Porous coordination polymers, in particular flexible porous coordination polymer networks that change their network structure on guest adsorption, have enormous potential in applications involving selective storage, separation and sensing. Despite the expected significant differences in their adsorption properties, porous coordination polymer nanocrystals remain largely unexplored, and there have been no reports about studies on flexible porous coordination polymer nanocrystals, mainly due to a lack of preparation methods. Here, we present a new technique for the rapid preparation of porous coordination polymer nanocrystals that combines non-aqueous inverse microemulsion with ultrasonication. Uniform nanocrystals of {[Zn(ip)(bpy)]}(n) (ip = isophthalate, bpy = 4,4'-bipyridyl; CID-1), a flexible porous coordination polymer, have been prepared by this method and analysed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. A model for particle formation and growth is presented and discussed. Adsorption experiments with methanol show that the overall adsorption capacities of nanoparticles and bulk are almost identical, but the shapes of the sorption isotherms differ significantly and the adsorption kinetics increase dramatically.

Wedge-shaped molecules with a sulfonic group at the tip have been incorporated into a poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-b-PEO) diblock copolymer via proton transfer at different degrees of neutralization. The protonation of P2VP was monitored by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The thin film morphology of the complexed block copolymers has been studied by scanning force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity. The complexes exhibit strongly microphase-segregated patterns comprising smectic layers of the complexed P2VP blocks, oriented parallel to the substrate throughout the whole film with the embedded PEO domains. For the complex with a degree of neutralization of 0.50 ordered amorphous PEO cylinders are observed oriented perpendicular to the substrate. For a degree of neutralization equal to 0.25 initially also perpendicular PEO cylinders are formed, but upon solvent-vapor annealing they partially merge, resulting in a mixed lamellar-cylindrical morphology. In all cases an extra surface layer is formed at the substrate. Thus, for the first time we have demonstrated that a block copolymer thin film structure can easily be controlled by the degree of neutralization of one of the blocks.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) can be used for the enzymatic cross‐linking of thiol‐functionalized polymers under mild conditions to form hydrogels and nanogels without the need for added H2O2. Cells can be embedded in the hydrogels and proteins can be entrapped and released from the nanogels. These gels are fully degradable under mild and cytocompatible reductive conditions.

Melt electrospinning is one aspect of electrospinning with relatively little published literature, although the technique avoids solvent accumulation and/or toxicity which is favoured in certain applications In the study reported, we melt-electrospun blends of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and an amphiphilic diblock copolymer consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) and PCL segments (PEG-block PCL) A custom-made electrospinning apparatus was built and various combinations of instrument parameters such as voltage and polymer feeding rate were investigated Pure PEG-block-PCL copolymer melt electrospinning did not result in consistent and uniform fibres due to the low molecular weight, while blends of PCL and PEG-block-PCL, for some parameter combinations and certain weight ratios of the two components, were able to produce continuous fibres significantly thinner (average diameter of ca 2 mu m) compared to pure PCL The PCL fibres obtained had average diameters ranging from 6 to 33 mu m and meshes were uniform for the lowest voltage employed while mesh uniformity decreased when the voltage was increased This approach shows that PCL and blends of PEG block-PCL and PCL can be readily processed by melt electrospinning to obtain fibrous meshes with varied average diameters and morphologies that are of interest for tissue engineering purpose