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We use atomic-force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet (UV)/visible spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering to perform a comparative study of new hybrid bioactive nanosystems based on nanoparticles of various natures: zero-valent copper (Cu0), zero-valent selenium (Se0), and zero-valent silver (Ag0) stabilized with a water-soluble homopolymer poly-4-acryloylmorpholine (PAM). We demonstrate the possibility of regulating the structural and morphological parameters and the dimensional and spectral characteristics of bioactive nanosystems by varying the nature of nanoparticles. The reduction of ions of biogenic elements in water in the presence of poly-4-acryloylmorpholine, due to sufficiently good screening, yields spherical nanostructures with a diameter not exceeding 180 nm (PAM/Se0). The most probable sizes of nanoparticles do not exceed 12 nm.

Hybrid nanosystems based on nanoparticles of zero-valent copper (Cu0), zero-valent silver (Ag0), and zero-valent selenium (Se0) are synthesized. The nanoparticles are stabilized by a water-soluble random copolymer of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose with 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate. A comparative study is made using UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The effect the nature of the nanoparticles has on the morphological and spectral characteristics of the formed nanosystems is shown. It is found that due to good screening, the reduction of nutrient ions in water in the presence of the indicated copolymer allows spherical nanostructures with diameters of 80 to 250 nm to be obtained.

Copolymers of 2-dimethyl- and 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate with 2-deoxy-2-methacryalamido-D-glucose and N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide with 20 – 80 mol% of 2-dialkylaminoethyl methacrylate units and molecular mass (40 – 80)·103 Da were synthesized. Silver nanocomposites based on these copolymers were obtained. The synthesized Ag-containing nanocomposites were found to exhibit antibacterial and antiviral activity.

Luminescent-labeled copolymers of 4-acryloylmorpholine and 2-dialkylaminoethyl methacrylates (2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) of varied compositions and molecular masses were synthesized. Polarized luminescence method was used to study relaxation properties of the polymers in diluted aqueous solutions. The influence of copolymer composition, temperature, pH, ionic strength of solutions on structural and dynamic characteristics of the copolymers in solution was established. The obtained copolymers were used to synthesize silver nanoparticles with an average radius of 7–8 nm. Interaction between the luminescent-labeled copolymers and Ag+ ions was studied. It was demonstrated that reduction of Ag+ by the copolymers and formation of Ag° is accompanied by decrease in mobility of polymer chains due to adsorption of macromolecules on the surface of Ag° nanoparticles and formation of a stabilizing shell.

Copolymers of 4-acryloylmorpholine with 2-dimethyl- and 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylates of variable composition and molecular mass were prepared by free-radical copolymerization. The reactivity ratios of the comonomers were determined for the first time. The copolymers synthesized are capable to reduce Ag+ ions without using additional agents to form stable nanodispersions of zerovalent silver with spherical nanoparticles of 8–10 nm size.

An original method for the synthesis of copper-containing nanosystems for biomedical applications using hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent was developed. The process involves intermediate formation of the [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex ion, which ensures the formation of Cu0 nanoparticles without oxide impurity. The 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose copolymer with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate or bovine serum albumin was used as a macromolecular hydrophilic stabilizer. The spectral and structure-morphological characteristics of the nanosystems were studied. This stabilization resulted in an almost unimodal distribution of zerovalent copper nanoparticles in aqueous solutions due to their rather good shielding by macromolecules.

It was revealed that the neutral hydrophilic comonomer nature affects the reduction of silver ions by copolymers of 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and the formation of Ag0 nanocomposites based on them. The kinetic of silver reduction was investigated, and rate constants of pseudo first-order reactions were determined. It was shown that the rate constants increase in series 4-acryloyl morpholine d -glucose. The optimal molar ratio [polymer unit] : [Ag+] and polymer concentration were established. It was established that spherical silver nanoparticles have the mean radius of 7–9 nm. A decrease in the pH of aqueous dispersions of nanocomposites leads to narrowing of the surface plasmon resonance band and to shifting to shorter wavelengths. In this case, the hydrodynamic radius increases. It is assumed that the observed effect is caused both by a change in the distance between nanoparticles and by their mutual arrangement in the associate.

