Improving the efficacy of platinum-chemotherapy with the smart polymer poly(sodium acrylate)

Interpenetrating polymer network are a combination of two or more polymers that allow creating a new material with a unique set of properties. An ideal scaffold for an extracellular matrix could be achieved by the combination of polymers to improve the scaffold’s physical and chemical characteristics. The aim of this work was to synthesize and characterize an interpenetrating polymer network of polyvinylpyrrolidone and poly(acrylic acid) in contact with cells of the oral mucosa. A sequential synthesis method was performed, adding polyvinylpyrrolidone xerogel to the acrylic acid monomer. Infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used to characterize these networks. Differences in swelling kinetics, porosity, and density were also studied. A similar swelling degree and percentage of porosity between interpenetrating polymer network and poly(acrylic acid) were found. Also, maximum swelling was achieved in both networks at the same time point. The hemocompatibility and cell viability of the networks in contact with oral mucosa cells was also evaluated. Cytotoxicity analysis indicates that the interpenetrating polymer network is not toxic for oral mucosa cells. Additionally, the percentage of hemolysis was reduced when both poly(acrylic acid) and polyvinylpyrrolidone were combined as an interpenetrating polymer network. The results indicate that the combination of both polymers as an interpenetrating polymer network generated a suitable matrix for oral mucosa cells.

Copper sols stabilized by a polymer-colloid complex are studied via dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the polymer-colloid complex including poly(acrylic acid) and the nonionogenic polymeric surfactant poly(ethylene glycol-600-monolaurate) is an effective protector of copper nanoparticles formed via the reduction of Cu2+ ions in an aqueous medium. The sizes of sol particles of the nanocomposite consisting of the polymer-colloid complex and copper nanoparticles depend on the method of preparation of the nanocomposite. The incorporation of the copper nanoparticles being formed (an average diameter of 5 nm) into particles of the polymer-colloid complex leads to an insignificant change in the sizes of the complex particles. The same sizes are typical for particles of the nanocomposite formed during the introduction of surfactant micelles in the copper sol formed in the solution of poly(acrylic acid). The interaction of copper nanoparticles formed in an aqueous medium with surfactant micelles entails their aggregation; as a result, these nanoparticles turn out to be incorporated into large aggregates with equivalent radii of up to 100 nm. When poly(acrylic acid) is incorporated into this sol, the sizes of its particles insignificantly change apparently because of the low rate of structural rearrangements accompanying the formation of the polymer-colloid complex.

A variety of hydrophilic acrylic copolymers have been synthesized and evaluated for their use as hydrophilic surface coatings. The polymers are based on an acrylic backbone onto which oligomeric analogues (degrees of polymerization of 1, 2, or 3) of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) have been grafted. The polymers are formed by transesterification of anionically polymerized poly(tert-butyl acrylate). Because acrylic acid groups are introduced during the conversion process, these polymers are actually random copolymers of a PEG−acrylate and acrylic acid. These random copolymers are hydrophilic and water-soluble. Triblock copolymers with these random copolymers as the midblock and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) end blocks have also been synthesized. The hydrophilic polymers corresponding to the midblocks are immiscible with PMMA and have surface energies which are comparable to PMMA. Spun-cast films of the triblock copolymers do not dissolve in water and are quite hydrophilic, as determined by conta...

The functional properties (aggregation, solubilization, rheological) of a pyrrolidinium surfactant with a hexadecyl hydrocarbon tail and a hydroxyethyl moiety at the nitrogen (N) atom in the presence of polymers (poly(acrylic acid), poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone)) and hydrotropes (sodium salicylate, sodium benzoate and sodium tosylate) were investigated. It was established that the addition of sodium salicylate to an aqueous solution of a cationic surfactant leads to a sevenfold decrease in the critical micelle concentration and a four-order increase in solution viscosity. It was shown that the formation of mixed polymer–colloidal systems of the pyrrolidinium surfactant with uncharged polymers is expressed very weakly. In the case of poly(acrylic acid), it is determined by the value of its molecular mass: the greatest synergetic effect (the highest aggregating and solubilizing ability) is observed in the presence of a low-molecular-mass poly(acrylic acid).

