@article{FuehrerSchlaad2014, author = {Fuehrer, Felix N. and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {ADMET polymerization of amino-acid-based diene}, series = {Macromolecular chemistry and physics}, volume = {215}, journal = {Macromolecular chemistry and physics}, number = {22}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1022-1352}, doi = {10.1002/macp.201400166}, pages = {2268 -- 2273}, year = {2014}, abstract = {1,4-Di(homo)allyl-2,5-diketopiperazines are synthesized and polymerized via ADMET using the Hoveyda-Grubbs 2nd generation catalyst. The but-3-enylated diketopiperazine can be converted into unsaturated tertiary polyamide with molar mass of <3000 g mol(-1), whereas the allylated diketopiperazine cannot. Double-bond isomerization occurs regardless of whether or not benzoquinone is present. A polyesteramide with a higher molar mass of ca. 4800 g mol(-1) is obtained by the alternating copolymerization (ALTMET) of 1,4-di(but-3-enyl)-2,5-di ketopiperazine and ethylene glycol diacrylate. A post-polymerization modification of the poly(ester)amides via radical thiol-ene chemistry, however, fails.}, language = {en} } @article{SeckerRobinsonSchlaad2015, author = {Secker, Christian and Robinson, Joshua W. and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Alkyne-X modification of polypeptoids}, series = {European polymer journal}, volume = {62}, journal = {European polymer journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0014-3057}, doi = {10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2014.08.028}, pages = {394 -- 399}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Poly(N-propargyl glycine) (PNPG) can be readily prepared by ring-opening polymerization of N-propargyl glycine N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) and modified using various addition reactions such as copper catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of azide, radical (photo-)addition of thiol, nucleophilic addition of ethylene oxide, and thermal induced cross-linking. It is demonstrated that PNPG can serve as a modular platform to produce a bibliography of novel functional polypeptoid or pseudopeptide materials, including polypeptoid ionic liquids and graft copolymers.}, language = {en} } @article{HessSchmidtSchlaad2020, author = {Hess, Andreas and Schmidt, Bernhard Volkmar Konrad Jakob and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Aminolysis induced functionalization of (RAFT) polymer-dithioester with thiols and disulfides}, series = {Polymer Chemistry}, volume = {11}, journal = {Polymer Chemistry}, number = {48}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1759-9954}, doi = {10.1039/d0py01365j}, pages = {7677 -- 7684}, year = {2020}, abstract = {A series of polystyrene- and poly(methyl methacrylate)-dithioesters was subjected to aminolysis under ambient atmospheric conditions, i.e., in the presence of oxygen. Polymer disulfide coupling by oxidation occurred within tens of minutes and the yield of disulfide-coupled polymer increased with decreasing polymer molar mass. Oxidation of thiolates is usually an unwanted side reaction, here it is employed to obtain exclusively polymeric mixed disulfides through in situ aminolysis/functionalization in the presence of a thiol. The in situ aminolysis/functionalization in the presence of a disulfide, Ellman's reagent or polymer disulfide, resulted in the exclusive formation of polymer-dithionitrobenzoic acid, which can be further reacted with a thiol to exchange the terminal functionality, or block copolymer with dynamic disulfide linker, respectively.}, language = {en} } @article{GlatzelNoackSchanzenbachetal.2020, author = {Glatzel, Julia and Noack, Sebastian and Schanzenbach, Dirk and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Anionic polymerization of dienes in 'green' solvents}, series = {Polymer international}, volume = {70}, journal = {Polymer international}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0959-8103}, doi = {10.1002/pi.6152}, pages = {181 -- 184}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Isoprene and beta-myrcene were polymerized by anionic polymerization in bulk and in the 'green' ether solvents cyclopentyl methyl ether and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran and, for comparison, in cyclohexane and tetrahydrofuran. The polydienes produced in bulk and in cyclohexane contained high amounts of 1,4 units (>90\%) whereas those produced in ether solvents were rich in 1,2 and 3,4 units (36\%-86\%). Comparison of the microstructures and glass transition temperatures of the polydienes obtained in the various solvents suggests that conventionally used solvents can be substituted by environmentally more friendly alternatives.