CONTROLLED RADICAL COPOLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE AND MALEIC ANHYDRIDE UNDER GAMMA RADIATION IN THE PRESENCE OF BENZYL DITHIOBENZOATE

The copolymerization of styrene (St) with maleic anhydride (MAh) under gamma radiation at room temperature in the presence of benzyl dithiobenzoate (BDTB) was found to display 'living' nature evidenced by constant concentration of chain radicals during the copolymerization, linear evolution of molecular weights with conversion and narrow molecular weight distribution (M-w/M-n = 1.23-1.35). The compositional analysis and the sequence structural information of the copolymers obtained from DEPT (Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer) experiments demonstrate that the copolymers obtained also possess strictly alternating structure.

Facile Fabrication of Hyperbranched Polyacetal Quaternary Ammonium with pH-Responsive Curcumin Release for Synergistic Antibacterial Activity

In the current global crisis of antibiotic resistance,persuit of an effective multi-pathway collaborative approach to enhance antibacterial activity is urgently needed.Here,a kind of hyperbranched polyacetal quaternary ammonium(Hyper-ace-QA)with efficiently antibacterial function were synthesized by a succession of efficient click strategies.The high molecular weights can be obtained just after UV irradiation for 3 h,and the grafting ratio can be easily adjusted through controlling solvent system,molar ratio,and temperature.Cytotoxicity studies indicated that Hyper-ace-QA had good biocompatibility and can be used as a potential antibacterial dressing.More importantly,after in situ encapsulation of bioactive curcumin drugs into the hyperbranched intramolecular cavities,the acid-liable acetal linkers within the hyperbranched backbone made the loading antibacterial drugs rapidly release with pH-or bacterial-responsive behaviors since many bacteria can produce acids at the infection site by the combined actions of immune response and bacterial metabolism.Therefore,the integration of quaternary ammonium characteristics and pH-triggered curcumin release could facilitate the antibacterial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus.This work represents a synergistic strategy on offering important guidance to rational design of multifunctional antimicrobial vehicles,which would be promising therapeutic alternatives for first aid treatment of wound infection in critical situations.

Controlled Cross-linking Strategy for Formation of Hydrogels,Microgels and Nanogels

Hydrogels are a kind of unique cross-linking polymeric materials with three-dimensional networks. Various efforts have been devoted to manipulate the formation of functional hydrogels in situ and enrich the production of hydrogels, microgels and nanogels with improved modulation capacity. However, these methods always fail to tune the gel properties because of the difficulty in achieving the precise control of cross-linking extents once the gel formation is initiated. Therefore, the preparation of tailor-made hydrogels remains a great challenge. Herein, we summarize a controlled cross-linking strategy towards not only fabrication of hydrogels at nano-, micro-and macro-scales, but also achievement of controlled assembly of nanoparticles into multifunctional materials in macroscopic and microscopic scales. The strategy is conducted by controllably activating and terminating the disulfide reshuffling reactions of disulfide-linked core/shell materials with selective core/shell separation using system p H or UV triggers. So it provides a facile approach to producing hydrogels, hydrogel particles and nanoparticle aggregates with tunable structures and properties, opening up the design possibility, flexibility and complexity of hydrogels, microgels/nanogels and nanoparticle aggregates from nanoscopic components to macroscopic objects.

Dendrimer-based Hydrogels with Controlled Drug Delivery Property for Tissue Adhesion

In recent years,the hydrogel-based tissue adhesives have been extensively investigated for their excellent biocompatibility and the ability to be administered directly within the adherent tissue.To meet the requirement for more controllable release in various physiological settings,the components of hydrogel adhesive should be more precisely tailored.In this work,the POSS-ace-PEG hydrogel adhesive was fabricated with the polyacetal dendrimer G1’-[NH3 Cl]16 and poly(ethylene glycol)succinimidyl carbonate(PEG-SC)due to the regular peripheral amino structure of G1’-[NH3 Cl]16.Rheological and adhesion tests demonstrated that the hydrogel adhesive had good mechanical and adhesive properties,which could effectively adhere to the pigskin and severed nerves.Moreover,the tissue adhesive exhibited good stability under neutral conditions and the rapid degradation under acidic conditions,allowing for the release of doxycycline hydrochloride(DOX)drug in response to pH.Together,these results suggested that the POSS-ace-PEG adhesive had the potential to provide an alternative to tissue adhesives for applications in pathological environments(inflammation,tumors,etc.).

Tunable Multiple Morphological Transformation of Supramolecular Hyperbranched Polymers Based on an A_(2)B_(6)-type POSS Monomer

The growing dema nds of supramolecular hyperbranched polymers integrati ng non covale nt in teraction and unique topological structure merits had received considerable interest in the fabrication of novel materials for advaneed applications.Herein,we prepared A2B6-type POSS-containing supramolecular hyperbranched polymers with multiple morphologies including lamellar-like,branched,hollow,core-shell and porous spherical structures through regulating self-assembling monomer concentrations and solvent polarities.The incorporation of appropriate emulative guest molecules would further trigger morphological transformations(such as vesicles and spherical micelles)by synergistic effects of unique POSS aggregation ability,supramolecular complexations and hydrophilic-hydrophobic interactions.Thus,this facile and universal strategy may enable a modular nanofabrication of supramolecular hyperbranched polymers with diversiform topological structure and sophisticated multifunctionality for their potential applications.