Novel Photoinitiators Based on Benzophenone-Triphenylamine Hybrid Structure for LED Photopolymerization

Methods to achieve tissue-mimetic physicochemical properties in hydrogels for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering

Hydrogels are water-swollen polymeric matrices with properties that are remarkably similar in function to the extracellular matrix. For example, the polymer matrix provides structural support and adhesion sites for cells in much of the same way as the fibers of the extracellular matrix. In addition, depending on the polymer used, bioactive sites on the polymer may provide signals to initiate certain cell behavior. However, despite their potential as biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications, fabricating hydrogels that truly mimic the physicochemical properties of the extracellular matrix to physiologically-relevant values is a challenge. Recent efforts in the field have sought to improve the physicochemical properties of hydrogels using advanced materials science and engineering methods. In this review, we highlight some of the most promising methods, including crosslinking strategies and manufacturing approaches such as 3D bioprinting and granular hydrogels. We also provide a brief perspective on the future outlook of this field and how these methods may lead to the clinical translation of hydrogel biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Photopolymerization Approach to Advanced Polymer Composites: Integration of Surface-Modified Nanofillers for Enhanced Properties

The incorporation of functionalized nanofillers into polymers via photopolymerization approach has gained significant attention in recent years due to the unique properties of the resulting composite materials. Surface modification of nanofillers plays a crucial role in their compatibility and polymerization behavior within the polymer matrix during photopolymerization. This review focuses on the recent developments in surface modification of various nanofillers, enabling their integration into polymer systems through photopolymerization. The review discusses the key aspects of surface modification of nanofillers, including the selection of suitable surface modifiers, such as photoinitiators and polymerizable groups, as well as the optimization of modification conditions to achieve desired surface properties. The influence of surface modification on the interfacial interactions between nanofillers and the polymer matrix is also explored, as it directly impacts the final properties of the nanocomposites. Furthermore, the review highlights the applications of nanocomposites prepared by photopolymerization, such as sensors, gas separation membranes, purification systems, optical devices, and biomedical materials. By providing a comprehensive overview of the surface modification strategies and their impact on the photopolymerization process and the resulting nanocomposite properties, this review aims to inspire new research directions and innovative ideas in the development of high-performance polymer nanocomposites for diverse applications.

Recent Advances in Monocomponent Visible Light Photoinitiating Systems Based on Sulfonium Salts

During the last decades, multicomponent photoinitiating systems have been the focus of intense research efforts, especially for the design of visible light photoinitiating systems. Although highly reactive three-component and even four-component photoinitiating systems have been designed, the complexity to elaborate such mixtures has incited researchers to design monocomponent Type II photoinitiators. Using this approach, the photosensitizer and the radical/cation generator can be combined within a unique molecule, greatly simplifying the elaboration of the photocurable resins. In this field, sulfonium salts are remarkable photoinitiators but these structures lack absorption in the visible range. Over the years, various structural modifications have been carried out in order to redshift their absorptions in the visible region. In this work, an overview of the different sulfonium salts activable under visible light and reported to date is proposed.

Photocrosslinkable natural polymers in tissue engineering

Natural polymers have been widely used in scaffolds for tissue engineering due to their superior biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cytotoxicity compared to synthetic polymers. Despite these advantages, there remain drawbacks such as unsatisfying mechanical properties or low processability, which hinder natural tissue substitution. Several non-covalent or covalent crosslinking methods induced by chemicals, temperatures, pH, or light sources have been suggested to overcome these limitations. Among them, light-assisted crosslinking has been considered as a promising strategy for fabricating microstructures of scaffolds. This is due to the merits of non-invasiveness, relatively high crosslinking efficiency via light penetration, and easily controllable parameters, including light intensity or exposure time. This review focuses on photo-reactive moieties and their reaction mechanisms, which are widely exploited along with natural polymer and its tissue engineering applications.

Chitosan modified with bio-extract as an antibacterial coating with UV filtering feature

Benzophenone-3 grafted chitosan (CS-BP-3) was successfully synthesized and applied as an antibacterial coating for the first time. The grafting mechanism is based on the reaction between ketone and primary amine to form imine derivatives and the chemical structure of grafted chitosan was studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Water solubility of BP-3 is enhanced after covalently grafted on chitosan and consequently renders the chitosan coating with UV blocking property. Results of thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) further confirmed the thermal stability of BP-3 modified chitosan is enhanced. The CS-BP-3 coating was applied on a variety of substrates of glass, plastics, wood, and metal. The surface features of the coatings such as morphology, water contact angle (WCA), and surface roughness were investigated. The optical and thermal stabilities of the coatings under UV irradiation were studied for 16 h. Antibacterial activity of CS-BP-3 was evaluated against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. And the results of bacterial inhibition by CS-BP-3 coating indicate its potential for future application in food packaging.

