ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-24DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0001810.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018
Donglin Xie, Jiang Bian, Chao Ni, Pei Zhao, Zuo Pu* and Jun Yue*,
{"title":"Tuning Room-Temperature Injectability of Gelatin-Based Hydrogels via Introduction of Competitive Hydrogen Bonds","authors":"Donglin Xie, Jiang Bian, Chao Ni, Pei Zhao, Zuo Pu* and Jun Yue*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0001810.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018","url":null,"abstract":"<p >As a natural biomaterial with a superior comprehensive performance, gelatin has been widely explored in various biomedical and bioengineering applications. However, the ease of solidification of gelatin solutions at room temperature causes great inconvenience in specific application scenarios where injection is required. Here we addressed this problem by introduction of competitive hydrogen bond (CHB)-containing substances to gelatin to interfere with the original intergelatin hydrogen bonds. Four representative CHB materials, metformin, <span>l</span>-arginine, polyarginine, and polyurea, all showed remarkable efficiency in tuning the “sol-gel” phase transition temperature of gelatin in a concentration-dependent manner. Systematic rheological measurements indicated that the addition of CHB materials significantly improved the room-temperature injectability of gelatin. Compared to gelatin alone, CHB-containing gelatin bioinks showed improved printability and shape fidelity in 3D bioprinting.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"14 3","pages":"313–319 313–319"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143635987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tuning Room-Temperature Injectability of Gelatin-Based Hydrogels via Introduction of Competitive Hydrogen Bonds","authors":"Donglin Xie, Jiang Bian, Chao Ni, Pei Zhao, Zuo Pu, Jun Yue","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00018","url":null,"abstract":"As a natural biomaterial with a superior comprehensive performance, gelatin has been widely explored in various biomedical and bioengineering applications. However, the ease of solidification of gelatin solutions at room temperature causes great inconvenience in specific application scenarios where injection is required. Here we addressed this problem by introduction of competitive hydrogen bond (CHB)-containing substances to gelatin to interfere with the original intergelatin hydrogen bonds. Four representative CHB materials, metformin, <span>l</span>-arginine, polyarginine, and polyurea, all showed remarkable efficiency in tuning the “sol-gel” phase transition temperature of gelatin in a concentration-dependent manner. Systematic rheological measurements indicated that the addition of CHB materials significantly improved the room-temperature injectability of gelatin. Compared to gelatin alone, CHB-containing gelatin bioinks showed improved printability and shape fidelity in 3D bioprinting.","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"65 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143477411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023
Meng Zhang, Steven P. Armes, Zesheng An
{"title":"Synthesis of Star Polymers with Ultrahigh Molecular Weights and Tunable Dispersities via Photoiniferter Polymerization","authors":"Meng Zhang, Steven P. Armes, Zesheng An","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023","url":null,"abstract":"Simultaneous control over macromolecular chain topology, molecular weight, and dispersity is an important synthetic goal in polymer chemistry. The synthesis of well-defined poly(methyl acrylate) star polymers with ultrahigh molecular weights (>10<sup>6</sup> g mol<sup>–1</sup>) and tunable dispersities is realized for the first time via blue light-controlled photoiniferter polymerization using a tetrafunctional switchable RAFT agent (<b>SRA</b><sub><b>4</b></sub>). The spectroscopic properties and polymerization activity of <b>SRA<sub>4</sub></b> can be reversibly tuned by addition of acid/base. For example, protonation of <b>SRA</b><sub><b>4</b></sub> with 4-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) leads to enhanced UV–visible light absorption, a faster polymerization rate, and a lower dispersity for the resulting star polymer. Star polymers were prepared with predicted molecular weights (<i>M</i><sub>n</sub> ≈ 80–1550 kg mol<sup>–1</sup>) and tunable dispersities (<i>Đ</i> ≈ 1.8–1.2) when targeting degrees of polymerization in the range of 1000–20000 in the presence of varying amounts of TsOH. High end-group fidelity for such star polymers was confirmed by one-pot chain extension experiments, which afforded a series of pseudoblock copolymers with controlled dispersities. Finally, rotational rheology was used to examine the effect of molecular weight, dispersity, and chain topology (whether linear or star-shaped) on solution viscosity.","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"65 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143462307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0002310.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023
Meng Zhang, Steven P. Armes and Zesheng An*,
