Synthesis and Luminescence of POSS-Containing Perylene Bisimide-Bridged Amphiphilic Polymers

Well-defined nanomagnetic nitrilotriacetic acid complex of Cu(ii) supported on silica-coated nanosized magnetite: a new highly efficient and magnetically separable catalyst for C-N bond formation

A nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) complex of Cu(ii) supported on silica-coated nanosized magnetite Fe3O4@SiO2-Pr-DEA-[NTA-Cu(ii)]2 was prepared as a new well-defined magnetically separable nanomaterial and fully characterized via IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, TGA, DLS, BET, VSM, solid-state UV-vis spectroscopy, EDX, ICP-OES, and FESEM-EDX map analyses. Thereafter, it was successfully applied as a new easily magnetically separable and reusable heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the Buchwald-Hartwig C-N bond formation reaction in DMF at 110 °C. Using this method, various kinds of nitrogen heterocycles, such as imidazoles, 2-methyl-1H-imidazole, benzimidazole, indole, and 10H-phenothiazine as well as aliphatic secondary amines such as piperidine, piperazine, morpholine, dimethylamine, and diethylamine, were reacted with aryl halide compounds, and the desired products were obtained with good to excellent yields. In all cases, the applied catalyst could be recovered easily and rapidly using an external magnet and reused 7 times without significant loss of catalytic activity.

Rapid determination of illegally added Sudan I in cake by triphenylamine functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane fluorescence sensor

Triphenylamine functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS@TPA) was prepared using the Friedel-Crafts reaction with tris(4-bromophenyl)amine (TPA) as the functional monomer and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) as the framework. The as-prepared POSS@TPA has a stable structure and accomplished pore performance, allowing for the selective adsorption of Sudan I and result in the fluorescence quenches of POSS@TPA. Thus, the POSS@TPA could be used as sensors to fluorescence detect 0.12-7.4 mg/L Sudan I, with a detection limit of 0.091 mg/L. Moreover, the POSS@TPA have good reuseability can be reused more than 5 cycles after washing. Noteworthily, the response time of POSS@TPA for determination was as short as 1 min. Furthermore, the sensor was effectively used to determine Sudan I in cakes with excellent recoveries (86.4-108.8 %) and relative standard deviations (2.5-4.9 %). The results matched those of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our work shows great potential in terms of the rapid detection of food safety.

Design of Fluorescent Hybrid Materials Based on POSS for Sensing Applications

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) has a nanoscale silicon core and eight organic functional groups on the surface, with sizes from 0.7 to 1.5 nm. The three-dimensional nanostructures of POSS can be used to build all types of hybrid materials with specific performance and controllable nanostructures. The applications of POSS-based fluorescent materials have spread across various fields. In particular, the employment of POSS-based fluorescent materials in sensing application can achieve high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. As a result, POSS-based fluorescent materials are attracting increasing attention due to their fascinating vistas, including unique structural features, easy fabrication, and tunable optical properties by molecular design. Here, we summarize the current available POSS-based fluorescent materials from design to sensing applications. In the design section, we introduce synthetic strategies and structures of the functionalized POSS-based fluorescent materials, as well as photophysical properties. In the application section, the typical POSS-based fluorescent materials used for the detection of various target objects are summarized with selected examples to elaborate on their wide applications.

Self-Assembly of Bolaamphiphiles into 2D Nanosheets via Synergistic and Meticulous Tailoring of Multiple Noncovalent Interactions

