In this study, amphiphilic polyoxanorbornene with different quaternary alkyl pyridinium side chains were synthesized. The biological efficiencies of these polymers, with various alkyl substituents, were determined by bacterial growth inhibition assays and hemolytic activity (HC 50 ) against human red blood cells (RBCs) to provide selectivity of these polymers for bacterial over mammalian cells. A series of polymers with different alkyl substituents (ethyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl and phenylethyl) and two different molecular weights (3 and 10 kDa) were prepared. The impact of alkyl chain length divided the biological activity into two different cases: those with an alkyl substituent containing four or fewer carbons had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 200 mg Á mL À1 and a HC 50 greater than 1 650 mg Á mL À1 , while those with six or more carbons had lower MICs 12.5 mg Á mL À1 and HC 50 250 mg Á mL À1 . Using MSI-78, the potent Magainin derivative which has an MIC ¼ 12.0 mg Á mL À1 and HC 50 ¼ 120 mg Á mL À1 , as a comparison, the polymers with alkyl substituents C 4 (four carbons) were not very potent, but did show selectivity values greater than or equal to MSI-78. In contrast, those with alkyl substituents !C 6 were as potent, or more potent, than MSI-78 and in three specific cases demonstrated selectivity values similar to, or better than, MSI-78. To understand if these polymers were membrane active, polymer induced lipid membrane disruption activities were evaluated by dye leakage experiments. Lipid composition and polymer hydrophobicity were found to be important factors for dye release.

Nanoporous polymer thin films produced from ordered block copolymer precursors have received considerable attention, because they can be used in many applications including templating, separation, catalysis, and sensors.[1] Since 1988, [2] various block copolymers have been used to prepare nanoporous thin films via the selective removal of degradable minor components from self-assembled block copolymers. For cylinder-forming block copolymers, selective etching of the cylindrical microdomain in an ordered block copolymer results in the formation of nanoscopic channels. Specially, if the etchable cylinders are orientated normal to the film surface, removal of the cylinders will lead to the nanolithographic masks used in block-copolymer lithography.[3]Currently, the generation of nanoporous materials from ordered block copolymers relies on a selective etching protocol that does not compromise the integrity of the matrix material. Ozonolysis, [2,4] UV degradation, [5,6] reactive ion etching (RIE), [7] and chemical etching [8] are the methods that are commonly used for the removal of minor components to create nanopores. However, the number of polymers that can be degraded under mild reaction conditions in the thin-film state is limited. The preparation of nanoporous thin films from block copolymers without a degradable component requires a rational design of the polymer. In principle, to generate nanopores from self-assembled block copolymers, it is not necessary to degrade the backbone bonds in the minor component;rather, a cleavage of the juncture between two immiscible blocks is sufficient. [9][10][11][12] Therefore, if one could put a cleavable juncture into a block copolymer; the cleavage will not depend on the chemical nature of the minor component and should be applicable to a much larger variety of block copolymers. Cleavage of the juncture point of block copolymer in the ordered state followed by removal of the minor component via selective solvents is therefore a very promising strategy for the generation of nanoporous structures. For most of the nanoporous polymer thin films prepared to date, one of the major problems is the lack of long-range order in the nanopore array, which prevents them from being used in applications where addressability is required (e.g., magnetic storage devices). Long-range order in thin films of the precursor block copolymers is a prerequisite for obtaining nanoporous materials with well-ordered pores. We have recently demonstrated that the solvent-annealing of thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) diblock copolymers leads to highly ordered arrays of PEO cylinders oriented normal to the film surface.[13] The long-range lateral order and the orientation in the annealed PS-b-PEO thin films arise from the strong nonfavorable interactions between PS and PEO, enhanced mobility caused by the presence of solvent, as well as the directionality of solvent evaporation. The subsequent removal of the PEO domain will lead to nanoporous films with identical long-range...

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Poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) with an o-nitrobenzyl ester photocleavable junction (PS-hν-PEO) was synthesized by a combined RAFT polymerization and “click chemistry“ approach and represents the first report utilizing this method for the synthesis of photocleavable block copolymers. After solvent annealing, highly ordered thin films were prepared from PS-hν-PEO. Following a very mild UV exposure and successive washing with water, PS-hν-PEO thin films were transformed into highly ordered nanoporous thin PS films with pore diameters of 15–20 nm and long range ordering (over 2 μm × 2 μm). Afterwards the pores were filled with PDMS by spin-coating in combination with capillary forces. After treatment with oxygen plasma to remove the PS templates, highly ordered arrays of silica nanodots were obtained. This represents the first template application example from highly ordered nanoporous thin films derived from block copolymers featuring a photocleavable junction.

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