Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Architecture01:14

Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
Proteoglycans01:05

Proteoglycans

Glycans, a class of complex heterogeneous molecules, can be covalently attached to proteins to form glycosylated proteins that regulate various physiological and pathological processes. Glycosylated proteins or glycoproteins comprise N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides. O-glycosylation is the most common type of protein glycosylation. Here, glycans attach to the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl groups of Serine or Threonine residues. O-linked glycosylation occurs later in protein processing,...
Glycocalyx and its Functions01:14

Glycocalyx and its Functions

The glycocalyx is a carbohydrate-rich, fuzzy-appearing layer on the outer surface of the cell membrane. It is highly hydrophilic, because of this it attracts large amounts of water to the cell's surface. This aids the cell's interaction with the watery environment and also helps it to obtain substances dissolved in the water. It is also important for cell identification, self/non-self determination, and embryonic development and is used in cell-to-cell attachments to form tissues.
Components of...
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching01:17

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers01:08

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched polymers.
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Air-permeable hydrogels through viscoelastic phase separation of aerogels.

Nature·2026
Same author

Antibiotics stimulate protein transfer to persister cells.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Ion-triggered reconfigurable hydrogels with salt-enhanced mechanical and swelling properties via network topological adaptation.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Implantable living materials autonomously deliver therapeutics using contained engineered bacteria.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Rapid fabrication of solvent-compatible NOA 81 microfluidic devices for double-emulsion microfluidics.

Lab on a chip·2026
Same author

Green Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsions for Delivery of Phytochemicals With Pesticidal Activity for Sustainable Food Production and Safety.

Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions
06:56

Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions

Published on: October 10, 2013

Hyperbranched polyglycerols on the nanometer and micrometer scale.

Dirk Steinhilber1, Sebastian Seiffert, John A Heyman

  • 1Free University Berlin, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berlin, Germany.

Biomaterials
|November 5, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created polyglycerol particles, including nanogels and microgels, using advanced templating methods. Mild polymerization conditions enabled successful encapsulation of yeast cells into microgels, demonstrating potential for bioparticle applications.

More Related Videos

Synthesis of Stimuli-responsive Nanogels using Aqueous One-step Crosslinking and Co-nanopolymerization
06:26

Synthesis of Stimuli-responsive Nanogels using Aqueous One-step Crosslinking and Co-nanopolymerization

Published on: January 24, 2025

Methods for the Self-integration of Megamolecular Biopolymers on the Drying Air-LC Interface
07:06

Methods for the Self-integration of Megamolecular Biopolymers on the Drying Air-LC Interface

Published on: April 7, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions
06:56

Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions

Published on: October 10, 2013

Synthesis of Stimuli-responsive Nanogels using Aqueous One-step Crosslinking and Co-nanopolymerization
06:26

Synthesis of Stimuli-responsive Nanogels using Aqueous One-step Crosslinking and Co-nanopolymerization

Published on: January 24, 2025

Methods for the Self-integration of Megamolecular Biopolymers on the Drying Air-LC Interface
07:06

Methods for the Self-integration of Megamolecular Biopolymers on the Drying Air-LC Interface

Published on: April 7, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) are versatile polymers with tunable properties.
  • Controlling particle size and morphology is crucial for various applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering.
  • Encapsulating viable cells within polymer matrices presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize polyglycerol-based particles across a range of length scales, from nanogels to microgels.
  • To investigate the efficacy of miniemulsion and microfluidic templating for particle fabrication.
  • To assess the feasibility of encapsulating viable yeast cells within the synthesized microgels.

Main Methods:

  • Miniemulsion templating was employed for nanogel synthesis (32 nm).
  • Microfluidic templating was utilized for microgel fabrication (140 and 220 μm).
  • Free-radical polymerization of HPG decaacrylate and polyethylene glycol-diacrylate under mild conditions was performed.

Main Results:

  • Polyglycerol particles were successfully prepared, ranging from 3 nm HPGs to 32 nm nanogels and 140-220 μm microgels.
  • Miniemulsion and microfluidic templating proved effective for controlling particle size.
  • Yeast cells were encapsulated into microgels with approximately 30% cell viability.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates a scalable method for producing polyglycerol particles of varying sizes.
  • The developed microgels are suitable for encapsulating biological entities like yeast cells.
  • These findings open avenues for using polyglycerol microgels in biotechnological applications requiring cell encapsulation.