{"title":"Aliphatic Poly(Carbonate)s with Acid Responsive Release Mechanisms for Micellar Anti-Tumor Drug Delivery.","authors":"Adrian V Hauck, Lutz Nuhn","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202500937","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Micellar drug delivery systems have emerged as a versatile platform for improving the solubility, stability, and targeted release of chemo(immuno)therapeutics. This review focuses on micellar formulations that combine two key design principles: the inherent biodegradability of aliphatic poly(carbonate)s and the universal acid-responsive trigger mechanism. These systems are particularly attractive for tumor therapy, where the acidic microenvironment can be exploited for controlled drug release. We differentiate between two major classes: (i) systems employing acid-labile linkages for reversible conjugation of pharmaceutically active compounds, and (ii) systems in which micelle disassembly or polymer backbone degradation is governed by acid-responsive functionalities. Both categories are systematically evaluated according to the chemical motifs enabling acid sensitivity, including oximes, imines, hydrazones, boronate ester, acetals, ketals, and tertiary amines, among others. The review highlights recent advances in synthetic strategies, structure-property relationships, and therapeutic performance, emphasizing how these design elements synergistically enhance drug loading, release kinetics, and biocompatibility. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future directions for translating these smart micellar systems into promising tumor-targeted (immuno-)therapeutics.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e00937"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147442100","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":"Multiscale Insights into the Ionic-Strength Dependence of α-Synuclein Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.","authors":"Chen Chen, Zeng-Shuai Yan, Yu-Qiang Ma, Hong-Ming Ding","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202500966","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of α-synuclein (α-syn) is an early step toward pathogenic aggregation, yet how sequence architecture and ionic strength jointly regulate this process remains unresolved. Here, we combine all-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to connect single-chain conformational ensembles with multichain condensate formation of α-syn. The highly disordered nature of the α-syn monomer is consistently captured by both all-atom simulations and coarse-grained simulations. We find that the LLPS behavior of full-length α-syn is strongly dependent on ionic strength. Low to intermediate NaCl concentrations favor the formation of liquid-like condensates characterized by high internal mobility and continuous exchange with the dilute phase. As ionic strength increases, electrostatic screening weakens intermolecular interactions, and LLPS is progressively attenuated and ultimately suppressed. We next examined the phase-separation propensities of the N-terminal, NAC, and C-terminal fragments. Strikingly, robust phase separation is observed only for the N-terminal region due to electrostatic interactions, whereas the NAC and C-terminal fragments exhibited only weak, short-lived clustering without forming persistent condensates. Together, our multiscale results establish a mechanistic link between salt-mediated electrostatic screening, region-encoded conformational landscapes, and α-syn condensate formation, providing molecular insight into how solution conditions may tune early events along the pathway to aggregation.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":" ","pages":"e00966"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388937","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}
Peng Dong, Jian-Bin Tang, Han Shang, Lei Li, Hao Lin, Gan-Ji Zhong, Zhong-Ming Li
{"title":"Entanglement Network Suppresses Toughness Deterioration in Polycarbonate at Superhigh Strain Rates","authors":"Peng Dong, Jian-Bin Tang, Han Shang, Lei Li, Hao Lin, Gan-Ji Zhong, Zhong-Ming Li","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500940","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500940","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The influence of molecular chain entanglement on the mechanical performance of polycarbonate (PC) at superhigh strain rates has been investigated, which is valuable for its safety applications like window glazing. The mechanical testing results across a wide strain rate range (0.01–100 s<sup>−1</sup>) show that toughness increases with strain rate, but significant deterioration of stiffness and toughness occurs at 100 s<sup>−1</sup>. This phenomenon is, for the first time, observed in real time using digital image correlation (DIC), revealing severe stress concentration and strain localization at 100 s<sup>−1</sup>. Nevertheless, we find this deterioration is significantly suppressed by the high entanglement density. It strengthens the strain hardening regime and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is showing that both loss modulus and tan δ values increase with entanglement density in the β-relaxation region, indicating enhanced energy dissipation, which may be the underlying origin of the improved ability to resist deformation. This work is providing fundamental insights into tailoring entanglement networks to suppress energy absorption deterioration under extreme deformation conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145809001","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":"Ultrasonic Formation of Highly Concentrated Aqueous Dispersion of Fullerene–Polymer Nanoparticles by Charge Transfer","authors":"Yubo Wang, Sota Arima, Toshihiro Shimada, Hiroshi Hirata, Tianle Gao, Feng Li, Takuya Isono, Kenji Tajima, Toshifumi Satoh, Shin-ichiro Sato, Takuya Yamamoto","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500586","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500586","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fullerenes attract much interest due to the potentials to various applications. However, their insolubility in water and some organic solvents often hinders development. Herein, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and Pluronic L64 and 17R4, are attempted for dispersing fullerene in water via ultrasonication, and some of these are found to disperse an exceedingly large amount. The maximum concentration of C<sub>60</sub> is achieved with Pluronic L64, being 9.8 g/L (13.6 m<span>m</span>) without re-aggregation for a long time. