{"title":"Side-Chain Engineering of Boron β-Dialdiminate Homopolymer for Solvent-Dependent Emission Properties.","authors":"Shunichiro Ito, Yuki Sakai, Kazuo Tanaka","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400775","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Luminescent materials that respond to changes in microscopic chemical conditions are essential for visualizing and evaluating molecular environments. Boron complexes are often employed as robust scaffolds for constructing such responsive systems because of their inherent stimuli-responsive properties. However, in the case of nonresponsive luminophores, the absence of these intrinsic features limits their range of applications. In this study, environment-responsive luminescent homopolymers based on the boron β-dialdiminate complex are developed, which is intrinsically less responsive, by introducing optimized side chains. As a key finding, the triethylene glycol-decorated polymer exhibits more intense luminescence in chloroform but weaker luminescence in N,N-dimethylformamide. Structural analyses using NMR and size-exclusion chromatography suggest that this polymer forms larger aggregates in polar solvents because of the solvophobicity of its main chain, while the polar side chains assist in maintaining adequate dispersibility of these aggregates. Photophysical measurements indicate that interchromophore interactions within the aggregates should be responsible for the reduced luminescence in polar solvents. These findings suggest that side-chain engineering should be an effective strategy for creating stimuli-responsive polymers from otherwise nonresponsive luminophores.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400775"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Smart Crowding on pH-Induced Elasticity of Weakly Anionic poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Based Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Networks via Integration of Methacrylic Acid and Linear Polyacrylamide Chains.","authors":"Birgul Kalkan, Nermin Orakdogen","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400642","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400642","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Weakly anionic semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs), comprised of copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) P(NIPA-MA) and linear poly(acrylamide) (LPA) chains as macromolecular crowding agent, are designed to evaluate pH-induced swelling and elasticity. Uniaxial compression testing after swelling in various pH-conditions is used to analyze the compressive elasticity as a function of swelling pH and LPA-content. The swelling of P(NIPA-MA)/LPA semi-IPNs is strongly pH-dependent due to MA units incorporated into the copolymer network which already exhibits temperature-sensitivity by presence of PNIPA counterpart. Since the behavior of semi-IPNs is a combination of PMA, LPA, and PNIPA moieties, the sensitivity of swelling to external pH can be modified with increasing swelling temperature. At high pH conditions, LPA-doped semi-IPNs show elasticity representing soft and loosely cross-linked structure. Elastic modulus is higher in acidic pH condition due to the less swelling tendency, while in basic pH, the modulus decreases significantly in coordination with swelling. Oscillatory swelling reveals how fast semi-IPNs can respond to environmental pH change (2.1-10.7). By describing adsorption potential of semi-IPNs for cationic methylene blue uptake by pseudo-first-order and Freundlich model, the designed poly(NIPA-MA)/LPA semi-IPNs emerge as promising smart materials in applications requiring rapid response to changes in temperature and pH via diffusional properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400642"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Silk Nanofibers/Carbon Nanotube Conductive Aerogel.","authors":"Yanfei Feng, Xiaotian Wang, Yunfeng Dai, Siying Feng, Lechen Li, Renchuan You","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400702","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural silk nanofibers (SNF) are attractive conductive substrates due to their high aspect ratio, outstanding mechanical strength, excellent biocompatibility, and controllable degradability. However, the inherently non-conductivity severely restricts the potential sensor application of SNF-based aerogels. In this work, the conductive nanofibrous aerogels with low-density achieved through freeze-drying by dispersing carbon nanotubes (CNT) into SNF suspension. The addition of CNT significantly increases the conductivity with improved mechanical properties of composite aerogels. SEM results reveal that the distinct hierarchical structure comprising micropores and nanofibrous networks within the pores is formed when CNT content reached 30%. Furthermore, increased cell viability suggested the excellent biocompatibility of SNF-CNT-based conductive aerogel for tissue-engineering applications. Subsequently, the elastic water-borne polyurethane (WPU) is incorporated to SNF-CNT system to construct aerogel with good sensing properties. The introduction of WPU demonstrates enhanced compressive performances and an exceptionally high elastic recovery ratio of 99.8%, thereby exhibiting a stable and lossless strain-sensing signal output at 5% strain. This study provides a feasible choice and strategy for exploring the potential application of SNF in functional aerogels.