1
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Clarke BR, Witt CL, Ilton M, Crosby AJ, Watkins JJ, Tew GN. Bottlebrush Networks: A Primer for Advanced Architectures. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318220. [PMID: 38588310 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Bottlebrush networks (BBNs) are an exciting new class of materials with interesting physical properties derived from their unique architecture. While great strides have been made in our fundamental understanding of bottlebrush polymers and networks, an interdisciplinary approach is necessary for the field to accelerate advancements. This review aims to act as a primer to BBN chemistry and physics for both new and current members of the community. In addition to providing an overview of contemporary BBN synthetic methods, we developed a workflow and desktop application (LengthScale), enabling bottlebrush physics to be more approachable. We conclude by addressing several topical issues and asking a series of pointed questions to stimulate conversation within the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R Clarke
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, United States
| | - Connor L Witt
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, United States
| | - Mark Ilton
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, United States
| | - Alfred J Crosby
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, United States
| | - James J Watkins
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, United States
| | - Gregory N Tew
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, United States
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2
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Kim M, Nian S, Rau DA, Huang B, Zhu J, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Cai LH. 3D Printable Modular Soft Elastomers from Physically Cross-linked Homogeneous Associative Polymers. ACS POLYMERS AU 2024; 4:98-108. [PMID: 38618003 PMCID: PMC11010250 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.3c00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing of elastomers enables the fabrication of many technologically important structures and devices. However, there remains a critical need for the development of reprocessable, solvent-free, soft elastomers that can be printed without the need for post-treatment. Herein, we report modular soft elastomers suitable for direct ink writing (DIW) printing by physically cross-linking associative polymers with a high fraction of reversible bonds. We designed and synthesized linear-associative-linear (LAL) triblock copolymers; the middle block is an associative polymer carrying amide groups that form double hydrogen bonding, and the end blocks aggregate to hard glassy domains that effectively act as physical cross-links. The amide groups do not aggregate to nanoscale clusters and only slow down polymer dynamics without changing the shape of the linear viscoelastic spectra; this enables molecular control over energy dissipation by varying the fraction of the associative groups. Increasing the volume fraction of the end linear blocks increases the network stiffness by more than 100 times without significantly compromising the extensibility. We created elastomers with Young's moduli ranging from 8 kPa to 8 MPa while maintaining the tensile breaking strain around 150%. Using a high-temperature DIW printing platform, we transformed our elastomers to complex, highly deformable 3D structures without involving any solvent or post-print processing. Our elastomers represent the softest melt reprocessable materials for DIW printing. The developed LAL polymers synergize emerging homogeneous associative polymers with a high fraction of reversible bonds and classical block copolymer self-assembly to form a dual-cross-linked network, providing a versatile platform for the modular design and development of soft melt reprocessable elastomeric materials for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myoeum Kim
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Shifeng Nian
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Daniel A. Rau
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Baiqiang Huang
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Jinchang Zhu
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National
Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National
Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Li-Heng Cai
- Soft
Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
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3
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Cui S, Murphy EA, Zhang W, Zografos A, Shen L, Bates FS, Lodge TP. Cylinders-in-Undulating-Lamellae Morphology from ABC Bottlebrush Block Terpolymers. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:6796-6805. [PMID: 38421320 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Block polymer self-assembly affords a versatile bottom-up strategy to develop materials with the desired properties dictated by specific symmetries and dimensions. Owing to distinct properties compared with linear counterparts, bottlebrush block polymers with side chains densely grafted on a backbone have attracted extensive attention. However, the morphologies found in bottlebrush block polymers so far are limited, and only lamellar and cylindrical ordered phases have been reported in diblock bottlebrushes. The absence of complex morphologies, such as networks, might originate from the intrinsically stiff backbone architecture. We experimentally investigated the morphologies of nonfrustrated ABC bottlebrush block terpolymers, based on two chemistries, poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)-b-polystyrene-b-poly(dl-lactic acid) (PEP-PS-PLA) and PEP-b-PS-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEP-PS-PEO), synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene-terminated macromonomers. Structural characterization based on small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed an unprecedented cylinders-in-undulating-lamellae (CUL) morphology with p2 symmetry for both systems. Additionally, automated liquid chromatography was employed to fractionate the PEP-PS-PLA bottlebrush polymer, leading to fractions with a spectrum of morphologies, including the CUL. These findings underscore the significance of macromolecular dispersity in nominally narrow dispersity bottlebrush polymers while demonstrating the power of this fractionation technique.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth A Murphy
- Materials Research Laboratory and Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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4
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Sánchez-Leija R, Mysona JA, de Pablo JJ, Nealey PF. Phase Behavior and Conformational Asymmetry near the Comb-to-Bottlebrush Transition in Linear-Brush Block Copolymers. Macromolecules 2024; 57:2019-2029. [PMID: 38495384 PMCID: PMC10938885 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
This study explores how conformational asymmetry influences the bulk phase behavior of linear-brush block copolymers. We synthesized 60 diblock copolymers composed of poly(trifluoroethyl methacrylate) as the linear block and poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] as the brush block, varying the molecular weight, composition, and side-chain length to introduce different degrees of conformational asymmetry. Using small-angle X-ray scattering, we determined the morphology and phase diagrams for three different side-chain length systems, mainly observing lamellar and cylindrical phases. Increasing the side-chain length of the brush block from three to nine ethylene oxide units introduces sufficient asymmetry between the blocks to alter the phase behavior, shifting the lamellar-to-cylindrical transitions toward lower brush block compositions and transitioning the brush block from the dense comb-like regime to the bottlebrush regime. Coarse-grained simulations support our experimental observations and provide a mapping between the composition and conformational asymmetry. A comparison of our findings to strong stretching theory across multiple phase boundary predictions confirms the transition between the dense comb-like regime and the bottlebrush regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina
J. Sánchez-Leija
- Materials
Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, the University
of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Joshua A. Mysona
- Materials
Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, the University
of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Materials
Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, the University
of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Paul F. Nealey
- Materials
Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, the University
of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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5
