Cationic Polystyrene Research Articles

A novel colored chitosan-modified polystyrene composite dye nanospheres with enhanced coloring properties for binder-free printing

The limited utilization rate of dyes for coloring coupled with the consumption of large quantities of chemical reagents, can result in acute environmental pollution and waste of resources. Herein, in accordance with the electrostatic attraction between electropositivity of chitosan and anionic dyes, a novel type of chitosan-modified cationic polystyrene nanospheres (PSCS) was creatively synthesized, which can be innovatively employed as a special carrier with an adsorption capacity of up to 197.4mg/g for acid dyes. Consequently, a exclusive pigment identified as colored chitosan-modified polystyrene composite dye nanospheres (PSCS(AR9)) was procured. Simultaneously, the binder-free printing was accomplished by leveraging the intrinsic self-curing property of PSCS(AR9) for screen printing of textiles. Additionally, printed fabrics with PSCS(AR9) exhibited superb darkening effect (the K/S value can be increased by 2 times.) in conjunction with significantly improved hand feel in contrast with the conventional printed fabrics. The last but not least, the rubbing fastness of the printed fabrics using PSCS(AR9) can meet demand of the practical application. Therefore, this work may provide an innovative insight for constructing a new type of environmentally friendly and depth-enhanced printed textile.

Cationic Polystyrene Latex Nanocarriers for Immunostimulatory Long Double-Stranded RNA Delivery to Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Long double-stranded (ds)RNA, a potent stimulator of type I interferon and the innate immune response. In the present study, we demonstrated, for the first time, the efficacy of cationic polystyrene latex nanostructures (clNPs) as a dsRNA carrier, improving cellular delivery and robustly potentiating the immunostimulatory capacity of dsRNA in the ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3. The clNPs complexed with an in vitro transcribed dsRNA molecule, were bound by SKOV3 cells, and had increased cellular association compared to uncomplexed clNPs. clNPs complexed with dsRNA induced a more robust innate immune response compared to dsRNA alone. Transcript expression of two interferon-stimulated genes, were increased 47- and 108-fold over dsRNA and induced a significant antiviral state against vesicular-stomatitis virus, resulting in a 3.3-fold improvement on the efficacy of dsRNA. These data highlight the potential of polystyrene latex nanostructures as dsRNA carriers for anticancer immunotherapies, improving the uptake and efficacy of the nucleic acid.

Encapsulation of ultraviolet filter into cationic polystyrene particles via miniemulsion polymerization with poly(vinyl alcohol)

Encapsulation of ultraviolet filter into cationic polystyrene particles via miniemulsion polymerization with poly(vinyl alcohol)

Effect of Na+ on the Adsorption Behavior of Polystyrene Nanoparticles onto Coal and Quartz Surfaces

The recovery of difficult-to-float coal using traditional nonpolar hydrocarbon oil collectors can be challenging, particularly for low-rank or oxidized coal. Thus, there is a need for more efficient flotation agents. Nanoparticle flotation collector technology has become increasingly popular in the field of mineral processing, and the presence of various ions in the slurry can significantly affect the interaction between collectors and mineral surfaces. In this study, cationic polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles were prepared using an emulsion polymerization method, and the effects of Na+ ion concentration on the in situ adsorption and desorption processes, adsorption layer configuration, and adsorption kinetics of PS particles on amorphous carbon (coal model) and SiO2 sensors (quartz mineral model) were analyzed using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique. Our results showed that the hydrophobic PS nanoparticles irreversibly adsorbed onto both amorphous carbon and SiO2 sensors under different environmental conditions, and their adsorption capacity decreased gradually with increasing Na+ ion concentration. Increasing Na+ ion concentration from 0 M to 1.0 M resulted in a 24.4% and 30.9% decrease in equilibrium adsorption capacities of PS nanoparticles onto amorphous carbon and SiO2 surfaces, respectively. The adsorption rate of PS nanoparticles onto the SiO2 surface was much greater than that on the amorphous carbon surface. The adsorption rate constant of PS nanoparticles onto SiO2 surfaces was 0.782 at 0.1 M Na+ ion concentration, while its adsorption rate constant onto amorphous carbon surfaces was only 0.060. Moreover, the adsorption process was found to be more in line with the quasi-primary kinetic model. These findings suggest that PS nanoparticles may serve as promising flotation collectors for the recovery of difficult-to-float coal, and highlight the importance of considering the effect of dissolved ions on the adsorption properties of flotation collectors.

Impact of Nanoparticle Physicochemical Properties on Protein Corona and Macrophage Polarization.

