• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.688-692
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• 2007

The hydrogen-bonding induced alternating multilayer thin films of dendrimers and block copolymer micelles were demonstrated. The block copolymer micelles derived from amphiphilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)block-$poly({\varepsilon}-carprolactone)$ (PEtOz-PCL) in aqueous phase have a core-shell structure with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 26 nm. The hydrogen bonding between the PEtOz outer shell of micelle and the carboxyl unit of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer of generation 4.5 (PAMAM-4.5G) at pH 3 was utilized as a driving force for the layerby-layer alternating deposition. The multilayer thin film was fabricated on the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin film spin-coated on silicon wafer or glass substrate by the alternate dipping of PEtOz-PCL micelles and PAMAM dendrimers in aqueous solution at pH 3. The formation of multilayer thin film was characterized by using ellipsometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The PEtOz outer shell of PEtOz-PCL micelle provided the pH-responsive hydrogen bonding sites with peripheral carboxylic acids of PAM AM dendrimer. The multilayer thin film was reversibly removed after dipping in aqueous solution at $pH{\geq}5.6$ due to dissociation of the hydrogen bonding between PEtOz shell of PEtOz-PCL micelle and peripheral carboxyl units of PAMAM dendrimer.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.799-804
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• 2008

An amphiphilic diacetylene compound was deposited on the surface of nano sized magnetite particles ($Fe_3O_4$) using a self-assembly method. The diacetylene molecular assembly formed on the surface of nanoparticle was subjected to photopolymerization. This resulted in the formation of a polymeric assembly on the surface of the nanoparticles in which the adjacent diacetylene molecules were connected through conjugated covalent networks. The presence of immobilized polymer species on the surface of nanoparticles is expected to protect them from agglomeration and ripening, thereby stabilizing their physical properties. In this work, $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles were prepared by chemical coprecipitation method and the diacetylene molecule 10,12- pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) was anchored to the surface of $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles through its carboxylate head group. Irradiation of UV light on the nanoparticles containing immobilized diacetylenes resulted in the formation of a polymeric assembly. Presence of diacetylene molecules on the surface of nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FT-IR measurements. Photopolymerization of the diacetylene assembly was detected by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Magnetic properties of the nanoparticles coated with polymeric assembly were investigated with SQUID and magnetic hysteresis showed superparamagnetic behaviors. The results put forward a simple and effective method for achieving polymer coating on the surface of magnetic nanoparticle.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.528-533
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• 2004

We have prepared amide dendrons having alkyl peripheral units and various focal moieties through a convergent synthetic approach. The amphiphilic properties, due to hydrophilic amide branches and the hydrophobic peripheral units, provide an opportunity for the amide dendrons to self-organize in water. The dendritic architecture itself is also one of the critical factors in the self-organization of the amide dendrons in water. In particular, function-alization was performed at the focal point to elucidate the relationship between the focal functionality and the self-organized structures of the dendritic building blocks in the aqueous phase. The dendron having a short poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (MeO-PEG) unit (M$\_$n/ =750) as the focal moiety formed a vesicular organization in water. As the size of the hydrophilic focal MeO-PEG increased to M$\_$n/ =2,000 and 5,000, the self-organized structures became rod-type and spherical micelles, respectively. Our observation of multiple morphologies for amide dendrons is in good agreement with previous reports that indicated that the micellar structures changed from vesicles to rod-types and then to spheres upon increasing the size of the hydrophilic moiety of the amphiphiles.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2008

The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect is used extensively for the passive targeting of many macromolecular drugs for tumors. Indeed, the EPR concept has been a gold standard in polymeric anticancer drug delivery systems. This study investigated the tumoral distribution of self-assembled nanoparticles based on the EPR effect using fluorescein and radio-labeled nanoparticles. Self-assembled nanoparticles were prepared from amphiphilic chitosan derivatives, and their tissue distribution was examined in tumor-bearing mice. The size of the nanoparticles was controlled to be 330 run, which is a size suited for opening between the defective endothelial cells in tumors. The long-circulating polymer nanoparticles were allowed to gradually accumulate in the tumors for 11 days. The amount of nanoparticles accumulated in the tumors was remarkably augmented from 3.4%ID/g tissue at 1 day to 25.9%ID/g tissue at 11 days after i.v. administration. The self-assembled nanoparticles were sustained at a high level throughout the 14 day experimental period, indicating their long systemic retention in the blood circulation. The ${\gamma}$-images provided clear evidence of selective tumor localization of the $^{131}I$-labeled nanoparticles. Confocal microscopy revealed the fluorescein-labeled nanoparticles to be preferentially localized in the perivascular regions, suggesting their extravasation to the tumors through the hyperpermeable angiogenic tumor vasculature. This highly selective tumoral accumulation of nanoparticles was attributed to the leakiness of the blood vessels in the tumors and their long residence time in the blood circulation.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.248-253
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• 2009

