Acid Scavenger Free Synthesis of Oligo(Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Fumarate) Utilizing Inert Gas Sparging.

The macromolecule oligo(poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate) (OPF) exhibits promising attributes for creating suitable three-dimensional hydrogel environments to study cell behavior, deliver therapeutics, and serve as a degradable, nonfouling material. However, traditional synthesis techniques are time consuming, contain salt contaminants, and generate significant waste. These issues have been overcome with an alternative, one-pot approach that utilizes inert gas sparging.

Optimization of electrospun poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) mats for the rapid reversible adhesion of mammalian cells.

Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is a "smart" polymer that responds to changes in altering temperature near physiologically relevant temperatures, changing its relative hydrophobicity. Mammalian cells attach to pNIPAM at 37 °C and detach spontaneously as a confluent sheet when the temperature is shifted below the lower critical solution temperature (∼32 °C). A variety of methods have been used to create pNIPAM films, including plasma polymerization, self-assembled monolayers, and electron beam ionization.