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400702"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Alginate/Chitosan Complex Fibers Reinforcement and Their Mechanical Transition Continuum With Water Uptake Increasing.","authors":"Hao Huang, Zexin Liu, Hanxin Jian, Yuan Yao, Wenjuan Tan, Shuguang Yang","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Living tissues span a remarkable spectrum of modulus ranging from the level of Pa to GPa in a water-rich environment. Constructing soft and hard materials that match the mechanics of tissues and researching mechanical transition in water, are beneficial for their biological applications. Here, using polyelectrolyte complex fiber as a model system and reinforcing the fiber by stepwisely introducing additional coordination and covalent bonds, this investigated that the water effect on mechanical transition behaviors. Alginate/chitosan fiber (AC fiber) has a single electrostatic bond and shows continuous mechanical transition containing a glassy state, rubbery state, and terminal relaxation (initial modulus lower than 10 MPa) in aqueous solution. Alginate/chitosan/calcium fiber (ACC fiber) has both electrostatic and coordination bonds, which shows the behavior of hard rubber (initial modulus 100 MPa) when water reaches equilibrium. Alginate/chitosan/calcium/polydopamine fiber (ACCP fiber) with triple bonds, including electrostatic, coordination, and covalent bonds, exhibits the behavior like ductile plastics in aqueous solution (initial modulus 1000 MPa). This work not only provides important insight into the toughening mechanism of polyelectrolyte complexes in water but also contributes to the preparation of tissue adaptive implantations.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400735"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stéphanie Engelen, Bram Daelman, Johan M Winne, Filip E Du Prez
{"title":"Activated Phenyl Ester Vitrimers.","authors":"Stéphanie Engelen, Bram Daelman, Johan M Winne, Filip E Du Prez","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400790","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aromatic esters are amongst the oldest known chemical motifs that allow for thermal (re)processing of thermosetting polymers. Moreover, phenyl esters are generally known as activated esters that do not require a catalyst to undergo acyl transfer reactions. Even though dynamic aromatic esters find applications in commercialized thermoset formulations, all-aromatic esters have found limited use so far in the design of covalent adaptable networks (CAN) as a result of their high glass transition temperature (T<sub>g</sub>) and specific curing process. Here, a strategy to include partly aromatic esters as dynamic cross-links inside low T<sub>g</sub> (-40 °C) thermosetting formulations, using aliphatic esters derived from para-hydroxybenzoic acid, which serves as a highly activated phenol or as a reactive \"phenylogous anhydride\" is reported. A small molecule study shows that the activated phenyl ester bonds can readily exchange with free phenol moieties at 200 °C under catalyst-free conditions, while the addition of a catalyst allows for a faster exchange. Robust and hydrophobic polymer networks are conveniently prepared via rapid thiol-ene UV-curing of unsaturated phenol esters. The obtained networks show high thermal stability (350 °C), fast processability, good water resistance, and low creep up to 120 °C, thus showing good promise as a platform for CAN.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400790"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sota Nozawa, Noriyuki Nakajima, Masahiro Hamada, Yasuhito Koyama
{"title":"Orthogonal Agent Comprising a Nitrile N-Oxide and a Phenylcarbamate for Facile Molecular Integration on Styrne-Butadiene Resin.","authors":"Sota Nozawa, Noriyuki Nakajima, Masahiro Hamada, Yasuhito Koyama","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400555","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The covalent attachment of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGylation) to materials minimizes non-specific fouling of the material surface with biocomponents. While the PEGylation reaction on polar surfaces is widely used and regarded as a common technique, the PEGylation on less polar polymers and elastomers is extremely difficult due to the absence of reactive points with PEG terminus. Herein, the design and synthesis of an orthogonal agent with a nitrile N-oxide and a phenyl carbamate that can mediate between an alkene and an amine are reported. The ligation capacity of the orthogonal agent is demonstrated through the model reaction to connect between 1-hexene and 4-methoxybenzylamine and the grafting reaction of PEG onto poly(styrene-co-butadiene) (SB) resin. The surface characteristics of PEGylated SB film are evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements. Because SB resin is frequently used as a 3D-printing polymer, the present study indicates that the orthogonal agent can be applicable to the surface modification of 3D-printed objects precisely manufactured by using a computer-aided design (CAD) file in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400555"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christophe Pauly, Lisa Schlichter, Bart Jan Ravoo, Armido Studer
{"title":"Sonochemical Nitroxide-Mediated Polymerization: Harnessing Sonochemistry for Polymer Synthesis.","authors":"Christophe Pauly, Lisa Schlichter, Bart Jan Ravoo, Armido Studer","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In polymer science, mechanochemistry is emerging as a powerful tool for materials science and molecular synthesis, offering novel avenues for controlled polymerization and post-synthetic modification. Building upon the previous research, nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) is merged with mechanochemistry through the design of nitroxide-based mechanophore macroinitiators, pioneering the first instance of a sonochemical nitroxide-mediated-type polymerization. As NMP usually requires high temperatures, this study demonstrates that a sonochemical NMP-type process allows polymerization under reduced temperatures down to 55 °C. Moreover, depending on the nature of the employed monomers, gelated networks are obtained, demonstrating the adaptability of the mechanophore system. This study elucidates the potential of mechanochemistry in polymer synthesis, offering insights into manipulating polymerization kinetics and advancing materials science applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400732"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandros Petropoulos, Laurence Charles, Jean-Michel Becht, Michael Schmitt, Jacques Lalevée, Jean-François Lutz
