Monomers In Water Research Articles

Michael addition-elimination reaction derived covalent organic polyrotaxane xerogels for ultra-high-efficiency capture of iodine pollutants

Herein, covalent organic polyrotaxane xerogels (COPRs), were developed as comprehensive and recyclable “three birds with one stone” platform effectively handling organic/radioactive iodine pollutants challenges. COPRs were synthesized rapidly from β-ketoenamine and aromatic amines β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion via Michael addition-elimination reaction in water at room temperature and pressure, avoiding the usage of any organic solvents. The formation of β-CD inclusion significantly increases the solubility and reactivity of monomers in water. The threading of β-CD endows multiple absorption sites within the porous skeleton, improving its iodine capture capacity. The integration of β-CD ring throughout the carbon skeleton not only provides a green and ultra-low-cost approach for preparing COPRs with brand-new structure, but also offers direct and effective methods realizing the carbon neutrality from the source of production. This work could be used as a general method for the specifically modifying COPs, providing opportunities to meet the growing needs of society.

Environmentally friendly molecularly imprinted polymers as an insert for SPE type columns in the gentamicin monitoring process

The quantity and variety of micro-pollutants infiltrating water resources have increased rapidly in recent times. The appearance of many harmful substances in the waters has resulted in so-called chemical cocktails which significantly contribute to the deterioration of water quality. Additionally, the variety of these compounds, often similar to each other in terms of molecular weights, makes their separation and identification very difficult. In this paper we present the possibility of using self-regenerating mechanism of molecularly imprinted polymers to measure the concentration of micropollutants in the aquatic environment. Molecularly imprinted polymers toward gentamicin were prepared by monomer polymerization in aqueous solution at ambient temperature. Results from computer-based molecular modelling demonstrated potential binding sites between gentamicin and functional monomers in water. Various compositions of polymerization mixtures were tested. The ratio of monomers to each other was 1.1:1.4:0.0015 and 1:1:1 for N-isopropylacrylamine:acrylamide:acrylic acid, respectively. For each composition, various amounts of the standard were tested: 0, 3, 5, 7, 10,15 mol% in relation to monomers. The best results were obtained for 5 % gentamicin with an excess of acrylamide in relation to the other monomers. Sorption for this system was 0.783 mg/g at ambient temperature and desorption 0.593 at 4 °C. The synthesized materials, thanks to the incorporation of thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) into their structures, were able to release 89 % of adsorbed gentamicin. This made it possible to use the designed SPE columns repeatably with similar efficiency. The prepared materials were selective in the presence of other antibiotics like amoxicillin and norfloxacin.

Imidazole-stabilized gold nanoclusters as photocatalytic initiator and crosslinker to fabricate functional hydrogel

Photopolymerization is the most widely used method to fabricate hydrogels, which hold great potentials in various fields including biomedical applications, electronic skin and flexible wearable devices. Herein, gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) were employed as both efficient photo-initiators and crosslinkers to prepare polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels with good mechanical properties. Firstly, an imidazole-based monomer, ImPAA, was designed and synthesized, serving as an reducing agent and ligand to prepare imidazole-stabilized AuNCs (AuNC@ImPAA) in water. Under white light irradiation, AuNC@ImPAA efficiently initiated the radical polymerization of acrylamide monomers in water via a photocatalytic mechanism. The abundant vinyl groups on the surface of AuNC@ImPAA enabled its role as a multiple covalent crosslinker, endowing the resulting hydrogel with impressive mechanical properties. The maximum tensile strength and fracture strain was 287 kPa and 591 %, respectively. Moreover, triggered by UV light, the embedded AuNC@ImPAA within the hydrogel aggregated and converted into gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), yielding an AuNP/PAM hydrogel. This hybrid AuNP/PAM hydrogel exhibited a good photothermal conversion performance, with an efficiency of 14.14 % under 660 nm laser irradiation, and its potential as a photothermal actuator was demonstrated. Thus, we provide a facile light-mediated strategy to fabricate functional hydrogel.

