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 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Poly(vinyl acetate-co-ethylene) latex dispersions are prepared and their films investigated with a focus on the effect of composition upon redispersion. Films of dispersions containing sufficient amounts of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) can be redispersed in water. This property is lost in the presence of surfactant, a fact which suggests a procedure to control film formation. It is demonstrated that redispersion is due to a PVA-membrane which separates the particles. Loss of redispersibility in the presence of surfactant proceeds with the breakup of the membranes and a corresponding change of film properties. Experimental data is provided by light microscopy, mechanical testing, and TEM in conjunction with a staining method new to the field. The hypothesis is developed that interaction with surfactant leads to imperfect PVA-membranes that are no longer able to prevent latex polymer interdiffusion. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy demonstrates the formation of surfactant micelles, as well as the simultaneous adsorption and aggregation of PVA onto the micelles. It is concluded that the competing surface of the surfactant micelles traps enough PVA to cause thinning and fragmentation of the membranes surrounding the particles, which enables interdiffusion of latex polymer. This effect can be used to convert the system from one forming a redispersible coating to one forming a nonredispersible (permanent) film. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
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PMID:Film Formation and Redispersion of Waterborne Latex Coatings. 1070 97

A replaceable polymer matrix, based on the novel monomer N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (HEA), has been synthesized for application in DNA separation by microchannel electrophoresis. The monomer was found by micellar electrokinetic chromatography analysis of monomer partitioning between water and 1-octanol to be more hydrophilic than acrylamide and N,N-dimethylacrylamide. Polymers were synthesized by free radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The weight-average molar mass of purified polymer was characterized by tandem gel permeation chromatography-multiangle laser light scattering. The steady-shear rheological behavior of the novel DNA sequencing matrix was also characterized, and it was found that the viscosity of the novel matrix decreases by more than 2 orders of magnitude as the shear rate is increased from 0.1 to 1000 s(-1). Moreover, in the shear-thinning region, the rate of change of matrix viscosity with shear rate increases with increasing polymer concentration. Poly-N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (PHEA) exhibits good capillary-coating ability, via adsorption from aqueous solution, efficiently suppressing electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a manner comparable to that of poly-N,N-dimethylacrylamide. Under DNA sequencing conditions, adsorptive PHEA coatings proved to be stable and to maintain negligible EOF for over 600 h of electrophoresis. Resolution of DNA sequencing fragments, particularly fragments > 500 bases, in PHEA matrices generally improves with increasing polymer concentration and decreasing electric field strength. When PHEA is used both as a separation matrix and as a dynamic coating in bare silica capillaries, the matrix can resolve over 620 bases of contiguous DNA sequence within 3 h. These results demonstrate the good potential of PHEA matrices for high-throughput DNA analysis by microchannel electrophoresis.
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PMID:Poly-N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (polyDuramide): a novel, hydrophilic, self-coating polymer matrix for DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis. 1211 53

In this investigation, calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) nanocrystals with needle-like geometry were synthesized and incorporated with Poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, to form CDHA-PMMA nanocomposites. Rheological behaviors of the PMMA-CDHA melting suspensions were systematically investigated in terms of solid loading and aspect ratio of the CDHA nanoparticles. The maximum solid loadings of nano-CDHA particles with aspect ratios of 7.2, 10.4, and 17 were determined to be 28, 31, and 57%, respectively. An increase in solid concentrations causes pronounced shear-thinning behavior. This result suggests that a strong interaction, including Van der Waals attraction and mechanical interlocking, between the nano-CDHA particles makes the nanocomposite mixture more non-Newtonian. Furthermore, it was found that packing efficiency and yield strength in the suspension were strongly influenced by the aspect ratio, especially above the critical value of 8.8. The obtained critical aspect ratio and solid content provide not only appropriate design in the PMMA-CDHA polymeric suspension for fabrication process but also optimal conditions for the fabrication of orthopedic devices via injection molding or extrusion.
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PMID:Influence of the aspect ratio of bioactive nanofillers on rheological behavior of PMMA-based orthopedic materials. 1536 35

