Poly(1-Vinyl-1,2,4-triazolium) Poly(Ionic Liquid)s: Synthesis and the Unique Behavior in Loading Metal Ions

Bio-Oriented Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of 1,2,4-Triazole Based Derivatives as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents against HepG2 Cell Line

Triazole-based acetamides serve as important scaffolds for various pharmacologically active drugs. In the present work, structural hybrids of 1,2,4-triazole and acetamides were furnished by chemically modifying 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propanoic acid (1). Target compounds 7a-f were produced in considerable yields (70-76%) by coupling the triazole of compound 1 with different electrophiles under different reaction conditions. These triazole-coupled acetamide derivatives were verified by physiochemical and spectroscopic (HRMS, FTIR, 13CNMR, and 1HNMR,) methods. The anti-liver carcinoma effects of all of the derivatives against a HepG2 cell line were investigated. Compound 7f, with two methyl moieties at the ortho-position, exhibited the highest anti-proliferative activity among all of the compounds with an IC50 value of 16.782 µg/mL. 7f, the most effective anti-cancer molecule, also had a very low toxicity of 1.190.02%. Molecular docking demonstrates that all of the compounds, especially 7f, have exhibited excellent binding affinities of -176.749 kcal/mol and -170.066 kcal/mol to c-kit tyrosine kinase and protein kinase B, respectively. Compound 7f is recognized as the most suitable drug pharmacophore for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

A Computer Simulation Study of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(Ionic Liquid)s

Thermal and mechanical properties of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs), an epoxidized ionic liquid-amine network, are studied via molecular dynamics simulations. The poly(ionic liquid)s are designed with two different ionic liquid monomers, 3-[2-(Oxiran-2-yl)ethyl]-1-{4-[(2-oxiran-2-yl)ethoxy]phenyl}imidazolium (EIM2) and 1-{4-[2-(Oxiran-2-yl)ethyl]phenyl}-3-{4-[2-(oxiran-2-yl)ethoxy]benzyl}imidazolium (EIM1), each of which is networked with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, paired with different anions, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI⁻) and chloride (Cl⁻). We investigate how ionic liquid monomers with high ionic strength affect structures of the cross-linked polymer networks and their thermomechanical properties such as glass transition temperature (T_g) and elastic moduli, varying the degree of cross-linking. Strong electrostatic interactions between the cationic polymer backbone and anions build up their strong structures of which the strength depends on their molecular structures and anion size. As the anion size decreases from TFSI⁻ to Cl⁻, both T_g and elastic moduli of the PIL increase due to stronger electrostatic interactions present between their ionic moieties, making it favorable for the PIL to organize with stronger bindings. Compared to the EIM2 monomer, the EIM1 monomers and TFSI⁻ ions generate a PIL with higher T_g and elastic moduli. This attributes to the less flexible structure of the EIM1 monomer for the chain rotation, in which steric hindrance by ring moieties in the EIM1-based PIL enhances their structural rigidity. The π-π stacking structures between the rings are found to increase in EIM1-based PIL compared to the EIM2-based one, which becomes stronger with smaller Cl⁻ ion rather than TFSI⁻. The effect of the degree of the cross-linking on thermal and mechanical properties is also examined. As the degree of cross-linking decreases from 100% to 60%, T_g also decreases by a factor of 10–20%, where the difference among the given PILs becomes decreased with a lower degree of cross-linking. Both the Young’s (E) and shear (G) moduli of all the PILs decrease with degree of cross-linking, which the reduction is more significant for the PIL generated with EIM2 monomers. Transport properties of anions in PILs are also studied. Anions are almost immobilized globally with very small structural fluctuations, in which Cl⁻ presents lower diffusivity by a factor of ~2 compared to TFSI⁻ due to their stronger binding to the cationic polymer backbone.

3D-Printable Nanocellulose-Based Functional Materials: Fundamentals and Applications

Nanomaterials obtained from sustainable and natural sources have seen tremendous growth in recent times due to increasing interest in utilizing readily and widely available resources. Nanocellulose materials extracted from renewable biomasses hold great promise for increasing the sustainability of conventional materials in various applications owing to their biocompatibility, mechanical properties, ease of functionalization, and high abundance. Nanocellulose can be used to reinforce mechanical strength, impart antimicrobial activity, provide lighter, biodegradable, and more robust materials for packaging, and produce photochromic and electrochromic devices. While the fabrication and properties of nanocellulose are generally well established, their implementation in novel products and applications requires surface modification, assembly, and manufacturability to enable rapid tooling and scalable production. Additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing can improve functionality and enhance the ability to customize products while reducing fabrication time and wastage of materials. This review article provides an overview of nanocellulose as a sustainable material, covering the different properties, preparation methods, printability and strategies to functionalize nanocellulose into 3D-printed constructs. The applications of 3D-printed nanocellulose composites in food, environmental, and energy devices are outlined, and an overview of challenges and opportunities is provided.

Hard confinement systems as effective nanoreactors for in situ photo-RAFT: towards control over molecular weight distribution and morphology

Herein an alternative strategy to tune polymer dispersity and morphology was developed for photoiniferter-mediated RAFT giving well-defined ionic and non-ionic nanomaterials.

