There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Hydrogels for biomedical applications.

A review on polymeric hydrogel membranes for wound dressing applications: PVA-based hydrogel dressings

Poly(ionic liquid)s: An update

This Perspective presents recent advances in macromolecular engineering enabled by ATRP. They include the fundamental mechanistic and synthetic features of ATRP with emphasis on various catalytic/initiation systems that use parts-per-million concentrations of Cu catalysts and can be run in environmentally friendly media, e.g., water. The roles of the major components of ATRP—monomers, initiators, catalysts, and various additives—are explained, and their reactivity and structure are correlated. The effects of media and external stimuli on polymerization rates and control are presented. Some examples of precisely controlled elements of macromolecular architecture, such as chain uniformity, composition, topology, and functionality, are discussed. Syntheses of polymers with complex architecture, various hybrids, and bioconjugates are illustrated. Examples of current and forthcoming applications of ATRP are covered. Future challenges and perspectives for macromolecular engineering by ATRP are discussed.

Macromolecular Engineering by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Efficient production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose over silica-tin oxide composite catalysts

Here we report a versatile new method for end-functionalizing polystyrene. In order to produce polystyrene with an amino end group, 2-(3-bromo-3-phenylpropyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione was synthesized and used as a novel initiator for ATRP. After ATRP polymerization, tri-n-butyltin hydride ((n-Bu)3SnH) reductively replace existing halogens on polymer chains by hydrogen. Finally, the phthaloyl groups on polymer backbone were cleaved by treatment with hydrazine yielding amino terminated polystyrene. A polymer with M
 n ≈ 10,350 and M
 w/M
 n = 1.17 was obtained. Therefore, this method allows the preparation of amino end functionalized polystyrene of narrow polydispersity with complete degree of functionalization.

Farzad Seidi

Papers

Efficient production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose over silica-tin oxide composite catalysts

Use of a novel initiator for synthesis of amino-end functionalized polystyrene (NH 2 -PS) by atom transfer radical polymerization

Clickable Polysaccharides for Biomedical Applications: A Comprehensive Review

A novel amino cellulose derivative using ATRP method: Preparation, characterization, and investigation of its antibacterial activity.

Crystallization of Polysaccharides