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Peptide sciences developed dramatically as a result of routine use of solid-phase peptide synthesis and nowadays offer a rich set of well-established strategies to design and identify functional peptide sequences for advanced applications in materials sciences. Appropriate sequences for a wide range of interesting material targets, ranging from molecules to materials surfaces and internal interfaces, can be selected via combinatorial means, and sequence specificities within the resulting peptide-target interactions can be routinely investigated. Based on this understanding, macromolecular sciences can define new polymer structures that meet required functionalities or functional sequences with fully synthetic, nonpeptidic precision polymers to endeavor toward information-based design of next-generation, purpose-adapted macromolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The (controlled) free-radical copolymerization of maleic anhydride and styrene or derivatives thereof is often thought to provide nearly perfect alternating copolymers. Here, the RAFT copolymerization of electron-rich styrene derivatives with maleic anhydride is reported. This copolymerization shows distinct penultimate effects, resulting in polymers with increased incorporation of styrene monomers, that is, where a tendency toward periodic (S-S-MA) copolymers exists. This work could be a first step towards periodic copolymers based on maleic anhydride and styrene derivatives. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 2932-2939 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of pH, ionic strength, and type of salt (variation of anions) on the cloud-point temperature ( TCP) of thermoresponsive poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) star ionomers are investigated. TCPs can be varied in a wide range, from 10 to >95 °C, corresponding with the Hofmeister series and the ionization of the core. Addition of salt weakens the influence of pH. For star copolymer with an amine core similar trends are observed as for star copolymers with a carboxylic acid core, although the presence of a chaotropic salt affords an inversion of the effect of pH, that is, TCPs are lowest at pH 3, where the amine groups are fully protonated. This effect is likely due to the specific binding of chaotropic anions to the amine and ammonium groups, which is not observed for carboxylic acid groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 218 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]