Effects of different cryopreservation methods on post-thaw culture conditions of in vitro produced bovine embryos

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation protocols on subsequent development of in vitro produced bovine embryos under different culture conditions. Expanded in vitro produced blastocysts (n = 600) harvested on days 7-9 were submitted to controlled freezing [slow freezing group: 10% ethylene glycol (EG) for 10 min and 1.2 degrees C/min cryopreservation]; quick-freezing [rapid freezing group: 10% EG for 10 min, 20% EG + 20% glycerol (Gly) for 30 s]; or vitrification [vitrification group: 10% EG for 10 min, 25% EG + 25% Gly for 30 s] protocols. Control group embryos were not exposed to cryoprotectant or cryopreservation protocols and the hatching rate was evaluated on day 12 post-insemination. In order to evaluate development, frozen-thawed embryos were subjected to granulosa cell co-culture in TCM199 or SOFaa for 4 days. Data were analyzed by PROC MIXED model using SAS Systems for Windows (R). Values were significant at p < 0.05. The hatching rate of the control group was 46.09%. In embryos cultured in TCM199, slow freezing and vitrification group hatching rates were 44.65 +/- 5.94% and 9.43 +/- 6.77%, respectively. In embryos cultured in SOFaa, slow freezing and vitrification groups showed hatching rates of 11.65 +/- 3.37 and 8.67 +/- 4.47%, respectively. In contrast, the rapid freezing group embryos did not hatch, regardless of culture medium. The slow freezing group showed higher hatching rates than other cryopreservation groups. Under such conditions, controlled freezing (1.2 degrees C/min) can be an alternative to cryopreservation of in vitro produced bovine embryos.

On the Limit of Frequency of Electrochemical Oscillators and Its Relationship to Kinetic Parameters

The class of electrochemical oscillators characterized by a partially hidden negative differential resistance in an N-shaped current potential curve encompasses a myriad of experimental examples. We present a comprehensive methodological analysis of the oscillation frequency of this class of systems and discuss its dependence on electrical and kinetic parameters. The analysis is developed from a skeleton ordinary differential equation model, and an equation for the oscillation frequency is obtained. Simulations are carried out for a model system, namely, the nickel electrodissolution, and the numerical results are confirmed by experimental data on this system. In addition, the treatment is further applied to the electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol where unusually large oscillation frequencies have been reported. Despite the distinct chemistry underlying the oscillatory dynamics of these systems, a very good agreement between experiments and theoretical predictions is observed. The application of the developed theory is suggested as an important step for primary kinetic characterization.

Post-thaw viability of in vivo-produced canine blastocysts cryopreserved by slow freezing

The objectives were to evaluate the reexpansion blastocoele rate, post-thaw viability, and in vitro development of canine blastocysts cryopreserved by slow freezing in 1.0 m glycerol (GLY) or 1.5 m ethylene glycol (EG). Fifty-one in vivo-produced canine blastocysts were randomly allocated in two groups: GLY (n = 26) and EG (n = 25). After thawing, embryos from MO were immediately stained with the fluorescent probes propidium iodide and Hoechst 33 342 to evaluate cellular viability. Frozen-thawed embryos from M3 and M6 were cultured in SOFaa medium + 10% FCS at 38.5 degrees C under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 with maximum humidity, for 3 and 6 days, respectively, and similarly stained. The blastocoele reexpansion rate (24 h after in vitro culture) did not differ between GLY (76.5%) and EG (68.8%). Post-thaw viable cells rate were not significantly different between GLY and EG (66.5 +/- 4.8 and 57.3 +/- 4.8, respectively, mean +/- SEM), or among MO (62.3 +/- 5.7%), M3 (56.9 +/- 6.0%), and M6 (66.5 +/- 6.0%). In conclusion, canine blastocysts cryopreserved by slow freezing in 1.0 m glycerol or 1.5 m ethylene glycol, had satisfactory blastocoele reexpansion rates, similar post-thawing viability, and remained viable for up to 6 days of in vitro culture. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An optimization study of PtSn/C catalysts applied to direct ethanol fuel cell: Effect of the preparation method on the electrocatalytic activity of the catalysts

