The Kinetics of Electrosterically Stabilized Emulsion Polymerization Systems

The kinetics of electrosterically stabilized emulsion systems was studied. The aim of this was to understand the impact that steric and electrosteric stabilizers have on the kinetics of particle growth and particle formation in the area of emulsion polymerization. The well-established mechanisms that govern these processes for emulsions stabilized by conventional low molecular weight surfactants were used as a reference point for comparative purposes. Model latexes were synthesized that comprised of a poly(styrene) core stabilized by a corona of poly(acrylic acid). The advent of successful controlled radical polymerization techniques in heterogeneous media (via RAFT polymerization) allowed for latexes to be synthesized under molecular weight control. For the first time, the degree of polymerization of the stabilizing block on the particle surface was able to be controlled and verified experimentally using mass spectrometry techniques. Three latexes were made with different average degrees of polymerization of the stabilizing block; five, ten and twenty monomer units respectively. A methodology was developed to remove the RAFT functionality from the polymer chains present in the emulsion while retaining the desired particle morphology. Oxidation with tertbutylhydroperoxide (TBHP) was proven to be successful at eliminating the living character provided by the thiocarbonyl end-group. Extensive dialysis and cleaning of the latex was performed to ensure no residual TBHP or reaction by-products remained. Latexes with poly(styrene) cores were chosen for this work as poly(n-butyl acrylate) latexes were shown to be influenced by chain transfer to polymer, providing an additional kinetic complication. The three electrosterically stabilized emulsions were used as seed latexes in carefully designed kinetic experiments to measure the rate of polymerization as a function of time. Two independent techniques (chemically initiated dilatometry and γ-relaxation dilatometry) were used to measure the rate coefficients of radical entry (ρ) and exit (k) in these systems – the two parameters that essentially govern the rate of particle growth. The latexes were chosen such that they satisfied ‘zero-one’ conditions (i.e. that any given latex particle contains at most one growing radical at any given time) in order to simplify data analysis. Three different chemical initiators were used, each yielding a radical with a different electric charge. Results from γ-relaxation experiments demonstrated that the three electrosterically stabilized latexes gave very long relaxation times when removed from the radiation source, ultimately yielding very small k values. These values were up to a factor of 10 smaller than that predicted by the ‘transfer-diffusion’ model for exit for particles of that size. This reduction was attributed to a ‘restricted diffusion’ effect, where the exiting monomeric radical has to diffuse through a dense layer of polymer on the particle surface, where its mobility will be restricted. Modification of the Smoluchowski equation for diffusion-controlled adsorption/desorption to account for this postulate led to the development of a model that gave excellent semi-quantitative agreement with experiment. Chemically initiated dilatometric experiments (using three different types of initiator) gave the unusual result of very low reaction rates and low steady-state values of 'nbar', the average number of radicals per particle. Using the standard kinetic equations for styrene-based systems (where it is assumed that an exited monomeric radical undergoes re-entry), this led to the calculation of impossibly small values of the entry rate coefficient ρ (far below any background or ‘thermal’polymerization rate). However upon removing the assumption of re-entry and assuming that exited radicals undergo termination, the obtained values of ρ were in almost perfect agreement with the values predicted from the ‘control by aqueous phase growth’ entry mechanism. This unexpected result was attributed to chemical reaction with the poly(acrylic acid) stabilizers through chain transfer to polymer (via hydrogen-atom abstraction). This postulate was verified by separate experiments that demonstrated that poly(acrylic acid) could act as a reasonably efficient chain transfer agent for styrene polymerization. The addition of poly(acrylic acid) to the aqueous phase of a conventionally stabilized emulsion also led to the rate reduction seen previously. NMR experiments demonstrated the existence of poly(acrylic acid-graft-styrene), which could only be formed through termination of a poly(styrene) chain with a poly(acrylic acid) chain bearing a mid-chain radical (as the product of a chain transfer reaction). These additional terms of transfer and termination were included in the governing kinetic equations of emulsion systems (the Smith-Ewart equations) to develop a model to account for the behaviour of electrosterically stabilized latexes. The ultimate fate of an exiting radical was now shown to be a competition between fates; successful desorption into the aqueous phase, or chemical reaction (through transfer or termination) within the hairy layer. These additional terms were shown to significantly reduce the theoretical value of nbar, and were in excellent agreement with experiment. For small electrosterically stabilized particles with a densely packed ‘hairy layer,’ it was seen that transfer/termination is the dominant loss mechanism as opposed to desorption. The developed model showed that as the particle size was increased, the dominant loss mechanism once again became successful desorption into the aqueous phase. The model was shown to give excellent agreement with experimental data from ‘uncontrolled’ emulsion systems. To explain the highly unusual secondary nucleation behaviour seen in systems such as these, it was postulated that beta-scission of a poly(acrylic acid) chain bearing a mid-chain radical is an important mechanistic step in the nucleation mechanisms of these systems. Modelling (both steady-state and time-dependent) gave good agreement with experiment with a minimal number of adjustable parameters. Theory (and supporting experimental evidence) demonstrated that this nucleation mechanism is only significant at high particle numbers; under other conditions the well-known ‘homogeneous nucleation’ mechanism is once again dominant

