Optical properties of amphiphilic copolymer-based self-assemblies

Conducting polymer functionalization in search of advanced materials in ionometry: ion-selective electrodes and optodes

Functionalized conducting polymers (FCPs) have recently garnered attention as ion-selective sensor materials, surpassing their intrinsic counterparts due to synergistic effects that lead to enhanced electrochemical and analytical parameters. Following a brief introduction of the fundamental concepts, this article provides a comprehensive review of the recent developments in the application of FCPs in ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and ion-selective optodes (ISOs), particularly as ion-to-electron transducers, optical transducers, and ion-selective membranes. Utilizing FCPs in these devices offers a promising avenue for detecting and measuring ions in various applications, regardless of the sample nature and composition. Research has focused on functionalizing different conducting polymers, such as polyaniline and polypyrrole, through strategies such as doping and derivatization to alter their hydrophobicity, conductance, redox capacitance, surface area, pH sensitivity, gas and light sensitivity, etc. These modifications aim to enhance performance outcomes, including potential stability/emission signal stability, reproducibility and low detection limits. The advancements have led to the transition of ISEs from conventional zero-current potentiometric ion sensing to innovative current-triggered sensing approaches, enabling calibration-free applications and emerging concepts such as opto-electro dual sensing systems. The intrinsic pH cross-response and instability of the optical signal of ISOs have been overcome through the novel optical signal transduction mechanisms facilitated by FCPs. In this review, the characteristics of materials, functionalization approaches, particular implementation strategies, specific performance outcomes and challenges faced are discussed. Consolidating dispersed information in the field, the in-depth analysis presented here is poised to drive further innovations by broadening the scope of ion-selective sensors in real-world scenarios.

AIE-Featured Redox-Sensitive Micelles for Bioimaging and Efficient Anticancer Drug Delivery

In the present study, an amphiphilic polymer was prepared by conjugating methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) with tetraphenylethene (TPE) via disulfide bonds (Bi(mPEG-S-S)-TPE). The polymer could self-assemble into micelles and solubilize hydrophobic anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel (PTX) in the core. Combining the effect of TPE, mPEG, and disulfide bonds, the Bi(mPEG-S-S)-TPE micelles exhibited excellent AIE feature, reduced protein adsorption, and redox-sensitive drug release behavior. An in vitro intracellular uptake study demonstrated the great imaging ability and efficient internalization of Bi(mPEG-S-S)-TPE micelles. The excellent anticancer effect and low systemic toxicity were further evidenced by the in vivo anticancer experiment. The Bi(mPEG-S-S)-TPE micelles were promising drug carriers for chemotherapy and bioimaging.

Extreme Temperature-Tolerant Organohydrogel Electrolytes for Laminated Assembly of Biaxially Stretchable Pseudocapacitors

Polymer gel electrolytes (PGEs) have been considered as one of the most promising candidates to solve safety and flexibility issues in wearable devices. To supply energy for the daily-used epidermal electronic systems, biaxial stretchability and temperature tolerance are essential for energy storage units. However, the limited choices of PGEs, including fragile poly(vinyl alcohol) and uniaxial stretchable polyacrylamide hydrogel, lag far behind the requirement of wearable supercapacitors. Herein, an adhesive organohydrogel with a water/ethylene glycol binary solvent is tailored as the electrolyte of an all-climate, biaxially stretchable pseudocapacitor. The adhesive organohydrogel electrolyte facilitates the device assembly with carbon nanotube (CNT) paper electrodes and electroactive 2-pyridinethiol. The final pseudocapacitor has the highest specific capacitance 364 F/g and all-climate stability ranging from -40 to 80 °C. More importantly, this pseudocapacitor can be biaxially stretched up to 400% of its area. This work provides the first example of using organohydrogel electrolytes in biaxially stretchable and all-climate pseudocapacitors and a platform to design stretchable electronics and devices with high performance and all-climate tolerance.

Intensely phosphorescent block copolymer micelles containing gold(i) complexes

The electrostatic combination of anionic block copolymers with cationic gold(i) complexes leads to the formation of spherical micelles, where gold(i)-containing ionic cores were formed with anionic blocks and further stabilized by neutral blocks of polystyrene or poly(ethylene oxide). This self-assembled strategy induces remarkable phosphorescence enhancement of the gold(i) complexes in solution. The emissive intensity increases unexpectedly with increasing molecular weight of the anionic block that is not coordinated onto the gold(i) complexes. The intensely phosphorescent micelles formed in water can be utilized as a luminescence bioimaging probe in living cells.

