Research articles

Butylated lignin was applied as a compatibilizing agent of polypropylene-based carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. The butylated lignin increased the tensile strength of the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic from 37.1 to 40.2 MPa, which was similar to what was achieved with a well-known oil-based compatibilizing agent (40.9 MPa).

T_g of PMMA was greatly enhanced by introducing ion–dipole interaction between lithium cations and carbonyl groups in PMMA as pseudo crosslinking points.

The morphology and effects on the OFET performance of blends of various ratios of P3HT and insulating PLA using CHCl₃ and CH₂Cl₂ as solvents were explored. It is demonstrated that a P3HT network structure within the PLA matrix could be induced using CH₂Cl₂. The one-dimensional nanowire morphology of these network structures may have provided an efficient pathway for OFET charge transport. These results confirm that P3HT/PLA blends in CH₂Cl₂ solvent could be used to fabricate low-cost, green-polymer-blended FETs.

A new manipulation technique of polyurethane materials via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is proposed. Polyurethanes with sulfonyl groups are synthesized for the EPD coatings on a stainless-steel electrode plate at the anode side selectively. The coating properties, including peeling resistance, scratch resistance, and transparency, are improved by optimizing soft segment fraction and also by reducing aromaticity of the polyurethanes.

Polymer chain conformation was utilized to control the nucleation of a cholesterol-pyridine molecular gel. Collapsed chain conformations influence gel structure and dissociation behavior by acting as physical barriers that lead to confinement effects and permanent networks. An extended polymer chain conformation allowed for polymer–molecular-gel interactions and increased dissociation temperatures due to its highly ordered structure, resulting in transient networks. Additionally, the high molecular weight polymer solution behavior guided solution mechanics, where collapsed chains lead to viscous solutions and gels and extended chains led to elastic gel networks.

An incompletely condensed cage silsesquioxane (IC-POSS)-based AB₃-type monomer, tris(dimethylsilyl)-p-vinylhexaisobutyl-IC-POSS (3), was prepared by the corner-cleaved reaction of vinylheptaisobutyl-POSS (1) and subsequent capping reaction with chlorodimethylsilane. The hydrosilylation polymerization of 3 in the presence of Karstedt’s catalyst in toluene provided a soluble polymer. The refractive index of the unmodified polymer film was 1.4376. Post functionalization with isoprenol increased the dispersibility in polar organic solvents and significantly increased the glass-transition temperature. Post functionalization with allylheptaisobutyl-POSS significantly increased the thermal stability. Their refractive index varied from 1.4464 to 1.4573 upon post functionalization.

Liquid-crystalline Au complexes with siloxane groups at the termini of flexible chains were synthesized. The effects of the molecular and molecular aggregate structures on the luminescence behavior of the complexes were investigated. In condensed phases, different luminescence colors were observed depending on the aggregate structure due to the effect of intermolecular interactions; thus, the luminescence color of the Au complexes can be controlled by the intermolecular interactions based on the structure of the molecular aggregates.

Cellulose oligomers were synthesized via cellodextrin phosphorylase-catalyzed reactions using α-D-glucose 1-phosphate monomers and D-glucose primers. The products prepared at relatively high primer concentrations self-assembled into highly grown nanoribbon network structures. The nanoribbons were composed of cellulose oligomers with degree-of-polymerization (DP) values of 8-9 with certain degrees of DP distribution and displayed the cellulose II allomorph. A formation mechanism for the unique nanostructures was proposed based on analyses of reaction time-dependent differences of the product solutions.

The alignment of azobenzene molecule was induced by a new-alignment-patterning technique based on a scanning wave photopolymerization (SWaP) concept with unpolarized light. This finding indicates that SWaP could be employed as a novel and simple fabrication process for preparing a wide variety of highly functional optical devices requiring alignment control.

A series of amphiphilic block oligomers were designed and synthesized using ruthenium-catalyzed living radical polymerization with poly(ethylene glycol) and butyl methacrylates (BMA). These PEGylated oligomers showed high binding efficiencies for liposomal preparations as model cell membranes, and also had low cytotoxicity. BMA contents and monomer sequences in the copolymers strongly affected their binding efficiencies. Current method enabled precise control of the primary structures of amphiphilic oligomers, allowing tuning of their binding efficiencies. These amphiphilic block oligomers have promise as novel membrane anchors for many biomedical applications.

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/dendrimer sheet scaffolds, i.e., dendrimers attached to the surface of MWCNT buckypaper, were fabricated, and a hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating prepared on dendrimer-modified buckypaper using an alternate soaking process (ASP) is described. The amount of the HAp that is retained on the surface of the MWCNT/dendrimer sheet scaffolds depends on the dendrimer contents. Moreover, biomimetic crystallization of calcium phosphate on buckypaper in simulated body fluid (SBF) was carried out. TEM analysis of the resulting MWCNT/dendrimer sheet scaffolds revealed that the MWCNT backbone was covered with scaly crystals.

