@phdthesis{Nozari2005,
  author    = {Nozari, Samira},
  title     = {Towards understanding RAFT aqueous heterophase polymerization},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-5801},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {Reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) was used as a controlling technique for studying the aqueous heterophase polymerization. The polymerization rates obtained by calorimetric investigation of ab initio emulsion polymerization of styrene revealed the strong influence of the type and combination of the RAFT agent and initiator on the polymerization rate and its profile. The studies in all-glass reactors on the evolution of the characteristic data such as average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and average particle size during the polymerization revealed the importance of the peculiarities of the heterophase system such as compartmentalization, swelling, and phase transfer. These results illustrated the important role of the water solubility of the initiator in determining the main loci of polymerization and the crucial role of the hydrophobicity of the RAFT agent for efficient transportation to the polymer particles. For an optimum control during ab-initio batch heterophase polymerization of styrene with RAFT, the RAFT agent must have certain hydrophilicity and the initiator must be water soluble in order to minimize reactions in the monomer phase. An analytical method was developed for the quantitative measurements of the sorption of the RAFT agents to the polymer particles based on the absorption of the visible light by the RAFT agent. Polymer nanoparticles, temperature, and stirring were employed to simulate the conditions of a typical aqueous heterophase polymerization system. The results confirmed the role of the hydrophilicity of the RAFT agent on the effectiveness of the control due to its fast transportation to the polymer particles during the initial period of polymerization after particle nucleation. As the presence of the polymer particles were essential for the transportation of the RAFT agents into the polymer dispersion, it was concluded that in an ab initio emulsion polymerization the transport of the hydrophobic RAFT agent only takes place after the nucleation and formation of the polymer particles. While the polymerization proceeds and the particles grow the rate of the transportation of the RAFT agent increases with conversion until the free monomer phase disappears. The degradation of the RAFT agent by addition of KPS initiator revealed unambigueous evidence on the mechanism of entry in heterophase polymerization. These results showed that even extremely hydrophilic primary radicals, such as sulfate ion radical stemming from the KPS initiator, can enter the polymer particles without necessarily having propagated and reached a certain chain length. Moreover, these results recommend the employment of azo-initiators instead of persulfates for the application in seeded heterophase polymerization with RAFT agents. The significant slower rate of transportation of the RAFT agent to the polymer particles when its solvent (styrene) was replaced with a more hydrophilic monomer (methyl methacrylate) lead to the conclusion that a complicated cooperative and competitive interplay of solubility parameters and interaction parameter with the particles exist, determining an effective transportation of the organic molecules to the polymer particles through the aqueous phase. The choice of proper solutions of even the most hydrophobic organic molecules can provide the opportunity of their sorption into the polymer particles. Examples to support this idea were given by loading the extremely stiff fluorescent molecule, pentacene, and very hydrophobic dye, Sudan IV, into the polymer particles. Finally, the first application of RAFT at room temperature heterophase polymerization is reported. The results show that the RAFT process is effective at ambient temperature; however, the rate of fragmentation is significantly slower. The elevation of the reaction temperature in the presence of the RAFT agent resulted in faster polymerization and higher molar mass, suggesting that the fragmentation rate coefficient and its dependence on the temperature is responsible for the observed retardation.},
  subject      = {Heterophasenpolymerisation},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{MathieuGaedke2021,
  author    = {Mathieu-Gaedke, Maria},
  title     = {Grafting-to and grafting-from proteins - synthesis and characterization of protein-polymer conjugates on the way to biohybrid membrane materials},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-54292},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-542921},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {XVIII, 149},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The incorporation of proteins in artificial materials such as membranes offers great opportunities to avail oneself the miscellaneous qualities of proteins and enzymes perfected by nature over millions of years. One possibility to leverage proteins is the modification with artificial polymers. To obtain such protein-polymer conjugates, either a polymer can be grown from the protein surface (grafting-from) or a pre-synthesized polymer attached to the protein (grafting-to). Both techniques were used to synthesize conjugates of different proteins with thermo-responsive polymers in this thesis. First, conjugates were analyzed by protein NMR spectroscopy. Typical characterization techniques for conjugates can verify the successful conjugation and give hints on the secondary structure of the protein. However, the 3-dimensional structure, being highly important for the protein function, cannot be probed by standard techniques. NMR spectroscopy is a unique method allowing to follow even small alterations in the protein structure. A mutant of the carbohydrate binding module 3b (CBM3bN126W) was used as model protein and functionalized with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). Analysis of conjugates prepared by grafting-to or grafting-from revealed a strong impact of conjugation type on protein folding. Whereas conjugates prepared by grafting a pre-formed polymer to the protein resulted in complete preservation of protein folding, grafting the polymer from the protein surface led to (partial) disruption of the protein structure. Next, conjugates of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as cheap and easily accessible protein were synthesized with PNIPAm and different oligoethylene glycol (meth)acrylates. The obtained protein-polymer conjugates were analyzed by an in-line combination of size exclusion chromatography and multi-angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALS). This technique is particular advantageous to determine molar masses, as no external