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Park S, Colville MJ, Paek JH, Shurer CR, Singh A, Secor EJ, Sailer CJ, Huang LT, Kuo JCH, Goudge MC, Su J, Kim M, DeLisa MP, Neelamegham S, Lammerding J, Zipfel WR, Fischbach C, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ. Immunoengineering can overcome the glycocalyx armour of cancer cells. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:429-438. [PMID: 38361041 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01808-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cell glycocalyx is a major line of defence against immune surveillance. However, how specific physical properties of the glycocalyx are regulated on a molecular level, contribute to immune evasion and may be overcome through immunoengineering must be resolved. Here we report how cancer-associated mucins and their glycosylation contribute to the nanoscale material thickness of the glycocalyx and consequently modulate the functional interactions with cytotoxic immune cells. Natural-killer-cell-mediated cytotoxicity is inversely correlated with the glycocalyx thickness of the target cells. Changes in glycocalyx thickness of approximately 10 nm can alter the susceptibility to immune cell attack. Enhanced stimulation of natural killer and T cells through equipment with chimeric antigen receptors can improve the cytotoxicity against mucin-bearing target cells. Alternatively, cytotoxicity can be enhanced through engineering effector cells to display glycocalyx-editing enzymes, including mucinases and sialidases. Together, our results motivate the development of immunoengineering strategies that overcome the glycocalyx armour of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwoo Park
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marshall J Colville
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Justin H Paek
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Carolyn R Shurer
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Arun Singh
- State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Erica J Secor
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Cooper J Sailer
- Department of Pathology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ling-Ting Huang
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joe Chin-Hun Kuo
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marc C Goudge
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jin Su
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Matthew P DeLisa
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Jan Lammerding
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Warren R Zipfel
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Claudia Fischbach
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Heidi L Reesink
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Matthew J Paszek
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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6
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Maurya MK, Laschuetza T, Singh MK, Mukherji D. Thermal Conductivity of Bottle-Brush Polymers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:4392-4400. [PMID: 38363586 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a generic model, we investigated heat propagation in bottle-brush polymers (BBP). An architecture is referred to as a BBP when a linear (backbone) polymer is grafted with the side chains of different length Ns and grafting density ρg, which control the bending stiffness of a backbone. Investigating κ-behavior in BBP is of particular interest due to two competing mechanics: increased backbone stiffness, via Ns and ρg, increases the thermal transport coefficient κ, while the presence of side chains provides additional pathways for heat leakage. We show how a delicate competition between these two effects controls κ. These results reveal that going from a weakly grafting (ρg < 1) to a highly grafting (ρg ≥ 1) regime, κ changes non-monotonically that is independent of Ns. The effect of side chain mass on κ and heat flow in the BBP melts is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Kumar Maurya
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Tobias Laschuetza
- Institute of Mechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Otto-Ammann-Platz 9, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
- Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Manjesh Kumar Singh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Debashish Mukherji
- Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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7
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He ZJ, Huang B, Cai LH. Bottlebrush polyethylene glycol nanocarriers translocate across human airway epithelium via molecular architecture enhanced endocytosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.15.580508. [PMID: 38405944 PMCID: PMC10888750 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.15.580508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Pulmonary drug delivery is critical to the treatment of respiratory diseases. However, the human airway surface presents multiscale barriers to efficient drug delivery. Here we report a bottlebrush polyethylene glycol (PEG-BB) nanocarrier that can translocate across all barriers within the human airway surface. Guided by the molecular theory, we design a PEG-BB molecule consisting of a linear backbone densely grafted by many (∼1,000) low molecular weight (∼1000 g/mol) PEG chains; this results in a highly anisotropic, wormlike nanocarrier featuring a contour length of ∼250 nm, a cross-section of ∼20 nm, and a hydrodynamic diameter of ∼40 nm. Using the classic air-liquid-interface culture system to recapitulate essential biological features of the human airway surface, we show that PEG-BB rapidly penetrates through endogenous airway mucus and periciliary brush layer (mesh size of 20-40 nm) to be internalized by cells across the whole epithelium. By quantifying the cellular uptake of polymeric carriers of various molecular architectures and manipulating cell proliferation and endocytosis pathways, we show that the translocation of PEG-BB across the epithelium is driven by bottlebrush architecture enhanced endocytosis. Our results demonstrate that large, wormlike bottlebrush PEG polymers, if properly designed, can be used as a novel carrier for pulmonary and mucosal drug delivery. Table of Contents
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8
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Chan JM, Kordon AC, Wang M. Investigating the effects of the local environment on bottlebrush conformations using super-resolution microscopy. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:2409-2418. [PMID: 38230506 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05000a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The single-chain physics of bottlebrush polymers plays a key role in their macroscopic properties. Although efforts have been made to understand the behavior of single isolated bottlebrushes, studies on their behavior in crowded, application-relevant environments have been insufficient due to limitations in characterization techniques. Here, we use single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) to study the conformations of individual bottlebrush polymers by direct imaging. Our previous work focused on bottlebrushes in a matrix of linear polymers, where our observations suggested that their behavior was largely influenced by an entropic incompatibility between the bottlebrush side chains and the linear matrix. Instead, here we focus on systems where this effect is reduced: in solvent-swollen polymer materials and in systems entirely composed of bottlebrushes. We measure chain conformations and rigidity using persistence length (lp) as side chain molecular weight (Msc) is varied. Compared to a system of linear polymers, we observe greater flexibility of the backbone in both systems. For bottlebrushes in bottlebrush matrices, we additionally observed a scaling relationship between lp and Msc that more closely follows theoretical predictions. For the more flexible chains in both systems, we reach the edge of our resolution limit and cannot visualize the entire contour of every chain. We bypass this limitation by discussing the aspect ratios of the features within the super-resolution images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Chan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Avram C Kordon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Muzhou Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
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9
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Akash TS, Ishraaq R, Das S. All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Uncharged Linear Polymer Bottlebrushes: Effect of the Brush Sizes and the Number of Side-Chain Monomers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024. [PMID: 38295136 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Bottlebrush polymers (BBPs), characterized by grafted polymer side chains on linear backbone polymer chain, have emerged as a unique and versatile class of macromolecules with extensive applications in the fields of material science, electronics, battery materials, self-healing technology, etc. In this paper, we employ all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to present a comprehensive study of poly(methyl methacrylate)-g-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PMMA-g-PEtOx) BBP and its structural and hydration properties for varying number of backbone monomers (NBB) and side chain monomers (NSC), as well as properties of water molecules supported by the BBP. We find that the radius of gyration follows a scaling of Rg ∼NSC0.36 for smaller grafts and Rg ∼ NSC0.52-0.58 for longer grafts. We also find that the overall shape of the bottlebrush goes from a rod to sphere-like shape with the increase in NSC. Both the hydration per side chain monomer and hydrogen bonds (HBs) per oxygen and nitrogen of the side chain monomer reduce with an increase in NSC, caused by a corresponding enhancement in localization of the side chain monomers in the interior of the BBP. Furthermore, steric influences ensure the number of water-oxygen HBs is much more than the number of water-nitrogen HBs (with oxygen and nitrogen atoms belonging to the monomer side chains). Also, the BBP-supported water molecules demonstrate two distinctly ordered domains with one more structured and one less structured. The more structured domain disappears with an increase in NSC that causes more side chain monomers to localize in the interior of the BBPs. Finally, we observe that despite the highly negative partial charges of the oxygen and nitrogen atoms (of the side chain monomers), the dipole orientation distributions of water molecules around these atoms exhibit the presence of a neutral environment rather than an anionic environment. Overall, we anticipate that our study will generate significant interest in probing the various BBP systems in greater atomistic detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmay Sarkar Akash