Polypeptide self-assemblies: nanostructures and bioapplications

Polypeptide copolymers can self-assemble into diverse aggregates. The morphology and structure of aggregates can be varied by changing molecular architectures, self-assembling conditions, and introducing secondary components such as polymers and nanoparticles. Polypeptide self-assemblies have gained significant attention because of their potential applications as delivery vehicles for therapeutic payloads and as additives in the biomimetic mineralization of inorganics. This review article provides an overview of recent advances in nanostructures and bioapplications related to polypeptide self-assemblies. We highlight recent contributions to developing strategies for the construction of polypeptide assemblies with increasing complexity and novel functionality that are suitable for bioapplications. The relationship between the structure and properties of the polypeptide aggregates is emphasized. Finally, we briefly outline our perspectives and discuss the challenges in the field.

The development of stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles for effective delivery of chemotherapeutic agents

Stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles, a novel category of polymeric micelles with response to endogenous or exogenous environments, show variable physicochemical properties as the variation of endogenous or exogenous circumstances. Because of differences between tumour tissues and normal tissues in physicochemical properties and sensitivity to variation of endogenous or exogenous environments, the application of chemotherapeutic agents loaded stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles are regarded as promising strategies for tumour treatment. In this article, the recent developments of chemotherapeutic agents loaded stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles, for example the preparation of novel stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles and the research progresses of action mechanisms of chemotherapeutic agents loaded micelles, were reviewed and discussed in detail. The advantages of stimuli-responsive chemotherapeutic agents loaded polymeric micelles in practical tumour treatment were also illustrated with the assistance of examples of stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles for antitumor agents delivery.

Gemini-Type Tetraphenylethylene Amphiphiles Containing [12]aneN3 and Long Hydrocarbon Chains as Nonviral Gene Vectors and Gene Delivery Monitors

Four gemini amphiphiles decorated with triazole-[12]aneN₃ as the hydrophilic moiety and various long hydrocarbons as hydrophobic moieties, 1-4, were designed to form micelles possessing the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property for gene delivery and tracing. All four amphiphiles give ultralow critical micelle concentrations, are pH-/photostable and biocompatible, and completely retard the migration of plasmid DNAs at low concentrations. The DNA-binding abilities of the micelles were fully assessed. The coaggregated nanoparticles of 1-4 with DNAs could convert back into AIE micelles. In vitro transfections indicated that lipids 1 and 2 and their originated liposomes bearing decent delivering abilities have great potentials as nonviral vectors. Finally, on the basis of the transfection and the transitions between condensates and micelles, lipid 2 was singled out as the first example for real-time tracing of the intracellular deliveries of nonlabeled DNA, which provides spatiotemporal messages about the processes of condensate uptake and DNA release.

Deterministic Reshaping of Breath Figure Arrays by Directional Photomanipulation

The fabrication of desired structures is one of the most urgent topics in current research on porous polymer films. Herein, directional photomanipulation in conjunction with breath figure processing has been demonstrated for the preparation of porous polymeric films with finely tunable pore shape and size. Because of the photoinduced directional mass migration of azobenzene units upon vertical incident linearly polarized light (LPL) irradiation, round pores on honeycomb films can be reshaped into multifarious shapes including rectangle, rhombus, dumbbell, line, and so forth. In addition, slantwise LPL irradiation produces unique asymmetrical structure inside the pores oriented along the polarized direction. On the other hand, circularly polarized light (CPL) irradiation affords manipulation of the wall thickness without changing the pore shape. This versatile directional photomanipulation method can be implemented to large-area and high-throughput reshaping processes, which paves the way to a number of promising applications such as a flexible etching mask for patterning.

Mediating physicochemical properties and paclitaxel release of pH-responsive H-type multiblock copolymer self-assembly nanomicelles through epoxidation

We focused on modulation of the physicochemical and biomedical properties of copolymer nanomicellesviaepoxidation, which provided significant improvements.

Intelligent polymeric micelles: development and application as drug delivery for docetaxel

Recent years, docetaxel (DTX)-loaded intelligent polymeric micelles have been regarded as a promising vehicle for DTX for the reason that compared with conventional DTX-loaded micelles, DTX-loaded intelligent micelles not only preserve the basic functions of micelles such as DTX solubilization, enhanced accumulation in tumor tissue, and improved bioavailability and biocompatibility of DTX, but also possess other new properties, for instance, tumor-specific DTX delivery and series of responses to endogenous or exogenous stimulations. In this paper, basic theories and action mechanism of intelligent polymeric micelles are discussed in detail, especially the related theories of DTX-loaded stimuli-responsive micelles. The relevant examples of stimuli-responsive DTX-loaded micelles are also provided in this paper to sufficiently illustrate the advantages of relevant technology for the clinical application of anticancer drug, especially for the medical application of DTX.

Highly emissive, solution-processable and dynamic Eu(iii)-containing coordination polymers

Preparation of new soluble dynamic coordination networks based on Eu(iii) and a new, rigid ditopic pybox-related ligand.