Photochemical behaviour and toxicity evolution of phenylbenzoate liquid crystal monomers in water

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a group of emerging pollutants that pose potential environmental risks because of their ubiquitous occurrence and toxicity. Understanding their environmental transformation is essential for assessing the ecological risk. In this study, we investigated the photochemical transformation kinetics, mechanism, and photo-induced toxicity of three phenylbenzoate LCMs in water. Their apparent photolytic rate constants were within (0.023 – 0.058) min-1, and the half-lives were < 30.0 min, showing lower persistence in water. Dissolved organic matter significantly inhibited their photolysis because of light-shielding effect and quenching of excited triplet states of LCMs. Their photolysis mainly occurred through excited triplet states, and the reactive oxygen species (i.e., ⋅OH, 1O2 and ⋅O2-) contributed to their degradation. The main photolysis pathways were ester bond cleavage, ⋅OH substitution/addition, and defluorination. Experiments and computational simulation revealed that some ·OH addition/substitution products have similar toxicity with LCMs. Additionally, the ∙OH reaction rate constants (kOH) of LCMs were determined to be > 1 × 109 M-1 s-1, evidence for their high reactivity toward ⋅OH. We have further developed reliable methods to estimate kOH of other phenylbenzoate-like LCMs with quantum chemical calculations. These results are useful for understanding the transformation and fate of LCMs in aquatic environments.

UiO-66-NH2 Metal-Organic Framework for the Detection of Alzheimer's Biomarker Aβ (1-42).

Neurodegenerative disorders pose a significant challenge to global healthcare, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) being one of the most prevalent forms. Early and accurate detection of amyloid-β (Aβ) (1-42) monomers, a key biomarker of AD pathology, is crucial for effective diagnosis and intervention of the disease. Current gold standard detection techniques for Aβ include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance. Although reliable, they are limited by their cost and time-consuming nature, thus restricting their point-of-care applicability. Here we present a sensitive and rapid colorimetric sensor for the detection of Aβ (1-42) monomers within 5 min. This was achieved by harnessing the peroxidase-like activity of metal-loaded metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), specifically UiO-66-NH2, coupled with the strong affinity of Aβ (1-42) to the MOFs. Various metal-loaded MOFs were synthesized and investigated, and platinum-loaded UiO-66-NH2 was identified as the optimal candidate for our purpose. The Pt-loaded UiO-66-NH2 sensor demonstrated detection limits of 2.76 and 4.65 nM Aβ (1-42) monomers in water and cerebrospinal fluid, respectively, with a linear range from 0.75 to 25 nM (R2 = 0.9712), outperforming traditional detection techniques in terms of both detection time and complexity. Moreover, the assay was specific toward Aβ (1-42) monomers when evaluated against interfering compounds. The rapid and cost-effective sensor may help circumvent the limitations of conventional detection methods, thus providing a promising avenue for early AD diagnosis and facilitating improved clinical outcomes.

МETHODS OF POST-POLYMERIZATION PROCESSING OF BASES IN REMOVABLE DENTURES IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE QUANTITY OF RESIDUAL MONOMER

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of post-polymerization treatment on the quantity of methyl methacrylate released into water from polymethyl methacrylate base samples of materials subjected to different procedures.&#x0D; Materials and methods. For each technique, 10 samples in the form of a square with a side of 50 mm and a thickness of 5.0 mm were made for the base materials VBPLP, ABPHT, BPHT in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions. Five different procedures for reducing the amount of residual monomer of polished base plastics samples were studied, namely: controlled vacuuming in water at 60-80°C for 10 minutes (A), immersion in an ethanol solution at a temperature of 55°C for 10 minutes (B), ultrasonic treatment at 40 kHz for 5 minutes in distilled water (C), immersion in distilled water for 24 hours (D), boiling in water for 3 hours (E), control samples without post-polymerization treatment (F).&#x0D; Following the implementation of procedures for minimizing residual monomer levels in the studied samples, they were placed in individual containers containing 10 ml of distilled water for 12 hours at a temperature of 37°C. The quantification of water-eluted MMA was conducted through liquid chromatography.&#x0D; Results. Of the 180 measurements performed, 42 showed values below the limit of detection (MW: 2.0 ppm), 58 below the lower limit of quantification (LMQ: 6.0 ppm), and 80 had average values between 6.4 and 13.2 ppm MMA. The NLQ is the lowest concentration of the analyte that differs from the blank, usually with a confidence level of 99%, while the MV is the lowest concentration of the analyte that can be reliably determined with repeatability and precision. The lower limit of quantification is 6.00 ppm, the detection limit is 2.00 ppm.&#x0D; Conclusions. The risk of residual monomer as a primary stimulus for a sensitizing reaction can be minimized by using these regimens. The results of measuring the amount of elution of the MMA monomer in water for two of the three materials tested were below the detection limit in both of these modes.

