Zongliang Du

A novel biocompatible zwitterionic polyurethane with AIE effect for cell imaging in living cells

In this work, a novel and stable zwitterionic polymer (TPE-CB PUs) was prepared to realize a cellular imaging system. TPE was conjugated into the backbone of zwitterionic polyurethane, which could be well dispersed in aqueous solution and emitted strong blue fluorescence because the TPE segment was aggregated in the core of TPE-CB PUs micelles. More importantly, the TPE-CB PUs micelles showed significant stability in a large pH window and with different storage times. In addition, the micelles exhibited low cytotoxicity in HeLa cells and mainly distributed in the cytoplasm after being incubated with cells. The outstanding properties of TPE-CB PUs combining the merits of AIE and a zwitterionic segment highlight its potential for use as a cell imaging material with remarkable capability.

A biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor for highly sensitive zinc(II) detection and its application for cell imaging

To fabricate a novel biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor, PSaAEMA-co-PMPC was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization, and this copolymer could be used for the detection of zinc(II) and cell imaging. A series tests with various metal ions verified the specific fluorescence response behavior. This novel biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor exhibits excellent selectivity for Zn2+ ions over a wide range of tested metal ions in an aqueous solution. Moreover, cytotoxicity and bio-imaging tests were conducted to study the potential bio-application of the chemosensor. Owing to the biomimetic portion (phosphorylcholine), this copolymer possesses outstanding biocompatibility and could clearly image cells. The results indicated that PSaAEMA-co-PMPC has great potential for application in zinc(II) detection and cell imaging.

Preparation and characterization of flame-retardant nanoencapsulated phase change materials with poly(methylmethacrylate) shells for thermal energy storage

In this work, flame-retardant nanoencapsulated phase change materials (NanoPCMs) containing n-octadecane as the core material and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) as the shell material were successfully fabricated by introducing diethyl bis(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate)amino methylphosphonate (DEAMP) as the crosslinking agent via miniemulsion polymerization. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses confirmed that n-octadecane was successfully encapsulated into the PMMA shell and that the NanoPCMs exhibited a regular spherical profile. The phase change properties, thermal reliability, thermal stability, and flame-retardant properties of NanoPCMs were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cone calorimeter tests, and limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurements. The DSC results showed that the NanoPCMs possessed a relatively high encapsulation efficiency in the range of 86.5–94.0% for n-octadecane. The thermal properties and durability of the NanoPCMs were almost unchanged after the introduction of DEAMP into the NanoPCMs. The combustion test results showed that the introduction of phosphorus-based flame retardant DEAMP into the NanoPCMs significantly suppressed the heat and smoke releases and, increased the residual weight and LOI value of the EP/NanoPCM composites. In addition, a computer-aided thermal measurement system was created to investigate the thermoregulation properties of the NanoPCMs and the results showed that the addition of NanoPCMs into a gypsum board significantly improved the thermoregulation properties. In conclusion, the flame-retardant NanoPCMs showed considerable potential for thermal energy storage applications, especially in thermoregulated textile and construction fields.