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Raashiq Ishraaq
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Siddhartha Das
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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10
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Dutta S, Sing CE. Brownian dynamics simulations of bottlebrush polymers in dilute solution under simple shear and uniaxial extensional flows. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:044901. [PMID: 38258921 DOI: 10.1063/5.0177113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
We study the dynamics of bottlebrush polymer molecules in dilute solutions subjected to shear and uniaxial extensional flows using Brownian dynamics simulations with hydrodynamic interaction (HI). Bottlebrush polymers are modeled using a coarse-grained representation, consisting of a set of beads interacting pairwise via a purely repulsive potential and connected by finitely extensible nonlinear springs. We present the results for molecular stretching, stress, and solution viscosity during the startup of flow as well as under steady state as a function of side chain length while keeping the backbone length fixed. In extensional flow, the backbone fractional extension and the first normal stress difference decrease with an increase in side chain length at a fixed Weissenberg number (Wi). Using simulation results both in the presence of and in the absence of HI, we show that this is primarily a consequence of steric interaction resulting from the dense grafting of side chains. In shear flow, we observe a shear-thinning behavior in all cases, although it becomes less pronounced with increasing side chain length. Furthermore, nonmonotonicity in the backbone fractional extension is observed under shear, particularly at high Wi. We contextualize our simulation results for bottlebrush polymers with respect to existing studies in the literature for linear polymers and show that the unique dynamical features characterizing bottlebrush polymers arise on account of their additional molecular thickness due to the presence of densely grafted side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarit Dutta
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Charles E Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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11
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Clarke BR, Tew GN. Network Constitutional Isomers. Macromolecules 2023; 56:8565-8573. [PMID: 38239340 PMCID: PMC10795480 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Bottlebrush networks designed to be constitutional isomers of each other were synthesized for the first time. These network constitutional isomers (NCIs) have significantly different mechanical properties depending on their kinetic chain lengths (RK), which are controlled by the monomer-to-initiator ratio. Specifically, the low frequency moduli, yield behavior, elongation at break, and adhesive strength of these NCIs are different at the same cross-link densities. The NCI concept is extended to include RKs' dispersity through the choice of the catalyst. These NCIs highlight the impact of living polymerization chemistry on network formation. The use of living polymerization chemistry to synthesize new networks, including NCIs, is expected to significantly advance the development of next-generation materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R Clarke
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Gregory N Tew
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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12
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Zhulina EB, Borisov OV. Cylindrical brushes with ionized side chains: Scaling theory revisited. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:8440-8452. [PMID: 37881868 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00727h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
We revisit the classic scaling model of a cylindrical polyelectrolyte (PE) brush focusing on molecular brushes with stiff backbones and dispersions of polymer-decorated nanorods. Based on the blob representation we demonstrate that similarly to the case of planar PE brushes, separation of intra- and intermolecular repulsions between charges leads to novel scaling regimes for cylindrical PE brushes in salt-added solution and a sharper decrease in its thickness versus salt concentration dependence. These theoretical predictions may inspire further comprehensive experimental research and computer simulations of synthetic and biopolyelectrolyte cylindrical brushes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina B Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Oleg V Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, Pau, France
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13
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Polovnikov KE, Slavov B, Belan S, Imakaev M, Brandão HB, Mirny LA. Crumpled polymer with loops recapitulates key features of chromosome organization. PHYSICAL REVIEW. X 2023; 13:041029. [PMID: 38774252 PMCID: PMC11108028 DOI: 10.1103/physrevx.13.041029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
Chromosomes are exceedingly long topologically-constrained polymers compacted in a cell nucleus. We recently suggested that chromosomes are organized into loops by an active process of loop extrusion. Yet loops remain elusive to direct observations in living cells; detection and characterization of myriads of such loops is a major challenge. The lack of a tractable physical model of a polymer folded into loops limits our ability to interpret experimental data and detect loops. Here, we introduce a new physical model - a polymer folded into a sequence of loops, and solve it analytically. Our model and a simple geometrical argument show how loops affect statistics of contacts in a polymer across different scales, explaining universally observed shapes of the contact probability. Moreover, we reveal that folding into loops reduces the density of topological entanglements, a novel phenomenon we refer as "the dilution of entanglements". Supported by simulations this finding suggests that up to ~ 1 - 2Mb chromosomes with loops are not topologically constrained, yet become crumpled at larger scales. Our theoretical framework allows inference of loop characteristics, draws a new picture of chromosome organization, and shows how folding into loops affects topological properties of crumpled polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill E. Polovnikov
- Current address: Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3664, Paris, France
- Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | - Sergey Belan
- Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Russia
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Physics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim Imakaev
- Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Hugo B. Brandão
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Leonid A. Mirny
- Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
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14
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Zhu Y, Jiang H, Wu W, Xu XQ, Wang XQ, Li WJ, Xu WT, Liu G, Ke Y, Wang W, Yang HB. Stimuli-responsive rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers with tunable thermal and rheological properties. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5307. [PMID: 37652914 PMCID: PMC10471591 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41134-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Aiming at the creation of polymers with attractive dynamic properties, herein, rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers (DPs) with rotaxane-branched dendrons attached onto the polymer chains are proposed. Starting from macromonomers with both rotaxane-branched dendrons and polymerization site, targeted rotaxane-branched DPs are successfully synthesized through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Interestingly, due to the existence of multiple switchable [2]rotaxane branches within the attached dendrons, anion-induced reversible thickness modulation of the resultant rotaxane-branched DPs is achieved, which further lead to tunable thermal and rheological properties, making them attractive platform for the construction of smart polymeric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Hanqiu Jiang
- Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan, 523803, P. R. China
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Qin Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Xu-Qing Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China.
| | - Wei-Jian Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Tao Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - GengXin Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China
| | - Yubin Ke
- Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan, 523803, P. R. China
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China.
| | - Hai-Bo Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China.