Transformation of Highly Hydrophobic Triarylphosphines into Amphiphiles via Staudinger Reaction with Hydrophilic Trichlorophenyl Azide.

Owing to its hydrophobic properties and reactivity, triarylphosphines (PAr3 ) are promising precursors for the development of new amphiphiles. However, an efficient and reliable synthetic method for amphiphiles based on highly hydrophobic PAr3 is still required. Herein, a straightforward transformation of highly hydrophobic PAr3 into amphiphiles via the Staudinger reaction is reported. By simply mixing PAr3 and a hydrophilic trichlorophenyl azide containing two hydrophilic chains, amphiphiles bearing a N=P bond (i. e., an azaylide moiety) were quantitatively formed. The obtained azaylide-based amphiphiles were remarkably water-soluble, enabling their spontaneous self-assembly into 2 nm-sized micelles composed of 4-5 molecules in water with a low critical micelle concentration (up to 0.05 mM or less) due to the effective intermolecular interactions among the hydrophobic surfaces. Although the azaylide moiety is easily hydrolyzed in the presence of water, the azaylide in the amphiphiles displayed notable stability in water even at 60 h, which stems from the LUMO modulation induced by the presence of three electron-withdrawing chloro groups and two twisted alkoxycarbonyl groups, according to DFT calculations. An amphiphile having a large hydrophobic surface solubilized various hydrophobic organic dyes through efficient intermolecular interactions, resulting in the dyes exhibiting either monomer or excimer emissions in water.

Dihydroxyterephthalate—A Trojan Horse PET Counit for Facile Chemical Recycling (Adv. Mater. 21/2023)

Chemically Recyclable Plastics In article number 2210154, Ting-Han Lee, George Kraus, Eric Cochran, and co-workers report dihydroxyterephthalate (DHTE) as a “Trojan horse” co-unit in poly(ethylene terephthalate) to produce highly recyclable plastics. The DHTE enables chemical recycling via hydrolysis to monomers in pure water by acting as an internal catalyst through neighboring group participation.

An evaluation of elution of leachable components from composite resins after light curing by light emitting diode and halogen light: An in vitro study.

The purpose of our study was to determine the amount of eluted triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and to compare the eluted TEGDMA in different composite resins after light curing with conventional halogen light curing unit and light emitting diode (LED). The present study was conducted on the two types of composite resins, which were divided equally into four groups - Group I: Denoted as Hybrid-LED, Group II: Denoted as Microhybrid-LED, Group III: Denoted as Hybrid-Halogen Group IV: Denoted as Microhybrid-Halogen. Polymerized specimens of hybrid and microhybrid composite resins were stored in air tight centrifuge tubes at 37°C for 24 h, then extract the monomers in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) grade acetonitrile and water and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. All extracts were analyzed by HPLC. Eluted TEGDMA was detected by ultraviolet detector. The results obtained for TEGDMA were computed and analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and independent samples F-test at significance level 0.05. Elution of TEGDMA from all the samples of Group III (Hybrid-Halogen) was greatest and from Group II (Microhybrid-LED) was lowest. The sequence of TEGDMA elution was Group III > Group I > Group IV > Group II. From our results, we can conclude that the LED light curing unit may be more efficient than standard halogen light curing unit. The extractable quantities of composite resin components should be minimized. Furthermore, all ingredients of a dental composite should be declared by the manufacturers, in order to identify those substances in a product which may cause adverse side effects in patients and dental personnel.

