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Amphiphilic dual brush block copolymers as "giant surfactants" and their aqueous self-assembly
(2010)
Amphiphilic dual brush diblock as well as symmetrical triblock polymers were synthesized by the overlay of the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer and the nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) techniques. While poly(ethylene glycol) brushes served as hydrophilic block, the hydrophobic block was made of polystyrene brushes. The resulting "giant surfactants" correspond structurally to the established amphiphilic diblock and triblock copolymer known as macrosurfactants. The aggregation behavior of the novel "giant surfactants" in aqueous solution was studied by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) over a large range in reciprocal space. Further, the self-assembled aggregates Were investigated by scanning force microscopy (SFM) after deposition on differently functionalized ultraflat solid substrates. Despite the high fraction of hydrophobic segments, the polymers form stable mesoscopic, spherical aggregates with hydrodynamic diameters in the range of 150-350 nm. Though prepared from well-defined individual polymers, the aggregates show several similarities to hard core latexes. They are stable enough to he deposited without much changes onto surfaces, where they cluster and show Spontaneous sorting according to their size within the clusters, with the larger aggregates being in the center.
New amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of N-vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate were synthesized via controlled radical polymerization using a reversible addition/fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)/macromolecular design via the interchange of xanthates (MADIX) system. The synthesis was carried out in 1,4-dioxane as process solvent. In order to get conclusions on the mechanism of the polymerization the molecular structure of formed copolymers was analysed by means of different analytical techniques. C-13 NMR spectroscopy was used for the determination of the monomer ratios. End groups were analysed by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This technique was also used to determine possible fragmentations of the RAFT end groups. By means of a combination of size exclusion chromatography, C-13 NMR and static light scattering molar mass distributions and absolute molar masses could be analysed. The results clearly show a non-ideal RAFT mechanism.
PVP-block-PVAc block copolymers were synthesized by controlled radical polymerization applying a RAFT/MADIX system and were investigated by HPLC and by coupling of chromatography to FT-IR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS. Chromatographic methods (LACCC and gradient techniques) were developed that allowed a separation of block copolymers according to their repeating units. The results of the spectroscopic and spectrometric analysis clearly showed transfer between radicals and process solvent. With the use of hyphenated techniques differences between main and side products were detected. In agreement with previously published results, obtained by NMR, SEC, static light scattering and MALDI- TOF MS, our data proved a non-ideal RAFT polymerization.
The free volume in thin films of poly(N-isopropylacrylamid) end-capped with n-butyltrio-carbonate (nbc-PNIPAM) is probed with positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). The PALS measurements are performed as function of energy to obtain depth profiles of the free volume of nbc-PNIPAM films. The range of nbc-PNIPAM films with thicknesses from 40 to 200 nm is focused. With decreasing film thickness the free volume increases in good agreement with an increase in the maximum swelling capability of the nbc-PNIPAM films. Thus in thin hydrogel films the sorption and swelling behavior is governed by free volume.
Recently, we introduced a thermoresponsive copolymer that consists of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and 2-(2- methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (MEO(2)MA). The polymer exhibited an LCST at 35 degrees C in PBS buffer and was anchored onto gold substrates using disulfide polymerisation initiators. It allows the noninvasive detachment of adherent cells from their substrate. As the mechanisms that determine the interaction of cells with such polymers are not well understood, we employed Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy in order to monitor the detachment process of cells of two different types. We identified contact area and average cell-substrate distance as crucial parameters for the evaluation of the detachment process. The sensitivity of TIRF microscopy allowed us to correlate the specific adhesion pattern of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with the morphology of cell deposits that may serve as fingerprints for a nondestructive characterisation of live cells.
Smart bioactive surfaces
(2010)
The purpose of this highlight is to define the emerging field of bioactive surfaces. In recent years, various types of synthetic materials capable of "communicating'' with biological objects such as nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, viruses, bacteria or living cells have been described in the literature. This novel area of research certainly goes beyond the traditional field of smart materials and includes different types of sophisticated interactions with biological entities, such as reversible adhesion, conformational control, biologically-triggered release and selective permeation. These novel materials may be 2D planar surfaces as well as colloidal objects or 3D scaffolds. Overall, they show great promise for numerous applications in biosciences and biotechnology. For instance, practical applications of bioactive surfaces in the fields of bioseparation, cell engineering, biochips and stem-cell differentiation are briefly discussed herein.