}, language = {en} } @article{SunCernochVoelkeletal.2016, author = {Sun, Jing and Cernoch, Peter and V{\"o}lkel, Antje and Wei, Yuhan and Ruokolainen, Janne and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Aqueous Self-Assembly of a Protein-Mimetic Ampholytic Block Copolypeptide}, series = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, volume = {49}, journal = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0024-9297}, doi = {10.1021/acs.macromol.6b00817}, pages = {5494 -- 5501}, year = {2016}, abstract = {This report describes the aggregation behavior of an ABC-type ampholytic block copolypeptide, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(L-lysine)-block-poly(L-glutamate), in aqueous media in dependence of pH. Polypeptide secondary structures and self-assemblies are investigated by circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and NMR spectroscopy, zeta potential measurements, analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), dynamic/static light scattering (DLS/SLS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM). The polymer chains tend to form vesicles when the hydrophobic polypeptide helix is located at the chain end (acidic pH) and are existing as single chains when it is located in the center and flanked by the two hydrophilic segments (basic pH). Precipitation occurs in the intermediate pH range due to polyion complexation of the charged polypeptide segments.}, language = {en} } @article{BrosnanSchlaadAntonietti2015, author = {Brosnan, Sarah M. and Schlaad, Helmut and Antonietti, Markus}, title = {Aqueous Self-Assembly of Purely Hydrophilic Block Copolymers into Giant Vesicles}, 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 = {33}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1433-7851}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201502100}, pages = {9715 -- 9718}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Self-assembly of macromolecules is fundamental to life itself, and historically, these systems have been primitively mimicked by the development of amphiphilic systems, driven by the hydrophobic effect. Herein, we demonstrate that self-assembly of purely hydrophilic systems can be readily achieved with similar ease and success. We have synthesized double hydrophilic block copolymers from polysaccharides and poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(sarcosine) to yield high molar mass diblock copolymers through oxime chemistry. These hydrophilic materials can easily assemble into nanosized (<500nm) and microsized (>5m) polymeric vesicles depending on concentration and diblock composition. Because of the solely hydrophilic nature of these materials, we expect them to be extraordinarily water permeable systems that would be well suited for use as cellular mimics.}, language = {en} } @article{ChenSongZhaoetal.2018, author = {Chen, Ye and Song, Qilei and Zhao, Junpeng and Gong, Xiangjun and Schlaad, Helmut and Zhang, Guangzhao}, title = {Betulin-Constituted multiblock amphiphiles for broad-spectrum protein resistance}, series = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces}, volume = {10}, journal = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces}, number = {7}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1944-8244}, doi = {10.1021/acsami.7b16255}, pages = {6593 -- 6600}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Multiblock-like amphiphilic polyurethanes constituted by poly(ethylene oxide) and biosourced betulin are designed for antifouling and synthesized by a convenient organocatalytic route comprising tandem chain-growth and step-growth polymerizations. The doping density of betulin (D-B) in the polymer chain structure is readily varied by a mixed-initiator strategy. The spin-coated polymer films exhibit unique nanophase separation and protein resistance behaviors. Higher D-B leads to enhanced surface hydrophobicity and, unexpectedly, improved protein resistance. It is found that the surface holds molecular-level heterogeneity when D-B is substantially high due to restricted phase separation; therefore, broad-spectrum protein resistance is achieved despite considerable surface hydrophobicity. As D-B decreases, the distance between adjacent betulin units increases so that hydrophobic nanodomains are formed, which provide enough landing areas for relatively small-sized proteins to adsorb on the surface.}, language = {en} } @article{HardyTorresRendonLealEganaetal.2016, author = {Hardy, John G. and Torres-Rendon, Jose Guillermo and Leal-Egana, Aldo and Walther, Andreas and Schlaad, Helmut and Coelfen, Helmut and Scheibel, Thomas R.