The aim of this work was to perform a systematic study of the parameters that can influence the composition, morphology, and catalytic activity of PtSn/C nanoparticles and compare two different methods of nanocatalyst preparation, namely microwave-assisted heating (MW) and thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors (DPP). An investigation of the effects of the reducing and stabilizing agents on the catalytic activity and morphology of Pt75Sn25/C catalysts prepared by microwave-assisted heating was undertaken for optimization purposes. The effect of short-chain alcohols such as ethanol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol as reducing agents was evaluated, and the use of sodium acetate and citric acid as stabilizing agents for the MW procedure was examined. Catalysts obtained from propylene glycol displayed higher catalytic activity compared with catalysts prepared in ethylene glycol. Introduction of sodium acetate enhanced the catalytic activity, but this beneficial effect was observed until a critical acetate concentration was reached. Optimization of the MW synthesis allowed for the preparation of highly dispersed catalysts with average sizes lying between 2.0 and 5.0 nm. Comparison of the best catalyst prepared by MW with a catalyst of similar composition prepared by the polymeric precursors method showed that the catalytic activity of the material can be improved when a proper condition for catalyst preparation is achieved. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A stable liquid-liquid extraction system for clavulanic acid using polymer-based aqueous two-phase systems

The partitioning of Clavulanic Acid (CA) in a novel inexpensive and stable aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) composed by poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) has been studied. The aqueous two-phase systems are formed by mixing both polymers with a salt (NaCl or Na2SO4) and an aqueous solution of CA. The stability of CA on the presence of both polymers was investigated and it was observed that these polymers do not degrade the biomolecule. The effect of PEG-molecular size, polymer concentrations on the commercial CA partitioning has been studied, at 25 degrees C. The data showed that commercial CA was preferentially partitioned for the PEG-rich phase with a partition coefficient (K-CA) between 1 and 12 in the PEG/NaPA aqueous two phase systems supplemented with NaCl and Na2SO4. The partition to the PEG phase was increased in the systems with high polymer concentrations. Furthermore, Na2SO4 caused higher CA preference for the PEG-phase than NaCl. The systems having a composition with 10 wt.% of PEG4000, 20 wt.% of NaPA8000 and 6 wt.% of Na2SO4 were selected as the optimal ones in terms of recovery of CA from fermented broth of Streptomyces clavuligerus. The partitioning results (K-CA = 9.15 +/- 1.06) are competitive with commercial extraction methods of CA (K-CA = 11.91 +/- 2.08) which emphasizes that the system PEG/NaPA/Na2SO4 can be used as a new process to CA purification/concentration from fermented broth. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of CeO2-graphene composite

The synthesis and characterization of graphite oxide (GO), graphene (GS), and the composites: GS-CeO2 and GO-CeO2 are reported. This synthesis was carried out by mixing aqueous solutions of CeCl3 center dot 7H(2)O and GO, which yields the oxidized composite GO-CeO2. GO-CeO2 was hydrothermally reduced with ethylene glycol, at 120 A degrees C, yielding the reduced composite GS-CeO2. GO, GS ,and the composites with CeO2 were characterized by CHN, TG/DTG, BET, XRD, SEM microscopy, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. The estimation of crystallite size of CeO2 anchored on GO and on GS by Raman, XRD, and SEM agreed very well showing diameters about 5 nm. The role of particles of CeO2 coating carbon sheets of GO and GS was discussed.