The Kinetics of Electrosterically Stabilized Emulsion Polymerization Systems

The kinetics of electrosterically stabilized emulsion systems was studied. The aim of this was to understand the impact that steric and electrosteric stabilizers have on the kinetics of particle growth and particle formation in the area of emulsion polymerization. The well-established mechanisms that govern these processes for emulsions stabilized by conventional low molecular weight surfactants were used as a reference point for comparative purposes. Model latexes were synthesized that comprised of a poly(styrene) core stabilized by a corona of poly(acrylic acid). The advent of successful controlled radical polymerization techniques in heterogeneous media (via RAFT polymerization) allowed for latexes to be synthesized under molecular weight control. For the first time, the degree of polymerization of the stabilizing block on the particle surface was able to be controlled and verified experimentally using mass spectrometry techniques. Three latexes were made with different average degrees of polymerization of the stabilizing block; five, ten and twenty monomer units respectively. A methodology was developed to remove the RAFT functionality from the polymer chains present in the emulsion while retaining the desired particle morphology. Oxidation with tertbutylhydroperoxide (TBHP) was proven to be successful at eliminating the living character provided by the thiocarbonyl end-group. Extensive dialysis and cleaning of the latex was performed to ensure no residual TBHP or reaction by-products remained. Latexes with poly(styrene) cores were chosen for this work as poly(n-butyl acrylate) latexes were shown to be influenced by chain transfer to polymer, providing an additional kinetic complication. The three electrosterically stabilized emulsions were used as seed latexes in carefully designed kinetic experiments to measure the rate of polymerization as a function of time. Two independent techniques (chemically initiated dilatometry and γ-relaxation dilatometry) were used to measure the rate coefficients of radical entry (ρ) and exit (k) in these systems – the two parameters that essentially govern the rate of particle growth. The latexes were chosen such that they satisfied ‘zero-one’ conditions (i.e. that any given latex particle contains at most one growing radical at any given time) in order to simplify data analysis. Three different chemical initiators were used, each yielding a radical with a different electric charge. Results from γ-relaxation experiments demonstrated that the three electrosterically stabilized latexes gave very long relaxation times when removed from the radiation source, ultimately yielding very small k values. These values were up to a factor of 10 smaller than that predicted by the ‘transfer-diffusion’ model for exit for particles of that size. This reduction was attributed to a ‘restricted diffusion’ effect, where the exiting monomeric radical has to diffuse through a dense layer of polymer on the particle surface, where its mobility will be restricted. Modification of the Smoluchowski equation for diffusion-controlled adsorption/desorption to account for this postulate led to the development of a model that gave excellent semi-quantitative agreement with experiment. Chemically initiated dilatometric experiments (using three different types of initiator) gave the unusual result of very low reaction rates and low steady-state values of 'nbar', the average number of radicals per particle. Using the standard kinetic equations for styrene-based systems (where it is assumed that an exited monomeric radical undergoes re-entry), this led to the calculation of impossibly small values of the entry rate coefficient ρ (far below any background or ‘thermal’polymerization rate). However upon removing the