In this article, a light and pH dual‐sensitive block copolymer PEG‐b‐poly(MPC‐Azo/DEA) was facilely prepared for the first time by azide‐alkyne click chemistry between amphiphilic block copolymer bearing pendant alkynyl group poly(ethylene glycol)‐poly(5‐methyl‐5‐propargylxycarbonyl‐1,3‐dioxane‐2‐one) (PEG‐b‐poly(MPC)) and two azide‐containing compounds azobenzene derivative (Azo‐N3) and 2‐azido‐1‐ethyl‐diethylamine (DEA‐N3). Light response of the polymeric nanoparticles benefits from the azobenzene segments and pH responsiveness is attributed to DEA moieties. The prepared copolymer could self‐assemble into spherical micelle particles. The morphological changes of these particles in response to dual stimuli were investigated by UV/vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nile Red (NR) was utilized as probe, and fluorescence spectroscopy was served as an evidence for the enhanced release of cargos from polymeric nanoparticles under combined stimulation. Anticancer drug, DOX was loaded into the nanoparticles and the loaded‐DOX could be released from these nanoparticles under dual stimuli. MTT assays further demonstrated that PEG‐b‐poly(MPC) and PEG‐b‐poly(MPC‐Azo/DEA) were of biocompatibility and low toxicity against HepG2 cells as well as SMCC‐7721 cells. More importantly, the prepared DOX‐loaded nanoparticles exhibited good anticancer ability for the two cells. The synthesized light and pH dual‐sensitive biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles were expected to be platforms for precisely controlled release of encapsulated molecules. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 1773–1783

No abstract

LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 (LMFP) materials are synthesized by the hydrothermal approach in an organic-free and surfactant-free aqueous solution. The phase and morphological evolution of the material intermediates at different reaction temperatures and times are characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results show that during temperature increase, the solubility product (Ksp) of the precursors (Li3PO4, Fe3(PO4)2 and (Mn,Fe)3(PO4)2) is the decisive parameter for the precipitation processes. Once the temperature locates at the range of 100-110 °C, the unstable precursors dissolve quickly and then LMFP nuclei are formed, followed by a dissolution-reprecipitation process. As the reaction progresses, the primary particles self-aggregate to form rod or plate particles to reduce the overall surface energy through oriented attachment (OA) and the Ostwald ripening (OR) mechanism. Moreover, the resultant concentration of the precursor significantly affects the crystal size of LMFP by altering the supersaturation degree of solution at the nucleation stage. The carbon coated LMFP nanostructure synthesized at 0.6 mol L(-1) (resultant concentration of PO4(3-)) delivers discharge capacities of 155, 100 and 81 mA h g(-1) at 0.1, 5 and 20 C rate, respectively. The understanding of nanostructural evolution and its influence on the electrochemical performance will pave a way for a high-performance LMFP cathode.

No abstract