Long term peripheral nerve regeneration using a novel PCL nerve conduit.

The gold standard in surgical management of a peripheral nerve gap is currently autologous nerve grafting. This confers patient morbidity and increases surgical time therefore innovative experimental strategies towards engineering a synthetic nerve conduit are welcome. We have developed a novel synthetic conduit made of poly ε-caprolactone (PCL) that has demonstrated promising peripheral nerve regeneration in short-term studies. This material has been engineered to permit translation into clinical practice and here we demonstrate that histological outcomes in a long-term in vivo experiment are comparable with that of autologous nerve grafting. A 1cm nerve gap in a rat sciatic nerve injury model was repaired with a PCL nerve conduit or an autologous nerve graft. At 18 weeks post surgical repair, there was a similar volume of regenerating axons within the nerve autograft and PCL conduit repair groups, and similar numbers of myelinated axons in the distal stump of both groups. Furthermore, there was evidence of comparable re-innervation of end organ muscle and skin with the only significant difference the lower wet weight of the muscle from the PCL conduit nerve repair group. This study stimulates further work on the potential use of this synthetic biodegradable PCL nerve conduit in a clinical setting.

Dipole assisted photogated switch in spiropyran grafted polyaniline nanowires

In this work we show dipole-assisted photogated switching by covalent grafting of photoactive molecules to conducting polymers. Photochromic spiropyran molecules were covalently attached to polyaniline (PANI) nanowires via N-alkylation reaction to the quinoic part of PANI. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet light spiropyran transformed to a large dipole containing molecule, merocyanine form. We show that this transformation leads to a substantial (ca. 2 orders of magnitude) increase in conductance of the photochromic PANI nanowires, which were evident by an increase in field-effect mobility and calculated band gap narrowing of the system. Finally, this transformation was found to be fully reversible with no significant photofatigue. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

可生物降解脂肪族聚酯的反应接枝与相形态

聚（β-轻基丁酸醋-co-β-经基戊酸酷）（PHBV）是一种生物降解脂肪族聚酷，其结晶成核密度低，结晶速度比较慢且易生成大尺寸的球晶。以球晶中心向外扩展形成许多圆环状的开裂以及沿球晶生长方向形成许多劈裂，从而导致了PHBV呈脆性断裂。只要能有效地降低其结晶度，减小球晶尺寸，就可以达到增韧的目的。通过PHBV与二氧化碳一环氧丙烷共聚物（PPC）反应接枝来调控PHBV的结构和相形态，具有实际的理论意义和应用前景。开展了PPC的封端和与PHBv的接枝反应。首次提出了甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油醋（GMA）与PHBV及PPC与PHBV－GMA的接枝反应机理。确信PHBV接枝GMA的接枝点发生在PHBV骨架上的季碳原子上，反应过程中没有交联反应和降解反应的发生。发现PHBv-g-Gh1A共聚物上环氧基能与封端的PPc上的梭基熔融反应原位生成了PHBv-g-PPC共聚物。在机械共混物中两大分子之间的接枝和醋交换反应几乎不发生。GMA的引入阻止了PHBV的降解行为，从而改善了PHBV的加工性能。成功地调控了PHBVPC结构及相形态。证实了PHBV与PPC在反应共混过程中的接枝反应。加入PPC阻碍了PHBV的结晶，这在反应体系中更加明显。通过控制反应条件和反应物的组成，可以使非反应共混物中PHBV球晶变得不规则，发生扭曲变形，球晶尺寸降低；而在反应共混物中，可以使其球晶已很难辨认。SEM结果表明在PHBV用PC（30／70）和PHBV用PC（70／30）共混物中发生了相转变。尤其在反应共混物中淬断面表现为塑性。力学性能随共混组成而发生较大幅度的改变。发现通过改变组成及对反应共混相结构的控制，PHBV共混物的断裂伸长率可变化1一2个数量级，从而实现了制得一系列从脆性断裂塑料到高韧性弹性体的高分子材料。研究了反应接枝共混体系的熔融、结晶行为、等温和非等温结晶动力学。发现加入的GMA对PHBV有成核作用。引入的PPC阻碍了PHBV的结晶，降低PHBV的结晶度，球晶径向生长速率，平衡熔点和结晶能力。结晶速率与冷却速率有较大的依赖性。修正的Avrami方程能很好地描述PHBv和PHBv爪PC共混物非等温结晶过程。对动态力学性能的分析发现，反应共混物相比于非反应共混物聚合物玻璃化温度都有不同程度的内移，说明两组分间相容性增加，接枝共聚物具有良好的增容效果，显著地改善了两相界面性能。PHBV可以部分进入PPC相区，使共混物分子运动特征发生改变。发现在熔体加工条件下，PHBV与PPC之间很难发生酷交换反应，但是以辛酸亚锡为催化剂，氯苯为溶剂，在120℃条件下，两者可以发生醋交换反应。在聚己内醋（PCL）用PC熔融共混过程中GMA可以有效地抑制过氧化二异丙苯（DCP）所引起的PCL交联反应。在DCP和OMA存在下得到的样品之球晶具有十字消光现象，球晶规整度增大。同在溶液中醋交换催化剂存在下PPC和PCL发生了酷交换反应后所形成的球晶相结构相类似，而PCL／PPCOCP体系所形成的球晶中含有大量的非晶相区。从而，确信了GMA在脂肪族聚醋，脂肪族聚碳酸醋等生物降解高分子反应共混体系中的双重作用：一是引入具有高反应活性的官能团；二是减少在过氧化物作用下PHBV类高分子的降解及PCL类高分子的交联反应。PCL共混组分可以提高PPC相区的稳定性。提高反应时间或催化剂浓度同样能够改善热稳定性。