Preliminary study on chitosan modified glass ionomer restoratives

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare four different thiolated polymers regarding their dermoadhesive potential. Therefore, three hydrophilic polymers (poly(acrylic acid), Carbopol 971 and carboxymethylcellulose) and a lipophilic polymer (silicone oil) were chosen to generate thiolated polymers followed by characterization. The total work of adhesion (TWA) and the maximum detachment force (MDF) of formulations containing modified and unmodified polymers were investigated on skin obtained from pig ears using a tensile sandwich technique. The synthesis of thiolated polymers provided 564 µmol, 1079 µmol, 482 µmol and 217 µmol thiol groups per gram poly(acrylic acid), Carbopol 971, carboxymethylcellulose and silicone oil, respectively. Hydrogels containing poly(acrylic acid)-cysteine, Carbopol 971-cysteine, and carboxymethylcellulose-cysteamine exhibited a 6-fold, 25-fold and 9-fold prolonged adhesion on porcine skin than the hydrogel formulations prepared from the corresponding unmodified polymers, respectively. Furthermore, thiolation of silicone oil with thioglycolic acid led to a 5-fold improvement in adhesion compared to the unmodified silicone oil. A comparison between the four thiolated polymer formulations showed a clear correlation between the amount of coupled thiol groups and the TWA. According to these results thiomers might also be useful excipients to provide a prolonged dermal resistance time of various formulations.

Patterned polymer structures with different functionalities have many potential applications. Directed assembly of polymer blends using chemically functionalized patterns during spin-coating has been used to fabricate the patterned polymer structures. For bridging the gap between laboratorial experiments and manufacturing of nanodevices, the polymer blends structures are required to be precisely patterned into nonuniform geometries in a high-rate process, which still is a challenge. In this Article, we demonstrated for the first time that by decreasing the interfacial tension between two polymers polystyrene and poly(acrylic acid) via adding a compatibilizer (polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) ), a polystyrene/poly(acrylic acid) blend was precisely patterned into nonuniform geometries in a high-rate fashion. The patterned nonuniform geometries included angled lines with angles varied from 30° to 150°, T-junctions, square arrays, circle arrays, and arbitrary letter-shaped geometries. The reduction in the interfacial tension improved the line edge roughness and the patterning efficiency of the patterned polymer blends. In addition, the commensurability between characteristic length and pattern periodicity for well-ordered morphologies was also expanded with decreasing interfacial tension. This approach can be easily extended to other functional polymers in a blend and facilitate the applications of patterned polymer structures in biosensors, organic thin-film electronics, and polymer solar cells.

RAFT agents were attached to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs); subsequently, differentkinds of aqueous soluble ionic polymer chains, such as cationic polymer (poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate)), anionic polymer (poly(acrylic acid)) and zwitterionic polymer(poly{3-[N-(3-methacrylamidopropyl)-N,N-dimethyl] ammoniopropane sulfonate}) were easily to grafted onto the surface of MWNTs directlyby surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The producedpoly{3-[N-(3-methacrylamidopropyl)-N,N-dimethyl] ammoniopropane sulfonate} functionalized MWNTs, poly(acrylic acid)functionalized MWNTs and poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) functionalizedMWNTs have good solubility in aqueous solution.

Polypropylene grafted with smart polymers (PNIPAAm/PAAc) for loading and controlled release of vancomycin

Poly(N‐acetyl‐α‐amino acrylic acid) was prepared by a free radical polymerization reaction. Mild alkaline hydrolysis of the polymer product yielded a second polymer poly(α‐amino acrylic acid) (polydehydroalanine). Both polymers exhibited certain polyelectrolyte behavior, although the latter did not behave as expected for an amphoteric polyelectrolyte.

