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Halaszynski NI, Saven JG, Pochan DJ, Kloxin CJ. Thermoresponsive Coiled-Coil Peptide-Polymer Grafts. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:2001-2006. [PMID: 37874177 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Alkyl halide side groups are selectively incorporated into monodispersed, computationally designed coiled-coil-forming peptide nanoparticles. Poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) is polymerized from the coiled-coil periphery using photoinitiated atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) to synthesize well-defined, thermoresponsive star copolymer architectures. This facile synthetic route is readily extended to other monomers for a range of new complex star-polymer macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole I Halaszynski
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, 201 P.S. duPont Hall, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jeffery G Saven
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Darrin J Pochan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, 201 P.S. duPont Hall, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Christopher J Kloxin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, 201 P.S. duPont Hall, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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2
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Guo R, Sinha NJ, Misra R, Tang Y, Langenstein M, Kim K, Fagan JA, Kloxin CJ, Jensen G, Pochan DJ, Saven JG. Computational Design of Homotetrameric Peptide Bundle Variants Spanning a Wide Range of Charge States. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:1652-1661. [PMID: 35312288 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
With the ability to design their sequences and structures, peptides can be engineered to realize a wide variety of functionalities and structures. Herein, computational design was used to identify a set of 17 peptides having a wide range of putative charge states but the same tetrameric coiled-coil bundle structure. Calculations were performed to identify suitable locations for ionizable residues (D, E, K, and R) at the bundle's exterior sites, while interior hydrophobic interactions were retained. The designed bundle structures spanned putative charge states of -32 to +32 in units of electron charge. The peptides were experimentally investigated using spectroscopic and scattering techniques. Thermal stabilities of the bundles were investigated using circular dichroism. Molecular dynamics simulations assessed structural fluctuations within the bundles. The cylindrical peptide bundles, 4 nm long by 2 nm in diameter, were covalently linked to form rigid, micron-scale polymers and characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The designed suite of sequences provides a set of readily realized nanometer-scale structures of tunable charge that can also be polymerized to yield rigid-rod polyelectrolytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Nairiti J Sinha
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States.,NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Rajkumar Misra
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Yao Tang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Matthew Langenstein
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Kyunghee Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jeffrey A Fagan
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Christopher J Kloxin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Grethe Jensen
- NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Darrin J Pochan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jeffery G Saven
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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3
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Gray VP, Amelung CD, Duti IJ, Laudermilch EG, Letteri RA, Lampe KJ. Biomaterials via peptide assembly: Design, characterization, and application in tissue engineering. Acta Biomater 2022; 140:43-75. [PMID: 34710626 PMCID: PMC8829437 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A core challenge in biomaterials, with both fundamental significance and technological relevance, concerns the rational design of bioactive microenvironments. Designed properly, peptides can undergo supramolecular assembly into dynamic, physical hydrogels that mimic the mechanical, topological, and biochemical features of native tissue microenvironments. The relatively facile, inexpensive, and automatable preparation of peptides, coupled with low batch-to-batch variability, motivates the expanded use of assembling peptide hydrogels for biomedical applications. Integral to realizing dynamic peptide assemblies as functional biomaterials for tissue engineering is an understanding of the molecular and macroscopic features that govern assembly, morphology, and biological interactions. In this review, we first discuss the design of assembling peptides, including primary structure (sequence), secondary structure (e.g., α-helix and β-sheets), and molecular interactions that facilitate assembly into multiscale materials with desired properties. Next, we describe characterization tools for elucidating molecular structure and interactions, morphology, bulk properties, and biological functionality. Understanding of these characterization methods enables researchers to access a variety of approaches in this ever-expanding field. Finally, we discuss the biological properties and applications of peptide-based biomaterials for engineering several important tissues. By connecting molecular features and mechanisms of assembling peptides to the material and biological properties, we aim to guide the design and characterization of peptide-based biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Engineering peptide-based biomaterials that mimic the topological and mechanical properties of natural extracellular matrices provide excellent opportunities to direct cell behavior for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Here we review the molecular-scale features of assembling peptides that result in biomaterials that exhibit a variety of relevant extracellular matrix-mimetic properties and promote beneficial cell-biomaterial interactions. Aiming to inspire and guide researchers approaching this challenge from both the peptide biomaterial design and tissue engineering perspectives, we also present characterization tools for understanding the connection between peptide structure and properties and highlight the use of peptide-based biomaterials in neural, orthopedic, cardiac, muscular, and immune engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent P Gray
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
| | - Connor D Amelung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
| | - Israt Jahan Duti
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
| | - Emma G Laudermilch
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
| | - Rachel A Letteri
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States.
| | - Kyle J Lampe
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States.
