Block copolymer self-assembly in solution offers a versatile platform for designing nanostructures with tailored morphologies in aqueous environments. While morphology is commonly controlled by adjusting block ratios, kinetic trapping of nanostructures represents a powerful yet underexplored strategy…
Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025-12-16
Supramolecular assemblies are typically characterized by their dynamic nature due to the comparable weak non‐covalent interactions. While these properties confer adaptability, stability issues may limit application in areas such as drug delivery or tissue engineering. Here, supramolecular assemblies…
Self‐assembly of block copolymers in solution provides access to different nanostructures depending on block composition and processing conditions. However, more complex hierarchical nanostructures as found in nature remain challenging to achieve. In this study, the influence of a β‐sheet forming tetrapeptide…
Benzentrispeptides that can form 1-dimensional supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes (SPBs) in water were synthesised and investigated. Initially, the focus was on the correlation between the molecular motif and the shape of the obtained aggregates. Thus, the hydrogen-bonding peptide segment, the hydrophobic…
Hydrogels based on supramolecular assemblies offer attractive features for biomedical applications including injectability or versatile combinations of various building blocks. We here investigate a system combining benzenetrispeptides (BTP), which forms supramolecular fibers, with polymer polyethylene…
London: The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024-12-20
Due to the increasing challenges posed by the growing immunity to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), there is growing interest in innovative polymer‐based materials as viable alternatives. In this study, the advantages of lipids and polymers are combined to allow efficient and rapid cytoplasmic drug delivery.…
Abstract Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with an integrated dual delivery system enable the controlled release of bioactive molecules and drugs, providing therapeutic advantages. Key design targets include high biocompatibility, cellular uptake, and encapsulating efficiency. In this study, a polymer library…
With the incorporation of polyampholytic segments into soft matter, hydrogels can serve as a reservoir for a variety of charged molecules which can be caught and released upon changes in pH value. Asymmetric block extension of one arm for star‐shaped poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG 26 ‐SH] 4 using short segments…
The COVID‐19 mRNA vaccines represent a milestone in developing non‐viral gene carriers, and their success highlights the crucial need for continued research in this field to address further challenges. Polymer‐based delivery systems are particularly promising due to their versatile chemical structure…
The arrangement of charged segments in triblock copolymer micelles affects the gene delivery potential of polymeric micelles and can increase the level of gene expression when an anionic segment is incorporated in the outer shell. Triblock copolymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerzation with narrow…
Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 2024-01-17
Abstract Polythiophene‐based conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPE) are attracting increasing attention as sensor or interface materials in chemistry and biology. While cationic polythiophenes are better understood, limited structural information is available on their anionic counterparts. Limited access…
Aqueous emulsion or suspension polymerizations are well established industrial processes with widespread applications. Dispersion polymerizations, on the contrary, are rarely found for the preparation of stable particle dispersions, which is certainly related to the limited number of suitable monomers.…
Cationic pH‐responsive polymers promise to overcome critical challenges in cellular delivery. Ideally, the polymers become selectively charged along the endosomal pathway disturbing only the local membrane and avoiding unintended interactions or cytotoxic side effects at physiological conditions. Polypiperazines…
S ‐Vinyl monomers react readily in radical polymerizations resulting in polymers with interesting features such as enhanced refractive indices, increased thermal stability, or the ability to coordinate various metals. Among them, vinyl mercaptoethanol (VME) can be produced in industrial scale, but the…
The efficient and safe delivery of complex biological agents offers great potential for the challenges of our time. Polymers offer considerable advantages in this regard, not only because of their low risk for immunogenic reactions, their comparatively inexpensive large-scale production and their long…
Graft copolymers based on a poly(dehydroalanine) (PDha) backbone and different hydrophilic or hydrophobic side chains were synthesized. Graft copolymers containing a diethyl glycidyl amine side chain displayed lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type thermo-responsive behaviour and were applied…
Sulfur-containing substances offer enormous versatility, but also can be modified very easily to cover a wide range of properties. However, large-scale applications are still rather sporadic and the potential is far from exhausted. Polymer chemistry in particular is an interesting field of development,…
Abstract The reversible addition‐fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) process has become a versatile tool for the preparation of defined polymers tolerating a large variety of functional groups. Several dithioesters, trithiocarbonates, xanthates, or dithiocarbamates have been developed as effective chain…
Crossing the cellular membrane and delivering active pharmaceuticals or biologicals into the cytosol of cells is an essential step in the development of nanomedicines. One of the most important intracellular processes regarding the cellular uptake of biologicals is the endolysosomal pathway. Sophisticated…
Functional block copolymer nanostructures of defined morphologies were designed and the influence of their structural characteristics, such as shape and stability on the biomedical properties was investigated. Amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized via sequential RAFT polymerization or polymer-polymer…