Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1038/pj.2017.54

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：American Chemical Society (ACS)  

DOI： 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00060

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

DOI： 10.1038/s41428-024-01005-5

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Other Link： https://www.nature.com/articles/s41428-024-01005-5

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：MDPI AG  

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess attractive electronic, optical, and catalytic properties, enabling many potential applications. Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is a temperature-responsive polymer that changes its hydrophilicity upon a slight temperature change, and combining PNIPAAm with AuNPs allows us to modulate the properties of AuNPs by temperature. In a previous study, we proposed a simpler method for designing PNIPAAm–AuNP hybrid microgels, which used an AuNP monomer with polymerizable groups. The size of AuNPs is the most important factor influencing their catalytic performance, and numerous studies have emphasized the importance of controlling the size of AuNPs by adjusting their stabilizer concentration. This paper focuses on the effect of AuNP size on the catalytic activity of PNIPAAm–AuNP hybrid microgels prepared via the copolymerization of N-isopropyl acrylamide and AuNP monomers with different AuNP sizes. To quantitatively evaluate the catalytic activity of the hybrid microgels, we monitored the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol using the hybrid microgels with various AuNP sizes. While the hybrid microgels with an AuNP size of 13.0 nm exhibited the highest reaction rate and the apparent reaction rate constant (kapp) of 24.2 × 10−3 s−1, those of 35.9 nm exhibited a small kapp of 1.3 × 10−3 s−1. Thus, the catalytic activity of the PNIPAAm–AuNP hybrid microgel was strongly influenced by the AuNP size. The hybrid microgels with various AuNP sizes enabled the reversibly temperature-responsive on–off regulation of the reduction reaction.

DOI： 10.3390/gels10060357

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)  

A facile preparation method of an ion gel that exhibits high strength and repeated stretchability is realized. A number of polymer chain entanglements in addition to a small number of chemical cross-links support mechanical properties of gel.

DOI： 10.1039/d4sm00628c

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

Abstract

Cell behaviors are highly sensitive to the surrounding environment. Therefore, in regulating cells, biomaterial substrates should be designed so their properties are similar to the surrounding environments of the cells. For cell regulation, we designed dual stimuli-responsive gels whose physical (elastic modulus) and chemical (hydrophilicity) properties can be changed by varying the UV exposure time and temperature, respectively. A dual stimuli-responsive polymer with photodimerizable groups and temperature-responsive moieties was prepared by copolymerizing 7-methacryloyloxycoumarin (MAC) and methoxyoligoethylene glycol methacrylate (OEGMA). The resulting polymers (P(MAC-co-OEGMA)) had lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs), which depended on the compositions. A buffer solution containing P(MAC-co-OEGMA) was exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) for gelation, and the elastic modulus increased with increasing exposure time. The cell behavior, including adhesion and spreading, on the surfaces of these gels was investigated. Most of the cells adhered to P(MAC-co-OEGMA) gels with higher elastic moduli, and the cells were spread more effectively at temperatures above the LCST. This was because cell adhesion and spreading were strongly influenced by the physical and chemical properties of the P(MAC-co-OEGMA) gels, which were regulated by varying the UV exposure time and temperature.

DOI： 10.1038/s41428-023-00865-7

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Other Link： https://www.nature.com/articles/s41428-023-00865-7

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：American Chemical Society (ACS)  

DOI： 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01659

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：American Chemical Society (ACS)  

DOI： 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01049

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Wiley  

Abstract

The regulation of cell behavior is crucial for understanding many fundamental biological processes and designing novel medical devices. Nano/micropatterning has been developed as a means of controlling cellular properties and behaviors. Using cinnamoyl groups that have undergone photodimerization, we have prepared facile photopatterning films with adjustable surface properties for cell patterning via simple steps. Our strategy for controlling surface properties uses the decrease in free volume induced by photocrosslinking. This paper describes the surface‐patterning properties of photocrosslinkable polymer films and the cell adhesion to their micropatterned surfaces. Upon culturing cells on micropatterned surfaces, preferential cell adhesion, alignment and proliferation are observed in the unexposed regions. Additionally, diverse surface patterns of photocrosslinkable polymer films have been fabricated using various photomasks, enabling effective control of cell adhesion and alignment. The ability to regulate cellular behavior via microfabricated surfaces of photocrosslinkable polymer films enables a new and facile approach for designing scaffolds for the development of novel advanced materials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

DOI： 10.1002/rpm.20230007

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)  

DLS measurements revealed that temperature-responsive gels prepared by ATRP have more homogeneous networks than those by free radical polymerization. The standard deviation of the scattered intensity is used to quantify the network inhomogeneity.