assumption of re-entry and assuming that exited radicals undergo termination, the obtained values of ρ were in almost perfect agreement with the values predicted from the ‘control by aqueous phase growth’ entry mechanism. This unexpected result was attributed to chemical reaction with the poly(acrylic acid) stabilizers through chain transfer to polymer (via hydrogen-atom abstraction). This postulate was verified by separate experiments that demonstrated that poly(acrylic acid) could act as a reasonably efficient chain transfer agent for styrene polymerization. The addition of poly(acrylic acid) to the aqueous phase of a conventionally stabilized emulsion also led to the rate reduction seen previously. NMR experiments demonstrated the existence of poly(acrylic acid-graft-styrene), which could only be formed through termination of a poly(styrene) chain with a poly(acrylic acid) chain bearing a mid-chain radical (as the product of a chain transfer reaction). These additional terms of transfer and termination were included in the governing kinetic equations of emulsion systems (the Smith-Ewart equations) to develop a model to account for the behaviour of electrosterically stabilized latexes. The ultimate fate of an exiting radical was now shown to be a competition between fates; successful desorption into the aqueous phase, or chemical reaction (through transfer or termination) within the hairy layer. These additional terms were shown to significantly reduce the theoretical value of nbar, and were in excellent agreement with experiment. For small electrosterically stabilized particles with a densely packed ‘hairy layer,’ it was seen that transfer/termination is the dominant loss mechanism as opposed to desorption. The developed model showed that as the particle size was increased, the dominant loss mechanism once again became successful desorption into the aqueous phase. The model was shown to give excellent agreement with experimental data from ‘uncontrolled’ emulsion systems. To explain the highly unusual secondary nucleation behaviour seen in systems such as these, it was postulated that beta-scission of a poly(acrylic acid) chain bearing a mid-chain radical is an important mechanistic step in the nucleation mechanisms of these systems. Modelling (both steady-state and time-dependent) gave good agreement with experiment with a minimal number of adjustable parameters. Theory (and supporting experimental evidence) demonstrated that this nucleation mechanism is only significant at high particle numbers; under other conditions the well-known ‘homogeneous nucleation’ mechanism is once again dominant

Micropatterned Substrates Made by Polymer Bilayer Dewetting and Collagen Nanoscale Assembly Support Endothelial Cell Adhesion

The ability to control protein and cell positioning on a microscopic scale is crucial in many biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and the development of biosensors. We demonstrate here that the assembly of collagen on patterned surfaces produced by the dewetting of metastable poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PNVP) films on top of polystyrene films supports the adhesion and survival of a biologically relevant cell type, human endothelial cells. Micropatterning of Type 1 collagen was achieved on such substrates by exploiting the different protein affinity of the two polymers, the effect of treatment with an air plasma, and the control over the nanoscale assembly of collagen using different adsorption conditions. The simplicity of the dewetting approach, coupled with the ability to coat and pattern non-planar substrates, gives rise to possible applications in the coating of biological implants such as arterial stents

Outcome of hospitalization for COVID-19 in patients with interstitial lung disease. An international multicenter study

