Universal Synthetic Strategy for the Construction of Topological Polystyrenesulfonates: The Importance of Linkage Stability during Sulfonation.

Polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), as one of the most important categories of polyelectrolytes, has received increasing attention due to its great potential in the applications of energy- and biomedical-related fields. However, most of the previous studies only focused on linear PSS and its derivatives, but little attention was paid to nonlinear topological PSSs. So far, the synthesis of nonlinear PSSs with well-defined structures is still a challenging task, and the main obstacle lies in the stability issue of functional chemical linkages during the sulfonation process of polystyrene (PS) precursors, such as the carbon-oxygen-containing linkages.

Reduction-responsive diblock copolymer-modified gold nanorods for enhanced cellular uptake.

Reduction-responsive polymer micelles are highly promising drug carriers with better tumor therapeutic effect, which can be achieved by controlled drug release under stimulation. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique optical and electronic properties when used for biomedical applications. Herein, the lipoic-acid-functionalized reduction-responsive amphiphilic copolymer poly(ε-caprolactone)--poly[(oligoethylene glycol) acrylate] (LA-PCL-SS-POEGA) with a disulfide group between the two blocks was prepared to modify AuNRs Au-S bonds.