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15
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Dey A, Shi G, Takaki R, Thirumalai D. Structural changes in chromosomes driven by multiple condensin motors during mitosis. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112348. [PMID: 37027299 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We create a computational framework that utilizes loop extrusion (LE) by multiple condensin I/II motors to predict changes in chromosome organization during mitosis. The theory accurately reproduces the experimental contact probability profiles for the mitotic chromosomes in HeLa and DT40 cells. The LE rate is smaller at the start of mitosis and increases as the cells approach metaphase. Condensin II-mediated mean loop size is about six times larger than loops because of condensin I. The loops, which overlap each other, are stapled to a central dynamically changing helical scaffold formed by the motors during the LE process. A polymer physics-based data-driven method that uses the Hi-C contact map as the only input shows that the helix is characterized as random helix perversions (RHPs) in which the handedness changes randomly along the scaffold. The theoretical predictions, which are testable using imaging experiments, do not contain any parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atreya Dey
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Guang Shi
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ryota Takaki
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str.38, 01187 Dresden, Saxony, Germany
| | - D Thirumalai
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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16
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Zografos A, All HA, Chang AB, Hillmyer MA, Bates FS. Star-to-Bottlebrush Transition in Extensional and Shear Deformation of Unentangled Polymer Melts. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Zografos
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0132, United States
| | - Helena A. All
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
| | - Alice B. Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0132, United States
| | - Marc A. Hillmyer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
| | - Frank S. Bates
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0132, United States
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17
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Rappoport S, Chrysostomou V, Kafetzi M, Pispas S, Talmon Y. Self-Aggregation in Aqueous Media of Amphiphilic Diblock and Random Block Copolymers Composed of Monomers with Long Side Chains. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:3380-3390. [PMID: 36802652 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Amphiphilic diblock copolymers and hydrophobically modified random block copolymers can self-assemble into different structures in a selective solvent. The formed structures depend on the copolymer properties, such as the ratio between the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic segments and their nature. In this work, we characterize by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) the amphiphilic copolymers poly(2-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PLMA) and their quaternized derivatives QPDMAEMA-b-PLMA at different ratios between the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic segments. We present the various structures formed by these copolymers, including spherical and cylindrical micelles, as well as unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles. We also examined by these methods the random diblock copolymers poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (P(DMAEMA-co-Q6/12DMAEMA)-b-POEGMA), which are partially hydrophobically modified by iodohexane (Q6) or iodododecane (Q12). The polymers with a small POEGMA block did not form any specific nanostructure, while a polymer with a larger POEGMA block formed spherical and cylindrical micelles. This nanostructural characterization could lead to the efficient design and use of these polymers as carriers of hydrophobic or hydrophilic compounds for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sapir Rappoport
- Department of Chemical Engineering and The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Varvara Chrysostomou
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Martha Kafetzi
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Stergios Pispas
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Yeshayahu Talmon
- Department of Chemical Engineering and The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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18
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Fan ZW, Jin XL, Chen Y, Lu M, Wang YR, Yue K, Wen T, Tang L, Wu ZL, Sun T. Topology and Dynamic Regulations of Comb-like Polymers as Strong Adhesives. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Wei Fan
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Xiao Lin Jin
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yang Chen
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Mengze Lu
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yi Ru Wang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Kan Yue
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Tao Wen
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Liqun Tang
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, No. 381, Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Zi Liang Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Taolin Sun
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
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19
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Chen M, Chen Y, Zhu Y, Jiang Y, Andelman D, Man X. Chain Flexibility Effects on the Self-Assembly of Diblock Copolymer in Thin Films. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mingyang Chen
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuguo Chen
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yanyan Zhu
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ying Jiang
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - David Andelman
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Xingkun Man
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- Peng Huanwu Collaborative Center for Research and Education, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
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20
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Nian S, Huang B, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Cai LH. Unexpected Folding of Bottlebrush Polymers in Melts. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shifeng Nian
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia22904, United States
| | - Baiqiang Huang
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia22904, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York11973, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York11973, United States
| | - Li-Heng Cai
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia22904, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia22904, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia22904, United States
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21
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Kamble YL, Walsh DJ, Guironnet D. Precision of Architecture-Controlled Bottlebrush Polymer Synthesis: A Monte Carlo Analysis. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yash Laxman Kamble
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Dylan J. Walsh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Damien Guironnet
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
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22
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Zhulina EB, Sheiko SS, Borisov OV. Theoretical advances in molecular bottlebrushes and comblike (co)polymers: solutions, gels, and self-assembly. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8714-8732. [PMID: 36373559 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01141g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We present an overview of state-of-the-art theory of (i) conformational properties of molecular bottlebrushes in solution, (ii) self-assembly of di- and triblock copolymers comprising comb-shaped and bottlebrush blocks in solutions and melts, and (iii) cross-linked and self-assembled gels with bottlebrush subchains. We demonstrate how theoretical models enable quantitative prediction and interpretation of experimental results and provide rational guidance for design of new materials with physical properties tunable by architecture of constituent bottlebrush blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina B Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sergei S Sheiko
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA
| | - Oleg V Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, Pau, France.