Water-soluble random copolymers of N,N-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate or N,N-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate with vinylsaccharides (N-methacryloyl aminoglucose, 3-O-methacryloyl glucose, 1-O-methacryloyl sorbose) were synthesized. The copolymers differed in composition, structure of the carbohydrate fragment, and type of carbohydrate–main-polymer-chain bonds. The immunomodulating activity and antitumor properties of the synthesized copolymers were established. Copolymers containing sorbose residues possessed the most pronounced immunodepressant properties.

The macroporous monolithic stationary phase was elaborated for the efficient solid-phase extraction of cholesterol from aqueous media. The advantages of the developed monolithic materials as compared with the bead-based columns of the same functionality were demonstrated.

N-vinylpyrrolidone-co-allylamine copolymers (VP-co-AA) containing iminodiacetic (IDA) chelation units were prepared in the range of molecular masses of the copolymers from 9000 to 30,000 Da depending on polymerization conditions. Non-radioactive organometallic species Re(CO)3+ were introduced into polymeric carriers under mild conditions, the prepared metal–polymeric complexes were characterized by IR, NMR, ESI-MS and HPLC. IR spectra data confirmed the coordination of M(CO)3+ moiety to the polymeric backbone via IDA chelation unit (appearance of characteristic fac-M(CO)3+ vibrations (2005, 1890 cm−1), as well as the appearance of group of signals in 1H NMR spectra, corresponding to those inequivalent to methylene protons CH2COO (dd, 4.2 ppm), coordinated to metal ions. The optimal conditions for labeling the PVP-co-AA-IDA copolymers with radioactive 99mTc(CO)3+ species were determined. The radiochemical yields reached 97%. The obtained radiolabeled polymers were stable in blood serum for 3 h. In vivo distribution experiments in intact animals showed the high primary accumulation of technetium-99m MPC (MM = 15,000 Da) in blood with subsequent excretion via the urinary tract.

A method for radiolabeling the water-soluble N-vinylpyrrolidone copolymers with N-vinyl- and N-allylamine containing bifunctional chelation unit 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane- 1,4,7,10-tetraacetate by the radioactive isotope gallium-68 (68Ga) was developed. Radiotracers were obtained in the yield about 65%. A method of liquid chromatography for the micropreparative isolation of the metal-polymeric complexes with a radiochemical purity of ~98% was developed. The data on the stability of the complexes in blood serum and the results on the biodistribution of the synthesized complexes in organs and tissues of laboratory animals (rats) with transplantable tumor are presented.

Creation of multifunctional nanoplatforms is one of the new approaches to complex treatment and diagnosis with the monitoring of the curative process. Inclusion of various components into the drug delivery system may reduce toxicity and enhance or modify the therapeutic effects of medicines. In particular, some properties of metal nanoparticles and nanoclusters provide the ability to create new systems for treatment and diagnosis of diseases, biocatalysis and imaging of objects. For example, the ability of metal nanoparticles to enhance the quantum yield of luminescence can be used in bioimaging and therapy. The aim of the research was to construct and examine a multicomponent system based on DNA-polycation compact structure with the inclusion of silver nanoparticles and luminescent dye as a model system for delivery of genes and drugs with the possibility of modification and enhancement of their action.