{"title":"Photo-Accelerated Synthesis of Oligo(triazole amide)s.","authors":"Alexandros Petropoulos, Laurence Charles, Jean-Michel Becht, Michael Schmitt, Jacques Lalevée, Jean-François Lutz","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400759","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A photo-assisted process is explored for improving the synthesis of oligo(triazole amide)s, which are prepared by solid phase synthesis using a repeated cycle of two reactions: amine-carboxylic acid coupling and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The improvement of the second reaction is investigated herein. A catalytic system involving Cu(II)Cl<sub>2</sub>, N,N,N',N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) and a titanocene photoinitiator is explored for reducing the reaction time of CuAAC. This catalyst is first tested on a model reaction involving phenylacetylene and ethyl azidoacetate in DMSO. The kinetics of these model experiments are monitored by <sup>1</sup>H NMR in the presence of different concentrations of the photoinitiator. It is found that 30 mol% of photoinitiator leads to quantitative reactions in only 8 min. These conditions are then applied to the solid phase synthesis of oligo(triazole amide)s, performed on a glycine-loaded Wang resin. The backbone of the oligomers is constructed using 6-heptynoic acid and 1-amino-11-azido-3,6,9-trioxaundecane as submonomers. Due to slow reagent diffusion, the CuAAC step required more time in the solid phase than in solution. Yet, one hour only is necessary to achieve quantitative CuAAC on the resin, which is twice as fast as previously-reported conditions. Using these optimized conditions, oligo(triazole amide)s of different length are prepared.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400759"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances in Self-Healing Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Dynamic Polymer Bonds.","authors":"Qisong Yuan, Juxiang Chen, Chengyu Shi, Xiangrong Shi, Chenyu Sun, Bo Jiang","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400630","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400630","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This comprehensive review addresses the self-healing phenomenon in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), emphasizing the reversible reactions of dynamic bonds as the pivotal mechanism. The crucial role of polymers in both enhancing the inherent properties of perovskite and inducing self-healing phenomena in grain boundaries of perovskite films are exhibited. The review initiates with an exploration of the various stability problems that PSCs encounter, underscoring the imperative to develop PSCs with extended lifespans capable of self-heal following damage from moisture and mechanical stress. Owing to the strong compatibility brought by polymer characteristics, many additive strategies can be employed in self-healing PSCs through artful molecular design. These strategies aim to limit ion migration, prevent moisture ingress, alleviate mechanical stress, and enhance charge carrier transport. By scrutinizing the conditions, efficiency, and types of self-healing behavior, the review encapsulates the principles of dynamic bonds in the polymers of self-healing PSCs. The meticulously designed polymers not only improve the lifespan of PSCs through the action of dynamic bonds but also enhance their environmental stability through functional groups. In addition, an outlook on self-healing PSCs is provided, offering strategic guidance for future research directions in this specialized area.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400630"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Atif, Gizem Babuççu, Martijn Riool, Sebastian Zaat, Ulrich Jonas
{"title":"Antimicrobial Peptide SAAP-148-Functionalized Hydrogels from Photocrosslinkable Polymers with Broad Antibacterial Activity.","authors":"Muhammad Atif, Gizem Babuççu, Martijn Riool, Sebastian Zaat, Ulrich Jonas","doi":"10.1002/marc.202400785","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400785","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics for treating skin wound infections. Nonetheless, their short half-life in biological environments restricts clinical applicability. Covalent immobilization of AMPs onto suitable substrates offers a comprehensive solution, creating contact-killing surfaces with long-term functionality. Here, a copolymer of poly[(hydroxy ethyl acrylamide)-co-(4-benzophenone acrylamide)-co-(pentafluorophenyl acrylate)-co-(ECOSURF EH-3 acrylate)], in short poly(HEAAm-co-BPAAm-co-PFPA-co-EH3A), is synthesized by free radical polymerization. Subsequent modification of active ester groups with the amine groups of SAAP-148, results in a copolymer, that is non-cytotoxic to human lung fibroblasts. UV photocrosslinking of the benzophenone units yields a polymer network that forms a hydrogel after swelling with aqueous medium. Both the SAAP-148-modified polymer in solution and the photocrosslinked hydrogels show good antimicrobial activity against strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii, including multidrug-resistant strains, frequently found in wound infections. The covalent attachment of SAAP-148 prevents leaching, ensuring sustained antimicrobial activity for at least 48 h in diluted human blood plasma and 14 days in PBS. This prolonged retention of antimicrobial activity in human blood plasma significantly enhances its clinical potential. Overall, this study shows the potential of the AMP-functionalized photocrosslinkable polymer as antimicrobial wound dressings, providing an effective alternative to antibiotics.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e2400785"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142613170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}