Archive for April, 2014

Paper of the week: Stimuli-responsive biocompatible nanovalves

As human health problems are becoming increasingly serious, much research has been focused on nanomaterials with biomedical potential. Especially, stimuli-responsive nanocontainers for drug delivery and release have recently attracted widespread interest in chemical and biological fields. Self-assembled polymeric micelles are traditional nanocontainers that are formed under some certain conditions and destroyed when the environments (pH, temperature, light, etc.) are changed to realize controlled drug release. Other traditional nanocontainers are functionalized inorganic frameworks with large surface areas and suitable pore volumes, such as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and zeolite imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs).

Graphical abstract: Stimuli-responsive biocompatible nanovalves based on β-cyclodextrin modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate)

In their paper, Gao , Yang and co-workers grafted β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) onto star-shaped poly(glycidyl methacrylate)s (S5-PGMAs) with a straightforward and efficient ring-opening addition of amine groups to result in PGMA–β-CDs, which not only possess good water-solubility and biocompatibility, but also can serve as polymeric supramolecular hosts to form inclusion complexes with suitable guests. They can be easily assembled on the surface of azobenzene-functionalized MSNs via host–guest interactions to obtain MSN@PGMA–β-CD hybrid nanoparticles. The experimental results showed that these types of inorganic–organic hybrid mesoporous nanocomposites possess good cargo encapsulation and release properties, as compared with the simple supramolecular nanovalves with β-CD itself as the gating component, upon activation by light, temperature variation, and competitive binding agents. In addition, the extremely low cytotoxicity of the nanocomposites demonstrated by MTT assay can further broaden their applications in controlled drug release.

Stimuli-responsive biocompatible nanovalves based on β-cyclodextrin modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate) by Qing-Lan Li, Lizhi Wang, Xi-Long Qiu, Yu-Long Sun, Pei-Xi Wang, Yu Liu, Feng Li, Ai-Di Qi, Hui Gao and Ying-Wei Yang Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 3389-3395.

Julien Nicolas is a web-writer and advisory board member for Polymer Chemistry. He currently works at Univ. Paris-Sud (FR) as a CNRS researcher.

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Paper of the week: Sustainable cycloolefin polymer from pine tree oil for optoelectronics material

Transparent polymers are now recognized by the optoelectronics industry as indispensable materials for plastic lenses and optical storage. Recently, amorphous saturated hydrocarbon polymers consisting of main-chain cyclic units, such as cycloolefin (co)polymers (COC or COP), have demonstrated material superiority and are a popular alternative to conventional transparent polymers, such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). These alicyclic polymers possess excellent properties, such as high glass-transition temperature (Tg), optical transparency, non-hygroscopicity, and low birefringence. However, there is an increasing demand for materials using natural products, such as plant oil, seed oil, tree resin, tree sap, and other plant chemicals, in place of petroleum-derived industrial materials for better sustainability. Monomers obtained from these renewable natural products to produce bio-based polymers have attracted a lot of attention in addition to conventional natural polymers, such as cellulose. Among the various natural chemicals, terpenes make up a major series of natural compounds which are biologically built up from isoprene units and are available in a large variety.

Graphical abstract: Sustainable cycloolefin polymer from pine tree oil for optoelectronics material: living cationic polymerization of β-pinene and catalytic hydrogenation of high-molecular-weight hydrogenated poly(β-pinene)

In this article, Kamigaito and co-workers cationically polymerized (−)-β-pinene, a major constituent of pine tree oil,  to generate a high-molecular-weight polymer that were subsequently hydrogenated via metal catalysts to give a high-performance, bio-based cycloolefin polymer with an alicyclic backbone. To obtain the high-molecular-weight polymer, the controlled/living cationic polymerization of (−)-β-pinene was investigated by an initiating system, consisting of a protonic acid, a Lewis acid, and an added base, along with an incremental monomer addition technique. These reactions could be performed even at relatively large scales to produce several hundred grams of the polymer, which can be then processed through injection-molding. The synthesized bio-based cycloolefin polymers demonstrated promising potential properties as high performance optical plastics with good processability, low density, high optical transparency, low birefringence, non-hygroscopicity, high mechanical strength, and excellent thermal properties.

Sustainable cycloolefin polymer from pine tree oil for optoelectronics material: living cationic polymerization of β-pinene and catalytic hydrogenation of high-molecular-weight hydrogenated poly(β-pinene) by Kotaro Satoh, Atsuhiro Nakahara, Kazunori Mukunoki, Hiroko Sugiyama, Hiromu Saito and Masami Kamigaito Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 3222-3230.

Julien Nicolas is a web-writer and advisory board member for Polymer Chemistry. He currently works at Univ. Paris-Sud (FR) as a CNRS researcher.

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Paper of the week: A powerful method for 3D bulk patterning of polymer sheets

Polymer films are ubiquitous in numerous industrial fields such as electronics, biotechnology, optics or portable energy devices. Improving the performances of devices in this broad range of applications most often requires creating 2D- or 3D-structured polymer films in order to combine the material bulk properties and designated interactions with their local environment. For this purpose, methods usually used are based on: (i) phase separation of block copolymers which leads to polymer blend films with an isotropic structure or (ii) radiation-induced graft polymerization to obtain isotropic architecture by an electron beam or γ-ray radiation or an anisotropic structure by swift heavy ion irradiation or by X-rays or Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) light radiation. However, these processes present some limitations such as block copolymer and film synthesis, drastic safety procedures or the high cost of ionising sources.

