A tetrathienopyrrole-based ladder-type donor polymer for high-performance organic near-infrared cavity detectors

Organic semiconductors can afford detection at wavelengths beyond commercial silicon photodetectors. However, for each targeted near-infrared wavelength range, this requires individually optimized materials, which adds to the complexity and costs. Moreover, finding molecules with strong absorption beyond 1 μm that perform well in organic photodetectors remains a challenge. In microcavity devices, the detection window can be extended to wavelengths inaccessible for silicon without the need for new materials by adopting an intelligent design. Previous work has demonstrated the applicability of a dithienopyrrole-based donor polymer (PDTPQx) in such a cavity photodetector device, with a photoresponse up to 1200 nm. In this work, the π-conjugated backbone of the polymer is extended, affording higher hole mobility and better donor:acceptor intermixing. This leads to enhanced peak external quantum efficiencies up to 1450 nm. The (thermal noise limited) detectivities achieved with the PTTPQx polymer (1.07 × 1012 to 1.82 × 1010 Jones) are among the very best in the 900-1400 nm wavelength regime.

Studying the concentration of polymers in blended microplastics using 2D and 3D Raman mapping

The combination of different polymers in the form of blended plastics has been used in the plastic industry for a long time. Nevertheless, analyses of microplastics (MPs) have been mainly limited to the study of particles made of single-type polymers. Accordingly, two members of the Polyolefins (POs) family, i.e., Polypropylene (PP) and Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) are blended and extensively studied in this work due to their applications in industry as well as abundance in the environment. It is shown that 2-D Raman mapping only provides information about the surface of blended MPs (B-MPs). While complimentary 3-D volume analysis is needed to fully understand the presence of various polymers in such complex samples. Therefore, 3-D Raman mapping is applied to visualize the morphology of the distribution of polymers within the B-MPs together with the quantitative estimation of their concentrations. A parameter defined as the concentration estimate error (CEE) evaluates the precision of the quantitative analysis. Furthermore, the impact of four excitation wavelengths 405, 532, 633, and 785 nm is investigated on the obtained results. Finally, the application of a line-shaped laser beam profile (line-focus) is introduced for reducing the measurement time from 56 to 2 h.

Impact of doubling peptide length on in vivo hydrogel stability and sustained drug release

Peptide-based hydrogels represent promising systems for the sustained release of different types of drugs, ranging from small molecules to biologicals. Aiming at subcutaneous injection, which is a desirable parenteral administration route, especially for biologicals, we herein focus on physically crosslinked systems possessing thixotropic behaviour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo properties of hydrogels based on the amphipathic hexapeptide H-FQFQFK-NH₂, which served as the lead sequence. Upon doubling the length of this peptide, the dodecapeptide H-FQFQFKFQFQFK-NH₂ gave a significant improvement in terms of in vivo stability of the hydrogel post-injection, as monitored by nuclear SPECT/CT imaging. This increased hydrogel stability also led to a more prolonged in vivo release of encapsulated peptide cargoes. Even though no direct link with the mechanical properties of the hydrogels before injection could be made, an important effect of the subcutaneous medium was noticed on the rheological properties of the hydrogels in post in vivo injection measurements. The results were validated in vivo for a therapeutically relevant analgesic peptide using the hot-plate test as an acute pain model. It was confirmed that elongation of the hydrogelator sequence induced more extended antinociceptive effects. Altogether, this simple structural modification of the hydrogelating peptide could provide a basis for reaching longer durations of action upon use of these soft biomaterials.

Hydrogen-Bond-Assisted Diels–Alder Kinetics or Self-Healing in Reversible Polymer Networks? A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Diels–Alder (DA) cycloadditions in reversible polymer networks are important for designing sustainable materials with self-healing properties. In this study, the DA kinetics of hydroxyl-substituted bis- and tetrafunctional furans with bis- and tris-functional maleimides, both containing ether-functionalized spacers, is investigated by modelling two equilibria representing the endo and exo cycloadduct formation. Concretely, the potential catalysis of the DA reaction through hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl of the furans and carbonyl of the maleimides or ether of the spacers is experimentally and theoretically scrutinized. Initial reaction rates and forward DA rate constants are determined by microcalorimetry at 20 °C for a model series of reversible networks, extended with (i) a hydroxyl-free network and hydroxyl-free linear or branched systems, and (ii) polypropylene glycol additives, increasing the hydroxyl concentration. A computational density-functional theory study is carried out on the endo and exo cycloadditions of furan and maleimide derivatives, representative for the experimental ones, in the absence and presence of ethylene glycol as additive. Additionally, an ester-substituted furan was investigated as a hydroxyl-free system for comparison. Experiment and theory indicate that the catalytic effect of H-bonding is absent or very limited. While increased concentration of H-bonding could in theory catalyze the DA reaction, the experimental results rule out this supposition.