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4
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Computational Design of Single-Peptide Nanocages with Nanoparticle Templating. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27041237. [PMID: 35209027 PMCID: PMC8874777 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27041237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein complexes perform a diversity of functions in natural biological systems. While computational protein design has enabled the development of symmetric protein complexes with spherical shapes and hollow interiors, the individual subunits often comprise large proteins. Peptides have also been applied to self-assembly, and it is of interest to explore such short sequences as building blocks of large, designed complexes. Coiled-coil peptides are promising subunits as they have a symmetric structure that can undergo further assembly. Here, an α-helical 29-residue peptide that forms a tetrameric coiled coil was computationally designed to assemble into a spherical cage that is approximately 9 nm in diameter and presents an interior cavity. The assembly comprises 48 copies of the designed peptide sequence. The design strategy allowed breaking the side chain conformational symmetry within the peptide dimer that formed the building block (asymmetric unit) of the cage. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques showed that one of the seven designed peptide candidates assembled into individual nanocages of the size and shape. The stability of assembled nanocages was found to be sensitive to the assembly pathway and final solution conditions (pH and ionic strength). The nanocages templated the growth of size-specific Au nanoparticles. The computational design serves to illustrate the possibility of designing target assemblies with pre-determined specific dimensions using short, modular coiled-coil forming peptide sequences.
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Colloid-like solution behavior of computationally designed coiled coil bundlemers. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 606:1974-1982. [PMID: 34749446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.09.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The use of isotropic potential models of simple colloids for describing complex protein-protein interactions is a topic of ongoing debate in the biophysical community. This contention stems from the unavailability of synthetic protein-like model particles that are amenable to systematic experimental characterization. In this article, we test the utility of colloidal theory to capture the solution structure, interactions and dynamics of novel globular protein-mimicking, computationally designed peptide assemblies called bundlemers that are programmable model systems at the intersection of colloids and proteins. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements of semi-dilute bundlemer solutions in low and high ionic strength solution indicate that bundlemers interact locally via repulsive interactions that can be described by a screened repulsive potential. We also present neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy results that show high-Q freely-diffusive dynamics of bundlemers. Importantly, formation of clusters due to short-range attractive, inter-bundlemer interactions is observed in SANS even at dilute bundlemer concentrations, which is indicative of the complexity of the bundlemer charged surface. The similarities and differences between bundlemers and simple colloidal as well as complex protein-protein interactions is discussed in detail.
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Yu M, Guo X, Zhao W, Zhang K. Single-molecule studies reveal the distinction of strong and weak polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:26130-26134. [PMID: 34734610 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03572j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Polyelectrolytes are an important class of functional polymers that have the advantages of both polymers and electrolytes due to the presence of charges, and have prospective applications in many fields. The charge of the backbone is an important factor affecting the properties of polyelectrolytes. Therefore, the complex interactions caused by the charges in polyelectrolyte solutions pose a challenge to the study of polyelectrolyte systems, and there is no consensus on the distinction between the behavior of strong and weak polyelectrolytes in solution. Based on single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), the distinction of strong and weak polyelectrolytes is clarified for the first time at the single molecular level by comparing the single-chain elasticity in different environments. It is expected that the single-molecule study will provide the theoretical and experimental basis for the further application of polyelectrolytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Yu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. .,Innovation Method and Creative Design Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Xin Guo
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. .,Innovation Method and Creative Design Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Wu Zhao
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. .,Innovation Method and Creative Design Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. .,Innovation Method and Creative Design Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610065, China
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7
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Sinha NJ, Langenstein MG, Pochan DJ, Kloxin CJ, Saven JG. Peptide Design and Self-assembly into Targeted Nanostructure and Functional Materials. Chem Rev 2021; 121:13915-13935. [PMID: 34709798 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Peptides have been extensively utilized to construct nanomaterials that display targeted structure through hierarchical assembly. The self-assembly of both rationally designed peptides derived from naturally occurring domains in proteins as well as intuitively or computationally designed peptides that form β-sheets and helical secondary structures have been widely successful in constructing nanoscale morphologies with well-defined 1-d, 2-d, and 3-d architectures. In this review, we discuss these successes of peptide self-assembly, especially in the context of designing hierarchical materials. In particular, we emphasize the differences in the level of peptide design as an indicator of complexity within the targeted self-assembled materials and highlight future avenues for scientific and technological advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nairiti J Sinha
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Matthew G Langenstein