Recent Advances on Furan-Based Visible Light Photoinitiators of Polymerization

Photopolymerization is an active research field enabling to polymerize in greener conditions than that performed with traditional thermal polymerization. At present, a great deal of effort is devoted to developing visible light photoinitiating systems. Indeed, the traditional UV photoinitiating systems are currently the focus of numerous safety concerns so alternatives to UV light are being actively researched. However, visible light photons are less energetic than UV photons so the reactivity of the photoinitiating systems should be improved to address this issue. In this field, furane constitutes an interesting candidate for the design of photocatalysts of polymerization due to its low cost and its easy chemical modification. In this review, an overview concerning the design of furane-based photoinitiators is provided. Comparisons with reference systems are also established to demonstrate evidence of the interest of these photoinitiators in innovative structures.

High-Performance Photoinitiating Systems for LED-Induced Photopolymerization

Currently, increasing attention has been focused on light-emitting diodes (LEDs)-induced photopolymerization. The common LEDs (e.g., LED at 365 nm and LED at 405 nm) possess narrow emission bands. Due to their light absorption properties, most commercial photoinitiators are sensitive to UV light and cannot be optimally activated under visible LED irradiation. Although many photoinitiators have been designed for LED-induced free radical polymerization and cationic polymerization, there is still the issue of the mating between photoinitiators and LEDs. Therefore, the development of novel photoinitiators, which could be applied under LED irradiation, is significant. Many photoinitiating systems have been reported in the past decade. In this review, some recently developed photoinitiators used in LED-induced photopolymerization, mainly in the past 5 years, are summarized and categorized as Type Ⅰ photoinitiators, Type Ⅱ photoinitiators, and dye-based photoinitiating systems. In addition, their light absorption properties and photoinitiation efficiencies are discussed.

Self-Assembly of Triphenylamine Macrocycles and Co-assembly with Guest Molecules at the Liquid-Solid Interface Studied by STM: Influence of Different Side Chains on Host-Guest Interaction

The side chains of macrocyclic molecules have a non-negligible effect on the two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular networks at the liquid-solid interface. In this study, we investigate the self-assembly behaviors of two conjugated triphenylamine macrocycles modified with different alkyl chains and construct the host-guest supramolecular nanopatterns on the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite with a scanning tunneling microscope. In combination with density functional theory calculations, how different side chains affect the host-guest interaction is discussed. This work provides insights into constructing a 2D host-guest dynamic co-assembly on the surface.

Photochemical Synthesis of Selenium Nanospheres of Tunable Size and Colloidal Stability with Simple Diketones

Temporal and spatial segregations are two fundamental requirements for the successful synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs). To obtain colloidally stable selenium nanospheres (SeNSs), surfactants or polymers are generally needed as structure-directing agents or stabilizers in the reduction approaches for SeNP synthesis. The addition of such chemicals sacrifices the purity of the obtained SeNPs and, therefore, is detrimental to the applications. Here, for the first time, we report that low-molecular weight (less than six carbons) diketones are excellent photoreductants for green and tunable synthesis of SeNPs, owing to their merits in temporal and spatial control. With simple diketones as the photoreductants, the resultant SeNPs were pure and colloidally stable with nice photoelectronic properties. This finding not only provides a useful strategy for the synthesis of SeNPs but also might be a milestone in the development of ketone photochemistry.

Recent Advances in bis-Chalcone-Based Photoinitiators of Polymerization: From Mechanistic Investigations to Applications

Over the past several decades, photopolymerization has become an active research field, and the ongoing efforts to develop new photoinitiating systems are supported by the different applications in which this polymerization technique is involved-including dentistry, 3D and 4D printing, adhesives, and laser writing. In the search for new structures, bis-chalcones that combine two chalcones' moieties within a unique structure were determined as being promising photosensitizers to initiate both the free-radical polymerization of acrylates and the cationic polymerization of epoxides. In this review, an overview of the different bis-chalcones reported to date is provided. Parallel to the mechanistic investigations aiming at elucidating the polymerization mechanisms, bis-chalcones-based photoinitiating systems were used for different applications, which are detailed in this review.

Nitro-Carbazole Based Oxime Esters as Dual Photo/Thermal Initiators for 3D Printing and Composite Preparation

A series of Type I photoinitiators (PIs) based on a nitrocarbazole scaffold are developed and examined for the first time as photoinitiators for visible light photopolymerization. Three oxime esters (OXE-M, OXE-V, OXE-P) varying by the terminal groups (acetyl, acryloyl and benzoyl) attached via the oxime ester group are originally prepared. As a result of this, the three PIs exhibit excellent photoinitiation abilities in the presence of acrylate monomers upon LED@ 405 nm irradiation. Markedly, OXE-M exhibits a better performance than the benchmark Type I phosphine-oxide (diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide TPO). Chemical mechanisms supporting the polymerization process with these PIs are investigated by steady state photolysis, molecular orbital calculations and real-time Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. After the cleavage of N─O bond and decarboxylation, free radicals are generated to initiate the free radical polymerization efficiently. Free radical photopolymerization of OXE-M is applied in direct laser write and 3D printing. Interestingly, OXE-M exhibits thermal initiation behaviors in monomers and can be used as dual photo and thermal initiators. The highly opaque feature of carbon fibers makes it difficult for light penetration, so dual photo/thermal curing are used here to prepare carbon fiber composites.