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The enthalpy and entropy of micellization in water, AHmic and ASmic, respectively, of three linear amphiphilic BAB block copolymers consisting of either poly(methyl acrylate) (Mn similar to 1200 and 700 Da) or poly(ethyl acrylate) (Mn similar to 800 Da) as hydrophobic (B) segments and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the hydrophilic (A, Mn similar to 3000 Da) segment were determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The AHmic and ASmic of the cyclic AB block copolymers obtained by cyclization of the linear triblock copolymers were determined under the same conditions. The AHmic value of the cyclic copolymers was smaller than that of their linear precursors. The ASmic value showed the same trend, but the relative difference between the cyclized and linear copolymers was less pronounced. The hydrodynamic diameter (Dh), critical micelle concentration (CMC), molecular weight (Mw-mic), and second virial coefficient (A2) of the micelles were determined. The Dh value of the cyclic copolymer micelles was smaller than the linear counterpart. On the other hand, the CMC value became larger, whereas the A2 value was comparable or increased by cyclization. Overall, the results suggest that, in the unimer state, the hydrophobic segments of the cyclized copolymers form a tightly coiled structure to minimize contact with water, resulting in the smaller AHmic value. Contrary to the linear copolymer micelles, the cyclic copolymer micelles have no "dangling chains", which may explain the topology-driven slight difference in the ASmic value.

Thermoresponsive water-soluble polymers, aqueous solutions of which undergo lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase separation, have been investigated in detail for several decades. To develop LCST-type thermoresponsive polymers with new polymer backbone, 4-azido-5-hexynamide (AHA) derivatives were designed as monomers for copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) polymerization. AHA derivatives carrying secondary amide side chains, that is, 4-azido-N-methyl-5-hexynamide (M), 4-azido-N-ethyl-5-hexynamide (E), and 4-azido-N-isopropyl-5-hexynamide (iP), were first synthesized and polymerized by CuAAC to obtain polymers (poly(M), poly(E), and poly(iP)). Contrary to our expectation, poly(M), poly(E), and poly(iP) were insoluble in water and many organic solvents presumably because of the formation of hydrogen bonding between the amide side chains or between the amide side chains and triazole residues in the backbone. Thus, AHA derivatives carrying tertiary amide side chains, that is, 4-azido-N,N-dimethyl-5-hexynamide (MM), 4-azido-N-ethyl-N-methyl-5-hexynamide (ME), 4-azido-N-isopropyl-N-methyl-5-hexynamide (MiP), and 4-azido-N,N-diethyl-5-hexynamide (EE), were also synthesized and polymerized to yield polymers (poly(MM), poly(ME), poly(MiP), and poly(EE)). These polymers were soluble in a number of common organic solvents. It is noteworthy that poly(MM) and poly(ME) were also soluble in water. The phase separation behavior of 1.0 wt % aqueous solutions of poly(MM) and poly(ME) was then investigated by transmittance measurements. These data indicated that poly(ME) was an LCST-type thermoresponsive polymer, whereas poly(MM) was not. A large hysteresis was observed in the transmittance measurements for the poly(ME) aqueous solution because of slow rehydration after phase separation. The phase separation behavior was investigated preliminarily by differential scanning calorimetry and 1H NMR.

Thermoresponsive self-assembled nanogels were conveniently prepared by cholesterol end-capped poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water. Both cholesterol end-capped PNIPAMs (telelchelic cholesterol PNIPAM, tCH-PNIPAM) formed flower-like nanogels by the self-assembling of four to five polymer chains with multiple domains of cholesterol in water at 20 °C. Meanwhile, one end-group cholesterol-capped PNIPAM (semitelechelic cholesterol PNIPAM, stCH-PNIPAM) was also formed as a nanogel by the self-assembling of 15-20 polymer chains with 3 to 4 cholesterol domains. The hydrophobic cholesterol domains of tCH-PNIPAM nanogels were maintained above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM (>32 °C). Differently, the hydrophobic domains of stCH-PNIPAM were disrupted by cholesterol-free PNIPAM chain ends and formed large mesoglobules above the LCST. These transition controls of hydrophilic end-capped smart polymers may open new methodologies to design thermoresponsive nanosystems.

In thin and ultrathin supported films, the conformations of flexible linear polymer chains might be considerably confined, in particular, for film thicknesses smaller than a few times the radius of gyration. For ring polymers in solution or in melt, the radii of gyration are significantly reduced as compared to those of their linear counterparts. We study here the influence of geometrical confinement on the chain conformation of cyclic PNIPAM in silicon-supported films. Measurements are performed by grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (GISANS). For all films, the component of the radius of gyration parallel to the substrate