Macrophages, the major component of the mononuclear phagocyte system, uptake and clear systemically administered nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore, leveraging macrophages as a druggable target may be advantageous to enhance NP-mediated drug delivery. Despite many studies focused on NP-cell interactions, NP-mediated macrophage polarization mechanisms are still poorly understood. This work aimed to explore the effect of NP physicochemical parameters (size and charge) on macrophage polarization. Upon exposure to biological fluids, proteins rapidly adsorb to NPs and form protein coronas. To this end, we hypothesized that NP protein coronas govern NP-macrophage interactions, uptake, and subsequent macrophage polarization. To test this hypothesis, model polystyrene NPs with various charges and sizes, as well as NPs relevant to drug delivery, were utilized. Data suggest that cationic NPs potentiate both M1 and M2 macrophage markers, while anionic NPs promote M1-to-M2 polarization. Additionally, anionic polystyrene nanoparticles (APNs) of 50 nm exhibit the greatest influence on M2 polarization. Proteomics was pursued to further understand the effect of NPs physicochemical parameters on protein corona, which revealed unique protein patterns based on NP charge and size. Several proteins impacting M1 and M2 macrophage polarization were identified within cationic polystyrene nanoparticles (CPNs) corona, while APNs corona included fewer M1 but more M2-promoting proteins. Nevertheless, size impacts protein corona abundance but not identities. Altogether, protein corona identities varied based on NP surface charge and correlated to dramatic differences in macrophage polarization. In contrast, NP size differentially impacts macrophage polarization, which is dominated by NP uptake level rather than protein corona. In this work, specific corona proteins were identified as a function of NP physicochemical properties. These proteins are correlated to specific macrophage polarization programs and may provide design principles for developing macrophage-mediated NP drug delivery systems.

Cationic Polystyrene Resin Bound Silver Nanocomposites Assisted Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy for Enhanced Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol in Aqueous Medium

The present work reported a novel strategy to construct supported cationic-polystyrene-resin-bound silver nanocomposites for enhanced catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol in an aqueous medium. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used as a model instrument for the study of catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol using cationic-polystyrene-resin-bound silver nanocomposite materials. The mechanism is based on the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol due to the electron transfer process that occurred between donor borohydride (BH4−) and acceptor 4-nitrophenol. The polystyrene resin provides support and surface area to increase the catalytic activity of silver nanoparticles. The diffused reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the binding of silver particles onto the surface of cationic polystyrene resin beads. Furthermore, the catalyst was easily separated by the filtration and drying process and was able to reuse. A quantitative analysis of this work has also been performed. The linearity range, the limit of detection, and the limit of quantification obtained for the present method were 0.1 × 10−4 to 1.0 M, 0.6 M, and 2.1 M, respectively. Moreover, a good catalytic efficiency was found to be 96.8%. The advantages of the current method are its simplicity, sensitivity, rapidity, low cost, ease of preparation, and excellent catalytic efficiency to reduce 4-nitrophenol from an aqueous solution.

Investigation of pulmonary toxicity evaluation on mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics: The potential protective role of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine

Accumulating evidences show that the hazardous substance atmospheric nanoplastics increase the respiratory risk of individuals, but the inside toxicity mechanisms to lung tissue remain unclear. This study aims at investigating the potential mechanisms of inhaled cationic polystyrene nanoplastics (amine-polystyrene nanoplastics, APS-NPs)-induced pulmonary toxicity on mice. In vivo, the mice intratracheal administrated with APS-NPs suspension (5 mg/kg) were found inflammatory infiltrates in lung tissues through histopathology analysis. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis demonstrated that 1821 differentially expressed mRNA between APS group and control group were dominantly associated with 288 known KEGG pathways, indicating that APS-NPs might cause early inflammatory responses in lung tissue by activating the NLRP3/capase-1/IL-1β signaling pathway. Moreover, in vitro results also showed that NLRP3 inflammasome could be activated to induce pyroptosis in MLE-12 cells after exposure to APS-NPs. And, MH-S cells after exposure to APS-NPs exhibited increased Irg1 proteins, leading to the increasing generation of ROS and inflammatory factors (e.g., tnf-α, il-6, il-1β). In conclusion, these results revealed that Irg1/NF-κB/NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway was activated significantly after exposing to APS-NPs, leading to pulmonary toxicity on mice. Intriguingly, prior administration of the clinical antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could serve as a possible candidate for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary toxicity induced by APS-NPs. The study contributes to a better understanding of the potential risks of environmental nanoplastics to humans and its improvement measure.

Surface Characteristics of Antibacterial Polystyrene Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Cationic Initiator and Comonomers.