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23
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Clarke BR, Kim H, Ilton M, Watkins JJ, Crosby AJ, Tew GN. The Impact of Polymerization Chemistry on the Mechanical Properties of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Bottlebrush Elastomers. Macromolecules 2022. [PMID: 37502106 PMCID: PMC10373355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We compare the low-strain mechanical properties of bottlebrush elastomers (BBEs) synthesized using ring-opening metathesis and free radical polymerization. Through comparison of experimentally measured elastic moduli and those predicted by an ideal, affine model, we evaluate the efficiency of our networks in forming stress-supporting strands. This comparison allowed us to develop a structural efficiency ratio that facilitates the prediction of mechanical properties relative to polymerization chemistry (e.g., softer BBEs when polymerizing under dilute conditions). This work highlights the impact that polymerization chemistry has on the structural efficiency ratio and the resultant mechanical properties of BBEs with identical side chains, providing another "knob" by which to control polymer network properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R. Clarke
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Hyemin Kim
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Mark Ilton
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - James J. Watkins
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Alfred J. Crosby
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Gregory N. Tew
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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24
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The structure and dynamics of bottlebrushes: Simulation and experimental studies combined. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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25
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Chen D, Quah T, Delaney KT, Fredrickson GH. Investigation of the Self-Assembly Behavior of Statistical Bottlebrush Copolymers via Self-Consistent Field Theory Simulations. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Duyu Chen
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Timothy Quah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Kris T. Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Glenn H. Fredrickson
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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26
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Kutti Kandy S, Radhakrishnan R. Crowding-induced membrane remodeling: Interplay of membrane tension, polymer density, architecture. Biophys J 2022; 121:3674-3683. [PMID: 35619564 PMCID: PMC9617136 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasma membrane hosts a wide range of biomolecules, mainly proteins and carbohydrates, that mediate cellular interactions with its environment. The crowding of such biomolecules regulates cellular morphologies and cellular trafficking. Recent discoveries have shown that the structure and density of cell surface polymers and hence the signaling machinery change with the state of the cell, especially in cancer progression. The alterations in membrane-attached glycocalyx and glycosylation of proteins and lipids are common features of cancer cells. The overexpression of glycocalyx polymers, such as mucin and hyaluronan, strongly correlates with cancer metastasis. Here, we present a mesoscale biophysics-based model that accounts for the shape regulation of membranes by crowding of membrane-attached biopolymer-glycocalyx and actin networks. Our computational model is based on the dynamically triangulated Monte Carlo model for membranes and coarse-grained representations of polymer chains. The model allows us to investigate the crowding-induced shape transformations in cell membranes in a tension- and graft polymer density-dependent manner. Our results show that the number of membrane protrusions and their shape depend on membrane tension, with higher membrane tension inducing more tubular protrusions than the vesicular shapes formed at low tension at high surface coverage of polymers. The shape transformations occur above the threshold density predicted by the polymer brush theory, but this threshold also depends on the membrane tension. Increasing the size of the polymer, either by changing the length or by adding side chains, is shown to increase the crowding-induced curvature. The effect of crowding is more prominent for flexible polymers than for semiflexible rigid polymers. We also present an extension of the model that incorporates properties of the actin-like filament networks and demonstrate how tubular structures can be generated by biopolymer crowding on the cytosolic side of cell membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreeja Kutti Kandy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ravi Radhakrishnan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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27
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Qu J, Chen Q, Huang W, Zhang L, Liu J. Dispersion and Diffusion Mechanism of Nanofillers with Different Geometries in Bottlebrush Polymers: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7761-7770. [PMID: 36169228 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04389] [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
The dispersion and diffusion mechanism of nanofillers in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are crucial for understanding the properties of PNCs, which is of great significance for the design of novel materials. Herein, we investigate the dispersion and diffusion behavior of two geometries of nanofillers, namely, spherical nanoparticles (SNPs) and nanorods (NRs), in bottlebrush polymers by utilizing coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. With the increase of the interaction strength between the nanofiller and polymer (εnp), both the SNPs and NRs experience a typical "aggregated phase-dispersed phase-bridged phase" state transition in the bottlebrush polymer matrix. We evaluate the validity of the Stokes-Einstein (SE) equation for predicting the diffusion coefficient of nanofillers in bottlebrush polymers. The results demonstrate that the SE predictions are slightly larger than the simulated values for small SNP sizes because the local viscosity that is felt by small SNPs in the densely grafted bottlebrush polymer does not differ much from the macroscopic viscosity. The relative size of the length of the NRs (L) and the radius of gyration (Rg) of the bottlebrush polymer play a key role in the diffusion of NRs. In addition, we characterize the anisotropic diffusion of NRs to analyze their translational and rotational diffusion. The motion of NRs in the direction perpendicular to the end-to-end vector is more hindered, indicating that there is a strong coupling between the rotation of NRs and the motion of the polymer. The NR motion shows stronger anisotropic diffusion at short time scales because of the steric effects generated by side chains of the bottlebrush polymer. In general, our results provide a fundamental understanding of the dispersion of nanofillers and the microscopic mechanism of nanofiller diffusion in bottlebrush polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajun Qu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Qionghai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanhui Huang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
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28
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Park J, Thapar V, Choe Y, Padilla Salas LA, Ramírez-Hernández A, de Pablo JJ, Hur SM. Coarse-Grained Simulation of Bottlebrush: From Single-Chain Properties to Self-Assembly. ACS Macro Lett 2022; 11:1167-1173. [DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juhae Park
- Department of Polymer Engineering, Graduate School, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Vikram Thapar
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Yeojin Choe
- Department of Polymer Engineering, Graduate School, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | | | - Abelardo Ramírez-Hernández
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Su-Mi Hur
- Department of Polymer Engineering, Graduate School, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
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29
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Faust L, Röpert M, Esfahani MK, Abbasi M, Hirschberg V, Wilhelm M. Comb and Branch‐on‐Branch Model Polystyrenes with Exceptionally High Strain Hardening Factor SHF > 1000 and their Impact on Physical Foaming. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.202200214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Faust
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Engesserstraße 18 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Marie‐Christin Röpert
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Engesserstraße 18 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Masood K. Esfahani
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Engesserstraße 18 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Mahdi Abbasi
- Borealis Polyolefine GmbH Innovation Headquarters Linz 4021 Austria
| | - Valerian Hirschberg
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Engesserstraße 18 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Manfred Wilhelm
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Engesserstraße 18 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
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30
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Nian S, Cai LH. Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Self-Assembled Bottlebrush Polymer Networks. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shifeng Nian
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Li-Heng Cai
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
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31
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Patel BB, Pan T, Chang Y, Walsh DJ, Kwok JJ, Park KS, Patel K, Guironnet D, Sing CE, Diao Y. Concentration-Driven Self-Assembly of PS- b-PLA Bottlebrush Diblock Copolymers in Solution. ACS POLYMERS AU 2022; 2:232-244. [PMID: 35971423 PMCID: PMC9372993 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.1c00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Bottlebrush polymers
are a class of semiflexible, hierarchical
macromolecules with unique potential for shape-, architecture-, and
composition-based structure–property design. It is now well-established
that in dilute to semidilute solution, bottlebrush homopolymers adopt
a wormlike conformation, which decreases in extension (persistence
length) as the concentration and molecular overlap increase. By comparison,
the solution phase self-assembly of bottlebrush diblock copolymers
(BBCP) in a good solvent remains poorly understood, despite critical
relevance for solution processing of ordered phases and photonic crystals.
