Plasma Surface Engineering to Biofunctionalise Polymers for β-Cell Adhesion

Implant devices containing insulin-secreting β-cells hold great promise for the treatment of diabetes. Using in vitro cell culture, long-term function and viability are enhanced when β-cells are cultured with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Here, our goal is to engineer a favorable environment within implant devices, where ECM proteins are stably immobilized on polymer scaffolds, to better support β-cell adhesion. Four different polymer candidates (low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), polyethersulfone (PES) and polysulfone (PSU)) were treated using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) to enable the covalent attachment of laminin on their surfaces. Surface characterisation analysis shows the increased hydrophilicity, polar groups and radical density on all polymers after the treatment. Among the four polymers, PIII-treated LDPE has the highest water contact angle and the lowest radical density which correlate well with the non-significant protein binding improvement observed after 2 months of storage. The study found that the radical density created by PIII treatment of aromatic polymers was higher than that created by the treatment of aliphatic polymers. The higher radical density significantly improves laminin attachment to aromatic polymers, making them better substrates for β-cell adhesion.

Iterative Exponential Growth of Oxygen-Linked Aromatic Polymers Driven by Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions

This work presents the first transition metal-free synthesis of oxygen-linked aromatic polymers by integrating iterative exponential polymer growth (IEG) with nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) reactions. Our approach applies methyl sulfones as the leaving groups, which eliminate the need for a transition metal catalyst, while also providing flexibility in functionality and configuration of the building blocks used. As indicated by 1) 1H-1H NOESY NMR spectroscopy, 2) single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and 3) density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the unimolecular polymers obtained are folded by nonclassical hydrogen bonds formed between the oxygens of the electron-rich aromatic rings and the positively polarized C–H bonds of the electron-poor pyrimidine functions. Our results not only introduce a transition metal-free synthetic methodology to access precision polymers but also demonstrate how interactions between relatively small, neutral aromatic units in the polymers can be utilized as new supramolecular interaction pairs to control the folding of precision macromolecules.

Tailoring double-layer aromatic polymers with multi-active sites towards high performance aqueous Zn–organic batteries

Unlike most reported organic–inorganic cathodes, the organic–organic zinc hosts can fully exploit the flexible structures and various redox chemistries of the organics.

PREPARATION OF HIGHLY POROUS AROMATIC POLYMERS BY THE FRIEDEL-CRAFTS REACTION

Работа посвящена получению полимера путем сшивки ароматических фрагментов молекул-мономеров с помощью реакции Фриделя-Крафтса. В ходе работы впервые был синтезирован полимер с высокой удельной площадью поверхности (705 м/г) с применением в качестве мономеров бензола и нафталина. Полученный ароматический полимер в дальнейшем может использоваться в качестве носителя для создания катализаторов гидрирования. This work is devoted to the polymer synthesis by crosslinking of aromatic fragments of monomer molecules using Friedel-Crafts reaction. In the framework of this work, a polymer with a high specific surface area (705 m/g) was synthesized for the first time using benzene and naphthalene as monomers. The resulting aromatic polymer can be used as a support for the development of hydrogenation catalysts.