New Approaches to the Synthesis and Stabilization of Polymer Microspheres with a Narrow Size Distribution.

This article presents the results of investigations on heterophase polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of organosilicon compounds of different structures. On the basis of the detailed study of the kinetic and topochemical regularities of the heterophase polymerization of vinyl monomers, the conditions for the synthesis of polymer suspensions with a narrow particle-size distribution using a one-step method have been determined.

Fabrication of moldable chitosan gels via thermally induced phase separation in aqueous alcohol solutions.

Wide application of chitosan in modern technologies is limited by the lack of reliable and low-cost techniques to prepare size-tuned constructs with a complex surface morphology, improved optical and mechanical properties. We report a new simple method for preparation of transparent thermoreversible chitosan alcogels from chitosan/HO/ethanol ternary systems. This method, termed "low temperature thermally induced phase separation under non-freezing conditions" (LT-TIPS-NF), fine tunes gelation by adjusting only temperature (from 5 to -25 °C) and varying the initial content of chitosan (from 0.

Multichannel hydrogel based on a chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) composition for directed growth of animal cells.

In this study, a new method for production of hydrogels with oriented multichannel structure based on chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) compositions was developed. Microscopic and biological studies of the obtained hydrogels were conducted to determine the optimal composition, which would ensure that structure of the material mimics that of the epineurium and perineurium in a nerve. Structure of the hydrogels was adjusted by variation of the initial concentration of the precipitant, poly(vinyl alcohol), and acid in the chitosan compositions.

Fluoroplast-polyaniline-coated adsorbent for one-step isolation of DNA for PCR detection of viral hepatitides (HBV and TTV).

Aims: To demonstrate the effectiveness of application of the adsorbent successively modified with nano-layers of fluoroplast and polyaniline for one-step isolation of DNA of hepatitis B virus and transfusion-transmitted virus from human serum.

Materials & Methods: The technique is based on the application of the spin-cartridges containing porous adsorbent for one-step viral DNA isolation from serum followed by polymerase chain reaction.

Results: The developed adsorbent was shown to be effective for one-step isolation of viral DNA from serum samples for polymerase chain reaction diagnostics.

Quantum dot-containing polymer particles with thermosensitive fluorescence.

Composite polymer particles consisting of a solid poly(acrolein-co-styrene) core and a poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) polymer shell doped with CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) were fabricated. The temperature response of the composite particles was observed as a decrease in their hydrodynamic diameter upon heating above the lower critical solution temperature of the thermosensitive PVCL polymer. Embedding QDs in the PVCL shell yields particles whose fluorescence is sensitive to temperature changes.

Novel composite matrices modified with nanolayers of polymers as perspective materials for separation of biomolecules and bioanalysis.

Aims: A new approach for the preparation of adsorbents for one-step isolation/purification of DNA from different samples (e.g., bacterial lysates, smears and blood) has been developed.

Submicron polymer particles containing fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals CdSe/ZnS for bioassays.

Aim: This study aimed to design a panel of uniform particulate biochemical reagents and to test them in specific bioassays. These reagents are polymer particles of different sizes doped with semiconductor nanocrystals and conjugated with either full-size antibodies or recombinant mini-antibodies (4D5 scFv fragment) designed by genetic engineering approaches.

Materials & Methods: A panel of highly fluorescent polymer particles (150-800 nm) were formed by embedding CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals (quantum dots) into preformed polyacrolein and poly(acrolein-co-styrene) particles.