In this work, we combine small-angle X-ray scattering, coarse-grained
simulation, and polymer synthesis to map the equilibrium phase behavior
and conformation of a set of large, nearly symmetric PS-b-PLA bottlebrush diblock copolymers in toluene. Three BBCP are synthesized,
with side chains of number-averaged molecular weights of 4500 (PS)
and 4200 g/mol (PLA) and total backbone degrees of polymerization
of 100, 255, and 400 repeat units. The grafting density is one side
chain per backbone repeat unit. With increasing concentration in solution,
all three polymers progress through a similar structural transition:
from dispersed, wormlike chains with concentration-dependent (decreasing)
extension, through the onset of disordered PS/PLA compositional fluctuations,
to the formation of a long-range ordered lamellar phase. With increasing
concentration in the microphase-separated regimes, the domain spacing
increases as individual chains partially re-extend due to block immiscibility.
Increases in the backbone degree of polymerization lead to changes
in the scattering profiles which are consistent with the increased
segregation strength. Coarse-grained simulations using an implicit
side-chain model are performed, and concentration-dependent self-assembly
behavior is qualitatively matched to experiments. Finally, using the
polymer with the largest backbone length, we demonstrate that lamellar
phases develop a well-defined photonic band gap in solution, which
can be tuned across the visible spectrum by varying polymer concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijal B. Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Tianyuan Pan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yilong Chang
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Green St., MC 244, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Dylan J. Walsh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Justin J. Kwok
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Kyung Sun Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Kush Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Damien Guironnet
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Charles E. Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ying Diao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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32
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Wang Y, Li Z, Niu K, Xia W. Energy renormalization for coarse-graining of thermomechanical behaviors of conjugated polymer. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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33
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Zhulina EB, Mikhailov IV, Borisov OV. Theory of Mesophases of Triblock Comb-Shaped Copolymers: Effects of Dead Zones and Bridging. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina B. Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
| | - Ivan V. Mikhailov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
| | - Oleg V. Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l’Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, Pau 64053, France
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34
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Liberman L, Coughlin ML, Weigand S, Edmund J, Bates FS, Lodge TP. Impact of Side-Chain Length on the Self-Assembly of Linear-Bottlebrush Diblock Copolymers. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Liberman
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - McKenzie L. Coughlin
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Steven Weigand
- Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439 United States
| | - Jerrick Edmund
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Frank S. Bates
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Timothy P. Lodge
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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35
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Mesoscale Modeling of Agglomeration of Molecular Bottlebrushes: Focus on Conformations and Clustering Criteria. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14122339. [PMID: 35745920 PMCID: PMC9227207 DOI: 10.3390/polym14122339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Using dissipative particle dynamics, we characterize dynamics of aggregation of molecular bottlebrushes in solvents of various qualities by tracking the number of clusters, the size of the largest cluster, and an average aggregation number. We focus on a low volume fraction of bottlebrushes in a range of solvents and probe three different cutoff criteria to identify bottlebrushes belonging to the same cluster. We demonstrate that the cutoff criteria which depend on both the coordination number and the length of the side chain allows one to correlate the agglomeration status with the structural characteristics of bottlebrushes in solvents of various qualities. We characterize conformational changes of the bottlebrush within the agglomerates with respect to those of an isolated bottlebrush in the same solvents. The characterization of bottlebrush conformations within the agglomerates is an important step in understanding the relationship between the bottlebrush architecture and material properties. An analysis of three distinct cutoff criteria to identify bottlebrushes belonging to the same cluster introduces a framework to identify both short-lived transient and long-lived agglomerates; the same approach could be further extended to characterize agglomerates of various macromolecules with complex architectures beyond the specific bottlebrush architecture considered herein.
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36
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Abstract
We report the synthesis of novel poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PEG and PDMS, respectively) bottlebrush amphiphilic polymer co-networks (B-APCNs) with high gel fractions by a grafting-through ring-opening metathesis polymerization. By varying the volume fraction of PEG (ϕPEG), we alter the crystallinity of the networks, achieving complete suppression of PEG crystallinity at ϕPEG=0.35. Furthermore, we show that the crystallinity of these networks can be tuned to alter their moduli. Through dynamic mechanical analysis, we show that the storage and loss moduli of networks with completely suppressed crystallinity (ϕPEG=0.35) behave similarly to a PDMS homopolymer bottlebrush network. These bottlebrush networks represent an unexplored architecture for the field of amphiphilic polymer co-networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R. Clarke
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Gregory N. Tew
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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37
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Wu Z, Müller-Plathe F. Slip-Spring Hybrid Particle-Field Molecular Dynamics for Coarse-Graining Branched Polymer Melts: Polystyrene Melts as an Example. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:3814-3828. [PMID: 35617016 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The topology of chains significantly modifies the dynamical properties of polymer melts. Here, we extend a recently developed efficient simulation method, namely the slip-spring hybrid particle-field (SS-hPF) model, to study the structural and dynamical properties of branched polymer melts over large spatial-temporal scales. In the coarse-grained SS-hPF simulation of polymers, the bonded potentials are derived by iterative Boltzmann inversion from the underlying fine-grained model. The nonbonded potentials are computed from a density functional field instead of pairwise interactions used in standard molecular dynamics simulations, which increases the computational efficiency by a factor of 10-20. The entangled dynamics is lost due to the soft-core nature of density functional field interactions. It is recovered by a multichain slip-spring model that is rigorously parametrized from existing experimental or simulation data. To quantitatively predict the relaxation and diffusion of branched polymers, which are dominated by arm retraction rather than chain reptation, the slip-spring algorithm is augmented to improve the polymer dynamics near the branch point. Multiple dynamical observables, e.g., diffusion coefficients, arm relaxations, and tube survival probabilities, are characterized in an example coarse-grained model of symmetric and asymmetric star-shaped polystyrene melts. Consistent dynamical behaviors are identified and compared with theoretical predictions. With a single rescaling factor, the prediction of diffusion coefficients agrees well with the available experimental measurements. In this work, an efficient approach is provided to build chemistry-specific coarse-grained models for predicting the dynamics of branched polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghao Wu
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 8, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Florian Müller-Plathe
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 8, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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38
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Blosch SE, Scannelli SJ, Alaboalirat M, Matson JB. Complex Polymer Architectures Using Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization: Synthesis, Applications, and Practical Considerations. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Blosch
- Department of Chemistry and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Samantha J. Scannelli