Effects of bovine sperm cryopreservation using different freezing techniques and cryoprotective agents on plasma, acrosomal and mitochondrial membranes

The success of semen cryopreservation is influenced by several factors, such as freezing curves and cryoprotectants. These two factors are of special interest once they may lead to many important physical-chemical changes resulting in different degrees of damage in spermatozoa structure. This experiment was designed to compare the effect of bull semen cryopreservation using two freezing techniques: conventional (CT cooling rate of -0.55 degrees C min-1 and freezing rate of -19.1 degrees C min-1) and automated (AT cooling rate of -0.23 degrees C min-1 and freezing rate of -15 degrees C min-1), performed with different curves, and with three cryoprotectants (glycerol, ethylene glycol and dimethyl formamide) on bovine sperm motility and integrity of plasma, acrosomal and mitochondrial membranes. These variables were simultaneously evaluated using the fluorescence probes propidium iodide, fluorescein-conjugated Pisum sativum agglutinin and MitoTracker Green FM. The effects of freezing techniques, as well as of different cryoprotectants were analysed by the analysis of variance. The means were compared by Fishers test. There were no significant differences between freezing techniques (P > 0.05). Glycerol showed higher percentages of motility, vigour and integrity of plasma, acrosomal and mitochondrial membranes than other two cryoprotectants (P < 0.05). Ethylene glycol preserved higher motility and integrity of plasma and mitochondrial membranes than dimethyl formamide (P < 0.05). Sperm motility with glycerol was 30.67 +/- 1.41% and 30.50 +/- 1.06%, with ethylene glycol was 21.17 +/- 1.66% and 21.67 +/- 1.13% and with dimethyl formamide was 8.33 +/- 0.65% and 9.17 +/- 0.72% to CT and AT curves, respectively. The percentage of spermatozoa with simultaneously intact plasma membrane, intact acrosome and mitochondrial function (IPIAH) was 14.82 +/- 1.49% (CT) and 15.83 +/- 1.26% (AT) to glycerol, 9.20 +/- 1.31% (CT) and 9.92 +/- 1.29% (AT) to ethylene glycol 4.65 +/- 0.93% (CT) and 5.17 +/- 0.87% (AT) to dimethyl formamide. Glycerol provided the best results, although nearly 85% of spermatozoa showed some degree of injury in their membranes, suggesting that further studies are required to improve the results of cryopreservation of bovine semen.

Vitrification of primordial germ cells using whole embryos for gene-banking in loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus

In gene-banking, primordial germ cells (PGCs), which are embryonic precursor cells of germ cells, are useful for cryopreservation because PGCs have a potential to differentiate into both eggs and sperm via germ-line chimera. Here, we have established vitrification methods for PGCs cryopreservation using 12- to 17-somite stage embryos in loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, which were dechorionated, removed their yolk and injected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) -nos1 3'UTR mRNA to visualize their PGCs. In order to optimize cryopreservation medium for vitrification, the toxicity of cryoprotectants was analyzed. Different concentrations (2, 3, 4, 5 m) of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol (MeOH), ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG) as cryoprotectants were tested. Then, 5 m DMSO showed significantly-high toxicity. Based on this information, combinations called DMP (2 m (14.2% [v/v]) DMSO, 2 m (8.1% [v/v]) MeOH and 2 m (14.4% [v/v]) PG), DP (2 m (14.2% [v/v]) DMSO and 4 m (28.7% [v/v]) PG) and DE (2.1 m (15% [v/v]) DMSO and 2.7 m (15% [v/v]) EG) were evaluated for their toxicities and efficacy of PGCs cryopreservation using two types of equilibration step: direct immersion of cryopreservation media (one-step) and serial exposure to half and full concentration of cryopreservation media (two-step). Viable PGCs were obtained from post-thaw embryos which were cryopreserved by DP and DE with both 1- and 2-step equilibrations. Despite DP showing the highest toxicity, it gave the highest survival rate of embryonic cells after cryopreservation. When PGCs recovered from vitrified embryos were transplanted into host embryos at the blastula stage, the transplanted PGCs were able to migrate to a host genital ridge similarly as endogenous PGCs. It suggests that our methods could be useful to create a germ-line chimera for the production of gametes from PGCs of cryopreserved embryos.