}, title = {Biomineralization of Engineered Spider Silk Protein-Based Composite Materials for Bone Tissue Engineering}, series = {Materials}, volume = {9}, journal = {Materials}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1996-1944}, doi = {10.3390/ma9070560}, pages = {93 -- 108}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Materials based on biodegradable polyesters, such as poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) or poly(butylene terephthalate-co-poly(alkylene glycol) terephthalate) (PBTAT), have potential application as pro-regenerative scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Herein, the preparation of films composed of PBT or PBTAT and an engineered spider silk protein, (eADF4(C16)), that displays multiple carboxylic acid moieties capable of binding calcium ions and facilitating their biomineralization with calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate is reported. Human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on films mineralized with calcium phosphate show enhanced levels of alkaline phosphatase activity suggesting that such composites have potential use for bone tissue engineering.}, language = {en} } @article{ShkilnyyBrandtMantionetal.2009, author = {Shkilnyy, Andriy and Brandt, Jessica and Mantion, Alexandre and Paris, Oskar and Schlaad, Helmut and Taubert, Andreas}, title = {Calcium phosphate with a channel-like morphology by polymer templating}, issn = {0897-4756}, doi = {10.1021/Cm803244z}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Calcium phosphate mineralization from aqueous solution in the presence of organic growth modifiers has been intensely studied in the recent past. This is mostly due to potential applications of the resulting composites in the biomaterials field. Polymers in particular are efficient growth modifiers. As a result, there has been a large amount of work on polymeric growth modifiers. Interestingly, however, relatively little work has been done on polycationic additives. The current paper shows that poly(ethylene oxide)b-poly(L-lysine) block copolymers lead to an interesting morphology of calcium phosphate precipitated at room temperature and subjected to a mild heat treatment at 85 degrees C. Electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and porosity analysis show that a (somewhat) porous material with channel-like features forms. Closer inspection using transmission electron microscopy shows that the channels are probably not real channels. Much rather the morphology is the result of the aggregation of ca. 100-nm-sized rodlike primary particles, which changes upon drying to exhibit the observed channel-like features. Comparison experiments conducted in the absence of polymer and with poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(L-glutamate) show that these features only form in the presence of the polycationic poly(L-lysine) block, suggesting a distinct interaction of the polycation with either the crystal or the phosphate ions prior to mineralization.}, language = {en} } @article{KayaDebsharmaSchlaadetal.2020, author = {Kaya, Kerem and Debsharma, Tapas and Schlaad, Helmut and Yagci, Yusuf}, title = {Cellulose-based polyacetals by direct and sensitized photocationic ring-opening polymerization of levoglucosenyl methyl ether}, series = {Polymer Chemistry}, volume = {11}, journal = {Polymer Chemistry}, number = {43}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1759-9954}, doi = {10.1039/d0py01307b}, pages = {6884 -- 6889}, year = {2020}, abstract = {This study aims to explore the photoinitiated cationic ring-opening polymerization of levoglucosenyl methyl ether (LGME), a chemical obtained from the most abundant biomass - cellulose. Direct and sensitized photopolymerizations of LGME using photoinitiators acting at the near UV or visible range in conjunction with diphenyliodonium hexafluoroantimonate (DPI) yielded unsaturated polyacetals with varying molar masses and distributions.}, language = {en} } @article{VacogneSchlaad2017, author = {Vacogne, Charlotte D. and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Controlled ring-opening polymerization of alpha-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides in the presence of tertiary amines}, series = {Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers}, volume = {124}, journal = {Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0032-3861}, doi = {10.1016/j.polymer.2017.07.062}, pages = {203 -- 209}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The mechanism of the primary ammonium/tertiary amine-mediated ring-opening polymerization of gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) was investigated. Kinetic