The equilibrium structures and optical properties of the photolabile caged luciferin, (7-diethylaminocoumarin-4-yl)methyl caged D-luciferin (DEACM-caged D-luciferin), in aqueous solution were investigated via quantum chemical calculations. The probable conformers of DEACM-caged D-luciferin were determined by potential energy curve scans and structural optimizations. We identified 40 possible conformers of DEACM-caged D-luciferin in water by comparing the Gibbs free energy of the optimized structures. Despite the difference in their structures, the conformers were similar in terms of assignments, oscillator strengths and energies of the three low-lying excited states. From the concentrations of the conformers and their oscillator strengths, we obtained a theoretical UV/Vis spectrum of DEACM-caged D-luciferin that has two main bands of shape nearly identical to the experimental UV/Vis spectrum. The absorption bands with maxima similar to 384 and 339 nm were attributed to the electronic excitations of the caged group and the luciferin moiety, respectively, by analysis of the theoretical UV/Vis spectrum. Furthermore, the analysis showed that DEACM-caged D-luciferin is excited in the caged group only by light of wavelength ranging within 400-430 nm, which is in the long-wavelength tail of the 384 nm band. This should be tested to lower damage upon photocleavage.

Azo dyes, such as azobenzene, are able to convert absorbed light into motion or deformation on the macroscopic scale on the basis of their remarkable ability to undergo repeatedly and in 100% yield reversible trans-to-cis photoisomerization. Current needs for multiresponsive and fast photoswitches have led to the development of heteroaryl azo dyes, such as azopyridine. This remarkable azo compound combines the photoresponse of the azo chromophore with the chemistry of the pyridine ring, in particular its responsiveness to changes in pH and its ability to form hydrogen- and halogen-bonds. This mini-review summarizes key features of the photoisomerization of polymer-tethered azopyridine in aqueous media and describes a few recent research accomplishments in emerging areas that have benefited of the fast thermal cis-to-trans relaxation characteristics of azopyridinium or H-bonded azopyridine. It also discusses the effects of the photoisomerization of azopyridine on the thermoresponsive properties of azopyridine-tethered heat-sensitive polymers. Overall, azopyridine is a highly versatile actuator to consider when designing photo/multiresponsive polymeric materials.

Funding Information: For financial support, Jukka Niskanen acknowledges the Department of Chemistry of the University of Montreal (Canada), and Jaana Vapaavuori is grateful for funding from Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (Canada). Christian Pellerin acknowledges funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC #RGPIN‐2015‐04014). Dmitri Golberg is grateful to the Australian Research Council (ARC) for granting a Laureate Fellowship FL160100089 and Discovery project DP170100131. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Understanding interfacial interactions in polymer systems is crucial for their applicability for instance in adhesives and coatings. Enclosing polymers in a cylindrical volume provides a system for studying interactions dictated by a continuous interfacial layer and a bulk-like volume in the middle of the cylinders. Here, we describe a simple method for enclosing polymers into boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and establishing the effect of the interfacial interactions on the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymers by infrared spectroscopy. The volume of the inner channel is large in comparison to the volume of the loaded polymer coils, allowing the polymer to expand along the inner channel, resulting in the effect of interfacial interactions on polymer dynamics dominating over confinement effects. As examples, we loaded poly(4-vinyl pyridine), poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), and poly(disperse red 1 acrylate) in BNNTs. The strongest interaction between the studied polymer and BNNTswas observed for poly(4-vinyl pyridine), which also caused a significant increase of Tg. In addition to characterizing the effect of interfacial interactions on the thermal transitions of the polymers, this method, which is generalizable to most soluble polymer materials, can be used for studying photoinduced transitions in photoactive polymers thanks to the transparency of the BNNTs at visible wavelengths.

Thermoresponsive self-assembled nanogels were conveniently prepared by cholesterol end-capped poly(

Suitably end-functionalized diblock copolymers (2-isopropyl-2oxazoline)-b-(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PIPOZ-b-PEOZ) were linked to a tetrafunctional core to synthesize two isomeric thermosensitive 4-arm star block polymers which have the PIPOZ block near the core, core-(PIPOZ-bPEOZ)(4), or near the outer surface the star polymer, core-(PEOZ-b-PIPOZ)(4) The solution properties of the star copolymers in water were monitored by turbidimetry, microcalorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The dehydration and cloud-point temperatures of both core-(PIPOZ-b-PEOZ)(4) and core-(PEOZ-b-PIPOZ)(4) in water are in the vicinity of 50 degrees C. Above this temperature, core-(PIPOZ-b-PEOZ)(4) forms starlike aggregates or star micelle, whereas core-(PEOZ-b-PIPOZ)(4) remains isolated, with no sign of aggregation. These results demonstrate the importance of chain architecture on the association of thermosensitive tetra-arm star block copolymers in water above the dehydration temperature.