Polymer nanoparticles have attracted attention as antibacterial materials, but the function of the polymer itself has not yet been clarified sufficiently. To estimate the essential surface properties of antibacterial polymer nanoparticles, herein, we synthesized cationic polystyrene (PSt) nanoparticles via soap-free emulsion polymerization using 2,2'-azobis-[2-(1,3-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-ium-2-yl)]propane triflate (ADIP) as initiator. The conversion of total monomers was drastically increased through the addition of the commoner (vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride (VBTMAC), where unimodal size distributions (Cv ≤ 10%) were obtained at comonomer molar ratios between 0.0083 and 0.0323. The adsorption behavior of a solvatochromic anionic fluorescent dye revealed the surface charge density (σ) and affinity with anionic molecules (K) of PSt nanoparticles. The PSt nanoparticles with increased K values exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of at least 0.69 mg/mL. To determine a plausible mechanism for the antibacterial activity, the membrane damage induced by PSt nanoparticles was evaluated using an assay utilizing polydiacetylene vesicles as the model for negatively charged bilayer membranes. The PSt nanoparticles exhibiting large K values disturbed the bilayer structure of the model membrane system, suggesting that the synthesized PSt nanoparticles could be utilized as a contact-killing antibacterial agent.

Engineering highly graphitic carbon quantum dots by catalytic dehydrogenation and carbonization of Ti3C2Tx-MXene wrapped polystyrene spheres

The catalytic dehydrogenation of Ti3C2Tx-MXene nanosheets induced by their surface terminating C-Ti-O group has attracted tremendous interests in the fabrication of unsaturated organics and carbon materials. Herein, the highly graphitic carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized by pyrolyzing cationic polystyrene (CPS) spheres which were wrapped by Ti3C2Tx-MXene nanosheets. The morphological features and fluorescent properties of the as-prepared CQDs were characterized and the growth mechanism of CQDs was proposed. In this unique hybrid model, Ti3C2Tx-MXene exhibited high efficiency in catalyzing dehydrogenation and carbonization of CPS to highly graphitic CQDs at a relatively low pyrolysis temperature of 410 °C. During the pyrolysis, Ti3C2Tx-MXene shell acted as a closed barrier to retain the volatilization of degradation products of CPS and promote their diffusion into the MXene interlayers. Simultaneously, lots of CPS degradation products were adhered to the surface of Ti3C2Tx-MXene nanosheets, where the dehydrogenation was carried out by the C-Ti-O catalytic active sites. Eventually, they were carbonized to highly graphitic CQDs with excellent photoluminescence behavior. This work provides a facile strategy to convert polystyrene matrix into graphitic carbon-based material, which helps to develop the catalytic carbonization mechanism of MXene/polymer nanocomposites.

Cationic Polystyrene Latex Nanocarriers for Immunostimulatory Long Double-Stranded Rna Delivery to Ovarian Cancer Cells

Cationic Polystyrene Latex Nanocarriers for Immunostimulatory Long Double-Stranded Rna Delivery to Ovarian Cancer Cells

Immobilization and Characterization of Pectinase onto the Cationic Polystyrene Resin.

In the present study, the immobilization of free pectinase onto polystyrene resin beads via crosslinking with glutaraldehyde was investigated. The immobilized pectinase was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. After optimizing the immobilization conditions, the optimum pH of immobilized pectinase shifted from 8.0 to 8.5 and the optimum temperature shifted from 45 to 60 °C, showing its improved stability to temperature and pH compared with the free pectinase. The Michaelis–Menten constant Km value of free and immobilized pectinase was determined to be 1.95 and 5.36 mM, respectively. The storage stability of immobilized pectinase was demonstrated with 36.8% of the initial activity preserved after 30 days at 25 °C. The reusability of the immobilized pectinase activity was 54.6% of its initial activity after being recycled six times. Therefore, based on the findings mentioned above, it can be inferred that this simple immobilization technique for pectinase appears to be promising for industrial applications.

Three-Dimensional Superhydrophobic Hollow Hemispherical MXene for Efficient Water-in-Oil Emulsions Separation.

A superhydrophobic macroporous material composed of hollow hemispherical MXene (HSMX) was synthesized by the thermal annealing of MXene-wrapped cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS@MXene). Notably, the spherical MXene shells exhibited highly efficient catalysis of the carbonization of CPS into carbon nanoparticles. Their insertion into the interlayer of MXene increased the d-spacing and created hollow hemispheres. The as-prepared HSMX with nanoscale walls had a lower packing density than MXene, but higher porosity, total pore volume, and total pore area. Moreover, the stacking of hollow hemispheres promoted the formation of a highly undulating macroporous surface and significantly improved the surface roughness of the HSMX-based 3D membrane, resulting in superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156.4° and a rolling angle of 6°. As a result, the membrane exhibited good separation efficiency and Flux for emulsifier-stabilized water-in-paraffin liquid emulsions, which was dependent on its superhydrophobic performance and strong demulsification ability derived from the razor effect originating from the ultrathin walls of HSMX. This work provides a facile approach for the transformation of highly hydrophilic 2D MXene into superhydrophobic 3D HSMX, and opens a new pathway for the development of advanced MXene-based materials for environmental remediation applications.