Poly(para-phenylenethinylen)e - Synthese, Charakterisierung und Eigenschaften von endfunktionalisierten Polymeren und Stäbchen-Knäuel-Diblockcopolymeren

Der erste Teil der vorliegenden Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit der Eignung des ?,?-dithiolfunktionalisierten Poly(para-phenylenethinylen)s (PPE) als sogenannter „molekularer Draht“ für die molekulare Elektronik. Über die HECK-CASSAR-SONOGASHIRA-Reaktion wurden vollständig endfunktionalisierte, defektfreie Polymere mit durchschnittlichen Polymerisationsgraden von bis zu 45 Repetitionseinheiten synthetisiert. Die starke Aggregationsneigung der PPE, die die Anordnung der Polymerketten zwischen den Goldelektroden unterstützen soll, wurde mittels Rasterkraft- und Rastertunnelmikroskopie untersucht. Für die Untersuchungen zur Dotierbarkeit wurden ESR-, ENDOR-, UPS- und XPS-Messungen durchgeführt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich das PPE reduzieren lässt.Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurden die PPE zur Synthese von Stäbchen-Knäuel-Diblockcopolymeren eingesetzt. Die Darstellung erfolgte nach der 'grafting onto'-Methode, indem monocarboxyl-endfunktionalisiertes PPE mit flexiblen monohydroxyl-endfunktionalisiertem Polyethylenglykol, Polydimethylsulfoxid bzw. Polytetrahydrofuran verestert wurde. Den Nachweis der Diblockcopolymerbildung erbrachten die 1H?NMR-Spektroskopie und die für Diblockcopolymere noch wenig angewandte MALDI-TOF-Massenspektrometrie. Mittels Rasterkraftmikroskopie und Computersimulationen zur Molekularmechanik und -dynamik wurden die Aggregationseigenschaften der Diblockcopolymere untersucht.

Cellulose based Lithium ion polymer electrolytes for Lithium batteries

The separator membrane in batteries and fuel cells is of crucial importance for the function of these devices. In lithium ion batteries the separator membrane as well as the polymer matrix of the electrodes consists of polymer electrolytes which are lithium ion conductors. To overcome the disadvantage of currently used polymer electrolytes which are highly swollen with liquids and thus mechanically and electrochemically unstable, the goal of this work is a new generation of solid polymer electrolytes with a rigid backbone and a soft side chain structure. Moreover the novel material should be based on cheap substrates and its synthesis should not be complicated aiming at low overall costs. The new materials are based on hydroxypropylcellulose and oligoethyleneoxide derivatives as starting materials. The grafting of the oligoethyleneoxide side chains onto the cellulose was carried out following two synthetic methods. One is based on a bromide derivative and another based on p-toluolsulfonyl as a leaving group. The side chain reagents were prepared form tri(ethylene glycol) monoethyl ether. In order to improve the mechanical properties the materials were crosslinked. Two different conceptions have been engaged based on either urethane chemistry or photosensitive dimethyl-maleinimide derivatives. PEO - graft - cellulose derivatives with a high degree of substitution between 2,9 and 3,0 were blended with lithium trifluoromethane-sulfonate, lithium bis(trifluorosulfone)imide and lithium tetrafluoroborate. The molar ratios were in the range from 0,02 to 0,2 [Li]/[O]. The products have been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and laserlight scattering (LS) with respect to their degree of substitution and molecular weight. The effect of salt concentration on ionic conductivity, thermal behaviour and morphology has been investiga-ted with impedance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The crosslinking reactions were controlled with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMS). The degree of substitution of our products is varying between 2,8 and 3,0 as determined by NMR. PEO - graft - cellulose derivatives are highly viscous liquids at room temperature with glass transition temperatures around 215 K. The glass transition temperature for the Lithium salt complexes of PEO - graft - cellulose deri-vatives increase with increasing salt content. The maximum conductivity at room temperature is about 10-4 and at 100°C around 10-3 Scm-1. The presence of lithium salt decreases the thermal stability of the complexes in comparison to pure PEO - graft - cellulose derivatives. Complexes heated over 140 – 150°C completely lose their ionic conductivity. The temperature dependence of the conductivity presented as Arrhenius-type plots for all samples is similar in shape and follows a VTF behaviour. This proofs that the ionic transport is closely related to the segmental motions of the polymer chains. Novel cellulose derivatives with grafted oligoethylen-oxide side chains with well-defined chemical structure and high side chain grafting density have been synthesized. Cellulose was chosen as stiff, rod like macromolecule for the backbone while oligoethylen-oxides are chosen as flexible side chains. A maximum grafting density of 3.0 have been obtained. The best conductivity reaches 10-3 Scm-1 at 100°C for a Li-triflate salt complex with a [Li]/[O] ratio of 0.8. The cross-linked complexes containing the lithium salts form elastomeric films with convenient mechanical stability. Our method of cellulose modification is based on relatively cheap and commercially available substrates and as such appears to be a promising alternative for industrial applications.