Azopyridines (AzPy) act as light-sensitive groups that undergo reversible cis-trans isomerization upon UV irradiation, as hydrogen-bond acceptors, and as ionizable moieties. The kinetics of the thermal cis- to trans-AzPy deactivation are slow except when the Py nitrogen is H-bonded or cationic. The properties of AzPy were used here to control the phase transition of aqueous solutions of alpha-azopyridine-omega-n-dodecyl-poly(N-isopropylacrylamides) (C12-PN-AzPy) with the molar mass (M-n) ranging from 5800 to 19 700 g mol(-1). The C12-PN-AzPy polymers form cationic star-micelles in solutions of pH 3 and flower-micelles in neutral and basic solutions. This diversity of micelle morphology underlies the temperature-, pH- and UV-irradiation-driven phase transition of aqueous C12-PN-AzPy solutions as demonstrated by turbidimetry, H-1 NMR spectroscopy, and microcalorimetry. Unlike azobenzene, the commonly used photoresponsive moiety to actuate amphiphilic polymers, AzPy can affect the thermoresponsive behavior of polymers in response to three orthogonal triggers: pH, through changes in ionization; light, via trans-cis photoisomerization; and time, from hours to a few ms, via the kinetics of the dark cis-trans relaxation. The study leads the way to responsive sensors or actuators in the form of aqueous fluids, hydrogels, or films by the application of light and changes of temperature and pH in permutable sequences.

High-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (HS-DSC) thermograms of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions present a sharp unimodal endotherm that signals the heat-induced dehydration/collapse of the PNIPAM chain. Similarly, alpha,omega-di-n-octadecyl-PNIPAM (C18-PN-C18) aqueous solutions exhibit a unimodal endotherm. In contrast, aqueous solutions of alpha,omega-hydrophobically modified PNIPAMs with polycyclic terminal groups, such as pyrenylbutyl (Py-PN-Py), adamantylethyl (Ad-PN-Ad), and azopyridine- (C12-PN-AzPy) moieties, exhibit bimodal thermograms. The origin of the two transitions was probed using microcalorimetry measurements, turbidity tests, variable temperature H-1 NMR (VT-NMR) spectroscopy, and 2-dimensional NOESY experiments with solutions of polymers of molar mass (M-n) from 5 to 20 kDa and polymer concentrations of 0.1 to 3.0 mg/mL. The analysis outcome led us to conclude that the difference of the thermograms reflects the distinct self-assembly structures of the polymers. C18-PN-C18 assembles in water in the form of flower micelles held together by a core of tightly packed n-C18 chains. In contrast, polymers end-tagged with azopyridine, pyrenylbutyl, or adamantylethyl form a loose core that allows chain ends to escape from the micelles, to reinsert in them, or to dangle in surrounding water. The predominant low temperature (T-1) endotherm, which is insensitive to polymer concentration, corresponds to the dehydration/collapse of PNIPAM chains within the micelles, while the higher temperature (T-2) endotherm is attributed to the dehydration of dangling chains and intermicellar bridges. This study of the two phase transitions of telechelic PNIPAM homopolymer highlights the rich variety of morphologies attainable via responsive hydrophobically modified aqueous polymers and may open the way to a variety of practical applications.

We report a one-pot synthesis of water dispersible fluorescent silica nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with terminal amine groups, starting from silicon tetrabromide (SiBr4) and aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES). The NPs range from 1 to 2 nm in diameter, and exhibit an intense blue emission with a quantum yield (QY) of around 34% in water. They were characterized using XRD, XPS, TEM and FTIR spectroscopy for structural analysis. A tentative mechanism explaining the origin of the NPs emission in the blue region is presented based on the distinctive features of their low temperature photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectrum and time correlated single photon counting lifetime decay profiles. The outstanding PL QY and photostability of the NPs, together with their water dispersibility and biocompatibility, constitute a unique set of properties among existing silica NPs and enable the application of the NPs in various fields.

High-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (HS-DSC) thermograms of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions present a sharp unimodal endotherm that signals the heat-induced dehydration/collapse of the PNIPAM chain. Similarly, α,ω-di-n-octadecyl-PNIPAM (C18-PN-C18) aqueous solutions exhibit a unimodal endotherm. In contrast, aqueous solutions of α,ω-hydrophobically modified PNIPAMs with polycyclic terminal groups, such as pyrenylbutyl (Py-PN-Py), adamantylethyl (Ad-PN-Ad), and azopyridine- (C12-PN-AzPy) moieties, exhibit bimodal thermograms. The origin of the two transitions was probed using microcalorimetry measurements, turbidity tests, variable temperature 1H NMR (VT-NMR) spectroscopy, and 2-dimensional NOESY experiments with solutions of polymers of molar mass (Mn) from 5 to 20 kDa and polymer concentrations of 0.1 to 3.0 mg/mL. The analysis outcome led us to conclude that the difference of the thermograms reflects the distinct self-assembly structures of the polymers. C18-PN-C18 assembles in water in the form of flower micelles held together by a core of tightly packed n-C18 chains. In contrast, polymers end-tagged with azopyridine, pyrenylbutyl, or adamantylethyl form a loose core that allows chain ends to escape from the micelles, to reinsert in them, or to dangle in surrounding water. The predominant low temperature (T1) endotherm, which is insensitive to polymer concentration, corresponds to the dehydration/collapse of PNIPAM chains within the micelles, while the higher temperature (T2) endotherm is attributed to the dehydration of dangling chains and intermicellar bridges. This study of the two phase transitions of telechelic PNIPAM homopolymer highlights the rich variety of morphologies attainable via responsive hydrophobically modified aqueous polymers and may open the way to a variety of practical applications.

