No abstract

New alternating copolymers derived from thieno-[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione (TPD) and 2,7-carbazole moieties have been synthesized by Suzuki cross-coupling reaction and characterized. These polymers combine interesting properties such as good solubility and excellent thermal and air stability. The present studies indicate that the combination of TPD and 2,7carbazole building blocks can be a very effective way to lower the HOMO energy level and ultimately to enhance the V oc of polymer solar cells. The V oc reported here (up to 1.07 V) is one of the highest observed for polymer:[60]PCBM bulk heterojunction devices, and preliminary results on the photovoltaic devices (power conversion efficiencies up to 1.8%) indicate that performance could probably be improved by increasing the molecular weights and by fine-tuning the electronic properties and the morphology.

Alginate-based hydrogels are widely used for the development of biomedical scaffolds in regenerative medicine. The use of sugar glass as a sacrificial template for fluidic channels fabrication within alginate scaffolds remains a challenge because of the premature dissolution of sugar by the water contained in the alginate as well as the relatively slow internal gelation rate of the alginate. Here, a new and simple method, based on a sugar glass fugitive ink loaded with calcium chloride to build sacrificial molds, is presented. We used a dual calcium cross-linking process by adding this highly soluble calcium source in the printed sugar, thus allowing the rapid gelation of a thin membrane of alginate around the sugar construct, followed by the addition of calcium carbonate and gluconic acid δ-lactone to complete the process. This innovative technique results in the rapid formation of "on-demand" alginate hydrogel with complex fluidic channels that could be used in biomedical applications such as highly vascularized scaffolds promoting pathways for nutrients and oxygen to the cells.

Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIOs) have been used as vascular contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), mainly for their capacity to generate negative contrast. To use USPIOs as positive contrast agents, it is necessary to achieve increased colloidal stability and signal-enhancement performance. Their molecular coatings must be carefully chosen, so that the vascular blood-pool contrast agents lead to long blood turnover times. However, to avoid long-term toxicological effects, they must also be cleared rapidly through the urinary or gastrointestinal pathways. In this context, highly stable USPIOs showing “positive” contrast in MRI and optimal clearance rates call for the development of robust biocompatible molecular coatings. In the present study, USPIOs were stabilized with a multidentate block copolymer (MDBC), using a one-pot polyol synthesis method in the presence of a MDBC. Two types of MDBCs having pendant COOH groups in the anchoring block were developed: a polymer with linear-poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blocks and a polymer containing brushed-PEG blocks. The synthesized superparamagnetic Fe3O4 crystals were uniform (5–8 nm in diameter), showed ultrasmall hydrodynamic diameters in dynamic light scattering, and were stable in physiological liquids. MDBC-coated USPIOs were analyzed in relaxometry, and the formulations showing the strongest potential for T 1-weighted vascular imaging (r 2/r 1: ∼4) were selected for in vivo MRI. Intravascular injections performed in the mouse model indicated long blood retention times and high signal enhancement in MRI for nanoparticles coated with linear-PEG block coatings. These results also indicate that MDBC/USPIOs could be used in vascular MRI applications, where the nanoparticles must transit the blood for several hours, followed by an efficient clearance in the next days following injection. The use of MDBCs as nanoparticle coatings could open new possibilities in the design of USPIOs for targeted molecular MRI.