Copolymers of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido- d -glucose with N,N-dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate were synthesized. Triple copolymers containing N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecyl-N-methacryloyl oxyethyl ammonium iodide units were obtained by alkylation of tertiary amino groups. These copolymers were studied by hydrodynamic and optical methods in various solvents. It was revealed that polyelectrolyte effect in salt-free aqueous solutions is far less pronounced than that in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions. The values of equilibrium rigidity A of alkylated macromolecules in salt-free solutions obtained from viscosimetry data is equal to ∼ (150 ± 50) A in aqueous solutions and to (750 ± 250) A in DMSO solutions. Change in intrinsic anisotropy of alkylated macromolecules in DMSO solutions demonstrated that in the concentration range from 2.5 to 0.5 g/dL, electrostatic interactions lead to isotropic increase in dimensions of macromolecular coils. In the concentration range from 0.5 to 0.02 g/dL, increase in equilibrium rigidity by almost a factor of 4 is observed. It was established that in water-salt solutions of copolymers which contain more than 10 mol.% of dodecyl groups, compact structure is formed; in this structure, intramolecular fragments of polymer chain are hindered. In dimethylsulfoxide solution, in the presence of a salt, the value of intrinsic viscosity [η] increases by more than a factor of 6–8 as compared to that in water-salt solutions. The observed differences in conformation, optical and relaxation properties of the triple copolymers in aqueous and DMSO solutions are related to hydrophobic interactions between alkyl substituents. These interactions lead to the formation of hydrophobic “core” and shielding the charged quaternary ammonium groups ( N + ) in aqua solutions.

A method based on the ability of transition-metal ions to quench the fluorescence of labeled polymer molecules is developed to determine the equilibrium stability constants of macromolecular complexes of Ag+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ with the copolymers of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose and unsaturated carboxylic acids (methacrylic or acrylic) in aqueous and aqueous–saline media. The stability constants of the complexes strongly depend on the type of transition-metal, the copolymer composition, and the ionic strength of solution, but weakly depend on the type of introduced low-molecular-mass electrolyte and the chemical structure of the carboxyl-containing units.

Исходя из того, что аграрное образование уже сегодня является ключевым фактором роста устойчивости агросектора России, и основываясь на анализе проблем российского аграрного образования, в статье делается вывод о необходимости ориентации российского аграрного образования на будущее в рамках перспективной национальной деловой культуры.

Polarized luminescence and flow birefringence methods were used in the studies of structural and dynamic characteristics of 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido- d -glucose copolymers with varied content of cationic monomer units while changing temperature, pH and ionic strength of solutions. It was demonstrated that with increasing temperature, nanosecond relaxation times τ IMM (which characterize intramolecular mobility of fragments of copolymer chain in solution) increase over a relatively narrow temperature range. Increase in relaxation times indicates strengthening intramolecular interactions and the formation of intramolecular hydrophobic domains. From the obtained flow birefringence data, it follows that in the vicinity of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) we have molecular dispersed diluted copolymer solutions. The influence of temperature and ionic strength of solutions on the transition temperature were also studied. The observed changes in intramolecular interactions are accompanied by insignificant changes in root-mean-square dimensions of macromolecular coils; however, coils retain their asymmetry.

Ag0 nanoparticles are prepared via the reduction of silver ions by copolymers of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose of various compositions in water at room temperature. It is found that an insignificant part of the macromolecules is involved in the reduction of Ag+ to Ag0 and stabilization of the resulting nanoparticles. As shown by flow-birefringence studies, the optical properties of solutions of stabilized silver nanoparticles change abruptly relative to the optical properties of the solutions of the initial copolymers.

The conformational and relaxation properties of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose copolymers in solutions are studied by the methods of molecular hydrodynamics (sedimentation, diffusion, viscometry), polarized luminescence, and flow birefringence. Kuhn-Mark-Houwink equations are obtained, and Kuhn statistical segment lengths at various degrees of protonation of amino groups are estimated. It is found that there is a correlation between the Kuhn statistical segment length and the intramolecular mobility of the copolymers.

Hydrodynamic properties of the homologous series of the homopolymer 2-deoxy-2-methacryla-mido-D-glucose and the copolymers of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose with unsaturated acids in 0.2 M NaCl are studied via static and dynamic light scattering, viscometry, refractometry, and translational diffusion. The copolymers synthesized via the free-radical copolymerization of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose with acrylic acid or methacrylic acid contain ∼20 mol % acid units. At this amount of acid units, the equilibrium rigidity of copolymer chains corresponds to that of homopolymer chains. The copolymers are distinguished by the hydrodynamic characteristics of molecules. The copolymer with methacrylic acid is similar to the homopolymer, whereas the copolymer with acrylic acid features substantially different parameters of relationships relating the hydrodynamic characteristics of homologs to their molecular masses.