Exploring the structural conformations of amyloid-beta oligomers on self-assembled monolayers and in water under confinement, a molecular dynamics study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide. The aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides and the intermediate protein tau into amyloid fibrils is believed to be a critical event in the pathogenesis of AD. Amyloid fibrils represent the endpoints of aggregation, and it is widely believed that their precursors—the soluble oligomers—are the more important neurotoxins. However, there is limited structural information available on Aβ oligomers. Although atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely-used method employed to study the conformation of Aβ oligomers, the resolution of AFM is limited and unable to discern atomistic structural features. Here, we construct a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), mimicking the surface properties of mica (used in AFM), with varying surface charge densities. Then, we apply the enhanced sampling algorithm REST2 (replica exchange with solute tempering) from the NAMD package, to efficiently sample the protein conformations on the SAM surface. Our simulations have resulted in cross β-sheet formation between Aβ monomers, similar to that observed experimentally. In particular, we find that residues 17-21 and 35-40 are involved in β-sheet formation, the former of which has been observed in the Aβ fibril structure. We also observe the prominence of the intramolecular Asp23-Lys28 salt bridge, which has been found to play a significant role in the formation of Aβ fibrils. Further, we notice that an asymmetric charge distribution on the SAM surface tends to result in greater β-sheet formation. Our simulations of Aβ monomers in TIP4P water, confined using a harmonic wall, similarly result in cross β-sheet formation among the monomers. Confinement has been found to increase the conformational stability of proteins, suggesting the possibility of Aβ formation in the crowded environment of the cell.

Chlorine resistant polyamide desalination membrane prepared via organic-organic interfacial polymerization

Desalination of seawater, brackish water and urban sewage is an important way to solve the global water shortage. Polyamide (PA) membranes, including reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and nanofiltration (NF) membrane, are the primary technology for seawater desalination and clean water production. However, traditional thin-film composite PA (TFC-PA) membranes prepared from interfacial polymerization (IP) of amine monomers (either piperazine or m-phenylenediamine) in water and acyl chloride monomers in organic solvent are incapable of tolerating strong acid and chlorine environment. Here, we develop a new IP process, which takes place at the immiscible interface between dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and hexane (referred to as organic/organic IP), to prepare both chlorine-resistant and acid-resistant TFC-PA membranes. Compared to conventional water/oil IP process, the organic/organic IP process can adapt more kinds of amine monomers rather than just PIP, such as tetra (4-aminophenyl) methane (TMAP), tris (4-aminophenyl) amine (TAPA), and 4,4′,4''-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl) triphenylamine (TTA), which we studied in this work, thereby extending the PA molecular structure and enabling the membranes with greatly improved chemical stability. Among them, the TAPM-based TFC-PA membrane exhibits a NaCl rejection of 95.9% and no obvious NaCl rejection deterioration after soaking in a high concentration of NaClO (1000 ppm, pH 7) for more than 30 h, indicating excellent chlorine resistance. The TTA-based TFC-PA membrane shows a Na2SO4 rejection of 97% and remains unchanged after being exposed to a wide pH scan of 2–12. The Organic/organic IP provides a new and easy-to-operate platform for designing chlorine and acid resistant TFC-PA membranes, which will greatly improve their environmental stability as the most advanced desalination membrane at present.

Dynamics of Acrylamide Hydrogels, Polymers, and Monomers in Water Measured with Optical Heterodyne-Detected Optical Kerr Effect Spectroscopy.

The ultrafast dynamics of acrylamide monomers (AAm), polyacrylamide (PAAm), and polyacrylamide hydrogels (PAAm-HG) in water were studied using optical heterodyne-detected optical Kerr effect (OHD-OKE) spectroscopy. Previous ultrafast infrared (IR) measurements of the water dynamics showed that at the same concentration of the acrylamide moiety, AAm, PAAm, and PAAm-HG exhibited identical water dynamics and that these dynamics slowed with increasing concentration. In contrast to the IR measurements, OHD-OKE experiments measure the dynamics of both the water and the acrylamide species, which occur on different time scales. In this study, the dynamics of all the acrylamide systems slowed with increasing concentration. We found that AAm exhibits tetraexponential decays, the longest component of which followed Debye-Stokes-Einstein behavior except for the highest concentration, 40% (w/v). Low concentrations of PAAm followed a single power law decay, while high concentrations of PAAm and all concentrations of PAAm-HG decayed with two power laws. The highest concentrations, 25% and 40%, of PAAm and PAAm-HG showed nearly identical dynamics. We interpreted this result as reflecting a similar extent of chain-chain interactions. At low concentrations, PAAm displays non-Markovian, single-chain dynamics (single power law), but PAAm displays entangled chain-chain interactions at high concentrations (two power laws). PAAm-HG has chain-chain interactions at all concentrations that arise from the cross-linking. At high concentrations, the dynamics of the entangled of PAAm become identical within error as those of the cross-linked PAAm-HG.

