Aerogels of Polypyrrole/Tannic Acid with Nanofibrillated Cellulose for the Removal of Hexavalent Chromium Ions.

The preparation of conducting polymer aerogels is an effective strategy to produce innovative materials with enhanced physicochemical properties. Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) aerogels were oxidatively prepared in the presence of tannic acid (TA) with different concentrations (2.5, 5, and 10% mole ratio to pyrrole monomer) under freezing conditions.

Magnetic Polypyrrole-Gelatin-Barium Ferrite Cryogel as an Adsorbent for Chromium (VI) Removal.

Polypyrrole-gelatin aerogels, containing magnetic barium ferrite (BaFe) particles, (PPy-G-BaFe) were synthesized by oxidative cryopolymerization and used as adsorbents for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous media. The removal was performed at pH 4, which was shown to be the optimal value, due to HCrO being the dominant species in these conditions and its more favorable adsorption and reduction compared to CrO, present at pH > 4. It was found that the presence of magnetic BaFe particles had no effect on the adsorption performance of PPy aerogels in terms of capacity and kinetics, which was attributed to its relatively low content in the composite.

Amphiphilic (di-)gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s are potent amyloid fibril formation inhibitors.

Motivation: Amyloidoses are diseases caused by the accumulation of normally soluble proteins in the form of insoluble amyloids, leading to the gradual dysfunction and failure of various organs and tissues. Inhibiting amyloid formation is therefore an important therapeutic target.

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that mono- and di-gradient amphiphilic copolymers of hydrophilic 2-(m)ethyl-2-oxazoline and hydrophobic 2-aryl-2-oxazolines may inhibit amyloid fibril formation.

Tuning of Morphological and Antibacterial Properties of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Peroxodisulfate by Methyl Violet.

This study demonstrates a one-step synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in the presence of the methyl violet (MV) dye. The structural properties of PEDOT:peroxodisulfate were studied using Raman and MALDI-TOF spectroscopies. The use of the MV dye in the polymerization process resulted in a change in the typical irregular morphology of PEDOT:peroxodisulfate, leading to the formation of spherical patterns.

Hydrophilic Copolymers with Hydroxamic Acid Groups as a Protective Biocompatible Coating of Maghemite Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Physico-Chemical Characterization and MRI Biodistribution Study.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) with a "non-fouling" surface represent a versatile group of biocompatible nanomaterials valuable for medical diagnostics, including oncology. In our study we present a synthesis of novel maghemite (γ-FeO) nanoparticles with positive and negative overall surface charge and their coating by copolymer P(HPMA--HAO) prepared by RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer) copolymerization of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) with N-[2-(hydroxyamino)-2-oxo-ethyl]-2-methyl-prop-2-enamide (HAO). Coating was realized via hydroxamic acid groups of the HAO comonomer units with a strong affinity to maghemite.