Bio-Degradable Polyesters with Rigid Cyclic Diester from Camphor and Tartaric Acid.

Despite their excellent, useful, and stable properties, thermoplastics are constantly subject to environmental risks because of their low degradability under thermal, chemical, and mechanical stresses. To overcome the aforementioned issues, we hereby introduce an eco-friendly camphor (Ct) cyclic diester. The Ct diester is designed as a monomer, including a ketal group from the Ct, and shows high thermal stability via a rigid spiro-ring and a bridged bicyclic structure.

Hard Coating Materials Based on Photo-Reactive Silsesquioxane for Flexible Application: Improvement of Flexible and Hardness Properties by High Molecular Weight.

EPOSS of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) mixture structure and LPSQ of ladder-like polysilsesquioxane (LPSQ) structure were synthesized via sol-gel reaction. EPSQ had a high molecular weight due to polycondensation by potassium carbonate. The EPSQ film showed uniform surface morphology due to regular double-stranded structure.

Change of Characterization and Film Morphology Based on Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesives by Hydrophilic Derivative Ratio.

Hydrophilic acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) were synthesized by controlling the contents of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA), isobornyl acrylate (IBOA), and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA); especially, the characteristic change of the HEA content was analyzed. Surface contact angle of acrylic PSA film decreased from 77.87° to 70.

Redox-responsive FRET-based polymer dot with BODIPY for fluorescence imaging-guided chemotherapy of tumor.

Redox-responsive polymer dot (PD) were synthesized from disulfide cross-linked polymers in a carbonized process to allow quenching effects by loading of boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) onto the matrix. The disulfide linkage facilitated degradation of the PD system by intracellular glutathione (GSH), leading to fluorescence recovery by BODIPY and intracellular drug release. The paclitaxel release profile showed that approximately 100% of the drug escaped from the matrix in response to 10 mM GSH, whereas less than 10% was released in the absence of GSH.

Target-specific induced hyaluronic acid decorated silica fluorescent nanoparticles@polyaniline for bio-imaging guided near-infrared photothermal therapy.

We describe a novel synthesis method for silica nanoparticles, which involves a combination of these nanoparticles with targetable and nontargetable fluorescent dopamine-conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA-DA) via rational chemical dehydration. The resulting HA-decorated silica fluorescent nanoparticles, electrostatically linked to polyaniline (PANI) to form ionic complexes, possessed high fluorescence intensity and were monodisperse in solution, near-infrared light responsive, and amenable to specific labeling of cancer cell lines. When exposed to near-infrared irradiation, the fluorescent silica nanoparticles exerted photothermal cytotoxicity guided by bioimaging and distinguished malignant cancer cells from normal cells via receptor CD44.

Functionalized biocompatible WO3 nanoparticles for triggered and targeted in vitro and in vivo photothermal therapy.

We report on dopamine-conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA-D), a mussel-inspired facile capping material that can modify tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles to be both biocompatible and targetable, allowing precise delivery (WO3-HA) to a tumor site. Near-infrared (NIR) irradiated WO3-HA showed a rapid and substantial rise in photothermal heat to complete in vitro thermolysis of malignant MDAMB and A549 cancer cellsbut was found to be relatively less sensitive to normal MDCK cells. A long-term in vivo investigation of ~10 nm HA thickness on WO3 (WO3-HA) nanoparticles demonstrated efficient photo-thermal conversion with time-dependent tumor target accumulation.

Facile fabrication of high-efficiency near-infrared absorption film with tungsten bronze nanoparticle dense layer.

Unlabelled: An excellent transparent film with effective absorption property in near-infrared (NIR) region based on cesium-doped tungsten oxide nanoparticles was fabricated using a facile double layer coating method via the theoretical considerations. The optical performance was evaluated; the double layer-coated film exhibited 10% transmittance at 1,000 nm in the NIR region and over 80% transmittance at 550 nm in the visible region. To optimize the selectivity, the optical spectrum of this film was correlated with a theoretical model by combining the contributions of the Mie-Gans absorption-based localized surface plasmon resonance and reflections by the interfaces of the heterogeneous layers and the nanoparticles in the film.

Spiropyran-conjugated pluronic as a dual responsive colorimetric detector.

Novel spiropyran-conjugated Pluronic [polyethylene oxide (PEO)-b-polypropylene oxide (PPO)-b-polyethylene oxide (PEO)] micelles are developed as a new colorimetric detector showing photo- or thermo-switchable behavior. Facile conjugation of spiropyran to Pluronic was confirmed by (1)H NMR, UV-Vis, and Fluorescence spectroscopy. A switchable photoluminescence is found depending on the irradiation with either UV or visible light, and temperature resulting from structural isomerization of spiropyran between spiropyran (SP) and merocyanine (MC) form.

A study on the synthesis of polystyrene-silica nanocomposite particles by soap-free emulsion polymerization using cationic initiator in company with colloidal silica sol solution.

Nano-sized polystyrene (PS)-silica nanocomposite particles have been prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization using a cationic initiator, 2,2'-azobis(isobutyramidine) hydrochloride (AIBA) with a colloidal silica (Ludox SM30, 7 nm diameter). The cationic initiator leads to the formation of the PS-silica nanocomposite particles by electrostatic interaction with negatively charged silica particles. Morphology, particle size distribution, reactivity and silica content of the particles were monitored on different reaction conditions such as pH, the addition time of silica sol and the amount of the silica sol.

Monodisperse polystyrene-silica core-shell particles and silica hollow spheres prepared by the Stöber method.

Monodisperse polystyrene (PS) bead particles (diameter approximately 750 nm) have been synthesized with an initiator, 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AIBA), using a surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. The PS particles charged positively by the cationic initiator exhibit uniform size with a narrow size distribution. The Stöber method was adopted to coat silica on the surface of the PS particles.

Tracheary element differentiation is correlated with inhibition of cell expansion in xylogenic mesophyll suspension cultures.

To test the hypothesis that xylogenesis is coupled to cell growth suppression, cell expansion in Zinnia elegans L. var. Envy mesophyll suspension cultures was manipulated by varying the extracellular osmolarity and the effect on xylogenesis was examined.