Monomerization of Phthalocyanines in Water via Their Supramolecular Interactions with Cucurbiturils

Aggregation of phthalocyanines (Pcs) represents a problematic feature that decreases the potential of these macrocycles in a number of applications. In this work, we present a supramolecular approach based on the interaction of aminoadamantyl-substituted Pcs with bulky and hydrophilic cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) to increase the levels of Pc monomers in water. A series of zinc(II) Pcs substituted at positions α or β by an aminoadamantyl substituent (with a different level of alkylation of nitrogen) were prepared from the corresponding phthalonitriles. A 1H nuclear magnetic resonance study of the interaction of phthalonitriles with CB[7] in water confirmed the formation of an inclusion complex with an aminoadamantyl moiety with Ka values of ∼1012 M-1. The interaction of CB[7] with Pcs in water substantially weakened H-type aggregation and improved both fluorescence and singlet oxygen production, confirming that this approach is efficient for the monomerization of Pcs. In vitro evaluation of the photodynamic activity of prepared Pcs led to EC50 values in the submicromolar range on HeLa and SK-MEL-28 cells. However, the activity decreased for at least an order of magnitude after host-guest interaction with CB[7] despite better photophysical properties. This was attributed to a much lower uptake by cells due to the very bulky and hydrophilic character of the Pc-CB[7] assembly.

Coordination of Noble Metals in Poly(vinyl mercaptoethanol) Particles Prepared by Precipitation/Emulsion Polymerization

AbstractS‐Vinyl monomers react readily in radical polymerizations resulting in polymers with interesting features such as enhanced refractive indices, increased thermal stability, or the ability to coordinate various metals. Among them, vinyl mercaptoethanol (VME) can be produced in industrial scale, but the poor solubility of the resulting homopolymer limits its application. In this contribution, polymerizations of the monomer are investigated in water forming a heterogeneous system. The good solubility of the monomer in water imparts the system with mixed characteristics between a precipitation and an emulsion polymerization. Evaluating various surfactants, only polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is found to create stable dispersions, although micrometer‐sized particles are formed with a broad size distribution. Nevertheless, the particles are able to coordinate silver or gold ions. Attempts to reduce the noble metal ions by commercial reducing agents fail. However, exposure to sunlight unexpectedly results in a controlled reduction of the metal ions and the formation of composite particles. Silver ion‐containing dispersions demonstrate strong antibacterial properties, while the effect is diminished in the corresponding composite. Overall, the precipitation/emulsion polymerization of VME represents a promising pathway to stable sulfur‐rich polymer dispersions with the ability to coordinate metal ions or form reactive metal composites.

How do salt and lipids affect conformational dynamics of Aβ42 monomers in water?

It is well established that amyloid β-protein (Aβ) self-assembly is involved in triggering of Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, evidence of physiological function of Aβ interacting with lipids has only begun to emerge. Details of Aβ-lipid interactions, which may underlie physiological and pathological activities of Aβ, are not well understood. Here, the effects of salt and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) lipids on conformational dynamics of Aβ42 monomer in water are examined by all-atom molecular dynamics (MD). We acquired six sets of 250 ns long MD trajectories for each of the three lipid concentrations (0, 27, and 109 mM) in the absence and presence of 150 mM salt. Ten replica trajectories per set are used to enhance sampling of Aβ42 conformational space. We show that salt facilitates long-range tertiary contacts in Aβ42, resulting in more compact Aβ42 conformations. By contrast, addition of lipids results in lipid-concentration dependent Aβ42 unfolding concomitant with enhanced stability of the turn in the A21-A30 region. At the high lipid concentration, salt enables the N-terminal region of Aβ42 to form long-range tertiary contacts and interact with lipids, which results in formation of a parallel β-strand. Aβ42 forms stable lipid-protein complexes whereby the protein is adhered to the lipid cluster rather than embedded into it. We propose that the inability of Aβ42 monomer to get embedded into the lipid cluster may be important for facilitating repair of leaks in the blood-brain barrier without penetrating and damaging cellular membranes.

Osmotic Pressure as Driving Force for Reducing the Size of Nanoparticles in Emulsions.