The aim of this study is to investigate the long-term, mechanical biocompatibility of a polymer microtechnology that can be used to position electrodes in close proximity to the retina. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) arrays were manufactured by soft-lithography at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The PDMS implant measured 4 mm x 40 mm x 55-60 microm and included 4-8 electrodes. Micromolded ribs were placed at the perimetry for strength and ease of manipulation. The PDMS arrays were implanted epiretinally in four normal dogs, with a single retinal tack used in each case to hold the device on the retina. The mechanical effects of the implant were followed up after surgical implantation by photography, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electrophysiologic tests. An intraoperative retinal tear occurred in the first implanted dog, causing retinal detachment and necessitating termination. The remaining dogs experienced no gross complications secondary to the array implantation procedure. During the follow-up period of 2 months in one eye and 6 months in three eyes, OCT demonstrated that the arrays were in close contact with the retina. Fluorescein angiography showed good perfusion of the retina under the array. At the end of 6 months, there was no statistical difference from baseline in mean retinal thickness under the array (P=0.43) or peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness corresponding to the implanted area (P=0.34). The mean distance between the array and the retinal surface varied from 32 to 68 microm throughout the follow-up. Histopathologic evaluation of the retinal implantation site in eyes followed for 6 months showed a general preservation of the normal, layered retinal structure, except for some localized retinal thinning in two eyes, where the array frame had been in direct retinal contact. The PDMS substrate micro array is a new and promising technology that can be scaled to support a high-density retinal stimulating array. Its implantation and handling is surgically manageable, and it forms a mechanically stable, acceptable interface with the inner retinal surface.
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PMID:Implantation of an inactive epiretinal poly(dimethyl siloxane) electrode array in dogs. 1612 1

Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) has been extensively investigated for controlled drug release. Because they undergo bulk degradation, they do not allow for a good controlled-release of drugs. The objective of this study is therefore to understand if a multi-layer-cum-irradiation technique would elicit surface erosion from PLGA polymers. A linear loss of mass and film thinning from PLGA films were observed. Also, the erosion of the top layer, of this multi-layered structure, accelerates degradation of the underlying layers. It is this effect that results in the observed pseudo-surface erosion for irradiated multi-layered PLGA.
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PMID:Hydrolytic degradation characteristics of irradiated multi-layered PLGA films. 1851 48

Despite their immense potential, the ability to control the dispersion and microstructure of carbon nanotubes remains a hurdle for their widespread use. Poly(N-cyclopropylacrylamide), containing 5 mol % pyrene-bearing repeat units (p-PNCPA), is shown to vary the dispersion state of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in water. This is a thermo-responsive polymer whose conformation changes with temperature, which in turn leads to changes in the nanotube dispersion state. Cryo-TEM micrographs show that SWNTs stabilized using p-PNCPA transitions from a more exfoliated to a more bundled state as the aqueous suspension temperature is raised above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymer (approximately 30 degrees C). Viscosity measurements on SWNT/p-PNCPA aqueous suspensions show shear thinning and near Newtonian behavior at 10 and 50 degrees C, respectively. Drying of these suspensions produces composites whose microstructure and electrical conductivity vary with drying temperature. This behavior has significant implications for the processing of carbon nanotubes and tailoring of composite properties. Such stimuli-controlled dispersion of carbon nanotubes could have a variety of applications in nanoelectronics, sensing, and drug and gene delivery systems.
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PMID:Temperature controlled dispersion of carbon nanotubes in water with pyrene-functionalized poly(N-cyclopropylacrylamide). 1973 43

Bone fillers have emerged as an alternative to the invasive surgery often required to repair skeletal defects. Achieving controlled release from these materials is desired for accelerating healing. Here, oppositely-charged Poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles were used to create a cohesive colloidal gel as an injectable drug-loaded filler to promote healing in bone defects. The colloid self-assembled through electrostatic forces resulting in a stable 3-D network that may be extruded or molded to the desired shape. The colloidal gel demonstrated shear-thinning behavior due to the disruption of interparticle interactions as the applied shear force was increased. Once the external force was removed, the cohesive property of the colloidal gel was recovered. Similar reversibility and shear-thinning behavior were also observed in colloidal gels loaded with dexamethasone. Near zero-order dexamethasone release was observed over two months when the drug was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles and simply blending the drug with the colloidal gel showed similar kinetics for one month. Surgical placement was facilitated by the pseudoplastic material properties and in vivo observations demonstrated that the PLGA colloidal gels stimulated osteoconductive bone formation in rat cranial bone defects.
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PMID:Injectable PLGA based colloidal gels for zero-order dexamethasone release in cranial defects. 2030 85

