Polymer brushes are a specific class of polymer thin films in which each chain is tethered to the underlying substrate via one chain end. In sufficiently densely grafted assemblies, the individual polymer chains are forced into an extended chain conformati ...
Tissues morphogenesis and homeostasis involve the spatiotemporal regulation of mechanics at multiple scales. Characterization of mechanical properties of biological systems as well as investigating the effects of mechanical forces on biological function ar ...
Chitosan (CS) is a natural biopolymer that has gained great interest in many research fields due to its promising biocompatibility, biodegradability, and favorable mechanical properties. The versatility of this low-cost polymer allows for a variety of chem ...
The present invention concerns a method for producing polymers suitable as carrier-free delivery system of bioactive molecules, in particular bioactive peptides. The method comprises the polycondensation of one or more different monomers, including monomer ...
Experimental and theoretical approaches were employed to analyze the static and dynamic mechanical properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) nanocomposites reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and nanosilica. Enhanced stiffness and ...
Despite the development of hydrogels with a wide range of mechanical properties, insufficient adhesion between these materials and biological surfaces limits their use in the biomedical applications. Most recent advancements in highly adhesive hydrogel sys ...
The introduction of interchain cross-links in surface-grafted polymer brushes increases the robustness and mechanical properties of these thin polymer films. In most cases, cross-linked polymer brushes contain permanent interchain cross-links. The use of r ...
A series of four drug release formulations based on 5-fluorouracil encapsulated into a chitosan-based matrix were prepared by in situ hydrogelation with 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal. The formulations were investigated from structural and morphological aspec ...
Advances in controlled radical polymerization over the past two decades have transformed the ability to produce molecularly well-defined, chain-end tethered polymer brush films. The assets of controlled radical polymerization reactions have impacted the sy ...
Two formulations embedding diclofenac sodium salt into a chitosan hydrogel matrix with different crosslinking degree were prepared by in situ hydrogelation. The formulations were investigated by polarized light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, ...
Chemically cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers have gained importance as a dielectric in elastic capacitor actuators, which elongate when electrically charged. Common PDMS elastomers have a dielectric permittivity of only about 3 and thus e ...
This Thesis is built around 4 topics, which share in common that they all take advantage of the assets of controlled radical polymerization to either (i) prepare well-defined model systems to address fundamental research questions with regard to the sensit ...
Cell therapy could be a solution for many diseases that currently pose a huge health burden on patients. Especially, cell therapies based on cell microencapsulation are of great interest. Immunoprotection of cells would allow to avoid the need for immunosu ...
The invention relates to a cross-linkable polymer comprising a base polymer comprising functional groups at least some of which have been reacted with a first organic molecule comprising a cross-linkable unit and with a second organic molecule capable of b ...