Published under an ACS AuthorChoice License Polymersomes are attractive nanocarriers for hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs; they are more stable than liposomes, tunable, and relatively easy to prepare. The copolymer composition and molar mass are critical features that determine the physicochemical properties of the polymersomes including the rate of drug release. We used the triblockcopolymer, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-block-poly-(dimethysiloxane)-block-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PIVIOXA-PDIVIS-PMOXA), to form amphipathic polymersomes capable of loading proteins and small hydrophobic agents. The selected agents were unstable neurotrophins (nerve growth factor and brain -derived neurotrophic factor), a large protein CD109, and the fluorescent drug curcumin. We prepared, characterized, and tested polymersomes loaded with selected agents in 2D and 3D biological models. Curcumin-loaded and rhodamine-bound PMOXA-PDMS-PMOXA polymersomes were used to visualize them inside cells. NMethyl-D-aspartate receptor (NNIDAR) agonists and antagonists were also covalently attached to the surface of polymersomes for targeting neurons. Labeled and unlabeled polymersomes with or without loaded agents were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-vis fluorescence spectroscopy, and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF(4)). Polymersomes were imaged and tested for biological activity in human and murine fibroblasts, murine macrophages, primary murine dorsal root ganglia, and murine hippocampal cultures. Polymersomes were rapidly internalized and there was a clear intracellular co-localization of the fluorescent drug (curcumin) with the fluorescent rhodamine-labeled polymersomes. Polymersomes containing CD109, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein, promoted cell migration in the model of wound healing. Nerve growth factor-loaded polymersomes effectively enhanced neurite outgrowth in dissociated and explanted dorsal root ganglia. Brain -derived neurotrophic factor increased dendritic spine density in serum-deprived hippocampal slice cultures. NMDAR agonist-and antagomst-functionalized polymersomes targeted selectively neurons over filial cells in mixed cultures. Collectively, the study reveals the successful incorporation into polymersomes of biologically active trophic factors and small hydrophilic agents that retain their biological activity in vitro, as demonstrated in selected central and peripheral tissue models.

The sulfobetaine (SB) moiety, which comprises a quaternary ammonium group linked to a negatively charged sulfonate ester, is known to impart nonfouling properties to interfaces coated with polysulfobetaines or grafted with SB-polymeric brushes. Increasingly, evidence emerges that the SB group is, overall, a better antifouling group than the phosphorylcholine (PC) moiety extensively used in the past. We report here the synthesis of a series of SB-modified chitosans (CH-SB) carrying between 20 and 40 mol % SB per monosaccharide unit. Chitosan (CH) itself is a naturally derived copolymer of glucosamine and N-acetyl-glucosamine linked with a beta-1,4 bond. Analysis by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) indicates that CH-SB films (thickness similar to 20 nm) resist adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with increasing efficiency as the SB content of the polymer augments (surface coverage similar to 15 mu g cm(-2) for films of CH with 40 mol % SB). The cell adhesivity of CH-SB films coated on glass was assessed by determining the spreading dynamics of CT26 cell aggregates. When placed on chitosan films, known to be cell-adhesive, the CT26 cell aggregates spread by forming a cell monolayer around them. The spreading of CT26 cell aggregates on zwitterion-modified chitosans films is thwarted remarkably. In the cases of CH-SB30 and CH-SB40 films, only a few isolated cells escape from the aggregates. The extent of aggregate spreading, quantified based on the theory of liquid wetting, provides a simple in vitro assay of the nonfouling properties of substrates toward specific cell lines. This assay can be adopted to test and compare the fouling characteristics of substrates very different from the chemical viewpoint.

The temperature-dependent behavior of aqueous solutions composed of a small amount of monodisperse poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) labeled at one or both ends with pyrene (Py-n-PNIPAM with n = 1 or 2) and a 10-fold excess of a nonfluorescent poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM(22K), M-n = 22 000 g/mol) was characterized using steady-state (SSF) and time-resolved (TRF) fluorescence. Turbidimetry studies indicated that all solutions exhibited two temperature-induced transitions: one at T-upsilon the cloud point of the pyrene-labeled polymers, and one at T-c22, the cloud point of PNIPAM(22K). These two transitions were also inferred from a decrease in the excimer-to-monomer fluorescence intensity ratio, namely, the I-E/I-M ratio, obtained from SSF spectra. TRF decays of the pyrene monomer were acquired and fitted with a sum of exponentials to obtain the number-average lifetime (tau). Plots of (1) versus temperature also showed transitions at T-c and T-c22. The changes in behavior observed at T, for both I-E/I-M and (tau) were consistent with those observed for solutions of solely Py-n-PNIPAM samples. The transitions found at T-c22 for the Pyn-PNIPAM solutions with PNIPAM(22K) were not observed in aqueous solutions of Py-n-PNIPAM without PNIPAM(22K). They were explained by invoking substantial mixing of labeled and unlabeled chains as temperature exceeded Tc-22. This mixing could only occur if the mesoglobules composed of labeled chains were not "frozen" at temperatures above T-c22 despite forming stable entities in this temperature range. This phenomenon was rationalized by considering the difference in the characteristic reptation time of the chains found in a Py-n-PNIPAM and PNIPAM(22K) mesoglobule at temperatures larger than T-c22.

