Note in 2019

Gels containing the medicinal ingredients of licorice were formed by dissolving herbal medicinal plants into a biocompatible zwitterionic cellulose solvent and successive precipitation. The licorice gels gradually released glycyrrhizic acid, the main medicinal ingredient in licorice, within 3 h. Although the licorice gels were mechanically weak, the gel strength was improved just by the addition of cellulose during the preparation of the gels.

Core cross-linked star-shaped poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), which was prepared via an arm-first method by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization, was shown to exhibit unique thermoresponsive behavior in water. Star polymers with ~20–35 arms with narrow molecular weight distributions apparently had a more hydrophilic nature compared with that of linear PNIPAAm, judging from their thermoresponsive behavior. Most importantly, an aqueous solution of the star PNIPAAm with carboxy ends remained transparent even at 70 °C.

This study examines the use of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA)-coated polystyrene functionalized with peptides that mimic receptors found on red blood cells for detection of the influenza virus. Although the current method, the hemagglutination inhibition test, utilized by the World Health Organization, is simple, it has some limitations. We found that our peptide dimers attached to beads were efficiently agglutinated, leading us to detect the presence of the influenza virus antigens. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the fight against influenza because we provide an alternative method for the important task of influenza surveillance and diagnosis.

The equilibrium melting temperature (\(T_{\mathrm{m}}^0\)) of natural rubber crystals was reexamined by the Hoffman–Weeks plot and the Gibbs–Thomson plot using the lamellar thickness obtained from the same sample as the one used for the measurement of melting temperature. The sample was prepared from deproteinized latex. As a result, the \(T_{\mathrm{m}}^0\) of NR was estimated to be 61 °C. At the same time, the fold-surface free energy was estimated to be 0.046 Jm⁻². These values should be more reliable than the previously assumed values.

Bridged polysilsesquioxane membranes have been expected as robust RO membranes for water desalination. However, water permeability of the membranes was not sufficiently high. In the present work, we studied interfacial copolymerization of bis[(triethoxysilyl)propyl]amine (BTESPA) and bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE), which resulted in ~10 times higher water permeance of the membrane than that of the BTESPA homopolymer membrane with keeping NaCl rejection at nearly the same level. It was also found that the copolymerization with BTESE improved the thermal stability and chlorine resistance of the membranes.

Polar polymers with permanent dipoles such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) are suitable for use as high-energy storage density dielectrics because of their high permittivity. This study investigated the ferroelectricity and energy storage behaviors of PVDF Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) nanofilms at sub-50 nm thicknesses. The ferroelectric hysteresis loops were measured using a Sawyer–Tower circuit in different electric fields. An energy density of 6.0 J/cm³ at 500 MV/m was demonstrated for the 12-nm-thick PVDF LB nanofilm device.

N-succinimidyl monomers such as N-methacryloxysuccinimide (MASI) and N-acryloxysuccinimide (ASI) were utilized as prepolymers to synthesize glycopolymers via postpolymerization modification. Living radical polymerization with RAFT agents succeeded using not only MASI but also ASI. While the polymerization with ATRP initiator did not succeed using ASI, the procedure was successful with MASI. MASI was also applicable for SI-ATRP reactions on substrate surfaces. The introduction rate of NH₂-terminated saccharide onto the prepolymer via amine coupling reaction was affected by the reaction temperature. This preparation procedure via postpolymerization modification is expected to provide a facile method for various functional polymers, such as other saccharide and beneficial ligands.