TY - JOUR A1 - Nie, Yan A1 - Wang, Weiwei A1 - Xu, Xun A1 - Zou, Jie A1 - Bhuvanesh, Thanga A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Ma, Nan A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Enhancement of human induced pluripotent stem cells adhesion through multilayer laminin coating JF - Clinical hemorheology and microcirculation : blood flow and vessels N2 - Bioengineered cell substrates are a highly promising tool to govern the differentiation of stem cells in vitro and to modulate the cellular behavior in vivo. While this technology works fine for adult stem cells, the cultivation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is challenging as these cells typically show poor attachment on the bioengineered substrates, which among other effects causes substantial cell death. Thus, very limited types of surfaces have been demonstrated suitable for hiPSC cultures. The multilayer coating approach that renders the surface with diverse chemical compositions, architectures, and functions can be used to improve the adhesion of hiPSCs on the bioengineered substrates. We hypothesized that a multilayer formation based on the attraction of molecules with opposite charges could functionalize the polystyrene (PS) substrates to improve the adhesion of hiPSCs. Polymeric substrates were stepwise coated, first with dopamine to form a polydopamine (PDA) layer, second with polylysine and last with Laminin-521. The multilayer formation resulted in the variation of hydrophilicity and chemical functionality of the surfaces. Hydrophilicity was detected using captive bubble method and the amount of primary and secondary amines on the surface was quantified by fluorescent staining. The PDA layer effectively immobilized the upper layers and thereby improved the attachment of hiPSCs. Cell adhesion was enhanced on the surfaces coated with multilayers, as compared to those without PDA and/or polylysine. Moreover, hiPSCs spread well over this multilayer laminin substrate. These cells maintained their proliferation capacity and differentiation potential. The multilayer coating strategy is a promising attempt for engineering polymer-based substrates for the cultivation of hiPSCs and of interest for expanding the application scope of hiPSCs. KW - Polymeric substrate KW - surface coating KW - induced pluripotent stem cells KW - cell adhesion Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/CH-189318 SN - 1386-0291 SN - 1875-8622 VL - 70 IS - 4 SP - 531 EP - 542 PB - IOS Press CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saretia, Shivam A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Reversible 2D networks of oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) at the air-water interface JF - Biomedical Materials N2 - Hydroxyl terminated oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) (OCL) monolayers were reversibly cross-linked forming two dimensional networks (2D) at the air-water interface. The equilibrium reaction with glyoxal as the cross-linker is pH-sensitive. Pronounced contraction in the area of the prepared 2DOCL films in dependence of surface pressure and time revealed the process of the reaction. Cross-linking inhibited crystallization and retarded enzymatic degradation of the OCLfilm. Altering the subphase pH led to a cleavage of the covalent acetal cross-links. The reversibility of the covalent acetal cross-links was proved by observing an identical isotherm as non-cross-linked sample. Besides as model systems, these customizable reversible OCL2D networks are intended for use as pHresponsive drug delivery systems or functionalized cell culture substrates. KW - poly(epsilon-caprolactone) KW - langmuir monolayer KW - two dimensional network KW - crystallization KW - cross-linking Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-605X/ab0cef SN - 1748-6041 SN - 1748-605X VL - 14 IS - 3 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhuvanesh, Thanga A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Lysyakova, Liudmila A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Ma, Nan A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Collagen type-IV Langmuir and Langmuir-Schafer layers as model biointerfaces to direct stem cell adhesion JF - Biomedical materials : materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine N2 - In biomaterial development, the design of material surfaces that mimic the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) in order to achieve favorable cellular instruction is rather challenging. Collagen-type IV (Col-IV), the major scaffolding component of Basement Membranes (BM), a specialized ECM with multiple biological functions, has the propensity to form networks by self-assembly and supports adhesion of cells such as endothelial cells or stem cells. The preparation of biomimetic Col-IV network-like layers to direct cell responses is difficult. We hypothesize that the morphology of the layer, and especially the density of the available adhesion sites, regulates the cellular adhesion to the layer. The Langmuir monolayer technique allows for preparation of thin layers with precisely controlled packing density at the air-water (A-W) interface. Transferring these layers onto cell culture substrates using the Langmuir-Schafer (LS) technique should therefore provide a pathway for preparation of BM mimicking layers with controlled cell adherence properties. In situ characterization using ellipsometry and polarization modulation-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy of Col-IV layer during compression at the A-W interface reveal that there is linear increase of surface molecule concentration with negligible orientational changes up to a surface pressure of 25 mN m(-1). Smooth and homogeneous Col-IV network-like layers are successfully transferred by LS method at 15 mN m(-1) onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), which is a common substrate for cell culture. In contrast, the organization of Col-IV on PET prepared by the traditionally employed solution deposition method results in rather inhomogeneous layers with the appearance of aggregates and multilayers. Progressive increase in the number of early adherent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after 24 h by controlling the areal Col-IV density by LS transfer at 10, 15 and 20 mN m(-1) on PET is shown. The LS method offers the possibility to control protein characteristics on biomaterial surfaces such as molecular density and thereby, modulate cell responses. KW - collagen-IV KW - basement membrane KW - Langmuir-Schafer films KW - stem cell adhesion KW - protein KW - ellipsometry Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-605X/aaf464 SN - 1748-6041 SN - 1748-605X VL - 14 IS - 2 PB - Inst. of Physics Publ. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tarazona, Natalia A. A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez, M. A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Molecular Insights into the Physical Adsorption of Amphiphilic Protein PhaF onto Copolyester Surfaces JF - Biomacromolecules : an interdisciplinary journal focused at the interface of polymer science and the biological sciences N2 - Phasins are amphiphilic proteins located at the polymer-cytoplasm interface of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The immobilization of phasins on biomaterial surfaces is a promising way to enhance the hydrophilicity and supply cell- directing elements in bioinstructing processes. Optimizing the physical adsorption of phasins requires deep insights into molecular processes during polymer-protein interactions to preserve their structural conformation while optimizing surface coverage. Here, the assembly, organization, and stability of phasin PhaF from Pseudomonas putida at interfaces is disclosed. The Langmuir technique, combined with in situ microscopy and spectroscopic methods, revealed that PhaF forms stable and robust monolayers at different temperatures, with an almost flat orientation of its alpha-helix at the air-water interface. PhaF adsorption onto preformed monolayers of poly[(3-R-hydroxyoctanoate)-co-(3-R-hydroxyhexanoate)] (PHOHHx), yields stable mixed layers below pi = similar to 15.7 mN/m. Further insertion induces a molecular reorganization. PHOHHx with strong surface hydrophobicity is a more adequate substrate for PhaF adsorption than the less hydrophobic poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] (PLGA). The observed orientation of the main axis of the protein in relation to copolyester interfaces ensures the best exposure of the hydrophobic residues, providing a suitable coating strategy for polymer functionalization. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00069 SN - 1525-7797 SN - 1526-4602 VL - 20 IS - 9 SP - 3242 EP - 3252 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Raschdorf, Elisa A1 - Ihlenburg, Ramona A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Interfacial properties of morpholine-2,5-dione-based oligodepsipeptides and multiblock copolymers JF - MRS Communications N2 - Oligodepsipeptides (ODPs) with alternating amide and ester bonds prepared by ring-opening polymerization of morpholine-2,5-dione derivatives are promising matrices for drug delivery systems and building blocks for multifunctional biomaterials. Here, we elucidate the behavior of three telechelic ODPs and one multiblock copolymer containing ODP blocks at the air-water interface. Surprisingly, whereas the oligomers and multiblock copolymers crystallize in bulk, no crystallization is observed at the air-water interface. Furthermore, polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy is used to elucidate hydrogen bonding and secondary structures in ODP monolayers. The results will direct the development of the next ODP-based biomaterial generation with tailored properties for highly sophisticated applications. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2019.21 SN - 2159-6859 SN - 2159-6867 VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 170 EP - 180 PB - Cambridge Univ. Press CY - New York ER - TY - GEN A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Raschdorf, Elisa A1 - Ihlenburg, Ramona A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Interfacial properties of morpholine-2,5-dione-based oligodepsipeptides and multiblock copolymers T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Oligodepsipeptides (ODPs) with alternating amide and ester bonds prepared by ring-opening polymerization of morpholine-2,5-dione derivatives are promising matrices for drug delivery systems and building blocks for multifunctional biomaterials. Here, we elucidate the behavior of three telechelic ODPs and one multiblock copolymer containing ODP blocks at the air-water interface. Surprisingly, whereas the oligomers and multiblock copolymers crystallize in bulk, no crystallization is observed at the air-water interface. Furthermore, polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy is used to elucidate hydrogen bonding and secondary structures in ODP monolayers. The results will direct the development of the next ODP-based biomaterial generation with tailored properties for highly sophisticated applications. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1106 KW - block-copolymer KW - enzymatic degradation KW - poly(ester amide)s KW - controlled-release KW - films KW - nanocarriers Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-469755 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1106 SP - 170 EP - 180 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - The influence of pH on the molecular degradation mechanism of PLGA JF - MRS Advances N2 - Poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] (PLGA) is used in medicine to provide mechanical support for healing tissue or as matrix for controlled drug release. The properties of this copolymer depend on the evolution of the molecular weight of the material during degradation. which is determined by the kinetics of the cleavage of hydrolysable bonds. The generally accepted description of the degradation of PLGA is a random fragmentation that is autocatalyzed by the accumulation of acidic fragments inside the bulk material. Since mechanistic studies with lactide oligomers have concluded a chain-end scission mechanism and monolayer degradation experiments with polylactide found no accelerated degradation at lower pH, we hypothesize that the impact of acidic fragments on the molecular degradation kinetics of PLGA is overestimated By means of the Langmuir monolayer degradation technique. the molecular degradation kinetics of PLGA at different pH could be determined. Protons did not catalyze the degradation of PLGA. The molecular mechanism at neutral pH and low pH is a combination of random and chainend-cut events, while the degradation under strongly alkaline conditions is determined by rapid chainend cuts. We suggest that the degradation of bulk PLGA is not catalyzed by the acidic degradation products. Instead. increased concentration of small fragments leads to accelerated mass loss via fast chain-end cut events. In the future, we aim to substantiate the proposed molecular degradation mechanism of PLGA with interfacial rheology. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2018.602 SN - 2059-8521 VL - 3 IS - 63 SP - 3883 EP - 3889 PB - Cambridge Univ. Press CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Machatschek, Rainhard Gabriel A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Langmuir Monolayers as Tools to Study Biodegradable Polymer Implant Materials JF - Macromolecular rapid communications N2 - Langmuir monolayers provide a fast and elegant route to analyze the degradation behavior of biodegradable polymer materials. In contrast to bulk materials, diffusive transport of reactants and reaction products in the (partially degraded) material can be neglected at the air-water interface, allowing for the study of molecular degradation kinetics in experiments taking less than a day and in some cases just a few minutes, in contrast to experiments with bulk materials that can take years. Several aspects of the biodegradation behavior of polymer materials, such as the interaction with biomolecules and degradation products, are directly observable. Expanding the technique with surface-sensitive instrumental techniques enables evaluating the evolution of the morphology, chemical composition, and the mechanical properties of the degrading material in situ. The potential of the Langmuir monolayer degradation technique as a predictive tool for implant degradation when combined with computational methods is outlined, and related open questions and strategies to overcome these challenges are pointed out. KW - biomaterial characterization KW - langmuir monolayers KW - polymer degradation KW - predictive characterization tools Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201800611 SN - 1022-1336 SN - 1521-3927 VL - 40 IS - 1 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Roch, Toralf A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Evaluating polymeric biomaterial-environment interfaces by Langmuir monolayer techniques JF - Interface : journal of the Royal Society N2 - Polymeric biomaterials are of specific relevance in medical and pharmaceutical applications due to their wide range of tailorable properties and functionalities. The knowledge about interactions of biomaterials with their biological environment is of crucial importance for developing highly sophisticated medical devices. To achieve optimal in vivo performance, a description at the molecular level is required to gain better understanding about the surface of synthetic materials for tailoring their properties. This is still challenging and requires the comprehensive characterization of morphological structures, polymer chain arrangements and degradation behaviour. The review discusses selected aspects for evaluating polymeric biomaterial-environment interfaces by Langmuir monolayer methods as powerful techniques for studying interfacial properties, such as morphological and degradation processes. The combination of spectroscopic, microscopic and scattering methods with the Langmuir techniques adapted to polymers can substantially improve the understanding of their in vivo behaviour. KW - Langmuir monolayer KW - biodegradable polymers KW - air - water interface KW - protein Langmuir layers Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2016.1028 SN - 1742-5689 SN - 1742-5662 VL - 14 PB - Royal Society CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhuvanesh, Thanga A1 - Saretia, Shivam A1 - Roch, Toralf A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Rottke, Falko O. A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Wang, Weiwei A1 - Ma, Nan A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Langmuir-Schaefer films of fibronectin as designed biointerfaces for culturing stem cells JF - Polymers for advanced technologies N2 - Glycoproteins adsorbing on an implant upon contact with body fluids can affect the biological response in vitro and in vivo, depending on the type and conformation of the adsorbed biomacromolecules. However, this process is poorly characterized and so far not controllable. Here, protein monolayers of high molecular cohesion with defined density are transferred onto polymeric substrates by the Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) technique and were compared with solution deposition (SO) method. It is hypothesized that on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a substrate with poor cell adhesion capacity, the fibronectin (FN) layers generated by the LS and SO methods will differ in their organization, subsequently facilitating differential stem cell adhesion behavior. Indeed, atomic force microscopy visualization and immunofluorescence images indicated that organization of the FN layer immobilized on PDMS was uniform and homogeneous. In contrast, FN deposited by SO method was rather heterogeneous with appearance of structures resembling protein aggregates. Human mesenchymal stem cells showed reduced absolute numbers of adherent cells, and the vinculin expression seemed to be higher and more homogenously distributed after seeding on PDMS equipped with FN by LS in comparison with PDMS equipped with FN by SO. These divergent responses could be attributed to differences in the availability of adhesion molecule ligands such as the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide sequence presented at the interface. The LS method allows to control the protein layer characteristics, including the thickness and the protein orientation or conformation, which can be harnessed to direct stem cell responses to defined outcomes, including migration and differentiation. