@article{CouturierSuetterlinLaschewskyetal.2015, author = {Couturier, Jean-Philippe and S{\"u}tterlin, Martin and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and Hettrich, Cornelia and Wischerhoff, Erik}, title = {Responsive Inverse Opal Hydrogels for the Sensing of Macromolecules}, series = {Angewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition}, volume = {54}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition}, number = {22}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1433-7851}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201500674}, pages = {6641 -- 6644}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Dual responsive inverse opal hydrogels were designed as autonomous sensor systems for (bio)macromolecules, exploiting the analyte-induced modulation of the opal's structural color. The systems that are based on oligo(ethylene glycol) macromonomers additionally incorporate comonomers with various recognition units. They combine a coil-to-globule collapse transition of the LCST type with sensitivity of the transition temperature toward molecular recognition processes. This enables the specific detection of macromolecular analytes, such as glycopolymers and proteins, by simple optical methods. While the inverse opal structure assists the effective diffusion even of large analytes into the photonic crystal, the stimulus responsiveness gives rise to strong shifts of the optical Bragg peak of more than 100nm upon analyte binding at a given temperature. The systems' design provides a versatile platform for the development of easy-to-use, fast, and low-cost sensors for pathogens.}, language = {en} } @article{LiedelLewinTsarkovaetal.2015, author = {Liedel, Clemens and Lewin, Christian and Tsarkova, Larisa and B{\"o}ker, Alexander}, title = {Reversible Switching of Block Copolymer Nanopatterns by Orthogonal Electric Fields}, series = {Small}, volume = {11}, journal = {Small}, number = {45}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1613-6810}, doi = {10.1002/smll.201502259}, pages = {6058 -- 6064}, year = {2015}, abstract = {It is demonstrated that the orientation of striped patterns can be reversibly switched between two perpendicular in-plane orientations upon exposure to electric fields. The results on thin films of symmetric polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) polymer in the intermediate segregation regime disclose two types of reorientation mechanisms from perpendicular to parallel relative to the electric field orientation. Domains orient via grain rotation and via formation of defects such as stretched undulations and temporal phase transitions. The contribution of additional fields to the structural evolution is also addressed to elucidate the generality of the observed phenomena. In particular solvent effects are considered. This study reveals the stabilization of the meta-stable in-plane oriented lamella due to sequential swelling and quenching of the film. Further, the reorientation behavior of lamella domains blended with selective nanoparticles is addressed, which affect the interfacial tensions of the blocks and hence introduce another internal field to the studied system. Switching the orientation of aligned block copolymer patterns between two orthogonal directions may open new applications of nanomaterials as switchable electric nanowires or optical gratings.}, language = {en} } @article{VukicevicNeffeLuetzowetal.2015, author = {Vukicevic, Radovan and Neffe, Axel T. and Luetzow, Karola and Pierce, Benjamin F. and Lendlein, Andreas}, title = {Conditional Ultrasound Sensitivity of Poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-(vinyl imidazole)] Microgels for Controlled Lipase Release}, series = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, volume = {36}, journal = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, number = {21}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1022-1336}, doi = {10.1002/marc.201500311}, pages = {1891 -- 1896}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Triggering the release of cargo from a polymer network by ultrasonication as an external, non-invasive stimulus can be an interesting concept for on-demand release. Here, it is shown that, in pH-and thermosensitive microgels, the ultrasound sensitivity of the polymer network depends on the external conditions. Crosslinked poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-(vinyl imidazole)] microgels showed a volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of 25-50 degrees C, which increases with decreasing pH. Above the VPTT the polymer chains are collapsed, while below VPTT they are extended. Only in the case of maximum observed swelling, where the polymer chains are expanded, the microgels are mechanically fragmented through ultrasonication. In contrast, when the polymer chains are partially collapsed it is not possible to manipulate the microgels by ultrasound. Additionally, the ultrasound-induced on-demand release of wheat germ lipase from the microgels could be demonstrated successfully. The principle of conditional ultrasound sensitivity is likely to be general and can be used for selection of matrix-cargo combinations.}, language = {en} }