Six samples of poly(2-deoxy-2-methacryloylamino-D-glucose) were prepared by free-radical polymerization of the monomer. The molecular properties of the homologous series obtained were studied in three solvents, 0.2 M NaCl, 0.1 M Na2SO4, and salt-free water, by viscometry and static and dynamic light scattering. The Mark-Kuhn-Houwink relationships were obtained. The poly(vinyl saccharide) studied, despite the presence of bulky pendant substituents, is a typical flexible-chain polymer with the Kuhn segment length of 20 ± 3 A. In aqueous salt systems, poly(2-deoxy-2-methacryloylamino-D-glucose), which is not a polyelectrolyte, nevertheless demonstrates the dependence of the hydrodynamic size of the molecules on the solvent composition. The SO42− ions make the polymer molecules more compact, whereas Cl− ions present in aqueous solution lead to its expanding. Salt additions affect the thermodynamic quality of the polymer-solvent system.

The condensation of DNA induced by vinyl saccharide graft copolymers of N-methacryloy-lamino-D-glucose with N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and N-vinylpyrrolidone with N-vinylamine and induced by the linear polycation poly(L-lysine) in solution, as well as the conformational changes of a DNA molecule during its interaction with polycations in solution, is studied by atomic-force microscopy, low-gradient viscometry, dynamic birefringence, spectrophotometry, circular dichroism, and electrophoresis. The differences in the conformational changes of DNA related to the effect of polycations and other agents inducing its condensation are discussed.

Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) macromolecules in the un-ionized and ionized states were studied by methods of molecular hydrodynamics, optics, and polarized luminescence. The conformation, relaxation, and optical parameters of the macromolecules were determined. The Mark-Kuhn-Houwink equations were obtained for the intrinsic viscosity and diffusion and sedimentation coefficients.

On the basis of hydrophilic copolymers of N-vinylamides—N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide—that contain carboxylic or activated ester groups, new polymeric β-cyclodextrin derivatives are synthesized via polymer-analogous transformations. Their solubility in water depends on the content of β-cyclodextrin and the types of hydrophilic and reactive comonomers.

International audience; The four first generations of dendrigraft poly-L-lysine have been studied in dimethylformamide (aprotic solvent) and in 0.2 M NaCl aqueous solutions by isothermal translation diffusion, 1H NMR and viscometry methods. The relationships between diffusion coefficient, intrinsic viscosity and molar mass have been determined for dendrigraft poly-L-lysines, and the scaling index values have been compared to classical trifunctional dendrimers. Dendrimers and dendrigraft poly-L-lysines exhibited similitudes in their hydrodynamic behaviors. Nevertheless, dendrigraft poly-L-lysines displayed a specific behavior in solution. In contrast to dendrimers, a significant change of hydrodynamic dimension of dendrigraft poly-L-lysines according to the nature of the solvent has been observed. In aprotic solvent, the dendrigraft poly-L-lysine dimensions are about two times lower than in aqueous media (i.e., the hydrodynamic volume is contracted by a factor 8 in dimethylformamide), revealing the softness of dendrigraft poly-L-lysine compared to classical trifunctional dendrimers.

New cholesterol-containing water-soluble polymers based on N-methacryloyl aminoglucose and N-vinylpyrrolidone are synthesized by free-radical copolymerization and polymer-analogous transformations. Binary and ternary copolymers of various composition containing N-allylamine and N,N,N-trimethylaminoethyl methacrylate methyl sulfate units and cholesterol residues are prepared. Luminescently labeled copolymers of the same composition are obtained. Effects of the nature of polymers and the amount of cholesterol in them on the intramolecular mobility of macromolecules in solution are studied with polarized luminescence. When 2–4 mol % of cholesterol residues are incorporated into the copolymer, the intramolecular mobility of macromolecules decreases, thus indicating formation of intramolecular compact structures via interaction of nonpolar cholesterol groups. In copolymers containing charged groups, these structures are looser than those in neutral copolymers. It is shown that macromolecules of cholesterol-containing polymers of various types can interact with each other. 1 This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 08-03-00324) and the Council for Grants of the President of the Russian Federation for Support of Leading Institutes of Higher Education (NSh-4391.2008.3).

