Synthesis of hydroxyethyl-methacrylate-(L)-histidine methyl ester cryogels. Application on the separation of bovine immunoglobulin G

Room-Temperature Self-Healable Blends of Waterborne Polyurethanes with 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate-Based Polymers

The design of self-healing agents is a topic of important scientific interest for the development of high-performance materials for coating applications. Herein, two series of copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with either the hydrophilic N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAM) or the epoxy group-bearing hydrophobic glycidyl methacrylate were synthesized and studied as potential self-healing agents of waterborne polyurethanes (WPU). The molar percentage of DMAM or GMA units in the P(HEMA-co-DMAMy) and P(HEMA-co-GMAy) copolymers varies from 0% up to 80%. WPU/polymer composites with a 10% w/w or 20% w/w copolymer content were prepared with the facile method of solution mixing. Thanks to the presence of P(HEMA-co-DMAMy) copolymers, WPU/P(HEMA-co-DMAMy) composite films exhibited surface hydrophilicity (water contact angle studies), and tendency for water uptake (water sorption kinetics studies). In contrast, the surfaces of the WPU/P(HEMA-co-GMAy) composites were less hydrophilic compared with the WPU/P(HEMA-co-DMAMy) ones. The room-temperature, water-mediated self-healing ability of these composites was investigated through addition of water drops on the damaged area. Both copolymer series exhibited healing abilities, with the hydrophilic P(HEMA-co-DMAMy) copolymers being more promising. This green healing procedure, in combination with the simple film fabrication process and simple healing triggering, makes these materials attractive for practical applications.

Amino acid-based hydrophobic affinity cryogel for protein purification from ora-pro-nobis (Pereskia aculeata Miller) leaves

The surfaces of the polyacrylamide cryogels were coated with L-tryptophan (cryogel-Trp) or L-phenylalanine (cryogel-Phe) to enhance crude leaf extract-derived ora-pro-nobis (OPN) protein binding via pseudo-specific hydrophobic interactions. Cryogels functionalized with amino acids were prepared and characterized through morphological, hydrodynamic, and thermal analyses. The adsorption capacities of cryogel-Phe and cryogel-Trp were evaluated in terms of type (sodium sulfate or sodium phosphate) and concentration (0.02 or 0.10 mol∙L^-1) of saline solution, pH (4.0, 5.5, or 7.0), and NaCl concentration (0.0 or 0.5 mol∙L^-1). The cryogel-Phe presented a higher adsorptive capacity, achieving its maximum value (q = 92.53 mg∙g^-1) when the crude OPN crude leaf extract was diluted in sodium sulfate 0.02 mol∙L^-1 + NaCl 0.50 mol∙L^-1, at pH = 7.0. The dilution rate significantly (p < 0.05) affected the recovered protein amount after the adsorption and elution processes, reaching 94.45% when the feedstock solution was prepared with a crude extract 5 times. The zeta potential for the eluted OPN proteins was 5.76 mV (pH = 3.23) for both dilution rates. The secondary structure composition mainly included β-sheets (46.50%) and α-helices (13.93%). The cryogel-Phe exhibited interconnected pores ranging 20-300 μm in size, with a Young modulus of 1.51 MPa, and thermal degradation started at 230 °C. These results indicate that the cryogel-Phe exhibited satisfactory properties as promising chromatography support for use in high-throughput purification of crude leaf extract-derived OPN proteins.

Redefining the chemistry of super-macroporous materials: when dendritic molecules meet polymer cryogels

Dendritic cryogels modify the functionality and properties against conventional cryogels and improve the Immunoglobulin G (IgG) adsorption.

Application of affinity microspheres for effective SPE cleanup before the determination of sulfamerazine by HPLC

This paper describes the application of poly (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-N-methacryloyl-L-tryptophane methyl ester) [p(EGDMA-MATrp)] microspheres as an affinity sorbent for the SPE (solid phase extraction) cleanup of sulfamerazine (SMR) from food samples of animal origin before high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The microspheres were prepared by suspension polymerization of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and N-methacryloyl-L-tryptophane methyl ester (MATrp) as a crosslinker and a monomer, respectively. Various parameters affecting the SPE cleanup efficiency of the p(EGDMA-MATrp) microspheres (contact time, pH, initial SMR concentration, ionic strength etc.) were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 8.55 ± 0.44 mg/g sorbent at pH 5.0. 90% of the adsorbed SMR was desorbed by using ACN:MeOH (5:5) mixture as a desorption agent. Applicability of the microspheres for the SPE cleanup of SMR residues in the food samples such as egg and milk with HPLC was also determined. It was demonstrated that the prepared p(EGDMA-MATrp) microspheres could be repeatedly applied for SPE cleanup of sulfamerazine before chromatographic analysis. Also, the recoveries of SMR in milk and egg samples were reasonably satisfactory and in the range of 71 to 90%.

Preparation and properties of cryogel based on poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate)

A novel supermacroporous poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (p(HPMA)) cryogel was synthesized by cryogelation method at -16 °C. In this synthesis process, HPMA was used as a monomer, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAAm) was used as cross-linker; the reaction was carried out in the presence of redox initiator pair N,N,N',N'-tetramethylene diamine (TEMED) and ammonium persulfate (APS). The effect of monomer concentration, cross-linker content, cooling rate, and dioxane co-solvent were determined with respect to the pore structure, mechanical behavior, swelling degree, and porosity of cryogel. The ESEM images indicate that the pore wall structure of cryogels was rough; moreover, small holes were present in the pore walls of cryogels. The result of compression test indicates that cryogels can be compressed by at least 80% without any breakdown. The result of swelling kinetics indicates that cryogels attain swelling equilibrium in 10 s. Furthermore, p(HPMA)-Cu²⁺ cryogel was prepared by loading Cu²⁺ ions on functionalized poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-iminodiacetic acid (p(HPMA)-IDA) cryogel. We investigated the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on cryogels. The results indicate that compared to Freundlich isotherm, Langmuir isotherm could more suitably describe the adsorption process of BSA on cryogels. Meanwhile, the adsorption capacity of p(HPMA)-Cu²⁺ cryogel was significantly greater than that of p(HPMA) cryogel. The maximum adsorption capacity of BSA on p(HPMA)-Cu²⁺ cryogel, which was treated with 1 M Cu²⁺ ions, was as high as 196.87 mg/g cryogel (equivalent to 20.48 mg/mL cryogel) at 25 °C and pH = 7.8; therefore, the maximum adsorption capacity of BSA on p(HPMA)-Cu²⁺ cryogel was 4.35 times higher than that of p(HPMA) cryogel. Thus, the adsorption capacity of cryogels was strongly influenced by Cu²⁺ concentration, moreover, temperature changes clearly affected the adsorption capacity of p(HPMA)-Cu²⁺cryogel. The adsorption capacity at 25 °C was twice as that at 15 °C. By calculating Gibbs free energy change (∆G) of adsorption, we found that the adsorption process was spontaneous; moreover, adsorption process occurred better at higher temperature.