Swelling and switching kinetics of gold coated end-capped poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thin films
(2010)
Thin thermoresponsive hydrogel films of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) end-capped with n-butyltrithiocarbonate(nbc- PNIPAM) oil si I icon supports with a gold layer on top, causing an asymmetric confinement, are investigated. For two different gold layer thicknesses (nominally 0.4 and 5 rim), the swelling and switching kinetics are probed with in situ neutron reflectivity. With a temperature jump from 23 to 40 degrees C the film is switched from a swollen into a collapsed state. For the thin gold layer this switching is faster as compared to the thick gold layer. The switching is a two-step process of water release and a subsequent structural relaxation. fit swelling and deswelling cycles, aging of the films is probed. After five cycles, the film exhibits enhanced water storage capacity. Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) shows that these gold coated nbc-PNIPAM films do not age with respect to the inner structure but slightly roughen at the gold surface. As revealed by atomic force microscopy, the morphology of the gold layer is changed by the water uptake and release.
Linear amphiphilic diblock and ternary triblock copolymers were synthesized by the RAFT method in three Successive Steps, using oligo(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether acrylate, butyl or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate. The diblock and the triblock copolymers, which consist of a hydrophilic, a lipophilic, and a fluorophilic block, self-assemble in water into spherical micellar aggregates. Imaging by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) revealed that the cores of the micellar aggregates made from these "triphilic" copolymers undergo local phase separation to form various ultrastructures, which depend sensitivity on the given block sequence. While the sequence hydrophilic-lipophilic-fluorophilic resulted in multicompartment cores with core-shell-corona morphology, the sequence lipophilic-hydrophilic-fluorophilic provided new "patched double micelle" and larger "soccer ball" structures.
Several series of symmetrical triblock copolymers were synthesized by the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer method. They consist of a long block of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as hydrophilic, thermoresponsive middle block, which is end-capped by two small strongly hydrophobic blocks made from five different vinyl polymers. The association of the amphiphilic polymers was studied in dilute and concentrated aqueous solution. The polymer micelles found at low concentrations form hydrogels at high concentrations, typically above 30-35 wt.%. Hydrogel formation and the thermosensitive rheological behavior were studied exemplarily for copolymers with hydrophobic blocks of polystyrene, poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate), and poly(n-octadecyl acrylate). All systems exhibited a cloud point around 30 A degrees C. Heating beyond the cloud point initially favors hydrogel formation but continued heating results in macroscopic phase separation. The rheological behavior suggests that the copolymers associate into flower-like micelles, with only a small share of polymers that bridge the micelles and act as physical cross-linkers, even at high concentrations.
We have studied I lie thermal behavior of amphiphilic, symmetric triblock copolymers having short, deuterated polystyrene (PS) end blocks and a large poly(N-isopropylacrylarnicle) (PNIPAM) middle block exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in aqueous solution. A wide range of concentrations (0.1-300 mg/mL) is investigated using it number of analytical methods such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and neutron spin-echo spectroscopy (NSE). The critical micelle concentration is determined using FCS to be 1 mu M or less. The collapse of the micelles at the LCST is investigated using turbidimetry and DLS and shows a weak dependence on the degree of polymerization of the PNIPAM block. SANS with contrast matching allows its to reveal the core-shell Structure of the micelles as well as their correlation as a function of temperature. The segmental dynamics of the PNIPAM shell are studied as a function of temperature and arc found to be faster in the collapsed state than in the swollen state. The mode detected has a linear dispersion in q(2) and is found to be faster in the collapsed state as compared to the swollen state. We attribute this result to the averaging over mobile and immobilized segments.
Homopolymers of N-acryloyl glycinamide were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization in water. The formed macromolecules exhibit strong polymer-polymer interactions in aqueous milieu and therefore form thermoreversible physical hydrogels in pure water, physiological buffer or cell medium.