{"title":"Synthesis of Star Polymers with Ultrahigh Molecular Weights and Tunable Dispersities via Photoiniferter Polymerization","authors":"Meng Zhang, Steven P. Armes and Zesheng An*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0002310.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00023","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Simultaneous control over macromolecular chain topology, molecular weight, and dispersity is an important synthetic goal in polymer chemistry. The synthesis of well-defined poly(methyl acrylate) star polymers with ultrahigh molecular weights (>10<sup>6</sup> g mol<sup>–1</sup>) and tunable dispersities is realized for the first time via blue light-controlled photoiniferter polymerization using a tetrafunctional switchable RAFT agent (<b>SRA</b><sub><b>4</b></sub>). The spectroscopic properties and polymerization activity of <b>SRA<sub>4</sub></b> can be reversibly tuned by addition of acid/base. For example, protonation of <b>SRA</b><sub><b>4</b></sub> with 4-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) leads to enhanced UV–visible light absorption, a faster polymerization rate, and a lower dispersity for the resulting star polymer. Star polymers were prepared with predicted molecular weights (<i>M</i><sub>n</sub> ≈ 80–1550 kg mol<sup>–1</sup>) and tunable dispersities (<i>Đ</i> ≈ 1.8–1.2) when targeting degrees of polymerization in the range of 1000–20000 in the presence of varying amounts of TsOH. High end-group fidelity for such star polymers was confirmed by one-pot chain extension experiments, which afforded a series of pseudoblock copolymers with controlled dispersities. Finally, rotational rheology was used to examine the effect of molecular weight, dispersity, and chain topology (whether linear or star-shaped) on solution viscosity.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"14 3","pages":"306–312 306–312"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143635985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strong Bioadhesives from Helical Polypeptides","authors":"Jiangyan Shi, Liufen Kong, Ning Wang, Zhimin Li, Chuanzhuang Zhao, Chongyi Chen","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021","url":null,"abstract":"Bioadhesives have emerged as versatile and powerful tools for tissue repair and integration with biomedical devices, offering a wide range of applications that have captured significant clinical and scientific interest. Synthetic polypeptide adhesives are particularly promising candidates for bioadhesives, but often face limitations in adhesive strength. In this study, inspired by marine adhesive proteins, the secondary structure and hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance of polypeptides were precisely regulated to transform the polyelectrolyte to a strong adhesive. The resulting polypeptide adhesive demonstrated an adhesive strength exceeding 1.0 MPa, more than 10× higher than that of the previously reported synthetic polypeptide adhesive. The cohesion and adhesion of polypeptide adhesive can be optimized by adjusting the content of the secondary structure and hydrophobic residue ratios. More helices in polypeptides enhance the interactions between the polypeptide backbone and side chains as well as the interactions between polypeptides and substrates. In addition, these polypeptide adhesives exhibit excellent tolerance to strong acids or alkalis, remarkable adhesion to variable materials and tissues, and an impressive sealing performance.","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143462297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0002110.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021
Jiangyan Shi, Liufen Kong, Ning Wang, Zhimin Li, Chuanzhuang Zhao and Chongyi Chen*,
{"title":"Strong Bioadhesives from Helical Polypeptides","authors":"Jiangyan Shi, Liufen Kong, Ning Wang, Zhimin Li, Chuanzhuang Zhao and Chongyi Chen*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c0002110.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00021","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Bioadhesives have emerged as versatile and powerful tools for tissue repair and integration with biomedical devices, offering a wide range of applications that have captured significant clinical and scientific interest. Synthetic polypeptide adhesives are particularly promising candidates for bioadhesives, but often face limitations in adhesive strength. In this study, inspired by marine adhesive proteins, the secondary structure and hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance of polypeptides were precisely regulated to transform the polyelectrolyte to a strong adhesive. The resulting polypeptide adhesive demonstrated an adhesive strength exceeding 1.0 MPa, more than 10× higher than that of the previously reported synthetic polypeptide adhesive. The cohesion and adhesion of polypeptide adhesive can be optimized by adjusting the content of the secondary structure and hydrophobic residue ratios. More helices in polypeptides enhance the interactions between the polypeptide backbone and side chains as well as the interactions between polypeptides and substrates. In addition, these polypeptide adhesives exhibit excellent tolerance to strong acids or alkalis, remarkable adhesion to variable materials and tissues, and an impressive sealing performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"14 3","pages":"299–305 299–305"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143635984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-20DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759
Zihe Cheng, Stephen C. L. Hall, Qiao Song, Sébastien Perrier
{"title":"Strengthening the Self-Assembly of Supramolecular Polymeric Nanotubes in Water via the Introduction of Hydrophobic Moieties","authors":"Zihe Cheng, Stephen C. L. Hall, Qiao Song, Sébastien Perrier","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759","url":null,"abstract":"Supramolecular polymeric nanotubes based on the self-assembling cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates are a promising class of materials, showing great potential in various biological applications. Herein, we present a novel strategy to promote nanotube assembly through effectively shielding the cyclic peptides from water, via the introduction of varying hydrophobic groups. As determined by a combination of SANS, TEM, and SLS, hydrophobic interactions, π–π stacking, and multiple hydrogen bonding interactions cooperate in the self-assembly of the cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates, allowing for the construction of supramolecular nanotubes that are longer than expected in water. This approach offers an effective pathway toward the design of organic nanotubes of hundreds of nanometers in water.","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143462308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-20DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c0075910.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759
