Controlled curing of adhesive complex coacervates with reversible periodate carbohydrate complexes

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Carbohydrate Chemistry

Background:

• Periodate oxidation is widely used for crosslinking and conjugation in adhesive biomaterials.
• This oxidation targets vicinal hydroxyl groups on carbohydrates and ortho-dihydroxyphenyl groups on aromatic compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose in modulating periodate oxidation rates.
• To demonstrate control over the curing rate of adhesive complex coacervates by adjusting reactant ratios.

Main Methods:

• Utilized periodate oxidation of carbohydrates with vicinal hydroxyl groups.
• Employed 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose as a complexing agent to control oxidation.
• Varied the ratio of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose to periodate in adhesive complex coacervates.

Main Results:

• Periodate forms stable tridentate complexes with specific carbohydrates like 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose.
• These complexes are resistant to oxidation, unlike vicinal diols.
• The rate of periodate oxidation is governed by the complex's association and dissociation kinetics.
• A wide range of curing rates for adhesive coacervates was achieved by altering the 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose to periodate ratio.

Conclusions:

• 1,2-O-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose effectively modulates periodate oxidation.
• This modulation allows for precise control over the curing kinetics of adhesive biomaterials.
• The findings offer a method for tuning the properties of adhesive complex coacervates.