Modification of Starch Using Itaconic Anhydride and its Characterizations

In this study, the chemical modification of starch was conducted using itaconic anhydride as an esterifying agent. The results showed that sulphuric acid is more effective as a catalyst for esterification of starch compared to sodium hydroxide. The presence of attached itaconic anhyride in the starch affected the thermal behaviour and crystallinity of the resulting products as shown by the TGA, DSC, and the XRD data. In addition, the SEM micrographs also indicated that the modified starch exhibited a unique morphology in the form of block with different sizes ranging from 1 to 20 μm in length.

Copolymerization of CO2, propylene oxide, and itaconic anhydride with double metal cyanide complex catalyst to form crosslinked polypropylene carbonate

In this study, a high-activity Zn–Co double metal cyanide complex was synthesized and used to catalyze the ternary polymerization of carbon dioxide, propylene oxide, and itaconic anhydride to produce a new class of polypropylene carbonates characterized by excellent performance and low ether content. The number average molecular weight of the terpolymer was as high as 2.14 × 105 g·mol−1, and the polydispersity index was as high as 1.58. In the case of PPCIAn3, the 5% weight loss temperature increased by 70°C, the total weight loss temperature increased by 100°C, the tensile strength increased by 6.6 MPa, and the elongation at break decreased to 14.5% with respect to traditional polypropylene carbonate. The apparent efficiency of the catalyst was as high as 45.79 gpolymer/gcatalyst, indicating its high catalytic activity. 1H-NMR spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the polymerization process and the structural properties of the obtained terpolymers.

Antimicrobial and anticancer activities of copolymers of tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal and itaconic anhydride

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of monomers itaconic anhydride (IA) and tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal (TAG) as well as 4,6-di-O-acetyl-D-glucal (PSG). The homopolymers and copolymers of IA and TAG were synthesized via free radical copolymerization in bulk using azobisiso-butyronitrile as an initiator using different feed ratios of monomers. Their structural, molecular, and thermal characterization was done using 1H-NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of copolymers was found in the range of 139-145 ?C. The highest Tg was found for IA-TAG2 copolymers, whereas IA-TAG4 copolymer showed lowest Tg. The molecular weight of the copolymers was in the range 5157-5499 g mol-1. The monomer TAG undergoes Ferrier rearrangement in water to give PSG. The antimicrobial activity of IA, TAG, PSG and IA-TAG copolymers was studied using the minimum microbicidal concentration-broth dilution method. TAG, IA, and PSG, as well as homopolymer and copolymers of IA and TAG are excellent antimicrobial agents.

Antitumoral Drug: Loaded Hybrid Nanocapsules Based on Chitosan with Potential Effects in Breast Cancer Therapy

Cancer remains one of the world’s most devastating diseases and is responsible for more than 20% of all deaths. It is defined as uncontrolled proliferation of cells and spreads rapidly to healthy tissue. Controlled drug delivery systems offers great opportunities for the development of new non-invasive strategies for the treatment of cancers. The main advantage of these systems is their capacity to accumulate in tumors via enhanced permeability and retention effects. In the present study, an innovative hybrid drug delivery system based on nanocapsules obtained from the interfacial condensation between chitosan and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone-alt-itaconic anhydride) and containing both magnetic nanoparticles and an antitumoral drug was developed in order to improve the efficiency of the antitumoral treatment. Using dynamic light scattering, it was observed that the mean diameter of these hybrid nanocapsules was in the range of 43 to 142 nm. SEM confirmed their nanometric size and their well-defined spherical shape. These nanocapsules allowed the encapsulation of an increased amount of 5-fluorouracil and provided controlled drug release. In vitro studies have revealed that these drug-loaded hybrid nanocapsules were able to induce a cytostatic effect on breast carcinoma MCF-7 cell lines (Human Caucasian breast adenocarcinoma - HTB-22) comparable to that of the free drug.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Cross-Linked Co-poly(itaconic anhydride-methyl methacrylate): The Effects of the Molar Ratio and Cross-Linking Agent on the Thermal Stability

In the present work, a new series of cross-linked copolymers based on itaconic anhydride and methyl methacrylate were prepared employing free radical copolymerization in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and 2-butanone as a solvent under microwave irradiation. The copolymers containing itaconic anhydride (ITA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were chosen due to the formation of long-term stable anhydride moieties, which might be useful to attach enzymes covalently with numerous applications in water treatment. The copolymerization process was carried out in the presence of two types of cross-linking agent, namely, ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) in a range of 0-20% (w/w) to explore their effect on the thermal and stiffness properties of the obtained cross-linked copolymers. Increasing the ratio of the cross-linking agent, the copolymers prefer to precipitate rather than form a gel during the polymerization process. While using ethylene dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent, the copolymers change from porous to stiffness structures depending on the molar ratio of the monomers used during the polymerization. On the other hand, using divinylbenzene as a cross-linking agent, the stiffness structure was obtained in all cases and there is no effect observed for the monomer’s ratio or the percentage of cross-linking agent on the morphology of the prepared copolymers.

Orange-red and white-emitting nonconventional luminescent polymers containing cyclic acid anhydride and lactam groups

Nonconventional luminescent copolymers poly(itaconic anhydride-co-vinyl caprolactam) (PIVC) and poly(itaconic anhydride-co-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PIVP) emit strong orange-red and bright white emissions, respectively.