The formation of DNA complexes with polycations of different structure (homopolymers: N,N-dimethylaminoethyl and methylsulfate salt of N,N,N-trimethylaminoethylmethacrylate, along with a copolymer of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate with N-methacryloylaminoglucose) in water-salt solutions, was studied by the method of static and dynamic light scattering. It was shown that, depending on the value of ϕ = [mol polycation]/[mole of DNA], complexes of different structure are formed: in field ϕ 6 in the presence of a large excess of polycations, loose structures are formed. The extreme dependence of the molecular weight of formed supramolecular structures on the values of ϕ was established.

New copolymers of the vinyl saccharide 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose (M1) with acrylic and methacrylic (M2) acids differing in composition and molecular mass have been synthesized by free-radical copolymerization. The relative activities of the comonomers are determined. It is found that, for acrylic acid, r 1 = 3.03 ± 0.15 and r 2 = 0.5 ± 0.08 and, for methacrylic acid, r 1 = 1.070 ± 0.1 and r 2 = 1.18 ± 0.13. As is evidenced by potentiometric and viscometric measurements, the vinyl saccharide and acid units are capable of interacting, a circumstance that affects the conformational states of macromolecules.

Method for synthesis of graft-copolymers of a vinyl saccharide, 2-deoxy-2-methylacrylamido-D-glucose, and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate was developed. Statistical copolymers with a controllable hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance were synthesized by alkylation of a statistical copolymer with various alkyl iodides.

New polyvinylsaccharides containing primary or tertiary amino groups were synthesized by radical copolymerization of 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose (MAG) with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEM), or allylamine hydrochloride. The reactivity ratios of comonomers were determined. The effect of copolymer composition on the conformational properties of macromolecules was detected. For MAG-DEAEM copolymers with DEAEM unit content more than 60 mol-% the increase of degree of ionization causes conformational transition at α = 0.3 to 0.7 from compact polymer coil to loose coil due to the electrostatic repulsion of charged amino groups. The increase of MAG content in copolymers is accompanied by a decrease of their cytotoxicity.

Generation and physicochemical properties of complexes formed by high-molecular thymus DNA and plasmid DNA with synthetic polymers of (dimethyl amino)ethyl methacrylate, (diethyl amino)ethyl methacrylate, and poly(vinyl amine) were studied in solutions of different ionic strength using low-gradient viscometry, electrophoresis, circular dichroism, spectrophotometry, and dynamic light scattering. The complexes were tested for toxicity with T98G cell cultures. Condensation of DNA was shown to occur when the ratio of charged groups in the polycations and DNA exceeded unity. This condensation manifested itself as an increase in the optical density of DNA solutions. Condensation-associated changes in the dimensions of DNA molecules were determined, and phase diagrams of DNA-polycation systems were analyzed in the presence of NaCl. MTT analysis revealed no toxicity of these complexes.

In this study the methods of synthesis of hydrophilic aldehyde-bearing polymers and copolymers based on 2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-D-glucose have been developed. Polymers with controllable aldehyde group content were synthesized via free-radical polymerization and subsequent polymeranalogous modification. The water-soluble polymers obtained were investigated in view of their capacity to be adsorbed on two commercial mineral supports used in bone tissue engineering. Besides, cytotoxicity of synthesized polymers was tested. 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 108: 2386-2397, 2008

The molecular mass and hydrodynamic dimensions of molecules of two fullerene-containing polymers which differ in the preparation procedure and the mode of fullerene C60 binding were determined by means of static and dynamic light scattering and transport techniques (diffusion, sedimentation, gel permeation chromatography). It was established that the molecular masses of polymeric C60 derivatives determined by means of static light scattering are substantially above those measured by means of the transport techniques. Using as an example a polystyrene specimen containing 6.2 wt % C60 prepared according to the widespread technique of solvent evaporation from a mutual fullerene and polymer solution, it was shown that the multicomponent nature, the compositional inhomogeneity, and a lack of coincidence in the signs of refractive index increments for structurally different components of fullerene-containing polymers may cause anomalies in the intensity of light scattering by solutions of these compounds.

