Synthesis of Poly(allyl glycidyl ether)-Derived Polyampholytes and Their Application to the Cryopreservation of Living Cells.

Through the postpolymerization modification of poly(allyl glycidyl ether) (PAGE), a functionalizable polyether with a poly(ethylene oxide) backbone, we engineered a new class of highly tunable polyampholyte materials. These polyampholytes can be synthesized to have several useful properties, including low cytotoxicity and pH-responsive coacervate formation. In this study, we used PAGE-based polyampholytes (PAGE-PAs) for the cryopreservation of mammalian cell suspensions.

Selective deuteration along a polyethylene chain: Differentiating conformation segment by segment.

To improve the circularity and performance of polyolefin materials, recent innovations have enabled the synthesis of polyolefins with new structural features such as cleavable breakpoints, functional chain ends, and unique comonomers. As new polyolefin structures become synthetically accessible, fundamental understanding of the effects of structural features on polymer (re)processing and mechanical performance is increasingly important. While material properties are readily measured through conventional thermal or mechanical techniques, selective measurement of material properties near structural defects is a major characterization challenge.

Highly Versatile Strategy for the Production of Telechelic Polyolefins.

A general and versatile synthetic strategy for producing practical quantities of a wide range of phenyl-group-terminated hetero- and homotelechelic semicrystalline polyethenes and amorphous atactic and semicrystalline isotactic poly(α-olefins) is reported. The phenyl groups serve as synthons for functionalities of additional classes of telechelic polyolefins that can be "unmasked" through simple high yielding postpolymerization reactions. A demonstration of the value of these materials as building blocks for structural classes of polyolefin-based synthetic polymers was provided by syntheses of well-defined polyolefin-polyester di- and triblock copolymers that were shown to adopt microphase-segregated nanostructured mesophases in the condensed phase.

Mechanism of Polymer-Mediated Cryopreservation Using Poly(methyl glycidyl sulfoxide).

Under the right conditions, some biological systems can maintain high viability after being frozen and thawed, but many others (e.g., organs and many mammalian cells) cannot.

Understanding Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Mediated Ice Recrystallization Inhibition through Ice Adsorption Measurement and pH Effects.

The development of improved cryopreservative materials is necessary to enable complete recovery of living cells and tissue after frozen storage. Remarkably, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) displays some of the same cryoprotective properties as many antifreeze proteins found in cold tolerant organisms. In particular, PVA is very effective at halting the Ostwald ripening of ice, a process that mechanically damages cells and tissue.