Rationale: The impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) has not been established. Objectives: To assess outcomes in patients with ILD hospitalized for COVID-19 versus those without ILD in a contemporaneous age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched population. Methods: An international multicenter audit of patients with a prior diagnosis of ILD admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 between March 1 and May 1, 2020, was undertaken and compared with patients without ILD, obtained from the ISARIC4C (International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium) cohort, admitted with COVID-19 over the same period. The primary outcome was survival. Secondary analysis distinguished idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from non–idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ILD and used lung function to determine the greatest risks of death. Measurements and Main Results: Data from 349 patients with ILD across Europe were included, of whom 161 were admitted to the hospital with laboratory or clinical evidence of COVID-19 and eligible for propensity score matching. Overall mortality was 49% (79/161) in patients with ILD with COVID-19. After matching, patients with ILD with COVID-19 had significantly poorer survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.60; confidence interval, 1.17–2.18; P = 0.003) than age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched controls without ILD. Patients with an FVC of <80% had an increased risk of death versus patients with FVC ≥80% (HR, 1.72; 1.05–2.83). Furthermore, obese patients with ILD had an elevated risk of death (HR, 2.27; 1.39−3.71). Conclusions: Patients with ILD are at increased risk of death from COVID-19, particularly those with poor lung function and obesity. Stringent precautions should be taken to avoid COVID-19 in patients with ILD

SARS-CoV-2-specific nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination

BACKGROUND: Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 focus on circulating antibody, giving limited insights into mucosal defences that prevent viral replication and onward transmission. We studied nasal and plasma antibody responses one year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, including a period when SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was introduced. METHODS: In this follow up study, plasma and nasosorption samples were prospectively collected from 446 adults hospitalised for COVID-19 between February 2020 and March 2021 via the ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. IgA and IgG responses to NP and S of ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta and Omicron (BA.1) variants were measured by electrochemiluminescence and compared with plasma neutralisation data. FINDINGS: Strong and consistent nasal anti-NP and anti-S IgA responses were demonstrated, which remained elevated for nine months (p < 0.0001). Nasal and plasma anti-S IgG remained elevated for at least 12 months (p < 0.0001) with plasma neutralising titres that were raised against all variants compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Of 323 with complete data, 307 were vaccinated between 6 and 12 months; coinciding with rises in nasal and plasma IgA and IgG anti-S titres for all SARS-CoV-2 variants, although the change in nasal IgA was minimal (1.46-fold change after 10 months, p = 0.011) and the median remained below the positive threshold determined by pre-pandemic controls. Samples 12 months after admission showed no association between nasal IgA and plasma IgG anti-S responses (R = 0.05, p = 0.18), indicating that nasal IgA responses are distinct from those in plasma and minimally boosted by vaccination. INTERPRETATION: The decline in nasal IgA responses 9 months after infection and minimal impact of subsequent vaccination may explain the lack of long-lasting nasal defence against reinfection and the limited effects of vaccination on transmission. These findings highlight the need to develop vaccines that enhance nasal immunity. FUNDING: This study has been supported by ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. ISARIC4C is supported by grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre provided infrastructure support for this research. The PHOSP-COVD study is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation and National Institute of Health and Care Research. The funders were not involved in the study design, interpretation of data or the writing of this manuscript

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood1. Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom and 233 had fully recovered. Elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation were associated with long COVID. IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12 were associated with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety/depression; MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms and C1QA was elevated in cognitive impairment. Additional markers of alterations in nerve tissue repair (SPON-1 and NFASC) were elevated in those with cognitive impairment and SCG3, suggestive of brain–gut axis disturbance, was elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was persistently elevated in some individuals with long COVID, but virus was not detected in sputum. Analysis of inflammatory markers in nasal fluids showed no association with symptoms. Our study aimed to understand inflammatory processes that underlie long COVID and was not designed for biomarker discovery. Our findings suggest that specific inflammatory pathways related to tissue damage are implicated in subtypes of long COVID, which might be targeted in future therapeutic trials

Greener, Faster, Stronger: The Benefits of Deep Eutectic Solvents in Polymer and Materials Science