- Department of Chemistry and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Mohammed Alaboalirat
- Department of Chemistry and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - John B. Matson
- Department of Chemistry and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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39
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Vigil DL, Quah T, Sun D, Delaney KT, Fredrickson GH. Self-Consistent Field Theory Predicts Universal Phase Behavior for Linear, Comb, and Bottlebrush Diblock Copolymers. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Vigil
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Timothy Quah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Dan Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Kris T. Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Glenn H. Fredrickson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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40
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Cai J, Wei Z, Luo W, Hu W. Role of long-chain backbone in side-chain crystallization of densely grafted comb-like polymers. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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41
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Challenges and limits of mechanical stability in 3D direct laser writing. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2115. [PMID: 35440637 PMCID: PMC9018765 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29749-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct laser writing is an effective technique for fabrication of complex 3D polymer networks using ultrashort laser pulses. Practically, it remains a challenge to design and fabricate high performance materials with different functions that possess a combination of high strength, substantial ductility, and tailored functionality, in particular for small feature sizes. To date, it is difficult to obtain a time-resolved microscopic picture of the printing process in operando. To close this gap, we herewith present a molecular dynamics simulation approach to model direct laser writing and investigate the effect of writing condition and aspect ratio on the mechanical properties of the printed polymer network. We show that writing conditions provide a possibility to tune the mechanical properties and an optimum writing condition can be applied to fabricate structures with improved mechanical properties. We reveal that beyond the writing parameters, aspect ratio plays an important role to tune the stiffness of the printed structures. Direct laser writing is an effective technique for fabrication of complex 3D polymer networks using ultrashort laser pulses but to date it is difficult to obtain a time-resolved microscopic picture of the printing process in operando. Here, the use molecular dynamics simulation to model direct laser writing and investigate the effect of writing condition and aspect ratio on the mechanical properties of the printed polymer network.
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42
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Patel BB, Walsh DJ, Patel K, Kim DH, Kwok JJ, Guironnet D, Diao Y. Rapid, interface-driven domain orientation in bottlebrush diblock copolymer films during thermal annealing. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:1666-1677. [PMID: 35133377 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01634b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Favorable polymer-substrate interactions induce surface orientation fields in block copolymer (BCP) melts. In linear BCP processed near equilibrium, alignment of domains generally persists for a small number of periods (∼4-6 D0) before randomization of domain orientation. Bottlebrush BCP are an emerging class of materials with distinct chain dynamics stemming from substantial molecular rigidity, enabling rapid assembly at ultrahigh (>100 nm) domain periodicities with strong photonic properties (structural color). This work assesses interface-induced ordering in PS-b-PLA bottlebrush diblock copolymer films during thermal annealing between planar surfaces. To clearly observe the decay in orientational order from surface to bulk, we choose to study micron-scale films spanning greater than 200 lamellar periods. In situ optical microscopy and transmission UV-Vis spectroscopy are used to monitor photonic properties during annealing and paired with ex situ UV-Vis reflection measurement, cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to probe the evolution of domain microstructure. Photonic properties were observed to saturate within minutes of annealing at 150 °C, with distinct variation in transmission response as a function of film thickness. The depth of the highly aligned surface region was found to vary stochastically in the range of 30-100 lamellar periods, with the sharpness of the orientation gradient decreasing substantially with increasing film thickness. This observation suggests a competition between growth of aligned, heterogeneously nucleated, grains at the surface and orientationally isotropic, homogeneously nucleated, grains throughout the bulk. This work demonstrates the high potential of bottlebrush block copolymers in rapid fabrication workflows and provides a point of comparison for future application of directed self-assembly to BBCP ordering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijal B Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Dylan J Walsh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Kush Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Do Hoon Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Justin J Kwok
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1304 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Damien Guironnet
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Ying Diao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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43
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Leidescher S, Ribisel J, Ullrich S, Feodorova Y, Hildebrand E, Galitsyna A, Bultmann S, Link S, Thanisch K, Mulholland C, Dekker J, Leonhardt H, Mirny L, Solovei I. Spatial organization of transcribed eukaryotic genes. Nat Cell Biol 2022; 24:327-339. [PMID: 35177821 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00847-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite the well-established role of nuclear organization in the regulation of gene expression, little is known about the reverse: how transcription shapes the spatial organization of the genome. Owing to the small sizes of most previously studied genes and the limited resolution of microscopy, the structure and spatial arrangement of a single transcribed gene are still poorly understood. Here we study several long highly expressed genes and demonstrate that they form open-ended transcription loops with polymerases moving along the loops and carrying nascent RNAs. Transcription loops can span across micrometres, resembling lampbrush loops and polytene puffs. The extension and shape of transcription loops suggest their intrinsic stiffness, which we attribute to decoration with multiple voluminous nascent ribonucleoproteins. Our data contradict the model of transcription factories and suggest that although microscopically resolvable transcription loops are specific for long highly expressed genes, the mechanisms underlying their formation could represent a general aspect of eukaryotic transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Leidescher
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Johannes Ribisel
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Simon Ullrich
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yana Feodorova
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Plovdiv; Division of Molecular and Regenerative Medicine, Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Erica Hildebrand
- Program in Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Sebastian Bultmann
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stephanie Link
- BioMedizinisches Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Katharina Thanisch
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Christopher Mulholland
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Job Dekker
- Program in Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Heinrich Leonhardt
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leonid Mirny
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Irina Solovei
- Department of Biology II, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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44
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Kim EJ, Shin JJ, Lee GS, Kim S, Park S, Park J, Choe Y, Lee D, Choi J, Bang J, Kim YH, Li S, Hur SM, Kim JG, Kim BJ. Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Poly(vinylpyridine)-Containing Brush Block Copolymers: Combined Synthesis of Grafting-Through and Grafting-to Approaches. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Ji Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeman J. Shin
- Department of Organic Materials and Fiber Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul 06978, Republic of Korea
| | - Gue Seon Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Sejong Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Sora Park
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Juhae Park
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Energy Research Institute & School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeojin Choe