A sample‐preparation step, before chromatographic analysis, is frequently performed to enrich the components of interest from a complex matrix. This step is also needed to purify and concentrate the analyte present in a highly dilute medium. Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) with a specific sorbent is one of the most widely used techniques for extracting trace components from aqueous or nonaqueous media. In this method, analytes are extracted by the passage of the medium through a cartridge containing a solid matrix. The recovery of the analytes from the medium considerably depends on the extent of the interactions between the analytes and the sorbent. Through the enhancement of these interactions, the extent of the uptake of the analytes can be improved. Poly(acrylic acid) is commonly employed as the sorbent in SPE for the isolation of polar analytes. This article discusses the use of the metal‐containing polymer poly(ferric acrylate) as the sorbent for the isolation of a few phenols as representative components from water. The results indicate that the metal‐containing polymer has an enhanced adsorption capacity in comparison with the capacity of the widely used sorbent poly(acrylic acid). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2184–2187, 2002

Acrylic acid grafting and collagen immobilization on poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces for adherence and growth of human bladder smooth muscle cells

This work focuses on exploring the role of the additional hydrogen bond donor moiety‐containing polymer poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in the hydrogen bonds and properties of polybenzoxazines. Thorough studies showed that PAA could not only decrease the curing temperature of benzoxazine resin, but also give additional hydrogen bond donors that were beneficial to the hydrogen bonding interactions and performances of polybenzoxazine/PAA blends. As the hydrogen bonds varied, the glass transition temperature and tensile modulus of the polymer blends changed in accordance with the hydrogen bonds. The results revealed that the introduction of the hydrogen bond donor moiety‐containing polymer was beneficial for hydrogen bonding interactions, which could improve the performances of polybenzoxazines. This novel insight is anticipated to be of help to researchers in the development of more polybenzoxazines and polybenzoxazine blends with enhanced properties. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

NMR studies of the structure and dynamics of a system composed of the acidic polymer poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and the basic polymer poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) are presented. This system aims at the application of anhydrous proton‐conducting membranes that can be used at elevated temperatures at which the proton conduction of hydrated membranes breaks down. The 1H NMR measurements have been preformed under fast magic angle spinning (MAS) conditions to achieve sufficient resolution and the applied 1H NMR methods vary from simple 1H MAS to double‐quantum filtered methods and two‐dimensional 1H double‐quantum spectroscopy. The dynamic behavior of the systems has been investigated via variable temperature 1H MAS NMR. 13C cross‐polarization MAS NMR provides additional aspects of dynamic and structural features to complete the picture. Different types of acidic protons have been identified in the studied PAA‐P4VP systems that are nonhydrogen‐bonded free acidic protons, hydrogen‐bonded dicarboxylic dimers, and protons forming hydrogen bonds between carboxylic protons and ring nitrogens. The conversion of dimer structures in dried PAA to free carboxylic acid groups is accomplished at temperatures above 380 K. However, the stability of hydrogen‐bonding strongly depends on the hydration level of the polymer systems. The effect of hydration becomes less apparent in the complexes. An inverse proportionality between hydrogen‐bonding strength and proton conduction in the PAA‐P4VP acid–base polymer blend systems was established. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 138–155, 2009

Carboxyl‐ and ester groups of low molecular‐weight compounds are selectively and quantitatively converted into trifluoromethyl moieties by reaction with SF4/HF as shown in a previous paper. This reaction is now applied to the polymers poly(acrylic acid), poly(acrylic esters) and poly[(acrylic acid)‐co‐(acrylic ester)]. Poly(acrylic acid) yields gelled products whereas poly(acrylic ester) and the copolymers yield highly fluorinated soluble polymers upon reaction with SF4/HF. Under mild reaction conditions the carbonyl groups in acrylic acid/acrylic ester copolymers are selectively fluorinated. Unter vigorous reaction conditions, acid as well as ester moieties of the copolymers are completely fluorinated. Macroscopic gelation during fluorination is most probably associated with intermolecular ether formation. Molecular weights, NMR spectra and glass transition temperatures of the reaction products are given.