We report the preparation of degradable polymer networks by conventional free radical copolymerization of n-butyl acrylate with a crosslinker (1 mol %) and dibenzo[c,e]oxepane-5thione (DOT) as a strand-cleaving comonomer. Addition of only 4 mol % of DOT imparts the synthesized networks with full degradability by aminolysis, whereas gels with less DOT (2−3 mol %) cannot be degraded. This data confirms the recently proposed reverse gel-point model for networks prepared by free radical polymerization and demonstrates the importance of considering copolymerization kinetics when designing fully degradable gels. Notably, even though DOT significantly slows down the polymerization and delays gelation, it has a minimal effect on physical properties of the networks such as shear storage modulus, equilibrium swelling ratio, glass transition temperature, or thermal stability.

We report the preparation of degradable polymer networks by conventional free radical copolymerization of n-butyl acrylate with a crosslinker and dibenzo[c,e]oxepane-5-thione (DOT) as a strand-cleaving comonomer. Addition of only 4 mol% of DOT imparts the synthesized networks with full degradability by aminolysis, whereas gels with less DOT (2 mol%) cannot be degraded, in excellent agreement with the recently proposed reverse gel-point model. Importantly, even though DOT significantly slows down the polymerization and delays gelation, it has a minimal effect on physical properties of the networks such as shear storage modulus, equilibrium swelling ratio, glass transition temperature or thermal stability.

We report the preparation of degradable polymer networks by conventional free radical copolymerization of n-butyl acrylate with a crosslinker (1 mol%) and dibenzo[c,e]oxepane-5-thione (DOT) as a strand-cleaving comonomer. Addition of only 4 mol% of DOT imparts the synthesized networks with full degradability by aminolysis, whereas gels with less DOT (2-3 mol%) cannot be degraded, in excellent agreement with the recently proposed reverse gel-point model. Importantly, even though DOT significantly slows down the polymerization and delays gelation, it has a minimal effect on physical properties of the networks such as shear storage modulus, equilibrium swelling ratio, glass transition temperature or thermal stability.

The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a global pandemic, leading to the need for effective surveillance and monitoring strategies. The identification of SARS-CoV-2 peptides and acute phase response proteins in wastewater using mass spectrometry (MS) and the wastewater-based epidemiology concept is a promising tool for the surveillance of infectious diseases. MS provides high specificity and sensitivity for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 peptides in wastewater, allowing for early detection of outbreaks and real-time monitoring of disease trends. The quantification of acute phase response proteins in wastewater provides valuable information on the dynamics of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, including the kinetics of cytokine production and the levels of acute phase response proteins in wastewater samples. In this study, we developed the first comprehensive mass spectrometry-based framework enabling simultanous tracking of infectious disease spread and community response to facilitate rapid disease management at the community level. SARS-CoV-2 was used as a test pathogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) as an acute phase response protein. The high specificity and sensitivity of MS, combined with the ability to provide a population-level perspective on the spread of the virus, make it a valuable tool for the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. To our knowledge, this is the first report to use LCMS/MS to measure SARS-CoV-2 and its corresponding acute phase responsive human CRP protein in wastewater.