Highly Branched Polydimethylacrylamide Copolymers as Functional Biomaterials

Controlled radical polymerization of vinyl monomers with multivinyl cross-linkers leads to the synthesis of highly branched polymers with controlled spatial density of functional chain ends. The resulting polymers synthesized in this manner have large dispersities resulting from a mixture of unreacted primary chains, low molecular weight branched species, and high molecular weight highly branched species. Through the use of fractional precipitation, we present a synthetic route to high molecular weight highly branched polymers that are absent of low molecular weight species and that contain reactivity toward amines for controlled postpolymerization modification. The controlled spatial density of functional moieties on these high molecular weight macromolecular constructs enable new functional biomaterials with the potential for application in regenerative medicine, immunoengineering, imaging, and controlled drug delivery.

Methylsulfone as a leaving group for synthesis of hyperbranched poly(arylene pyrimidine ether)s by nucleophilic aromatic substitution

Using a novel leaving group, methylsulfone activated by pyrimidine, 4,6-dichloro-2-(methylsulfonyl)pyrimidine was used to synthesize two new hyperbranched poly(arylene pyrimidine ether)s with diphenol via a nucleophilic substitution polymerization.

Förster resonance energy transfer confirms the bacterial-induced conformational transition in highly-branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide with vancomycin end groups on binding to Staphylococcus aureus

We describe a series of experiments designed to investigate the conformational transition that highly-branched polymers with ligands undergo when interacting with bacteria, a process that may provide a new sensing mechanism for bacterial detection. Fluorescent highly-branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)s (HB-PNIPAM) were prepared by sequential self-condensing radical copolymerizations, using anthrylmethyl methacrylate (AMMA) and fluorescein-O-acrylate (FA) as fluorescent comonomers and 4-vinylbenzyl pyrrole carbodithioate as a branch forming monomer. Differences in reactivity necessitated to first copolymerize AMMA then react with FA in a separate sequential monomer feed step. Modifications of the chain ends produced vancomycin-functional derivatives (HB-PNIPAM-Van). The AMMA and FA labels allow probing of the conformational behaviour of the polymers in solution via Förster resonance energy transfer experiments. It was shown that interaction of this polymer's end groups with Staphylococcus aureus induced a macromolecular collapse. The data thus provide conclusive evidence for a conformational transition that is driven by binding to a bacterium.

Efficient and economical synthesis of dendrimer-like polystyrene with long subchains through arm-first divergent strategy

Arm-first divergent approach combined with selective precipitation has been developed to synthesize dendrimer-like polystyrenes efficiently and economically.