analyses revealed that the normal amine mechanism (NAM) together with a dormant-active chain end equilibrium were responsible for the controlled nature of this polymerization pathway, but that the polymerization also proceeded via the activated monomer mechanism (AMM). Mixtures of primary amines (1 equiv) and tertiary amines (0-1.5 equiv) were therefore tested to confirm the co-existence of the NAM and AMM and determine the limits for a controlled polymerization. For tertiary amine molar fractions smaller than 0.8 equiv, the reaction times were greatly reduced (compared to primary amine-initiated polymerization) without compromising the control of the reaction. Hence, the polymerization of NCA can proceed in a controlled manner even when the AMM contributes to the overall chain growth mechanism. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{DasElTawargyKhechineetal.2019, author = {Das, Abhijna and El-Tawargy, Ahmed S. and Khechine, Emna and Noack, Sebastian and Schlaad, Helmut and Reiter, G{\"u}nter and Reiter, Renate}, title = {Controlling Nucleation in Quasi-Two-Dimensional Langmuir Poly(L-lactide) Films through Variation of the Rate of Compression}, series = {Langmuir}, volume = {35}, journal = {Langmuir}, number = {18}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0743-7463}, doi = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b00619}, pages = {6129 -- 6136}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We studied morphological changes in a quasi-two-dimensional Langmuir film of low molar mass poly(L-lactide) upon increasing the surface density, starting from randomly distributed molecules to a homogeneous monolayer of closely packed molecules, followed by nucleation and growth of mesoscopic, three-dimensional clusters from an overcompressed monolayer. The corresponding nucleation density of mesoscopic clusters within the monolayer can be tailored through variation of the rate of compression. For a given surface density and temperature, the nucleation probability was found to increase linearly with the rate of compression, allowing to adjust the density of mesoscopic clusters over nearly 2 orders magnitude.}, language = {en} } @article{YuantenBrummelhuisJungingeretal.2011, author = {Yuan, Jiayin and ten Brummelhuis, Niels and Junginger, Mathias and Xie, Zailai and Lu, Yan and Taubert, Andreas and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Diversified applications of chemically modified 1,2-Polybutadiene}, series = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, volume = {32}, journal = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, number = {15}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Malden}, issn = {1022-1336}, doi = {10.1002/marc.201100254}, pages = {1157 -- 1162}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Commercially available 1,2-PB was transformed into a well-defined reactive intermediate by quantitative bromination. The brominated polymer was used as a polyfunctional macroinitiator for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline to yield a water-soluble brush polymer. Nucleophilic substitution of bromide by 1-methyl imidazole resulted in the formation of polyelectrolyte copolymers consisting of mixed units of imidazolium, bromo, and double bond. These copolymers, which were soluble in water without forming aggregates, were used as stabilizers in the heterophase polymerization of styrene and were also studied for their ionic conducting properties.}, language = {en} } @article{TritschlerBeckSchlaadetal.2015, author = {Tritschler, U. and Beck, F. and Schlaad, Helmut and C{\"o}lfen, Helmut}, title = {Electrochromic properties of self-organized multifunctional V2O5-polymer hybrid films}, series = {Journal of materials chemistry : C, Materials for optical and electronic devices}, volume = {3}, journal = {Journal of materials chemistry : C, Materials for optical and electronic devices}, number = {5}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {2050-7526}, doi = {10.1039/c4tc02138j}, pages = {950 -- 954}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Bio-inspired V2O5-polymer hybrid films were prepared following a one-step self-organization procedure based on liquid crystal formation of organic and inorganic components. These materials were previously reported to exhibit advantageous mechanical properties, comparable to biomaterials, such as human bone and dentin. Here, we show that these hybrid films prepared via a fast and simple synthesis procedure have an additional function as an electrochromic material, exhibiting a long-term cycle stability under alternating potentials. The structures were found to remain intact without visible changes after more than hundred switching cycles and storing the devices for several weeks. Consequently, this multifunctional V2O5-polymer hybrid system shows great promise for various technical applications.