Bio-inspired polymersome nanoreactors

Two key concepts in living organisms are that biochemical reactions are sequestered into reaction compartments such as cells and organelles, and that many of the complex biological reaction cascades involve transient activation of reactions in response to external triggers. Here we review our efforts to implement these concepts into artificial nanoreactors. Block copolymer vesicles (polymersomes) for laccase-catalyzed oxidations as well as a generally applicable permeabilization method for polymersome membranes are highlighted. Moreover, polymersome nanoreactors that can be switched on by visible light and that immediately return to their off state in the dark are reviewed. These systems have the potential to create bio-inspired catalytic systems, e.g. to orchestrate reaction cascades

Encapsulation of fragrances in micro‐ and nano‐capsules, polymeric micelles, and polymersomes

Fragrances are ubiquitously and extensively used in everyday life and several industrial applications, including perfumes, textiles, laundry formulations, hygiene household products, and food products. However, the intrinsic volatility of these small organic molecules leaves them particularly susceptible to fast depletion from a product or from the surface they have been applied to. Encapsulation is a very effective method to limit the loss of fragrance during their use and to sustain their release. This review gives an overview of the different materials and techniques used for the encapsulation of fragrances, scents, and aromas, as well as the methods used to characterize the resulting encapsulation systems, with a particular focus on cyclodextrins, polymer microcapsules, inorganic microcapsules, block copolymer micelles, and polymersomes for fragrance encapsulation, sustained release, and controlled release

Lab sustainability programs LEAF and My Green Lab® : impact, user experience & suitability

Facing the climate crisis and planetary boundaries, research institutions must address the challenge of becoming climate-neutral and using resources more sustainably. Natural science laboratories are the most resource-intensive and CO2-emitting units within these institutions. Consequently, research groups aim to understand how to lower emissions and become sustainable by participating in green lab programs for wet labs, such as My Green Lab® or LEAF. Here, we compare these programs, analyse their impact on emission savings, and give insights from conducting both programs simultaneously in our biological and chemical labs. As a centrepiece, we provide a quantitative comparison of the programs based on a Germany-wide survey of participants from both programs. We showcase the significant impact of the programs on employees' motivation to work sustainably, highlight the advantages and shortcomings of the programs, and elucidate the pitfalls of greenwashing risks and the risks of leaving the most effective measures unimplemented. Finally, we provide decision-making guidance to help scientists choose the most suitable lab sustainability program based on their individual research backgrounds, needs, and personal preferences

DNA-coated Functional Oil Droplets

Many industrial soft materials often include oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions at the core of their formulations. By using tuneable interface stabilizing agents, such emulsions can self-assemble into complex structures. DNA has been used for decades as a thermoresponsive highly specific binding agent between hard and, recently, soft colloids. Up until now, emulsion droplets functionalized with DNA had relatively low coating densities and were expensive to scale up. Here a general O/W DNA-coating method using functional non-ionic amphiphilic block copolymers, both diblock and triblock, is presented. The hydrophilic polyethylene glycol ends of the surfactants are functionalized with azides, allowing for efficient, dense and controlled coupling of dibenzocyclooctane functionalized DNA to the polymers through a strain-promoted alkyne-azide click reaction. The protocol is readily scalable due to the triblock's commercial availability. Different production methods (ultrasonication, microfluidics and membrane emulsification) are used with different oils (hexadecane and silicone oil) to produce functional droplets in various size ranges (sub-micron, $\sim 20\,\mathrm{\mu m}$ and $> 50\,\mathrm{\mu m}$), showcasing the generality of the protocol. Thermoreversible sub-micron emulsion gels, hierarchical "raspberry" droplets and controlled droplet release from a flat DNA-coated surface are demonstrated. The emulsion stability and polydispersity is evaluated using dynamic light scattering and optical microscopy. The generality and simplicity of the method opens up new applications in soft matter and biotechnological research and industrial advances.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl

Using the dendritic polymer PAMAM to form gold nanoparticles in the protein cage thermosome

The chaperonin thermosome (THS) is a protein cage that lacks binding sites for metal ions and inorganic nanoparticles. However, when poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) is encapsulated into THS, gold nanoparticles (AuNP) can be prepared in the THS. The polymer binds HAuCl4. Subsequent reduction yields nanoparticles with narrow size distribution in the protein-polymer conjugate

Structural behavior of cylindrical polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer containing MWCNTs: on the influence of nanoparticle surface modification

In this work, the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the self-assembly of nanocomposite materials made of cylinder-forming polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene- butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) is studied. CNTs are modified with polystyrene (PS) brushes by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization to facilitate both their dispersion and the orientation of neighboring PS domains of the block copolymer (BCP) along modified CNT-PS. Dynamic rheology is utilized to probe the viscoelastic and thermal response of the nanoscopic structure of BCP nanocomposites. The results indicate that nonmodified CNTs increase the BCP microphase separation temperature because of BCP segmental confinement in the existing 3D network formed between CNTs, while the opposite holds for the samples filled with modified CNT-PS. This is explained by severely retarded segmental motion of the matrix chains due to their preferential interactions with the PS chains of the CNT-PS. Moreover, transient viscoelastic analysis reveals that modified CNT-PS have a more pronounced effect on flow-induced BCP structural orientation with much lower structural recovery rate. It is demonstrated that dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis can provide valuable insights in understanding the role of CNT incorporation on the microstructure of BCP nanocomposite samples. Accordingly, the presence of CNT has a significant promoting effect on microstructural development, comparable to that of annealing