Bio-Graphene Sensors for Monitoring Moisture Levels in Wood and Ambient Environment.

Wood is an inherently hygroscopic material which tends to absorb moisture from its surrounding. Moisture in wood is a determining factor for the quality of wood being employed in construction, since it causes weakening, deformation, rotting, and ultimately leading to failure of the structures resulting in costs to the economy, the environment, and to the safety of residents. Therefore, monitoring moisture in wood during the construction phase and after construction is vital for the future of smart and sustainable buildings.

ARGET ATRP for versatile grafting of cellulose using various monomers.

In recent years, cellulose-based materials have attracted significant attention. To broaden the application areas for cellulose, polymers are often grafted to/from the surface to modify its properties. This study applies ARGET (activators regenerated by electron transfer) ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization) when straightforwardly grafting methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene (St), and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) from cellulose in the form of conventional filter paper in the presence of a sacrificial initiator.

Superhydrophobic and self-cleaning bio-fiber surfaces via ATRP and subsequent postfunctionalization.

Superhydrophobic and self-cleaning cellulose surfaces have been obtained via surface-confined grafting of glycidyl methacrylate using atom transfer radical polymerization combined with postmodification reactions. Both linear and branched graft-on-graft architectures were used for the postmodification reactions to obtain highly hydrophobic bio-fiber surfaces by functionalization of the grafts with either poly(dimethylsiloxane), perfluorinated chains, or alkyl chains, respectively. Postfunctionalization using alkyl chains yielded results similar to those of surfaces modified by perfluorination, in terms of superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning properties, and the stability of these properties over time.

Intelligent dual-responsive cellulose surfaces via surface-initiated ATRP.

Novel thermo-responsive cellulose (filter paper) surfaces of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and pH-responsive cellulose surfaces of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) have been achieved via surface-initiated ATRP. Dual-responsive (pH and temperature) cellulose surfaces were also obtained through the synthesis of block-copolymer brushes of PNIPAAm and P4VP. With changes in pH and temperature, these "intelligent" surfaces showed a reversible response to both individual triggers, as indicated by the changes in wettability from highly hydrophilic to highly hydrophobic observed by water contact angle measurements.

Dendronized hydroxypropyl cellulose: synthesis and characterization of biobased nanoobjects.

Dendronized polymers containing a cellulose backbone have been synthesized with the aim of producing complex molecules with versatile functionalization possibilites and high molecular weight from biobased starting materials. The dendronized polymers were built by attaching premade acetonide-protected 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid functional dendrons of generation one to three to a hydroxypropyl cellulose backbone. Deprotection or functionalization of the end groups of the first generation dendronized polymer to hydroxyl groups and long alkyl chains was performed, respectively.

Comb polymers prepared by ATRP from hydroxypropyl cellulose.

Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) was used as a core molecule for controlled grafting of monomers by ATRP, the aim being to produce densely grafted comb polymers. HPC was either allowed to react with an ATRP initiator or the first generation initiator-functionalized 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid dendron to create macroinitiators having high degrees of functionality. The macroinitiators were then "grafted from" using ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) or hexadecyl methacrylate.

Superhydrophobic bio-fibre surfaces via tailored grafting architecture.

Superhydrophobic bio-fibre surfaces with a micro-nano-binary surface structure have been achieved via the surface-confined grafting of glycidyl methacrylate, using a branched "graft-on-graft" architecture, followed by post-functionalisation to obtain fluorinated brushes.

Dendritic structures based on bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid as platforms for surface reactions.

In this paper we present results related to the self-assembly of different generations of disulfide-cored 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid-based dendritic structures onto gold surfaces. These molecular architectures, ranging from generation 1 to generation 3, contain removable acetonide protecting groups at their periphery that are accessible for hydrolysis with subsequent formation of OH-terminated surface-attached dendrons. The deprotection has been investigated in detail as a versatile approach to accomplish reactive surface platforms.