MMA/MPEOMA/VSA copolymer as a novel blood-compatible material: ex vivo platelet adhesion study

MMA/MPEOMA/VSA copolymers with both pendant polyethylene oxide (PEO) side chains and negatively chargeable side groups were synthesized by random copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), methoxy PEO monomethacrylate (MPEOMA; PEO mol. wt, 1000), and vinyl sulfonic acid sodium salt (VSA) monomers with different monomer composition to evaluate their blood compatibility. MMA/MPEOMA copolymer (with PEO side chains) and MMA/VSA copolymer (with negatively chargeable side groups) were also synthesized for the comparison purpose. The synthesized copolymers were coated onto polyurethane (PU) tubes (inner diameter, 4.6 mm) by a spin coating. The platelet adhesion of the MMA/MPEOMA/VSA copolymer-coated tube surfaces was compared with that of tube surface coated with MMA/MPEOMA or MMA/VSA copolymer with similar MPEOMA or VSA composition, using an ex vivo canine arterio-artery shunt method. The platelet adhesion was evaluated by radioactivity counting of technetium (99mTc)-labeled platelets adhered on the surfaces after 30 and 120 min of blood circulation. The MMA/MPEOMA/VSA copolymer (monomer molar ratio 9/0.5/0.5 or 8/1/1) was better in preventing platelet adhesion on the surface than the MMA/MPEOMA or MMA/VSA copolymer with similar MPEOMA or VSA composition, probably owing to the combined effects of highly mobile, hydrophilic PEO side chains and negatively charged VSA side groups.     

Block copolymers as templates for functional materials

There are applications and devices which require controlled distribution of material functionality (electrical, optical, catalytic, magnetic) in two or three dimensions. At the nanometer length scale, attempts to meet this challenge have included template-mediated materials chemistry [1] in which track-etched membranes, porous alumina and zeolites serve as the nanoscale reaction vessels for the synthesis of the functional materials. The ability to control both the length scale and the spatial organization of block copolymer morphologies makes these materials particularly attractive candidates for use as templates in the synthesis of functional nanocomposites. Appropriate choices of the repeat units of the block sequences renders them capable of selectivity sequestering preformed inorganic nanoclusters or selectively solubilizing inorganic reagents for in-situ cluster synthesis. Methods exist to produce nanoscale voids which percolate through the structure, leading to processes which coat or backfill the channels with functional materials.     

Ormosil nanocomposite materials as modifiers for acrylic coating systems

Organically modified silica (ormosil) particles were prepared using hydrolytic sol-gel methods and the miniemulsion polymerisation approach. Methyl-, ethyl-, and phenylsilsesquioxane nanoparticles with diameters in the range 50-180 nm were obtained using the modified St?ber method with an aqueous sodium silicate solution used as a seed for further growth of the particles. Methyl- and phenylsilsesquioxane particles were prepared by a sol-gel method in the presence of benzethonium chloride used as a surfactant. The miniemulsion polymerisation approach has been extended to the production of methacrylate-modified silica nanoparticles with vinylpyridine or lauryl methacrylate used as comonomers both in the presence and in the absence of a surfactant. Styryl-modified silica particles with diameters in the range 300-800 nm were obtained by the St?ber method using pre-formed SiO2 nanoparticles as the seeds for silsesquioxane nanoparticle formation. The effect of incorporation of the particles produced using different synthetic methods on hardness and water resistance of acrylic coating systems was studied here.     

Physical properties of nano-HAs/ZrO2 coating on surface of titanium materials used in dental-implants and its biological compatibility

A gradient composite coating on the surface of titanium materials, which are used in dental implants, is prepared using an electric-chemical method. The physical properties of the composite coating and its strength of combining with titanium material are studied by the scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrum and X-ray diffraction analysis, etc. The results show that the nanohydroxyapatite/ZrO2 composite coating is uniformly deposited and formed on the surface of titanium materials, its strength of combining with titanium surface reaches 16.3 MPa, which is determined by the tensile test. The immersion experiment shows that a new matter of carbonate-apatite is distributed uniformly on the surface of the composite coating of nanohydroxyapatite/ZrO2. The cell experiment of cultivate exhibits that the osteoblasts MG-63 is also grown well on the surface of the composite coating. These results indicate that the nanohydroxyapatite/ZrO2 composite coating on the surface of titanium materials has a good biological activity and compatibility and could be used in the dental-implants.     

In situ ATR/FTIR studies of protein adsorption on polymeric materials: effectiveness of surface heparinization

The adsorption of two proteins from human plasma (human serum albumin (HSA) and human fibrinogen (HFG) onto six different polymeric surfaces (two of which are heparinized), has been studied byin situ ATR/FTIR spectroscopy. The different surface characteristics are reflected by different interfacial behaviours of the two proteins, but while both proteins unfold upon adsorption on all the different non-heparinized materials, they maintain the native conformation once adsorbed on the heparinized surfaces. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of surface heparinization.     

