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Highly stretchable hydrogel shows actuation behaviour upon irradiation of infrared (IR) light. The photothermal effect induced by heat from IR absorption causes cooperative change in the network alignments in the stretched sample.
Self-assembled organic nanotubes (S-ONTs) from rationally designed synthetic amphiphiles provide a variety of inner and outer surfaces as well as homogeneous hollow cylinders with precisely controlled inner diameters. Focusing on distinctive characteristics of the nanospace or nanochannel, we review the recent progress in the research on encapsulation, transportation, stabilization and release behavior of biomacromolecules in the S-ONT nanochannels in terms of application to a bioengineering field.
Photocrosslinkable polymers and UV-curable resins are significant materials in relation to the industrial applications for coatings, adhesives, photoresists and printing plates. Recently, much attention has been paid to recovery or recycling of crosslinked polymers due to the environmental regulations. This article reviews our recent research work on the synthesis, properties and applications of photocrosslinkable polymers and UV-curable resins with degradable property.
Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ɛ-caprolactone with dilithium tetra-tert-butylzincate (TBZL) in toluene was performed. The initiating species for the ROP of ɛ-caprolactone is not the tert-butyl anion of TBZL but the hydroxyl anion derived from a trace amount of H2O or alcohol. Poly(ɛ-caprolactone) with a BnO group at the initiating chain-end was obtained by adding benzyl alcohol as an initiator, as expected. The molecular weight distributions were relatively narrow, except with increased temperatures and/or prolonged polymerization times. This system does not need a high polymerization temperature or long polymerization time.
Long-time measurements on the glass transition of polystyrene thin films supported on Si substrates were performed at various heating rates using X-ray reflectivity. Reconstructed depth profiles of thermal expansivity were obtained by fitting via an integral model, which indicated that the length scale of the interfacial dead region decreases with decreasing heating rate, whereas the thickness of the mobile surface layer increases.
Alkyl imidazolium-based polymer hydrogels produced by copolymerizing N-allylimidazolium chloride (AlImCl) bearing a long alkyl chain exerted a sol-gel phase transition in response to the addition of specific anions. Microscopic observation indicates that spherical microdomains of the polymer assembly were formed in the hydrogels. A hydrophobized fluorescent dye spontaneously accumulated and freely moved in the microdomains due to their high hydrophobicity and fluidity. The hydrogels with the unique domains are promising supports that can be used for multiple functional molecules in biosensing, bioproduction and a new type of drug delivery system.