calibration of the system is needed. Different SEC column materials and operation conditions were tested to evaluate the applicability of this system to determine absolute molar masses and hydrodynamic properties of heterogeneous conjugates prepared by grafting-from and grafting-to. Hydrophobic and non-covalent interactions of conjugates lead to error-prone values not in accordance to expected molar masses based on conversions and extents of modifications. As alternative to this method, conjugates were analyzed by sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV-AUC) to gain insights in the hydrodynamic properties and how they change after conjugation. Within a centrifugal field, a sample moves and fractionates according to the mass, density, and shape of its individual components. Conjugates of BSA with PNIPAm were analyzed below and above the cloud point temperature of the thermo-responsive polymer component. It was identified that the polymer characteristics were transferred to the conjugate molecule which than showed a decreased ideality - defined as increased deviation from a perfect sphere model - below and increased ideality above the cloud point temperature. This effect can be attributed to an arrangement of the polymer chain pointing towards the solvent (expanded state) or snuggling around the protein surface depending on the applied temperature. The last project dealt with the synthesis of ferric hydroxamate uptake protein component A (FhuA)-polymer conjugates as building blocks for novel membrane materials. The shape of FhuA can be described as barrel and removal of a cork domain inside the protein results in a passive channel aimed to be utilized as pores in the membrane system. The polymer matrix surrounding the membrane protein is composed of a thermo-responsive and a UV-crosslinkable part. Therefore, an external trigger for covalent immobilization of these building blocks in the membrane and switchability of the membrane between different states was incorporated. The overall performance of membranes prepared by a drying-mediated self-assembly approach was evaluated by permeability and size exclusion experiments. The obtained membranes displayed an insufficiency in interchain crosslinking and therefore a lack in performance. Furthermore, the aimed switch between a hydrophilic and hydrophobic state of the polymer matrix did not occur. Correspondingly, size exclusion experiments did not result in a retention of analytes larger than the pores defined by the dimension of the used FhuA variant. Overall, different paths to generate protein-polymer conjugates by either grafting-from or grafting-to the protein surface were presented paving the way to the generation of new hybrid materials. Different analytical methods were utilized to describe the folding and hydrodynamic properties of conjugates providing a deeper insight in the overall characteristics of these seminal building blocks.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Charan2017,
  author    = {Charan, Himanshu},
  title     = {Self assembled transmembrane protein polymer conjugates for the generation of nano thin membranes and micro compartments},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-402060},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xii, 138},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {This project was focused on generating ultra thin stimuli responsive membranes with an embedded transmembrane protein to act as the pore. The membranes were formed by crosslinking of transmembrane protein polymer conjugates. The conjugates were self assembled on air water interface and the polymer chains crosslinked using a UV crosslinkable comonomer to engender the membrane. The protein used for the studies reported herein was one of the largest transmembrane channel proteins, ferric hydroxamate uptake protein component A (FhuA), found in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The wild type protein and three genetic variants of FhuA were provided by the group of Prof. Schwaneberg in Aachen. The well known thermo responsive poly(N isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and the pH and thermo responsive polymer poly((2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) were conjugated to FhuA and the genetic variants via controlled radical polymerization (CRP) using grafting from technique. These polymers were chosen because they would provide stimuli handles in the resulting membranes. The reported polymerization was the first ever attempt to attach polymer chains onto a membrane protein using site specific modification. The conjugate synthesis was carried out in two steps - a) FhuA was first converted into a macroinitiator by covalently linking a water soluble functional CRP initiator to the lysine residues. b) Copper mediated CRP was then carried out in pure buffer conditions with and without sacrificial initiator to generate the conjugates. The challenge was carrying out the modifications on FhuA without denaturing it. FhuA, being a transmembrane protein, requires amphiphilic species to stabilize its highly hydrophobic transmembrane region. For the experiments reported in this thesis, the stabilizing agent was 2 methyl 2,4-pentanediol (MPD). Since the buffer containing MPD cannot be considered a purely aqueous system, and also because MPD might interfere with the polymerization procedure, the reaction conditions were first optimized using a model globular protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The optimum conditions were then used for the generation of conjugates with FhuA. The generated conjugates were shown to be highly interfacially active and this property was exploited to let them self assemble onto polar apolar interfaces. The emulsions stabilized by particles or conjugates are referred to as Pickering emulsions. Crosslinking conjugates with a UV crosslinkable co monomer afforded nano thin micro compartments. Interfacial self assembly at the air water interface and subsequent UV crosslinking also yielded nano thin, stimuli responsive membranes which were shown to be mechanically robust. Initial characterization of the flux and permeation of water through these membranes is also reported herein. The generated nano thin membranes with PNIPAAm showed reduced permeation at elevated temperatures owing to the resistance by the hydrophobic and thus water-impermeable polymer matrix, hence confirming the stimulus responsivity. Additionally, as a part of collaborative work with Dr. Changzhu Wu, TU Dresden, conjugates of three enzymes with current/potential industrial relevance (candida antarctica lipase B, benzaldehyde lyase and glucose oxidase) with stimuli responsive polymers were synthesized. This work aims at carrying out cascade reactions in the Pickering emulsions generated by self assembled enzyme polymer conjugate.},
  language  = {en}
}