A bolaamphiphile possessing a hydrophobic skeleton and two hydrophilic groups at both ends represents an important class of building blocks toward a rich variety of self-assembled materials for use in ion transport, optoelectronic devices, and drug and gene delivery. Herein, we report a one-step synthesis of an array of rationally designed anionic bolaamphiphiles and unravel the correlation between molecular structure of anionic bolaamphiphiles and their disparate self-assemblies via synergistic and meticulous tailoring of a set of interactions. Intriguingly, by delicately regulating the interactions among these supramolecular interactions, two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets are crafted via self-assembly of anionic bolaamphiphiles. Particularly, single-layered 2D nanosheets are formed through the synergy of aromatic π-π stacking, hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, and electrostatic repulsion interactions. In contrast, the selective converting of anionic headgroups of bolaamphiphiles into nonpolar alkyl chain screens the electrostatic repulsion between neighboring bolaamphiphiles while keeping the other segments of bolaamphiphiles intact, thereby allowing them to self-assemble into multilayered 2D nanosheets. Interestingly, the intrinsically charged 2D nanosheets could anchor oppositely charged metal nanoparticles via electrostatic attraction. Conceptually, anionic bolaamphiphile-derived 2D nanosheets may function as a substrate to position a diversity of nanocrystals and conjugated polymers for a broad range of applications in catalysis, optical devices, and photothermal therapy.

Fabrication of Pd NPs on pectin-modified Fe3O4 NPs: A magnetically retrievable nanocatalyst for efficient C-C and C-N cross coupling reactions and an investigation of its cardiovascular protective effects

The present report represents the synthesis of a novel Pd NPs immobilized over a natural polysaccharide (pectin) coated Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanocomposite material (Fe₃O₄@pectin/Pd) for investigating the cardiovascular protective effects. The biomolecular functionalization not only stabilizes the ferrite nanoparticles from agglomeration but also provides an environment for the biogenic reduction of Pd²⁺ ions. This protocol is a promising breakthrough for the synthesis of a quasi-heterogeneous catalyst, a bridge between heterogeneous and homogeneous medium. The structure, morphology and physicochemical properties of the material were characterized utilizing various analytical techniques like FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, VSM, EDX-elemental mapping, ICP, EDX and XPS. The catalyst showed excellent reactivity in C-C and C-N cross coupling reactions via Suzuki and Buchwald-Hartwig reactions respectively. An array of different biphenyls and aryl amines were then procured by reactions of various aryl halides with phenylboronic acid or secondary amines over the catalyst affording good to excellent yields. The catalyst was easily recoverable using an external magnet and thereafter recycled for several trials with insignificant palladium leaching or loss in catalytic performance. To investigate the cardiovascular protective activities of catalyst, the MTT assay was done on Human Aortic Endothelial Cells (HAEC), Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells (HCAEC), and Human Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells (HPAEC) cell lines. Nanocatalyst-treated cell cutlers significantly (p ≤ 0.01) decreased the caspase-3 activity, and DNA fragmentation. It raised the cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential in the high concentration of Mitoxantrone-treated HAEC, HCAEC, and HPAEC cells. According to the above findings, nanocatalyst can be administrated as a cardiovascular protective drug for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases after approving in the clinical trial studies in humans.

Synthesis and properties of chromophore-functionalized monovinylsilsesquioxane derivatives

Herein, an effective and selective synthesis of chromophore-functionalized monovinylsilsesquioxane derivatives by a cross-metathesis reaction along with discussion of their photophysical and thermal resistance properties is disclosed.

Supramolecularly cross-linked amphiphilic block copolymer assembly by the dipolar interaction of a merocyanine dye

Dipolar interaction driven dimerization of a merocyanine (MC) dye has been exploited to achieve non-covalently crosslinked stable micelles in water and reverse micelles in toluene with emissive properties from a MC-pendant amphiphilic block copolymer.

Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Characterization of Tandem Triblock BPOSS-PDI-X Shape Amphiphiles

In this article, we report the facile synthesis, self-assembly, and characterization of shape amphiphiles (BPOSS-PDI-X) based on isobutyl-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (BPOSS), perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI), and (60)fullerene (C60) moieties. Firstly, an asymmetrically functionalized diblock shape amphiphile precursor (BPOSS-PDI-OH) was obtained through the one-pot reaction between perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride and two different amines, namely BPOSS-NH2 and 3-amino-1-propanol. It was further conjugated with C60-COOH to give a tri-block shape amphiphile (BPOSS-PDI-C60). Their chemical structures were thoroughly characterized by NMR, IR and MALDI-TOF MS spectrometry. In order to gain insights on the structure-property relationship, their self-assembly in gas phase, in solution, and in solid state were characterized using traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry (TWIM-MS), UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence emission spectrophotometer, and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. It was found that BPOSS-PDI-OH formed more complicated dimers than BPOSS-PDI-C60. Both samples showed unique aggregation behaviors in solution with increasing concentration, which could be attributed neither to H- nor to J-type and might be related to the discrete dimers. While BPOSS-PDI-C60 could hardly crystalize into ordered structures, BPOSS-PDI-OH could form nanobelt-shaped single crystals, which may hold potential applications in microelectronics.

