Université de Fribourg

Synthesis and properties of poly(norbornene)s with lateral aramid groups

Kong, Phally ; Drechsler, Susanne ; Balog, Sandor ; Schrettl, Stephen ; Weder, Christoph ; Kilbinger, Andreas F. M.

In: Polymer Chemistry, 2019, vol. 10, no. 16, p. 2057–2063

This paper deals with the synthesis and investigation of comb-like poly(norbornene)s carrying lateral rod-like aramid groups. Two types of norbornene-based monomers were synthesized and copolymerized with a norbornene carrying an aliphatic side chain using ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The new monomers contain aramid derivatives that display different types of non-covalent...

Université de Fribourg

Synthesis of poly(sulfonate ester)s by ADMET polymerization

Parkhurst, Rebecca R. ; Balog, Sandor ; Weder, Christoph ; Simon, Yoan C.

In: RSC Advances, 2014, vol. 4, p. 53967-53974

Many hydrocarbon polymers containing heteroatom defects in the main chain have been investigated as degradable polyethylene-like materials, including aliphatic polyesters. Here, acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization was used for the synthesis of aliphatic poly(sulfonate ester)s. The requisite sulfonate ester containing α,ω-diene monomers with varying numbers of methylene groups...

Université de Fribourg

Taylor dispersion of inorganic nanoparticles and comparison to dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy

A.Urban, Dominic ; M.Milosevic, Ana ; Bossert, David ; Crippa, Federica ; L.Moore, Thomas ; Geers, Christoph ; Balog, Sandor ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Colloid and Interface Science Communications, 2018, vol. 22, p. 29–33

Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) is an analytical method that has so far mainly been utilized to determine the diffusion coefficient of small molecules, and proteins. Due to increasing interest in nanoscience, some research has been done on the applicability of TDA towards characterizing nanoparticles. This work aims to expand this knowledge and give insight into the range for which TDA can...

Université de Fribourg

Thermally reversible self-assembly of nanoparticles via polymer crystallization

Kinnear, Calum ; Balog, Sandor ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2014, vol. 35, no. 23, p. 2012–2017

The directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles through the crystallization of surface-grafted polyethylene oxide (PEO) in ethanol–water mixtures is described. This process is fully reversible and tunable through either the size of the core or the polymeric coating. Characterization by X-ray scattering and electron microscopy of the self-assembled structures reveals order at the nanoscale,...

Université de Fribourg

Use of EpiAlveolar lung model to predict fibrotic potential of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Barosova, Hana ; Maione, Anna G. ; Septiadi, Dedy ; Sharma, Monita ; Haeni, Laetitia ; Balog, Sandor ; O’Connell, Olivia ; Jackson, George R. ; Brown, David ; Clippinger, Amy J. ; Hayden, Patrick ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Stone, Vicki ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara

In: ACS Nano, 2020, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 3941–3956

Expansion in production and commercial use of nanomaterials increases the potential human exposure during the lifecycle of these materials (production, use, and disposal). Inhalation is a primary route of exposure to nanomaterials; therefore it is critical to assess their potential respiratory hazard. Herein, we developed a three-dimensional alveolar model (EpiAlveolar) consisting of human...

Université de Fribourg

Versatile macroscale concentration gradients of nanoparticles in soft nanocomposites

Taladriz‐Blanco, Patricia ; Rothen‐Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri‐Fink, Alke ; Balog, Sandor

In: Small, 2020, vol. 16, no. 6, p. 1905192

Nanocomposite materials benefit from the diverse physicochemical properties featured by nanoparticles, and the presence of nanoparticle concentration gradients can lend functions to macroscopic materials beyond the realm of classical nanocomposites. It is shown here that linearity and time‐shift invariance obtained via the synergism of two independent physical phenomena—translational...

Université de Fribourg

Vesicle origami: cuboid phospholipid vesicles formed by template‐free self‐assembly

Neuhaus, Frederik ; Mueller, Dennis ; Tanasescu, Radu ; Balog, Sandor ; Ishikawa, Takashi ; Brezesinski, Gerald ; Zumbuehl,  Andreas

In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2017, vol. 56, no. 23, p. 6515–6518

Phospholipid liposomes are archetypical self-assembled structures. To minimize the surface tension, the vesicles typically are spherical. Deciphering the bilayer code, the basic physical interactions between phospholipids would allow these molecules to be utilized as building blocks for novel, non-spherical structures. A 1,2- diamidophospholipid is presented that self-assembles into a cuboid...