DOI： 10.1039/d3sm00044c

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1039/d2tb00325b

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：{MDPI} {AG}  

Standard hydrogels prepared by free radical polymerization (FRP) have heterogeneous structures with a wide mesh size distribution, which affect their mechanical and separation properties. Recent research has identified four-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (tetra-PEG) as a solution to this problem. tetra-PEG gels with a homogeneous network can be prepared and applied as high-strength gels and cell-culture substrates by reacting two types of tetra-PEG with different reactive groups at the ends. In this study, we report a photoresponsive tetra-PEG that undergoes a phase transition from a sol to a gel state in response to light. tetra-PEGs containing cinnamoyl and maleimide groups at the ends of the four-armed chains were found to gel when exposed to light. The effects of polymer concentration and light irradiation time on the gelation of tetra-PEG containing photodimerization groups were investigated. The results showed that the elastic modulus of the gel increased with the increase in the light irradiation time.

DOI： 10.3390/gels8030183

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Polymer particles with precise diameters have been used as building blocks for fabricating well-defined and nanostructured materials. Polymer particles as building blocks for medical applications require both easily spatiotemporal manipulation and good biocompatibility. In this study, we designed zwitterionic polymer particles with photodimerizable groups on their surfaces and used ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation to photo-assemble them in aqueous media. After synthesizing zwitterionic polymer particles with diameters ranging from 100-200 nm via soap-free emulsion polymerization, maleimide moieties as photodimerizable groups were introduced onto the particle surfaces. UV light irradiation to an aqueous dispersion of zwitterionic polymer particles with photodimerizable groups induced their photo-assembling because interparticle bonding forms by photodimerization of the photodimerizable groups on the particle surfaces. The zwitterionic surface of their particle-assembled films effectively suppressed protein adsorption, cell adhesion, and platelet adhesion. The photoresponsive behaviour and bioinert surface of the zwitterionic polymer particles with photodimerizable groups indicate that they have several potential applications as bioinert building blocks for designing well-defined and nanostructured biomaterials used in biosensors, bioseparation and cell culture, and for modifying and repairing biomaterial surfaces in situ.

DOI： 10.1039/d1tb02342j

PubMed

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/admi.202101965

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Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：American Chemical Society (ACS)  

DOI： 10.1021/acsami.2c00592

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

<title>Abstract</title>Hydrogels are flexible materials that have high potential for use in various applications due to their unique properties. However, their applications are greatly restricted by the low mechanical performance caused by high water content and inhomogeneous networks. This paper reports a universal strategy for easily preparing hydrogels that are tough and stretchable without any special structures or complicated processes. Our strategy involves tuning the polymerization conditions to form networks with many polymer chain entanglements to achieve energy dissipation. Tough and stretchable hydrogels can be prepared by free radical polymerization with a high monomer concentration and low cross-linker content to optimize the balance between physical and chemical cross-links by entanglements and covalent bonds, respectively. The strategy of using polymer chain entanglements for energy dissipation allows us to overcome the limitation of low mechanical performance, which leads to the wide practical use of hydrogels.

DOI： 10.1038/s41427-021-00302-2

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Other Link： http://www.nature.com/articles/s41427-021-00302-2

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117213

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Nature Publishing Group  

DOI： 10.1038/s41428-017-0013-7

Scopus

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1039/c7py01370a

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1039/c7py01323j

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1021/acs.macromol.6b02688

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1038/pj.2016.23

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Walter de Gruyter {GmbH}  

DOI： 10.1515/molim-2016-0003

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1246/cl.150464

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/marc.201400676

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1038/pj.2014.122

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1246/cl.140103

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1039/c4cc01187b

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1246/cl.2012.1660

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2011.10.008

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1038/pj.2012.41

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1163/092050610X514557

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/pola.22739

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/pola.22347

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1021/bc070029t

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1002/mabi.200600199

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.1021/bm049198w

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Event date： 2015.8

Venue：Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan  

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Event date： 2014.11

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Event date： 2014.11

Venue：The Korea Science and Technology Center, Seoul, Korea  

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Venue：Web開催  

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Venue：Web開催  

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Applicant：日油株式会社

Application no：特願2015-142393  Date applied：2015.7

Announcement no：特開2017-023902  Date announced：2017.2

Patent/Registration no：特許第6485263号  Date registered：2019.3 

J-GLOBAL

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Applicant：学校法人 関西大学

Application no：2014-148499  Date applied：2014.7

Announcement no：2016-23243  Date announced：2016.2

Patent/Registration no：特許第6558621号  Date registered：2019.7 

J-GLOBAL

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Applicant：学校法人 関西大学

Application no：2014-039966  Date applied：2014.2

Announcement no：2015-164978  Date announced：2015.9

J-GLOBAL

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Applicant：大塚化学株式会社, 学校法人 関西大学

Application no：2013-138964  Date applied：2013.7

Announcement no：2015-010219  Date announced：2015.1

Patent/Registration no：特許第6108990号  Date registered：2017.3 

J-GLOBAL

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Applicant：学校法人 関西大学

Application no：2012-256965  Date applied：2012.11

Announcement no：2014-103857  Date announced：2014.6

Patent/Registration no：特許第6070106号  Date registered：2017.1 

J-GLOBAL

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Applicant：公立大学法人大阪府立大学

Application no：2005-235669  Date applied：2005.8

Announcement no：2007-51182  Date announced：2007.3

J-GLOBAL

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