This study investigates the impact of ice-templating conditions on the morphological features of composite polysaccharide aerogels in relation to their mechanical behavior and aims to get a better insight into the parameters governing these properties. We have prepared polysaccharide aerogels of guar galactomannan (GM) and tamarind seed xyloglucan (XG) by enzymatic oxidation with galactose oxid...

Abstract Nanocasting is a convenient way for preparing highly porous, nanostructured soft materials. Mesoporous polymer nanocasts have been reported over decade, however, several aspects remain to be explored further. To do so, we report comprehensive investigation of the physicochemical characteristics high surface area functional organic polymers and copolymers obtained by nanocasting. Diviny...

Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) nanocrystals were uniformly grown on the surface of cellulose (CNCs) to give a hybrid material, [email protected] By varying stoichiometry components, it was possible control size ZIF-8 crystals CNC surface. Optimized ([email protected]) used as template synthesize microporous organic polymer (MOP), protected]@CNC. After etching with 6 M HCl solution, MOP ...

A new avenue for making porous frameworks has been developed by borrowing an idea from molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). In lieu of the small molecules commonly used as templates in MIPs, soft metal components, such as CuI, are used to orient the molecular linker and to leverage the formation of the network. Specifically, a linear dicarboxylate linker with thioether side groups reacted sim...

We report the preparation of polyglycerol particles on different length scales by extending the size of hyperbranched polyglycerols (3 nm) to nanogels (32 nm) and microgels (140 and 220 μm). We use miniemulsion templating for the preparation of nanogels and microfluidic templating for the preparation of microgels, which we obtain through a free-radical polymerization of hyperbranched polyglycer...

Examples of chemical systems capable of templating and catalysing their own synthesis—self-replicating systems— have begun to appear in the chemical literature over the last 15 years. For the biologist, these systems represent a link with the origin of life—their study can shed light on prebiotic chemical evolution. However, for the synthetic chemist, they represent the ultimate synthetic machi...

Prions and amyloids are often associated with disease, but related mechanisms provide beneficial functions in nature. Prion-like mechanisms (PriLiMs) are found from bacteria to humans, where they alter the biological and physical properties of prion-like proteins. We have proposed that prions can serve as heritable bet-hedging devices for diversifying microbial phenotypes. Other, more dynamic p...

Recent advances on the use of mesoporous and mesostructured materials for electronic and optical applications are reported. The focus is on materials which are processed by block-copolymer templating of silica under weakly acidic conditions and by employing dip- and spin-coating as well as soft lithographic methods to bring them into a well-defined macroscopic shape. Several chemical strategies...