Preparation of water-resistant antifog hard coatings on plastic substrate.

A novel water resistant antifog (AF) coating for plastic substrates was developed, which has a special hydrophilic/hydrophobic bilayer structure. The bottom layer, acting both as a mechanical support and a hydrophobic barrier against water penetration, is an organic-inorganic composite comprising colloidal silica embedded in a cross-linked network of dipentaethritol hexaacrylate (DPHA). Atop this layer, an AF coating is applied, which incorporates a superhydrophilic species synthesized from Tween-20 (surfactant), isophorone diisocyanate (coupling agent), and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (monomer).

Covalent bonding of GYIGSR to EVAL membrane surface to improve migration and adhesion of cultured neural stem/precursor cells.

In the present study, we modified poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) membranes with the covalent bonding of the laminin-derived peptides, GYIGSR by using carbodiimidazole (CDI) to activate the hydroxyl groups on the membrane surface. The resulting GYIGSR-immobilized EVAL (EVAL-GYIGSR) membrane was analyzed in terms of the effect of immobilized peptide sequence on the behaviors of neural stem/precursor cells (NSPCs), isolated from embryonic rat cerebral cortex, in the serum-free medium. Compared to the unmodified EVAL, GYIGSR immobilized on the EVAL membrane was shown to significantly increase NSPCs migrating out of neurospheres (p<0.

Efficient transfer of human adipose-derived stem cells by chitosan/gelatin blend films.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are a potential source of abundant mesenchymal stem cells and represent a promising cell-based therapy for tissue damage or degeneration conditions. Previous investigations have demonstrated enhanced therapeutic effects of ASCs in a three-dimensional spheroid culture formulation. In this study, we hypothesize that a composite membrane made of chitosan/gelatin (C/G) is beneficial to facilitate transfer of human ASCs in spheroids.

Immobilization of DNA on microporous PVDF membranes by plasma polymerization.

Microporous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with different porous surface morphologies were prepared by immersion-precipitation from coagulation baths of different strengths. On these membranes single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (ss-DNA) was covalently immobilized by a dual-step procedure. First, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was grafted on PVDF membranes by plasma-induced free radical polymerization.

Immobilization of L-lysine on microporous PVDF membranes for neuron culture.

Microporous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with dense or porous surface were prepared by immersion precipitation of PVDF/TEP solutions in coagulation baths containing different amounts of water. Onto the membrane surface, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was grafted by plasma-induced free radical polymerization. Then, L-lysine was covalently bonded to the as-grafted PGMA through ring-opening reactions between epoxide and amine to form amino alcohol.