Insights into heat management of hydrogen adsorption for improved hydrogen isotope separation of porous materials

Separating high-purity hydrogen isotopes from their mixture still remains a huge challenge due to almost the identical physicochemical properties.Much importance has been attached to tune microstructure of porous materials,while heat management during hydrogen isotope separation tends to be ignored.Herein,a porous material 5A molecular sieve(5A)is mixed with graphene(GE)under ball grinding to enhance its thermal conductivity for hydrogen isotope separation.The thermal conductivity increases from 0.19 W m-1 K-1 of neat 5A,0.75 W m-1 K-1 of 5A/GE2(2 wt％GE)to 1.23 W m-1 K-1 of 5A/GE8.In addition,introducing GE into 5A promotes hydrogen adsorption and D2/H2 adsorption ratio.5A/GE2 shows the highest D2 adsorption capacity(5.40 mmol/g)and the largest D2/H2 adsorption ratio(1.07)among the composites.It also displays a high efficiency of heat transfer that contributes to a low energy consumption due to the shortened cycle time during hydrogen isotope separation.This work offers new insights into material design for improved hydrogen isotope separation,which is greatly crucial to scientific and industrial applications,such as fuel self-sustaining in fusion reactors.     

Suitability of various excipients as carrier and coating materials for liquisolid compacts

Context: The liquisolid technology is a promising technique for the release enhancement of poorly soluble drugs. With this approach, liquids such as solutions or suspensions of poorly soluble drugs in a non-volatile liquid vehicle are transformed into acceptably flowing and compressible powders. As fast-release liquisolid compacts require a high amount of liquid vehicle, more effective tableting excipients for liquid adsorption are needed to reduce tablet weight.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of various novel tableting excipients as carrier and coating materials for liquisolid compacts.

Materials and methods: Liquisolid compacts containing the liquid drug tocopherol acetate (TA) as model drug and various excipients were prepared. The effect of liquid drug content on the flowability and tabletability of the liquisolid powder blends as well as the disintegration of the liquisolid compacts was studied. From this data, the maximum liquid adsorption capacity of the respective mixtures of carrier and coating materials could be determined.

Results and discussion: The liquid adsorption capacity depends on the specific surface area of the investigated excipients. Fujicalin^® and especially Neusilin^® are more effective carrier materials for liquid adsorption than Avicel^®, which is often used for liquisolid systems. Moreover, Florite^® and Neusilin^® turned out to be more suitable as coating materials than the commonly used Aerosil^® due to their better tableting properties.

Conclusion: If Neusilin^® is used as carrier and coating material instead of Avicel^® (carrier material) and Aerosil^® (coating material), the TA adsorption capacity is increased by a factor of 7.     

金属基表面Al2O3-SiO2涂层耐冲蚀性能的研究

结合炼钢转炉用风机因炉气而导致叶片磨蚀较快的实际情况，从改善叶片材料的角度出发，采用溶胶-凝胶法制备Al2O3-SiO2涂层用在金属基体上进行试验。结果表明在含3％（质量分数）Si02磨粒的水介质中，单一三层的SiO2涂层、SiO2-Al2O3-SiO2涂层及混合溶胶制备的复合涂层的耐冲蚀性相近，均比单一三层的Al2O3涂层及A12O3-Sio2-Al2O3涂层好。混合溶胶制备的复合涂层在3％（质量分数）SiO2磨粒的酸性介质中表现出了良好的耐冲蚀性。     

Fibre coating as a means to compensate for poor adhesion in fibre-reinforced materials

Using a computer lattice model developed previously, we show that a fibre coating decreases the stress concentration and improves the load carrying capabilities of a broken fibre embedded in a poorly bonded matrix. The optimum fibre coating must have a modulus 1 to 2 times the matrix modulus and a thickness of about 100 nm. Examples are shown in which these fibre coating characteristics can lead to a 400% increase in the load carrying capabilities of a fibre.     

Improving the blood compatibility of ion-selective electrodes by employing poly(MPC-co-BMA), a copolymer containing phosphorylcholine,as a membrane coating

The hydrogelpoly(2-methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine-co-butyl methacrylate), or poly(MPC-co-BMA), was used as a coating for polyurethane- and poly(vinyl chloride)-based membranes to develop ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) with enhanced blood compatibility. Adverse interactions of poly(MPC-co-BMA) with blood were diminished due to the phosphorylcholine functionalities of the hydrogel, which mimic the phospholipid polar groups present on the surface of many cell membranes. As demonstrated by immunostaining, hydrogel-coated PVC membranes soaked in platelet-rich plasma showed less adhesion and activation of platelets than uncoated PVC membranes, indicating an improvement in biocompatibility owing to the hydrogel. Furthermore, little differences in the potentiometric response characteristics, e.g., slope, detection limit, and selectivity, of ISEs employing uncoated and coated membranes were observed.     

