New synthetic self-assembling macromolecules mimic
nature
Blacksburg, Va. - We take "self-assembly" for
granted when it is carried out by the biopolymers which are our hair,
teeth, or skin. But when scientists devise new ways for molecules to
self assemble into new materials, it is an important achievement.
Researchers with the Macromolecules and Interfaces
Institute at Virginia Tech report such a development in the online
issue for the Journal of the American Chemical Society, in the article,
"Aggregation of Rod-Coil Block Copolymers Containing Rigid
Polyampholyte Blocks in Aqueous Solution" (10.1021/ja070422+) and at
the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in
Chicago, March 25-29.
S. Richard Turner, MII director and research
professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech, and Min Mao, a Ph.D.
candidate in polymer chemistry, report the synthesis of a new family
of charged, rod-like block copolymers. Only as long as a fraction of
the diameter of human hair, the tiny rods can be either positive or
negative, or can have alternating positive and negative charges along
the backbone. The rods self-assemble and the aggregated structures are
remarkable stable in saline solution, Turner said.
"The early results of this study suggest that these
charged polymers self-assemble by like-charge interactions similar to
such natural polymers as DNA," said Turner. "The stable self-assembled
structures could have potential applications in drug delivery and gene
delivery systems."
But more immediate, "These unique block copolymers
can be instructive models in understanding the forces that lead to the
dense packing of DNA when complexed with viruses and other polymers,"
he said.
Mao, who is a graduate research assistant in
polymer chemistry and physics at Virginia Tech, received his
bachelor of science in chemistry and master of science in
surfactant, colloid, and surface science from Peking University,
Beijing.
The research is supported by the Department of
Chemistry at
Virginia Tech and a grant from the ACS Petroleum Research
Fund.
-
The ACS poster, "Stimulus Responsive
Aggregation in Aqueous Solution of a Novel Rod-Coil Type Double
Hydrophilic Block Copolymer Containing Rigid Strictly Alternating
Polyampholytes" (PMSE 314), will be presented from 6 to 8 p.m. on
Tuesday, March 27, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Riverside Center
as part of the joint PMSE – Polymer poster session.
ChemLin offers different
instruments with which you can publish or refer to the appropriate web
pages, press releases, product news, appointments etc.
For your personal publication please use this form.
