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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 10138

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Artem N. Bezrukov

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Guest Editor

Department of Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Kazan National Research Technological University, Kazan 420015, Russia
Interests: Polyelectrolytes and colloids; physical chemistry of soft matter; self-organization; polymer-surfactant association; microfluidics; microhydrodynamics and confinement; lab on chip

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Supramolecular systems composed of natural and synthetic polyelectrolytes attract sustained interest in a variety of research and technological fields. They are indispensable building blocks of soft matter and functional materials and are used, for example, in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and biomedicine. Polyelectrolytes serve as matrices or conjugating components for functional nanoparticles and colloids such as quantum dots and surfactants.

A remarkable feature of polyelectrolyte systems is their strong and selective sensitivity towards a variety of internal and external factors. We can control their conformation, phase behaviour, volume properties, and surface activity by varying their structure, concentration, pH, and the type of solvent used and by introducing surfactants or low-molecular additives.

Therefore, research activities focused on revealing structure–property relationships of polyelectrolyte systems or predicting their responses to applied factors represent a vibrant and impactful area of fundamental and applied science today.

This Special Issue of Polymers focuses on recent developments in functional polyelectrolyte systems made up of polymers, nanoparticles, colloids, etc. It intends to highlight their fundamental and applied advancements in drug delivery applications, diagnostic medicine, and the fabrication of smart materials and contribute to explaining new aspects of their stimuli-responsive behaviour.

Dr. Artem N. Bezrukov
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Facet in Viscometry of Charged Associating Polymer Systems in Dilute Solutions

by Anna Gosteva, Alexander S. Gubarev, Olga Dommes, Olga Okatova and Georges M. Pavlov

Polymers 2023, 15(4), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040961 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1557

Abstract

The peculiarities of viscosity data treatment for two series of polymer systems exhibiting associative properties: brush-like amphiphilic copolymers—charged alkylated N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide and N-methyl-N-vinylamine copolymer (MVAA-co-MVAC_nH_2n+1) and charged chains of sodium polystyrene-4-sulfonate (PSSNa) in large-scale molecular masses (MM) and in extreme-scale of the ionic strength of solutions were considered in this study. The interest in amphiphilic macromolecular systems is explained by the fact that they are considered as micellar-forming structures in aqueous solutions, and these structures are able to carry hydrophobic biologically active compounds. In the case of appearing the hydrophobic interactions, attention was paid to discussing convenient ways to extract the correct value of intrinsic viscosity

[η]

from the combined analysis of Kraemer and Huggins plots, which were considered as twin plots. Systems and situations were demonstrated where intrachain hydrophobic interactions occurred. The obtained data were discussed in terms of

\ln η_{r}

vs.

c [η]

plots as well as in terms of normalized scaling relationships where

η_{r}

was the relative viscosity of the polymer solution. The first plot allowed for the detection and calibration of hydrophobic interactions in polymer chains, while the second plot allowed for the monitoring of the change in the size of charged chains depending on the ionic strength of solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Functional Polyelectrolyte Systems)

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15 pages, 3216 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tuning Properties of Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Associates in Two-Phase Microfluidic Flows

by Artem Bezrukov and Yury Galyametdinov

Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5480; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245480 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1635

Abstract

This work focuses on identifying and prioritizing factors that allow control of the properties of polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes in two-phase microfluidic confinement and provide advantages over synthesis of such complexes in macroscopic conditions. We characterize the impact of polymer and surfactant aqueous flow conditions on the formation of microscale droplets and fluid threads in the presence of an immiscible organic solvent. We perform an experimental and selected numerical analysis of fast supramolecular reactions in droplets and threads. The work offers a quantitative control over properties of polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes produced in two-phase confinement by varying capillary numbers and the ratio of aqueous and organic flowrates. We propose a combined thread-droplet mode to synthesize polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes. This mode allows the production of complexes in a broader size range of R ≈ 70–200 nm, as compared with synthesis in macroscopic conditions and the respective sizes R ≈ 100–120 nm. Due to a minimized impact of undesirable post-chip reactions and ordered microfluidic confinement conditions, the dispersity of microfluidic aggregates (PDI = 0.2–0.25) is lower than that of their analogs synthesized in bulk (PDI = 0.3–0.4). The proposed approach can be used for tailored synthesis of target drug delivery polyelectrolyte-surfactant systems in lab-on-chip devices for biomedical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Functional Polyelectrolyte Systems)

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15 pages, 2792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Magneto-Controllable Polymer Nanocarrier Based on Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic Acid) for Doxorubicin Immobilization

by Viktoria S. Kusaia, Elena Yu. Kozhunova, Darya A. Stepanova, Vladislava A. Pigareva, Andrey V. Sybachin, Sergey B. Zezin, Anastasiya V. Bolshakova, Nikita M. Shchelkunov, Evgeny S. Vavaev, Evgeny V. Lyubin, Andrey A. Fedyanin and Vasiliy V. Spiridonov

Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5440; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245440 - 12 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1715

Abstract

In this work, the preparation procedure and properties of anionic magnetic microgels loaded with antitumor drug doxorubicin are described. The functional microgels were produced via the in situ formation of iron nanoparticles in an aqueous dispersion of polymer microgels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-PAA). The composition and morphology of the resulting composite microgels were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, laser microelectrophoresis, and static and dynamic light scattering. The forming nanoparticles were found to be β-FeO(OH). In physiological pH and ionic strength, the obtained composite microgels were shown to possess high colloid stability. The average size of the composites was 200 nm, while the zeta-potential was −27.5 mV. An optical tweezers study has demonstrated the possibility of manipulation with microgel using external magnetic fields. Loading of the composite microgel with doxorubicin did not lead to any change in particle size and colloidal stability. Magnetic-driven interaction of the drug-loaded microgel with model cell membranes was demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy. The described magnetic microgels demonstrate the potential for the controlled delivery of biologically active substances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Functional Polyelectrolyte Systems)

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13 pages, 6510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biodegradable Interpolycomplexes for Anti-Erosion Stabilization of Soil and Sand

by Olga A. Novoskoltseva, Andrey A. Belov, Nataliya G. Loiko, Yury A. Nikolaev, Irina G. Panova and Alexander A. Yaroslavov

Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5383; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245383 - 8 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1776

Abstract

A linear anionic polysaccharide, sodium alginate, electrostatically interacts with a cationic polysaccharide, quaternized hydroxyethyl cellulose ethoxylate, in aqueous solution, thus giving an interpolyelectrolyte complex. Aqueous solutions of the initial polysaccharides and polycomplexes with an excess of the cationic or anionic polymers were used for the stabilization of soil and sand against water erosion. Physicochemical, mechanical and biological properties of the polymers and coatings were characterized by gravimetric analysis, viscosimetry, mechanical strength assessment, cell viability, and cell-mediated degradation with the following main conclusions. (a) Non-stoichiometric polycomplexes with an excess of cationic or anionic units (“cationic” and “anionic” polycomplexes, respectively) form transparent solutions or stable-in-time dispersions. (b) The complexation results in a decrease in the viscosity of polymer solutions. (c) A complete dissociation of polycomplexes to the initial components is achieved in a 0.2 M NaCl solution. (d) Soil/sand treatment with 1 wt% aqueous solutions of polymers or polycomplexes and further drying lead to the formation of strong composite coatings from polymer(s) and soil/sand particles. (e) Cationic polycomplexes form stronger coatings in comparison with anionic polycomplexes. (f) The polymer–soil coatings are stable towards re-watering, while the polymer–sand coatings show a much lower resistance to water. (g) The individual polysaccharides demonstrate a negligible toxicity to Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and yeast. (h) The addition of Bacillus subtilis culture initiates the degradation of the polysaccharides and polycomplexes. (i) Films from polysaccharides and polycomplexes decompose down to small fragments after being in soil for 6 weeks. The results of the work are of importance for constructing water-resistant, low toxicity and biodegradable protective coatings for soil and sand. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Functional Polyelectrolyte Systems)

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13 pages, 2901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MXene/Gelatin/Polyacrylamide Nanocomposite Double Network Hydrogel with Improved Mechanical and Photothermal Properties

by Zeyu Zhang, Yang Hu, Huiling Ma, Yicheng Wang, Shouchao Zhong, Lang Sheng, Xiang Li, Jing Peng, Jiuqiang Li and Maolin Zhai

Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5247; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235247 - 1 Dec 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2689

Abstract

The development of smart hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties and photothermal conversion capability is helpful in expending its application fields. Herein, a MXene/gelatin/polyacrylamide (M/G/PAM) nanocomposite double network (NDN) hydrogel was synthesized by γ-ray radiation technology for the first time. Compared with gelatin/polyacrylamide double network hydrogel, the optimized resultant M₃/G/PAM NDN hydrogel shows better mechanical properties (tensile strength of 634 ± 10 kPa, compressive strength of 3.44 ± 0.12 MPa at a compression ratio of 90%). The M₃/G/PAM NDN hydrogel exhibits a faster heating rate of 30 °C min⁻¹, stable photothermal ability, and mechanical properties even after 20 cycles of on–off 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation (1.0 W cm⁻²). Furthermore, the temperature of M₃/G/PAM NDN hydrogel can be increased rapidly from 25 °C to 90 °C in 10 s and could reach 145 °C in 120 s under irradiation by focused NIR laser irradiation (56.6 W cm⁻²). The high mechanical property and photothermal properties of M/G/PAM hydrogel are ascribed to the formation of double network and uniform hydrogen bonding between MXene and gelatin and PAM polymers. This work paves the way for construction of photothermal hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Functional Polyelectrolyte Systems)

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