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Darrin J Pochan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Christopher J Kloxin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jeffery G Saven
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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8
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Kim K, Kloxin CJ, Saven JG, Pochan DJ. Nanofibers Produced by Electrospinning of Ultrarigid Polymer Rods Made from Designed Peptide Bundlemers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:26339-26351. [PMID: 34029045 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mimicking the hierarchical assembly of natural fiber materials is an important design challenge in the manufacturing of nanostructured materials with biomolecules such as peptides. Here, we produce nanofibers with control of structure over multiple length scales, ranging from peptide molecule assembly into supramolecular building blocks called "bundlemers," to rigid-rod formation through a covalent connection of bundlemer building blocks, and, ultimately, to uniaxially oriented fibers made with the rigid-rod polymers. The peptides are designed to physically assemble into coiled-coil bundles, or bundlemers, and to covalently interact in an end-to-end fashion to produce the rigid-rod polymer. The resultant rodlike polymer exhibits a rigid, cylindrical nanostructure confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, correspondingly, exhibits shear-thinning behavior at low shear rates observed in many nanoscopic rod systems. The rigid-rod chains are further organized into final fiber materials via electrospinning processing, all the while preserving their unique rodlike structural characteristics. Morphological and structural investigations of the nanofibers through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray scattering, as well as molecular characterization via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, show that continuous nanofibers are composed of oriented rigid-rod chains constituted by α-helical peptides within bundle building blocks. Mechanical properties of electrospun fibers are also presented. The ability to produce nanofibers from the oriented rigid-rod polymer reveals bundlemer chains as a viable tool for the development of new fiber materials with targeted structure and properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyunghee Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Christopher J Kloxin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jeffery G Saven
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Darrin J Pochan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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9
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Sinha NJ, Kloxin CJ, Saven JG, Jensen GV, Kelman Z, Pochan DJ. Recombinant expression of computationally designed peptide-bundlemers in Escherichia coli. J Biotechnol 2021; 330:57-60. [PMID: 33689866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Computational design of fully artificial peptides is extensively researched by material scientists and engineers for the construction of novel nanostructures and biomaterials. Such design has yielded a peptide-based building block or bundlemer, a coiled coil peptide assembly that undergoes further physical-covalent interactions to form 1D, 2D and, potentially, 3D hierarchical assemblies and displays targeted and biomimetic material properties. Recombinant expression is a convenient, flexible tool to synthesize such artificial and modified peptides in large quantities while also enabling economical synthesis of isotopically labeled peptides and longer protein-like artificial peptides. This report describes the protocol for recombinant expression of a 31-amino acid, computationally designed bundlemer-forming peptide in Escherichia coli. Peptide yields of 10 mgs per liter of media were achieved which highlights complementary advantages of recombinant expression technique relative to conventional laboratory-scale synthesis, such as solid-phase peptide synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nairiti J Sinha
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Christopher J Kloxin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Jeffery G Saven
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Grethe V Jensen
- NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Zvi Kelman
- Biomolecular Labeling Laboratory, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) and Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Darrin J Pochan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
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10
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Chao YJ, Wu K, Chang HH, Chien MJ, Chan JCC. Manifold of self-assembly of a de novo designed peptide: amyloid fibrils, peptide bundles, and fractals. RSC Adv 2020; 10:29510-29515. [PMID: 35521097 PMCID: PMC9055936 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra04480f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We report that a peptide with the sequence of EGAGAAAAGAGE can have different aggregation states, viz., amyloid fibrils, peptide bundles, and fractal assembly under different incubation conditions. The chemical state of the Glu residue played a pivotal regulating role in the aggregation behavior of the peptide. The mechanism of the fractal assembly of this peptide has been unraveled as follows. The peptide fragments adopting the beta-sheet conformation are well dispersed in alkaline solution. In the buffer of sodium bicarbonate, peptide rods are formed with considerable structural rigidity at the C- and N-termini. The peptide rods undergo random trajectory in the solution and form a fractal pattern on a two-dimensional surface via the diffusion-limited aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jo Chao
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road Taipei 10617 Taiwan
| | - Kan Wu
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road Taipei 10617 Taiwan
| | - Hsun-Hui Chang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road Taipei 10617 Taiwan
| | - Ming-Jou Chien
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road Taipei 10617 Taiwan
| | - Jerry Chun Chung Chan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road Taipei 10617 Taiwan
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11
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Effects of pure and intercalated halloysites on thermal properties of phthalonitrile resin nanocomposites. Polym Degrad Stab 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2020.109192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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