To a thermocell consisting of the redox pair of ferrocenecarboxylate/ferroceniumcarboxylate was added β-cyclodextrin as host matrix. The Seebeck coefficient increases to −1.20 mV/K by the host–guest interaction between ferrocenecarboxylate and β-CD.

A perfluorinated oligo (ethylene oxide) monoalkyl ether containing a terminal methyl carbonate has been developed for potential application as quasi-solid-state electrolytes for Li-ion batteries. The fluorinated block-structured molecule self-assembles to form nanosegregated bilayer structures, which can be used for anisotropic Li ion transport when complexed with a Li salt. The complex shows ionic conductivities on the order of 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ in the ordered smectic phase formed at ambient temperature.

We prepared a series of ionic complexes, [CnMim][CHP] (n = 6–18), by neutralizing cholesterol hydrogen phthalate (CHP) with 1-alkyl (Cn)-3-methylimidazolium hydroxide ([CnMim][OH]) derived from [CnMim][Br]. The complexes of n ≥ 10 formed a thermotropic mesophase in each individual temperature range and solidified into a mesomorphic glass upon cooling, although two samples of n = 6 and 8 showed no ordered structure. Enthalpy relaxation behavior of the mesomorphic glasses (n = 10, 18) was also examined as a function of the aging temperature and time

A novel concept for cellular scaffolds with 2D-patterned mechanical properties was proposed. Thin films of glassy polystyrene (PS) with thicknesses ranging from 100 nm to 1 μm were prepared on epoxy resin-based line and space (L&S) patterned substrates. Although the outermost surface of PS was sufficiently flat regardless of the L&S patterned substrates, the mechanical responses differed depending on the presence of the underlying resin foundation. The initial cell adhesion and spreading and the proliferation on the scaffolds were affected by the 2D-patterned mechanical properties.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels having catechol substituents were prepared. It was found that the aqueous dispersion of the nanogel showed thermal aggregation responding to body temperature only in the case that Fe³⁺ was mixed and then pH increased. It can be said that this thermal aggregation system of the nanogel is one kind of AND-type logic gate aggregation system. We also showed the possibility that this AND-type nanogel aggregation can be used as a smart valve system regulating water flow.

Noticeable molecular weight and temperature dependency for physisorption behavior of semiflexible, non-charged poly(9,9-n-dioctylfluorene) (PF8) onto cuboidal γ-alumina in toluene were found. MM/MD simulations (CVFF) and quantum mechanical (MP2/6-31G(d,p)) calculations suggested that PF8 swaps interacting toluene for (110) surface of γ-alumina by changing the interaction from CH/π interactions to C-H/O interactions of γ-alumina in toluene. The competition between multiple intermolecular CH/π and C-H/O interactions was crucial whether the spontaneous physisorption of PF8 occurs in place of solvent quantity of toluene. The solution-phase physisorption systems should be the consequence of several weak attractive intermolecular interactions coexisting between polymers, surface, and solvents

For THF solutions of an optically active helical poly[3,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)phenylacetylene] derivative bearing a biphenyl group, photoexcitation of the terphenyl moiety at 300 nm led to photoluminescence at 390 nm. On the other hand, the photoluminescence resulting from excitation at 280 nm caused dual emission at 310 and 390 nm, whose intensities were tuned by the polar-solvent stimuli which induced the collapse of the intramolecular stack structure of the side groups, and the change in the emission wavelength accompanied disappearance of the optical activity.

Amyloid ß-protein (Aß) is converted to toxic forms through interactions with the ganglioside in neuronal membranes. The highly ganglioside-enriched microdomain (ganglioside cluster) in neuronal membranes plays a key role in Aß assembly. In the present study, lipid components of synaptosome extracted from mouse aged brain was determined by LC-MS spectroscopy. We demonstrated that ganglioside ratio (GM3 to GM1) and cholesterol content are an important factor for inducing Aß assembly. These results provides important insight into the mechanism of polypeptide assembly on the neuronal membrane in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Glycosylated double-hydrophilic block copolymers composed of polyacrylamide bearing maltose moieties and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were synthesized by a RAFT polymerization technique. The resulting glycosylated block copolymer aggregated, interacted strongly with the lectin Con A, and formed a precipitate in aqueous media above the LCST. The precipitate dissociated into the aqueous medium below the LCST. This behavior of the block copolymer in aqueous media is reversible in response to changes in temperature.