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KW - Langmuir-Schaefer method KW - protein adsorption KW - stem cell adhesion KW - cell culture KW - fibronectin Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.3910 SN - 1042-7147 SN - 1099-1581 VL - 28 SP - 1305 EP - 1311 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rottke, Falko O. A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Richau, Klaus A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - An ellipsometric approach towards the description of inhomogeneous polymer-based Langmuir layers JF - Beilstein journal of nanotechnology N2 - The applicability of nulling-based ellipsometric mapping as a complementary method next to Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and imaging ellipsometry (IE) is presented for the characterization of ultrathin films at the air-water interface. First, the methodology is demonstrated for a vertically nonmoving Langmuir layer of star-shaped, 4-arm poly(omega-pentadecalactone) (PPDL-D4). Using nulling-based ellipsometric mapping, PPDL-D4-based inhomogeneously structured morphologies with a vertical dimension in the lower nm range could be mapped. In addition to the identification of these structures, the differentiation between a monolayer and bare water was possible. Second, the potential and limitations of this method were verified by applying it to more versatile Langmuir layers of telechelic poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide]-diol (PLGA). All ellipsometric maps were converted into thickness maps by introduction of the refractive index that was derived from independent ellipsometric experiments, and the result was additionally evaluated in terms of the root mean square roughness, R-q. Thereby, a three-dimensional view into the layers was enabled and morphological inhomogeneity could be quantified. KW - ellipsometric mapping KW - Langmuir monolayer KW - polyester KW - root mean square roughness KW - spectroscopic ellipsometry Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.7.107 SN - 2190-4286 VL - 7 SP - 1156 EP - 1165 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt, Main ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rossberg, Joana A1 - Rottke, Falko O. A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Enzymatic Degradation of Oligo(epsilon-caprolactone)s End-Capped with Phenylboronic Acid Derivatives at the Air-Water Interface JF - Macromolecular rapid communications N2 - The influence of terminal functionalization of oligo(epsilon-caprolactone)s (OCL) with phenylboronic acid pinacol ester or phenylboronic acid on the enzymatic degradation behavior at the air-water interface is investigated by the Langmuir monolayer degradation technique. While the unsubstituted OCL immediately degrades after injection of the enzyme lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia, enzyme molecules are incorporated into the films based on end-capped OCL before degradation. This incorporation of enzymes does not inhibit or suppress the film degradation, but retards it significantly. A specific binding of lipase to the polymer monolayer allows studying the enzymatic activity of bound proteins and the influence on the degradation process. The functionalization of a macromolecule with phenyl boronic acid groups is an approach to investigate their interactions with diol-containing biomolecules like sugars and to monitor their specified impact on the enzymatic degradation behavior at the air-water interface. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201600471 SN - 1022-1336 SN - 1521-3927 VL - 37 SP - 1966 EP - 1971 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Stimuli Responsive and Multifunctional Polymers: Progress in Materials and Applications JF - Macromolecular rapid communications Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201600650 SN - 1022-1336 SN - 1521-3927 VL - 37 SP - 1856 EP - 1859 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - The relevance of hydrophobic segments in multiblock copolyesterurethanes for their enzymatic degradation at the air-water interface JF - Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers N2 - The interplay of an enzyme with a multiblock copolymer PDLCL containing two segments of different hydrophilicity and degradability is explored in thin films at the air-water interface. The enzymatic degradation was studied in homogenous Langmuir monolayers, which are formed when containing more than 40 wt% oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) (OCL). Enzymatic degradation rates were significantly reduced with increasing content of hydrophobic oligo(omega-pentadecalactone) (OPDL). The apparent deceleration of the enzymatic process is caused by smaller portion of water-soluble degradation fragments formed from degradable OCL fragments. Beside the film degradation, a second competing process occurs after adding lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia into the subphase, namely the enrichment of the lipase molecules in the polymeric monolayer. The incorporation of the lipase into the Langmuir film is experimentally revealed by concurrent surface area enlargement and by Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). Aside from the ability to provide information about the degradation behavior of polymers, the Langmuir monolayer degradation (LMD) approach enables to investigate polymer-enzyme interactions for non-degradable polymers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Multiblock copolymer KW - Enzymatic polymer degradation KW - Oligo(omega-pentadecalactone) KW - Oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) KW - Langmuir monolayer degradation technique Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2016.09.001 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 102 SP - 92 EP - 98 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Polymer architecture versus chemical structure as adjusting tools for the enzymatic degradation of oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) based films at the air-water interface JF - Polymer Degradation and Stability N2 - The enzymatic degradation of oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) (OCL) based films at the air-water interface is investigated by Langmuir monolayer degradation (LMD) experiments to elucidate the influence of the molecular architecture and of the chemical structure on the chain scission process. For that purpose, the interactions of 2D monolayers of two star-shaped poly(epsilon-caprolactone)s (PCLs) and three linear OCL based copolyesterurethanes (P(OCL-U)) with the lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia are evaluated in comparison to linear OCL. While the architecture of star-shaped PCL Langmuir layers slightly influences their degradability compared to OCL films, significantly retarded degradations are observed for P(OCL-U) films containing urethane junction units derived from 2, 2 (4), 4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate (TMDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) or lysine ethyl ester diisocyanate (LDI). The enzymatic degradation of the OCL based 2D structures is related to the presence of hydrophilic groups within the macromolecules rather than to the packing density of the film or to the molecular weight. The results reveal that the LMD technique allows the parallel analysis of both the film/enzyme interactions and the degradation process on the molecular level. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Langmuir technique KW - Oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) KW - Enzymatic degradation KW - Polymer architecture Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2016.07.010 SN - 0141-3910 SN - 1873-2321 VL - 131 SP - 114 EP - 121 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Borowski, Anja A1 - Peters, Kristina A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Fattakhova-Rohlfing, Dina A1 - Leimkühler, Silke A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - Investigation of the pH-Dependent Impact of Sulfonated Polyaniline on Bioelectrocatalytic Activity of Xanthine Dehydrogenase JF - ACS catalysis N2 - We report on the pH-dependent bioelectrocatalytic activity of the redox enzyme xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) in the presence of sulfonated polyaniline PMSA1 (poly(2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid)-co-aniline). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopic measurements with both components in solution reveal electron transfer from the hypoxanthine (HX)-reduced enzyme to the polymer. The enzyme shows bioelectrocatalytic activity on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, when the polymer is present. Depending on solution pH, different processes can be identified. It can be demonstrated that not only product-based communication with the electrode but also efficient polymer-supported bioelectrocatalysis occur. Interestingly, substrate dependent catalytic currents can be obtained in acidic and neutral solutions, although the highest activity of XDH with natural reaction partners is in the alkaline region. Furthermore, operation of the enzyme electrode without addition of the natural cofactor of XDH is feasible. Finally, macroporous ITO electrodes have been used as an immobilization platform for the fabrication of HX-sensitive electrodes. The study shows that the efficient polymer/enzyme interaction can be advantageously combined with the open structure of an electrode material of controlled pore size, resulting in good processability, stability, and defined signal transfer in the presence of a substrate. KW - enzyme bioelectrocatalysis KW - sulfonated polyanilines KW - xanthine dehydrogenase KW - pH-dependent electrochemistry KW - macroporous ITO electrodes Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.6b02011 SN - 2155-5435 VL - 6 SP - 7152 EP - 7159 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jetzschmann, Katharina J. A1 - Jagerszki, Gyula A1 - Dechtrirat, Decha A1 - Yarman, Aysu A1 - Gajovic-Eichelmann, Nenad A1 - Gilsing, Hans-Detlev A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Gyurcsanyi, Robert E. A1 - Scheller, Frieder W. T1 - Vectorially Imprinted Hybrid Nanofilm for Acetylcholinesterase Recognition