Broad-Spectrum Photo-Antimicrobial Polymers Based on Cationic Polystyrene and Rose Bengal.

New strategies to fight bacteria and fungi are necessary in view of the problem of iatrogenic and nosocomial infections combined with the growing threat of increased antimicrobial resistance. Recently, our group has prepared and described two new readily available materials based on the combination of Rose Bengal (singlet oxygen photosensitizer) and commercially available cationic polystyrene (macroporous resin Amberlite® IRA 900 or gel-type resin IRA 400). These materials showed high efficacy in the antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we present the photobactericidal effect of these polymers against an extended group of pathogens like Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans using green light. The most interesting finding is that the studied materials are able to reduce the population of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with good activity, although, for C. albicans, in a moderate manner. In view of the results achieved and especially considering the inexpensiveness of these two types of photoactive polymers, we believe that they could be used as the starting point for the development of coatings for self-disinfecting surfaces.

Continuous-flow microfluidic device for synthesis of cationic porous polystyrene microspheres as sorbents of p-xylene from physiological saline

New developments in microfabrication techniques have enabled the fabrication of very efficient emulsification microstructured devices which along with capillaries of small dimensions allow emulsifying a fluid in another immiscible fluid. Droplet-based microfluidics is a versatile tool for widespread applications due to the following advantages: production of monodisperse droplets, high surface-area-to-volume ratio, and independent control of each droplet. The main goal of this work was to design cationic polystyrene microspheres with the developed surface structure using microfluidic technology. We investigated the influence of monomer phase composition on the size, polydispersity index (PDI), the size distribution and surface structure the resulting microspheres. Polymer microspheres with different surface structure are thus obtained as proven by extensive morphological characterizations using electronic and optical microscopies. Moreover, the structure of crosslinked microspheres was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy. Besides morphology, microspheres with various compositions were synthesized and their potential application highlighted: microspheres with grafted chains of polymer stabilizer (PVP) in surface layer have great potential for effective sorption of p-xylene from physiological saline.

A cost-effective combination of Rose Bengal and off-the-shelf cationic polystyrene for the photodynamic inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Two new photoactive materials have been prepared, characterized and tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (planktonic suspension). The synthesis of the polymeric photosensitizers can be made at a multigram scale, in few minutes, starting from inexpensive and readily available materials, such as Rose Bengal (photosensitizer) and ion exchange resins Amberlite® IRA 900 (macroporous) or IRA 400 (gel-type) as cationic polystyrene supports. The most notable feature of these systems is their notable bactericidal activity in the dark (4-5 log10 CFU/mL reduction of the population of P. aeruginosa) which becomes enhanced upon irradiation with visible light (to reach a total reduction of 8 log10 CFU/mL for the macroporous polymer at a fluence of 120 J/cm2 using green light of 515 nm).

Surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and a cationic comonomer with two positively charged groups

Near-monodisperse, stabilized latex particles were prepared by surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene with a water-soluble cationic comonomer StMV having two positively charged groups. Unlike previously reported surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization systems, very small polymer nanoparticles (≤ 70 nm as indicated by transmission electron microscopy studies) were produced even though the StMV/St molar ratio was no more than 1/100. The effects of initiator concentration, StMV concentration, and styrene concentration on the size of the latex particles were investigated. The polymerization kinetics was monitored by transmission electron microscopy, monomer conversion, dynamic light scattering, and visual inspection. This study is expected to enrich the surfactant-free syntheses of cationic polystyrene latex and can provide useful information to construct cucurbit[n]uril-based supramolecular polymer colloids.

