Investigation of the structure of poly(vinyl alcohol)–iodine complex hydrogels prepared from the concentrated polymer solutions

Enhanced Dichroism of Polarizing Composite Films by Embedding Sepiolite

The present study investigated the use of fibrous nanoparticle-filled polarizing films. Sepiolites were selected as nanoparticles and incorporated into a PVA-iodine complex. The resulting nanocomposite film was elongated and dyed with iodine. Various properties of the nanocomposite polarizing films, including thermal, morphological, optical, and rheological features, were experimentally analyzed. The study demonstrated that an increase in sepiolite loading was accompanied by an enhancement in both the mechanical and viscoelastic properties. In particular, the incorporation of nanoparticles led to an increase in birefringence and the degree of polarization. This was attributed to the alteration of the internal structure of the PVA film caused by the embedded sepiolites. The thermal analysis showed that the composite film with a higher content of sepiolites exhibited higher crystallinity and a higher melting temperature.

Controlled Delivery of Pan-PAD-Inhibitor Cl-Amidine Using Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Microspheres

This study deals with the process of optimization and synthesis of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) microspheres with encapsulated Cl-amidine. Cl-amidine is an inhibitor of peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), a group of calcium-dependent enzymes, which play critical roles in a number of pathologies, including autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. While Cl-amidine application has been assessed in a number of in vitro and in vivo models; methods of controlled release delivery remain to be investigated. P(3HB) microspheres have proven to be an effective delivery system for several compounds applied in antimicrobial, wound healing, cancer, and cardiovascular and regenerative disease models. In the current study, P(3HB) microspheres with encapsulated Cl-amidine were produced in a size ranging from ~4–5 µm and characterized for surface morphology, porosity, hydrophobicity and protein adsorption, in comparison with empty P(3HB) microspheres. Cl-amidine encapsulation in P(3HB) microspheres was optimized, and these were found to be less hydrophobic, compared with the empty microspheres, and subsequently adsorbed a lower amount of protein on their surface. The release kinetics of Cl-amidine from the microspheres were assessed in vitro and expressed as a function of encapsulation efficiency. There was a burst release of ~50% Cl-amidine in the first 24 h and a zero order release from that point up to 16 days, at which time point ~93% of the drug had been released. As Cl-amidine has been associated with anti-cancer effects, the Cl-amidine encapsulated microspheres were assessed for the inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the mammalian breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3, including in the presence of the anti-proliferative drug rapamycin. The cytotoxicity of the combinatorial effect of rapamycin with Cl-amidine encapsulated P(3HB) microspheres was found to be 3.5% more effective within a 24 h period. The cells treated with Cl-amidine encapsulated microspheres alone, were found to have 36.5% reduction in VEGF expression when compared with untreated SK-BR-3 cells. This indicates that controlled release of Cl-amidine from P(3HB) microspheres may be effective in anti-cancer treatment, including in synergy with chemotherapeutic agents. Using controlled drug-delivery of Cl-amidine encapsulated in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) microspheres may be a promising novel strategy for application in PAD-associated pathologies.

Supramolecular gelation controlled by an iodine clock

Programming supramolecular assembly in the time domain is a fundamental aspect of the design of biomimetic materials. We achieved the time-controlled sol-gel transition of a poly(vinyl alcohol)-iodine supramolecular complex by generating iodine in situ with a clock reaction. We demonstrate that both the gelation time and the mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogel can be tuned by properly selecting the clock parameters or through competitive iodine complexation.

Carbonized properties of iodine-incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol) composite films prepared by gelation/crystallization from solution

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) composite films were prepared by gelation/crystallization from a dispersed solution containing different TiO(2) contents against PVA. Iodine was incorporated into the composites, and the iodine-incorporated composites were carbonized under argon gas in the temperature range of 700-1600 degrees C. Under the carbonization process, the incorporation of iodine into composites ensured tough films without cracks. This indicated that iodine incorporation played an important role as a catalyst to promote the formation of cross links between amorphous carbon chains through the resultant Ti-C structure that occurs by hydration. Surprisingly, X-ray diffraction intensity measurements revealed that the coagulated TiO(2) powders in the composite film carbonized at 1200 degrees C remained predominantly anatase type, which has generally been known as photocatalytic activity. The perfect transition to the rutile-type structure dramatically occurred at 1600 degrees C. Judging from the carbon coating on the TiO(2) particle surface as detected by ESCA, no disruption of the composite was found to be due to the appearances of Ti(2)O(3) groups and the Ti-C structure performing cross linking between neighboring amorphous carbon chains. The characteristics of anatase-type TiO(2) crystallites and amorphous carbon structures were analyzed using the para-crystalline theory concerning the distance fluctuation between graphene sheets. The electrical conductivity of the carbonized composite was ca. 0.01 S/cm and was independent of the TiO(2) admixed in the carbon matrix.