Effects of repeat unit charge density on the physical and electrochemical properties of novel heterocationic poly(ionic liquid)s

The higher the charge density of PILs the higher their T_g and the lower their conductivity; the best conductivity (1.8 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C): PILs with triazolium cations; the best cathodic stability (−0.4 V vs. Li⁺/Li at 70 °C): PILs with mixed type cations.

All poly(ionic liquid) block copolymer nanoparticles from antagonistic isomeric macromolecular blocks via aqueous RAFT polymerization-induced self-assembly

All-poly(ionic liquid) block copolymer nanoparticles are prepared by aqueous RAFT PISA using a couple of isomeric ionic liquid monomers leading to macromolecular building blocks with antagonistic solution behavior in water.

Light-mediated controlled and classical polymerizations of less-activated monomers under high-pressure conditions

An entirely new robust setup combining light and high pressure was applied to polymerize less-activated monomers via three different “green” polymerization protocols.

An insight on medicinal attributes of 1,2,4-triazoles

The present review aims to summarize the pharmacological profile of 1,2,4-triazole, one of the emerging privileged scaffold, as antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer, anticonvulsant, antituberculosis, antiviral, antiparasitic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents, etc. along with structure-activity relationship. The comprehensive compilation of work carried out in the last decade on 1,2,4-triazole nucleus will provide inevitable scope for researchers for the advancement of novel potential drug candidates having better efficacy and selectivity.

New Crystal Forms for Biologically Active Compounds. Part 2: Anastrozole as N-Substituted 1,2,4-Triazole in Halogen Bonding and Lp-π Interactions with 1,4-Diiodotetrafluorobenzene

For an active pharmaceutical ingredient, it is important to stabilize its specific crystal polymorph. If the potential interconversion of various polymorphs is not carefully controlled, it may lead to deterioration of the drug’s physicochemical profile and, ultimately, its therapeutic efficacy. The desired polymorph stabilization can be achieved via co-crystallization with appropriate crystallophoric excipients. In this work, we identified an opportunity for co-crystallization of anastrozole (ASZ), a well-known aromatase inhibitor useful in second-line therapy of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, with a classical XB donor, 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3,6-diiodobenzene (1,4-FIB). In the X-ray structures of ASZ·1.5 (1,4-FIB) co-crystal, different non-covalent interactions involving hydrogen and halogen atoms were detected and studied by quantum chemical calculations and QTAIM analysis at the ωB97XD/DZP-DKH level of theory.

Linear Main-Chain 1,2,4-Triazolium Poly(ionic liquid)s: Single-Step Synthesis and Stabilization of Cellulose Nanocrystals

Linear main-chain 1,2,4-triazolium-based poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) were synthesized in this contribution. The polymerization process is experimentally very simple and involves only a single-step polycondensation of a commercially available monomer in DMSO as solvent at 120 °C. Their thermal stability and solubility were analyzed in terms of different counteranions. Due to the ease of this synthetic route, it was readily applied to graft onto sulfonated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) via a one-step in situ polymerization. The as-synthesized PIL@CNC hybrid colloids exhibit adaptive dispensability in water and organic solvents.

Porous polycarbene-bearing membrane actuator for ultrasensitive weak-acid detection and real-time chemical reaction monitoring

Soft actuators with integration of ultrasensitivity and capability of simultaneous interaction with multiple stimuli through an entire event ask for a high level of structure complexity, adaptability, and/or multi-responsiveness, which is a great challenge. Here, we develop a porous polycarbene-bearing membrane actuator built up from ionic complexation between a poly(ionic liquid) and trimesic acid (TA). The actuator features two concurrent structure gradients, i.e., an electrostatic complexation (EC) degree and a density distribution of a carbene-NH3 adduct (CNA) along the membrane cross-section. The membrane actuator performs the highest sensitivity among the state-of-the-art soft proton actuators toward acetic acid at 10-6 mol L-1 (M) level in aqueous media. Through competing actuation of the two gradients, it is capable of monitoring an entire process of proton-involved chemical reactions that comprise multiple stimuli and operational steps. The present achievement constitutes a significant step toward real-life application of soft actuators in chemical sensing and reaction technology.

Internal Morphology-Controllable Self-Assembly in Poly(Ionic Liquid) Nanoparticles

Precise control of the interior and outer shapes of polymer nanoparticles has found broad interest in nanosciences, for example, in fundamental studies of their physical properties, colloidal behavior, and corresponding applications. Realizing such control below the 50 nm scale (i.e., a size scale close to individual polymer chains) requires accurate manipulation of polymerization techniques and a judicious choice of the chemical structure in monomers and/or polymers. Here, we constructed a series of well-defined sub-50 nm homopolymer nanoparticles with controllable shape and highly ordered, complex internal structures with sub-5 nm domain spacings, starting from 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazolium-type ionic liquids in a one-pot dispersion polymerization. With cryogenic electron microscopy and tomography, a morphological evolution of particle shape and interior at this extremely small size end, unusual for polymer colloids, was identified and investigated in detail.