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Soft Poly (soft + poly)
Selected AbstractsInfluence of TiO2 Nanoparticles Incorporated into Elastomeric Polyesters on their Biocompatibility In Vitro and In VivoADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 11 2009Miroslawa El-Fray Abstract Fibroblasts proliferation and apoptosis as well as tissue response after implantation of elastomers containing nanocrystalline TiO2 were investigated in the present in vitro and in vivo study. Materials investigated were soft poly(aliphatic/aromatic-ester) multiblock thermoplastic elastomers with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) hard segments and dimerized linoleic acid (DLA) soft segments, respectively, containing 0.2,wt% TiO2 nanoparticles. An investigation of the influence of TiO2 nanoparticles incorporated into polymeric material on in vitro biocompatibility revealed enhanced cell proliferation and diminished number of necrotic and apoptotic cells as compared to nanoparticles-free polymer. Implantation tests indicated that the observed tissue changes were similar to those observed with medical-grade silicone elastomer, no evidence of contact necrosis being observed. The unchanged morphology of rat liver hepatocytes and the lack of parenchymal necrosis also indicated that exposure to the material containing TiO2 nanoparticles, did not cause any cytotoxic reactions. The present study, thus, showed that elastomeric polyester containing TiO2 nanoparticles are interesting biomimetic constructs for improved tissue regeneration. [source] Protein Immobilization: Capturing Complex Protein Gradients on Biomimetic Hydrogels for Cell-Based Assays (Adv. Funct.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 21 2009Mater. A versatile microfluidic strategy to rapidly and selectively immobilize gradients of virtually any desired protein on soft poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel surfaces is developed by S. Cosson et al. on page 3411. The selectivity and orthogonality of the chosen protein immobilization schemes allows for forming parallel and orthogonal overlapping gradients of multiple proteins. This platform can be exploited to perform a wealth of cell-based assays on biomimetic surfaces. [source] Capturing Complex Protein Gradients on Biomimetic Hydrogels for Cell-Based AssaysADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 21 2009Steffen Cosson Abstract A versatile strategy to rapidly immobilize complex gradients of virtually any desired protein on soft poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel surfaces that are reminiscent of natural extracellular matrices (ECM) is reported. A microfluidic chip is used to generate steady-state gradients of biotinylated or Fc-tagged fusion proteins that are captured and bound to the surface in less than 5,min by NeutrAvidin or ProteinA, displayed on the surface. The selectivity and orthogonality of the binding schemes enables the formation of parallel and orthogonal overlapping gradients of multiple proteins, which is not possible on conventional cell culture substrates. After patterning, the hydrogels are released from the microfluidic chip and used for cell culture. This novel platform is validated by conducting single-cell migration experiments using time-lapse microscopy. The orientation of cell migration, as well as the migration rate of primary human fibroblasts, depends on the concentration of an immobilized fibronectin fragment. This technique can be readily applied to other proteins to address a wealth of biological questions with different cell types. [source] Particle size effect on the film-forming process of PS/PBA composite latexesPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 9 2010aziye U In this work, the effect of hard particle size and blend ratio on the film formation behavior of hard polystyrene (PS) and soft poly(n -butyl acrylate) (PBA) latex blends was studied by means of steady-state fluorescence and UV,visible techniques in conjunction with atomic force microscopy. Three different sets of latexes were synthesized: PBA latex (diameter 97 nm), pyrene (P)-labeled large PS (LgPS; diameter 900 nm), and small PS (SmPS; diameter 320 nm). Two different series of latex blends (LgPS/PBA and SmPS/PBA) were prepared with varying blend composition at room temperature separately. Films were then annealed at elevated temperatures above glass transition (Tg) temperature of PS. Fluorescence intensity (IP) from P and photon transmission intensity (Itr) were measured after each annealing step to monitor the stages of film formation. The results showed that a significant change occurred in IP and Itr at a certain critical weight fraction (Rc) of PBA. Below Rc, two distinct film formation stages, which are named as void closure and interdiffusion, were seen. However, at PBA concentrations nearer to or above Rc, no film formation can be achieved. Comparing to the LgPS/PBA, the sintering process of SmPS/PBA particles occurred at much lower temperatures. Film formation stages for R < Rc were modeled, and related activation energies were calculated. Void closure (,H) and interdiffusion (,E) activation energies for SmPS/PBA were also found smaller in comparing with LgPS/PBA series. However, ,H and ,E values were not changed much with the blend composition for both series. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1637,1652, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] |