}, language = {en} } @article{ThielkeSeckerSchlaadetal.2016, author = {Thielke, Michael W. and Secker, Christian and Schlaad, Helmut and Theato, Patrick}, title = {Electrospinning of Crystallizable Polypeptoid Fibers}, series = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, volume = {37}, journal = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1022-1336}, doi = {10.1002/marc.201500502}, pages = {100 -- 104}, year = {2016}, abstract = {A unique fabrication process of low molar mass, crystalline polypeptoid fibers is described. Thermoresponsive fiber mats are prepared by electrospinning a homogeneous blend of semicrystalline poly(N-(n-propyl) glycine) (PPGly; 4.1 kDa) with high molar mass poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Annealing of these fibers at approximate to 100 degrees C selectively removes the PEO and produces stable crystalline fiber mats of pure PPGly, which are insoluble in aqueous solution but can be redissolved in methanol or ethanol. The formation of water-stable polypeptoid fiber mats is an important step toward their utilization in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering or wound dressing.}, language = {en} } @article{BehrendtSchlaad2018, author = {Behrendt, Felix Nicolas and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Entropy-Driven Ring-Opening Disulfide Metathesis Polymerization for the Synthesis of Functional Poly(disulfide)s}, series = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, volume = {39}, journal = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1022-1336}, doi = {10.1002/marc.201700735}, pages = {4}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Metal-free entropy-driven disulfide metathesis polymerization of unsaturated L-cystine based macrocycles produces high-molar-mass heterofunctional poly(disulfide)s, i.e., poly(ester-disulfide-alkene) and poly(amide-disulfide-alkene); M-w(app) = 44-60 kDa, (sic) > 1.7. The polymerization is fast and reaches equilibrium within 1-5 minutes (monomer conversion 70-90\%) in polar aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, or y-valerolactone. Thiol-terminated polymers are stable in bulk or when dissolved in weakly polar solvents, but rapidly depolymerize in dilute polar solution.}, language = {en} } @article{MaticHessSchanzenbachetal.2020, author = {Matic, Aleksandar and Hess, Andreas and Schanzenbach, Dirk and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Epoxidized 1,4-polymyrcene}, series = {Polymer chemistry}, volume = {11}, journal = {Polymer chemistry}, number = {7}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1759-9954}, doi = {10.1039/c9py01783f}, pages = {1364 -- 1368}, year = {2020}, abstract = {1,4-Polymyrcene was synthesized by anionic polymerization and epoxidized using meta-chloroperbenzoic acid. Samples with different degrees of epoxidation (25\%, 49\%, 74\%, and 98\%) were prepared and examined according to their chemical and thermal properties. Epoxidation was found to increase the glass transition temperature (T-g = 14 degrees C for the 98\% epoxidized 1,4-polymyrcene) as well as the shelf live (>10 months). The trisubstituted epoxide groups were remarkably stable against nucleophiles under basic conditions but cross-linked or hydrolyzed in the presence of an acid. Also, highly epoxidized 1,4-polymyrcene readily cross-linked upon annealing at 260 degrees C to produce an epoxy resin.}, language = {en} } @article{DasNoackSchlaadetal.2020, author = {Das, Abhijna and Noack, Sebastian and Schlaad, Helmut and Reiter, G{\"u}nter and Reiter, Renate}, title = {Exploring pathways to equilibrate Langmuir polymer films}, series = {Langmuir}, volume = {36}, journal = {Langmuir}, number = {28}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0743-7463}, doi = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01268}, pages = {8184 -- 8192}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Focusing on the phase-coexistence region in Langmuir films of poly(L-lactide), we investigated changes in nonequilibrated morphologies and the corresponding features of the isotherms induced by different experimental pathways of lateral compression and expansion. In this coexistence region, the surface pressure II was larger than the expected equilibrium value and was found to increase upon compression, i.e., exhibited a nonhorizontal plateau. As shown earlier by using microscopic techniques [Langmuir 2019, 35, 6129-6136], in this plateau region, well-ordered