All Outputs (59)

Supercritical RROP: Exploring the radical ring-opening polymerisation of 2-methylene-1,3,6-trioxocane in supercritical CO2 as a green solvent (2024)
Journal Article
Mehner, F., Hopkins, B., Reynolds-Green, M., Keddie, D. J., Howdle, S. M., & Gaitzsch, J. (2024). Supercritical RROP: Exploring the radical ring-opening polymerisation of 2-methylene-1,3,6-trioxocane in supercritical CO2 as a green solvent. Polymer, 309, Article 127373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2024.127373

Radical ring opening polymerisation (RROP) of cyclic ketene acetals (CKAs) is an attractive technique to synthesize branched, (bio)degradable polyesters. However, CKAs as monomers of RROP suffer from hydrolysis lability, making aqueous heterogeneous... Read More about Supercritical RROP: Exploring the radical ring-opening polymerisation of 2-methylene-1,3,6-trioxocane in supercritical CO2 as a green solvent.

Sustainable, upscaled synthesis of pinene-derived (meth)acrylates and their application as high Tg monomers in styrene/acrylic-based bioderived copolymer coatings (2024)
Journal Article
Pin-Nó, M., L. Jacob, P., Taresco, V., Kastelijn, M., Nabuurs, T., Surti, C., Bilney, J., Daly, J., J. Keddie, D., M. Howdle, S., & A. Stockman, R. (2024). Sustainable, upscaled synthesis of pinene-derived (meth)acrylates and their application as high Tg monomers in styrene/acrylic-based bioderived copolymer coatings. RSC Sustainability, 2(9), 2515-2523. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00210E

n improved synthesis of the pinene-derived monomers (3-pinanyl acrylate 1 and 3-pinanyl methacrylate 2), replacing hazardous and/or expensive reagents from established methods with cheaper, more innocuous and sustainable reagents, is reported; the mo... Read More about Sustainable, upscaled synthesis of pinene-derived (meth)acrylates and their application as high Tg monomers in styrene/acrylic-based bioderived copolymer coatings.

A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering (2024)
Journal Article
Krumins, E., Crawford, L. A., Rogers, D. M., Machado, F., Taresco, V., East, M., …Howdle, S. M. (2024). A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering. Nature Communications, 15(1), Article 3137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47376-4

Laser Sintering (LS) is a type of Additive Manufacturing (AM) exploiting laser processing of polymeric particles to produce 3D objects. Because of its ease of processability and thermo-physical properties, polyamide-12 (PA-12) represents ~95% of the... Read More about A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering.

Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance (2024)
Journal Article
Axioti, E., Dixon, E. G., Reynolds-Green, M., Alexander, E. C., Brugnoli, B., Keddie, D. J., …Taresco, V. (2024). Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 236, Article 113828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113828

Despite the success of polyethylene glycol-based (PEGylated) polyesters in the drug delivery and biomedical fields, concerns have arisen regarding PEG's immunogenicity and limited biodegradability. In addition, inherent limitations, including limited... Read More about Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance.

Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing (2024)
Journal Article
Krumins, E., Lentz, J. C., Sutcliffe, B., Sohaib, A., Jacob, P. L., Brugnoli, B., …Taresco, V. (2024). Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing. Green Chemistry, 26(3), 1345-1355. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3gc03607c

Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM) represents a revolutionary advancement in the field of Additive Manufacturing, as it allows for the creation of objects in a single, cohesive process, rather than in a layer-by-layer approach. This innovative t... Read More about Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing.

Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition (2023)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Reynolds-Green, M., Hopkins, B., McLellan, A., Derry, M. J., Topham, P. D., …Howdle, S. M. (2023). Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition. Chemical Communications, 59(98), 14536-14539. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cc04969h

A new, robust methodology for the synthesis of polystyrene-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA) core-shell particles using seeded dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide is reported, where the core-shell ratio can be controlled predi... Read More about Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition.

Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells (2023)
Journal Article
Brugnoli, B., Mariano, A., Simonis, B., Bombelli, C., Sennato, S., Piozzi, A., …Francolini, I. (2023). Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells. Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications, 6, Article 100373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carpta.2023.100373

Polymers are among the most studied materials as drug carriers, due to their tunable chemical structure and ability to self-assemble to give different types of nanostructures. In this study, chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated as carr... Read More about Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells.

Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (2023)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Cavanagh, R., Jacob, P., Destouches, D., Vacherot, F., Brugnoli, B., …Couturaud, B. (2023). Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly. Polymers, 15(14), Article 3070. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143070

Polymersomes are an exciting modality for drug delivery due to their structural similarity to biological cells and their ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. In this regard, the current work aimed to develop multifunctional... Read More about Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly.

Modification of Linear Polyethylenimine with Supercritical CO2: From Fluorescent Materials to Covalent Cross-Links (2023)
Journal Article
Mees, M. A., McAllister, T. D., Curia, S., Howdle, S. M., & Hoogenboom, R. (2023). Modification of Linear Polyethylenimine with Supercritical CO2: From Fluorescent Materials to Covalent Cross-Links. Macromolecules, 56(7), 2841-2851. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02443

Along with their DNA binding ability, the secondary amines in linear polyethylenimine (L-PEI) units can also act as a reaction platform to introduce new functionalities. This renders the possibility to make a plethora of copolymers without the burden... Read More about Modification of Linear Polyethylenimine with Supercritical CO2: From Fluorescent Materials to Covalent Cross-Links.

