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Nonspecific viral adsorption by polymer nanoparticles is more economical and superior in terms of operating cost and energy efficiency than viral adsorption using virus-specific antibodies and filtration techniques involving size exclusion in the order of tens of nanometres. In this study, we synthesised four types of polycyclic aromatic polymer (ArP) nanoparticles with different structures and evaluated their virus adsorption capability for infectious particles of the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). ArP nanoparticles with a diameter of approximately 500 nm were prepared by one-pot precipitation polymerisation using structural isomers of bifunctional dihydroxynaphthalene (1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene and 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene) as phenol monomers, as well as 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and 3-aminophenol as comonomers to introduce carboxylic acid and amino groups, respectively. This wide range of phenolic monomers offers a powerful molecular design capability, enabling the optimisation of surface properties for the adsorption of various infectious virus particles. The virus adsorption capacity of the ArP nanoparticles exceeded 20 000 plaque-forming units and was found to be correlated with the nitrogen (primary and secondary amines) and quinone contents on the ArP nanoparticle surface. Furthermore, a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane filter uniformly coated with the ArP nanoparticles could remove viruses by filtration in a flow system.

The synthesis of a new alternating copolymer-grafted silica phase is described for the separation of shape-constrained isomers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tocopherols in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Telomerization of the monomers (octadecyl acrylate and N-methylmaleimide) was carried out with a silane coupling agent; 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS), and the telomer (T) was grafted onto porous silica surface to prepare the alternating copolymer-grafted silica phase (Sil-alt-T). The new hybrid material was characterized by elemental analyses, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, and solid-state 13 C and 29 Si cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy. The results of 13 C CP/MAS NMR demonstrated that the alkyl chains of the grafted polymers in Sil-alt-T remained disordered, amorphous, and mobile represented by gauche conformational form. Separation abilities and molecular-shape selectivities of the prepared organic phase were evaluated by the separation of PAHs isomers and Standard Reference Material 869b, Column Selectivity Test Mixture for Liquid Chromatography, respectively and compared with commercially available octadecylsilylated silica (ODS) and C 30 columns as well as previously reported alternating copolymer-based column. The effectiveness of this phase is also demonstrated by the separation of tocopherol isomers. Oriented functional groups along the polymer main chains and cavity formations are investigated to be the driving force for better separation with multiple-interactions with the solutes. One of the advantages of the Sil-alt-T phase to that of the previously reported phase is the synthesis of the telomer first and then immobilized onto silica surface. In this case, the telomer was characterized easily with simple spectroscopic techniques and the molecular mass and polydispersity index of the telomer were determined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) before grafting onto silica surface. Moreover, both of the monomers were commercially available. Therefore, the technique of preparation was very facile and better separation was achieved with the Sil-alt-T phase compared to the ODS, C 30 and other previously reported alternating copolymer-based columns., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This work reports a new imidazolium and L-alanine derived copolymer-grafted silica stationary phase for ready separation of complex isomers using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For this purpose, 1-allyl-3-octadecylimidazolium bromide ([AyImC18]Br) and N-acryloyl-L-alanine sodium salt ([AAL]Na) ionic liquids (IL) monomers were synthesized. Subsequently, the bromide counteranion was exchanged with the 2-(acrylamido)propanoate organic counteranion by reacting the [AyImC18]Br with excess [AAL]Na in water. The obtained IL cation-anion monomer pair was then copolymerized on mercaptopropyl-modified silica (Sil-MPS) via a surface-initiated radical chain-transfer reaction. The selective retention behaviors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including some positional isomers, steroids, and nucleobases were investigated using the newly obtained Sil-poly(ImC18-AAL), and octadecyl silylated silica (ODS) was used as the reference column. Interesting results were obtained for the separation of PAHs, steroids, and nucleobases with the new organic phase. The results showed that the Sil-poly(ImC18-AAL) presented multiple noncovalent interactions, including hydrophobic, π-π, carbonyl-π, and ion-dipole interactions for the separation of PAHs and dipolar compounds. Only pure water was sufficient as the mobile phase for the separation of the nucleobases. Ten nucleosides and bases were separated, using only water as the mobile phase, within a very short time using the Sil-poly(ImC18-AAL), which is otherwise difficult to achieve using conventional hydrophobic columns such as ODS. The combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are important for the effective separation of such basic compounds without the use of any organic additive as the eluent on the Sil-poly(ImC18-AAL) column.