Graphical abstract: VUV grafting: an efficient method for 3D bulk patterning of polymer sheets

To overcome these drawbacks, Berthelot and co-workers proposed here an innovative process, based on VUV irradiation, which proved efficient not only for surface modification, but also for the bulk modification of industrially relevant polymers such as β-polyvinylidene fluoride (β-PVDF), polyethylene (PE) or fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP). The authors assumed that VUV irradiation of a PVDF film can induce radical active species at depths up to 50 micrometers, as demonstrated by ESR. Those active species were able to initiate the radical polymerization of a vinylic or acrylate monomer such as acrylic acid through the polymer film, as confirmed by the EDX profile of the film thickness. Similar results were obtained on PE and FEP films, while aromatic polymers such as PET strongly absorbed VUV energy and dissipated it along other pathways. By mixing this process and photolithographic masks, 3D structuration of commercial polymer films was also obtained.

VUV grafting: an efficient method for 3D bulk patterning of polymer sheets by Cecile Baudin, Jean-Philippe Renault, Stephane Esnouf, Serge Palacin and Thomas Berthelot Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 2990-2996.

Julien Nicolas is a web-writer and advisory board member for Polymer Chemistry. He currently works at Univ. Paris-Sud (FR) as a CNRS researcher.

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Themed issue on Sustainable Polymers: replacing polymers derived from fossil fuels – now published

The Polymer Chemistry themed issue on Sustainable Polymers: replacing polymers derived from fossil fuels is online now. Guest Editor Stephen Miller (University of Florida) introduces the issue in his Editorial.

Here is a small selection of articles from the issue, which brings together the most recent reasearch achievements in the development of sustainable alternatives to replace classic polymers derived from fossil fuel feedstocks.

On the cover

MacroRAFT agents from renewable resources and their use as polymeric scaffolds in a grafting from approach Sanne De Smet, Sophie Lingier and Filip E. Du Prez

Review articles

The quest for sustainable polyesters – insights into the future Carla Vilela, Andreia F. Sousa, Ana C. Fonseca, Arménio C. Serra, Jorge F. J. Coelho, Carmen S. R. Freire and Armando J. D. Silvestre

Functionalization of cardanol: towards biobased polymers and additives Coline Voirin, Sylvain Caillol, Nilakshi V. Sadavarte, Bhausaheb V. Tawade, Bernard Boutevin and Prakash P. Wadgaonkar

Papers

Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers from bio-based poly(δ-decalactone) diols Donglin Tang, Christopher W. Macosko and Marc A. Hillmyer

Sustainable cycloolefin polymer from pine tree oil for optoelectronics material: living cationic polymerization of β-pinene and catalytic hydrogenation of high-molecular-weight hydrogenated poly(β-pinene) Kotaro Satoh, Atsuhiro Nakahara, Kazunori Mukunoki, Hiroko Sugiyama, Hiromu Saito and Masami Kamigaito

Bringing D-limonene to the scene of bio-based thermoset coatings via free-radical thiol–ene chemistry: macromonomer synthesis, UV-curing and thermo-mechanical characterization Mauro Claudino, Jeanne-Marie Mathevet, Mats Jonsson and Mats Johansson

Polyoxalates from biorenewable diols via Oxalate Metathesis Polymerization John J. Garcia and Stephen A. Miller

More articles can be downloaded here.


This issue is part of a joint collection on Sustainable Polymers, published in collaboration with Green Chemistry. Green Chemistry published their themed issue on Sustainable Polymers: reduced environmental impact, renewable raw materials and catalysis earlier this month. It was Guest Edited by Michael Meier (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany).

Take a look at the Green Chemistry themed issue here.


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Paper of the week: Polyoxalates from biorenewable diols via Oxalate Metathesis Polymerization

Polyoxalates are polymers based on oxalic acid or derivatives and contain the –O(CO)2O– functional group. They have shown a relatively high degradability under aqueous conditions and have been investigated for certain medical applications, such as drug delivery. This facile degradability could also be exploited for alternative applications, such as medical sutures or packaging plastics with diminished environmental impact. Moreover, polyoxalates are readily synthesized from biorenewable resources, a significant sustainability advantage over fossil fuel-based polymers.

Graphical abstract: Polyoxalates from biorenewable diols via Oxalate Metathesis Polymerization

In this study, Garcia and Miller were inspired to develop improved synthetic routes and novel families of polyoxalates, particularly targeting thermal properties that might allow mimicry of  popular packaging thermoplastics. Polyalkylene oxalates and polyarylene oxalates were successfully synthesized via oxalate metathesis polymerization (OMP), a step-growth polymerization that employs acid-catalyzed ester interchange of dimethyl oxalate and a diol in a 1:1 ratio. The process was optimized in the melt and did not require solvents. Aliphatic/aromatic polyoxalate copolymers derived from 1,10- decanediol and resorcinol bis(hydroxyethyl)ether or hydroquinone bis(hydroxyethyl)ether in varying compositions were also prepared and studied. Incorporation of the aromatic diols into the polymer chain generally afforded increased Tg and Tm. Solid-state degradation studies indicated facile water-degradation of the polyoxalates as molecular weights decreased 81-92% over the course of 13 months in humid air.

Polyoxalates from biorenewable diols via Oxalate Metathesis Polymerization by John J. Garcia and Stephen A. Miller Polym. Chem. 2014, 5, 955-961.

Julien Nicolas is a web-writer and advisory board member for Polymer Chemistry. He currently works at Univ. Paris-Sud (FR) as a CNRS researcher.

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