Glutathione-responsive biodegradable polyurethanes based on dithiodiundecanol

Self-healing dynamic bond-based robust polyurethane acrylate hybrid polymers

Herein, a self-healing hybrid polyurethane acrylate was prepared by solution polymerization of acrylic monomers (2-hydroxypropylmethacrylate/butyl acrylate mixture) in the presence of performed polyurethane chains containing aliphatic disulfide bonds with terminal...

Facile preparation of degradable multi-arm-star-branched waterborne polyurethane with bio-based tannic acid

In this research, biodegradable multi-arm-star-branched waterborne polyurethanes (MWPUs) were prepared by incorporation of bio-based material (tannic acid, TA) in the structure of waterborne polyurethanes. The prepared MWPUs were characterized by UV-vis spectrometry and FT-IR spectrometry, confirming the presence of TA in MWPUs. The results of DSC and TGA demonstrated that the incorporation of TA remarkably enhanced the thermal stability of MWPUs. The mechanical strength test indicated that the Young's modulus and tensile strength of the waterborne polyurethanes after incorporation of TA were significantly improved due to the increase of structural rigidity, hydrogen bonding and the molecular interactions of the TA-based MWPU chains. In addition, the synthesized TA-based MWPUs also exhibited excellent antioxidation capacity and outstanding biodegradation property. Given these excellent properties and the sustainability of TA, the developed TA-based MWPUs exhibited great potential in a wide range of practical applications.

Solid-state mechanochemical ω-functionalization of poly(ethylene glycol)

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a linear polymer with a wide range of applications in chemical manufacturing, drug development and nanotechnology. PEG derivatives are being increasingly used to covalently modify small molecule and peptide drugs, as well as bioactive nanomaterials in order to improve solubility in biological serum, reduce immunogenicity, and enhance pharmacokinetic profiles. Herein we present the development of mechanochemical procedures for PEG functionalization without the need for bulk solvents, offering a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to existing solution-based PEG procedures. The herein presented mechanochemical procedures enable rapid and solvent-free derivatization of PEG with tosyl, bromide, thiol, carboxylic acid or amine functionalities in good to quantitative yields and with no polymer chain oligomerization, proving the versatility of the method.

Trypsin-inspired poly(urethane-urea)s based on poly-lysine oligomer segment

A new kind of biodegradable poly(urethane-urea)s based on poly-lysine oligomer used as the soft segment was synthesized and characterized. In vitro degradation behavior of poly (urethane-urea)s was investigated, and was assessed by (1)H NMR and mass loss. The results indicated that the peptide bonds in poly(urethane-urea)s were effectively cleaved in simulated pancreatic juice containing trypsin, while those in buffer solution without trypsin remained unaffected. The degradability was obviously improved by introducing poly-lysine oligomer into the main chain of poly(urethane-urea)s. The results of cells viability test indicated that the poly (urethane-urea)s showed a good biocompatibility on endothelial cells. The thermostability and hydrophilicity of poly(urethane-urea)s increased with increase in poly-lysine oligomer content.