Phthalocyanine-doped polystyrene fluorescent nanocomposite as a highly selective biosensor for quantitative determination of cancer antigen 125

A novel, simple, sensitive, and precise spectrofluorometric assay of cancer antigen [CA 125] is described. This modality is based on monitoring the quenching of the luminescence intensity at 790 nm of the phthalocyanine fluorophore, in a nanocomposite comprising the fluorophore and cationic polystyrene, which results from interaction with CA 125. The remarkable quenching of the luminescence intensity of the Ni-phthalocyanine complex doped in PS matrix by various concentrations of CA 125 was successfully utilized as an optical sensor for the determination of CA 125 in different serum samples of ovarian disease. The performance of the designed biosensor is determined through monitoring the quenching of the luminescence intensity at 790 nm by cancer antigen 125 after excitation at 685 nm, pH 7.3 in water. The calibration plot was achieved over the concentration range 1.0 × 10−2 – 127 U mL−1 CA-125 with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 and detection limit of 1.0 × 10−4 U mL−1. The mechanism of the interaction between the nano thin film nickel(II)phthalocyanine and CA-125 was discussed. A significant correlation between the proposed method for the assessment of CA 125 and the standard method was applied to patients and controls.

Deposited Nanoparticles Can Promote Air Clogging of Piezoelectric Inkjet Printhead Nozzles.

Piezoelectric inkjet printing is susceptible to printhead clogging when printing with inks that contain dispersed particles. This paper investigates the mechanisms by which 28-530 nm nanoparticle dispersions induce printhead clogging without forming large aggregates or thick deposited layers on printhead surfaces. Printing experiments were combined with nanoparticle deposition studies and with experiments where inks were pumped through printheads at a constant flow rate with a syringe pump. Submonolayer coverages of hydrophobic cationic polystyrene nanoparticles adhering to printhead surfaces promote rapid clogging by trapped air that enters from the nozzle opening. We propose that the deposited particles distort the shape of the ink/air meniscus, possibly causing air entrainment, and promote air bubble adhesion to the interior printhead surfaces. The printer's purge-blot cleaning procedure removes air clogs, but the clogs quickly reform when printing is resumed because the adsorbed nanoparticles are not removed by the cleaning procedure. Nondepositing anionic hydrophobic nanoparticles cause much less clogging, possibly because of filtration of trace large aggregates. Colloidal stability is a necessary but not sufficient criterion for ink dispersions; the ink particles must not adsorb onto the printhead surfaces. Thus, alternate surface chemistries for the printhead and ink particle surfaces may be required to print hydrophobic ink materials.

Camouflaging Nanoparticles for Ratiometric Delivery of Therapeutic Combinations.

Combination therapy is a common clinical practice in the management of malignancies. Synergistic therapeutic outcomes are achieved only when tumor cells are exposed to drugs in an optimal ratio and sequence; therefore, carriers coencapsulating multiple drugs are widely pursued for their coordinated delivery. However, it is challenging to coload drugs with different physicochemical properties in a single carrier with specific ratios. It is not even beneficial to load them in one carrier if they need to be released at different times. We propose to load drugs into chemically compatible carriers separately, equalize different carriers by a simple, rapid, and versatile camouflage technique based on natural polyphenol tannic acid (TA), and administer them in desirable ratios and sequences. To demonstrate this potential, different nanoparticles (NPs) with different charges and material basis, such as polymeric (carboxyl-terminated or amine-terminated cationic polystyrene NPs or poly(lactic- co-glycolic acid (PLGA) NPs), inorganic (mesoporous silica NPs (MSNs)), and liposomal NPs, are camouflaged with TA layers and further modified with folate-conjugated polyethylene glycol to aid in the delivery to tumors. The camouflaged NPs show similar physicochemical properties and interactions with KB cells despite the difference in core platforms, and their mixtures interact with common cell targets in a ratiometric manner. In KB-tumor-bearing mice, the camouflaged PLGA NPs and MSNs show near-perfect colocalization in tumors. These results support that TA helps equalize different NPs with high versatility and enables their ratiometric delivery to common targets. This approach can relieve technical challenges in ratiometric codelivery or sequential delivery of therapeutic agents with distinct physicochemical properties.

Study of the incorporation of nucleic acids in chitosan-coated polystyrene nanoparticles for use as DNA carrier system

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary scientific field based on the development, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems with shape and size at the nanoscale. Polymeric systems with therapeutic purpose have been widely used since they allow a slow and gradual release of drug and allow the transport of drugs to their specific place of action. In recent years, nanoparticles have been used for DNA loading. The introduction of exogenous DNA into a cell may be applicable to fields of gene therapy, DNA vaccines and diagnosis. The development of nucleic acid loading nanoparticles, with a well characterized activity, would be very important. For this project, cationic polystyrene nanoparticles coated with chitosan was studied for a DNA carrier system. The propose is an elaboration of a dilution gradient that allows to know the pattern of incorporation of nucleic acids in the nanoparticles, permitting the development of a mathematical model that characterizes the incorporation in the different conditions studied, allowing their use in future projects. Through this, it´s found the potential of DNA saturation by this nanoparticle system, as in 29% of the incorporation mass, which reveals the capacity of DNA incorporation.