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Energy Research Institute & School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Dahye Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinwoong Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Joona Bang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Hun Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Sheng Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Su-Mi Hur
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Energy Research Institute & School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeung Gon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J. Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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45
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Ma J, Ma T, Cheng J, Zhang J. Polymer Encapsulation Strategy toward 3D Printable, Sustainable, and Reliable Form-Stable Phase Change Materials for Advanced Thermal Energy Storage. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:4251-4264. [PMID: 35029103 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c23972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Form-stable phase change materials (PCMs) have garnered tremendous attention in thermal energy storage (TES) owing to their remarkable latent heat. However, the integration of intelligent manufacturing, recycling, and optimized multifunction is considered not feasible for form-stable PCMs due to the restriction of encapsulation technology. Here, an excellent polymer encapsulation strategy is proposed to prepare 3D printable, sustainable, and reliable form-stable PCMs (SiPCM-x), which are universal for petroleum-based and biobased long alkyl compounds. SiPCM-x have top-class latent heat, and the phase-change temperatures are tunable from body temperature to high temperature. The in situ formative bottlebrush phase-change polysiloxane networks are used as supporting materials, and the encapsulation mechanism is clarified. Sirbw-250 can be degraded and re-encapsulated to achieve recycling. Besides, Sirbw-250 is fabricated as the customer-designed objects with shape-changing behavior via 3D printing. By introducing the metal foams and nano-coatings, the resulting phase-change composites simultaneously exhibit excellent superhydrophobicity, mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, electromagnetic interference shielding behavior, and solar-, electric-, and magnetic-to-thermal energy conversion ability. Besides, S-Ni-SiPCM-250 can be applied in the wearable functional devices and movable solar-thermal charging. This strategy will lead to huge renovation in the TES field and provide an efficient guideline for designing advanced form-stable PCMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Ma
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian Ma
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jue Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Junying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
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46
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Kim KH, Nam J, Choi J, Seo M, Bang J. From macromonomers to bottlebrush copolymers with sequence control: synthesis, properties, and applications. Polym Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2py00126h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bottlebrush polymers (BBPs) are a type of comb-like macromolecules with densely grafted polymeric sidechains attached to the polymer backbones, and many intriguing properties and applications have been demonstrated due to...
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Zografos A, Lynd NA, Bates FS, Hillmyer MA. Impact of Macromonomer Molar Mass and Feed Composition on Branch Distributions in Model Graft Copolymerizations. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:1622-1628. [PMID: 35549140 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Graft polymers are useful in a versatile range of material applications. Understanding how changes to the grafted architecture, such as the grafting density (z), the side-chain degree of polymerization (Nsc), and the backbone degree of polymerization (Nbb), affect polymer properties is critical for accurately tuning material performance. For graft-through copolymerizations, changes to Nsc and z are controlled by the macromonomer degree of polymerization (NMM) and the initial fraction of the macromonomer in the feed (fMM0), respectively. We show that changes to these parameters can influence the copolymerization reactivity ratios and, in turn, impact the side-chain distribution along a graft polymer backbone. Poly((±)-lactide) macromonomers with NMM values as low as ca. 1 and as high as 72 were copolymerized with a small-molecule dimethyl ester norbornene comonomer over a range of fMM0 values (0.1 ≤ fMM0 ≤ 0.8) using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Monomer conversion was determined using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the data were fit with terminal and nonterminal copolymerization models. The results from this work provide essential information for manipulating Nsc and z while maintaining synthetic control over the side-chain distribution for graft-through copolymerizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Zografos
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0132, United States
| | - Nathaniel A. Lynd
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1589, United States
| | - Frank S. Bates
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0132, United States
| | - Marc A. Hillmyer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
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Liberman-Martin AL, Chang AB, Chu CK, Siddique RH, Lee B, Grubbs RH. Processing Effects on the Self-Assembly of Brush Block Polymer Photonic Crystals. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:1480-1486. [PMID: 35549148 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PDMS-b-PTMC) bottlebrush block polymers was investigated under different processing conditions. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and UV/Visible spectroscopy provided insight into the self-assembly and structure in response to heating and applied pressure. In the absence of applied pressure (i.e., before annealing), the PDMS-b-PTMC bottlebrush block polymers are white solids and adopt small, randomly oriented lamellar grains. Heating the materials to 140 °C in the absence of applied pressure appears to "lock in" the isotropic, short-range-ordered state, preventing the formation of the long-range-ordered lamellar structure responsible for photonic properties. Applying modest anisotropic pressure (3 psi) between parallel plates at ambient temperature orients the short-range lamellar grains; however, applied pressure alone does not produce long-range order. Only when the bottlebrush block polymers were heated (>100 °C) under modest pressure (3 psi) were long-range-ordered photonic crystals formed. Analysis of the SAXS data motivated analogies to liquid crystals and revealed the potential self-assembly pathway. These results provide insight into the structure and self-assembly of bottlebrush block polymers with low glass transition temperature side chains in response to different processing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alice B. Chang
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Crystal K. Chu
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Radwanul H. Siddique
- Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Byeongdu Lee
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Robert H. Grubbs
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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Zhulina EB, Borisov OV. Micelles Formed by an AB Copolymer with Bottlebrush Blocks: Scaling Theory. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:12603-12616. [PMID: 34735151 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We present a scaling theory describing the equilibrium properties of spherical micelles formed by a diblock copolymer with bottlebrush blocks in a selective solvent. The theory predicts a number of new thermodynamic regimes inherent for copolymers with relatively short main chains (long side chains) in the bottlebrush blocks. These regimes with a novel set of scaling exponents for the micelle properties are characterized by limiting extension of the main chains of the core or/and corona-forming blocks and do not exist for micelles of conventional linear block copolymers. The theoretical predictions are confronted to experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina B Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199004 St.Petersburg, Russia
| | - Oleg V Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199004 St.Petersburg, Russia.,Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, 64053 Pau, France
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Nian S, Fan Z, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Redemann S, Cai LH. Self-Assembly of Flexible Linear–Semiflexible Bottlebrush–Flexible Linear Triblock Copolymers. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shifeng Nian
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Zhouhao Fan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Stefanie Redemann
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
- Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Li-Heng Cai
- Soft Biomatter Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
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