We report an organic-inorganic hybrid core-shell nanomaterial obtained by conjugation of an amphiphilic monomethoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) diblock copolymer to hydroxylated boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). The extent of copolymer grafting reached 64% w/w, an exceptionally high value. The hybrid materials exhibit excellent physical stability in water and an outstanding loading capacity (31.3% w/w) for curcumin, a hydrophobic drug. Moreover, they present good compatibility with the Caco2 cell line, a model of intestinal epithelium. Our findings demonstrate the potential of multifunctional hybrid BNNTs to serve as a platform for complex amphiphilic nanoparticle architectures with improved features. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aqueous solutions of a series of monodisperse poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)s end-labeled with n-butyl-1-pyrene at one or both chain ends (Py-n-PNIPAMs with n=1 or 2) were studied by turbidimetry, light scattering, and fluorescence. For a given polymer concentration and heating rate, the cloud point (T-c) of an aqueous Py-n-PNIPAM solution, determined by turbidimetry, was found to increase with the number-average molecular weight (M-n) of the polymer. The steady-state fluorescence spectra and time-resolved fluorescence decays of Py-n-PNIPAM aqueous solutions were analyzed and all parameters retrieved from these analyses were found to be affected as the solution temperature passed through T-c, the solution cloud point, and T-m, the temperature where dehydration of PNIPAM occurred. The trends obtained by fluorescence to characterize the aqueous Py-n-PNIPAM solutions as a function of temperature were found to be consistent with the model proposed for telechelic PNIPAM by Koga et al. in 2006. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 308-318

A star shaped poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) and its linear analogs, display upper-critical-solution-temperature (UCST) type behavior in 0.1 M NaCl. The presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) has a significant effect on the thermal transition of the polymer. The association of the polymer with the surfactants is confirmed by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. SDS forms hydrophobic domains along the polymer chains, preventing the polymers from undergoing a thermal phase transition. These domains can be used to capture 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (1,8-ANS), pyrene and curcumin, and increase their fluorescence intensity. Curcumin, which is unstable in aqueous solutions, is stabilized against degradation upon solubilization by the PSBMA-SDS complexes.

Impurity-doping in nanocrystals significantly affects their electronic properties and diversifies their applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of transition metal (Mn, Ni, Co, Cu)-doped oleophilic silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) through hydrolysis/polymerization of triethoxysilane with acidic aqueous metal salt solutions, followed by thermal disproportionation of the resulting gel into a doped-Si/SiO2 composite that, upon HF etching and hydrosilylation with 1-n-octadecene, produces free-standing octadecyl-capped doped SiNCs (diameter approximate to 3 to 8 nm; dopant

Equilibration in adsorbing polymer systems can be very slow, leading to different physical properties at a given condition depending on the pathway that was used to reach this state. Here we explore this phenomenon using a diblock copolymer consisting of a cationic anchor block and a thermoresponsive block of poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline), PIPOZ. We find that at a given temperature different polymer chain densities at the silica surface are achieved depending on the previous temperature history. We explore how this affects surface and friction forces between such layers using the atomic force microscope colloidal probe technique. The surface forces are purely repulsive at temperatures

Aqueous solutions of the doubly thermosensitive block copolymer poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) heated to 50 °C underwent a macroscopic liquid/liquid phase separation. The small-angle X-ray scattering intensity recorded from the concentrated phase settled on the bottom of a sample indicated that this phase was in the disordered state without any microphase separation, although the block copolymer was amphiphilic in water at 50 °C. It was also confirmed that the contribution to the scattering intensities of individual copolymer chains and their aggregates existing in the coexisting concentrated phase was very small, compared with the total scattering intensity of the phase-separated solution, when the concentrated phase was suspended in the form of colloidal droplets in the lean phase. The small-angle X-ray scattering intensity from the coexisting concentrated phase was measured in a phase-separated aqueous solution of the thermosensitive block copolymer poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) under amphiphilic conditions (50 °C). The concentrated phase was disordered with no sign of micro phase separation. In addition, the scattering from individual copolymer chains and their aggregates existing in the concentrated phase hardly contributed to the total scattering intensity of the phase-separated colloidal solution of the block copolymer.