Synthetic Routes to Silsesquioxane-Based Systems as Photoactive Materials and Their Precursors

Over the past two decades, organic optoelectronic materials have been considered very promising. The attractiveness of this group of compounds, regardless of their undisputable application potential, lies in the possibility of their use in the construction of organic–inorganic hybrid materials. This class of frameworks also considers nanostructural polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs) with “organic coronae” and precisely defined organic architectures between dispersed rigid silica cores. A significant number of papers on the design and development of POSS-based organic optoelectronic as well as photoluminescent (PL) materials have been published recently. In view of the scientific literature abounding with numerous examples of their application (i.e., as OLEDs), the aim of this review is to present efficient synthetic pathways leading to the formation of nanocomposite materials based on silsesquioxane systems that contain organic chromophores of complex nature. A summary of stoichiometric and predominantly catalytic methods for these silsesquioxane-based systems to be applied in the construction of photoactive materials or their precursors is given.

Synthesis, self-assembly and self-healing properties of organic–inorganic ABA triblock copolymers with poly(POSS acrylate) endblocks

A novel organic–inorganic ABA triblock copolymer with a poly(acrylate amide) (PAA) midblock and poly(POSS acrylate) [P(POSS)] endblocks was synthesized via sequential reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.

New perylene diimide derivatives: stable red emission, adjustable property from ACQ to AIE, and good device performance with an EQE value of 4.93

Perylene diimide (PDI) derivatives, due to their special opto-electronic property, have been successfully utilized in organic field-effect transistor (OFET), solar cells, and as non-fullerene acceptor and others, while few cases in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this work, six perylene bisimide-based red emitters, N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1-([1,1':3',1″-terphenyl]-5'-yl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (STPH), N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1,7-bis([1,1':3',1″-terphenyl]-5'-yl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (DTPH), N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1-(5'-phenyl-[1,1':3',1″-terphenyl]-4-yl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (STRPH), N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1,7-bis(5'-phenyl-[1,1':3',1″-terphenyl]-4-yl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (DTRPH), N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1-(4-(2,2-diphenylvinyl)phenyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (STTPE) and N,N'-bis(2-decyltetradecyl)-1,7-bis(4-(2,2-diphenylvinyl)phenyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-diimide (DTTPE), with the excellent chemical, thermal and photo-chemical stability, are synthesized through the convenient Suzuki coupling reaction, in which, the fluorescent properties can be modified easily from ACQ to AIE by just simply changing the bulky volume of the introduced aromatic substituents. After being fabricated into organic light-emitting diodes, STRPH exhibits the best performance with the maximum luminescence, power efficiency, current efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 1,948 cd m^-2, 2.04 lm W^-1, 5.85 cd A^-1, 4.93% at Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.56, 0.34), as the result of the high efficient energy transfer and good energy match achieved in the device.

POSS-benzocyclobutene (POSS-BCB) resin

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials with a high thermal stability and a low dielectric constant show great potential in the microelectronics industry. In this work, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-benzocyclobutenes (POSS-BCBs) were synthesized by a hydrosilylation reaction of octavinyloctasilasesquioxane (OVPOSS) and 4-(1,1-dimethyl-1-hydro)-silyl-benzocyclobutene with H2PtCl6 as a catalyst. The ring-opening reaction of BCB on POSS-BCBs resulted in POSS-BCB resins with a highly cross-linked network structure. This resin exhibited good thermal stability (T5% is 495°C in N2), low dielectric constants (<2.1 at 20 MHz) and low water absorption.