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy shows a significant amount of radical species existing in the fullerene–polymer complexes, which are stable for several weeks. DLS and TEM exhibit the formation of nanoparticles, and NMR, FT-IR, and MALDI-TOF MS are used to characterize the fullerene nanoparticles–polymer complexes. The aqueous dispersions of the complexes can be dried and redispersed in water and polar organic solvents. Column chromatographic separation is performed to give unreacted fullerene and fullerene–polymer complexes, the latter of which shows a strong EPR signal. Density functional simulations reveal partial electron transfer from the PEG segment to fullerene, which causes charge separation in the complexes, resulting in the excellent dispersibility in water, while the poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) segment likely assists the complexation by hydrophobic interactions with fullerene.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145852735","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}
Ricardo Mirón-Velázquez, Hortensia Maldonado-Textle, Enrique Javier Jiménez-Regalado, José Jarib Alcaraz-Espinoza, Guadalupe Ramos-Sánchez, Claude St Thomas
{"title":"Insights into Structure-Properties Relationship of Cationic Copolymers with Quaternary Ammonium Moieties via RAFT Polymerization as Potential Binders for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries","authors":"Ricardo Mirón-Velázquez, Hortensia Maldonado-Textle, Enrique Javier Jiménez-Regalado, José Jarib Alcaraz-Espinoza, Guadalupe Ramos-Sánchez, Claude St Thomas","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500616","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500616","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this work, the synthesis and structure/properties relationship of well-defined linear and branched copolymers composed of vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride (VBTMA-C) and 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl trimethylammonium chloride (AETMA-C) was investigated. Copolymers were obtained via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in aqueous media at 70°C. Subsequently, chloride counterions were substituted by bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI), and copolymers were characterized. Infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra confirm the chemical structure, while size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and rheological measurements highlight the influence of PAETMA moieties in electrostatic and inter-intramolecular interactions of copolymers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) points out the thermal stability of materials. In addition, copolymers with TFSI exhibit a glass transition temperature (<i>T</i><sub>g</sub>) between 50°C and 87°C. X-ray diffraction tests demonstrate a physical rearrangement of amorphous copolymers contained TFSI. Mechanical behavior of copolymers was evaluated, and results demonstrated high modulus (8.406 GPa), tensile strength (25.035 MPa), and toughness (0.214 MJm<sup>−3</sup>) of synthesized materials compared to values of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with modulus (0.605 GPa), tensile strength (1.10 MPa), and toughness (0.021 MJm<sup>−3</sup>), respectively. These results confirm physicochemical features and great mechanical properties of the synthesized copolymers, opening the way for their uses as binders in cathodes for lithium–sulfur batteries.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145429716","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}
Dalila Khlaifia, Mourad Chemek, Ahmed Said Salwa, Kamel Alimi
{"title":"Epoch-Making Design Strategies for High-Efficiency Fused-Ring A-DA'D-A Type Non-Fullerene Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells","authors":"Dalila Khlaifia, Mourad Chemek, Ahmed Said Salwa, Kamel Alimi","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500691","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500691","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The development of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) has driven significant advancements in organic solar cells (OSCs), resulting in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) approaching 20% and positioning OSCs for practical applications. Notably, the recently introduced fused-ring A-DA'D-A type NFAs, especially those called Y-series NFAs, have propelled the field forward due to their strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption, adaptable structural features, and efficient molecular stacking, which collectively enhance charge transfer, minimize energy losses, and improve OSC performance. This review first summarizes the progression of Y-series NFAs from Y1 to the epoch-making acceptor Y6. Recent advances in fused-ring A-DA'D-A type NFAs are then discussed, with a focus on design strategies that modify structural parameters, such as side-chains, central cores, end-capping groups, and π-spacers. The advantages of each NFA are analyzed in relation to their corresponding polymer donors. The influence of molecular structure and optoelectronic properties of NFAs on the morphology of the donor/acceptor (D/A) active layer, charge transfer dynamics, and device performance is examined. Finally, the review identifies current challenges and outlines future directions for the development of Y-series NFAs in OSCs.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145825444","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}