L'utilizzo di carbonati come reagenti per la sintesi "green" di derivati fenolici: l'esempio del 2-fenossi-1-etanolo

2-Phenoxyethanol (ethylene glycol monophenyl ether) is used as solvent for cellulose acetate, dyes, inks, and resins; it is a synthetic intermediate in the production of plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances. Phenoxyethanol is obtained industrially by reaction of phenol with ethylene oxide, in the presence of an homogeneous alkaline catalyst, typically sodium hydroxide. The yield is not higher than 95-96%, because of the formation of polyethoxylated compounds. However, the product obtained may not be acceptable for use in cosmetic preparations and fragrance formulations, due to presence of a pungent “metallic” odor which masks the pleasant odor of the ether, deriving from residual traces of the metallic catalyst. Here we report a study aimed at using ethylene carbonate in place of ethylene oxide as the reactant for phenoxyethanol synthesis; the use of carbonates as green nucleophilic reactants is an important issue in the context of a modern and sustainable chemical industry. Moreover, in the aim of developing a process which might adhere the principles of Green Chemistry, we avoided the use of solvents, and used heterogeneous basic catalysts. We carried out the reaction by using various molar ratios between phenol and ethylene carbonate, at temperatures ranging between 180 and 240°C, with a Na-mordenite catalyst. Under specific conditions, it was possible to obtain total phenol conversion with >99% yield to phenoxyethanol in few hours reaction time, using a moderate excess of ethylene carbonate. Similar results, but with longer reaction times, were obtained using a stoichiometric feed ratio of reactants. One important issue of the research was finding conditions under which the leaching of Na was avoided, and the catalyst could be separated and reused for several reaction batches.

Double-stimulus sensitive (temperature and pH) self-assemblable polymers

The rheological properties of block co-polymers in water solution at different pH have been investigated. The block copolymers are based on different architectures containing poly(ethylene glycol), poly(propylene glycol) and different blocks of polymer that change their hydrophobic/hydrophilic behavior as a function of pH. The polymer chains of the starting material were extended at their functional ends with the pH-sensitive units using ATRP; this mechanism of controlled radical polymerization was chosen because of the need to minimize polydispersity and avoid transfer reactions possibly leading to homopolymeric inpurities. The starting material were modified in order to use them as macroinitiator for ATRP. The kinetic of each ATRP reaction has been investigated, in order to be able to synthesize polymers with different degree of polymerization, stopping the reaction when the desired polymers chain length has been reached. We will use polymer chains with different basicity and degree of polymerization to link any possible effect of their presence to the conditions under which they become hydrophobic. It has been shown that the rate of polymerization changes changing the type of macroinitiator and the type of monomer synthesized. The slowest rate of polymerization is the one with the most hindered monomer synthesized using the macroinitiator with the highest molecular weight. The water solubility of the synthesized polymers changes depending on the pH of the solution and on the structure of the polymers. It has been shown using 1H-NMR that some of the synthesized polymers are capable to self-aggregation in water solution. The self-aggregation and the type of aggregation is influenced from the structure of the polymer and from the pH of the solution. Changing the structure of the polymers and the pH it is possible to obtain different type of aggregates in solution. This aggregates differ for the volume occupied from them, and for their hardness. Rheological measurements have been demonstrated that the synthesized polymers are capable to form gel phases. The gelation temperature changes changing the structure of the aggregates in solution and it is possible to correlate the changing in the gelation temperature with the changing in the structure of the polymer.