JF - Advanced functional materials N2 - Effective recognition of enzymatically active tetrameric acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is accomplished by a hybrid nanofilm composed of a propidium-terminated self-assembled monolayer (Prop-SAM) which binds AChE via its peripheral anionic site (PAS) and an ultrathin electrosynthesized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) cover layer of a novel carboxylate-modified derivative of 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene. The rebinding of the AChE to the MIP/Prop-SAM nanofilm covered electrode is detected by measuring in situ the enzymatic activity. The oxidative current of the released thiocholine is dependent on the AChE concentration from approximate to 0.04 x 10(-6) to 0.4 x 10(-6)m. An imprinting factor of 9.9 is obtained for the hybrid MIP, which is among the best values reported for protein imprinting. The dissociation constant characterizing the strength of the MIP-AChE binding is 4.2 x 10(-7)m indicating the dominant role of the PAS-Prop-SAM interaction, while the benefit of the MIP nanofilm covering the Prop-SAM layer is the effective suppression of the cross-reactivity toward competing proteins as compared with the Prop-SAM. The threefold selectivity gain provided by i) the shape-specific MIP filter, ii) the propidium-SAM, iii) signal generation only by the AChE bound to the nanofilm shows promise for assessing AChE activity levels in cerebrospinal fluid. KW - acetylcholinesterase KW - biomimetic sensors KW - molecularly imprinted electropolymers KW - peripheral anionic site KW - propidium Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201501900 SN - 1616-301X SN - 1616-3028 VL - 25 IS - 32 SP - 5178 EP - 5183 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Richau, Klaus A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Influence of Diurethane Linkers on the Langmuir Layer Behavior of Oligo[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide]-based Polyesterurethanes JF - Macromolecular rapid communications N2 - Three oligo[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] based polyesterurethanes (OLGA-PUs) containing different diurethane linkers are investigated by the Langmuir monolayer technique and compared to poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] (PLGA) to elucidate the influence of the diurethane junction units on hydrophilicity and packing motifs of these polymers at the air-water interface. The presence of diurethane linkers does not manifest itself in the Langmuir layer behavior both in compression and expansion experiments when monomolecular films of OLGA-PUs are spread on the water surface. However, the linker retard the evolution of morphological structures at intermediate compression level under isobaric conditions (with a surface pressure greater than 11 mN m(-1)) compared to the PLGA, independent on the chemical structure of the diurethane moiety. The layer thicknesses of both OLGA-PU and PLGA films decrease in the high compression state with decreasing surface pressure, as deduced from ellipsometric data. All films must be described with the effective medium approximation as water swollen layers. KW - Brewster angle microscopy KW - Langmuir monolayer KW - poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] KW - polyesterurethanes KW - spectroscopic ellipsometry Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201500316 SN - 1022-1336 SN - 1521-3927 VL - 36 IS - 21 SP - 1910 EP - 1915 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tanne, Johannes A1 - Jeoung, Jae-Hun A1 - Peng, Lei A1 - Yarman, Aysu A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Schad, Daniel A1 - Dobbek, Holger A1 - Wollenberger, Ursula A1 - Bier, Frank Fabian A1 - Scheller, Frieder W. T1 - Direct Electron Transfer and Bioelectrocatalysis by a Hexameric, Heme Protein at Nanostructured Electrodes JF - Electroanalysis : an international journal devoted to fundamental and practical aspects of electroanalysis N2 - A nanohybrid consisting of poly(3-aminobenzenesulfonic acid-co-aniline) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes [MWCNT-P(ABS-A)]) on a gold electrode was used to immobilize the hexameric tyrosine-coordinated heme protein (HTHP). The enzyme showed direct electron transfer between the heme group of the protein and the nanostructured surface. Desorption of the noncovalently bound heme from the protein could be excluded by control measurements with adsorbed hemin on aminohexanthiol-modified electrodes. The nanostructuring and the optimised charge characteristics resulted in a higher protein coverage as compared with MUA/MU modified electrodes. The adsorbed enzyme shows catalytic activity for the cathodic H2O2 reduction and oxidation of NADH. KW - HTHP KW - Nanohybrid KW - Poylaniline KW - Multiwalled carbon nanotube Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.201500231 SN - 1040-0397 SN - 1521-4109 VL - 27 IS - 10 SP - 2262 EP - 2267 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Xu, Chenggang A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - A multilayered sulfonated polyaniline network with entrapped pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase: tunable direct bioelectrocatalysis JF - Journal of materials chemistry : B, Materials for biology and medicine N2 - A feasible approach to construct multilayer films of sulfonated polyanilines - PMSA1 and PABMSA1 containing different ratios of aniline, 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid (MAS) and 3-aminobenzoic acid (AB), with the entrapped redox enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) on Au and ITO electrode surfaces, is described. The formation of layers has been followed and confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which demonstrates that the multilayer assembly can be achieved in a progressive and uniform manner. The gold and ITO electrodes subsequently modified with PMSA1:PQQ-GDH and PABMSA1 films are studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and UV-Vis spectroscopy which show a significant direct bioelectrocatalytical response to the oxidation of the substrate glucose without any additional mediator. This response correlates linearly with the number of deposited layers. Furthermore, the constructed polymer/enzyme multilayer system exhibits a rather good long-term stability, since the catalytic current response is maintained for more than 60% of the initial value even after two weeks of storage. This verifies that a productive interaction of the enzyme embedded in the film of substituted polyaniline can be used as a basis for the construction of bioelectronic units, which are useful as indicators for processes liberating glucose and allowing optical and electrochemical transduction. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4tb00336e SN - 2050-750X SN - 2050-7518 VL - 2 IS - 21 SP - 3196 EP - 3203 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Peters, Kristina A1 - Xu, Chenggang A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Fattakhova-Rohlfing, Dina A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - 3D-Electrode architectures for enhanced direct bioelectrocatalysis of pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces N2 - We report on the fabrication of a complex electrode architecture for efficient direct bioelectrocatalysis. In the developed procedure, the redox enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase entrapped in a sulfonated polyaniline [poly(2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid)-co-aniline] was immobilized on macroporous indium tin oxide (macroITO) electrodes. The use of the 3D-conducting scaffold with a large surface area in combination with the conductive polymer enables immobilization of large amounts of enzyme and its efficient communication with the electrode, leading to enhanced direct bioelectrocatalysis. In the presence of glucose, the fabricated bioelectrodes show an exceptionally high direct bioelectrocatalytical response without any additional mediator. The catalytic current is increased more than 200-fold compared to planar ITO electrodes. Together with a high long-term stability (the current response is maintained for >90% of the initial value even after 2 weeks of storage), the transparent 3D macroITO structure with a conductive polymer represents a valuable basis for the construction of highly efficient bioelectronic units, which are useful as indicators for processes liberating glucose and allowing optical and electrochemical transduction. KW - 3D electrode structures KW - macroITO KW - conductive polymer KW - PQQ-GDH KW - direct bioelectrocatalysis KW - bioelectrochemistry Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/am5046026 SN - 1944-8244 VL - 6 IS - 20 SP - 17887 EP - 17893 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöne, Anne-Christin A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Richau, Klaus A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Lendlein, Andreas T1 - Characterization of Langmuir films prepared from copolyesterurethanes based on oligo(omega-pentadecalactone) and oligo(epsilon-caprolactone)segments JF - Macromolecular chemistry and physics N2 - A series of multiblock copolymers (PDLCL) synthesized from oligo(omega-pentadecalactone) diol (OPDL) and oligo(epsilon-caprolactone) diol (OCL), which are linked by 2,2(4), 4-trimethyl-hexamethylene diisocyanate (TMDI), is investigated by the Langmuir monolayer technique at the air-water interface. Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and spectroscopic ellipsometry are employed to characterize the polymer film morphologies in situ. PDLCL containing >= 40 wt% OCL segments form homogeneous Langmuir monofilms after spreading. The film elasticity modulus decreases with increasing amounts of OPDL segments in the copolymer. In contrast, the OCL-free polyesterurethane OPDL-TMDI cannot be spread to monomolecular films on the water surface properly, and movable slabs are observed by BAM even at low surface pressures. The results of the in situ morphological characterization clearly show that essential information concerning the reliability of Langmuir monolayer degradation (LMD) experiments cannot be obtained from the evaluation of the pi-A isotherms only. Consequently, in situ morphological characterization turns out to be indispensable for characterization of Langmuir layers before LMD experiments. KW - brewster angle microscopy KW - ellipsometry KW - Langmuir layers KW - morphology KW - polyesterurethanes Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201400377 SN - 1022-1352 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 215 IS - 24 SP - 2437 EP - 2445 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Xu, Chenggang A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - A multilayered sulfonated polyaniline network with entrapped pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase BT - tunable direct bioelectrocatalysis N2 - A feasible approach to construct multilayer films of sulfonated polyanilines – PMSA1 and PABMSA1 – containing different ratios of aniline, 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid (MAS) and 3-aminobenzoic acid (AB), with the entrapped redox enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) on Au and ITO electrode surfaces, is described. The formation of layers has been followed and confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which demonstrates that the multilayer assembly can be achieved in a progressive and uniform manner. The gold and ITO electrodes subsequently modified with PMSA1:PQQ-GDH and PABMSA1 films are studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and UV-Vis spectroscopy which show a significant direct bioelectrocatalytical response to the oxidation of the substrate glucose without any additional mediator. This response correlates linearly with the number of deposited layers. Furthermore, the constructed polymer/enzyme multilayer system exhibits a rather good long-term stability, since the catalytic current response is maintained for more than 60% of the initial value even after two weeks of storage. This verifies that a productive interaction of the enzyme embedded in the film of substituted polyaniline can be used as a basis for the construction of bioelectronic units, which are useful as indicators for processes liberating glucose and allowing optical and electrochemical transduction. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 275 Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-98744 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Xu, Chenggang A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - Differently substituted sulfonated polyanilines - the role of polymer compositions in electron transfer with pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase JF - Acta biomaterialia N2 - Sulfonated polyanilines have become promising building blocks in the construction of biosensors, and therefore we use here differently substituted polymer forms to investigate the role of their structural composition and properties in achieving a direct electron transfer with the redox enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH). To this end, new copolymers containing different ratios of 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid (MAS), 3-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (ABS) and 3-aminobenzoic acid (AB) units have been chemically synthesized. All polymers have been studied with respect to their ability to react directly with PQQ-GDH. This interaction has been monitored initially in solution, and subsequently on electrode surfaces. The results show that only copolymers with MAS and aniline units can directly react with PQQ-GDH in solution; the background can be mainly ascribed to the emeraldine salt redox state of the polymer, allowing rather easy reduction. However, when polymers and the enzyme are immobilized on the surface of carbon nanotube-containing electrodes, direct bioelectrocatalysis is also feasible in the case of copolymers composed of ABS/AB and MAS/AB units, existing initially in pernigraniline base form. This verifies that a productive interaction of the enzyme with differently substituted polymers is feasible when the electrode potential can be used to drive the reaction towards the oxidation of the substrate-reduced enzyme. These results clearly demonstrate that enzyme electrodes based on sulfonated polyanilines and direct bioelectrocatalysis can be successfully constructed. KW - Sulfonated polyaniline KW - PQQ-dependent glucose dehydrogenase KW - Direct electron transfer KW - Immobilization KW - Bioelectrocatalysis Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2013.06.008 SN - 1742-7061 VL - 9 IS - 9 SP - 8290 EP - 8298 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Turhan, Metehan C. A1 - Sarac, A. Sezai A1 - Gencturk, Asli A1 - Gilsing, Hans-Detlev A1 - Faltz, Heike A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Electrochemical impedance characterization and potential dependence of poly[3,4-(2,2-dibutylpropylenedioxy)thiophene] nanostructures on single carbon fiber microelectrode JF - Synthetic metals : the journal of electronic polymers and electronic molecular materials N2 - The electropolymerization of 3,4-(2,2-dibutylpropylenedioxy)thiophene (ProDOT-Bu-2) onto single carbon fiber microelectrode (SCFME) was conducted in acetonitrile (ACN) containing sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) as electrolyte and investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The nanostructured films of poly[3,4-(2,2-dibutyl-propyleneclioxy)thiophene] (PProDOT-Bu-2) which were depositing showed complete reversible redox behavior in monomer-free electrolyte solution. The capacitive behavior of the films was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at applied potentials from 0.1 V to 1.3 V. The analysis by equivalent circuit modeling revealed an applied potential around 0.4V to be most suitable for the system PProDOT-Bu-2/SCFME as a double layer supercapacitor component inducing a double layer capacitance C-d, value of 62 mFcm(-2). KW - Nanostructure KW - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy KW - Conjugated polymeric thin film KW - Carbon fiber Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.synthmet.2012.01.012 SN - 0379-6779 VL - 162 IS - 5-6 SP - 511 EP - 515 PB - Elsevier CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Guler, Fatma G. A1 - Gilsing, Hans-Detlev A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Sarac, A. Sezai T1 - Impedance and morphology of hydroxy- and chloro-functionalized poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) nanostructures JF - Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnolog N2 - The new 3,4-propylenedioxythiophenes (ProDOT) bearing hydroxy- or chloro-functionalized side chains of varying length and polarity were synthesized and electropolymerized on single carbon fiber microelectrode (SCFME) using cyclo-voltammetry. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed highest capacitance values for the hydroxy-functionalized Poly 5 carrying a side chain of medium length. The EIS data were fitted with an equivalent electrical circuit giving a good correlation. AFM analysis of the topography showed higher roughness values for Poly 5 than for the two other polymers bearing longer side chains. Due to their reactive end groups the polymers should be useful for post-polymerization functionalization of the electrode surface. KW - 3,4-Propylenedioxythiophene KW - Electroactive Conjugated Polymer KW - EIS KW - AFM Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2012.6594 SN - 1533-4880 VL - 12 IS - 10 SP - 7869 EP - 7878 PB - American Scientific Publ. CY - Valencia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Larrucea, Julen T1 - Ordering the amorphous - Structures in PBD LED materials JF - Journal of molecular structure N2 - The class of 2,5 disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazoles containing a biphenyl unit on one side is intensively used as electron transport materials to enhance the performance of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). In contrast to the ongoing research on these materials insights in their structure-property relationships are still incomplete. To overcome the structural tentativeness and ambiguities the crystal structures of 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, that of the related compound 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole and of 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole are determined. A comparison with the results of GAUSSIAN03 calculations and similar compounds in the Cambridge Structural Database leads to a profound characterization. KW - OLED KW - PBD KW - Diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole KW - Crystallization Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2012.04.040 SN - 0022-2860 VL - 1030 IS - 23 SP - 209 EP - 215 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarauli, David A1 - Xu, Chenggang A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Stiba, Konstanze A1 - Leimkühler, Silke A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Lisdat, Fred T1 - Thin films of substituted polyanilines interactions with biomolecular systems JF - Soft matter N2 - We use substituted polyanilines for the construction of new polymer electrodes for interaction studies with the redox protein cytochrome c (cyt c) and the enzyme sulfite oxidase (SO). For these purposes four different polyaniline copolymers are chemically synthesized. Three of them are copolymers, containing 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid with variable ratios of aniline; the fourth copolymer consists of 3-amino-benzoic acid and aniline. The results show that all polymers are suitable for being immobilized as thin stable films on gold wire and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode surfaces from DMSO solution. This can be demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry and UV-Vis spectroscopy measurements. Moreover, cyt c can be electrochemically detected not only in solution, but also immobilized on top of the polymer films. Furthermore, the appearance of a significant catalytic current has been demonstrated for the sulfonated polyanilines, when the polymer-coated protein electrode is being measured upon addition of sulfite oxidase, confirming the establishment of a bioanalytical signal chain. Best results have been obtained for the polymer with highest sulfonation grade. The redox switching of the polymer by the enzymatic reaction can also be analyzed by following the spectral properties of the polymer electrode. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c2sm07261k SN - 1744-683X VL - 8 IS - 14 SP - 3848 EP - 3855 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Reck, Guenter A1 - Hoffmann, Angelika A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Combined structural and fluorescence studies of methyl-substituted 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles - Relation between electronic properties and packing motifs JF - Journal of molecular structure N2 - Prerequisite for the rational design of functional organic materials with tailor-made electronic properties is the knowledge of the structure-property relationship for the specific class of molecules under consideration. This encouraged us to systematically study the influence of the molecular structure and substitution pattern of aromatically substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles on the electronic properties and packing motifs of these molecules and on the interplay of these factors. For this purpose, seven diphenyl-oxadiazoles equipped with methyl substituents in the ortho- and meta-position(s) were synthesized and characterized. Absorption and fluorescence spectra in solution served here as tools to monitor substitution-induced changes in the electronic properties of the individual molecules whereas X-ray and optical measurements in the solid state provided information on the interplay of electronic and packing effects. In solution, the spectral position of the absorption maximum, the size of Stokes shift, and the fluorescence quantum yield are considerably affected by ortho-substitution in three or four ortho-positions. This results in blue shifted absorption bands, increased Stokes shifts, and reduced fluorescence quantum yields whereas the spectral position and vibrational structure of the emission bands remain more or less unaffected. In the crystalline state, however, the spectral position and shape of the emission bands display a strong dependence on the molecular structure and/or packing motifs that seem to control the amount of dye-dye-interactions. These observations reveal the limited value of commonly reported absorption and fluorescence measurements in solution for a straightforward comparison of spectroscopic results with single X-ray crystallography. This underlines the importance of solid state spectroscopic studies for a better understanding of the interplay of electronic effects and molecular order. KW - Diphenyl-oxadiazoles KW - X-ray structure KW - Packing motif KW - Optical properties KW - Fluorescence quantum yield Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2010.11.071 SN - 0022-2860 VL - 988 IS - 1-3 SP - 35 EP - 46 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Banks, Jo Ann A1 - Nishiyama, Tomoaki A1 - Hasebe, Mitsuyasu A1 - Bowman, John L. A1 - Gribskov, Michael A1 - dePamphilis, Claude A1 - Albert, Victor A. A1 - Aono, Naoki A1 - Aoyama, Tsuyoshi A1 - Ambrose, Barbara A. A1 - Ashton, Neil W. A1 - Axtell, Michael J. A1 - Barker, Elizabeth A1 - Barker, Michael S. A1 - Bennetzen, Jeffrey L. A1 - Bonawitz, Nicholas D. A1 - Chapple, Clint A1 - Cheng, Chaoyang A1 - Correa, Luiz Gustavo Guedes A1 - Dacre, Michael A1 - DeBarry, Jeremy A1 - Dreyer, Ingo A1 - Elias, Marek A1 - Engstrom, Eric M. A1 - Estelle, Mark A1 - Feng, Liang A1 - Finet, Cedric A1 - Floyd, Sandra K. A1 - Frommer, Wolf B. A1 - Fujita, Tomomichi A1 - Gramzow, Lydia A1 - Gutensohn, Michael A1 - Harholt, Jesper A1 - Hattori, Mitsuru A1 - Heyl, Alexander A1 - Hirai, Tadayoshi A1 - Hiwatashi, Yuji A1 - Ishikawa, Masaki A1 - Iwata, Mineko A1 - Karol, Kenneth G. A1 - Koehler, Barbara A1 - Kolukisaoglu, Uener A1 - Kubo, Minoru A1 - Kurata, Tetsuya A1 - Lalonde, Sylvie A1 - Li, Kejie A1 - Li, Ying A1 - Litt, Amy A1 - Lyons, Eric A1 - Manning, Gerard A1 - Maruyama, Takeshi A1 - Michael, Todd P. A1 - Mikami, Koji A1 - Miyazaki, Saori A1 - Morinaga, Shin-ichi A1 - Murata, Takashi A1 - Müller-Röber, Bernd A1 - Nelson, David R. A1 - Obara, Mari A1 - Oguri, Yasuko A1 - Olmstead, Richard G. A1 - Onodera, Naoko A1 - Petersen, Bent Larsen A1 - Pils, Birgit A1 - Prigge, Michael A1 - Rensing, Stefan A. A1 - Mauricio Riano-Pachon, Diego A1 - Roberts, Alison W. A1 - Sato, Yoshikatsu A1 - Scheller, Henrik Vibe A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Schulz, Christian A1 - Shakirov, Eugene V. A1 - Shibagaki, Nakako A1 - Shinohara, Naoki A1 - Shippen, Dorothy E. A1 - Sorensen, Iben A1 - Sotooka, Ryo A1 - Sugimoto, Nagisa A1 - Sugita, Mamoru A1 - Sumikawa, Naomi A1 - Tanurdzic, Milos A1 - Theissen, Guenter A1 - Ulvskov, Peter A1 - Wakazuki, Sachiko A1 - Weng, Jing-Ke A1 - Willats, William W. G. T. A1 - Wipf, Daniel A1 - Wolf, Paul G. A1 - Yang, Lixing A1 - Zimmer, Andreas D. A1 - Zhu, Qihui A1 - Mitros, Therese A1 - Hellsten, Uffe A1 - Loque, Dominique A1 - Otillar, Robert A1 - Salamov, Asaf A1 - Schmutz, Jeremy A1 - Shapiro, Harris A1 - Lindquist, Erika A1 - Lucas, Susan A1 - Rokhsar, Daniel A1 - Grigoriev, Igor V. T1 - The selaginella genome identifies genetic changes associated with the evolution of vascular plants JF - Science N2 - Vascular plants appeared similar to 410 million years ago, then diverged into several lineages of which only two survive: the euphyllophytes (ferns and seed plants) and the lycophytes. We report here the genome sequence of the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii (Selaginella), the first nonseed vascular plant genome reported. By comparing gene content in evolutionarily diverse taxa, we found that the transition from a gametophyte- to a sporophyte-dominated life cycle required far fewer new genes than the transition from a nonseed vascular to a flowering plant, whereas secondary metabolic genes expanded extensively and in parallel in the lycophyte and angiosperm lineages. Selaginella differs in posttranscriptional gene regulation, including small RNA regulation of repetitive elements, an absence of the trans-acting small interfering RNA pathway, and extensive RNA editing of organellar genes. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1203810 SN - 0036-8075 VL - 332 IS - 6032 SP - 960 EP - 963 PB - American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Diez, Isabel A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Tauer, Klaus T1 - Template mediated formation of shaped polypyrrole particles N2 - The formation of different micro- and nanostructures during the chemical synthesis of polypyrrole is reviewed shortly based on the conceptions of hard- and soft-templating models. Contrary to other models that emphasize the role of micelles it is found here that during the oxidative polymerization of pyrole using sulfonic acid dopants a crystalline hard template is found in the first steps of the reaction before the addition of the oxidant. This template is formed by a complex consisting of 2,5-bis(pyrrole-2-yl)pyrrolidine and the sulfonic acid anion. The acid catalyzed formation of this specific tripyrrole is discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2009.11.034 SN - 0927-7757 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Diez, Isabel A1 - Xu, Chenggang T1 - Aspects of morphology control during the oxidative synthesis of electrically conducting polymers N2 - The formation of micro- and nanostructures during the oxidative polymerization of polypyrrole and polyaniline is investigated using different sulfonic acid dopants. Rod- or tube-like structures are found in polypyrrole as well as in polyaniline without addition of further compounds to the initial reaction mixture of monomer, dopant and oxidant. In these cases, always a crystalline precursor complex composed of a dopand molecule and the pure monomer (aniline) or a trimeric moiety (pyrrole) serves as in-situ template. In most cases the surface of the growing polymer is covered by secondary structures with much smaller sizes so that a hierarchical order of structures at different length scales results. Corresponding model considerations for the polymerization process are outlined. Additionally, unusual structures like platelets, frames, rings, or ribbons are observed in the polypyrrole synthesis in the presence of fluorosurfactants. Y1 - 2009 UR - http://hip.sagepub.com/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0954008309339933 SN - 0954-0083 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sarac, A. Sezai