Potential of poly(alkylene terephthalate)s to control endothelial cell adhesion and viability

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is known for its various useful characteristics, including its applicability in cardiovascular applications, more precisely as synthetic bypass grafts for large diameter (≥ 6 mm) blood vessels. Although it is widely used, PET is not an optimal material as it is not interactive with endothelial cells, which is required for bypasses to form a complete endothelium. Therefore, in this study, poly(alkylene terephthalate)s (PATs) have been studied. They were synthesized via a single-step solution polycondensation reaction, which requires mild reaction conditions and avoids the use of a catalyst or additives like heat stabilizers. A homologous series was realized in which the alkyl chain length varied from 5 to 12 methylene groups (n = 5-12). Molar masses up to 28,000 g/mol were obtained, while various odd-even trends were observed with modulated differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC) and rapid heat-cool calorimetry (RHC) to access the thermal properties within the homologous series. The synthesized PATs have been subjected to in vitro cell viability assays using Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) and Human Dermal Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HDMECs). The results showed that HUVECs adhere and proliferate most pronounced onto PAT_(n=9) surfaces, which could be attributed to the surface roughness and morphology as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) (i.e. R_q = 204.7 nm). HDMECs were investigated in the context of small diameter vessels and showed superior adhesion and proliferation after seeding onto PAT_(n=6) substrates. These preliminary results already pave the way towards the use of PAT materials as substrates to support endothelial cell adhesion and growth. Indeed, as superior endothelial cell interactivity compared to PET was observed, time-consuming and costly surface modifications of PET grafts could be avoided by exploiting this novel material class.

Self-Healing in Mobility-Restricted Conditions Maintaining Mechanical Robustness: Furan-Maleimide Diels-Alder Cycloadditions in Polymer Networks for Ambient Applications

Two reversible polymer networks, based on Diels–Alder cycloadditions, are selected to discuss the opportunities of mobility-controlled self-healing in ambient conditions for which information is lacking in literature. The main methods for this study are (modulated temperature) differential scanning calorimetry, microcalorimetry, dynamic rheometry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and kinetic simulations. The reversible network 3M-3F630 is chosen to study the conceptual aspects of diffusion-controlled Diels–Alder reactions from 20 to 65 °C. Network formation by gelation is proven and above 30 °C gelled glasses are formed, while cure below 30 °C gives ungelled glasses. The slow progress of Diels–Alder reactions in mobility-restricted conditions is proven by the further increase of the system’s glass transition temperature by 24 °C beyond the cure temperature of 20 °C. These findings are employed in the reversible network 3M-F375PMA, which is UV-polymerized, starting from a Diels–Alder methacrylate pre-polymer. Self-healing of microcracks in diffusion-controlled conditions is demonstrated at 20 °C. De-gelation measurements show the structural integrity of both networks up to at least 150 °C. Moreover, mechanical robustness in 3M-F375PMA is maintained by the poly(methacrylate) chains to at least 120 °C. The self-healing capacity is simulated in an ambient temperature window between −40 and 85 °C, supporting its applicability as self-healing encapsulant in photovoltaics.

X-Ray Nanoscopy of a Bulk Heterojunction

Optimizing the morphology of bulk heterojunctions is known to significantly improve the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells, but available quantitative imaging techniques are few and have severe limitations. We demonstrate X-ray ptychographic coherent diffractive imaging applied to all-organic blends. Specifically, the phase-separated morphology in bulk heterojunction photoactive layers for organic solar cells, prepared from a 50:50 blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and thermally treated for different annealing times is imaged to high resolution. Moreover, using a fast-scanning calorimetry chip setup, the nano-morphological changes caused by repeated thermal annealing applied to the same sample could be monitored. X-ray ptychography resolves to better than 100 nm the phase-segregated domains of electron donor and electron acceptor materials over a large field of view within the active layers. The quantitative phase contrast images further allow us to estimate the local volume fraction of PCBM across the photovoltaically active layers. The volume fraction gradient for different regions provides insight on the PCBM diffusion across the depletion zone surrounding PCBM aggregates. Phase contrast X-ray microscopy is under rapid development, and the results presented here are promising for future studies of organic-organic blends, also under in situ conditions, e.g., for monitoring the structural stability during UV-Vis irradiation.

High-Permittivity Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Interlayers for High-Performance Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

Conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) interfacial layers present a powerful way to boost the I-V characteristics of organic photovoltaics. Nevertheless, clear guidelines with respect to the structure of high-performance interlayers are still lacking. In this work, impedance spectroscopy is applied to probe the dielectric permittivity of a series of polythiophene-based CPEs. The presence of ionic pendant groups grants the formation of a capacitive double layer, boosting the charge extraction and device efficiency. A counteracting effect is the diminishing affinity with the underlying photoactive layer. To balance these two effects, we found copolymer structures containing nonionic side chains to be beneficial.

Extremely robust and post-functionalizable gold nanoparticles coated with calix[4]arenes via metal–carbon bonds

Gold nanoparticles stabilized with a thin layer of post-functionalizable calix[4]arenes were prepared through the reductive grafting of a calix[4]arene-tetra-diazonium salt.

All-conjugated cationic copolythiophene “rod–rod” block copolyelectrolytes: synthesis, optical properties and solvent-dependent assembly

The optical and thermal properties and solvent-dependent assembly of all-conjugated cationic copolythiophene block copolyelectrolytes are investigated.