Redox-responsive polymer prodrug/AgNPs hybrid nanoparticles for drug delivery

A drug carrier system of the hybrid nanoparticles based on the redox-responsive P[（2-（（2-（（camptothecin）-oxy）ethyl）disulfanyl）ethylmethacrylate）-co-（2-（D-galactose）methylmethacryl-ate）]（P（MACPTS-co-MAGP）） and AgNPs is developed to deliver the anti-cancer drug camptothecin（CPT） and monitor the drug release by the recovery of the fluorescence of CPT. CPT is linked to the polymer sidechains via a redox-responsive disulfide bond, attaching on the surface of AgNPs and leading to the quenching of CPT fluorescence（ ＂off＂ state） due to the nanoparticle surface energy transfer（NSET） effect.Upon the exposure to glutathione（GSH）, the disulfide bond is cleaved to release CPT, resulting in the recovery of the fluorescence of CPT（＂on＂ state）. The system offers a platform to track the CPT delivery and releasing in real time

Conjugated Polymers for Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is one of the major challenges in pathogenic infections,which endangers human health and brings devastating public health threats.Therefore,developing new materials to reduce the over-reliance on antibiotics or to replace antibiotics is in great need to solve this problem.Conjugated polymers(CPs)with excellent light-harvesting properties and good biocompatibility are ideal candidate materials for combat-ting AMR through photodynamic antimicrobial therapy(PACT)by sensitizing oxygen and photothermal therapy(PTT)by light to heat conversion.Sig-nificant works of CPs-based antimicrobial approaches have been reported in recent years.Herein,we summarize the types of CPs-based antimicrobial materials,illustrate their antimicrobial mechanisms,and discuss their applications in combating AMR mainly by PACT or antimicrobial PTT.In addi-tion,we proposed some other antimicrobial treatment strategies based on CPs,hoping to provide inspiring insight for overcoming AMR.

Controlling the gelation temperature of biomimetic polyisocyanides

Thermosensitive polymers show an entropy-driven transition from a well-solvated to a poorly solvated polymer chain, resulting in a more compact globular conformation. The transition at the lower critical solution temperature（LCST） is often sharp, which allows for a wide range of smart material applications.At the LCST, oligo（ethylene glycol）-substituted polyisocyanides（PICs） form soft hydrogels, composed of polymer bundles similar to biological gels, such as actin, fibrin and intermediate filaments. Here, we show that the LCST of PICs strongly depends linearly on the length of the ethylene glycol（EG） tails; every EG group increases the LCSTand thus the gelation temperature by nearly 30 ℃. Using a copolymerisation approach, we demonstrate that we can precisely tailor the gelation temperature between 10 ℃ and 60 ℃and, consequently, tune the mechanical properties of the PIC gels.

Strategies for Inhibition and Disaggregation of Amyloid-β Fibrillation

Comprehensive Summary Amyloid-β protein(Aβ)is a fatal cause of Alzheimer's disease,which can trigger a series of cytotoxicity by the abnormal aggregation of Aβ in human brain.The strategies for inhibition and disaggregation of Aβ fibrillation are mostly based on the interaction between monomers,oligomers,fibrils,and materials.

Carbon dioxide-controlled assembly based on conjugated polymer and boron nitride

C02-controlled assembly of conjugated polymer and boron nitride(BN)was fabricated via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the BN fiber and conjugated polymer of PFBT containing fluorene units and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole units.C02,an effective and green stimulus for regulating the assembly of PFBT and BN fibers,leads to an obvious fluorescence variation.Moreover,PFBT enables the assembly with the signal amplification and light-harvesting properties.This work provides a new triggering method to construct intelligent conjugated polymer-based platform,and offers fluorescence monitoring strategy for carbon dioxide capture.

CO2/NIR light dual-controlled nanoparticles for dsDNA unzipping

Both of carbon dioxide(CO2)and near-infrared(NIR)light as triggers for non-invasive remotely control are attracting wide attentions due to their good biocompatibility and easy operation.Here,CO2/NIR light dual controlled nanoparticles are proposed to remotely regulate the unzipping of dsDNA by using imidazole functionalized conjugated polymer nanoparticles(imidazole-CPNs).The dsDNA successfully coats on the shell of imidazole-CPNs to form imidazole-CPNs/dsDNA assembly due to intensively electrostatic interaction triggered by CO2.Furthermore,the unzipping process of dsDNA is remotely controlled by NIR light based on the photothermal effect,and it can be readily monitored by the fluorescence intensity of ethidium bromide(EB)and CD spectra of dsDNA.Thus,dual stimulation responsive imidazole-CPNs effectively control dsDNA unzipping under CO2 stimulus and NIR light,promising a new direction in the biological applications of DNA,such as the treatments of diseases caused by gene duplication abnormality.

Functional molecular materials

Molecular materials, together with metals, ceramics, and polymer materials, are among the most important materials. The research efforts on molecular materials are targeting three main aspects, namely the assembly technique, multi-functionality, and their diverse application. In this regard, the main attention from the community is focused on the identification and construction of novel molecular materials with high performance for applications in the fields such as the optoelectronic devices and biological or medicine-related materials. This is a truly multi- disciplinary research field driven by the joint efforts of researchers from all different backgrounds including （but not limited to） Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Supramolecular Chemistry, Semiconductor Molecules and Devices, Materials Science, as well as the Biological Chemistry. This special issue, themed on ＂Functional Molecular Materials＂, consists of 5 review articles and 19 original research papers, and covers a broad spectrum of important aspects in the research of functional molecular materials, ranging from the approaches for self-assembly and characterization of functional molecular systems, to their diverse applications in biological systems and optoelectronic materials and devices.