Functional thin films fabricated by plasma polymerization and their biological applications

Plasma polymerization technique is widely accepted as an effective and simple method for the preparation of functional thin films. By careful choice of precursors and deposition parameters, plasma polymers bearing various functional groups could be easily obtained. In this work, I explored the deposition of four kinds of plasma polymerised functional thin films, including the protein-resistant coatings, the thermosensitive coatings, as well as, the coatings bearing amine or epoxide groups. The deposited plasma polymers were characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atom force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, optical waveguide spectroscopy, and so on. As expected, high retention of various functional groups could be achieved either at low plasma input power or at low duty cycle (duty cycle = Ton/(Ton+Toff)). The deposited functional thin films were found to contain some soluble materials, which could be removed simply by extraction treatment. Besides the thermosentive plasma polymer (see Chapter 9), other plasma polymers were used for developing DNA sensors. DNA sensing in this study was achieved using surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy. The nonfouling thin films (i.e., ppEO2, plasma polymerization of di(ethylene glycol) monovinyl ether) were used to make a multilayer protein-resistant DNA sensor (see Chapter 5). The resulted DNA sensors show good anti-fouling properties towards either BSA or fibrinogen. This sensor was successfully employed to discriminate different DNA sequences from protein-containing sample solutions. In Chapter 6, I investigated the immobilization of DNA probes onto the plasma polymerized epoxide surfaces (i.e., ppGMA, plasma polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate). The ppGMA prepared at a low duty cycle showed good reactivity with amine-modified DNA probes in a mild basic environment. A DNA sensor based on the ppGMA was successfully used to distinguish different DNA sequences. While most DNA detection systems rely on the immobilization of DNA probes onto sensor surfaces, a new homogeneous DNA detection method was demonstrated in Chapter 8. The labeled PNA serves not only as the DNA catcher recognizing a particular target DNA, but also as a fluorescent indicator. Plasma polymerized allylamine (ppAA) films were used here to provide a positively charged surface.

Interplay of pi–pi stacking and hydrogen bonding in conjugated supramolecular systems studied by solid-state NMR

In this work supramolecular organic systems based on rigid pi-conjugated building blocks and flexible side chains were studied via solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Specifically, these studies focussed on phenylene ethynylene based macrocycles, polymer systems including polythiophenes, and rod-coil copolymers of oligo(p-benzamide) and poly(ethylene glycol). All systems were studied in terms of the local order and mobility. The central topic of this dissertation was to elucidate the role of the flexible side chains in interplay of different non-covalent interactions, like pi-pi-stacking and hydrogen bonding.Combining the results of this work, it can be concluded that the ratio of the rigid block and the attached alkyl side chains can be crucial for the design of an ordered pi-conjugated supramolecular system. Through alkyl side chains, it is also possible to introduce liquid-crystalline phases in the system, which can foster the local order of the system. Moreover in the studied system longer, unbranched alkyl side chains are better suited to stabilize the corresponding aggregation than shorter, branched ones.The combination of non-covalent interactions such as pi-pi-stacking and hydrogen bonding play an important role for structure formation. However, the effect of pi-pi-stacking interaction is much weaker than the effect of hydrogen bonding and is only observed in systems with a suitable local order. Hence, they are often not strong enough to control the local order. In contrast, hydrogen bonds predominantly influence the structural organization and packing. In comparison the size of the alkyl side chains is only of minor importance. The suppression of certain hydrogen bonds can lead to completely different structures and can induce a specific aggregation behavior. Thus, for the design of a supramolecular ordered system the presence of hydrogen bonding efficiently stabilizes the corresponding structure, but the ratio of hydrogen bond forming groups should be kept low to be able to influence the structure selectively.