Photosensitizer (PS)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-crosslinked nanohybrids for enhanced imaging-guided photodynamic cancer therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has drawn extensive attention as a promising cancer treatment modality. However, most PDT nanoagents suffer from insufficient drug loading capacity, a severe self-quenching effect, premature release of drugs and/or potential toxicity. Herein, we rationally designed an inorganic-organic nanohybrid with high drug loading capacity and superior chemical stability for enhanced PDT. Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), an amine-containing cage-shaped building block, was crosslinked with chlorin e6 (Ce6), a carboxyl-containing photosensitizer, via the amine-carboxyl reaction. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers were further modified on the surface of the nanoparticle to improve the aqueous dispersibility and prolong the circulation time of the final nanoconstruct (POSS-Ce6-PEG). The as-prepared POSS-Ce6-PEG has a considerably high loading rate of Ce6 (19.8 wt%) with desirable fluorescence emission and singlet oxygen generation. Besides, in vitro experiments revealed that the nanoagent exhibited enhanced cellular uptake and a preferred intracellular accumulation within mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in high anticancer efficiency under light irradiation. Furthermore, in vivo imaging-guided PDT was also successfully achieved, showing the effective tumor targeting and ablation ability of POSS-Ce6-PEG. More importantly, the nanoagent possesses negligible dark cytotoxicity and systemic side effects. Therefore, POSS-Ce6-PEG as an eligible PDT theranostic agent holds great potential in clinical applications.

Immunotheranostic Polymersomes Modularly Assembled from Tetrablock and Diblock Copolymers with Oxidation-Responsive Fluorescence

INTRODUCTION

Intracellular delivery is a key step for many applications in medicine and for investigations into cellular function. This is particularly true for immunotherapy, which often requires controlled delivery of antigen and adjuvants to the cytoplasm of immune cells. Due to the complex responses generated by the stimulation of diverse immune cell populations, it is critical to monitor which cells are targeted during treatment. To address this issue, we have engineered an immunotheranostic polymersome delivery system that fluorescently marks immune cells following intracellular delivery.

METHODS

N-(3-bromopropyl)phthalimide end-capped poly(ethylene glycol)-bl-poly(propylene sulfide) (PEG-PPS-PI) was synthesized by anionic ring opening polymerization and linked with PEG-PPS-NH₂ via a perylene bisimide (PBI) bridge to form a tetrablock copolymer (PEG-PPS-PBI-PPS-PEG). Block copolymers were assembled into polymersomes by thin film hydration in phosphate buffered saline and characterized by dynamic light scattering, cryogenic electron microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Polymersomes were injected subcutaneously into the backs of mice, and draining lymph nodes were extracted for flow cytometric analysis of cellular uptake and disassembly.

RESULTS

Modular self-assembly of tetrablock / diblock copolymers in aqueous solutions induced π-π stacking of the PBI linker that both red-shifted and quenched the PBI fluorescence. Reactive oxygen species within the endosomes of phagocytic immune cell populations oxidized the PPS blocks, which disassembled the polymersomes for dequenching and shifting of the PBI fluorescence from 640 nm to 550 nm emission. Lymph node resident macrophages and dendritic cells were found to increase in 550 nm emission over the course of 3 days by flow cytometry.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunotheranostic polymersomes present a versatile platform to probe the contributions of specific cell populations during the elicitation of controlled immune responses. Flanking PBI with two oxidation-sensitive hydrophobic PPS blocks enhanced π stacking and introduced a mechanism for disrupting π-π interactions to shift PBI fluorescence in response to oxidative conditions. Shifts from red (640 nm) to green (550 nm) fluorescence occurred in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of reactive oxygen species and could be observed within phagocytic cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Supramolecularly Cross-Linked Nanogel by Merocyanine Pendent Copolymer

Directional dipole-dipole interaction mediated antiparallel dimerization of merocyanine dye (MD) has been explored for maneuvering supramolecular assembly of MD-conjugated flexible macromolecules leading to a cross-linked nanogel. The MD-functionalized copolymer was synthesized by a newly developed organocatalytic transesterification strategy for postpolymerization functionalization of poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (polyPFPA)-based reactive copolymer. Presence of ∼35% pendant MD attached to a coil-like polymer chain leads to spontaneous formation of highly emitting cross-linked nanogel with efficient container property and appreciable stability in toluene owing to strong dimerization propensity among the MD. Considering the significance of MD in the context of nonlinear optics and photovoltaics, these results not only enrich the toolbox for engineering macromolecular assembly, but also open up new possibilities for future organic materials.

