Infiltration of Proteins in Cholesteric Cellulose Structures.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can spontaneously self-assemble into chiral nematic (cn) structures, similar to natural cholesteric organizations. The latter display highly dissipative fracture propagation mechanisms given their "brick" (particles) and "mortar" (soft matrix) architecture. Unfortunately, CNCs in liquid media have strong supramolecular interactions with most macromolecules, leading to aggregated suspensions.

Silk Sericin-Polylactide Protein-Polymer Conjugates as Biodegradable Amphiphilic Materials and Their Application in Drug Release Systems.

Silk sericin (SS) is a byproduct of silk production. In order to transform it into value-added products, sericin can be used as a biodegradable and pH-responsive building block in drug delivery materials. To this end, amphiphilic substances were synthesized via the conjugation of hydrophobic polylactide (PLA) to the hydrophilic sericin using a bis-aryl hydrazone linker.

Self-Reporting Fiber-Reinforced Composites That Mimic the Ability of Biological Materials to Sense and Report Damage.

Sensing of damage, deformation, and mechanical forces is of vital importance in many applications of fiber-reinforced polymer composites, as it allows the structural health and integrity of composite components to be monitored and microdamage to be detected before it leads to catastrophic material failure. Bioinspired and biomimetic approaches to self-sensing and self-reporting materials are reviewed. Examples include bruising coatings and bleeding composites based on dye-filled microcapsules, hollow fibers, and vascular networks.

Poly(2-oxazoline)-Antibiotic Conjugates with Penicillins.

The conjugation of antibiotics with polymers is rarely done, but it might be a promising alternative to low-molecular-weight derivatization. The two penicillins penicillin G (PenG) and penicillin V (PenV) were attached to the end groups of different water-soluble poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) via their carboxylic acid function. This ester group was shown to be more stable against hydrolysis than the β-lactam ring of the penicillins.