At room temperature, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is soluble in water and methanol, but it is not soluble in certain water/methanol mixtures. This phenomenon, known as cononsolvency, has been explored in great detail experimentally and theoretically in an attempt to understand the complex interactions occurring in the ternary PNIPAM/water/co-nonsolvent system. Yet little is known about the effects of the polymer structure on cononsolvency. To address this point, we investigated the temperature-dependent solution properties in water, methanol, and mixtures of the two solvents of poly(2-cyclopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PcyPOx) and two structural isomers of PNIPAM (M n ∼11 kg/mol): poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx) and poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) (PnPOx). The phase diagram of the ternary water/methanol/poly(2-propyl-2-oxazolines) (PPOx) systems, constructed based on cloud point (T CP) measurements, revealed that PnPOx exhibits cononsolvency in water/methanol mixtures. In contrast, methanol acts as a cosolvent for PiPOx and PcyPOx in water. The enthalpy, H, and temperature, T max, of the coil-to-globule transition of the three polymers in various water/methanol mixtures were measured by high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry. T max follows the same trends as T CP, confirming the cononsolvency of PnPOx and the cosolvency of PiPOx and PcyPOx. H decreases linearly as a function of the methanol content for all PPOx systems. Ancillary high-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy studies of PPOx solutions in D 2O and methanol-d 4, coupled with DOSY and NOESY experiments revealed that the n-propyl group of PnPOx rotates freely in D 2O, whereas the rotation of the isopropyl and cyclopropyl groups of PiPOx and PcyPOx, respectively, is limited due to steric restriction. This factor appears to play an important role in the case of the PPOxs/water/methanol ternary system.

A series of azopyridine-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)s (PNIPAM) (C12-PN-AzPy) (similar to 5000 3600 s, pH 10). The pH-dependent dynamics of the cis-to-trans dark relaxation, supported by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, H-1 NMR spectroscopy, and LS analysis, suggest that in acidic medium, the nanoparticles consist of a core of assembled C12 chains surrounded by a shell of hydrated PNIPAM chains with the AzPy(+) end groups preferentially located near the particle/water interface. In neutral medium, the shell surrounding the core contains AzPy groups H-bonded to the amide hydrogen of the PNIPAM chain repeat units. At pH 10.0, the amide hydrogen binds preferentially to the hydroxide anions. The AzPy groups reside preferentially in the vicinity of the C12 core of the nanoparticles. The morphology of the nanoparticles results from the competition between the segregation of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic components and weak attractive interactions, such as H-bonds between the AzPy groups and the amide hydrogen of the PNIPAM repeat units.

The adsorption of hydrophilic or amphiphilic multiblock copolymers provides a powerful means to produce well-defined "smart" surfaces, especially if one or several blocks are sensitive to external stimuli. We focus here on an A-B-A-B-A copolymer, where A is a cationic poly((3-acrylamido-propyl)-trimethylammonium chloride) (PAMPTMA) block containing 15 (end blocks) or 30 (middle block) repeat units and B is a neutral thermosensitive water-soluble poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PIPOZ) block with 50 repeat units. X-ray reflectivity and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring were employed to study the adsorption of PAMPTMA

[Image: see text] Controlling the propagation of primary tumors is fundamental to avoiding the epithelial to mesenchymal transition process leading to the dissemination and seeding of tumor cells throughout the body. Here we demonstrate that nanoparticles (NPs) limit the propagation of cell aggregates of CT26 murine carcinoma cells used as tumor models. The spreading behavior of these aggregates incubated with NPs is studied on fibronectin-coated substrates. The cells spread with the formation of a cell monolayer, the precursor film, around the aggregate. We study the effect of NPs added either during or after the formation of aggregates. We demonstrate that, in both cases, the spreading of the cell monolayer is slowed down in the presence of NPs and occurs only above a threshold concentration that depends on the size and surface chemistry of the NPs. The density of cells in the precursor films, measured by confocal microscopy, shows that the NPs stick cells together. The mechanism of slowdown is explained by the increase in cell–cell interactions due to the NPs adsorbed on the membrane of the cells. The present results demonstrate that NPs can modulate the collective migration of cells; therefore, they may have important implications for cancer treatment.

The heat-induced phase transition of aqueous solutions of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water is examined for a four-arm PNIPAM star (s-PNIPAM), a cyclic PNIPAM (c-PNIPAM), and their linear counterparts (l-PNIPAM) in the case of polymers (1.0 g L−1) of 12,700 g mol−1 < Mn

Aim: To evaluate the response of cells to boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) carrying fluorescent probes or drugs in their inner channel by assessment of the cellular localization of the fluorescent cargo, evaluation of the in vitro release and biological activity of a drug (curcumin) loaded in BNNTs. Methods: Cells treated with curcumin-loaded BNNTs and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide were assessed for nitric oxide release and stimulation of IL-6 and TNF-α. The cellular trafficking of two cell-permeant dyes and a non-cell-permeant dye loaded within BNNTs was imaged. Results: BNNTs loaded with up to 13 wt% fluorophores were internalized by cells and controlled release of curcumin triggered cellular pathways associated with the known anti-inflammatory effects of the drug. Conclusion: The overall findings indicate that BNNTs can function as nanocarriers of biologically relevant probes/drugs allowing one to examine/control their local intracellular localization and biochemical effects, leading the way to applications as intracellular nanosensors. [Formula: see text]