DNA complexes with cationic polymers (polyvinylamine (PVA), polyallylamine (PAA), polydimethylaminoethylmethacrylate (PDMAEM), poly-(N,N,N-trimethylammonio)ethyl methacrylate chloride (PTMAEM), poly-l-lysine (PLL)) were investigated. It was shown that volume and persistent length of DNA do not change essentially at low cationic polymer concentration in a solution. DNA packaging in 0.005 M NaCl was observed at charge ratio N/P ≈ 1. Secondary DNA structure in complexes was not disrupted, and DNA was protected from protonation. The comparison between DNA packaging in complexes with polycations and DNA condensation induced by trivalent ions was made.

The influence of salt additives on structural transformations in macromolecules of synthetic polymers free of ionogenic groups and DNA molecules has been determined with the use of the nanosecond dynamics luminescent method. When polyvalent metal salts are added, a coil-globule transition is observed in macromolecules of poly(N-n-propylmethacrylamide), while structural transformations occur in DNA macromolecules in aqueous solutions, processes that are accompanied by the passage of low-molecular-mass organic cations intercalated into DNA into solution. These transformations make themselves evident when polyvalent metal ions are added in an amount of one Mt3+ ion per ten phosphate groups of DNA. The same effect takes place when salts of polycations are added to solutions of DNA-polycation interpolyelectrolyte complexes.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of cationic polymer structure on the formation of DNA-polycation complexes and their transfection activity. Primary, tertiary, and quaternary polyamines with molecular masses ranging from 8000 to 200,000 were investigated. DNA-cationic polymer interaction was characterized by low gradient viscometry, dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism, UV spectrometry, flow birefringence, DNA electrophoresis, and electron microscopy. Transfection activity of the complexes was evaluated by the expression of reporter gene (beta-galactosidase) and using synthetic FITC-labelled oligonucleotides. Complex formation was found to be dependent on the structure and molecular weight of the polymer and the ionic strength of the solution. Secondary DNA structure in complexes was not disrupted, and DNA was protected from protonation. Cell lines of different origin were used for testing of transfection activity of the complexes. The sensitivity of the cells to transfection was established to be highly dependent on the cell line. DNA-polycation complexes are non-toxic according to MTT. Polyallylamine, and polydimethylaminoethylmethacrylate were found to be the most promising polycations for gene delivery. Transfection efficacy of their complexes with DNA to T-98G cells reaches up to 90-100%. It was found that optimal molecular mass of polydimethylaminoethylmethacrylate is in the range of 8000-50,000 Da.

Dispersed Ag nanoparticles were prepared in aqueous solutions in the presence of pure poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (poly-DMAEMA), poly[2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido-d-glucose] (poly-MAG), and their copolymers of poly[MAG–DMAEMA] with different mole fractions. Polymers contributed to the silver reduction, formation of nanoparticles, and stabilization of suspensions. No agglomerations of nanoparticles are formed. For each sample, more than one thousand silver particles were measured by transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy to determine their number vs diameter and volume versus diameter distributions. The samples with the smallest nanoparticle mode diameter of 2.3 nm were formed in DMAEMA homopolymer suspension, while the mode diameter increased up to 13.3 nm in copolymers depending on the mole fraction of DMAEMA. A model of Ag nanoparticles’ growth taking into account the structure of the copolymers and the amount of reducing centers per monomer is proposed. The volume fraction of large Ag particles (>15–20 nm) in the tail of distributions was determined to estimate the part of less efficient nanoparticles assuming that only surface atoms are active. The largest volume occupied by big particles is measured in the solution with pure poly-MAG. Figures of merit, as the ratio of particle area to total volume of particles, were compared for five systems of Ag NPs/polymer. They can be understood from an economical point of view as the total silver investment compared to efficiency.

Structural peculiarities star‐shape polyvinylformamide (PVF) grafted to C60 have been studied by small‐angle neutron scattering in heavy water at 20°C in the range of neutron momentum transfer q=0.03–4 nm−1 to cover spatial scales from monomer unit (fullerene) size up to star diameter and clusters dimension. In stars (functionality f∼4) the arms take a very strained conformation regarding to free chains in solution that induces molecular assembly.