A simple methodology for the preparation of thermosensitive organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogels using silica nanoparticle-mediated polymer networks is described. A thermosensitive copolymer poly[N-isopropylacrylamide-co-(3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane)], (pNS), with reactive side chains (Si-O-CH3) was first synthesized by free radical polymerization using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTS). Then, simple mixing of the aqueous solution of this copolymer with silica nanoparticle (SiP) suspensions at room temperature led to the formation of thermosensitive hybrid hydrogels cross-linked with silica nanoparticles (SiP) which did not require any other processing like washing for the removal of unreacted monomers and initiators. The effects of SiP content on gelation abilities, temperature-responsive behaviors, swelling and deswelling kinetics, and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated. The results showed that transparent hybrid hydrogels with adjustable network structures were obtained within a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the concentration of the copolymers and the silica nanoparticles. The hybrid hydrogels exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of around 33 °C with no significant deviation from conventional poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels; the LCST was not significantly affected by the concentration of silica nanoparticles (which in these systems serve as the cross-linkers). In addition, the hydrogels showed significantly large equilibrium swelling ratios, improved mechanical strength, and suitable deswelling behavior, which can easily be tuned by varying the composition of the hybrid hydrogels., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

New polyanionic and polyzwitterionic azobenzene ionic liquid-functionalized silica materials were designed based on the preparation of a new polymerizable azobenzene anionic monomer and either its cation-exchange with alkylimidazolium after grafting or the formation of an ionic liquid monomer pair before grafting onto silica.

A novel alternating copolymer-based organic phase was synthesized using a new N-substituted maleimide monomer for the development of alternating copolymer-grafted silica for high-performance liquid chromatographic applications. This new monomer (DGMI) was copolymerized with octadecyl acrylate (ODA) from 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-grafted silica to produce Sil-poly(ODA-alt-DGMI). The organic phase was characterized by the elemental analysis and the diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. Tocopherol isomers and steroids were used as analytes for the evaluation of the chromatographic selectivity profiles of this novel stationary phase. The selectivity of this column was then compared with a polymeric ODS column and previously developed another alternating copolymer-grafted silica (without the glutamide-derived moiety) column, Sil-poly(ODA-alt-N-octadecylmaleimide). The complete baseline separation of tocopherol isomers in an isocratic mode has been achieved within 25 min with the Sil-poly(ODA-alt-DGMI). The separation of eight kinds of estrogenic steroids and corticoids has also been achieved in an isocratic mode with this column. Significant differences in separation selectivity between Sil-poly(ODA-alt-DGMI) and polymeric ODS columns were observed towards the steroids, and compared with the reference columns, a better separation profile for these analytes was obtained with the Sil-poly(ODA-alt-DGMI). The results of this investigation indicated that the enhancement of selectivity of Sil-poly(ODA-alt-DGMI) towards the test analytes arose from the multiple interaction mechanism such as hydrophobic effect, carbonyl-π and hydrogen-bonding interactions, and such integrated interactions originated from the addition of two amide groups in the N-substituted maleimide monomer.