mesoscopic clusters coexisted with a surrounding matrix phase. We succeeded in reducing Pi either by slowing down the rate of compression or through increasing the waiting time after stopping the movement of the barriers, which allowed for relaxations in the coexistence region. Intriguingly, the most significant pressure reduction was observed when recompressing a film that had already been compressed and expanded, if the recompression was started from an area value smaller than the one anticipated for the onset of the coexistence region. This observation suggests a "self-seeding" behavior, i.e., pre-existing nuclei allowed to circumvent the nucleation step. The decrease in Pi was accompanied by a transformation of the initially formed metastable mesoscopic clusters into a thermodynamically favored filamentary morphology. Our results demonstrate that it is practically impossible to obtain fully equilibrated coexisting phases in a Langmuir polymer film, neither under conditions of extremely slow continuous compression nor for long waiting times at a constant area in the coexistence region which allow for reorganization.}, language = {en} } @article{HardyBertinTorresRendonetal.2018, author = {Hardy, John G. and Bertin, Annabelle and Torres-Rendon, Jose Guillermo and Leal-Egana, Aldo and Humenik, Martin and Bauer, Felix and Walther, Andreas and C{\"o}lfen, Helmut and Schlaad, Helmut and Scheibel, Thomas R.}, title = {Facile photochemical modification of silk protein-based biomaterials}, series = {Macromolecular bioscience}, volume = {18}, journal = {Macromolecular bioscience}, number = {11}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1616-5187}, doi = {10.1002/mabi.201800216}, pages = {6}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Silk protein-based materials show promise for application as biomaterials for tissue engineering. The simple and rapid photochemical modification of silk protein-based materials composed of either Bombyx mori silkworm silk or engineered spider silk proteins (eADF4(C16)) is reported. Radicals formed on the silk-based materials initiate the polymerization of monomers (acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, or allylamine) which functionalize the surface of the silk materials with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), or poly(allylamine) (PAAm). To demonstrate potential applications of this type of modification, the polymer-modified silks are mineralized. The PAA- and PMAA-functionalized silks are mineralized with calcium carbonate, whereas the PAAm-functionalized silks are mineralized with silica, both of which provide a coating on the materials that may be useful for bone tissue engineering, which will be the subject of future investigations.}, language = {en} } @article{VacogneBrosnanMasicetal.2015, author = {Vacogne, Charlotte D. and Brosnan, Sarah M. and Masic, Admir and Schlaad, Helmut}, title = {Fibrillar gels via the self-assembly of poly(L-glutamate)-based statistical copolymers}, series = {Polymer Chemistry}, volume = {6}, journal = {Polymer Chemistry}, number = {28}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1759-9954}, doi = {10.1039/c5py00491h}, pages = {5040 -- 5052}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Polypeptides having secondary structures often undergo self-assembly which can extend over multiple length scales. Poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG), for example, folds into a-helices and forms physical organogels, whereas poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA at acidic pH) or poly(L-glutamate) (PLG at neutral/basic pH) do not form hydrogels. We explored the gelation of modified PBLG and investigated the deprotection of the carboxylic acid moieties in such gels to yield unique hydrogels. This was accomplished through photo-crosslinking gelation of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate-co-allylglycine) statistical copolymers in toluene, tetrahydrofuran, and 1,4-dioxane. Unlike most polymer-based chemical gels, our gels were prepared from dilute solutions (<20 g L-1, i.e., <2\% w/v) of low molar mass polymers. Despite such low concentrations and molar masses, our dioxane gels showed high mechanical stability and little shrinkage; remarkably, they also exhibited a porous fibrillar network. Deprotection of the carboxylic acid moieties in dioxane gels yielded pH responsive and highly absorbent PLGA/PLG-based hydrogels (swelling ratio of up to 87), while preserving the network structure, which is an unprecedented feature in the context of crosslinked PLGA gels. These outstanding properties are highly attractive for biomedical materials.}, language = {en} }