We describe here a method to decrease particle size of nanoparticles synthesized by miniemulsion polymerization. Small nanoparticles or nanocapsules were obtained by generating an osmotic pressure to induce the diffusion of monomer molecules from the dispersed phase of a miniemulsion before polymerization to an upper oil layer. The size reduction is dependent on the difference in concentration of monomer in the dispersed phase and in the upper oil layer and on the solubility of the monomer in water. By labeling the emulsion droplets with a copolymer of stearyl methacrylate and a polymerizable dye, we demonstrated that the migration of the monomer to the upper hexadecane layer relied on molecular diffusion rather than diffusion of monomer droplets to the oil layer. Moreover, surface tension measurements confirmed that the emulsions were still in the miniemulsion regime and not in the microemulsion regime. The particle size can be tuned by controlling the duration during which the miniemulsion stayed in contact with the hexadecane layer, the interfacial area between the miniemulsion and the hexadecane layer and by the concentration of surfactant. Our method was applied to reduce the size of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoparticles, nanocapsules of a copolymer of styrene and methyl methacrylic acid, and silica nanocapsules. This work demonstrated that a successful reduction of nanoparticle size in the miniemulsion process can be achieved without using excess amounts of surfactant. The method relies on building osmotic pressure in oil droplets dispersed in water which acts as semipermeable membrane.

“On Water” Effect for Green Click Reaction: Spontaneous Polymerization of Activated Alkyne with “Inert” Aromatic Amine in Aqueous Media

“On Water” Effect for Green Click Reaction: Spontaneous Polymerization of Activated Alkyne with “Inert” Aromatic Amine in Aqueous Media

The effect of mixed micelle formation on the dynamics of phase partitioning for a polydisperse ethoxylated nonionic surfactant

AbstractMixed surfactants are common in practical applications, and their behaviors are often observed to deviate from the behaviors of pure surfactants with similar average properties in striking, and sometimes unexpected ways. The focus of this work was on exploring the role of mixed micelle formation in a mixed ethoxylated nonionic surfactant on the dynamics of partitioning between immiscible phases. The work examined partitioning of an ethoxylated nonylphenol surfactant between water and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in a stagnant system at two different phase volume ratios. A model describing partitioning rate was developed and calibrated to experimental data, and then used to predict the long‐term dynamic approach to equilibrium in mixed and pure systems. The work suggests that micelle formation slows partitioning time by limiting the concentration of monomers in water; in pure systems, time to approach equilibrium increases with increasing concentration, but then reaches a maximum. However, in mixed systems, time to approach equilibrium continues to increase with increasing concentration over the physically‐possible concentration range. For the mixed system studied here, partitioning could be expected to take two orders of magnitude longer at very high concentrations than a similar pure system. Because of the similarity of the mathematics, this result might be expected for any monomer‐driven interaction, such as adsorption or interfacial tension reduction.

Polymerization of poorly water-soluble monomers in the presence of ethoxylated polyalkylene glycol Laprol 6003, an ethoxylated product of alcoholate copolymerization of propylene oxide with glycerol

The paper shows the similarity of kinetic regularities of vinyl monomers polymerization in the presence of Laprol 6003, regardless of the degree of solubility of the monomers in water. It is assumed that this feature of polymerization is due to the same mechanism of formation of polymer-monomer particles (PMP) – from monomer microdroplets. The interfacial adsorption layer of PMPs, the main site of polymerization, is formed from a surfactant adsorbed from the bulk of the monomer phase and a polymer formed in the adsorption layer upon initiation of polymerization. The formation of complex structures in the interfacial adsorption layer of particles, the incompatibility of the surfactant and the resulting polymer, and high viscosity cause the formation of a strong interfacial layer that ensures the stability of polymer suspensions from the early stages of polymerization.

Synthesis of Glycoluril Dimers with the Ability to Form Polymeric Self-Associates in Water

Supramolecular self-assembly in water resulting in polymeric structures is emerging because of its potential in the preparation of adaptive materials with applications in biology and medicine. Here, we report the first example of host molecules based on glycoluril dimers, which self-associate into linear oligomers in water. The degree of polymerization for the resulting supramolecular aggregates was calculated using the isodesmic model and the Carothers equation. The model compound was prepared to enable a deeper understanding of the forces responsible for the self-association of the glycoluril dimer-based monomers in water.