氯化原位接枝反应合成酐化CPE及结构表征

本硕士论文主要工作是利用氯化原位接枝反应对高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）进行氯化及醉基化。对上述反应体系的反应机理，产物的化学结构、链结构、反应条件对MAH接枝率（GD％）的影响以及物理机械性能等进行了详细的讨论。采用FT-IR和~1HNMR方法对氯化原位接枝反应的配化产物CPE-g-MAH进行了表征。二者均证明了MAH单体接枝到氯化聚乙烯主链上，证实了氯化原位接枝反应的可行性。并用~1HNMR，结合EI-Ms电喷雾质谱表征了氯化原位接枝共聚物CPE-g-MAH的链结构。反应过程中，主链及支链均被氯化。氯化原位接枝共聚物CPE-g-MAH凝胶含量的测定结果表明，在氯化原位接枝过程中没有交联反应的发生。论文中还研究了醉化CPE的合成过程。主要针对反应条件对MAH接枝率（GD％）的影响进行了详细的讨论，包括氯化原位接枝的温度模式、MAH单体量、氯气流量、氯含量等对MAH接枝率（GD％）的影响。同时探讨了氯化原位接枝反应历程。考查了氯化原位接枝MAH体系和氯化HDPE林系自由基浓度随时间变化的情况。接枝产物的硫化特性曲线表明：由于MAH的引入，聚合物主链上连接有酸配基团，使得氯化原位接枝共聚物CPE-g-MAH可以通过官能团之间相互反应而交联成为可能。随着MAH接枝量的升高，接枝率上升使得HDPE大分子链上带有更多MAH接枝点，CPE-g-MAH可硫化的程度相应提高。接枝产物的力学性能测试结果表明：随着MAH接枝率的增加，材料的拉伸强度上升，而材料的扯断伸长率、硬度等力学性能下降。

