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Shape Memory Polymers for Active Cell Culture
Published on: July 4, 2011
From Random Coil to Extended Nanocylinder: Dendrimer Fragments Shape Polymer Chains
1Freiburger Materialforschungszentrum und, Institut für Makromolekulare Chemie der Universität, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 21/31, D-79104 Freiburg (Germany), Fax: (+49) 761-203-4709.
Abstract:
Wedgelike dendrimer fragments, "dendrons", attached to linear polymers as side groups, can be used to create anisotropic "nanocylinders", leading to uncoiling and extension of the polymer chains. Synthetic macromolecules of this type can be visualized directly on surfaces and their contour length determined from scanning force micrographs. Unexpected acceleration effects in the polymerization of dendron monomers as well as the structural consequences of dendritic "pieces of cake" (shown schematically) on linear polymer chains are discussed.
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