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What Are Monomers?
Monomers are molecules that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization. There are mainly four types of monomers, including sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and nucleotides, and each of these monomer types plays an important role in the existence and development of life, and each can be synthesized through abiotic means. What Are Monomers Made? Polymers are synthetic substances that consist of multiple simpler units called monomers. A polymer is a chain with an indefinite number of monomer units. Homopolymers are polymers made by joining together monomers with the same chemical composition or structure. How Do You Identify Monomer?…
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What Are Block Copolymer Micelles?
Block copolymer micelles are generally formed by the self-assembly of either amphiphilic or oppositely charged copolymers in aqueous medium. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks form the corona and the core of the micelles, respectively. Block copolymer micelles can be classified according to the type of intermolecular forces driving the segregation of the core segment from the aqueous milieu. In the past few decades, at least three main categories were identified, viz. amphiphilic micelles (formed by hydrophobic interactions), polyion complex micelles (PICM; resulting from electrostatic interactions), and micelles stemming from metal complexation. Generally, when the hydrophilic segment is longer than the core block, the shape of the resulting micelles is spherical. Conversely, increasing…
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What Are PEGs?
PEGs (polyethylene glycols) are composed of polyether compounds repeating ethylene glycol units according to the constituent monomer or parent molecule (as ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide, or oxyethylene) (Fig. 1). Most PEGs are commonly available commercially as mixtures of different oligomer sizes in molecular weight (MW) ranges. For instance, PEG-10,000 typically designates a mixture of PEG molecules (n = 195 to 265) having an average MW of 10,000. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), with the three names being chemical synonyms. However, PEGs mainly refer to oligomers and polymers with molecular masses below 20,000 g/mol, while PEOs are polymers with molecular masses above 20,000 g/mol, and POEs are…
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New Study Solving the Puzzle of Polymers Binding to Ice for Biological Cryopreservation
Understanding the ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity of antifreeze biomimetics is critical to the development of next-generation cryoprotectants. Recently, in the paper, The atomistic details of the ice recrystallization inhibition activity of PVA, which is published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Warwick have found that, contrary to the emerging consensus, shorter or longer polymer chains of poly(vinyl)alcohol (PVA) all bind to ice. In this study, the researchers bring together molecular dynamics simulations and quantitative experimental measurements to unravel the microscopic origins of the IRI activity of poly(vinyl)alcohol (PVA)—the most potent of biomimetic IRI agents. Contrary to the emerging consensus, the team find that PVA does not require a “lattice matching” to…
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Want A Quick Understanding for Your Dendrimers?Read This!
What Are Dendrimers? Dendrimers are nano-sized, radially symmetric molecules with well-defined, homogeneous, and monodisperse structure consisting of tree-like arms or branches. These hyperbranched molecules were first discovered by Fritz Vogtle in 1978, by Donald Tomalia and co-workers in the early 1980s, and at the same time, but independently by George R. Newkome. A variety of dendrimers exist, and each has biological properties such as polyvalency, self-assembling, electrostatic interactions, chemical stability, low cytotoxicity, and solubility. These varied characteristics make dendrimers a good choice in the medical field, and support their diverse applications, such as drug delivery, gene delivery, magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, and photodynamic therapy. Are Dendrimers Polymers? Dendrimers are synthetic polymeric…
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Two Recent Research Progress on Polymers
Sugar-Based Polymers from d-Xylose: Living Cascade Polymerization, Tunable Degradation, and Small Molecule Release Biodegradable bio-based polymers provide options for chemical recycling, and they can be used for storing and releasing useful molecules. Scientist Tae-Lim Choi and colleagues from Seoul National University, South Korea, have developed a class of sugar-based polymers that can be degraded by acid hydrolysis. The researchers also integrated “cargo” molecules in the polymer, which are designed to break apart after the polymer degrades. The study, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, stated that degradable cargo polymers are very important for medical and sensor applications. In this study, enyne monomers derived from D-xylose underwent living cascade polymerizations to prepare…
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The Most Cited Literature on Block Copolymer Micelles
Block copolymer micelles are generally formed by the self-assembly of either amphiphilic or oppositely charged copolymers in aqueous medium. In this article, the editor summarizes the most cited research results that scientists have made on block copolymer micelles, and hope you can find what you need. What are Block Copolymer Micelles? Block copolymer micelles are generally formed by the self-assembly of either amphiphilic or oppositely charged copolymers in aqueous medium. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks form the corona and the core of the micelles, respectively. The presence of a nonionic water-soluble shell as well as the scale (10-100 nm) of polymeric micelles are expected to restrict their uptake by the mononuclear phagocyte system and…
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What Everybody Ought To Know About Fluorescent Polymers
In recent years, there are huge demands for fluorescent materials, as they play important roles in various research areas such as chemistry and biology. Due to their fascinating properties and important applications in the fields of materials and life sciences, the research on fluorescent polymers has also attracted extensive scientific attention. In September 2020, polymer researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi, in collaboration with other scientists, have developed fluorescent solids and according to their research, they said that to be the brightest known materials in existence. Their discoveries may be potentially applied in everything from solar energy to medical diagnostics and lasers, and even in autonomous cars. More studies are…
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Injectable Hydrogel
Hydrogels are gels in which water is the dispersion medium. The water-soluble polymer having a network cross-linking structure introduces a part of a hydrophobic group and a hydrophilic residue, and the hydrophilic residue is combined with a water molecule to connect the water molecule inside the network, and the hydrophobic residue expands with water. Hydrogels are well suited for a wide range of applications due to their high water content and the regulated mechanical properties. Studies have found that many hydrogel systems can form strong, tough and elastic covalently crosslinked hydrogel materials by covalent cross-linking methods, including light, temperature and pH-induced free radical processes. However, they may also Limited by…
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Research Progress of Mesoporous Silica in Drug Delivery Systems
In recent years, the development of nanotechnology has brought about the dawn of overcoming many problems of traditional clinical drugs such as low solubility, weak selectivity, biodistribution and poor pharmacokinetics. Currently, a variety of nanomaterials such as silica, liposomes, carbon materials, layered hydroxides, and polymers have been reported as carriers for drug delivery. However, these new drug delivery systems still have many defects. For example, direct mixing of the silica sol and the drug results in heterogeneous dispersion of the drug, thereby causing the drug release rate to be affected by the sample batch. Liposomal carriers are less stable and are easily cleared by the reticuloendothelial system, resulting in fewer…