LLDPE接枝新型表面活性剂共聚物的制备及其结构、性能与应用的基础研究

合成三个系列的新型表面活性剂，制备了三个系列的聚乙烯接枝共聚物。第一系列的表面活性剂是将Tween8O、span80，聚氧乙烯肉桂醇醚，PEO（400），PEO（1000），PEO（2000）OCOC1’7H35和PEO（6000）-OCOC17H35引入双键而使其功能化，然后接枝到聚乙烯分子链上，表面活性剂的引入改变了聚乙烯的表面性能，使其亲水性增加。前三者为商品防雾滴剂，实验发现防雾滴剂的聚乙烯接枝共聚物膜的防雾滴性不如物理共混法制备的聚乙烯防雾滴膜的效果好。接枝聚乙烯共聚物LLDPE-g-PEO和LLDPE-g-PEO-sterate，由于结构差别，共聚物表面组成不同。前者随着支链长度的增加，支链柔性降低，共聚物表面氧的富集量趋于减少；而后者由于疏水基硬脂酸中碳链的存在，随着支链的增加，共聚物表面氧的富集量增加。LLDPE-g-PEO（400）和LLDPE-g-PEO（1000）的等温结晶速率都比空白聚乙烯的快。由于PEO与聚乙烯不相容，支链PEo在接枝共聚物中起异相成核剂的作用，使结晶速率加快。LLDPE-g-PEO（2000）-stearate的等温结晶速率与聚乙烯的接近，但比空白聚乙烯的略慢。这是由于支链末端硬脂酸碳链是柔性的疏水链，且与聚乙烯有较好的相容性，在本体聚乙烯非晶区中活动性较强，带动聚氧乙烯支链向相同的方向运动，使支链在聚乙烯中分散且伸展，对聚乙烯分子起惰性稀释剂的作用而导致结晶速率降低；但聚氧乙烯（2000）又具有结晶性，在本体聚乙烯中起异相成核剂的作用，使聚乙烯结晶速率加快，这两种作用消长的结果，使LLDPE-g-PEO（2000）-stearte接枝共聚物的结晶速率接近聚乙烯，但比聚乙烯的结晶速率略慢。LLDPE-g-PEO（6000）-stearate接枝共聚物的结晶速率比聚乙烯的快，这是由于聚氧乙烯（6000）的结晶性较强，活动性较强的硬脂酸基团很难使其伸展，其晶粒在本体聚乙烯中主要起异相成核剂的作用，导致其结晶速率比聚乙烯的快。为了弄清表面活性剂接枝到大分子链上的作用机理，特设计第二、第三系列的表面活性剂。第二系列的新型表面活性剂是I、II、III、IV和V，以及含有不饱和键的表面活性剂A-I、A-II和A-III。这些表面活性剂是以聚乙二醇、乙二醇、1，6-己二醇和1，10-癸二醇为主要的起始原料制得的。实验结果发现这些表面活性剂的表面张力随着疏水链长度的增加而增加。以A-I、A-II和A-II作为接枝单体，将其成功接枝到聚乙烯分子链上，从而改善了聚乙烯的表面性能。 由FTIR确定了其接枝率。由DSc对其等温结晶行为的研究发现：接枝链在本体聚合物中起异相成核剂的作用，加速了结晶过程，但没有改变聚乙烯晶格结构（WXA）。随着接枝链中的疏水链长度的增加，等温结晶速率加快。在低剪切速率时，空白聚乙烯具有牛顿流体的特性，而接枝聚乙烯表现出非牛顿流体行为。接枝聚合物在低剪切速率具有剪切变稠、高剪切速率时剪切变稀的现象。第三系列的新型表面活性剂是含氟和聚氧乙烯的特种表面活性剂：productIII（600-4600）。以FTIR和1HNMR表征其结构。以productIII（600-4600）为接枝单体，成功制得含氟接枝聚乙烯共聚物，亲水性表面活性剂的引入，同样改变了聚乙烯的表面性能。当PEO分子量较低时，含氟接枝聚乙烯共聚物的表面极性随着接枝链的分子量增加，极性增加，在ProductIII（1500）时，达到最大值，分子量继续增加，极性反而降低。这是由于支链结晶增加而影响分子链的迁移。含氟接枝聚乙烯共聚物的等温结晶速率比空白LLDPE的高，而且接枝共聚物的结晶速率随着支链分子量的增加而加快。这是由于含氟聚氧乙烯的接枝链在结晶体系中起成核剂的作用，使结晶过程加速。由于接枝率低，接枝链在接枝共聚物起异相成核剂的作用，虽然加速了结晶速率，但没有破坏聚乙烯晶格。

Concise synthesis of novel practical sulfamide-amine alcohols for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

Novel sulfamide-amine alcohol ligands were designed using a grafting strategy and synthesized from readily available starting materials via a simple, efficient method. The key features of these ligands for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes included stability, enhanced effectiveness without using Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(4), suitability for a variety of aldehydes, the ability to operate at room temperature, and selectability to afford either absolute configuration products with enantiomeric excess up to >99%.

Chiral synthesis on catalysts immobilized in microporous and mesoporous materials

This paper reviews the recent progress made in the asymmetric synthesis on chiral catalysts in porous materials and discusses the effects of surface and pores on enantio-selectivity (confinement effect). This paper also summarizes various approaches of immobilization of the chiral catalysts onto surfaces and into pores of solid inorganic supports such as microporous and mesoporous materials. The most important reactions surveyed for the chiral synthesis in porous materials include epoxidation. hydrogenation, hydroformylation, Aldol and Diels-Alder reactions, etc. The confinement effect originated from the surfaces and the pores turns out to be a general phenomenon. which may make the enantioselectivity increase (positive effect) or decrease (negative effect). The confinement effect becomes more pronounced particularly when the bonding between the catalyst and the surface is more rigid and the pore size is tuned to a suitable range. It is proposed that the confinement in chiral synthesis is essentially a consequence of subtle change in transition states induced by weak-interaction in pores or on surfaces. It is also anticipated that the enantioselectivity could be improved by tuning the confinement effect based on the molecular designing of the pore/surface and the immobilized catalysts according to the requirements of chiral reactions.