This work aims to clarify that stabilization or increased rigidity of polymer main chains as an organic stationary phase can lead the selectivity enhancement in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For this purpose, the alternating copolymer of octadecyl acrylate (ODA) with a cyclic monomer (N-octadecylmaleimide, OMI) as a rigid segment was synthesized and compared with the ODA homopolymer. Both of the polymer-grafted silicas (Sil-poly(ODA-alt-OMI) and Sil-poly(ODA), respectively) were prepared by radical polymerization on 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-modified silica. The characterizations were carried out by elemental analyses, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT), and solid-state (13)C cross-polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS-NMR) spectroscopies. Chromatographic behaviors were evaluated by the retention studies of shape-constrained isomers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), isomers of tocopherol and carotenoids. Higher molecular-linearity selectivity toward PAHs was obtained on Sil-poy(ODA-alt-OMI) regardless of temperature changes but at temperature below 40 °C, Sil-poly(ODA) showed better planarity selectivity than that of Sil-poy(ODA-alt-OMI). As a result, the higher separation ability toward tocopherols and carotenoids was obtained on Sil-poy(ODA-alt-OMI). These results indicate that the stabilization in the polymer main chain by alternating copolymerization and the stabilization in the side chains by a disordered-to-ordered phase transition were effective to enhance the molecular-shape selectivity., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new strategy for the design of a new chromatographic stationary phase via simple modifications of the counter anions in poly(ionic liquid)-grafted silica phase based on ionic self-assembly technology is proposed. The phase with methyl orange dye as counter anions exhibits ultra-high selectivity towards shape-constrained isomers.

The copolymer with a terminal reactive group (copoly-VP17MA12) was newly designed and prepared by selecting 4-vinylpyridine (VP) as an electron-donating monomer and methyl acrylate (MA) as an electron-accepting monomer. Copoly-VP17MA12 was grafted onto porous silica particles by a silanol coupling reaction with the terminal group. Individually, poly-VP15 and poly-MA20 with a terminal reactive group were also synthesized and co-grafted onto silica (Sil-cograft-VP17MA12) to compare the effect of the copolymer-grafted (Sil-copoly-VP17MA12) and polymer co-grafted stationary phases in HPLC separation. All the polymers were characterized by 1H NMR and FT-IR analysis before grafting on silica. Polymer grafting was confirmed by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT), elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The intra- and intermolecular interaction between monomer units in copolymer-grafted and polymer co-grafted systems, respectively was observed by DRIFT measurement. The detailed chromatographic study revealed using PAHs as solutes that remarkably higher selectivity for planar/non-planar discrimination was observed with the copolymer-grafted phase than with the co-grafted stationary phase. In this paper, it is also discussed that the selectivity enhancement by copolymer-grafting in the Sil-copoly-VP17MA12 phase can be brought through intramolecular interaction between VP and MA.

Poly(2-N-carbazolylethyl acrylate) having terminal trimethoxysilyl groups was newly synthesized by radical polymerization and immobilized onto the silica surface (Sil-CEA). The chromatographic property of Sil-CEA was examined by applying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as solutes. Poly(4-vinylpyridine)-modified silica (Sil-VP) and monomeric octadecylated silica (ODS) columns were used as the reference columns. Less sensitivity to molecular hydrophobicity and enhanced molecular planarity selectivity were obtained with Sil-CEA compared to ODS. On the other hand, high retention factors for the analyzed solutes and an opposite elution order for linear and disc-shaped solutes were obtained with Sil-CEA compared with Sil-VP. In this paper, the application for separation of tocopherols was also described.