Benefits and limitations of porous substrates as biosensors for protein adsorption

Porous substrates have gained widespread interest for biosensor applications based on molecular recognition. Thus, there is a great demand to systematically investigate the parameters that limit the transport of molecules toward and within the porous matrix as a function of pore geometry. Finite element simulations (FES) and time-resolved optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS) experiments were used to systematically study the transport of molecules and their binding on the inner surface of a porous material. OWS allowed us to measure the kinetics of protein adsorption within porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes composed of parallel-aligned, cylindrical pores with pore radii of 10-40 nm and pore depths of 0.8-9.6 μm. FES showed that protein adsorption on the inner surface of a porous matrix is almost exclusively governed by the flux into the pores. The pore-interior surface nearly acts as a perfect sink for the macromolecules. Neither diffusion within the pores nor adsorption on the surface are rate limiting steps, except for very low rate constants of adsorption. While adsorption on the pore walls is mainly governed by the stationary flux into the pores, desorption from the inner pore walls involves the rate constants of desorption and adsorption, essentially representing the protein-surface interaction potential. FES captured the essential features of the OWS experiments such as the initial linear slopes of the adsorption kinetics, which are inversely proportional to the pore depth and linearly proportional to protein concentration. We show that protein adsorption kinetics allows for an accurate determination of protein concentration, while desorption kinetics could be used to capture the interaction potential of the macromolecules with the pore walls.     

Evaluation of two polymeric blends (EVA/PLA and EVA/PEG) as coating film materials for paclitaxel-eluting stent application

The ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) blend and EVA/Poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) blend were applied as the drug carrier materials for a bi-layer drug-loaded stent coating film, which consisted of a paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded layer and a drug-free EVA layer. The changes of weight and appearance of the drug-free polymeric blend films with increasing time were examined by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) tests and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and the results showed the degradation of PLA and the leaching of PEG from the films. The effects of PLA, PEG and drug contents on in vitro drug release were investigated, and the results demonstrated that the addition of PLA promoted the drug release while the addition of PEG almost did not. Franz cells diffusion test results indicated that the bi-layer structure successfully endowed the stent coating with the release of drug in a unidirectional fashion. The release profiles of films incorporated PTX and the mechanical performance of the film could be customized by readily adjusting the contents of the blend components. Therefore, the polymeric blends could be useful drug carrier materials for drug-loaded stent coating capable of releasing drug in a highly tunable manner.     

锰氧化物/石墨烯复合材料作为锂离子电池负极的研究

以天然石墨为原料,采用改进的Hummers法合成含Mn的氧化石墨;400℃条件下氢气还原制备了锰氧化物/石墨烯复合材料。利用XRD、SEM和TEM对所制备的复合材料进行了表征。结果表明锰氧化物(MnOx)颗粒均匀地分布在石墨烯片层表面。将复合材料作为锂离子电池负极进行研究,在50mA/g电流密度下,首次库伦效率为70.4%,可逆容量达876mAh/g,并且具有良好的循环性能,在30次循环后仍保持在700mAh/g以上。     

生物质材料对微纳塑料吸附性能的研究进展

废弃塑料在江河湖海中呈累积趋势,老化分解产生的微纳塑料严重污染水质,威胁生态环境和居民饮用水安全。传统处理方法,如物理絮凝、生物降解等,存在处理周期长、吸附效率低等问题。天然生物质含有大量的羟基、羧基等活性基团,对生物质进行物理处理或化学修饰改性能够改善孔隙结构和提高比表面积,可作为吸附微纳塑料的绿色材料。本文从微纳塑料的常规处理方法和基本特征出发,简要概况了不同类型微纳塑料对植物、动物和人体的潜在影响和危害,系统介绍了生物质材料(生物质炭、纤维素、甲壳素等)在微纳塑料吸附领域的研究现状,分析总结了生物质材料对微纳塑料的吸附行为、规律和作用机制,最后展望了生物质材料吸附微纳塑料的未来发展前景。      

Collagen-based bioartificial materials—evaluation as membranes for extracorporeal blood purification

The preparation of films from blends of collagen and poly(vinyl alcohol) is described and the transport properties of these films are evaluated. Different crosslinking procedures, dehydrothermal crosslinking and crosslinking by glutaraldehyde, have been used. The transport properties of these films have been studied using model solutes such as sodium chloride, vitamin B12 and bovine albumin. The results are compared with those obtained using commercial products such as Cuprophan^® and poly(acrylonitrile) dialysis membranes. The aim of our study was to analyse the effects of different crosslinking methods and the effects of blending with poly(vinyl alcohol) upon the permeation characteristics of collagen-based membranes.     

丙烯酸钠-玉米芯接枝共聚物的制备及其对Ni2+的吸附机制

为探索利用农业废弃物玉米芯制备高效吸附材料去除水溶液中重金属离子的可行性.利用原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)技术将大量对重金属离子具有较强亲和能力的羧基嫁接到玉米芯表面,制备出丙烯酸钠-玉米芯接枝共聚物(MC-g-PGMA-g-PAA-Na),同时采用热重、FTIR、SEM、EDS和XPS对吸附Ni2+前后的吸附材料进...