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) nanocomposite structure was studied as a function of the filler percentage loading. The resulting state of dispersion was evaluated by XRD and TEM, and the interfacial attrition between PBS chain and lamellar platelets by the melt rheological properties. Hybrid organic inorganic (O/I) layered double hydroxide (LDH) organo-modified by oleate anions was used as filler. It was found that the confinement supplied by the LDH framework forces the interleaved organic molecule to be more distant from each other than in the case of oleate salt, this having as an effect to decrease strongly the homonuclear intermolecular (1)H(1)H dipolar interaction. An additional consequence of this relatively free molecular rotation, affecting the (13)C CPMAS response as well, is to facilitate the delamination of the 2D-stacked layers during extrusion since an quasi-exfoliated PBS:Mg(2)Al/oleate structure is observed for filler loading lower than 5% w/w. This is in association to a non-linear viscoelasticity in the low-omega region and the observed shear-thinning tendency compares better than other PBS:silicate nanocomposite derivatives and is here explained by the presence of a percolated LDH nanoparticle network. Indeed the plastic deformation in the low-omega region is found to be restricted by well-dispersed LDH tactoids in association with a rather strong attrition phenomenon between tethered oleate anions and PBS chains.
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PMID:Strong interfacial attrition developed by oleate/layered double hydroxide nanoplatelets dispersed into poly(butylene succinate). 2060 78

Poly([stearyl methacrylate]-stat-[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate]) was synthesised through radical polymerisation using 1,1-diphenyl ethylene (DPE) as a molecular weight controlling agent. The amino groups were further quaternised into a cationic form in order to increase water solubility. Solubility of the polymers in water and a mixed solvent was studied with rotational rheometry. The resulting poly[(stearyl methacrylate)-stat-([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium iodide)] was soluble in water when the amount of stearyl methacrylate (SMA) in the polymer was less than 17 mol%. At higher SMA content, solubility strongly decreased but could be improved by using an organic co-solvent. Viscosity of the SMA-based statistical co-polymers is strongly dependent on polymer composition but solvent quality also has an influence, and the fluidic character can be either Newtonian or shear-thinning, or a weak gel can be formed. Concentration dependence behaviour deviates from that of typical polyelectrolytes. SMA polymers retain low viscosity up to rather high concentrations, but above a certain limiting concentration, the viscosity rapidly increases. This phenomenon is stronger with a higher amount of hydrophobic side-chain. At high co-polymer concentrations no entanglement formation was observed, and rheological behaviour indicates that SMA segments form aggregates in water solution.
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PMID:Synthesis and solution rheology of poly[(stearyl methacrylate)-stat-([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium iodide)]. 2072 32

We present experimental data and numerical modeling of a nonlinear phenomenon in active magnetic microbead rheology that appears to be common to entangled polymer solutions (EPS). Dynamic experiments in a modest range of magnetic forces show: 1. a short-lived high viscosity plateau, followed by 2. a bead acceleration phase with a sharp drop in apparent viscosity, and 3. a terminal steady state that we show resides on the shear-thinning slope of the steady-state flow curve from cone and plate data. This latter feature implies a new protocol to access the nonlinear steady-state flow curve for many biological EPS only available in microliter-scale volumes. We solve the moment-closure form of the Rolie-Poly kinetic model for EPS hydrodynamics, together with a decoupling approximation that obviates the need for a full 3D flow solver, and show that the model qualitatively reproduces the dynamic experimental sequence above. In this way, we explain the phenomenon in terms of entangled polymer physics, and show how the nonlinear event (acceleration and termination on the shear-thinning response curve) is tunable by the interplay between molecular-scale mechanisms (relaxation via reptation and chain retraction) and magnetic force controls. The experimental conditions mimic movement of cilia tips, bacteria, and sperm in mucus barriers, implying a physiological relevance of the phenomenon, and compelling further development of the fully coupled, 3D flow-microstructure model to achieve quantitative accuracy.
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PMID:Nonlinear signatures of entangled polymer solutions in active microbead rheology. 2452


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