How does the interplay between bromine substitution at bay area and bulky substituents at imide position influence the photophysical properties of perylene diimides?

This article reports a comparative study on the photophysical properties of perylene diimides which caused by the interplay between bromine substitution at bay area and bulky substituents at imide position.

Morphological Evolution of Self-Assembled Structures Induced by the Molecular Architecture of Supra-Amphiphiles

A series of telechelic supramolecular amphiphiles [POSS-Azo₈@(β-CD-PDMAEMA)_1→8] was accomplished by orthogonally coupling the multiarm host polymer β-cyclodextrin-poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (β-CD-PDMAEMA) with an octatelechelic guest molecule azobenzene modified-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS-Azo₈) under different host-guest ratios. These telechelic supramolecular amphiphiles possess a rigid core and flexible corona. Increasing the multiarm host polymer coupled onto the rigid POSS core made the molecular architecture tend to be symmetrical and spherical. POSS-Azo₈@[β-CD-PDMAEMA]_1→8 could self-assemble into diverse morphologies evolving from spherical micelles, wormlike micelles, and branched aggregates to bowl-shaped vesicles. Distinct from the traditional linear amphiphilic polymers, we discovered that the self-assembly of POSS-Azo₈@[β-CD-PDMAEMA]_1→8 was dominantly regulated by their molecular architectures instead of hydrophilicity, which has also been verified using computer simulation results.

Tube-graft-Sheet Nano-Objects Created by A Stepwise Self-Assembly of Polymer-Polyoxometalate Hybrids

In this work, we report the preparation of complex nano-objects by means of a stepwise self-assembly of two polymer-polyoxometalate hybrids (PPHs) in solution. The PPHs are designed and synthesized by tethering two linear poly(ε-caprolactone)s (PCL) of different molecular weights (MW) on a complex of a Wells-Dawson-type polyoxometalate (POM) cluster and its countraions. The higher MW PCL-POM self-assembled into nanosheets, while the lower MW PCL-POM assembled into nanotubes just by altering the ratio of water in the DMF-water mixed solvent system. The two nano-objects have a similar membrane structure in which a PCL layer is sandwiched by the two POM-based complex layers. The PCL layer in the nanosheets is semicrystalline, while the PCL layer in the nanotubes is amorphous. We further exploited this MW-dependence to self-assemble the nanotubes on the nanosheet edges to create complex tube-graft-sheet nano-objects. We found that the nanotubes nucleate on the four {110} faces of the PCL crystal and then further grow along the crystallographic b-axis of the PCL crystal. Our findings offer hope for the further development of nano-objects with increasing complexity.

Recent advances in organic–inorganic well-defined hybrid polymers using controlled living radical polymerization techniques

Controlled living radical polymerizations, such as ATRP and RAFT polymerization, could be utilized for the preparation of well-defined organic–inorganic hybrid polymers based on POSS, PDMS, silica nanoparticles, graphene, CNTs and fullerene.

Controllable preparation and properties of active functional hybrid materials with different chromophores

POSS-based active functional hybrid materials were controllably prepared and their optical properties were influenced by molecular structure.

One-pot synthesis of well-defined amphiphilic alternating copolymer brushes based on POSS and their self-assembly in aqueous solution

The amphiphilic alternating copolymer brushes P(MIPOSS-alt-VBPEG) with a sequence of alternating MIPOSS and polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chains were synthesized via RAFT polymerization, and they could form spherical aggregates.

Star-shaped POSS diblock copolymers and their self-assembled films

This first example of 16-arm, star-shaped diblock copolymers s-POSS-PMMA_277.3-b-P(MA-POSS)_{5.8,16.4,25.4} can be used as solvent-dependent coatings.