Evaluation of two terpene-derived polymers as consolidants for archaeological wood (2023)
Journal Article
Cutajar, M., Braovac, S., Stockman, R. A., Howdle, S. M., & Harding, S. E. (2023). Evaluation of two terpene-derived polymers as consolidants for archaeological wood. Scientific Reports, 13(1), Article 3664. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29785-5

The evaluation of two terpene-derived polymers, termed TPA6 and TPA7, as possible consolidants for archaeological wood was carried out. The overall objective of this work was to expand the non-aqueous treatment toolkit which is available for the cons... Read More about Evaluation of two terpene-derived polymers as consolidants for archaeological wood.

Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis (2023)
Journal Article
Fowler, H. R., O'Brien, D. M., Keddie, D. J., Alexander, C., Irvine, D. J., Stockman, R. A., …Taresco, V. (2023). Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 224(8), Article 2200446. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202200446

Polyols and polyacrylates have a wide range of applications in polymer synthesis as monomers, initiators, or building blocks in a variety of polymerization reaction types. With an ever-growing need to reduce the global dependency on fossil fuels, fin... Read More about Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis.

Comparative hydrodynamic characterisation of two hydroxylated polymers based on α-pinene- or oleic acid-derived monomers for potential use as archaeological consolidants (2022)
Journal Article
Cutajar, M., Machado, F., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Braovac, S., Stockman, R. A., Howdle, S. M., & Harding, S. E. (2022). Comparative hydrodynamic characterisation of two hydroxylated polymers based on α-pinene- or oleic acid-derived monomers for potential use as archaeological consolidants. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 18411. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21027-4

The Oseberg Viking ship burial is one of the most extensive collections of Viking wooden artefacts ever excavated in Norway. In the early twentieth century, many of these artefacts were treated with alum in order to preserve them, inadvertently leadi... Read More about Comparative hydrodynamic characterisation of two hydroxylated polymers based on α-pinene- or oleic acid-derived monomers for potential use as archaeological consolidants.

N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions (2022)
Journal Article
Lentz, J. C., Cavanagh, R., Moloney, C., Falcone Pin, B., Kortsen, K., Fowler, H. R., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions. Polymer Chemistry, 13(42), 6032-6045. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00849a

N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide was used as a functional initiator for the enzymatic ring-opening polymerisation of ϵ-caprolactone and δ-valerolactone. N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide was found not to undergo self-reaction in the presence of Lipase B from Candid... Read More about N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions.

Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers (2022)
Journal Article
Atkinson, R. L., Elsmore, M., Smith, S., Reynolds-Green, M., Topham, P. D., Toolan, D. T., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers. European Polymer Journal, 179, Article 11567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111567

We report the synthesis of novel terpene-based monomers: nopinyl acrylate and methacrylate, from naturally abundant β-pinene. A very high Tg value was observed for poly(nopinyl methacrylate) when synthesised by free radical polymerisation, and well-d... Read More about Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers.

Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2 (2022)
Journal Article
Larder, R. R., Krumins, E., Jacob, P. L., Kortsen, K., Cavanagh, R., Jiang, L., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2. Polymer Chemistry, 13(25), 3768-3779. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00398h

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are widely exploited for their effective antimicrobial activity against a range of pathogens. Their high efficacy in this regard has seen the global demand for AgNP in consumer products steadily increase in recent years, n... Read More about Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2.

Passerini chemistries for synthesis of polymer pro-drug and polymersome drug delivery nanoparticles (2022)
Journal Article
Travanut, A., Monteiro, P. F., Smith, S., Howdle, S. M., Grabowska, A. M., Kellam, B., …Alexander, C. (2022). Passerini chemistries for synthesis of polymer pro-drug and polymersome drug delivery nanoparticles. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 10, 3895-3905. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2tb00045h

New materials chemistries are urgently needed to overcome the limitations of existing biomedical materials in terms of preparation, functionality and versatility, and also in regards to their compatibility with biological environments. Here, we show... Read More about Passerini chemistries for synthesis of polymer pro-drug and polymersome drug delivery nanoparticles.

Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers (2022)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Fowler, H. R., Jacob, P. L., Krumins, E., Lentz, J. C., Souhil, M. R., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers. European Polymer Journal, 168, Article 111108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111108

The dispersion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a widely employed method for producing discrete, spherical PMMA particles from traditional solvents, which cover a broad particle size range. With environmental impact becoming an ever mor... Read More about Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers.

Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant (2022)
Journal Article
d'Almeida Gameiro, M., Jacob, P. L., Kortsen, K., Ward, T., Taresco, V., Stockman, R. A., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant. Journal of Polymer Science, https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20220050

Epoxidized oils are commonly used in the plastics industry as additives in the formulation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and as monomers in the coating industry. They are produced from petrochemical feedstocks or by chemical epoxidation of natural oils... Read More about Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant.

Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications (2022)
Journal Article
Elsmore, M., Atkinson, R., Irvine, D., Howdle, S., & De Focatiis, D. (2022). Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications. Polymer Testing, 109, Article 107530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107530

A series of triblock copolymers in a hard-soft-hard block configuration with varying hard block α-pinene methacrylate content and molecular weight and butyl acrylate soft segment have been synthesised and investigated for viability in pressure sensit... Read More about Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications.

Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) (2021)
Journal Article
Sagnelli, D., Vestri, A., Curia, S., Taresco, V., Santagata, G., Johansson, M. K., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). European Polymer Journal, 161, Article 110827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2021.110827

There is significant potential for industrial use of renewables for a wide range of materials demanded by society. Plants, trees and algae are increasingly attracting attention as sustainable sources for functionalised and polymerizable building bloc... Read More about Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2).