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of star-shaped fullerene-containing poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone was studied over the temperature range 6–390 K by precision adiabatic vacuum and dynamic scanning calorimetry. The temperature intervals and thermodynamic characteristics of phase transitions were determined. The low-temperature dependence of the heat capacity of the substance was analyzed according to the Debye theory of the heat capacity of solids and its multifractal generalization. The data obtained were used to calculate the standard thermodynamic functions C p o (T),H o(T)-H o(0), S o(T), and G o(T)-H o(0) of fullerene-containing poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone from T → 0 to 390 K. The standard entropy of formation of the polymer from simple substances and the entropy of its synthesis from poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone and fullerite C60 at 298.15 K were calculated. The thermodynamic characteristics of fullerene-containing poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone are compared with those of the polymer-analogue without C60.

The data concerning the structural organization of supramolecular assemblies containing the dendrimer molecules of various generations, DNA-polycation of various chemical structure were obtained by analysing the changes of nanosecond mobility of macromolecules or low-molecular weight organic cations. Effect of water-soluble fullerene-containing compounds on interaction of DNA molecules with low-molecular weight cations and polycations was studied as well. The data were obtained by luminescent methods.

Water-soluble methanofullerene and fulleropyrrolidine derivatives were synthesized by the reactions of methanofullerenes (MFs) and fulleropyrrolidines (FPs) with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) bearing one terminal amino group. The products contain MF or FP covalently bound to the polymer, corresponding polymeric complexes, and unreacted PVP. Large aggregates of the polymeric MF and FP derivatives are found in aqueous solutions. The electrooptical properties of the products differ considerably from those of the initial polymer. The phosphorus-containing MF and FP derivatives are capable of cleaving the molecule of plasmid DNA.

A butylamine derivative of fullerene was prepared by the reaction of butylamine with fullerene C60. The experimental electrooptical and dipole characteristics of the derivative were compared with the corresponding calculated PM3 data. The reaction product proved to be inhomogeneous in the number of the amine molecules added; it contains polar multiadducts of C60 with noncentrosymmetric distribution of covalently bound amino groups over the fullerene core.

Star‐like fullerene C60 derivatives with different branch number, synthesized by the reaction of fullerene with poly(vinylpyrrolydone) (PVP) macromolecules bearing the terminal amino‐groups, were investigated in solution by the viscometry, dielectric, and electrooptical Kerr‐effect methods in comparison with the ordinary linear PVPs of the same molecular mass. It was shown that covalent linkage of branches to fullerene through amino‐groups leads to appearance of a polar and optically anisotropic nanoparticle (amine‐substituted C60) in the center of the coil of star‐like polymers that radically changes dielectric and electrooptical properties of the initial polymer. Effect of fullerene on the dimension of polymer coil had been detected also.

Star-shape derivatives of C60 with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) chains, grafted to C60, were studied in aqueous solution by small-angle neutron scattering in the range of q=0.04 – 0.8 nm −1 and dynamic light scattering. From SANS data we found the functionality of fullerene center n≈4. Really a star's gyration radius ∼6 nm exceeded the Gaussian molecular size by ∼40% and the volume was increased by the factor of 3. Such polymer shells make stars’ interaction stronger leading to their association. Dynamic light scattering indicates the formation of extended associates ( ∼1000 nm in diameter) involving ∼10% of stars.

Copolymers of N-methacryloylaminodeoxyglucose with acrylic and methacrylic acids were prepared by radical copolymerization. The reactions of these copolymers with p-nitrophenol, N-hydroxysuccinimide, and N-hydroxyphthalimide in the presence of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide were studied.

A comparative study of DNA interaction with different counterions in solution has been conducted by the following methods: flow birefringence (FB), low-gradient viscometry, circular dichroism (CD), and UV-spectroscopy. The influence of counterions on the persistence length and polyelectrolyte swelling of DNA has been investigated. The process of DNA packing during the interaction with trivalent ions in solution has been studied, as well as the influence of Mn 2+ on the binding of trivalent ions with DNA.