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) represent an emergent class of green designer solvents that find numerous applications in different aspects of chemical synthesis. A particularly appealing aspect of DES systems is their simplicity of preparation, combined with inexpensive, readily available starting materials to yield solvents with appealing properties (negligible volatility, non-flammability and high solvation capacity). In the context of polymer science, DES systems not only offer an appealing route towards replacing hazardous volatile organic solvents (VOCs), but can serve multiple roles including those of solvent, monomer and templating agent—so called “polymerizable eutectics.” In this review, we look at DES systems and polymerizable eutectics and their application in polymer materials synthesis, including various mechanisms of polymer formation, hydrogel design, porous monoliths, and molecularly imprinted polymers. We provide a comparative study of these systems alongside traditional synthetic approaches, highlighting not only the benefit of replacing VOCs from the perspective of environmental sustainability, but also the materials advantage with respect to mechanical and thermal properties of the polymers formed

Advances and Opportunities of Oil-in-Oil Emulsions

Emulsions are mixtures of two immiscible liquids in which droplets of one are dispersed in a continuous phase of the other. The most common emulsions are oil-water systems, which have found widespread use across a number of industries, for example, in the cosmetic and food industries, and are also of advanced scientific interest. In addition, the past decade has seen a significant increase in both the design and application of nonaqueous emulsions. This has been primarily driven by developments in understanding the mechanism of effective stabilization of oil-in-oil (o/o) systems, either using block copolymers (BCPs) or solid (Pickering) particles with appropriate surface functionality. These systems, as highlighted in this review, have enabled emergent applications in areas such as pharmaceutical delivery, energy storage, and materials design (e.g., polymerization, monolith, and porous polymer synthesis). These o/o emulsions complement traditional emulsions that utilize an aqueous phase and allow the use of materials incompatible with water. We assess recent advances in the preparation and stabilization of o/o emulsions, focusing on the identity of the stabilizer (BCP or particle), the interplay between stabilizer and oils, and highlighting applications and opportunities associated with o/o emulsions

Preparation of Composite Materials by Using Graphene Oxide as a Surfactant in Ab Initio Emulsion Polymerization Systems

In this letter, we report a simple and unexpected method of producing polymer–graphene oxide (GO) composite materials via ab initio emulsion polymerization in water. On the basis of the recent reports concerning the surfactant-like behavior of GO for stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions, we prepared exfoliated GO sheets with lateral dimension approximately 200 nm for use as surfactant in the emulsion polymerization of styrene. We observed an expected “classic” surfactant behavior to produce stable nanoparticles at extremely low GO loadings (<0.1% w/w); however, at higher concentrations a highly aggregated, fibrous morphology was formed. This morphology is predominantly due to the electrolyte concentration (ionic strength) of the aqueous phase resulting in heterocoagulation of growing oligomers with dispersed GO sheets, which offers a convenient route toward preparing hybrid materials

Thiol‐yne 3D Printable Polymeric Resins for the Efficient Removal of a Model Pollutant from Waters

Abstract A new 3D printable resin formulation is developed and optimized from commercially available thiol (pentaerythritol tetrakis(3‐mercaptopropionate); PETMP) and alkyne (3‐butyn‐1‐ol; BA) monomers. Printed objects are characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The extraction efficiency of the printed thiol‐yne device is then investigated using a model dye – malachite green (MG). The results displayed excellent dye removal efficiency with > 95% MG removed within 5 min. The 3D‐printed devices are reusable and show 100% removal over six cycles after washing with deionized water and methanol. The presence of surface hydroxyl groups derived from the BA monomer is shown to enhance dye adsorption in comparison to control materials. The printing procedure and resin formulation are robust and consistent when devices from different resin batches are compared for MG dye removal. The thiol‐yne 3D printed devices demonstrated excellent dye removal (> 99%) from water samples collected from a tap and a nearby river source. The successful development of this resin provides a new thiol‐yne‐based resin system for stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing for the removal of organic dyes from wastewater and presents a potential for broad applications in water treatment