A1 - Gencturk, Asli A1 - Gilsing, Hans-Detlev A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Turhan, C. Metehan T1 - Effect of electrolyte on the electropolymerization of 2,2-dibutyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene on carbon fiber microelectrodes N2 - Electrocoating of 2,2 dibutylpropylene dioxythiophene on carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFMEs) in different electrolytes in acetonitrile was performed, and surface morphology and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic investigation has been carried out. Impedance spectra showed the typical form of Z(IM) versus Z(RE) for transmission- line at frequencies 10 Hz, with transition to almost pure capacitive behaviour down to 10 mHz (the lower limit of frequency scan). Y1 - 2009 UR - http://aspbs.com/jnn/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1166/Jnn.2009.027 SN - 1533-4880 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diez, Isabel A1 - Tauer, Klaus A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Unusual polymer dispersions-polypyrrole suspensions made of rings, frames, and platelets JF - Colloid and polymer science : official journal of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft N2 - Experimental results show that the polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of beta-naphthalenesulfonic acid and different fluorosurfactants like perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorooctyldiethanolamide, and ammonium perfluorooctanoate leads to polypyrrole with special morphologies, such as rings or disks and rectangular frames or plates. The formation of these unusually shaped particles of polymer dispersions is explained by the chemical and colloidal peculiarities of the oxidative pyrrole polymerization with ammonium peroxodisulfate in aqueous medium. KW - polypyrrole KW - chemical oxidative polymerization KW - particle morphology Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-006-1521-8 SN - 0303-402X VL - 284 SP - 1431 EP - 1442 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Franco, Olga A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Regenstein, Wolfgang A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Structural and spectroscopical study of a 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole polymorph under compression N2 - The x-ray pattern and the Raman and luminescence spectra of crystalline 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole in one of its polymorphic forms (DPO II) have been investigated under pressure up to 5 GPa. The behaviour of the lattice parameters under compression was determined and it was found that the Murnaghan equation of state provides a good description of the volume-pressure relationship of DPO II. The values for the bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are K-0 = 8.6 GPa and K-0' = 7.2. The analysis of the Raman spectrum under compression clearly shows the pressure- induced shift of the Raman modes to higher frequencies. The mode Gruneisen parameters for the lattice modes were determined. Additionally, it was found that the emission spectrum of DPO II moves to lower energies and that the luminescence intensity decreases when pressure is applied Y1 - 2006 UR - http://iopscience.iop.org/0953-8984 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/18/4/029 SN - 0953-8984 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Franco, Olga A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - High pressure structural investigations of 2,5-di(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole - importance of strain studies for the description of intermolecular interactions N2 - Results of a high pressure x-ray study of 2,5-di(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole up to 2.5 GPa are presented and discussed. Parameters for the Murnaghan equation of state are derived. The bulk modulus amounts to K-0 = 4.6 +/- 0.3 GPa and its pressure derivative to K-0' = 7.4 +/- 0.6. These values are comparable to values of other diphenyl-1,3,4- oxadiazoles. The anisotropy of the compression is analysed using the strain tensor and discussed based on the anisotropy of the intermolecular interactions Y1 - 2006 UR - http://iopscience.iop.org/0953-8984 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/18/23/001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Reck, Günter A1 - Schulz, Burkhard W. A1 - Stockhause, Sabine A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Structures of substituted di-aryl-1, 3,4-oxadiazole derivatives: 2,5-bis(pyridyl)- and 2,5-bis(aminophenyl)-substitution JF - Journal of molecular structure N2 - Crystal structures of four different di-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole compounds (aryl = 2-pyridyl-, 3-pyridyl-, 2-aminophenyl-, 3-aminophenyl-) are determined. Crystallization of di(2-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole yielded monoclinic and triclinic polymorphs. The structures are characterized by the occurrence of pi-pi interactions. Additionally, in case of the aminophenyl compounds intra- as well as intermolecular hydrogen bonds are found that influence the packing motif as well. Since these molecules are often used as ligands in metal-organic complexes similarities and differences of the molecular conformation between the molecules in the pure crystals and that of the ligands in the complexes are discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - crystal structure KW - 1,3,4-oxadiazole KW - molecular conformation KW - hydrogen bonds Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2006.03.076 SN - 0022-2860 VL - 800 IS - 1-3 SP - 74 EP - 84 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karageorgiev, Peter A1 - Neher, Dieter A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Stiller, Burkhard A1 - Pietsch, Ullrich A1 - Giersig, Michael A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig T1 - From anisotropic photo-fluidity towards nanomanipulation in the optical near-field N2 - An increase in random molecular vibrations of a solid owing to heating above the melting point leads to a decrease in its long-range order and a loss of structural symmetry. Therefore conventional liquids are isotropic media. Here we report on a light-induced isothermal transition of a polymer film from an isotropic solid to an anisotropic liquid state in which the degree of mechanical anisotropy can be controlled by light. Whereas during irradiation by circular polarized light the film behaves as an isotropic viscoelastic fluid, it shows considerable fluidity only in the direction parallel to the light field vector under linear polarized light. The fluidization phenomenon is related to photoinduced motion of azobenzene-functionalized molecular units, which can be effectively activated only when their transition dipole moments are oriented close to the direction of the light polarization. We also describe here how the photofluidization allows nanoscopic elements of matter to be precisely manipulated Y1 - 2005 SN - 1476-1122 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sava, Ion A1 - Bruma, Maria A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Köpnick, Thomas T1 - Comparison of properties of silicon-containing poly(amide-imide)s N2 - New silicon-containing poly(amide-imide)s have been synthesized by direct polycondensation of various aromatic diamines with a dicarboxylic acid containing the dimethylsilylene group and preformed in-tide cycles. These polymers are easily soluble in polar amidic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) or dimethylformamide (DMF) and can be cast into thin flexible films or coatings from such solutions. They show high thermal stability, with initial decomposition temperature being above 400 C and glass transition temperature in the range of 220-270 degrees C. Very thin polymer films deposited by spincoating technique onto silicon wafers showed a smooth, pinhole-free surface in atomic force microscopy investigations Y1 - 2005 SN - 0954-0083 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Freydank, Anke-Christine A1 - Chenggang, Xü T1 - Self-organization of substituted 1,3,4-oxadizazoles in the solid state and at surfaces N2 - Different aspects of the structure formation for a class of molecules containing the diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole fragment are discussed. Starting from the bulk state with the ideal crystal lattice and the derivation of some common packing motifs the formation of liquid-crystalline states are described. This leads to the consideration of structures found in Langmuir-Blodgett films and those obtained by organic molecular beam deposition. These structures may again be compared to those for the bulk crystalline state. Common features as well as characteristic differences due to peculiarities of the individual molecular structures are discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Franco, Olga A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Reck, Günter A1 - Stockhause, Sabine A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Structure and high-pressure behavior of 2,5-di-(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole N2 - The crystalline structures of two modifications of a compound containing the oxadiazole ring, 2,5-di-(4- aminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (DAPO) were determined. One of these modifications contains water molecules in the crystal structure, which is observed for the first time for an oxadiazole crystal. Both crystals show an orthorhombic structure. The water free modification, DAPO L belongs to the space group Pbca (61) and has the lattice parameters: a = 13.461(5), b = 7.937(3) and c = 22.816(8) angstrom (CCDC 246608). The water containing pseudo-polymorph, DAPO 11, has the space group Cmcm (63) and the lattice parameters: a = 16.330(5), b = 12.307(2) and c = 6.9978(14) angstrom (CCDC 246609). To gain information on the inter molecular interactions within the crystals, X-ray experiments under compression at ambient temperature and under heating at vacuum conditions were performed. Neither DAPO I nor DAPO II undergo phase transitions in the ressure range up to 5 GPa, as could be concluded from X-ray and Raman experiments. X-ray and calorimetric studies indicate that DAPO II dehydrates into DAPO I under increasing temperature. Structural considerations suggest a two-stage process. The compression behavior of both substances is well described by the Murnaghan equation of state (MEOS) and the values of the bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are determined for these crystals. Additionally, in the case of DAPO I, also the thermal expansion coefficient an was measured. