effect on emulsion stabilization ability. Hence, the rationale design and realization of the full potential of Pickering water-in-water emulsion stabilization have not yet been achieved. Herein, we report for the first time 2D poly(lactide) platelets with tunable sizes (with varying coronal chemistry) and of uniform shape using a crystallization-driven self-assembly methodology. We have used this series of nanostructures to explore the effect of 2D platelet size and chemistry on the stabilization of a water-in-water emulsion of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/dextran mixture. We have demonstrated that cationic, zwitterionic, and neutral large platelets (ca. 3.7 × 106nm2) all attain smaller droplet sizes and more stable emulsions than their respective smaller platelets (ca. 1.2 × 105nm2). This series of 2D platelets of controlled dimensions provides an excellent exemplar system for the investigation of the effect of just the surface area on the potential effectiveness in a particular application.

Published
2024
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25. Using Stereochemistry to Control Mechanical Properties in Thiol-Yne Click-Hydrogels.

Author

Macdougall LJ, Pérez-Madrigal MM, Shaw JE, Worch JC, Sammon C, Richardson SM, and Dove AP

Abstract

The stereochemistry of polymers has a profound impact on their mechanical properties. While this has been observed in thermoplastics, studies on how stereochemistry affects the bulk properties of swollen networks, such as hydrogels, are limited. Typically, changing the stiffness of a hydrogel is achieved at the cost of changing another parameter, that in turn affects the physical properties of the material and ultimately influences the cellular response. Herein, we report that by manipulating the stereochemistry of a double bond, formed in situ during gelation, materials with diverse mechanical properties but comparable physical properties can be obtained. Click-hydrogels that possess a high % trans content are stiffer than their high % cis analogues by almost a factor of 3. Human mesenchymal stem cells acted as a substrate stiffness cell reporter demonstrating the potential of these platforms to study mechanotransduction without the influence of other external factors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Published
2021
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