Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Coated by Coumarin-Bound Copolymer for Enhanced Magneto- and Photothermal Heating and Luminescent Thermometry

In this work, we report on the synthesis and investigation of new hybrid multifunctional iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) coated by coumarin-bound copolymer, which combine magneto- or photothermal heating with luminescent thermometry. A series of amphiphilic block copolymers, including Coum-C11-PPhOx27-PMOx59 and Coum-C11-PButOx8-PMOx42 bearing luminescent and photodimerizable coumarin moiety, as well as coumarin-free PPhOx27-PMOx57, were evaluated for their utility as luminescent thermometers and for encapsulating spherical 26 nm IONPs. The obtained IONP@Coum-C11-PPhOx27-PMOx59 nano-objects are perfectly dispersible in water and able to provide macroscopic heating remotely triggered by an alternating current magnetic field (AMF) with a specific absorption rate (SAR) value of 240 W.g-1 or laser irradiation with a photothermal conversion efficiency of η = 68%. On the other hand, they exhibit temperature-dependent emission of coumarin offering the function of luminescent thermometer, which operates in the visible region between 20 °C and 60 °C in water displaying a maximal relative thermal sensitivity (Sr) of 1.53%·°C-1 at 60 °C.

Synthesis and Characterization of Microwave-Assisted Copolymer Membranes of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-starch-methacrylate and Their Evaluation for Gas Transport Properties

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is an excellent membrane-forming polymer and can be modified with potato starch and methyl acrylate monomers to obtain copolymers with improved physical and chemical properties. The study presents the synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-starch-poly(methyl acrylate) PVA-g-St-g-PMA copolymers using microwave irradiation technique and potassium persulfate initiator. Solution casting and solvent evaporation methods were adopted for the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol-g-starch-acrylamide composite membranes. The synthesized graft copolymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The modified nanocomposite membranes were showed very promising results with the parameters permeability and selectivity. The nanocomposite membranes exhibited the advantages of easy handling and reuse.

Synthesis of fluorescent polycarbonates with highly twisted N,N-bis(dialkylamino)anthracene AIE luminogens in the main chain

A synthetic route to embed aggregation-induced-emission-(AIE)-active luminophores in polycarbonates (PCs) in various ratios is reported. The AIE-active monomer is based on the structure of 9,10-bis(piperidyl)anthracene. The obtained PCs display good film-forming properties, similar to those observed in poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (Ba-PC). The fluorescence quantum yield (Φ) of the PC with 5 mol% AIE-active monomer was 0.04 in solution and 0.53 in solid state. Moreover, this PC is also miscible with commercially available Ba-PC at any blending ratio. A combined analysis by scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry did not indicate any clear phase separation. These results thus suggest that even engineering plastics like polycarbonates can be functionalized with AIE luminogens without adverse effects on their physical properties.

Full and partial hydrolysis of poly(2-oxazoline)s and the subsequent post-polymerization modification of the resulting polyethylenimine (co)polymers

This review discusses the full and partial hydrolysis of poly(2-oxazoline)s as well as the synthetic methods that have been reported to modify the resulting secondary amine groups.