Zihe Cheng, Stephen C. L. Hall, Qiao Song and Sébastien Perrier*,
{"title":"Strengthening the Self-Assembly of Supramolecular Polymeric Nanotubes in Water via the Introduction of Hydrophobic Moieties","authors":"Zihe Cheng, Stephen C. L. Hall, Qiao Song and Sébastien Perrier*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c0075910.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Supramolecular polymeric nanotubes based on the self-assembling cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates are a promising class of materials, showing great potential in various biological applications. Herein, we present a novel strategy to promote nanotube assembly through effectively shielding the cyclic peptides from water, via the introduction of varying hydrophobic groups. As determined by a combination of SANS, TEM, and SLS, hydrophobic interactions, π–π stacking, and multiple hydrogen bonding interactions cooperate in the self-assembly of the cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates, allowing for the construction of supramolecular nanotubes that are longer than expected in water. This approach offers an effective pathway toward the design of organic nanotubes of hundreds of nanometers in water.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":"14 3","pages":"292–298 292–298"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00759","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143635862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enzymatically Covalent and Noncovalent Weaving toward Highly Efficient Synthesis of 2D Monolayered Molecular Fabrics.","authors":"Zhenzhu Wang, Yunpeng Ge, Wencan Li, Chenyang Zhang, Zeyuan Dong","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00017","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular fabrics with fascinating physical characteristics, such as structural flexibility and single-layered thinness, have attracted much attention. Chemists worldwide have been working on building unique molecularly woven structures in two dimensions. However, the synthesis of two-dimensional molecular weaving remains a challenging task, especially in water. Herein, we propose a straightforward and practical method to construct 2D molecular fabrics by enzymatically covalent and noncovalent syntheses in water. In particular, aromatic helical pentamers with two-terminal tyrosine residues (<b>Penta-Tyr</b>) can spontaneously dimerize via π-π interactions into double-helical interlocking structure, and the two-terminal tyrosine moieties of <b>Penta-Tyr</b> can undergo oxidative polymerization catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) for effective covalent cross-linking. The 2D monolayered molecular fabrics can be readily prepared by the catalysis of HRP and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> under mild conditions, which exhibit concentration-dependent weaving behavior. This work not only demonstrates an enzyme-catalyzed approach for the highly efficient synthesis of 2D monolayered molecular fabrics for the first time but also will promote the controllable preparation and application of water-soluble 2D molecular fabrics.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":" ","pages":"201-206"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143077862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Macro LettersPub Date : 2025-02-18Epub Date: 2025-01-31DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00823
Prabir Maity, Arjun Singh Bisht, Deepak, Raj Kumar Roy
{"title":"Kinetically Controlled Approach for One-Pot Synthesis of Poly(peptide-<i>b</i>-peptoid) Exhibiting Well-Defined Secondary Structure and Thermal Stability.","authors":"Prabir Maity, Arjun Singh Bisht, Deepak, Raj Kumar Roy","doi":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00823","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00823","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sequence-controlled polymerization aims to bridge the gap between biopolymers and synthetic macromolecules. In a kinetically controlled approach, the inherent reactivity differences among monomers determine the primary structure or sequence of the monomers linked within the resulting copolymer chains. This report outlines a one-pot synthesis of polypeptide-<i>b</i>-polypeptoid by choosing a suitable pair of N-carboxy anhydride (NCA) monomers with significant reactivity differences. We have demonstrated the preparation of well-defined block copolymers, including polyproline-<i>b</i>-polysarcosine (PLP-<i>b</i>-PSar) and poly(propargyl proline)-<i>b</i>-polysarcosine (PLPP-<i>b</i>-PSar) in a single step. <sup>1</sup>H NMR kinetic studies confirmed the sequence-controlled primary structures of these block copolymers. The NMR analysis indicated a striking reactivity ratio difference (<i>r</i><sub>PLP</sub> = 925 and <i>r</i><sub>PSar</sub> = 0.0014; <i>r</i><sub>PLPP</sub> = 860 and <i>r</i><sub>PSar</sub> = 0.0015) between the selected monomer pairs, which was crucial for a one-pot block copolymer synthesis. Notably, these sequence-controlled copolymers' secondary structures and stability were remarkably similar to those of block copolymers synthesized through conventional sequential addition methods. This further underscores the practicality of this kinetically controlled approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":18,"journal":{"name":"ACS Macro Letters","volume":" ","pages":"188-194"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143070722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}