Poly(vinyl octadecanoate)-grafted porous silica (Sil-VODn, n=23) was newly prepared to investigate the efficiencies of the carbonyl groups in the polymer chain for recognition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in RP-HPLC. In Sil-VOD23, the octadecyl side chains were connected to the polymer main chain through ester linkage in opposite direction to that in poly(octadecylacrylate)-grafted silica (Sil-ODAn, n=25) which has been reported by us. Sil-ODAn performs enhanced molecular shape selectivity of PAHs in RP-HPLC through multiple carbonyl-pi interaction of aligned carbonyl groups which are induced by the formation of highly oriented structure of side chains. Differential scanning calorimetry of VOD23 demonstrated that octadecyl alkyl chains showed crystalline to isotropic phase transition with endothermic peak at 48.7 degrees C which was similar to ODA25 (at 47.8 degrees C). After grafting of both polymers, phase transition phenomenon was completely disappeared in Sil-VOD23 whereas Sil-ODA25 still exhibits phase transition although at lower endothermic peak top temperature (38.5 degrees C). This indicates that the slight structural change in Sil-VODn and Sil-ODAn influence the ordered structure of side alkyl chains. Moreover, solid-state 13C NMR revealed that the long alkyl chain in Sil-VOD23 is highly disordered as compared with that of Sil-ODA25. Sil-VOD23 was applied to RP-HPLC stationary phase using PAHs as pi-electron containing elutes, and compared with Sil-ODA25 and conventional monomeric octadecylated silica (ODS). Results confirmed that Sil-VOD23 showed much higher selectivity for PAH isomers than ODS, but lower than Sil-ODA25. For example, the separation factors for trans-/cis-stilbene were 1.47 (Sil-VOD23), 1.70 (Sil-ODA25) and 1.07 (ODS), respectively. These results indicate that carbonyl groups in Sil-VOD23 are effective for molecular shape recognition of PAHs through carbonyl-pi interactions even in the disordered state.

Silica-polymer hybrid materials (Sil-T1) have been successfully synthesized from a self-assembling polymerizable organogelator; N'-octadecyl-N(alpha)-(4-vinyl)-benzoyl-L-phenylalanineamide (C(18)-L-Phe-St or 1). Telomerization of compound 1 has been done with commonly used silane coupling agent; 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS), and the telomer (T1) was grafted onto porous silica surface to prepare a stationary phase (Sil-T1) for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The composition of the new hybrid material (Sil-T1) was determined by elemental analysis, DRIFT-IR, TGA and by (13)C and (29)Si (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopic measurements. The elemental analysis measurements revealed that the surface coverage by organic phase in Sil-T1 is significantly (about 135%) lower than commercial polymeric octadecylsilyalted silica (ODS-p). In addition, the results of (13)C CP/MAS NMR demonstrated that the N-alkyl moieties of the grafted polymers chain in Sil-T1 remained disordered, amorphous, and mobile represented by gauche conformational form. Furthermore, from the characterization data, the successful grafting process and unagglomerated state of the grafted particles (as observed by scanning electron microscopic, SEM measurements) prove the material to be suitable for HPLC application. The evaluation of chromatographic performance has been done from the retention studies of different size and shape PAHs and aromatic positional isomers. Significantly higher selectivity for PAHs was attributed by Sil-T1 than ODS-p regardless it has low surface coverage and lower order of alkyl chain. The enhancement of selectivity obtained by Sil-T1 can be explained by the contribution of multiple pi-pi interactions between the guest PAHs and the pi-electrons sources (carbonyls and aromatic moieties) of the organic phase of Sil-T1.

A new route for the preparation of magneto-responsive polymeric gels involving iron nanoparticles as nano cross-linkers has been described.

The monomer N'-octadecyl-N(alpha)-(4-vinyl)-benzoyl-L-phenylalanineamide (4) based on L-phenylalanine has been simply but effectively synthesized, and its self-assembling properties have been investigated. FTIR and a variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopic investigation demonstrated that the aggregation of compound 4 in various organic solvents is due to the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds among the amide moieties. UV/Vis measurements indicated that the multiple pi-pi interactions of the phenyl groups also contribute to the self-assembly. As was observed by (13)C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR and variable-temperature (1)H NMR measurements, the ordered alkyl chains also played an important role in the molecular aggregation by van der Waals interactions. Compound 4 was polymerized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization from porous silica gel to prepare a packing material for HPLC. The results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that a relatively large amount of polymer was grafted onto the silica surface. The organic phase on silica was in a noncrystalline solid form in which the long alkyl chain exists in a less-ordered gauche conformation. Analysis of chromatographic performance for polyaromatic hydrocarbon samples showed higher selectivity than conventional reversed-phase HPLC packing materials.