Inorganic-organic hybrid polymers: Solution-processible coating materials for defined surface functionalization

A new class of inorganic-organic hybrid polymers could successfully been prepared by the combination of different polymerization techniques. The access to a broad range of organic polymers incorporated into the hybrid polymer was realized using two independent approaches.rnIn the first approach a functional poly(silsesquioxane) (PSSQ) network was pre-formed, which was capable to initiate a controlled radical polymerization to graft organic vinyl-type monomers from the PSSQ precursor. As controlled radical polymerization techniques atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), as well as reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization could be used after defined tuning of the PSSQ precursor either toward a PSSQ macro-initiator or to a PSSQ macro-chain-transfer-agent. The polymerization pathway, consisting of polycondensation of trialkoxy-silanes followed by grafting-from polymerization of different monomers, allowed synthesis of various functional hybrid polymers. A controlled synthesis of the PSSQ precursors could successfully be performed using a microreactor setup; the molecular weight could be adjusted easily while the polydispersity index could be decreased well below 2.rnThe second approach aimed to incorporate differently derived organic polymers. As examples, polycarbonate and poly(ethylene glycol) were end-group-modified using trialkoxysilanes. After end-group-functionalization these organic polymers could be incorporated into a PSSQ network.rnThese different hybrid polymers showed extraordinary coating abilities. All polymers could be processed from solution by spin-coating or dip-coating. The high amount of reactive silanol moieties in the PSSQ part could be cross-linked after application by annealing at 130° for 1h. Not only cross-linking of the whole film was achieved, which resulted in mechanical interlocking with the substrate, also chemical bonds to metal or metal oxide surfaces were formed. All coating materials showed high stability and adhesion onto various underlying materials, reaching from metals (like steel or gold) and metal oxides (like glass) to plastics (like polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene).rnAs the material and the synthetic pathway were very tolerant toward different functionalities, various functional monomers could be incorporated in the final coating material. The incorporation of N-isopropylacrylamide yielded in temperature-responsive surface coatings, whereas the incorporation of redox-active monomers allowed the preparation of semi-conductive coatings, capable to produce smooth hole-injection layers on transparent conductive electrodes used in optoelectronic devices.rnThe range of possible applications could be increased tremendously by incorporation of reactive monomers, capable to undergo fast and quantitative conversions by polymer-analogous reactions. For example, grafting active esters from a PSSQ precursor yielded a reactive surface coating after application onto numerous substrates. Just by dipping the coated substrate into a solution of a functionalized amine, the desired function could be immobilized at the interface as well as throughout the whole film. The obtained reactive surface coatings could be used as basis for different functional coatings for various applications. The conversion with specifically tuned amines yielded in surfaces with adjustable wetting behaviors, switchable wetting behaviors or as recognition element for surface-oriented bio-analytical devices. The combination of hybrid materials with orthogonal reactivities allowed for the first time the preparation of multi-reactive surfaces which could be functionalized sequentially with defined fractions of different groups at the interface. rnThe introduced concept to synthesis functional hybrid polymers unifies the main requirements on an ideal coating material. Strong adhesion on a wide range of underlying materials was achieved by secondary condensation of the PSSQ part, whereas the organic part allowed incorporation of various functionalities. Thus, a flexible platform to create functional and reactive surface coatings was achieved, which could be applied to different substrates. rn