Blend films based on the poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (PCL) and amphiphilic biodegradable polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) grafted poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (PCL-g- PEG), were prepared with different blend ratios in order to develop new biomedical material. PCL was the main component in the blend. The miscibility and characteristics of the blends were investigated. The crystallization temperature of the blend shifted to high temperatures with an increase of the graft copolymer contents when the homopolymer PCL was the main component of the blend. The PEG side chain in the blend affected the crystallization rate of the PCL crystals in the blend and alternating extinction bands were observed by optical microscopy. The protein adhesion behavior of the film was influenced by the water uptake of the film.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2011

The variations of molar conductivity of various surfactants such as sodium caprylate, sodium laurate, sodium palmitate, sodium stearate, sodium oleate, sodium dodecyl sulphate, and lithium dodecyl sulphate with concentrations of the surfactants for each of the solutions consisting of mixtures of varying concentrations of N-methyl acetamide in water at constant temperature of $30{\pm}0.2^{\circ}C$ were studied. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) for each surfactant is measured. It is found that the CMC values in mixtures of N-methyl acetamide and water solutions of various surfactants are lower than the CMC values in water, and the driving force for micelle formation correlates with solvophobicity. The surfactant-solvent interactions that drive amphiphilic self-organization in N-methyl acetamide in water are discussed. Thermodynamic parameters were evaluated for micellar system to explain the results.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.558-564
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• 2013

A simple and effective method is introduced to synthesize a series of polystyrene-b-poly(oligo(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether methacrylate)-b-polystyrene (PSt-b-POEOMA-b-PSt) triblock copolymers. The structures of PSt-b-POEOMA-b-PSt copolymers were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H$ NMR) spectroscopy. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the copolymer were measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Furthermore, the self-assembling and drug-loaded behaviours of three different ratios of PSt-b-POEOMA-b-PSt were studied. These copolymers could readily self-assemble into micelles in aqueous solution. The vitamin E-loaded copolymer micelles were produced by the dialysis method. The micelle size and core-shell structure of the block copolymer micelles and the drug-loaded micelles were confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thermal properties of the copolymer micelles before and after drug-loaded were investigated by different scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the micelle size is slightly increased with increasing the content of hydrophobic segments and the micelles are still core-shell spherical structures after drug-loaded. Moreover, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polystyrene is reduced after the drug loaded. The drug loading content (DLC) of the copolymer micelles is 70%-80% by ultraviolet (UV) photolithography analysis. These properties indicate the micelles self-assembled from PSt-b-POEOMA-b-PSt copolymers would have potential as carriers for the encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2011

An amphiphilic graft copolymer consisting of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) backbone and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSSA) side chains (PVC-g-PSSA) was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). This polymer electrolyte membrane was ion-exchanged to Ag ions by immersing in 10 wt% $AgNO_3$ aqueous solution and templated the growth of Ag nanoparticles by a reducing agent. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was confirmed using UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that utilization of $NaBH_4$ was the most effective in the formation of Ag nanoparticles with 10~15 nm in size. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was also strongly affected by the concentration of reducing agent and reduction time.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.615-618
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• 2011

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) draw attention as promising materials due to their excellent electrical and mechanical properties. However, the intrinsic strong interaction between CNTs presents a challenge to their use in various applications. Here, we present a facile method to disperse single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in a polar solution using a graft copolymer, poly(vinyl chloride)-graft-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate), PVC-g-POEM. The graft copolymer was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), as confirmed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy. The SWCNTs were uniformly dispersed in a polar solvent such as dimethylsiloxane (DMSO) using PVC-g-POEM as a dispersant, due to interaction between CNT and the graft copolymer, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Upon removal of the solvent, free standing nanocomposite films with good homogeneity were obtained.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 1993

Temperature sensitive liposomes(TSL) containing adriamycin (ADM) and cytarabine (Ara-C) were prepared. ADM and Ara-C were selected as model compounds of amphiphilic and hydrophilic drug, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of ADM entrapped into TSL was about twice greater than that of Ara-C. It might be due to different polarity of the drug, Lipid compositions of TSL had no effect on the encapsulation efficiency of drugs. Thermal behavior of TSL using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was also investigated. Phase transition of TSL using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was also investigated. Phase transition temperature $(T_c)$ of TSL was dependent on the lipid compositions of TSL ADM broadened thermogram of TSL but Ara-C did not. However, $T_c$ of TSL was not changed by any drug. Release rate of drugs was highly dependent on temperature. The release profile of ADM was similar to that of Ara-C. The maximum release rate of drugs from TSL was occurred at the near $T_c$ and observed at $39-41^\circ{C}$ for DPPC (Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine) only, $52-54^\circ{C}$ for DPPC and DSPC (1:1), respectively. Effect of human serum alburmin (HAA) on the release rate of ADM was investigated. HSA had no significant effect on the release of ADM below $T_c$. However, ADM release from TSL was increased at the near and above $T_c$. The HSA-induced leakage of drug may result from the interaction of liposomal constituents with HSA structure at the near TEX>$4^\circ{C}$. From the fact that the release profiles of ADM from freshly prepared TSL and stored TSL for 1 week at TEX>$4^\circ{C}$ was not changed, the TSL was considered to be stable for at least 1 week at TEX>$4^\circ{C}$. Based on these findings, TSL may be useful to deliver drugs to preheated target sites due to its thermal behaviors.