A dual thermosensitive behavior, i.e., self-assembly at both high and low temperatures, was achieved in water using vinyl ether block copolymers with imidazolium salt side-chains (exhibiting a UCST behavior) and oxyethylene side-chains (exhibiting an LCST behavior). The block copolymers were precisely prepared via living cationic polymerization in the presence of a weak Lewis base. They formed micelles at lower temperatures and vesicles at higher temperatures in water, as confirmed via UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), static light scattering (SLS), variable temperature 1H NMR, and fluorescence measurements using pyrene as a polarity-sensitive probe. Furthermore, concentrated aqueous solutions of the block copolymers underwent sol–gel transitions by either raising or lowering the temperature.

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) were functionalized under mild conditions, using a difunctional amine, such as glycine, with one of three targeting ligands, folic acid, a nerve growth factor, or an antibody against nerve growth factor. In addition, non-fouling BNNTs were obtained by a facile and versatile, non-destructive method via controlled surface-initiated grafting of polyzwitterions. The BNNTs were loaded with a fluorescent probe for convenient imaging of glioblastoma multiforme cells treated with BNNTs. BNNTs bearing targeting factors on their outer surface demonstrated an increased efficiency of internalization in glioblastoma multiforme cells, compared to non-modified BNNTs. The degree of internalization was affected both by the nature of the ligand/agonist linked to the BNNTs surface and by the presence of serum proteins. The polyzwitterion grafts prevented the spontaneous adsorption of serum proteins on the BNNTs.

Caged luciferin compounds of firefly luciferins have recently drawn much attention since firefly bioluminescence, in which D-luciferin acts as a substrate, is widely used in noninvasive gene-expression imaging, studies of in vivo cell trafficking, and the detection of enzyme activity. The objectives of this study are the development of new caged luciferins and the quantitative determination of the photophysical parameters of their photo-decomposition. We synthesized 7-(diethylaminocoumarin)-4-(yl)methyl caged D-luciferin (DEACM-caged D-luciferin) and quantitatively characterized its absorption spectrum, bioluminescence, and photoproducts using chiral HPLC chromatography, as a function of light-irradiation time. We observed that 4 min of UV irradiation generated maximum D-luciferin concentrations, which corresponds to 16.2% of the original DEACM-caged-D-luciferin concentration. Moreover, we evaluated not only the rate of photocleavage (0.20/min) from DEACM-caged D-luciferin to luciferin but also the rate of caged-luciferin degradation that did not produce luciferin (0.28/min) and the rate of luciferin decomposition (0.20/min) after exposure to irradiation with a 70 mW/cm2 high-pressure mercury lamp (254–600 nm). The formation rate of L-luciferin via DEACM-caged–D-luciferin photocleavage was smaller by a factor of 1/10 compared with that of D-luciferin. These quantitative measurements and simultaneous evaluations of photocleavage, degradation, and decomposition are the most important and original methodology presented in this study.

Miscible block copolymers (BCPs) are rarely studied. When one or both components of such BCPs are semi-crystalline polymers, strong effects on the crystallization behavior can be expected. We present a study of 18 miscible BCPs comprised of poly(lactide) (PLLA, semi-crystalline and PDLLA, amorphous) and poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx, semi-crystalline) with PiPOx volume fractions of 0.14

Mitochondrial targeting and entry, two crucial steps in fighting severe diseases resulting from mitochondria dysfunction, pose important challenges in current nanomedicine. Cell-penetrating peptides or targeting groups, such as Rhodamine-B (Rho), are known to localize in mitochondria, but little is known on how to enhance their effectiveness through structural properties of polymeric carriers. To address this issue, we prepared 8 copolymers of 3-dimethyl(methacryloyloxyethyl)ammonium propane sulfonate and poly(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate, p(DMAPS-ran-PEGMA) (molecular weight, 18.0 M n M n

This chapter examines experimental details of the application of fluorescence techniques to the study of polymer-surfactant interactions. The characteristic of pyrene spectroscopy was exploited first by K. Kalyanasundaram and J. K. Thomas in a study of surfactant micelles and has been applied by the groups of N. J. Turro and R. Zana to the study of polymer-surfactant aggregates. Labeled-polymer experiments are often more informative because they report on phenomena from the aspect of the polymer. The photophysics of bis(l-pyrenylmethyl) ether (dipyme) provide a unique tool to study the interactions between hydrophobically modified polymers and surfactants. Some of the very features that make fluorescent dyes attractive as probes make them also a source of artifacts when applied to polymer/surfactant systems in water. Polymers may exhibit intrinsic fluorescence, as in the case of proteins or many water-insoluble polymers. Most experiments on polymer-surfactant systems reported to date rely either on fluorescence depolarization or on pyrene excimer formation.

