Threading α-Cyclodextrin through Poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] in Poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate]−Poly(ethylene glycol)−Poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] Triblock Copolymers: Formation of Block-Selected Polypseudorotaxanes

Bioinspired Hydroxyapatite Coating Infiltrated with a Graphene Oxide Hybrid Supramolecular Hydrogel Orchestrates Antibacterial and Self-Lubricating Performance

Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioceramic coating has been extensively applied for the modification of metallic implants to improve their biocompatibility and service life after implantation. Unfortunately, HA coating often suffers from high friction, severe wear, and bacterial invasion, which restrict its application in artificial joints. According to a bioinspired soft/hard combination strategy, a novel HA composite coating that is infiltrated with a vancomycin-loaded graphene oxide (GO) hybrid supramolecular hydrogel is developed via vacuum infiltration and a subsequent host-guest interaction-induced self-assembly process. The holes of textured HA ceramic coating act just like a "magic pocket", offering a stable container to form and store GO hybrid hydrogels and even to recycle wear debris as well. The drug-loaded hybrid hydrogels stored in textured HA coating possess a unique shear force and/or frictional heat triggered gel-sol transition and sustained drug release behavior, acting like the extrusion of synovial fluid during articular cartilage movement, leading to a remarkable self-lubrication, anti-wear performance, and promising antibacterial property against Staphylococcus aureus. The friction coefficient and wear rate of composite coating reduced by nearly five times and three orders of magnitude compared with textured HA coating, respectively, which benefited from the synergistic lubricate effect of cyclodextrin-based pseudopolyrotaxane supramolecular hydrogel and GO lubricants.

α-Cyclodextrin-Based Polypseudorotaxane Hydrogels

Supramolecular hydrogels that are based on inclusion complexes between α-cyclodextrin and (co)polymers have gained significant attention over the last decade. They are formed via dynamic noncovalent bonds, such as host-guest interactions and hydrogen bonds, between various building blocks. In contrast to typical chemical crosslinking (covalent linkages), supramolecular crosslinking is a type of physical interaction that is characterized by great flexibility and it can be used with ease to create a variety of "smart" hydrogels. Supramolecular hydrogels based on the self-assembly of polypseudorotaxanes formed by a polymer chain "guest" and α-cyclodextrin "host" are promising materials for a wide range of applications. α-cyclodextrin-based polypseudorotaxane hydrogels are an attractive platform for engineering novel functional materials due to their excellent biocompatibility, thixotropic nature, and reversible and stimuli-responsiveness properties. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current progress in the chemistry and methods of designing and creating α-cyclodextrin-based supramolecular polypseudorotaxane hydrogels. In the described systems, the guests are (co)polymer chains with various architectures or polymeric nanoparticles. The potential applications of such supramolecular hydrogels are also described.

Supramolecular polymeric biomaterials

Polymeric chains crosslinked through supramolecular interactions-directional and reversible non-covalent interactions-compose an emerging class of modular and tunable biomaterials. The choice of chemical moiety utilized in the crosslink affords different thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of association, which in turn illustrate the connectivity and dynamics of the system. These parameters, coupled with the choice of polymeric architecture, can then be engineered to control environmental responsiveness, viscoelasticity, and cargo diffusion profiles, yielding advanced biomaterials which demonstrate rapid shear-thinning, self-healing, and extended release. In this review we examine the relationship between supramolecular crosslink chemistry and biomedically relevant macroscopic properties. We then describe how these properties are currently leveraged in the development of materials for drug delivery, immunology, regenerative medicine, and 3D-bioprinting (253 references).

Dual-responsive polypseudorotaxanes based on block-selected inclusion between polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol) diblock copolymers and 1,4-diethoxypillar[5]arene

Based on the selective recognition of the polyethylene (PE) block of polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PE-b-PEG) by 1,4-diethoxypillar[5]arene (DEP5A), two novel thermo and competitive guest (1,4-dibromobutane or hexanedinitrile) responsive polypseudorotaxanes (PPRs) have been successfully constructed. The formation of PPRs both in solution and in the solid state was demonstrated by (1)H NMR, 2D NOESY, and WAXD analyses. TGA data illustrate that PPRs exhibit higher thermal stability than their precursor diblock copolymers. Moreover, intriguing porous disk-like aggregates are produced by electrospraying of PPRs in CHCl3 and the self-assembled structures of PPRs are totally changed by the addition of 1,4-dibromobutane or hexanedinitrile, demonstrating their competitive guest stimuli-responsiveness.

Polyrotaxane Glass: Peculiar Mechanics Attributable to the Isolated Dynamics of Different Components

The molecular dynamics of condensed polymers are directly linked to practically important mechanical properties, such as glass transition behavior and impact strength. We present a unique viscoelastic glass-forming polyrotaxane that is comprised of a main chain polymer and threaded cyclodextrins. The abnormally broad glass transition phase is attributed to the segment motion, which is unprecedentedly insusceptible to cooperative motion with neighboring chains until vitrification is completed. Even in the glass state, in which the cyclic components, occupying >80 wt % of the material, are vitrified, the main chain polymer retains high mobility within the glassy porous framework. The anomalous mobility of the polymer chains causes strong subrelaxation that changed the elastic modulus about 3-fold. These results demonstrate that the unique dynamics and mechanics are attributable to the loose correlation between different components, suggesting the possible creation of unprecedented mechanical properties based on the molecular design of mechanically interlocked polymers.

Polyrotaxanes for applications in life science and biotechnology

Due to their low cytotoxicity, controllable size, and unique architecture, cyclodextrin (CD)-based polyrotaxanes and polypseudorotaxanes have inspired interesting exploitation as novel biomaterials. This review will update the recent progress in the studies on the structures of polyrotaxanes and polypseudorotaxanes based on different CDs and polymers, followed by summarizing their potential applications in life science and biotechnology, such as drug delivery, gene delivery, and tissue engineering. CD-based biodegradable polypseudorotaxane hydrogels could be used as promising injectable drug delivery systems for sustained and controlled drug release. Polyrotaxanes with drug or ligand-conjugated CDs threaded on polymer chain with biodegradable end group could be useful for controlled and multivalent targeting delivery. Cationic polyrotaxanes consisting of multiple oligoethylenimine-grafted CDs threaded on a block copolymer chain were attractive non-viral gene carries due to the strong DNA-binding ability, low cytotoxicity, and high gene transfection efficiency. Cytocleavable end caps were also introduced in the polyrotaxane systems in order to ensure efficient endosomal escape for intracellular trafficking of DNA. Finally, hydrolyzable polyrotaxane hydrogels with cross-linked α-CDs could be a desirable scaffold for cartilage and bone tissue engineering.

A microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) based bio- and materials industry

Biopolyesters polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) produced by many bacteria have been investigated by microbiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, chemical engineers, chemists, polymer experts and medical researchers. PHA applications as bioplastics, fine chemicals, implant biomaterials, medicines and biofuels have been developed and are covered in this critical review. Companies have been established or involved in PHA related R&D as well as large scale production. Recently, bacterial PHA synthesis has been found to be useful for improving robustness of industrial microorganisms and regulating bacterial metabolism, leading to yield improvement on some fermentation products. In addition, amphiphilic proteins related to PHA synthesis including PhaP, PhaZ or PhaC have been found to be useful for achieving protein purification and even specific drug targeting. It has become clear that PHA and its related technologies are forming an industrial value chain ranging from fermentation, materials, energy to medical fields (142 references).