in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).Tailor-made polystyrene nanocomposite with mixed free and clay-attached polystyrene chains was synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization. Vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride having a double bond, which could be incorporated into polystyrene chains by a grafting through process, was used as a nanoclay modifier. Conversion and molecular weight evaluation was carried out using gas chromatography and gel permeation chromatography, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis results confirmed the elevated thermal stability of the nanocomposites in comparison with the neat polystyrene sample. Additionally, the T g increases by clay loading was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The difference in the degradation temperature of CABr bond in attached and free polystyrene chains was well revealed in DSC thermograms. Finally, a lower clay loading resulted in an exfoliated structure as proved by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results.

Tissue engineering of implantable cellular constructs is an emerging cellular therapy for hepatic disease. In this study, we tested the ability of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber scaffold to support and maintain hepatic differentiation of human cord blood-derived unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs) in vitro. USSCs, self-renewing pluripotent cells, were isolated from human cord blood. The electrospun PCL nanofiber porous scaffold was constructed of uniform, randomly oriented nanofibers. USSCs were seeded onto PCL nanofiber scaffolds, and were induced to differentiate into hepatogenic lineages by culturing with differentiation factors for 6 weeks. RT-PCR analysis of endoderm and hepatic-specific gene expression, immunohistochemical detection of cytokeratin 18 (CK-18), α-fetoprotein, albumin, glycogen storage and indocyanine green uptake confirmed the differentiation of USSCs into endoderm and hepatocyte-like cells. In the present study, we show that hepatocyte-like cells differentiated from USSCs on the PCL nanofiber scaffold can be candidate for tissue engineering and cell therapy of hepatic tissues.

NCC-attached dual-sensitive copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid (AA) with different contents of AA were synthesized by RAFT polymerization. Effect of NCC, AA content, and pH on LCST was evaluated.

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An initiator containing modifier, 4-hydroxybutyl 2-bromopropionate (CBr), was synthesized by the reaction of 1,4-butanediol and alpha-bromoisobutyryl bromide. Subsequently, graphene oxide was functionalized with CBr to yield initiator-anchored graphene (GCBr). Then, GCBr was used as the precursor for ATRP of styrene.

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