Preparation and properties of polyether pentaerythritol mono-maleate grafted linear low density polyethylene by reactive extrusion

A reactive type nonionic surfactant, polyether pentaerythritol mono-maleate (PPMM) was synthesized in our laboratory. PPMM was adopted as functionalizing monomer and grafted onto linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with a melt reactive extrusion procedure. FT-IR was used to characterize the formation of grafting copolymer and evaluate their degree of grafting. The effects of monomer concentration, reaction temperature and screw run speed on the degree of grafting were studied systematically. Isothermal crystallization kinetics of LLDPE and LLDPE-g-PPMM samples was carried out using DSC.

Thermoplastic Elastomers Based on Compatibilized Poly(butylene terephthalate) Blends: Effect of Functional Groups and Dynamic Curing

Two sets of graft copolymers were prepared by grafting glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) or ally] (3-isocyanate-4-tolyl) carbamate (TAI) onto ethylene/propylene/diene terpolymer (EPDM) in an internal mixer. These graft copolymers were used as the compatibilizer to prepare the thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) containing 50 wt%, of poly(butylene terephthalate), PBT, 30 wt% of compatibilizer, and 20 wt% of nitrile-butadiene rubber, NBR. The indirect, two-step mixer process was chosen for dynamic curing.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of chiral BINOL functionalized mesoporous silicas for enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

Several Chiral BINOL functionalized mesoporous silicas were prepared by post grafting of organosilane derivatives of (S)-BINOL (1,1'-bi-2-naphthol) on SBA-15 and characterized by C-13 CP/MAS NMR, FT-IR, UV-visible absorption spectra, elemental analysis, powder XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and TEM techniques. Their catalytic properties were demonstrated in enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of 3-phenylpropanal and cyclohexenone.

Surface modification of bioactive glass nanoparticles and the mechanical and biological properties of poly(L-lactide) composites

Novel bioactive glass (13G) nanoparticles/poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) composites were prepared as promising bone-repairing materials. The BG nanoparticles (Si:P:Ca = 29:13:58 weight ratio) of about 40 run diameter were prepared via the sol-gel method. In order to improve the phase compatibility between the polymer and the inorganic phase, PLLA (M-n = 9700 Da) was linked to the surface of the BG particles by diisocyanate. The grafting ratio of PLLA was in the vicinity of 20 wt.%. The grafting modification could improve the tensile strength, tensile modulus and impact energy of the composites by increasing the phase compatibility.

Exfoliation of Organically Modified Montmorillonite Driven by Molecular Diffusion in Maleated Polypropylene

This work is focused on the factors influencing the intercalation of maleated polypropylene (PPMA) into organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT). Two kinds of PPMA were used to explore the optimal candidate for effective intercalation into OMMT. The grafting degree of maleic anhydride and the viscosity of PPMA have effects on the diffusion of polymer molecules. Moreover, the loading level of surfactant was varied to optimize the modification of montmorillonite because the appropriate loading level can provide a balance between interlayer distance and steric hindrance. The kind of surfactant changes the interaction between OMMT and PPMA, and accordingly the intercalation of PPMA is different, resulting in the discrepancy of the intercalation of PPMA.

The Surface Modification of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles by the Ring Opening Polymerization of gamma-Benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride

The surface modification of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles by the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) was proposed to prepare the poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG)-grafted HA nanoparticles (PBLG-g-HA) for the first time. HA nanoparticles were firstly treated by 3-aminopropylthriethoxysilane (APS) and then the terminal amino groups of the modified HA particles initiated the ROP of BLG-NCA to obtain PBLG-g-HA. The process was monitored by XPS and FT-IR. The surface grafting amounts of PBLG on HA ranging from 12.1 to 43.1% were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the ROP only underwent on the surface of HA nanoparticles without changing its bulk properties. The SEM measurement showed that the PBLG-g-HA hybrid could form an interpenetrating net structure in the self-assembly process.

Organic-inorganic hybrid material for the cells immobilization: Long-term viability mechanism and application in BOD sensors

In this paper, organic-inorganic hybrid material, which is composed of silica and the grafting copolymer of poly (vinyl alcohol) and 4-vinylpyridine (PVA-g-P(4-VP)), was employed to immobilize Trichosporon cutaneum strain 2.570 cells. Cells entrapped into the hybrid material were found to keep a long-term viability. The mechanism of such a long-term viability was investigated by using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Our studies revealed that arthroconidia produced in the extracellular material might play an important role in keeping the long-term viability of the immobilized microorganism. After the arthroconidia were activated, an electrochemical biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor based on cell/hybrid material-modified supporting membrane was constructed for verifying the proposed mechanism.