Jin-Hyeong Lee, Jae Hyuk Hwang, Sungmin Park, Dong-Gyun Kim, Suk-kyun Ahn
{"title":"Readily Programmable, Body Temperature-Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomers With Dynamic Covalent Thiourea Bonds","authors":"Jin-Hyeong Lee, Jae Hyuk Hwang, Sungmin Park, Dong-Gyun Kim, Suk-kyun Ahn","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500899","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500899","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are promising stimuli-responsive materials for applications in wearable devices, biomedical devices, and soft robotics owing to their thermotropic shape-changing behaviors. However, conventional LCEs exhibit high phase-transition temperatures, often exceeding 60°C, which limits their use in human-interfacing applications. Herein, we present body heat-responsive LCEs incorporating dynamic thiourea bonds. Body temperature actuation is achieved by introducing comonomers that weaken anisotropic intermolecular interactions among mesogens into these LCEs, while the dynamic thiourea bonds impart reprocessability to the cross-linked network. Systematic formulation study elucidates the influence of comonomer structure on the actuation performance and network malleability. Furthermore, the dynamic thiourea-based LCE demonstrates reprogrammability even at ambient temperature, enabling facile fabrication of mechanically programmed 3D structures. Finally, we showcase a bump-array actuator that reversibly changes its surface topography in response to body heat.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/marc.202500899","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145964726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paulo Victor Zanotto, Elizabeth Grillo Fernandes, Vitor L. Martins
{"title":"Study of Solvent Effect on PVDF-HFP Gel Polymer Electrolyte Containing Ionic Liquid Pyr1,4TFSI for Lithium Batteries Application","authors":"Paulo Victor Zanotto, Elizabeth Grillo Fernandes, Vitor L. Martins","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500767","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500767","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The development of polymer electrolytes is a promising strategy for increasing the safety and performance of lithium batteries. In particular, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are closest to replacing conventional liquid electrolytes due to their properties from the incorporation of plasticizers and conductors into polymers. One family of these compounds, ionic liquids (IL), has the ideal range of properties for reducing the risk of fire, leaks, and toxic by-products. In this work, poly(vinylidene fluoride-<i>co</i>-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) copolymer was used to synthesize a GPE with lithium salt and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (IL), evaluating the effect of different solvents on the final properties of the material, such as thermal stability, crystallinity, microstructure and conductivity. The addition of IL was responsible for a reduction in the crystallinity of PVDF-HFP from an average of 31% to 11%, and a diminution in its thermal stability (T<sub>2%</sub>) from 435°C to 350°C. Membrane microstructure was dependent on the solvent used, ranging from completely uniform with acetone to granular with dimethylformamide or dimethylacetamide. The dimethylacetamide electrolyte had the highest conductivity (0.43 mS cm<sup>−1</sup>), while the N-methylpyrrolidone electrolyte showed better interaction with metallic lithium.</p>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12965114/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145825397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Large-Scale Preparation of Fluorinated Antifouling Nanofiltration Membranes with High Ion Selectivity for Li+/Mg2+ Separation","authors":"Bo Peng, Shuai Gu, Hongwei Lu, Juntao Tang, Chunyue Pan, Guipeng Yu","doi":"10.1002/marc.202500794","DOIUrl":"10.1002/marc.202500794","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Developing high-efficiency antifouling nanofiltration (NF) membranes is crucial to address the dual challenges of low separation selectivity and severe membrane fouling in lithium extraction from high Mg<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> ratio salt-lake brines. This study presents an efficient strategy based on one-step dip-coating surface modification. By grafting 1, 2-epoxy-3,3,3-trifluoropropane (TFO) molecules onto a PEI-TMC polyamide (PA) base membrane, a unique bipolar electrostatic potential reconstruction was triggered, simultaneously and significantly enhancing both the separation selectivity and antifouling performance of the membrane. In simulated high Mg<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> ratio brine (2000 ppm, Mg<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup>= 30:1), the PA-TFO<sub>0.75</sub> membrane demonstrated exceptional integrated performance by achieving a high Li<sup>+</sup>/Mg<sup>2+</sup> selectivity of 20.5 (9.76 times higher than commercial NF membranes) while maintaining a high water permeance of 14.65 L m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−2</sup> bar<sup>−1</sup>, and exhibiting an outstanding flux recovery ratio (FRR) approaching 100.6% (a 151% improvement over the pristine membrane), thereby meeting industrial fouling resistance standards. Critically, this strategy enabled the continuous fabrication of large-area membranes (60 m × 0.298 m). The assembled spiral-wound module (1812-type) retained a Li<sup>+</sup>/Mg<sup>2+</sup> selectivity of 19.5 in the same simulated brine, providing an efficient, antifouling, and scalable industrial-scale solution for lithium extraction from high Mg<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> ratio salt lakes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":205,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Rapid Communications","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145852680","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}