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0022-3697 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orgzall, Ingo A1 - Franco, Olga A1 - Reck, Guenter A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - High-pressure studies on fluorine substituted 2,5-di(phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazoles N2 - Results are presented from structural and high-pressure investigations on four differently but symmetrically fluorine substituted 2,5di(phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazoles. The substitution pattern includes the para-, meta-, or ortho- substitution and the fully fluorinated 2,5-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole. The crystal structure depends on the molecular structure and results in a different high-pressure behavior. Parameters for the Murnaghan equation of state (EOS) are determined for every compound and the anisotropic pressure response of the crystal lattice is discussed. Although the EOS parameters, bulk modulus K. and its pressure derivative K'(o) are of the same order of magnitude for all four compounds, the anisotropy of strain is noticeably different. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0022-2860 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diez, Isabel A1 - Tauer, Klaus A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Polypyrrole tubes via casting of pyrrole-beta-naphthalenesulfonic acid rods N2 - A comprehensive study gives experimental evidence that a complex made from pyrrole and beta-naphthalenesulfonic acid in a molar composition of 3:1 acts as morphological precursor in the subsequent oxidative polymerization of pyrrole initiated with ammonium peroxodisulfate. The precursor complex itself is unable to polymerize but its outer parallelepipedal shape with a high aspect ratio is templated in the inner surface of the formed conducting polypyrrole tubes Y1 - 2004 SN - 0303-402X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hamaciuc, E. A1 - Bruma, Maria A1 - Köpnick, Thomas A1 - Kaminorz, Yvette A1 - Schulz, Burkhard T1 - Synthesis and Study of New Silicon-containing Polyoxadiazoles N2 - A series of new poly-1,3,4-oxadiazoles has been synthesized by polycondensation reaction of hydrazine sulfate with a mixture of a dicarboxylic acid containing unsaturated bonds and a dicarboxylic acid containing silicon, by using methanesulfonic acid/phosphorus pentoxide as a reaction medium. These polymers were highly thermostable but they were only soluble in strong inorganic acids such as sulfuric or methanesulfonic ones. An alternative way was followed by using the corresponding dihydrazides containing unsaturated bonds and the corresponding diacid chloride containing silicon that reacted in N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) to give soluble silicon-containing unsaturated polyhydrazides, which were cyclodehydrated either by thermal or chemical treatment to give the corresponding polyoxadiazoles. Very thin coatings of polyhydrazides and polyoxadiazoles were deposited onto silicon wafers and they showed a very smooth surface, free of pinholes, when studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Some polyoxadiazole films showed strong blue photoluminescence. Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mikat, Jürgen E. R. A1 - Franco, Olga A1 - Regenstein, Wolfgang A1 - Reck, Günter A1 - Knochenhauer, Gerald A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Orgzall, Ingo T1 - 1,3,4-oxadiazole crystals under high pressure-phase transitions and properties Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kaminorz, Yvette A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig T1 - Optical and Electrical Properties of Substituted 2,5-Diphenyl-1,3,4-Oxadiazoles N2 - New substituted 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles are reported as luminescent materials in light emitting diodes LEDs . The investigated new oxadiazoles show efficient blue and green emission in single layer devices. The combination with a hole transporting and red emitting polythiophene led to a white emission with higher quantum efficiency (QE). Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karageorgiev, Peter A1 - Stiller, Burkhard A1 - Prescher, Dietrich A1 - Dietzel, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig T1 - Modification of the surface potential of azobenzene-containing langmuir-blodgett films in the near field of a scanning kelvin microscope tip by irradiation Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Giebler, Rainer A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Reiche, Jürgen A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig A1 - Wühn, Mario A1 - Wöll, Christoph A1 - Smith, Andrew Phillip A1 - Urquhart, Steven G. A1 - Ade, Harald W. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang E. S. T1 - Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy on ordered films of an amphiphilic derivate of 2,5- Diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole N2 - The surfaces of ordered films formed from an amphiphilic derivative of 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique and organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) were investigated by the use of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. For the assignment of the spectral features of the C, N, and O K- edge absorption spectra, fingerprint spectra of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide)(Kevlar), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(p-phenylene-1,3,4-oxadiazole), and 2,5-di- (pentadecyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, which contain related chemical moieties, were recorded. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations, performed with explicit treatment of the core hole, are used to support the spectral interpretations. Angle-resolved NEXAFS spectroscopy at the C, N, and O K-edges suggests a preferentially upright orientation of the oxadiazole derivative in the outermost layer of the films. X-ray specular reflectivity data and molecular modeling results suggest a similar interpretation. Y1 - 1999 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bruma, Maria A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Köpnick, Thomas A1 - Stiller, Burkhard A1 - Belomoina, Nataliya A1 - Mercer, Frank W. T1 - Synthesis and study of aromatic polyamides containing silicon and phenylquinoxaline rings in the main chain N2 - New poly(phenylquinoxaline-amide)s with silicon in the main chain have been prepared by polycondensation reaction of a diacid chloride, namely bis(p-chlorocarbonyl-phenyl)-diphenylsilane, with aromatic diamines containing one or two phenylquinoxaline rings separated by a flexible bridge such as ether or methylene. These polymers were easily soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) and dimethylformamide (DMF) and showed high thermal stability with decomposition temperature being above 450°C and glass transition temperature in the range of 260- 304°C. Polymer solutions in NMP were processed into thin flexible films which exhibited very smooth surfaces, free of pinholes when studied by atomic force microscopy. The free-standing films showed a dielectric constant in the range of 3.6-3.7. Y1 - 1999 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bruma, Maria A1 - Hamciuc, Elena A1 - Schulz, Burkhard A1 - Köpnick, Thomas A1 - Stiller, Burkhard A1 - Mercer, Frank W. T1 - Synthesis of fluorinated poly(phenylquinoxaline-amide)s and study of thin films made therefrom N2 - A series of five fluorinated poly(phenylquinoxaline-amide)s were synthesized by a polycondensation reaction of a diacid chloride containing the hexafluoroisopropylidene (6F) group, namely 2,2-bis(p-chlorocarbonylphenyl)- hexafluoropropane, with various aromatic diamines incorporating two phenyl-substituted quinoxaline rings. These polymers were easily soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolione (NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF), and tetrahydrofurane (THF), and showed a high thermal stability with decomposition temperatures above 400 °C and glass transition temperatures in the range of 260-290 Tg. Polymer solutions in NMP were processed into free-standing films that showed low dielectric constant values, in the range of 3.4-3.9, and good mechanical properties, with tensile strength in the range of 40-80 MPa and elongation to break in the range of 22-55%. Very thin films, in the range of tens of nanometer, which were deposited onto silicon wafers exhibited very smooth surfaces, free of pinholes when studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Y1 - 1999 ER -