Im Jahr 1968 publizierten Heskins und Guillet die erste systematische Studie uber das Phasendiagramm von Poly(N-isopropylacrylamid) (PNIPAM), einem zu jener Zeit “jungen Polymer”, das erstmalig 1956 synthetisiert worden war. Seitdem ist PNIPAM zu einem fuhrenden Vertreter der wachsenden Familie temperatur- und reizempfindlicher Polymere geworden. Seine thermische Antwort ist fraglos durch sein Phasenverhalten begrundet. Nach nunmehr 50 Jahren Forschung zeichnet sich noch immer kein einheitliches, quantitatives Bild seines Verhaltens ab. In diesem Aufsatz treten wir eine Reise zu den beobachteten Phasendiagrammen an. Wir kommentieren theoretische Uberlegungen zu den moglichen Ursachen der dabei offensichtlich werdenden Unterschiede. Dabei ist es unser Ziel, nach wie vor offene Fragen auf diesem altehrwurdigen Gebiet vor Augen zu fuhren.

The synthesis and self-assembling of a thermoresponsive conjugate of hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) is reported. Both polymers were end functionalized: HA via reductive amination, thereby introducing an azide endgroup to the chain end, and PVCL via thioetherification to introduce a propargyl group. The two were coupled with a copper assisted “click” reaction into a bioconjugate composed of HA blocks with the molar mass 3,600 g mol−1 (1618 saccharide units) and PVCL blocks of 3,500 g mol−1 (∼25 repeating units). The cloud point temperature measured by transmittance was 50–51 °C in water. The calorimetrically observed phase transition temperature of PVCL in the conjugate increased by 2 °C to 47.7 °C, whereas the enthalpy of the phase transition was unaffected by the conjugation. HA-PVCL conjugate self-assembles in water upon heating into monodisperse, colloidally stable, hollow spherical particles whose size may be tuned with the heating rate of the solution. Slow and fast heating resulted in vesicles with the hydrodynamic radii of 443 or 275 nm, respectively. The heating rate did not, however, affect the cloud point. Salt did not noticeably affect the size of the polymer particles, presumably because of interactions between the HA and PVCL blocks. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015

Polymer topology and reduced dimensions can have a significant impact on the properties and phase transitions of polymeric films with thicknesses below a few hundred nanometers. We study the impact of these effects in the case of thin films of cyclic and linear poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) exposed to water vapor. Specifically, we monitor the swelling kinetics of the thin PNIPAM films, their interfacial interactions, and their LCST-type demixing phase transition, using white light interferometry and X-ray reflectivity. As the film thickness decreases, the swelling ratio increases, presumably due to the increasingly dominant effect of polymer/substrate interactions. The time constants of the swelling process depend on both the film thickness and the PNIPAM topology. Consistent with earlier observations for PNIPAM solutions, in thin swollen films of comparable concentration, cyclic PNIPAM exhibits a broader and thus less cooperative demixing transition than the linear PNIPAM counterpart.

Thermoresponsive polymer layers on silica surfaces have been obtained by utilizing electrostatically driven adsorption of a cationic-nonionic diblock copolymer. The cationic block provides strong anchoring to the surface for the nonionic block of poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline), referred to as PIPOZ. The PIPOZ chain interacts favorably with water at low temperatures, but above 46 degrees C aqueous solutions of PIPOZ phase separate as water becomes a poor solvent for the polymer. We explore how a change in solvent condition affects interactions between such adsorbed layers and report temperature effects on both normal forces and friction forces. To gain further insight, we utilize self-consistent lattice mean-field theory to follow how changes in temperature affect the polymer segment density distributions and to calculate surface force curves. We find that with worsening of the solvent condition an attraction develops between the adsorbed PIPOZ layers, and this observation is in good agreement with predictions of the mean-field theory. The modeling also demonstrates that the segment density profile and the degree of chain interpenetration under a given load between two PIPOZ-coated surfaces rise significantly with increasing temperature.

Triazine-based coupling agents have the potential to replace carbodiimides in the functionalization of hyaluronic acid (HA) giving derivatives with high degrees of substitution (DS) under mild conditions with excellent efficiency. Kinetics of the triazine-mediated amidation of HA in aqueous solution were investigated to understand the reaction mechanism and the role of the amine reagent. The DS decreased with increasing basicity of the amine. The water soluble coupling agent was stable under the reaction conditions ( t 1/2 = 10 days) in the absence of amines. The activation of HA proceeded quantitatively. The stoichiometry of amine was the limiting factor in the substitution. Functional HA derivatives with DS up to 55% were obtained by the triazine-mediated amidation. They were used successfully to prepare well-defined HA conjugates via the maleimide-thiol and the azide-alkyne “click” reactions.