Hyperbranched Polyglycerol Derivatives as Prospective Copper Nanotransporter Candidates

A smart hydrogel carrier for silver nanoparticles: an improved recyclable catalyst with temperature-tuneable catalytic activity for alcohol and olefin oxidation

Radical polymerization reactions were employed to synthesize thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) hydrogels at room temperature.

Modification of carbon-based nanomaterials by polyglycerol: recent advances and applications

Hyperbranched polymers, a subclass of dendritic polymers, mimic nature's components such as trees and nerves. Hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) is a hyperbranched polyether with outstanding physicochemical properties, including high water-solubility and functionality, biocompatibility, and an antifouling feature. HPG has attracted great interest in the modification of different objects, in particular carbon-based nanomaterials. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis and application of HPG to modify carbon-based nanomaterials, including graphene, carbon nanotubes, fullerene, nanodiamonds, carbon dots, and carbon fibers, are reviewed.

Recent advances in metallopolymer-based drug delivery systems

Metallopolymers (MPs) or metal-containing polymers have shown great potential as new drug delivery systems (DDSs) due to their unique properties, including universal architectures, composition, properties and surface chemistry. Over the past few decades, the exponential growth of many new classes of MPs that deal with these issues has been demonstrated. This review presents and assesses the recent advances and challenges associated with using MPs as DDSs. Among the most widely used MPs for these purposes, metal complexes based on synthetic and natural polymers, coordination polymers, metal-organic frameworks, and metallodendrimers are distinguished. Particular attention is paid to the stimulus- and multistimuli-responsive metallopolymer-based DDSs. Of considerable interest is the use of MPs for combination therapy and multimodal systems. Finally, the problems and future prospects of using metallopolymer-based DDSs are outlined. The bibliography includes articles published over the past five years.

A Malonyl-Based Scaffold for Conjugatable Multivalent Carbohydrate-BODIPY Presentations

A concise synthetic route from methylmalonate to a tetravalent aliphatic scaffold has been developed. The ensuing tetra-tethered derivative is equipped with two hydroxyl groups, as well as orthogonal alkene and alkyne functionalities. The usefulness of the scaffold has been demonstrated with the preparation of two representative multivalent derivatives: (i) a tetravalent compound containing two D-mannose units, one fluorescent boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dye and a suitably functionalized amino acid and (ii) by way of dimerization and saponification, a water-soluble tetramannan derivative containing two fluorescent BODIPY units. Additionally, photophysical measurements conducted on these derivatives support the viability of the herein designed single and double BODIPY-labeled carbohydrate-based clusters as fluorescent markers.

Facile Fabrication of Self-Healable and Antibacterial Soy Protein-Based Films with High Mechanical Strength

Soy protein isolate (SPI), a ubiquitous and readily available biopolymer, has drawn increasing attention because of its sustainability, abundance, and low price. However, the poor mechanical properties, tedious performance adjustments, irreversible damage, and weak microorganism resistance have limited its applications. In this study, a facile but delicate strategy is proposed to fabricate an excellently self-healable and remarkably antibacterial SPI-based material with high mechanical strength by integrating polyethyleneimine (PEI) and metal ions (Cu(II) or Zn(II)). The tensile strengths of the SPI/PEI-Cu-0.750 and SPI/PEI-Zn-0.750 films reach up to 10.46 ± 0.50 and 9.06 ± 0.62 MPa, which is 367.06 and 306.28% strength increase compared to that of neat SPI film, respectively. Due to abundant non-covalent bonds and low glass transition temperature of the network, both SPI/PEI-Cu and SPI/PEI-Zn films exhibit a satisfactory self-healing behavior even at room temperature. Furthermore, SPI/PEI-Cu and SPI/PEI-Zn films demonstrate high bacterial resistance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This facile strategy of establishing dynamic networks in a biomaterial with numerous excellent properties will enormously expand the scope of its applications, especially in the field of recyclable and durable materials.